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The fast growth of the web generates a significant amount of heterogeneous information such as images, text, audio, and video through various applications. These applications use different layouts to represent significant information. The layouts of table information are overloaded with anomalies that have given rise to intensive research into the semantification of web content and organizing tabular data for knowledge sharing and acquisition. Moreover, there are many anomalies present in tabular layouts that lead to the lack of semantic representation in tabular form and new challenges in data modeling. In this paper, we have discussed the various anomalies present in the tabular data that pertain to ontology learning and population tasks and provide the semantification of tabular data. To complete this task, (1) we provide the list of anomalies that pertain to semantification and provide the resolution to anomalies along with the semantification of tabular data, and (2) we have established the algorithm to interpret the table structure into a formal representation to analyze anomalies and provide the resolution. Furthermore, the proposed approach has been compared with existing approaches using ontology elements, the ability to resolve the anomalies, and the time complexity of the ontology population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A MANET is a decentralized type of wireless network of mobile devices, and it can also be defined as an autonomous system of nodes. All the nodes in the network are connected by wireless links and are mobile. They can come together and form a network without any support from any existing network infrastructure. MANET is a new field of study based on blockchain in a wireless ad hoc environment. However, the main challenge for blockchain applications in ad hoc networks is how to adapt to the extreme computational complexity of block validation while preserving the characteristics of the blockchain and including nodes in the validation process. This article proposes a blockchain-based mobile network (MANET) with an ensemble algorithm. The proposed scheme provides a distributed environment for MANETS routing using a blockchain based on the Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT) protocol. Taking advantage of the better approach of mobile ad hoc networking (BATMAN) to incorporate the concept of blockchain into the MANET as a representative protocol. The proposed method named Extended-BATMAN (E-BATMAN) incorporates the concept of blockchain into the BATMAN protocol using MANET. As a secure, distributed, and reliable platform, Blockchain solves most BFT security issues, with each node performing repeated security operations individually. The experimental analysis of the proposed ensemble algorithm is based on four parameters such as packet delivery rate, average end-to-end latency, network throughput, and energy. All of these parameters show better results with the proposed ensemble protocol than with existing state-of-the-art protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent technological breakthroughs have had a significant impact on wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) technology in the metal manufacturing industry. Current and tool speed are the essential factors influencing the bead quality in WAAM, and experiments were conducted to optimize these parameters. Central composite design was applied for the deposition of beads, and their responses (bead width, height, depth of penetration and surface roughness) were measured using the coordinate measuring machine and 3D profilometer. Analysis of variance was applied to check the validity of the actual and predicted models. In this research, the morphology, microstructure, microhardness and wear behavior of the aluminum alloy ER-4043 were examined. Specimens were deposited using robotic gas metal arc welding (GMAW), using a 1.2 mm wire diameter, a constant current of 250 A and varying tool speed from 7 to 11 mm/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kojic acid is a valuable compound that contributes to various therapeutic and cosmetic applications. Organic nitrogen partially contributes to fermentation and mostly prefers cell growth as well as increases production costs. This study aims to find the effect of low-cost inorganic nitrogen in the form of ammonium chloride on kojic acid production from fungal isolate Aspergillus sp. BU20S. A 3.63-times increase in the kojic acid (4.43 ± 0.47 g/L) was found when only the ammonium chloride was supplemented in glucose (10 g/L) medium than other minimal salts. The product formation was 2.52 ± 0.56 g/L in ammonium chloride as compared to 2.02 ± 0.06 g/L yeast extract after 10 days. The carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N) was found optimal as 15 (molecular C/N: 23.58) which gives a high titer of 5.17 ± 0.84 g/L from 10 g/L of glucose. At this optimal molecular nitrogen value, the nitrogen supplement cost can be reduced by 93–99% compared to yeast extract. The antimicrobial potential of kojic acid purified from the fermented broth was also studied against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The purified kojic acid showed a ~ 20 mm zone of inhibition at a 2.5 mg dose loaded over 7.4 × 109 CFU/mL of MRSA. This study concludes that only ammonium chloride is a sufficient inorganic nitrogen source to produce kojic acid and is useful in reducing production costs. The purified kojic acid is also an effective antimicrobial agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water-diesel emulsion fuel has been found as a prominent alternative fuel by various researchers. Alike this technology, cow-urine (Bos indicus urine) emulsified diesel fuel (GMD emulsion) has been explored in this study. Making of homogeneous and stable emulsion is a crucial aspect in this approach while maintaining the diesel standards. Hence, the applicability of this fuel has been examined based on physicochemical properties for diesel engine application. The stability was assessed by creaming index, droplet size, Pdi, and interfacial tension. The minimum droplet size (278 nm) and 0.282 Pdi was obtained with 5.72 HLB value, 4% (v/v) surfactant, and 10% (v/v) of cow-urine through ultra-sonication. The optimized 10% GMD emulsion was found stable for more than 80 days. Viscosity and density of the fuel got increased with cow-urine and surfactant; however, they found within the standard limits. The physicochemical analysis exhibited the feasibility of the GMD emulsion