Design and development of a compact thermal ionization mass spectrometer for isotope ratio measurement of uranium.

Rationale: A new compact thermal ionization (TI) mass spectrometer, for the isotope ratio analysis of the elements relevant to nuclear applications, has been designed and developed. The new development offers superior performance in terms of sensitivity, precision and a compact footprint in comparison with the conventional one. The main feature of the TI mass spectrometer is the magnetic sector analyser with a sector radius of 20 cm (instead of 30/27 cm in conventional/commercial geometry).

Simultaneous measurement of mass and rotation of trapped absorbing particles in air.

We trap absorbing micro-particles in air by photophoretic forces generated using a single loosely focused Gaussian trapping beam. We measure a component of the radial Brownian motion of a trapped particle cluster and determine the power spectral density, mean squared displacement, and normalized position and velocity autocorrelation functions to characterize the photophoretic body force in a quantitative fashion for the first time. The trapped particles also undergo spontaneous rotation due to the action of this force.

Validation of a new serology-based dipstick test for rapid diagnosis of typhoid fever.

Currently, no reliable diagnostic test is available for typhoid fever. One serology-based dipstick test, developed indigenously, was validated in this study. Preserved sera from 336 fever patients with known culture results for Salmonella Typhi were blindly tested by the Widal test and the new assay.

Randomised controlled clinical trial of Lactobacillus sporogenes (Bacillus coagulans), used as probiotic in clinical practice, on acute watery diarrhoea in children.

Objective: To assess the clinical efficacy of Lactobacillus sporogenes (Bacillus coagulans), as probiotic preparation, against dehydrating diarrhoea in children.

Methods: Double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, hospital-based clinical trial with children aged 6-24 months who had diarrhoea with some dehydration. Children received tablets of L.

Assessment of Malnutrition Among Adolescents:Can BMI be Replaced by MUAC.

Objectives: To find out the magnitude of malnutrition among the adolescents of an urban slum of Kolkata study population. To compare the middle upper arm circumference (MUAC) with that of body mass index (BMI) for determination of nutritional status of the study population.

Materials And Methods: This was a school-based descriptive epidemiological study done among adolescent male students aged 10-19 years in the service area of Urban Health Centre, Chetla.