Embedded DNN Classifier for Five Different Cardiac Diseases

The evolution of modern healthcare has been signif- icantly shaped by the convergence of connected sensors, smart Wearable Devices, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things giving rise to the domain of eHealth and offering invalu- able insights into the complications of heart health. eHealth’s im- pact extends to facilitating diagnosis, treatment, and medication for a diverse array of conditions, prominently including cardiac diseases. Despite substantial strides in medical technology, the detection of arrhythmia remains a persistent challenge, with early diagnosis holding the potential to avert numerous fatalities. This paper proposes an ultra-lightweight (876KB) Embedded- Deep Neural Network model specifically designed for resource- constrained devices. With high accuracy ranging from 94% to 99% for five classes identified from the MIT-BIH dataset, the proposed model is small enough to fit on tiny devices like the Arduino Nano BLE 33 Sense. This translates to low power consumption and real-time inference, making it ideal for screening cardiac diseases on wearable devices

Plant-Derived bioactive compounds as Skin Photo protection Agents

Exposure to the sun is unavoidable in daily life. Ultra-violet radiations are the major component of sunlight and play a significant role in damaging the skin. They induce many skin problems like erythema, sun burn, rashes as well as skin cancer. Although the protective layer of earth, the ozone layer, filters most of the damaging radiations from the sun, with the dramatic rise in pollution, global warming is reaching at its peak point. These pollutants deteriorate the protective ozone layer of earth, resulting in its thinning which in turn allows the passage of hazardous solar radiations to the earth. These radiations act as the most potent irritant for the skin cells. In order to avoid these hazardous effects of UV radiations, there is an emerging demand for the use of photo protectants. Manufacturers of various cosmetic and skin care companies are focusing on natural compounds to deal with skin problems caused by UV radiations. It includes phytochemicals and bioactive compounds from the plants. As these are natural and economic, they don’t leave any damaging effect on the body and are the best photo protectants against UV radiations. There are several plants with their chemical compounds derived and studied for their photoprotective role. Most of them are proven best for cosmetic remedies. This review will provide a look over the plant-derived bioactive compounds of Southeast Asia with their photo protectant effect

Synthesis Process Optimization of Polyimide Nanocomposite Multilayer Films, Their Dielectric Properties, and Modeling

Polymer nanocomposite-based dielectric materials are playing a vital role in the area of electrical insulation research and developments. The nanoparticle dispersion and interface region are the crucial parts of these developments. This chapter begins with the description of physical properties and their derived nanoparticles of polyimide (PI) films. Then, the detailed synthesis process of PI/nanocomposite multilayer film and its optimization is discussed in this chapter. Several factors in the synthesis process, which can influence the quality of the film, are discussed. After synthesis, the dielectric properties such as space charge were measured, and the results are compared with single and multilayer PI/nanocomposite films. Simulations and modeling help to shed light on the experimental results and create an understanding of polymer nanocomposite properties. Therefore, the PI/nanocomposite multilayer 3D model based on boundary conditions obtained from SEM/TEM images of synthesized samples was also constructed and simulated in COMSOL multiphysics software. The nanoparticle agglomeration and the impact of nanoparticle dispersion on the electrical properties of the material are described in detail in this model. The results demonstrate that the nanoparticle dispersion is improved by using a thin layer of PI/nanocomposite on PI film. As a result, fewer space charges and low electric fields are observed in multilayer films

Flame Retardancy and Excellent Electrical Insulation Performance of RTV Silicone Rubber

Room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber filled with aluminum trihydrate (ATH) is substantially engaged in electrical outdoor insulation applications. The pristine silicone rubber is highly combustible. ATH filled silicone rubber offers excellent electrical insulation but lacks in providing adequate flame retardancy. This short communication reports the novel results on improved flame retardancy of pristine and ATH filled silicone rubber whilst retaining the electrical insulation properties to a great extent. Results suggest that the presence of only one percent of graphene nanoplatelets with ATH sharply reduces the heat release rate and rate of smoke release. A minor reduction in dielectric breakdown strength and volume resistivity is noticed. Furthermore, permittivity and dielectric loss at power frequency suggest that a marginal 1% concentration of nanoplatelet with ATH is an excellent approach to fabricate flame retardant silicone rubber with an acceptable electrical insulation level

Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Distant Metastasis as an Unusual Sole Initial Manifestation

Objective:The objective of this study was to identify the characteristic features of patients with distant metastasis as the only manifestation of well-differentiated thyroid cancers and to analyze the treatment outcomesMethods:A retrospective review of all patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancers and distant metastasis as the sole initial presentation was carried out. Data regarding age, gender, tumor histology, site, symptoms, and treatment outcomes were collected.Results:There were 10 patients who presented with distant metastasis as the only presentation. The mean age was 56.1 years. Eight (80%) patients had osseous metastasis, one (10%) had pulmonary and one (10%) had both. Follicular thyroid carcinoma was more common and seen in six (60%) patients. Seven (77.8%) out of nine patients had demised within five years of initial presentation.Conclusion:Distant metastases without a neck lump as the initial presentation of well-differentiated thyroid cancers are extremely rare. No specific guidelines are available to manage such patients due to lack of relevant data in the literature

