Search

Background: There is ongoing debate regarding platelet-rich plasma’s (PRP) ability to eff ectively heal soft tissue injuries. Lyophilized platelet-rich plasma (L-PRP) was created and kept using the blood bank’s standard separation procedures. The objective of study was to evaluate eff ects of lyophilization on PRP and its properties such as level of growth factors. Also, the eff ect of storage conditions on growth factors. Methods: The PRPs were created through a two-step centrifugation process and lyophilized. After freeze-thawing to allow platelet growth factors to be released, levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), transforming growth factor (TGF), fi broblast growth factor (FGF)-basic, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AB, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured each day during storage. Results: After L-PRP preparation, levels of FGF-basic, VEGF, PDGF-AB, EGF and TGF- beta1 signifi cantly raised and levels of HGF and IGF-1 in L-PRPs had light rise. Conclusions: In comparison to F-PRP, platelet counts and seven growth factors increased during preservation in L-PRP. PRPs that have been stored may be injected several times using our method. L-PRP was effi cacious and stable for 90 days when stored at 8oC.

Cardio circulatory changes associated with pregnancy result in a signicant haemodynamic burden and lead to morbidity and even mortality in women with cardiac disease. We report a rare case of severe pulmonary stenosis who underwent elective caesarean section under general anaesthesia with satisfactory maternal and neonatal outcome

Purpose The purpose of the article is to develop an equation to accurately represent OCV as a function of SoC with reduced computational burden. Dependency of open circuit voltage (OCV) on state of charge (SoC) is often represented by either a look-up table or an equation developed by regression analysis. The accuracy is increased by either a larger data set for the look-up table or using a higher order equation for the regression analysis. Both of them increase the memory requirement in the controller. In this paper, Gaussian exponential regression methodology is proposed to represent OCV and SoC relationships accurately, with reduced memory requirement. Design/methodology/approach Incremental OCV test under constant temperature provides a data set of OCV and SoC. This data set is subjected to polynomial, Gaussian and the proposed Gaussian exponential equations. The unknown coefficients of these equations are obtained by least residual algorithm and differential evolution–based fitting algorithms for charging, discharging and average OCV. Findings Root mean square error (RMSE) of the proposed equation for differential evolution–based fitting technique is 35% less than second-order Gaussian and 74% less than a fifth-order polynomial equation for average OCV with a 16.66% reduction in number of coefficients, thereby reducing memory requirement. Originality/value The knee structure in the OCV and SoC relationship is accurately represented by Gaussian first-order equation, and the exponential equation can accurately describe the linear relation. Therefore, this paper proposes a Gaussian exponential equation that accurately represents the OCV as a function of SoC. The results obtained from the proposed regression methodology are compared with the polynomial and Gaussian regression in terms of RMSE, mean average, variance and number of coefficients.

Risk reduces returns and equity. The banks whether commercial or co-operative, are subject to several risks predominantly being market risk, interest risk, credit risk, operational risk, etc. Among them, credit risks predominate in the co-operative banks due to certain operational and legislative limitations. Hence, at attempt is made in this present paper to evaluate the impact of credit risk reflected in the size of non-performing assets, the only on their capital. With this end in view, the sensitivity analysis was undertaken signifying the change in the non-performing assets on the change in the capital to risk adjusted assets. The papers concludes that one per cent increase in the NNPA would affect the capital to an extent of roughly 0.35 per cent and 0.29 per cent respectively; and that sensitivity of capital to NNPA had never been volatile as revealed from the standard deviation of sensitivity.

