Controlling breath figure patterns on PDMS by concentration variation of ethanol-methanol binary vapors

In this paper, the self-assembly of condensed droplets on smooth and constrained surfaces under saturated vapor atmosphere of ethanol and methanol binary system is reported. Hexagonally ordered array of pores are obtained on smooth surfaces with saturated vapors of binary liquids without the assistance of any additives. The results show that the addition of small amount of ethanol to methanol plays a role very similar to that of surface active agents in inducing the formation of regular droplet array. The effect of constraints on self-assembled droplet pattern such as movement of contact line and depinning of contact line is also investigated. It is observed that the pore size, pore shape, pore depth and ring diameter are influenced by the atmosphere of binary vapors in addition to the commonly held attribution to the surface tension of the solvent. Contact angle studies of the patterned substrates showed hydrophobicity with very high adhesiveness to water and Wenzel's state of wetting.Comment: 12 pages, 19 figure

PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF TRANSNASAL MICROEMULSION OF VIGABATRIN

Introduction: The objective of this study was to develop novel transnasal microemulsion containing Vigabatrin for treatment of epilepsy. Method: Oleic acid was selected as oil while Tween 80 and ethanol were selected as surfactant and co-surfactant respectively based on solubility results. Optimized ratio of Tween 80 and Ethanol was selected after developing pseudoternary phase diagrams for different ratio and microemulsions were prepared. The prepared microemulsions were evaluated for globule size, viscosity, pH, and % transmittance. Ex-vivo diffusion study for optimized microemulsion was performed through goat nasal mucosa where in diffusion flux and permeability coefficients were determined. Pharmacological performance was screened in rats by electrically induced seizures. Result: It was found that op mized microemulsion was stable and transparent. Pharmacological evaluation indicated significant reduction (p<0.001) of seizures in rats treated with optimized formula on in comparison to rats treated with oral Vigabatrin microemulsion and nasal Vigabatrin solu on which suggested Vigabatrin transnasal delivery system as an effective alternate therapy for treatment of epilepsy. Conclusion: Transnasal microemulsion of Vigabatrin was successfully formulated using Tween 80 as surfactant and ethanol as co-surfactant in the formula on to treat epilepsy. Key words: Epilepsy; Transnasal Microemulsion; Vigabatrin

PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF TRANSNASAL MICROEMULSION OF VIGABATRIN

Introduction: The objective of this study was to develop novel transnasal microemulsion containing Vigabatrin for treatment of epilepsy. Method: Oleic acid was selected as oil while Tween 80 and ethanol were selected as surfactant and co-surfactant respectively based on solubility results. Optimized ratio of Tween 80 and Ethanol was selected after developing pseudoternary phase diagrams for different ratio and microemulsions were prepared. The prepared microemulsions were evaluated for globule size, viscosity, pH, and % transmittance. Ex-vivo diffusion study for optimized microemulsion was performed through goat nasal mucosa where in diffusion flux and permeability coefficients were determined. Pharmacological performance was screened in rats by electrically induced seizures. Result: It was found that op mized microemulsion was stable and transparent. Pharmacological evaluation indicated significant reduction (p<0.001) of seizures in rats treated with optimized formula on in comparison to rats treated with oral Vigabatrin microemulsion and nasal Vigabatrin solu on which suggested Vigabatrin transnasal delivery system as an effective alternate therapy for treatment of epilepsy. Conclusion: Transnasal microemulsion of Vigabatrin was successfully formulated using Tween 80 as surfactant and ethanol as co-surfactant in the formula on to treat epilepsy. Key words: Epilepsy; Transnasal Microemulsion; Vigabatrin

Fock space exploration by angle resolved transmission through quantum diffraction grating of cold atoms in an optical lattice

Light transmission or diffraction from different quantum phases of cold atoms in an optical lattice has recently come up as a useful tool to probe such ultra cold atomic systems. The periodic nature of the optical lattice potential closely resembles the structure of a diffraction grating in real space, but loaded with a strongly correlated quantum many body state which interacts with the incident electromagnetic wave, a feature that controls the nature of the light transmission or dispersion through such quantum medium. In this paper we show that as one varies the relative angle between the cavity mode and the optical lattice, the peak of the transmission spectrum through such cavity also changes reflecting the statistical distribution of the atoms in the illuminated sites. Consequently the angle resolved transmission spectrum of such quantum diffraction grating can provide a plethora of information about the Fock space structure of the many body quantum state of ultra cold atoms in such an optical cavity that can be explored in current state of the art experiments.Comment: 40 double spaced, single column pages, 40 .eps figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review

Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Physics Teaching in India

When academic institutions in India closed abruptly in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, formal education moved online. This transition had a very uneven impact given the significant digital divide between rural and urban India and the unequal distribution of digital resources in different institutions. Access to resources varied substantially by individual, based on socioeconomic factors as well as gender. Institutional support to the academic community during this critical period was largely inadequate, which has had serious consequences on the teaching of physics and other subjects that require laboratory instruction. Educational institutions also provide safe and enabling learning spaces for women students; reduced access to such facilities undermined the work- and study-related dynamics for women because of the scarcity of resources such as devices, data, and time. This paper reports on efforts made towards understanding such challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and describes steps that were taken to address them.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Application of ImageJ for processing Shilajit exposed PBMC images

Objective: In this study, application of ImageJ for processing Shilajit exposed PBMC images were studied. Methods: In present study experiment was designed with human PBMC treated with Shilajit in high concentration (18mg/ml).Digital images were taken after one hour exposure with Shilajit and image processing steps were implemented. Results: Acquired images from Shilajit exposed human PBMC had low contrast and substantial background noise as media was mixed with Shilajit. So images were processed by adjusting brightness and contrast, applying median filter, thresholding and watershed algorithm. Conclusion: A high concentration of shilajit (18mg/ml) was detrimental to human PBMC. ImageJ can be efficiently used to process and extract information from low resolution images. Keywords: ImageJ, Shilajit, PBM

Assessment of psychomotor skills using finger pulse guided biofeedback tool in young medical students: Psychomotor skills using heart rate as biofeedback tool

Psychomotor skills are the organized patterns of muscular activities guided by signals from the environment. These skills can be influenced by factors like age, gender, built of an individual and handedness. It’s a known fact that the dominant hand has more dexterity; nevertheless, proficiency of the non-dominant hand can be improved with repetition of tasks and procedures. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of biofeedback mechanism on psychomotor skills performance and gender variation in their activity. Eighty participants aged between 20-30 years were recruited after taking the informed consent. All the subjects performed number countdown test and 100 pin dexterity test. Tests were done by fixing the subject’s heart beats instead of stipulated time which was picked up by finger Pulse plethysmography using optocoupler principle. The results were compared between the males and age-matched female participants. The pin dexterity scores with a right and left hands in males (57.2±8.1, 42.16±7.3) were significantly higher than females (48.41±8.4, 37.58±6.8) (p = 0.001 and p = 0.01). There was no significant difference in number countdown test scores. The results suggest that males handle a skilled performance better than females. This is perhaps males were less anxious as the task was designed in such way that it has to be completed by counting down the heart beats. In that way, the males got more time duration as the heart rate did not shoot up when the task was assigned

A Novel Compact Microwave Radiometric Sensor to Noninvasively Track Deep Tissue Thermal Profiles

Drawing from space technology to measure star temperature, we developed a noninvasive sensor to passively track thermal profiles in tissues well below the skin (\u3e5cm). Ultra-low noise amplifiers combined with ultralow-loss switches in the 1- 2GHz band produce a high sensitivity multiband microwave radiometer. Due to the complex multilayer anatomy of human head, multiple sensing bands are needed to reconstruct the temperature of deep brain tissue. This is achieved by using a digitally controlled filter bank. To study its accuracy, the sensor was calibrated and tested in a multilayer phantom model of the human head with differential scalp and brain temperatures. Results of phantom testing showed that calculated radiometric equivalent brain temperature agreed within 0.4°C of measured temperature when circulating homogenized brain phantom was lowered 10°C and returned to original temperature (37°C), while scalp was maintained constant over a 4.6-hour experiment. Feasibility of clinical monitoring was assessed in a pediatric patient during a hypothermic heart surgery. Over the 2-hour surgery, the radiometric sensor tracked within 1°C of rectal and nasopharynx temperatures, except during rapid cooldown and heatup periods when brain temperature deviated 2-4°C from slower responding core temperature surrogates. In summary, the sensor demonstrated long term stability and sensitivity sufficient for accurate monitoring of volume average brain temperatur

Barriers to chimpanzee gene flow at the south-east edge of their distribution

Populations on the edge of a species' distribution may represent an important source of adaptive diversity, yet these populations tend to be more fragmented and are more likely to be geographically isolated. Lack of genetic exchanges between such populations, due to barriers to animal movement, can not only compromise adaptive potential but also lead to the fixation of deleterious alleles. The south-eastern edge of chimpanzee distribution is particularly fragmented, and conflicting hypotheses have been proposed about population connectivity and viability. To address this uncertainty, we generated both mitochondrial and MiSeq-based microsatellite genotypes for 290 individuals ranging across western Tanzania. While shared mitochondrial haplotypes confirmed historical gene flow, our microsatellite analyses revealed two distinct clusters, suggesting two populations currently isolated from one another. However, we found evidence of high levels of gene flow maintained within each of these clusters, one of which covers an 18,000 km2 ecosystem. Landscape genetic analyses confirmed the presence of barriers to gene flow with rivers and bare habitats highly restricting chimpanzee movement. Our study demonstrates how advances in sequencing technologies, combined with the development of landscape genetics approaches, can resolve ambiguities in the genetic history of critical populations and better inform conservation efforts of endangered species