Ultrastable tip-enhanced hyperspectral optical nanoimaging for defect analysis of large-sized WS2 layers

Optical nanoimaging techniques, such as tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS), are nowadays indispensable for chemical and optical characterization in the entire field of nanotechnology and have been extensively used for various applications, such as visualization of nanoscale defects in two-dimensional (2D) materials. However, it is still challenging to investigate micrometer-sized sample with nanoscale spatial resolution because of severe limitation of measurement time due to drift of the experimental system. Here, we achieved long-duration TERS imaging of a micrometer-sized WS2 sample for 6 hours in a reproducible manner. Our ultrastable TERS system enabled to reveal the defect density on the surface of tungsten disulfide layers in large area equivalent to the device scale. It also helped us to detect rare defect-related optical signals from the sample. The present study paves ways to evaluate nanoscale defects of 2D materials in large area and to unveil remarkable optical and chemical properties of large-sized nanostructured materials

Geology of South and Southwest part of Uttar Pradesh and its Mineral Significance

The major part of Uttar Pradesh is covered by Gangatic alluvium in the north whereas the southern part is covered by peninsular terrain. This alluvium cover belongs to Holocene age and is mainly dominated by Varanasi older sediments exposed beyond the river basinal areas and Banda younger sediments exposed around the rivers flowing. The older alluvium comprises finer grained, well compacted and more mature sediments occupying extensive stretches at relatively higher elevations. The drainage pattern in region is subdendritic to dendritic type formed by hills and nalas flowing over the soil cover. The Peninsular part of Uttar Pradesh is covered by the rocks of Archean to Mesozoic age. The Bundelkhand craton nuclei mostly composed of Archean granitoids show heterogeneity in texture and composition, intruded by later phase of magmatic activity. The Mahrauni Group of the rocks exposed around Girar, Manpura and Rajaula areas in Madawara block of Lalitpur region. The Bijawar Group is exposed in Sonrai area district Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh. The rocks of Dudhi Gneissic Complex and Mahakoshal Group are exposed in Sonbhadra and Mirzapur district. Few exposures of Ajabgarh Group rocks are exposed in Mathura district. These Bijawar Group, Mahakoshal Group and Ajabgarh Group rocks are equivalent to Delhi Supergroup. The Bundelkhand craton is capped by the sedimentary units of Vindhyan Supergroup which is exposed mainly in the southern part of Uttar Pradesh and a few exposures are observed in Agra district. The Deccan Trap rocks are also traces in Lalitpur district of Uttar Pradesh

In-situ real-time observation of photo-induced nanoscale azo-polymer motions using high-speed atomic force microscopy combined with an inverted optical microscope

High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) is an indispensable technique in the biological field owing to its excellent imaging capability for the real-time observation of biomolecules with high spatial resolution. Furthermore, recent developments have established a tip-scan stand-alone HS-AFM that can be combined with an optical microscope, drastically improving its versatility for studying various complex phenomena. Although HS-AFM has mainly been used in biology, it has considerable potential to contribute to various research fields. One of the great candidates is a photoactive material, such as an azo-polymer, which plays a vital role in multiple optical applications because of its unique nanoscale motion under light irradiation. In this study, we demonstrate the in-situ real-time observation of nanoscale azo-polymer motion by combining tip-scan HS-AFM with an optical system, allowing HS-AFM observations precisely aligned with a tightly focused laser position. We successfully observed the dynamic evolution of unique morphologies in azo-polymer films, attributed to photoinduced nano-movements. Moreover, real-time topographic line profile analyses facilitated precise and quantitative investigations of morphological changes, which provided novel insights into the deformation mechanism. This significant demonstration would pave the way for the application of HS-AFM in wide research fields, from biology to material science and physical chemistry

Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients of metabolic syndrome in a rural population attending tertiary care centre

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis now constitute the major etiology of chronic liver disease. Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is rising due to the change in lifestyle habits, diet and obesity. Metabolic syndrome is closely related with the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Studies showed that prevalence of metabolic syndrome is rising in Indian population. This study was conducted to look into the current status of the metabolic syndrome in rural population.Methods: The study was conducted among patients attending General Medicine OPD. Each participant was subjected to clinical examination, anthropometric measurements, laboratory investigations and abdominal ultrasound. NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasound and metabolic syndrome was diagnosed based on modified NCEP:ATP III criteria.Results: The prevalence of NAFLD was found to be 18.78% and was higher among male population (20.05%) as compared to females (17.32%). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among NAFLD and control groups were 42.74% and 17.91% respectively.Conclusions: Present study has shown moderate prevalence of NAFLD and metabolic syndrome among the rural population of western Uttar Pradesh with a more male predisposition.

