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The present work has enabled to aspire the enhancement of palm biodiesel viability for compression ignition (CI) engine applications using reformulation strategy by the addition of higher alcohols. In this work, 20% and 30% of 1-decanol and n-hexanol were used for ternary blend preparation along with palm biodiesel concentration as 20–30% and 50% diesel fuels for combustion, emission, and performance behaviour investigation in CI engine. Furthermore, the experimental results were also compared with 100% palm biodiesel (P100) and pure diesel (D100) and a binary blend of D50B50 fuels. The experimental study has revealed that the presence of higher alcohols in the ternary blends has improved the cylinder pressure and heat release rate whereas the same trend was not evident in binary biodiesel blend. All the ternary blends of higher alcohols-biodiesel and diesels have shown higher brake thermal efficiency and reduction in brake-specific fuel consumption. At the same time, decanol and hexanol addition in the palm biodiesel-diesel blends has favoured in all exhaust emission reductions with slight exemption in NO emission. The experimental results are optimized through multivariate and desirability analyses for identifying the effective composition of blend. Multivariate analysis has revealed that the higher alcohol proposition in the ternary blend was more influential than the type of higher alcohol. Furthermore, the desirability study has also validated the prescribed proportion with the maximum error of 6.17% for D50P22DC28 and 4.84% for D50P26HE24. Finally, the research concludes that decanol would be the preferable choice for ternary blend preparation than hexanol due to its overall better performance. x

Among the orbit patterns that force only eventually fixed trajectories, we completely describe the forcing relation, by answering the question: which orbit patterns force which others?, All suggestions are welcome

Objective: Most of the patients with proliferative lupus nephritis (LN) have high titer of anti-dsDNA antibody and low complement levels. In this study, we tried to predict proliferative LN with serological profile. Methods: This prospective study was conducted in fifty pateints with known systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with laboratory evidence of LN (proteinuria, microscopic hematuria, or increased serum creatinine). Serological profile (anti-dsDNA, C3, and C4) and renal biopsy were done in all patients. Results: Of 50 patients, 35 had Class IV (70%), 7 Class II (14%), 4 Class V (8%), and 4 had Class IV and V (8%) on renal biopsy. Totally, 39 (78%) patients had proliferative LN (Class IV and Class IV and V). The prevalence of anti-dsDNA, low C3, and low C4 was 97.1%, 68%, and 74% with LN and 97.4%, 84.6%, and 87.2% with proliferative LN (P < 0.001), respectively. About 72% (28 of 39 patients) with proliferative LN had the combination of anti-dsDNA positivity, low C3, and low C4 levels. However, whoever had the combination of anti-dsDNA positivity, low C3, and low C4 showed only proliferative LN on biopsy. Positive predictive value was 100% (P < 0.05). None of the patients with Class II or Class V (nonproliferative LN) had this combination of serology. Conclusion: In this study, it was found that proliferative LN can be predicted by serological profile alone. Thus it might be argued that immunosuppressive therapy (steroids and mycophenolate mofetil) may be started without renal biopsy in a known SLE patient with laboratory evidence of LN and positive serology; however, robust studies are required.

Background: Whether coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) should be performed on- or off-pump remains a matter of debate. We aim to present our experience with off-pump CABG. Early clinical outcome and adverse events were analyzed over the time course of the study. Methods: A total of 4310 patients undergoing isolated off- pump CABG from January 2002 until December 2016 at the Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences in India were included. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative, as well as follow-up data were prospectively collected. To analyze the differences of patient characteristics and outcomes over time, five-year periods were created (early: 2002-2006; middle: 2007-2011; late: 2012-2016). Traditional techniques of quality control monitoring were applied. Results: The mean age of our patients was 59 ± 9 years, and 13% (533) were female. Postoperative mortality was observed in 0.7% (25), acute renal failure and stroke in 0.2% (8) each, and mediastinitis in 1.2% (53) of the patients. Despite the progressive worsening of the patient risk profile, significant improvement in mortality was observed over time, while stroke, acute renal failure, and mediastinitis remained similar. Continuous quality control monitoring revealed that the system was within the control boundaries for the entire period of the study. The current probability of 30-day mortality or conversion to on-pump CABG is about 0.5%. Conclusion: Off-pump CABG is safe and effective for patients undergoing CABG. It can provide superior results compared to on-pump CABG, particularly when performed by a dedicated off-pump surgeon.

Excess carrier lifetime plays a crucial role in determining the efficiency of solar cells. In this paper, we use the frequency dependence of inphase and quadrature components of modulated electroluminescence (MEL) to measure the relaxation time (decay) of excess carriers. The advantage of the MEL technique is that the relaxation time is obtained directly from the angular frequency at which the quadrature component peaks. It does not need knowledge of the material parameters like mobility, etc., and can be used for any finished solar cells which have detectable light emission. The experiment is easy to perform with standard electrical equipment. For silicon solar cells, the relaxation time is dominated by recombination and hence, the relaxation time is indeed the excess carrier lifetime. In contrast, for the CIGS solar cells investigated here, the relaxation time is dominated by trapping and emission from shallow minority carrier traps.

