Search

BACKGROUND Microwave sensor technology is considered to be a non‐destructive and hygienic means for food evaluation and analysis. The rapid progress in microwave sensor technologies motivated us to present a novel monkey‐wrench‐shaped microstrip patch sensor for evaluating food quality. The proposed antenna is considered as a liquid sensor to detect adulteration in liquids by examining the relationship between concentration, shift in resonant frequency, and variation in reflection coefficient. RESULTS: The sensor has a compact size of 17 × 14 mm2 imprinted on an FR4 substrate of thickness 1.57 mm. This microwave system is proposed for monitoring overall milk quality using a microstrip sensor and has considerably good numerical sensitivity and accuracy (13.11% and 88.5% respectively), which makes the system attractive for detecting adulteration. Further, the Q‐factor for the proposed sensor is 209 and has a standard deviation less than the difference between non‐adulterated and adulterated values, giving resolution high enough to distinguish adulteration with an acceptable statistical accuracy. In this study, different milk categories (buffalo, goat, and cow milk) are considered as liquid samples to detect adulteration by demonstrating the variation in reflection coefficient due to change in dielectric properties for the following different cases: (i) adulteration of milk with water; (ii) adulteration of milk with synthetic milk powder; (iii) adulteration of milk with caustic soda; and (iv) adulteration of milk with vegetable oil. The referred variation in reflection coefficient and resonant frequency is due to a change in the dielectric properties of a liquid when a varying concentration of an adulterant/solute is added to the liquid sample. CONCLUSION: The simulation and measured results show good agreement that validates the proposed sensor for food adulteration detection with high sensitivity. In terms of performance, the proposed sensor shows accuracy with high spatial resolution and reduced penetration depth to detect the adulteration in various milk samples (i.e. buffalo, goat, and cow milk). © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article a modified hybridized fractal geometry i.e., fractal antenna is proposed for Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) applications. These geometries are based on Minkowski curves and Koch curves located around the boundaries of the microstrip patch of rectangular-shaped patch. The hybridized model for fractal geometry is designed and analyzed on an FR4 substrate having a thickness of 1.47 mm for the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) frequency band. But due to the proposed fractal geometry, it resonates at three bands (2.45 GHz, 3.67 GHz, and 5.88 GHz) and it is covering the ISM band from 2.42 GHz to 2.48 GHz with a VSWR value is 1.48. Further, a 2 × 2 antenna for MIMO application is proposed by considering identical antenna elements placed in parallel on the same substrate. MIMO antenna resonates at three frequencies as same as single antenna elements and covering the same operating bands. The two elements of MIMO confguration are simulated for various sets of distance values, and optimized distance is obtained 18 mm at which a proposed antenna provides low mutual coupling value, low Envelope Correlation Coefficient (ECC), and high diversity and peak gain. The calculated values of ECC and diversity gain are 0.0002 and 10 dB, respectively which satisfy the criteria of MIMO application. The design has been experimentally validated and an appropriate similarity of experimental and simulated results is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a multiband modified 'W' shaped, Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) antenna with a metamaterial inspired isolator for enhanced isolation is proposed for 5G application. The two-element MIMO antenna comprises of a closely placed (edge to edge gap of 0.117λo, λo = highest operating wavelength) antenna elements that covers both sub-6 GHz (3.42–4.25 GHz) and millimeter wave (mmWave) range bands (24.8–26.5 GHz) of 5G with bandwidth of 821 MHz and 1630 MHz. The MIMO antenna also covers bands C (7.44–7.92 GHz), X (9.9–10.49 GHz), Ku (12.02–13.39 GHz & 15.92–17.492 GHz), K (19.49–22.42 GHz), partially. The isolation level in all resonating bands remain near to the acceptable value of (|S12|> −15 dB) however a very significant mutual coupling effect is observed in sub-6 GHz range (|S12|= −11.92 dB at 3.94 GHz). To improve the isolation in sub-6 GHz band, a metamaterial inspired isolator comprising of Double negative (DNG) unit cells is uniquely placed along the side of the closely positioned antenna elements. Simulated results indicate that isolation level improves to (|S12|= −16.1 dB at 3.94 GHz) after placing the DNG metamaterial based isolator. The antenna performance parameters such as gain, return loss, bandwidth, Envelope correlation coefficient (ECC), Diversity gain (DG) and radiation efficiency are not affected by placement of isolator. The metamaterial equipped MIMO antenna (Meta–MIMO antenna) has