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The study is conducted to examine the climate change impact on rice Crop Water Requirement (CWR) and Net Irrigation Requirement (NIR) using the NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projection (NEX-GDDP) coupled with the CROPWAT 8.0 model. The maximum temperature (Tmax), minimum temperature (Tmin), and rainfall projections for the baseline (years 1981–2015) and future (years 2030 and 2040) under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 were derived from NEX-GDDP. To reduce the bias, linear scaling (LS) and the modified difference approach (MDA) were employed. Results show that LS performed better than the MDA along with improved statistical measures such as mean (μ), standard deviation (σ), and percent bias (Pbias), in the case of Tmax and Tmin (μ = 31.14 and 19.63 °C, σ = 5.75 and 6.78 °C, Pbias = 1.43 and 0.33%), followed by rainfall (μ = 2.67 mm, σ = 4.94 mm, and Pbias = 2.4%). The future climatic projections showed an increasing trend in both Tmax and Tmin, which are expected to increase by 1.7 °C by 2040. This would cause an increased range of 1.2 and 2% in 2030 and 2040, respectively. Due to a wide variation in effective rainfall (Peff), NIR could increase by 4 and 9% in 2030 and 2040, respectively. The above results may help formulate adaptation measures to alleviate the impacts of climate change on rice production. HIGHLIGHTS Global Climate Model (GCM) data should not be used directly in crop growth models.; To reduce bias corrections, linear scaling performs better than the modified difference approach.; The average seasonal irrigation water requirement for rice crops would vary from 4 to 9% by the year 2040 as compared to the baseline.;

Introduction The effects of COVID-19 infection persist beyond the active phase. Comprehensive description and analysis of the post COVID sequelae in various population groups are critical to minimise the long-term morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. This analysis was conducted with an objective to estimate the frequency of post COVID sequelae and subsequently, design a framework for holistic management of post COVID morbidities.Methods Follow-up data collected as part of a registry-based observational study in 31 hospitals across India since September 2020–October 2022 were used for analysis. All consenting hospitalised patients with COVID-19 are telephonically followed up for up to 1 year post-discharge, using a prestructured form focused on symptom reporting.Results Dyspnoea, fatigue and mental health issues were reported among 18.6%, 10.5% and 9.3% of the 8042 participants at first follow-up of 30–60 days post-discharge, respectively, which reduced to 11.9%, 6.6% and 9%, respectively, at 1-year follow-up in 2192 participants. Patients who died within 90 days post-discharge were significantly older (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.03), with at least one comorbidity (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.31, 2.35), and a higher proportion had required intensive care unit admission during the initial hospitalisation due to COVID-19 (aOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.06) and were discharged at WHO ordinal scale 6–7 (aOR: 49.13 95% CI: 25.43, 94.92). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (at least one dose) was protective against such post-discharge mortality (aOR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.03).Conclusion Hospitalised patients with COVID-19 experience a variety of long-term sequelae after discharge from hospitals which persists although in reduced proportions until 12 months post-discharge. Developing a holistic management framework with engagement of care outreach workers as well as teleconsultation is a way forward in effective management of post COVID morbidities as well as reducing mortality.

Aluminium metal matrix composites are highly dominated composites for various applications such as military, marine, aircraft, aerospace and automobile because of their corrosion resistance, tribological and mechanical properties. In this research, aluminium alloy 5032 composite reinforced with SiCnp (4, 8, 12 and 16 wt.%) was manufactured using stir casting method and subjected to various mechanical, metallurgical and wear tests. The novelty of this research lies in the fabrication and characterization of Al5032/SiCnp composites, which has been not done before. The Energy Dispersive X ray analysis (EDAX) was used to examine the presence of SiC in Al5032 matrix and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was employed to examine the microstructure of the composite. Further micro hardness, wear resistance, tensile and impact tests were carried out. The aforesaid properties increases upto 12 wt.% addition of silicon carbide in Al5032 alloy and thereafter reduces. The nanocomposite Al5032/12wt.%SiC exhibits 98 HV, 256 MPa tensile strength, 19 MPa impact strength and 5 mg wear loss.

