Dr. Rajeev Jain Ph.D., D.Sc.

We explore the role of dissipative effects during warm inflation leading to the small-scale enhancement of the power spectrum of curvature perturbations. In this paper, we specifically focus on non-canonical warm inflationary scenarios and study a model of warm Higgs-G inflation, in which the Standard Model Higgs boson drives inflation, with a Galileon-like non-linear kinetic term. We show that in the Galileon-dominated regime, the primordial power spectrum is strongly enhanced, leading to the formation of primordial black holes (PBH) with a wide range of the mass spectrum. Interestingly, PBHs in the asteroid mass window∼(10 17–10 23) g are generated in this model, which can explain the total abundance of dark matter in the Universe. In our analysis, we also calculate the secondary gravitational waves (GW) sourced by these small-scale overdense fluctuations and find that the induced GW spectrum can be …

Benzodiazepines are a highly prevalent class of drugs utilized worldwide. They have been used as antidepressants and tranquilizers while also possessing the capability to induce sedative-hypnosis effects. In addition, the ease of access and the potential for addiction contribute to their high consumption on a global scale. They are frequently used for malicious purposes, including suicide, abduction and drug-facilitated crimes. Therefore, their analysis in food, biological, and environmental matrices is essential for ensuring food safety facilitating clinical research and conducting environmental analyses, respectively. This review discusses various sample preparation approaches employed to analyze benzodiazepines in biological and non-biological applications with the perspective of recently introduced white analytical chemistry approach. White analytical chemistry is a new concept for evaluating analytical …

This study focuses on the first-ever high-sensitivity, low-cost, and quick response electrochemical estimation of metadoxine (MTD) in pharmaceuticals and human blood serum using a non-enzymatic nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (CuO/CH/GCE) loaded with chitosan. The electroactive surface of GCE was produced by drop-casting a suspension of CuO/CH nanocomposite in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) onto the non-enzymatic electrode surface. Synthesized nanocomposite was characterised by using XRD, XPS, EDX, TEM, Raman and FESEM techniques. EIS technique was utilized to study the enhanced charge-transfer phenomenon occurring at the surface of modified sensor. The electrooxidation of MTD at CuO/CH/GCE surface is depending at pH of supporting electrolyte, scan rate and concentration of analyte. CV and SWV technique were used to carry out electrochemical study, optimised …

PurposeThe present study was conducted retrospectively to assess the frequency of acute viral hepatitis among the clinically suspected dengue cases presented at our tertiary care centre during 2021.MethodsTo determine the presence of acute viral hepatitis; Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections, 104 specimens were selected from the dengue-suspected clinical specimens received during 2021 on the basis of acute viral hepatitis symptoms. Following this, serological diagnosis was performed on those samples using anti-HAV IgM and anti-HEV IgM ELISA kits.ResultsBased on sero-positivity for IgM antibodies, 3 (5.3%) dengue virus (DENV) seropositive samples were positive for both HAV and HEV, while among DENV seronegative cases, 11 (22.91%) samples were positive for HEV and 1 (2.08%) sample was positive for HAV, pointing towards misdiagnosis due to overlapping symptoms …

Drug-facilitated crimes (DFCs) entail the use of a single drug or a mixture of drugs to render a victim unable. Traditionally, biological samples have been gathered from victims and conducting analysis to establish evidence of drug administration. Nevertheless, the rapid metabolism of various drugs and delays in analysis can impede the identification of such substances. For this, the present article describes a rapid, sustainable, highly efficient and miniaturized protocol for the identification and quantification of three sedative-hypnotic drugs namely diazepam, chlordiazepoxide and ketamine in alcoholic beverages and complex food samples (cream of biscuit, flavoured milk, juice, cake, tea, sweets and chocolate). The methodology involves utilizing fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE) to extract diazepam (DZ), chlordiazepoxide (CDP), and ketamine (KET), Subsequently, the extracted sample are subjected to …

The Hubble tension refers to the discrepancy in the value of the Hubble constant inferred from the cosmic microwave background observations, assuming the concordance CDM model of the Universe, and that from the distance ladder and other direct measurements. In order to alleviate this tension, we construct a plausible dark energy scenario, within the framework of Horndeski gravity which is one of the most general scalar–tensor theories yielding second-order equations. In our set-up, we include the self-interactions and nonminimal coupling of the dynamical dark energy scalar field which enable very interesting dynamics leading to a phantom behaviour at low redshifts along with negative dark energy densities at high redshifts. These two features together make this model a promising scenario to alleviate the Hubble tension for appropriate choices of the model parameters. Towards a consistent model …

This paper introduces Cellulose Paper Sorptive Extraction (CPSE) as a method to simplify the sample preparation process for the analysis of chlorpyrifos (CPF) in postmortem biological matrices (blood, urine and gastric lavage). The method involves adsorption of CPF onto unmodified cellulose paper from diluted samples followed by desorption into acetonitrile (ACN) for subsequent gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The method's optimization explored various parameters affecting extraction efficiency, resulting in 1" × 1″ filter papers and five pieces as optimal sizes and quantities, respectively. ACN emerged as the most effective elution solvent, and 10 min of elution time produced optimal results. Additionally, factors such as extraction time (60 min), agitation speed (200 rpm), and sample volume (10 mL) were optimized. The proposed method was validated according to the guidelines of …

