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This research investigates the impact of unique spherical ball shoulder enhancement tool pin configurations on the friction stir welding (FSW) of AA2219 aluminum alloy under various parameters. FSW was performed using three different pin shapes: square, hexagonal, and octagonal. Testing samples were prepared using an L9 orthogonal array layout with varying welding parameters. The material behavior in the three distinct weld zones was evaluated for each pin configuration. Results indicated superior microhardness values in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) compared to the weld nugget zone. Elemental composition analysis of the TMAZ revealed significant differences, highlighting the influence of thermal stress and material behavior due to the tool pin and shoulder configuration. The square-headed tool demonstrated improved tensile strength and microhardness. Optimal welding performance was achieved with a spindle speed of 1000 RPM, a travel speed of 25 mm/min, and a tilt angle of 3°. Variations in Cu content in the TMAZ and HAZ underscored localized modifications within the material structure, driven by the spherical ball spinning effects on the shoulder. Tensile tests showed that welds made with the square pin consistently exhibited higher tensile strength compared to those made with hexagonal and octagonal pins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the technique of spin arc welding has been used to weld HSLA steel of grade 15CDV6. Experiments were performed according to the L9 Taguchi matrix using current, travel speed, wire feed rate, and spin rotation speed as input parameters. The quality of the weld was analysed by measuring the bead geometry and microhardness. The Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) was used to identify the optimized welding parameters. The optimised parameters were identified through WOA as follows: current 230 A, voltage 24 V, travel speed 720 mm/min, and spin rotation speed 1500 rpm. The post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) was performed on the optimised welded sample to enhance the weld properties. The microhardness was increased by 79% after PWHT. Ferrite content was found to have reduced after welding and PWHT the grain size and structure of the BM, HAZ, and WM were analysed by EBSD technique. The decrease in ferrite content had a significant effect on the microhardness. The Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy results showed the presence of Vanadium carbide (VC) precipitates which helped in increasing the microhardness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AA) is one of the common cosmetic concerns. It affects more than 50% of adults. AA alopecia is a benign condition and it affects the psychology of patients. Microneedling (MN) - minimally invasive procedure. Minoxidil is an antihypertensive and causes vasodilation. Aims and Objectives: The present study was aimed to compare the efficacy of MN with minoxidil solution versus MN with hair multivitamin solution of male androgenetic alopecia. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology, Akash Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Devanahalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. After following inclusion and exclusion criteria, 50 subjects were involved. Subjects were divided into two groups, 25 in each group. Group I, MN with dermaroller having needle length of 1.5 mm was done and minoxidil solution was applied over the scalp and the again MN was done. Group II, MN was done and hair multivitamin solution was used. MN was done for every 3 weeks and a total of nine sessions were done. From the last session, all the study subjects were followed for 6 months. Baseline investigations were done. Side effects such as pain, bruising, and folliculitis were recorded and monitored. Response of the patients to the treatment (hair growth) was assessed by physician global assessment scores. Visual analog scale score was done to assess the subjective improvement of the patients. Results: In this study, 50 male androgenetic alopecia patients were involved. In this, 21 (42%) were in the age group of 20-40 years and 29 (58%) were in the 41-60 years of age group. In Group I, excellent response was seen in 19 (76%), very good response in 4 (16%), good response in 2 (8%) patients, and none of the patients showed average response. In Group II, excellent response was seen in 10 (40%), very good response in 4 (16%), good response in 6 (24%) patients, and average response in 5 (20%). Following side effects were observed in the study subjects, pain in 6 (24%), bruising 4 (16%), and folliculitis 2 (8%). Conclusion: MN is safe and cost-effective procedure, which causes stimulation of hair follicles and improves hair growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work we discuss some new results and applications of the Kullback-Leibler residual divergence. It is shown that the residual divergence function is uniquely determined by the relative hazard rates of the constituent distributions. Some applications of this result in the series and parallel system reliability evaluations and in certain replacement policies are also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, we discuss the cumulative residual entropy of equilibrium distribution of order n. The work provides a generalization of cumulative