Multilevel Inverters (MLI) are a viable option for a filter-less and transformerless photovoltaic system for direct grid integration, reducing losses, space and cost provided the issues of control and reliability are resolved. A modified cascaded half-bridge MLI with polarity changer is proposed with a reduced number of switches, thereby reducing control complexity. The proposed converter is designed for both seven-level and nine-level topologies. Selective harmonic elimination has been adopted to switch converter and the transcendental equations are solved by the gravitational search algorithm. The THD for nine-level configuration is 7.94% and 5.86% with MPPT and DC source inputs, respectively. The analysis on the open-circuit fault of switches confirms the presence of only five critical switches irrespective of the number of increase in levels, thereby requiring only five redundant switches at the Polarity Changer. The output voltage waveform is subjected to multiresolution analysis for feature extraction of voltages under various irradiance and temperature conditions. A conditions based fault detection algorithm is developed based on the observations of energies of signals to detect the open circuit fault in switches. Based on the comparative analysis, the proposed converter has fewer controlled switches for nine levels or higher configurations than other topologies. Apart from this, the high reliability due to inherent fault isolation capability restricted to half-bridge compared to different MLI topologies shows its superiority. For a nine-level MLI proposed topology reduces the cost considering redundancies for FDI in range of 67–30% depending on the topology for comparision. The system is simulated using MATLAB –Simulink and further validated by experimental results.

BACKGROUND- Laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation is known to cause hemodynamic changes which are usually increase in heart rate and blood pressure.Various drugslike beta blockers,opioids and alpha 2 agonists have been tried to attenuate these hemodynamic responses. AIMS-To compare the effects of Fentanyl and Nalbuphine in attenuating the stress response to directlaryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation. METHODS- After informed consent we studied 90patients,all posted for surgery under general anaesthesia between the age group of 15 to 60. We conducted the study over a period of 6months. Data was collected and analysed. Three groups of patients were made Group A – Inj. Fentanyl 2µg/kg ivGroup B– Inj. Nalbuphine 0.2mg/kg ivGroup C- Inj Normal Saline 10cc. Only ASA I and II patients were included in the study.Haemodynamic changes were noted by meticulous monitoring and analyzed. RESULTS-The hemodynamic stress response to laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation in the form of increased heart rate,systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure and mean blood pressure were less with Fentanyl as compared to Nalbuphine and Normal Saline.CONCLUSION-Fentanyl is more effective than Nalbuphine in attenuating hemodynamic stress response tolaryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) must adjust their foraging behavior in response to their continuously shifting food resources. Spatiotemporal uncertainty of food availability can arise from the diurnal...

RP-HPLC-PDA method has been developed and validated for the quantification of Steviol glycoside: Rebaudioside A in aqueous extract of Stevia rebaudiana plant leaf. Rebaudioside A was separated on a Phenomenex Luna C18 analytical column with column temperature 40 °C using an isocratic solvent system consisting (70:30 v/v) mixture of 10 mmol/L sodium phosphate buffer and acetonitrile having pH-2.6 at 1.0 mL/min flow rate with detection at 210 nm wavelength. The method has been validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, detection limit, quantitation limit and robustness. The proposed method linearity for Rebaudioside A with a regression coefficient of 0.9999 was obtained within the range of 0.0005–1.5 mg/mL. The relative standard deviation was less than 2.0% in intra-day and inter-day precision. The proposed method’s accuracy was determined by a three different level recovery study. The recovery average was between 95.20 and 96.77 percent. Rebaudioside A levels of LOD and LOQ were 0.01 and 0.05 mg/mL respectively. The leaves from eight different Indian territories were extracted by sonication extraction method. Rebaudioside A content obtained in the dried leaves was within the range of 2.39–7.53 percent w/w. The method proposed is simple, rapid and reproducible; therefore, it is appropriate for routine analysis of Rebaudioside A in plant material as well as finished products which are used commercially as high-intensity sweeteners across the globe to replace sugar.

Introduction: Human kidneys start developing around 5th week of gestation which continues to grow until the last month of pregnancy. Size and weight of kidney is dependent on the number and size of nephrons and the sequential changes in the weight of normal developing human kidney and its relation with the fetal weight during different gestational period is very important to diagnose any fetal abnormalities associated with abnormal kidney size. The aim of the present study was to establish the relationship between fetal body weight and fetal kidney weight at different gestational ages of developing human fetuses in the Gujarati population. Material and methods: Present study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, in collaboration with Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Civil hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat during the year 2013 to 2018 on 53 abortus/fetus of gestational age ranging from 14 to 40 weeks. Results: A continuous increase in the fetal as well as right and left kidney weight was observed which was slightly slowed down nearing the end of the gestation period. The rate of increase in total kidney weight and rate of increase in fetal body weight are not in linear fashion. Further the rate of increase in kidney weight is more as compared to rate of increase in fetal weight during 30-33 weeks of gestational age owing to the renal development in the latter part of the pregnancy. During the early stage of development, the rate of increase in both the kidneys were slow but as the fetal weight crosses 1000 gm, the kidney weight increases faster. Conclusion: Observations of the present study pertaining to fetal body weight as well as fetal kidney weight at different gestational ages of developing human fetuses can be used as reference parameters while performing routine perinatal postmortem examination.

