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Metabolic syndrome is a condition that results from dysfunction of different metabolic pathways leading to increased risk of disorders such as hyperglycemia, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders etc. As this condition cannot be diagnosed based on a single marker, multiple markers need to be detected and quantified to assess the risk facing an individual of metabolic syndrome. In this context, chemical- and bio-sensors capable of detecting multiple analytes may provide an appropriate diagnostic strategy. Research in this field has resulted in the evolution of sensors from the first generation to a fourth generation of ‘smart’ sensors. A shift in the sensing paradigm involving the sensing element and transduction strategy has also resulted in remarkable advancements in biomedical diagnostics particularly in terms of higher sensitivity and selectivity towards analyte molecule and rapid response time. This review encapsulates the significant advancements reported so far in the field of sensors developed for biomarkers of metabolic syndrome.

This paper investigates a rapid and accurate detection system for spoilage in meat. We use unsupervised feature learning techniques (stacked restricted Boltzmann machines and auto-encoders) that consider only the transient response from undoped zinc oxide, manganese-doped zinc oxide, and fluorine-doped zinc oxide in order to classify three categories: the type of thin film that is used, the type of gas, and the approximate ppm-level of the gas. These models mainly offer the advantage that features are learned from data instead of being hand-designed. We compare our results to a feature-based approach using samples with various ppm level of ethanol and trimethylamine (TMA) that are good markers for meat spoilage. The result is that deep networks give a better and faster classification than the feature-based approach, and we thus conclude that the fine-tuning of our deep models are more efficient for this kind of multi-label classification task.

In sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFR), grid plate is a critical component which is made of 316 L(N) SS. It is supported on core support structure. The grid plate supports the core subassemblies and maintains their verticality. Most of the components of SFR are made of 316 L(N)/304 L(N) SS and they are in contact with the liquid-metal sodium which acts as a coolant. The peak operating temperature in SFR is 550°C. However, the self-welding starts at 500°C. To avoid self-welding and galling, hardfacing of the grid plate has become necessary. Nickel based cobalt-free colmonoy 5 has been identified as the hardfacing material due to its lower dose rate by Plasma Transferred Arc Welding (PTAW). This paper is concerned with the measurement and investigations of the effects of the residual stress generated due to thermal cycling on a scale-down physical model of the grid plate. Finite element analysis of the hardfaced grid plate model is performed for obtaining residual stresses using elastoplastic analysis and hence the results are validated. The effects of the residual stresses due to thermal cycling on the hardfaced grid plate model are studied.

Introduction: Health care economics restricts many health centers from using hi-tech diagnostics equipment. Mercury manometers are used for calibration of pressure transducers. If standardized it would be a cost effective, simple alternative to transducers in low economic settings. Aim: To analyse the feasibility of mercury manometer usage in respiratory pressure measurement. Materials and Methods: The experimental study was conducted with 30 healthy volunteers of age group 17–19 yrs. They were recruited by using simple random sampling method. The volunteers were made familiarized to lab environment, instrument and techniques of maximum inspiratory (Pimax) and expiratory pressures (Pemax). Then parameters were recorded using mercury manometer connected to different syringes as mouth piece (2.5 ml, 10 ml, and 20 ml) and with sphygmomanometer. Statistical analysis was done by using IBM SPSS statistics version 21. Results: The Pimax was 111.07 ± 6.53 with a 2.5 ml syringe as mouth piece. With 20 ml syringe it was 61.47 ± 9.98. PEmax with 2.5 ml syringe was 70.33 ± 8.19 with a confidence limit of 2.93 and with sphygmomanometer was 99.33 ± 8.16 with a confidence limit of 2.92. There was a change in recorded pressure and the correlation analysis result showed a significant difference from both above and below 10 ml mouth piece range. Conclusion: Mercury manometers could be used for recording respiratory pressures in low economic facilities once standardized. Size of syringe to be used as mouth piece needs further more works although this study finds 10 ml syringe as suitable.

