Day by day,biometric-based systems play a vital role in our daily lives.This paper proposed an intelligent assistant intended to identify emotions via voice message.A biometric system has been developed to detect huma...Day by day,biometric-based systems play a vital role in our daily lives.This paper proposed an intelligent assistant intended to identify emotions via voice message.A biometric system has been developed to detect human emotions based on voice recognition and control a few electronic peripherals for alert actions.This proposed smart assistant aims to provide a support to the people through buzzer and light emitting diodes(LED)alert signals and it also keep track of the places like households,hospitals and remote areas,etc.The proposed approach is able to detect seven emotions:worry,surprise,neutral,sadness,happiness,hate and love.The key elements for the implementation of speech emotion recognition are voice processing,and once the emotion is recognized,the machine interface automatically detects the actions by buzzer and LED.The proposed system is trained and tested on various benchmark datasets,i.e.,Ryerson Audio-Visual Database of Emotional Speech and Song(RAVDESS)database,Acoustic-Phonetic Continuous Speech Corpus(TIMIT)database,Emotional Speech database(Emo-DB)database and evaluated based on various parameters,i.e.,accuracy,error rate,and time.While comparing with existing technologies,the proposed algorithm gave a better error rate and less time.Error rate and time is decreased by 19.79%,5.13 s.for the RAVDEES dataset,15.77%,0.01 s for the Emo-DB dataset and 14.88%,3.62 for the TIMIT database.The proposed model shows better accuracy of 81.02%for the RAVDEES dataset,84.23%for the TIMIT dataset and 85.12%for the Emo-DB dataset compared to Gaussian Mixture Modeling(GMM)and Support Vector Machine(SVM)Model.展开更多
In today’s information technology(IT)world,the multi-hop wireless sensor networks(MHWSNs)are considered the building block for the Internet of Things(IoT)enabled communication systems for controlling everyday tasks o...In today’s information technology(IT)world,the multi-hop wireless sensor networks(MHWSNs)are considered the building block for the Internet of Things(IoT)enabled communication systems for controlling everyday tasks of organizations and industry to provide quality of service(QoS)in a stipulated time slot to end-user over the Internet.Smart city(SC)is an example of one such application which can automate a group of civil services like automatic control of traffic lights,weather prediction,surveillance,etc.,in our daily life.These IoT-based networks with multi-hop communication and multiple sink nodes provide efficient communication in terms of performance parameters such as throughput,energy efficiency,and end-to-end delay,wherein low latency is considered a challenging issue in next-generation networks(NGN).This paper introduces a single and parallels stable server queuing model with amulti-class of packets and native and coded packet flowto illustrate the simple chain topology and complexmultiway relay(MWR)node with specific neighbor topology.Further,for improving data transmission capacity inMHWSNs,an analytical framework for packet transmission using network coding at the MWR node in the network layer with opportunistic listening is performed by considering bi-directional network flow at the MWR node.Finally,the accuracy of the proposed multi-server multi-class queuing model is evaluated with and without network coding at the network layer by transmitting data packets.The results of the proposed analytical framework are validated and proved effective by comparing these analytical results to simulation results.展开更多
Social media,like Twitter,is a data repository,and people exchange views on global issues like the COVID-19 pandemic.Social media has been shown to influence the low acceptance of vaccines.This work aims to identify p...Social media,like Twitter,is a data repository,and people exchange views on global issues like the COVID-19 pandemic.Social media has been shown to influence the low acceptance of vaccines.This work aims to identify public sentiments concerning the COVID-19 vaccines and better understand the individual’s sensitivities and feelings that lead to achievement.This work proposes a method to analyze the opinion of an individual’s tweet about the COVID-19 vaccines.This paper introduces a sigmoidal particle swarm optimization(SPSO)algorithm.First,the performance of SPSO is measured on a set of 12 benchmark problems,and later it is deployed for selecting optimal text features and categorizing sentiment.The proposed method uses TextBlob and VADER for sentiment analysis,CountVectorizer,and term frequency-inverse document frequency(TF-IDF)vectorizer for feature extraction,followed by SPSO-based feature selection.The Covid-19 vaccination tweets dataset was created and used for training,validating,and testing.The proposed approach outperformed considered algorithms in terms of accuracy.Additionally,we augmented the newly created dataset to make it balanced to increase performance.A classical support vector machine(SVM)gives better accuracy for the augmented dataset without a feature selection algorithm.It shows that augmentation improves the overall accuracy of tweet analysis.After the augmentation performance of PSO and SPSO is improved by almost 7%and 5%,respectively,it is observed that simple SVMwith 10-fold cross-validation significantly improved compared to the primary dataset.展开更多
The eye is an immune-privileged and sensory organ in humans and animals.Anatomical,physiological,and pathobiological features share significant similarities across divergent species(1).Each compartment of the eye has ...The eye is an immune-privileged and sensory organ in humans and animals.Anatomical,physiological,and pathobiological features share significant similarities across divergent species(1).Each compartment of the eye has a unique structure and function.The anterior and posterior compartments of the eye contain endothelium(cornea),epithelium(cornea,ciliary body,iris),muscle(ciliary body),vitreous and neuronal(retina)tissues,which make the eye suitable to evaluate efficacy and safety of tissue specific drugs(2).展开更多
<b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Aims:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Obesity is the major contributor of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), but a uniq...<b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Aims:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Obesity is the major contributor of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), but a unique phenotype of obesity known as metabolically healthy obese (MHO) shows healthier metabolic profile</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">;</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> however understanding of their biochemical correlates is poorly understood. Obesity is defined by Body mass index (BMI), but controversy exists regarding ethnic-specific BMI cut-offs. The present study used the Asian Indian BMI cut</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">offs to assess relationships of MHO phenotypes with oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Methods: </span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">In this case-control study, 299 metabolically-healthy (MH) respondents were divided into four groups as per Asian criteria for obesity: MH non-obese </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">(MHNO), MH overweight</span></span><span style="font-family:;" "=""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">(MHOW), MHO and MH severely obese (MHSO</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">). Their oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory markers were measured. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results: </span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Levels of hydroxyl radicals (</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">·</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">OH), fluorescent oxidation products (FLOP), MDA, PCO and inflammatory markers CRP, TNF-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><i></i></span><i><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">α</span></i><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></i></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, IL-6</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">were highest in MHSO phenotype followed by the MHO,</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">MHOW</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and MHNO groups (p > 0.0001), whereas antioxidant markers, CuZn-SOD, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant activity followed the reverse trend. The MHNO and MHOW groups showed significant difference with regard to (</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">·</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">OH) radicals and FLOP. Moreover, </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">·</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">OH radicals, FLOP and inflammatory markers were significantly correlated to BMI in MHSO and MHO but not in MHNO and MHOW group. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion: </span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">The MHO and MHSO phenotype display differences in terms of OS and inflammatory markers at lower BMI cut</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">offs, indicating that they may be on the way to becoming </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">“</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">unhealthy</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">”</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> ob</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ese. The lower BMI cut-offs proposed by Indian Consensus Group would help</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> in understanding of manifestation of metabolic syndrome.</span></span>展开更多