for diesel engine application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ontology is a significant data model for identifying semantic information for Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) discovery. Large-scale biological and general datasets have recently been more readily available for study and to support the development of COVID-19 repositioning, but efficiently utilizing and standard metadata modeling of these datasets still remains challenging. Coronavirus disease is a deadly disease. Researchers have focused on the different aspects of COVID-19, such as studies about COVID-19, symptoms, treatment, prevention, resources, infected cases, patient information, global impact, and related research. Compilation and analysis of metadata by knowledge gathered in various field studies can help in efficient data sharing and better decision-making of data related to COVID-19. However, considering the heterogeneous nature of data sources, it is challenging and innovative to make the COVID-19 information human and machine understandable and to provide answers to user queries at all possible aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper propose a COVID-19 ontology named as CovidO metadata model that provides a common conceptual model to facilitate interoperability between metadata ontologies from various heterogeneous data sources. The CovidO has the following objectives: (1) The ontology serves as a reference schema for reporting COVID-19 data. (2) It also offer a customized schema of the existing ontologies to build a standard global data model. (3) It covers all the possible aspects/dimensions of COVID-19. (4) the proposed model aims to utilize findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR) principles by providing common conceptualization metadata and thereby abstracting from heterogeneous structures of existing sources of (static) data. The experiments are conducted over CovidO using OOPS, OntoMetric, and RDF/SPARQL query to evaluate the efficiency of the proposed model. The result shows that the proposed model has a broad scope with fewer pitfalls than existing COVID-19 ontologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is an approach to develop unique and sophisticated design products in comparison to other traditional techniques. In the present study, the components of Cu-Si alloy have been developed using WAAM with a robotic gas metal arc welding technique. In this process, the current and voltage varied from 70 to 110 A and 17 to 19 V, respectively. The effect of process parameters on the microstructure, hardness, and wear behavior of components have been studied in details. The results show that the surface roughness of the components reduced with the increase in current and voltage. The microstructure of the uppermost surface of WAAM components shows columnar followed by dendritic with equiaxed morphology. The process parameter also affects the mechanical and wear resistance properties of WAAM components. The results show that the microhardness (from 100.03 to 160.03 HV) and wear resistance of the Cu-Si alloy component increase with the increases in current and voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have examined performance of various machine learning (ML) methods (artificial neural network, random forest, support vector-machine regression, and K nearest neighbors) in predicting the kinetics of hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of cellulose, poplar, and wheat straw performed under two different conditions: first, isothermal conditions at 200, 230, and 260 °C, and second, with a linear temperature ramp of 2 °C/min from 160 to 260 °C. The focus of this study was to determine the predictability of the ML methods when the biomass type is not known or there is a mixture of biomass types, which is often the case in commercial operations. In addition, we have examined the performance of ML methods in interpolating kinetics results when experimental data is available for only a handful of time-points, as well as their performance in extrapolating the kinetics when the experimental data from only a few initial time-points is available. While these are stringent tests, the ML models were found to perform reasonably well in most cases with an averaged mean squared error (MSE) and R2 values of 0.25 ± 0.06 and 0.76 ± 0.05, respectively. The ML models showed deviation from experimental data under the conditions when the reaction kinetics were fast. Overall, it is concluded that ML methods are appropriate for the purpose of interpolating and extrapolating the kinetics of the HTC process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phagraphene is a newly proposed two-dimensional allotrope of carbon. Its structure resembles that of a defective graphene sheet. The unit cell structure of phagraphene consists of a 5–6–7 ring sequence due to which it possesses lower energy than most carbon allotropes. Phagraphene has properties, namely thermal conductivity of 218 ± 20 W/mK and 285 ± 29 W/mK, along armchair and zigzag directions, respectively, a tensile strength of 85 ± 2 GPa, the elastic modulus of 870 ± 15 GPa along armchair and 800 ± 14 GPa along zigzag direction, and fracture strain of the same order as that of pristine graphene. Density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations have proved the unique electronic properties of phagraphene, namely direction-dependent Dirac cones, tunable Fermi velocities, quasi-direct band gap, to be comparable with pristine graphene. Based on molecular dynamics and density functional theory investigations, phagraphene is capable of being used in Li-based batteries and thermoelectric devices as anode material due to its good adsorption properties and remarkably good doping characteristics. Such characteristics can lead to a future trend of analyzing such allotropes because phagraphene can provide potential applications in atmospheric pollutant-detecting and drug-carrying properties in ailments like cancer. This paper is a nascent one discussing all the previous works on molecular dynamics simulations of phagraphene and tries to serve as the leading one for researchers interested in this field. This paper summarizes the mechanical and thermal properties of phagraphene estimated using molecular dynamics simulations as studied in previous works. The study shows that molecular dynamics has a good application in studying such a novel carbon allotrope. The discussions made in this paper thematize phagraphene's properties as a next-generation material and can help the researchers in