Search

As air pollution is on the rise, providing cleaner air inside building is becoming an increasing demand. In this project, a PM 2.5 Air Dust sensor is employed to measure the concentration of minuscule dust particles in the air. The measured value is given as an input to the embedded module. The embedded module based on the magnitude of the measured value gives the control signal to the blower fan motor of the air purifier in terms of how fast it should rotate. This is a power efficient way to purify the air. When the concentration of dust is low, there is no need for the blower fan of the air purifier to be fast and send a high volume of air to be purified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this experiment was to understand pesticide residues persistence and their toxicity level in vegetables. In the present study pesticide residues in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and capsicum (Capsium annuum L.) vegetables cultivated in Tumakuru, Gubbi, Kunigal and Pavagada taluks in Tumkur district were analysed. In methodology, samples of 1 kg each were collected, cut into small pieces, macerated in a grinder and used for the analysis. Pesticides were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed tomato samples of Pavagada recorded acephate (0.346 mg/kg), dichlorvos (0.189 mg/kg), fenvalerate (0.057 mg/kg) and Tumakuru samples recorded phorate (0.072 mg/kg) residues higher than MRLs (Maximum residue levels). Chlorpyrifos, cyhalothrin-g and cypermethrin were below detection level (BDL) in all the samples. Cyfluthrin-ß recorded highest in Kunigal samples (0.294 mg/kg), Tumakuru and Gubbi samples showed BDL. Deltamethrin was highest in Pavagada (0.296 mg/kg) samples and Tumakuru and Kunigal samples revealed BDL. Pavagada samples (0.026 mg/kg) showed monocrotophos residues higher than MRLs. In capsicum samples, acephate residue was highest in Tumakuru samples (0.333 mg/kg), highest chlorpyrifos (0.153 mg/kg) in Kunigal samples, deltamethrin (0.381 mg/kg), fenvalerate (0.168 mg/kg) and phorate (0.089 mg/kg) residues were higher than MRLs in Pavagada samples. Cyfluthrin-ß (0.045 mg/kg) was high in Tumakuru and dichlorvos (0.042 mg/kg) high in Pavagada samples. Cyhalothrin-g, cypermethrin and monocrotophos were BDL in all the samples. An attempt has been made to assess the different pesticides usage and their adverse impacts on vegetables, which are backbone to afford assistance for an extensive array of investigators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substitutions by aliovalent cations on the Sr[sup 2+] and Bi[sup 3+] sites of ferroelectric SrBi[sub 2]Ta[sub 2]O[sub 9] (SBT) have been carried out, which result in modified dielectric and electrical properties of SBT. The substitution of 10 mole % Fe[sup 3+] for Sr[sup 2+] shows an increase of 80 °C in T[sub C], whereas Ca[sup 2+] substitution for Bi[sup 3+] gives rise to diffused and frequency dispersive dielectric maxima with a relaxor-like behavior. The presence of Ca[sup 2+] in the (Bi[sub 2]O[sub 2])[sup 2+] layers appears to enhance the mobility of charge carriers thus increasing the bulk conduction of the sample. On the other hand, Fe[sup 3+] addition in the perovskite-like units results in a sharp dielectric anomaly at the ferroelectric phase transition, with a bulk conductance similar to that of pure SBT compound, but with a reduced space charge relaxation time. The low temperature conductivity mechanism shows a frequency dependence, which can be ascribed to the space charge mainly due to the oxygen vacancies. The dielectric and conductivity properties of the Ca[sup 2+]-doped SBT make it a promising material for the fatigue resistance in device applications. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which examined the structural transitions of bismuth-iron-oxide/barium-titanium oxide solid solutions using impedance spectroscopy. Experimental details; Results and discussion; Conclusions.

Presents information on a study which determined the electrical and dielectric properties of doped barium-titanium oxide showing relaxor behavior. Experimental details; Results and discussion; Conclusions.

Provides information on a study which shows the dielectric relaxation in Ba0.96Bi0.04Ti0.96Fe0.04O3. How the experiment was conducted; Results and discussion of the study; Conclusion.

