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The worldwide energy demand is steadily increasing and estimated to be doubled by the year 2050 due to a continuous hike in economies and population. A large part of the global energy requirement procures using traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels, which are non-renewable. Also, their excessive consumption imparts negative impacts on the environment by CO2, and CO emissions, which constantly increase the average global temperature. Therefore, the need for a more reliable, sustainable, inexpensive, renewable and environmentally-friendly form of energy is imperative. From these perspectives, hydrogen energy is emerging as one of the most promising alternatives to overcome rising energy demand with a zero-carbon footprint. Herein, various layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanocomposite owing to their attractive physicochemical properties and synergistic effect with other materials in the field of hydrogen production are reviewed. Why the class of LDHs materials is critical and their ideographic properties which make them promising materials in the field of water splitting via photocatalysis and electrocatalysis are also discussed. The synthetic methods of LDHs based nanocomposites fabrication are summarized. Various challenges and strategies from the viewpoint of a different method of hydrogen production through LDHs are reported. Additionally, multiple techniques like surface plasmon resonance (SPR), heterojunction formation, and doping with co-catalyst to increase the efficiency for photocatalytic hydrogen production are also presented. Hopefully, this review will help the readers explore highly efficient, inexpensive and stable LDH catalysts toward photocatalytic water splitting.

Saturation flow is a fundamental performance measure parameter used for the design of intersections. However, in mixed traffic conditions, the evaluation of saturation flow is more sensitive due to heterogeneous traffic where vehicles are travelling in the same right of way without any lane separation. In such cases, the passenger car unit (PCU) plays a major role in analysing heterogeneity using an equivalent value for each vehicle. This paper presents a novel approach using the optimisation technique to determine PCU values and saturation flow for mixed traffic streams. Field data were collected at six signalised intersections in three Indian cities. The optimisation technique produced reasonable PCU values and an accurate estimation of saturation flow of 1906 PCUs/h. The saturation flow prediction model was developed using the multi-linear regression technique as per Pearson's correlation between saturation flow and vehicle compositional share. The developed saturation flow model was validated using field data from another site and the predicted value was in good agreement with the observed value. Finally, the predictive model was used to analyse the impact of traffic composition on saturation flow in mixed traffic streams.

The pipeline network plays a crucial role in oil and gas transportation because of its safe operation and cheap cost. However, the construction and operation of pipeline networks entail a significant outlay of funds. The oil and gas industry has embraced optimization due to its ability to reduce pipeline costs. Various optimization tasks exist in the pipeline sector at all stages, from design to operation. Previously, most researches have focused on creating successful algorithmic variations to improve certain elements of search capabilities. However, there have been few review articles published, which are essential for engineering solution suppliers. We attempt to address this gap in the article by suggesting a methodology exploited to optimize pipeline operations. A critical review of three recent applications of optimization to the pipeline industry is discussed. The issues, challenges, and possible research paths are also examined. The purpose of the article is to provide pipeline engineers with a road map for understanding and implementing optimization techniques for increased pipeline profitability.

The objective of this study was to come up with a Business model for the post-pandemic startup in the Indian FMCG sectors. For this purpose, a questionnaire was designed to collect the data from various respondents of different gender and age groups. The responses were taken to know what the consumers are preferring and what they choose over at the time of the pandemic. Close-ended questions were prepared to collect the data. The questions included in the questionnaire were designed in such a way that they may give a basic idea of where to hit the ball in the court at the time of the pandemic. We know that COVID-19 has shown us a picture we never thought will ever be there and were not prepared for the same. Therefore, to avoid such kind uncertainties affecting the operations of the well-settled business and also to give confidence to the start-ups that have been affected by the same this study was conducted to know the choice, preference, and other factors affecting the purchasing habits of the consumers. Through the study, we found out that the majority of the consumers are focusing more on their health and are shifting to the products which may help them to build their immunity and keep them immune from the virus. This study can be of great use for start-ups to consider and follow to make sure they grab a huge number of market shares

The enormous cost of transporting oil and gas through pipelines and the operational benefits that the industry receives through optimization has incited analysts for decades to find optimization strategies that help pipeline managers operate pipeline grids with the least expense. The paper aims to minimize the pipeline grids' operating costs using an ant colony optimization strategy. The article constructs a multi-objective modeling framework for a natural gas pipeline grid based on data from the French gas pipeline network corporation 'Gaz De France,' using pipeline and compressor hydraulics. The gas pipeline grid comprises seven gas supply nodes and nineteen gas distribution centers. Seven compressor stations provided at various locations on the pipeline route raise the gas pressure. Two competing objectives of reducing fuel usage in compressors and increasing throughput at distribution centers are acknowledged to reduce the pipeline's operating cost. The 'multi-objective ant colony optimization (MOACO)' approach is implemented to the pipeline transportation model to reduce the natural gas pipeline grid's operating cost. The process variables include the amount of gas flowing through the pipe and the pressure at pipe nodes. This method provides the optimum solution for each fuel consumption level on each compressor, and it does so by producing a Pareto front for each of the nineteen gas distribution points. The blueprints of the methodology used and the findings collected intend to guide pipeline managers and select the best of the most preferred solutions.