a qualitative overview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study aimed to determine the expression of VISTA and TOX within venous tumor thrombus and primary clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and to assess their prognostic value. Methods: The study enrolled 82 patients with ccRCC and coexisting venous tumor thrombus treated radically from 2012 to 2019 in two tertiary centers. Tissue microarrays were prepared and stained with respective antibodies. The expression of markers was assessed separately on tumor cells (TCs) and/or tumor-associated immune cells (TAICs). Results: TOX expression was positively correlated with the percentage of VISTA-positive TAICs in venous thrombus (p = 0.011), but not in the primary tumor (p = 0.674). High TOX expression was associated with a higher percentage of PD-L1-positive TAICs in both compartments (p = 0.001, p = 0.011, respectively). Positive expression of VISTA on TAICs was associated with PD-L1 expression on TCs (p = 0.005) and TAICs (p = 0.004) in the primary tumor, and only with PD-L1 on TAICs in thrombus (p = 0.006). The presence of VISTA-positive TAICs in venous thrombus was significantly more common in females (p = 0.034), and positively correlated with metastases (p = 0.028), and tumor necrosis (p = 0.013). The cases with VISTA-positive TAICs in venous tumor thrombi had significantly shorter OS than VISTA-negative cases (p = 0.041). Conclusion: For the first time, we demonstrated the expression of VISTA- and TOX-positive TAICs in the venous tumor thrombus. We found the association between immune checkpoint receptors and T cell exhaustion markers in both tumor mass and venous thrombus. Finally, we demonstrated that abundance of VISTA-positive TAICs in venous tumor thrombus correlates with worse outcomes in ccRCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kojic acid is a fungal secondary metabolite commonly known as a tyrosinase inhibitor, that acts as a skin-whitening agent. Its applications are widely distributed in the area of cosmetics, medicine, food, and chemical synthesis. Renewable resources are the alternative feedstocks that can fulfill the demand for free sugars which are fermented for the production of kojic acid. This review highlights the current progress and importance of bioprocessing of kojic acid from various types of competitive and non-competitive renewable feedstocks. The bioprocessing advancements, secondary metabolic pathway networks, gene clusters and regulations, strain improvement, and process design have also been discussed. The importance of nitrogen sources, amino acids, ions, agitation, and pH has been summarized. Two fungal species Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus oryzae are found to be extensively studied for kojic acid production due to their versatile substrate utilization and high titer ability. The potential of A. flavus to be a competitive industrial strain for large-scale production of kojic acid has been studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Docetaxel (DTX) is one of the anti-neoplastic drugs widely employed in breast cancer management. Along with advantages, several challenges are associated with administering the BCS class IV drugs like DTX. Looking into the promises of various nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, it was envisioned to explore the influence of carrier type on the drug delivery outcome for this anticancer agent. Methods: In the present study, docetaxel was encapsulated into solid lipid nanoparticles, nano-lipoidal carriers, liposomes, niosomes, and microemulsion systems and the various systems were characterized. The carriers were also evaluated for drug release profile, anticancer activity on cell lines, apoptosis assays, and hemocompatibility. Results: The developed nano-formulations were found to offer a spatiotemporal pattern of drug release. There was a substantial enhancement in the cytotoxicity of the drug against the cancer cells. It was vouched by the flow-cytometry assay and MTT-cytotoxicity studies. The developed systems were found to be compatible with the erythrocytes vis-à-vis the plain drug. Conclusion: The study encompassing the drug loading and drug release capabilities of a BCS class IV drug, offering scientific evidence for better efficacy and safety coupled with plasma protein binding insights, provides a platform to select appropriate nanocarrier out of the plethora of options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many breakthroughs in research on graphene as a corrosion-resistant coating for metal have been witnessed due to its excellent properties like chemical stability, mechanical strength, permeability, etc. The present review discusses graphene and its composite as an anticorrosive coating for marine applications. The economic and environmental losses caused by the corrosion in day-to-day life are large, and coatings are one of the preventive measures to reduce these losses. The corrosion gets accelerated when some significant factors like salinity, pH, water velocity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen content also come into picture. The excellent physical and chemical properties for graphene like high strength electrical conductivity, large surface area, etc., make it a potential candidate for a number of applications. The different techniques for the synthesis of graphene and its derivatives like graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide have been also briefed in this review. The pure graphene coatings have shown excellent anticorrosive properties. However, defects in pure graphene coating have a substantial impact compared to multilayering for anticorrosive behavior. Graphene-based composites are more durable and reliable than pure graphene coating. The various techniques for the synthesis of graphene-based polymer coatings are solution mixing, melt mixing, and in situ polymerization. In the marine environment, graphene should be dispersed uniformly parallel to the metallic surface to provide excellent erosion corrosion properties. However, cathodic protection is a crucial issue in organic coatings, and zinc-rich graphene coatings are effective in case of defects in the coating. Other functional properties of graphene-based polymeric coatings like antifouling, hydrophobicity, better mechanical and wear properties, UV protection, and electrical conductivity give an edge to these coatings in marine conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air quality information is not captured adequately due to limited numbers of air