Performance of Guinea Grass Varieties in North Konkan Zone of Maharashtra

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) is native to Africa but this grass was introduced to almost all tropical countries as a source of animal forage. It grows well on a wide variety of well drained soils of good fertility and it is suitable to stop soil erosion. It can survive quick moving fires which does not harm the underground roots and drought because of the deep, dense and fibrous root system. Guinea grass is a colonizer of disturbed sites, including roadsides, and particularly untended areas. This robust grass forms clumps and may foster soil erosion in invaded areas. Guinea grass is a perennial crop and may form quite large clumps. Commonly found at around 1.5 m tall, some individuals have recorded at 3 m tall. The leaf blades are long, narrow and finely tipped. They have a prominent mid-rib and are approximately 1 cm wide. Seed heads are large (up to 40 cm long) and are well-spread, with a large number of fine branches. Seeds are oblong in shape and are often purple in colour. Keeping the above context in view, the present investigation was carried out for studying the performance of Guinea grass varieties in north konkan zone of Maharashtra

Performance of Bajra Napier Hybrid Varieties in North Konkan Zone of Maharashtra

Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) commonly referred to as elephant grass, is popular fodder crop for small scale dairy farmers in the high and medium potential dairy production areas of north konkan zone of Maharashtra under the cut & carry system of production. It is a fast growing, deeply rooted, perennial grass growing up to 4 m tall that can spread by underground stems to form thick ground cover. Napier is easy to establish and persistent, drought tolerant, suitable for cutting and very good for silage making. It is also used as a soil stabilizer in soil conservation methods and can be intercropped with various forage legumes. It is vulnerable to disease and pest attacks. It can be grown at an altitude of 2000 m above mean sea level. When grown at altitudes above 2000 m, growth and regeneration after cutting is slow and it may die due to frost. It does best in high rainfall areas, over 1500 mm per year. Napier grass can grow in almost any soils; but does best in deep, fertile, well drained soils. Keeping the above things in view, the present investigation was carried out to find out the suitable Bajra Napier Hybrid varieties for north konkan zone of Maharashtra

Armodafinil versus Modafinil in Patients of Excessive Sleepiness Associated with Shift Work Sleep Disorder: A Randomized Double Blind Multicentric Clinical Trial

Aim. To compare the efficacy and safety of armodafinil, the R-enantiomer of modafinil, with modafinil in patients of shift work sleep disorder (SWSD). Material and Methods. This was a 12-week, randomized, comparative, double-blind, multicentric, parallel-group study in 211 patients of SWSD, receiving armodafinil (150 mg) or modafinil (200 mg) one hour prior to the night shift. Outcome Measures. Efficacy was assessed by change in stanford sleepiness score (SSS) by at least 2 grades (responder) and global assessment for efficacy. Safety was assessed by incidence of adverse events, change in laboratory parameters, ECG, and global assessment of tolerability. Results. Both modafinil and armodafinil significantly improved sleepiness mean grades as compared to baseline (P < .0001). Responder rates with armodafinil (72.12%) and modafinil (74.29%) were comparable (P = .76). Adverse event incidences were comparable. Conclusion. Armodafinil was found to be safe and effective in the treatment of SWSD in Indian patients. The study did not demonstrate any difference in efficacy and safety of armodafinil 150 mg and modafinil 200 mg

Graphene overcoats for ultra-high storage density magnetic media

Hard disk drives (HDDs) are used as secondary storage in digital electronic devices owing to low cost and large data storage capacity. Due to the exponentially increasing amount of data, there is a need to increase areal storage densities beyond~1Tb/in^2. This requires the thickness of carbon overcoats (COCs) to be&lt;2 nm. However, friction, wear, corrosion, and thermal stability are critical concerns below 2 nm, limiting current technology, and restricting COC integration with heat assisted magnetic recording technology (HAMR). Here we show that graphene-based overcoats can overcome all these limitations, and achieve two-fold reduction in friction and provide better corrosion and wear resistance than state-of-the-art COCs, while withstanding HAMR conditions. Thus, we expect that graphene overcoats may enable the development of 4-10 Tb/in^2 areal density HDDs when employing suitable recording technologies, such as HAMR and HAMR+bit patterned media

Mammary tuberculosis – importance of recognition and differentiation from that of a breast malignancy: report of three cases and review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>While tuberculosis of the breast is an extremely uncommon entity seen in western populations, it accounts for up to 3% of all treatable breast lesions in developing countries.</p> <p>Case presentations</p> <p>We reviewed three female cases of mammary tuberculosis that were diagnosed and treated in Turkey during the same calendar year. All three patients presented with a painful breast mass. In all cases, fine needle aspiration was nondiagnostic for mammary tuberculosis. However, the diagnosis of mammary tuberculosis was confirmed by histopathologic evaluation at the time of open surgical biopsy. All three patients were treated with antituberculous therapy for six months. At the end of the treatment period, each patient appeared to be clinically and radiologically without evidence of residual disease.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The diagnosis of mammary tuberculosis rests on the appropriate clinical suspicion and the histopathologic findings of the breast lesion. Its recognition and differentiation from that of a breast malignancy is absolutely necessary. Antituberculous chemotherapy, initiated immediately upon diagnosis, forms the mainstay of treatment for mammary tuberculosis.</p

A wolf in sheep's clothing: systemic immune activation post immunotherapy

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly a standard of care for many cancers; these agents can result in immune-related adverse events (irAEs) including fever, which is common but can rarely be associated with systemic immune activation (SIA or acquired HLH). Methods: All consecutive patients receiving ICIs in the Drug Development Unit of the Royal Marsden Hospital between May 2014 and November 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with fever ≥ 38°C or chills/rigors (without fever) ≤ 6 weeks of commencing ICIs were identified for clinical data collection. Results: Three patients met diagnostic criteria for SIA/HLH with median time to onset of symptoms of 10 days. We describe the clinical evolution, treatment used, and outcomes for these patients. High-dose steroids are used first-line with other treatments, such as tocilizumab, immunoglobulin and therapeutic plasmapheresis can be considered for steroid-refractory SIA/HLH. Conclusion: SIA/HLH post ICI is a rare but a potentially fatal irAE that presents with fever and a constellation of nonspecific symptoms. Early recognition and timely treatment are key to improving outcomes

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns