AN EVALUATION OF ANTIBIOTIC PRESCRIPTION PRACTICES: PERSPECTIVES OF VETERINARY TRAINEES AND PRACTICING VETERINARIANS.

Antibiotic resistance is a major worldwide problem that has an impact on the well-being of humans as well as animals. Antibiotic resistance is caused by the misuse and excessive use of antibiotics. The key to reducing this issue lies in educating veterinary medical learners on the proper and accountable utilization of antibiotics for the care of animals. Objective - using awareness-raising and instruction as the foundation, this research of Indian veterinary learners can help resolve the issue of antibiotic resistance throughout the care of animals. The questionnaire survey was taken between June and July 2022 and it was aimed at learners registered in veterinary medical studies at academic and research institutions in India. The study included 500 pupils overall. The purpose of the survey was to gather information about students' knowledge of antibiotics, including antibiotic resistance, as well as their feelings on the consequences of antibiotic resistance on the globe at large and their acquaintance with the one health ideology. According to this study's findings, 83.3 percent of respondents thought antibiotic resistance was a serious problem. 57.92 percent of respondents understood the issue's worldwide consequences and its one health ideology. The study emphasizes the significance of expanding the veterinary educational program to include thorough instruction on prudent antibiotic usage and the concepts of one health.

EXPLORING CLINICAL VARIATIONS AND CO-MORBID TRENDS IN PD-MCI GROUPS.

Parkinson's Disease in Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) is a complex condition characterized by a variety of cognitive problems that coexist with the physical symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aims to examine the different medical indicators and associated tendencies among different PD-MCI groups. We investigated 132 people who had been given PD-MCI diagnoses. Utilizing SPSS, statistical evaluations are carried out. In overall PD-MCI variants, this investigation found that visuospatial ability and attentional/executive performance are the most impaired cognitive areas. It was also noticed that distinct PD-MCI groups had variances in their neurological characteristics, in multi domain amnesia (Non-Memory) PD-MCI patients exhibiting especially severe issues with unstable posture and walking. The intricacy of PD- Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is highlighted by those results, which also imply that the interplay between mental and physical signs may be controlled by a number of interrelated factors, such as particular cognitive areas, brain surfaces, and the general level of cognitive impairment.

Cancer-associated mesothelial cells are regulated by the anti-Müllerian hormone axis.

Cancer-associated mesothelial cells (CAMCs) in the tumor microenvironment are thought to promote growth and immune evasion. We find that, in mouse and human ovarian tumors, cancer cells express anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) while CAMCs express its receptor AMHR2, suggesting a paracrine axis. Factors secreted by cancer cells induce AMHR2 expression during their reprogramming into CAMCs in mouse and human in vitro models. Overexpression of AMHR2 in the Met5a mesothelial cell line is sufficient to induce expression of immunosuppressive cytokines and growth factors that stimulate ovarian cancer cell growth in an AMH-dependent way. Finally, syngeneic cancer cells implanted in transgenic mice with Amhr2-/- CAMCs grow significantly slower than in wild-type hosts. The cytokine profile of Amhr2-/- tumor-bearing mice is altered and their tumors express less immune checkpoint markers programmed-cell-death 1 (PD1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4). Taken together, these data suggest that the AMH/AMHR2 axis plays a critical role in regulating the pro-tumoral function of CAMCs in ovarian cancer.

Efficacy of near-infrared fluorescence cholangiography using indocyanine green in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A retrospective study.

Context: While laparoscopy has been the standard procedure for gallstone treatment, recent advances including the use of indocyanine green (ICG) in laparoscopic cholecystectomy have made it easier to understand the biliary tree and reduce the risk of bile duct injury. Aims: In this retrospective study, we aim to determine the efficacy of ICG in near-infrared fluorescence cholangiography (NIRFC) for visualising biliary anatomy. Settings and Design: A total of 90 patients with the symptoms of cholelithiasis were enrolled for this retrospective study. Subjects and Methods: All the patients underwent cholecystectomy approximately 53.8 min (40-90 min) after the intravenous administration of mean volume 1.6 ml (1-2 ml) ICG. The surgeons used NIRFC along with ICG for real-time visualisation of biliary anatomy. Results: The mean operative time for the surgery was 65.7 min (25-120 min) with no post-surgical complications observed in the patients. The average length of stay was 2 days (1-3 days). ICG usage with NIRFC enabled identification of cystic duct, common hepatic and common bile duct, the junction between common hepatic and bile duct, right and left hepatic duct in 87.7%, 94.4%, 80% and 14.4% of cases, respectively. Conclusions: ICG fluorescence allowed successful visualisation of at least 1 biliary structure in 100% of cases.