quality monitoring stations across many cities worldwide. Limited studies apply advanced spatial mapping techniques to predict pollutant concentrations in highly polluted regions with high spatial variability. This paper demonstrates an advanced detrending spatial mapping technique to assess the variations of particulate matter concentrations across different land use categories in a highly polluted city—Delhi—and estimate population-weighted average concentrations in the city. The "Detrended Kriging" method uses the city's monitored datasets and land use information to predict pollutant concentrations. Concentrations are detrended based on high-resolution local land use characteristics and then interpolated using ordinary kriging before retrending again. The model estimates population-weighted concentrations (more important for health exposures) of PM2.5 (113 µg/m3) and PM10 (248 µg/m3) for Delhi and finds them to be 21–36% higher than the monitored values in the crucial winter season of 2018. The model demonstrates satisfactory performance on both spatial and temporal scales in Delhi and shows high index of agreement (d = 0.86 for PM10 and 0.81 for PM2.5), low RMSE (27.3 µg/m3 for PM10 and 11.8 µg/m3 for PM2.5), and low bias (− 1.6 µg/m3 for PM10 and − 0.5 µg/m3 for PM2.5) for the detrended kriging model, in comparison to ordinary kriging (PM2.5 (d = 0.54, RMSE = 13.81, bias = − 0.86) and PM10 (d = 0.33, RMSE = 41.73, bias = − 4.7)) and inverse distance weighting method (PM2.5 (d = 0.65, RMSE = 16.08, bias = 2.93) and PM10 (d = 0.55, RMSE = 46.10, bias = 7.8)). Statistical measure "d" varies between 0 (no agreement) and 1 (perfect match). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon photonics (Si-photonics) has been established as a potential technology that integrates both electronic and optical circuits on single integrated circuits (ICs) in order to satisfy the increasing demand for high speed and low power in the emerging market of ICs. It has opened up the research directions in the domain of design automation for photonic ICs. On the physical layout of the optical circuits, it is a challenging task to obtain the optimal routing of optical waveguides, while minimizing all the parameters like the number of tracks, total bend loss, worst signal loss, total propagation loss and total crossing loss. In this paper, we proposed two non-Manhattan grid-based methods for reducing the bend loss, worst signal loss and tracks in optical channel routing. First, a 0–1 integer linear programming-based algorithm called minimizing bend loss (MBL) is proposed, which minimizes the total bend loss (TBL) and the worst signal loss (WSL) while reducing the number of tracks (T) over the state-of-the-art technique. The execution time of MBL is very high for the large input. Hence next, a scalable heuristic called reducing bend loss (RBL) is presented that provides a better balance between the reduction of the TBL and T over the state-of-the-art and MBL algorithms. Simulation results show that MBL can reduce the TBL and the WSL by an average of 57.9% and 63.1%, respectively, with an average increase of 12% in T over state-of-the-art algorithms. The simulation results show that the RBL reduces the TBL and the WSL by an average of 39.7% and 41.3%, respectively, with an average increase of 23.7% in T over state-of-the-art algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) provide effective protection against diseases spread through airborne infectious droplets and particles. The widespread use of FFRs during the COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to supply shortages, but the disposal of single-use facemasks also threatens the environment with a new kind of plastic pollution. While limited reuse of filtering facepiece respirators has been permitted as a crisis capacity strategy, there are currently no standard test methods available for decontamination before their repeated use. The decontamination of respirators can compromise the structural and functional integrity by reducing the filtration efficiency and breathability. Digital segmentation of X-ray microcomputed tomography (microCT) scans of the meltblown nonwoven layers of a specific N95 respirator model (Venus-4400) after treatment with one and five cycles of liquid hydrogen peroxide, ultraviolet radiation, moist heat, and aqueous soap solution enabled us to perform filtration simulations of decontaminated respirators. The computed filtration efficiencies for 0.3 µm particles agreed well with experimental measurements, and the distribution of particle penetration depths was correlated with the structural changes resulting from decontamination. The combination of X-ray microCT imaging with numerical simulations thus provides a strategy for quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of decontamination treatments for a specific respirator model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel machine learning models (MLMs) using the seasonal indexing approach that captures the variation in air quality caused due to meteorological changes have been used to provide short-term, real-time forecasts of PM2.5 concentration for one of the most polluted air quality control regions (AQCR) in the capital city of Delhi. Two MLMs—multi-linear regression and random forest—have been developed for using time series data for 1-h and 24-h average PM2.5 concentration. Short-term, real-time forecasts have been made using the developed models. Various model performance evaluation indices indicate satisfactory model performance. R2 values for the hourly and daily models varied between 0.95 and 0.72 and between 0.76 and 0.68 for the 1st to 5th h/day, respectively. The lagged values of PM2.5 concentration (persistence) and the hourly and daily indices are the most influential variables for the forecasts for immediate time steps. In contrast, seasonal indices become more important with the forecasting time horizon. The developed models can be used for making short-term, real-time air quality forecasts and issuing a warning when the pollution levels go beyond acceptable limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the activity concentration of radioactive nuclides (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) in different types of rocks in the lesser Himalayan mountainous region in Jammu and Kashmir, India have been measured using Sodium Iodide and High purity germanium detectors. The advanced smart RnDuo monitor was utilized for assessing radon and thoron exhalation rates and the results vary from 14.82 to 37.85 mBqkg−1 h−1 and 