We introduce pinta, a pipeline for reducing the upgraded Giant Metre-wave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) raw pulsar timing data, developed for the Indian Pulsar Timing Array experiment. We provide a detailed description of the workflow and usage of pinta, as well as its computational performance and RFI mitigation characteristics. We also discuss a novel and independent determination of the relative time offsets between the different back-end modes of uGMRT and the interpretation of the uGMRT observation frequency settings and their agreement with results obtained from engineering tests. Further, we demonstrate the capability of pinta to generate data products which can produce high-precision TOAs using PSR J1909 $-$ 3744 as an example. These results are crucial for performing precision pulsar timing with the uGMRT.

A diverse set of 107 rice genotypes was evaluated for yield, shattering and dormancy traits. Analysis of variance revealed sizable variation while skewness and kurtosis values indicated near-normal distribution for most of the traits, thus quantitative nature controlled by many genes. A highly significant deviation from a normal distribution for dormancy and shattering % indicated their qualitative nature of inheritance. Four promising genotypes ‘IRGC1723’ (early with 65 days to flowering), ‘IRGC 11108’ and ‘RNR 15459’ (high grain number – 358 and low average shattering – <5%), ‘RNR 11718’ (high single plant yield – 56.73 g, low average shattering – <5% and dormancy period – 21 days) are identified. A significant positive correlation between shattering and dormancy confirms inter-relationship among domestication-related characteristics. The principal component analysis revealed the contribution of four PCs to maximum variability and hierarchical clustering grouped the genotypes into 18 divergent clusters. Five cultivars (Karimnagar Samba, Sheetal, PR 121, Pranahitha and Jagitial Samba) with a combination of low shattering ability (3.35–5.7%) and considerable dormancy period (13–20 days) falling in the same cluster can be used as donors for the improvement of rice genotypes with low shattering ability and incorporating a considerable period of dormancy so as to avoid pre-harvest sprouting due to delayed harvesting. Further, they can be crossed with ‘Pratyumna’ having less than 1 week dormancy period, a genotype of the cluster XVII with which they have a maximum genetic divergence of 51.4 and may serve as parents in the development of mapping populations for the identification of QTLs/genes for shattering and dormancy traits.

Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus Jacq.) is an important forage species in vast rangelands/grasslands of India and several tropical countries owing to its high biomass yield, good nutritional quality and wide adaptation. Evaluation of the existing natural variation and selection of desirable genotypes is the most plausible breeding method for this apomictic and polyploid grass. Developing a core sub-set to narrow down the number of germplasm required for future genetic studies is also pertinent. The present study involved characterization of 152 diverse M. maximus germplasm representing collections from different agro-ecological zones of India as well as those procured from Africa and Brazil; and development of a core sub-set. Nineteen metric, seven non-metric and nine nutritive traits together established the presence of wide variability among the genotypes. Clustering of the genotypes resulted in eight distinct clusters. The largest cluster included genotypes from Ethiopia, north India, north-western India, south India and north-eastern hill region, thus represented the highest diversity. Eleven of the total 26 Ethiopian genotypes clustered together. Non-metric morphological traits effectively differentiated the genotypes, and were associated with nutritional quality also. Genotypes which flowered once in a year showed slightly better crude protein and digestibility. The clusters were further sub-clustered and representatives were selected to develop the core sub-set of 23 genotypes comprising 20 indigenous and three exotic accessions. Comparison of the range of diversity and mean value for traits as obtained in the core sub-set and that in the total germplasm indicated successful capturing of maximum diversity in the core sub-set.