residual entropy and its dynamic version and also acts as the entropy of a hierarchy of weighted distributions. We provide a comparison of the new entropy with the corresponding Shannon's entropy and discuss their properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Limited data on the uptake of guideline‐directed medical therapies (GDMTs) and the mortality of acute decompensated HF (ADHF) patients are available from India. The National Heart Failure Registry (NHFR) aimed to assess clinical presentation, practice patterns, and the mortality of ADHF patients in India. Methods and results: The NHFR is a facility‐based, multi‐centre clinical registry of consecutive ADHF patients with prospective follow‐up. Fifty three tertiary care hospitals in 21 states in India participated in the NHFR. All consecutive ADHF patients who satisfied the European Society of Cardiology criteria were enrolled in the registry. All‐cause mortality at 90 days was the main outcome measure. In total, 10 851 consecutive patients were recruited (mean age: 59.9 years, 31% women). Ischaemic heart disease was the predominant aetiology for HF (72%), followed by dilated cardiomyopathy (18%). Isolated right HF was noted in 62 (0.6%) participants. In eligible HF patients, 47.5% received GDMT. The 90 day mortality was 14.2% (14.9% and 13.9% in women and men, respectively) with a re‐admission rate of 8.4%. An inverse relationship between educational class based on years of education and 90 day mortality (high mortality in the lowest educational class) was observed in the study population. Patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction and HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction who did not receive GDMT experienced higher mortality (log‐rank P < 0.001) than those who received GDMT. Baseline educational class, body mass index, New York Heart Association functional class, ejection fraction, dependent oedema, serum creatinine, QRS > 120 ms, atrial fibrillation, mitral regurgitation, haemoglobin levels, serum sodium, and GDMT independently predicted 90 day mortality. Conclusion: One of seven ADHF patients in the NHFR died during the first 90 days of follow‐up. One of two patients received GDMT. Adherence to GDMT improved survival in HF patients with reduced and mildly reduced ejection fractions. Our findings call for innovative quality improvement initiatives to improve the uptake of GDMT among HF patients in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneous rupture of a metastatic liver tumour is rarely documented in the literature when compared to hepatocellular carcinoma and other liver lesions, especially from a lung primary. We report a case of ruptured liver metastasis from an adenocarcinoma of the lung mimicking ruptured liver abscess, challenging the clinical diagnosis. A 42-year-female patient presented to a tertiary care institute in 2020 with complaints of abdominal pain, breathlessness and fever. On examination, the patient was tachypnoeic with a right hypochondriac mass. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography of abdomen and thorax revealed an ill-defined heterogeneously enhancing lesion in the liver with a communicating subcapsular collection and hypo-enhancing lesions in the left lobe and heterogeneously enhancing lesion in the left lung. Adenocarcinoma of the lung with hepatic metastasis was confirmed with a core needle biopsy. The patient was managed conservatively with intravenous antibiotics, intercostal drainage tube and gefitinib. However, despite best efforts, the patient succumbed to the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field experiment entitled 'Bio-efficacy of post-emergent herbicides on growth and yield of horsegram (Macrotyloma uniflorum L.)' was conducted at AICRP on Arid legumes field unit, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru during kharif 2020. The experiment consisted of eight treatments including the application of six post emergent herbicides (Quizalofop ethyl, propaquizafop, imazethapyr, haloxyfop r-methyl, chlodinafop propargyl and fenoxafrop-p-ethyl at 15 DAS), two hand weedings (20 and 40 DAS) and weedy check were replicated thrice in RCBD. Major weeds observed were Borreria hispida, Alternanthera sessilis, Euphorbia geniculata, Acanthospermum hispidum, Parthenium hysterophorus among broad-leaved weeds, Eleusine indica, Dactyloctenium aegyptium and Cynodon dactylon among the grassy weeds and Cyperus rotundus among sedges. The results revealed that hand weedings at two intervals (20 and 40 DAS) recorded significantly higher seed yield (1155 kg ha-1) and was found on par with post emergent application of quizalofop ethyl 5 per cent EC 50 g a.i. ha-1 (1121 kg ha-1) and imazethapyr 10 per cent SL 40 g a.i. ha-1 (1082 kg ha-1) without having any phytotoxicity on horsegram. The net returns and B:C ratio was recorded higher in the treatments receiving post emergent application of quizalofop ethyl 5 per cent EC 50 g a.i. ha-1 (Rs.21,874 ha-1 and 2.1, respectively) and imazethapyr 10 per cent SL 40 g a.i. ha-1 (Rs. 20,541 ha-1 and 2.0, respectively). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a modified analytical model to evaluate the trajectories of various lift separation sabot configurations. The aerodynamic forces acting on the sabot surfaces during a supersonic flight are modeled in the present analytical model by incorporating the pressures on the windward side of the sabot due to the detached/attached shock and its reflections and then integrated using the 3-DoF dynamical equations. The trajectory and the aerodynamic coefficients were obtained for these configurations at a projectile Mach number of 3. The sabot configurations, which include two new designs, are compared with each other and with the conventional free flight trajectory data of the conventional sabots. The mechanical interaction between the sabot and projectile is also addressed in the present work. The comparison shows that the new designs with the aerodynamic surfaces close to the center of gravity, lift-off from the projectile with minimal mechanical interaction compared to a conventional sabot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurement using arterial spin labelling (ASL) MRI sequences has recently emerged as a prominent tool in dementia research. Aims: To establish association between quantified regional cerebral perfusion and gray matter (GM) volumes with cognitive measures in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early Alzheimer's Dementia (AD), using three dimensional fast spin echo pseudo-continuous ASL MRI sequences. Settings and Design: Hospital-based cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: Three age-matched groups, i.e., 21 cognitively normal healthy controls (HC), 20 MCI and 19 early AD patients diagnosed using neuropsychological tests and who consented for multimodality 3T MRI were recruited for the study. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical parametric mapping and regions of interest (ROI) multivariate analysis of variance was used to ascertain differences between patients and controls on MRI-volumetry and ASL. Linear regression was used to assess relationship between CBF with GM atrophy and neuropsychological test measures. Results: Compared to HC, patients with MCI and AD had significantly lower quantified perfusion in posterior cingulate and lingual gyri, over hippocampus in MCI, with no differences noted between MCI and AD. Atrophy over the middle temporal gyrus and hippocampus differentiated AD from MCI. No significant positive correlations were noted between perfusion and GM volumes in ROI with the exception of temporal neocortex. Significantly positive coefficient b-value (p < 0.01) were apparent between global cognition with CBF in precuneus, temporal neocortex and precuneus volume, with negative b-values noted between medial temporal CBF for global cognition and recall scores. Conclusions: ROI-based CBF measurements differentiated MCI and AD from HC; volumetry of medial and neocortical temporal GM separates AD from MCI. Correlations between CBF and neuropsychology are variable and require further longitudinal studies to gauge its predictive utility on cognitive trajectory in MCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entropy of past lifetime is closely related to the reversed hazard rate. Since the reversed hazard rate of a non negative random variable with an absolutely continuous distribution can neither be constant nor monotonic increasing on the positive real line, there are limitations on deriving various properties of past entropy as well. In this work we investigate conditions under which reversed hazard rate can be increasing and can assume different non monotone shapes and use them to derive some new classes of past entropy-based life distributions and characterizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Health workers are incessantly in dilemma as to why people healthy or otherwise avoid health professionals. This study aimed at establishing an association between the dental ladder and numerous psychosocial factors associated with dental avoidance in an adolescent population using a Contemplation Ladder. This study is an analytical cross-sectional study which evaluates attitudes of subjects towards their oral health and future intentions to go to a dentist in the coastal city of Mangalore. The Dental Contemplation Ladder is based on the ladder developed by Biener and Abrams. The questionnaires used in the study included the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS, the Dental Neglect Scale (DNS) and the Revised Dental Beliefs Survey (R-DBS). The Pearson chi square association between the ladder scores and gender showed high statistical significance (p <0.001) with females having higher ladder scores than males. A one-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant difference between the variables with (p<0.05) for all three psychosocial variables. The regression models showed a statistically significant relation between the ladder scores and psycho social variables. The study provides an important link between dental absenteeism and different psychological and social parameters and the interrelation and association of these to the differing stages of change in adolescent [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is aimed at developing relations between the pertinent variables that affect drilling process of stainless steel using artificial neural network. The experiments were conducted on vertical CNC machining centre. The parameters used were spindle speed and feed rate. The effect of machining parameters on entry burr height, exit burr height and surface roughnesswas experimentally evaluated for different spindle speeds and feed rates. A model was established between the drilling