Many coupled general circulation models (CGCMs) tend to overestimate the salinity in the Atlantic warm pool or the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic (NWTA) and underestimate the surface salinity in the subtropical salinity maxima region. Most of these models also suffer from a sea-surface temperature (SST) bias in the NWTA region, leading to suggestions that the upper ocean salinity stratification may need to be improved in order to improve the barrier layer (BL) simulations and thus the SST through BL-SST-intertropical convergence zone feedbacks. In the present study, we use a CGCM to perform a set of idealised numerical experiments to test and understand the sensitivity of the BL and consequently SST in the NWTA region to freshwater flux and hence the upper ocean salinity stratification. We find that the BL of the NWTA is sensitive to upper ocean salinity changes in the Amazon river discharge region and the subtropical salinity maxima region. The BL phenomenon is further manifested by the formation of winter temperature inversions in our model simulations, the maximum magnitude of inversions being about 0.2°C. The atmospheric response causes a statistically significant reduction of mean precipitation and SST in the equatorial Atlantic region and helps improve the respective biases by 10–15%. In the region of improved BL simulation, the SST change is positive and in the right direction of bias correction, albeit weak.

Echocardiography is an important first-line investigation for detection of anomalous origin of a coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA). We report two cases of ALCAPA that illustrate the importance of systematic performance of the echocardiogram, mindful of technical artifacts that may mislead the echocardiographer color Doppler imaging in diagnosis of this condition.

A reconfigurable hardware architecture for the implementation of integer wavelet transform (IWT) based adaptive random image steganography algorithm is proposed. The Haar-IWT was used to separate the subbands namely, LL, LH, HL, and HH, from 8×8 pixel blocks and the encrypted secret data is hidden in the LH, HL, and HH blocks using Moore and Hilbert space filling curve (SFC) scan patterns. Either Moore or Hilbert SFC was chosen for hiding the encrypted data in LH, HL, and HH coefficients, whichever produces the lowest mean square error (MSE) and the highest peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). The fixated random walk’s verdict of all blocks is registered which is nothing but the furtive key. Our system took 1.6 µs for embedding the data in coefficient blocks and consumed 34% of the logic elements, 22% of the dedicated logic register, and 2% of the embedded multiplier on Cyclone II field programmable gate array (FPGA).

Random numbers are the lifeline of any cryptographic operation in modern computing. Quantum True Random Number Generator (QTRNG) can yield real random data to replace random-looking periodic sequences. Here, we present the fastest QTRNG on factual Quantum Computational Devices (QCD) locally on our device to save time. To construct a random number generator, the IBM Q Experience called Qiskit is used. The ease of our source Hadamard gate pooled with its verifiably sole randomness is imperative for attaining quantum random number generators at no cost. The inner matrix product of the square of the Hadamard gate is proved to be identified in the quantum lab. Applying the H gate twice on the quantum register cancelled out the H gate pair. It acted as a single Hadamard gate that was practically visualised using the IMB Q experience. The 24-qubit random number is experimented with and investigated in this work. The min-entropy of such generated random numbers is 0.0007244 with the worst-case entropy value of 0.999507. Besides, subsequent verification of genuine randomness was confirmed by steering restart experimentation, & the statistical properties of TRNG were evaluated over autocorrelation study, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-90B & 800-22 tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to study the fatigue performance of concrete beams strengthened with carbon fiber sheets bonded by an inorganic matrix. Large size reinforced concrete (RC) beams were strengthened with three layers of carbon fiber sheets and tested under fatigue loading. The relationship between fatigue strength, crack width, and number of cycles was studied and analyzed. Results showed that both load capacity and number of cycles of the RC beams were significantly increased with carbon fiber sheets. The fatigue strength increased by as much as 55% as compared with that of the control beams. Fatigue failure of the RC beams strengthened with carbon fiber sheets bonded with an inorganic matrix started with steel rupturing followed by fiber rupture. It was observed that the fatigue cracks developed during the first few cycles. With increasing number of cycles, the crack width and crack depth increased during the first half million cycles of loading, and thereafter the crack width and depth tended to stabilize. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(2006)18:1(28) CE Database subject headings: Concrete beams; Concrete, reinforced; Sheets; Bonding; Fatigue.

