Surface and interface study of pulsed-laser-deposited off-stoichiometric NiMnSb thin films on Si(100) substrate

We report a detailed study of surface and interface properties of pulsed-laser deposited NiMnSb films on Si (100) substrate as a function of film thickness. As the thickness of films is reduced below 35 nm formation of a porous layer is observed. Porosity in this layer increases with decrease in NiMnSb film thickness. These morphological changes of the ultra thin films are reflected in the interesting transport and magnetic properties of these films. On the other hand, there are no influences of compositional in-homogeneity and surface/interface roughness on the magnetic and transport properties of the films.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Phytochemicals of minthostachys diffusa epling and their health-promoting bioactivities

The genus Minthostachys belonging to the Lamiaceae family, and is an important South American mint genus used commonly in folk medicine as an aroma in cooking. The phytochemical-rich samples of the aerial parts of Minthostachys diffusa Epling. were tested for pharmacological and health-promoting bioactivities using in vitro chemical and enzymatic assays. A range of radical scavenging activities of the samples against biological radicals such as nitric oxide and superoxide anion and against synthetic 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals, the ferric reducing antioxidant power and the lipid peroxidation inhibition were determined and ranked using the 'relative antioxidant capacity index' (RACI). The ethyl acetate fraction showed the highest RACI of +1.12. Analysis of the various fractions' inhibitory ability against enzymes involved in diabetes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase), and against enzymes associated with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's diseases (acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase) also suggested that the ethyl acetate fraction was the most active. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the ethyl acetate fraction showed more than 30 polyphenolic compounds, including triterpenes. The inhibitory cholinesterase effects of the triterpenes identified from M. diffusa were further analysed by in silico docking of these compounds into 3D-structures of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. This is the first study on pharmacological activities and phytochemical profiling of the aerial parts of M. diffusa, showing that this plant, normally used as food in South America, is also rich in health-promoting phytochemicals

Unoccupied electronic states of icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystals: Evidence of image potential resonance and pseudogap

We study the unoccupied region of the electronic structure of the fivefold symmetric surface of an icosahedral (i) Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystal. A feature that exhibits parabolic dispersion with an effective mass of (1.15±0.1)me and tracks the change in the work function is assigned to an image potential resonance because our density functional calculation shows an absence of band gap in the respective energy region. We show that Sn grows pseudomorphically on i−Al−Pd−Mn as predicted by density functional theory calculations, and the energy of the image potential resonance tracks the change in the work function with Sn coverage. The image potential resonance appears much weaker in the spectrum from the related crystalline Al-Pd-Mn surface, demonstrating that its strength is related to the compatibility of the quasiperiodic wave functions in i−Al−Pd−Mn with the free-electron-like image potential states. Our investigation of the energy region immediately above EF provides unambiguous evidence for the presence of a pseudogap, in agreement with our density functional theory calculations

Tracing the Vedic Saraswati River in the Great Rann of Kachchh

© The Author(s), 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Scientific Reports 7 (2017): 5476, doi:10.1038/s41598-017-05745-8.The lost Saraswati River mentioned in the ancient Indian tradition is postulated to have flown independently of the Indus River into the Arabian Sea, perhaps along courses of now defunct rivers such as Ghaggar, Hakra and Nara. The persistence of such a river during the Harappan Bronze Age and the Iron Age Vedic period is strongly debated. We drilled in the Great Rann of Kachchh (Kutch), an infilled gulf of the Arabian Sea, which must have received input from the Saraswati, if active. Nd and Sr isotopic measurements suggest that a distinct source may have been present before 10 ka. Later in Holocene, under a drying climate, sediments from the Thar Desert probably choked the signature of an independent Saraswati-like river. Alternatively, without excluding a Saraswati-like secondary source, the Indus and the Thar were the dominant sources throughout the post-glacial history of the GRK. Indus-derived sediment accelerated the infilling of GRK after ~6 ka when the Indus delta started to grow. Until its complete infilling few centuries ago, freshwater input from the Indus, and perhaps from the Ghaggar-Hakra-Nara, probably sustained a productive marine environment as well as navigability toward old coastal Harappan and historic towns in the region.The drilling effort and subsequent study of the cores was funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India sponsored research project to DMM (Project No. SR/S4/ES-21/Kachchh Window/P1) under the science of Shallow Subsurface Programme (SSS). N. Khonde gratefully acknowledges Indo-US Post-doctoral Fellowship sponsored by SERB-IUSSTF for research work at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Strange Particle Production in p+p, p+Pb and Pb+Pb Interactions from NA49