124–372 mBqm−2 s−1 respectively. The radium equivalent activities of the studied samples have been calculated to assess the radiation hazards arising due to the use of these rocks in the construction of dwellings. All the rock samples have radium equivalent activities lower than the limit set in the OECD report (370 Bq Kg−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on casting self-healing metal matrix composites with aluminum alloy as a matrix, and Nitinol fiber as reinforcement. The shape memory effect of Nitinol fibers can cause them to shrink and narrow or close the crack in cast matrix material and in case of bend test restores the shape. Self-healing metal matrix composite samples were cast using (a) semi solid squeeze casting after Rapid Slurry Formation and (b) gravity die casting. Casting procedures, microstructures, and mechanical properties are reported. The cast aluminum-Nitinol fiber composite samples prepared by both techniques were cracked under tensile and bending, both types of samples exhibit a reduction in the width of the crack in the samples upon heating the sample above the transformation temperature of Nitinol. Under certain conditions, the cracks in permanent mold cast alloys reinforced with Nitinol have been completely sealed leading to self-healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical skills laboratories are educational facilities that have the potential benefit for undergraduate and postgraduate medical students and medical staff. They provide a safe and protected environment in which the learner can practice clinical skills before using them in real clinical settings. These skills laboratories help to ensure that all students acquire the necessary techniques and are properly assessed before practicing on real patients. In addition, they support the acquisition, maintenance and enhancement of the clinical skills of students in the healthcare profession. Teaching skills in skill lab require a standardized module for each skill that can be applied to all the students universally.The study was started with the aim to solve a problem that has arisen as National Medical Council (NMC) has announced implementation of Competency based medical education (CBME) a new syllabus for medical education from 2019 MBBS batch that includes skill teaching. Faculty in various Medical colleges is not trained in developing modules and teaching skills to students in skill lab. There are no standardized teaching modules for skills training in skill laboratories.As part of the project we decided to develop modules for the two competencies to be taught in the skill lab for the subject Otorhinolaryngology i.e. Otoscopy and Anterior Nasal packing; NMC guidelines being the benchmark in developing these modules. Later modules were also to be implemented on sample students to get a feedback on the structure of the module for further improvement.These modules developed as part of the project will help as a baseline tool for developing other modules in different subjects by various Institutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Autoinflammatory disorders are the group of inherited inflammatory disorders caused due to the genetic defect in the genes that regulates innate immune systems. These have been clinically characterized based on the duration and occurrence of unprovoked fever, skin rash, and patient's ancestry. There are several autoinflammatory disorders that are found to be prevalent in a specific population and whose disease genetic epidemiology within the population has been well understood. However, India has a limited number of genetic studies reported for autoinflammatory disorders till date. The whole genome sequencing and analysis of 1029 Indian individuals performed under the IndiGen project persuaded us to perform the genetic epidemiology of the autoinflammatory disorders in India. Results: We have systematically annotated the genetic variants of 56 genes implicated in autoinflammatory disorder. These genetic variants were reclassified into five categories (i.e., pathogenic, likely pathogenic, benign, likely benign, and variant of uncertain significance (VUS)) according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Association of Molecular pathology (ACMG-AMP) guidelines. Our analysis revealed 20 pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants with significant differences in the allele frequency compared with the global population. We also found six causal founder variants in the IndiGen dataset belonging to different ancestry. We have performed haplotype prediction analysis for founder mutations haplotype that reveals the admixture of the South Asian population with other populations. The cumulative carrier frequency of the autoinflammatory disorder in India was found to be 3.5% which is much higher than reported. Conclusion: With such frequency in the Indian population, there is a great need for awareness among clinicians as well as the general public regarding the autoinflammatory disorder. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and most comprehensive population scale genetic epidemiological study being reported from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims at a detailed investigation of microstructure, residual stress and evaluation of microhardness of electron beam surface remelted Inconel 718 alloy using an indigenously developed electron beam welding unit (with a capacity of 80 kV acceleration voltage and a power of 12 kW). Electron beam surface remelting has been carried out at a constant voltage of 40 kV with varying scan speed from 500 to 1000 mm/min. The detailed study involves understanding of the effect of process parameters on the surface roughness, microstructure, residual stress, and hardness of the melt zone. Surface remelting leads to a significant refinement of microstructure with the presence of γ primary dendrites, fine precipitates of Ni3(Al,Ti) (γ′), and MC (metallic carbides). Due to microstructural refinement and presence of fine precipitates, there is an introduction of residual compressive stress and improvement in hardness. Finally, a detailed study of the effect of process parameters on the microstructure, residual stress and microhardness has been undertaken to optimize the process parameters for electron beam remelting of INCONEL718. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the benefits of low power, high bandwidth and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility, the design of optical circuits has spurred great attention among researchers in the domain of electronic design automation. With this motivation, all-optical combinational and sequential circuits such as adders, multiplexers, multipliers and flip-flops have been explored in recent times. In this paper, we have explored the designs of all-optical array multiplier and four types of parallel multipliers (carry save adder multiplier, Wallace tree multiplier, Dadda multiplier and reduced area multiplier) using two different design approaches named as Design1 and Design2. In order to design these multipliers, semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-based Mach–Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) have been used as the basic optical component. The basic MZI switch, full adder and 2-bit multiplier have been simulated using OptiSystem software to analyze the power loss. Furthermore, an all-optical merged multiplier has been designed, which is often used in digital signal processors. In comparison with other designed multipliers, it is evident from the simulation results that the MZI-based reduced area multiplier of Design1 approach has the highest performance in terms of speed, while the MZI-based carry save adder (CSA) multiplier with Design1 approach has the least optical cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, silicon photonics (Si-photonics) have received significant attention among researchers due to complementary metal-oxide semiconductor compatibility, and the characteristics of high-speed and low-power dissipation. The integration of electronic and optical circuits on a single chip has opened up new directions of research in the domain of digital logic design and synthesis of photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Several optical switching devices using different technologies have been designed and experimentally demonstrated, which further helps in implementing PICs. In order to efficiently design larger, complex and reliable PICs, the photonic design automation techniques are being explored as electronic design automation techniques have been investigated in case of very large-scale integration circuits. This paper presents an extensive survey of recent work reported in the literature on the domains of logic circuit design, synthesis, and physical design automation for implementing PICs. The aim of this survey is to start with the fundamental optical concepts and then move to the latest research domains of design and synthesis of PICs. Finally, we provide a discussion on the challenges and the future research directions toward practically realizing the Si-photonics and PICs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work discusses changes in hardness, wear, and corrosion behavior of electron beam (EB) surface treated (or simply, EB treated) 316L austenitic stainless steel (ASS) vis-à-vis the as-received material. Due to rapid solidification within the EB treated region, a fine dendritic structure develops within the surface and sub-surface of the EB treated material, which accounts for its superior hardness, wear, and corrosion behavior. The surface microhardness of the EB treated material is 22% enhanced than that of the as-received material. The cumulative wear depth of the EB treated material is 77% lower than the as-received material. An improvement in corrosion potential and an order of magnitude reduction in equilibrium corrosion current density are observed following EB treatment. The results of the present study suggest that EB treatment can be effectively used to enhance the surface properties of the selected ASS by microstructural refinement of the surface and sub-surface of the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid depletion of conventional fuel reserves and the increase in environmental pollution prompted the search for a sustainable energy solution. Biodiesel is one of the most promising energy substitutes with similar properties as conventional diesel fuel. Surplus availability of palm oil makes it suitable for biodiesel production. Due to the lack of availability of review articles that cover the entire process of palm biodiesel production and its optimum use in diesel engines, the authors were motivated to write this article. Cultivation parameters of palm trees, extraction of oil, and physicochemical properties of palm oil–based biodiesel are explained in this review. The production of palm biodiesel from raw oil can be done through pyrolysis, micro-emulsification, blending, hydro-esterification, and transesterification processes. For high biodiesel yield and less cost of operation, the transesterification method is adopted. The performance and emission parameters of diesel engines that operated on palm biodiesel and its blends are also explained. There is a decrease in brake thermal efficiency and an increase in brake-specific fuel consumption observed with the use of palm biodiesel in diesel engines. A reduction in CO and HC emissions and an increase in NOx emissions are found due to the oxygenating nature of palm biodiesel. This article provides the scientific approach to find out the optimum parameters for palm biodiesel production and its efficient use in compression ignition engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a detailed study of the effect of laser parameters on microstructure and phases of the laser surface-melted (using 2 kW continuous wave Yb-fibre laser) Inconel 718 has been carried out. Surface melting has been conducted with a power of 400 watts, scan speed of 500, 750, and 1000 mm/min and with a spot diameter of 3 mm. After laser surface melting, the microstructures, phase, surface roughness and crystallographic orientation (texture) of the melt zone has been carried out. There is refinement of microstructure and change in crystallographic texture which varied with process parameters. The effect of process parameters on the microhardness of the melt zone has been studied in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norovirus is commonly associated with food and waterborne outbreaks. Genetic susceptibility to norovirus is largely dependent on presence of histo-blood group antigens (HBGA), specifically ABO, secretor, and Lewis phenotypes. The aim of the study was to determine the association between HBGAs to norovirus susceptibility during a large norovirus foodborne outbreak linked to genotype GII.6 in an office-based company in Stockholm, Sweden, 2015. A two-episode outbreak with symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting occurred in 2015. An online questionnaire was sent to all 1109 employees that had worked during the first outbreak episode. Food