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We report a novel two-step percutaneous endovascular technique for retrieval of peripherally inserted central catheter, free ends of which were inaccessible, that had embolized to the segmental branch of left pulmonary artery using SIM 1 catheter and a loop snare, in a 17 year old female patient diagnosed with osteosarcoma right femur. Step one involved, inserting SIM 1 catheter through the heart to hook the embolized peripherally inserted central catheter and bring it down to the lower segment of inferior vena cava. In the second step, a loop snare was used to grasp the free end of peripherally inserted central catheter, and the whole assembly was withdrawn via right common femoral vein access. Patient was monitored for 24 hours and discharged as there were no complications. SIM 1 catheter followed by the use of loop snare as a retrieval system is safe and efficacious and can be considered by an intervention radiologist for retrieval of embolized vascular access device, in which none of the free ends are available to catch hold with a loop snare.

To evaluate the accuracy of lung ultrasound in diagnosing and differentiating transient tachypnea of the newborn and respiratory distress syndrome in preterm neonates.

Background: Microsurgical technique is a recent advancement in periodontal plastic surgery, which improves the predictability of periodontal procedures, providing better esthetic results with minimal postoperative discomfort. Alloderm is an alternate to connective tissue grafts, which has been successfully used for root coverage. The present study aims at Comparative assessment of Micro and Conventional surgical techniques for root coverage using coronally positioned flap (CPF) with Alloderm. Materials and Methods: Twenty sites with Miller's Class I or II gingival recession defects were selected; sites were randomly divided into control and test groups. Test sites were treated with CPF and acellular dermal matrix (ADM) using Microsurgery and control sites were treated with CPF and ADM using conventional method. Results: Conventional and Microsurgical procedures for root coverage showed a statistically significant difference in all clinical parameters from baseline to 3 and 6 months (P < 0.01). The microsurgical technique demonstrated a significant difference in ultrasonographic thickness of gingiva (P < 0.003) and patient satisfaction score (P < 0.005). Conclusion: Microsurgical procedure for root coverage was found to be superior to the conventional macrosurgical approach under magnification. Microsurgical sites healed faster with neovascularization demonstrated on ultrasonographic evaluation with improved gingival thickness and patient satisfaction scores.

Aim: This study aims to assess the various ocular and systemic complications of peribulbar block in supine posture among patients undergoing cataract surgery in a tertiary care center in Chennai. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of complications that occurred in 880 patients who had been given peribulbar block in supine posture, during 36 months between January 2016 and January 2019 among patients who underwent cataract surgery at a tertiary care hospital. Patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hypertension, bronchial asthma, and cardiac illness were excluded from the study. The other exclusion criteria were pediatric age group and trauma. The data thus collected from the records were entered and analyzed using descriptive analysis. Results: Out of 880 patients operated in a 36-month period at Government Medical College Hospital who received peribulbar block in the supine posture, 42 (4.77%) patients had block-related systemic complications; bradycardia and vasovagal attack-40 (4.54%) patients; brainstem anesthesia and syncope-2 (0.22%). The incidence of orbital complications was 82 (9.31%). Out of the orbital complications, the most common complication was periorbital hematoma occurred in 50 (5.68%), followed by retrobulbar hemorrhage occurred in 32 (3.63%). Conclusion: The observation-based conclusion is various ocular and systemic complications can occur in peribulbar block. Hence, the operation theatre should be equipped with appropriate instruments and trained personnel to deal with all kinds of emergencies.

The primary cause of road accident results in fatalities, serious injuries and monetary losses is known to be due to drowsy or sleepy drivers, according to analysis reports on recent traffic accidents. Lack of sleep, medication, drugs, or prolonged driving contributes to drowsiness. A system that can identify a driver’s drowsy state and warn him before an accident occurs is required to avoid roadside accidents caused by distracted driving. Many researchers have recently expressed their interest in drowsiness detection. The methods essentially involve monitoring the driver’s physiological or behavioral 1summarizes some of the most recent methods put forth in this field is given. We propose an algorithm to monitor eye blinks that uses eye feature points to determine whether the eye is open or closed and sets off an alarm if the driver is drowsy. In-depth experimental results are also provided to highlight the benefits and drawbacks of the proposed method.