AIM: To compare resistin mRNA expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and its correlation with insulin resistance (IR) in postmenopausal obese women. METHODS: A total of 68 postmenopausal women (non obese = 34...AIM: To compare resistin mRNA expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and its correlation with insulin resistance (IR) in postmenopausal obese women. METHODS: A total of 68 postmenopausal women (non obese = 34 and obese = 34) were enrolled for the study. The women of the two groups were age matched (49-70 years). Fasting blood samples were collected at admission and abdominal SAT was obtained during surgery for gall bladder stones or hysterectomy. Physical parameters [age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI)] were measured. Biochemical (plasma insulin and plasma glucose) parameters were estimated by enzymatic methods. RNA was isolated by the Trizol method.SAT resistin mRNA expression was done by real time- reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) by using Quanti Tect SYBR Green RT-PCR master mix. Data was analyzed using independent Student's t test, correlation and simple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean weight (52.81 ± 8.04 kg vs 79.56 ± 9.91 kg; P < 0.001), BMI (20.23 ± 3.05 kg/m 2 vs 32.19 ± 4.86 kg/m 2 ; P < 0.001), insulin (8.47 ± 3.24 U/mL vs 14.67 ± 2.18 U/mL; P < 0.001), glucose (97.44 ± 11.31 mg/dL vs 109.67 ± 8.02 mg/dL; P < 0.001) and homeostasis model assessment index (2.01 ± 0.73 vs 3.96 ± 0.61; P < 0.001) were significantly higher in postmenopausal obese women compared to postmenopausal non obese women. The mean serum resistin level was also significantly higher in postmeno-pausal obese women compared to postmenopausal non obese women (9.05 ± 5.15 vs 13.92 ± 6.32, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the mean SAT resistin mRNA expression was also significantly (0.023 ± 0.008 vs 0.036 ± 0.009; P < 0.001) higher and over expressed 1.62 fold (upregulated) in postmenopausal obese women compared to postmenopausal non obese women. In postmeno-pausal obese women, the relative SAT resistin mRNA expression showed positive (direct) and significant correlation with BMI (r = 0.78, P < 0.001) and serum resistin (r = 0.76, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the SAT resistin mRNA expression in postmenopausal obese women also showed significant and direct association (r = 0.45, P < 0.01) with IR, while in postmenopausal non obese women it did not show any association (r = -0.04, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased SAT resistin mRNA expres-sion probably leads to inducing insulin resistance and thus may be associated with obesity-related disorders in postmenopausal obese women.展开更多
Objective:To investigate the protective role of Ocimum sanctum(O.sanctum) leaves against Salmonella typhim.urium(S.typhimurium) infection in rats by inducing TNF-α,IFN-γ& IL-2 cytokines.Methods:Wistar albino...Objective:To investigate the protective role of Ocimum sanctum(O.sanctum) leaves against Salmonella typhim.urium(S.typhimurium) infection in rats by inducing TNF-α,IFN-γ& IL-2 cytokines.Methods:Wistar albino rats were fed with aqueous extract of 0.sanctum leaves using 250 mg/kg body weight dose once a day for 20 consecutive days.Control rats were fed with placebo.Rats were infected with LD<sub>50</sub> dose of 5.typhimurium infection and monitored for their survival.Bacterial blood burden in both the groups was compared and numbers of activated peritoneal macrophages were counted.Concentration of TNF-α,IFN-γand IL-2 cytokines in serum during different time intervals was assayed by sandwich ELISA.Results:Rats of control group showed a high mortality rate and had higher bacterial blood burden when compared with O.sanctum extract fed rats.There was a significant increase in the number of S.typhimurium engulfed peritoneal macrophages in the peritoneal fluid of O.sanctum fed animals.The protective control against bacterial infection in O,sanctum fed rats was associated with elevated level of TNF-α,IFN-γand IL-2 cytokines in serum.Conclusions:These findings suggest that orally administered O.sanctum leaves extract effectively enhanced activation in macrophage and lymphocytes,depicted by the elevated serum concentration of TNF-α,IFN-γand IL-2 cytokines,leading to induce a protective resistance against Salmonella typhimurium infection.展开更多
The effect of the matrix temperature on laser-induced plasma generated in bulk water by using a532 nm pulsed laser beam has been studied.Ca Ⅰ and Ⅱ emission line intensities were recorded for an aqueous solution of ...The effect of the matrix temperature on laser-induced plasma generated in bulk water by using a532 nm pulsed laser beam has been studied.Ca Ⅰ and Ⅱ emission line intensities were recorded for an aqueous solution of CaCl2 in the temperature range of 7℃-70℃.The emission line intensities did not follow the matrix temperature in our experiments.Maximum intensities were observed at ~18℃ for both lines.Herein,a possible mechanism responsible for the observed variation in intensity is suggested,in which laser-produced bubbles play important roles.Bubble formation is essential to ignite plasma in the liquid and more feasible at the higher liquid temperature.However,the abundant bubbles at the higher temperature can scatter the incident laser beam more effectively to decrease the energy delivered for the laser-induced plasma.Thus,these two roles have effects on the optical emission intensities in opposite ways.The validity of the suggested mechanism is discussed based on the plasma temperature,temperature dependence of the refractive index of water,plasma electron density,scattered light intensity,and plasma ignition threshold energy.Our result indicates that the temperature of the liquid is also an important parameter to be considered in the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis of bulk liquid samples and its application in deep-sea exploration.展开更多
Objective:To investigate the regulatory effect of aqueous extract of leaves of Ocimum sanctum on IL-2 cytokine production in vivo and in vitro,and the effect of leaves extract on general blood picture including T&...Objective:To investigate the regulatory effect of aqueous extract of leaves of Ocimum sanctum on IL-2 cytokine production in vivo and in vitro,and the effect of leaves extract on general blood picture including T& B lymphocytes.Methods:For in vivo studies albino Wistar rats were treated with aqueous crude leaves extract of Ocimum sanctum for 20 consecutive days.Spleen cells were harvested and assayed for IL-2 production by using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and mRNA expression methods.For in vitro study aqueous Ocimum sanctum leaves extract= in different concentrations(25-500μ/mL) was added into culture plates containing ConA stimulated splenocytes.To study the overall effect on blood picture,density gradient purified lymphocytes analysis and conventional methodology for total and differential leukocyte count and hemoglobin level were also done.Results:It indicated that the rats treated with Ocimum sanctum leaves extract had significantly enhanced(P【0.001) ability of spleen cells to secrete IL-2.Investigation in vitro also showed regulation of IL-2 production.Blood study exhibited leucocytosis and augmentation of T& B lymphocytes by 25%approximately.4-5%increase in Hemoglobin value was also noticed.Conclusion:Aqueous Ocimum sanctum leaves extract may have stimulatory effect on T & B lymphocytes particularly on Th 1 subset of lymphocytes as shown by enhancement in IL-2 production.展开更多
