Differential food utilization of benthic amphipods of a tropical estuary: a stable isotopic (δ13C and δ15N) investigation.

Globally, stable isotopic methods are rapidly being employed in food web studies to quantify the relative proportions of diverse primary carbon sources in an animal diet. Tropical estuarine ecosystems, one of the vital marine habitats, harbor complex food webs due to the multiplicity of habitats and resources. The complex system of inputs and exchanges of organic matter sometimes complicate identification of the carbon sources that support the higher trophic levels. To assess the primary food sources of four abundant amphipod species in the anthropogenically influenced upper Vashishti estuary, Carbon and Nitrogen stable isotopes were employed. Seasonal variations were significant for δ13C and δ15N of suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) and also for δ13C of sediment organic matter (SOM), but not for the isotopic values of individual amphipod species. Significant variations in the δ13C and δ15N values between amphipods suggested species-specific diets. Mixing model output indicated discrepancies in seasonal variations of food preferences between species. Trophic level values of all amphipod species indicated seasonality with lower values during post-monsoon. The low δ15N values of SPOM, SOM, and amphipod species were possibly due to the anthropogenic input of nitrogen in the estuary.

Triangular Magnet Emergent from Noncentrosymmetric Sr0.94Mn0.86Te1.14O6 Single Crystals.

We report the successful growth of high-quality single crystals of Sr0.94Mn0.86Te1.14O6 (SMTO) using a self-flux method. The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of SMTO are investigated by neutron powder diffraction (NPD), single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), thermodynamic, and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques in conjunction with density functional theory calculations. NPD unambiguously determined octahedral (trigonal antiprismatic) coordination for all cations with the chiral space group P312 (no. 149), which is further confirmed by SCXRD data. The Mn and Te elements occupy distinct Wyckoff sites, and minor anti-site defects were observed in both sites. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals the existence of mixed valence states of Mn in SMTO. The magnetic susceptibility and specific heat data evidence a weak antiferromagnetic order at TN = 6.6 K. The estimated Curie-Weiss temperature θCW = -21 K indicates antiferromagnetic interaction between Mn ions. Furthermore, both the magnetic entropy and the 125Te nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate showcase that short-range spin correlations persist well above the Néel temperature. Our work demonstrates that Sr0.94(2)Mn0.86(3)Te1.14(3)O6 single crystals realize a noncentrosymmetric triangular antiferromagnet.

Refractive outcomes following yttrium aluminum garnet laser (532 nm green laser) in severe retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE: To assess the refractive outcomes in eyes with severe Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) after treatment with the frequency-doubled neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd-YAG) laser 532 nm (green laser) at 1-2 years of age and compare with eyes that underwent spontaneous regression of ROP and to identify the risk factors associated with the refractive outcomes in laser-treated eyes with severe ROP. METHODOLOGY: Infants who underwent laser treatment with green laser were enrolled in Group 1 and those who had spontaneous regression of ROP were enrolled in Group 2. All these children underwent a visual assessment, refraction using 1% cyclopentolate eye drops and indirect ophthalmoscopy at 1-2 years of age. Data regarding the gestational age, sex, birth weight, inborn (born in our institution) or outborn (born outside and referred to us), stage and zone of ROP and laser spots given were obtained from the treatment records. Data were analyzed using SSPS 19.0 software for Windows (SSPS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). RESULTS: A total of 102 infants were enrolled, 51 in each group. Visual acuity ranged from 0.25-1 cycles per cm in both groups. Spherical equivalent (SE) ranged from - 8.25 D to + 5.50 D in Group 1 and -1.00D to +4.00D in Group 2. Group 1 had an incidence of 23.5% Myopia and 33.4% Astigmatism which was significantly more than Group 2. The linear regression model predicted a decrease in the SE by 0.658D if the number of laser spots increased by 1000 (P < 0.001). No other risk factors (gestational age/birth weight) were found to have a significant association with refractive errors in the lasered ROP group. CONCLUSIONS: Eyes with laser-treated severe ROP are frequently associated with myopia and astigmatism when compared to spontaneously regressed ROP. The number of laser spots delivered has a direct association with the amount of refractive error.

Burkholderia cenocepacia keratitis.

CASE REPORT: A 33-year-old lady with history of failed keratoplasty for decompensated cornea due to childhood trauma and secondary glaucoma, post glaucoma drainage implant, with pseudophakia in the right eye, developed bacterial keratitis following foreign body trauma to corneal graft. Corneal cultures yielded Burkholderia cenocepacia identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF- MS, bioMerieux, France). She healed with topical antibiotics (moxifloxacin 0.5%) in 1 month. Ours is the first report of ocular Burkholderia cenocepacia infection, possibly an under reported, aerobic, organism.

