Search

In this paper, a combination algorithm called GAIPSO, which combines GA and a better version of the classic particle swarm optimization process, is used. In order to calculate the data enhancement in voltage profile, this study uses the GWO algorithm. The ideal position for the proposed charging points inside the distribution system is the goal. The received comment thread solution (site & station size) is further re-optimized by PSO, improving both the functionality and outcome overall. Studies based on simulations show that the above mentioned technique outperforms GA, GWO, and PSO in respect of an improved voltage profiles as well as the quality of the solution found for the objective function. Optimum planning for the charging station’s location and size. the IEEE 33 bus system. The suggested approach takes into consideration the IEEE 33 bus service. The received thread solutions (site and station size) is further re-optimized by PSO, improving both the performance and outcome overall.

Purpose: To estimate the effect of simvastatin gel in the osseointegration of dental implants using bone scintigraphy. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 participants with missing mandibular first molars and D2 type bone were assigned equally to two groups. Group A received 1.2% simvastatin and group B received placebo gels during the placement of implants. The participants were subjected to bone scintigraphy to determine the osteoblastic activity at baseline, 30 days, and 90 days after implant placement. Results: Group A had a significant increase in osteoblastic activity between baseline, day 30, and day 90 (P < .05), with a higher mean of 100.06% ± 21.644% on day 30. Group B had a significant increase in osteoblastic activity only between baseline and day 30 and between baseline and day 90 (P < .05). There was no difference between days 30 and 90 (P > .05), with a higher mean of 79.20% ± 18.255% on day 30. A bivariate analysis performed at different time periods revealed a significant difference between groups A and B on day 30. Conclusions: Implants placed with 1.2% simvastatin gel showed enhanced osteoblastic activity in the 4th week after implant placement, indicating that there was a faster rate of osseointegration at an early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prosthetic rehabilitation in multifaceted dental abnormality needs sequential planning to ensure adaptation of oral and associated musculature. Reduction of tooth structure before adaptation of oral and associated components may complicate the treatment modality if compliance of the musculature is poor. Hence, the fabrication of over-provisional in esthetic rehabilitation enables to assess of the success of the treatment plan preoperatively before invasive trials. A 55-year-old male with a diagnosis of Category I loss of vertical dimension, according to Turner and Missirlian classification, required full mouth rehabilitation. The case report depicts the preoperative management of full mouth rehabilitation with direct chair-side technique using over-provisional to analyze the esthetic and functional changes. Restoration of esthetics is a complex task that needs patient satisfaction to achieve success. Over-provisional is a simplified method of establishing esthetics and functional rehabilitation. Esthetic and functional rehabilitation of an individual can be an easy transition when preoperative evaluation of the final prosthesis design is visually created intraorally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a polypropylene (PP) matrix was reinforced with ultra-fine graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), aluminum-carbon layered double hydroxides (Al-C LDHs), and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) as hybrid reinforcements, along with polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride (PP-g-MA) compatibilizers to create a novel thermoplastic-based hybrid composite polymer. The hybrid composite consisted of varying weight percentages of GNPs (ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 wt% in increments of 0.5), 2wt% Al-C LDH, 2wt % CaCO3, and 5wt % PP-g-MA. The bulk samples were manufactured using twin-screw extrusion followed by vertical injection molding. The developed hybrid composites were characterized using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) for microstructural analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) for phase identification, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for compositional analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for functional group identification. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed to assess thermal stability, crystallization, and melting behavior. Mechanical tests, including tensile, compressive, and three-point bending, were conducted to evaluate mechanical properties, while a low-velocity impact test assessed impact resistance. The results showed that the hybrid composite with a PP matrix embedded with 1.5 wt% GNPs, 2 wt% Al-C LDH, and 2 wt% CaCO3 exhibited improved mechanical properties, achieving an ultimate tensile strength of approximately 45 MPa. This enhancement is attributed to the effective interconnection, bonding, and cross-linking of the reinforcements with the PP matrix, facilitating efficient load transfer, which makes it suitable for structural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, ultra-fine graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were employed as nanofillers to reinforce a polypropylene (PP) matrix. This was done in conjunction with a polypropylene grafted maleic anhydride (PP-MAH) compatibilizer and calcium carbonate (CaCO3), with the aim of improving the mechanical and thermal properties of the resulting hybrid composites. Formulations for the hybrid composites were fabricated by compounding the PP matrix with varying weight percentages of GNPs (x = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0), 2 wt.