In this paper, a novel low profile planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) with high gain and low specific absorption rate (SAR) using a miniaturized artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) is investigated. T...

This article presents the designs of ultrawideband microwave flat gradient index (GRIN) lenses, which realizes over a 108% fractional bandwidth (12–40 GHz). The frequency-independent ray optics method is employed to determine the radially varying permittivity profile of the lenses. The challenge of realizing such a radially varying profile and the limitations in dielectric material choices are overcome by two additive-manufacturing-aided approaches: 1) partially infilled dielectrics with a varied periodicity, which ensures the lens performance at the higher end of the frequency range and 2) artificially engineered dielectrics (AED) with subwavelength-scale metallic inclusions, which enables-high permittivity dielectrics and leads to benefits of thickness and mass reduction for the GRIN lenses. Measured results demonstrate that the GRIN lenses improve the gain of open-ended waveguide sources by 8.7–15.6 dB over a wide frequency range from 12 to 40 GHz, with the realized gain of up to 23.6 dBi. Both the simulation and measurements of the presented design confirm the potential of implementing the proposed GRIN lens design in high directivity and beamforming antenna applications, across an ultrawideband frequency range.

Introduction Nearly 6.8 million people in India have vision less than 6/60 in at least one eye due to corneal diseases; of these, about a million had bilateral involvement. Purpose To identify the challenges faced; the trends in collection, storage and utilisation of corneal tissues in an eye bank in north India. Materials and methods The past records of Eye Bank linked to a tertiary hospital in northern India were analysed from November’1999 to October’2015 with respect to number of eye donations per year, donor demographics and utilisation of corneal tissues. Results The number of donations during the first 6 years were 100, 279 in the next 5 years and 473 in the last 5 years. The mean donor age was 63.2 ± 19.5 years. The percentage of donors less than 30, 31–60 and more than 60 years was 10%, 28% and 62%. Forty-two percent donations were from the hospital. The average time between the death and enucleation was 4.74 ± 5.31 hours. The percentage of corneas used in the donor age groups less than 30, 31–60 and above 60 years was 61.9%, 61.6% and 53.8%, respectively. The usability rate of the corneas from home and hospital was 63.7% and 55.3%, respectively. Conclusions The eye bank had a lukewarm response in the beginning, but gained momentum with time. The myths and beliefs prevalent in our society deter people from donating eyes freely. Each eye bank needs to individualise its problems and find solutions for adequate procurement and utilisation of tissue.

Looking at the past decades, intense efforts have been made on one of the flourishing technology called biofuel cells with respect to the power or energy crisis prevailing all over the globe. Global researchers are taking part in the development of biofuels cells by exploiting novel characteristics of unconventional materials at atomic and molecule level like nanotubes (carbon nanotubes), nanosheets, nanoparticles, conducting polymers, etc in order to generate effective electricity from the substrates of biological origin via utilizing various biocatalysts. With the advancement in the field of nanotechnology, significant discoveries with respect to the field of biofuel cells have been accomplished. But till date, there has been a significant challenge regarding the performance and efficiency of the biofuels cells. Nowadays, to generate high power, an efficient and skillful approach which consists of the implementation of nano-based materials and conducting polymers with respect to the assembly of the biofuel cells is being considered by many researchers. Bioenergy and biofuels is a potential contestant for alternative fuel and with regard to this nanotechnology is one such significant weapon to synthesize and modify the production of biofuel and bio-energy. It has been assumed that in the near future with such extensive research biofuel cells will take up the economy of a nation in a sustainable way. This review gives the insights of biofuel cells and their types, brief synopsis of applications of the biofuel cells along with the scrutiny of biofuel cells in the market. Significant discussions have been provided in this review relating to the nanomaterials being employed as an electrode in biofuel cells. Certain examples have been mentioned to justify the concept of biofuel cell nanodevices following the ethical considerations of the same.

The hereditary form of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is an uncommon entity. We report a case of PAP due to colony-stimulating factor 2 receptor alpha (CSF2RA) gene mutation. The standard of care includes whole lung lavage (WLL). We faced two challenges: Firstly, a severely hypoxemic patient, and secondly, the nonavailability of appropriate size of double-lumen endotracheal tube for pediatric patients for a WLL while permitting single-lung ventilation. Hence, we performed WLL using venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) with a successful outcome. The patient has been discharged and is off oxygen support since more than a year. There are only a few case reports of children having hereditary PAP treated with WLL using ECMO in Indian and Western literature. How to cite this article Prabhudesai P, Khosla I, Kulkarni S, Arya MK, Pandey A, Yadav N. Bilateral Whole Lung Lavage in Hereditary Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis in a 4-year-old Child Using Extra corporeal Membrane Oxygenation. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(9):1069–1072.