Ultracapacitor’s steep droop discharging characteristics require a converter maintaining constant output voltage at various loading conditions. An ultracapacitor based Basic Self-Voltage Lift DC-DC converter has been adopted in this article. The Mathematical modeling and design procedure of the ultracapacitor and the converter with resistive load has been discussed. A conventional single loop PID controller tends to be unstable as the load current shifts from the operating current. This work proposes a current-dependent PID controller formed by considering the integral and differential constants as a function of load current. These functions are represented as first-order polynomial equations obtained through the linear regression technique. The system is validated by constant, increasing, decreasing and random loading patterns in MATLAB environment. The Voltage Lift converter provides an extra utilization of ultracapacitor around 39% compared to Boost converter.

In the Electrical Vehicle (EV), the ultracapacitor is a promising source to perform as an auxiliary device to support the battery or as a primary source in a small EV. Unlike a battery, the terminal voltage of the ultracapacitor has a steep droop characteristic with respect to the drain of energy. So the terminal voltage of the ultracapacitor should be considered as a state-space variable. This work proposes a stability analysis for a zero voltage switching buck converter for charging the ultracapacitor. The bode plot has been utilized for the stability analysis. The results have shown that phase margin and the gain margin of the system for an open loop is 0 degree and 10 dB, while in the close loop is 4.21 degree and near to 14 dB, respectively. The positive gain and phase margin implies a stable system. The resonant buck converter with zero voltage switching for charging the ultracapacitor has been simulated in MatLab/Simulink and tested in real-time using STM32F4 Microcontroller.

An important component of assessing the hazards of anticoagulant rodenticides to non-target wildlife is observations in exposed free-ranging individuals. The objective of this study was to determine whether environmentally realistic, sublethal first-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (FGAR) exposures via prey can result in direct or indirect adverse effects to free-flying raptors. We offered black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) that had fed on Rozol® Prairie Dog Bait (Rozol, 0.005% active ingredient chlorophacinone, CPN) to six wild-caught red-tailed hawks (RTHA, Buteo jamaicensis), and also offered black-tailed prairie dogs that were not exposed to Rozol to another two wild-caught RTHAs for 7 days. On day 6, blood was collected to determine CPN's effects on blood clotting time. On day 7, seven of the eight RTHAs were fitted with VHF radio telemetry transmitters and the RTHAs were released the following day and were monitored for 33 days. Prothrombin time (PT) and Russell's viper venom time confirmed that the CPN-exposed RTHAs were exposed to and were adversely affected by CPN. Four of the six CPN-exposed RTHAs exhibited ptiloerection, an indication of thermoregulatory dysfunction due to CPN toxicity, but no signs of intoxication were observed in the reference hawk or the remaining two CPN-exposed RTHAs. Of note is that PT values were associated with ptiloerection duration and frequency; therefore, sublethal CPN exposure can directly or indirectly evoke adverse effects in wild birds. Although our sample sizes were small, this study is a first to relate coagulation times to adverse clinical signs in free-ranging birds.

Their attractive mechanical, electrical & thermal properties, superior to state-of-art materials currently being used, results in improving the performance of polymer matrix composites. The challen...