Molecular Characterization of the Functional Genes Associated with Silk Assembly, Transport, and Protection in the Silk Glands of Popular Multivoltine Breeds of Silkworm Bombyx mori. L.

Bombyx mori is an agriculturally important insect used extensively for silk production. India, especially the eastern regions, is mostly dependent on the multivoltine breeds of silkworm Bombyx mori and their hybrids/crossbreeds. The multivoltine breeds are indigenous and superior in survival and hardiness but are relatively inferior in terms of qualitative traits, typically the silk quality. Therefore, it is highly relevant to understand the mechanism of silk production in the multivoltine breeds to decipher the reasons for the inferior quality of silk produced by the multivoltine breeds and thus gain leads to improve the quality of silk production in multivoltine breeds. With this background, study was carried to identify differential expression of the major genes associated with silk proteins in the silk gland region of the popular multivoltine breeds. Our results indicated that although fib-L, fib-H, Sericins, and P25 are the major genes associated with silk filament, a few other genes associated with silk assembly, transport, and protection in the silk glands are the ones that largely contribute towards efficient silk production. The differential expression of these genes had a major effect on the movement of silk proteins within the silk gland and the efficiency of silk production as well. The Pearson correlation revealed a positive correlation amongst the genes dealt with in this study, indicating that the concurrent increase in expression of both the types of genes in the silk glands, significantly improves the silk production.

Development and Evaluation of an Eco-Friendly Hand Sanitizer Formulation Valorized from Fruit Peels.

Hand sanitizer usage has proven to be a common and practical method for reducing the spread of infectious diseases which can be caused by many harmful pathogens. There is a need for alcohol-free hand sanitizers because most hand sanitizers on the market are alcohol-based, and regular use of them can damage the skin and can be hazardous. India is the world's largest producer of fruits and one of the major problems after fruit consumption is their peels, causing waste management problems and contributing to the formation of greenhouse gases leading to air pollution and adding to the problem of climate change. Valorization of such wastes into other value-added products and their incorporation into formulations of eco-friendly alcohol-free hand sanitizers would solve these issues, save the environment, benefit the society, and help in achieving the sustainable development goals. Thus, this research focuses on formulating an effective natural alcohol-free hand sanitizer that harnesses the antimicrobial properties of the various types of bioactive components found in fruit peels of pomegranate, sweet lime, and lemon. The peel extracts and the formulated sanitizer proved considerable antimicrobial activity against the pathogenic Escherichia coli and hand microflora. Molecular docking was also applied to examine ligand-protein interaction patterns and predict binding conformers and affinity of the sanitizer phytocompounds towards target proteins in COVID-19, influenza, and pneumonia viruses. The binding affinities and the protein-ligand interactions virtual studies revealed that the sanitizer phytocompounds bind with the amino acids in the target proteins' active sites via hydrogen bonding interactions. As a result, it is possible to formulate a natural, alcohol-free hand sanitizer from fruit peels that is effective against pathogenic germs and viruses using the basic structure of these potential findings.

Practices and issues of moulting programs for laying hens: a review.

1. Moulting is a natural physiological process in birds when they shed their old feathers and replace them with new ones, and it is followed by reproductive quiescence resulting in reduced egg production. Different birds undergo moulting at different points in their life. Some birds have seasonal moulting while some moult at the end of their breeding cycle. This review will mainly focus on moulting practices associated with commercial layer birds because, in all other bird types, this is not managed.2. Commercial farms commonly analyse the cost-benefit ratio to decide the time and method to adopt for moulting. Commercial layer farms adopt different practices to force birds out of moult and restart the production cycle. Animal welfare groups consider this as stressful and against animal welfare, raising questions about the ethics of this practice.3. Many studies have been conducted using complete or partial feed withdrawal and non-feed withdrawal programs to measure their effectiveness in maintaining animal welfare, economy, and post-moult performance in mind.4. Animal welfare should not be compromised during moulting. The United States Egg Producers and other such groups from the United Kingdom and Europe have decided to sell eggs produced only through a non-feed withdrawal moulting programs.

