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Objectives Tracheal intubation in the intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with serious complications. Adherence to the intubation bundle may reduce these complications. We aimed to determine complication rates and whether bundle compliance affected complications. Methods and material We analysed complications of intubation in our ICU. The intubation bundle, with ten elements, is divided into pre-intubation, intubation, and post-intubation. We recorded the complications and classified them as major and minor. Bundle compliance was defined as either full or partial. Chi-square test, Fisher exact test, and student t-test were used and p Results Of 158 adult intubations, 62 intubations were fully compliant with intubation bundle. Complications were similar whether compliance was complete or partial. Serious complications like hypoxemia, cardiovascular collapse, and cardiac arrest occurred during intubation. The need for vasopressor initiation before intubation was associated with severe hypotension, total, and major complications. Higher number of minor complications occurred with more attempts at intubation. Conclusions In our study compliance with intubation bundle did not affect the complications. Tracheal intubations were associated with frequent complications. Vasopressor need before intubation was associated with total and major complications.

The loss of crystallins solubility with aging and the formation of amyloid-like aggregates is considered the hallmark characteristic of cataract pathology. The present study was carried out to assess the effect of temperature on the soluble lens protein and the formation of protein aggregates with typical amyloid characteristics. The soluble fraction of lens proteins was subjected for heat treatment in the range of 40–60 °C, and the nature of protein aggregates was assessed by using Congo red (CR), thioflavin T (ThT), and 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) binding assays, circular dichroism (CD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The heat-treated protein samples displayed a substantial bathochromic shift (≈15 nm) in the CR's absorption maximum (λmax) and increased ThT and ANS binding. The heat treatment of lens soluble proteins results in the formation of nontoxic, β-sheet rich, non-fibrillar, protein aggregates similar to the structures evident in the insoluble fraction of proteins isolated from the cataractous lens. The data obtained from the present study suggest that the exposure of soluble lens proteins to elevated temperature leads to the formation of non-fibrillar aggregates, establishing the role of amyloid in the heat-induced augmentation of cataracts pathology.

Silicon (Si), a quasi-essential element for plants, is abundant in the soil typically as insoluble silicate forms. However, plants can uptake Si only in the soluble form of monosilicic acid. Production of monosilicic acid by rock-weathering mostly depends on temperature, pH, redox-potential, water-content, and microbial activities. In the present review, approaches involved in the efficient exploration of silicate solubilizing bacteria (SSB), its potential applications, and available technological advances are discussed. Present understanding of Si uptake, deposition, and subsequent benefits to plants has also been discussed. In agricultural soils, pH is found to be one of the most critical factors deciding silicate solubilization and the formation of different Si compounds. Numerous studies have predicted the role of Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) and organic acids produced by SSB in silicate solubilization. In this regard, approaches for the isolation and characterization of SSB, quantification of IAA, and subsequent Si solubilization mechanisms are addressed. Phylogenetic evaluation of previously reported SSB showed a highly diverse origin which provides an opportunity to study different mechanisms involved in Si solubilization. Soil biochemistry in concern of silicon availability, microbial activity and silicon mediated changes in plant physiology are addressed. In addition, SSB's role in Si-biogeochemical cycling is summarized. The information presented here will be helpful to explore the potential of SSB more efficiently to promote sustainable agriculture.

Microbial rhodopsins comprise an opsin protein with seven transmembrane helices and a retinal as the chromophore. An all-trans retinal is covalently bonded to a lysine residue through the retinal Schiff base (RSB) and stabilized by a negatively charged counterion. The distance between the RSB and counterion is closely related to the light energy absorption. However, in heliorhodopsin-48C12 (HeR-48C12), while E107 acts as the counterion, E107D mutation exhibits an identical absorption spectrum to the wild-type, suggesting that the distance does not affect its absorption spectra. Here we present the 2.6 A resolution crystal structure of the Thermoplasmatales archaeon HeR E108D mutant, which also has an identical absorption spectrum to the wild-type. The structure revealed that D108 does not form a hydrogen bond with the RSB, and its counterion interaction becomes weaker. Alternatively, the serine cluster, S78, S112, and S238 form a distinct interaction network around the RSB. The absorption spectra of the E to D and S to A double mutants suggested that S112 influences the spectral shift by compensating for the weaker counterion interaction. Our structural and spectral studies have revealed the unique spectral shift mechanism of HeR and clarified the physicochemical properties of HeRs.

