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Breast cancer is the most frequently occurring cancer disease in women. It is reported almost 14% of cancers in Indian women are breast cancer. It becomes very crucial to predict breast cancer earlier to minimize the deaths. This research article helps to predict breast cancer earlier and reduce the immature deaths of women in India. In this paper, the authors have used the Logistic Regression method to classify the disease. The authors simulate the results using logistic regression with 10-fold cross-validations and with a different train-test split of the dataset. The 10-fold cross validations display its potential with almost 94% performance in the research paper. With all features and 90-10 , 80-20,50-50, 66-34 splits, and 10-fold cross-validations the authors achieve 96% accuracy. we have used different accuracy measures like accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and kappa statistics to get the novelty of the model. In this study, the authors use the Wisconsin (Diagnostic) Data Set for Breast Cancer, Created by Dr. William H. Wolberg, General Surgery Dept., University of Wisconsin, Clinical Science Centre, Madison, WI 53792 wolberg@eagle.surgery.wisc.edu available at the UCI ML Repository website.

In this study, experimental works were carried out in three different drying methods named heat exchanger-evacuated tube-assisted drying system (HE-ETADS), greenhouse solar dryer (GHSD), and open sun drying (OSD) to compare thin-layer drying kinetics, concept of mass transfer, and quality assessment of banana slices. Initial moisture content (MC) of banana slices was obtained as 78 ± 2.0% (wb), which decreased to 23.2 ± 2.0% (wb), 25.6 ± 2.0% (wb), and 28.8 ± 2.0% (wb) in all three drying systems, respectively, in 9 h of drying time. Average drying rate was evaluated as 7.89, 7.65, and 7.25 g water/g solid h in HE-ETADS, GHSD, and OSD, respectively. Weibull model (WM) defines thin-layer drying kinetics of banana slices in all three drying processes. Maximum hardness and shrinkage factor of dried banana slices were obtained as 373.6 g and 75%, respectively, in HE-ETADS. Effective moisture diffusivity, activation energy, and mass transfer coefficient were computed as 1.11–2.48 × 10−07 m2 s−1, 30.25 kJ/mole, and 3.21–1.0 × 10−04 m/s, in HE-ETADS. Similarly, in GHSD and OSD, these factors were observed as 1.21–2.34 × 10−07 m2 s−1, 41.25 kJ/mole, 3.15–1.0 × 10−04 m/s and 1.3–2.21 × 10−07 m2 s−1, 56.89 kJ/mole, 3.01–1.0 × 10−04 m/s. Maximum total color changes were noted in OSD. Hence, HE-ETADS can potentially dry high moisture content crops effectively within a minimum drying period.

The interim results of the large, multinational trials on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using a combination of antiviral drugs appear to have little to no effect on the 28-day mortality or the in-hospital course. Therefore, there is a still vivid interest in finding alternate re-purposed drugs and nutrition supplements, which can halt or slow the disease severity. We review here the multiple preclinical studies, partially supported by clinical evidence showing the quercetin's possible therapeutic/prophylaxis efficacy against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) as well as comorbidities like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes mellitus, obesity, coagulopathy, and hypertension. Currently, 14 interventional clinical trials are underway assessing the efficacy of quercetin along with other antiviral drugs/nutritional supplements as prophylaxis/treatment option against COVID-19. The present review is tempting to suggest that, based on circumstantial scientific evidence and preliminary clinical data, the flavonoid quercetin can ameliorate COVID-19 infection and symptoms acting in concert on two parallel and independent paths: inhibiting key factors responsible for SARS-CoV-2 infections and mitigating the clinical manifestations of the disease in patients with comorbid conditions. Despite the broad therapeutic properties of quercetin, further high power randomized clinical trials are needed to firmly establish its clinical efficacy against COVID-19.

This book chapter examines the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve healthcare. AI has become increasingly prominent in healthcare, providing the capability to automate tasks, analyze large patient data sets, and deliver quicker and more cost-effective healthcare. We focus on its various applications in healthcare including vital sign monitoring, glycemic control, radiology, and emergency room triage with point of care ultrasound (POCUS). We also address Ai’s ethical, legal, and privacy implications in healthcare such as data protection and safeguarding patient privacy. Finally, we explore the potential of AI in healthcare improvement in the future and investigate the current trends, opportunities, and evolving threats posed by AI in healthcare, as well as its implications for human-AI interfacing and job security. This book chapter provides an essential and comprehensive overview of the potential of AI in healthcare, providing a valuable resource for healthcare professionals and researchers in the field.