Adaptive grey model (AGM) approach for judgemental forecasting in short-term manufacturing demand.

The covid-19 pandemic has created problems in every manufacturing sector and has posed considerable challenges to pharmaceutical, healthcare, and sanitation companies. The challenges faced are particularly daunting for pharmaceutical companies producing vaccines with ever-growing demand and shorter and shorter deadlines to fulfill them. Further, due to the vaccine's novelty and unprecedented demand, there is a lack of any available data on which traditional forecasting methods can be used. In this paper, we attempt to propose a solution by utilizing the Grey Systems Theory, particularly the AGM (1, 1) model, which has been used to significant effect for problems involving uncertain / lack of data to forecast the demand for vaccines. The experimental results obtained showed that our proposed model successfully generated accurate forecasts with a small dataset and minimal error. Additionally, judgmental forecasting has been used to qualitatively assess the future scope of vaccine manufacturing as well as the use cases of the model. We can thus effectively say proposed AGM (1,1) model is a lucid method to forecast the demand for vaccines.

Deciphering the link between Diabetes mellitus and SARS-CoV-2 infection through differential targeting of microRNAs in the human pancreas.

PURPOSE: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and Diabetes mellitus affect each other bidirectionally. However, the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) infection on the incidence of diabetes is unclear. In the SARS-CoV-2-infected cells, host microRNAs (miRNAs) may target the native gene transcripts as well as the viral genomic and subgenomic RNAs. Here, we investigated the role of miRNAs in linking Diabetes to SARS-CoV-2 infection in the human pancreas. METHODS: Differential gene expression and disease enrichment analyses were performed on an RNA-Seq dataset of human embryonic stem cell-derived (hESC) mock-infected and SARS-CoV-2-infected pancreatic organoids to obtain the dysregulated Diabetes-associated genes. The miRNA target prediction for the Diabetes-associated gene transcripts and the SARS-CoV-2 RNAs has been made to determine the common miRNAs targeting them. Minimum Free Energy (MFE) analysis was done to identify the miRNAs, preferably targeting SARS-CoV-2 RNAs over the Diabetes-associated gene transcripts. RESULTS: The gene expression and disease enrichment analyses of the RNA-Seq data have revealed five biomarker genes, i.e., CP, SOCS3, AGT, PSMB8 and CFB that are associated with Diabetes and get significantly upregulated in the pancreas following SARS-CoV-2-infection. Four miRNAs, i.e., hsa-miR-298, hsa-miR-3925-5p, hsa-miR-4691-3p and hsa-miR-5196-5p, showed preferential targeting of the SARS-CoV-2 genome over the cell's Diabetes-associated messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in the human pancreas. CONCLUSION: Our study proposes that the differential targeting of the Diabetes-associated host genes by the miRNAs may lead to diabetic complications or new-onset Diabetes that can worsen the condition of COVID-19 patients.

Salivary parameters and their correlation with neutrophil counts in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is known to render children immuno-deficient. A concomitant suppression of local defence mechanisms, such as saliva may further aggravate the adverse consequences of chemotherapy. The present study was conducted to evaluate alterations in salivary flow rate, pH and buffering capacity and to correlate these parameters with Absolute Neutrophil Counts (ANC). METHODS: A cohort of 43 patients, aged 3-12 years were evaluated for the aforementioned parameters at baseline, post-induction and post-consolidation phases. Salivary collection was done and ANC was measured from routine haematological reports. RESULTS: A decrease in the salivary parameters was observed at the end of Induction phase as compared to baseline, with a statistically significant decrease in unstimulated salivary flow rates (p < 0.01). Statistically significant positive correlations were found between ANC and salivary flow rate (p = 0.005), pH (p < 0.00) and buffering capacity (p < 0.00). On testing the significance of these correlations, all the values for these parameters were found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Salivary parameters showed derangements over the phases of chemotherapy, with maximum decrease at the end of induction phase. The positive correlations of salivary parameters with ANC of the subjects may be considered indicative of a concomitant immunological compromise in these children.

Decadal changes in global phytoplankton compositions influenced by biogeochemical variables.