Carisoprodol (CSP) is one of the most common antispasmodic drugs used to reduce muscle spasms; however, it is also abused due to its mind-altering effects. Consequently, its abuse leads to the major concern of increased risk of fatal road accidents due to impaired driving. Therefore, it is crucial but challenging for forensic toxicologists to effectively extract and detect CSP in complex biological matrices. Hence, herein, a novel analytical technique based on a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coupled with dispersive solid-phase extraction (MIP-DSPE) was developed for the simple, rapid, selective extraction and analysis of CSP by applying gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) from pharmaceutical and biological samples such as urine and blood. MIP was successfully synthesized via bulk polymerisation utilizing CSP as the template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as the functional monomer, ethylene …

Reports related to incidences of drug facilitated crimes (DFCs) have notably increased in recently. In such cases, victims report being assaulted or robbed while under the influence of drugs. Lorazepam (LZ) is frequently used in DFCs as it can easily make victims docile owing to its potent numbing effect. Therefore, a straightforward and green analytical method to analyze LZ in spiked food matrices in connection with criminal acts becomes important. The current study reports a simple, green, and high sample throughput analytical method for determining LZ in food and drink matrices commonly encountered in DFCs, based on recently introduced cellulose paper sorptive extraction (CPSE). For the extraction of LZ from food matrices, pristine cellulose paper (CP, commonly used laboratory filter paper) was used as a sorptive medium. Five pieces of CP (1.5″ × 1.5″ each) were dipped into diluted food matrices (cream biscuits and tea) and stirred on a rotary shaker for 30 min at 200 rpm. The CPs were then dried, and the adsorbed LZ was back-extracted into 2 mL of methanol. The extract was then subjected to GC–MS analysis in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. Several parameters, including CP size and number, back-extraction solvent type and volume, sample volume, extraction time and stirring speed, pH, ionic strength, elution time and speed, were thoroughly screened and optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the method was found to be linear in the range of 0.2–10 µg·mL−1 (or µg·g−1) with a coefficient of determination (R2) ranging from 0.996–0.998. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for cream biscuits were 0.054 and 0 …

The present work reports a novel electrochemical method for the simultaneous quantification of amoxicillin (AMX) and clavunate potassium (CLV) at carbon nanofiber-modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by using square wave voltammetry due to its high sensitivity, low cost, simplicity, and degrades the signal-to-noise ratio. The developed sensor was characterized by Scanning electron microscopy, Transmission electron microscopy, X-Ray powder diffraction, Infrared spectroscopy, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The fabricated electrode exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity towards electrochemical oxidation of both compounds in BR buffer pH 2.0. All the instrumental parameter that affects the anodic peak current of AMX and CLV was also optimized during the investigation. Two well-resolved oxidation peaks at 0.55 V and 1.05 V for AMX and CLV were optimized at the …

Light spectator fields may not be dynamically relevant for the inflationary phase of the early universe, but they can still induce interesting imprints on cosmological observables. In this paper, we compute the cross-correlations of the inflationary perturbations, both scalar and tensor, with the fluctuations of a non-minimally interacting spectator field using the in-in formalism and investigate the consistency relations associated with such cross-correlations. In particular, the scalar consistency relation is derived semi-classically by generalizing the consistency relation obtained earlier for cosmic magnetic fields. Notably, we find that the direct coupling between the inflaton and the spectator solely determines the local non-linearity parameter associated with the scalar cross-correlation during slow-roll inflation, regardless of the specific form of the Lagrangian for the spectator field. Further, we calculate the tensor correlation …

We investigate whether true physical observables associated with the measurements of large scale structure in the universe are frame-independent. In particular, we study if cosmological observables such as the galaxy number counts are invariant under the disformal transformations. In a previous work, it was shown that this frame-invariance holds true for the case of conformal transformations. In this work, we find that the invariance also holds true for the case of a simple disformal transformation. We further briefly comment on the disformal invariance of other cosmological observables.

The modern life style poses new challenges on the normal physiological mechanisms of the human body. Drug abuse, tobacco smoking, and alcohol drinking, as well as lack of exercise may also increase the risk of developing certain diseases, especially older age.To study the relationship between degree of sensorineural hearing loss and serum lipid level (total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoproteins, high density lipoproteins).A cross-sectional study was conducted in 150 patients aged between 15 to 60 years diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss at Otorhinolaryngology outpatient department at Sir Sunder Lal hospital, IMS, BHU. All the 150 patients were amongst age group of 15 to 60 years who were registered from August 2019 to July 2021.The serum levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein directly correlate with the severity of sensorineural hearing loss significantly (p …

