Rapid, microwave-assisted deposition of anisotropic silver nanostructures on various substrates.

A facile, rapid, and scalable microwave-assisted solvothermal technique (MAST) has been developed to deposit anisotropic silver nanoparticles (AgNP) on various substrates in a solution medium. SEM-EDS and XRD were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the deposits. Deposition on non-patterned aluminium led to near-spherical AgNP agglomerates all across the surface.

Gallic acid induces constitutive resistance against Bactrocera dorsalis infestation in mango fruit by its dual action.

The Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is a major insect pest of mango fruit worldwide resulting in huge loss of fruit quality and productivity. However, there exist a few mango varieties resistant to B. dorsalis infestation.

Engineering chemical pathways for phase-tuned nanocrystalline iron oxides in microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis.

In microwave-assisted solvothermal synthesis (MASS) of nanocrystalline iron oxides, we have analysed chemical pathways to explore the role played by the temperature and heating rate in deciding the phases and crystallographic orientations. We have achieved control over synthesis parameters by using tailored mixtures of solvents. These kinetically controlled pathways are engineered by suitably mixing high microwave dielectric loss solvents - ethanol and water, with 1-decanol.

The Natural Ligand for Metalloproteinase-A Multifaceted Drug Target.

Metalloproteinase is one of the key components of Russell viper venom and it is the root cause of edema, blood coagulation, local tissue damage, hemorrhage, and inflammation during snakebite envenoming. Hence, finding a suitable metalloproteinase inhibitor from natural source will be of great biological importance in mitigating pathological effects. In this current study, we employed computational analysis to examine the inhibition of metalloproteinase by phytochemicals present in Andrographis paniculata.

Defensive Mechanisms in Cucurbits against Melon Fly () Infestation through Excessive Production of Defensive Enzymes and Antioxidants.

Melon fly () is the most common pest of cucurbits, and it directly causes damage to cucurbit fruits in the early developmental stage. The infection of fruit tissues induces oxidative damage through increased generation of cellular reactive oxygen species. The effects of melon fly infestation on the production of defensive enzymes and antioxidant capabilities in five cucurbit species, namely, bottle gourd, chayote, cucumber, snake gourd, and bitter gourd, were investigated in this study.

Precursor to Gas Sensor: A Detailed Study of the Suitability of Copper Complexes as an MOCVD Precursor and their Application in Gas Sensing.

There are very few p-type semiconductors available compared to n-type semiconductors for positive sensing response for oxidizing gases and other important electronic applications. Cupric oxide (CuO) is one of the few oxides that show p-type conductivity, useful for sensing oxidizing gases. Many researchers obtained CuO using the chemical and solid-state routes, but uniformity and large-area deposition have been the main issues.

Rapid burst of ethylene evolution by premature seed: A warning sign for the onset of spongy tissue disorder in Alphonso mango fruit?

Moisture stress induced in premature seeds due to the breakdown of funiculus in Alphonso mango led to the burst of ethylene evolution, which in turn caused a sudden increase of polyphenol oxidase activity in the pulp, resulting in the development of a black spot near the seed base. Reduced levels of very long chain fatty acids in 70% mature seeds with black spots were associated with a sudden increase of cytokinins followed by a rapid rise of starch-metabolizing enzymes culminating in the onset of pre-germination events. Concurrently, an overproduction of p-OH benzoic acid inhibited amylase and polygalacturonase enzymes and led to partial degradation of the stored starch and pectin in the pulp.

Single coating of zinc ferrite renders magnetic nanomotors therapeutic and stable against agglomeration.

Magnetic nanomotors with integrated theranostic capabilities can revolutionize biomedicine of the future. Typically, these nanomotors contain ferromagnetic materials, such that small magnetic fields can be used to maneuver and localize them in fluidic or gel-like environments. Motors with large permanent magnetic moments tend to agglomerate, which limits the scalability of this otherwise promising technology.

Appendicular Tourniquet: A Cause of Intestinal Obstruction.

Intestinal obstruction is one of the common surgical emergencies seen in daily practice. Postoperative adhesions are notorious for being the most common cause for intestinal obstruction. Occasionally, laparotomy findings do come as a surprise to surgeons.

Chemical vapor deposition of MoS2 layers from Mo-S-C-O-H system: thermodynamic modeling and validation.

A detailed thermodynamic analysis of the solid and gas phases of the Mo-S-C-O-H system used for large area chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of MoS2 is presented and compared with experimental results. Given the multivariable nature of the problem, excellent agreement is observed. Deviations, observed from thermodynamic predictions, mainly at low temperatures and high flow rates have been highlighted and discussed.

Gastro pleural fistula: a rare entity presenting as a complication of empyema thoracis following stab injury to the chest.

Gastro pleural fistula is an infrequently seen lesion. Here, a case of stab injury to the chest that led to the formation of a gastro pleural fistula has been presented. An intercostal drainage (ICD) tube was inserted after haemothorax was identified on this chest X-ray.

