Omicron: The new variant of concern needs preparedness, not panic

SARS-CoV-2 continues to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. On November 26, the World Health Organization (WHO) labeled the omicron type as a covid-19 variant of concern, prompting travel restrictions, a rush to accelerate booster immunization programmes, and new attempts to address vaccination disparities. According to the WHO, omicron is a "very high" concern throughout the world, and preliminary research indicates that it may be a more transmissible type, leading to infection surges (1,2). The Indian government keeps a close eye on the issue and gives appropriate guidelines as needed. Omicron threat will depend on its transmissibility, Virulence, and capacity to evade immunity in those previously vaccinated or infected. Even if the disease is milder, the rapid onslaught of the virus could overwhelm health care systems (doubling time of 2.5 days means 50X increase in 2 weeks) (3). We should ensure mitigation plans are in place to maintain essential health services and that necessary resources are in place to respond to potential surges

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF SEMI AUTOMATIC TRAILER STEERING MECHANISM

ABSTRACT The "Semi-Automatic Trailer Steering Mechanism" has been conceived having studied the difficulty in unloading the materials. Our survey in the regard in several automobile garages, revealed the facts that mostly some difficult methods were adopted in unloading the materials from the trailer. Now the project has mainly concentrated on this difficulty, and hence a suitable arrangement has been designed

Pseudo cholinesterase-diagnostic and prognostic value in organophosphorus poisoning

Background: Organophosphorus compound poisoning is a common clinical situation encountered in emergency department. The estimation of pseudo cholinesterase levels in plasma help to identify OP poisoning. Aim of this study was the levels of pseudo cholinesterase in plasma as a diagnostic aid in patients with suspected organophosphorus poisoning and to predict the prognosis and mortality based on pseudo cholinesterase activity.Methods: 390 cases of suspected organophosphorus compound poisoning were selected above 18 years of age. Detailed history and clinical examination were done. The serum levels of enzyme pseudo cholinesterase were estimated on 1st and 3rd and 6th day.Results: 61% were males, 39% were females. Age range 18-55 years. Most of the patients were admitted within 4 hours of consumption. 50% cases were mild, 26% were moderate and 24% were severe cases, Commonest clinical features were vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Common signs were miosis (46%), difficulty in breathing (42%), cold calmmy skin, bradycardia. Patients who survived had raising values of enzyme levels and in patients who expired did not show much increase in enzyme values.Conclusions: In initial stages of poisoning, determining pseudo cholinesterase activity forms a reliable test. In patients who survived had values above 4300 U/L and showed increasing levels on successive days indicating better prognosis. Low values of enzymes in initial stages of poisoning as well as decreasing values on the third day indicate increased mortality

Obtaining strong ferromagnetism in diluted Gd-doped ZnO thin films through controlled Gd-defect complexes

We demonstrate the fabrication of reproducible long-range ferromagnetism (FM) in highly crystalline Gdx Zn 1−xO thin films by controlling the defects. Films are grown on lattice-matched substrates by pulsed laser deposition at low oxygen pressures (≤25 mTorr) and low Gd concentrations (x ≤ 0.009). These films feature strong FM (10 μB per Gd atom) at room temperature. While films deposited at higher oxygen pressure do not exhibit FM, FM is recovered by post-annealing these films under vacuum. These findings reveal the contribution of oxygen deficiency defects to the long-range FM. We demonstrate the possible FM mechanisms, which are confirmed by density functional theory study, and show that Gd dopants are essential for establishing FM that is induced by intrinsic defects in these films

Heteroaromatic annulation studies on 2-[bis(methylthio)methylene]- 1-methyl-3-oxoindole: synthesis of novel heterocyclo[b] fused indoles

Heteroannulation of 2-[Bis(methylthio)methylene]-1-methyl-3-oxoindole with β- substituted β-lithioaminoacrylonitrile, malononitrile and guanidine has been reported to yield novel substituted pyrido[3,2-b]indoles and pyrimido[5,4-b]indole derivatives in varying yields

Preliminary results on the simulation of the 1999 Orissa supercyclone using a GCM with a new boundary layer code

