Hypertension has emerged as important public health problem in India. During the later half of the last century, epidemiological studies in India reported that hypertension (diagnosed by systolic ...blood pressure (BP) ⩾160 and/or diastolic BP ⩾95 mm Hg) increased from about 1% in 1950's to 15% in 1990's in urban (R(2)=0.47) and from 0.5 to 7% in rural (R(2)=0.21) populations. Hypertension epidemiological studies from India in the last twenty years have shown that prevalence of hypertension (diagnosed by systolic BP ⩾140 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP ⩾90 mm Hg) in urban locations has stabilized to about 25-30% (R(2)=0.08) but it has increased in rural populations from 15 to 25% (R(2)=0.04). This urban-rural convergence of hypertension in India is due to rapid urbanization of rural populations with consequent changes in lifestyles (sedentariness, high dietary salt, sugar and fat intake) and increase in overweight and obesity. Hypertension prevention, screening and control, policies and programs, need to be widely implemented in India, especially in rural populations.
Congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tracts (CAKUT) are disorders caused by defects in the development of the kidneys and their outflow tracts. The formation of the kidneys begins at week ...3 and nephrogenesis continues until week 36, therefore, the kidneys and outflow tracts are susceptible to environmental risk factors that perturb development throughout gestation. Many genes have been implicated in kidney and outflow tract development, and mutations have been identified in patients with CAKUT. In severe cases of CAKUT, when the kidneys do not form, the fetus will not survive. However, in less severe cases, the baby can survive with combined kidney and outflow tract defects or they may only be identified in adulthood. In this review, we will cover the clinical presentation of CAKUT, its epidemiology, and its long-term outcomes. We will then discuss risk factors for CAKUT, including genetic and environmental contributions. Although severe CAKUT is rare, low nephron number is a much more common disorder with its effect on kidney function increasingly apparent as a person ages. Low nephron number appears to arise by the same mechanisms as CAKUT, but it differs in terms of the magnitude of the insult and the timing of when it occurs during gestation. By understanding the causes of CAKUT and low nephron number, we can begin to identify preventive treatments and establish clinical guidelines for how these patients should be followed.
► Nanostructured thin film of tin disulfide (SnS2) was deposited on p-silicon substrate using sol–gel spin technique. ► The ideality factor and barrier height of the Al/p-Si/SnS2/Ag diode were ...obtained to be 1.54 and 0.53 eV, respectively. ► The photocurrent in the reverse bias voltage is increased by increasing photo-illumination intensity. ► The Al/p-Si/SnS2/Ag diode can be used for optical sensor applications.
The Schottky barrier junctions of tin disulfide (SnS2) on p-silicon were fabricated using sol–gel spin technique. The photoresponse and junction properties of the diode were investigated. The ideality factor and barrier height of the Al/p-Si/SnS2/Ag diode were obtained to be 1.54 and 0.53eV, respectively. The photocurrent properties of the device under various illuminations were also explored. The photocurrent in the reverse bias voltage is increased by increasing photo-illumination intensity. The transient photocurrent results indicate that photocurrent under illumination is higher that the dark current. The capacitance–voltage characteristics of diode were also investigated at different frequencies. The capacitance decreases with increasing frequency due to a continuous distribution of the interface states. These results suggest that the fabricated diode can be used for optical sensor applications.
The nuclear proteome is rich in stress-sensitive proteins, which suggests that effective protein quality control mechanisms are in place to ensure conformational maintenance. We investigated the role ...of the nucleolus in this process. In mammalian tissue culture cells under stress conditions, misfolded proteins entered the granular component (GC) phase of the nucleolus. Transient associations with nucleolar proteins such as NPM1 conferred low mobility to misfolded proteins within the liquid-like GC phase, avoiding irreversible aggregation. Refolding and extraction of proteins from the nucleolus during recovery from stress was Hsp70-dependent. The capacity of the nucleolus to store misfolded proteins was limited, and prolonged stress led to a transition of the nucleolar matrix from liquid-like to solid, with loss of reversibility and dysfunction in quality control. Thus, we suggest that the nucleolus has chaperone-like properties and can promote nuclear protein maintenance under stress.