parameters and experimentally obtained data using ANN. The predicted values and measured values are fairly close, which indicates that the developed model can be effectively used to predict the burr height and surface roughness in drilling of stainless steel. Genetic algorithm (GA) technique was used in this work to identify the optimized drilling parameters. Confirmation test was conducted with the optimized parameters and it was found that confirmation test results were similar to that of GA-predicted output values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is clearly a multifactorial disease that develops from childhood and ultimately leads to death. Several reports revealed having a First Degree Relatives (FDRS) with premature CAD is a significant autonomous risk factor for CAD development. C - reactive protein (CRP) is a member of the pentraxin family and is the most widely studied proinflammatory biomarker. IL-18 is a pleiotrophic and proinflammatory cytokine which is produced mainly by macrophages and plays an important role in the inflammatory cascade. Methods and Results: Hs-CRP levels were estimated by ELISA and Genotyping of IL-18 gene variant located on promoter -137 (G/C) by Allele specific PCR in blood samples of 300 CAD patients and 300 controls and 100 FDRS. Promoter Binding sites and Protein interacting partners were identified by Alibaba 2.1 and Genemania online tools respectively. Hs-CRP levels were significantly high in CAD patients followed by FDRS when compared to controls. In IL-18 -137 (G/C) polymorphism homozygous GG is significantly associated with occurrence of CAD and Hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in GG genotype subjects when compared to GC and CC. IL-18 was found to be interacting with 100 protein interactants. Conclusion: Our results indicate that Hs-CRP levels and IL-18-137(G/C) polymorphism may help to identify risk of future events of CAD in asymptomatic healthy FDRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminal investigation always involves the identification of individuals. Identification of individual is based on the available physical evidences. The most conventional method of identification of individuals is based on the fingerprints. There are certain instances wherein the identity of individual would be possible with the anthropometric data such as measurements of various body parts although the complete identification is possible with fingerprints and DNA analysis4,5,6. Still the primary characteristics of identification such as stature and sex can be determined with the available data. In this study, an attempt has been made to establish the possible correlation between the palm lengths with the stature of individual. To get scrupulous results, the study has been done on the young adult population in the age range of 21-25 years6. A total number of 500 subjects were considered for the study that includes 200 boys and 300 girls. It was possible to deduce the correlation coefficient and multiplication factor for estimation of stature from palm length. The multiplication factor so deduced has been applied and regression analysis was done and was found to be significant and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) end capped with biodegradable hydrophobic dipeptides shows versatile gelation behavior in a wide range of aqueous and organic solvents. This gelation characteristic is attributed to the aggregation of polymer chains induced by dipeptide end groups. Both PEG molecular weight and molecular structure of end groups control this aggregation by striking a balance between two opposing molecular interactions: solubility of the PEG segment which tends to dissolve the polymer while hydrophobic and intermolecular noncovalent interactions between the end groups induce aggregation. Morphologically, this aggregated structure forms interpenetrating nano sheets with characteristic microstructural features. These gels are biodegradable and possess physicomechanical characteristics suitable for biomedical applications. Furthermore, proteins and hydrophobic model drugs can be encapsulated within the gels from aqueous and organic solvents, respectively, and can be released in a controlled fashion which indicates the applicability of the gels as drug delivery vehicles. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014, 52, 1917-1928 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminal investigation always involves the identification of individuals involved in any incidence that is under question. Identification of individual is based on the available physical evidences. The most conventional method of identification of individuals is based on the fingerprints. There are certain instances wherein the identity of individual would be done based on certain anthropometric data such as measurements of various body parts although the complete identification is possible with fingerprints, DNA and patterns still the primary characteristic of identification such as stature and sex can be determined. In this study, an attempt has been made to establish the possible correlation between the palm length with the stature of individual. To get scrupulous results, the study has been done on the young adult population in the age range of 21-25 years. A total number of 500 subjects were considered for the study that includes 200 boys and 300 girls. Significant results were obtained. It