In this study, Ultra-high Hard Armor (UHA) steel is welded with Rolled Homogenous Armor (RHA) steels using Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) process with Austenitic Stainless Steel (ASS), Duplex Stainless Steel (DSS), and Low Hydrogen Ferritic (LHF) fillers. Ballistic resistance against Weld Metal (WM) is determined using 7.62 × 39 mm BALL projectile. Three new modes of failure were identified from the ballistic testing (i) Finer Wear Debris with Cleavage (FWDC) (ii) Coarser Wear Debris with Cleavage (CWDC) (iii) Cleavage failure (C), based on the fractured surface. All joints stopped the ball projectile at the weld metal region without perforation. However, the joint fabricated using ASS electrodes shows superior ballistic performance than other joints with Cleavage mode of failure (C) mainly due to the absence of wear debris. ASS weldment (5% Delta ferrite and 95% austenite) performs better in ballistic resistance because of the plastic deformation along with energy absorption properties of the austenite phase than DSS (69 Delta ferrite and 31% austenite) and LHF (100% ferrite). Migration of Chromium (Cr) from the weld metal to base metal results in an unmixed zone and martensitic band in the HAZ of ASS joint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber-reinforced polymer composite (FRPC) wrap has been established as an effective method for rehabilitation and strengthening of concrete structures. This paper presents the results of an experimental study on the performance of concrete columns wrapped with carbon and glass FRP composite sheets subjected to wet-dry and freeze-thaw conditions. Concrete columns were wrapped with three different types of FRP tow sheets: two carbon and one glass. Test variables included the type of fiber (C1, C5, and GE) and the environmental exposure conditions. The specimens were conditioned in the following three different environments: (1) room temperature (+20 [degrees] C); (2) 300 wet-dry cycles using salt water; and (3) 300 freeze-thaw cycles. At the end of each exposure, stress-strain behavior in compression was obtained to evaluate their strength, stiffness, and ductility, which were compared with the performance of unconditioned samples. Results show that the specimens wrapped with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) experienced no reduction in strength or ductility caused by wet-dry exposure, whereas samples with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) experienced reduction in both strength and ductility. In the case of freeze-thaw exposure, both CFRP- and GFRP-wrapped specimens experienced significant reductions in strength and ductility. The specimens subjected to freeze-thaw cycling also exhibited more catastrophic brittle failure as compared with the unconditioned and the wet-dry conditioned specimens.

Results of an experimental investigation on the behavior of corbels made with high-strength concrete in excess of 40 MPa are presented. A total of 16 life-size corbels were tested, two of which were unreinforced. The primary variables of the investigation were presence of horizontal force, reinforcement ratio, and shear-span-to-depth (a/d) ratio. Silica-fume and high-range water-reducing admixtures were used to obtain the high-strength concrete. All 14 reinforced concrete corbels failed in a stable manner. The primary steel yielded before failure in all cases but one. The behavior of the corbels during testing and the analysis of results indicate that high-strength concrete may be rationally incorporated into designs of corbels. The truss analogy model provided relatively accurate strength predictions compared with the American Concrete Institute's procedure. The code limit of 5.5 MPa (800 psi) for maximum average shear stress limits the full use of the available shear strength of high-strength corbels.

