Contraceptive efficacy and antioxidant potential of Leptadenia reticulata bark extracts in male albino rats

Birth control measures available are primarily for women which are hormonal supplements that are increasing cancer risks and reproductive health issues. Male contraceptive options are effective and available, i.e. barrier methods and vasectomy. Condoms are failure-prone and single-use, while a vasectomy is a permanent sterilization method done surgically, and reversion is not always successful and expensive. A promising oral male contraceptive drug candidate is yet to be discovered. This study investigated the contraceptive efficacy and antioxidant potential of various extracts of Leptadenia reticulata bark in male rats. To study the effects of various extracts (ethanolic and petroleum ether) of L. reticulata bark in male rats, oral administration at the dose level of 250 mg/kg body weight/ day was done for 60 days. Observations were made for body and organ weight, hematology, serum biochemical chemistry, testosterone and antioxidants, lipid profile, sperm parameters (density and motility) and histological changes (reproductive organs). As compared to control in treated groups (TP and bark petroleum ether extract), a significant reduction (P ≤ 0.001) was perceived in sperm motility and density, as well as reproductive organ weight, serum testosterone, and serum antioxidant parameters like SOD. Histological observations revealed arrest in spermatogenesis and reduced seminiferous tubule diameter, mature Leydig cells, secondary spermatogonia, and spermatids which caused a substantial increase in LPO and GSH. From the research findings, it can be concluded that bark petroleum ether extract of L. reticulata possesses contraceptive potential in male albino rats and can serve as a safe and reversible oral contraceptive for males

Modeling of Dry Conditioned Sliding Wear And Friction Behavior of Heat-Treated Silicon Nitride Strengthened Al Metal Matrix Nanocomposites

In the presented work, the sliding wear under dry conditions and friction behaviour of Si3N4 reinforced high-strength Aluminum alloy (AA)7068 nanocomposites have been investigated under various loads, sliding velocity, and rubbing distances. The fabrication of nanocomposites has been done by using the stir casting technique with the advancement of ultrasonication. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Elemental mapping, and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) are used to analyze the microstructure of prepared nanocomposites and worn surfaces. The wear resistance improves with the incorporation of Si3N4 particles in Al 7068 alloy and further increases by increasing the weight % of reinforcement. The reinforcement is done by 0.5, 1, and 1.5 % Si3N4 by weight. ANOVA reveals that sliding distance is the most dominating factor in the wear loss of samples, and load became the most influential parameter in the coefficient of friction (COF). Microstructure reveals grain boundaries become discontinued after T6 heat treatment. AMNCs containing 1.5wt.% Si3N4 shows minimum wear loss compared to other nanocomposites and alloys

Role of diffusion weighted MR imaging in differentiating benign from malignant prostate lesions

Background: The purpose of the study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of diffusion weighted MR imaging and to propose a cut off ADC value in differentiating benign from malignant prostatic lesions considering histopathology as gold standard.Methods: It is a descriptive type of observational study done on 40 patients with clinical suspicion of prostate carcinoma and elevated PSA level more than 4ng/ml. The patients underwent Multiparametric prostate MRI and ADC values were calculated using ADC maps.Results: Of the 40 cases included in the study histopathology revealed a diagnosis of abscess (1), chronic prostatitis (2), BPH with chronic prostatitis (4), BPH (12), and malignancy (21). The mean and standard deviation (SD) of ADC values for the abscess (0.59), CP (0.83+0.16), BPH with CP (0.94+0.22), BPH (1.14+0.14) and malignancy (0.72+0.15) (x10-3mm2/s) were found in our study. The mean ADC value of malignant lesion was lower (0.727+0.149) as compare to benign lesion (1.034+0.216) and this difference was found to be statistically significant with p<0.001. By using ROC curve, ADC cut off value was calculated as 0.92 x 10-3mm2/s and sensitivity, specificity at this cut off value of ADC were 95.24% and 73.68% respectively. The PPV, NPV, diagnostic accuracy of at this cut off value of ADC were 80%, 93.33%, 85% respectively.Conclusions: Our study shows that DWI with ADC calculation helps in differentiation of Benign from Malignant prostatic lesions with high accuracy and this quantitative analysis should be incorporated in routine MRI evaluation of prostatic lesion

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum

Calibration of the CMS hadron calorimeters using proton-proton collision data at root s=13 TeV

Methods are presented for calibrating the hadron calorimeter system of theCMSetector at the LHC. The hadron calorimeters of the CMS experiment are sampling calorimeters of brass and scintillator, and are in the form of one central detector and two endcaps. These calorimeters cover pseudorapidities vertical bar eta vertical bar ee data. The energy scale of the outer calorimeters has been determined with test beam data and is confirmed through data with high transverse momentum jets. In this paper, we present the details of the calibration methods and accuracy.Peer reviewe

Measurement of t(t)over-bar normalised multi-differential cross sections in pp collisions at root s=13 TeV, and simultaneous determination of the strong coupling strength, top quark pole mass, and parton distribution functions

Peer reviewe

An embedding technique to determine ττ backgrounds in proton-proton collision data

An embedding technique is presented to estimate standard model tau tau backgrounds from data with minimal simulation input. In the data, the muons are removed from reconstructed mu mu events and replaced with simulated tau leptons with the same kinematic properties. In this way, a set of hybrid events is obtained that does not rely on simulation except for the decay of the tau leptons. The challenges in describing the underlying event or the production of associated jets in the simulation are avoided. The technique described in this paper was developed for CMS. Its validation and the inherent uncertainties are also discussed. The demonstration of the performance of the technique is based on a sample of proton-proton collisions collected by CMS in 2017 at root s = 13 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 41.5 fb(-1).Peer reviewe

Search for Physics beyond the Standard Model in Events with Overlapping Photons and Jets

Results are reported from a search for new particles that decay into a photon and two gluons, in events with jets. Novel jet substructure techniques are developed that allow photons to be identified in an environment densely populated with hadrons. The analyzed proton-proton collision data were collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in 2016 at root s = 13 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1). The spectra of total transverse hadronic energy of candidate events are examined for deviations from the standard model predictions. No statistically significant excess is observed over the expected background. The first cross section limits on new physics processes resulting in such events are set. The results are interpreted as upper limits on the rate of gluino pair production, utilizing a simplified stealth supersymmetry model. The excluded gluino masses extend up to 1.7 TeV, for a neutralino mass of 200 GeV and exceed previous mass constraints set by analyses targeting events with isolated photons.Peer reviewe