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Background: Neuropathic ulcers affect a patient's ambulation and are the leading cause of nontraumatic amputations. Offloading (reduction of pressure) is the key to success in managing these ulcers. Total contact casting (TCC) is considered as the gold standard of treatment for managing neuropathic foot ulcers (NFU). However, this method is less frequently used in the present-day ulcer management due to the lack of skill and laborious nature of work involved. Aim: This study aims to explore the merits and demerits of this technique and understand its relevance in modern times in managing NFUs. Patients and Methods: A total of 24 patients with NFU of different etiologies presented to outpatient unit between August 2018 and August 2020 were included in this prospective case series. All the patients were treated with TCCs applied at weekly intervals, until the ulcer healed completely. Results: Primary outcomes measured were number of casts required which reflected the time of healing in weeks. The mean number of castings required for each centimeter of ulcer healing was 2.310 cast time duration with a 91.66% percentage of success rate. Ulcers in all the patients healed on or before 16 weeks with a mean duration of healing of 58 days after commencement of treatment. Conclusion: It offers attractive healing rates in the management of NFUs and is associated with fewer manageable low-risk complications. Surgeons should incorporate this casting method as part of standard care of NFU to produce early healing and avoid major complications secondary to poor wound healing.

Background and Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of periodontal disease status and oral hygiene practices in urban and rural population of Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, India. Methods: This epidemiological survey was carried out on 1650 participants taken from both urban and rural areas of Kancheepuram District. The study groups will belong to rural and urban areas in the ratio of 1:2, respectively. Every individual was assessed with the oral hygiene index-simplified, community periodontal index of treatment needs and periodontal disease index. In addition, the oral hygiene practices were also studied and recorded in a specially designed pro forma. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS 19.0 software. Results: The study showed that 50% and 36% of the study participants have gingivitis and periodontitis, respectively, while only 14% of the study participants did not present with any form of periodontal disease. The study also showed that 16.63% of the study subjects among urban and 7.63% of them among rural do not have any type of periodontal disease. About 57.09% of the study participants among urban and 36.54% of the study participants among rural areas have gingivitis. The remaining 26.3% of the study participants in urban areas and 55.8% of the study participants in rural areas have periodontitis. It was observed that majority of participants brush once a day using Medium bristle tooth brush and toothpaste as dentifrice. Conclusion: Periodontal disease is widely spread among population of Kancheepuram District, with greater prevalence in rural population than in urban population. This could be mainly due to the lack of awareness and limited availability of resources. These estimates are vital for the future planning of dental services in Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, India.

Introduction: This study planned to compare immediate cardiovascular effects of different yoga asanas in healthy young volunteers. Materials and Methods: Heart rate (HR), systolic pressure (SP), and diastolic pressure (DP), blood pressure (BP), were recorded using the non invasive blood pressure ( NIBP) apparatus in 22 healthy young subjects, before and after the performance of Dhanurasana (DA), Vakrasana (VA) (both sides), Janusirasasana (JSA) (both sides), Matsyasana and Shavasana for 30 s. HR and BP were further recorded during supine recovery at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 min. A repeated measure of ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Results: There were significant changes in HR and BP both immediately after the Asanas as well as during the recovery period. Overall comparisons of ∆% changes immediately after the performance of the Asanas revealed significant differences with regard to HR that increased significantly after DA. In the recovery phase, there were significant intergroup differences from 2 min onward in both SP and DP. The decrease of SP after VA (right side) (VA-R) was significantly greater than Shavasana (4 th , 6 th , and 8 th min) and JSA (left side) (JSA-L) at 6 th and 8 th min. DP decreased significantly after performing JSA-L compared to VA-R at the 6 th and 8 th min. Discussion: The cardiovascular changes immediately after the Asanas and during the recovery phase reveal inherent differences between the selected postures. The rise of HR in DA may be attributed to increased sympathetic response due to the relative difficulty of the posture as well as abdominal compression occurring in it. The effect of supine relaxation is more pronounced after the performance of the Asanas as compared to mere relaxation in Shavasana. This may be attributed to a normalization and resultant homeostatic effect occurring due to a greater, healthier de-activation of the autonomic nervous system occurring towing to the presence of prior activation. There were also subtle differences between the right sided and left sided performance of VA and JSA that may be occurring due to the different internal structures being either compressed or relaxed on either side. Conclusion: Our study provides initial evidence of differential cardiovascular effects of Asanas and subtle differences between right and left sided performance. Further, cardiovascular recovery is greater after the performance of the Asanas as compared to shavasan; thus, implying a better response when effort precedes relaxation.

Background: Recent studies have reported the differential physiological and psychological effects of yogic uninostril breathing (UNB) and alternate nostril breathing (ANB) techniques. This study aims to determine differential effects of these techniques on reaction time (RT), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP). Materials and Methods: Twenty yoga-trained subjects came to the lab on six different days and RT, HR, and BP were recorded randomly before and after nine rounds of right UNB (surya nadi [SN]), left UNB (chandra nadi [CN]), right initiated ANB (surya bhedana [SB]), left initiated ANB (chandra bhedana [CB]), nadi shuddhi (NS), and normal breathing (NB). Results: Overall comparison of ∆ % changes showed statistically significant differences between groups for all parameters. There was an overall reduction in HR- and BP-based parameters following CB, CN, and NS with concurrent increases following SB and SN. The differential effects of right nostril initiated (SB and SN) and left nostril initiated (CB, CN, and NS) UNB and ANB techniques were clearly evidenced. Changes following NB were insignificant in all respects. The overall comparison of ∆ % changes for RT showed statistically significant differences between groups that were significantly lowered following both SB and SN. Discussion and Conclusion: Our study provides evidence of sympathomimetic effects of right nostril initiated pranayamas with sympatholytic/parasympathomimetic effect following left nostril initiated pranayamas. We suggest that the main effect of UNB and ANB techniques is determined by the nostril used for inspiration rather than that used for expiration. We conclude that right and left yogic UNB and ANB techniques have differential physiological effects that are in tune with the traditional swara yoga concept that air flow through right nostril (SN and pingala swara) is activatory in nature, whereas the flow through left nostril (CN and ida swara) is relaxatory.

The hydrodynamic performance of porous breakwaters was studied by numerical analysis to assess reflection and transmission characteristics. The finite-difference method on BOUSS-2D was used to test the efficiency of porous breakwaters. The effects of porosity on reflection and transmission characteristics under the action of regular waves were investigated. The wave elevation time histories obtained from the numerical study were compared to those measured during an experimental study, on the leeward and seaward sides of the porous breakwater and were found to be in close agreement. The reflection coefficient increases, whereas the transmission coefficient decreases with a decrease in the porosity. A model with a porosity of 5.9% showed a maximum reflection coefficient of about 0.7 and a minimum transmission coefficient of 0.3. The details of the numerical method, physical model, model setup and results are discussed in this paper.

Abstract Plastic accumulation is a severe threat to the environment due to its resistivity to thermal, mechanical and biological processes. In recent years, microbial degradation of plastic waste disposal is of interest because of its eco-friendly nature. In this study, a total of 33 fungi were isolated from the plastisphere and out of which 28 fungal species showed halo zone of clearance in agarized LDPE media. The fungus showing highest zone of clearance was further used to evaluate its degradation potential. Based on morphological and molecular technique, the fungus was identified as Cladosporium sphaerospermum. The biodegradation of LDPE by C. sphaerospermum was evaluated by various methods. The exposure of LDPE with C. sphaerospermum resulted in weight loss (15.23%) in seven days, higher reduction rate (0.0224/day) and lower half-life (30.93 days). FTIR analysis showed changes in functional group and increased carbonyl index in LDPE treated with C. sphaerospermum. SEMimages evidenced the formation of pits, surface aberrations and grooves on the LDPE film treated with the fungus whereas the untreated control LDPE film showed no change. AFM analysis confirmed the surface changes and roughness in fungus treated LDPE film. This might be due to the extracellular lignolytic enzymes secreted by C. sphaerospermum grown on LDPE. The degradation of polyethylene by Short chain alkanes such as dodecane, hexasiloxane and silane were identified in the extract of fungus incubated with LDPE film through GC–MS analysis which might be due to the degradation of LDPE film by C. sphaerospermum. This was the first report on the LDPE degradation by C. sphaerospermum in very short duration which enables green scavenging of plastic wastes.

