Effect of School Closure During COVID-19 Lockdown on ADHD Symptoms Among Students.

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder among children, with an estimated prevalence of 1.3 per 1000 in India. The nationwide lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of schools for an indefinite period. After the reopening of schools, the lockdown period was feared to have caused a deterioration in symptoms of existing mental health conditions among school-going children. This field study aimed to probe the association of school closures due to lockdown with any change in symptoms of ADHD in aged 6-15 years in the largest tertiary care hospital in Kolkata. Methods: A longitudinal observational study was conducted involving 34 prediagnosed ADHD patients attending the Clinical Psychology outpatient department (OPD) of a tertiary hospital for follow-up. Data was collected by face-to-face interviews with the patients' parents using a predesigned, pretested structured study schedule. Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) was used to assess the ADHD symptoms. Results: Twenty-three (67.65%) patients were observed to have worsened ADHD symptoms after lockdown. Significant worsening was observed in the ADHD indicator and the mood disorder indicator. Significant contributing factors were rural residence, nuclear family, non-attendance at school, and knowledge inadequacy among parents. Conclusion: There was a significant worsening of symptoms of ADHD owing to the school closure due to the lockdown.

Cognitive self-efficacy in schizophrenia: Questionnaire construction and its relation with social functioning.

Background: Social functioning or social adjustment is a general term used to refer to the ability of individuals to meet socially defined roles such as homemaker, worker, student, spouse, family member, or friend. In schizophrenia, the patient's social functioning is impaired. Social functioning tends to worsen due to impairment in cognitive functions, and it is a primary target for various rehabilitation programs for schizophrenia. In cognitive remediation therapies, much attention is paid to cognitive skill development rather than cognitive self-efficacy, possibly due to a dearth of systematic studies in this area. The objective of the current study was to explore cognitive self-efficacy in association with verbal working memory and demographic variables as predictors of social functioning. Materials and Methods: The research was classified into two studies: Phase-I dealt with construction of a questionnaire measuring cognitive self-efficacy (CSE). Psychometric properties of the questionnaire were tested on 100 patients with schizophrenia. In phase II, 150 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 were taken from the department of psychiatry of different postgraduate hospitals in Kolkata. CSE questionnaire, positive and negative symptoms scale for schizophrenia (PANSS), Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) India-Social Functioning Index (SCARF-SFI), and backward digit span test were administered. Results: Linear regression analysis showed that CSE was a strong predictor in predicting social functioning. Conclusion: Cognitive Self-efficacy questionnaire was developed and validated.

Governing the crystallographic sites for tuning Eu2+ emission in an apatite oxyfluoride host to be applied for superior white light emitting diodes.

Single white light-emitting phosphors for near-UV-converted white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) are the best alternatives to tricolour phosphor blends and blue light converted yellow-emitting garnets. Nevertheless, achieving white light with elevated colour rendering (CRI) from a single-phase phosphor activated with a lone activator ion is a major challenge. This study aimed at the generation of white light from a single-phase composition activated only with europium. The study started with structural evaluations of Eu3+-activated Ca4La6Si6O24F2 phosphors using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Eu3+ photoluminescence to elucidate the local environment of rare-earth ions and the symmetric nature of the lattice sites. Ca4La6Si6O24F2 crystallized in the hexagonal P63/m space group. The predominant 5D0-7F2 electric dipole transition at 614 nm, and the non-splitting as well as the zero-shifting behaviour of 5D0-7F0 at 578 nm, suggested that the rare-earth ionic substitutions preferably took place at the larger asymmetric sites. Introducing Sr2+ ions in Ca4La6Si6O24F2:Eu3+/Eu2+ that is synthesized under a reducing atmosphere suppressed Eu3+ emission. From the optimized Ca1.98Sr1.98La6Si6O24F2:0.04Eu2+, a sequence of M2+-codoped (M = Mg/Ba) Ca1.98Sr1.98La6Si6O24F2:0.04Eu2+ phosphors were further developed. The substitutions of Mg2+ and Ba2+ altered the crystal field by changing the lattice parameters. The Mg2+ -doped samples showed a blue-shift from 520 nm (Mg2+ = 0) to 471 nm (Mg2+ = 1.0), whereas the Ba2+-doped compositions showed a red-shift from 520 nm (Ba2+ = 0) to 536 nm (Ba2+ = 1.2). The change of symmetry owing to the Mg2+/Ba2+ substitution could have led to the centroid shift, which was responsible for the blue- or red-shift of the emission spectra. The XRD of Ca1.38Sr1.38La6Si6O24F2:0.04Eu2+,1.2Ba2+ indicated a Ba2+-induced lattice site expansion. Keeping this in view, the Eu2+ ions concentrations were further enhanced from 0.04 to 0.3, and the resultant photoluminescence was further enhanced and red-shifted. The optimized sample showed better intensity compared with the commercial Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ and exhibited decent photoluminescence above 70% at 150 °C as compared with that at room temperature. Finally, several prototype WLEDs were fabricated using the single phosphor Ca1.365Sr1.365La6Si6O24F2:0.07Eu2+,1.2Ba2+ with near-UV and violet-LED chips. The outcomes indicated the promising nature of this single-composition phosphor for indoor lighting.

