Turbulent characteristics of momentum flux in the marine atmospheric boundary layer of North Bay of Bengal.

We use a 16-month-long, 20 Hz wind data from a mooring deployed in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) to study the characteristics of turbulent wind stress ( events in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL). Quadrant analysis of the motion-corrected and suggests that sweep and ejections, representing downward stress transfer into the ocean, dominate the (~ 140%). In comparison, outward and inward interactions representing an upward stress transfer into the atmosphere provide the counter-contribution (~ 40%).

CRISPR Screen Reveals PACT as a Pro-Viral Factor for Dengue Viral Replication.

The dengue virus is a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA virus that infects ~400 million people worldwide. Currently, there are no approved antivirals available. CRISPR-based screening methods have greatly accelerated the discovery of host factors that are essential for DENV infection and that can be targeted in host-directed antiviral interventions.

An integrated buoy-satellite based coastal water quality nowcasting system: India's pioneering efforts towards addressing UN ocean decade challenges.

The Indian coastal waters are stressed due to a multitude of factors, such as the discharge of industrial effluents, urbanization (municipal sewage), agricultural runoff, and river discharge. The coastal waters along the eastern and western seaboard of India exhibit contrasting characteristics in terms of seasonality, the magnitude of river influx, circulation pattern, and degree of anthropogenic activity. Therefore, understanding these processes and forecasting their occurrence is highly necessary to secure the health of coastal waters, habitats, marine resources, and the safety of tourists.

Pterygium surgery using inferior rotational conjunctival autograft versus conventional conjunctival autograft with sutures - A comparative study.

Purpose: To compare the outcomes of pterygium surgery by using an inferior rotational autograft and a conventional superior conjunctival autograft.

Methods: This was a prospective interventional comparative study of 85 eyes of patients who were divided into two groups of 45 and 40. Standard techniques of both procedures were performed by a single surgeon.

Morphology-Controlled Reststrahlen Band and Infrared Plasmon Polariton in GaN Nanostructures.

Due to ultrabright and stable blue light emission, GaN has emerged as one of the most famous semiconductors of the modern era, useful for light-emitting diodes, power electronics, and optoelectronic applications. Extending GaN's optical resonance from visible to mid- and-far-infrared spectral ranges will enable novel applications in many emerging technologies. Here we show hexagonal honeycomb-shaped GaN nanowall networks and vertically standing nanorods exhibiting morphology-dependent Reststrahlen band and plasmon polaritons that could be harnessed for infrared nanophotonics.

Zein-Alginate-Phosphatidylcholine Nanocomplex Efficiently Delivers Lycopene and Lutein over Dietary-Derived Carotenoid Mixed Micelles in Caco-2 Cells.

This study evaluated the potency of zein-alginate-phosphatidylcholine nanoparticles (NPs) on bioaccessibility/intestinal uptake of encapsulated lycopene (LY) and lutein (LT) versus dietary absorption using simulated digestion and human intestinal Caco-2 cells. LY-zein-alginate-PC (LYZAP) and LT-zein-alginate-PC (LTZAP) NPs yield desired properties, which exhibit sustained release and are suitable for oral administration. Interestingly, co-treatment of LYZAP + LTZAP showed better release of carotenoids instead of individual treatment at intestinal pH.

Exosome-associated microRNA-375 induces cell proliferation by regulating IGFBP4 upon hepatitis C virus infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the most common causes of liver cancer. HCV infection causes chronic disease followed by cirrhosis, which often leads to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we investigated the roles of exosome-associated miRNAs in HCV-induced disease pathology.

Cross-species microRNA transmission modulates flavivirus growth in mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes can be infected with a variety of RNA viruses. Recently,Zhu et al. demonstrated that human microRNA hsa-miR-150-5p is acquired by mosquitoes during blood meals and protects the Dengue virus by downregulation of chymotrypsin AaCT-1 mRNA.

