K(S)0 and Λ production in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV

The ALICE measurement of K(S)(0) and Λ production at midrapidity in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV is presented. The transverse momentum (p(T)) spectra are shown for several collision centrality intervals and in the p(T) range from 0.4 GeV/c (0.6 GeV/c for Λ) to 12 GeV/c. The p(T) dependence of the Λ/K(S)(0) ratios exhibits maxima in the vicinity of 3 GeV/c, and the positions of the maxima shift towards higher p(T) with increasing collision centrality. The magnitude of these maxima increases by almost a factor of three between most peripheral and most central Pb-Pb collisions. This baryon excess at intermediate p(T) is not observed in pp interactions at √s=0.9 TeV and at √s=7 TeV. Qualitatively, the baryon enhancement in heavy-ion collisions is expected from radial flow. However, the measured p(T) spectra above 2 GeV/c progressively decouple from hydrodynamical-model calculations. For higher values of p(T), models that incorporate the influence of the medium on the fragmentation and hadronization processes describe qualitatively the p(T) dependence of the Λ/K(S)(0) ratio.

Charmonium and e+e- pair photoproduction at mid-rapidity in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at [Formula: see text]

The ALICE Collaboration at the LHC has measured the J/ψ and ψ' photoproduction at mid-rapidity in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at [Formula: see text]. The charmonium is identified via its leptonic decay for events where the hadronic activity is required to be minimal. The analysis is based on an event sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 23 μb-1. The cross section for coherent and incoherent J/ψ production in the rapidity interval -0.9 Collapse

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Flux balance analysis of Chlorella sp. FC2 IITG under photoautotrophic and heterotrophic growth conditions

Quantification of carbon flux distribution in the metabolic network of microalgae remains important to understand the complex interplay between energy metabolism, carbon fixation, and assimilation pathways. This is even more relevant with respect to cyclic metabolism of microalgae under light-dark cycle. In the present study, flux balance analysis (FBA) was carried out for an indigenous isolate Chlorella sp. FC2 IITG under photoautotrophic and heterotrophic growth conditions. A shift in intracellular flux distribution was predicted during transition from nutrient sufficient phase to nutrient starvation phase of growth. Further, dynamic flux analysis (dFBA) was carried out to capture light-dark metabolism over discretized pseudo steady state time intervals. Our key findings include the following: (i) unlike heterotrophic condition, oxidative pentose phosphate (PP) pathway, and Krebs cycle were relatively inactive under photoautotrophic growth; (ii) in both growth conditions, while transhydrogenation reaction was highly active, glyoxalate shunt was found to be nonoperative; (iii) flux distribution during transition period was marked with up regulation of carbon flux toward nongrowth associated (NGA) maintenance energy, oxidative phosphorylation, and photophosphorylation; (iv) redirection of carbon flux from polysaccharide and neutral lipid resulted in up regulation of Krebs cycle flux in the dark phase; (v) elevated glycolytic and acetyl-CoA flux were coupled with induction of neutral lipid during light cycle of the growth; (vi) significantly active photophosphorylation in the light phase was able to satisfy cellular energy requirement without need of oxidative PP pathway; and (vi) unlike static FBA, dFBA predicted an unaltered NGA maintenance energy of 1.5 mmol g(-1) DCW h(-1).

J/ψ elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV

We report on the first measurement of inclusive J/ψ elliptic flow v2 in heavy-ion collisions at the LHC. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector in Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV in the rapidity range 2.5<y<4.0. The dependence of the J/ψ v2 on the collision centrality and on the J/ψ transverse momentum is studied in the range 0≤p(T)<10 GeV/c. For semicentral Pb-Pb collisions at √(s(NN))=2.76 TeV, an indication of nonzero v2 is observed with a largest measured value of v2=0.116±0.046(stat)±0.029(syst) for J/ψ in the transverse momentum range 2≤p(T)<4 GeV/c. The elliptic flow measurement complements the previously reported ALICE results on the inclusive J/ψ nuclear modification factor and favors the scenario of a significant fraction of J/ψ production from charm quarks in a deconfined partonic phase.