and water samples were collected from in-house restaurant and tested for bacterial and viral pathogens. In addition, fecal samples were collected from 8 employees that had diarrhea. To investigate genetic susceptibility during the outbreak, 98 saliva samples were analyzed for ABO, secretor, and Lewis phenotypes using ELISA. A total of 542 of 1109 (49%) employees reported gastrointestinal symptoms. All 8 fecal samples tested positive for GII norovirus, which was also detected in coleslaw collected from the in-house restaurant. Eating at the in-house restaurant was significantly associated with risk of symptom development. Nucleotide sequencing was successful for 5/8 fecal samples and all belonged to the GII.6 genotype. HBGA characterization showed a strong secretor association to norovirus-related symptoms (P = 0.014). No association between norovirus disease and ABO phenotypes was observed. The result of this study shows that non-secretors were significantly less likely to report symptoms in a large foodborne outbreak linked to the emerging GII.6 norovirus strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, electron-beam welding (bead on plate) of solution-treated Inconel 718 alloy with a thickness of 3 mm has been carried out using a constant acceleration voltage of 70 kV and welding speed of 2000 mm/min under varied currents of 45, 57 and 67 mA, respectively. Process parameters are varied so as to obtain the heat input in three discrete levels, i.e., 94.6, 120 and 140.6 J/mm, respectively. Surface roughness is found to vary from 0.75 μm of as-received Inconel 718 to 61-77 μm for electron-beam-welded Inconel 718 and is increased with an increase in heat input. The microstructure of the weld zone consists of equiaxed and dendritic morphology. Electron-beam welding leads to improvement in microhardness (to 318-466 VHN) as compared to the base metal (278 VHN), which is attributed to refinement of microstructure. Corrosion rate in a 3.56 wt.% NaCl solution was found to be increased from 0.23 mm/year for base metal to 0.24-0.52 mm/year for the weld zone. The nano-hardness value was found to be increased from 2.2 GPa for the base metal to 2.6 GPa for the weld zone. The yield strength of the welded samples was decreased to 691 MPa as compared to 1100 MPa for the base metal which is possibly attributed to the presence of micro-defects and precipitates. The percentage elongation (%) was decreased to 7.18% as compared to 25% of the base metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated analysis of leakage on fluorescein angiography is a measurable and clinically applicable endpoint that can be used to follow patients with posterior uveitis. A number of studies have analyzed the use of automated analysis of leakage on fluorescein angiography and are reviewed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, the passive estimation of radon (Rn222), thoron (Rn220) and their progenies have been measured in the dwellings of Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir for a period of 1 year. These estimations have been done with the help of latest developed single entry Pin-hole based dosimeters and progeny sensors based on deposition. The annual Equilibrium factors for 222Rn, 220Rn, and their progenies have been calculated separately for each dwellings The average annual effective dose was found to be 0.9 ± 0.2 mSv/y for 222Rn, which is less than prescribed limit of ICRP. The results obtained indicate no vital health hazards because of exposure of Rn222, Rn220 and their progenies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Soil is the prime source of radon and thoron concentrations in the household dwellings. The presence of radioactive gases in the environment is mainly due to the presence of radionuclide content in soil, rocks, and building materials. So, it is necessary to estimate the radionuclide content in the living environment. The annual effective dose has been assessed from the radionuclide content, and an effort has been made to correlate the concentration of these radionuclides with exhalation rates of their daughter products, i.e., radon and thoron. Theoretically determined indoor radon concentration has also been compared with experimentally observed results.Material and methods: Scintillation-based Smart RnDuo monitor (SRM) and gamma spectrometry (NaI(Tl)) have been utilized for the estimation of exhalation rates and radionuclide (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) contents in soil samples.Results and discussions: The range of radon mass and thoron surface exhalation rate in soil samples are found to vary from 11.57 to 65.62 mBq kg−1 h−1 with an average of 28.20 mBq kg−1 h−1 and from 52 to 930 mBq m−2 s−1 with an average of 312 mBq m−2 s−1, respectively. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K are 24.52 Bq kg−1, 41.15 Bq kg−1, and 343 Bq kg−1, respectively.Conclusions: The average values of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K are well within the safe range recommended by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiations. The calculated annual effective dose and radiation hazard risks have been found to be well below the recommended levels. Results obtained from theoretical evaluation are compared with experimentally obtained results and are in good agreement with each other. Different occupancy factors have also been analyzed according to the populace indoor occupancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing environmental concern, human health and the continuous upgradation in the stringent standards of vehicular emissions have shown much interest in cleaner diesel fuels. Out of various strategies to mitigate the diesel engine emissions, use of water blended diesel in the form of emulsion has grabbed sufficient attention of the fuel research community. Various researches have shown that water-emulsified diesel has sufficient potential to improve the engine performance simultaneously with a significant reduction in the levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions. Micro-explosion phenomenon of combustion in emulsion fuel helps to provide efficient and complete combustion which in turn improves brake thermal efficiency. The current study presents a comprehensive review of the usage of water-emulsified diesel fuel in CI engines. Focusing on the performance, combustion, and emission analysis, it also talks in detail about the principle and the chemistry involved in making of a stable and homogeneous water-diesel emulsion compatible for CI engine. The literature survey concludes