Digital world – obstructions and solutions

The world at present is hovering around digitization. The word digitization stands at the upper edge. To ignore it, means to deprive one of the expanding world of opportunities. In contrast to it one still finds oneself amidst lot of obstructions - obstructions that sometimes erupt in the form of financial crunch, sometimes in the sluggish attitude of the staff, sometimes in unwillingness on the part of worker, sometimes in traditional attitude of the seniors, sometimes in impediments from government and sometimes in the technology itself. Whatever be the problems one cannot avoid this most essential aspect of life. Rather one shall have to find the solutions, which too are not difficult to find. One should resolve to adopt the concept and only then they will find that nothing is impossible to usher in the new era of immense potentials

Bilateral temporal spinous projections overshadowing the sphenoidal spines: an anatomical and radiological evaluation

The infratemporal fossa has traditionally been described as a post-maxillary space, which is open below, to the rear and laterally. The most reliable osseous landmarks of the infratemporal and parapharyngeal spaces are the pterygoid and styloid processes and the sphenoidal spine. In the present study the skull exhibited the normal sphenoidal spines along with a prominent spinous projection emanating bilaterally from the tympanic plate of the temporal bone. The objective of the present paper is to report an anatomical and radiological evaluation of the sphenoidal spines coexistent with bilateral temporal spinous projections. Additionally, the topographical relationship of this osseous variation is discussed with particular reference to neurovascular structures. Unduly prominent temporal spinous projections may cause obstruction, thus reducing the operative field. The anatomical variations relating to bony and vascular structures in this region are of paramount importance to neurosurgeons and otorhinolaryngologists

Lathyrus genetic resources network: Proceedings of a IPGRI-ICARDA-ICAR Regional Working Group Meeting, 8-10 December 1997, New Delhi, India

Neglected and underutilized crops ”have received relatively less attention in national or international priorities. IPGRI has recognized the potential importance of such crops, and in partnership with others around the world, has undertaken a series of activities to understand and promote the role of such crops in helping to achieve food security and agricultural sustainability through local peoples” maintenance of diversity and in realizing their potential for improvement. The potential of Lathyrus sativus (Grass pea) as a nutritious pulse with high quality grain and fodder, is well recognized in South Asia, Ethiopia and parts of Central, West and North Asia, where other species of this genepool also occur. The local types are tolerant to flood and drought conditions and possess unique adaptation as a post-rice crop across much of South Asia. Other cultivated species of Lathyrus are L. ochrus and L. cicera mainly grown in Central, West and North Africa as a fodder crop. These proceedings are the outcome of the first meeting of this Working Group. This meeting, which took place at NBPGR, New Delhi in December 1997, reviewed progress, reaffirmed the concern and interest of the participating countries in this crop and worked out on the modalities of the Lathyrus Genetic Resources Network (LGRN) - its proposed structure and functioning

Podophyllum hexandrum Offers Radioprotection by Modulating Free Radical Flux: Role of Aryl-Tetralin Lignans

We have evaluated the effect of variation in aryl-tetralin lignans on the radioprotective properties of Podophyllum hexandrum. Two fractionated fractions of P. hexandrum [methanolic (S1) and chloroform fractions (S2)], with varying aryl-tetralin lignan content were utilized for the present study. The peroxyl ion scavenging potentials of S1 and S2 were found to be comparable [i.e. 45.88% (S1) and 41% (S2)] after a 48 h interval in a time-dependent study, whereas in a 2 h study, S2 exhibited significant (P < 0.05) antioxidant activity in different metal ion + flux states. In the aqueous phase, S2 exhibited non-site-specific reactive oxygen species scavenging activity, i.e. 73.12% inhibition at 500 μg ml(−1). S1 exhibited 58.40 ± 0.8% inhibition (at 0.025 μg ml(−1)) of the formation of reactive nitrite radicals, comparable to S2 (52.45 ± 0.825%), and also showed 45.01% site-specific activity (1000 μg ml(−1)), along with significant (P < 0.05) electron donation potential (50–2000 μg ml(−1)) compared to S2. Such activities of S1 could be attributed to the significantly (P < 0.05) higher levels of podophyllotoxin β-d-glucopyranoside (16.5 times) and demethyl podophyllotoxin glucoside (2.9 times) compared with S2. Together, these findings clearly prove that aryl-tetralin lignan content influences the radiation protective potential of the Podophyllum fractions to a great extent