% CaCO3, and 5 wt.% PP-MAH using a twin-screw extruder followed by injection molding. This research thoroughly investigates the mechanical and thermal characteristics. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results confirm the successful development of hybrid composites. The thermal stability, crystallization temperature, melting temperature, tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact resistance were evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), universal testing machine, and low-velocity impact tester, respectively. The results indicated a significant improvement in the tensile strength of the PP matrix with the addition of GNPs, with the highest enhancement observed at 1.5 wt.% GNP loading, where the tensile strength reached a maximum of 40.54 MPa. This improvement was attributed to the proper interconnection, bonding, and compounding of PP with GNPs, thus leading to an increase in the load transfer efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of abutment material, alveolar bone density, and occlusal forces on stress distribution around maxillary anterior implants. Materials and Methods: An in-vitro study was conducted. The maxillary anterior implant was modeled using a three-dimensional finite element model in D2 and D3 bones with three different abutment materials: titanium, zirconia, and poly-ether-ether ketone (PEEK). Von Mises stress was evaluated after the application of vertical and oblique loads of 100 N, 175 N, and 250 N. Statistical analysis was done by Friedman--Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann--Whitney U test, and Kruskal-- Wallis test. The probability value <0.05 is considered a significant level. Results: Stress distribution around D3 bone was higher than D2 bone in all the abutment materials with greater values seen in oblique load than vertical load with insignificant difference (P > 0.05). Statistically insignificant stress values were seen greater in PEEK than titanium or zirconia abutment (P > 0.05). A statistically significant difference was observed between 100 N and 175 N of load (P < 0.05). Conclusion: PEEK, zirconia, and titanium as abutment material in the anterior region showed similar properties. The stress on the bone was proportionately increased during the vertical and oblique loads suggesting the influence of mechanical load in crestal bone loss rather than the type of abutment material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initiation of the inflammatory response begins with the surgical placement of an implant that stimulates bone remodeling. The occurrence of crestal bone loss during submerged healing affects the prognosis of an implant. Hence, this study was conducted to estimate the early implant bone loss during the preprosthetic phase on bone level implants placed equicrestally. This retrospective observational study included evaluation of crestal bone loss around 271 two-piece implants placed in 149 patients from the archived postsurgical (P1) and preprosthetic (P2) digital orthopantomographic records using MicroDicom software. The outcome was categorized based on (1) sex (male or female), (2) time of implant placement (immediate [I] vs conventional [D]), (3) duration of healing period before loading (conventional [T1] vs delayed [T2]), (4) region of implant placement (maxilla [M1] vs mandible [M2]), and (5) site of implant placement (anterior [A] vs posterior [P]). To find the significant difference between the bivariate samples in the independent groups, an unpaired sample t test was used. The average marginal bone loss during the healing phase was 0.56 ± 0.573 mm in the mesial region and 0.44 ± 0.549 mm in the distal region of the implant, with a statistically significant difference (P <.01). There was no statistically significant difference in crestal bone level with the (1) sex of the patient (male or female), (2) type of implant placement (I or D), (3) time of implant loading (T1 or T2), (4) region of implant placement (M1 or M2), or (5) site of implant in the arch (A or P) (P >.05). An average of 0.50 mm crestal bone loss occurred in the peri-implant region during the preprosthetic phase. We found that the delayed placement of an implant and a delay in the healing period would further increase the early implant bone loss. The difference in the healing period did not alter the outcome of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented the providing clinicians with an overview of statistics for different situations in dental research, emphasizing the importance of statistical analysis in enhancing research quality and guiding clinicians in designing their research framework. It covers topics such as the role of hypotheses, categorization of data (qualitative and quantitative), the impact of the number of variables on statistical analysis.