Biodiversity is not equally distributed across the world. It depends on the type of various habitats and food availability. In these habitats, wetlands play an import role to increase the biodiversity of the particular area. Many studies have focused on various habitats to conserve biodiversity. However, the wetland studies are very few due to the lack of information on their distribution and importance. The present review focusses on the wetland status and their importance in India. India has vibrant and diverse wetland ecosystems that support immense biodiversity. The wetlands are unique habitats which provide ecological, social and economic values. However, rapid urbanization, industrialization and uncontrolled agricultural practices have pressurized to shrink the wetlands in India. The present paper highlights the wetland habitats in India with their geographical location, distribution, avian species diversity and their significance. The paper also discusses the growing threats like climate change, land-use change and agriculture/ municipal waste to the wetlands and the conservation efforts by Indian government policies, i.e. National Wetland Conservation Programme, National Environmental Policy, and National Plan for conservation of the aquatic ecosystem. In addition, on the basis of previous studies on wetlands, it is suggested that the role of stakeholders is very much responsible for wetland conservation.

Stock split should not have any impact on share prices, and there should be no value creation. The purpose of this study is to find any impact of stock splits announced in India between 1999 and 2019 on stock returns. The study aims to find differences in the impact of stock splits on stock returns with differences in stock split ratios. To examine the impact, the study includes 224 splits and adopts the standard event study methodology to find results. The presence of an abnormal return around split announcement day is the main factor, which determines the impact of stock split on the stocks. Average Abnormal Returns and Cumulative Average Abnormal Returns on percentage basis, z-test and p-value are used to statistically analyze the impact on stock prices around the announcement day of splits. These tests are used across different window periods (e.g., 20 days, 10 days and 5 days) around the event day (announcement day) to check if the impact of the event continues or decreases over time. The results point to a significant positive impact of stock splits on the returns of stock around the day the split was announced. The results also show that the impact is stronger for stock splits with ratios 10:1 (2.72 percent) and 10:2 (2.14 percent). It can be suggested that 10:1 and 10:2 are the most popular split ratios that receive maximum ongoing response to splits in the announcement window.

AimTo describe the characteristic clinical features and management of keratitis in the patients receiving miltefosine for post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL).MethodsThe medical records of five patients with PKDL who presented with keratitis were reviewed retrospectively from April 2018 to December 2019. The evaluation included a thorough medical history including details on drugs used, particularly miltefosine. The drug causality assessment was also performed. The clinical and microbiological characteristics of keratitis were noted.ResultsThe ocular symptoms included pain, redness, watering, photophobia and diminution of vision. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy revealed peripheral, paralimbal, ring-shaped, full-thickness stromal infiltration resulting in ulcerative keratitis in all cases. Two patients had unilateral keratitis, while three had bilateral keratitis. All five patients received miltefosine for an average period of 48 days before the onset of keratitis. The corrected distance visual acuity at presentation ranged from hand movement to 20/125. The causality assessment revealed a ‘probable’ association between the adverse drug reaction and miltefosine in all patients. Discontinuation of miltefosine and initiation of corticosteroid therapy resulted in resolution of keratitis in all cases. The unilateral keratitis treated with topical corticosteroids had improved outcomes, but poor outcomes were found in the bilateral keratitis.ConclusionThese observations indicate that prolonged use of miltefosine might cause keratitis that resembles infectious keratitis. Early diagnosis with discontinuation of the drug and initiation of corticosteroid therapy are the key to successful management.

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), a third common endocrine disorder, varies from asymptomatic disease, mostly seen in the West where routine biochemical screening is practiced, to the classical symptomatic disease mostly seen in the Eastern countries. We aimed to compare the demographic, clinical, biochemical measurements in patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic PHPT from the Indian PHPT registry.Data of PHPT patients from the last 25 years (1995-2019) were analyzed for demographic, clinical presentation and biochemical measurements, and compared these characteristics between asymptomatic and symptomatic PHPT patients.Of the 554 patients, 54 (10%) patients had asymptomatic PHPT. There was a sharp rise in the proportion of asymptomatic PHPT patients of 3% in the first decade to 13% in the second decade of the century (p = 0.003). Patients with asymptomatic PHPT were significantly older (50 vs. 42 years; p 0.0001) and had higher mean body mass index (27.8 vs. 23.5 kg/mAlthough symptomatic PHPT is still most prevalent ( 90%) in India with higher indices of the disease and tumor weights, there is a progressive rise in the prevalence of asymptomatic PHPT patients in the last decade. Improvements in calcium and vitamin D nutrition might account for this change as in the Western series.