Background Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are the leading causes of cardiovascular disease in renal transplant recipients. This review looks at the potential role of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and reviews the management strategies for hypertension in this population. Summary Large-scale clinical trials are needed to study the potential cardiorenal benefits and risks of complications in renal transplant recipients. Future clinical trials are also needed to define optimal blood pressure treatment goals and therapies and how they influence graft and patient survival. Key Messages Multiple recent prospective randomized clinical trials have shown the benefits of using SGLT2is to improve cardiorenal outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease with or without diabetes mellitus. Renal transplant recipients were not included in these trials due to concerns about genitourinary complications. Hence the role of these agents in this population is unclear. A number of small studies have highlighted the safety of using these agents in renal transplant recipients. Post-transplant hypertension is a complex problem requiring individualized management. Recent guidelines recommend using a calcium channel blocker or angiotensin receptor blocker as the first-line anti-hypertensive agents in adult renal transplant recipients.

We report a visible-light-mediated, organophotoredox-catalyzed, C(sp2)–H alkylation of N-heteroarenes with dihydroquinazolines, prepared from aliphatic ketones, under oxidative conditions. This protocol represents a metal-free approach to the effective construction of C–C bonds through a Minisci-type reaction, formally activating the native C–H bond of the N-heteroarene and an α-C–C bond of a readily available ketone. The mild nature of this method accommodates a wide variety of N-heteroarenes and ketones, tolerating a wide range of functional groups.

A mild silver-catalysed oxidative C–H alkylation of N-heteroarenes is developed, utilizing aliphatic ketone-derived 2,3-dihydroquinazolinones as an alkyl radical reservoir.

BackgroundThe collection of blood samples in different vacutainers can affect the result of serum lithium estimation due to the presence of distinct additives added in the blood collection vacutainer for enhancing the clot formation process. The presence of these additives has proven to interfere with laboratory results of biochemical analytes. In this case, both the pre-analytical and the analytical phases have a significant impact on the accuracy and precision of the test result. Thus, it has become a challenge for the lab physician to estimate lithium in any clinical laboratory setup.Materials and MethodsIn total, 100 patient samples were collected and paired into clot activator vacutainers and plain glass vials. Both the paired collecting tubes after centrifugation were processed immediately via Vitros 4600 analyzer working on the principle of reflectance photometry. Both the paired tubes were stored at 2-8 degrees centigrade and were further analyzed, at 24 and 48 hours respectively, from the time of their collection. The statistical analysis was done in IBM® SPSS® software version 23.ResultsThere was a significant difference in the lithium values obtained from clot activator vacutainers in comparison to glass vial. The difference between the measurements of the lithium levels was statistically tested by ‘t’ test where it was observed that the lithium measurements by the two different collecting tubes differed significantly with a Confidence Interval of 0.03 to 0.06 implying the level of agreement of both the methods are not similar. But there was no statistical difference in the lithium values estimated at 24 hours and 48 hours of collection.ConclusionIn this study, lithium levels measured by clot-activated vacutainers are found to be low as compared to lithium levels measured through glass vials. There is no apparent change in lithium values obtained at 1hr, 24hrs & 48hrs from their collection, when measured from the glass vials and the clot-activated vacutainers respectively, by the Vitros 4600 dry chemistry analyzer.Summary StatementSerum Lithium estimation in clincal laboratory may be done different methodologies, but the result may vary due to change in principle of investigation and the pre analytical and analytical interferences.

Introduction Assessment is an important driving force behind an effective teaching-learning process; since assessment measures the outcome as per the objective of the education, hence it determines the entire lesson plan for apposite alignment with the curriculum. The assessment process steers the learners with a positive pull towards the desired outcome. Both the summative and formative assessments focus on how the individual student display his level of understanding. Material & Methods The study design was longitudinal follow-up study. The study was undertaken to find out any positive trend of performance in terms of both cognitive and psychomotor skills of students in successive formative examinations. The study included 50 medical students of first professional batch of AIIMS Kalyani from Department of Biochemistry during 2019-2020. The formative assessment tests included 3 theory examinations, 3 case-based problem-solving (CBP), 4 objectively structured practical examinations (OSPE) and 3 viva-voce, with almost regular time intervals. Results Both the results of the theory exams and Case based problem showed gradual significant increase in the percentage of marks from the initial assessment (pConclusions Competency-based curriculum needs validation through consistent assessment system. Towards this end the present study might open up new vistas for incorporation of the proper competency-based curriculum aligned with the suitable assessment process to develop an efficient medical education program.