The knowledge on the effect of graphene oxide (GO) on plants are limited to germination, growth, and toxicity. Since, chloroplast generates sugar by the reduction of CO2 with the optical stimulation through a series of electron transport chain and GO being the 2D material with electron transport property, it is reasonable to check their interaction. Here, the effect of GO without and with amine conjugation (AGO) having opposite charges were allowed to interact with chloroplast. The uptake is documented by using biolayer interferometry coupled with confocal imaging. The ex vivo chloroplast activity with GO and AGO has been tested and found that the GO treatment shows 1.3 times more activity than control. In contrast, AGO function as efficient electron conductor and cause imbalance in the redox beyond the capacity of the antioxidant rich chloroplast solute. Finally, in vivo toxicity has been evaluated in the spinach plants, which highlights the chance of AGO application as herbicide to remove any unwanted plants.

Conventional accounts of motion perception mostly treat accretion/deletion-the appearance or disappearance of texture at a boundary between regions-as an essentially decisive cue to relative depth: the accreting/deleting surface is interpreted as being behind adjacent surfaces. Under certain circumstances, however, accretion/deletion can be perceived in a radically different way: the accreting or deleting surface is seen as rotating in depth in front of adjacent surfaces. This alternative interpretation suggests a problem in conventional accounts of motion interpretation that cannot account for this phenomenon, in part because they ignore the role of contour geometry. In two experiments, we examined the combined role of contour convexity and accretion/deletion in determining the perception of relative depth by parametrically manipulating the strength of each cue. Our results show that convexity plays a more substantial role, often dominating the 3D percept, even in cases when the saliency of the convexity cue is substantially weakened on a contour where the texture was accreting/deleting at high rates. These results highlight the need for a rethinking of theories of perceptual organization in the critical case of moving stimuli.

We investigated the dimensions defining mental shape space, by measuring shape discrimination thresholds along "morph-spaces" defined by pairs of shapes. Given any two shapes, one can construct a morph-space by taking weighted averages of their boundary vertices (after normalization), creating a continuum of shapes ranging from the first shape to the second. Previous studies of morphs between highly familiar shape categories (e.g. truck and turkey) have shown elevated discrimination at category boundaries, reflecting a kind of "categorical perception" in shape space. Here, we use this technique to explore the underlying representation of unfamiliar shapes. Subjects were shown two shapes at nearby points along a morph-space, and asked to judge whether they were the same or different, with an adaptive procedure used to estimate discrimination thresholds at each point along the morph-space. We targeted several potentially important categorical distinctions, such one- vs. two-part shapes, two- vs. three-part shapes, changes in symmetry structure, and other potentially important distinctions. Observed discrimination thresholds showed substantial and systematic deviations from uniformity at different points along each shape continuum, meaning that subjects were consistently better at discriminating at certain points along each morph-space than at others. We introduce a shape similarity measure, based on Bayesian skeletal shape representations, which gives a good account of the observed variations in shape sensitivity.

Pyridine raffinate, the residual mixture after the extraction of pyridine, discharges as pollutants from pyridine manufacturing industries. Pyridine and its derivatives are of foremost concern as environmental pollutants. Removal of contaminant or pollutant can be achieved using three kinds of approaches: Physical, Chemical and Biological. Paralleled with other physical and chemical methods such as combustion, photolysis. Biodegradation is a fiscal and environment-friendly alternative. In the present study, bacterial laccase, a multi copper enzyme that uses molecular oxygen to oxidize wide variety of aromatic and non-aromatic compounds, was used for the biodeterioration of pyridine raffinate, sample taken from Jubilant Organosys, Gajraula. Laccase was isolated from the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens and found to be an effective method to biodeteriorate pyridine raffinate instead of using harmful chemicals. It was observed that O.D. was reduced (max. 0.2327 at 501 nm) measured by UV/VIS Spectrophotometer taking raffinate as a reference. It signifies the oxidation of compounds present in the effluent that leads to the reduction in C.O.D. and found to be an effective method for the treatment of effluent.

