Auxiliary Network: Scalable and agile online learning for dynamic system with inconsistently available inputs

Streaming classification methods assume the number of input features is fixed and always received. But in many real-world scenarios, some features are reliable while others are unreliable or inconsistent. We propose a novel online deep learning-based model called Auxiliary Network (Aux-Net), which is scalable and agile and can handle any number of inputs at each time instance. The Aux-Net model is based on the hedging algorithm and online gradient descent. It employs a model of varying depth in an online setting using single pass learning. Aux-Net is a foundational work towards scalable neural network for a dynamic complex environment dealing ad hoc or inconsistent inputs. The efficacy of Aux-Net is shown on the Italy Power Demand dataset

Tube bending with axial pull and internal pressure

Tube bending is a widely used manufacturing process in the aerospace, automotive, and other industries. During tube bending, considerable in-plane distortion and thickness variation occurs. The thickness increases at the intrados (surface of tube in contact with the die) and it reduces at the extrados (outer surface of the tube). In some cases, when the bend die radius is small, wrinkling occurs at the intrados. In industry a mandrel is used to eliminate wrinkling and reduce distortion. However, in the case of a close bend die radius, use of a mandrel should be avoided as bending with the mandrel increases the thinning of the wall at the extrados, which is undesirable in the manufacturing operation. The present research focuses on additional loadings such as axial force and internal pressure which can be used to achieve better shape control and thickness distribution of the tube. Based on plasticity theories, an analytical model is developed to predict cross section distortion and thickness change of tubes under various loading conditions. Results from both the FEA and analytical model indicated that at the intrados the increase in thickness for bending with internal pressure and bending with combined axial pull and internal pressure was nearly the same. But in the case of bending with the combination of axial pull and internal pressure there was a significant reduction of thickness at the extrados. A parametric study was conducted for the case of bending with combined internal pressure and axial pull and it was seen that with proper selection of the pressure and axial pull wrinkling can be eliminated, thickness distribution around the tube can be optimized, and cross section distortion of the tube can be reduced. Predictions of the analytical model are in good agreement with finite element simulations and published experimental results. The model can be used to evaluate tooling and process design in tube bending

Impact of coronavirus disease pandemic on antimicrobials consumption and antimicrobial resistance during the first and second wave in a tertiary care hospital, in India

Background: This study measured the impact of the first and second wave of COVID-19 pandemic (in the year 2020-21) on the antibiotics uses and their effect on gram nehative bacterial species Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter. Methods: The number of patient admission month-wise, antibiotic consumption, blood cultures collected, number of positive BCs, and antibiotic resistance were analysed retrospectively for the years 2020, 2021, and 2019 for comparison, in tertiary care hospital (ca. 840 beds). Results: Half of patients admitted in years 2020 and 2021 in our hospital had COVID-19. A significant increase in total antibiotic consumption during the years 2020 (75.53 DDD per 100 admissions) and 2021 (91.71 DDD per 100 admissions) occurred in comparison to the year 2019 (52.5 DDD per 100 admissions). The rate ratio of BCs per 100 admissions increased by 74% in the year 2020, and 118% in the year 2021 in comparison with the rate ratio to the year 2019. The BSI rate per 100 admissions increased overall by 24% in March 2020 and 115% in April 2020, the rate ratio of BSIs per 100 admissions raised 58.4% for Klebsiella and 239.3% for E. coli, but remain the same for Acinetobacter and Aeruginosa. A sharp increase in the rate of BSIs caused by microorganisms resistant to cephalosporins was also observed in the years 2020 and 2021. Conclusions: present study highlights the impact of the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic on antibiotic consumption and the increasing prevalence hospital-acquired infections and antimicrobial resistance

Forearm bone mineral density in postmenopausal Indian women: correlation with calcium nutrition

Background: Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass with micro architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to enhanced bone fragility, thus increasing the susceptibility to fracture. This study was conducted with the objective of measuring forearm bone mineral density in postmenopausal Indian women and to establish a correlation with indices of calcium nutrition i.e. dietary calcium intake, calcium supplements, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, serum alkaline phosphatase and serum intact parathyroid hormone.Methods: Fifty healthy, ambulatory postmenopausal women were selected and a prospective observational study was conducted to correlate the BMD with indices of calcium nutrition. Patient’s laboratory investigations (serum calcium, serum phosphorous, serum alkaline phosphatase and serum intact parathyroid hormone were done and BMD was assessed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at non-dominant forearm; T-scores and Z-score were derived. Correlation analysis was done to investigate the relationship between indices of calcium nutrition and BMD.Results: The proportion of osteoporosis in forearm was 22%in the deficient group, 60% in the insufficient group and 18% in the sufficient group. Among the study group 15 subjects were osteoporotic by T score mid forearm where as 7 were osteoporotic with T score ultra distal forearm and 11 subjects had osteoporosis with T score total forearm.Conclusions: Out of all the indices of calcium nutrition, the correlation between the serum alkaline phosphatase and T score forearm was statistically significant

Intrinsic nonlinear thermal Hall transport of magnons: A Quantum kinetic theory approach

We present a systematic study of the nonlinear thermal Hall responses in bosonic systems using the quantum kinetic theory framework. We demonstrate the existence of an intrinsic nonlinear boson thermal current, arising from the quantum metric which is a wavefunction dependent band geometric quantity. In contrast to the nonlinear Drude and nonlinear anomalous Hall contributions, the intrinsic nonlinear thermal conductivity is independent of the scattering timescale. We demonstrate the dominance of this intrinsic thermal Hall response in topological magnons in a two-dimensional ferromagnetic honeycomb lattice without Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Our findings highlight the significance of band geometry induced nonlinear thermal transport and motivate experimental probe of the intrinsic nonlinear thermal Hall response with implications for quantum magnonics.Comment: 17 pages, and 5 figures; Feedback and criticism are invite

The anti-inflammatory effects of Curcuma longa and Berberis aristata in endotoxin-induced uveitis in rabbits

Purpose. To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of topical application of Curcuma longa (C. longa) and Berberis aristata (B. aristata) aqueous extracts on experimental uveitis in the rabbit. Methods. Anterior uveitis was induced in rabbits by intravitreal injection of lipopolysaccharide from Escherichia coli after pretreatment with C. longa and B. aristata aqueous extracts. Subsequently, the anti-inflammatory activity of C. longa and B. aristata was evaluated by grading the clinical signs and histopathologic changes and estimating the inflammatory cell count, protein, and TNF-α levels in the aqueous humor. Results. The anterior segment inflammation in the control group was significantly higher than in both the extract-treated groups, as observed by clinical and histopathologic grading. The inflammatory cell count in the control group was 30.75 ± 7.33 × 105 cells/mL, whereas it was 2.39 ± 0.59 × 105 (P < 0.001 vs. control) and 11.56 ± 2.44 × 105 (P = 0.001 vs. control) cells/mL in the C. longa– and B. aristata–treated groups, respectively. The protein content of the aqueous humor was 18.14 ± 4.98, 3.16 ± 0.55 (P < 0.001 vs. control), and 8.24 ± 1.42 (P < 0.01 vs. control) mg/mL in the control, C. longa–, and B. aristata–treated groups, respectively. The aqueous TNF-α level in the control group was 976.29 ± 66.38 pg/mL and was 311.96 ± 28.50 (P < 0.0001 vs. control) and 654.09 ± 47.66 (P < 0.001vs. control) pg/mL in the C. longa– and B. aristata–treated groups, respectively. Conclusions. Topical instillation of aqueous extracts of C. longa and B. aristata showed potent anti-inflammatory activity against endotoxin-induced uveitis in rabbits

Harnessing the Potential of ChatGPT in Endodontics: A Comprehensive Review

Artificial intelligence, and particularly language models like ChatGPT, are increasingly transforming the field of healthcare, including dentistry and, more specifically, endodontics. This review explores the current and potential applications of ChatGPT in endodontics, addressing its impact on diagnosis, treatment planning, education, patient communication, research, and highlights challenges, ethical considerations, and future directions for leveraging ChatGPT to enhance the practice of endodontic