a compact structure of 70 × 40 × 0.8 mm3, with a high isolation in all bands (|S12|> −16 dB), peak gain of 7.8dBi, low ECC (< 0.05), high diversity gain (9.98 dB) and efficiency (≈91.38%). Further the proposed Meta-MIMO antenna performance for practical applications is investigated by connecting to different sizes of ground plane, the results indicate that the isolation levels and efficiency do not deteriorate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The interdisciplinary Participatory Approach for Nutrition in Children: Strengthening Health, Education, Engineering and Environment Linkages (PANChSHEEEL) study used a participatory approach to develop locally-feasible and tailored solutions to optimise Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices at an individual, household, community, and environmental level. This paper aims to evaluate the influence of gender; migration; and Health, Education, Engineering and Environmental (HEEE) factors on IYCF practices, with the primary outcomes being three key complementary-feeding practices of Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD), Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF) and Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD). Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 325 households with children aged 6–23 months was conducted in nine purposively selected villages in two blocks of Banswara district, Rajasthan, India. A survey tool was developed, translated into the local language, pre-tested, and administered in a gender-sensitive manner. Data-collection processes were standardized to ensure quality measures. Association of the primary outcome with 27 variables was tested using a Chi-square test (Mantel-Haenszel method); backward stepwise regression analysis was conducted to assess the impact of effect modifiers (gender, parental migration). Results: Half of the surveyed children were of each gender, and fathers from half of the households were found to have migrated within the previous year to search for additional income. Parental literacy ranged from 60 to 70%. More than half of the households had access to milk-producing animals. Consumption of each of the seven food groups, eggs (4.7% vs 0.7%; p < 0.02), MDD (10.5% vs 3.2%; p < 0.02) and MAD (9.4% vs 2.6%; p < 0.02) were higher for boys than for girls. After controlling for contextual factors, a male child was 4.1 times more likely to get a diet with MDD and 3.8 times more likely to get a diet with MAD. A child from a non-migrant household was 2.0–2.1 times more likely to get a diet with MDD and MAD as compared to a child from a migrant household. However, this association was not found to be statistically significant after regression. Presence of milk-producing animals in households and consumption of milk/milk products by children in the previous 24 h were the other two strong predictors of MDD and MAD, although access to animal milk in the house did not translate to an increase in consumption of milk/milk products by a child. Conclusion: Gender discrimination in diet diversity and complementary-feeding practices starts early in childhood with boys having a distinct advantage over girls. In the case of parental migration, further research is required to establish if it has an adverse impact on feeding practices. Emphasis needs to be given to gender issues and other contextual factors when developing strategies to optimise complementary feeding practices. Trial registration: With UCL ethics [Ethics ID 4032/002] in United Kingdom and with Sigma IRB [10,025/IRB/D/17–18] in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trigeminal neuralgia is the most common type of neuropathic pain involving the craniofacial region. In I CACNA1H i (ie, the Ca SB V sb 3.2 T-type voltage-gated calcium channel), 19 damaging variants have been predicted; however, no study to date has specifically investigated the functional role of any of these Ca SB V sb 3.2 channel variants in trigeminal neuralgia. [Extracted from the article]

To describe use of a locally processed bovine pericardium (BP) to cover a large central corneal perforation following alkali injury and discuss postoperative outcome. A 27-year-old Malay male patient presented two weeks after alkali splashed in his left eye while working. A clinical diagnosis of left central corneal ulcer with limbal ischemia following alkali injury with secondary infection was made. After failed medical therapy, we performed a Gunderson conjunctival flap under local anesthesia that retracted after one week and resulted in a large central corneal perforation with surrounding stromal thinning. The perforation was covered with a locally processed BP xenograft (Lyolemb) supplied by the National Tissue Bank, University Sains Malaysia. Nine months follow-up showed a well-taken graft without any exposure/dehiscence and minimal inflammation. Amniotic membrane transplantation when used as a patch graft needs an urgent tectonic graft to promote corneal stability in patients with severe corneal thinning. The use of processed BP can be a viable option in treating such cases.