A nonlinear chaos generator scheme derived from a mechanical triple pendulum physical system is proposed here. The chaotic behavior of the proposed generator is validated against various standardized tests, such as the Lyapunov exponents test, bifurcation diagrams, sensitivity to parametric and to initial values, ergodicity, key space and sensitivity, histogram, correlation, NPCR and UACI, collision test, etc. and compared with existing contemporary methods. The generated chaotic map is utilized to develop various cryptography applications, such as PRNG and symmetric key encryption schemes, which are realized on an FPGA and an ASIC. Chaos-based PRNG is validated successfully using $NIST-SP800$ benchmarks. The proposed encryption scheme illustrates its usage in low power, high throughput applications, where the power consumption, resource utilization, and throughput are $1.785\times $ , $1.825\times $ , and $2.396\times $ better than other known contemporary chaos-based encryption methods. The average power and area of its ASIC implementation at 180-nm technology are 61.8836 mW and 0.20374 mm2 at 250 MHz.

Background: In approximately 25% of peripheral neuropathy cases, diagnosis remains obscure. In India, leprosy continues to remain one of the most frequent causes of peripheral neuropathy. We, in this prospective evaluation, performed nerve biopsies in patients with peripheral neuropathy for early confirmation of the diagnosis. Materials and Methods: A total of 55 consecutive cases of peripheral neuropathy were included in this study. All patients were subjected to clinical and electrophysiological evaluation. Sural nerve biopsies were performed in all the patients. Result: After a nerve biopsy in 29 cases, we were able to identify the underlying cause of peripheral neuropathy. In 26 cases, the diagnosis remained obscure. The most frequent histopathological diagnosis was leprosy, which was seen in 20 cases. Other diagnoses were chronic demyelinating neuropathy (four cases), vasculitis (two cases), and amyloidosis in one case. In two biopsies, the findings were consistent with hereditary neuropathies. The demonstration of lepra bacilli was the most distinctive feature. In addition, foamy macrophages (100%) and granuloma (100%) formation, epineurial (83.3%) and endoneurial infiltration (69%) along with epineurial (87.5%) and perineurial thickening (77.3%) were also noted more frequently in leprosy-associated neuropathy. Conclusion: The nerve biopsies revealed that leprosy was the most common etiology in patients with peripheral neuropathy. In approximately 47% of the cases, even nerve biopsies failed to establish a confirmed diagnosis.

Apoptosis regulates keratinocytic proliferation and formation of stra-tum corneum in skin and is regulated by proteins like BCL-2 which con-trols cell survival and p53 which regulates cell death. Dysfunctional apoptosis plays an important role in development of hyperproliferative skin disorders including non-tumorigenic, pre-tumorigenic and tumor-igenic conditions. Therefore, we conducted a study to analyze the ex-pression pattern of apoptosis regulating protein BCL-2 in keratinocytic hyperproliferative lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare BCL-2 expression in various non-tumorigenic, pre-tumorigenic and tumorigenic keratinocytic hyperproliferative lesions. Skin biopsies of hyperproliferative keratinocytic lesions were studied from October 2018 to September 2020. The cases were categorized into 3 groups based on histological diagnosis (non-tumorigenic, pre-tumorigenic and tumorigenic). Following this, IHC for BCL-2 was performed on all cases using standard protocol. Tumorigenic lesions included 7 cases of SCC, pre-tumorigenic included 6 cases of seboherric keratosis, 2 cas-es of condyloma acuminata, 1 case of epidermodysplasia verruciform-is and 1 case of actinic keratosis, while the remaining 35 cases were non-tumorigenic, including psoriasis (6 cases), verruca vulgaris (4 cas-es), lichen planus (12 cases), chronic dermatitis (9 cases) and lichen simplex chronicus (4 cases). BCL-2 average weighted score in non-tumorigenic lesions was (1.25±1.13) as compared with pre-tumorigenic and tumorigenic lesions (5.30±3.32) and thus showing a significant p value (p [J Med Allied Sci. 2021; 11(2):114-119]

