Growth and physical property study of single nanowire (diameter ~ 45nm) of half doped Manganite

We report here the growth and characterization of functional oxide nanowire of hole doped manganite of La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 (LSMO). We also report four probe electrical resistance measurement of single nanowire of LSMO (diameter ~ 45nm) using FIB fabricated electrodes. The wires were fabricated by hydrothermal method using autoclave at a temperature of 270 oC. The elemental analysis and physical property like electrical resistivity were studied at individual nanowire level. The quantitative determination of Mn valency and elemental mapping of constituent elements was done by using Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) in the Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) mode. We addressed the important issue of whether as a result of size reduction the nanowires can retain the desired composition, structure and physical properties. The nanowires used were found to have a ferromagnetic transition (TC) at around 325 K which is very close to the bulk value of around 330 K found in single crystal of the same composition confirming that the functional behavior is likely to be retained even after size reduction of the nanowires to a diameter of 45 nm. The electrical resistivity shows insulating behavior within the temperature range measured, which is very much similar to the bulk system.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted in Journal of Nanomaterial

Importance of Housing Finance Companies in Development of Financial Markets of Bangladesh

Money market is the market for short-term loans and securities (i.e., for one year or less). The strong presence of money market can boost the economic development of a country. The main purpose of money market is to provide the liquidity need of financial institutions, non-bank financial institutions and other participants in the market. The average borrowing rate in the call money market in 2009 was at 1.7% compares to 9.7% in the year 2008. The main concern in this study is Housing Finance Companies (HFCs). At present, there are three Housing Finance Companies (HFCs) in Bangladesh, which are an integral part of Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs). The objective of this study is to highlights the present scenario of HFCs, and its role in the development of money market. The study shows that the HFCs are not active participants in the money market like other financial institutions (like banks). In spite of this, they can play a significant role in the development of money market through active participation directly; issuing different money market securities to collect short term fund for new loan sanction and innovate new short-term financial products like securitization of the mortgage loan

Non-trivial quantum oscillation geometric phase shift in a trivial band

The accumulation of non-trivial geometric phases in a material's response is often a tell-tale sign of a rich underlying internal structure. Studying quantum oscillations provides one of the ways to determine these geometrical phases, such as Berry's phase, that play a central role in topological quantum materials. We report on magneto-transport measurements in ABA-trilayer graphene, the band structure of which is comprised of a weakly gapped linear Dirac band, nested within a trivial quadratic band. Here we show Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) oscillations of the quadratic band shifted by a phase that sharply departs from the expected 2$\pi$ Berry's phase. Our analysis reveals that, surprisingly, the anomalous phase shift is non-trivial and is inherited from the non-trivial Berry's phase of the linear Dirac band due to strong filling-enforced constraints between the linear and quadratic band Fermi surfaces. Given that many topological materials contain multiple bands, our work indicates how additional bands, which are thought to obscure the analysis, can actually be exploited to tease out the subtle effects of Berry's phase.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

Comparative study of change of HbA1c with voglibose and teneligliptin on ongoing metformin monotherapy

Background: Metformin is a biguanide used as first line treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. When Metformin alone is unable to control glycaemic status properly then additional drug needs to be added. Some of the additional drugs reduce primarily fasting blood sugar (FBS) and some reduce post prandial blood sugar (PPBS). Voglibose and Teneligliptin are primarily capable of reducing PPBS. Overall hyperglycaemia is also controlled by these drugs. In this background the present study was planned for comparative study of Voglibose and Teneligliptin to reduce HbA1c ongoing Metformin monotherapy. Materials & Methods: It was a hospital based longitudinal interventional study among patients attending General Medicine Outpatient Department (OPD) of a Medical College, East Medinipur, West Bengal with uncontrolled hyperglycemia and whose HbA1c was above 7 but up to 10% and PPBS above 200mg/dl. One group of patients was given voglibose 0.3mg TDS and another group of patients were given teneligliptin 20mg BD in addition to previous dose of metformin. After 12 weeks of starting additional drug again HbA1c level was assessed for each patient. Results: It was found that mean HbA1c level at the beginning was 8.89% for voglibose group and 8.83% for teneligliptin group. There was no significant difference between these two. After 12 weeks of therapy the mean HbA1c level of voglibose group was significantly higher than teneligliptin group. However both groups showed significant reduction of HbA1c as compared to starting. Conclusion: The study highlights the ability to reduce HbA1c is more with teneligliptin 20mg BD than voglibose 0.3mg TDS

Structural studies on MtRecA-nucleotide complexes: insights into DNA and nucleotide binding and the structural signature of NTP recognition

RecA protein plays a crucial role in homologous recombination and repair of DNA. Central to all activities of RecA is its binding to Mg+2-ATP. The active form of the protein is a helical nucleoprotein filament containing the nucleotide cofactor and single-stranded DNA. The stability and structure of the helical nucleoprotein filament formed by RecA are modulated by nucleotide cofactors. Here we report crystal structures of a MtRecA-ADP complex, complexes with ATPS in the presence and absence of magnesium as well as a complex with dATP and Mg+2. Comparison with the recently solved crystal structures of the apo form as well as a complex with ADP-AlF4 confirms an expansion of the P-loop region in MtRecA, compared to its homologue in Escherichia coli, correlating with the reduced affinity of MtRecA for ATP. The ligand bound structures reveal subtle variations in nucleotide conformations among different nucleotides that serve in maintaining the network of interactions crucial for nucleotide binding. The nucleotide binding site itself, however, remains relatively unchanged. The analysis also reveals that ATPS rather than ADP-AlF4 is structurally a better mimic of ATP. From among the complexed structures, a definition for the two DNA-binding loops L1 and L2 has clearly emerged for the first time and provides a basis to understand DNA binding by RecA. The structural information obtained from these complexes correlates well with the extensive biochemical data on mutants available in the literature, contributing to an understanding of the role of individual residues in the nucleotide binding pocket, at the molecular level. Modeling studies on the mutants again point to the relative rigidity of the nucleotide binding site. Comparison with other NTP binding proteins reveals many commonalties in modes of binding by diverse members in the structural family, contributing to our understanding of the structural signature of NTP recognition

Rare presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a prototype systemic autoimmune disease with varied presentations. Cutaneous and musculoskeletal manifestations are common clinical presentations. Severe disease activity results in multiorgan involvement among which kidneys are commonly affected in first two years after the onset of disease. Normally nonspecific cutaneous manifestations correlate with disease activity. Among such cutaneous manifestations Steven Johnsons and toxic epidermal necrolysis, which were associated with high mortality in lupus, were rarely reported. Periodic assessment of disease activity and severity are important to minimize high mortality and morbidity associated with this disease

Drug Trafficking Routes and Hepatitis B in Injection Drug Users, Manipur, India

Prevalence of hepatitis B genotype C in injection drug users in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, neighboring the "Golden Triangle," correlates well with overland drug-trafficking routes, the injection drug use epidemic, and the spread of HIV. Further spread to other regions of India through mobile populations is possible

Distribution of hepatitis B virus genotypes: Phylogenetic analysis and virological characteristics of Genotype C circulating among HBV carriers in Kolkata, Eastern India

Aim: To evaluate the genotype distribution of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Eastern India and to clarify the phylogenetic origin and virological characteristics of the recently identified genotype C in this region. Methods: Genotype determination, T1762/A1764 mutation in the basal core promoter (BCP) and A1896 mutation in the precore region of 230 subjects were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism method (RFLP) and the result was confirmed by direct sequencing. Results: The predominant genotypes D (HBV/D) and A (HBV/A) were detected in 131/230 (57%) and 57/230 (25%) samples. In addition, genotype C (HBV/C) was detected in 42/230 (18%) isolates. Surface gene region was sequenced from 45 isolates (27 HBV/C, 9 HBV/A and 9 HBV/D). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all of the HBV/C sequences clustered with South East Asian subgenotype (HBV/Cs). The sequence data showed remarkable similarity with a Thai strain (AF068756) (99.5% ± 0.4% nucleotide identities) in 90% of the genotype C strains analyzed. T1762/A1764 mutation in BCP region, associated with high ALT was significantly higher in HBeAg negative isolates than HBeAg positive isolates. Frequency of A1896 mutation leading to HBeAg negativity was low. Conclusion: The present study reports the genotypic distribution and the characteristics of partial genome sequences of HBV/C isolates from Eastern India. Low genetic diversity and confinement of HBV/C in Eastern India possibly indicate a recent, limited, spread in this region. Genotype C with T1762/A1764 mutation has been reported to increase the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma; therefore genotype C carriers in Eastern India should be carefully monitored