Background:Pentylenetetrazole kindling has long been used for the screening of investigational antiseizure drugs.The presence of lamotrigine,at a very low dose,does not hamper kindling in mice;rather it modifies this ...Background:Pentylenetetrazole kindling has long been used for the screening of investigational antiseizure drugs.The presence of lamotrigine,at a very low dose,does not hamper kindling in mice;rather it modifies this epileptogenesis process into drug-resistant epilepsy.The lamotrigine-pentylenetetrazole kindled mice show resistance to lamotrigine,phenytoin,and carbamazepine.It may also be possible that other licensed antiseizure drugs,like the mentioned drugs,remain ineffective in this model;therefore,this was the subject of this study.Methods:Swiss albino mice were kindled with pentylenetetrazole for 35 days in the presence of either methylcellulose vehicle or lamotrigine(subtherapeutic dose,ie,5 mg/kg).Vehicle vs lamotrigine-kindled mice were compared in terms of(a)resistance/response toward nine antiseizure drugs applied as monotherapies and two drug combinations;(b)lamotrigine bioavailability in blood and brain;(c)blood-brain barrier integrity;and(d)amino acids and monoamines in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus.Results:Lamotrigine vs vehicle-kindled mice are similar(or not significantly different P>.05 from each other)in terms of(a)response toward drug combinations;(b)lamotrigine bioavailability;and(c)blood-brain barrier integrity except for,significantly(P<.05)reduced taurine and increased glutamate in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus.Aside from these,lamotrigine-kindled mice show significant(P<.05)resistant to lamotrigine(15 mg/kg),levetiracetam(40 mg/kg);carbamazepine(40 mg/kg),zonisamide(100 mg/kg),gabapentin(224 mg/kg),pregabalin(30 mg/kg),phenytoin(35 mg/kg),and topiramate(300 mg/kg).Conclusion:Lamotrigine-pentylenetetrazole kindling takes longer to develop(~5 weeks)in comparison to lamotrigine-amygdale(~4 weeks)and lamotriginecorneal(~2 weeks)kindling models.However,drug screening through this model may yield superior drugs with novel antiseizure mechanisms.展开更多
Objective:To understand the level of progesterone (P4) in different quality of buffalo cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) and further to evaluate the effect of exogenous P4 supplementation on maturation and subsequent de...Objective:To understand the level of progesterone (P4) in different quality of buffalo cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) and further to evaluate the effect of exogenous P4 supplementation on maturation and subsequent developmental ability of poor quality brilliant cresyl blue (BCB-)COCs.Methods: Progesterone secreted by different quality of buffalo oocytes was estimated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and the concentration differences were translated into P4 doses to be incorporated in the maturation medium of BCB-ve COCs followed by expression analysis of genes involved in the cumulus expansion, extracellular matrix disintegration and progesterone receptor signalling. In addition, the study also evaluated the effect of exogenous P4 on sperm-cumulus interaction. Results: More than 10-fold up-regulated expression of progesterone receptor in P4 supplemented oocytes signified that P4 might be acting predominantly through this receptor. Also, exogenous P4 supplementation had significant effect on transcatheter arterial chemoembolization protease regulated by P4-progesterone receptor pathway which in turn had an important role in extracellular matrix disintegration. On the contrary, cumulus expansion genesHAS2,TNFAIP6,AREG were not altered upon P4 supplementation. Also, it was observed that P4 addition did facilitate passage of significantly more number of spermatozoa through P4 treated cumulus cells. Further, incorporation of different doses of P4 did not improve significantly the cleavage and blastocyst rates of BCB-ve COCs.Conclusions: Different qualities of buffalo COCs secrete substantially diverse levels of P4, and its supplementation has a role in oocyte maturation via modulation of cumulus characteristics but perhaps not fertilization.展开更多
Obesity (Ob) is an accepted major risk factor for the metabolic syndrome (MetS), a combination of at least three of five risk factors, which predispose to high oxidative stress (OS), but all obese do not show symptoms...Obesity (Ob) is an accepted major risk factor for the metabolic syndrome (MetS), a combination of at least three of five risk factors, which predispose to high oxidative stress (OS), but all obese do not show symptoms of MetS. There is dearth of data comparing OS homeostasis of severely obese adults with and without MetS, and need for biomarkers to help in differential diagnosis. Erythrocytic lipid and protein damage markers, malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO), antioxidant enzymes erythrocytic superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase (CAT), plasma glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as ferric-reducing-ability-of-plasma (FRAP) were compared to understand OS homeostasis among 102 severely Ob (body mass index > 30), 102 Ob with severe (z-score > 2) MetS as per National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines and 100 healthy non-obese Controls. MDA/PCO and all antioxidant enzymes were lowest for ObMetS, followed by Ob, indicating greater damage to protein moieties of the erythrocytic membrane. Multiple regression analysis confirmed z-scores > 2 as significant predictor of lowered enzymes and TAC. Receiver Operator Curve analysis predicted that TAC was the most potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of MetS with an Odds Ratio of 88.5 indicating the high probability that FRAP would be low for ObMetS (z-score > 2) than for Ob with BMI > 30, but z-scores < 1. TAC is qualified as the most effective biomarker to distinguish between severely obese respondents with and without metabolic syndrome, and as a useful candidate for study of homeostatic breakdown in metabolic syndrome and the importance of z-score in assessment of MetS in obese respondents.展开更多
Adopting a better tillage system not only improves the soil health and crop productivity but also improves the environment. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of tillage and irrigation managem...Adopting a better tillage system not only improves the soil health and crop productivity but also improves the environment. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of tillage and irrigation management on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in a post-rice (Oryza sativa L.) management system on silty clay loam soil (acidic Alfisol) for 2003-2006. Four irrigation levels (RF: rainfed;I1: irrigation at crown root initiation (CRI);I2: irrigation at CRI + flowering;I3: irrigation at CRI + tillering + flowering), and two tillage systems (ZT: zero tillage and CT: conventional tillage) were tested. Zero tillage compared to CT, resulted in higher bulk density (1.34 vs 1.23 Mg –3), lower total porosity (48.7 vs 52.9%), higher penetration resistance (1.51 vs 1.37 MPa), lower saturated hydraulic conductivity (1.60 vs 92.0 mm h–1), lower infiltration rate (9.40 vs 36.6 mm h–1) and higher volumetric available water capacity (7.9 vs 7.5%) in the surface 0.15 m soil layer. Irrigation levels significantly affected crop water use, wheat yield, and water use efficiency (WUE). Average total water use was 461, 491, 534 and 580 mm under RF, I1, I2 and I3 treatments, respectively. Grain and straw yield of wheat were statistically the same under ZT and CT during 2003-2004;the values, averaged over four irrigation levels were 2.10 and 2.38 Mg a–1 for grain, and 3.46 and 3.67 Mg a–1 for straw, respectively. Grain yield declined by 22%, 11% and 8% of I3 (2.32 Mg ha–1) with RF, I1 and I2 treatments, respectively, under ZT;and by 13%, 8% and 5% of I3 (2.61 Mg ha–1) with RF, I1 and I2 treatments under CT. Average values of WUE were 4.33 kg ha–1 m–1 and 2.35 m3–1 grain for the ZT and CT treatments. Wheat yield increased with increased irrigation levels for all the cropping seasons. Results from this study concluded that ZT system was better compared to the CT system even with lower yields due to lower input costs for this treatment.展开更多
The cellulosic bast fibers are recognized as a justifiable and biodegradable substitute for producing moderate strength polymer composite materials because of their characteristics of renewability,ecofriendliness,and ...The cellulosic bast fibers are recognized as a justifiable and biodegradable substitute for producing moderate strength polymer composite materials because of their characteristics of renewability,ecofriendliness,and higher specific strength.Hence the aim of this research work is to fabricate Himalayan bast fibers(Nettle fiber(NF)/bauhinia vahlii fiber(BF)) based mono/hybrid epoxy composites at varying weight percentage of 2-6 wt% and evaluate the physical(void fraction and water absorption),mechanical(tensile strength,flexural strength,hardness) and sliding wear properties of as-fabricated composites.The 6 wt% NBF reinforced composites exhibited higher mechanical properties as compared to NF and BF composites with tensile strength of 34.04 MPa,flexural strength of 42.45 MPa,and hardness of 37.01 Hv respectively.The influence of various control factors(sliding velocity,NF/BF/NBF contents,normal load and sliding distance) on specific sliding wear rate of composites was evaluated by Taguchi(three factors at three levels) experimental design and the percentage contribution of these selected parameters on sliding wear performance was examined by Analysis of variance(ANOVA).The sliding wear property of as-developed composites was found to be greatly influenced by sliding velocity and the wear resistance was observed to be improved with the NF/BF/NBF contents.The wear mechanism of the as-fabricated composites has been elucidated by scanning electron microscopy analysis.The research outcomes demonstrated that the hybridization of Bauhinia vahlii fiber with Nettle fiber led to improve the mechanical and wear properties of epoxy composites.展开更多