The global environmental changes owing to natural and anthropogenic influences are challenging the structure and functioning of the ocean ecosystem. The complex processes interacting within the physical, chemical, and biological environment at different spatio-temporal scales and their impact on the ocean ecosystem processes are yet to be investigated. A long term trend on phytoplankton biomass in terms of Chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a), phytoplankton compositions and the processes that control the variability is required for understanding the ocean ecosystem. This study investigated decadal trends (2002-2015) of phytoplankton composition and biogeochemical parameters over the Global Ocean (GO), Southern Ocean (SO), and the Arctic Ocean (AO) using ocean color remote sensing and assimilated data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ocean biogeochemical model. The results revealed the dominance of larger cell phytoplankton mainly diatoms throughout the SO and AO; however, the coccolithophores dominate in the remaining part of the GO. Analysis of nutrients showed that nitrate is not a limiting factor for the variability of phytoplankton biomass in the SO and AO. The low nitrate concentration influenced in the rest of the GO. The photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) limiting the phytoplankton biomass and composition in the SO and AO. Although the SO is known as the high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) region of the GO, the low iron concentration along with the PAR co-limits the growth of phytoplankton biomass. Trend analysis showed that an increase in Chl-a and diatoms in the SO and AO. In contrast, it declined significantly in the other regions of the GO, in response to the consistent increase in sea surface temperature. The results indicated that, shifting of phytoplankton community from regional to global scale have a greater implication for climate change and marine ecosystem.

Targeted (PCR-based) screening of antibiotic resistance genes' prevalence in the gut microbiota of tribal people of Nabarangpur, Odisha, India.

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern worldwide. The gut microbiota harbours multiple antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) that contribute to the existing and future microbial population in a community or ecosystem. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of 35 antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the gut microbiota of the tribal people of Nabarangpur, Odisha, India. A total of 83 faecal samples were collected from three different tribes (Bhatra, Gond, and Paraja). Total faecal DNA was extracted, and the simplex polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect selected ARGs. Further analysis was done to estimate the incidence of these ARGs across these tribes based on alcohol consumption habits. We identified a higher prevalence of tetracycline resistance genes (tetW, tetQ and tetM) in the gut microbiota among three populations. Furthermore, a significant (P = 0·024) difference in ARG prevalence against vancomycin in individuals with and without alcohol consumption habits was noticed. The overall distribution of ARGs among the three major tribes of this location was found to be very similar. Together, irrespective of the tribes, the people of this location have gut microbiota harbouring different kinds of ARGs and tetracycline-resistant genes are the most commonly found ARGs.

A mutant wfs1 zebrafish model of Wolfram syndrome manifesting visual dysfunction and developmental delay.

Wolfram syndrome (WS) is an ultra-rare progressive neurodegenerative disorder defined by early-onset diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy. The majority of patients harbour recessive mutations in the WFS1 gene, which encodes for Wolframin, a transmembrane endoplasmic reticulum protein. There is limited availability of human ocular and brain tissues, and there are few animal models for WS that replicate the neuropathology and clinical phenotype seen in this disorder. We, therefore, characterised two wfs1 zebrafish knockout models harbouring nonsense wfs1a and wfs1b mutations. Both homozygous mutant wfs1a-/- and wfs1b-/- embryos showed significant morphological abnormalities in early development. The wfs1b-/- zebrafish exhibited a more pronounced neurodegenerative phenotype with delayed neuronal development, progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells and clear evidence of visual dysfunction on functional testing. At 12 months of age, wfs1b-/- zebrafish had a significantly lower RGC density per 100 µm2 (mean ± standard deviation; 19 ± 1.7) compared with wild-type (WT) zebrafish (25 ± 2.3, p < 0.001). The optokinetic response for wfs1b-/- zebrafish was significantly reduced at 8 and 16 rpm testing speeds at both 4 and 12 months of age compared with WT zebrafish. An upregulation of the unfolded protein response was observed in mutant zebrafish indicative of increased endoplasmic reticulum stress. Mutant wfs1b-/- zebrafish exhibit some of the key features seen in patients with WS, providing a versatile and cost-effective in vivo model that can be used to further investigate the underlying pathophysiology of WS and potential therapeutic interventions.

Synaptic AP2 CCV life cycle regulation by the Eps15, ITSN1, Sgip1/AP2, synaptojanin1 interactome.