BACKGROUND: Restoration of posterior condylar offset (PCO) during TKA is believed to be an important to improve knee kinematics, maximizing range of motion (ROM) and minimizing flexion instability. The aim of prospective study was to find out the role of PCO in post-operative ROM after cruciate retaining (CR) and cruciate sacrificing (CS) TKA. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 90 patients were divided into the CR knee group (49) and CS knee Group (41) intra-operatively by the surgeon based on the status of Posterior Cruciate Ligament. Preoperative and postoperative PCO was evaluated on true lateral knee radiographs. The ROM was measured pre operatively and post operatively at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 3 months, 1 year and 2 years. Appropriate statistical tests were used and results were interpreted. RESULTS: The mean flexion angle was 113.86° in CR knees and 118.29° in CS knees with a significantly greater improvement observed for the latter group. Preoperative mean PCO was 35.08 mm in CR knees and 36.37 mm in CS knees, while the corresponding values post operatively were 32.74 mm and 34.88 mm respectively, at follow-up. In order to evaluate the relationship between change of PCO and postoperative improvement in range of flexion, we divided the patients into three sub groups according to the difference in pre and post-operative PCO. The first sub group had a difference in PCO ≤ 1 mm after surgery (CR: 5 and CS: 8), second sub group with a difference in PCO 1–3 mm after surgery (CR: 28 and CS: 26) and the third subgroup with a difference in PCO >3 mm after surgery (CR: 16 and CS: 7). Then a comparison of difference in PCO and post-operative range of motion was done in both CR knees and CS knees separately. The final post-operative range of motion (flexion) in CR knees was 117.6°, 115.93° and 109.06° for the three subgroups respectively. Similarly, the final post-operative range of motion (flexion) in CS knees was 116.12°, 118.81° and 118.86° for the three subgroups respectively. Thus a significant difference between three sub groups was observed in CR knees (P

BACKGROUND Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) results in reduction of bone mineral density (BMD) and an increased risk of pathological fractures. Curative surgery does improve BMD; however, the magnitude of rise and predictive factors are highly variable amongst the hitherto available studies. OBJECTIVES To quantify the magnitude of improvement in BMD after curative surgery in patients with symptomatic PHPT and dissect out the possible clinical and biochemical parameters predicting the BMD rise. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of symptomatic PHPT patients undergoing surgery between August 2016 and July 2018. Patients achieving biochemical cure with pre- and post-operative (at least 1 year after surgery) dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans performed were included in the study. RESULTS After exclusion, 63 patients were included in the study (M:F = 2:5; mean age = 44.8 years). At a median interval of 15 months, the median per cent change in BMD (ΔBMD) at lumbar spine (LS), total hip (TH), femoral neck (FN) and one-third distal radius (forearm) was 6.5%, 7.0%, 8.1% and 6.9%, respectively. Following multiple linear regression analysis, baseline BMD was found to inversely predict ΔBMD at LS, TH and forearm. Pre-operative iPTH positively predicted ΔBMD at LS and FN. Interestingly, 82.5% of the patients had a gain in body weight following curative surgery and change in body weight emerged as a significant positive predictor of ΔBMD at all sites. CONCLUSIONS Curative surgery improves BMD at all sites in patients with symptomatic PHPT. Weight gain following surgery can be used as a positive clinical predictor of BMD rise.

We examine a rectangular cavity resonator method to accurately characterize the complex permittivity of dielectric materials over a wide frequency range of 1–5 GHz by exploiting the fundamental mode and higher-order TE(1,0,l) modes. For this purpose, a rectangular waveguide is coupled with a cavity resonator through a large inductive aperture. The permittivity characterization at both even and odd TE(1,0,l) modes enables continuous determination of the permittivity over operating frequencies. The characterization of the permittivity for even TE(1,0,l) modes suffers from potential errors due to the displacement of materials. This paper also proposes a method to compensate for these errors and improve the accuracy in the even modes. The experimental results of the fabricated cavity are presented using different materials (frequency-independent and frequency-dependent). The measured complex permittivity results show a good agreement with the reported results over a wide bandwidth available in the literature.

Background & Method: The study was carried out in the Department of Radio diagnosis, Index Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Indore, M.P. including 100 chronic bedridden patients with an aim to assess safety of withholding antithrombotic therapy in patients with low or intermediate probability of pulmonary embolism. Result: Males represented about 62% of the entire sample. Majority of male patients were in age group 50 and above. Majority (29%) of female patients were of age group of 20 to 40 yrs. On the basis of B-mode sonography and colour Doppler 20% patients were diagnosed to have acute deep vein thrombosis and 12 % patients were diagnosed to have chronic deep vein thrombosis. Out of 100 chronic bedridden patients in the study, 40% were suspected to have deep vein thrombosis on the basis of clinical signs,45% had a positive d-dimer test, 28% were positive on impedence plethysmography. 30% patients were diagnosed to have deep vein thrombosis by B mode sonography and 32% were diagnosed to have deep vein thrombosis by colour Doppler. Conclusion: Only 32 patients were positive for deep vein thrombosis out of 100 patients so it is safe to withhold unnecessary anticoagulation therapy in all chronic bed ridden patients because even after 3 month follow up only 1% patients were positive. Impedence plethysmography is less sensitive than ultrasonography and D-dimer test is more sensitive but it lacks specificity so ultrasound and colour Doppler is more sensitive in clinically suspected DVT patients. Ultrasonography and colour Doppler is better predictor of DVT because it is more sensitive and specific, non-invasive, painless, widely available, easy to use, less expensive, no ionizing radiation. Keywords: antithrombotic, pulmonary &embolism.