AIM:To establish a rabbit model with chronic condition of retinal neovascularization(RNV)induced by intravitreal(IVT)injection of DL-2-aminoadipic acid(DL-AAA),a retinal glial(Mül er)cell toxin,extensive characte...AIM:To establish a rabbit model with chronic condition of retinal neovascularization(RNV)induced by intravitreal(IVT)injection of DL-2-aminoadipic acid(DL-AAA),a retinal glial(Mül er)cell toxin,extensive characterization of DL-AAA induced angiographic features and the suitability of the model to evaluate anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory therapies for ocular vascular diseases.METHODS:DL-AAA(80 mmol/L)was administered IVT into both eyes of Dutch Belted rabbit.Post DL-AAA delivery,clinical ophthalmic examinations were performed weekly following modified Mc Donald-Shadduck Scoring System.Color fundus photography,fluorescein angiography(FA),and optical coherence tomography(OCT)procedures were performed every 2 or 4 wk until stable retinal vascular leakage was observed.Once stable retinal leakage(12 wk post DL-AAA administration)was established,anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)(bevacizumab,ranibizumab and aflibercept)and anti-inflammatory(triamcinolone,TAA)drugs were tested for their efficacy after IVT administration.Fluorescein angiograms were scored before and after treatment following a novel grading system,developed for the DL-AAA rabbit model.RESULTS:Post DL-AAA administration,eyes were presented with moderate to severe retinal/choroidal inflammation which was accompanied by intense vitreous flare and presence of inflammatory cells in the vitreous humor.Retinal hemorrhage was restricted to the tips of neo-retinal vessels.FA revealed maximum retinal vascular leakage at 2 wk after DL-AAA injection and then persisted as evidenced by stable mean FA scores in weeks 8 and 12.Retinal vascular angiographic and tomographic features were stable and consistent up to 36 mo among two different staggers induced for RNV at two different occasions.Day 7,mean FA scores showed that 1μg/eye of bevacizumab,ranibizumab,aflibercept and 2μg/eye of TAA suppress 65%,90%,100%and 50%retinal vascular leakage,respectively.Day 30,bevacizumab and TAA continued to show 66%and 44%suppression while ranibizumab effect was becoming less effective(68%).In contrast,aflibercept was still able to fully(100%)suppress vascular leakage on day 30.On day 60,bevacizumab,ranibizumab and TAA showed suppression of 7%,12%,and 9%retinal vascular leakage,respectively,however,aflibercept continued to be more effective showing 50%suppression of vascular leakage.CONCLUSION:The DL-AAA rabbit model mimics RNV angiographic features like RNV and chronic retinal leakage.Based on these features the DL-AAA rabbit model provides an invaluable tool that could be used to test the therapeutic efficacy and duration of action of novel anti-angiogenic formulations,alone or in combination with anti-inflammatory compounds.展开更多
Theoretical investigation on the propagation characteristics of a new class of laser beams known as multi Gaussian(M.G)laser beams has been presented.To investigate the linear characteristics,propagation of the laser ...Theoretical investigation on the propagation characteristics of a new class of laser beams known as multi Gaussian(M.G)laser beams has been presented.To investigate the linear characteristics,propagation of the laser beam in vacuum has been considered.Whereas,the nonlinear characteristics have been investigated in plasmas.Optical nonlinearity of the plasma has been modeled by relativistic mass nonlinearity of the plasma electrons in the field of laser beam.Formulation is based on finding the semi analytical solution of the wave equation for the slowly varying envelope of the laser beam.Particularly,the dynamical evolutions of the beam width and longitudinal phase of the laser beam have been investigated in detail.展开更多
Since the beginning of time,humans have relied on plants for food,energy,and medicine.Plants are recognized by leaf,flower,or fruit and linked to their suitable cluster.Classification methods are used to extract and s...Since the beginning of time,humans have relied on plants for food,energy,and medicine.Plants are recognized by leaf,flower,or fruit and linked to their suitable cluster.Classification methods are used to extract and select traits that are helpful in identifying a plant.In plant leaf image categorization,each plant is assigned a label according to its classification.The purpose of classifying plant leaf images is to enable farmers to recognize plants,leading to the management of plants in several aspects.This study aims to present a modified whale optimization algorithm and categorizes plant leaf images into classes.This modified algorithm works on different sets of plant leaves.The proposed algorithm examines several benchmark functions with adequate performance.On ten plant leaf images,this classification method was validated.The proposed model calculates precision,recall,F-measurement,and accuracy for ten different plant leaf image datasets and compares these parameters with other existing algorithms.Based on experimental data,it is observed that the accuracy of the proposed method outperforms the accuracy of different algorithms under consideration and improves accuracy by 5%.展开更多
This study presents an inventory model for imperfect products with depletion in ordering costs and constant lead time where the price discount in the backorder is permitted.The imperfect products are refused or modifi...This study presents an inventory model for imperfect products with depletion in ordering costs and constant lead time where the price discount in the backorder is permitted.The imperfect products are refused or modified or if they reached to the customer,returned and thus some extra costs are experienced.Lately some of the researchers explicitly present on the significant association between size of lot and quality imperfection.In practical situations,the unsatisfied demands increase the period of lead time and decrease the backorders.To control customers'problems and losses,the supplier provides a price discount in backorders during shortages.Also,an order’s policies may result in including some imperfect products in arrival lots.A discount on price may be offered by the supplier on the out-of-stock products to manage the backorder problems.The study aims to develop a model with imperfect products by permitting the price discount in backorders,and the cost of ordering is considered a decision variable.First,it is assumed that the demand for lead time is followed by a normal distribution and then stops it and assumed that the first two moments of demand for lead time are known.Further,the minimax distribution method is used to solve this model,and a separate algorithm is designed.In this study,two models are discussed with and without a normally distributed rate of demand.The current study verified with the help of some numerical examples over various model parameters.展开更多
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) records brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets in the form of EEG signals;these signals can berecorded, processed and classified into different hand movements, which...Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) records brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets in the form of EEG signals;these signals can berecorded, processed and classified into different hand movements, which can beused to control other IoT devices. Classification of hand movements will beone step closer to applying these algorithms in real-life situations using EEGheadsets. This paper uses different feature extraction techniques and sophisticatedmachine learning algorithms to classify hand movements from EEG brain signalsto control prosthetic hands for amputated persons. To achieve good classificationaccuracy, denoising and feature extraction of EEG signals is a significant step. Wesaw a considerable increase in all the machine learning models when the movingaverage filter was applied to the raw EEG data. Feature extraction techniques likea fast fourier transform (FFT) and continuous wave transform (CWT) were usedin this study;three types of features were extracted, i.e., FFT Features, CWTCoefficients and CWT scalogram images. We trained and compared differentmachine learning (ML) models like logistic regression, random forest, k-nearestneighbors (KNN), light gradient boosting machine (GBM) and XG boost onFFT and CWT features and deep learning (DL) models like VGG-16, DenseNet201 and ResNet50 trained on CWT scalogram images. XG Boost with FFTfeatures gave the maximum accuracy of 88%.展开更多
基金Deanship of Scientific Research at Majmaah University for supporting this work under Project No.R-2022-166.