two crucial points. First, the water-blended diesel emulsion serves as an economical, fuel efficient, and cleaner combustion technology. Second, the optimum blend ratio, emulsifier quantity, and proper process differs in almost all the research papers and hence needed to be standardized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the soil gas radon survey has been carried out for locating the trend of soil radon in the foothills of Siwalik which is covered with lithology of Pliocene unconsolidated deposits. Soil gas radon concentration and mass exhalation rate have been studied in natural soil samples of Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir, India using active measurement technique RAD7 and smart RnDuo monitor. The sampling measurements were chosen according to suitability of the area. Few of the locations are near the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and tectonically active lineaments, having reasonably high concentration of soil gas radon. The soil gas radon concentration in 15 locations of studied area has been measured at different depths (30, 45 and 60 cm) and the overall soil gas concentration was found to vary from 0.14 to 61.01 kBq m−3, respectively. This large variation in radon content might be due to radioactive nature of the bedrocks present in different geological structure. Soil pore diffusion model have been used to observe the relation between experimentally and theoretically determined soil gas radon concentrations in the studied region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because to extensive utilization of soil as a building/construction stuff, the activities of 238U, 40K, 232Th, and exhalation studies in solid samples have been measured using thallium activated sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)) gamma detector and scintillation-based smart RnDuo monitor. The measured activity concentration of radionuclides lies in the range of 2.76-38.96, 12.47-65.70, and 199-450 Bq/kg for uranium (CU), thorium (CTh), and potassium (CK), respectively. The annual effective dose rate due to radionuclides is within the secure limit suggested by ICRP. The radium equivalent activity of all the samples is under 100 Bq/kg. The maximum outward and inside risk indices of all these samples are below the values of 0.37 and 0.43. No direct correlation has been seen between 238U and its mass exhalation rate as well as 232Th and its surface exhalation rate in soil samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport sector accounts for almost 70% consumption of diesel in India. With increased dependency on road transportation for freight transport, there is a need to develop fuel-efficiency standards for the heavy duty vehicles (HDVs). This study models the fuel efficiency of the existing fleet of HDVs and compares it with the world’s best practices. The model uses the technical details of the existing HDV fleet and the prescribed driving cycles to assess fuel efficiency. The results of the model are validated with the actual test results of fuel efficiency observed for HDVs in India. The model presents a fuel economy of 2.65 km/l for truck and bus model of given specification. The validated model is then used for evaluating the potential of different strategies to improve fuel efficiency. The models estimate a potential of about 36% improvement in the fuel efficiency in the HDVs in India through improvements in thermal efficiency, reduction in rolling resistance, and reduction in vehicle weight. The study provides a direction for the possible fuel efficiency improvements in HDV sector in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor radon and thoron concentrations in the domestic environment result in natural radiation exposure to the public due to the inhalation of their short-lived decay products. Keeping this in view, the annual effective dose and other radiation risks due to radon/thoron progenies have been calculated. In this study, newly developed time deposition-based progeny sensors (DTPS/DRPS) were used for long-term passive determination of progeny concentrations in the environment of Jammu and Kashmir, Himalayas, India. The total equilibrium equivalent radon (EECRA + U) and thoron (EECTA + U) concentrations (“A” and “U” referring to attached and unattached fractions) were found to vary from 5 to 38 Bq m−3 with an average value of 18 Bq m−3 and from 0.48 to 5.49 Bq m−3 with an average value of 1.69 Bq m−3, respectively. The aerosol concentration, equilibrium factors, and unattached fractions for radon and thoron progeny have been estimated in normal living conditions and their dependence on each others have also been studied. The annual equilibrium factor for radon and thoron progeny has been determined from the calculated data. The estimated annual effective dose due to radon progeny (0.34 to 2.42 mSv y−1) and thoron progeny (0.13 to 1.54 mSv y−1) is found to be below the world’s recommended level. Based on measurements of mean values of the unattached fraction, dose conversion factors (DCFs) in units of mSv per working level month (WLM) has been calculated and the average calculated values of DCFs are 24, 10, and 13 mSv WLM−1. The variability of equilibrium factor and radon/thoron progeny with different seasons, ventilation conditions, and types of houses were also analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radon concentration was measured in water samples of 41 different locations from Udhampur district of Jammu & Kashmir, India, by using RAD7 and Smart RnDuo monitor. The variation of radon concentration in water ranged from 1.44 ± 0.31 to 63.64 ± 2.88 Bq L−1, with a mean value of 28.73 Bq L−1 using RAD7 and 0.64 ± 0.28 to 52.65 ± 2.50 Bq L−1, with a mean value of 20.30 Bq L−1 using Smart RnDuo monitor, respectively. About 17.07% of the studied water samples recorded to display elevated radon concentration above the reference range suggested by United Nation Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiations (UNSCEAR). The mean annual effective dose of these samples was determined, and 78.95% samples were found to be within the safe limits set by World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Council (EU). The study revealed good agreement between the values obtained with two methods. Heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Fe, Cu, Ni, As, Hg, Co, Pb and Cr) were determined in water samples by microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometer, and their correlation with radon content was also analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]