Background & Method: The study was carried out in the Department of Radio diagnosis, Index Medical College, Hospital & Research Centre, Indore with an aim to correlate of cyclical changes in endometrium and uterine blood flow with ovulation, and to predict the approximate time of ovulation. Result: The study shows maximum numbers of cases (78%) have endometrial thickness more than 7 mm and most of them belongs to fertile group, while 22% cases have endometrial thickness less than 7mm and they all belong to infertile group. The study shows 66% of cases have 5 layered endometrial appearance and almost all of them were fertile and 34% cases have hazy 5 layered or no layering and most of them (14 out of 17) belongs to infertile group. In this study 68% patients have multifocal endometrial blood supply and almost all of them are fertile while 32% patients have absent or sparse endometrial blood flow. Conclusion: The advent of color flow imaging has enabled the detection of neovascularization and change in blood flow in endometrium and myometrium. In the study it was noted that 5 layered endometrium was present in almost all fertile cases while in infertile cases endometrium was single layer or hazy 5 layered, so it can be postulated that distinct 5 layered endometrium is associated with fruitful pregnancy outcome. It was also noted frequently in the study that endometrium thickness less than 7mm was commonly seen in infertile cases while patients having more than 7mm thick endometrium were from fertile group, so it can be postulated that good endometrial thickness provides more chances for fruitful pregnancy outcome. Keywords: Endometrium, Uterine & Ovulation.

Strengthening green alternative energy sources has been enforced due to hydrocarbon fuels’ consequential harmful impacts. Climate change, economic enhancement, and energy security are motivating reasons behind the idea of expansion of biofuel production worldwide. Raw materials like lignocellulose have wide range of complex sugars in the form of cellulose (60–70%) and xylan (30–40%) which further by its hydrolysis and fermentation can be used to produce biofuels. Presently, naturally occurring xylanase enzyme is widely used as a natural resource for biofuel diligence to break down the second abundant β-1,4 xylan sugar into xylooligosaccharide, xylobiose, and xylose subunits. For larger scale, numerous approaches are required to improve or modify its thermostability, specificity, and enzyme activity along with its broad range of substrate to shorten the cost in biofuel production. Therefore, the present review provides a synopsis of present scenario of xylanase as a major participant in biofuel production, along with its various applications and factors affecting xylanase production. This present review provides evidence that narrates its presence in the production of biofuels such as bioethanol and biobutanol. Lastly, the present works discuss the major aspects of biofuel conversion efficiency.

This paper presents a modification of a rectangular microstrip patch antenna (MPA) which improves the S 11 bandwidth from 6.6% to 17.5% at center frequency of 28 GHz. The gain of this antenna at center frequency has been improved by using dielectric superstate from 6.81 dB to 10.73 dB. Further, gain improvement and cross-polarization suppression are also achieved by using multi-strip frequency selective surface (FSS) as a superstrate.

This work presents the systematic approach for improving the radiation patterns of monopole holographic antenna. Most of the present works show unwanted high sidelobe level (SLL) for monopole holographic antenna. The radiation patterns from such designs have another beam of high gain near the main beam. By changing the location of the monopole feed over the holographic surface, this extra unwanted beam can be altered and eventually removed. This helps to improve SLL significantly. This study compares results of different designs and presents guidelines to achieve proposed design with very low SLL.

Xylanase enzyme has been classified as an enzyme belonging to the glycoside hydrolase family. The catalytic action of xylanase is focused on the degradation of xylan, a substrate for this enzyme comprising of a complex arrangement of monosaccharides interlinked with the help of ester and glycosidic bonds. Xylan represents the second most profuse renewable polysaccharide present on earth. Breakage of the β- 1, 4-glycoside linkage in the xylan polymer is what makes xylanase enzyme an important biocatalyst favoring various applications including treatment of pulp for improving paper quality, improvement of bread quality, treatment of lignocelluloses waste, production of xylose sugar and production of biological fuels. Most recently, xylanase has been exploited in the food industry for the purpose of fruit juice clarification. Turbidity caused by the colloidal polysaccharides present in the freshly squeezed fruit juice poses a setback to the fruit juice industry since the commercial product must be clear and free of excess polysaccharides to improve juice quality and storage life. This review gives an overview of the recent advancements made in regards to xylanase enzyme being used commercially with main focus on its role in fruit juice clarification.