文摘Day by day,biometric-based systems play a vital role in our daily lives.This paper proposed an intelligent assistant intended to identify emotions via voice message.A biometric system has been developed to detect human emotions based on voice recognition and control a few electronic peripherals for alert actions.This proposed smart assistant aims to provide a support to the people through buzzer and light emitting diodes(LED)alert signals and it also keep track of the places like households,hospitals and remote areas,etc.The proposed approach is able to detect seven emotions:worry,surprise,neutral,sadness,happiness,hate and love.The key elements for the implementation of speech emotion recognition are voice processing,and once the emotion is recognized,the machine interface automatically detects the actions by buzzer and LED.The proposed system is trained and tested on various benchmark datasets,i.e.,Ryerson Audio-Visual Database of Emotional Speech and Song(RAVDESS)database,Acoustic-Phonetic Continuous Speech Corpus(TIMIT)database,Emotional Speech database(Emo-DB)database and evaluated based on various parameters,i.e.,accuracy,error rate,and time.While comparing with existing technologies,the proposed algorithm gave a better error rate and less time.Error rate and time is decreased by 19.79%,5.13 s.for the RAVDEES dataset,15.77%,0.01 s for the Emo-DB dataset and 14.88%,3.62 for the TIMIT database.The proposed model shows better accuracy of 81.02%for the RAVDEES dataset,84.23%for the TIMIT dataset and 85.12%for the Emo-DB dataset compared to Gaussian Mixture Modeling(GMM)and Support Vector Machine(SVM)Model.
文摘In today’s information technology(IT)world,the multi-hop wireless sensor networks(MHWSNs)are considered the building block for the Internet of Things(IoT)enabled communication systems for controlling everyday tasks of organizations and industry to provide quality of service(QoS)in a stipulated time slot to end-user over the Internet.Smart city(SC)is an example of one such application which can automate a group of civil services like automatic control of traffic lights,weather prediction,surveillance,etc.,in our daily life.These IoT-based networks with multi-hop communication and multiple sink nodes provide efficient communication in terms of performance parameters such as throughput,energy efficiency,and end-to-end delay,wherein low latency is considered a challenging issue in next-generation networks(NGN).This paper introduces a single and parallels stable server queuing model with amulti-class of packets and native and coded packet flowto illustrate the simple chain topology and complexmultiway relay(MWR)node with specific neighbor topology.Further,for improving data transmission capacity inMHWSNs,an analytical framework for packet transmission using network coding at the MWR node in the network layer with opportunistic listening is performed by considering bi-directional network flow at the MWR node.Finally,the accuracy of the proposed multi-server multi-class queuing model is evaluated with and without network coding at the network layer by transmitting data packets.The results of the proposed analytical framework are validated and proved effective by comparing these analytical results to simulation results.
基金supported by Deputyship for Research&Innovation,Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia,for funding this research work through project number 959.
文摘Social media,like Twitter,is a data repository,and people exchange views on global issues like the COVID-19 pandemic.Social media has been shown to influence the low acceptance of vaccines.This work aims to identify public sentiments concerning the COVID-19 vaccines and better understand the individual’s sensitivities and feelings that lead to achievement.This work proposes a method to analyze the opinion of an individual’s tweet about the COVID-19 vaccines.This paper introduces a sigmoidal particle swarm optimization(SPSO)algorithm.First,the performance of SPSO is measured on a set of 12 benchmark problems,and later it is deployed for selecting optimal text features and categorizing sentiment.The proposed method uses TextBlob and VADER for sentiment analysis,CountVectorizer,and term frequency-inverse document frequency(TF-IDF)vectorizer for feature extraction,followed by SPSO-based feature selection.The Covid-19 vaccination tweets dataset was created and used for training,validating,and testing.The proposed approach outperformed considered algorithms in terms of accuracy.Additionally,we augmented the newly created dataset to make it balanced to increase performance.A classical support vector machine(SVM)gives better accuracy for the augmented dataset without a feature selection algorithm.It shows that augmentation improves the overall accuracy of tweet analysis.After the augmentation performance of PSO and SPSO is improved by almost 7%and 5%,respectively,it is observed that simple SVMwith 10-fold cross-validation significantly improved compared to the primary dataset.
文摘The eye is an immune-privileged and sensory organ in humans and animals.Anatomical,physiological,and pathobiological features share significant similarities across divergent species(1).Each compartment of the eye has a unique structure and function.The anterior and posterior compartments of the eye contain endothelium(cornea),epithelium(cornea,ciliary body,iris),muscle(ciliary body),vitreous and neuronal(retina)tissues,which make the eye suitable to evaluate efficacy and safety of tissue specific drugs(2).