The frenum is a mucous membrane fold that attaches the lip and the cheek to the alveolar mucosa, the gingiva, and the underlying periosteum. The frena may jeopardize the gingival health when they are attached too closely to the gingival margin, either due to an interference in the plaque control or due to a muscle pull. In addition to this, the maxillary frenum may present esthetic problems or compromise the orthodontic result in the midline diastema cases, thus causing a recurrence after the treatment. Archer's “classical frenectomy” is an extensive procedure including the excision of fibers, interdental papilla, and exposure of the alveolar bone up to the palatine papilla. The resultant delayed healing, loss of the interdental papilla, and abnormal scar led toward the conservative approaches such as Edward's frenectomy, frenum relocation by Z-plasty, and free gingival graft, with their technical and esthetic limitations. A better approach in frenectomy to make a primary closure in the midline and to avoid an unesthetic scar by creating a zone of the attached gingiva is assisted with a lateral pedicle graft. A case series of this technique with its distinct advantages is presented.

Background and Aims: Epidural analgesia (EA) and transversus abdominal plane (TAP) block have been part of multimodal analgesia techniques for postoperative pain relief in abdominal surgeries though EA has been established as gold standard. This study assesses and compares the analgesic efficacy of continuous bilateral TAP catheter infusion and lumbar epidural infusion. Methods: In this randomised, single-blind, prospective, non-inferiority trial, 75 patients were randomised to receive a bolus dose of 15 ml, 0.25% bupivacaine followed by an infusion of 5–12 ml/h of 0.125% bupivacaine via lumbar epidural in EA group and a bolus dose of 0.4 ml/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine bilaterally via TAP catheter followed by continuous infusion at 5ml/h of 0.125% bupivacaine in TAP group postoperatively. VAS scores (primary objective) and sensory dermatome blockade were recorded at 1, 4, 8, 12 and 24 h. Total morphine consumption, PONV, incidence of hypotension and patient satisfaction scales were recorded at the end of 24 hours. Results: The median VAS scores were comparable between the groups at 1, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours both at rest (P = 0.11, 0.649, 0.615, 0.280 and 0.191, respectively) and on coughing (p = 0.171, 0.224, 0.207, 0.142 and 0.158, respectively). Total morphine consumption in 24 h between TAP and EA group was comparable (p = 0.366). There was no statistical difference in the incidence of hypotension, PONV and patient satisfaction scale. Conclusion: Continuous bilateral TAP block is as efficacious as the continuous lumbar epidural infusion in relieving postoperative pain in patients undergoing lower abdominal surgeries.

Abstract The agonist–antagonist myoneural interface (AMI) is an amputation surgery that preserves sensorimotor signaling mechanisms of the central-peripheral nervous systems. Our first neuroimaging study investigating AMI subjects conducted by Srinivasan et al. (2020) focused on task-based neural signatures, and showed evidence of proprioceptive feedback to the central nervous system. The study of resting state neural activity helps non-invasively characterize the neural patterns that prime task response. In this study on resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging in AMI subjects, we compared functional connectivity in patients with transtibial AMI (n = 12) and traditional (n = 7) amputations (TA). To test our hypothesis that we would find significant neurophysiological differences between AMI and TA subjects, we performed a whole-brain exploratory analysis to identify a seed region; namely, we conducted ANOVA, followed by t-test statistics to locate a seed in the salience network. Then, we implemented a seed-based connectivity analysis to gather cluster-level inferences contrasting our subject groups. We show evidence supporting our hypothesis that the AMI surgery induces functional network reorganization resulting in a neural configuration that significantly differs from the neural configuration after TA surgery. AMI subjects show significantly less coupling with regions functionally dedicated to selecting where to focus attention when it comes to salient stimuli. Our findings provide researchers and clinicians with a critical mechanistic understanding of the effect of AMI amputation on brain networks at rest, which has promising implications for improved neurorehabilitation and prosthetic control.