A smart grid environment is prone to data explosion while controlling a microgrid system. Islanded Microgrid's stability analysis involves a large number of system state variables thus consuming more computational memory due to parallel connected inverter dynamics. Parallel inverters generate reference voltage and frequency using droop controllers, unlike grid-connected inverters where the primary grid provides the reference voltage and frequency. This paper develops feature-reduced stability analysis of the parallel inverters thus reducing the computational memory of its stability analysis. Principal component analysis being a feature extraction technique is applied to reduce the number of variables determining stability. MATLAB is used to develop the average model of a parallel inverter with an LCL filter and a three-phase AC load. Evaluation of the stability analysis using the state variable analysis with the virtual resistance method is simulated. Simulation validates stability analysis of the model with reduced state variables. An average model developed using MATLAB and PCA carried out using Python clearly indicated the validation of the dimensionality reduction in the stability analysis. The reduced number of variables is validated for a stable range of the parallel inverter droop controller. Both cases validated the dimensionality reduction in the stability analysis of parallel inverters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses use of finite element analysis for knowledge and implementation in dental research.

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be one of the deadliest infectious diseases over the centuries, killing more people worldwide than any other single infectious disease. There is an urgent need for additional strategies which can expedite efforts to combat TB including a preventive vaccine. In this endeavour, we have developed a protocol for a multisite, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in India that aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of two TB vaccines; namely, VPM1002 and Immuvac (M.w) (Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii) (MIP) among healthy household contacts (HHCs) of sputum smear-positive pulmonary TB (PTB) patients.Methods and analysis In the three-arm randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial study protocol, a total of 12 000 HHCs (aged 6−99 years) of sputum smear-positive PTB patients will be randomised to receive either of the two vaccine candidates VPM1002 and MIP or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint is the prevention of microbiologically confirmed TB. Secondary endpoints will include (1) prevention against Latent TB infection, (2) incidence of adverse events and serious adverse events in study participants, (3) efficacy of vaccine in prevention of PTB/extra PTB in different age groups (6–18 years, 19–35 years, 36–60 years and above 60 years) and (4) immunogenicity of VPM1002 and MIP at month 2 and month 6 after first vaccination in terms of flow cytometric analysis of M.Tb specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells secreting cytokines and Luminex assays for the presence of different cytokines in the sera and supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultures stimulated with whole cell lysates of M.Tb and subsequently similar analysis for the cases who develop TB postvaccination during the follow-up period.Ethics and dissemination Ethics committees’ approvals have been granted by the Institutional Human Ethics Committees of all participating centres in this study and the names of the ethics committees and approvals are as follows: (1) National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT)-Chennai (including subsites): ECR/135/Inst/TN/2013/RR-19, Approval No. 390/NIRT-Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC)/2018 dated 5 December 2018 (NIRT-Madurai-ECR/1365/Inst/TN/2020; approval dated 8 June 2020; NIRT, Vellore: ECR/1215/Inst/TN/2019; approval dated 26 September 2020); (2) All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi (including subsites)-Institute Ethics Committee, ECR/547/Inst/DL/2014/RR-17 ECR/538/Inst/DL/2014/RR-20; approval No.IEC-385/06-07-2018, approval OP-28/05.04.2019 and SFH- ECR/593/Inst/DL/2014/RR-20 IEC/VMMC/SJH/project/2019-05/25 ; 23 May 2019; (3) National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases (NITRD), Delhi: ECR/315/Inst/DL/2013/RR-19; approval IEC-No-NITRD/EC/2019/9004; 8 January 2019; (4) Pune-National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) and subsite-ECR/23/Inst/MH/2013/RR-19; IEC-NARI/EC/approval/2018/196; 29 May 2018; (5) Regional Medical Research Centre-Bhubaneshwar-ECR/911/Inst/OR-2017/RR-21; approval, dated 25 April 2018; Subsites- AIIMS, Bhubaneshwar ECR/534/Inst/OD/2014/RR-17 and 20 approval No. T/EMF/Pulm. Med/19/01 dated 13 May 2019; SCB, Cuttack No. No.ECR/84/Inst/OR/2013/RR-20; approval no.186 dated 7 February 2020; (6) NTI-Bengaluru: Ethics Committee-No-ECR/1819/Inst/KA/2019; approval