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The detection of liver fibrotic changes at an early and reversible stage is essential to prevent its progression to end-stage cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver biopsy, which is the current gold standard for fibrosis assessment, is accompanied by several complications due to its invasive nature in addition to sampling errors and reader variability. In this study, we evaluate the use of quantitative parameters extracted from hybrid ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging to detect and monitor fibrotic changes in a DEN rat model. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Liver fibrotic changes were induced in 34 Wistar male rats by oral administration of Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) for 12 weeks. 22 rats were imaged with B-mode ultrasound at 3 different time points (baseline, 10 weeks and 13 weeks) for monitoring liver texture changes. Texture features studied included tissue echointensity (liver brightness normalized to kidney brightness) and tissue heterogeneity. 12 rats were imaged with photoacoustic imaging at 4 time points (baseline, 5 wks, 10 wks, and 13 wks) to look at changes in tissue oxygenation. Hemoglobin oxygen saturation (sO2A) and hemoglobin concentration (HbT) in the right and left lobes of the liver were measured. 8 rats were used as controls. Liver tissue samples were obtained following 13 weeks from DEN start time for METAVIR histopathology staging of fibrosis. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Texture features studied showed an increase with time in DEN rats. Normalized echointensity increased from 0.28 ± 0.06 at baseline to 0.46 ± 0.10 at 10 weeks (p < 0.0005) and 0.53 ± 0.15 at 13 weeks in DEN rats (p < 0.0005). In the control rats, echointensity remained at an average of 0.25 ± 0.05 (p = 0.31). Tissue heterogeneity increased over time in the DEN-exposed rats from a baseline of 208.7 ± 58.3 to 344.6 ± 52.9 at 10 weeks (p < 0.0005) and 376.8 ± 54.9 at 13 weeks (p = 0.06) however it stayed constant at 225.7 ± 37.6 in control rats (p = 0.58). The quantitative analyses of the photoacoustic signals showed that blood oxygen saturation significantly increased with time. At 5 weeks sO2AvT increased by 53.83 % (± 0.25), and HbT by 35.31 % (± 0.07). Following 10 weeks of DEN; sO2AvT by 92.04 % (± 0.29), and HbT by 55.24 % (± 0.1). All increases were significant p < 0.05. In the 13th week, however, the values of all of these parameters were lower than those in the 10th week, however, the decrease was statistically insignificant. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Quantitative features from B-mode ultrasound and photoacoustic imaging consistently increased over time corresponding to hepatic damage, inflammation and fibrosis progressed. The use of this hybrid imaging method in clinical practice can help meet the significant need for noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis.

Bioactive dressings which can treat any kind of chronic or acute wounds and can fully replace the conventional gauzes and superabsorbent dressings have proven to be a future market of wound care products in recent times. These dressings are multifunctional, which can effectively combat the wound infection, remove the exudate, promote angiogenesis, and protect the wound from external trauma. Proper selection of bioactive and polymer defines its efficiency. Current research unveils the therapeutic efficacy of curcumin–honey-loaded multilayered polyvinyl alcohol/cellulose acetate electrospun nanofibrous mats as an interactive bioactive wound dressing material. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis infers uniform encapsulation and chemical compatibility of herbal actives and polymer, inside the nanofibrous layers. The as-spun mat shows potential resistance towards Escherichia coli and ∼90% antioxidant activity against diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)–free radical. Additionally, water absorbency, water vapor transmission rate, and wettability analysis show quick and excellent absorption with controlled transmission of wound exudate.

We present a detailed analysis of the radio galaxy PKS $2250{-}351$ , a giant of 1.2 Mpc projected size, its host galaxy, and its environment. We use radio data from the Murchison Widefield Array, the upgraded Giant Metre-wavelength Radio Telescope, the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, and the Australia Telescope Compact Array to model the jet power and age. Optical and IR data come from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey and provide information on the host galaxy and environment. GAMA spectroscopy confirms that PKS $2250{-}351$ lies at $z=0.2115$ in the irregular, and likely unrelaxed, cluster Abell 3936. We find its host is a massive, ‘red and dead’ elliptical galaxy with negligible star formation but with a highly obscured active galactic nucleus dominating the mid-IR emission. Assuming it lies on the local M– $\sigma$ relation, it has an Eddington accretion rate of $\lambda_{\rm EDD}\sim 0.014$ . We find that the lobe-derived jet power (a time-averaged measure) is an order of magnitude greater than the hotspot-derived jet power (an instantaneous measure). We propose that over the lifetime of the observed radio emission ( ${\sim} 300\,$ Myr), the accretion has switched from an inefficient advection-dominated mode to a thin disc efficient mode, consistent with the decrease in jet power. We also suggest that the asymmetric radio morphology is due to its environment, with the host of PKS $2250{-}351$ lying to the west of the densest concentration of galaxies in Abell 3936.