was possible to deduce the correlation coefficient and multiplication factor for estimation of stature from palm length. The multiplication factor so deduced has been applied and regression analysis was done and was found to be significant and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell-matrix interaction is a key regulator for controlling stem cell fate in regenerative tissue engineering. These interactions are induced and controlled by the nanoscale features of extracellular matrix and are mimicked on synthetic matrices to control cell structure and functions. Recent studies have shown that nanostructured matrices can modulate stem cell behavior and exert specific role in tissue regeneration. In this study, we have demonstrated that nanostructured phase morphology of synthetic matrix can control adhesion, proliferation, organization and migration of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Nanostructured biodegradable polyurethanes (PU) with segmental composition exhibit biphasic morphology at nanoscale dimensions and can control cellular features of MSCs. Biodegradable PU with polyester soft segment and hard segment composed of aliphatic diisocyanates and dipeptide chain extender were designed to examine the effect polyurethane phase morphology. By altering the polyurethane composition, morphological architecture of PU was modulated and its effect was examined on MSC. Results show that MSCs can sense the nanoscale morphology of biphasic polyurethane matrix to exhibit distinct cellular features and, thus, signifies the relevance of matrix phase morphology. The role of nanostructured phases of a synthetic matrix in controlling cell-matrix interaction provides important insights for regulation of cell behavior on synthetic matrix and, therefore, is an important tool for engineering tissue regeneration. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2013. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New molecular-weight-enlarged metathesis catalysts, which bear polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) tags, were synthesized and characterized. The catalysts can be recovered from the reaction mixture by using nanofiltration techniques and can be reused. It was found that the membranes Starmem 228 and PuraMem 280 successfully separate the catalyst from the post-reaction mixtures to below 3 ppm. The application of these POSS-tagged catalysts in a continuous metathesis reaction was also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel 2-(aryl)-3-[5-(2-oxo-2 H-3-chromenyl)-1,3-oxazol-2-yl]-1,3-thiazolan-4-ones have been synthesized and assayed for their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria viz. Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538p), Micrococcus luteus (IFC 12708), and Gram-negative bacteria viz. Proteus vulgaris (ATCC 3851), Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 14028), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), and also antifungal activity against Candida albicans (ATCC 10231), Aspergillus fumigatus (HIC 6094), Trichophyton rubrum (IFO 9185), and Trichophyton mentagrophytes (IFO 40996). Among the screened compounds, , , , , and exhibited potent inhibitory activity compared with the standard drug at the tested concentrations. The results reveal that, the presence of difluorophenyl in and pipernyl ring in at 2-position of thiazolidine-4-one ring show significant inhibitory activity. The other compounds also showed appreciable activity against the test bacteria and fungi and emerged as potential molecules for further development. J. Heterocyclic Chem., 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forensic science has been playing an important role in the justice administration system1,2. Some of the most important evidences such as fingerprints, blood and semen have been easily detected with the available techniques2,3. There are certain conditions in which these are beyond the ability of the human eye for the purpose of visualization and analysis. These could be made visible with the application of nanoparticles6,7. In this study, an effort has been made to make the latent prints visible by using silver chloride nanoparticles. Though silver compounds are costlier, they could be used for this purpose as they are more effective in such circumstances wherein the evidences are well diluted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A suburban train (electric motor unit, EMU) was allegedly hijacked by a young man from Chennai central railway station on 29th April 2009 at 5am in the morning. He had started the train from the Chennai central railway station which was stationed at that time. He accelerated its speed and had driven the train in a wrong track i.e. the track which is meant for the downward (returning) trains. But within a distance of about 3 kilometers the train had collided with another goods train which was stationed in the same track of the Vyasarpadi ( next station for stoppage from the central station railway station). The alleged hijacker lost his life with multiple injuries while attempting to escape from that train just before the collision with the goods train. The case was resolved on the basis of the external findings of the victim's body and other circumstantial evidences. Though the victims' body was intact the identity of the victim is still unknown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]