No NTI-IEC/1.2019/principal investigator, dated 31 January 2019; (7) BMMRC, Hyderabad- ECR/450/Inst/AP/2013/RR-16 approval No. 779/BMMRC/2018/IEC, dated 11 June 2018 (Subsite Share India- Mediciti Ethics Committee-ECR/283/Inst/AP/2013/RR-20; Approval no. EC/11/VII/2K20(1) dated 11 July 2020) and (8) SJMC-Bengaluru: ECR/238/Inst/KA/2013/RR-19; approval IEC/1/491/2020; 7 August 2020.The trial findings will be published in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidance. The results of this clinical trial will be presented at scientific conferences and disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations and shared with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, policy-makers and other stakeholders.Trial registration number CTRI/2019/01/017026.

The O-rings in ball retained overdentures deteriorate with time and need replacement to restore the retentive quality. We evaluated retrospectively the mechanical properties of O-rings after 3 years in function in 1 and 2-piece implant-supported overdentures. The O-rings were retrieved from one-piece (Myriad snap, Equinox-Straumann, 3.3 × 13 mm) and 2-piece (Neo Biotech, 3.3 × 13 mm) implant-supported overdenture patients. A total of 16 pairs of matrices were tested for wear, type of damage, and elasticity using Pin on Disc method, USB Digital Camera in 30× zoom and Universal Tensile Machine, respectively. The statistical analysis for independent groups were done with the Mann-Whitney U test. Assessment of used O-rings showed 84% more wear in the 2-piece system with an abrasive type of damage while 46% wear in the 1-piece system with a compressive type of damage. The O-rings in 1-piece system showed increase in elongation and maximum displacement to 2% and 7%, respectively, whereas the 2-piece system showed decrease in elongation and maximum displacement by 13% and 6%, respectively. In 1-piece system, the loss of retention was more with slow wear rate, and in 2-piece system, the wear resistance of O-rings decreased due to increased stiffness. Further studies to evaluate the changes in O-ring with increased sample size and at interval 1 year will pave way for insight into the progressive changes in the mechanical properties of an O-ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was initially identified in November 2021 in South Africa and Botswana, as well as in a sample from a traveller from South Africa in Hong Kong1,2. Since then, Omicron has been detected globally. This variant appears to be at least as infectious as Delta (B.1.617.2), has already caused superspreader events3, and has outcompeted Delta within weeks in several countries and metropolitan areas. Omicron hosts an unprecedented number of mutations in its spike gene and early reports have provided evidence for extensive immune escape and reduced vaccine effectiveness2,4–6. Here we investigated the virus-neutralizing and spike protein-binding activity of sera from convalescent, double mRNA-vaccinated, mRNA-boosted, convalescent double-vaccinated and convalescent boosted individuals against wild-type, Beta (B.1.351) and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 isolates and spike proteins. Neutralizing activity of sera from convalescent and double-vaccinated participants was undetectable or very low against Omicron compared with the wild-type virus, whereas neutralizing activity of sera from individuals who had been exposed to spike three or four times through infection and vaccination was maintained, although at significantly reduced levels. Binding to the receptor-binding and N-terminal domains of the Omicron spike protein was reduced compared with binding to the wild type in convalescent unvaccinated individuals, but was mostly retained in vaccinated individuals.Sera from unvaccinated, vaccinated, and previously infected and vaccinated individuals show reduced neutralizing and spike protein-binding activity towards the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS-CoV-2 compared to other variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the surface characteristics, composition and release of components of Polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) impression material and explore the use of the material other than for impressions. Methods Forty samples of 0.5-mm thickness and 8-mm diameter PVS discs, with few perforations, were prepared and divided into four groups. Group 1 in methanol was analyzed by GC–MS immediately and on 1st, 7th and 14th day. Group 2 and 3 placed in 10 mL of human saliva and in artificial nasal fluid, respectively, were analyzed by GC–MS at 24 hours. Group 4 was subjected to surface characteristics analysis by placing five PVS discs each in 1 mL of human saliva and 1 mL of artificial nasal fluid, respectively. Results On Day 1, Dodecanoic acid, methyl ester, Cyclononasiloxane, octadecamethyl, Cyclodecasiloxane and eicosamethyl (four peaks) were observed in Group 1. At 24 hours, Group 2 had additional compounds of 2-Decene,7-methyl-(Z)-, 2-Undecene,8-methyl-(Z)- and