Conjunctival Trichodiscoma of the Lower Eyelid.

Trichodiscomas are benign tumors of the skin which develop around a hair follicle. They usually present on the face, neck, or trunk region. The authors report a rare case of a 63-year-old man who presented with a tumor on the left lower eyelid that was histologically proven to be a trichodiscoma of conjunctival origin.Trichodiscomas are benign tumors of the skin appendage which develop around a hair follicle. Although conjunctival hair follicles are rudimentary and do not give rise to hair, rarely a benign proliferation of these cells can result in trichodiscoma of the conjunctiva.

Crystal Growth and Magnetic Properties of Topological Nodal-Line Semimetal GdSbTe with Antiferromagnetic Spin Ordering.

We report crystal growth, AC and DC magnetic susceptibilities [χ(T, H)], magnetization [M(T, H)], and heat capacity [CP(T, H)] measurement results of GdSbTe single crystal. GdSbTe is isostructural to the confirmed nonmagnetic nodal-line semimetal ZrSiS of noncentrosymmetric tetragonal crystal structure in space group P4/nmm (No. 129), but it shows additional long-range antiferromagnetic spin ordering for the Gd spins of S = 7/2 below TN. Both χ(T, H) and CP(T, H) measurements confirm the existence of a long-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) spin ordering of Gd spins below TN ∼ 12 K, and an additional spin reorientation/recovery (sr) behavior is identified from the change of on-site spin anisotropy between Tsr1 ∼ 7 and Tsr2 ∼ 4 K. The anisotropic magnetic susceptibilities of χ(T, H) below TN clearly demonstrate that the AFM long-range spin ordering of GdSbTe has an easy axis parallel to the ab-plane direction. The field- and orientation-dependent magnetization of M(T, H) at 2 K shows two plateaus to indicate the spin-flop transition for H||ab near ∼2.1 T and a metamagnetic state near ∼5.9 T having ∼1/3 of the fully polarized magnetization by the applied field. The heat capacity measurement results yield Sommerfeld coefficient of γ ∼ 7.6(4) mJ/mol K2 and θD ∼ 195(2) K being less than half of that for the nonmagnetic ZrSiS. A three-dimensional (3D) AFM spin structure is supported by the ab initio calculations for Gd having magnetic moment of 7.1 µB and the calculated AFM band structure indicates that GdSbTe is a semimetal with bare density of states (0.36 states/eV fu) at the Fermi level, which is 10 times smaller than the measured one to suggest strong spin-fluctuation.

Risk factors for endothelial cell damage in diabetics after phacoemulsification.

BACKGROUND: To assess the corneal endothelium, central corneal thickness and the factors associated with endothelial cell damage after phacoemulsification in diabetics in comparison with non-diabetics. METHODS: It was a case control study with 80 eyes each in the diabetic group and the control group. Intraoperative mydriasis, effective phaco time (EPT) and postoperative inflammation were measured. Preoperative, 1st week, 6th week and 3rd month postoperative endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation (CV), hexagonality and central corneal thickness (CCT) were also measured using Konan noncon robo specular microscope (Model - NSP 9900). RESULTS: In the control group, patients in the age group of 60-69 years were 3.8 times more at risk of ECL compared to patients in the age group of 50-59 years. Patients in whom EPT was ≥0.50 min, were 8.8 times more at risk of ECL when compared to patients in whom EPT <0.25 min. In the diabetic group, patients who had an inflammatory score of 1+ in the first postoperative week; also had 5.7 times more risk of ECL when compared to patients in whom the inflammatory score was 0.5+ in the first postoperative week. There was a significant increase in CV (p-0.03) and CCT (p-0.03), significant decrease in the hexagonality (p-0.01) and no statistically significant difference in the endothelial cell loss (ECL) (p-0.34) in diabetics after phacoemulsification when compared to controls. CONCLUSION: The present study reveals postoperative inflammation as a risk factor for ECL in diabetics and not intraoperative mydriasis and EPT.

Gd2Te3: an antiferromagnetic semimetal.