Despite the increasing popularity of Bayesian inference in empirical research, few practical guidelines provide detailed recommendations for how to apply Bayesian procedures and interpret the ...results. Here we offer specific guidelines for four different stages of Bayesian statistical reasoning in a research setting:
planning
the analysis,
executing
the analysis,
interpreting
the results, and
reporting
the results. The guidelines for each stage are illustrated with a running example. Although the guidelines are geared towards analyses performed with the open-source statistical software JASP, most guidelines extend to Bayesian inference in general.
•RO based approach developed for optimal MG operation in deregulated environment.•Wind uncertainty modeled by interval forecasting through ARIMA model.•Proposed approach evaluated using two realistic ...case studies.•Proposed approach evaluated the impact of degree of robustness.•Proposed approach gives a significant reduction in operation cost of microgrid.
Micro Grids (MGs) are clusters of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) units and loads. MGs are self-sustainable and generally operated in two modes: (1) grid connected and (2) grid isolated. In deregulated environment, the operation of MG is managed by the Microgrid Operator (MO) with an objective to minimize the total cost of operation. The MG management is crucial in the deregulated power system due to (i) integration of intermittent renewable sources such as wind and Photo Voltaic (PV) generation, and (ii) volatile grid prices. This paper presents robust optimization based approach for optimal MG management considering wind power uncertainty. Time series based Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model is used to characterize the wind power uncertainty through interval forecasting. The proposed approach is illustrated through a case study having both dispatchable and non-dispatchable generators through different modes of operation. Further the impact of degree of robustness is analyzed in both cases on the total cost of operation of the MG. A comparative analysis between obtained results using proposed approach and other existing approach shows the strength of proposed approach in cost minimization in MG management.
Lipases, triacylglycerol hydrolases, are an important group of biotechnologically relevant enzymes and they find immense applications in food, dairy, detergent and pharmaceutical industries. Lipases ...are by and large produced from microbes and specifically bacterial lipases play a vital role in commercial ventures. Some important lipase-producing bacterial genera include Bacillus, Pseudomonas and Burkholderia. Lipases are generally produced on lipidic carbon, such as oils, fatty acids, glycerol or tweens in the presence of an organic nitrogen source. Bacterial lipases are mostly extracellular and are produced by submerged fermentation. The enzyme is most commonly purified by hydrophobic interaction chromatography, in addition to some modern approaches such as reverse micellar and aqueous two-phase systems. Most lipases can act in a wide range of pH and temperature, though alkaline bacterial lipases are more common. Lipases are serine hydrolases and have high stability in organic solvents. Besides these, some lipases exhibit chemo-, regio- and enantioselectivity. The latest trend in lipase research is the development of novel and improved lipases through molecular approaches such as directed evolution and exploring natural communities by the metagenomic approach.
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are flashes of high-energy radiation arising from energetic cosmic explosions. Bursts of long (greater than two seconds) duration are produced by the core-collapse of massive ...stars
, and those of short (less than two seconds) duration by the merger of compact objects, such as two neutron stars
. A third class of events with hybrid high-energy properties was identified
, but never conclusively linked to a stellar progenitor. The lack of bright supernovae rules out typical core-collapse explosions
, but their distance scales prevent sensitive searches for direct signatures of a progenitor system. Only tentative evidence for a kilonova has been presented
. Here we report observations of the exceptionally bright GRB 211211A, which classify it as a hybrid event and constrain its distance scale to only 346 megaparsecs. Our measurements indicate that its lower-energy (from ultraviolet to near-infrared) counterpart is powered by a luminous (approximately 10
erg per second) kilonova possibly formed in the ejecta of a compact object merger.
In this paper, an analytical model for a p-n-p-n tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) working as a biosensor for label-free biomolecule detection purposes is developed and verified with device ...simulation results. The model provides a generalized solution for the device electrostatics and electrical characteristics of the p-n-p-n-TFET-based sensor and also incorporates the two important properties possessed by a biomolecule, i.e., its dielectric constant and charge. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the TFET-based biosensor has been compared with that of a conventional FET-based counterpart in terms of threshold voltage ( V th ) shift, variation in the on-current ( I on ) level, and I on / I off ratio. It has been shown that the TFET-based sensor shows a large deviation in the current level, and thus, change in I on can also be considered as a suitable sensing parameter. Moreover, the impacts of device parameters (channel thickness and cavity length), process variability, and process-induced damage on the sensitivity of the biosensor have also been discussed.
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