Morphological parameters are linked with the hydrological behaviour of the watershed. It helps to understand different basin characteristics. Characterization of quantitative morphology and river basin analysis is the way to implement proper river basin planning and management of soil and water conservation measures. In the present study, Cartosat-1 Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was used in Geographic Information System (GIS) environment to determine the morphometric parameters (stream length, stream order, stream frequency, bifurcation ratio, form factor, drainage density, circulatory ratio, etc.) of the Ranikhola watershed of Sikkim state, India. The slope of a major portion of the watershed area was found to be less than 30% (42 km2) and has a drainage density of 0.585 km-1. The lower value of drainage density in the watershed indicates a relatively lower streams frequency over the watershed. The elongation ratio, form factor, and circulatory ratio were estimated as 0.665, 0.347, and 0.510, respectively, which indicate that the watershed is elongated in shape, having gentle slopes and long flow paths. The relief ratio for the watershed was estimated to be 0.187, which indicates the watershed has a low elevation difference, low runoff, and high groundwater potential. This kind of morphometric analysis is required for the watershed characterization and helps to understand the hydrogeological behavior of the watershed.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) of the orbit is a very rare entity. We report a case of a 10-year-old boy having progressive protrusion of the eyeball, restricted ocular motility, ptosis, and ocular pain for 2 months. On examination, a fixed, nontender, firm, hyperemic, nonpulsatile globular mass was palpated in the superomedial quadrant of the orbit. Computed tomography scans of the orbit depicted a well-defined, soft tissue density lesion within the orbit without evidence of any bone defect or erosion. Surgical resection of the encapsulated lesion through anterior orbitotomy followed by histopathology and immunohistochemistry examination confirmed the diagnoses of PNET. The patient has been on regular follow-up for 2 years and has shown no sign of recurrence.

Fragmented spectrum allocations at RF and mm-Wave, increased use of carrier aggregation/MIMO and dense spectrum-reuse in wireless links has led to interest in the design of integrated wideband, high-linearity MIMO RX that provide low noise, blocker tolerance and reconfigurability across signal domains. In this paper, receive architectures for wide operating range and blocker tolerance are presented with a focus on recent developments in reconfigurable N-path receivers. Generalized sequence-mixing architectures that support reconfigurable frequency/spatial/code-domain rejection and filtering are described along with directions of research extending operation to wider bandwidths and higher frequencies.

Aim: Research suggests that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is heterogeneous with numerous subtypes. Through a proprietary interactive ML system, several underlying biological mechanisms associated with AD pathology were uncovered. This paper is an introduction to emerging analytic efforts that can more precisely elucidate the heterogeneity of AD. Methods: A public AD data set (GSE84422) consisting of transcriptomic data of postmortem brain samples from healthy controls (n = 121) and AD (n = 380) subjects was analyzed. Data were processed by an artificial intelligence platform designed to discover potential drug repurposing candidates, followed by an interactive augmented intelligence program. Results: Using perspective analytics, six perspective classes were identified: Class I is defined by TUBB1, ASB4, and PDE5A; Class II by NRG2 and ZNF3; Class III by IGF1, ASB4, and GTSE1; Class IV is defined by cDNA FLJ39269, ITGA1, and CPM; Class V is defined by PDE5A, PSEN1, and NDUFS8; and Class VI is defined by DCAF17, cDNA FLJ75819, and SLC33A1. It is hypothesized that these classes represent biological mechanisms that may act alone or in any combination to manifest an Alzheimer’s pathology. Conclusions: Using a limited transcriptomic public database, six different classes that drive AD were uncovered, supporting the premise that AD is a heterogeneously complex disorder. The perspective classes highlighted genetic pathways associated with vasculogenesis, cellular signaling and differentiation, metabolic function, mitochondrial function, nitric oxide, and metal ion metabolism. The interplay among these genetic factors reveals a more profound underlying complexity of AD that may be responsible for the confluence of several biological factors. These results are not exhaustive; instead, they demonstrate that even within a relatively small study sample, next-generation machine intelligence can uncover multiple genetically driven subtypes. The models and the underlying hypotheses generated using novel analytic methods may translate into potential treatment pathways.

Background: Pap smear examination has been universally used as an effective screening tool for early detection of cervical carcinoma. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of Cervical Acid Phosphatase staining as an adjunct to routine Pap smear testing to improvethe sensitivity and specificity of routine Pap smear examination for cervical cancer detection. Materials and Methods: Cervical smears were taken from patients attending the gynecology department and a few cervical cancer screening programmes. One set of slides were alcohol fixed and stained with rapid pap stain and another set of slides were fixed in a special fixative and stained with Cervical Acid Phosphatase -Pap stain. The nuclear features of these Cervical Acid Phosphatase stained dysplastic cells was studied on Pap stain to diagnose cervical intraepithelial lesion/ malignancy. Results: Out of 489 cases included in the study 6 cases were diagnosed with intraepithelial lesion/ malignancy. On Cervical Acid Phosphatase -Pap stain 2 of the cases diagnosed as inflammatory smears on pap stain showed Cervical Acid Phosphatase positivity and thus were re evaluated. Mild nuclear atypia was observed in the Cervical Acid Phosphatase positive cells and these cases were diagnosed as Low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and later biopsy proven to be Cervical intraepithelial Neoplasia I. Therefore Cervical Acid Phosphatase -Pap test was 100% sensitive and specific for cervical cancer detection. Conclusions: With 100% sensitivity Cervical Acid Phosphatase -Pap test satisfies the criteria of an efficient screening test.

