A Novel System for Growth of Single Crystals from the Melt with an Innovative New Pulling Mechanism

665-670This paper describes a crystal growth system employing novel concepts in fabrication of a high temperature furnace, thermocouples and a novel crystal pulling mechanism. This has reduced the costs substantially, without compromising the quality of grown crystals. The core of the furnace, a wooden cylindrical dummy had been prepared with equi-spaced helical groves with widths equaling the diameter of the heating wire on its outer surface machined by a lathe machine. The Kanthal heating wire was wound in the groves. It was covered with a thick layer of natural clay available locally. After the clay had dried up, an electric current was passed through the heating wire and the wooden frame was burnt out. A thick layer of the clay was applied on the inner and the outer surfaces. The furnace can operate at temperatures up to about 1000 °C. The temperature was measured with a chromel-alumel thermocouple prepared by an ingenious spot-welding technique established in the laboratory. The seed holder was hanged above the melt kept in the crucible with help of a float kept in a water container, which has a small tap at the bottom. When the tap is opened the float goes down and the seed assembly goes up. In this manner a quality pulling system, without any motor has been developed and reported here. It has been possible to grow good quality crystals of potassium chloride with excellent diameter control

A Novel System for Growth of Single Crystals from the Melt with an Innovative New Pulling Mechanism

This paper describes a crystal growth system employing novel concepts in fabrication of a high temperature furnace, thermocouples and a novel crystal pulling mechanism. This has reduced the costs substantially, without compromising the quality of grown crystals. The core of the furnace, a wooden cylindrical dummy had been prepared with equi-spaced helicalgroves with widths equaling the diameter of the heating wire on its outer surface machined by a lathe machine. The Kanthal heating wire was wound in the groves. It was covered with a thick layer of natural clay available locally. After the clay had dried up, an electric current was passed through the heating wire and the wooden frame was burnt out. A thick layer of theclay was applied on the inner and the outer surfaces. The furnace can operate at temperatures up to about 1000 °C. The temperature was measured with a chromel-alumel thermocouple prepared by an ingenious spot-welding technique established in the laboratory. The seed holder was hanged above the melt kept in the crucible with help of a float kept in awater container, which has a small tap at the bottom. When the tap is opened the float goes down and the seed assembly goes up. In this manner a quality pulling system, without any motor has been developed and reported here. It has been possible to grow good quality crystals of potassium chloride with excellent diameter control

Age and frailty are independently associated with increased COVID-19 mortality and increased care needs in survivors: results of an international multi-centre study

Introduction: Increased mortality has been demonstrated in older adults with COVID-19, but the effect of frailty has been unclear. Methods: This multi-centre cohort study involved patients aged 18 years and older hospitalised with COVID-19, using routinely collected data. We used Cox regression analysis to assess the impact of age, frailty, and delirium on the risk of inpatient mortality, adjusting for sex, illness severity, inflammation, and co-morbidities. We used ordinal logistic regression analysis to assess the impact of age, Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and delirium on risk of increased care requirements on discharge, adjusting for the same variables. Results: Data from 5,711 patients from 55 hospitals in 12 countries were included (median age 74, IQR 54–83; 55.2% male). The risk of death increased independently with increasing age (>80 vs 18–49: HR 3.57, CI 2.54–5.02), frailty (CFS 8 vs 1–3: HR 3.03, CI 2.29–4.00) inflammation, renal disease, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, but not delirium. Age, frailty (CFS 7 vs 1–3: OR 7.00, CI 5.27–9.32), delirium, dementia, and mental health diagnoses were all associated with increased risk of higher care needs on discharge. The likelihood of adverse outcomes increased across all grades of CFS from 4 to 9. Conclusions: Age and frailty are independently associated with adverse outcomes in COVID-19. Risk of increased care needs was also increased in survivors of COVID-19 with frailty or older age

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic

Fracture Union in Closed Interlocking Nail in Humeral Shaft Fractures

Background: Fracture shaft humerus is a major cause of morbidity in patients with upper extremity injuries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of interlocking nail in humeral shaft fractures. Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery in SMS and R Sharda University from January 2010 to November 2013. Seventy-eight patients were recruited from emergency and out-patient department having a close fracture of humerus shaft. All patients were operated under general anesthesia and closed reamed interlocking nailing was done. All patients were followed for 9 months. Results: Out of 78 patients, 69 patients underwent union in 90-150 days with a mean of 110.68 days. Complications found in four patients who had nonunion, and five patients had delayed union, which was treated with bone grafting. All the patients were assessed clinically and radiologically for fracture healing, joint movements and implant failure. The results were excellent in 88.46% and good in 6.41% patients. Complete subjective, functional, and clinical recovery had occurred in almost 100% of the patients. Conclusions: The results of the present study indicates that in the presence of proper indications, reamed antegrade intramedullary interlocked nailing appears to be a method of choice for internal fixation of osteoporotic and pathologic fractures