Do seed VLCFAs trigger spongy tissue formation in Alphonso mango by inducing germination?

Spongy tissue is a physiological disorder in Alphonso mango caused by the inception of germination-associated events during fruit maturation on the tree, rendering the fruit inedible. Inter-fruit competition during active fruit growth is a major contributing factor for the disorder which leads to reduced fat content in spongy tissue affected fruits. This study was, therefore, carried out to determine the possible association between seed fats and ST formation.

A predictive approach to CVD of crystalline layers of TMDs: the case of MoS2.

Layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), such as MoS2, are candidate materials for next generation 2-D electronic and optoelectronic devices. The ability to grow uniform, crystalline, atomic layers over large areas is the key to developing such technology. We report a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique which yields n-layered MoS2 on a variety of substrates.

Rapid, microwave-assisted synthesis of GdO and Eu:GdO nanocrystals: characterization, magnetic, optical and biological studies.

Ultra-small crystals of undoped and Eu-doped gadolinium oxide (GdO) were synthesised by a simple, rapid microwave-assisted route, using benzyl alcohol as the reaction solvent. XRD, XPS and TEM analysis reveal that the as-prepared powder material consists of nearly monodisperse GdO nanocrystals with an average diameter of 5.2 nm.

Conformal cytocompatible ferrite coatings facilitate the realization of a nanovoyager in human blood.

Controlled motion of artificial nanomotors in biological environments, such as blood, can lead to fascinating biomedical applications, ranging from targeted drug delivery to microsurgery and many more. In spite of the various strategies used in fabricating and actuating nanomotors, practical issues related to fuel requirement, corrosion, and liquid viscosity have limited the motion of nanomotors to model systems such as water, serum, or biofluids diluted with toxic chemical fuels, such as hydrogen peroxide. As we demonstrate here, integrating conformal ferrite coatings with magnetic nanohelices offer a promising combination of functionalities for having controlled motion in practical biological fluids, such as chemical stability, cytocompatibility, and the generated thrust.

Quantum-confined ZnO nanoshell photoanodes for mesoscopic solar cells.

We present a photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) based on ZnO nanoshell deposited by atomic layer deposition at 150 °C on a mesoporous insulating template. An ultrathin layer of ZnO between 3 and 6 nm, which exhibits quantum confinement effect, is found to be sufficient to transport the photogenerated electrons to the external contacts and exhibits near-unity collection efficiency. A 6 nm ZnO nanoshell on a 2.

Chronic Pain after Inguinal Hernia Repair.

Background. Chronic postherniorrhaphy groin pain is defined as pain lasting >6 months after surgery, which is one of the most important complications occurring after inguinal hernia repair, which occurs with greater frequency than previously thought. Material and Methods.

Has the prevalence, clinical presentation and social functioning of schizophrenia changed over the last 25 years? Nithsdale schizophrenia survey revisited.

Background: Major changes in the treatment of schizophrenia have taken place in recent years, including a shift from inpatient to community care, and the introduction of second-generation antipsychotics and psychosocial interventions. Recent evidence has questioned the superiority of these interventions over older treatments.

Aims: We wished to ascertain the impact of changes in the treatment of schizophrenia in a geographically-defined area, focusing on clinical symptoms and psychosocial outcome.

Nicotine dependence and illness severity in schizophrenia.

Background: Reasons for the increased prevalence of cigarette smoking in schizophrenia are unclear. Studies assessing clinical symptoms have sampled heterogeneous populations, with discrepant findings.

Aims: To examine the relationship between clinical features, social adjustment and nicotine dependence in a geographically defined population of people with schizophrenia.

Tardive dyskinesia and deficit schizophrenia.

Objective: Despite comparable antipsychotic exposure, some patients experience involuntary movements yet others do not. Negative symptoms have been associated with tardive dyskinesia (TD), but it is not certain whether this is an association with primary negative symptoms or the effects of medications. The aim of the present study was to determine whether patients with deficit schizophrenia (who have primary negative symptoms) are more likely to experience TD than those with non-deficit schizophrenia.

Bis(acetyl-acetonato-κO,O')(pyridine-κN)zinc(II).

In the title compound, [Zn(C(5)H(7)O(2))(2)(C(5)H(5)N)], the metal atom has square-pyramidal coordination geometry with the basal plane defined by the four O atoms of the chelating acetyl-acetonate ligands and with the axial position occupied by the pyridine N atom. The crystal packing is characterized by a C-H⋯O hydrogen-bonded ribbon structure approximately parallel to [10[Formula: see text]].

Multi-view methods for protein structure comparison using latent dirichlet allocation.

Motivation: With rapidly expanding protein structure databases, efficiently retrieving structures similar to a given protein is an important problem. It involves two major issues: (i) effective protein structure representation that captures inherent relationship between fragments and facilitates efficient comparison between the structures and (ii) effective framework to address different retrieval requirements. Recently, researchers proposed vector space model of proteins using bag of fragments representation (FragBag), which corresponds to the basic information retrieval model.