Mycetoma is a chronic granulomatous, suppurative and progressive inflammatory disease that usually involves the subcutaneous tissue and bones after traumatic inoculation of the causative organism. In India, actinomycotic mycetoma is prevalent in south India, south-east Rajasthan and Chandigarh, while eumycetoma, which constitutes one third of the total cases, is mainly reported from north India and central Rajasthan. The objective was to determine the epidemiological profile and spectrum of eumycetoma from a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, North India. Thirty cases of eumycetoma were diagnosed by conventional methods of direct microscopy, culture and species-specific sequencing as per standard protocol. The spectrum of fungal pathogens included Exophiala jeanselmei, Madurella mycetomatis, Fusarium solani, Sarocladium kiliense, Acremonium blochii, Aspergillus nidulans, Fusarium incarnatum, Scedosporium apiospermum complex, Curvularia lunata and Medicopsis romeroi. Eumycetoma can be treated with antifungal therapy and needs to be combined with surgery. It has good prognosis if it is timely diagnosed and the correct species identified by culture for targeted therapy of these patients. Black moulds required prolonged therapy. Its low reporting and lack of familiarity may predispose patients to misdiagnosis and consequently delayed treatment. Hence health education and awareness campaign on the national and international level in the mycetoma belt is crucial.

The design of high energy Li-ion batteries (LIBs) by coupling high voltage LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) cathode and Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) anode ensures effective and safe energy-storage. LTO–LNMO full-cells (FCs) with difference in electrode grain sizes and presence of excess Mn3+ in cathode were studied using micron-sized commercial LTO, nanostructured LTO donuts (LTOd), P4332 LNMO nanopowders, and nanostructured Fd3m LNMO caterpillars (LNMOcplr). Among the studied FCs, LTOd–LNMOcplr was detected with a stable capacity of 69 mA h/g (1C rate), 99% coulombic efficiency, and 87% capacity retention under 200 cycles of continuous charge–discharge studies. The superior electrochemical performance observed in LTOd–LNMOcplr FC was due to the low charge transfer resistance, which is corroborated to the effect of grain sizes and the longer retention of Mn3+ in the electrodes. An effective and simple FC design incorporating both nanostructuring and in situ conductivity in electrode materials would aid in developing future high-performance LIBs.

In the face of reducing reliance on in-feed antibiotics, a greater emphasis has been placed on the development of vaccines. Adjuvants play important role in vaccine refinement. Apart from conventional adjuvants, others, like cytokines and toll-like receptors (TLR), have been evaluated experimentally. For example, Pam3CSK4, Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid are used as immunostimulatory agents which upregulate the expression of type 1 IFNs against avian influenza. The use of TLR4 (lipopolysaccharide; LPS), TLR7 (Loxoribine) and TLR21 (CpG-ODN) agonists have shown good results when used as adjuvants with the avian influenza vaccine. The LPS (TLR4) was used as an adjuvant and liposome as intranasal antigen delivery system for Newcastle's disease (NDV) antigen, which induced significant increases in secretory IgA in tracheal lavage fluid and serum IgG levels. In a challenge study it provided 80% protection against virulent challenge. When resiquimod (TLR7) was used as an adjuvant with inactivated NDV, this potentiated the protective response to 100% against virulent NDV challenge, while protection was only 80% in the vaccine alone group. When 64CpG-plasmids (TLR21) were co-administered with inactivated AIV H5N2 vaccine in chickens, it led to a higher HI titre at two and four weeks of age, and provided 100% protection against virulent challenge of avian influenza. The TLR 3 agonist (poly I:C) showed good results against NDV and avian reovirus. Other TLR agonists and cytokines used against NDV include LPS, loxoribine, CpG-ODN and ChIFN-α, IFN- γ (with an in ovo vaccine). Immunostimulatory adjuvants like LPS, chicken TLR21, have been tried with Marek's disease vaccine, and TLR 5 agonist was used against Salmonella enteritidis and Eimeria tenella. Although the study of cytokines and TLRs in avian species is still in its infancy when compared to that of mammals, huge strides have been made in recent years. In this article, recent studies involving the assessment of immunostimulatory adjuvants in poultry are reviewed.