文摘<b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Aims:</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Obesity is the major contributor of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), but a unique phenotype of obesity known as metabolically healthy obese (MHO) shows healthier metabolic profile</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">;</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> however understanding of their biochemical correlates is poorly understood. Obesity is defined by Body mass index (BMI), but controversy exists regarding ethnic-specific BMI cut-offs. The present study used the Asian Indian BMI cut</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">offs to assess relationships of MHO phenotypes with oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Methods: </span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">In this case-control study, 299 metabolically-healthy (MH) respondents were divided into four groups as per Asian criteria for obesity: MH non-obese </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">(MHNO), MH overweight</span></span><span style="font-family:;" "=""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">(MHOW), MHO and MH severely obese (MHSO</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">). Their oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory markers were measured. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Results: </span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Levels of hydroxyl radicals (</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">·</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">OH), fluorescent oxidation products (FLOP), MDA, PCO and inflammatory markers CRP, TNF-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><i></i></span><i><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">α</span></i><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></i></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, IL-6</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">were highest in MHSO phenotype followed by the MHO,</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">MHOW</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""> </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and MHNO groups (p > 0.0001), whereas antioxidant markers, CuZn-SOD, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant activity followed the reverse trend. The MHNO and MHOW groups showed significant difference with regard to (</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">·</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">OH) radicals and FLOP. Moreover, </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">·</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">OH radicals, FLOP and inflammatory markers were significantly correlated to BMI in MHSO and MHO but not in MHNO and MHOW group. </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Conclusion: </span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">The MHO and MHSO phenotype display differences in terms of OS and inflammatory markers at lower BMI cut</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">offs, indicating that they may be on the way to becoming </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">“</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">unhealthy</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">”</span><span style="font-family:;" "=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> ob</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ese. The lower BMI cut-offs proposed by Indian Consensus Group would help</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> in understanding of manifestation of metabolic syndrome.</span></span>
基金Supported by Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi,IndiaCentral Council Research in Yoga and Naturopathy,New Delhi, India, to Sadashiv and Tiwari S
文摘AIM: To compare resistin mRNA expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and its correlation with insulin resistance (IR) in postmenopausal obese women. METHODS: A total of 68 postmenopausal women (non obese = 34 and obese = 34) were enrolled for the study. The women of the two groups were age matched (49-70 years). Fasting blood samples were collected at admission and abdominal SAT was obtained during surgery for gall bladder stones or hysterectomy. Physical parameters [age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI)] were measured. Biochemical (plasma insulin and plasma glucose) parameters were estimated by enzymatic methods. RNA was isolated by the Trizol method.SAT resistin mRNA expression was done by real time- reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) by using Quanti Tect SYBR Green RT-PCR master mix. Data was analyzed using independent Student's t test, correlation and simple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean weight (52.81 ± 8.04 kg vs 79.56 ± 9.91 kg; P < 0.001), BMI (20.23 ± 3.05 kg/m 2 vs 32.19 ± 4.86 kg/m 2 ; P < 0.001), insulin (8.47 ± 3.24 U/mL vs 14.67 ± 2.18 U/mL; P < 0.001), glucose (97.44 ± 11.31 mg/dL vs 109.67 ± 8.02 mg/dL; P < 0.001) and homeostasis model assessment index (2.01 ± 0.73 vs 3.96 ± 0.61; P < 0.001) were significantly higher in postmenopausal obese women compared to postmenopausal non obese women. The mean serum resistin level was also significantly higher in postmeno-pausal obese women compared to postmenopausal non obese women (9.05 ± 5.15 vs 13.92 ± 6.32, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the mean SAT resistin mRNA expression was also significantly (0.023 ± 0.008 vs 0.036 ± 0.009; P < 0.001) higher and over expressed 1.62 fold (upregulated) in postmenopausal obese women compared to postmenopausal non obese women. In postmeno-pausal obese women, the relative SAT resistin mRNA expression showed positive (direct) and significant correlation with BMI (r = 0.78, P < 0.001) and serum resistin (r = 0.76, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the SAT resistin mRNA expression in postmenopausal obese women also showed significant and direct association (r = 0.45, P < 0.01) with IR, while in postmenopausal non obese women it did not show any association (r = -0.04, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Increased SAT resistin mRNA expres-sion probably leads to inducing insulin resistance and thus may be associated with obesity-related disorders in postmenopausal obese women.
基金Dept.Of Science & Technology, New Delhi for providing the financial grant
文摘Objective:To investigate the protective role of Ocimum sanctum(O.sanctum) leaves against Salmonella typhim.urium(S.typhimurium) infection in rats by inducing TNF-α,IFN-γ& IL-2 cytokines.Methods:Wistar albino rats were fed with aqueous extract of 0.sanctum leaves using 250 mg/kg body weight dose once a day for 20 consecutive days.Control rats were fed with placebo.Rats were infected with LD<sub>50</sub> dose of 5.typhimurium infection and monitored for their survival.Bacterial blood burden in both the groups was compared and numbers of activated peritoneal macrophages were counted.Concentration of TNF-α,IFN-γand IL-2 cytokines in serum during different time intervals was assayed by sandwich ELISA.Results:Rats of control group showed a high mortality rate and had higher bacterial blood burden when compared with O.sanctum extract fed rats.There was a significant increase in the number of S.typhimurium engulfed peritoneal macrophages in the peritoneal fluid of O.sanctum fed animals.The protective control against bacterial infection in O,sanctum fed rats was associated with elevated level of TNF-α,IFN-γand IL-2 cytokines in serum.Conclusions:These findings suggest that orally administered O.sanctum leaves extract effectively enhanced activation in macrophage and lymphocytes,depicted by the elevated serum concentration of TNF-α,IFN-γand IL-2 cytokines,leading to induce a protective resistance against Salmonella typhimurium infection.
基金supported by the Korea Basic Science Institute(KBSI)National Research Facilities&Equipment Center(NFEC)grant funded by the Korean government(Ministry of Education)(No.2019R1A6C1010005)。
文摘The effect of the matrix temperature on laser-induced plasma generated in bulk water by using a532 nm pulsed laser beam has been studied.Ca Ⅰ and Ⅱ emission line intensities were recorded for an aqueous solution of CaCl2 in the temperature range of 7℃-70℃.The emission line intensities did not follow the matrix temperature in our experiments.Maximum intensities were observed at ~18℃ for both lines.Herein,a possible mechanism responsible for the observed variation in intensity is suggested,in which laser-produced bubbles play important roles.Bubble formation is essential to ignite plasma in the liquid and more feasible at the higher liquid temperature.However,the abundant bubbles at the higher temperature can scatter the incident laser beam more effectively to decrease the energy delivered for the laser-induced plasma.Thus,these two roles have effects on the optical emission intensities in opposite ways.The validity of the suggested mechanism is discussed based on the plasma temperature,temperature dependence of the refractive index of water,plasma electron density,scattered light intensity,and plasma ignition threshold energy.Our result indicates that the temperature of the liquid is also an important parameter to be considered in the laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy analysis of bulk liquid samples and its application in deep-sea exploration.
基金financially supported by Woman Scientist Scheme-A to the first author from the Department of Science and Technology,New Delhi
文摘Objective:To investigate the regulatory effect of aqueous extract of leaves of Ocimum sanctum on IL-2 cytokine production in vivo and in vitro,and the effect of leaves extract on general blood picture including T& B lymphocytes.Methods:For in vivo studies albino Wistar rats were treated with aqueous crude leaves extract of Ocimum sanctum for 20 consecutive days.Spleen cells were harvested and assayed for IL-2 production by using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) and mRNA expression methods.For in vitro study aqueous Ocimum sanctum leaves extract= in different concentrations(25-500μ/mL) was added into culture plates containing ConA stimulated splenocytes.To study the overall effect on blood picture,density gradient purified lymphocytes analysis and conventional methodology for total and differential leukocyte count and hemoglobin level were also done.Results:It indicated that the rats treated with Ocimum sanctum leaves extract had significantly enhanced(P【0.001) ability of spleen cells to secrete IL-2.Investigation in vitro also showed regulation of IL-2 production.Blood study exhibited leucocytosis and augmentation of T& B lymphocytes by 25%approximately.4-5%increase in Hemoglobin value was also noticed.Conclusion:Aqueous Ocimum sanctum leaves extract may have stimulatory effect on T & B lymphocytes particularly on Th 1 subset of lymphocytes as shown by enhancement in IL-2 production.