Summary: Relay selection plays a crucial role in enhancing the performance of wireless networks particularly in the context of cognitive radio (CR) systems with energy harvesters. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, namely, CGAPSO Shapley, for the best relay selection while simultaneously optimizing the parameters of signal‐to‐interference‐plus‐noise ratio (SINR), throughput, and outage probability. The CGAPSO Shapley algorithm combines the Shapley value, a cooperative game theory concept, with cellular genetic algorithm particle swarm optimization (CGAPSO) to achieve effective and efficient optimization of relay selection. The CGAPSO framework provides a hybrid structure that integrates cellular genetic algorithm (CGA) and particle swarm optimization (PSO), enabling simultaneous evolution of the population and particles within cells. The incorporation of the Shapley value and the hybrid CGAPSO framework enables effective exploration of the solution space and provides decision‐makers with comprehensive insights for relay selection. By utilizing the Shapley value, we assign weights to the relay nodes based on their contributions to the overall optimization objectives, considering their CR capabilities and energy harvesting capabilities. Some benchmark test functions are used to compare the hybrid algorithm with both the standard CGAPSO, Particle swarm optimization gravitational search algorithm (PSOGSA) and PSO algorithms in evolving best solution. The results show the hybrid algorithm possesses a better capability to escape from local optimums with faster convergence than the standard algorithms. The novel CGAPSO Shapley approach achieves an outage probability of 0.323324, marking a significant improvement of 60% over the outage probability achieved with conventional approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a multilayer graphene nanoribbon (MLGNR)‐based single‐tier on‐chip nanoscale via‐interconnect scheme (VIS), which combines the vertical MLGNR via and horizontal MLGNR interconnect, as a prospect for monolithic 3D (M‐3D) integrated circuits (ICs). To go beyond the simplifying assumptions of perfect MLGNR and conventional skin‐effect, this study incorporates the impact of edge‐ and substrate‐induced scatterers in a realistic MLGNR and considers the 1D skin depth formula for MLGNR‐based on‐chip interconnect and via. A combined equivalent circuit model is developed to analyze the challenges induced by scatterers, skin‐effect, and crosstalk effect in perfect MLGNR VIS (P‐VIS) and realistic MLGNR VIS (R‐VIS). The results show that for width in the range of 5–30 nm, P‐VIS outperforms R‐VIS in terms of crosstalk delay. Moreover, at high frequencies ranging from 1 to 104 GHz with a width of 16 nm, R‐VIS demonstrates a performance decline of 243.18% (5.3934 × 103%) for L = 4.8 μm (1 mm), respectively, in comparison with P‐VIS. Hence, in order to leverage the potential of MLGNR‐based VIS for M‐3D ICs at high frequencies, it is imperative to integrate Li‐intercalation doping and mitigate the impact of edge and substrate scatterers in MLGNR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of VLSI technology, the miniaturization of ICs poses significant challenges to overall interconnect performance, particularly due to the rising concerns of crosstalk-induced reliability and durability issues. This work explores graphene-based randomly mixed carbon nanotube bundle (RMCB) interconnects as a viable solution for advanced reliable VLSI applications. Employing metaheuristic algorithms (Maximum Hole Degree, Particle Swarm Optimization, Stoyan and Yaskov Algorithm), this study seeks to optimize RMCB structures, maximizing carbon nanotube density within a fixed area. Notably, this study explores the effectiveness of algorithms’ performance in optimizing RMCB structures at a nano-technology node. Extensive signal integrity and reliability assessments, considering both rugged and pristine substrates, reveal that Stoyan and Yaskov (SY)-based optimization excels over PSO and MHD-based counterparts in terms of on-chip interconnect performance and reliability. The SY structure significantly dominates MHD-based (and PSO) counterparts by reducing crosstalk delay by 50% (30%), enhancing the average failure rate by 40% (37%), and improving electromigration reliability by 170% (63%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Quality and essential health information is considered one of the most cost-effective interventions to improve health for a developing country. Healthcare portals have revolutionalized access to health information and knowledge using the Internet and related technologies, but their usage is far from satisfactory in India. This article describes a health portal developed in India aimed at providing one-stop access to