Topological nonsymmorphic insulator versus Dirac semimetal in KZnBi

KZnBi was discovered recently as a new three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal with a pair of bulk Dirac fermions in contrast to the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ trivial insulator reported earlier. In order to address this discrepancy, we have performed electronic structure and topological state analysis of KZnBi using the local, semilocal, and hybrid exchange-correlation (XC) functionals within the density functional theory framework. We find that various XC functionals, including the SCAN meta-GGA and hybrid functionals with 25$\%$ Hartree-Fock (HF) exchange, resolve a topological nonsymmorphic insulator state with the glide-mirror protected hourglass surface Dirac fermions. By carefully tuning the modified Becke-Jhonson (mBJ) potential parameters, we recover the correct orbital ordering and Dirac semimetal state of KZnBi. We further show that increasing the default HF exchange in hybrid functionals ($> 40\%$) can also capture the desired Dirac semimetal state with the correct orbital ordering of KZnBi. The calculated energy dispersion and carrier velocities of Dirac states are found to be in excellent agreement with the available experimental results. Our results demonstrate that KZnBi is a unique topological material where large electron correlations are crucial to realize the Dirac semimetal state

Hybrid nodal line semimetal states in anisotropic lattice materials

Understanding the role of lattice geometry in shaping topological states and their properties is of fundamental importance to condensed matter and device physics. Here we demonstrate how an anisotropic crystal lattice drives a topological hybrid nodal line in transition metal tetraphosphides $Tm$P$_4$ ($Tm$ = Transition metal). $Tm$P$_4$ constitutes a unique class of black phosphorus materials formed by intercalating transition metal ions between the phosphorus layers without destroying the characteristic anisotropic band structure of the black phosphorous. Based on the first-principles calculations and $k \cdot p$ theory, we show that $Tm$P$_4$ harbor a single hybrid nodal line formed between oppositely-oriented anisotropic $Tm~d$ and P states unhinged from the high-symmetry planes. The nodal line consists of both type-I and type-II nodal band crossings whose nature and location are determined by the effective-mass anisotropies of the intersecting bands. We further discuss a possible topological phase transition to exemplify the formation of the hybrid nodal line state in $Tm$P$_4$. Our results offer a comprehensive study for understanding the interplay between structural motifs-driven mass anisotropies and topology in anisotropic lattice materials to realize hybrid semimetal states

Phenological documentation of Lantana camara L. using modified BBCH scale in relation to climatic variables

Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) is cultivated as an ornamental and hedge plant in many countries which is native to American tropics. It’s introduction to the Indian subcontinent dates back around 200 years ago. It is an invasive alien species that has a negative impact on native biodiversity. It is evident that management of L. camara is crucial for the conservation of biodiversity. Studying its phenological characteristics as they adapt to environmental circumstances through time and space will aid in the development of management goals and strategies. This study uses BBCH scale firstly to describe the phenology of L. camara, which is represented by nine Phenological Growth Stages (PGS) in response to environmental conditions during a 32-month period in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, representing its growth. To standardise morphological traits and the phenological observation, photographs of certain significant developmental stages on L. camara in addition to the descriptions have been illustrated. Researchers can utilise this uniform labelling method as a tool to help with weed management efforts. Phenological studies of this invasive weed species may be employed for tracking the gradual impact of climate change on biodiversity and its effect on the key phenological events in the lifecycle

Visual Fields at Presentation and after Trans-sphenoidal Resection of Pituitary Adenomas

Purpose: To evaluate visual field changes in patients with pituitary adenomas following trans-sphenoidal surgery. Methods: Eighteen patients with pituitary adenomas underwent a complete ophthalmic assessment and visual field analysis using the Humphrey Field Analyzer 30-2 program before and after trans-sphenoidal surgical resection at the Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences over a one year period. Visual acuity, duration of symptoms, optic nerve head changes, pattern of visual field defects, and variables such as mean deviation and visual field index were compared. Results: Thirty-six eyes of 18 patients including 10 male and 8 female subjects with mean age of 35.1±9.9 years and histologically proven pituitary adenoma were included. Mean visual acuity at presentation was 0.29 logMAR which improved to 0.21 logMAR postoperatively (P = 0.305). Of 36 eyes, 24 (66.7%) had visual field defects including temporal defects in 12 eyes (33.3%), non-specific defects in 10 eyes (27.8%), and peripheral field constriction in 2 eyes (5.6%). Mean deviation of visual fields at presentation was -14.28 dB which improved to -11.32 dB postoperatively. The visual field index improved from 63.5% to 75% postoperatively. Favorable visual field outcomes were correlated with shorter duration of symptoms and absence of optic nerve head changes at presentation. Conclusion: Visual field defects were present in two thirds of patients at presentation. An overall improvement in vision and visual fields was noted after surgical resection. An inverse correlation was found between the duration of symptoms and postoperative visual field recovery, signifying the importance of early surgical intervention