A novel method for the extraction of prodigiosin from bacterial fermentation was achieved using an integrated sequential batch extraction reactor (SBER) containing functionalized iron oxides ([Fe 3 O 4 ] F ). The [Fe 3 O 4 ] F was prepared using diethanolamine to impart quaternary amine group onto Fe 3 O 4 . The quaternary amine group imparted to Fe 3 O 4 enhanced the prodigiosin adsorption efficiency. Two SBER were integrated with the continuous fermenter for the continuous extraction of prodigiosin. The present investigation established a method to conserve solvent by about 95% during the prodigiosin extraction step. The proposed extraction method can be regarded as solvent free direct extraction of bacterial bioactive compounds from bacterial fermented medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In conventional steam plants, the efficiency mainly depends on the outlet steam temperature of boiler. The outlet steam temperature is maintained by subjecting different sections of boiler to high temperatures. In these harsh conditions boiler tubes undergo different degradation processes viz creep, fatigue, steamside oxidation, fireside corrosion and erosion. Therefore, life evaluation of boiler components is required at regular intervals of time for better functionality of power plant. Various life assessment techniques like microstructural evaluation, hardness measurements, Oxide scale measurements, Accelerated temperature tests are used for assessing the residual life of boiler tubes. In this paper, the creep life is estimated using destructive accelerated temperature tests on several T22 tubes from various sections of Platen Superheater, Final Superheater and Reheater of boiler. Accelerated temperature tests are carried out at higher temperatures under the nominal steam load and remaining life is estimated by extrapolating the results for the constant service temperature. But, the service temperature of tube never remains constant during a regular plant operation due to insulation effect of steamside oxidation and fireside corrosion. Further, during start up and shut down of plant, tubes undergo low cycle fatigue damage. Though, the life consumption of boiler tube due to fatigue is infinitesimal compared to creep because of thinner section of tubes. Therefore, the effect of cyclic operation is not considered, but the effect of steamside oxidation, fireside corrosion and erosion are incorporated in the accelerated temperature test results in estimating the residual life of boiler tubes. Further, these results are compared with the life obtained from Oxide scale thickness measurements carried out by Non-destructive Ultrasonic technique. In both the methods, metal temperature calculation using steady state conductive heat transfer equations play a crucial role in estimating the residual life. Mainly, these methods are based on thermal properties of oxide scale and short term stress rupture tests. Therefore, these methods can be applied for different grades of boiler materials such as T23, T24, T91 and T92 etc for residual life estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new perovskite solid solution system of (1−x)LaCrO3–xBiCrO3 has been prepared by conventional solid-state reaction and sintering processes at 1200°C in a sealed Pt tube or a Bi2O3-rich environment. A clean orthorhombic phase of LaCrO3-type structure is established at room temperature for compositions with 0⩽x⩽0.35. The relative density, lattice parameters, sintering mechanism, microstructure and ferroelectricity of the compounds are investigated. The substitution of Bi2O3 for La2O3 is found to decrease the unit cell volume and increase the grain size of the ceramics. The relative density of the ceramics sintered at 1200°C is significantly improved from 40% for LaCrO3 up to about 90% for La0.65Bi0.35CrO3 through a liquid phase sintering mechanism. The ferroelectricity is revealed in La1−xBixCrO3 with 0.1⩽x⩽0.35 by dielectric hysteresis loops displayed at 77 K. The remnant polarization is found to increase with increasing Bi3+ content. The origin of the ferroelectricity is attributed to the structural distortion induced by the stereochemically active Bi3+ ion on the A site. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, online social networks are extensively utilized, more than ever before by 8.4%, resulting in the propagation of false information related to COVID‐19. Despite the existence of many fake news detection models; annotation inconsistency, memory consumption, accurate and self‐trained efficient algorithms for detecting the emerging COVID‐19 misinformation tweets are still challenging. Hence, the main aim of this work is to come up with a self‐trained semi‐supervised model that accurately and automatically detects the reliability of emerging COVID‐19 tweets without delay. In this work, COVID‐19 tweet dataset is created in English Language from the period January 2020 to January 2022 as a ground truth database. Then self‐trained semi‐supervised hybrid deep learning model is proposed to train both supervised and unsupervised components simultaneously using the created dataset. The proposed model is self‐trained repeatedly and the model gets updated to predict the reliability of upcoming COVID‐19 tweets that differ from training tweets. We performed experiments multiple times by limiting the