文摘Background:Pentylenetetrazole kindling has long been used for the screening of investigational antiseizure drugs.The presence of lamotrigine,at a very low dose,does not hamper kindling in mice;rather it modifies this epileptogenesis process into drug-resistant epilepsy.The lamotrigine-pentylenetetrazole kindled mice show resistance to lamotrigine,phenytoin,and carbamazepine.It may also be possible that other licensed antiseizure drugs,like the mentioned drugs,remain ineffective in this model;therefore,this was the subject of this study.Methods:Swiss albino mice were kindled with pentylenetetrazole for 35 days in the presence of either methylcellulose vehicle or lamotrigine(subtherapeutic dose,ie,5 mg/kg).Vehicle vs lamotrigine-kindled mice were compared in terms of(a)resistance/response toward nine antiseizure drugs applied as monotherapies and two drug combinations;(b)lamotrigine bioavailability in blood and brain;(c)blood-brain barrier integrity;and(d)amino acids and monoamines in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus.Results:Lamotrigine vs vehicle-kindled mice are similar(or not significantly different P>.05 from each other)in terms of(a)response toward drug combinations;(b)lamotrigine bioavailability;and(c)blood-brain barrier integrity except for,significantly(P<.05)reduced taurine and increased glutamate in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus.Aside from these,lamotrigine-kindled mice show significant(P<.05)resistant to lamotrigine(15 mg/kg),levetiracetam(40 mg/kg);carbamazepine(40 mg/kg),zonisamide(100 mg/kg),gabapentin(224 mg/kg),pregabalin(30 mg/kg),phenytoin(35 mg/kg),and topiramate(300 mg/kg).Conclusion:Lamotrigine-pentylenetetrazole kindling takes longer to develop(~5 weeks)in comparison to lamotrigine-amygdale(~4 weeks)and lamotriginecorneal(~2 weeks)kindling models.However,drug screening through this model may yield superior drugs with novel antiseizure mechanisms.
文摘Objective:To understand the level of progesterone (P4) in different quality of buffalo cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) and further to evaluate the effect of exogenous P4 supplementation on maturation and subsequent developmental ability of poor quality brilliant cresyl blue (BCB-)COCs.Methods: Progesterone secreted by different quality of buffalo oocytes was estimated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and the concentration differences were translated into P4 doses to be incorporated in the maturation medium of BCB-ve COCs followed by expression analysis of genes involved in the cumulus expansion, extracellular matrix disintegration and progesterone receptor signalling. In addition, the study also evaluated the effect of exogenous P4 on sperm-cumulus interaction. Results: More than 10-fold up-regulated expression of progesterone receptor in P4 supplemented oocytes signified that P4 might be acting predominantly through this receptor. Also, exogenous P4 supplementation had significant effect on transcatheter arterial chemoembolization protease regulated by P4-progesterone receptor pathway which in turn had an important role in extracellular matrix disintegration. On the contrary, cumulus expansion genesHAS2,TNFAIP6,AREG were not altered upon P4 supplementation. Also, it was observed that P4 addition did facilitate passage of significantly more number of spermatozoa through P4 treated cumulus cells. Further, incorporation of different doses of P4 did not improve significantly the cleavage and blastocyst rates of BCB-ve COCs.Conclusions: Different qualities of buffalo COCs secrete substantially diverse levels of P4, and its supplementation has a role in oocyte maturation via modulation of cumulus characteristics but perhaps not fertilization.
文摘Obesity (Ob) is an accepted major risk factor for the metabolic syndrome (MetS), a combination of at least three of five risk factors, which predispose to high oxidative stress (OS), but all obese do not show symptoms of MetS. There is dearth of data comparing OS homeostasis of severely obese adults with and without MetS, and need for biomarkers to help in differential diagnosis. Erythrocytic lipid and protein damage markers, malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO), antioxidant enzymes erythrocytic superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase (CAT), plasma glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as ferric-reducing-ability-of-plasma (FRAP) were compared to understand OS homeostasis among 102 severely Ob (body mass index > 30), 102 Ob with severe (z-score > 2) MetS as per National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines and 100 healthy non-obese Controls. MDA/PCO and all antioxidant enzymes were lowest for ObMetS, followed by Ob, indicating greater damage to protein moieties of the erythrocytic membrane. Multiple regression analysis confirmed z-scores > 2 as significant predictor of lowered enzymes and TAC. Receiver Operator Curve analysis predicted that TAC was the most potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of MetS with an Odds Ratio of 88.5 indicating the high probability that FRAP would be low for ObMetS (z-score > 2) than for Ob with BMI > 30, but z-scores < 1. TAC is qualified as the most effective biomarker to distinguish between severely obese respondents with and without metabolic syndrome, and as a useful candidate for study of homeostatic breakdown in metabolic syndrome and the importance of z-score in assessment of MetS in obese respondents.
文摘Adopting a better tillage system not only improves the soil health and crop productivity but also improves the environment. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of tillage and irrigation management on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production in a post-rice (Oryza sativa L.) management system on silty clay loam soil (acidic Alfisol) for 2003-2006. Four irrigation levels (RF: rainfed;I1: irrigation at crown root initiation (CRI);I2: irrigation at CRI + flowering;I3: irrigation at CRI + tillering + flowering), and two tillage systems (ZT: zero tillage and CT: conventional tillage) were tested. Zero tillage compared to CT, resulted in higher bulk density (1.34 vs 1.23 Mg –3), lower total porosity (48.7 vs 52.9%), higher penetration resistance (1.51 vs 1.37 MPa), lower saturated hydraulic conductivity (1.60 vs 92.0 mm h–1), lower infiltration rate (9.40 vs 36.6 mm h–1) and higher volumetric available water capacity (7.9 vs 7.5%) in the surface 0.15 m soil layer. Irrigation levels significantly affected crop water use, wheat yield, and water use efficiency (WUE). Average total water use was 461, 491, 534 and 580 mm under RF, I1, I2 and I3 treatments, respectively. Grain and straw yield of wheat were statistically the same under ZT and CT during 2003-2004;the values, averaged over four irrigation levels were 2.10 and 2.38 Mg a–1 for grain, and 3.46 and 3.67 Mg a–1 for straw, respectively. Grain yield declined by 22%, 11% and 8% of I3 (2.32 Mg ha–1) with RF, I1 and I2 treatments, respectively, under ZT;and by 13%, 8% and 5% of I3 (2.61 Mg ha–1) with RF, I1 and I2 treatments under CT. Average values of WUE were 4.33 kg ha–1 m–1 and 2.35 m3–1 grain for the ZT and CT treatments. Wheat yield increased with increased irrigation levels for all the cropping seasons. Results from this study concluded that ZT system was better compared to the CT system even with lower yields due to lower input costs for this treatment.
