Optical Coefficients and PL Spectra with Variation in Ga-content in GaSeTe Thin Films: Visible Spectrum

The optical properties (transmission and emission) for Ga[x]Se[85 – x]Te[15](x = 0, 2, 6, 10, 15) semiconductor were studied using UV Visible spectra and PL Spectra of thermally evaporated thin films. Optical band gap is found to be decreasing with increased Ga-content in the compositions. Increase in refractive index, dielectric constants and absorption coefficient is observed in the wavelength region 550-850 nm.The fall in the optical band gap is explained with chemical bond approach and electro negativity. The increase in refractive index (n) is interpreted in association to the mean coordination number and cohesive energy. Direct band gap is found to be allowed in these thin films

Sirenomelia-the mermaid syndrome: a rare invariably fatal congenital anomaly in a term unsupervised pregnancy

Sirenomelia is a rare congenital anomaly with an incidence of 0.8 to 1 case per 1,00,000 births. The prognosis is grim due to associated genitourinary and gastrointestinal anomalies. Antenatal registration in the first trimester and timely ultrasound go a long way in detection of the anamoly when termination can be still be offered and the mental agony of giving birth to a term neonate with a fatal congenital anomaly can be avoided.

Unraveling the Role of the Reaction Environment During Oxygenate Reduction From an Atomistic Perspective

The efforts put into this dissertation with an aim to understand the influence of reaction environment during catalytic upgrading of bio-oils via hydrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process. Here, we probe key reaction steps occurring respectively in HDO of phenol to benzene and hydrogenation of propanal to propanol while incorporating (1) the effects of lateral interaction on configuration and distribution of reactants and intermediates, (2) the role of carbon in metal surface on HDO reactions, (3) the influence of solvent on elementary pathways and rate-limiting step.Our DFT results suggest that the lateral interactions between aromatics such as phenol and benzene-like molecules can be parameterized using a simpler mean-field approximation allowing easy incorporation of coverage effects into microkinetic models. Furthermore, for propanal-like molecules surface crowding from reactant, intermediate, and side products have a minimal effect on the reaction energies, enabling us to eliminate such complexities from our model. Our investigation on water adsorption on a Ru and graphene layer reported that the binding energy of water becomes stronger with the increasing coverage on Ru, however, showing weak interaction on the graphene layer. This indicated that carbon-supported metal catalysts, such as Ru-C, have a strong hydration at near-zero coverage but relatively weak water-surface interactions occur upon saturation. On the other hand, presence of water in hydrogenation of propanal has not only confirmed the alteration of dominant mechanism as compared to vapor phase condition but also demonstrated the promotional effect by hydrogen-bonding stabilization of transition state and ionization of hydrogen species from H* to H+. To understand the role of carbon on metal surfaces we studied phenol deoxygenation using iron carbide catalyst. Our result suggested that carbon improves the resistance of Fe towards oxidation under HDO condition, with less likely hindering the nature of catalytic activity of pure Fe metal. Lastly, we examined C-C and C-Fe lateral interaction on Fe (100) using Lattice Gas Cluster Expansion (LG CE) model. Under the perfect lattice condition, our model identified c (2 × 2) ordered structure at ½ ML, which correlates well with previous DFT studies for carbon adsorption on iron surfaces and matches with the experimentally observed LEED structure.We expect that the results from the current work will provide (1) an understanding of how reactant configuration and coverage affect the adsorption of phenols and aldehydes, (2) understanding of the synergistic effect of C-C and Fe-C interactions towards an improved HDO catalytic activity of phenolic compounds on iron carbide system, and (3) insight to solvent effect on selectivity of carbonyl reduction in aldehyde. With the fundamental understanding of the process, we will be able to construct models correlating better with experimental data

COMPRATIVE ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY EVALUATION OF A NEW PRODUCT ELORES AGAINST MEROPENEM ON GRAM NEGATIVE ISOLATES

ABSTRACTBackground and objective: Increased resistance of Gram-negative bacteria towards most of the available antibiotics, especially beta-lactamantibiotics is a prime difficulty for the treatment of infections caused by these pathogens. In view of the fact that there is a continuous increase in theantibitic resistance and the limited available therapeutic options, we aimed the present work to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of 847isolates towards meropenem and Elores (ceftriaxone+sulbcatam+and adjuvant ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid).Methods: A total of 1180 clinical samples were collected from patients suspected of bacterial infection between January 2014 to June 2014. Thesesamples were subjected for bacterial identification. Antibiotic susceptibility testing were carried out according to the recommendations of ClinicalLaboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines.Results: Among the samples which showed the presence of bacteria, around 29.04% samples were of sputum followed by urine and blood whichcontributed to 21.95% and 12.51%, respectively. Escherichia coli (39.55%) was found to be the most dominant pathogen, followed by Pseudomonasaeruginosa (19.12%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (12.39%), Proteus mirabilis (8.50%), Klebsiella oxytoca (8.26%), Acinetobacter baumannii (5.31%),Morganella morganii (3.77%), Serratia marcescens (2.24%). The susceptibility of Elores was comparable with meropenem in some of the organisms,but Elores displayed higher susceptibility in E. coli, A. baumannii, K. pneumoniae, P. mirabilis, K. oxytoca, M. morganii and S. mercescens which might bedue to presence of metallo-beta lactamases in these isolates.Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study strongly advocate the equivalance of Elores with meropenem and can be of very effective alternative totreat against the deadly multi drug resistant Gram-negative bacteria.Keywords: Elores, Gram-negative bacteria, Nosocomial infections, Antimicrobial Resistance, Susceptibility

