The generalized gradient approximation kernel in time-dependent density functional theory

A complete understanding of a material requires both knowledge of the excited states as well as of the ground state. In particular, the low energy excitations are of utmost importance while studying the electronic, magnetic, dynamical, and thermodynamical properties of the material. Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT), within the linear regime, is a successful \textit{ab-initio} method to access the electronic charge and spin excitations. However, it requires an approximation to the exchange-correlation (XC) kernel which encapsulates the effect of electron-electron interactions in the many-body system. In this work we derive and implement the spin-polarized XC kernel for semi-local approximations such as the adiabatic Generalized Gradient Approximation (AGGA). This kernel has a quadratic dependence on the wavevector, {\bf q}, of the perturbation, however the impact of this on the electron energy loss spectra (EELS) is small. Although the GGA functional is good in predicting structural properties, it generality overestimates the exchange spin-splitting. This leads to higher magnon energies, as compared to both ALDA and experiment. In addition, interaction with the Stoner spin-flip continuum is enhanced by AGGA, which strongly suppresses the intensity of spin-waves.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

A Preliminary Study on Phytoplankton in Fresh Water-Lake of Gogi, Yadgir District, Karnataka

The present study was conducted in a semi arid region of Karnataka. The study discusses the phytoplankton diversity of the Gogi lake ecosystem. A standard methodology was followed in conducting to complete this study and samples were collected at different points from the lake ecosystem located at the core area of the proposed uranium mining site. Through a field survey, twenty one species of phytoplankton were recorded coming under four classes viz., Bacillariophyceae(8), Chlorophyceae(7),Cyanophyceae (5) Charophyceae (1) and twelve families and Fragilariaceae (4), Bacillariaceae (3), Zygnemataceae(3), Desmidiaceae (2), Oscillatoriaceae (2), Melosiraceae (1), Cladophoraceae (1), Scenedesmaceae (1), Microcystaceae (1), Nostocaceae (1), Phormidiaceae (1), Characeae (1). The data were collected over two seasons- March to May and September to November -2012. A total of 21 species were recorded from the study region of which 10 species were recorded during March to May, while 02 species from September to November, nine species were recorde

Pollen germination studies in Giant Himalayan Lily (Cardiocrinum giganteum Wall.) a high value of ornamental plant in Western Himalayan region

Giant Himalayan lily (Cardiocrinum giganteum Wall.) is a perennial bulbiferous herb of Liliaceae and an endemic species in the eastern Himalayan region, which has become one of the new flower crops because of its high ornamental value. The present investigationwas conducted to study pollen morphologyi.e., fresh pollen grains size was measured in different media, viz., water, acetocarmine, glycerol and without any medium (dry). The pollen grains of Giant Himalayan lily exhibited the average size (length x width) of (22.64 x 19.72μ) in water suspension. The result revealed that in glycerine and dry condition shape of pollen grains was perprolate. However, in water and acetocarmine it looked was round in shape. The result also shown that highest pollen germination (54.70%, 63.69%) and pollen tube growth (89.24μ, 175.85μ) in 10% sucrose solution for 12 hours and 24 hours respectively. In control light treatments, red light was found to be best in pollen germination and pollen tube growth

Primary pulmonary non hodgkin’s T cell lymphoma

A 55-year-old female presented with history of fever, dry cough and right sided chest pain of two months duration. Radiological examination revealed a soft tissue attenuated lesion involving right middle lobe. Immuno histochemical analysis leads to the diagnosis of Non Hodgkin’s T-cell Lymphoma. The rarity of this disorder and its good clinical and radiological response to chemotherapy prompted us to report this case

Swyer- James -MacLeod syndrome presenting as hemoptysis in an adult

Swyer-James/MacLeod syndrome is an uncommon disease with characteristic radiological feature of unilateral hyperlucency due to loss of pulmonary vasculature and air trapping. Typically, this disorder is diagnosed in childhood during evaluations for recurrent respiratory infections. Here, we report a case in a 30-year-old adult female who presented with dyspnoea, cough with expectoration and recurrent hemoptysis due to associated bronchiectasis. This case highlights the importance of computed tomography in the diagnostic workup of recurrent hemoptysis in pulmonary tuberculosis epidemic countries like India