Fracture union in percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation in paediatric tibial shaft fractures

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of intramedullary Kirschner wires for the treatment of unstable tibial shaft fractures in children. Methods: This prospective study was conducted at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Maharishi Markandeshwar Medical College from June 2005 to June 2010. Sixty-six children having closed fracture of the tibial shaft with a mean age of 7.7 years (range, 2–14 years) were recruited from emergency and outpatient department. They were treated with percutaneous intramedullary Kirschner wires. The clinical results of our study were rated on the basis of the criteria of union, nonunion, delayed union or malunion. All children were followed for one year. Results: Children achieved union in a mean time of 8 weeks (range, 6–10 weeks). Postoperatively, three children (4.55%) had delayed union, one (1.52%) valgus deformity of lower leg, three (4.55%) postoperative knee pain and twelve (18.18%) skin irritation at pin site. Wires were removed after 8–22 weeks without any complications. No patient was lost to follow-up. The results were excellent in 95.45% and good in 4.55% children. Conclusion: This technique is cost-effective, simple, quick to perform, safe and reliable and avoids prolonged hospitalization with good results

Exploring the molecular basis of resistance to Botrytis cinerea in chickpea genotypes through biochemical and morphological markers

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse crop around the globe and a valuable source of protein in the human diet. However, it is highly susceptible to various plant pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses, which can cause significant damage from the seedling phase until harvest, leading to reduced yields and affecting its production. Botrytis cinerea can cause significant damage to chickpea crops, especially under high humidity and moisture conditions. This fungus can cause grey mould disease, which can lead to wilting, stem and pod rot, and reduced yields. Chickpea plants have developed specific barriers to counteract the harmful effects of this fungus. These barriers include biochemical and structural defences. In this study, the defence responses against B. cinerea were measured by the quantification of biochemical metabolites such as antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde (MDA), proline, glutathione (GSH), H2O2, ascorbic acid (AA) and total phenol in the leaf samples of chickpea genotypes (one accession of wild Cicer species, viz. Cicer pinnatifidum188 identified with high level of resistance to Botrytis grey mould (BGM) and a cultivar, Cicer arietinumPBG5 susceptible to BGM grown in the greenhouse). Seedlings of both the genotypes were inoculated with (1 × 104 spore mL−1) inoculum of isolate 24, race 510 of B. cinerea and samples were collected after 1, 3, 5, and 7 days post-inoculation (dpi). The enhanced enzymatic activity was observed in the pathogen-inoculated leaf samples as compared to uninoculated (healthy control). Among inoculated genotypes, the resistant one exhibited a significant change in enzymatic activity, total phenolic content, MDA, proline, GSH, H2O2, and AA, compared to the susceptible genotype. The study also examined the isozyme pattern of antioxidant enzymes at various stages of B. cinerea inoculation. Results from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy revealed that BGM had a more significant impact on susceptible genotypes compared to resistant ones when compared to the control (un-inoculated). In addition, SEM and FTIR spectroscopy analyses confirmed the greater severity of BGM on susceptible genotypes compared to their resistant counterparts. Our results suggest the role of antioxidant enzymes and other metabolites as defence tools and biochemical markers to understand compatible and non-compatible plant-pathogen interactions better. The present investigation will assist future plant breeding programs aimed at developing resistant varieties

Nutrient-Mediated Perception and Signalling in Human Metabolism: A Perspective of Nutrigenomics

The interaction between selective nutrients and linked genes involving a specific organ reveals the genetic make-up of an individual in response to a particular nutrient. The interaction of genes with food opens opportunities for the addition of bioactive compounds for specific populations comprising identical genotypes. The slight difference in the genetic blueprints of humans is advantageous in determining the effect of nutrients and their metabolism in the body. The basic knowledge of emerging nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics can be applied to optimize health, prevention, and treatment of diseases. In addition, nutrient-mediated pathways detecting the cellular concentration of nutrients such as sugars, amino acids, lipids, and metabolites are integrated and coordinated at the organismal level via hormone signals. This review deals with the interaction of nutrients with various aspects of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics along with pathways involved in nutrient sensing and regulation, which can provide a detailed understanding of this new leading edge in nutrition research and its potential application to dietetic practice