文摘The cellulosic bast fibers are recognized as a justifiable and biodegradable substitute for producing moderate strength polymer composite materials because of their characteristics of renewability,ecofriendliness,and higher specific strength.Hence the aim of this research work is to fabricate Himalayan bast fibers(Nettle fiber(NF)/bauhinia vahlii fiber(BF)) based mono/hybrid epoxy composites at varying weight percentage of 2-6 wt% and evaluate the physical(void fraction and water absorption),mechanical(tensile strength,flexural strength,hardness) and sliding wear properties of as-fabricated composites.The 6 wt% NBF reinforced composites exhibited higher mechanical properties as compared to NF and BF composites with tensile strength of 34.04 MPa,flexural strength of 42.45 MPa,and hardness of 37.01 Hv respectively.The influence of various control factors(sliding velocity,NF/BF/NBF contents,normal load and sliding distance) on specific sliding wear rate of composites was evaluated by Taguchi(three factors at three levels) experimental design and the percentage contribution of these selected parameters on sliding wear performance was examined by Analysis of variance(ANOVA).The sliding wear property of as-developed composites was found to be greatly influenced by sliding velocity and the wear resistance was observed to be improved with the NF/BF/NBF contents.The wear mechanism of the as-fabricated composites has been elucidated by scanning electron microscopy analysis.The research outcomes demonstrated that the hybridization of Bauhinia vahlii fiber with Nettle fiber led to improve the mechanical and wear properties of epoxy composites.
文摘AIM:To establish a rabbit model with chronic condition of retinal neovascularization(RNV)induced by intravitreal(IVT)injection of DL-2-aminoadipic acid(DL-AAA),a retinal glial(Mül er)cell toxin,extensive characterization of DL-AAA induced angiographic features and the suitability of the model to evaluate anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory therapies for ocular vascular diseases.METHODS:DL-AAA(80 mmol/L)was administered IVT into both eyes of Dutch Belted rabbit.Post DL-AAA delivery,clinical ophthalmic examinations were performed weekly following modified Mc Donald-Shadduck Scoring System.Color fundus photography,fluorescein angiography(FA),and optical coherence tomography(OCT)procedures were performed every 2 or 4 wk until stable retinal vascular leakage was observed.Once stable retinal leakage(12 wk post DL-AAA administration)was established,anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)(bevacizumab,ranibizumab and aflibercept)and anti-inflammatory(triamcinolone,TAA)drugs were tested for their efficacy after IVT administration.Fluorescein angiograms were scored before and after treatment following a novel grading system,developed for the DL-AAA rabbit model.RESULTS:Post DL-AAA administration,eyes were presented with moderate to severe retinal/choroidal inflammation which was accompanied by intense vitreous flare and presence of inflammatory cells in the vitreous humor.Retinal hemorrhage was restricted to the tips of neo-retinal vessels.FA revealed maximum retinal vascular leakage at 2 wk after DL-AAA injection and then persisted as evidenced by stable mean FA scores in weeks 8 and 12.Retinal vascular angiographic and tomographic features were stable and consistent up to 36 mo among two different staggers induced for RNV at two different occasions.Day 7,mean FA scores showed that 1μg/eye of bevacizumab,ranibizumab,aflibercept and 2μg/eye of TAA suppress 65%,90%,100%and 50%retinal vascular leakage,respectively.Day 30,bevacizumab and TAA continued to show 66%and 44%suppression while ranibizumab effect was becoming less effective(68%).In contrast,aflibercept was still able to fully(100%)suppress vascular leakage on day 30.On day 60,bevacizumab,ranibizumab and TAA showed suppression of 7%,12%,and 9%retinal vascular leakage,respectively,however,aflibercept continued to be more effective showing 50%suppression of vascular leakage.CONCLUSION:The DL-AAA rabbit model mimics RNV angiographic features like RNV and chronic retinal leakage.Based on these features the DL-AAA rabbit model provides an invaluable tool that could be used to test the therapeutic efficacy and duration of action of novel anti-angiogenic formulations,alone or in combination with anti-inflammatory compounds.
文摘Theoretical investigation on the propagation characteristics of a new class of laser beams known as multi Gaussian(M.G)laser beams has been presented.To investigate the linear characteristics,propagation of the laser beam in vacuum has been considered.Whereas,the nonlinear characteristics have been investigated in plasmas.Optical nonlinearity of the plasma has been modeled by relativistic mass nonlinearity of the plasma electrons in the field of laser beam.Formulation is based on finding the semi analytical solution of the wave equation for the slowly varying envelope of the laser beam.Particularly,the dynamical evolutions of the beam width and longitudinal phase of the laser beam have been investigated in detail.
基金This work was supported by the Deanship of Scientific Research,King Saud University,Saudi Arabia.
文摘Since the beginning of time,humans have relied on plants for food,energy,and medicine.Plants are recognized by leaf,flower,or fruit and linked to their suitable cluster.Classification methods are used to extract and select traits that are helpful in identifying a plant.In plant leaf image categorization,each plant is assigned a label according to its classification.The purpose of classifying plant leaf images is to enable farmers to recognize plants,leading to the management of plants in several aspects.This study aims to present a modified whale optimization algorithm and categorizes plant leaf images into classes.This modified algorithm works on different sets of plant leaves.The proposed algorithm examines several benchmark functions with adequate performance.On ten plant leaf images,this classification method was validated.The proposed model calculates precision,recall,F-measurement,and accuracy for ten different plant leaf image datasets and compares these parameters with other existing algorithms.Based on experimental data,it is observed that the accuracy of the proposed method outperforms the accuracy of different algorithms under consideration and improves accuracy by 5%.
基金The Graphic Era Hill University Dehradun supported the research of the Sandeep Kumar and Teekam Singh.The corresponding and the third authors thank Prince Sultan University for the financial support.
文摘This study presents an inventory model for imperfect products with depletion in ordering costs and constant lead time where the price discount in the backorder is permitted.The imperfect products are refused or modified or if they reached to the customer,returned and thus some extra costs are experienced.Lately some of the researchers explicitly present on the significant association between size of lot and quality imperfection.In practical situations,the unsatisfied demands increase the period of lead time and decrease the backorders.To control customers'problems and losses,the supplier provides a price discount in backorders during shortages.Also,an order’s policies may result in including some imperfect products in arrival lots.A discount on price may be offered by the supplier on the out-of-stock products to manage the backorder problems.The study aims to develop a model with imperfect products by permitting the price discount in backorders,and the cost of ordering is considered a decision variable.First,it is assumed that the demand for lead time is followed by a normal distribution and then stops it and assumed that the first two moments of demand for lead time are known.Further,the minimax distribution method is used to solve this model,and a separate algorithm is designed.In this study,two models are discussed with and without a normally distributed rate of demand.The current study verified with the help of some numerical examples over various model parameters.
文摘Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) records brain activity using electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets in the form of EEG signals;these signals can berecorded, processed and classified into different hand movements, which can beused to control other IoT devices. Classification of hand movements will beone step closer to applying these algorithms in real-life situations using EEGheadsets. This paper uses different feature extraction techniques and sophisticatedmachine learning algorithms to classify hand movements from EEG brain signalsto control prosthetic hands for amputated persons. To achieve good classificationaccuracy, denoising and feature extraction of EEG signals is a significant step. Wesaw a considerable increase in all the machine learning models when the movingaverage filter was applied to the raw EEG data. Feature extraction techniques likea fast fourier transform (FFT) and continuous wave transform (CWT) were usedin this study;three types of features were extracted, i.e., FFT Features, CWTCoefficients and CWT scalogram images. We trained and compared differentmachine learning (ML) models like logistic regression, random forest, k-nearestneighbors (KNN), light gradient boosting machine (GBM) and XG boost onFFT and CWT features and deep learning (DL) models like VGG-16, DenseNet201 and ResNet50 trained on CWT scalogram images. XG Boost with FFTfeatures gave the maximum accuracy of 88%.