We report high-precision magnetization ([Formula: see text]), magnetic susceptibility ([Formula: see text]), specific heat (C p (T, H)) and 'zero-field' electrical resistivity, [Formula: see text], data taken on Gd2Te3 single crystal over wide ranges of temperature and magnetic field (H), with either [Formula: see text]-axis or [Formula: see text]-plane. [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] unambiguously establish that the b-axis is the easy direction of magnetization whereas any direction in the ac-plane is a hard direction. The [Formula: see text]-type anomaly in 'zero-field' specific heat, C p (T, H = 0), and an abrupt drop in [Formula: see text] (characteristic of the paramagnetic (PM) - antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase transition) are observed at the Néel temperature, [Formula: see text] K. [Formula: see text] and C p (T,H) clearly demonstrate that [Formula: see text] shifts to lower temperatures with increasing H irrespective of whether H points in the easy or hard direction. When [Formula: see text], the [Formula: see text] isotherms at temperatures in the range 2.5 K [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] K reveal the existence of a field-induced spin-flop (SF) transition at fields 4.0 T [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] 4.5 T. The first principles electronic band structure and density of states calculations, based on the density functional theory, correctly predict an AFM ground state (stabilized primarily by the 4f  Gd3+ - 5p  Te2-- 4f  Gd3+ superexchange interactions) and the observed semi-metallic behavior for the Gd2Te3 compound. Moreover, these calculations yield the values [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text] for the ordered magnetic moment per Gd atom at T = 0, [Formula: see text] mJ mol-1 K-2 for the Sommerfeld coefficient for the electronic specific heat contribution and [Formula: see text] K for the Curie-Weiss temperature, respectively. These theoretical estimates conform well with the corresponding experimental values [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] mJ mol-1 K-2 and [Formula: see text] K.

Sequential development of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy in a patient on hemodialysis.

Purpose: Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-AION) is typically a disorder of patients 50 years and older predisposed to the vascular and structural optic disc risk factors. We present an interesting case of sequential development of NA-AION in a 45-year-old patient with end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis. Methods: Observational case report. Results: A 45-year-old female on hemodialysis for chronic renal failure complained of sequential acute onset sudden painless gross diminution of vision in right eye followed by the left eye. At presentation, fundus examination revealed secondary optic atrophy and a pallid disc edema with few hemorrhage in the right and left eye, respectively. Ambulatory blood pressure recorded nocturnal dips of diastolic blood pressure. Fundus fluorescein angiography showed hypoperfusion of the left optic disc, confirming the diagnosis of NA-AION. She was treated with oral steroids, but with no improvement. Conclusion: Both treating nephrologist and ophthalmologist should be aware of this uncommon but potentially blinding complication, to permit its early recognition and prevent the occurrence in the fellow eye. Also, care should be taken to prevent and treat any hypotensive episodes during and following dialysis therapy in such high-risk patients.

Bimatoprost Induced Serous Macular Detachment after Cataract Surgery.

We report a case of bimatoprost induced serous macular detachment and choroidal folds following uneventful cataract surgery. A 66-year-old male using topical bimatoprost in both eyes for open angle glaucoma underwent uneventful cataract surgery in the right eye. Postoperatively, he was restarted on topical bimatoprost and antibiotic-steroids combination drops. One week after surgery, he presented with conjunctival hyperemia, serous macular detachment, and choroidal folds at the posterior pole. Fundus fluorescein angiography showed perifoveal leaks in early stage with pooling of dye in late stage. Discontinuation of bimatoprost led to resolution of serous detachment and choroidal folds within 3 weeks with significant improvement in visual acuity. Occurrence of serous macular detachment and choroidal folds in this case could be probably related to the proinflammatory property of bimatoprost. Hence, it should be used with caution in the immediate postoperative period after cataract surgery.

Epidemiological and diagnostic studies of microfilariasis in buffaloes.

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of microfilariasis and analysis of diagnostic methods in buffaloes at Veterinary Poly Clinic, Gudiwada with relation to season, age and breed for a period of 1 year (March 2011-February 2012).Out of 1,222 blood smears examination, only 123 samples were found positive for microfilariasis with a prevalence rate of 10.06 %. Highest prevalence was observed in monsoon (12.54 %) followed by summer (9.18 %) and least in winter (7.05 %). Buffaloes above 9 years age were at high risk with a prevalence rate of 12.5 %, followed by 3-9 years (10.7 %) and below 3 years age (6.09 %) respectively. Breed wise prevalence of microfilariasis was higher in graded murrah buffaloes 10.87 % compared to non-descripts (6.19 %). Three commonly used diagnostic techniques viz. Modified Knott's Technique, thick blood smear examination and wet film examination were done to evaluate comparative sensitivity/efficacy. Among these techniques, 100 % efficacy was observed in Modified Knott's Technique and 86.99 % in thick blood smear examination followed wet film examination 78.04 % respectively.

Nutrient composition and antioxidant activity of gonads of sea urchin Stomopneustes variolaris.

The study investigated, for the first time, proximate nutritional composition and antioxidant activity of gonads from the sea urchin, Stomopneustes variolaris, inhabiting the coastal area of Visakhapatnam (India). Moisture, ash, proteins, lipids and carbohydrate content were 77.53%±0.80, 3.76%±0.25, 12.10%±0.41, 4.98%±0.36 and 1.63%±0.18, respectively, based on dry weight. The gonads were rich in essential amino acids (ca. 32.1% of total amino acids) with the most predominant being phenylalanine, lysine and valine. The essential to non-essential amino acid ratio was 0.5. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) constituted 22.01%±2.2 of total fatty acids. The ω6:ω3 ratio was 0.94. Total phenol content of the gonad was 9.90±0.01 mg GAE/g and the IC50 of the extract, using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, was 57.81 µg/ml.

Tandem rhomboid flap repair: a new technique in treatment of extensive pilonidal disease of the natal cleft.

Pilonidal sinus is an annoying chronic benign disease causing disability in young adults, mainly affecting the intergluteal furrow. Treatment of this condition remains controversial and is represented by a myriad of techniques available. Most of the techniques are judged against open excision and secondary healing in terms of minimizing disease recurrence and patient discomfort. More recently superiority of flap reconstruction to non-flap techniques is accepted. An ideal operation should be simple, associated with minimal pain and wound care after surgery, minimize hospital stay and have a low recurrence rate. We hereby present a new type of rhomboid flap technique for an extensive pilonidal sinus disease. This technique has given good results in our hands considering the aforementioned factors of an ideal operation. The following case report is of our first stint with the procedure.

Density functional study of electronic, bonding, and vibrational properties of Ca(NH2BH3)2.

We present structural, electronic, bonding and vibrational properties of new type hydrogen storage material calcium amidoborane Ca(NH(2)BH(3))(2) by first principles density functional theory using plane wave pseudopotential method. The calculated ground state properties are in good agreement with experiments. The computed Bulk modulus of Ca(NH(2)BH(3))(2) is found to be 28.7 GPa which is slightly higher than that of NH(3)BH(3) indicating that the material is hard over NH(3)BH(3). From the band structure calculations, the compound is found to be a direct band gap insulator with a band gap of 3.27 eV at the Γ point. The calculated band structure shows that the top of the valance band is from the p states of N and the bottom of the conduction band is from d states of Ca. The Mulliken bond populations, Born effective charges and charge density distributions are used to analyze the bonding nature of the compound. It is found that the N-H and B-H bonds are covalent in nature. Further we also compared the phonon density of states and vibrational frequencies of Ca(NH(2)BH(3))(2) with NH(3)BH(3). The study reveals that in both the cases the heavier mass atoms Ca, N, B are involved in the low frequency vibrations whereas the higher frequency vibrations are from H atoms. It is also observed that the vibrational frequencies of B-H bonds are soft in Ca(NH(2)BH(3))(2) when compared to NH(3)BH(3) and thereby concluded that Ca(NH(2)BH(3))(2) is a potential hydrogen storage material for fuel cell applications when compared to NH(3)BH(3).

High-pressure study of lithium azide from density-functional calculations.

The structural, electronic, optical, and vibrational properties of LiN(3) under high pressure have been studied using plane wave pseudopotentials within the generalized gradient approximation for the exchange and correlation functional. The calculated lattice parameters agree quite well with experiments. The calculated bulk modulus value is found to be 23.23 GPa, which is in good agreement with the experimental value of 20.5 GPa. Our calculations reproduce well the trends in high-pressure behavior of the structural parameters. The present results show that the compressibility of LiN(3) crystal is anisotropic and the crystallographic b-axis is more compressible when compared to a- and c-axes, which is also consistent with experiment. Elastic constants are predicted, which still awaits experimental confirmation. The computed elastic constants clearly show that LiN(3) is a mechanically stable system and the calculated elastic constants follow the order C(33) > C(11) > C(22), implying that the LiN(3) lattice is stiffer along the c-axis and relatively weaker along the b-axis. Under the application of pressure the magnitude of the electronic band gap value decreases, indicating that the system has the tendency to become semiconductor at high pressures. The optical properties such as refractive index, absorption spectra, and photoconductivity along the three crystallographic directions have been calculated at ambient as well as at high pressures. The calculated refractive index shows that the system is optically anisotropic and the anisotropy increases with an increase in pressure. The observed peaks in the absorption and photoconductivity spectra are found to shift toward the higher energy region as pressure increases, which implies that in LiN(3) decomposition is favored under pressure with the action of light. The vibrational frequencies for the internal and lattice modes of LiN(3) at ambient conditions as well as at high pressures are calculated from which we predict that the response of the lattice modes toward pressure is relatively high when compared to the internal modes of the azide ion.