Aim: To study the epidemiological data of paediatric burn patients to determine the role of demographic distribution and epidemiological parameters for assessment of mortality rate and development of burn prevention strategy.Materials and methods : epidemiological data of 500 patients admitted to the burns and plastic surgery unit of b.j. wadia hospital, mumbai over a period of six years (2000-2005) was reviewed from medical records. age, sex, demographic distribution, seasonal variation, total body surface area (tbsa) involved, type and place of burn injury, parental occupation, family size, first aid and mortality rate were studied.Result: Median age group for patient was 3.44 years (range one month to 14 years). the majority (24%) of burns occurred in children between the one to two years age group. male to female sex ratio was 1.38:1. most of the patients were from the defined demographic region served by the hospital. a significant number of patients however were from outside this region. burn injury occurred predominantly during winter. most common type of burn was scalds which occurred mainly in domestic circumstances. in the majority of patients, less than 10% tbsa was involved. all patients were managed as per the unit protocol. mortality rate was 10.4%. mortality rate was high in patients having more than 40% tbsa involvement. seventy-three per cent of the total deaths occurred in the patients coming from regions outside the demographic region served by the hospital. parental occupation, family size and the first aid did not affect the mortality rate.Conclusion: Availability of a burn care unit in the vicinity can decrease the mortality rates in the paediatric burn patients. an intense and focused burn prevention campaign to educate the general population about dangerous aetiological factors will decrease the incidence of paediatric burns.

In this paper a fuzzy logic based fault diagnosis system for a deaerator in a power plant unit is presented. The system parameters are obtained using the linearised state space deaerator model. The fuzzy inference system is created and rule base are evaluated relating the parameters to the type and severity of the faults. These rules are fired for specific changes in system parameters and the faults are diagnosed.

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged as a global epidemic, posing a significant threat to countries worldwide. COVID-19 is closely associated with pneumonia, leading to the unfortunate loss of many lives due to pulmonary conditions. Differentiating between pneumonia and COVID-19 based on chest X-ray images has become a challenging task. This paper proposes a Local Search Enhanced AHO-based Inception-ResNet-v2 Model to develop a robust and accurate classification model for identifying and categorizing chronic lung diseases in patients who have recovered from COVID-19. The proposed model utilizes the Inception-ResNet-v2 architecture to extract features from CT scan images, which are then used to classify the lung diseases present in the patients. A curated dataset of CT scan images from post-COVID-19 patients with known lung disease classes is used to train the model. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves an accuracy of 98.97%, precision of 98.95%, sensitivity of 98.91%, F-score of 98.86%, and specificity of 98.89%. These performance metrics are comparable to those achieved by methods based on manually delineated contaminated areas.

One hundred normal individuals of different age groups from Mumbai (India) were included in this study. Various dimensions of lip-nose complex were measured. The results were compared with the available data for blacks, Caucasians and Chinese. In the population under study lip-nose complex measurements differ in all dimensions with blacks and Caucasians and show resemblance to the Chinese. The analysis of the data does not simply indicate the differences in the measurements but also points out change in growth patterns which will have a clinical significance.

The newest developments in the IoMT, wearable devices, and communications systems to offer smart healthcare services have made human life in the age of pervasive computing wiser. The healthcare sector may transform thanks to IoMT. Through software and Information Communication Technology (ICT), IoMT links wearable devices, patients, healthcare professionals, and careers. Ambient Assisted Lifestyle (AAL) allows it to incorporate new technology into day-to-day activities. Edge computation and cloud technologies are essential to achieving this goal to meet the needs of smart medical infrastructures. In this research wok, the IoMT-AAL architecture in the edge computing-assisted IoMT system based Deep Neural Networks (DNN) is presented in this study. The proposed IoMT-AAL aims to speed up timely data collecting and processing so that judgments are made utilizing the data. The IoMT-AAL model is used to identify the patient via the IoMT sensors, sending the data they have collected to edge computation. Then, many empirical analyses are conducted, and the outcomes are examined from many angles. It can be said that the IoMT-AAL effectively predicts the healthcare framework using DNN based on various parameters like specificity, precision, improvement, physical activity, tracking, and security. The simulation results demonstrated the IoMT-AALmodel's advantages over the other techniques.