Delamination properties of laminated glass windows subject to blast loading

Delamination processes absorb significant amounts of energy in laminated glass windows when they are subjected to blast loads. Blast tests were performed previously and their results had been used to calculate the loads imposed on the support systems. In this research, the delamination process at realistic deformation rates was studied to understand the reaction force response obtained. Laboratory tensile tests were performed on pre-cracked laminated glass specimens to investigate their delamination behaviour. The experiments confirmed the presence of a plateau in the force-deflection graphs, suggesting that the delamination process absorbed significant energy. The experimental results were then employed to calibrate FEA models of the delamination process with the aim of estimating the delamination energy of the polyvinyl butyral (PVB) membrane and glass layers and its relationship with deformation speed. The delamination energies obtained through this research, if used with the appropriate PVB material model, are a valuable new tool new tool in the modelling and design of laminated glass façade structures

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe

Search for the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV

A search for a Higgs boson decaying into two photons is described. The analysis is performed using a dataset recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC from pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, which corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.8 inverse femtobarns. Limits are set on the cross section of the standard model Higgs boson decaying to two photons. The expected exclusion limit at 95% confidence level is between 1.4 and 2.4 times the standard model cross section in the mass range between 110 and 150 GeV. The analysis of the data excludes, at 95% confidence level, the standard model Higgs boson decaying into two photons in the mass range 128 to 132 GeV. The largest excess of events above the expected standard model background is observed for a Higgs boson mass hypothesis of 124 GeV with a local significance of 3.1 sigma. The global significance of observing an excess with a local significance greater than 3.1 sigma anywhere in the search range 110-150 GeV is estimated to be 1.8 sigma. More data are required to ascertain the origin of this excess.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Comparative Analysis of Calcineurin Inhibitor-Based Methotrexate and Mycophenolate Mofetil-Containing Regimens for Prevention of Graft-versus-Host Disease after Reduced-Intensity Conditioning Allogeneic Transplantation

The combination of a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) such as tacrolimus (TAC) or cyclosporine (CYSP) with methotrexate (MTX) or with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been commonly used for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis after reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), but there are limited data comparing efficacy of the 2 regimens. We evaluated 1564 adult patients who underwent RIC alloHCT for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) from 2000 to 2013 using HLA-identical sibling (matched related donor [MRD]) or unrelated donor (URD) peripheral blood graft and received CYSP or TAC with MTX or MMF for GVHD prophylaxis. Primary outcomes of the study were acute and chronic GVHD and overall survival (OS). The study divided the patient population into 4 cohorts based on regimen: MMF-TAC, MMF-CYSP, MTX-TAC, and MTX-CYSP. In the URD group, MMF-CYSP was associated with increased risk of grade II to IV acute GVHD (relative risk [RR], 1.78; P <.001) and grade III to IV acute GVHD (RR, 1.93; P =.006) compared with MTX-TAC. In the URD group, use of MMF-TAC (versus MTX-TAC) lead to higher nonrelapse mortality. (hazard ratio, 1.48; P =.008). In either group, no there was no difference in chronic GVHD, disease-free survival, and OS among the GVHD prophylaxis regimens. For RIC alloHCT using MRD, there are no differences in outcomes based on GVHD prophylaxis. However, with URD RIC alloHCT, MMF-CYSP was inferior to MTX-based regimens for acute GVHD prevention, but all the regimens were equivalent in terms of chronic GVHD and OS. Prospective studies, targeting URD recipients are needed to confirm these results

Measurement of the Lambda(b) cross section and the anti-Lambda(b) to Lambda(b) ratio with Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda decays in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

The Lambda(b) differential production cross section and the cross section ratio anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) are measured as functions of transverse momentum pt(Lambda(b)) and rapidity abs(y(Lambda(b))) in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The measurements are based on Lambda(b) decays reconstructed in the exclusive final state J/Psi Lambda, with the subsequent decays J/Psi to an opposite-sign muon pair and Lambda to proton pion, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.9 inverse femtobarns. The product of the cross section times the branching ratio for Lambda(b) to J/Psi Lambda versus pt(Lambda(b)) falls faster than that of b mesons. The measured value of the cross section times the branching ratio for pt(Lambda(b)) > 10 GeV and abs(y(Lambda(b))) < 2.0 is 1.06 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.12 nb, and the integrated cross section ratio for anti-Lambda(b)/Lambda(b) is 1.02 +/- 0.07 +/- 0.09, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters

Search for new physics in events with opposite-sign leptons, jets, and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

A search is presented for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) in final states with a pair of opposite-sign isolated leptons accompanied by jets and missing transverse energy. The search uses LHC data recorded at a center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the CMS detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 5 inverse femtobarns. Two complementary search strategies are employed. The first probes models with a specific dilepton production mechanism that leads to a characteristic kinematic edge in the dilepton mass distribution. The second strategy probes models of dilepton production with heavy, colored objects that decay to final states including invisible particles, leading to very large hadronic activity and missing transverse energy. No evidence for an event yield in excess of the standard model expectations is found. Upper limits on the BSM contributions to the signal regions are deduced from the results, which are used to exclude a region of the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model. Additional information related to detector efficiencies and response is provided to allow testing specific models of BSM physics not considered in this paper.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO