Perspective of buried oxide thickness variation on triple metal-gate (TMG) recessed-S/D FD-SOI MOSFET

Recently, Fully-Depleted Silicon on Insulator (FD-SOI) MOSFETs have been accepted as a favourable technology beyond nanometer nodes, and the technique of Recessed-Source/Drain (Re-S/D) has made it more immune in regards of various performance factors. However, the proper selection of Buried-Oxide (BOX) thickness is one of the major challenges in the design of FD-SOI based MOS devices in order to suppress the drain electric penetrations across the BOX interface efficiently. In this work, the effect of BOX thickness on the performance of TMG Re-S/D FD-SOI MOSFET has been presented at 60 nm gate length. The perspective of BOX thickness variation has been analysed on the basis of its surface potential profile and the extraction of the threshold voltage by performing two-dimensional numerical simulations. Moreover, to verify the short channel immunity, the impact of gate length scaling has also been discussed. It is found that the device attains two step-up potential profile with suppressed short channel effects. The outcomes reveal that the Drain Induced Barrier Lowering (DIBL) values are lower among conventional SOI MOSFETs. The device has been designed and simulated by using 2D numerical ATLAS Silvaco TCAD simulator

CHANGES IN SERUM TESTOSTERONE LEVELS IN MALES WITH PREDIABETES UNDERGOING METFORMIN THERAPY: A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL STUDY.

Introduction:  Hypogonadism is a commonly encountered condition observed in individuals presenting with both diabetes and prediabetes. Metformin, a pharmacological agent classified as an insulin sensitizer, has received regulatory approval as a therapeutic intervention for individuals who have received a diagnosis of prediabetes. The objective of this investigation is to assess the potential influence of metformin on serum testosterone concentrations in males who have been diagnosed with prediabetes. Materials and Methods:  The study comprised a cohort of 50 male individuals diagnosed with prediabetes. The participants were stratified into two distinct cohorts - Category A, comprising individuals with a baseline serum testosterone level exceeding 300 ng/dl, and Category B, consisting of individuals with a baseline serum testosterone level below 300 ng/dl. The patient's testosterone levels were reassessed following a 3-month course of metformin therapy.  Result:  Substantial improvement in serum testosterone levels was observed among prediabetic men in the hypogonadal group. Both cohorts of participants exhibited amelioration in the manifestation of erectile dysfunction.  Conclusion: Metformin therapy in males with prediabetes has been shown to contribute to the enhancement of testosterone levels.  Recommendation:  According to this study, metformin therapy may be an option for prediabetic men with baseline blood testosterone levels < 300 ng/dl. The improvement in blood testosterone levels and erectile dysfunction symptoms imply that metformin may help prediabetics manage hypogonadism. When contemplating metformin therapy for prediabetes, doctors should examine the patient's risk factors, health, and treatment goals. Further research and clinical studies may reveal metformin's long-term efficacy and safety in treating hypogonadism in this population

Diagnostic accuracy of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in comparison with liver function tests for the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy

Background: In this study, we aimed to find diagnostic accuracy of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in comparison with liver function tests for the diagnosis of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and adverse fetal-maternal outcomes.Methods: NLR and aminotransferase (AST/ALT) levels in the blood samples of pregnant women with complaint of pruritus. 90 women with elevated transaminase were taken as cases and same number of women with normal aminotransferase levels taken as control. All were examined in this prospective case-control study.Results: Not only was the mean NLR elevated in the pregnant women with cholestasis when compared to the controls, but it also predicted the severity of the cholestasis. The correlation between transaminase levels and NLR was significant.Conclusions: Although TBA is still the diagnostic standard, NLR can be used as an initial screening tool due to its high specificity

Brachial plexopathy in breast cancer: is it radiation related? An analysis technique and dose volume parameters to brachial plexus in breast cancer radiotherapy

Background: Brachial plexus dysfunction is a rare but well-recognized complication of breast cancer surgery and radiotherapy. Most of the time it presents as paraesthesia of the arm. In an earlier publication Dan Lundstedt et al from Sweden, quantitatively assessed the radiation related brachial plexopathy (mainly paraesthesia) with the help of dose volume histograms and its co relation between patient reported paraesthesia. Paraesthesia was reported by 25% after radiation therapy to the supraclavicular fossa, with a V40 Gy 13.5 cm3 and maximum dose to brachial plexus (Dmax) was not found to correlate with paraesthesia. In order to predict the risk brachial plexopathy in our patients we decided to analyze the dose volume parameters for brachial plexus in carcinoma breast patients treated at our institution with modern radiotherapy techniques.Methods: Twenty five consecutive patients who received post mastectomy radiation during the period September 2015 to January 2016 with a dose of 50Gy in 25 fractions were included for this analysis. Brachial plexus contoured using RTOG guidelines, and dose volume parameters for brachial plexus were documented from the existing treatment plans.Results: The maximum dose to the brachial plexus ranged from 5045cGy to 5679cGy with a mean value of 5312.8cGy. The mean dose received by the brachial plexus ranged from 3093cGy to 4714cGy and the mean value was 4137.28cGy. Volume receiving 40Gy, that is V40, ranged from 2.0078cc to 11.56cc with a mean value of 7.57cc.Conclusions: Maximum dose and V40 Gy values were well below the tolerance limit of plexus, and hence post mastectomy irradiation with modern techniques is unlikely to produce significant brachial plexus neuropathy

BMP TO JPEG -THE CONVERSION PROCESS

Abstract: Images of different formats are generated, edited and transmitted on a very regular basis in a vast number of systems today. The BMP format is the native format for the Windows World and vast majority of windows-based applications supports this format. But a BMP image is quite large and voluminous. It becomes cumbersome to move it around in bandwidth-constrained systems or where bandwidth is to be conserved for cost purposes such as the World Wide Web. Such scenarios demand use of a conversion technique to a format, which is compact, such as JPEG, which compresses the image to a high degree with little loss in perceived quality of the image. This report deals with the steps used for converting an image stored in BMP format to JPEG format

Retrospective record based study of maternal and fetal outcome in induction of labour at 40 and 41 weeks of gestation in uncomplicated primigravida women

Background: The objective of the study was to compare maternal and foetal outcome after induction in two groups: women who were induced at 40-weeks and at 41-weeks.Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted over period of one year from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2018 in the obstetrics and gynaecology department. A total of 200 uncomplicated primigravida women were included in the study. The data was collected and comparative analysis was done between two groups: control group (group A), women with induction at 40 weeks; study group (group B), women with induction at 41 weeks. The outcome was then analysed in terms of mode of delivery, oligohydramnios, meconium-stained liquor, Apgar score, need of NICU, perinatal death. The data was collected, analysed and statistical analysis was done using the Chi square test.Results: Out of total 200 women, 104 women were of 40 weeks and 96 women had completed 41 weeks. The LSCS rate was reduced from 25.96% to 17.7%, when the labour was induced at 41 weeks, the instrumental delivery rate was low in the study group compared to the control group. Even though the meconium staining of liquor was high but NICU admission and perinatal mortality was comparatively lower in the study group.Conclusions: Induction of labour done at 41weeks is associated with reduced maternal morbidity and no adverse effect on the perinatal outcome as compare to induction at 40 weeks

Effect of silver nanoparticles on growth of eukaryotic green algae

Silver nanoparticles, endowed with powerful antimicrobial property, are the most widely used nanomaterial in consumer products, with associated risk of their easy access to environment and freshwater ecosystems by surface runoff. Although toxic effects of nanosilver on bacterial, fungal and mammalian cells have been documented, its impact on algal growth remains unknown. Pithophora oedogonia and Chara vulgaris are predominant members of photosynthetic eukaryotic algae, which form major component of global aquatic ecosystem. Here we report for the first time that nanosilver has significant adverse effects on growth and morphology of these filamentous green algae in a dose-dependent manner. Exposure of algal thalli to increasing concentrations of silver nanoparticles resulted in progressive depletion in algal chlorophyll content, chromosome instability and mitotic disturbance, associated with morphological malformations in algal filaments. SEM micrographs revealed dramatic alterations in cell wall in nanoparticle-treated algae, characterized with cell wall rupture and degradation in Pithophora. Although these observations underscore severe deleterious effects of nanosilver on aquatic environment, the information can also be exploited as a bioengineering strategy to control unwanted and persistent growth of noxious algal weeds that clog the municipal water supply and water channels and produce fouling of water bodies

Rational truncation of aptamer for cross-species application to detect krait envenomation