Lauryl acetate. Group 3 showed release of 32 compounds, but their retention time was less. Surface characteristics on Day 14 revealed no noticeable changes. Conclusions The study revealed that there was a lack of any adverse component release from PVS for a period of 2 weeks based on GC–MS analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menorrhagia can be defined as heavy uterine bleeding which comes at regular intervals or uterine bleeding extending more than seven days during menses which has become a considerable problem for females, causing discomfort, anxiety, and poor quality of life. In this study we aimed to compare the effect of Myrtus communis fruits with tranexamic acid in the treatment of menorrhagia. In this prospective patient blinded standard controlled study, 40 patients of menorrhagia were randomly assigned to receive either test drug (powdered M. communis fruits) or active control drug (tranexamic acid) for first five days of menstrual cycle consecutively for two cycles. The primary outcome measure was reduction in heavy flow during menses determined by pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC), while improvements in quality of life (QOL) by using short form-36 questionnaire and increase in hemoglobin percentage were kept as secondary outcome measures. Both the groups were similar at baseline. Test and control drugs significantly reduced the PBAC score during treatment cycles with p-value <0.001 and these changes were not significantly different between the groups. During second treatment cycle significant difference was found in PBAC score (p = 0.024) between the groups. After treatment significant improvement in hemoglobin percentage was noted and marked improvement in overall quality of life was observed in both the groups. These data suggest that M. communis fruits can be an effective alternate in reducing heavy menstrual bleeding. There is need to confirm these results by designing a trial on large number of patients. CTRI/2017/09/009937. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To identify the body image perception of an individual utilising figure rating scale and assess its psychological influence in altering the prosthetic satisfaction. Methods: One hundred five of 140 participants were categorised into Groups I, II and III according to their body image satisfaction. Pre‐ and posttreatment denture satisfaction questionnaires, and pretreatment Big Five personality, Life Satisfaction questionnaires were given to the participants in each group. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc tests assessed the significant relation between the groups. Results: Body image satisfied group (I) was highly contented with the prosthetic treatment (46.90), while body image dissatisfied groups (II and III) had lower denture satisfaction scores (36.80 and 29.70). Neurotic score was significantly different in pairs; Groups I and III, and Groups II and III (P <.001), with high mean for Group III (75.30). The agreeable score was significantly different in Groups I and II (P <.05), with a high mean for Group I (83.60). Life Satisfaction score was significantly different in pairs; Groups I and III, and Groups I and II (P <.001), with a high mean for Group I (30.60). Conclusion: The individual's perception of body image had an effect on their denture satisfaction level, and figure rating scale would help in identifying the psychological profile of the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In power distributed generation system, analysis of power quality is a major issue and hence it is essential to implement an efficient power quality system. To address and end this issue, the proposed work is mainly focused on the detection and classification of power quality disturbances or events by applying Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT) technique. HHT technique is a novel signal processing algorithm that comprises two processes. First is the empirical mode decomposition (EMD), which is an iterative process where N number of power quality signals are decomposed into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). The second process, Hilbert transform, is applied to each IMF component. The advantage of using these two processes makes it an attractive power tool for quality event analysis. Once the IMF is obtained, it is easy to construct a time–frequency representation model. Then, the significant features are extracted from amplitude, phase and frequency instantly, which are the contour of IMFs of each power quality disturbance. For classification, adaptive neuro-fuzzy system (NFS) classifier is used. It is an intelligent system used for the combination of neural network and fuzzy logic. Power quality features are given as input to the NFS system. The experimental simulation is conducted in a MATLAB environment, and proposed HHT has higher efficiency compared to existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Proper Knowledge of oral diseases is crucial in medical