Structural, electronic, bonding, and elastic properties of NH3BH3: a density functional study.

The structural, electronic, bonding, and elastic properties of the low-temperature orthorhombic phase of NH(3)BH(3) are studied by means of first-principles total energy calculations based on the pseudopotential method. The calculated structural parameters of NH(3)BH(3) are found to be in good agreement with the experimental values. From the band structure calculations, the compound is found to be an indirect bandgap insulator with the bandgap of 5.65 eV (5.90 eV) with LDA(GGA) along the Γ-Z direction. The Mulliken bond population and the charge density distributions are used to analyze the chemical bonding in NH(3)BH(3) . The study reveals that B-H bonds are more covalent than N-H bonds. The elastic constants are predicted for ambient as well as pressures up to 6 GPa, from which theoretical values of all the related mechanical properties such as bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and anisotropy factors are calculated. It is found that NH(3)BH(3) is mechanically stable at ambient and also external pressures up to 6 GPa. As pressure increases all the calculated elastic moduli of NH(3)BH(3) increase, indicating that the compound becomes more stiffer and hard under pressure. From the ratio of shear modulus to bulk modulus (G/B), we conclude NH(3)BH(3) to be ductile in nature, and the ductility increases with pressure. The present results confirm the experimentally observed less plastic nature of the low-temperature phase of NH(3)BH(3) .

Primary stromal iris cysts treated successfully with ab externo laser Nd:YAG photocoagulation.

Two boys presented with primary solitary stromal iris cyst in the inferior quadrant. Both patients were treated with Nd:YAG laser puncturing the cyst wall. The cyst wall collapsed and fluid leaked out in the anterior chamber. No complication was noted. The cyst recurred in the first child at 2 months of follow-up and was re-treated with laser. There was no further recurrence after 12 months of follow-up in case 1 or after 10 months of follow-up in case 2. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first documented report of Nd:YAG treatment of primary stromal cyst.

Comparison of the clinical presentation and visual outcome in open globe injuries in adults and children over 30 months.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical presentation and final visual outcome of open globe injuries in children and adults in a referral hospital over a 30-month period. METHODS: This is an institutional-based prospective study of open globe injuries cases presenting in the emergency department between July 2003 and December 2005. Patients were divided in 2 groups: group 1, children (2-15 years), and group 2, adults (>15 years). All the patients were admitted and emergency surgical interventions were undertaken. The clinical features at presentation and the final visual acuity are compared. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Ninety and 84 patients were included in group 1 and group 2, respectively. The most common places of injuries were home or while playing outdoor games in group 1 (67%) and workplace in group 2 (53.5%). The presenting features were significantly more grave in group 2. These included poor presenting visual acuity (p=0.012), vitreous prolapse (p=0.002), presence of relative afferent pupillary defect (p=0.001), and incidence of endophthalmitis (p=0.004). Time interval between injury and surgical intervention (p=0.018) was better in group 2. Other features, such as presence of hyphema, uveal tissue prolapse, cataract, intraocular foreign body, and length or location of laceration were similar in both groups. The final visual outcome was similar in the groups (p = 0.21), with approximately half of the patients achieving vision of 20/60 or better in each group. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of injuries in children and adults occurred in their homes or workplaces, respectively. Although the clinical presentations of open globe injuries were significantly more grave in adults than in children, the final visual outcomes were similar.

Lenz microphthalmic syndrome in an Indian patient.

A case of Lenz microphthalmia syndrome in a seven-month-old male child having features of unilateral anophthalmia, microcephaly, external ear and finger abnormalities, hydrocele and hypospadias is being reported. The unilateral involvement and anophthalmia is rare in Lenz syndrome. The manifestation of hydrocele in association with this syndrome has not been seen in earlier cases. This is the first documented case from India.