Background: Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness globally and is characterised by raised intraocular pressure, optic disc cupping, and visual field defects. However, advanced imaging modalities such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) can pick up early changes. Our study aims to examine the role of OCT for the early diagnosis of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), its correlation with standard automated perimetry, and the diagnostic efficiency of both in POAG patients at a rural tertiary care centre in the Chengelpet District. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study comparing the quantitative measurement of RNFL using OCT with functional loss analysed using the Automated Perimetry Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer in patients with POAG visiting the tertiary health centre in the Chengelpet district in Tamil Nadu. The study was conducted in 92 eyes of 50 patients diagnosed with POAG for 15 months from March 2022 to May 2023. Results: Of the 92 eyes of 50 patients, 26 were male patients and 24 were female patients. In total, 21 eyes had no demonstrable visual field defect, 49 eyes had single hemifield defect and 22 eyes had both hemifield defect. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve for OCT RNFL layer measurement in patients diagnosed with visually confirmed ONH changes was 1.00, which was highly significant (P value = 0.01) and correlated well with the type of visual field defect with Humphrey's automated perimetry, suggesting significant correlation between the two. OCT–RNFL measurements are better diagnostic tests than standard automated perimetry for the early detection of glaucoma. Conclusion: Both OCT RNFL and Humphrey's automated visual field analysis play a most crucial role as an investigative modality for early diagnosis of POAG; however, OCT has an added advantage of detecting early glaucoma changes even without visible field changes and hence useful for very early detection of POAG in a tertiary care centre.

The aim of the present study was to make a polyherbal formulation of three herbs that would offset the negative effects of the high-fat cafeteria diet on rats and the beneficial effects of exercise. The ingredients for this herbal remedy included a water extract of Garcinia cambogia fruit, Trigonella foenum-graecum seed, and Glycyrrhiza glabra root in a 1:1:1 ratio. Nine groups of six male Wistar albino rats were chosen. Animals in Group I were normal and fed a standard diet; animals in Group II were given HFCD to prevent disease; animals in Group III were given HFCD plus exercise; while animals in Groups IV and V were given PHF at doses of 400 and 200 mg/kg p. o. Daily, respectively, in addition to HFCD; while animals in Groups VI and VII were exercised obese rats prevented from gaining more weight had their serum glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels lowered. HDL cholesterol was raised. Further, the liver biopsy showed increased mononuclear cells; fat globules numbered less; and the enzymes and cells that are regenerating were at lower levels. The polyherbal formulation plus exercise exhibited significant anti-obesity efficacy at 400 mg/kg p. o.; the effect was equivalent to orlistat plus exercise. The research employed HFCD-induced obese rats as a model to investigate the joint effects of PHF and exercise against obesity.

We study polar molecule scattering in quasi-one-dimensional geometries. Elastic and reactive collision rates are computed as a function of collision energy and electric dipole moment for different confinement strengths. The numerical results are interpreted in terms of first order scattering and of adiabatic models. Universal dipolar scattering is also discussed. Our results are relevant to experiments where control of the collision dynamics through one-dimensional confinement and an applied electric field is envisioned.

