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This study evaluated the feasibility of using free multispectral remote sensing data from Sentinel-2A satellites to predict soil properties in Northern Karnataka, India. Sentinel-2A images were downloaded for selected sites, covering Vertisol, Ultisol, and Alfisol soils. Multiple linear regression (MLR) models incorporated four Sentinel-2 bands and six spectral indices (NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI, TVI, EVI, and BI) as independent variables, with soil properties as dependent variables. Surface samples (0–15 cm depth) were collected from March to May 2022. The analysis showed significant correlations between individual bands and soil properties, with variations in Organic Carbon (OC) compared to sand, silt, clay, and pH. Sand positively correlated with all spectral indices, while silt, clay, and pH were negatively correlated. The red and Near-Infrared (NIR) bands showed a non-significant relationship with OC. No significant correlation was found between EVI and the soil properties. Strong regression coefficients were observed between Sentinel-2 predictions and laboratory measurements: sand (r² = 0.63), silt (r² = 0.73), clay (r² = 0.59), and pH (r² = 0.59). These results demonstrate the potential of Sentinel-2 data for predicting soil properties, offering a valuable tool for managing unsampled agricultural fields.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious disease that has been observed since ancient times. In the mid-to late-20th century, the main clinical approach to this disease involved focusing on its diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. However, in the 21st century, the focus has shifted toward the diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant TB. With the use of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay at the frontlines in India, interpreting indeterminate results to treatment with rifampicin, an antitubercular drug, can be challenging. This is further exacerbated by a lack of knowledge regarding mutation frequency in antitubercular drug-resistant genes in this region. Among antitubercular drugs, rifampicin is the most potent and effective drug for the treatment of tuberculosis; hence, understanding the pattern of rifampicin resistance (rpoB) gene mutations will provide insights into the genetic basis of this resistance, which may help in the prevention and treatment of TB. This retrospective observational study presents sociodemographic details, sample types, Mycobacterium tuberculosis load, types of probe mutations detected, and rifampicin indeterminate results from the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. Of the 314 samples analyzed, 258 showed rifampicin resistance as detected by MTB, with 56 samples of MTB-detected rifampicin indeterminate results. Type E probe mutation (58.9%) was the most common type, while the least frequent mutation was Type C probe (1.5%). No missing probe was observed in approximately 8.9% of samples. Among the 56 rifampicin indeterminate results, the maximum Cycle threshold value did not cross 34.5 in six samples.

Natural fiber-reinforced composite materials are highly beneficial due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio, and the compression molding process is frequently used to prepare natural fiber composites. The primary objective of the present work is to optimize the process parameters of the compression molding method to prepare luffa fiber-reinforced natural rubber composite and investigate the influence of process parameters on mechanical properties. Pre-processing parameters, specifically oven-dry temperature and time, processing parameters such as soaking temperature, time, and compression pressure, and post-processing parameters, such as oven-dry temperature and time, were considered to optimize. Natural rubber in its latex phase is utilized as a matrix material, and luffa fiber is used as reinforcement. The Plackett-Burman screening design technique was employed to identify the impact of different processing parameters on the mechanical properties of the luffa fiber-reinforced natural rubber (LNR) composite, and based on Taguchi's design of experiments, several process parameters were utilized to create L27 orthogonal array and the mentioned composites prepared accordingly. The ASTM standard is followed while testing the composite samples to determine their density, shore A hardness, and tensile strength. The density of the composite is unaffected by the process parameters; however, the shore A hardness of the composite is significantly affected. All the processing parameters most significantly impacted the tensile strength of LNR composites. The optimized process parameters for preparing LNR composite are the pre-oven temperature of 65 °C and time of 150min, the soaking temperature of 75 °C and time of 5min, compression pressure of 1.5 MPa, and the post-oven dry temperature of 55 °C and time of 45min. LNR composite can absorb energy due to its rubber matrix, making it useful for high-impact applications.

Abstract Primary CNS Vasculitis (PCNSV) is a rare, diverse, and polymorphic CNS blood vessel inflammatory condition. Due to its rarity, clinical variability, heterogeneous imaging results, and lack of definitive laboratory markers, PCNSV diagnosis is challenging. This retrospective cohort analysis identified patients with histological diagnosis of PCNSV. Demographic data, clinical presentation, neuroimaging studies, and histopathologic findings were recorded. We enrolled 56 patients with a positive biopsy of CNS vasculitis. Most patients had cerebral hemisphere or brainstem symptoms. Most brain MRI lesions were bilateral, diffuse discrete to confluent white matter lesions. Frontal lobe lesions predominated, followed by inferior cerebellar lesions. Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) hemorrhages in 96.4% (54/56) of patients, either solitary microhemorrhages or a combination of micro and macrohemorrhages. Contrast-enhanced T1-WIs revealed parenchymal enhancement in 96.3% (52/54 patients). The most prevalent pattern of enhancement observed was dot-linear (87%), followed by nodular (61.1%), perivascular (25.9%), and patchy (16.7%). Venulitis was found in 19 of 20 individuals in cerebral DSA. Hemorrhages in SWI and dot-linear enhancement pattern should be incorporated as MINOR diagnostic criteria to diagnose PCNSV accurately within an appropriate clinical context. Microhemorrhages in SWI and venulitis in DSA, should be regarded as a potential marker for PCNSV.