A multidisciplinary approach in treating a patient with unilateral cleft alveolus

Any type of aesthetic correction in dental practice is always a challenging task, especially when it is complicated with cleft lip and alveolus. Careful examination and correct decision making at early stage of treatment and multi disciplinary approach is always necessary for long term success. This paper described a multidisciplinary approach in managing a 19-year-old female patient with unilateral cleft alveolus impacted maxillary canine , missing lateral incisor and hypoplastic central incisor by surgical , orthodontic and prosthodontic means. The impacted canine was surgically exposed and orthodontic traction given to bring it into the normal alignment. The missing lateral incisor was replaced by a fixed bridge with a ceramic gingival fixed prosthesis to manage alveolar cleft. At the same time the hypoplastic defect of central incisor was hidden by the full coverage retainer used for the bridge abutment on the tooth.

Scale up and efficient bioethanol production involving recombinant cellulase (Glycoside hydrolase family 5) from Clostridium thermocellum

Background

Lignocellulose degrading fungal enzymes have been in use at industrial level for more than three decades. However, the main drawback is the high cost of the commercially available Trichoderma reesei cellulolytic enzymes.

Results

The hydrolytic performance of a novel Clostridium thermocellum cellulolytic recombinant cellulase expressed in Escherichia coli cells was compared with the naturally isolated cellulases in different modes of fermentation trials using steam explosion pretreated thatch grass and Zymomonas mobilis. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analysis confirmed the efficiency of steam explosion pretreatment in significant release of free glucose moiety from complex lignocellulosic thatch grass. The recombinant GH5 cellulase with 1% (w v-1) substrate and Z. mobilis in shake flask separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) trials demonstrated highest ethanol titre (0.99 g L-1, 1.2 g L-1) as compared to Bacillus subtilis (0.51 g L-1, 0.72 g L-1) and Trichoderma reesei (0.67 g L-1, 0.94 g L-1). A 5% (w v-1) substrate with recombinant enzyme in shake flask SSF resulted in a 7 fold increment of ethanol titre (8.8 g L-1). The subsequent scale up in a 2 L bioreactor with 1 L working volume yielded 16.13 g L-1 ethanol titre implying a 2 fold upturn. The rotary evaporator based product recovery from bioreactor contributed 94.4 (%, v v-1) pure ethanol with purification process efficiency of 22.2%.

Conclusions

The saccharification of steam exploded thatch grass (Hyparrhenia rufa) by recombinant cellulase (GH5) along with Z. mobilis in bioethanol production was studied for the first time. The effective pretreatment released substantial hexose sugars from cellulose as confirmed by FT-IR studies. In contrast to two modes of fermentation, SSF processes utilizing recombinant C. thermocellum enzymes have the capability of yielding a value-added product, bioethanol with the curtailment of the production costs in industry.

D meson elliptic flow in noncentral Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[sNN]=2.76 Tev

Azimuthally anisotropic distributions of D0, D+, and D*+ mesons were studied in the central rapidity region (|y|<0.8) in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt[sNN]=2.76  TeV per nucleon-nucleon collision, with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The second Fourier coefficient v2 (commonly denoted elliptic flow) was measured in the centrality class 30%-50% as a function of the D meson transverse momentum pT, in the range 2-16  GeV/c. The measured v2 of D mesons is comparable in magnitude to that of light-flavor hadrons. It is positive in the range 2<pT<6  GeV/c with 5.7σ significance, based on the combination of statistical and systematic uncertainties.

Familial orthostatic tremor and essential tremor in two young brothers: A rare entity

Orthostatic tremor (OT), is usually a disease of old age and is characterized by quivering movements of the legs during quiet standing or in the state of isometric contraction in the lower limbs. This is relieved on walking or on lying down. It is diagnosed by surface electromyography, particularly over the quadriceps femoris muscles which shows a distinctive frequency of 13 to 18 Hz on standing. Some investigators consider it as a variant of essential tremor (ET) and the two conditions often co-exist. The disease is usually non-familial. Two brothers presented with tremor in the lower limbs on standing and on the outstretched hands without any family history. Subsequently, they were proved to be suffering from OT and ET by clinical examination and surface EMG. Simultaneous occurrence of OT and ET in two young brothers without any family history in the previous generation has not been described before and they also appeared at a much earlier age than what is described in the literature.