Along the line of available efficient nonlinear optical (NLO) organic single crystals in the literature, it is worthwhile to bring in a novel organic single crystal of Brucinium-3,5-dihydroxybenzoate dihydrate (B35D) which was successfully grown utilizing the technique of slow evaporation of solution at ambient conditions. As the solubility of B35D was found to be the highest in water-ethanol 1:1 mixed solvent among the conventional solvents, crystallization of B35D was accomplished by making use of the solvent. The required confirmation of the crystal structure of the crystal and its lattice parameter could be achieved by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis such that B35D was found to be crystallized in the monoclinic system with the non-centrosymmetric space group C2. The recording of UV-Vis-NIR transmittance spectrum of the crystal was undertaken between the range of 300 and 900 nm whereby the lower optical cutoff wavelength was identified to be 321 nm. The spectral study of photoluminescence was carried out in the range of 300-600 nm by which the band gap energy was calculated to be about 3.8 eV (at 373 nm) indicating that B35D has a violet fluorescence spectrum. The thermal stability and melting point of the title crystal have been investigated through Thermo gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) such that the thermal stability of the crystal was found to be 95.6 °C. The Nd: YAG Q-switched laser was employed so as to obtain the laser-induced surface damage threshold of the specimen which was estimated to be 3.1 GW/cm2. The Vickers microhardness test was implemented in order to arrive at the mechanical strength of the crystal. The performed non-linear optical study could reveal that the second-order harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency of B35D crystal is 2.16 times higher than KDP. So that B35D crystals are among the class of NLO materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Transient tachypnea of newborn (TTN) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) are the most common causes of respiratory distress among preterm neonates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of lung ultrasonography (LUS) for diagnosing and differentiating TTN and RDS in preterm neonates. Methods: This was a prospective single center study. From January 2020 to June 2021 a total of 114 preterm neonates who were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with symptoms of respiratory distress within 6 hours of birth were subjected to clinical examination, laboratory testing, chest x-ray (AP and lateral view's) and LUS. Their clinical course was closely monitored. On the basis of final diagnosis made on day three of admission they were divided into two groups, 37 diagnosed with TTN and 61 with RDS. Patients diagnosed with other conditions including neonatal pneumonia, meconium aspiration syndrome etc. were excluded from analysis. LUS findings in RDS and TTN were analyzed and compared to each other. Results: Pulmonary edema manifesting as alveolo-interstitial syndrome, double lung point and less commonly as white out lungs in absence of consolidation had a 100% sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing TTN. A combination of three signs of consolidation with air or fluid bronchograms, white out lungs and absent spared areas has a 100% sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing RDS. Double lung point was seen only in infants suffering from TTN while consolidation with air or fluid bronchograms was only seen in cases of RDS. Conclusion: Lung ultrasound can accurately diagnose and reliably differentiate TTN and RDS in preterm neonates. Hence LUS can become an initial screening tool in NICU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the present research work was to develop and evaluate the anti-viral drug (Acyclovir) loaded micro sponges using polymers. Micro sponges of acyclovir were prepared by quassi-emulsion solvent diffusion method by using EC and HPMC as polymers. The prepared acyclovir micro sponges were subjected to IR, SEM, Particle size and Size distribution, Entrapment efficiency, in vitro dissolution studies and release kinetics. The IR Spectras revealed that, there was no interaction between the polymer and acyclovir. Acyclovir micro sponges was spherical in nature, which was confirmed by SEM. Acyclovir micro sponges with normal frequency distribution were obtained. A maximum of 95.67% drug entrapment efficiency was obtained in the acyclovir micro sponges. F5 formulations ACV micro sponges show the maximum drug release. The coefficient of determination indicated that the release data was best fitted with higuchi model kinetics. The release kinetics data implies that the release mechanism of all formulation was Non Fickian diffusion mechanism. On the basis of particle size, entrapment efficiency and morphology, in vitro release studies and its kinetics data, F5 (formulation) was selected as optimized formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catchments have highly variable yields of runoff and soil erosion. The size, land use and the surface cover play a significant role and influence the catchment response and parameter values of simulation models. Two experimental basins—the Cariri basins—were equipped in a semi‐arid region of Brazil, for obtaining runoff and sediment yield at different catchment scales, as well as, to evaluate the influence of the land use and surface cover. In the first basin, located in the municipality of Sumé, the field studies were carried out at two different scales: four micro‐catchments with an area of around 0.5 ha and nine standard Wischmeier‐type erosion plots of 100 m2. The experimental units had varied vegetation and management. They were subjected only to natural rainfall events, and were monitored from 1982 to 1991. The total runoff and total sediment yield were determined for each of the events. The installations in the second basin, in the municipality of São João do Cariri, from 1999, include two erosion plots, three micro‐catchments, and two sub‐catchments of a small basin. These basins are still being monitored for runoff and sediment production. Among the micro‐catchments two are nested to detect any scale effect at the micro‐catchment level. Nearly 600 events of precipitation, that produced runoff in at least one of the experimental units, have been registered. These data have been used to evaluate the influence of various factors, including cultivation practices and to calibrate hydrological models for plots and micro‐catchments. Parameters have been tested by means of cross validations among micro‐catchments and sub‐catchments. The data sets are made available to all the catchment hydrology researchers and others at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4690886. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-ion battery is generally used as energy storage device in spacecraft and other applications. Spacecraftbattery modeling and energy balance estimation is critical. The proposed genetic algorithm driven generic estimation - energy balance (GAGE-EB) model uses cell open circuit voltage characteristics, internal resistance (rint) characteristics, and coulomb counting. The cell characteristics are obtained by offline tests. For series-parallel or parallel-series configured battery, the model estimates deliverable capacity and internal resistance by accurately matching the terminal voltage. Estimated parameters are used to check the energy balance for new load and generation profiles. The GAGE-EB model is validated for electrical performance with various cell types and battery configurations with respect to experimental data and is within 1% and 2% accuracy for voltage and capacity estimation, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students are termed “multitaskers,” and it is likely that they easily fall prey to other subjects or topics that most interest them. They occasionally took heed or gave close and thoughtful attention to the lectures they were on. In the current educational system, our young generations receive materials from their leftovers, and their constant behavioral classification has decided the material to learn. The rate at which many students gave up on their studies was predominantly higher in online classroom than in offline classroom due to the lack of direct interaction between the students and teachers. To eradicate this and to make online classroom an effective one, the proposed model can be put forth in each class to predict the student's behavior based on their keen interests. The model predicts and recommends their live session-wise apt course materials to learn. This model uses machine learning generic algorithms and the chi-square test to analyze their manners. The intelligent Online Poll Bot (OPB) acts as a teacher in this virtual learning environment by engaging in live interactions during class time. It is developed using GAN and the IBM Watson Framework. This paper analyzes the time complexity and accuracy of the developed poll bot, and 96.82% accuracy was achieved with the proposed GAN-based poll bot. Students can be categorized according to their learning behavior by using the Optimal Behavior Prediction Cluster (OBPC). These OBPCs will let know the number of clusters at the beginning of the process itself. According to the model, the study materials are preferred based on the students’ performance in each class. In online learning environments, the Live Behavior Analysis (LBA) method using the proposed OBPC and OPB can create interactive learning environments and deliver behavior-based study materials to learners, thus reducing dropout rates. The proposed experiments show that the accuracy of the OBPC-based system is 97.43%, and LBA produces 96.52% accuracy, 95.13% F-Score, 97.13% recall, and 96.14% precision compared to existing approaches. This technology will reduce the number of dropouts and can effectively predict the behavior of all students in the virtual environment where they are placed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper reports on experiments intended for investigating the feasibility of preparing hybrid thermoreversible gels from covalent polymers and noncovalent self-assembling π-conjugated molecules. The formation and the degree of dispersion of these hybrid gels have been studied with polystyrenes of various tacticities and oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) molecules (OPV) in different nonpolar organic solvents. Detailed investigations of the systems have been carried out by DSC, SAXS, and AFM. It is shown that no liquid−liquid phase separation is involved, indicating that the systems are highly compatible, and that the growth of one type of gel does not interfere with the other. These studies reveal that the resultant hybrid gels are composed of the intermingled fibrillar architectures of both gels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Densities and ultrasonic speeds of binary mixtures of benzaldehyde with n-hexane and cyclohexane at 30 °C were measured over the entire composition range. From these experimental data, the adiabatic compressibility (K S ), intermolecular free length (L f), acoustic impedance (Z), relative association (R a) and relaxation strength (r) were calculated. Also, the excess adiabatic compressibility (K S E), intermolecular free length (L fE), acoustic impedance (Z E), and ultrasonic velocity (U E) were calculated. The observed variation of these parameters helps in understanding the nature of interactions in these mixtures. Further, theoretical values of the ultrasonic speed were evaluated using theories and empirical relations. The relative merits of these theories and relations were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIMS: To compare the degree of conjunctival autograft inflammation, subconjunctival haemorrhage (SCH) and graft stability following the use of sutures or fibrin glue (FG) during pterygium surgery. METHODS: Prospective, observer masked, clinical trial. 40 eyes of 40 patients undergoing primary pterygium surgery with conjunctival autograft were allocated into two groups. Group 1 (n = 20) had FG (Tisseel) for attaching the conjunctival autograft, whereas group 2 (n = 20) had sutures. Standardised digital slit-lamp photographs were taken at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months postoperatively. Sutures were masked using commercially available photo-editing software. Two masked observers objectively graded the digital photographs for degree of inflammation, SCH and graft stability. RESULTS: 34 of the 40 patients completed the study. When using FG, the degree of inflammation was significantly less than with sutures at 1 month (p = 0.019) and 3 months (p = 0.001) postoperatively. No significant difference was found for inflammation at 1 week postoperatively (p = 0.518). Conjunctival grafts secured with FG were as stable as those secured with sutures (p = 0.258, p = 0.076 and p = 0.624, at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months, respectively). No significant difference was found in degree of postoperative SCH between the groups (p = 0.417, p = 1 and p = 1, at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months, respectively). CONCLUSION: This is the first prospective clinical trial confirming that conjunctival grafts secured with FG during pterygium surgery not only are as stable as those secured with sutures, but also produce significantly less inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Drought stress is the major constraint to rice (Oryza sativa L.) production and yield stability in rainfed ecosystems. Identifying genomic regions contributing to drought resistance will help to develop rice cultivars suitable for rainfed regions through marker-assisted breeding. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked to leaf epicuticular wax, physio-morphological and plant production traits under water stress and irrigated conditions were mapped in a doubled haploid (DH) line population from the cross CT9993-5-10-1-M/IR62266-42-6-2. The DH lines were subjected to water stress during anthesis. The DH lines showed significant variation for epicuticular wax (EW), physio-morphological and plant production traits under stress and irrigated conditions. A total of 19 QTLs were identified for the various traits under drought stress and irrigated conditions in the field, which individually explained 9.6%–65.6% of the phenotypic variation. A region EM15_10-ME8_4-R1394A-G2132 on chromosome 8 was identified for leaf EW and rate of water loss i.e., time taken to reach 70% RWC from excised leaves in rice lines subjected to drought stress. A large effect QTL (65.6%) was detected on chromosome 2 for harvest index under stress. QTLs identified for EW, rate of water loss from excised leaves and harvest index under stress in this study co-located with QTLs linked to shoot and root-related drought resistance traits in these rice lines and might be useful for rainfed rice improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The compacting behavior of agglomerated aerosol nanoparticles in the size range between 7 and 150nm was investigated using available literature data. We observed a characteristic behavior, which can be described by three separate steps. When comparing the first step, the compaction from agglomerates into spherules, differences could be observed for nanoparticles of different materials. It is seen from the available data that smaller particles compact at lower temperatures. For most materials where data available (Ag, Au, Fe, W, PbS and SnO2), the compaction temperatures were found to lie in a temperature interval, between 1/3 and 1/2 of the bulk melting temperature. For the data available on TiO2, on the other hand, the compaction temperature corresponds to about 2/3 of the bulk melting temperature. Thus, a fundamental difference might exist in the sintering behavior of titania as compared with other materials. This difference may be attributed to a lower degree of cleanliness of the titania particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sales promotions are probably the least understood and least analyzed of all the promotional