The AP1/σ1B knockout causes impaired synaptic vesicle recycling and enhanced protein sorting into endosomes, leading to severe intellectual disability. These disturbances in synaptic protein sorting induce as a secondary phenotype the upregulation of AP2 CCV mediated endocytosis. Synapses contain canonical AP2 CCV and AP2 CCV with a more stable coat and thus extended life time. In AP1/σ1B knockout synapses, pool sizes of both CCV classes are doubled. Additionally, stable CCV of the knockout are more stabilised than stable wt CCV. One mechanism responsible for enhanced CCV stabilisation is the reduction of synaptojanin1 CCV levels, the PI-4,5-P2 phosphatase essential for AP2 membrane dissociation. To identify mechanisms regulating synaptojanin1 recruitment, we compared synaptojanin1 CCV protein interactome levels and CCV protein interactions between both CCV classes from wt and knockout mice. We show that ITSN1 determines synaptojanin1 CCV levels. Sgip1/AP2 excess hinders synaptojanin1 binding to ITSN1, further lowering its levels. ITSN1 levels are determined by Eps15, not Eps15L1. In addition, the data reveal that reduced amounts of pacsin1 can be counter balanced by its enhanced activation. These data exemplify the complexity of CCV life cycle regulation and indicate how cargo proteins determine the life cycle of their CCV.

A simple technique to mitigate microplastic pollution and its mobility (via ballast water) in the global ocean.

Ballast water transport is considered as one of the major vectors for dispersal of microplastics around the global oceans. In this commentary, a simple, inexpensive solution has been proposed to reduce microplastic pollution and its mobility via ballast water. A screening chamber (with stainless steel three layered mesh) is proposed to be attached to the existing Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTSs) in cargo ships to filter back-flushed sea water from BWTSs. The three layered screens (500, 300 and 100 µm) will not only avoid clogging and easy separation of different size groups of microplastic particles but also help in smooth discharge of water to the sea. This technique is expected to remove a large number of microplastic particles (ranging from 0.0015 to 1020 million) from a single voyage. The proposed chamber may help to collect 0.0003-204 metric tons of particles/day, depending upon the geographical location of ballast intake in the global ocean. These estimations were made by considering a daily turnover of 0.033 billion tonnes of ballast water globally. This proposed screening chamber attached to the existing BWTSs in cargo ships, along with other region-specific ocean cleaning initiatives, will help in mitigating microplastic pollution in the global ocean.

Wire mesh capped DRPS based bronchial dosimeter for personal inhalation dosimetry due to radon progeny.

A study has been carried out to experimentally determine the calibration factor (CF) of the passive bronchial dosimeter, which consists of a direct radon progeny sensor capped with a 100-wire mesh. First, the CF was determined in controlled environmental conditions simulated in a calibration chamber. With aerosol concentrations varying from 104p cm-3to 105p cm-3and relative humidity varying from 60% to 80% in the chamber, CF was observed to be nearly constant with an average value of (3.8 ± 0.5) × 10-3mSv tracks-1cm2. Then, the CF was determined in real indoor environments in which it was again observed to be almost constant and the mean value was found to be (5.6 ± 0.1) × 10-3mSv tracks-1cm2. Pooling all the data on CFs obtained under controlled conditions and in real indoor environments, a lognormal distribution of the CF was observed with a geometric mean and geometric standard deviation of 0.0052 mSv tracks-1cm2and 1.28 respectively. The experimentally determined value of CF was found to be in close agreement with the theoretically estimated value, taking into consideration the unattached fraction of radon progeny. This dosimeter is passive, cheap, lightweight and, moreover, the CF being stable against environmental variations, will be useful in monitoring inhalation doses due to radon progeny for occupational workers.

Achieving highly efficient and selective cesium extraction using 1,3-di-octyloxycalix[4]arene-crown-6 in n-octanol based solvent system: experimental and DFT investigation.