Abstract In majority of snakebite cases, the snake responsible for the bite remains unidentified. The traditional snakebite diagnostics method relies upon clinical symptoms and blood coagulation assays that do not provide accurate diagnosis which is important for epidemiological as well as diagnostics point of view. On the other hand, high batch-to-batch variations in antibody performance limit its application for diagnostic assays. In recent years, nucleic acid aptamers have emerged as a strong chemical rival of antibodies due to several obvious advantages, including but not limited to in vitro generation, synthetic nature, ease of functionalization, high stability and adaptability to various diagnostic formats. In the current study, we have rationally truncated an aptamer developed for α-Toxin of Bungarus multicinctus and demonstrated its utility for the detection of venom of Bungarus caeruleus. The truncated aptamer α-Tox-T2 (26mer) is found to have greater affinity than its 40-mer parent counterpart α-Tox-FL. The truncated aptamers are characterized and compared with parent aptamer for their binding, selectivity, affinity, alteration in secondary structure and limit of detection. Altogether, our findings establish the cross-species application of a DNA aptamer generated for α-Toxin of Bungarus multicinctus (a snake found in Taiwan and China) for the reliable detection of venom of Bungarus caeruleus (a snake found in the Indian subcontinent)

Physico-chemical Characterization of Biochar from Selected Ligno-cellulosic Biomass for The Sustainable Utilization

Biochar is a thermal decomposition product known to mitigate climate change and a supplement to enhance soil fertility. The fine-grained, highly porous structure of biochar makes it a popular choice in environmental research. This study aims to assess the Physico-chemical properties and morphological changes in the biochar prepared from feedstocks: sawdust, sugarcane bagasse, and soapnut pith of Sapindus trifoliatus, native to the foothills of Western Ghats, Kerala, at a temperature of 300 oC and 600oC with 30 minutes residence time. The pyrolytic temperature and feedstock type may affect the yield, ash content, volatile matter (VM), fixed carbon (FC), and nutrient composition of biochar. The selection of these two factors is critical before proceeding with charring. The efficiency of biochar was determined through proximate, ultimate, and morphological characterizations. The pH of high-temperature biochar (sawdust biochar, sugarcane bagasse biochar, and soapnut pith biochar prepared at 600oC) was more alkaline (≥7) compared with low-temperature ones. The char yield was highest at 300oC, whereas the fixed carbon was limited. The VM/FC ratio of SDB600 at 1.09±2.3 represents the highest aromaticity and long-term stability. Therefore, SDB600 can be recommended for soil supplementation purposes. The macrospores were uniformly distributed throughout the biochar surface. Sugarcane bagasse pyrolyzed at 600oC (SBB600) possessed the minimum pore diameter (0.87-9.17µm), with the highest surface area; so that it could be an optimum habitat for soil microbiota as well as a suitable adsorbent for environmental remediation applications. The study suggests that biochar made from these ligno-cellulosic feedstocks is a sustainable tool and a value-added product for environmental management

Relative efficiency of sulphur sources at varying rate in aerobic rice (Oryza sativa)-wheat (Triticum aestivum) cropping system

A field experiment was conducted during 2010-11 and 2011-12 at the research farm of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi to study the effect of sulphur fertilization on productivity, economics and nutrient use efficiencies of aerobic rice (Oryza sativa L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cropping system.The results revealed that aerobic rice and wheat both responded to sulphur significantly. Sulphur fertilization in aerobic rice through gypsum @ 30 and 60 kg S/ha and phosphogypsum @ 30 and 60 kg S/ha increased the rice equivalent yield of system by 7.8, 10.6, 7.0 and 9.8 %, respectively, over control (no sulphur in rice). The values for per cent increase in rice equivalent yield of systems was 8.4 and 11.6% for 15 and 30 kg S/ha, respectively, when applied to wheat over the control treatment in wheat. Significant response of S applied to rice was found only up to 30 kg S/ha, except 30 kg S/ha applied through phosphogypsum during 2010-11. In wheat, significant response of S was found only up to 15 kg S/ha during second year. During first year of rice-wheat cropping system, economic optimum dose (EOD) of sulphur was 30 kg S/ha through gypsum to rice and 15 kg elemental S/ha to succeeding wheat, while during second year only 30 kg S/ha through either of the sources to rice was found sufficient for both the crops. The apparent sulphur balances and available sulphur in soil were more in higher doses of S application to both the crops. The partial factor productivity, agronomic efficiency and crop recovery of applied S were highest with application of 30 kg S/ha in aerobic rice and 15 kg S/ha in succeeding wheat during both the years of experimentation