Background: Calotropis procera is a large shrub which consists many medicinal properties, used in treatment of snake bite, sinus fistula, rheumatism, mumps, burn injuries, inflammation and jaundice traditionally. All the parts of Calotropis procera were utilized in the treatment of diseases out of which leaves and roots were investigated for its toxicity profile that showed dose dependent toxicity. Toxicity profile of flowers of Calotropis procera was not investigated in the previous studies. The aim of this study was to explore the acute and subacute toxicity of ethanolic extract of Calotropis procera flowers for the safe use of traditional medicine. Method: In acute toxicity, a total of 20 female mice (Swiss albino), weighing between 23 and 32 g were randomly divided into four experimental groups: control, 300, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg groups with 5 mice each, and each received a single dose of extract at 300, 1000, or 2000 mg/kg, respectively. Animals were monitored for 14 days. In the subacute study, a total of 40 mice (23–32 g) were divided into 4 groups, each containing males and females. Group 1 (control group) received vehicle and groups 2, 3, and 4 received extract at doses of 300 mg/Kg, 1000 mg/Kg, 2000 mg/Kg of b.w., respectively, for 28 consecutive days. The study was conducted in compliance with the OECD guidelines 407 and 423. Results: Acute toxicity study showed no mortality at the dose of 2000 mg/Kg. In subacute toxicity study, statistical analysis of hematological and biochemical parameters showed no significant differences compared to control group except marked increase in segmented neutrophils. Histopathological studies revealed no significant structural differences among the treated groups and in comparison to control group. Conclusions: It was concluded that oral administration of doses of ethanolic extract of Calotropis procera flower, administered acutely, did not cause any mortality or notable changes at the dose of 2000 mg/Kg. Therefore, the approximate lethal dose (ALD) of in mice was higher than 2,000 mg/kg. In a 28-day subacute toxicity model, the extract did not cause any mortality, and no treatment-related changes were observed in body weight, organ weight, hematological and biochemical blood analysis, or histopathologic examinations at the extract dose of 2000 mg/Kg. These findings indicate that the no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOAEL) of Calotropis procera flower ethanolic extract was greater than 2000 mg/kg/day.

User feedback in the form of customer reviews, blogs, and forum posts is an essential feature of e-commerce. Users often read online product reviews to get an insight into the quality of various aspects of a product. Besides, users have different aspect preferences, and they look for reviews that contain relevant information regarding their preferred aspect(s). However, as reviews are unstructured and voluminous, it becomes exhaustive and laborious for users to find relevant reviews. Lack of domain knowledge about various aspects and sub-aspects of a product, and how they are related to each other, also add to the problem. Although this information could be there in product reviews, it is not easy for users to spot it instantly from the reviews. This paper seeks to address the above problems and presents two novel algorithms that summarize product reviews, and provides an interactive search interface, similar to popular faceted navigation. We solve the problem by creating an aspect ontology tree with high aspect extraction precision.

Novel Sm2O3−NiO composite was prepared as the functional electrolyte for the first time. The total electrical conductivity of Sm2O3−NiO is 0.38 S cm−1 in H2/air condition at 550 °C. High performance, e.g. 718 mW cm−2, was achieved using Sm2O3−NiO composite as an electrolyte of solid oxide fuel cells operated at 550 °C. The electrical properties and electrochemical performance are strongly depended on Sm2O3 and NiO constituent phase of the compositions. Notably, surprisingly high ionic conductivity and fuel cell performance are achieved using the composite system constituting with insulating Sm2O3 and intrinsic p-type conductive NiO with a low conductivity of 4 × 10−3 S cm−1. The interfacial ionic conduction between two phases is a dominating factor giving rise to significantly enhanced proton conduction. Fuel cell performance and further ionic conduction mechanisms are under investigation.