Due to the long half-life of 137Cs (t 1/2 ∼ 30 years), the selective extraction of cesium (Cs) from high level liquid waste is of paramount importance in the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle to avoid long term surveillance of high radiotoxic waste. As 1,3-di-octyloxycalix[4]arene-crown-6 (CC6) is suggested to be a promising candidate for selective Cs extraction, the improvement in the Cs extraction efficiency by CC6 has been investigated through the optimization of the effect of dielectric media on the extraction process. The effects of the feed acid (HNO3, HCl, and HClO4) and the composition of the diluents for the ligand in the organic phase on the extraction efficiency of Cs have been investigated systematically. In 100% n-octanol medium, Cs is found to form a 1 : 1 ion-pair complex with CC6 (0.03 M) providing a very high distribution ratio of D Cs ∼ 22, suggesting n-octanol as the most suitable diluent for Cs extraction. No significant interference of other relevant cations such as Na, Mg and Sr was observed on the D Cs value in the optimized solvent system. Density functional theory (DFT) based calculations have been carried out to elucidate the reason of ionic selectivity and enhanced Cs extraction efficiency of CC6 in the studied diluent systems. In addition to the ionic size-based selectivity of the crown-6 cavity, the polarity of the organic solvent system, the hydration energy of the ion, and the relative reorganization of CC6 upon complexation with Cs are understood to have roles in achieving the enhanced efficiency for the extraction of Cs by the CC6 extractant in nitrobenzene medium.

Myths, facts and scope of spinal cord tolerance dose revision in Intensity modulated SIB treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer: A dosimetrical and radiobiological demonstration.

PURPOSE: To explore the possibility of revising the spinal cord tolerance dose in Simultaneously Integrated Boost (SIB) intensity modulated treatment plan of locally advanced head and neck (H&N) cancer and assessment of achieved planning gain due to the revision. In SIB regimen, the Organ at Risk (OARs) tolerance dose is equally distributed throughout the treatment. Clinicians have usually considered the spinal cord tolerance to be the same as in conventional technique. However, in SIB fractionation regimen with intensity modulation treatment, the spinal cord may receive a physical dose of 45Gy, with much lesser dose per fraction than 2Gy per fraction. So when the dose of spinal cord is distributed throughout the treatment, the tolerance dose limit of physical dose can be considered higher than the usual conventional dose limits. In this study, an attempt has been made to explore the possibilities of dose escalation and treatment planning benefits while exploiting this "Window of Opportunity (WoO)" of increase in spinal cord and Planning Risk Volume (PRV) spinal cord tolerance dose. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 12 patients CT data set along with approved structure set of H&N cancer used for treatment planning in. Three independent SIB VMAT plans named as SPC, SPR and SPDE were generated for the 12 patients. First plan (SPC) was generated by considering standard spinal cord tissue constraint of maximum dose of 45Gy and PRV spinal cord maximum dose 50Gy as per QUANTEC summary and second plan (SPR) was generated considering spinal cord tissue constraint of maximum dose 52.50Gy and PRV spinal cord maximum dose 56.35Gy while optimization and dose calculation. The objectives for rest of the Organ at Risk (OAR) were kept same in both the plans during optimization and dose calculation. The SPC plan was copied for creation of third plan (SPDE) in which dose was escalated by increasing dose per fraction for target volumes such that dose to spinal cord reached a maximum dose of 52.50Gy and PRV spinal cord maximum dose of 56.35Gy. In this plan there have been changes to only dose per fraction, however dose optimization and dose calculation have not been performed. Radiobiological parameters TCP and NTCP were also calculated by using indigenously developed software. RESULTS: Considering the increase of spinal cord tolerance dose as "window of opportunity", a sufficient escalation in physical dose, Biological Effective Dose (BED) and Tumor Control Probability (TCP) was observed for all target volumes with acceptable level of NTCP values. CONCLUSION: Sufficient dose escalation and increased in TCP for target volumes or effective planning benefits can be achieved by revising the spinal cord tolerance dose in intensity modulated SIB treatment of locally advanced H&N cancers.

Correlating work hardening with co-activation of stacking fault strengthening and transformation in a high entropy alloy using in-situ neutron diffraction.

Transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) leads to enhancements in ductility in low stacking fault energy (SFE) alloys, however to achieve an unconventional increase in strength simultaneously, there must be barriers to dislocation motion. While stacking faults (SFs) contribute to strengthening by impeding dislocation motion, the contribution of SF strengthening to work hardening during deformation is not well understood; as compared to dislocation slip, twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) and TRIP. Thus, we used in-situ neutron diffraction to correlate SF strengthening to work hardening behavior in a low SFE Fe40Mn20Cr15Co20Si5 (at%) high entropy alloy, SFE ~ 6.31 mJ m-2. Cooperative activation of multiple mechanisms was indicated by increases in SF strengthening and γ-f.c.c. → ε-h.c.p. transformation leading to a simultaneous increase in strength and ductility. The present study demonstrates the application of in-situ, neutron or X-ray, diffraction techniques to correlating SF strengthening to work hardening.