efficiently search, organize and share maternal child health information relevant from public health perspective in the country. Methods The portal ‘Repository on Maternal Child Health’ was developed using an open source content management system and standardized processes were followed for collection, selection, categorization and presentation of resource materials. Its usage is evaluated using key performance indicators obtained from Google Analytics, and quality assessed using a standardized checklist of knowledge management. The results are discussed in relation to improving quality and access to health information. Results The portal was launched in July 2010 and provides free access to full-text of 900 resource materials categorized under specific topics and themes. During the subsequent 18 months, 52,798 visits were registered from 174 countries across the world, and more than three-fourth visits were from India alone. Nearly 44,000 unique visitors visited the website and spent an average time of 4 minutes 26 seconds. The overall bounce rate was 27.6%. An increase in the number of unique visitors was found to be significantly associated with an increase in the average time on site (p-value 0.01), increase in the web traffic through search engines (p-value 0.00), and decrease in the bounce rate (p-value 0.03). There was a high degree of agreement between the two experts regarding quality assessment carried out under the three domains of knowledge access, knowledge creation and knowledge transfer (Kappa statistic 0.72). Conclusions Efficient management of health information is imperative for informed decision making, and digital repositories have now-a-days become the preferred source of information management. The growing popularity of the portal indicates the potential of such initiatives in improving access to quality and essential health information in India. There is a need to develop similar mechanisms for other health domains and interlink them to facilitate access to a variety of health information from a single platform.

Abstract Background Multiple adverse events are associated with the use of morphine for the treatment of chronic non-cancer pain, including opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). Mechanisms of OIH are independent of opioid tolerance and may involve the morphine metabolite morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G). M3G exhibits limited affinity for opioid receptors and no analgesic effect. Previous reports suggest that M3G can act via the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation protein-2 (MD-2) heterodimer in the central nervous system to elicit pain. Methods Immunoblot and immunocytochemistry methods were used to characterize the protein expression of TLR4 present in lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Using in vitro intracellular calcium and current clamp techniques, we determined whether TLR4 activation as elicited by the prototypical agonists of TLR4, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and M3G, contributed to changes in intracellular calcium and increased excitation. Rodents were also injected with M3G to determine the degree to which M3G-induced tactile hyperalgesia could be diminished using either a small molecule inhibitor of the MD-2/TLR4 complex in rats or TLR4 knockout mice. Whole cell voltage-clamp recordings were made from small- and medium-diameter DRG neurons (25 μm Results We observed that TLR4 immunoreactivity was present in peptidergic and non-peptidergic sensory neurons in the DRG. Non-neuronal cells in the DRG lacked evidence of TLR4 expression. Approximately 15% of assayed small- and medium-diameter sensory neurons exhibited a change in intracellular calcium following LPS administration. Both nociceptive and non-nociceptive neurons were observed to respond, and approximately 40% of these cells were capsaicin-insensitive. Increased excitability observed in sensory neurons following LPS or M3G could be eliminated using Compound 15, a small molecule inhibitor of the TLR4/MD-2 complex. Likewise, systemic injection of M3G induced rapid tactile, but not thermal, nociceptive behavioral changes in the rat, which were prevented by pre-treating animals with Compound 15. Unlike TLR4 wild-type mice, TLR4 knockout mice did not exhibit M3G-induced hyperalgesia. As abnormal pain sensitivity is often associated with NaVs, we predicted that M3G acting via the MD-2/TLR4 complex may affect the density and gating of NaVs in sensory neurons. We show that M3G increases tetrodotoxin-sensitive and tetrodotoxin-resistant (NaV1.9) current densities. Conclusions These outcomes provide evidence that M3G may play a role in OIH via the TLR4/MD-2 heterodimer complex and biophysical properties of tetrodotoxin-sensitive and tetrodotoxin-resistant NaV currents.

