Design of Resonant Converter Topologies in Electric Vehicles

The world climate and environment are facing serious threats due to the carbon emission caused by diesel-based vehicles. The increased use of fossil fuels in diesel based vehicles is one of the main reasons for global warming and climate change issues. A recent report suggests that transportation is responsible for contributing 24% of global carbon emissions. Another study by the European Union mentions that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by the transport sector are approximately 27%, while 70% of emissions are directly emitted by vehicle transport. To address these concerns, electric vehicles (EVs) have received massive attention around the world due to their zero carbon emissions, low noise, light weight, improved performance and efficiency

Significance of tissue microbiopsies in fine needle aspiration cytology

Background: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology smears prepared through conventional method, often contain well preserved viable tissue fragments which are intact (Tissue Micro biopsies). They will provide information on the tissue architecture and contribute to the tumour ontogeny.Methods: A prospective study of significance of tissue micro biopsies in FNAC were studied and interpreted in the Cytopathology laboratory of Department of Pathology, Tirunelveli Medical College, Tirunelveli. 100 cases with clinically palpable Swellings were studied.Results: Out of 100 cases, 82% of cases were coming under the category of conventional FNAC, 10% of the cases were USG guided and 8% were falling under CT guided FNAC. The organs with highest yield of micro biopsies were lymph nodes 34 cases (34%) followed by breast 24 cases, thyroid 11 cases, lung 8 cases, salivary gland 7 cases, liver and bone and soft tissue 4 cases each, abdominal mass 3cases, pancreas 2 cases, and single case each of ovary, spleen, anterior mediastinum. Of the total 100 cases, 56% of the cases were malignant and 44% of the cases were benign. Among the 56 malignant tumours 41(73.2%) cases were primary tumours and 15cases (26.8%) were metastatic tumours.Conclusions: FNA smears containing micro biopsies help in diagnosis, typing of tumour and predicting possible primary sites in cases of metastatic tumours which were not possible by cytology alone. Hence, this technique can be used to increase the diagnostic accuracy of FNAC if put into practice

Large adnexal mass: is laparoscopic surgery a safe option?

Background: Laparoscopic surgery is regarded as the gold standard for management of adnexal tumours due to many advantages. Currently, the exact size of the adnexal tumour contraindicating laparoscopic management has not been clearly defined. Some studies suggest laparotomy for the treatment of adnexal tumours larger than 8 to 10 cm. Risk of malignancy increases with large cysts. Issues with operation of huge adnexal masses are limited surgical field, difficulty in inserting trocars and removing the specimen without rupture. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and surgical outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for large adnexal masses.Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, JSS Medical College, Mysuru.Results: 35 patients with large adnexal masses, which were thought to be benign, were subjected to laparoscopic surgery. Mean diameter of masses as per the pre-operative ultrasound measurements was 12.2cm (range: 10.1-20.4cm). The mean operative time was 51.15minutes, estimated blood loss was 85.4ml, duration of postoperative hospital stay was 2.8 days. Serous cystadenoma was the most common histopathological finding. However, one case of borderline tumour was found.Conclusions: The potential risk of malignancy is the most important limiting factor for laparoscopic management of large ovarian cysts. Therefore, it is necessary to establish risk profiles of patients with adnexal masses in order to benefit from minimally invasive surgery wherever possible. The current study supports laparoscopic management of large ovarian cysts as a technically feasible method if proper case selection is made

LDH as a prognostic marker in hypertensive pregnancy

Background: Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) is a global problem with a 5-15% incidence rate in India and complicating 10-17% of all pregnancies. These are multisystem disorders and lead to a lot of cellular death. LDH is an intracellular enzyme and its level is increased in these women due to cellular death. So, serum LDH levels can be used to assess the extent of cellular death and thereby the severity of disease in this group of women. The objective of the study was to correlate the severity of the disease, maternal and perinatal outcome with Lactic Dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in serum in patients of preeclampsia and eclampsia.Methods: A prospective comparative study was conducted in the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, JSS Medical Hospital, Mysore.Results: LDH levels were significantly elevated in women with preeclampsia and eclampsia (<0.001). Higher LDH levels had significant correlation with high blood pressure (P <0.10) as well as poor maternal and perinatal outcome.Conclusions: High serum LDH levels correlate well with the severity of the disease and poor outcomes in patients of preeclampsia and eclampsia

Prescribing pattern of ophthalmological medication in geriatric inpatients of a tertiary care hospital