Objective To describe the prevalence and compare the clinicobiochemical profile of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study wherein the details of patients with PHPT with T2DM (PHPT-T2DM) and without T2DM were retrieved from the Indian PHPT Registry ( www.indianphptregistry.com ) between 2005 and 2019. We compared the clinical, biochemical, and postoperative findings of patients with PHPT-T2DM with age-, sex-, and body mass index–matched patients with PHPT without T2DM (in 1:2 ratio). Results Of the 464 patients with PHPT, 54 (11.6%) had T2DM. We observed an increase in the prevalence of PHPT-T2DM cases over time; only 7 (7.1%) of the total patients with PHPT had T2DM between 2005 and 2009 that increased to 31 (12.8%) in the last half decade (2015-2019). Patients with PHPT-T2DM had a significantly lower prevalence of nephrolithiasis (18.5% vs 36.1%, respectively; P = .03) and a higher prevalence of pancreatitis (22.2% vs 5.6%, respectively; P = .007) than those without T2DM. Furthermore, intact parathyroid hormone (203 pg/mL [139.8-437.3 pg/mL] vs 285 pg/mL [166-692 pg/mL], respectively; P = .04) and serum creatinine (0.90 mg/dL [0.67-1.25 mg/dL] vs 1.10 mg/dL [0.73-1.68 mg/dL], respectively; P = .03) levels were significantly lower in patients with PHPT-T2DM than those without T2DM. Also, tumor weight tended to be lower in patients with PHPT-T2DM than in the non-T2DM counterparts (1.05 g [0.5-2.93 g] vs 2.16 g [0.81-7.0 g], respectively; P = .06). Conclusion The prevalence of T2DM in Asian Indians with PHPT is 11.6%. Patients with PHPT-T2DM are characterized by a higher prevalence of pancreatitis, a lower prevalence of nephrolithiasis, and lower levels of intact parathyroid hormone/creatinine. Part of the clinical picture can possibly be explained by early detection of PHPT in patients with T2DM consequent to more frequent screening.

Electro-chemical discharge machining (ECDM) process has ability to drill micro-holes, nonetheless has limitation of lower depth with appreciable hole quality. The reason thereof is poor replenishment of vaporized electrolyte inside the machining zone with an increment in drilling depth. Few approaches have been reported to replenish the electrolyte in ECDM process. However, quantification of the vaporized electrolyte from the machining zone at different parametric conditions, and its replenishment with precise control is not revealed. In order to address these limitations of ECDM process, this article reports development of pressurized flow-ECDM (PF-ECDM) process. In this development fresh electrolyte is injected through a tubular electrode with precisely controlled electrolyte flow rate (EFR) into the machining zone during ECDM. Also, a novel approach is used to predict the range of EFR by quantifying the electrolyte vaporization rate at various thermal energy inputs. A comprehensive investigation is conducted to bring forth the effect of EFR on machining performance (i.e. depth and entrance diameter of the hole). The results of investigation reveal that the injected fresh electrolyte enhances the machining performance over conventional ECDM process. Also, the EFR is found to be dependent on provided thermal energy inside the machining zone. Hence, noticeable improvements in the process performance are realized at a particular value of EFR (i.e. adequate EFR) for specific parametric conditions. The multi criteria optimization is also performed using desirability function approach to obtain the optimum process parameters for PF-ECDM process. Eventually, a micro hole of 2478 μm depth is achieved using PF-ECDM process.

BACKGROUND Acute viral hepatitis is a common cause of acute jaundice in India. Every year, we are getting outbreaks of viral hepatitis, most commonly in rainy season, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is important to carry out an observational study to know the demographic profile, aetiology, clinical features, complications and mortality of viral hepatitis patients, so that appropriate measures can be taken to rectify deficits in the management of such patients for better outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was an observational study conducted in Department of Medicine, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, India for a period of three months in rainy season from July 2018 to September 2018. Patients’ data was analysed for age, sex, occupation, address, clinical features, complications and outcome. RESULTS 100 cases consisting of 56 males and 44 females were enrolled in the present study. The mean age of admitted patients was 33±14 years. 65 cases were from urban and 35 cases were from rural areas. Most of the patients belonged to low socioeconomic status. Common presenting complaints were nausea, vomiting, yellowish discolouration of eyes and urine, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite and upper abdominal pain. Most common signs were icterus followed by tender hepatomegaly. Virology suggested that hepatitis E was the most common virus detected followed by hepatitis A, B and C. Co-infection with hepatitis A and E was observed in 8 patients leading to higher morbidity and mortality. Hepatic encephalopathy and haematuria was observed in 20 and 6 patients respectively. All patients were managed conservatively, and most patients were discharged in satisfactory condition. In spite of our best efforts, 27 patients expired. CONCLUSION Acute viral hepatitis is a public health problem causing significant morbidity and mortality. Most of the patients had hepatitis E and A, which are transmitted through faeco-oral route. Longer duration of symptoms, deeper level of coma in hepatic encephalopathy, bleeding manifestations, higher TLC, PT, INR, urea and creatinine are associated with higher mortality rate. So, public awareness programmes to maintain hygiene, clean drinking water, use of sanitary toilets and vaccination against hepatitis B and A should be promoted by the health care professionals.

Background: Meditation has been a key component of eastern spiritual practices. Heartfulness meditation is a unique heart based system with key practices like cleaning and meditation aided by yogic transmission. Objective: To study the effects of Heartfulness cleaning and meditation (guided by Heartfulness trainer) on heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). Methods: A total of 30 participants (21 males, 9 females; age range 19–70 years, M = 45.1 years and SD = 12.7 years) participated in the study. HRV, BP and HR were studied before, during and after the three stages of rest, cleaning and meditation. Results: There was significant effect of cleaning and meditation on normalized unit of power in low-frequency band (LFnu) for the three conditions [F (2, 87) = 9.98, p

As the understanding of COVID-19 infection becomes better, it is being recognized as a complex multisystem pathology rather than just affecting the lungs. Several ocular findings have been documented by researchers in individuals infected with COVID-19, and ocular symptoms may even be the first presenting feature of COVID-19 infection in 2.26% individuals. Several countries have started vaccination with inactivated or live vaccines to combat this pandemic, and varied side effects have been reported after vaccination. Few cases of herpes zoster have previously been reported in elderly patients with comorbidities after receiving COVID-19 vaccines. In this article, the authors described 2 interesting cases of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) after receiving a live COVID-19 vaccine. The first case was a 35-year-old immunocompetent man who developed HZO 3 days postvaccine. The second case was a 40-year-old immunocompetent man who developed HZO 28 days postvaccine. To the best of our knowledge, no literature to date has described HZO after live vaccine.

Flooding is one of the major issues in the low lying area of Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Ghaghara basin witnesses the floods every year in Indian sub-continent and has caused loss of numerous lives and land for several decades. It may not be stopped but can be preventive. The present study is an attempt to initiate the flood risk zonation by defining multiple criteria for evaluating this major issue in Ghaghara basin, Uttar Pradesh, India. The work was done using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote sensing (RS) data of (Linear Imaging Self Scanning) LISS III, SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) data, and Survey of India (SOI) toposheet. The yearly average interpolated rainfall and multiple themes like slope, micro-watersheds, drainage density, land use/land cover (LULC), soil moisture, and soil surface texture were used to delineate the flood hazard risk zonation map. The study identified promising results for the establishment and categorization of flood risk zones into very low hazard risk zone (4%), low hazard risk zone (8.5%), moderate hazard risk zone (23.6%), high hazard risk zone (42%), and very high risk zones (21.9%). It is estimated on the basis of the study that ~27,490 localities were influenced by floods along the major channels, i.e., Ghaghara, Sarda, and Rapti. The results of this study could allow better relief operations and reduce the risk of flooding.

In the Indian Himalayan region, community-managed lands such as community-managed forests and agriculture lands play an important role in conserving native biodiversity. Our avifaunal surveys done between 2013 and 2016 recorded 205 species belonging to 52 families. Two species were first records from Pithoragarh district. Six species are classified as Threatened and five as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List. Six are Schedule-I species under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. In total, 63 migratory (local/altitudinal and long-range) and 81 Himalayan endemic species were observed. Overall, our observations reveal a niche providing both transient and perennial havens for resident and migrant avifauna in our study site’s landscape. Our findings suggest that despite human persistence in the landscape, diversity within avifaunal guilds is rich in the community-managed lands. We recommend further research to focus on understanding the factors governing the bird distribution and co-occurrence in the landscape.&nbsp

Modern agricultural practices have triggered the process of agricultural pollution. This process can cause the degradation of eco-systems, land, and environment owing to the modern-day by-products of agriculture. The substantial use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and, contaminated water for irrigation cause further damage to agriculture. The current scenario of the agriculture and food sector has therefore become unsustainable. Nanotechnology has provided innovative and resourceful frontiers to the agriculture sector by contributing practical applications in conventional agricultural ways and practices. There is a large possibility that agri-nanotechnology can have a significant impact on the sustainable agriculture and crop growth. Recent research has shown the potential of nanotechnology in improving the agriculture sector by enhancing the efficiency of agricultural inputs and providing solutions to agricultural problems for improving food productivity and security. The prospective use of nanoscale agrochemicals such as nanofertilizers, nanopesticides, nanosensors, and nanoformulations in agriculture has transformed traditional agro-practices, making them more sustainable and efficient. However, the application of these nano-products in real field situations raises concern about nanomaterial safety, exposure levels, and toxicological repercussions to the environment and human health. The present review gives an insight into recent advancements in nanotechnology-based agrochemicals that have revolutionized the agriculture sector. Further, the implementation barriers related to the nanomaterial use in agriculture, their commercialization potential, and the need for policy regulations to assess possible nano-agricultural risks are also discussed.

In many computer vision tasks, dehazing is an important preprocessing step such as in various application areas of tracking and object recognition. Dehazing is the task of removing haze content or haze effect from the image under consideration. Nowadays, learning-based methods are used widely for dehazing. Among them, a convolutional neural network is one such method. After the successful use of CNN in different fields of image processing, it is being applied with modifications in various algorithms for dehazing as well. Deep CNNs are good at obtaining feature information automatically in a data-driven manner. In this paper, we have discussed various methods that use CNN for dehazing and their performance is measured by PSNR and SSIM.

Aperture array antennas have emerged as popular candidates for a variety of applications, such as radar, remote sensing, navigation [1, 2], and the fifth generation (5G) Network communication [3–5] operating in the Ka-band. This millimeter-wave band for 5G communication is expected to provide a much higher data rate than heretofore, in the gigabit range, which is not possible to achieve by using current wireless services [3]. The mm-wave phased array antenna is certain to play an important role in 5G applications, thanks to its many desirable attributes such as high gain [5, 6], higher transmission rate, and shorter latency. Recently, several studies of mm-wave phased array designs for 5G applications have been carried out in [7–9]. The phased array configuration has been proposed to serve the user in crowded areas by reducing the interference and thereby realizing a high communication rate between the base station and mobile devices. In addition, it has been argued that beam switching is essential to addressing the challenges of the future 5G applications [10–12] at millimeter-waves since it offers high-power efficiency and large channel capacity with wide-angle scan coverage. The low-profile antenna array (LPAA) design presented in [13–16] provides good performance at high frequencies, but it can only scan the beam in one plane (see Fig. 6.4), by using mechanical means [13], for instance. Recently, beam switching networks using structures, such as substrate integrated waveguide [17]; Butler matrix [18]; printed-ridge gap waveguide [19]; and magneto-electric dipole antenna array fed by RGW Butler matrix [20], have been proposed by the research community. A 1D-beam scanning technique (see Fig. 6.5) has been proposed in [12], which utilizes mechanical rotation and whose performance in terms of gain, sidelobe level, etc., varies with different orientation angles.

Airway issues in the pediatric age group contribute to significant morbidity and mortality under anesthesia. Neonates and infants are the most susceptible age group. Oxygen utilization in this age group is substantially higher, and this imparts poor tolerance to apnea, implying that pediatric patients can develop significant hypoxemia very rapidly, with ensuing profound bradycardia. While true difficult laryngoscopy is rare (1.3%), airway management in many pediatric patients presenting for neurosurgical procedures has certain unique considerations, including the fact that unlike adults, they cannot be intubated awake, and may often have to be induced without intravenous access.

Pesticides have been used in the field of agriculture ever since their role in protection of crops from pests which include four different categories namely insects, mites, rodents and animals has been identified. Organophosphate pesticides are one of the most extensively applied insecticides in the field of agriculture such that around 40% of all the pesticides that are produced and used commercially belong to this category. The main toxicological effect of these pesticides when exposed to a living being encompasses the irremediable inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzyme which is involved in the neurotransmission of signals and hence its inhibition causes impairment of the respiratory tract and neuromuscular transmission. Apart from being used as a pesticide, organophosphates have also been applied as herbicides to some extent. The residues of these highly toxic chemicals have found route into the underground water system by seeping into the ground, in rivers where the agricultural run off water is disposed, and in the air when sprayed on the crops hence posing a threat to all the living strata exposed to these chemicals in various ways which are discussed further. Many significant studies have been carried out in order to evaluate the health risks associated with these pesticides which commonly include acute neurological disorders. This review emphasizes on the toxicological effects of organophosphate pesticides and the recent methods of detection that are used to identify trace amounts of organophosphate pesticides along with strategies which are used for their degradation.

Objective To describe the details of widely invasive parathyroid carcinoma (WIPC) patients admitted in the Endocrinology department of our institute during the last 22 years and to compare their clinical, biochemical, and hormonal profile with minimally invasive parathyroid carcinoma (MIPC) and sporadic parathyroid adenoma patients. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of data from the Indian primary hyperparathyroidism registry. Results Of the 547 primary hyperparathyroidism patients in the registry, 5 (2 men and 3 women) had WIPC (0.9%) and 7 (1 man and 6 women) had MIPC (1.3%), with median ages of 45 (interquartile range, 41-51) years and 47 (interquartile range, 28-48) years, respectively. Among the patients with WIPC, renal manifestations were present in 5 patients, skeletal manifestations in 4 patients, and palpable neck masses in 4 patients. Three patients had distant metastases and 2 had cervical lymph node involvement. All 5 patients had surgical resection of their cancers, with persistent disease in 4 patients, but all patients died within 2 years after surgery. One patient with MIPC had a palpable parathyroid nodule; none had lymph nodal or distant metastases. None of the patients with MIPC died during the median follow-up of 18 (interquartile range, 12-18) months. Patients with WIPC had significantly higher serum calcium level compared with sporadic parathyroid adenoma patients with skeletal and renal manifestations. Conclusion Accurate histopathologic classification of parathyroid carcinoma is important as WIPC is associated with a more aggressive clinical course and a higher risk of mortality than MIPC.

The quest to extract vital information regarding protein-coding genes has always fascinated scientific community. However, there is scarcity of experimental data on internal mechanism controlling the synthesis of functional gene product. This is due to the fact that the process of identification of transcription site is highly complex. In order to understand transcription, it is essential to identify promoters since promoter sequences define where transcription of a gene begins. The use of Machine Learning has provided substantially accurate results as compared to conventional methods. This research paper aims at classification of short E. Coli DNA Sequences into Promoter and Non- Promoter category using machine learning algorithms like AdaBoost Classifier and Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network with a higher accuracy than existing methodologies. It also compares the accuracy of algorithms such as Support Vector Classifier (‘RBF' and ‘Sigmoid' Kernel) and Gaussian Process Classifier that were not used before in promoter identification.