percentage amount of labelled tweets shown to the model, namely 80%, 50%, 40%, 30%, 20% and 10% labelled tweets, respectively. Experimental results show that the proposed model achieves 80.92% accuracy and 98.15% accuracy in the 10% and 80% label‐seen experiments, respectively. This shows a clear rising trend in the performance curve. Therefore, this technique will be useful for effectively classifying voluminous amounts of emerging tweets generated as part of the COVID‐19 infodemic. The proposed model may efficiently use a huge amount of unlabelled tweets and enhance the model's generalization performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hemorrhage is a significant complication associated with mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL). CT angiography (CTA) has emerged as a valuable tool for preoperative assessment of renal vasculature, potentially reducing the risk of hemorrhage during the procedure. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 100 patients who underwent mini-PCNL for renal calculi between January 2020 and December 2022. Preoperative CTA was performed on all patients to assess renal vascular anatomy. The degree of renal vascularization and presence of aberrant vessels were noted. Mini-PCNL procedures were then performed according to standard techniques. Results: Of the 100 patients, 25 (25%) exhibited aberrant renal vascular anatomy on CTA. The presence of aberrant vessels was associated with a significantly higher risk of intraoperative hemorrhage (p < 0.05). However, among patients with normal renal vascular anatomy, the incidence of hemorrhage was significantly lower. Additionally, patients with aberrant vessels required longer operative times and had higher rates of postoperative complications. Conclusion: Preoperative assessment with CTA provides valuable insights into renal vascular anatomy, allowing for the identification of aberrant vessels that may predispose patients to intraoperative hemorrhage during mini-PCNL. Incorporating CTA into the preoperative workup can aid in surgical planning and risk stratification, potentially reducing the incidence of hemorrhage and improving procedural outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Insulinomas are rare tumours with an annual incidence of 1 to 4 per million persons and about 10% of them have multiple endocrine neoplasia-1 (MEN-1). About 70-80% of insulinomas in MEN-1 are multiple with a 21% recurrence rate. Hence it is important to undertake a thorough preoperative and intraoperative screening to avoid incomplete surgeries. Objective: Profile the patients of Insulinoma with MEN-1 in a tertiary care centre. Materials and Methods: Clinical, biochemical and radiological data of all the patients diagnosed to have Insulinoma with MEN-1 from May-2011 to April 2012 was analysed. Results: There were 2 male and 1 female patients. The average duration of symptoms was 6 years and 2 had neuroglycopenic symptoms. Insulinoma was localized in all patients with MRI abdomen and endoscopic ultrasonography. All had double lesions with recurrence in one patient. All had hyperparathyroidism, 2 had pituitary tumours among which 1 patient had a microprolactinoma and the other had acromegaly with associated thymic carcinoid, gastrinoma with liver metastasis, and non-functioning adrenal adenoma, 2 patients had collagenomas. Two were sporadic and 1 was familial with 3 family members having hyperparathyroidism. Two patients underwent excision successfully and the third patient deferred surgical intervention. Conclusion: Screening for MEN-1 should be done in all patients with Insulinoma. Collagenomas are an important clue to MEN-1. Management of insulinoma in MEN-1 is a challenge in view of the multicentricity and increased risk of recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difficulties in synthesizing phase pure BiFeO[sub 3] are well known. In this letter we are reporting the optimized synthesis conditions for obtaining phase pure BiFeO[sub 3] ceramic. The oxide mixing technique followed by leaching with dilute nitric acid has been used for the synthesis. X-ray diffraction pattern indicated that the sample is phase pure. Scanning electron microscopy along with energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis confirmed the chemical homogeneity of the sample. No segregation of the impurity phase in the matrix was detected. Moreover, Bi/Fe atomic ratio is observed to be ∼1. The ferroelectric transition of the sample at 836 °C has been detected by differential thermal analysis. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BaTiO[sub 3] shows relaxation effects when minute concentrations of Bi[sup +3] and Fe[sup +3] are added in varying molar ratios. Addition of Bi[sup +3] at the A site reduces the transition maximum (T[sub m]), whereas Fe[sup +3] addition at the B site reduces the value of dielectric constant. Doping of Bi[sup +3] and Fe[sup +3] in equimolar ratios shows a positive shift in relaxation, while excess addition of either of the dopants produces a negative shift in the transition maximum with increasing frequency. Relaxation effects follow the Vogel-Fulcher law for spin glasses. The dielectric loss also shows relaxation effects. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vitamin A and its metabolites are known to modulate adipose tissue development and its associated complications. Here, we assessed the vitamin A status and its metabolic pathway gene expression in relation to sexual dimorphism by employing 35 days old C57BL/6J male and female mice, which were fed either stock or high fat (HF) diet for 26 weeks. HF diet feeding increased body weight/weight gain and white adipose tissue (WAT) of visceral and subcutaneous regions, however, increase in vitamin A levels observed only in subcutaneous WAT. Further, the expression of most of the vitamin A metabolic pathway genes showed no sexual dimorphism. The observed HF diet-induced hyperglycaemia in male corroborates with increased retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) levels in plasma and its expression in visceral adipose depots. In conclusion, the male mice are susceptible to high fat diet-induced hyperglycaemia and display higher plasma RBP4 levels, possibly due to its over-expression in visceral adipose depots. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) is known to play an important catalytic role in the final step of triglyceride biosynthesis. High fat diet fed DGAT1 knockout mice were resistant to weight gain and exhibited increased insulin and leptin sensitivity thereby indicating a plausible role for DGAT1 inhibitors in the treatment of obesity. 4-Phenylpiperidine-1-carbonyl cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (compound 6, DGAT1 IC50 = 57 nM) has been lately reported as a potent DGAT1 inhibitor. In our search for newer scaffolds possessing potent DGAT1 activity we undertook a systematic diversification of compound 6 to identify a 4-(5-phenylthiazole-2-carboxamido)cyclohexanecarboxylic acid scaffold. Further linker optimization of this scaffold identified compound 9e (DGAT1 IC50 = 14.8 nM) as a potent DGAT1 inhibitor. Coupled with its in vitro potency, compound 9e also exhibited 112 percent plasma triglyceride reduction at a 3 mpk dose in an oral fat tolerance test (FTT) when studied in Swiss mice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Devises new on-line methods and parameters to quickly understand the pressure distribution patterns under the soles of diabetic subjects with neuropathic feet that are possibly responsible for ulcer formation. Principle of on-line foot pressure measurement; Foot pressure parameters; Comparison of pressure contact ratio between normal and diabetic subjects.

Cyber-attacks are increasing day by day. The generation of data by the population of the world is immensely escalated. The advancements in technology, are intern leading to more chances of vulnerabilities to individual's personal data. Across the world it became a very big challenge to bring down the threats to data security. These threats are not only targeting the user data and also destroying the whole network infrastructure in the local or global level, the attacks could be hardware or software. Central objective of this paper is to design an intrusion detection system using ensemble learning specifically Decision Trees with distinctive feature selection univariate ANOVA-F test. Decision Trees has been the most popular among ensemble learning methods and it also outperforms among the other classification algorithm in various aspects. With the essence of different feature selection techniques, the performance found to be increased more, and the detection outcome will be less prone to false classification. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with F-statistics computations could be a reasonable criterion to choose distinctives features in the given network traffic data. The mentioned technique is applied and tested on NSL KDD network dataset. Various performance measures like accuracy, precision, F-score and Cross Validation curve have drawn to justify the ability of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Evaluation of the drug utilization pattern, therapeutic effect, and safety of analgesics among postoperative patients In a tertiary care teaching hospital, Bengaluru Is the main objective of this study. Methods: A prospective observational cross-sectional study had been conducted for 6 months. Data were collected from the Departments of Orthopedics, Obstetrics, and Gynecology and Intensive Care Units, after getting approval from the Institutional Research and Ethics Committee and were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Most frequently prescribed analgesics with their pain-relieving effect and duration of sleep were assessed by utilizing the Rating Scale of Wong- Baker Faces and the Pain and Sleep Questionnaire three-ltem Index. Results: We observed 158 post-operative patients, of which 42.4% (67) were male and 57.5 (91) were of the female gender. The average age of all the patients was between 18 and 80 years. Among all the analgesics (tramadol, paracetamol, and diclofenac) that were prescribed, Intramuscular administration was the most preferred route. Diclofenac as alone and its combinations were found to be the frequently prescribed analgesic with a pain score of 82% as alone, and while In combination, it reduced the pain by 85% from its baseline value in postoperative patients. Correlating the sleep score with pain, it was found that there was a drastic increase in the sleep score of the patients as the pain had subsided. Conclusion: Thus, this study suggested that post-operative