The Jeans instability of collisional magnetized dusty plasmas is examined incorporating polarization force, charge variation of dust grains, and radiative cooling of ion and electron species. The collisional effects of dust grains with neutrals are considered with sufficient background of neutral particles. A general dispersion relation is obtained using normal mode analysis technique which is found to be modified due to polarization force, dust charge fluctuation, and radiative effects of electrons and ions. The analytical discussion of general dispersion relation is presented in parallel and perpendicular mode of propagation. The Routh Hurwitz criterion is applied to analyze the stability of the considered system. We report the existence of a modified cyclotron mode in parallel propagation and a purely collisional mode in perpendicular propagation along with the gravitational mode. These modes are discussed analytically, as well as numerically, to show the importance of different parameters considering different situations. The implications of the result have been discussed for the molecular clouds.

A simple, rapid, cost effective and extractive UV-Vis spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of Apixaban (AP) in bulk drug and pharmaceutical formulation. It was based on UV-Vis spectrophotometric measurements in which the drug reacts chromogenic reagent (N-(1-napthyl) ethylene diamine dihydrochloride solution) in acidic medium and give stable pale yellow colored complex which exhibits absorption maximum at 680 nm. Beer’s law was obeyed in the concentration range of 5 - 50 μg /ml. This method was tested and validated for various parameters according to ICH guidelines. The proposed method was successfully applied for the determination of AP in oral formulation. The results demonstrated that the procedure is accurate, precise and reproducible (relative standard deviation < 2 %). As it is simple, cheap and less time consuming, it can be suitably applied for the estimation of LA in dosage forms in quality control labs.

Behavioral studies document a functional hand proximity effect: objects near the palm, but not the back of the hand, affect visual processing. Although visuotactile bimodal neurons integrate visual and haptic inputs, their receptive fields in monkey cortex encompass the whole hand, not just the palm. Using ERPs, we investigated whether hand function influenced the topology of integrated space around the hand. In a visual detection paradigm, target and non-target stimuli appeared equidistantly in front or in back of the hand. Equivalent N1 amplitudes were found for both conditions. P3 target versus non-target amplitude differences were greater for palm conditions. Hand proximity biased processing of visual targets equidistant from the hand early in processing. However, hand function biases emerged later when targets were selected for potential action. Thus, early hand proximity effects on object processing depend on sensory-reliant neural responses, whereas later multisensory integration depend more on the hand's functional expertise.

Introduction: Priming refers to administration of a small calculated dose of a drug before giving the total induction dose. Priming principle is well-documented with the use of non-depolarising muscle relaxants. Over the years, propofol has emerged as an effective alternative to thiopentone for intravenous induction. Aim: To evaluate whether priming with propofol reduces the total induction dose of propofol. Materials and Methods: Fifty patients with American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) I and II grades, aged 18-55 years, and undergoing elective surgical procedures under general anaesthesia were randomly allocated into two groups; with 25 patients each. Patients in Control Group (CG) received calculated induction dose of injection propofol 2 mg/kg whereas patients in Study Group (SG) received 20% of total calculated induction dose of propofol 2 mg/kg as a priming dose and remaining dose after 30 seconds titrated till the loss of the eyelash reflex. The total induction dose and the associated haemodynamic parameters were noted. The data thus obtained was then analysed using Chi-square test and Student’s t-test. Results: The CG required a higher dose of inj. propofol (2.15 mg/kg) as compared with the SG (1.77 mg/kg), i.e., there was 17.43% reduction of the total dose in the SG. The preoperative baseline vitals {Heart Rate (HR), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)} in both the groups were comparable. The changes in HR, at 1 minute and 3 minutes after induction were higher in CG than SG, which was statistically significant. The MAP at 1 minute and 3 minutes after induction was higher in SG than CG and was statistically significant. Conclusion: The priming principle when applied to induction with propofol reduces the total dose requirements of propofol and reduces the hypotension that it causes, thereby proving a stable haemodynamic state.

Accurate prediction of device aging plays a vital role in the circuit design of advanced-node CMOS technologies. In particular, hot-carrier induced aging is so complicated that its modeling is often significantly simplified, with focus limited to digital circuits. We present here a novel reliability-aware compact modeling method that can accurately capture the full post-stress I-V characteristics of the MOSFET, taking into account the impact of drain depletion region on induced defects.

Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Mechanical Engineering Department, having successfully completed the accreditation of the ME program in 2018–19 under the prior a through k student outcomes, dedicated the program meetings during academic year 2019–20 to develop assessment instruments in transitioning to the new ABET Student Outcomes 1–7. By deliberately involving the entire faculty to participate in the development of instruments, a grassroots level discussion and creation ensued for each outcome. The process is showcased in this paper for Student Outcome 4 on ethics as a model to share with our engineering faculty and to highlight salient features in the developed instrument and associated rubrics. The details of performance indicators interwoven across the curriculum and the methods of data collection are provided in a tabular form for ease of expectation and implementation. How the readily available materials from the National Society of Professional Engineers could be incorporated at early years of the baccalaureate program while the outcome’s performance indicators could be assessed at a deeper level during junior and senior years are showcased in this paper. The periodic dialogue among all colleagues who were working on various outcomes ensured proper communication of what one outcome group is prescribing that we do and receive input from those who are involved with the courses in which the data needed to be collected and the performance indicators are to be assessed. The general structure of our standing committees on freshman courses, energy, mechanics, and controls also provided the cushion to review the assessment instruments and provide constructive feedback from the corresponding committee’s perspective. These details of a very interactive Student Outcomes Assessment process will be presented.

We find a fundamental limit of channel-length scaling for Laterally Diffused Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (LDMOS) FETs. We optimize a set of devices with different channel lengths, from 10 nm to 100 nm, through an optimization algorithm to meet a pre-determined criterion for drain-to-source subthreshold leakage-current and breakdown voltage. We identify an optimum channel length of 40 nm for both 5V and 3.3V planar LDMOS devices. To assess the possible importance of source-to-drain tunneling in short-channel LDMOS devices, we also perform a quantum mechanical study of 5 nm to 15 nm channel length LDMOS devices. We find that classical effects, rather than quantum tunneling, determine the scaling limit of LDMOS.

In the most general sense, validation refers to a process that consists of at least four distinct components or steps: software, instruments, methods or procedures, and system suitability The system, the software, and the method must all be validated, and system suitability is used to keep the process in check. But while the overall process is called validation, some of the steps also are referred to by that same term, as well as other steps such as qualification and verification. Analytical instruments are used for a specific analysis. So regular performance verifications are made to ensure that the instrument to be used is suitable for its intended application. All equipments used in the production of products shall be properly Validated and Calibrated to demonstrate that it is suitable for its intended purpose. The current equipment qualification programs and procedures used within the pharmaceutical industry are based on regulatory requirements, voluntary standards, vendor practices, and industry practices. The result is considerable variation in the way pharmaceutical companies approach the qualification of laboratory equipment and the way they interpret the often vague requirements. The process for instrument qualification follows the 4Qs model approach. It include design qualification (DQ), Installation qualification (IQ), Operational qualification (OQ), Performance qualification (PQ). The goal of any regulated laboratory is to provide reliable and valid data suitable for its intended purpose. Analysts use validated methods, system suitability tests, and in-process quality control checks to ensure that the data they acquire are reliable and that there are specific guidance and procedures available to ensure compliance. Keywords: Qualification, FDA, Instruments, Validation, Calibration, Documentation

Interest in the adverse effects of rodenticides on birds has focused primarily on raptors. However, non-raptor birds are also poisoned (rodenticide exposure resulting in adverse effects including mortality) by rodenticides through consumption of the rodenticide bait and contaminated prey. A literature search for rodenticide incidents (evidence of exposure to a rodenticide, adverse effects, or exposure to placebo baits) involving non-raptor birds returned 641 records spanning the years 1931 to 2016. The incidents included 17 orders, 58 families, and 190 non-raptor bird species. Nineteen anticoagulant and non-anticoagulant rodenticide active ingredients were associated with the incidents. The number of incidents and species detected were compared by surveillance method. An incident was considered to have been reported through passive surveillance if it was voluntarily reported to the authorities whereas the report of an incident found through field work that was conducted with the objective of documenting adverse effects on birds was determined to be from active surveillance. More incidents were reported from passive surveillance than with active surveillance but a significantly greater number of species were detected in proportion to the number of incidents found through active surveillance than with passive surveillance (z=7.61, p