The Colorado Twin Registry (CTR) is a population-based registry formed from birth and school records including twins born between 1968 and the present. Two previous reports on the CTR [Rhea et al., (2006). Twin Research and Human Genetics, 9, 941–949; Rhea et al., (2013).Twin Research and Human Genetics, 16, 351–357] covered developments in the CTR through 2012. This report briefly summarizes previously presented material on ascertainment and recruitment and the relationships between samples and studies, discusses developments since 2012 for four previously described twin samples, describes two new samples and their complementary studies and expands on two subjects briefly mentioned in the last report: a history of genotyping efforts involving CTR samples, and a survey of collaborations and consortia in which CTR twins have been included. The CTR remains an active resource for both ongoing, longitudinal research and the recruitment of new twin samples for newly identified research opportunities.

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.

The Interplay of Genes and Environment across Multiple Studies (IGEMS) is a consortium of 18 twin studies from 5 different countries (Sweden, Denmark, Finland, United States, and Australia) established to explore the nature of gene–environment (GE) interplay in functioning across the adult lifespan. Fifteen of the studies are longitudinal, with follow-up as long as 59 years after baseline. The combined data from over 76,000 participants aged 14–103 at intake (including over 10,000 monozygotic and over 17,000 dizygotic twin pairs) support two primary research emphases: (1) investigation of models of GE interplay of early life adversity, and social factors at micro and macro environmental levels and with diverse outcomes, including mortality, physical functioning and psychological functioning; and (2) improved understanding of risk and protective factors for dementia by incorporating unmeasured and measured genetic factors with a wide range of exposures measured in young adulthood, midlife and later life.

Innovation Concept: Free open access medical education (FOAM) is a quickly growing field. While there is an abundance of resources online, and on social media, the quality of those resources should always be questioned and reviewed. Furthermore, as medical learners progress in their training, they become lead consumers and producers of FOAM. Our educational innovation concept was the introduction of two FOAM streams into our residency program to assist learners to produce their own content with mentorship from our emergency medicine faculty. Methods: Medical students and residents training in the emergency department were encouraged to submit content to either our department website in the form of a clinical PEARL, or a research paper to the departmental Cureus online journal. All website content was reviewed by an attending physician and all Cureus content was submitted for further peer review and publication if approved. All published content was shared on social media through our department's Twitter account. A select number of residents were also mentored in reviewing and editing FOAM content and publishing it to our departmental website. Curriculum, Tool or Material: sjrhem.ca is the Saint John Regional Hospital Department of Emergency Medicine's website. A portion of the website is dedicated to posts arising from departmental rounds, case reviews as well as posts from learners in the form of clinical PEARLS. They are designed as succinct and informative clinical summaries and allow learners to share their content to a wider audience online. Cureus.com is an online journal of medical science, with a dedicated Dalhousie Emergency Medicine Channel. The editors are local emergency medicine faculty and senior residents, while reviewers are independent. In the last year, the clinical pearls received 5672 views, and the Cureus channel received 1143 content views. Conclusion: Feedback from learners regarding publication of their own FOAM has been positive and has allowed them to share their content to a much wider audience through our Departmental Website, Cureus Channel and Twitter stream. Furthermore, we are helping to prepare residents to produce their own high quality content, allowing our FOAM program to grow.

Molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) is one of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials which has attracted attention due to its various interesting properties. MoS2 is very promising for electronic and optoelectronic devices due to its indirect band gap (∼1.2 eV) for few layer and direct band gap (∼1.8 eV) for monolayer MoS2. In MoS2 based Schottky devices, Schottky barrier height depends on the thickness of MoS2 because of its tunable electronic properties. Here, we have used DC sputtering technique to fabricate metal-semiconductor junction of MoS2 with platinum (Pt) metal contacts. In this work, MoS2 thin film (∼10 nm) was deposited on p-Silicon (111) using DC sputtering technique at optimized parameters. Schottky metallization of Pt metal (contact area ∼ 0.785x10-2 cm2) was also done using DC sputtering. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the Pt/MoS2 Schottky junction have been investigated in the temperature range 80-350K. Forward I-V characteristics of Pt/MoS2 junction are analysed to calculate different Schottky parameters. Schottky barrier height increases and ideality factor decreases on increasing the temperature from 80-350K. The I-V-T measurements suggest the presence of local inhomogeneities at the Pt/MoS2 junction. Schottky barrier inhomogeneities occur in case of rough interface. In such cases, the Schottky barrier height does not remain constant and vary locally. Current transport through the Schottky junction is a thermally activated process. As temperature increases, more and more electrons overcome the spatially inhomogeneous barrier height. As a result, the ideality factor becomes close to unity and apparent barrier height increases due to increase in temperature.

The dynamics of a gas bubble in a square channel with a linearly increasing temperature at the walls in the vertical direction is investigated via three-dimensional numerical simulations. The channel contains a so-called ‘self-rewetting’ fluid whose surface tension exhibits a parabolic dependence on temperature with a well-defined minimum. The main objectives of the present study are to investigate the effect of Marangoni stresses on bubble rise in a self-rewetting fluid using a consistent model fully accounting for the tangential surface tension forces, and to highlight the effects of three-dimensionality on the bubble rise dynamics. In the case of isothermal and non-isothermal systems filled with a ‘linear’ fluid, the bubble moves in the upward direction in an almost vertical path. In contrast, strikingly different behaviours are observed when the channel is filled with a self-rewetting fluid. In this case, as the bubble crosses the location of minimum surface tension, the buoyancy-induced upward motion of the bubble is retarded by a thermocapillary-driven flow acting in the opposite direction, which in some situations, when thermocapillarity outweighs buoyancy, results in the migration of the bubble in the downward direction. In the later stages of this downward motion, as the bubble reaches the position of arrest, its vertical motion decelerates and the bubble encounters regions of horizontal temperature gradients, which ultimately lead to the bubble migration towards one of the channel walls. These phenomena are observed at sufficiently small Bond numbers (high surface tension). For stronger self-rewetting behaviour, the bubble undergoes spiralling motion. The mechanisms underlying these three-dimensional effects are elucidated by considering how the surface tension dependence on temperature affects the thermocapillary stresses in the flow. The effects of other dimensionless numbers, such as Reynolds and Froude numbers, are also investigated.

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Reducing radiologic exams has been a focus of cost reduction in healthcare systems. The utility and justification of obtaining cross-sectional imaging (PPCSI) before surgical intervention continues to be evaluated. For peripheral artery disease (PAD) consensus guidelines regarding PPCSI do not exist and may be influenced by patient complexity, variation of disease presentation, and physician preference. The objective of this study was to determine the utility of PPCSI before percutaneous PAD intervention. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Patients receiving first-time endovascular revascularization procedure for PAD from 2013 to 2015 were evaluated for PPCSI done within 180 days prior to revascularization. Patient and physician demographics, perioperative characteristics, and disease distribution/severity were evaluated. The primary outcome was technical success defined as improving inflow and/or revascularization of the target outflow vessels to <50% stenosis. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Of the 348 patients who underwent an attempted revascularization procedure 159 (45.7%) patients underwent PPCSI, including 151 CTA and 8 MRA. Of these, 48% were ordered by the referring provider (84% at an outside institution), and 52% were ordered by the treating physician. PPCSI was performed a median of 26 days (IQR 9-53) prior to procedure. Individual vascular surgeon practice identified PPCSI rates ranging from 31% to 70%. On multivariate analysis chronic kidney disease (OR=0.35; CI 0.17–0.73) had the strongest effect against of PPCSI, and Inpatient/ED evaluation (OR=3.20; CI 1.58–6.50), aorto-iliac (OR=2.78; CI 1.46–5.29) and femoral-popliteal occlusions (OR=2.51; CI 1.38–4.55) most strongly predicted PPCSI. After excluding 31 diagnostic procedures, technical success did not differ between endovascular procedures with PPSCI (91.3%) or without PPCSI (85.6%), p=0.11. When analyzing 89 femoral-popliteal occlusions, technical success was higher with PPCSI (88%) compared to procedures without PPSCI (69%), p=0.026. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: PPCSI use is influenced by inpatient status, chronic kidney disease, and anatomic consideration. PPCSI was not associated with overall technical success although it appeared beneficial for femoral-popliteal occlusions. Routine practices of ordering of PPCSI may not be warranted when considering technical success but may be important in treatment planning. Further studies are warranted to determine if radiation, cost, and contrast load justify PPCSI.