The spectrum of mild cognitive impairment in dyslipidemic non-elderly type 1 diabetics

Background: Diabetics often have reduced performance in numerous domains of cognitive function, a process termed as Diabetic encephalopathy. The exact pathophysiology of cognitive dysfunction in diabetes is not completely understood, but it is likely that hyperglycaemia, vascular disease, hypoglycemia, and insulin resistance play significant roles. Although cognitive dysfunction is quite common in elderly, however, its occurrence in non-elderly diabetics is not much investigated. Aim of the study was to identify the correlation among various components of lipid profile with mild cognitive impairment in non-elderly type 1 diabetics.Methods: 98 type 1 diabetics were enrolled justifying relevant inclusion &exclusion criteria. Anthropometric indices, biochemical and clinical parameters were measured. MoCA test was employed for the assessment of cognitive dysfunction. Receiver operating characteristic, partial correlation, and logistic regression analyzes were employed for evaluation.Results: 71.42% of enrolled diabetics had some degree of cognitive dysfunction. Duration of the disease had a significant impact on cognitive functioning (p=0.032).Gender, residential area as well as the age of onset of diabetes appeared to have an insignificant impact on cognitive functioning (p>0.05). Diabetics with poor glycemic control were more prone to develop MCI (p<0.001).On comparison of various component of MoCA test; it was seen that most significant parameter that was affected was attention (p<0.001), followed by delayed recall /memory, naming and abstraction (p<0.05).Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that dyslipidemia chiefly raised total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL is quite common in non-elderly type 1 diabetics and are associated with poorer cognitive function. Cognitive dysfunction should be listed as one of the many complications of diabetes, along with retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy, and cardiovascular disease in the future

Effect of Syzygium cumini (jamun) seed powder on dyslipidemia: a double blind randomized control trial

Background: Diabetes is a metabolic syndrome characterized by disturbance in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. Dyslipidemia, commonly associated in diabetes, is major risk factor for macrovascular complications leading to CAD, major contributor to mortality associated with diabetes. Managing DM without side effects is challenge that attracts researchers toward plant based new products. Many studies have found anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic properties of seeds of Syzygium cumini, attributed to saponins, glycosides and flavonoids. So it should be further explored for its benefits.  The aim was to study the effect of jamun seed powder on dyslipidemia in type 2 DM. Methods: Patients with type 2 DM were randomly divided in two groups- group A was supplemented with 10 gms/day jamun seed powder and group B was given placebo powder. Patients and investigators were blinded about treatment allocated. Lipid profile was noted at baseline and 30th, 60th and 90th day. All the data was collected and analyzed at the end of study.Results: Improvement in dyslipidemia was seen after 60 days of supplementation with S. cumini seed powder. Statistically significant decrease in cholesterol levels by 10.55% and 15.79% in mean triglyceride levels by 8.28% and 13.66%, LDL-c levels by 10.29% and 14.50% was noticed at 60th and 90th day, respectively, reduction in VLDL-c levels by 9.38%, 12.90% and 20.69% was noted at 30th, 60th and 90th day. HDL-c increased significantly by 11.11% and 13.89% in males and 10.81% and 16.21% in females after 60 and 90 days of supplementation with S. cumini seed powder.Conclusions: A significant overall effect of S. cumini supplementation was found in improvement of lipid profile in type 2 diabetes subjects. However, above results are seen in small number subjects, further multicenter studies with larger sample size, supplementation dose and time should be planned and its effects in detail should be explored.

Unconventional superconducting pairing in a B20 Kramers Weyl semimetal

Topological superconductors present an ideal platform for exploring nontrivial superconductivity and realizing Majorana boundary modes in materials. However, finding a single-phase topological material with nontrivial superconducting states is a challenge. Here, we predict nontrivial superconductivity in the pristine chiral metal RhGe with a transition temperature of 5.8 K. Chiral symmetries in RhGe enforce multifold Weyl fermions at high-symmetry momentum points and spin-polarized Fermi arc states that span the whole surface Brillouin zone. These bulk and surface chiral states support multiple type-II van Hove singularities that enhance superconductivity in RhGe. Our detailed analysis of superconducting pairing symmetries involving Chiral Fermi pockets in RhGe, indicates the presence of nontrivial superconducting pairing. Our study establishes RhGe as a promising candidate material for hosting mixed-parity pairing and topological superconductivity.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Stripe Helical Magnetism and Two Regimes of Anomalous Hall Effect in NdAlGe

We report the magnetic and electronic transport properties of the inversion and time-reversal symmetry breaking Weyl semimetal NdAlGe. This material is analogous to NdAlSi, whose helical magnetism presents a rare example of a Weyl-mediated collective phenomenon, but with a larger spin-orbit coupling. Our neutron diffraction experiments revealed that NdAlGe, similar to NdAlSi, supports an incommensurate Ising spin density wave ($T_{\text{inc}}=6.8$ K) with a small helical spin canting of 3$^\circ$ and a long-wavelength of $\sim$ 35 nm, which transitions to a commensurate ferrimagnetic state below $T_{\text{com}}=5.1$ K. Using small-angle neutron scattering, we showed that the zero-field cooled ferrimagnetic domains form stripes in real space with characteristic length scales of 18 nm and 72 nm parallel and perpendicular to the [110] direction, respectively. Interestingly, for the transport properties, NdAlSi does not exhibit an anomalous Hall effect (AHE) that is commonly observed in magnetic Weyl semimetals. In contrast to NdAlSi, we identify two different AHE regimes in NdAlGe that are respectively governed by intrinsic Berry curvature and extrinsic disorders/spin fluctuations. Our study suggests that Weyl-mediated magnetism prevails in this group of noncentrosymmetric magnetic Weyl semimetals NdAl$X$, but transport properties including AHE are affected by material-specific extrinsic effects such as disorders, despite the presence of prominent Berry curvature.Comment: Preprint, 16 pages, 6 main figures, 6 supplementary figure

Burden of injury along the development spectrum : associations between the Socio-demographic Index and disability-adjusted life year estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background The epidemiological transition of non-communicable diseases replacing infectious diseases as the main contributors to disease burden has been well documented in global health literature. Less focus, however, has been given to the relationship between sociodemographic changes and injury. The aim of this study was to examine the association between disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from injury for 195 countries and territories at different levels along the development spectrum between 1990 and 2017 based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 estimates. Methods Injury mortality was estimated using the GBD mortality database, corrections for garbage coding and CODEm-the cause of death ensemble modelling tool. Morbidity estimation was based on surveys and inpatient and outpatient data sets for 30 cause-of-injury with 47 nature-of-injury categories each. The Socio-demographic Index (SDI) is a composite indicator that includes lagged income per capita, average educational attainment over age 15 years and total fertility rate. Results For many causes of injury, age-standardised DALY rates declined with increasing SDI, although road injury, interpersonal violence and self-harm did not follow this pattern. Particularly for self-harm opposing patterns were observed in regions with similar SDI levels. For road injuries, this effect was less pronounced. Conclusions The overall global pattern is that of declining injury burden with increasing SDI. However, not all injuries follow this pattern, which suggests multiple underlying mechanisms influencing injury DALYs. There is a need for a detailed understanding of these patterns to help to inform national and global efforts to address injury-related health outcomes across the development spectrum.Peer reviewe

Adjunctive rifampicin for Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (ARREST): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia is a common cause of severe community-acquired and hospital-acquired infection worldwide. We tested the hypothesis that adjunctive rifampicin would reduce bacteriologically confirmed treatment failure or disease recurrence, or death, by enhancing early S aureus killing, sterilising infected foci and blood faster, and reducing risks of dissemination and metastatic infection. METHODS: In this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, adults (≥18 years) with S aureus bacteraemia who had received ≤96 h of active antibiotic therapy were recruited from 29 UK hospitals. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) via a computer-generated sequential randomisation list to receive 2 weeks of adjunctive rifampicin (600 mg or 900 mg per day according to weight, oral or intravenous) versus identical placebo, together with standard antibiotic therapy. Randomisation was stratified by centre. Patients, investigators, and those caring for the patients were masked to group allocation. The primary outcome was time to bacteriologically confirmed treatment failure or disease recurrence, or death (all-cause), from randomisation to 12 weeks, adjudicated by an independent review committee masked to the treatment. Analysis was intention to treat. This trial was registered, number ISRCTN37666216, and is closed to new participants. FINDINGS: Between Dec 10, 2012, and Oct 25, 2016, 758 eligible participants were randomly assigned: 370 to rifampicin and 388 to placebo. 485 (64%) participants had community-acquired S aureus infections, and 132 (17%) had nosocomial S aureus infections. 47 (6%) had meticillin-resistant infections. 301 (40%) participants had an initial deep infection focus. Standard antibiotics were given for 29 (IQR 18-45) days; 619 (82%) participants received flucloxacillin. By week 12, 62 (17%) of participants who received rifampicin versus 71 (18%) who received placebo experienced treatment failure or disease recurrence, or died (absolute risk difference -1·4%, 95% CI -7·0 to 4·3; hazard ratio 0·96, 0·68-1·35, p=0·81). From randomisation to 12 weeks, no evidence of differences in serious (p=0·17) or grade 3-4 (p=0·36) adverse events were observed; however, 63 (17%) participants in the rifampicin group versus 39 (10%) in the placebo group had antibiotic or trial drug-modifying adverse events (p=0·004), and 24 (6%) versus six (2%) had drug interactions (p=0·0005). INTERPRETATION: Adjunctive rifampicin provided no overall benefit over standard antibiotic therapy in adults with S aureus bacteraemia. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment