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Nickel-based superalloys, Inconel 718 and Nimonic 80A, were welded without any interlayer for Blisk manufacturing in aerospace industries. Fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth rate of the dissimilar metal welded joints were experimentally studied to confirm their structural integrity. Cracks were oriented in and along the weld. Base metals, Inconel 718, and Nimonic 80A differ in yield strength but have the same modulus of elasticity. Electron beam welding was used to butt weld Inconel 718 to Nimonic 80A. J resistance curve (J vs. crack extension) was experimentally found to determine the elastic–plastic fracture toughness. The welded specimens showed lesser fracture toughness and higher crack growth rates than base metals. An increase in load ratio resulted in an increase in fatigue crack growth rate in the high Δ K region and a decrease in Δ Kth. Fractography studies confirmed linear elastic and plane strain fracture all along the fatigue crack growth rate path except for the final fracture with plane stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocular trauma is the leading cause of monocular blindness among children.Paediatric ocular trauma has a significant impact on the future quality of life of children. Here, we report a case of a 3 year old child who presented with swelling in upper lid following fall from bed. The symptoms got worse the next day. On repeated probing, grandmother gave a history of child holding pen when the fall occurred. Computerized tomography of orbit was done and it showed an intra orbital foreign body. Anterior orbitotomy was done under general anesthesia and foreign body was removed. Patient recovered with excellent visual prognosis. This report highlights importance of history taking, high suspicion of intra orbital foreign body, and need for imaging whenever indicated.

Purpose: To study the awareness on mucormycosis among outpatients who visited six tertiary eye care hospitals at Madurai, Pondicherry, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Chennai, and Tirupati. Methods: This was a telephone-based survey conducted using questionnaires consisting of 38 questions in five sections from July 5 to 25, 2021. Patients visiting the eye hospitals for an examination were contacted over their phones and responses were directly entered onto the Google forms platform. Results: A total of 4573 participants were included in the study. Among all participants, a cumulative 83% of participants had some knowledge of mucormycosis. More than 80% of them reported that their prime source of information was through mass communication like television or radio. Around 34.8% of the respondents were aware that it can occur after treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, only half of them (54.3%) knew that systemic steroids were the main risk factor. The knowledge scores were higher for participants who were diabetics (n = 1235) or had been affected by COVID-19 earlier (n = 456) or whose friends had mucormycosis earlier (n = 312). Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) scores of nonprofessional health-care workers (n = 103) were much better compared to patients. Conclusion: Such KAP studies give us an idea of the impact of the measures taken for educating the public. In this study, a cumulative 83% of participants had some knowledge of mucormycosis and 86% knew that this was an emergency. More than 50% of the participants were not aware that diabetes is a risk factor for mucormycosis.

In this paper, we study the nonoscillatory behavior of three classes of fractional difference equations. The investigations are presented in three different folds. Unlike most existing nonoscillation results which have been established by employing Riccati transformation technique, we employ herein an easily verifiable approach based on the fractional Taylor's difference formula, some features of discrete fractional calculus and mathematical inequalities. The theoretical findings are demonstrated by examples. We end the paper by a concluding remark.