Recent NA49 results on Lambda, Antilambda, Xi- and Antixi+ production in minimum bias p+p and centrality selected p+Pb collisions at 158 GeV/c, and the results on Lambda, Antilambda, K+ and K- production in central Pb+Pb collisions at 40, 80 and 158 A GeV are discussed and compared with other available data. By comparing the energy dependence of Lambda and Antilambda production at mid-rapidity a striking similarity is observed between p+p and A+A data. This is also seen in the energy dependence of the Lambda/pi ratio. K+/pi at mid-rapidity is affected in a similar way, due to the associated production of K+ together with Lambda particles. The observed yields increase faster than the number of wounded nucleons when comparing p+Pb to p+p. As already observed in A+A collisions, the increase is larger for multistrange than for strange baryons and for baryons than for anti-baryons.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, To appear in proceedings of Strange Quark in Matter 2001-A Flavourspace Odyssey, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 24-29. Sept. 200

Evaluation of A Novel Organ Perfusion Research Platform

This paper presents a novel, low cost, organ perfusion machine designed for use in research. The modular and versatile nature of the system allows for additional sensing equipment to be added or adapted for specific use. Here we introduce the system and present its preliminary evaluation by assessing its ability to maintain a predetermined input pressure. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller was implemented and tested on a porcine liver to maintain input pressure to the hepatic artery and compared to bench tests. The results confirmed the effectiveness of the controller for maintaining input through the hepatic artery (HA) in a timely manner. Clinical Relevance-Machine Perfusion (MP) is proving to be an invaluable adjunct in clinical practice. With its ongoing success in the transplant arena, we propose MP for use in research. A cost-effective, versatile system that can be modified for specific research use to test new pharmacological therapies, imaging techniques or develop simulation training would be beneficial

Genetic Variability, Diversity and Interrelationship for Twelve Grain Minerals in 122 Commercial Pearl Millet Cultivars in India

Pearl millet contributes to the major source of dietary calories and essential micronutrients intake among rural populations in certain regions of India as its grains are more nutritious than other cereals. The aims of this investigation were to profile cultivar nutrition, diversity and interrelationship for grain minerals (Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, S, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Mo and Ni) among 122 pearl millet hybrids and open-pollinated varieties in India. Trials were evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications at two locations (Patancheru and Mandor) representing two major cultivation zones. The grain minerals in cultivars exhibited two- to- four-fold variation. Positive and significant correlations were noted among different minerals. A higher magnitude of positive and significant association between Fe and Zn (r = 0.71, P\0.01) and with other minerals suggested the existence of greater genetic potential for the concurrent improvement of Fe and Zn without lowering the other grain minerals in pearl millet. The first two principal components accounted for 49% of variation. Euclidian distancebased cluster analysis grouped the 122 cultivars into seven clusters. Cluster I had higher mean for Fe (56 mg kg-1) and Zn (49 mg kg-1), in which ICTP 8203, Ajeet 38, Sanjivani 222,PAC 903 and 86 M86 were identified as rich sources of iron, zinc and calcium with considerable levels of other nutrients. About 65% of cultivars for iron and 100% of cultivars for zinc have met the minimum standards set forth by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. This indicates the feasibility of breeding nutrient-rich hybrids with competitive yields through mainstreaming in future