practice due to the following reasons, periodontal diseases are associated with multiple systemic conditions of medical interest, a large number of systemic diseases have oral manifestations, and many drugs are associated with oral adverse drug reactions and majority of the population approach medical practitioners for their oral health problems. Aim: To assess Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among Undergraduate Medical Students of Madurai regarding Oral Health. Materials and Methods: 313 subjects took part in the questionnaire survey. A descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire, in English language containing 22 close ended questions. The questions are related to awareness about oral hygiene practices including brushing technique, brushing time, importance given to oral screening & referral of patients with dental problem to dentists and regarding the intellect of medical students about premalignant lesions/conditions, awareness of risk factors and prevention of oral diseases. Test-retest reliability revealed an accepted value of Cronback's alpha >0.6. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Chi square test using SPSS version 22. Result: 64.89% of final year students, 65.21% of third year students and 60.61% of second year students had responded correctly to oral health knowledge, attitude and practice based questions. Conclusion: Oral health awareness among undergraduate medical students was found to be satisfactory. Educational curriculum requires more extensive oral health programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hybrid renewable energy scheme comprising of the wind and solar PV electric power systems with appropriate maximum power point tracking is presented in this paper. The maximum power point tracking for the wind generator is carried out using Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System. The MPPT technique adopted for the photovoltaic power generation system is the Incremental Conductance (IC) algorithm. A power flow control scheme based on fuzzy logic is developed to regulate the power transaction from the wind and solar power sources as well as for the battery charging and discharging. Based on the available velocity of wind and solar insolation and based on the electrical demand different modes of operation are selected automatically using the ANFIS based control strategy. Considering the non linearity’s of the converters and the unpredictable nature of the renewable sources an advanced adaptive controller is necessary. The proposed ANFIS controller performs well and the proposed idea has been validated using MATLAB/Simulink and the simulation results are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Episodes of Cholera outbreaks are still common in most developing countries and children usually are at the greatest risk. This study assessed the importance of diarrhoea-related illnesses among children five years of age or less at the University Hospital, Legon and the importance of packaged water handling in the contamination of drinking water of pre-school children. Diarrhea- related diseases (DRD) accounted for 6.3% of cases involving children five years and below reporting at the University Hospital, Legon during the period of the study. Generally, greater number of cases (DRD) were reported among males (6.9%) than among females (5.6%). High counts above recommended levels of either Total Heterotrophic Bacteria, Pseudomonas or Total Coliforms were observed in 88% of the water samples tested. Inadequate cleaning of water bottles and in some instances the use of inappropriate water bottles (reusing PET mineral water containers) contributed to the poor quality of the drinking water of the preschool children. A greater part of the contamination of the drinking water occurred at home and not at the schools. Parents therefore need to be targeted with water, sanitation and hygiene related health education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The relationship between brain and prosthesis was previously assessed either by improving denture function or in fixed implant retained, wherein brain function was assessed only after crown placement. Purpose To prospectively analyze the changes in brain activity and cognitive function of completely edentulous patients in edentulous state, with dentures and two-implant supported mandibular overdenture before and after loading, along with the effect of mastication in the change - a pilot study. Materials and Method Ten completely edentulous ( CE) non-denture wearers were selected. The mandibular prosthesis was loaded with two 3.3 mm × 13 mm myriad snap fit implants. To assess the brain activity and cognitive function, Electroencephalogram ( Neurofax EEG 1000 Ver 05-90, Nihon Kohden corporation, Tokyo, Japan) and Mini-Mental State Examination ( MMSE) questionnaire, respectively, were taken during the process of rehabilitation. EEG assessment was analyzed using Matlab 2011 A 7.9 signal processing tool box. The results