A silver-catalysed oxidative sp

Alternative fuels in spark-ignition engines significantly reduce engine exhaust emissions and improve fuel efficiency. This research investigates the performance of a multicylinder SI engine using 10%, 20% (ethanol, methanol, methyl acetate), and 100% compressed biomethane gas (CBG) as alternative fuels. Engine performance parameters (BTE, ITE, ME, BP), BSFC, ISFC, FF, combustion phenomenon (cylinder pressure, crank angle, cylinder volume, mass fraction burned, net heat release, mean gas temperature, cumulative heat release, rate of pressure rise), and emission characteristics (HC, CO, CO

BackgroundCinemeducation has been shown to be an effective tool to help the students develop humanistic skills. However, there is a dearth of studies to find out if this can also be utilized to improve the interest and satisfaction of students learning about rare diseases such as the Inborn Errors of Metabolism. The aim was to introduce cinemeducation as part of early clinical exposure in teaching the inborn errors of metabolism for first-year MBBS students in the Department of Biochemistry. The Objectives were 1) to develop, validate and assess the feasibility of structured modules on Cinemeducation in teaching the Inborn Errors of Metabolism, 2) to study the impact of Cinemeducation on the satisfaction, interest, and academic performance of first-year MBBS students and 3) to study the perception of students and faculty towards CinemeducationMethodsThis was a quasi-experimental, cross-over study involving 100 MBBS students in the Department of Biochemistry, AIIMS Kalyani. Movie clips prepared from Lorenzo’s Oil (for Lipid metabolism) and Extraordinary Measures (for Lysosomal Storage Disease) and corresponding paper-based cases; questionnaires and feedback forms were validated by expert group review. Analysis of quantitative data was performed in GraphPad, MS Excel and MAXQDA2022 software.Findings, Discussions and ConclusionsStudents’ academic performance was found to be improved in the groups where the Extraordinary Measures movie was used for Cinemeducation. Both learners and facilitators were satisfied with Cinemeducation. Cinemeducation was effectively introduced for teaching Inborn Errors of Metabolism in the Department of Biochemistry.

The oxa-Diels–Alder reaction is a straightforward, atom-economical process for the construction of six-membered oxacycles, which are privileged structures due to their very common occurrence in several pharmaceuticals and natural products. As with many other asymmetric transformations, organocatalysis provides an elegant pathway to their synthesis via [4+2] annulation under mild reaction conditions. The oxa-Diels–Alder reaction utilizes either an α,β-unsaturated carbonyl as an oxa-diene with a suitable dienophile or a simple carbonyl as a dienophile with other dienes. A range of organocatalysts has been explored in the past decade to execute this strategy. The catalysts induce stereoselectivities via two basic reactivities: (1) The formation of chiral intermediates, or (2) selectively activating suitable reactants via a transition state. The present short review compiles organocatalyzed asymmetric oxa-Diels–Alder reactions published over the last ten years, along with detailed discussions on mechanistic approaches.1 Introduction2 Catalysis through Covalent Activation2.1 N-Heterocyclic Carbenes2.2 Amines2.3 Isothiourea Catalysis2.4 Phosphines3 Catalysis through Non-Covalent Activation3.1 Bifunctional Amines3.2 Brønsted Acids3.3 Guanidines4 Multicatalysis through Both Covalent and Non-Covalent Activation5 Conclusion

Rivastigmine is a clinical drug for patients of Alzheimer's disease (AD) exerting its inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase activity however, its effect on other disease-related pathological mechanisms are not yet known. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of rivastigmine on protein aggregation and degradation related mechanisms employing streptozotocin (STZ) induced experimental rat model. The known inhibitory effect of rivastigmine on cognition and acetylcholinesterase activity was observed in both cortex and hippocampus and further its effect on tau level, amyloid aggregation, biochemical alterations, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, calcium homeostasis, proteasome activity and apoptosis was estimated. STZ administration in rat brain caused significant cognitive impairment, augmented acetylcholinesterase activity, tau phosphorylation and amyloid aggregation which were significantly inhibited with rivastigmine treatment. STZ also caused significant biochemical alterations which were attenuated with rivastigmine treatment. Since AD pathology is related to protein aggregation and we have found disease-related amyloid aggregation, further the investigation was done to decipher the ER functionality and apoptotic signalling. STZ caused significantly altered level of ER stress related markers (GRP78, GADD153 and caspase-12) which were significantly inhibited with rivastigmine treatment. Furthermore, the effect of rivastigmine was estimated on proteasome activity in both regions. Rivastigmine treatment significantly enhances the proteasome activity and may contributes in removal of amyloid aggregation. In conclusion, findings suggested that along with inhibitory effect of rivastigmine on acetylcholinesterase activity and up to some extent on cognition, it has significant effect on disease-related biochemical alterations, ER functionality, protein degradation machinery and neuronal apoptosis.

To search for novel proteases from environmental isolates which can induce apoptosis in cancer cells, we have purified subtilisin from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and studied its anti-cancer properties. Subtilisin induced apoptosis in colon (HT29) and breast (MCF7) cancer cells but showed no effect on mouse peritoneal macrophages and normal breast cells (MCF10A). Western blot analysis showed that Bax, Bcl-2 level remained unchanged but tubulin level decreased significantly. Subtilisin does not induce the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis, rather it induced tubulin degradation in MCF-7 cells, whereas in normal cells (MCF-10A) tubulin degradation was not observed. Subtilisin activates ubiquitination and proteasomal-mediated tubulin degradation which was completely restored in presence of proteasome inhibitor MG-132. We further observed PARKIN, one of the known E3-ligase, is overexpressed and interacts with tubulin in subtilisin treated cells. Knockdown of PARKIN effectively downregulates ubiquitination and inhibits degradation of tubulin. PARKIN activation and tubulin degradation lead to ER-stress which in turn activates caspase-7 and PARP cleavage, thus guiding the subtilisin treated cells towards apoptosis. To our knowledge this is the first report of subtilisin induced apoptosis in cancer cells by proteasomal degradation of tubulin.

The solar drying of agricultural products is considered the most excellent green and sustainable agricultural product conservation method. The advancement of effective drying system design and agricultural products drying characteristics will increase product conservation. The current research work focuses on the investigation analysis of evacuated tube assisted solar dryer in eliminating the moisture ratio present in the crops. The temperature can be controlled and maintained by regulating the flow rate of flowing hot water inside the drying chamber with heat exchanger. The thermal performance of evacuated tube solar collector assisted solar dryer and open sun drying method were compared. Due to advancements in solar dryers, its drying cabin temperature increased. Consequences indicated that using a hybrid greenhouse solar dryer decreased the drying period while equating to open sun drying. All the experiments are performed under the environmental condition of Gwalior-India (26.2183° N, 78.1828° E) during the days of February 25, 2021 and February 26, 2021. The temperature difference between drying methods during the experiment was recorded 14.35℃ and 13.95℃ on the first day and second day of experiments, respectively. Also the relative humidity of open sun drying method is more in comparison to hybrid greenhouse solar drying. Time need to reduce moisture by using advanced solar dry systems recorded 7 h, while in open sun drying 10 h. The results show that drying time is 30% more in open sun drying.

H2 fuel is adopted for the upcoming generation. Leading of H2 technology is causes of decrement of fossil fuel and change of climate condition. There are multiple methods for the development of producing H2 from conventional and non-conventional resources. This paper presents the major hydrogen production technologies by the industrial and biological process and a short discussion on the present scenario and economy of H2 production and hydrogen storage. The collection of industrial techniques are involve in different kind of reforming process such as steam methane reformation (SMR), Partial oxidation (POx), auto thermal reforming (ATR) and steam iron. Biological techniques of H2 production are adopted by various developing processes such as dark-fermentation, photo fermentation, and bio-photolysis by direct and indirect method. SMR is mostly used in the industrial process and it reaches efficiency 85%. It is available nearly 50% of globally consumption. POx and ATR are also another two important processes used for industrial. The biological process is producing low yields but gaining more interest due to easy and large availability of feed materials and low pollutions. Bio-H2 production methods economy is more expensive than fossil fuel H2 production. The requirement of more research challenges the yields of bio-H2 to provide practical solutions. Several researchers have been done more works on bio-hydrogen using water and biomass along with solar energy, but still, it continues to improve the efficiency of development.