Measurement of inelastic, single- and double-diffraction cross sections in proton-proton collisions at the LHC with ALICE

Measurements of cross sections of inelastic and diffractive processes in proton-proton collisions at LHC energies were carried out with the ALICE detector. The fractions of diffractive processes in inelastic collisions were determined from a study of gaps in charged particle pseudorapidity distributions: for single diffraction (diffractive mass MX <200 GeV/c2) [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], respectively at centre-of-mass energies [Formula: see text]; for double diffraction (for a pseudorapidity gap Δη>3) σDD/σINEL=0.11±0.03,0.12±0.05, and [Formula: see text], respectively at [Formula: see text]. To measure the inelastic cross section, beam properties were determined with van der Meer scans, and, using a simulation of diffraction adjusted to data, the following values were obtained: [Formula: see text] mb at [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] at [Formula: see text]. The single- and double-diffractive cross sections were calculated combining relative rates of diffraction with inelastic cross sections. The results are compared to previous measurements at proton-antiproton and proton-proton colliders at lower energies, to measurements by other experiments at the LHC, and to theoretical models.

Net-charge fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[sNN]=2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of the net-charge fluctuations in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[sNN]=2.76  TeV, measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The dynamical fluctuations per unit entropy are observed to decrease when going from peripheral to central collisions. An additional reduction in the amount of fluctuations is seen in comparison to the results from lower energies. We examine the dependence of fluctuations on the pseudorapidity interval, which may account for the dilution of fluctuations during the evolution of the system. We find that the fluctuations at the LHC are smaller compared to the measurements at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, and as such, closer to what has been theoretically predicted for the formation of a quark-gluon plasma.

Electrohydrodynamic interaction of spherical particles under Quincke rotation

Weakly conducting dielectric particles suspended in a dielectric liquid of higher conductivity can undergo a transition to spontaneous sustained rotation when placed in a sufficiently strong dc electric field. This phenomenon of Quincke rotation has interesting implications for the rheology of these suspensions, whose effective viscosity can be controlled and reduced by application of an external field. While previous models based on the rotation of isolated particles have provided accurate estimates for this viscosity reduction in dilute suspensions, discrepancies have been reported in more concentrated systems where particle-particle interactions are likely significant. Motivated by this observation, we extend the classic description of Quincke rotation based on the Taylor-Melcher leaky dielectric model to account for pair electrohydrodynamic interactions between two identical spheres using the method of reflections. A coupled system of evolution equations for the dipole moments and angular velocities of the spheres is derived that accounts for electric dipole-dipole interactions and hydrodynamic rotlet interactions up to order O(R(-5)), where R is the separation distance between the spheres. A linear stability analysis of this system shows that interactions modify the value of the critical electric field for the onset of Quincke rotation: both electric and hydrodynamic interactions can either stabilize or destabilize the system depending on the orientation of the spheres, but the leading effect of interactions on the onset of rotation is hydrodynamic. We also analyze the dynamics in the nonlinear regime by performing numerical simulations of the governing equations. In the case of a pair of spheres that are fixed in space, we find that particle rotations always synchronize in magnitude at long times, though the directions of rotation of the spheres need not be the same. The steady-state angular velocity magnitude depends on the configuration of the spheres and electric field strength and agrees very well with an asymptotic estimate derived for corotating spheres. In the case of freely-suspended spheres, dipolar interactions are observed to lead to a number of distinct behaviors depending on the initial relative configuration of the spheres and on any infinitesimal initial perturbation introduced in the system: in some cases the spheres slowly separate in space while steadily rotating, while in other cases they pair up and either corotate or counterrotate depending on their orientation relative to the field.

