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Perovskite appears to be the most promising candidate for thin-film solar cells due to its excellent optoelectronic properties, low-cost fabrication, and high photovoltaic performance. However, tin-based perovskite solar cells possess few issues related to thermal instability and poor performance. A study on thermal instability will be important to know the inner mechanism of the device. To find out the cause of thermal instability, a study on the temperature coefficient of different electrical and photovoltaic parameters is necessary. In this work, the effect of temperature on electrical and photovoltaic parameters of lead-free tin-based perovskite solar cells having ITO/ETL/CH 3 NH 3 SnI 3 /HTL architecture has been studied using a SCAPS-1D simulator. The coefficients of the temperature of these parameters have been calculated. Titanium dioxide has been used as the electron transport layer and Spiro-OMeTAD as the hole transport layer. The dark current–voltage analysis shows the positive temperature coefficient of barrier height and negative temperature coefficient of ideality factor. The estimated values of absolute temperature coefficient of barrier height and ideality factor are 170 μeV per K and 0.0017 per K, respectively. The light current–voltage (J-V) analysis shows negative temperature coefficients for all photovoltaic parameters. The absolute temperature coefficient of open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency is 1.6 mV per K, 9 μA/cm 2 per K, 0.031 per K, and 0.074 per K, respectively. This study reveals the temperature sensitiveness of lead-free tin-based perovskite solar cells. The decrease in the value of different device parameters will be very informative for further study to get temperature invariant performances of lead-free perovskite solar cells.

Groundwater plays an important role in our environment. In recent decades, groundwater-related issues within the river basin are significantly increasing in most part of the world. It is essential to estimate the magnitude of groundwater storage changes as well as runoff generated within the river basin. The principal objectives of the study are to quantify the water budget parameters for Baitarani River Basin of India and to analyze the season-wise trend analysis of groundwater storage by using Innovative Trend Analysis (ITA). Climatic data from eight Indian meteorological stations were used to estimate direct runoff from enhanced SCS-CN (Soil Conservation Service Curve Number) method, Potential Evapo-Transpiration (PET) was estimated by using Hargreaves method in R studio platform. The analysis showed that precipitation and surface runoff followed a non-monotonic negative (− ve) trend in winter season and monotonic positive (+ ve) trend in all other season for all stations. It was also observed that the groundwater storage is increasing in winter and post-monsoon season. In the lower catchment areas, groundwater storage was more due to flat topography and good aquifer type, where groundwater use can be enhanced. But in upper catchment areas, groundwater storage capacity is comparatively less hence rain water conservation structures could be suggested to check the surface runoff and provide options for increasing groundwater recharge. This study will be helpful to focus on regional scale planning to address the water management issues within the basin, which will be ultimately helpful for agriculture, watershed development and environmental planning.

Continual, historical, and accurate information about the land use/land cover (LULC) changes of the earth’s surface is extremely important for sustainable management of natural resources. In this study, historical topographic sheets, IRS P6 LISS-III, and LANDSAT TM images were used to provide recent and historical LULC conditions of the Eastern Ghats Highlands of east India. The supervised classification results were further improved by employing image enhancement and visual interpretation. Ratio Vegetation Index with fuzzy-based possibilistic c-means classification approach has improved the classification accuracy of the shifting cultivated area. Post-classification comparisons of the classified images indicated that the major change consisted of barren land and forestland changing into agricultural land and scrubland. Between 1931 and 2008, forest cover was decreased from 52.7% to 29.6% of total area. There was an increase in the scrub area from 874 (10.4%) to 1269 km 2 (15.2%), and agricultural land from 978 (11.7%) to 2864 km 2 (34.2%) during the same period. The rate of deforestation was found to be 0.65 km 2 per year for reserve forest and 24.50 km 2 per year for mixed forest. The shifting cultivated area in the district was 308.7 km 2 during 2004, and that has been reduced since then and now is stabilized to 186.4 km 2 area. Among this 186.4 km 2 area, nearly half is covered by abandoned shifting cultivation. The decadal rate of decrease of shifting cultivated area is 0.15% per year. The shifting cultivated areas were mainly distributed at elevations 580–810 and 810–907 m and slopes 20–30 and 30–40%. Southeast and south facing slopes were preferred for shifting cultivation. Based on the identified causes of the change in shifting cultivation, policy recommendations for their better management were made.