Today's world has made electric vehicles an imminent need for the hour. Energy performance means that in contrast with internal combustion engine powered vehicles electric vehicles are more energy-efficient. Lithium-ion batteries have been constantly growing in their energy density (gravity energy density) and the cell price per kWh has fallen. Batteries with lithium molecule are seen as appealing to vehicles. Its temperature control system plays an extremely important role in its longevity and performance. Numerous studies of the oscillating heat pipe (OHP) have been performed in order to sustain battery cells under the perfect temperature variation by utilizing various boundaries such as filling proportions, working liquids, pipe diameter, and material of the heat pipe. This work explores the reduction in the operating temperature of such batteries by means of the OHP and the use of methanol- diethylether blends as working material in various mixing ratio(MR) proportions (1:0.25, 1:0.75 and 1:1) to obtain the best performance. The results were also compared with only methanol as working fluid.

This review study aimed at short description on most recent research available with regards to waste heat recovery (WHR) area which could be obtained with the help of various power as well as refrigeration cycles. From the literature, it is understood that WHR not only help us to reduce emission effects but even useful in energy saving that can further positively effect to the thermal performance or can be used for different purposes with the help of WHR cycles. Therefore, present study mainly discusses the literature with regard to application of various thermodynamic cycles widely employed these days for the WHR processes.

The limited fossil reserves, spiraling price and environmental impact due to usage of fossil fuels leads the world wide researchers’ interest in using alternative renewable and environment safe fuels that can meet the energy demand. Biodiesel is an emerging renewable alternative fuel to conventional diesel which can be produced from both edible and non-edible oils, animal fats, algae etc. The society is in dire need of using renewable fuels as an immediate control measure to mitigate the pollution level. In this work an attempt is made to review the requisite and access the capability of the biodiesel in improving the environmental degradation.

The aim of present paper is to study the performance of diesel engine utilizing algae oil methyl ester (AOME) as green fuel and to investigate the chance of using AOME blend with diesel widely instead of diesel. This review incorporates the investigation of AOME from various strains of algae in different kinds of diesel engine. The majority of the examinations consent to the reduction in exhaust emission and the increase in Engine efficiency while utilizing AOME in CI engine. Numerous scientists revealed increment in NOx. As a conclusion, it has been found that algae oil is barely investigated and till date few of past papers contain opposing outcomes or non-very much contemplated practices as this overview illustrates.

Commercializing of algal bio-fuel is the major challenge due to proficient harvesting in current scenario. Several species of the algae contain a high concentration of lipids and necessitate simple cultivation methods than usual crops for the conversion of bio-fuels. Algae have the capability to make many biofuels such as bioethanol, biodiesel, bio-hydrogen, etc. Algae bio mass have potential in terms of ‘energy’, but there is challenge in having a feasible balanced energy in algae bio-fuel development operations. Extra challenges of algal harvesting appear from the minute structure of algal cell, comparison of density in the algal cells to the augmentation medium, the pessimistic surface indict on the algal and micro-algae enlargement process which necessitate numerous harvesting compared to the earthbound plants. Centrifugation sedimentation, flotation, filtration and flocculation or a blend of these are main methods of algal harvesting. This paper reviews different methods of harvesting of algae & potential growth of algal biofuel.

Petroleum products have been utilized for the power generation in diesel engine. As the fossils fuels are depleting at a faster rate and from the environmental viewpoint, it is necessary to use alternative source of energy that could replace fossils fuels in existing engines. Because of the aforementioned reasons, numerous scientists have discovered different solutions for the substitution of petroleum diesel, one of the promising techniques is the utilization of gaseous fuel's viz., compressed natural gas (CNG) as primary fuel under dual fuel mode in a customized diesel engine. Most of the engine scientists have observed that by utilizing CNG in modified engine, leads to significant reduction in exhaust emissions owing to complete combustion at higher loads along with comparable performance in comparison to neat diesel. However, the performance of engine was improved substantially with the addition of nano particles in pilot fuel. Nevertheless, for long term benefits of CNG in conventional engine economic aspects should also be considered. Moreover, the performance can be optimized by modifying injection parameters as well as better mixture formation responsible for efficient combustion. Overall, it can be concluded that CNG fuelled CI engine can be utilized for higher performance with reduced exhalations.