Reciprocal regulation of human immunodeficiency virus-1 gene expression and replication by heat shock proteins 40 and 70

Cellular heat shock proteins (Hsps) are induced upon heat shock, UV irradiation and microbial or viral infection. They are also known to be involved in apoptosis and immune response in addition to their chaperone function. Although some literature exists regarding the role of Hsps in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection, a clear understanding of their role remains elusive. Previously, we have shown that Hsp40, a co-chaperone of Hsp70, interacts with HIV-1 negative regulatory factor (Nef) and is required for Nef-mediated increase in viral gene expression and replication. We now show that Hsp70 is also present in the Nef–Hsp40 complex reported earlier. Furthermore, Hsp70 inhibits viral gene expression and replication; however, Hsp40 can rescue this down regulation of viral gene expression induced by Hsp70. We also show that HIV-1 viral protein R is required for this inhibitory effect of Hsp70 on viral replication. Our data further show that Hsp40 is consistently up regulated in HIV-1 infection, whereas Hsp70 is down regulated after initial up regulation favoring viral replication. Finally, Hsp70 expression inhibits the phosphorylation of cyclin-dependent kinase 9 required for high-affinity binding of HIV-1 transactivator of transcription–positive transcription elongation factor b complex to transactivation response RNA, whereas Hsp40 seems to induce it. Thus, Hsp40 and Hsp70, both closely associated in their chaperone function, seem to act contrary to each other in regulating viral gene expression. It seems that Hsp70 favors the host by inhibiting viral replication, whereas Hsp40 works in favor of the virus by inducing its replication. Thus, differential expression of Hsp40 and Hsp70 reciprocally regulates viral gene expression and replication in HIV-1 infection

Parametric Optimisation of Friction-Stir-Spot-Welded Al 6061-T6 Incorporated with Silicon Carbide Using a Hybrid WASPAS–Taguchi Technique

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) is one of the most popular fusion joining processes. The process is a solid-state welding process that allows welding of weldable as well as non-weldable materials. As a part of this investigation, weld samples of Al6061-T6 were reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) powder with an average particle size of 45 µm. Initially, a Taguchi L9 orthogonal array was developed with three factors, i.e., rotational speed of the tool, pre-dwelling time, and diameter of the hole that was filled with SiC before welding. The effects of the SiC particles and process parameters were investigated as tensile–shear load and micro-hardness. The optimisation of parameters in order to maximise the output responses—i.e., strength and hardness of the welded joints—was performed using a hybrid WASPAS–Taguchi method. The optimised process parameters obtained were a 3.5 mm guiding hole diameter, 1700 rpm tool rotation speed, and 14 s of pre-dwelling time

Warwick-India-Canada (WIC) global mental health group: rationale, design and protocol

Introduction The primary aim of the National Institute of Health Research-funded global health research group, Warwick-India-Canada (WIC), is to reduce the burden of psychotic disorders in India. India has a large pool of undetected and untreated patients with psychosis and a treatment gap exceeding 75%. Evidence-based packages of care have been piloted, but delivery of treatments still remains a challenge. Even when patients access treatment, there is minimal to no continuity of care. The overarching ambition of WIC programme is to improve patient outcomes through (1) developing culturally tailored clinical interventions, (2) early identification and timely treatment of individuals with mental illness and (3) improving access to care by exploiting the potential of digital technologies.Methods and analysis This multicentre, multicomponent research programme, comprising five work packages and two cross-cutting themes, is being conducted at two sites in India: Schizophrenia Research Foundation, Chennai (South India) and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (North India). WIC will (1) develop and evaluate evidence-informed interventions for early and first-episode psychosis; (2) determine pathways of care for early psychosis; (3) investigate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of community care models, including digital and mobile technologies; (4) develop strategies to reduce the burden of mental illnesses among youth; (5) assess the economic burden of psychosis on patients and their carers; and (6) determine the feasibility of an early intervention in psychosis programme in India.Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by the University of Warwick’s Biomedical and Scientific Research Ethics Committee (reference: REGO-2018-2208), Coventry, UK and research ethics committees of all participating organisations. Research findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific publications, presentations at learnt societies and visual media