Tunable optical traps over nonreciprocal surfaces.

We propose engineering optical traps over plasmonic surfaces and precisely controlling the trap position with an external bias by inducing in-plane nonreciprocity on the surface. The platform employs an incident Gaussian beam to polarize targeted nanoparticles, and exploits the interplay between nonreciprocal and spin-orbit lateral recoil forces to construct stable optical traps and manipulate their position within the surface. To model this process, we develop a theoretical framework based on the Lorentz force combined with nonreciprocal Green's functions and apply it to calculate the trapping potential. Rooted on this formalism, we explore the exciting possibilities offered by graphene to engineer stable optical traps using low-power laser beams in the mid-IR and to manipulate the trap position in a continuous manner by applying a longitudinal drift bias. Nonreciprocal metasurfaces may open new possibilities to trap, assemble and manipulate nanoparticles and overcome many challenges faced by conventional optical tweezers while dealing with nanoscale objects.

Effect of Liverubin™ on hepatic biochemical profile in patients of alcoholic liver disease: a retrospective study.

Liverubin™ is an available drug in the Indian market that contains silymarin, the major active complex extracted from the medicinal plant milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.). The study retrospectively tracked and analyzed the data of 602 patients, out of which 230 were alcohol induced; 131 with alcohol-induced liver damage (ALD), 13 with liver cirrhosis, and 86 with fatty liver; to assess the effects of water soluble Silymarin (Liverubin™) on important hepatic biochemical parameters. The data was collected from 32 major cities treated by 72 physicians across India who were observed for the specified treatment duration of 11 months. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics. At the end of the treatment the hepatic biochemical profile was appreciably improved: the mean % of change in the levels of important hepatic biochemical parameters was observed as follows: total bilirubin 63.48% (direct bilirubin: 64.96%; indirect bilirubin: 61.63%). The serum SGOT and SGPT changed at a mean % of 65.43 and 69.31 respectively while serum alkaline phosphatase was changed at a mean % rate of 39.81. Liverubin™ proved to be safe & well-tolerated among the studied population and no significant treatment related adverse events were reported during the study. Liverubin™ treatment is found to bring about effective lowering of abnormally elevated hepatic biochemical parameters. Liverubin™, water soluble active Silymarin, in the popularly prescribed doses of 140-mg tid is observed to be a promising safe and effective drug in cases of alcoholic liver disease.

Inheritance of S-methyl-L-cysteine sulphoxide and thiocyanate contents in forage rape (Brassica napus L.).

Inheritance of thiocyanate and (+)S-methyl-L-cysteine sulphoxide (SMCO) contents were studied in a diallel cross involving five varieties of forage rape. Although both additive and dominance components were significant for the two characters, the greater mean squares of the additive gene effect indicated its greater importance. Non-allelic gene interaction was detected for thiocyanate only. Narrow sense heritability was relatively high for both characters. The general and specific combining ability effects and heterosis of the individual crosses, identified the potential of the cross 'Nevin' × 'Akela' for production of varieties with low thiocyanate content. Thiocyanate and SMCO contents were positively correlated, and they were not correlated with dry matter yield and its components.

Genetic architecture of yield and components of yield in mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern & Coss.).

Seed yield and some of its primary components, viz. primary and secondary branches, siliquae per plant, seeds per siliqua and seed size, were studied in the F1 and F2 populations of five intervarietal crosses of mustard. The parental cultivars represented a fairly wide range of variation for all the characters. Both additive and dominance components were important for these traits and the gene actions were dependent upon the particular cross combination involved. Degrees of dominance were variable within each trait and inconsistent over the generations. The estimates of broad sense heritability and genetic advance were moderate to high, indicating that direct selection on the basis of primary branches and seeds per siliqua would be successful in the early segregating generations. Only one group of genes was detected in these traits. None of the F1 hybrids were higher than the highest yielding cultivar 'Laha 101'. The production of hybrids higher than this cultivar is not possible without the introduction of genes from other sources.