The present study aimed to evaluate growth performance and meat quality of broiler chicken with respect to feeding of 100 g flaxseed meal (FM)/kg and increasing lysine levels in the broiler diet. The results revealed no effect of lysine and FM feeding on growth performance except for a negative effect of FM on feed efficiency of birds, which was countered by feeding 1.25 BIS lysine. Feeding FM improved the fatty acid profile of broiler chicken meat significantly, whereas no effect was observed for increasing lysine levels beyond BIS recommendation. FM significantly reduced meat cholesterol, fat, water-holding capacity (WHC), extract release volume (ERV) and antioxidant potential, whereas it increased the pH of fresh meat, drip loss and lipid peroxidation of broiler chicken meat. As compared with other lysine levels, generally 1.25 BIS lysine significantly increased the pH of refrigerated stored meat, WHC, ERV and antioxidant potential, whereas it significantly reduced cholesterol, fat, drip loss and lipid peroxidation of broiler chicken meat. Thus, the inclusion of 100 g FM/kg diet along with 1.25 BIS lysine in broiler ration was optimum for desirable broiler performance, fatty acid profile, oxidative stability and other functional properties of broiler chicken meat.

Solar rotation is still one of the unresolved concern of solar physics. We performed time series analysis on the bins formed on equally separated latitude regions on the soft X-ray images. These images are observed with the X-ray telescope (XRT) on board the Hinode satellite. The flux modulation method traces the passage of X-ray feature over the solar disc and statistical analysis of the time series data of the SXR images (one per day) for the period extends from year 2015 to 2017 gives the coronal rotation period as a function of latitude. The investigation provided quite systematic information of the solar rotation and its variability.

The daily time series Flare Index (FI) data of Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere and Total Disk for Solar Cycle 21- 23 and 24 up to Dec. 2014 has been pre-processed using a 2nd order exponential smoothing algorithm to remove orthogonal noise. The smoothed data in each case is processed for scaling analysis using Rescaled-Range Analysis as well as Finite Variance Scaling Method in order to search for the Hurst exponent. As the value of H obtained from our analysis lies in between 0 and 1, so it can be said that the signal may behave like Fractional Brownian Motion. Also, it is observed that H is less than 0.5 which indicates the data is anti-persistent in nature and it has a strong negative correlation within the signal. The value of H also indicates the oscillating features of the signal which might have some fundamental periodicities in the Suns atmosphere.

We present here the observations of solar jets observed on April 04, 2017 from NOAA active region (AR) 12644 using high temporal and spatial resolution AIA instrument. We have observed around twelve recurring jets during the whole day. Magnetic flux emergence and cancellation have been observed at the jet location. The multi-band observations evidenced that these jets were triggered due to the magnetic reconnection at low coronal null–point.

Artificial Neural Network based Nonlinear Autoregressive Model is designed to reconstruct and predict Forbush Decrease (FD) Data obtained from Izmiran, Russia. Result indicates that the model seems adequate for short term prediction of the FD data.

In this paper, we present our study on multi-frequency scatter-broadening observations of a large sample of pulsars, made using the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT) and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT). For each pulsar, the scatter-broadening time scales (τsc) have been estimated at different observing frequencies and the dependence of τsc with the observing frequency, i.e., the frequency scaling index (α) has been obtained. We report estimates of α for a set of 39 pulsars, of which 31 are completely new and provide the first-time measurement on about 50% of the sample. This enhanced sample suggests that almost 65% of the pulsars have an α much lower than the conventional value of 4.4 for a Kolmogorov type turbulence spectrum, and a considerably large scattering strength. An increase in scattering strength is observed with the distance to the pulsar in the Galaxy.