tools, yet they are among the most costly and most frequently used. Today's top managers are relentlessly searching for new areas in which to cut costs and increase profits, so sales promotion are coming under greater scrutiny than ever. In order to justify and skillfully use expenditures on sales promotions for different objectives and target markets, marketing managers must understand some key concepts a nd thoroughly examine several critical variables across markets and among sales promotion tools themselves that impact directly on sales, profitability, and value added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clay brick is a commonly used building material in China. Due to the enormous land destruction and excessive consumption of resources, such as materials and energy in the manufacture of clay brick, it is important to study its overall sustainability, i.e., in terms of impact on the environment, services, and economy. In this study, emergy analysis is employed, which offers a holistic perspective, unlike typical environmental studies. A series of emergy indices such as renewability rate (R%), nonrenewability rate (N%), unit emergy values (UEVs), emergy yield ratio (EYR), environmental loading ratio (ELR), and emergy sustainability index (ESI) were used to study manufacturing of clay brick. In addition to calculating UEVs of clay brick manufacturing in China (7.18 × 1012 sej/kg), our detailed analysis shows that the nonrenewable resources and imported energy have a dominant impact on the emergy contribution (50.6%) and within the nonrenewable resources, clay is the foremost item, accounting for 33.5% of local emergy inputs. Given different electricity UEVs, the change ranges of clay brick system UEVs are 14.9% (scenario 1), 7.24% (scenario 2), 8.91% (scenario 3), and 6.94% (scenario 4). Furthermore, several policy suggestions are discussed for improving the sustainability of the evaluated system, involving the energy structure adjustment, recycling material replacement, and promotion of energy-saving systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese cement industry produced 2150 million metric tons of cement in 2014, accounting for 58.1% of the world's total. This industry has a hugely destructive effect on the environment owing to its pollution. The environmental impact of cement manufacturing is a major concern for China. Although researchers have attempted to estimate impacts using life cycle assessment approaches, it lacks the ability to provide a holistic evaluation of the impacts on the environment. Emergy analysis, through ecological accounting, offers environmental decision making using elaborate book keeping. In spite of the high environmental impact of the cement industry, there has only been a handful of research work done to compute the unit emergy values (UEVs) of cement manufacturing in China. A thorough study of existing UEVs of cement manufacturing in China showed pitfalls that may lead to inaccurate estimations if used in emergy analysis. There is a strong need for a new, updated UEV for cement manufacturing in China, particularly reflecting both the dry and wet raw materials in the manufacturing process. This paper develops a methodology to calculate the nonrenewable resources used in cement manufacturing, particularly using mainstream cement production line. Our systematic approach-based UEV estimates of cement manufacturing in China using the quota method are 2.56 × 1012 sej/kg (wet material) and 2.46 × 1012 sej/kg (dry material). Emergy indicators such as environmental loading ratios which were calculated at 2390 (wet material) and 2300 (dry material); emergy yield ratios at 15.7 and 15.8; and emergy sustainability indices at 0.0066 and 0.0069 for dry and wet materials used in cement manufacturing, respectively; these show the immense impact on the environment in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Diagnosis of occipital condyle fracture (OCF) following a trauma needs high awareness among the trauma surgeons.

In rotating machinery due to continuous rotational induced wear and tear, metallic debris will be produced and mixes with the in-service lubricant oil over the course of time. This debris gives the sign of potential machine failure due to the aging of critical parts like gears and bearings. The size and type of wear debris has a direct relationship with the degree of wear in the machine and gives information about the healthiness of equipment. This article presents an inductive quasi-digital sensor to detect the metallic debris, its type; size in the lubrication oil of rotating machinery. A microcontroller based low cost, low power, high resolution and high precise instrument with alarm indication and LCD is developed to detect ferrous debris of sizes from 30 µm and non-ferrous debris of 50 µm. It is thoroughly tested and calibrated with ferrous, non-ferrous debris of different sizes in the air environment. Finally, an experiment is conducted to check the performance of the instrument by circulating lubricant oil containing ferrous, non-ferrous debris through the sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at some research trends for high coherence quantum circuits as of March 2017 including the standard tunneling model for two-level system, fabrication artifacts and parallel loss chemicals in metamorphic aluminum superconducting resonators and dielectric surface loss in resonators.