Use of living donor has expanded the pool of potential transplant recipients. We have outlined here the indications, contraindications, donor workup and surgical technique of modified right liver graft retrieval, recipient hepatectomy, benching and recipient implantation in brief.

We analyzed the data of 102 confirmed patients with novel Coronavirus 2 infection (COVID-19) during the early period of nationwide lockdown announced in India after the declaration of pandemic. We analyzed epidemiological, clinical characteristics and outcome of hospitalization in 102 patients with positive results for novel corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) RNA testing which were traced on the basis of history of travel, contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case, resident of hotspot areas or presence of symptoms, thus providing an accurate estimate of the proportion of asymptomatic cases in the initial population. Of 102 patients enrolled in the study, 83.3% (85/102) were asymptomatic and 16.67% (17/102) were symptomatic. Seventy-seven (75.49%) were males and 24.50% (25/102) were females. Eighteen (17.6%) patients had associated comorbidities, the most prevalent of which were diabetes mellitus 10.8% (11/102), hypertension 7.8% (8/102), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in 3.92% (4/102), chronic kidney Disease (CKD) 0.98% (1/102), coronary artery Disease (CAD) 0.98% (1/102) and cerebro-vascular disease (CVD) 0.98% (1/102). The clinical spectrum among symptomatic COVID-19 patients varied from dry cough and fever to respiratory failure and multi-organ failure. Twelve (11.76%) patients were kept in intensive care unit (ICU). Ninety-nine (97.05%) patients recovered while three (2.94%) died during hospital stay. With majority of COVID-19 cases in India being asymptomatic, changes in biochemical and inflammatory profile were small and insignificant in asymptomatic patients when compared to symptomatic patients. Elevated NLR, lymphopenia, age and presence of comorbidities were associated with increased severity and poor outcome.

Introduction: Carbapenems are broad spectrum β Lactam antibiotics & are the last resort to control infections caused by gram negative bacteria. The increasing resistance to these antibiotics is an alarming sign. CRE (Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae) is reported due to acquisition of carbapenemase genes or association with decreased outer membrane permeability with β lactamases with weak carbapenemase activity. Methods: Total 123 culture positive blood samples from our tertiary care hospital were included in which carbapenem resistance was identified and the resistant strains were assessed for carbapenemase production by Modified Hodge Test (MHT) & Modified Carbapenemase inactivation method (mCIM) simultaneously. Results: Out of total 896 blood samples received, 123 isolates were members of Enterobacteriaceae family. The maximum isolates were Escherichia coli 39(31.70%) next was Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella aerogenes, Citrobacter freundii. Carbapenem resistance was seen in 19(15.44%) isolates. The positivity rate by MHT was 11 (57.89%) while by mCIM was 17(89.47%). Conclusion: Prevalence of carbapenem resistance was 15.44%.

Background: Ultrasound (US) including power Doppler (PD) are increasingly being used to evaluate joint involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Aim of this study was to evaluate joint involvement in RA by US including PD and gray scale imaging and its comparison with conventional radiographic changes and correlation with disease activity parameters. Methods: Patients with RA of less than 3.5 years disease duration were subjected to detailed clinical examination and laboratory investigations. After X-ray imaging (posterior-anterior view) of both hand joints, PD and gray scale US examination of 14 joints of both hands was performed and mean cumulative flow signal score (CFS) was calculated. Disease activity score (DAS28) was also calculated for each patient. Results: Out of total 57 patients evaluated, 54 had abnormal findings on US as compared to only 17 having radiographic abnormalities. US could detect erosions in 29 patients including all of the fourteen patients who had radiographically detectable erosions. On US evaluation, radiocarpal joint was involved most frequently. The mean CFS was 1.17 ± 1.64 in patients who were in remission (DAS28 5.1). The difference in CFS among these groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01). In 5 out of 12 patients with DAS28