Introduction: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is chronic inflammatory ailment that distinguished by diarrhea, stomach pain, reduced body weight, and hematochezia. UC affects nearly 400 per 100,000 peoples worldwide. In this exploration, we intended to fabricate the copper oxide nanoparticles from the T. kirilowii (TK-CuNPs) and inspect their curative potential against the Dextran sulfate disodium salt (DSS)-provoked colitis in animals. Methods: Formulated TK-CuNPs were characterized by UV–vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, SEM, TEM, and DLS techniques. UC was provoked in mice through administering of 2% DSS for 7-days and treated with the 10 mg/kg bodyweight of TK-CuNPs via intragastric intubation. Myeloperoxidase activity, colon weight, and length, and spleen weight were determined by standard methods. Pro-inflammatory mediators, i.e. IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α were inspected by the assay kits. The expression of COX-2 and iNOS were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Histopathological changes in colon tissues were investigated microscopically by H&E staining. The cytotoxicity and in vitro anti-inflammatory activities of TK-CuNPs were analyzed in RAW-264.7 cells. Results: The outcomes of various characterization studies demonstrated the formation of TK-CuNPs. The TK-CuNPs supplementation to the DSS induced colitis mice demonstrated the appreciable bodyweight gain and reduced the DAI scores. TK-CuNPs improved the colon length and spleen weight and suppressed the MPO activity. The status of pro-inflammatory mediators IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α was appreciably suppressed by the TK-CuNPs treatment. The expressions of COX-2 and iNOS was also diminished by the TK-CuNPs. TK-CuNPs did not possessed toxicity to the RAW-264.7 cells and suppressed the inflammatory markers level in the RAW-264.7 cells. Discussion and Conclusion: The current findings revealed that fabricated TK-CuNPs can be a hopeful therapeutic agent to treat acute colitis.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the common cancers that have a direct impact on the numerous facets of life. GC still remains a life threatening with one million mortalities per year worldwide. Objective: In this work, we planned to formulate the Neodymium/Zinc oxide nanocomposites by using the Avaram Senna flower extract (AS-Nd/ZnONCs) and examine its anticancer potential against the GC AGS cells via inhibition of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Methodology: The developed AS-Nd/ZnONCs were characterized by various techniques like UV–vis spectroscopy, XRD, FE-SEM, EDAX, FT-IR, and photoluminescence studies. Antibacterial assay was performed by well diffusion method. The anticancer potential of AS-Nd/ZnONCs were investigated against AGS cells by MTT, ROS and MMP measurement, and apoptotic cell death using respective fluorescence staining techniques. The cell adhesion and antioxidants status were detected by standard method. The mRNA expression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling molecules was studied via RT-PCR technique. Results: The formulated AS-Nd/ZnONCs exhibited the hexagonal wurtzite structure with 33.56 nm size. The outcomes of antibacterial assay proved that the AS-Nd/ZnONCs has remarkable antibacterial activity. The MTT assay evidenced that the AS-Nd/ZnONCs dose-dependently suppressed the AGS cell viability. Fluorescence staining results demonstrated that the AS-Nd/ZnONCs provoked the apoptotic cell death in AGS cells. AS-Nd/ZnONCs treatment effectively inhibited the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling cascade and triggered the apoptotic pathway in the AGS cells. Conclusion: In conclusion, our findings confirmed that the formulated AS-Nd/ZnONCs could be a hopeful chemopreventive agent in the future to treat the GC.

Biocomposites with polylactic acid (PLA), nanosilica parts, and water hyacinth fibres have been developed in this experimental study. By changing the weight percentage of nanosilica particulate matter (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 percent) with PLA and water hyacinth fibres, five composite mates were produced through a double screw extruder and compression moulding machine. According to the ASTM standards, the process to machine, the composite specimens have been adopted from the water jet machining process. The tensile, compression, flexural, impact, hardness, and water absorption tests were performed on the composite specimens to assess various mechanical properties and absorbance behaviour. The test findings reveal the significant improvement in the tensile and flexural properties of the composites. Composites contain 6 percent of the fine nanosilica particles by weight. Concerning adding the growing weight percentage (4 percent) of nanosilica particles to the composites, the water absorption properties of the composites have significantly improved. The tensile strength of 6% nanosilica mixed specimens showed the highest tensile stress rate as 36.93 MPa; the value was nearly 3.5% higher than the 4% nanosilica mixed composite specimens.

A percentage of natural fibers is used for developing a composite, the materials are quite increasing in recent trends, and they can be a potential replacement of synthetic fibers in the reinforcement phase of hybrid composite. In this research, the combination of natural fibers and synthetic fibers can be used as reinforcement, and epoxy polymer can be used as matrix material. The fibers of Kevlar and Napier grass are reinforced with epoxy matrix to develop a new composite by using conventional hand layup fabrication process and to quantify the effect of this hybrid composite laminate, with five different sequences following. To identify the mechanical properties of this hybrid composite through tensile, flexural, compression strength, impact strength, and hardness tests, among all five samples, sample A was given the maximum mechanical strength, such that the tensile strength is 210 MPa, flexural strength is 165 MPa, the impact energy absorption is 23 J, the average is 40% over the other samples, and, at the same time, the compression strength of sample E is 19 MPa, revealing the negative influence of hybrid composite. The SEM morphology was carried out to identify the failure mode of the hybrid composites.