This paper aims to study the effect of a pylon mounted cavity-based flameholder on the combustor flow ‎characteristics. Computational analysis of two different models of flameholder configurations is ‎performed. The novel cavity design 110_90 has a fore-wall ramp angle of 110 degrees and an aft-wall ‎ramp angle of 90 degrees and this design which shows a comparatively better combustor performance is ‎adopted and mounted with a pylon. The flow features over the high performance base cavity 110_90 is ‎compared with the flow features obtained by adding a pylon on the upstream of the base cavity. The two ‎cases are compared qualitatively as well as quantitatively based on the temperature distribution, pressure ‎distribution, recirculation zones and drag experienced by the model. These compared parameters helped ‎us to identify whether the mentioned combination is favorable and augments the flameholder ‎performance‎‎.

Understanding how protrusions, such as fins attached to flat or streamlined bodies, affect aerodynamics, especially in high-speed contexts, is vital for aerospace applications. These protrusions significantly influence overall aerodynamics and require a comprehensive understanding for accurate analysis and prediction of aerodynamic performance. This understanding is particularly critical in supersonic flight, where even minor aerodynamic disturbances can impact vehicle stability and efficiency. Therefore, a thorough understanding of protrusion-induced flow phenomena is essential for advancing aerospace engineering and improving supersonic vehicle performance and safety. The present paper focuses on the complex supersonic flow over a vertical fin, using a combination of experimental and computational methods. The study aims to understand how variations in fin height influence the behavior of the Lambda shock and any resulting changes in shock length. Specifically, the paper investigates different fin height-to-diameter (H/D) ratios ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 in steps of 0.25. To achieve this, both experimental testing in a supersonic wind tunnel and numerical simulations using the commercial CFD tool ANSYS-FLUENT are employed. Through this dual approach, the paper seeks insights into the characteristics of the Lambda shock and its effects on key aerodynamic parameters, such as shock strength and drag coefficient. By thoroughly investigating these aspects, the paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex flow phenomena associated with supersonic flow over vertical fins, potentially guiding the design and optimization of aerospace vehicles. The outcomes indicate that a fin height of 12 mm (H/D=1.0) provides the best balance in terms of pressure distribution, Lambda shock length, and drag coefficient, making it the optimal choice for enhancing aerodynamic stability and performance in supersonic conditions.

In this study, we have reported proton irradiation (30 keV) induced various properties change in the thermally evaporated Ge 10 Sb 25 Se 65 films. The bulk sample was prepared by the melt-quenching method, and the thin films were prepared from the bulk sample by the thermal evaporation technique. The proton ions were bombarded on the Ge 10 Sb 25 Se 65 thin films at different fluences. The amorphous nature of the ion irradiated films was confirmed from the X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectra showed the essential information regarding the changes in peak intensity. Atomic force microscopic study revealed an abrupt increase in surface roughness of the irradiated films. However, significant variations were not observed from the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analysis (EDAX). The fluence-induced dispersion, dielectric, and linear–nonlinear optical quantities were evaluated using the UV–Vis spectroscopy data. The increase in optical bandgap was observed, whereas their corresponding refractive indices decreased upon increasing the irradiation fluence. The increase in transmittance also suggests a reduction in the refractive index. The changes in absorption coefficient (α) and extinction coefficient (k) led to the changes in other linear and nonlinear parameters. The dispersion parameters, dielectric parameters, and plasma frequency decreased upon increasing the proton irradiation. SRIM-2008 software was used to analyse the electronic stopping power (S e ), nuclear stopping power (S n ), lateral straggling, longitudinal straggling, and the proton penetration range (R p ) in the Ge 10 Sb 25 Se 65 films. The dominating nature of S e compared to the S n was observed from this analysis. Conclusively, the behaviour of proton-irradiated Ge 10 Sb 25 Se 65 thin films widens the application possibilities in optoelectronic devices. Graphical abstract The influence of 30 keV proton ion irradiation on the surface morphology and surface topography (FESEM and AFM images) of Ge 10 Sb 25 Se 65 thin films. The irradiation influenced the linear and the nonlinear optical parameters.