The aims of the study are to identify and evaluate the quality of service perceived by students and teachers. Hypothesis have been formulated and tested to examine for service quality gaps in of polytechnic education institutes (PEIs) of Madhya Pradesh, India. A Kano methodology has been used to prioritise service quality factors. The SERVQUAL method has been used to identify the gap between service rendered and service as perceived by students and teachers. The hypothesis has been evaluated using statistical tools. It has been reported that there is significant difference between rendered service quality and expectations of students. There is a need of improvement in service quality factors such as academic excellence, library, infrastructure, career counselling, etc. Further, curriculum structure, physical entities, assessment, feedback and reward need to be improved to encourage more enrolment. The study …

In the recent years, primordial black holes (PBHs) have emerged as one of the most interesting and hotly debated topics in cosmology. Among other possibilities, PBHs could explain both some of the signals from binary black hole mergers observed in gravitational wave detectors and an important component of the dark matter in the Universe. Significant progress has been achieved both on the theory side and from the point of view of observations, including new models and more accurate calculations of PBH formation, evolution, clustering, merger rates, as well as new astrophysical and cosmological probes. In this work, we review, analyse and combine the latest developments in order to perform end-to-end calculations of the various gravitational wave signatures of PBHs. Different ways to distinguish PBHs from stellar black holes are emphasized. Finally, we discuss their detectability with LISA, the first planned gravitational-wave observatory in space.

The enduring period has witnessed various advancements for diverse highlights, such as, speed, selectivity, and decreased expense of electrochemical sensors, especially in the field of pharmaceutical research. Novel materials such as mixed oxide-based nanocomposites always fascinate researchers for their extraordinary properties. Here, based on the use of nanocomposite consisting of ZrO2 and BiVO4 (ZBV) nanoparticles, an electrochemical sensor has been created. The nanocomposite modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was used for voltammetric detection of a gastro-prokinetic agent Itopride (ITP). The nanocomposite was characterized for its morphological, structural, and compositional features via XRD, FESEM, EDAX, HRTEM, FTIR and XPS techniques. ZBV/GCE strongly promoted the oxidation current of ITP, as indicated in cyclic and square wave voltammograms. The electrocatalytic process was …

The analysis of drugs and toxicants in postmortem samples is a challenging task due to the complexity of the sample matrix and the low concentrations of the analytes. Over the last three decades, green sample preparation techniques such as sorbent-based and solvent-based microextraction methods have gained popularity as efficient and eco-friendly alternatives to traditional sample preparation methods. In this review article, we discuss various green sample preparation approaches that have been used for the analysis of drugs and toxicants in postmortem samples. The review article also highlights the potential future direction of green sample preparation techniques in postmortem toxicology. Finally, as an example, whiteness for selected analytical methods for determining antidepressants in postmortem samples has been evaluated by recently introduced RGB 12 algorithm. The information presented in this …

The Hubble tension refers to the discrepancy in the value of the Hubble constant inferred from the cosmic microwave background and the supernovae observations. In order to alleviate this tension, we propose a modification to the standard CDM model by replacing the cosmological constant with a dynamical scalar field in the framework of Horndeski gravity, which drives the late time accelerated expanding phase of the Universe. With a combination of the and terms of the Horndeski Lagrangian, we show that, it is possible to construct viable scenarios for alleviating the Hubble tension which are free from gradient and ghost instabilities and the superluminal propagation of the scalar and tensor perturbations. Working with two different classes of scalar field potentials and with appropriate choices of model parameters, we exhibit that one can obtain a large enough value of , so as to be consistent with the late Universe observations. Since these modifications are extremely small at early times, the corresponding deviations from the CDM cosmology are completely negligible at high redshifts.

As is well known, in order to generate magnetic fields of observed amplitudes during inflation, the conformal invariance of the electromagnetic field has to be broken by coupling it either to the inflaton or to the scalar curvature. Couplings to scalar curvature pose certain challenges even in slow roll inflation and it seems desirable to consider couplings to the inflaton. It can be shown that, in slow roll inflation, to generate nearly scale invariant magnetic fields of adequate strengths, the nonconformal coupling to the inflaton has to be chosen specifically depending on the inflationary model at hand. In a recent work, we had found that, when there arise sharp departures from slow roll inflation leading to strong features in the scalar power spectra, there inevitably arise sharp features in the spectra of the electromagnetic fields, unless the nonconformal coupling functions are extremely fine tuned. In particular, we had found …

In the recent years, primordial black holes (PBHs) have emerged as one of the most interesting and hotly debated topics in cosmology. Among other possibilities, PBHs could explain both some of the signals from binary black hole mergers observed in gravitational wave detectors and an important component of the dark matter in the Universe. Significant progress has been achieved both on the theory side and from the point of view of observations, including new models and more accurate calculations of PBH formation, evolution, clustering, merger rates, as well as new astrophysical and cosmological probes. In this work, we review, analyse and combine the latest developments in order to perform end-to-end calculations of the various gravitational wave signatures of PBHs. Different ways to distinguish PBHs from stellar black holes are emphasized. Finally, we discuss their detectability with LISA, the first planned gravitational-wave observatory in space.