Background: Older people are potentially at greater risk of medication error. Gaining insight into the prescribing pattern especially in eye diseases as they are a common problem in elderly, in order to identify prescribing related problems is the fundamental step in improving the quality of prescription and patient care.Methods: Prescriptions fulfilling inclusion criteria were collected from hospital Medical record department (MRD) and analyzed using the World Health Organization (WHO) core prescribing indicators for rationality of prescriptions.Results: Among 811 prescriptions analysed, 52.7% (428) were of male patients, those aged 60-70 years were 77.2% (626) and patients with only cataract constituted 77% (625). Prescriptions with oral antibiotics were 57.1% (334); topical antibiotics were 35.8% (429) and topical analgesics 46.2% (553). Out of 1182 FDCs noted, 59% (479) were found to be rational and 34.6% (281) were from Essential Medicines List 2014. Only 2% (61) drugs were prescribed using generic name while 64.06% (1606) of drugs were from the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (April 2015). Average number of drugs per encounter was 3.7. Percentage of encounters with antibiotics was found to be 43.8% and no prescriptions with injections were noted.Conclusions: Although usage of antibiotics and topical drugs was conforming to WHO recommended standards, there is a need to improve prescription pattern by using generic names and drugs from Essential Drug List

Total Value of Phosphorus Recovery

Phosphorus (P) is a critical, geographically concentrated, nonrenewable resource necessary to support global food production. In excess (e.g., due to runoff or wastewater discharges), P is also a primary cause of eutrophication. To reconcile the simultaneous shortage and overabundance of P, lost P flows must be recovered and reused, alongside improvements in P-use efficiency. While this motivation is increasingly being recognized, little P recovery is practiced today, as recovered P generally cannot compete with the relatively low cost of mined P. Therefore, P is often captured to prevent its release into the environment without beneficial recovery and reuse. However, additional incentives for P recovery emerge when accounting for the total value of P recovery. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the range of benefits of recovering P from waste streams, i.e., the total value of recovering P. This approach accounts for P products, as well as other assets that are associated with P and can be recovered in parallel, such as energy, nitrogen, metals and minerals, and water. Additionally, P recovery provides valuable services to society and the environment by protecting and improving environmental quality, enhancing efficiency of waste treatment facilities, and improving food security and social equity. The needs to make P recovery a reality are also discussed, including business models, bottlenecks, and policy and education strategies

Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy: A case report

AbstractIntroductionEndoscopic thyroidectomy, initially an experimental procedure, is now being performed in increasing frequency. It aims to provide patients undergoing thyroidectomy with a ‘scar-free’ surgery. Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy is one such novel procedure that is based on the principles of natural orifice translumenal surgery (NOTES) and allows for a truly scar-free surgery with minimal dissection.Presentation of caseA 21-year-old female presented with a swelling over the left side of her neck. Ultrasound revealed a solitary nodule and FNAC showed features suggestive of a follicular adenoma.DiscussionThe patient underwent transoral endoscopic hemi-thyroidectomy. The procedure lasted for 2h and is one of the few documented cases of transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy performed on live patients.ConclusionTransoral endoscopic thyroidectomy is proving to be a feasible technique with little or no complications as compared to other endoscopic thyroid surgeries. It provides surgeons with easy access to the thyroid gland and patients with aesthetically pleasing results

Improving lipid recovery from Scenedesmus wet biomass by surfactant-assisted disruption

Citation: Lai, Y. S., De Francesco, F., Aguinaga, A., Parameswaran, P., & Rittmann, B. E. (2016). Improving lipid recovery from Scenedesmus wet biomass by surfactant-assisted disruption. Green Chemistry, 18(5), 1319-1326. doi:10.1039/c5gc02159fMicroalgae-derived lipids are good sources of biofuel, but extracting them involves high cost, energy expenditure, and environmental risk. Surfactant treatment to disrupt Scenedesmus biomass was evaluated as a means to make solvent extraction more efficient. Surfactant treatment increased the recovery of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) by as much as 16-fold vs. untreated biomass using isopropanol extraction, and nearly 100% FAME recovery was possible without any Folch solvent, which is toxic and expensive. Surfactant treatment caused cell disruption and morphological changes to the cell membrane, as documented by transmission electron microscopy and flow cytometry. Surfactant treatment made it possible to extract wet biomass at room temperature, which avoids the expense and energy cost associated with heating and drying of biomass during the extraction process. The best FAME recovery was obtained from high-lipid biomass treated with Myristyltrimethylammonium bromide (MTAB)- and 3-(decyldimethylammonio)-propanesulfonate inner salt (3_DAPS)-surfactants using a mixed solvent (hexane : isopropanol = 1 : 1, v/v) vortexed for just 1 min; this was as much as 160-fold higher than untreated biomass. The critical micelle concentration of the surfactants played a major role in dictating extraction performance, but the growth stage of the biomass had an even larger impact on how well the surfactants disrupted the cells and improved lipid extraction. Surfactant treatment had minimal impact on extracted-FAME profiles and, consequently, fuel-feedstock quality. This work shows that surfactant treatment is a promising strategy for more efficient, sustainable, and economical extraction of fuel feedstock from microalgae

DATA UPLOADING AND LOAD BALANCED CLUSTERING IN MOBILE ADHOC NETWORKS

In using reverence for reverence, it is intended to increase the verb of reverence. Our goal is to introduce advertisements advertising and selective options that can enhance the effectiveness of hearing the impact of the vision and the accuracy of the records that should be reduced. The design of the light enhances the quality of information in the way of evidence and understanding. We certify that the consent can be certified 100% approved and validated. In particular, we use the website of all advertising and adverts in the diamond ring to ensure the sound accuracy of the sounds and reporting the information provided. In addition, in most recent broadcast advertisements and in the proposed plan, the need for storage of selected devices is usually limited. Most examples show that agreements agree on agreements can be a lasting relationship, and monitoring the burden on the connection. It does not prove that at least one witness can look at the open source to see if there is an attack on something or something else. Implementation of the ERCD is considered when it comes to evidence of approval of qualifications, electricity, contact life and the power of the light. Specific examples show that the pattern of respect and relationship between the life and the accuracy of records can be better set

Mejora de los niveles de conciencia y salud periodontal entre pacientes sometidos a terapia con aparatos de ortodoncia fijos con gingivitis establecida y programa de mantenimiento de la salud periodontal: Un estudio basado en cuestionarios.

Objetive: Home oral care practices in patients undergoing orthodontic therapy are often ineffective in maintaining optimal plaque control. The aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of periodontal maintenance program in subjects with established gingivitis undergoing fixed orthodontic appliance therapy for one year. Material and Methods: Forty patients undergoing fixed orthodontic appliance therapy with established chronic gingivitis were recruited for the study. As a part of a periodontal maintenance program, a pre-validated structured questionnaire evaluating oral hygiene and periodontal health was administered at the baseline as well as at the end of the study. At the baseline Gingival Bleeding Index, Gingival Index, and Bonded Bracket Plaque Index scores were recorded, Scaling and polishing procedure was performed followed by a customised Oral Hygiene Advice (OHA) session was conducted for all the study subjects. Clinical indices were assessed and OHA was conducted at the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th months of orthodontic treatment visits. Results: There was significant improvement in the clinical indices and awareness regarding oral hygiene and periodontal health level in the patients at the end of the 12th month. Conclusion: The periodontal maintenance program appeared to be effective in improving the periodontal health and awareness health awareness level about oral hygiene among patients undergoing fixed orthodontic therapy at the end of 12 months in our study population.Objetivo: Las prácticas de cuidado bucal en el hogar en pacientes sometidos a terapia de ortodoncia suelen ser ineficaces para mantener un control óptimo de la placa. El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar la efectividad del programa de mantenimiento periodontal en sujetos con gingivitis establecida sometidos a terapia con aparatos de ortodoncia fijos durante un año. Material y Métodos: Se reclutó para el estudio a 40 pacientes sometidos a terapia con aparatos de ortodoncia fijos y con gingivitis crónica establecida. Como parte de un programa de mantenimiento periodontal, se administró un cuestionario estructurado pre-validado que evaluaba la higiene bucal y la salud periodontal al inicio y al final del estudio. En la línea de base, se registraron las puntuaciones del índice de sangrado gingival, el índice gingival y el índice de placa de soporte adherido, se realizó el procedimiento de raspado y pulido seguido de una sesión personalizada de consejos de higiene oral (CHO) para todos los sujetos del estudio. Se evaluaron los índices clínicos y se llevó a cabo la CHO a los 3, 6, 9 y 12 meses durante las visitas de tratamiento de ortodoncia. Resultados: Hubo una mejora significativa en los índices clínicos y la conciencia sobre la higiene oral y el nivel de salud periodontal en los pacientes al final del 12º mes. Conclusión: El programa de mantenimiento periodontal pareció ser eficaz para mejorar la salud periodontal y el nivel de conciencia de la salud sobre la higiene bucal entre los pacientes sometidos a terapia de ortodoncia fija al final de los 12 meses en nuestra población de estudio