Biochar has received attention due to its potential for mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration in soil and improving soil quality and crop productivity. This study evaluated the effects of rice straw biochar (RSB) and rice husk ash (RHA) each applied at 5 Mg ha−1 and four N levels (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg ha−1) on soil fertility, growth, and yield of rice and wheat for three consecutive rice–wheat rotations. RSB significantly increased electrical conductivity, dehydrogenase activity, and P and K contents when compared to control (no amendment) up to 7.5 cm soil depth. Both RSB and RHA did not influence shoot N concentration in wheat plant but significantly increased P and K concentrations at 60 days after sowing. Grain yields of both rice and wheat were significantly higher in RSB as compared to control (no amendment) and RHA treatments. While the highest grain yields of rice and wheat were observed at 120 kg N ha−1 in RHA and no biochar-treated plots, a significant increase in grain yields was observed at 80 kg N ha−1 in RSB treatment, thereby saving 40 kg N ha−1 in each crop. Both agronomic and recovery N efficiencies in rice and wheat were significantly higher in RSB-amended soil compared to control. Significant positive correlations were observed between soil N, P, and K concentrations and total N, P, and K concentrations in aboveground biomass of wheat at 60 days after sowing. This study showed the potential benefits of applying RSB for improving soil fertility and yields of rice and wheat in a rice–wheat system.

The effectiveness of streak modes in controlling the oblique-type breakdown in a supersonic boundary-layer at Mach 2.0 is investigated using direct numerical simulations. Investigations in the literature have shown the effectiveness of streak modes in delaying the onset of transition dominated by two-dimensional waves, but in oblique breakdown, three-dimensional waves and a strong streak mode dominate the transition process. Paredes et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 831, 2017, pp. 524–553) discussed the possible stabilization of supersonic boundary layers by optimally growing streaks using parabolized stability equations. However, no study has as yet been reported regarding direct nonlinear control of oblique breakdown. This study deals with the effects of large-amplitude decaying streak modes generated by a blowing–suction strip at the wall to control full breakdown in a reference case. Modes with four to five times the fundamental wavenumber are found to be beneficial for controlling the transition. In the first region after the control-mode forcing, the beneficial mean-flow distortion (MFD), generated by inducing the control mode, is solely responsible for hampering the growth of the fundamental-mode. On the whole, the MFD and the three-dimensional part of the control contribute equally towards controlling the oblique breakdown. The results show significant suppression of transition, and substantial improvements have been observed in the levels of the skin-friction coefficient and wall-temperature in comparison to the uncontrolled case. Moreover, refreshing the control using an additional downstream control strip increases the gain. However, the forcing amplitude must be carefully chosen in order not to introduce a generalized inflection point in the spanwise averaged mean flow invoking enhanced disturbance growth.

Background: Pediatric craniocerebral gunshot wounds occur in the context of both accidental and intentional trauma. Unique physiologic factors merited research into prognostic factors and treatment priorities in the pediatric population. Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, LILACS, Cochrane Registered Trials and Systematic Reviews, ISRCTN, and ClinicalTrials.gov was conducted. Selection criteria included all studies published in any language since 2000 which described intracranial isolated gunshot wounds in a civilian individual or population of pediatric age. Post-mortem and epidemiological studies were excluded. Screening was conducted through Covidence. Results: Initial database search revealed 349 unique studies for abstract and title screening. Fifty studies were selected for full text screening. Nine studies were included in the final review. Study quality was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Case series noted bullet migration, pituitary deficiency, neurovascular and neuropsychological concerns. Three single-center retrospective studies of 71, 30, and 48 pediatric patients suggested multiple negative prognostic signs on initial presentation. Early aggressive surgical treatment was recommended by some authors. Conclusions: This systematic review analyzed the best current understanding of evidence for prognostic factors and treatment considerations of intracranial gunshot wounds in the pediatric neurotrauma context. Areas for future research with larger multi-center studies were highlighted.

Background: Biallelic variants in POLR1C are associated with POLR3-related leukodystrophy (POLR3-HLD), or 4H leukodystrophy (Hypomyelination, Hypodontia, Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism), and Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS). The clinical spectrum of POLR3-HLD caused by variants in this gene has not been described. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study involving 25 centers worldwide was conducted between 2016 and 2018. The clinical, radiologic and molecular features of 23 unreported and previously reported cases of POLR3-HLD caused by POLR1C variants were reviewed. Results: Most participants presented between birth and age 6 years with motor difficulties. Neurological deterioration was seen during childhood, suggesting a more severe phenotype than previously described. The dental, ocular and endocrine features often seen in POLR3-HLD were not invariably present. Five patients (22%) had a combination of hypomyelinating leukodystrophy and abnormal craniofacial development, including one individual with clear TCS features. Several cases did not exhibit all the typical radiologic characteristics of POLR3-HLD. A total of 29 different pathogenic variants in POLR1C were identified, including 13 new disease-causing variants. Conclusions: Based on the largest cohort of patients to date, these results suggest novel characteristics of POLR1C-related disorder, with a spectrum of clinical involvement characterized by hypomyelinating leukodystrophy with or without abnormal craniofacial development reminiscent of TCS.

Background: Continuous electroencephalographic (cEEG) monitoring is essential to diagnosing non-convulsive seizures (NCS), reported to occur in 7-46% of at-risk critically ill patients. However, cEEG is labour-intensive, and given scarcity of resources at most centres cEEG is feasible in only selected patients. We aim to evaluate the clinical utility of cEEG at our centre in order to optimize further cEEG allocation among critically ill patients. Methods: Using a clinical database, we identified critically ill children who underwent cEEG monitoring in 2016, 2017 and 2018. We abstracted underlying diagnoses, indication for cEEG monitoring, cEEG findings, and associated changes in management. Results: Over this three year period, 928 cEEGs were performed. Among the 100 studies analyzed to date, primary indications for monitoring were characterization of events of unclear etiology (32%), diagnosis of NCS (30%), and monitoring of therapy for seizures (17%). Seizures were captured in 31% of patients (22% subclinical only, 5% electroclinical only, 4% both), which resulted in a treatment change in 90% of cases. Non-epileptic events were captured in 26% of patients. Conclusions: cEEG yielded clinically meaningful information in 57% of cases, frequently resulting in management changes. Subgroup analyses by cEEG indication and ICU location will be presented.

Manipur, an international border region has the highest incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection in India. Nevertheless, there have been no analytical reviews of research article published within this region. In this review, the authors aim to draw the attention of policy makers, medical practitioners and researchers in adopting new strategies to limit the expansion of HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) not only in Manipur but also in other international border areas. A systematic search for published literature in last decade was performed based on the keywords ‘Manipur’ and ‘HIV’ using the PubMed. Twenty-six articles were selected and reviewed. There were high incidence of drug resistance (53%), emergence of recombinant virus (32%) and increased incidence of co-infection with hepatitis C virus. The prime cause of the HIV is due to the uses of ‘heroin’ smuggled from the ‘South Asia Golden Triangle’ and complex patterns of cross-border movement for trade and commerce. The drug abuse, social stigma, geographical location and resource limitation and socio-political problem of the region have contributed strongly on spreading and failure of preventively programme of HIV/AIDS. This review will provide vital knowledge for the policy makers and clinicians for sentinel surveillance of AIDS pandemic in Manipur and other international border regions.

We report Electrically reduced graphene oxide (GO) and n-type Si heterostructure junction-based photovoltaic cell. The transition of the insulating properties of GO to that of semi-conducting was achieved by applying electric voltages using 5, 10, and 15 V biasing. The photovoltaic device I–V characteristics corresponding to the increasing (5–15 V) reduction voltages, obtained on exposure of 25 mW/cm2 visible light, showed approximately same fill factor with increased efficiency. The maximum efficiency of 1.12% was observed under ultraviolet light exposure for photovoltaic cell consisting GO reduced using 15 V reduction voltage. GO was synthesized using the modified Hummers’ technique and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The GO characteristic XRD peak corresponding to plane (001) was observed at 9.16°. The UV-Vis spectrum for GO displayed an absorption peak at 228.5 nm, and the corresponding Tauc plot analysis provided a band gap of 4.74 eV. The FTIR analysis showed presence of C=O (1713 cm−1), C=C (1627 cm−1), C–OH (1418 cm−1), C–O–C (1252 cm−1), C–O (1030 cm−1), and C–H (827 cm−1) functional groups in GO.

The behavior of electron and hole transport in semiconductor materials is influenced by lattice-mismatch at the interface. It is well known that carrier scattering in a confined region is dramatically reduced. In this work, we studied the effects of coupling both the strain and confinement simultaneously. We report on the fabrication and characterization of nanoscale planar, wall-like, and wire-like Si/SiO2 structures. As the Si nanostructure dimensions were scaled down to the quantum regime by thermal oxidation of the Si, changes to the band structure and carrier effective mass were observed by both optical and electrical techniques. Transient-time response measurements were performed to examine the carrier generation and recombination behavior as a function of scaling. Signal rise times decreased for both carrier types by an order of magnitude as Si dimensions were reduced from 200 to 10 nm, meaning that the carrier velocity is increasing with smaller scale structures. This result is indicative of decreased Si bandgap energy and carrier effective mass. Photoluminescence measurements taken at 50K showed changes in the PL response peak energies, which illustrates changes in the band structure, as the Si/SiO2 dimensions are scaled.

We report the synthesis and optical properties of pure ZnS and Ag doped ZnS nanostructures. ZnS(Ag) was synthesized by using the hydrothermal technique and later annealed at different temperatures under vacuum conditions. It was observed that the photoluminescence (PL) emission from the ZnS(Ag) nanostructures can be easily tuned from the blue (445 nm) to green (530 nm) region of visible light by varying the annealing temperature. This tunability has been attributed to the introduction of excess sulfur vacancy states, which is evident from the PL excitation spectra. This observed change in the PL emission wavelength can be highly beneficial in the imaging screens where ZnS is regularly used and can be easily interfaced with the silicon photodiodes showing maximum sensitivity at 550 nm.