Effet de la salinité sur la croissance et la production de biomasse de deux provenances de Jatropha curcas L. cultivés en serre

La salinisation des sols est un processus important de dégradation des sols. Ce phénomène ne cesse de prendre de l’ampleur. Il affecte la croissance et le rendement des cultures. L’utilisation d’espèces à usages multiples telle que Jatropha curcas L. et capable de se développer dans ces milieux est d’une importance capitale. Cette étude a porté sur l’effet de différentes concentrations de NaCl (0 g/l, 2 g/l, 4 g/l, 8 g/l, 16 g/l et 35 g/l) pendant une durée de 42 jours sur des jeunes plants de deux provenances (Nioro et Kaffrine) de Jatropha curcas L en condition de serre vitrée. La tolérance des deux provenances par rapport aux différentes concentrations de NaCl a été étudiée en tenant compte des paramètres de croissance et de rendement. Les résultats ont montré que la hauteur des tiges, le diamètre au collet, la biomasse sèche des parties aériennes et des parties racinaires évalués à la fin de l’expérience varient en fonction du niveau du stress salin. Les deux provenances ont montré une tolérance à la salinité manifestée par la réduction d’un appareil aérien et racinaire important. La provenance Nioro présente une croissance des organes aériens plus importante que celle de Kaffrine. Cependant, la provenance Kaffrine produit plus de biomasse sèche aérienne. Cette différence se situe au niveau de la quantité de biomasse sèche apportée par les tiges.Mots clés : Stress salin, croissance, biomasse, Jatropha curcas L., provenance

Combination of dasatinib and curcumin eliminates chemo-resistant colon cancer cells

Metastatic colorectal cancer remains a serious health concern with poor patient survival. Although 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) or 5-FU plus oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) is the standard therapy for colorectal cancer, it has met with limited success. Recurrence of the tumor after chemotherapy could partly be explained by the enrichment of the chemo-resistant sub-population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that possess the ability for self-renewal and differentiation into different lineages in the tumor. Therefore development of therapeutic strategies that target CSCs for successful treatment of this malignancy is warranted. The current investigation was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of the combination therapy of dasatinib (a Src inhibitor) and curcumin (a dietary agent with pleiotropic effect) in inhibiting the growth and other properties of carcinogenesis of chemo-resistant colon cancer cells that are enriched in CSCs sub-population. Remnants of spontaneous adenomas from APCMin +/- mice treated with dasatinib and/or curcumin were analyzed for several cancer stem cell markers (ALDH, CD44, CD133 and CD166). Human colon cancer cells HCT-116 (p53 wild type; K-ras mutant) and HT-29 (p53 mutant; K-ras wild type) were used to generate FOLFOX resistant (referred to as CR) cells. The effectiveness of the combination therapy in inhibiting growth, invasive potential and stemness was examined in colon cancer CR cells. The residual tumors from APCMin +/- mice treated with dasatinib and/or curcumin showed 80-90% decrease in the expression of the CSC markers ALDH, CD44, CD133, CD166. The colon cancer CR cells showed a higher expression of CSCs markers, cell invasion potential and ability to form colonospheres, compared to the corresponding parental cells. The combination therapy of dasatinib and curcumin demonstrated synergistic interactions in CR HCT-116 and CR HT-29 cells, as determined by Calcusyn analysis. The combinatorial therapy inhibited cellular growth, invasion and colonosphere formation and also reduced CSC population as evidenced by the decreased expression of CSC specific markers: CD133, CD44, CD166 and ALDH. Our data suggest that the combination therapy of dasatinib and curcumin may be a therapeutic strategy for re-emergence of chemo-resistant colon cancer by targeting CSC sub-population

A comparative study of various diagnostic techniques for Cryptosporidiosis

Abstract: Diarrhoeal disease is a common complication of infection with HIV. Cryptosporidium has gained importance as an AID