were statistically analyzed with SPSS 17.0 version using Wilcoxon signed rank and Friedman test Results Amplitude, power of alpha waves and cognitive scores increased gradually with highest mean rank for implant supported overdenture ( IOD). The bivariate analysis between two groups showed there was significant difference between all the groups ( p < 0.05) except for groups CE-I (completely edentulous - implant placement) and CD- I (complete denture insertion - implant placement) in amplitude of alpha waves while in group CD-I with respect to power of alpha waves. MMSE revealed the mean of cognitive scores in Complete Edentulous was 17.40, Complete Denture was 18.30 and finally with Implant Overdenture was 23.80. Conclusion The present study has enlightened the significance of two implant supported mandibular overdenture in improving the mental state of an individual and that the enhancement was due to functional improvement with prosthesis when loaded with implants and not due to mere existence of implant without any function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For ages various adjuvants have been tried to prolong axillary brachial plexus block. We compared the effect of adding dexmedetomidine versus clonidine to ropivacaine for axillary brachial plexus blockade. The primary endpoints were the onset and duration of sensory and motor block and duration of analgesia. Materials and Methods: A total of 90 patients (20-40 years) posted for ambulatory elective hand surgery under axillary brachial plexus block were divided into two equal groups (groups ropivacaine dexmedetomidine [RD] and ropivacaine clonidine [RC]) in a randomized, double-blind fashion. In group RD (n = 45) 30 ml 0.5% ropivacaine + 100 µg of dexmedetomidine and group RC (n = 45) 30 ml 0.5% ropivacaine + 75 µg clonidine were administered in axillary plexus block. Sensory and motor block onset times and block durations, time to first analgesic use, total analgesic need, postoperative visual analog scale (VAS), hemodynamics and side-effects were recorded for each patient. Results: Though with similar demographic profile in both groups, sensory and motor block in group RD (P < 0.05) was earlier than group RC. Sensory and motor block duration and time to first analgesic use were significantly longer and the total need for rescue analgesics was lower in group RD (P < 0.05) than group RC. Postoperative VAS value at 18 h were significantly lower in group RD (P < 0.05). Intraoperative hemodynamics were insignificantly lower in group RD (P < 0.05) without any appreciable side-effects. Conclusion: It can be concluded that adding dexmedetomidine to axillary plexus block increases the sensory and motor block duration and time to first analgesic use, and decreases total analgesic use with no side-effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANET), the efficient data dissemination is affected by the critical factors such as connectivity, transmission quality and redundancy elimination. Most of the existing techniques concentrate either on sparse or dense populated vehicular network that increases redundancy. Though existing clustering technique improves the connectivity, there is lack in transmission quality. In order to overcome these issues, in this paper, we propose a cluster based reliable forwarding mechanism for Data dissemination in vehicular networks. In this technique, the multilane two way highway is divided into clusters based on the deployment of road side units. Within the clusters, the node with highest transmission quality is selected as the cluster head based on the transmission quality. The cluster head uses the backfire algorithm for data transmission that minimizes the redundancy in the network. By simulation results we show that the proposed technique minimizes the redundancy and improves the reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Security is a principal concern in offering an infrastructure for the formation of general-purpose computational grids. A number of grid implementations have been devised to deal with the security concerns by authenticating the users, hosts and their interactions in an appropriate fashion. Resource management systems that are sophisticated and secured are inevitable for the efficient and beneficial deployment of grid computing services. The chief factors that can be problematic in the secured selection of grid resources are the wide range of selection and the high degree of strangeness. Moreover, the lack of a higher degree of confidence relationship is likely to prevent efficient resource allocation and utilisation. In this paper, we present an efficient approach for the secured selection of grid resources, so as to achieve secure execution of the jobs. This approach utilises trust and reputation for securely selecting the grid resources. To start with, the self-protection capability and reputation weightage of all the entities are computed, and based on those values, the trust factor (TF) of all the entities are determined. The reputation weightage of an entity is the measure of both the user's feedback and other entities' feedback. Those entities with higher TF values are selected for the secured execution of jobs. To make the proposed approach more comprehensive, a novel method is employed for evaluating the user's feedback on the basis of the existing feedbacks available regarding the entities. This approach is proved to be scalable for an increased number of user jobs and grid entities. The experimentation portrays that this approach offers desirable efficiency in the secured selection of grid resources. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Multimode fiber technology is used for short range-communication networks at higher data rates, especially for backbone networks within campus buildings. Internet Protocol (IP)-over- WDM networks, i.e. , optical Internets, will be the best choice for next generation Internets. IP-over-WDM network built over multimode fiber technology can be used for future Internet networks. The Virtual Topology Reconfiguration (VTR) of IP-over-WDM networks is one of the research topics under Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (WDM) optical networks. This paper presents a new approach of Quality of Service (QoS) parametric driven VTR for IP-over- WDM networks with multimode multicore fiber technology and shows that this new approach achieves better QoS performance in terms of blocking probability, throughput and latency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the application of fuzzy set optimization techniques for the reconfiguration of optical internets using Internet Protocol (IP) over Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) (IP-over-WDM) technology. The IP-over-WDM networking technology with terabits per second bandwidth become a natural choice for the future generation internet networks (optical internets), Wide Area Network (WAN) environments and backbone networks due to its potential ability to meet the rising demand of high bandwidth and low latency communication. Recently, Virtual Topology Reconfiguration (VTR) of IP-over-WDM networks has received greater attention among researchers. Fuzzy set finds many applications in the field of network engineering, which includes linear programing, traffic prediction, network modeling, traffic modeling, etc. In this paper, we have presented a new approach for reconfiguring virtual topology of IP-over- WDM networks using fuzzy set optimization technique. The computed results show that this new approach achieves better performance in terms of computational accuracy, number of changes and Average Weighted Hop Count (AWHT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an efficient traffic model for Internet Protocol (IP)-over-Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) optical networks with full wavelength conversion at the nodes. An efficient traffic model was derived using Wavelet Neural Network (WNN) model to compute the future traffic on links of the network with Normal Traffic Distribution (NTD). The carried traffic on a link in the network is reduced proportionately based on the blocking probability of the other links on the route. The blocking probability of the network is estimated using analytical model for NTD. The channel utilization at a particular load is derived using the blocking probability. Thus, the new traffic model gives an estimate of the blocking probability and the channel utilization at any given load and is applicable to any network topology. The carried traffic was computed for a few networks, such as 14 node NSFNET and 20 node ARPANET, and the analytical results were validated with simulations. It is shown that the new traffic model performs well in terms of Quality of Service (QoS) parameters such as blocking probability and utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to describe real-life microbiological testing of adults hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and to assess concordance with the 2007 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) and 2011 European Respiratory Society (ERS) CAP guidelines. This was a cohort study based on the Global Initiative for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia (GLIMP) database, which contains point-prevalence data on adults hospitalised with CAP across 54 countries during 2015. In total, 3702 patients were included. Testing was performed in 3217 patients, and included blood culture (71.1%), sputum culture (61.8%), Legionella urinary antigen test (30.1%), pneumococcal urinary antigen test (30.0%), viral testing (14.9%), acute-phase serology (8.8%), bronchoalveolar lavage culture (8.4%) and pleural fluid culture (3.2%). A pathogen was detected in 1173 (36.5%) patients. Testing attitudes varied significantly according to geography and disease severity. Testing was concordant with IDSA/ATS and ERS guidelines in 16.7% and 23.9% of patients, respectively. IDSA/ATS concordance was higher in Europe than in North America (21.5% versus 9.8%; p