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The present investigation is aimed at understanding the hydrogeochemical parameters and development of a water quality index (WQI) to assess groundwater quality of a rural tract in the northwest of Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. Groundwater occurs at shallow depths with the maximum flow moving southeast during pre-monsoon season and south in post-monsoon period. The physicochemical analysis of groundwater samples shows the major ions in the order of HCO3>Ca>Na>Mg>Cl>SO4 and HCO3>Ca>Mg>Na>Cl>SO4 in pre- and post-monsoon periods, respectively. The groundwater quality is safe for drinking, barring the elevated iron content in certain areas. Based on WQI values, groundwater falls into one of three categories: excellent water, good water, and poor water. The high value of WQI is because of elevated concentration of iron and chloride. The majority of the area is occupied by good water in pre-monsoon and poor water in post-monsoon period.

Neuronal infection by JEV/WNV culminates into neuronal cell death thus contributing to signs and symptoms exhibited by patients that suffer from and that have recovered from JEV/WNV-induced encephalitis. In the present study we have evaluated the role of miRNA in promoting flavivirus-induced neuronal apoptosis. miR-451a has been demonstrated to promote neuronal cell death by targeting 14-3-3ζ protein function. Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV)/West Nile Virus (WNV)-induced encephalitis, although observed in selective cases, is associated with fatal consequences ranging from decline in cognitive abilities among recovered patients to coma/death. Loss of neuronal cells following viral infection-induced neuronal death imposes significant challenge to the central nervous system (CNS) homeostasis eventually resulting in loss of CNS tissue integrity and poor disease outcome in patients. In our present study, we aim to evaluate the role played by miRNA in modulating neuronal death upon neurotropic flaviviral infections. Infection of neuronal cell line resulted in upregulation of miR-451a abundance. Upon its upregulation, miR-451a has been demonstrated to target 3′-UTR of 14-3-3ζ transcript culminating into downregulation of 14-3-3ζ at the protein level. In response to 14-3-3ζ protein depletion in the cytosol upon flavivirus infection, increased phosphorylation of JNK protein has been shown to take place thus paving way for the cell to undergo apoptosis. Reversal of virus-induced miR-451a-upregulation helped abrogate neuronal apoptosis which is accompanied by a restoration of 14-3-3ζ protein and phosphorylated-JNK abundance to its normal level. Our findings hence provide a possible therapeutic target for preventing JEV/WNV-induced neuronal apoptosis thus improving disease outcome in flaviviral infection-associated encephalitis. IMPORTANCE Neuronal infection by JEV/WNV culminates into neuronal cell death thus contributing to signs and symptoms exhibited by patients that suffer from and that have recovered from JEV/WNV-induced encephalitis. In the present study we have evaluated the role of miRNA in promoting flavivirus-induced neuronal apoptosis. miR-451a has been demonstrated to promote neuronal cell death by targeting 14-3-3ζ protein function. The function of miR-451a in modulating neuronal physiology toward self-destruction has been shown to be independent of its effect upon the virus infection life cycle. The 14-3-3ζ transcript upon being targeted by miR-451a promotes JNK phosphorylation hence culminating into neuronal death by activation of apoptotic machinery. Inhibition of miR-451a upon neuronal infection by JEV/WNV helped reduce apoptotic machinery activation hence providing us with possible future therapeutic strategy in ameliorating flavivirus-induced neurological manifestations and overall disease burden in terms of morbidity.

The reliability instability of inhomogeneous Schottky contact behaviors of Ni/Au and Pt/Ti/Pt/Au gate contacts on AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) was investigated via off-state stress and temperature. Under the off-state stress condition, Pt/Ti/Pt/Au HEMT showed abruptly reduced reverse leakage current, which improved the Schottky barrier height (SBH) from 0.46 to 0.69 eV by suppression of the interfacial donor state. As the temperature increased, the reverse leakage current of the Pt/Ti/Pt/Au AlGaN/GaN HEMT at 308 K showed more reduction under the same off-state stress condition while that of the Ni/Au AlGaN/GaN HEMT increased. However, with temperatures exceeding 308 K under the same off-state stress conditions, the reverse leakage current of the Pt/Ti/Pt/Au AlGaN/GaN HEMT increases, which can be intensified using the inverse piezoelectric effect. Based on this phenomenon, the present work reveals the necessity for analyzing the concurrent SBH and reliability instability due to the interfacial trap states of the MS contacts.

We present the mean time to failure (MTTF) of on-wafer AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under two distinct electric field stress conditions. The channel temperature (Tch) of the devices exhibits variability contingent upon the stress voltage and power dissipation, thereby influencing the long-term reliability of the devices. The accuracy of the channel temperature assumes a pivotal role in MTTF determination, a parameter measured and simulated through TCAD Silvaco device simulation. Under low electric field stress, a gradual degradation of IDSS is noted, accompanied by a negative shift in threshold voltage (ΔVT) and a substantial increase in gate leakage current (IG). Conversely, the high electric field stress condition induces a sudden decrease in IDSS without any observed shift in threshold voltage. For the low and high electric field conditions, MTTF values of 360 h and 160 h, respectively, were determined for on-wafer AlGaN/GaN HEMTs.

We investigated Bordetella holmesii and Bordetella pertussis in 935 suspected pertussis cases in northern India (2019-2023) using PCR and serology. B. holmesii showed increased prevalence in pertussis cases, particularly in older children, highlighting its emerging role and the need for ongoing surveillance and adjusted prevention strategies.

Infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which belongs to the Coronaviridae family and is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus originating from Wuhan, China, was declared a global public health emergency on 11 March 2020. SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans is characterized by symptoms such as fever and dyspnea accompanied by infrequent incidence of lymphopenia, gastrointestinal complications such as elevated hepatic aminotransferases, and diarrhea. Originating in bats, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been transmitted to humans likely via an intermediate host that is yet to be discovered. Owing to the absence of any vaccines or definite anti-viral drugs alongside the greater mobility of people across the globe, international and national efforts in containing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection are experiencing severe difficulties. In this review, we have provided a picture of SARS-CoV-2 epidemiological characteristics, the clinical symptoms experienced by patients of varying age groups, the molecular virology of SARS-CoV-2, and the treatment regimens currently employed for fighting SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as their outcomes.

In this study, we present a detailed analysis of trapping characteristics at the Al Ga N/GaN interface of Al Ga N/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with reliability assessments, demonstrating how the composition of the Al in the Al Ga N barrier impacts the performance of the device. Reliability instability assessment in two different Al Ga N/GaN HEMTs [x = 0.25, 0.45] using a single-pulse characterization technique revealed higher drain-current degradation (∆ ) with pulse time for Al Ga N/GaN devices which correlates to the fast-transient charge-trapping in the defect sites near the interface of Al Ga N/GaN. Constant voltage stress (CVS) measurement was used to analyze the charge-trapping phenomena of the channel carriers for long-term reliability testing. Al Ga N/GaN devices exhibited higher-threshold voltage shifting (∆ ) caused by stress electric fields, verifying the interfacial deterioration phenomenon. Defect sites near the interface of the AlGaN barrier responded to the stress electric fields and captured channel electrons-resulting in these charging effects that could be partially reversed using recovery voltages. The quantitative extraction of volume trap density ( ) using 1/ low-frequency noise characterizations unveiled a 40% reduced for the Al Ga N/GaN device, further verifying the higher trapping phenomena in the Al Ga N barrier caused by the rougher Al Ga N/GaN interface.

In this study, we present a detailed analysis of trapping characteristics at the Al[sub.x]Ga[sub.1−x]N/GaN interface of Al[sub.x]Ga[sub.1−x]N/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with reliability assessments, demonstrating how the composition of the Al in the Al[sub.x]Ga[sub.1−x]N barrier impacts the performance of the device. Reliability instability assessment in two different Al[sub.x]Ga[sub.1−x]N/GaN HEMTs [x = 0.25, 0.45] using a single-pulse ID–VD characterization technique revealed higher drain-current degradation (∆ID) with pulse time for Al[sub.0.45]Ga[sub.0.55]N/GaN devices which correlates to the fast-transient charge-trapping in the defect sites near the interface of Al[sub.x]Ga[sub.1−x]N/GaN. Constant voltage stress (CVS) measurement was used to analyze the charge-trapping phenomena of the channel carriers for long-term reliability testing. Al[sub.0.45]Ga[sub.0.55]N/GaN devices exhibited higher-threshold voltage shifting (∆VT) caused by stress electric fields, verifying the interfacial deterioration phenomenon. Defect sites near the interface of the AlGaN barrier responded to the stress electric fields and captured channel electrons—resulting in these charging effects that could be partially reversed using recovery voltages. The quantitative extraction of volume trap density (Nt) using 1/f low-frequency noise characterizations unveiled a 40% reduced Nt for the Al[sub.0.25]Ga[sub.0.75]N/GaN device, further verifying the higher trapping phenomena in the Al[sub.0.45]Ga[sub.0.55]N barrier caused by the rougher Al[sub.0.45]Ga[sub.0.55]N/GaN interface.

Mining sustainability problems are mostly site–site specific These problems stem from environmental, economic and social issues related to mining operations in the area. The people residing in the mine site face the brunt of these unresolved sustainability issues. In a mine site, problems of mine sustainable development are further compounded because mines are mostly located in the areas with site-specific environmental and social sensitivities. To resolve these issues inter alia participation of the indigenous people is essential. Keeping these issues in the view, there has been major changes in the Indian mine regulatory mechanism. As per recent amendments of the mining laws, a structured sustainable development framework approach is mandatory. The purpose of such a framework is to take decisions on the site-specific unresolved sustainability issues; this will be done by using the perception of stakeholders to prioritise sustainable development goals and scores of sustainable development indictors. There are several international agencies who modelled sustainability development, which holistically dealt with general sustainability issues and often losing site of specific issues of the particular mining region. In this paper, an unique case study approach is followed to develop a method for framing sustainable development framework which is tailor-made for not only Indian mines but also addresses the local problems of a mine site.

Ecological footprint of mining can be used as an indicator to monitor and regulate mining operations and ensure long-term environmental sustainability. It can be viewed as a mining footprint, which is surrogate of the environmental impacts of mining. In this paper, a methodological framework is developed to demonstrate how ecological footprint can be used as an indicator of environmental degradation. Nine air quality and 26 soil quality samples are collected from the adjoining area of a mechanized coal mine, located in Raniganj coal mining belt of Burdwan district, West Bengal. Geographical information system is used for data interpolation and preparation of air and soil quality maps. The weights of different air and soil quality parameters are calculated by running principal component analysis. These derived weights are used for preparation of final composite air and soil quality maps. The composite maps show the mining footprints, expressed as land equivalent, around the active mine sites. The impact zones reveal the extent of degradation of the soil and air qualities in the areas near a mine. It is found that the impact zones, with respect to air and soil qualities, extend over areas which are 7.7 and 7.8 times the actual mining areas, that is, the area covered under mining operations, respectively. The results show the extent of degradation of air and soil qualities of the area. At different stages of mining, these footprints can be used as indicators to reveal the areas where soil and air qualities are adversely impacted.