The Kangra reentrant constitutes a  ~ 80-km-wide zone of fold-thrust belt made of Cenozoic strata of the foreland basin in NW Sub-Himalaya. Earlier workers estimated the total long-term shortening rate of 14 ± 2 mm/year by balanced cross-section between the Main Boundary Thrust and the Himalayan Frontal Thrust. Geologically estimated rate is nearly consistent with the GPS-derived slip rate of 14 ± 1 mm/year. There are active faults developed within 4–8 km depth of the Sub-Himalayan fold-thrust belt of the reentrant. Dating the strath surfaces of the abandoned fluvial terraces and fans above the thrust faults, the uplift (bedrock incision) rates are computed. The dips of thrust faults are measured in field and from available seismic (depth) profiles. From the acquired data, late Quaternary shortening rates on the Jawalamukhi Thrust (JT), the Soan Thrust (ST) and the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) are estimated. The shortening rates on the JT are 3.5–4.2 mm/year over a period 32–30 ka. The ST yields a shortening rate of 3.0 mm/year for 29 ka. The corresponding shortening and slip rates estimated on the HFT are 6.0 and 6.9 mm/year during a period 42 ka. On the back thrust of Janauri Anticline, the shortening and slip rates are 2.0 and 2.2 mm/year, respectively, for the same period. The results constrained the shortening to be distributed largely across a 50-km-wide zone between the JT and the HFT. The emergence of surface rupture of a great and mega earthquakes recorded on the reactivated HFT implies ≥100 km width of the rupture. The ruptures of large earthquakes, like the 1905 Kangra and 2005 Kashmir, remained restricted to the hinterland. The present study indicates that the high magnitude earthquakes can occur between the locking line and the active thrusts.

Gammaherpesviruses are oncogenic pathogens that persist in ~95% of the adult population. Cellular metabolic pathways have emerged as important regulators of many viral infections, including infections by gammaherpesviruses that require several lipid synthetic pathways for optimal replication. Liver X receptors (LXRs) are transcription factors that are critical regulators of cellular fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis pathways. Not surprisingly, LXRs are attractive therapeutic targets in cardiovascular disease. Here we describe an antiviral role for LXRs in the context of gammaherpesvirus infection of primary macrophages. We show that type I interferon increased LXR expression following infection. Surprisingly, there was not a corresponding induction of LXR target genes. Rather, LXRs suppressed the expression of target genes, leading to decreased fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis, two metabolic pathways that support gammaherpesvirus replication. This report defines LXR-mediated restriction of cholesterol and lipid synthesis as an intrinsic metabolic mechanism to restrict viral replication in innate immune cells. IMPORTANCE Fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis pathways of the host play important roles in diverse biological systems. Importantly, these two metabolic pathways are also usurped by a number of viruses to facilitate viral replication. In this report, we show that suppression of these pathways by liver X receptors in primary macrophages creates an intrinsic antiviral state that attenuates gammaherpesvirus replication by limiting viral access to the two metabolic pathways. Fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis pathways of the host play important roles in diverse biological systems. Importantly, these two metabolic pathways are also usurped by a number of viruses to facilitate viral replication. In this report, we show that suppression of these pathways by liver X receptors in primary macrophages creates an intrinsic antiviral state that attenuates gammaherpesvirus replication by limiting viral access to the two metabolic pathways.

Over the years, the practice of medicine has evolved from authority-based to experience-based to evidence-based with the introduction of the scientific process, clinical trials, and outcomes-based data analysis (Tebala GD. Int J Med Sci. 2018;15(12):1397-1405). The time required to perform the necessary randomized controlled trials, a systematic literature review, and meta-analysis of these trials to then create, accept, promulgate, and educate the practicing clinicians to use the evidence-based clinical guidelines is typically measured in years. When the severe acute respiratory syndrome novel coronavirus-2 (SARS-nCoV-2) pandemic commenced in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, there were few available clinical guidelines to deploy, let alone adapt and adopt to treat the surge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. The aim of this study is to first explain how clinical guidelines, on which bedside clinicians have grown accustomed, can be created in the midst of a pandemic, with an evolving scientific understanding of the pathophysiology of the hypercoagulable state. The second is to adapt and adopt current venous thromboembolism diagnostic and treatment guidelines, while relying on the limited available observational reporting of COVID-19 patients to create a comprehensive clinical guideline to treat COVID-19 patients.