Observation of monochromatic and coherent luminescence from nanocavities of GaN nanowall network.

Scaling-down the size of semiconductor cavity lasers and engineering their electromagnetic environment in the Purcell regime can bring about spectacular advance in nanodevices fabrication. We report here an unprecedented observation of a coherent Cathodoluminescence from GaN nanocavities (20-100 nm). Incident lower energy (< 15 kV) electron beams excite the band edge UV emission from the walls of the network whereas for higher energies, the emitted photons are spontaneously down converted into NIR and preferentially emerge from the nanocavities.

Site-specific angular dependent determination of inelastic mean free path of 300 keV electrons in GaN nanorods.

Inelastic mean free path (IMFP) of the electron is a very important parameter for quantitative analysis of several electron spectroscopies and transport properties. In spite of being a fundamental material property, its experimental determination is not trivial due to complexity of the various electron scattering processes in matter. In this report, we demonstrate a procedure to determine the IMFP of 300 keV electrons in GaN, using the log-ratio technique where the local specimen thickness needs to be accurately known.

The tale of two flaviviruses: subversion of host pathways by RNA shapes in dengue and hepatitis C viral RNA genomes.

Pathogenic RNA viruses continue to emerge owing to their rapid evolutionary rates. The family of the Flaviviridae contains enveloped, single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses that include mosquito borne viruses such as dengue virus and the blood-borne hepatitis C virus. Upon infection, the genomic viral RNA needs to first compete with a sea of host mRNAs for host ribosomes that synthesize the viral proteins.

Charge transfer-induced enhancement of a Raman signal in a hybrid Ag-GaN nanostructure.

A hybrid system consisting of Ag nanoparticles dispersed onto a GaN nanowall network (GaN NWN) exhibited characteristic optical properties and electronic band structure. Surface-sensitive XPS studies of this high-surface-area system revealed the presence of a high surface charge carrier concentration due to dangling bonds, which resulted in a high metal-like surface conductivity. The low coverage of absorbed Ag led to the nanocluster formation, facilitating charge transfer from GaN to Ag, and thereby further increasing the surface charge carriers.

Acute Pyelonephritis: A Single-center Experience.

Acute pyelonephritis (APN), although a common clinical entity, still not much is known about the clinical profile in the Indian scenario. We prospectively collected clinical, biochemical, and radiological data of patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of APN from March 2014 to June 2016. A total of 296 cases were included in the study.

Wave localized finite-difference-time-domain modelling of scattering of elastic waves within a polycrystalline material.

Ultrasonic studies based on the first arrived signals are of utmost importance when dealing with heterogeneous material especially to seismology, biomedical imaging, as well as for nondestructive evaluation and structural health monitoring applications. Numerical modelling of elastic waves through polycrystalline features has been primarily held back by huge computational requirements. This article discusses the development of a robust and efficient numerical scheme based on finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) by introducing wave-localized approach to simulate elastic waves in polycrystalline media.

Metal Oxide Interlayer for Long-Lived Lithium-Selenium Batteries.

A lithium-selenium (Li-Se)-alkali activated carbon hybrid cell with a tungsten oxide interlayer is implemented for the first time. The Se hybrid at a Se loading of 70 % in the full Li-Se cell delivers a large reversible capacity of 625 mA h g , in comparison with 505.8 mA h g achieved for the pristine Se cell.

Nanostructured p-TiO/n-GaN heterostructure as a potential photoelectrode for efficient charge separation.

This work proposes p-TiO/n-GaN as a new semiconductor heterostructure, which holds great promise as a photoelectrode material. To fabricate p-TiO/n-GaN heterostructures, wurtzite GaN is grown in two different morphologies by molecular beam epitaxy, and a TiO overlayer is formed by atomic layer deposition. The XRD and Raman experiments confirm the anatase crystal structure of TiO and SEM shows the conformal coating of TiO on GaN.