Networks of “conscious agents” (CAs) as defined by Hoffman and Prakash (2014) are shown to provide a robust and intuitive representation of perceptual and cognitive processes in the context of the Interface Theory of Perception (Hoffman, Singh and Prakash, 2015). The behavior of the simplest CA networks is analyzed exhaustively. The construction of short- and long-term memories and the implementation of attention, categorization and case-based planning are demonstrated. These results show that robust perception and cognition can be modelled independently of any ontological assumptions about the world in which an agent is embedded. Any agent-world interaction can, in particular, also be represented as an agent-agent interaction.

Natural mineral, cuprospinel (CuFe2O4) originated from natural chalcopyrite ore (CuFeS2), has been used for the first time in low temperature solid oxide fuel cells. Three different types of devices are fabricated to explore the optimum application of CuFe2O4 in fuel cells. Device with CuFe2O4 as a cathode catalyst exhibits a maximum power density of 180 mW/cm2 with an open circuit voltage 1.07 V at 550 °C. And a power output of 587 mW/cm2 is achieved from the device using a homogeneous mixture membrane of CuFe2O4, Li2O-ZnO-Sm0.2Ce0.8O2 and LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2. Electrochemical impedance spectrum analysis reveals different mechanisms for the devices. The results demonstrate that natural mineral, chalcopyrite, can provide a new implementation to utilize the natural resources for next-generation fuel cells being cost-effective and make great contributions to the environmentally friendly sustainable energy.

Cyanobacteria maintain soil fertility by performing N2-fixation and act as a key biocatalyst in nitrogen cycle. Chemical N-fertilizers and pesticides as agrochemicals are intensively being used in rice farming to boost rice production, this work deals with the first hand information on their influence on native N2-fixing cyanobacteria, which play an important role in maintaining soil health. A field study was conducted for three consecutive seasons in water logged rice field to observe the influence of agrochemicals, urea, benthiocarb and carbofuran in isolation and in combinations on biomass, acetylene reduction activity (ARA) and N-yield of native cyanobacteria as well as, on growth and yield of rice. The ARA and N-yield followed almost same trend. It is discernible that both urea and benthiocarb had deleterious effects whereas, carbofuran was promoting effects on cyanobacterial growth, ARA and N-yield. The combination of all the three above agrochemicals was found inhibitory, but inhibition was comparatively less than that of urea or benthiocarb in isolation or urea plus benthiocarb treatments. It is concluded that the combination of agrochemicals was toxic, in comparison to the control, but was better than application of urea N or benthiocarb alone or with their combinations. It was recorded that along with rice straw and gain yields, panicle numbers were the maximum at the combination with treatments of benthiocarb+carbofuran. Adverse effects of used agrochemicals on cyanobacteria in wetland rice cultivation could be avoided by a prudent use of chemical N-fertilizers and pesticide(s) in combination.

In this work, a frequency reconfigurable MIMO antenna for 4G and early 5G applications is presented. The MIMO antenna design consists an array of two radiating/receiving elements positioned diagonally opposite to each other for better isolation (>12 dB) and pattern diversity. Each antenna element in MIMO array has a single module consisting two meandered radiating arms which could be connected or disconnected to the 50 Ω feedline electronically using two PIN diodes to operate in two switchable frequency bands/modes, 2.4 GHz or 3.5 GHz assigned for 4G/LTE and early 5G/Sub-6 GHz wireless communication technologies, respectively. The length of each radiating arm is around half-wavelength at operating frequency of interest (2.4 GHz or 3.5 GHz). The overall size of the MIMO antenna system is 120 mm × 60 mm × 1.52 mm. The proposed MIMO antenna configuration provides a 28.81% FBW (2.0 GHz to 2.7 GHz) and 49.7% FBW (2.57 GHz to 4.27 GHz) in both the resonance modes, respectively. The measured antenna gain values in two switchable frequency modes are 3.7 dBi and 4.2 dBi, respectively with overall efficiency > 60%. A low envelope correlation coefficient (0.0056 at 2.4 GHz and 0.0009 at 3.5 GHz) is achieved. Furthermore, the SAR and hand mode analysis is carried out to verify the performance of the MIMO antenna for mobile handset. The measured ergodic channel capacity of the MIMO antenna has been achieved more than 10b/s/Hz for both the mode.