Triorchidism with torsion

Polyorchidism is a rare anomaly; triorchidism is the commonest type and is frequently associated with cryptorchidism, inguinal hernia, and testicular torsion. It is also reported as an increased risk of testicular malignancy. We report a case of 72-year-old man with left supernumerary testes in the left hemiscrotum. He presented with pain in his left hemiscrotum of short duration. Physical examination revealed tender hemiscrotum. Both ultrasound and MRI examinations revealed polyorchidism. One of the testes in the left hemiscrotum revealed features of torsion and hemorrhagic necrosis. Polyorchidism is a rare entity. In most cases, sonography alone is diagnostic of polyorchidism. Magnetic resonance imaging may provide additional information in complicated cases of polyorchidism.

Epidemiology and laboratory diagnosis of fungal corneal ulcer in the Sundarban Region of West Bengal, eastern India

INTRODUCTION

Corneal ulcers are the second most-common cause of preventable blindness after cataract in tropical developing countries. Fungal corneal ulcers constitute 30 to 62 % of the total microbial culture-positive corneal ulcers.

OBJECTIVE

To study the epidemiological characteristics, risk factors and laboratory diagnosis of fungal corneal ulcer in the Sundarban Region, West Bengal, eastern India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective review of 399 culture-positive, fungal corneal ulcers out of a total 928 corneal ulcer patients attending a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata,eastern India, over a period of four years from February 2007 to January 2011.

RESULTS

Males (246; 61.65 %) were more commonly affected than females (P less than .0001).The affected people were mostly (342; 85.71 %) residing in the rural areas (P less than .0001). 196 patients (49.12 %) were involved in agricultural activities (P less than .0001). The younger people of, 21 - 50 years of age, were particularly prone to this disease (269; 67.41 %). Corneal trauma (354; 88.72 %) was the commonest risk factor (P less than .0001) and 261 patients (61.41 %) had a history of trauma with vegetative matter (P less than .0001). The use of topical corticosteroids was implicated in 65 (16.29 %) cases. The incidence of the disease was highest in the monsoon season, between June to September (192; 48.12 %). The aspergillus spp was the most common fungal growth (151; 37.84 %), followed by an Fusarium spp (81; 20.3 %).

CONCLUSION

The fungal corneal ulcers are an important cause of ocular morbidity in people residing in the Sundarban Region. The identification of the etiology and the predisposing factors of corneal ulcers in this region are important for the prevention and early treatment of the disease.

Transverse momentum distribution and nuclear modification factor of charged particles in p+Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)] = 5.02 TeV

The transverse momentum (p(T)) distribution of primary charged particles is measured in minimum bias (non-single-diffractive) p+Pb collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The p(T) spectra measured near central rapidity in the range 0.5<p(T) <20 GeV/c exhibit a weak pseudorapidity dependence. The nuclear modification factor R(pPb) is consistent with unity for p(T) above 2 GeV/c. This measurement indicates that the strong suppression of hadron production at high p(T) observed in Pb+Pb collisions at the LHC is not due to an initial-state effect. The measurement is compared to theoretical calculations.

Enhanced Cellulase Production from Bacillus subtilis by Optimizing Physical Parameters for Bioethanol Production

Effect of physical parameters such as initial pH, agitation (rpm), and temperature (°C) for cellulase production from Bacillus subtilis AS3 was investigated. Central composite design of experiments followed by multiple desirability function was applied for the optimization of cellulase activity and cell growth. The effect of the temperature and agitation was found to be significant among the three independent variables. The optimum levels of initial pH, temperature, and agitation for alkaline carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase) production predicted by the model were 7.2, 39°C, and 121 rpm, respectively. The CMCase activity with unoptimized physical parameters and previously optimized medium composition was 0.43 U/mL. The maximum activity (0.56 U/mL) and cell growth (2.01 mg/mL) predicted by the model were in consensus with values (0.57 U/mL, 2.1 mg/mL) obtained using optimized medium and optimal values of physical parameters. After optimization, 33% enhancement in CMCase activity (0.57 U/mL) was recorded. On scale-up of cellulase production process in bioreactor with all the optimized conditions, an activity of 0.75 U/mL was achieved. Consequently, the bacterial cellulase employed for bioethanol production expending (5%, w/v) NaOH-pretreated wild grass with Zymomonas mobilis yielded an utmost ethanol titre of 7.56 g/L and 11.65 g/L at shake flask and bioreactor level, respectively.