Early initiation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in postrenal transplant period: A study from a state-run tertiary care center.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) comprise a drug class, which are potent antihypertensives with renoprotective effects but are grossly underutilized in renal transplant recipients. These drugs have been reported to cause elevated potassium and creatinine levels in some renal transplant patients. There have been no reports of prospective studies on use of ACEi in renal transplant patients in the early post-transplant period.

CdSe-CdTe Heterojunction Nanorods: Role of CdTe Segment in Modulating the Charge Transfer Processes.

Heterojunction nanorods having dissimilar semiconductors possess charge transfer (CT) properties and are proposed as active elements in optoelectronic systems. Herein, we describe the synthetic methodologies for controlling the charge carrier recombination dynamics in CdSe-CdTe heterojunction nanorods through the precise growth of CdTe segment from one of the tips of CdSe nanorods. The location of heterojunction was established through a point-by-point collection of the energy-dispersive X-ray spectra using scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Stability, Scale-up, and Performance of Quantum Dot Solar Cells with Carbonate-Treated Titanium Oxide Films.

A novel yet simple approach of carbonate (CBN) treatment of TiO films is performed, and quantum dot solar cells (QDSCs) with high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs), reasonably good stabilities, and good fill factors (FFs) are fabricated with TiO-CBN films. The ability of carbonate groups to passivate defects or oxygen vacancies of TiO is confirmed from a nominally enhanced band gap, a lowered defect induced fluorescence intensity, an additional Ti-OH signal obtained after carbonate decomposition, and a more capacitive low frequency electrochemical impedance behavior achieved for TiO-CBN compared to untreated TiO. A large area QDSC of 1 cm with a TiO-CBN/CdS/Au@PAA (poly(acrylic acid)) photoanode delivers an enhanced PCE of 4.

Surfactant-Mediated Resistance to Surface Oxidation in MnO Nanostructures.

The intrinsic physical properties of nanostructures of metals and their oxides are altered when they are prone to surface oxidation in ambient atmosphere. To overcome this limitation, novel synthesis methodologies are required. In this study, solid octahedral shapes of MnO limit the inward oxygen diffusion compared to that of the MnO-nanoparticle-assembled octahedra.

Ultrasensitive and Selective Sensing of Selenium Using Nitrogen-Rich Ligand Interfaced Carbon Quantum Dots.

This work reports a label-free, ultrasensitive, and selective optical chemosensory system for trace level detection of selenite (SeO), the most toxic form of selenium, in water. The probe, i.e.

Cesium power: low Cs levels impart stability to perovskite solar cells.

Towards increasing the stability of perovskite solar cells, the addition of Cs is found to be a rational approach. Recently triple cation based perovskite solar cells were found to be more effective in terms of stability and efficiency. Heretofore they were unexplored, so we probed the Cs/MA/FA (cesium/methyl ammonium/formamidinium) cation based perovskites by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and correlated their compositional features with their solar cell performances.

Extensive Parallelism between Crystal Parameters and Magnetic Phase Transitions of Unusually Ferromagnetic Praseodymium Manganite Nanoparticles.

The alterations in physical property across different space groups of the same material are sometimes conveniently reflected by the crystal structure as a function of temperature. However, mirroring the physical property and crystal parameters over a wide range of temperatures within the same space group is quite unusual. Remarkably, Rietveld analyses of the X-ray diffraction patterns of PrMn0.

Polarization induced two dimensional confinement of carriers in wedge shaped polar semiconductors.

A novel route to achieve two dimensional (2D) carrier confinement in a wedge shaped wall structure made of a polar semiconductor has been demonstrated theoretically. Tapering of the wall along the direction of the spontaneous polarization leads to the development of charges of equal polarity on the two inclined facades of the wall. Polarization induced negative (positive) charges on the facades can push the electrons (holes) inward for a n-type (p-type) material which results in the formation of a 2D electron (hole) gas at the central plane and ionized donors (acceptors) at the outer edges of the wall.