Sea surface temperature (SST) is not the only oceanic parameter that can play a key role in the interannual variability of Northeast Pacific hurricane activity. Using several observational data sets and the statistical technique of multiple linear regression analysis, we show that, along with SST, the thermocline depth (TD) plays an important role in hurricane activity at interannual timescales in this basin. Based on the parameter that dominates, the ocean basin can be divided into two sub-regions. In the Southern sub-region, which includes the hurricane main development area, interannual variability of the upper-ocean heat content (OHC) is primarily controlled by TD variations. Consequently, the interannual variability in the hurricane power dissipation index (PDI), which is a measure of the intensity of hurricane activity, is driven by that of the TD. On the other hand, in the Northern sub-region, SST exerts the major control over the OHC variability and, in turn, the PDI. Our study suggests that both SST and TD have a significant influence on the Northeast Pacific hurricane activity at interannual timescales and that their respective roles are more clearly delineated when sub-regions along an approximate north–south demarcation are considered rather than the basin as a whole.

A study was carried out at the Department of Vegetable Science, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Periyakulam, during 2019-20 to assess the genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance of important quantitative and qualitative traits in fifty-two perennial moringa genotypes. Analysis of variance revealed a significant differences for all traits. High genotypic and phenotypic coefficients of variation were noticed for pod yield, the number of pods per tree, total carotenoids, iron and pod weight indicating maximum variability among the different genotypes. High estimates of heritability coupled with high genetic advance obtained for all the traits except crude fibre content indicating the presence of additive gene effect which showed the effectiveness of selection for these traits. Presence of high heritability coupled with moderate genetic advance for crude fibre content revealed that the straight selection has a limited scope for further improvement of the trait. Among fifty two genotypes PKM MO-55 has the highest iron content (7.20mg/100g), number of pods/tree (306.50) and pod yield (36.47 kg/tree). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop the mathematical model for root canal preparation using Endodontic file. The process of obturation consist of the filling of the root canal cavity using heated and softened gutta-percha to get the fluid tight seal in between the canal wall and filled gutta-percha. Any obturation process to perform before it requires the preparation of the root canal which involves the removing dead tissue, substrates and debris from the decayed root canal. The various geometric parameters viz. Taper, relative angle for orientation of cross-section between two planes, pitch and polar symmetry constant of the Endodontic file etc. Geometric parameters are derived. The various performance parameters like Endodontic file life assessment, cutting force components (tangential and normal), substrate removal rate, torque exerted by Endodontic file etc are also derived successfully. The Endodontic file life is estimated based on two approaches viz. speed and volumetric wear approach. The mathematical model described is helpful for the Endodontic experts, researchers, design engineers etc. However the applicability of the described mathematical model limited to assumption of study. The gap between root canal to be prepared and Endodontic file is zero while preparation. The Endodontic file weight, speed of rotation and substrate removal rate is assumed to be constant. The mathematical model for Endodontic file discussed above proved to be efficient tool for studying the root canal preparation. The various geometric parameters and the various performance parameters are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing demand for e-healthcare across the globe has raised concerns towards the secure and authentication enhanced medical image sharing. One of the services offered by health informatics in hospitals include an user interface through the Local Area Network (LAN) for enabling storage and access of medical records. In this paper, a security enhanced DICOM image sharing over a LAN addressing confidentiality, integrity and authentication has been proposed. Initially, the AES encrypted patient history was combined along with the thumb impression and Quick Response (QR) code of patient ID as watermark. This watermark was encrypted employing Integer Wavelet Transform (IWT), chaotic map and attractors with confusion-diffusion operations. Further, the encrypted watermark was embedded in the selected Region Of Non-Interest (RONI) pixels of DICOM image. Username & unique password credentials, Face identification and FPGA generated One Time Password (OTP) form the three layer authentication scheme for secure DICOM image access through the LAN. Web publishing medium of storing secured DICOM images in cloud has also been addressed in this work. To validate the proposed hybrid crypto-watermarking system, parameters such as key sensitivity, key space, correlation, entropy, histogram, cropping attack, Mean Square Error (MSE), Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Structural Similarity Index Metric (SSIM) were performed and the results obtained have proved the strength of the proposed algorithm against brute force, statistical and cropping attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]