Solar UV radiation influence the Earth's climate and upper atmosphere. The UV emission from the Sun modulates with the sunspot cycle with an 11-year periodicity. The variations in UV, EUV, and X-rays emission are significant during the solar cycle evolution compared to the visible part of the spectrum. The h & k lines of the Mg II spectra emitted from the chromosphere represent the solar UV variability. The sunspot's magnetic fields and dynamics are responsible for the UV and EUV emissions from the solar chromosphere and corona. This paper compares the Mg II core-to-wing ratio of the h & k lines observed at 278 nm wavelength (obtained from Solar Backscattered Ultraviolet Spectrograph (SBUV) instrument onboard the NOAA satellite) with the sunspot area parameter obtained from Royal Greenwich Observatory. When the sunspot group area is small, there is a linear relationship between the sunspot group area and the Mg II index. But a non-linear relationship between the two is observed for the large sunspot group area. There is no phase delay between the appearance of sunspot groups on the solar photosphere and the emission from the Mg II doublet. Apart from 11-year periodicity, we observed common 4.7, 3.2, and 2.2-year periodicity in both the data sets, suggesting the Mg II index is related to the sunspot parameters.

The use of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for latent thermal energy storage enhances the availability of solar energy. PCMs can store a large amount of energy in a small volume using almost entirely isothermal processes. Despite this, the poor thermal conductivity of PCMs is a significant disadvantage of current PCMs, severely limiting their energy storage capabilities. As a result, the solidification/melting rates are reduced to an unacceptable level, and the system reaction time is increased unreasonably. By combining the novel fin arrangement, nanoparticles, and metal foam, the current study improved the solidification rate of the PCM in the Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage System (LHTESS). LHTESS was numerically evaluated in ANSYS Fluent 18.1 using a solidification and melting model. The addition of cesaro fins, nanoparticles, and metal foam significantly improved PCM solidification in the LHTESS. PCM solidification time was reduced by 42.42% and 39.39% in Type-3 and Type-5 fin configurations, respectively, when compared to Type-4 fin configuration. Furthermore, a temperature difference of 27 K between the Heat Thermal Fluid (HTF) and the PCM ensures the best solidification performance. By incorporating nanoparticles into PCM and metal foam, the solidification time is reduced by 73.68%. Depending on the foam structure and volume fraction of the nanoparticles, dispersing nanoparticles in PCM with metal foam saves up to 75% of the time.

We present a first use case report from the Indian subcontinent of a 5-month-old child with multisuture craniosynostosis with raised intracranial pressure managed by spring-assisted cranial expansion followed by traditional fronto-orbital advancement and cranial vault remodeling. We emphasize the advantages of spring-assisted cranial expansion in extremely young infants with raised intracranial pressure over posterior vault distraction osteogenesis and open posterior vault remodeling.

Al6061 and its composites are widely employed in applications requiring high strength and impact resistance. Heat treatment, particularly ageing, is a well-established method for enhancing the mechanical properties of these composites. However, the influence of post-ageing cooling methods on the impact energy absorption capacity of Al6061 and its composites is not well understood. This investigation aims to examine the impact energy absorption of Al6061 and its composites after ageing at 460�C for 2 hours, employing different cooling methods, including furnace cooling, air cooling, and water cooling. The composites were produced using the stir casting technique with varying weight fractions of graphite and SiC particles based on Taguchi's design of experiments. Charpy impact tests were conducted using a specialised testing machine. The results reveal that the impact energy absorption capacity of the composites is influenced by the cooling method used after the ageing treatment. Furnace cooling demonstrated the highest impact energy absorption capacity compared to the other cooling methods, exhibiting a 28% increase relative to the monolithic aluminium alloy. Furthermore, it was observed that the impact energy absorption capacity of the composites did not improve with an increase in the weight fraction of SiC particles, while the addition of graphite negatively impacted the absorption capacity

COVID-19 has deeply affected the world in various aspects including the education system worldwide. In this study, we intended to explore the merits and demerits of online clinical learning and its effect on medical education from a student’s perspective. The study also assessed the perception and attitude of final-year medical students towards online clinical modules. This observational study was carried out in the Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal (KMC) in collaboration with King’s College London, UK (KCL). In our study, a total of 42 students were enrolled, with 37 students from KMC and 5 students from KCL. 81% of students reported that they were not willing to continue the online mode of learning. The abrupt switch to e-learning without prior preparedness has exposed some pitfalls that must be attended to. Contrary to other fields, the medical field places high importance on offline clinical teaching which has recently been impacted by online teaching. The survey responses were analyzed for improvisation of online clinical modules as well as to come up with better ideas and outcomes since this mode of learning may have to continue till the spread of the disease is under control.