Tuberous sclerosis with visceral leishmaniasis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Visceral leishmaniasis, a tropical infectious disease, is a major public health problem in India. Tuberous sclerosis, a congenital neuro-ectodermosis, is an uncommon disease which requires life long treatment.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 15-year-old Indian patient, presented to the outpatient department of our institute with a high-grade fever for two months, splenomegaly and a history of generalized tonic-clonic convulsions since childhood. The clinical and laboratory findings suggested visceral leishmaniasis with tuberous sclerosis. The patient was treated with miltefosine and antiepileptics.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The patient responded well and in a follow up six months after presentation, she was found free of visceral leishmaniasis and seizures. Diagnosis and treatment of this rare combination of diseases is difficult.</p

Interdisciplinary sequential management of combination traumatic dental injuries

Combination dental trauma or combination traumatic dental injuries (C-TDIs) are often seen with unique presentations. Although most guidelines address the evidence-based management of such injuries in detail, a sequential protocol and classifications for C-TDI are lacking. In these scenarios, clinical details with imaging tools play an essential role by helping the clinician apply the elements of the TDI protocol in the correct sequence. However, most cases of C-TDI are attended by a general dentist, who often finds it difficult to make such clinical decisions, adversely affecting the prognosis. This article reports a case of a 14-year-old male patient with avulsion of 12, intrusion of 11, 21, and 13, and uncomplicated crown fracture of 11, 21, and 14, with a sequential interdisciplinary approach for the management and long-term follow-up of 10 years

Simple and Effective Multi-Paragraph Reading Comprehension

We consider the problem of adapting neural paragraph-level question answering models to the case where entire documents are given as input. Our proposed solution trains models to produce well calibrated confidence scores for their results on individual paragraphs. We sample multiple paragraphs from the documents during training, and use a shared-normalization training objective that encourages the model to produce globally correct output. We combine this method with a state-of-the-art pipeline for training models on document QA data. Experiments demonstrate strong performance on several document QA datasets. Overall, we are able to achieve a score of 71.3 F1 on the web portion of TriviaQA, a large improvement from the 56.7 F1 of the previous best system.Comment: 11 pages, updated a referenc

Visceral leishmaniasis and HIV co-infection in Bihar, India: long-term effectiveness and treatment outcomes with liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome).

BACKGROUND: Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL; also known as kala-azar) is an ultimately fatal disease endemic in the Indian state of Bihar, while HIV/AIDS is an emerging disease in this region. A 2011 observational cohort study conducted in Bihar involving 55 VL/HIV co-infected patients treated with 20-25 mg/kg intravenous liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome) estimated an 85.5% probability of survival and a 26.5% probability of VL relapse within 2 years. Here we report the long-term field outcomes of a larger cohort of co-infected patients treated with this regimen between 2007 and 2012. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Intravenous AmBisome (20-25 mg/kg) was administered to 159 VL/HIV co-infected patients (both primary infections and relapses) in four or five doses of 5 mg/kg over 4-10 days. Initial cure of VL at discharge was defined as improved symptoms, cessation of fever, improvement of appetite and recession of spleen enlargement. Test of cure was not routinely performed. Antiretroviral treatment (ART) was initiated in 23 (14.5%), 39 (24.5%) and 61 (38.4%) before, during and after admission respectively. Initial cure was achieved in all discharged patients. A total of 36 patients died during follow-up, including six who died shortly after admission. Death occurred at a median of 11 weeks (IQR 4-51) after starting VL treatment. Estimated mortality risk was 14.3% at six months, 22.4% at two years and 29.7% at four years after treatment. Among the 153 patients discharged from the hospital, 26 cases of VL relapse were diagnosed during follow-up, occurring at a median of 10 months (IQR 7-14) after discharge. After accounting for competing risks, the estimated risk of relapse was 16.1% at one year, 20.4% at two years and 25.9% at four years. Low hemoglobin level and concurrent infection with tuberculosis were independent risk factors for mortality, while ART initiated shortly after admission for VL treatment was associated with a 64-66% reduced risk of mortality and 75% reduced risk of relapse. SIGNIFICANCE: This is the largest cohort of HIV-VL co-infected patients reported from the Indian subcontinent. Even after initial cure following treatment with AmBisome, these patients appear to have much higher rates of VL relapse and mortality than patients not known to be HIV-positive, although relapse rates appear to stabilize after 2 years. These results extend the earlier findings that co-infected patients are at increased risk of death and require a multidisciplinary approach for long-term management