We present new results on up to sixth-order cumulants of net baryon-number fluctuations at small values of the baryon chemical potential, μ B , obtained in lattice QCD calculations with physical ...values of light and strange quark masses. Representing the Taylor expansions of higher-order cumulants in terms of the ratio of the two lowest-order cumulants, ... , allows for a parameter-free comparison with data on net proton-number cumulants obtained by the STAR Collaboration in the Beam Energy Scan at RHIC. We show that recent high-statistics data on skewness and kurtosis ratios of net proton-number distributions, obtained at a beam energy ... , agree well with lattice QCD results on cumulants of net baryon-number fluctuations close to the pseudocritical temperature, Tpc (μB) , for the chiral transition in QCD. We also present first results from a next-to-leading-order expansion of fifth- and sixth-order cumulants on the line of the pseudocritical temperatures.(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)
The study of precipitation trends is critically important for a country like India whose food security and economy are dependent on the timely availability of water such as 83 % water used for ...agriculture sector, 12 % for industry sector and only 5 % for domestic sector. In this study, the historical rainfall data for the periods 1901–2002 and 1942–2002 of the Sindh river basin, India, were analysed for monthly, seasonal and annual trends. The conventional Mann-Kendall test (MK) and Mann-Kendall test (MMK), after the removal of the effect of all significant autocorrelation coefficients, and Sen’s slope estimator were used to identify the trends. Kriging technique was used for interpolating the spatial pattern using Arc GIS 9.3. The analysis suggested significant increase in the trend of rainfall for seasonal and annual series in the Sindh basin during 1901–2002.
Plants exposed to heavy metals accumulate an array of metabolites, some to high millimolar concentrations. This review deals with N-containing metabolites frequently preferentially synthesized under ...heavy metal stress such as Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn. Special focus is given to proline, but certain other amino acids and oligopeptides, as well as betaine, polyamines, and nicotianamine are also addressed. Particularly for proline a large body of data suggests significant beneficial functions under metal stress. In general, the molecules have three major functions, namely metal binding, antioxidant defence, and signalling. Strong correlative and mechanistic experimental evidence, including work with transgenic plants and algae, has been provided that indicates the involvement of metal-induced proline in metal stress defence. Histidine, other amino acids and particularly phytochelatins and glutathione play a role in metal binding, while polyamines function as signalling molecules and antioxidants. Their accumulation needs to be considered as active response and not as consequence of metabolic dys-regulation.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are synthetic contaminants found in drinking groundwater sources and a wide variety of consumer products. Because of their adverse environmental and human ...health effects, remediation of these persistent compounds has attracted significant recent attention. To gain mechanistic insight into their remediation, we present the first ab initio study of PFAS degradation via hydrated electronsa configuration that has not been correctly considered in previous computational studies up to this point. To capture these complex dynamical effects, we harness ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations to probe the reactivities of perfluorooctanoic (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) with hydrated electrons in explicit water. We complement our AIMD calculations with advanced metadynamics sampling techniques to compute free energy profiles and detailed statistical analyses of PFOA/PFOS dynamics. Although our calculations show that the activation barrier for C–F bond dissociation in PFOS is three times larger than that in PFOA, all the computed free energy barriers are still relatively low, resulting in a diffusion-limited process. We discuss our results in the context of recent studies on PFAS degradation with hydrated electrons to give insight into the most efficient remediation strategies for these contaminants. Most importantly, we show that the degradation of PFASs with hydrated electrons is markedly different from that with excess electrons/charges, a common (but largely incomplete) approach used in several earlier computational studies.
An array of Eu3+ doped Ba2GdSbO6 luminescent materials have been synthesized by the conventional solid-state (high temperature) reaction route. Surface morphology has been studied via Field Emission ...Scanning Electron Microscopy. The structural and optical behaviors have been studied using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Photoluminescence excitation (PLE), and Photoluminescence emission (PL) spectra. FTIR and Raman's spectra provided the chemical functional group and different vibrational levels within the samples. The calculated optical band gap was 4.40 eV and 4.47eV for pure and optimized samples respectively. Photoluminescence emission curves have been recorded for 245 nm of excitation wavelength and the highest emission peak was focused at 595 nm corresponding to 5D0 → 7F1. Similarly, the Photoluminescence excitation curves were monitored at the emission wavelength of 595 nm and a broad charge transfer band (CTB) was observed from 230 to 285 nm. The emission spectra show the concentration quenching effect beyond the 2 mol% Eu3+ concentration. The corresponding transitions of Eu3+ were further utilized to obtain the Judd-Ofelt (J-O) transition intensity parameters Ωλ (λ = 2, 4) for each sample. Additionally, by studying decay kinetics, the average lifetime of the red emission of the samples has been evaluated, which was 4.622 ms. The photometric study also reveals the CIE coordinates, color purity and CCT values of the proposed phosphor material. Thus, the results obtained from these characterizations, suggest that the prepared sample may behave as a potential candidate in the case of UV-excited red light-emitting phosphor material for light-emitting diodes and field emission devices.