AA5052 bead-on-plate processing has been achieved by the friction stir processing (FSP) technique to examine the manipulation of process parameters. It also improved the base metal surfaces to analyze the microstructure. The tool spinning speed, traverse speed, and axial load were preferred to investigate the effect of friction stir bead-on-plate processing on the tensile strength qualities and microhardness in AA5052. An optical microscope was used to dissect the fabricated processed zones of the microstructure. By using the design of the experiment, the orthogonal array of the L9 Taguchi method was used to construct the processing experiments. The analysis of variance and the signal-to-noise ratio methods were employed to identify the optimum unification of process parameters and the significant benefaction of a specific parameter on the responses. The outcomes showed that the tool spinning speed was the principal factor affecting the characteristics of tensile strength and microhardness, succeeded by the traverse speed and axial load. The intermetallic compound layer had formed during the processing under specified conditions. This examination revealed that the optimum parameters could intensify the mechanical behaviour of AA5052.

The selection of fiber is predominant for natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials, which should have easy extraction and good bonding with considerable strength. In this paper, some chemical treatments were done on the fiber material to increase interfacial bonding between the snake grass fiber (Sansevieria ehrenbergii) and polyester matrix, such as alkali treatment (NaOH), potassium permanganate treatment, sodium carbonate treatment, hydrogen peroxide treatment, and calcium carbonate treatment. The chopped snake grass fiber-reinforced polymer composite material was prepared by keeping 25 wt.% of fiber and 30 mm fiber length reinforced with an unsaturated polyester resin that was cured with the help of the catalyst methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEPK). Cobalt naphthenate was used as an accelerator. Tribological properties were discussed for the highly potential sample with the help of a pin-on-disc wear tester, and the results were analysed by the Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. This paper exhibited the best mechanical and tribological properties among those chemical-treated fibers used in fiber-reinforced composite materials and untreated fibers used in fiber-reinforced composite materials. CaCO3 treatment provided higher tensile strength (45 MPa), impact strength (3.35 J), and hardness (27 BHN). Finally, the mechanical and tribological characterization of the samples was done with the aid of SEM (scanning electron microscope).

Aluminium-reinforced composites play a vital role in the engineering industry because of their better strength and stiffness. The properties are directly related to the solidification phenomenon of the cast alloy. The design engineer should understand the importance of the solidification behavior of base alloy and its reinforcement. Composites’ solidification study is rare, and the reviews are limited. The solidification process is analyzed using the finite element method (FEM), and this would fetch a lot of information about the cooling rate of the composites and also helps to reduce the time in experimentation. This paper reports and plots the cooling curves of Al/SiCp composites using simulation software. Cylindrical-shaped composites were developed using the squeeze casting method, and the experimental cooling curves were plotted using a K-type thermocouple. Composites samples were prepared at the following squeeze pressures: 0, 30, 50, 70, 100, and 130 MPa; melt and die temperature was kept constant at 800 and 400°C, respectively. The experimental and FEA cooling curves were compared, and it was agreed that the increase in the squeeze pressure increases the cooling rate of the developed composite. Furthermore, the effect of temperature distribution from the inner region of the melt and die material which causes the radial and tangential stress of components has also been examined.

This study was intended to isolate and investigate endophytic fungi and its metabolite as an active biocontrol agent. Endophytic fungal secondary metabolites are considered as an effective and environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic chemicals for integrated pest management. In this study, different parts of medicinal plant Plectranthus amboinicus (Oregano) were selected to isolate twenty-three fungal endophytes. Out of twenty-three, one isolate demonstrates potent activities against cotton leaf worm Spodoptera litura (S. litura) an insecticides resistance pest. Identification of potent isolate was attained through the morphological, sequence similarity and phylogenetic analysis of the ITS regions and confirmed as Aspergillus sojae (A. sojae). The GCMS analysis reveals the metabolites of A. sojae were rich in 2-Furancarboxaldehyde and Levoglucosenone then other compounds. The FTIR peaks of A. sojae crude extract shows the major peaks that corresponding to NH, C–H, and OH stretching and minor peaks are C–H bend (meta) and acetylenic C–H bend. FTIR analysis supports the presence of functional groups in accordance with GCMS data as dominating compound. The bioassay results showed that A. sojae metabolite affects third and fourth instar larvae of S. litura. In addition, antibiotic quality of A. sojae metabolite tested against five selective bacteria. Among five different bacteria, the maximum zone of inhibition was displayed for Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in the higher concentration of 100 μg/mL. Our resultssuggest the importance of endophytic fungal metabolites to control the pesticide-resistant insect pests.

In this paper, we study the oscillatory behavior of solutions for a type of generalized proportional fractional differential equations with forcing and damping terms. Several oscillation criteria are established for the proposed equations in terms of Riemann-Liouville and Caputo settings. The results of this paper generalize some existing theorems in the literature. Indeed, it is shown that for particular choices of parameters, the obtained conditions in this paper reduce our theorems to some known results. Numerical examples are constructed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the our main theorems. Furthermore, we present and illustrate an example which does not satisfy the assumptions of our theorem and whose solution demonstrates nonoscillatory behavior.

In studying the Riccati transformation technique, some mathematical inequalities and comparison results, we establish new oscillation criteria for a non-linear fractional difference equation with damping term. Preliminary details including notations, definitions and essential lemmas on discrete fractional calculus are furnished before proceeding to the main results. The consistency of the proposed results is demonstrated by presenting some numerical examples. We end the paper with a concluding remark.

We establish sufficient conditions for the oscillation of all solutions to the second-order impulsive differential equation $$displaylines{ ig(r(t)x'(t)ig)'+p(t)x'(t)+q(t)x(t)+sum_{i=1}^n q_i(t)|x(t)|^{alpha_i}hbox{sgn} x(t)=e(t),quad teq au_k,cr x({au_k}^+)=a_k x({au_k}),quad x'({au_k}^+)=b_k x'({au_k}). }$$ The results obtained in this paper extend some of the existing results and are illustrated by examples.

The biosynthesis of nanoparticles is a crucial research area aimed at developing innovative, cost-effective, and eco-friendly synthesis techniques for various applications. Herein, we synthesized copper oxide nanoparticles (CuNPs) using Couroupita guianensis flower extract via a simple green synthesis method. These green CuNPs demonstrate promising antimicrobial activity and anticancer activity against A549 nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. We comprehensively characterized the CuNPs using UV spectrum, XRD, FTIR, SEM, and EDS analyses. The antibacterial and anticancerous performance is attributed to their spherical-like morphology, which enhances effective interaction with bacterial and cancer cells. Moreover, CuNPs proved effective in inactivating Escherichia coli, achieving 2%, 52%, and 99% inactivation at 0, 30, and 60 min, respectively, and Listeria monocytogenes, achieving 1%, 48%, and 98% inactivation at 0, 30, and 60 min, respectively, under visible light. Furthermore, the CuNPs exhibited significant anticancer activity against A549 NSCLC cells, achieving cell viability reductions of 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 83%, and 91% at concentrations of 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 μg/mL, respectively. The green synthesized CuNPs demonstrate their potential in biomedical applications., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Purpose: To assess the agreement between the diagnosis made by trained technicians at vision centers (VC) and oculoplasty specialists at the base hospital, in patients referred from VC to the orbit and oculoplasty clinic of a tertiary eye care hospital in south India., Methods: This was a retrospective study that compared the findings of VC technicians and the specialists of the orbit and oculoplasty services in a base hospital. A total of 384 patients referred from 17 VCs between May 2021 and May 2022 were included. The diseases were categorized according to the site of involvement as diseases of the eyelids (43%), diseases of the lacrimal system (37.3%), orbital diseases (15.6), and others (4.1%). The mean age of the patients was 35.9 years and 50.6% were females. Medical records of all referred patients who attended the orbit clinic were analyzed., Results: Of the 384 patients, 378 (98.67%) were confirmed to have o., R: bital and adnexal diseases. There was an overall 80% agreement between the diagnosis made by trained VC technicians and oculoplasty specialists; the kappa coefficient was 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76 to 0.80), with a P value < 0.001. The agreement was the highest for diseases of the lacrimal system (90.9%, kappa coefficient 0.87), followed by eyelid pathologies (80%, kappa coefficient: 0.77). Of these, 54.8% of patients were managed with surgical procedures., Conclusion: There is good agreement between the findings of VC technicians and oculoplasty specialists. Trained technicians can help in the early detection and referral to higher centers. They also help to make sure adherence to treatment and periodic evaluation, especially in resource-constraint settings., Competing Interests: None

While the world is working quietly to repair the damage caused by COVID-19's widespread transmission, the monkeypox virus threatens to become a global pandemic. There are several nations that report new monkeypox cases daily, despite the virus being less deadly and contagious than COVID-19. Monkeypox disease may be detected using artificial intelligence techniques. This paper suggests two strategies for improving monkeypox image classification precision. Based on reinforcement learning and parameter optimization for multi-layer neural networks, the suggested approaches are based on feature extraction and classification: the Q-learning algorithm determines the rate at which an act occurs in a particular state; Malneural networks are binary hybrid algorithms that improve the parameters of neural networks. The algorithms are evaluated using an openly available dataset. In order to analyze the proposed optimization feature selection for monkeypox classification, interpretation criteria were utilized. In order to evaluate the efficiency, significance, and robustness of the suggested algorithms, a series of numerical tests were conducted. There were 95% precision, 95% recall, and 96% f1 scores for monkeypox disease. As compared to traditional learning methods, this method has a higher accuracy value. The overall macro average was around 0.95, and the overall weighted average was around 0.96. When compared to the benchmark algorithms, DDQN, Policy Gradient, and Actor-Critic, the Malneural network had the highest accuracy (around 0.985). In comparison with traditional methods, the proposed methods were found to be more effective. Clinicians can use this proposal to treat monkeypox patients and administration agencies can use it to observe the origin and current status of the disease.

Background: As per national policy, all diagnosed tuberculosis patients in India are to be tested using Xpert® MTB/RIF assay at the district level to diagnose rifampicin resistance. Regardless of the result, samples are transported to the reference laboratories for further testing: first-line Line Probe Assay (FL-LPA) for rifampicin-sensitive samples and second-line LPA(SL-LPA) for rifampicin-resistant samples. Based on the results, samples undergo culture and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing. We assessed among patients diagnosed with tuberculosis at 13 selected Xpert laboratories of Karnataka state, India, i) the proportion whose samples reached the reference laboratories and among them, proportion who completed the diagnostic algorithm ii) factors associated with non-reaching and non-completion and iii) the delays involved., Methods: This was a cohort study involving review of programme records. For each TB patient diagnosed between 1st July and 31st August 2018 at the Xpert laboratory, we tracked the laboratory register at the linked reference laboratory until 30th September (censor date) using Nikshay ID (a unique patient identifier), phone number, name, age and sex., Results: Of 1660 TB patients, 1208(73%) samples reached the reference laboratories and among those reached, 1124(93%) completed the algorithm. Of 1590 rifampicin-sensitive samples, 1170(74%) reached and 1104(94%) completed the algorithm. Of 64 rifampicin-resistant samples, only 35(55%) reached and 17(49%) completed the algorithm. Samples from rifampicin-resistant TB, extra-pulmonary TB and two districts were less likely to reach the reference laboratory. Non-completion was more likely among rifampicin-resistant TB and sputum-negative samples. The median time for conducting and reporting results of Xpert® MTB/RIF was one day, of FL-LPA 5 days and of SL-LPA16 days., Conclusion: These findings are encouraging given the complexity of the algorithm. High non-reaching and non-completion rates in rifampicin-resistant patients is a major concern. Future research should focus on understanding the reasons for the gaps identified using qualitative research methods., Competing Interests: It is declared that none of the authors have any competing interests.