Background: To study renal functions in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and compare with matched healthy controls and correlation between renal function parameters and disease activity markers. Methods: Renal functions of forty cases with AS and the same number of age- and sex-matched individuals were evaluated. Disease activity was assessed using Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index scores, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Results: Among AS cases, 31 AS cases (77.50%) had renal function abnormalities including hematuria (20%), proteinuria (30%), albuminuria (52.50%), increased 24 h urine protein (22%), raised serum creatinine (17%), and reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (37%). Among healthy controls, 20/40 (50%) had renal function abnormalities including albuminuria (15%), raised serum creatinine (7.50%), and reduced GFR (20%). Abnormal renal functions were significantly more in AS cases (31/40, 77%) than healthy controls (20/40, 50%) (P < 0.05). Renal function abnormalities were more frequent among AS cases having elevated markers of disease activity. Renal abnormalities were more prevalent in cases taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for < 48 months than cases taking these drugs for ≥48 months, suggesting that these renal abnormalities were probably not due to NSAIDs-induced nephropathy but may be due to AS itself. Conclusions: In this study with small number of participants abnormalities in the renal function were common in patients with AS. No significant correlation was found between renal functions and markers of disease activity.

Objective: To assess the correlation of serum C-peptide level to carotid intima media thickness (a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis) and risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in type 2 diabetes patients as determined by United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) risk engine. Materials and Methods: About 101 cases of diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 (diagnosed according to American Diabetes Association 2007 criteria) were subjected to detail clinical examination and laboratory investigations. The intima media thickness of both carotid arteries (CIMT) was measured for each patient with color Doppler. The risk of CVD was calculated using UKPDS risk engine. Observations: Age of subjects, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-DL (LDL), homocysteine, CIMT, and the 10 years CVD risk according to the UKPDS were significantly different across the C-peptide quartiles (P for trend

The purpose of the study is to examine the effect of subliminal priming in terms of the perception of images influenced by words with positive, negative, and neutral emotional content, through electroencephalograms (EEGs). Participants were instructed to rate how much they like the stimuli images, on a 7-point Likert scale, after being subliminally exposed to masked lexical prime words that exhibit positive, negative, and neutral connotations with respect to the images. Simultaneously, the EEGs were recorded. Statistical tests such as repeated measures ANOVAs and two-tailed paired-samples t-tests were performed to measure significant differences in the likability ratings among the three prime affect types; the results showed a strong shift in the likeness judgment for the images in the positively primed condition compared to the other two. The acquired EEGs were examined to assess the difference in brain activity associated with the three different conditions. The consistent results obtained confirmed the overall priming effect on participants' explicit ratings. In addition, machine learning algorithms such as support vector machines (SVMs), and AdaBoost classifiers were applied to infer the prime affect type from the ERPs. The highest classification rates of 95.0% and 70.0% obtained respectively for average-trial binary classifier and average-trial multi-class further emphasize that the ERPs encode information about the different kinds of primes.

Spontaneous transvaginal bowel evisceration is a rare surgical emergency with only a few cases reported and particularly postmenopausal, posthysterectomy, multiparous elderly women are considered to be at higher risk for development of bowel evisceration. It is difficult to manage such a patient for any surgeon and poses significant challenges especially intraoperatively. Here, we report a case of vaginal vault rupture with small bowel evisceration through the vagina in a known case of uterine prolapse and highlight the risk factors, clinical presentation, and treatment options for this rare surgical emergency.

Aim. Increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality have been observed in ankylosing spondylitis because of accelerated atherosclerosis. We measured carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) as a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis in this study. Methods. In this study 37 cases of AS and the same number of matched individuals were recruited. CIMT measurements were done using B-mode ultrasound. Disease activity was assessed using Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), and Bath ankylosing spondylitis metrological index (BASMI) scores and C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) levels. Results. Mean age of the study groups was 29.43 ± 9.00 years. Average disease duration was 65.62 ± 54.92 months. Twenty-eight (75.68%) of cases were HLA B-27 positive. A significantly increased CIMT was observed in cases as compared to control group (0.62 ± 0.12 versus 0.54 ± 0.04; P