The key to efficient operation of a diesel engine is the smooth combustion of the fuel and controlled detonation. In diesel engine detonation depends on ignition delay (ID) period. An isochoric cylindrical combustion box (CCB) is fabricated for the assessment of ID tendency for simple diesel and vegetable oils-diesel fuel blend (VODFB). The combustion box consist of air heating coils, hot surface plate, fuel injector, pressure gauge, temperature indictor, temperature controller and photo sensor. A two stage compressor with intercooler is used for charging the air in the combustion box. The ignition lag was measured for injection pressures (IP) (100-bar, 200-bar and 300-bar), hot surface temperatures (400°C and 450°C), cylinder pressures (10, 15, 20 and 25-bar) for simple diesel and VODFB by using photo sensor and scope-meter. The results show that ID was decreased with increase in IP, at a specific cylinder pressure and HST for both simple diesel and VODFB. At high IP (300-bar), ID is lower for the blended fuel because at high IP, the fuel covers more physical land and more fuel is vaporized within a given time period and hence ID time decrease.

The information technology has changed the way library professional to interact, communicate, share and acquire knowledge. However, when the computer was created it did not have features and facilities for users to interact. With the evaluation of Internet and Communication Technology, manual library has evolved into a dynamic, interactive and collaborative platform that facilitates exchange of knowledge and information among its users. RFID is the latest technology to be used in libraries and information centers for book identification, for self-checkout and for theft detection. This paper presents an overview of RFID, it defines RFID, Components, Benefits and Limitations.

A novel and rapid method for transesterifying cottonseed oil into bio-diesel using a domestic microwave oven (MW) has been developed in the present study. Five parameters were investigated to see their effect on bio-diesel yield output. These were input power, reaction time, oil-to-methanol molar ratio, turntable speed, and fan cooling speed. The respective values used for experimentation were 200 W to 500 W, 4 to 11 minutes, 1:4.5 to 1:12, 10 to 40 rpm, and 800 to 1500 rpm and the volume of the catalyst was kept constant at 1%. The experimental results of microwave study were compared to the traditional magnetic stirrer (MS) approach for the same molar ratio and catalyst amount. The optimum parameters for the transesterification process assisted by the domestic microwave oven were obtained such as methanol to oil molar ratio (1:4.5), potassium hydroxide catalyst concentration (1% (w/w)), reaction time (11 minutes), turntable speed (40 rpm) and cooling fan speed (1500 rpm). The corresponding yield of cottonseed bio-diesel (CBD (MW)) was 99.5 percent. Compared with the contemporary MS approach for the same molar ratio and catalyst number, the yield of CBD (MS) was recorded in 25 minutes as 61.23 percent. It was also found that the turntable speed and cooling fan rpm of the improved microwave oven greatly, influenced the yield of bio-diesel and facilitated better utilization of microwave energy in mixing and avoid overheating of the sample mixture. A drastic reduction in microwave input power consumption was observed as compared to the pragmatic MS approach. The findings of this study have established the utility of energy-efficient, updated domestic microwave oven in the generation of bio-diesel on a small scale.

Anemometric method is the most accurate and reliable technique for air velocity measurement. In present work, a voltage follower based circuit is proposed, and a low-cost sensor (tungsten filament) is chosen to perform Constant Voltage Anemometer (CVA) operation for air velocity measurement. For performing the real-time experiment, a wind tunnel featuring a rectangular section (test section I) and a circular section (test section II) with a provision for low-cost sensors and a reference Hot Wire Anemometer (HWA) was fabricated. The measurement is repeated multiple times for various air velocities in the range of 3 m/s to 12 m/s. The estimated ‘pdr’ value (ratio of the power dissipated in the sensor, Pw to the difference between heated sensor resistance, Rw and the sensor resistance at ambient temperature, Ra), considered as new output voltage, is analogous with the output voltage (Vo) of the proposed circuit. The range of ‘pdr’ in test sections I and II is 0.033 mW/Ω to 0.867 mW/Ω and 0.0062 mW/ῼ to 0.1059 mW/Ω, respectively. Similarly, overheat ratio, OHR (ratio of the difference between heated sensor resistance, Rw and the sensor resistance at ambient temperature, Ra to the sensor resistance at ambient temperature, Ra) estimated, is also found to be analogous with the change in temperature (difference between the temperature of the heated sensor Tw and the ambient temperature Ta). The range of OHR in test sections I and II is 0.709 to 0.660 and 0.678 to 0.647, respectively. Uncertainty analysis is carried out for the proposed voltage follower based CVA measurement system and the expanded uncertainty with a 95% confidence level is obtained as 0.54 for the whole range of air velocity measurement.