Metal nanoparticles obtained from green route are gaining significant prominence as a result of their potential applications in nanomedicine and material engineering. Overall metal nanoparticles studied, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) clutch prominent place in nanoparticles research field. Herein, we have reported the green synthesis of Saccharum officinarum leaf biomass extract-mediated synthesis of AgNPs. Initial nanoparticle production was confirmed by visual observation as color change from light yellow to bright brown color with yellow shade and spectrophotometrically at 450 nm and the various reaction conditions were optimized. The FTIR spectra of the biomass extract and synthesized AgNPs authorized the presence of phyto constituents as capping agent. The High Resolution-Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM) analyses confirm the morphology and the average particle size of AgNPs as ~28.2 nm. The crystalline nature oxide state and mean particle diameter of AgNPs were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) pattern and face-centered cubic (FCC). The obtained AgNPs show moderate to good antifungal activity against Phytophthora capsici, Colletotrichum acutatum and Cladosporium fulvum as 10, 12 and 14 mm zones of inhibition against synthesized AgNPs at 250 μg/well, respectively.

PCH is one of the most common causes of acute AIHA in young children, although it affects patients of all ages. In children it is commonly seen following a viral illness or after immunization. Donath Landsteiner test is the diagnostic test. This is a case report of a child who presented with features of haemolysis and was diagnosed as PCH.

Background: We conducted a survey to estimate point prevalence of bacteriologically positive pulmonary TB (PTB) in a rural area in South India, implementing TB program DOTS strategy since 2002., Methods: Survey was conducted among persons ≥ 15 years of age in fifteen clusters selected by simple random sampling; each consisting of 5-12 villages. Persons having symptoms suggestive of PTB or history of anti-TB treatment (ATT) were eligible for sputum examination by smear microscopy for Acid Fast Bacilli and culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis; two sputum samples were collected from each eligible person. Persons with one or both sputum specimen positive on microscopy and/or culture were labeled suffering from PTB. Prevalence was estimated after imputing missing values to correct for bias introduced by incompleteness of data. In six clusters, registered persons were also screened by X-ray chest. Persons with any abnormal shadow on X-ray were eligible for sputum examination in addition to those with symptoms and ATT. Multiplication factor calculated as ratio of prevalence while using both screening tools to prevalence using symptoms screening alone was applied to entire study population to estimate prevalence corrected for non-screening by X-ray., Results: Of 71,874 residents ≥ 15 years of age, 63,362 (88.2%) were screened for symptoms and ATT. Of them, 5120 (8.1%) - 4681 (7.4%) with symptoms and an additional 439 (0.7%) with ATT were eligible for sputum examination. Spot specimen were collected from 4850 (94.7%) and early morning sputum specimens from 4719 (92.2%). Using symptom screening alone, prevalence of smear, culture and bacteriologically positive PTB in persons ≥ 15 years of age was 83 (CI: 57-109), 152 (CI: 108-197) and 196 (CI :145-246) per 100,000 population respectively. Prevalence corrected for non-screening by X-ray was 108 (CI: 82-134), 198 (CI: 153-243) and 254 (CI: 204-301) respectively., Conclusion: Observed prevalence suggests further strengthening of TB control program.

Concerning five observations of cervico-facial actinomycosis in two hospital wards, the authors recall that this pathology, although rare, still exists. It appears as a chronic cellulitis, usually occurring among subjects lacking in dental hygiene. The authors insist on the necessity of asking for a bacteriological test by taking a sample of pus with a pipette to look for the responsible actinomyces. The cure consists in the extracting of the teeth concerned, the removal of the necrosed tissues, a drainage, and an antibiotic treatment based on high doses of Penicilline for about three months.