Part- and axis-based approaches organize shape representations in terms of simple parts and their spatial relationships. Shape transformations that alter qualitative part structure have been shown to be more detectable than those that preserve it. We compared sensitivity to various transformations that change quantitative properties of parts and their spatial relationships, while preserving qualitative part structure. Shape transformations involving changes in length, width, curvature, orientation and location were applied to a small part attached to a larger base of a two-part shape. Increment thresholds were estimated for each transformation using a 2IFC procedure. Thresholds were converted into common units of shape difference to enable comparisons across transformations. Higher sensitivity was consistently found for transformations involving a parameter of a single part (length, width, curvature) than those involving spatial relations between two parts (relative orientation and location), suggesting a single-part superiority effect. Moreover, sensitivity to shifts in part location - a biomechanically implausible shape transformation - was consistently poorest. The influence of region-based geometry was investigated via stereoscopic manipulation of figure and ground. Sensitivity was compared across positive parts (protrusions) and negative parts (indentations) for transformations involving a change in orientation or location. For changes in part orientation (biomechanically plausible), sensitivity was better for positive than negative parts; whereas for changes in part location (biomechanically implausible), no systematic difference was observed.

The efficacy of dihydroxamate siderophore in attenuation/mitigation of cadmium toxicity, an optimum level of cadmium under which cyanobacterium can grow and produce siderophore, complexation behaviour of cadmium and siderophore and kinetics of complexation along with in silico analysis have been investigated in paddy field cyanobacterium Anabaena oryzae under iron replete and deplete conditions. Results showed that cadmium concentration as 1.0 μM is optimum for growth as well as siderophore production in iron replete and deplete culture conditions. The complexation between cadmium–siderophore was evident in spectral scan. Kinetic studies as well as in silico docking analysis indicate that like iron, cadmium also forms a thermodynamically stable complex with siderophore. Thus our results suggest that the siderophore produced by Anabaena oryzae can act as a biological sequestering agent for the mitigation of cadmium metal ions from the paddy fields to improve crop productivity.

In order to improve the catalytic activity of commercial Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-delta (BSCF) for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (LTSOFC) (300-600 degrees C), CoOx has been used to modify th ...

Two novel laccase enzyme-producing strains Pseudomonas monteilii and Gamma proteobacterium were isolated from woody soil sample and their productions were optimized. Maximum production of laccase was achieved at temperature (37 °C), pH (7), carbon source (glucose) and nitrogen source (yeast extract) for both the isolates. The produced extracellular laccases were extracted by centrifugation at 14000 rpm and 4 °C for 15 min. The extracted laccases were also optimized for the specific substrate to enzyme concentration ratio, pH, temperature and the results were 1:9, 6.0, 25 °C for strain Pseudomonas monteilii and 2:8, 8.0, 40 °C for strain Gamma proteobacterium respectively. The novelty of this work is here we use extracted bacterial laccase enzyme was subjected to pyridine raffinate according to optimized process parameters, a reduction in absorbance was observed up to 51% for strain Pseudomonas monteilii and 59.5% for strain Gamma proteobacterium in 140 min. The study signifies the biotransformation of pyridine raffinate into some other simpler products as it provides a novel way to bioremediate pyridine raffinate. This innovative remediation process displays a route towards reasonable treatment techniques where physical and chemical procedures appear to fall flat.

We have developed an in-situ method using sonication (3 mm probe sonicator, 30 W, 20 kHz) and auto-reduction (control) to study the mechanism of the formation of manganese dioxide (MnO2) on a solid template (silk film), and its resulting enzymatic activity on tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) substrate. The fabrication of the silk film was first optimized for stability (no degradation) and optical transparency. A factorial approach was used to assess the effect of sonication time and the initial concentration of potassium permanganate (KMnO4). The result indicated a significant correlation with a fraction of KMnO4 consumed and MnO2 formation. Further, we found that the optimal process conditions to obtain a stable silk film with highly catalytic MnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) was 30 min of sonication in the presence of 0.5 mM of KMnO4 at a temperature of 20–24 °C. Under the optimal condition, we monitored in-situ the formation of MnO2 on the silk film, and after thorough rinsing, the in-situ catalysis of 0.8 mM of TMB substrate. For control, we used the auto-reduction of KMnO4 onto the silk film after about 16 h. The result from single-wavelength analysis confirmed the different kinetics rates for the formation of MnO2 via sonication and auto-reduction. The result from the multivariate component analysis indicated a three components route for sonication and auto-reduction to form MnO2-Silk. Overall, we found that the smaller size, more mono-dispersed, and deeper buried MnO2 NPs in silk film prepared by sonication, conferred a higher catalytic activity and stability to the hybrid material.

The inorganic metal or metal-oxide nanoparticles (NPs) that mimic enzymes are of great interest due to improved physical and chemical properties compared with native enzymes. Here, we report that manganese dioxide (MnO2)-Silk exhibit catalase, oxidase, and peroxidase-like activities. The MnO2-Silk hybrid fibers effectively decomposed hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and oxidized the typical horseradish peroxidase substrates, such as o-phenylenediamine (OPD), and 3,3′,5,5′- tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence or absence of H2O2. The oxidative properties of MnO2-Silk fiber hybrid showed an enzyme-like behavior for the catalase-like activity, oxidase-like activity, and peroxidase-like activity. The operational stability of the MnO2-Silk fiber hybrid over ten cycles showed a constant residual activity of about 25–30% after 2–3 cycles indicating that MnO2-Silk fiber hybrid could be used as a satisfactory oxidoreductase enzyme mimics. Potentiometric titration was used to determine the surface charges of the MnO2-Silk catalyst. Together, we identified the reactive species as Mn1−x4+Mnx3+O2−x(OH)x with a pK of approximately 5.2. Our results have implications on the understanding of the catalytic origin and interaction of metal oxides NP with various biomaterials.

To study insertion of LPS and correlate anatomically the formation of superior palpebral crease and its clinical relevance in section of Indian population.Twenty-five human eyelids from cadavers ranging from 15-80 years were studied by dissection and histology.The levator aponeurosis traverses through interfascicular space of orbicularis oculi with twenty four inserting into subcutaneous tissue. Low septo aponeurotic sling or preaponeurotic fat was not observed. Lower one third tarsal insertion seen in twenty four specimens. Fibres become denser as it reaches the connective tissue anterior to tarsal plate. The crease was at different levels in relation to the tarsal insertion.The aponeurosis insertion is either to the skin, the subcutaneous tissue or into the interfascicular space of the orbicularis. The present study reaffirms the insertion of LPS to the subcutaneous tissue of the eyelid with an extension reaching lower one third of the tarsal plate. The tissues in the anterior tarsal plate are closely packed but to act as a single complex to form a dynamic crease has not been confirmed in the study. No gross or histological difference was observed in the skin of the eyelid in the vicinity of the crease. The pattern of insertion of LPS aponeurosis plays a direct role in the formation of superior palpebral crease an important role in surgeries for Ptosis. The eyelids studied were of Indian origin with crease, and further comparative studies needs to be done for the precise anatomical explanation of single fold eyelids.