•Ba2GdSbO6: Eu3+ phosphors have been synthesized by solid-state reaction method.•Rietveld refinement has been carried out for better crystal structure analysis.•Raman studies for this host Ba2GdSbO6 have been carried out for the first time.•The phosphors show intense photoluminescence emission with very high color purity.•Judd-Ofelt analysis has been done to understand the spectroscopic behavior of the proposed phosphor material.
Chemical characterization of PM
2.5
organic carbon, elemental carbon, water soluble inorganic ionic components, and major and trace elements was carried out for a source apportionment study of PM
2.5
...at an urban site of Delhi, India from January, 2013, to December, 2014. The annual average mass concentration of PM
2.5
was 122 ± 94.1 µg m
−3
. Strong seasonal variation was observed in PM
2.5
mass concentration and its chemical composition with maxima during winter and minima during monsoon. A receptor model, positive matrix factorization (PMF) was applied for source apportionment of PM
2.5
mass concentration. The PMF model resolved the major sources of PM
2.5
as secondary aerosols (21.3 %), followed by soil dust (20.5 %), vehicle emissions (19.7 %), biomass burning (14.3 %), fossil fuel combustion (13.7 %), industrial emissions (6.2 %) and sea salt (4.3 %).
Hydroxychloroquine retinopathy Yusuf, I H; Sharma, S; Luqmani, R ...
Eye (London),
06/2017, Letnik:
31, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ; Plaquenil) is used increasingly in the management of a variety of autoimmune disorders, with well established roles in dermatology and rheumatology and emerging roles in ...oncology. Hydroxychloroquine has demonstrated a survival benefit in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus; some clinicians advocate its use in all such patients. However, Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine (CQ) have been associated with irreversible visual loss due to retinal toxicity. Hydroxychloroquine retinal toxicity is far more common than previously considered; an overall prevalence of 7.5% was identified in patients taking HCQ for greater than 5 years, rising to almost 20% after 20 years of treatment. This review aims to provide an update on HCQ/CQ retinopathy. We summarise emerging treatment indications and evidence of efficacy in systemic disease, risk factors for retinopathy, prevalence among HCQ users, diagnostic tests, and management of HCQ retinopathy. We highlight emerging risk factors such as tamoxifen use, and new guidance on safe dosing, reversing the previous recommendation to use ideal body weight, rather than actual body weight. We summarise uncertainties and the recommendations made by existing HCQ screening programmes. Asian patients with HCQ retinopathy may demonstrate an extramacular or pericentral pattern of disease; visual field testing and retinal imaging should include a wider field for screening in this group. HCQ is generally safe and effective for the treatment of systemic disease but because of the risk of HCQ retinal toxicity, modern screening methods and ideal dosing should be implemented. Guidelines regarding optimal dosing and screening regarding HCQ need to be more widely disseminated.
Understanding of the triboelectric charge accumulation from the view of microcapacitor formation plays a critical role in boosting the output performance of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). ...Here, an electrospun nanofiber-based TENG (EN-TENG) using a poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE)/MXene nanocomposite material with superior dielectric constant and high surface charge density is reported. The influence of dielectric properties on the output performance of the EN-TENG is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The fabricated EN-TENG exhibited a maximum power density of 4.02 W/m2 at a matching external load resistance of 4 MΩ. The PVDF-TrFE/MXene nanocomposite improved the output performance of the EN-TENG fourfold. The EN-TENG successfully powered an electronic stopwatch and thermo-hygrometer by harvesting energy from human finger tapping. Moreover, it was utilized in smart home applications as a self-powered switch for controlling electrical home appliances, including fire alarms, fans, and smart doors. This work presents an effective and innovative approach toward self-powered systems, human-machine interfaces, and smart home applications.
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