This work investigates the use of Ti6Al4V as flow field plates in PEM-based electrolyzer stacks, utilizing its good corrosion resistance and high mechanical strength. The study explores the development of durable conductive coatings on Ti6Al4V surfaces. The coated surfaces are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), showing the characteristic peaks of Pt deposited and the presence of Pt, PtO2, and TiO2 after thermal oxidation. Field emission scanning electron microscopy reveals a uniform Pt coating on Ti6Al4V with a thickness of 2–3 µm. Potentiodynamic studies revealed improved corrosion resistance with a corrosion current density of 2.1 µA·cm⁻2 in Ti6Al4V-PA-AD-TO compared to Ti6Al4V. Stability under 2 V vs. SHE for 5 h in a PEM water electrolyzer anodic environment is demonstrated, along with an evaluation of performance in a PEM electrolyzer single cell. The durability of the developed coating is assessed over 100 h in a single-cell setup, offering insights into cost-effective PEM-based electrolyzer stacks. The reduction of reliance on precious metals and the enhancement of durability provide a promising method for achieving economic viability in the production of hydrogen through water electrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enantioenriched 2‐substituted piperidines are very important unit for drug discovery. Ready access to a wide range of such compounds, decorated with functional handles at 2‐position with stereo‐defined centre significantly enhance the quality and diversity of chemical libraries for screening of drug discovery. The ability to control the stereochemistry of piperidine at the 2‐position remains an area of interest in organic synthesis to allow the development of novel, structurally diverse 3D molecules. Among the various ways to obtain enantioenriched 2‐substituted piperidines, asymmetric hydrogenation is widely studied. Asymmetric synthesis, Kinetic resolution, and chiral pool synthesis methodologies are also important ways to obtain the enantioenriched 2‐substituted piperidines. This review article summarized the main four ways to achieve particularly the enantioenriched substituted piperidines only at 2‐position considering the chemical routes, excluding the biocatalytic approach. 1. Introduction 2.1 Asymmetric Hydrogenation of 2‐substituted Pyridines 2.2 Asymmetric Synthesis 2.3. Kinetic resolution of racemic 2‐substituted Piperidine derivatives 2.4. Chiral pool synthesis 3. Conclusions & outlook [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides an overview of the significance of nanomaterials as additives, in the tribological performance of lubricants. This review describes the ascendancy of different nanoparticles such as carbon-based nanoparticles, metallic nanoparticles, oxide nanoparticles, sulphide nanoparticles, nanocomposites, hybrid and bimetallic nanoparticles in lubricants. The study also evaluates the underlying principles of lubricant-nanoparticle interactions and their effects on wear prevention and friction reduction. The key parameters including particle morphology, particle size, weight concentration, and functionalization of the particle surface, that determine the friction and wear characteristics are discussed. Also, the science behind surface interaction and various mechanisms involved in friction and wear modification is described. The review highlights the prospect of various nanomaterials in the field of lubrication and facilitates development of advanced nanolubricants with superior tribological properties, that attributes to the reduction in energy consumption and improved performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic waste generation and accumulation keeps on increasing and possess a serious threat to the environment. To find a legitimate or suitable eco-friendly method for metal recovery from e-waste this includes the noble metals, rare earth metals and also the heavy metals. Methods like magnetic separation, Eddy current separation and Electrostatic separation results in separation of metallic parts from the crushed e-waste and its PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards). For synthesising nanoparticles out of the recovered metallic parts, pyrometallurgy using Tubular furnace, hydrometallurgical methods, cryo-milling techniques and bio-approaches using plant leaf are utilised. Heavy metal in Electronic waste plays a vital role in polluting the ecology/environment. Researchers are trying to enhance the metal recovery from e-waste process by improving the environmentally friendly approaches. In this review, harmless to the ecosystem draws near and the techniques that depicts about the Nanoparticle synthesis from electronic waste printed circuit boards are critically reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]