Monitoring cavitation in the flow channel of industries like hydro-power plants and industries with large liquid cooling systems, is an important and crucial task. Cavitation is responsible majorly for the metal loss of turbine blades, erosion of the internal walls of pipes/penstock, and when the bubble explodes it creates impulse waves which create disturbance in measurement of flow. Also, the cavitation is the major source of vibration in the pipes while handling a high-speed fluid flow. Measuring cavitation in the pipes can help to schedule the regular maintenance and repairs of the affected system. In present work, the design of a simple non-invasive concave capacitive sensor is presented to measure the cavitation in terms of void fraction. The sensor is designed with the grounded guard electrodes and grounded shield, so it is immune to the stray electrical fields. Electrical models of the capacitive sensor are presented in different cases of void fractions. The proposed sensor is designed and experimentally validated by another concave capacitive sensor and the standard wire mesh sensor. The wire mesh sensor is designed along with its interface circuit. All three sensors are mounted on the same hardware setup, and the experiment is performed multiple times. The capacitance value changes from 16.58pF to 43.43pF for void fraction change of 100% to 0%. The uncertainty analysis is also done and the uncertainty of measurement budget is presented. The standard uncertainty of the proposed capacitive sensor is less than 0.372 pF for the whole range of measurement.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a type of dementia whose cause is incompletely defined. Copper (Cu) involvement in AD etiology was confirmed by a meta-analysis on about 6000 participants, showing that Cu levels were decreased in AD brain specimens, while Cu and non-bound ceruloplasmin Cu (non-Cp Cu) levels were increased in serum/plasma samples. Non-Cp Cu was advocated as a stratification add-on biomarker of a Cu subtype of AD (CuAD subtype). To further circumstantiate this concept, we evaluated non-Cp Cu reliability in classifying subtypes of AD based on the characterization of the cognitive profile. The stratification of the AD patients into normal AD (non-Cp Cu ≤ 1.6 µmol/L) and CuAD (non-Cp Cu > 1.6 µmol/L) showed a significant difference in executive function outcomes, even though patients did not differ in disease duration and severity. Among the Cu-AD patients, a 76-year-old woman showed significantly abnormal levels in the Cu panel and underwent whole exome sequencing. The CuAD patient was detected with possessing the homozygous (c.1486T > C; p.(Ter496Argext*19) stop-loss variant in the RGS7 gene (MIM*602517), which encodes for Regulator of G Protein Signaling 7. Non-Cp Cu as an add-on test in the AD diagnostic pathway can provide relevant information about the underlying pathological processes in subtypes of AD and suggest specific therapeutic options.

Biodiesel is a promising alternative fuel for diesel engines that provides energy security and significant environmental benefits. But its commercialization is restricted due to the cost and quality as compared to diesel fuel. To address the above, Neochloris oleoabundans microalgae oil, a non-edible, cost-effective, and underutilized third-generation feedstock, is used to produce superior biodiesel by the transesterification reaction using a hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) approach. In this research work, the transesterification model for microalgae biodiesel production is optimized through genetic algorithm (GA) and response surface methodology (RSM) using MATLAB R2020a and Design Expert 8.0.7.1, respectively. Four process input variables (operating pressure (0.5–2.5 bar), catalyst concentration (0.5–1.5 wt.%), reaction time (5–25 minutes), and molar ratio (3:1 to 7:1)) and a five-level L30 array were developed to construct a statistical model. Biodiesel yield and major properties like density, kinematic viscosity, calorific value, and flash point are the model responses. The optimum conditions for microalgae biodiesel production were operating pressure of 2.43 bar, KOH catalyst concentrations of 1.22 wt. %, reaction time of 15.54 minutes, molar ratio of 5.61:1 and at 60°C fixed reaction temperature. The optimum value of response, such as biodiesel yield, was 99.80%, the density was 0.882 g/cc, the kinematic viscosity was 4.06 cst, the calorific value was 41.72 MJ/kg, and the flash point was 146.64 °C. RSM and GA predicted results were validated experimentally. The reaction time for biodiesel produced by HC in the same settings as the conventional method was reduced by 85%. Due to its faster processing time, the HC approach is preferred to the conventional method.

Evidence of copper’s (Cu) involvement in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is available, but information on Cu involvement in microglia and astrocytes during the course of AD has yet to be structurally discussed. This review deals with this matter in an attempt to provide an updated discussion on the role of reactive glia challenged by excess labile Cu in a wide picture that embraces all the major processes identified as playing a role in toxicity induced by an imbalance of Cu in AD.

The dynamics of essential metals such as Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) may be associated with the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has spread across the globe.The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between serum levels of Cu and Zn, as well as the Cu:Zn ratio in the acute phase of COVID-19 along with the assessment of their connection to other laboratory parameters (hematological, biochemical, hemostatic).Serum levels of Cu and Zn were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry in 75 patients in the acute COVID-19 phase and were compared with those of 22 COVID-19 patients evaluated three months after the acute phase of the disease ('non-acute' group) and with those of 68 healthy individuals.In comparison with both the non-acute patients and the healthy controls, the acute patients had lower levels of hemoglobulin and albumin, and higher levels of glucose, creatinine, liver transaminases, C-reactive protein (CRP), and higher values of the neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR) at the hospital admission. They also exhibited increased levels of Cu and decreased of Zn, well represented by the Cu:Zn ratio which was higher in the acute patients than in both non-acute patients (p = 0.001) and healthy controls (p 0.001), with no statistical difference between the last two groups. The Cu:Zn ratio (log scale) positively correlated with CRP (log scale; r = 0.581, p 0.001) and NLR (r = 0.436, p = 0.003).Current results demonstrate that abnormal dynamics of Cu and Zn levels in serum occur early during the course of COVID-19 disease, and are mainly associated with the inflammation response.

As fossils fuels are depleting at a faster rate and from the standpoint of the environmental concept, it is necessary to use alternative sources of energy that could replace fossils fuels in existing engines. Dual fuel engines are economically attractive replacement for traditional diesel engines or obsolete diesel engines with slight variation in engine design. Furthermore, this engine suffers from inferior performance, slow-burning rate and higher levels of carbon monoxide and un-burnt hydrocarbons at lower loads. Various engine experts have also found an increased delay period and knocking tendency while exploring dual-fuel engines. Because of the accompanying reasons, numerous scientists have discovered a different strategy for the substitution of diesel, one of which is the utilization of biofuel as an enhancement for diesel fuel. World over there is growing trends for the generation of bioCNG with proper management of organic waste. The extraction of power from biogas (bioCNG) under dual fuel mode has risen as a potential vitality transporter to address the environmental issue associated with the compression ignition (CI) engine. This review significantly focused on the utilization of gaseous fuel (bioCNG) to CI diesel engine under dual fuel mode with diesel and diesel–biodiesel blend as pilot fuel. Different engine characteristics, such as ignition, performance and exhalations of the dual-fuel engine utilizing gaseous fuels have been gathered and assessed. Findings of various literature suggest that CI engine performance in dual fuel mode slightly deteriorates but the corresponding reduction in harmful pollutants occurs with the introduction of gaseous fuel. Overall, it can be concluded that utilizing bioCNG in pilot diesel and diesel–biodiesel blend results in improved performance with reduced exhalations at higher loads.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), a debilitating microvascular complication of diabetes, is one of the leading cause of blindness. However, the pathogenesis of this disease is not fully understood. Few Studies have reported the role of MicroRNA (miRNA), which is deregulated or altered in many diseases. Further, few pathways linked genes which have been suggested to be regulated by miRNAs, may play an important role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and eventually may contribute to the establishment of DR. However, the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in DR are still not very clear. In current review, we explored various findings of scientific database demonstrating the role of miRNA in the progression and development of Diabetic Retinopathy.

Fossil fuels consumption rate is an important issue which needs to be addressed regarding future perspectives in terms of the world overall energy requirement due to its exhausting nature and also due to environmental concern. Hence, more diversified research for alternate sources of fuel is needed, even to the extent of using only dual fuels; a mixture of high and low viscous fuel to eliminate diesel from compression ignition (CI) engines completely. In the present study, soya and soya ethanol blends are used as fuels for the CI engine. Besides the use blends in a diesel engine, the response surface methodology technique is also implemented for getting better responses. RSM results confirm that the use of dual fuel results in satisfactory engine performance and emission in a standard diesel engine without any modification in the engine. Blends, engine speed, air flow rate, and engine load are the input variables considered for attaining better BTE, VE, CO, HC, and NOx as the responses. From all the tested fuel blends considered in the study, the result shows that a blend of soya biodiesel with 8% blending with dual fuel mode at 1486 RPM, 49.5 mm manometer air flow, 6.27 kg engine load show an overall good engine performance. The performance and emission characteristics (BTE, VE, CO, HC, and NOx emission) are found to be 24.29%, 68.53%, 0.0715% volume, 51.6 ppmv and 1080.2 ppmv respectively.