pain control was able to be achieved by no opioid drug diclofenac alone itself and opioid analogs had been added to patients for whom pain relief could not be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Biphenyl carboxylic acids, exemplified by compound 5, are known potent inhibitors of diacylglycerol acyltransferase, DGAT1, an enzyme involved in the final committed step of triglyceride biosynthesis. We have synthesized and evaluated 2-phenylthiazole, 4-phenylthiazole, and 5-phenylthiazole analogs as DGAT1 inhibitors. The 5-phenylthiazole series exhibited potent DGAT1 inhibition when evaluated using an in vitro enzymatic assay and an in vivo fat tolerance test in mice. Compound 33 (IC50 = 23 nM) exhibiting promising oral pharmacokinetic parameters (AUCinf = 7058 ng*h/ml, T 1/2 = 0.83 h) coupled with 87 percent reduction of plasma triglycerides in vivo may serve as a lead for developing newer anti-obesity agents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Diacylglycerol acyltransferase, DGAT1, is a promising target enzyme for obesity due to its involvement in the committed step of triglyceride biosynthesis. Amino biphenyl carboxylic acids, exemplified by compound 4, are known potent inhibitors of hDGAT1. However the high cLogP and poor solubility of these biphenyl analogs might tend to limit their development. We have synthesized and evaluated compounds containing 3-phenylisoxazole, 5-phenyloxazole, and 3-phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole biaryl units for their hDGAT1 inhibition. Our aim in synthesizing such heterocyclic analogs was to improve the cLogP and solubility of these molecules while retaining hDGAT1 potency. Several compounds within the 3-phenylisoxazole series exhibited potent hDGAT1 inhibition when evaluated using an in vitro enzymatic assay. Certain promising compounds were studied for their potential to reduce triglyceride levels using an in vivo fat tolerance test in mice and were also evaluated for any possible improvement to their solubility. Compound 40a (IC50 = 64 nM) with an in vivo plasma triglyceride reduction of 90 percent, and a solubility of 0.43 mg/ml at pH 7.4 may serve as a new lead for developing newer anti-obesity agents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Six Jersey crossbred cows aged 4-6 years brought to Madras Veterinary College Hospital with history of reduced milk yield formed the basis of this study. A total of 24 quarter milk samples were collected aseptically and examined for the colour, consistency, odour, pH, somatic cell count (SCC), electrical conductivity (EC), modified white side test (MWST) and modified California mastitis test (MCMT) as per standard procedures. The colour, consistency and odour of the subclincial mastitis (SCM) were found to be normal. The subclinical mastitis (SCM) milk pH, SCC, EC, MWST and MCMT were found to be significantly elevated (P<0.01) during the pretreatment stage and these values significantly reduced following single treatment of long acting Inj. Enrofloxacina. In the present study, 100 percent quarter cure was observed and the clinical cases recovered completely from SCM on the fourth day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out guidelines for managing radiation exposure incidents involving patients in diagnostic and interventional radiology. The work is based on collation of experiences from representatives of international and national organizations for radiologists, medical physicists, radiographers, regulators, and equipment manufacturers, derived from an International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Meeting. More serious overexposures can result in skin doses high enough to produce tissue reactions, in interventional procedures and computed tomography, most notably from perfusion studies. A major factor involved has been deficiencies in training of staff in operation of equipment and optimization techniques. The use of checklists and time outs before procedures commence, and dose alerts when critical levels are reached during procedures, can provide safeguards to reduce the risks of these effects occurring. However, unintended and accidental overexposures resulting in relatively small additional doses can take place in any diagnostic or interventional x-ray procedure and it is important to learn from errors that occur, as these may lead to increased risks of stochastic effects. Such events may involve the wrong examinations, procedural errors, or equipment faults. Guidance is given on prevention, investigation, and dose calculation for radiology exposure incidents within healthcare facilities. Responsibilities should be clearly set out in formal policies, and procedures should be in place to ensure that root causes are identified and deficiencies addressed. When an overexposure of a patient or an unintended exposure of a foetus occurs, the foetal, organ, skin, and/or effective dose may be estimated from exposure data. When doses are very low, generic values for the examination may be sufficient, but a full assessment of doses to all exposed organs and tissues may sometimes be required. The use of general terminology to describe risks from stochastic effects is recommended rather than the calculation of numerical values, as these are misleading when applied to individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]