For every interval map with finitely many periodic points of periods 1 and 2, we associate a word by taking the periods of these points from left to right. It is natural to ask which words arise in this manner. In this paper we give two different characterizations of the language obtained in this way.

Technological advances in radiation beam planning and linear accelerator based radiation delivery have led to the development of three dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT). The 3D-CRT clinical treatment in our hospital was started in September 1998 and till December 2002, 51 patients with M0 stage prostate carcinoma were treated. Treatment method consisted of pelvis and leg immobilization, planning CT scan, marking of planning target volume and organs at risk and 3D beam plan using multileaf collimated beam shaping through beam′s eye view display. Network controlled 3D conformal radiation therapy was delivered with portal image verification. The median 3D-CRT dose was 72 Gy. Of the 51 patients, 35 were followed-up till December 2002 (minimum follow-up 2 years) in whom 32 were disease free and 3 had progressive disease. Eleven patients died, 8 of progressive disease, one due to second malignancy and two of intercurrent illness. Five patients were lost for follow up during 0 - 29 months period, after 3D-CRT. The acute rectal reaction (RTOG criteria) in 51 patients was grade 0 in 4, grade I in 31 and grade II in 16. None had greater than grade II rectal toxicity. The late rectal toxicity in 49 patients who had a minimum 6 months follow-up was grade 0 in 41, grade I in 3 and grade II in 5. Our experience suggests that a dose of 72 Gy by 3D-CRT can be safely delivered to the prostate and gastrointestinal tolerance during treatment and follow-up period was excellent.

The performance of modern a-Si/c-Si heterojunction (HIT) solar cells is dictated by a complex interplay of multiple device parameters. A single characterization experiment [e.g., light current–voltage ( I–V )] can be fitted with a set of parameters, but this set may not be unique and is, therefore, questionable as the basis for future design/optimization. In this paper, we use multiple (quasi-orthogonal) measurement techniques to uniquely identify the key parameters that dictate the performance of HIT cells. First, we study the frequency, voltage, and temperature response of inversion charge ( $Q_{{\bf Inv}} $ ) to create the theoretical basis for characterization of key device parameters, namely, the thickness of the i-layer at the front interface ( $t_{{\rm a - S{\it i}}}^{\it i} $ ), a-Si/c-Si heterojunction valence band discontinuity ( $\Delta E_V $ ), built-in potentials in a-Si ( ${\bm \phi} _{{\bf a - S{\it i}}} $ ) and c-Si ( $\phi _{{\bf c - Si}} $ ) regions, etc. Next, we simulate various characterization measurements, such as capacitance–voltage ( C–V ) and impedance spectroscopy, which probe $Q_{{\rm Inv}} $ and explain the parameter extraction procedure from these measurements. Subsequently, we use the algorithm/procedure just developed to extract the aforementioned parameters for an industrial-grade HIT sample. Finally, we extend this quasi-orthogonal characterization framework by correlating the C–V characteristics with the ubiquitous light and dark I–V characteristics to demonstrate the consistency of the developed theory and uniqueness of the parameter extracted. The unique parameter set thus obtained can simultaneously provide a basis for the interpretation of the experimental measurements and can also be used for the design/optimization of these solar cells.

A NOTE ON A SET-THEORETIC RESULT OF MROWKA

In this article, we present a coherent, though not exhaustive, account of some well-known and some recent results of many mathematicians (including our own) on the following question: Given a “nice” class of dynamical systems, which subsets of ℕ arise as the sets of periods of members of that class? While stating and explaining some elegant answers, proofs have been outlined or indicated occasionally.

BACKGROUND: We have seen a paradigm shift in terms of use of radiation technology for the treatment of patients with medulloblastoma, from conventional 2-D shifting fields to 3-D CRT, IMRT and proton therapy. Similarly from prone to supine position and reduced dose to the cranio-spinal axis with an intent to have equivalent outcomes with reduced probability of late sequelae including second malignancies. METHODS: We have analysed data of 21 consecutive patients in May 2014, registered and treated in our hospital between 2002 and 2011. The cohort consisted of 14 male and 7 female patients with a median age of 8 (Range 3-30) Years. With no known co-morbidities and median KPS of 70 they all had tumors mostly in the IV ventricle(43%) and cerebellum(38%), for which they underwent surgery including decompression(72%) subtotal excision(9%), near total or total excision(19%). All patients were histologically grade IV medulloblastoma who underwent adjuvant radiation alone (40%) or followed by chemotherapy (60%) based on the risk stratification. 57% received 3D CRT in supine position while rest are treated with conventional techniques, median dose given to cranio-spinal axis was 23.4 Gy, posterior fossa was 36 Gy and to the tumor bed was 55.8 Gy at 1.8Gy per fraction. Chemotherapy was usually procarbazine/cisplatin/vincristine based regimen. Regular IQ, endocrine, ophthalmic and auditory evaluation was done in all the patients on follow-up. RESULT: Overall survival at 5 year was documented at 45% and 10 year survival at 35% for the entire cohort taking worst case scenario.3/13 patients developed IQ problems, 7/13 developed endocrine dysfunction, 3/12 developed auditory abnormality. CONCLUSION: Outcome of this cohort is comparable to the literature on risk group stratification. More importantly, risk adapted strategy for the treatment was found to be technically and logistically feasible and effective for a comparatively rare tumor in our setup.

In the present investigation, Planococcus halophilus was screened for hydrocarbon degradation and bioremediation of refinery effluent. The test organism, P.halophilus, showed the capability to utilize kerosene as carbon source in minimal medium. Biological treatment of the refinery effluent with P. halophilus reduced the oil and grease and sulphide content to about 91.2 and 28%, respectively, on the 4th day of the incubation. The present work defined that the test organism P. halophiluscan be exploited for bioremediation of sites contaminated with hydrocarbons and industrial effluents polluted with hydrocarbons even under adverse conditions. Key words: Kerosene, Planococcus halophilus, bioremediation, parameters, hydrocarbon.

In the title molecular salt, C6H9N2+·C7H5O3−, the dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the CO2 group in the anion is 6.1 (2)°. In the crystal, the cation and anion are linked by N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds, and the anions are connected by O—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional network.

Coronary artery bypass surgery is a procedure that started off with the first implantation of the internal mammary artery to the cardiac muscle in 1946 by Vineberg [Vineberg AM, 1954]. Later, the coronary anastomosis distal to the occlusion using the saphenous vein graft (SVG) or the internal mammary artery (IMA) was experimentally conceived by Murray [Murray et al, 1954]. Bailey et al [Bailey et al, 1957] were the first group to approach the problem of coronary occlusion in 1957. Though the pioneers of OPCAB were Goetz and colleagues [Goetz et al, 1961] and Kolessov [Kolessov VL, 1967] who performed the procedure in isolated cases. The first clinical series of consecutive patients was by Trapp and Bisarya [Trapp WG, Bisarya R,1975] and Ankeney [Ankeney JL,1975]. Then, with the development of direct coronary surgery, under the leadership of Favaloro [Favaloro RG,1968] and Green and coworkers [Green GE, Stertzer SH 1968], with procedures being performed in an arrested heart with the use of extracorporeal circulation, off-pump coronary surgery was abandoned. Thus the surgeons all over the world started performing CABG on the heart lung machine , and that became the standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease. In 1981 Enio Buffolo [Buffolo E ,et.al,1985]from Brazil and Benneti [Benetti FJ,1985] from Argentina had started experimenting on this technique of Direct Myocardial revascularization. Both of them published their series around 1985 which rekindled the idea of OPCAB in the western world. It was probably the idea of minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass graft (MIDCABG), introduced in the mid-1990s by Benneti [Benetti FJ ,1985,1995], that called attention to the possibility and advantages of not using CPB. Calafiore's [Calafiore AM,et al,1996,1998] publications reenforced the advantages of the LAST(left anterior small thoracotomy) operation. The LIMA stitch was acclaimed as an extraordinary step in the development of off-pump coronary surgery, which allowed grafting of posterior branches of the coronary arteries. The introduction of stabilizers in the mid 1990s further facilitated the procedure[Borst C,1996]. Eric Jansen, was one of those surgeon in the mid nineties who was probably the man who had made the word -Octopusso very popular in the rest of the world. The article published in 1991 by Benetti [Benetti F.J et al,1991] in Chest, gave confidence to the Cardiac surgeons around the world to perform OPCAB in all anterior vessels. But even then the circumflex territory became a danger zone for most surgeons to perform a safe coronary anastomoses. Though LIMA stitch was used quite often, it was the availability of the Positioners that that made the process of Verticalisation of the heart more comfortable.

The two major results proved are: (1) The category TOP of topological spaces contains a complete nonreflective subcategory. (2) Under the assumption (2m)+ < 22m, for each infinite cardinal number m there exists a Hausdorff space of cardinality m, in which the identity map is the only nonconstant continuous self-map. The first result is proved as a consequence of another result which answers a question of Herrlich concerning strongly rigid spaces; it is then used to settle in the negative a conjecture concerning the characterization of reflective subcategories in TOP. In addition, several interesting spaces are constructed.

In this article, subsets of N that can arise as sets of periods of linear operators on the spaces Cn,Rn and l2 are characterized.

In this article, subsets of T 2 that can arise as sets of all periodic points of a continuous 2-dimensional toral automorphism are characterized. Here the torus T 2 is viewed as [ 0 , 1 ) × [ 0 , 1 ) as a group under coordinatewise addition modulo 1.