Studying glauconite of the bakchar deposit (Western Siberia) as a prospective sorbent for heavy metals.

Glauconite is one of natural clay minerals that are low-cost and readily available. Its specific characters, including potassium cations activity, layered structure and absorption capacity, explain the comprehensive interest to this mineral. It is especially prospective in regard of water treatment. Glauconite composition depends on the formation conditions, which lead to different sorption properties. Here we studied the sorption parameters and physical characteristic of unique glauconite of the Bakchar deposit by mean of granulometric analysis, electromagnetic separation, X-ray fluorescence analysis, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy, petrographic studies, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, nitrogen thermal desorption method, inversion voltammetry. Finally, we tested this mineral as a sorbent. The studied glauconitic concentrate has the best comparative sorption properties. Results show that glauconite of the Bakchar deposit is a cheap and prospective sorbent for heavy metals.

Feature Selection Through Message Passing.

A novel similarity-based feature selection algorithm is developed, using the concept of distance correlation. A feature subset is selected in terms of this similarity measure between pairs of features, without assuming any underlying distribution of the data. The pair-wise similarity is then employed, in a message passing framework, to select a set of exemplars features involving minimum redundancy and reduced parameter tuning. The algorithm does not need an exhaustive traversal of the search space. The methodology is next extended to handle large data, using an inherent property of distance correlation. The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated on nine sets of publicly-available data.

Dielectric and Raman investigations of structural phase transitions in (C2H5NH3)2CdCl4.

Temperature-dependent Raman and dielectric measurements have been carried out on (C2H5NH3)2CdCl4 single crystals. Raman studies reveal the presence of two structural phase transitions below room temperature at 216 K and 114 K. The phase transitions are marked by anomalies in temperature dependence of wave-number and full width half maximum (FWHM) of several vibrational modes. The transitions are also accompanied by anomalies in dielectric measurements. Raman and dielectric data indicate that the transition at 216 K is order-disorder in nature and is driven by re-orientation of organic ions, while the transition at 114 K is due to coupling between the CdCl6 octahedron and the organic chain. Further high temperature dielectric measurements reveal the presence of one more structural phase transition around 473 K across which dispersion in dielectric parameters is observed. The activation energies and relaxation time obtained for high temperature dielectric phases are characteristic of combined reorientation motions of alkyl ammonium cations.

Cognitive self-regulation, social functioning and psychopathology in schizophrenia.

AIM: To explore relation between cognitive self-regulation, social functioning, and psychopathology in schizophrenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 were taken from Department of Psychiatry of two postgraduate hospitals of Kolkata, India. All subjects gave informed consent. After recording sociodemographic and clinical details, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS), Schizophrenia Research Foundation India-Social Functioning Index (SCARF-SFI), and specially designed questionnaire on cognitive self-regulation was administered. RESULTS: All the four subtests of SCARF-SFI, that is, self-concern, occupational role, social role and family role, and symptoms scale of PANSS were significantly correlated with cognitive self-regulation. Cognitive self-regulation along with positive and negative symptoms was able to predict social functioning. CONCLUSION: Cognitive self-regulation is significantly and positively correlated to social functioning. Cognitive self-regulation along with positive and negative symptoms is a significant predictor of social functioning.

Allosteric transition induced by Mg²âº ion in a transactivator monitored by SERS.

We demonstrate the utility of the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to monitor conformational transitions in protein upon ligand binding. The changes in protein's secondary and tertiary structures were monitored using amide and aliphatic/aromatic side chain vibrations. Changes in these bands are suggestive of the stabilization of the secondary and tertiary structure of transcription activator protein C in the presence of Mg(2+) ion, whereas the spectral fingerprint remained unaltered in the case of a mutant protein, defective in Mg(2+) binding. The importance of the acidic residues in Mg(2+) binding, which triggers an overall allosteric transition in the protein, is visualized in the molecular model. The present study thus opens up avenues toward the application of SERS as a potential tool for gaining structural insights into the changes occurring during conformational transitions in proteins.

Current social functioning in adult-onset schizophrenia and its relation with positive symptoms.

BACKGROUND: In schizophrenia, relation exists between psychopathology and social functioning. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: Determining relationship of positive symptoms with current social functioning in adult-onset (≥19 years) schizophrenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty schizophrenia patients [ICD-10-DCR], of both sexes (18-60 years), on follow-up for ≥6 months, with no change of diagnosis and without co-morbidities, having onset of illness ≥19 years of age, accompanied by informants having contact with the patient for a period of >12 months prior the first psychiatric contact or symptom onset were assessed with SCARF- Social Functioning Index and SAPS. RESULTS: Family role, occupational role, and other social role have negative correlation with all positive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Current social functioning has significant negative correlation with concurrent positive symptoms.