We present here preliminary results from the simulation of the Orissa supercyclone using a new AGCM code (named Varsha) written as part of a NMITLI project. The simulation is initialized at 00 UTC, 26 October 1999, using ECMWF T-106 initial conditions. The control run is made using the Varsha code at a T-80 resolution with a standard Monin-Obukhov boundary layer code incorporating a gustiness factor. With the horizontal resolution improved to 120 spectral modes with a 78 km grid spacing, and a new boundary layer parameterization at low winds, the code shows substantial improvements: the maximum error is reduced from 350 to 234 km at 36 h after initialization, 310 to 34 km at 48 h, and 410 to 55 km at 96 h. It is suggested that part of the explanation for this improvement lies in the improved estimation of surface forces and torque in the new boundary layer code. The role of torque is particularly interesting as the major contribution to it comes from the outer regions of the cyclone where the winds are relatively low but the area on which the surface force acts and its moment arm are both high. Intriguingly the higher surface forces arise also from the higher winds predicted by the new code. An interesting finding is that, on both track and minimum pressure, the improvement due to higher resolution is greater with the new boundary layer module. Further analysis is necessary to assess the effect of other eddy fluxes (sensible heat, moisture) on cyclone track prediction

Nitrogen uptake and remobilization from pre‑ and post‑anthesis stages contribute towards grain yield and grain protein concentration in wheat grown in limited nitrogen conditions

Background In wheat, nitrogen (N) remobilization from vegetative tissues to developing grains largely depends on genetic and environmental factors. The evaluation of genetic potential of crops under limited resource inputs such as limited N supply would provide an opportunity to identify N-efficient lines with improved N utilisation efficiency and yield potential. We assessed the genetic variation in wheat recombinant inbred lines (RILs) for uptake, partitioning, and remobilization of N towards grain, its association with grain protein concentration (GPC) and grain yield. Methods We used the nested association mapping (NAM) population (195 lines) derived by crossing Paragon (P) with CIMMYT core germplasm (P × Cim), Baj (P × Baj), Watkins (P × Wat), and Wyalkatchem (P × Wya). These lines were evaluated in the field for two seasons under limited N supply. The plant sampling was done at anthesis and physiological maturity stages. Various physiological traits were recorded and total N uptake and other N related indices were calculated. The grain protein deviation (GPD) was calculated from the regression of grain yield on GPC. These lines were grouped into different clusters by hierarchical cluster analysis based on grain yield and N-remobilization efficiency (NRE). Results The genetic variation in accumulation of biomass at both pre- and post-anthesis stages were correlated with grain-yield. The NRE significantly correlated with aboveground N uptake at anthesis (AGNa) and grain yield but negatively associated with AGN at post-anthesis (AGNpa) suggesting higher N uptake till anthesis favours high N remobilization during grain filling. Hierarchical cluster analysis of these RILs based on NRE and yield resulted in four clusters, efficient (31), moderately efficient (59), moderately inefficient (58), and inefficient (47). In the N-efficient lines, AGNa contributed to 77% of total N accumulated in grains, while it was 63% in N-inefficient lines. Several N-efficient lines also exhibited positive grain protein deviation (GPD), combining high grain yield and GPC. Among crosses, the P × Cim were superior and N-efficient, while P × Wya responded poorly to low N input

X-ray Diffraction and Molecular Dynamics Study of Medium-range Order in Ambient and Hot Water

We have developed x-ray diffraction measurements with high energy-resolution and accuracy to study water structure at three different temperatures (7, 25 and 66 C) under normal pressure. Using a spherically curved Ge crystal an energy resolution better than 15 eV has been achieved which eliminates influence from Compton scattering. The high quality of the data allows a precise oxygen-oxygen pair correlation function (PCF) to be directly derived from the Fourier transform of the experimental data resolving shell structure out to ~12 {\AA}, i.e. 5 hydration shells. Large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the TIP4P/2005 force-field reproduce excellently the experimental shell-structure in the range 4-12 {\AA} although less agreement is seen for the first peak in the PCF. The Local Structure Index [J. Chem. Phys. 104, 7671 (1996)] identifies a tetrahedral minority giving the intermediate-range oscillations in the PCF and a disordered majority providing a more featureless background in this range. The current study supports the proposal that the structure of liquid water, even at high temperatures, can be described in terms of a two-state fluctuation model involving local structures related to the high-density and low-density forms of liquid water postulated in the liquid-liquid phase transition hypothesis.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Chem. Chem. Phy