Abstract Background The ubiquity of protein-protein interactions in biological signaling offers ample opportunities for therapeutic intervention. We previously identified a peptide, designated CBD3, that suppressed inflammatory and neuropathic behavioral hypersensitivity in rodents by inhibiting the ability of collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP-2) to bind to N-type voltage-activated calcium channels (CaV2.2) [Brittain et al. Nature Medicine 17:822–829 (2011)]. Results and discussion Here, we utilized SPOTScan analysis to identify an optimized variation of the CBD3 peptide (CBD3A6K) that bound with greater affinity to Ca2+ channels. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that the CBD3A6K peptide was more stable and less prone to the unfolding observed with the parent CBD3 peptide. This mutant peptide, conjugated to the cell penetrating motif of the HIV transduction domain protein TAT, exhibited greater anti-nociception in a rodent model of AIDS therapy-induced peripheral neuropathy when compared to the parent TAT-CBD3 peptide. Remarkably, intraperitoneal administration of TAT-CBD3A6K produced none of the minor side effects (i.e. tail kinking, body contortion) observed with the parent peptide. Interestingly, excitability of dissociated small diameter sensory neurons isolated from rats was also reduced by TAT-CBD3A6K peptide suggesting that suppression of excitability may be due to inhibition of T- and R-type Ca2+ channels. TAT-CBD3A6K had no effect on depolarization-evoked calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) release compared to vehicle control. Conclusions Collectively, these results establish TAT-CBD3A6K as a peptide therapeutic with greater efficacy in an AIDS therapy-induced model of peripheral neuropathy than its parent peptide, TAT-CBD3. Structural modifications of the CBD3 scaffold peptide may result in peptides with selectivity against a particular subset of voltage-gated calcium channels resulting in a multipharmacology of action on the target.

Abstract Background High-mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) is a nuclear protein that regulates gene expression throughout the body. It can also become cytoplasmic and function as a neuromodulatory cytokine after tissue damage or injury. The manner in which HMGB1 influences the peripheral nervous system following nerve injury is unclear. The present study investigated the degree to which HMGB1 signaling contributes to the maintenance of neuropathic pain behavior in the rodent. Results Redistribution of HMGB1 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm occurred in both sensory neurons derived from a tibial nerve injured (TNI) rat and in a sensory neuron-like cell line following exposure to a depolarizing stimulus. We also observe that exogenous administration of HMGB1 to acutely dissociated sensory neurons derived from naïve or TNI rodents elicit increased excitability. Furthermore systemic injection of glycyrrhizin (50 mg/kg; i.p.), a known inhibitor of HMGB1, reversed TNI-induced mechanical hyperalgesia at fourteen days and three months following nerve injury. Conclusions We have identified that a persistent endogenous release of HMGB1 by sensory neurons may be a potent, physiologically relevant modulator of neuronal excitability. More importantly, the use of the anti-inflammatory compound and known inhibitor of HMGB1, glycyrrhizin, has the ability to diminish persistent pain behavior in a model of peripheral neuropathy, presumably through its ability to neutralize the cyotkine. The identification of HMGB1 as a potential therapeutic target may contribute to a better understanding of mechanisms associated with chronic pain syndromes.