Characterization of Anti-bacterial Compounds from the Seed Coat of Chinese Windmill Palm Tree (Trachycarpus fortunei)

The increasing of multidrug resistance in bacterial associated infections has impaired the current antimicrobial therapy and it forces the search for other alternatives. In this study, we aimed to find the in vitro antibacterial activity of seed coat of Trachycarpus fortunei against a panel of clinically important bacterial species. Ethanolic extracts of target tissues were fractionated through macro porous resin by column chromatography, using ethanol as an organic solvent with a concentration gradient of 0–100%, each along with 20% concentration increment. The minimum inhibitory (MIC) concentrations of all fractions were measured. It is found that 20% ethanolic fraction showed the most significant inhibition against tested bacterial species. All fractions were analyzed by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography/mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS) and compounds were identified by comparing mass spectra with standard libraries. By pairing the identified compounds from different fractions with the antibacterial activity of each fraction, it was shown that compounds stearamide (7), 1-(4-Fluorophenyl)-2-(methylthio)-1H-imidazole-5-carboxylic acid (9) and 2,4,5 triacetoxybiphenyl (10) topped in the list for anti-bacterial activity. Further experiment with pure chemicals verified that compounds 9 and 10 have antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Whereas, the lowest MIC value (39.06 μg/mL) was obtained by compound 10 against Staphylococcus epidermidis. Hence, the seed coat of T. fortunei with its antimicrobial spectrum could be a good candidate for further bactericidal research

Clinical practice guidelines on the management of variceal bleeding

Gastroesophageal variceal bleeding occurs in 30 - 50% of patients of liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension, with 20-70% mortality in one year. Therefore, it is essential to screen these patients for varices and prevent first episode of bleeding by treating them with β-blockers or endoscopic variceal band ligation. Ideally, the patients with variceal bleeding should be treated in a unit where the personnel are familiar with the management of such patients and where routine therapeutic interventions can be undertaken. Proper management of such patients include: initial assessment, resuscitation, blood volume replacement, vasoactive agents, prevention of associated complications such as bacterial infections, hepatic encephalopathy, coagulopathy and thrombocytopenia, and specific therapy. Rebleeding occurs in about 60% patients within 2 years of their recovery from first variceal bleeding episode, with 33% mortality. Therefore, it is mandatory that all such patients must be started on combination of β-blockers and band ligation to prevent recurrence of bleeding. Patients who required shunt surgery/TIPSS to control the acute episode do not require further preventive measures. These clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been jointly developed by Pakistan Society of Hepatology (PSH) and Pakistan Society of Study of Liver Diseases (PSSLD)

Foliar application of liquiritin protects Chinese flowering cabbage against cucumber mosaic virus and increases health-promoting compounds

Decades of research have revealed notable similarities between the immune systems of the plant and animal kingdoms. Liquiritin has long been used to stimulate the body immunity in animals against an array of diseases. Considering the homology of some induced immune responses between animals and plants, we examined the effects of exogenously applied liquiritin to stimulate defense responses in Chinese flowering cabbage plants against cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) infection under greenhouse and field conditions. Foliar application of liquiritin (200 ppm) effectively suppressed the development of CMV symptoms by not less than 40% compared with the control in cabbage plants in both greenhouse and field trials along with the significant increases in the marketable yield and nutritional quality of cabbage. Liquiritin application enhanced the production of phenolic compounds and different defense-related enzymes in treated plants. Moreover, quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that liquiritin significantly up-regulated the expression of different defense-related genes upon pathogen inoculation, indicating an induction of the salicylic acid-mediated defense system. Collectively, the findings of this study indicate that liquiritin can effectively control CMV in cabbage plants.This study was supported by funding from the Science and Technology Foundation of Guangdong Province (Project No: 2020B0202090002); Guangdong Agriculture Department of China (2020KJ122) and Science and Technology Foundation of China (Project No: QN2020013006).Peer reviewe

TAO Conceptual Design Report: A Precision Measurement of the Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum with Sub-percent Energy Resolution

The Taishan Antineutrino Observatory (TAO, also known as JUNO-TAO) is a satellite experiment of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO). A ton-level liquid scintillator detector will be placed at about 30 m from a core of the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant. The reactor antineutrino spectrum will be measured with sub-percent energy resolution, to provide a reference spectrum for future reactor neutrino experiments, and to provide a benchmark measurement to test nuclear databases. A spherical acrylic vessel containing 2.8 ton gadolinium-doped liquid scintillator will be viewed by 10 m^2 Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) of >50% photon detection efficiency with almost full coverage. The photoelectron yield is about 4500 per MeV, an order higher than any existing large-scale liquid scintillator detectors. The detector operates at -50 degree C to lower the dark noise of SiPMs to an acceptable level. The detector will measure about 2000 reactor antineutrinos per day, and is designed to be well shielded from cosmogenic backgrounds and ambient radioactivities to have about 10% background-to-signal ratio. The experiment is expected to start operation in 2022

Potential of Core-Collapse Supernova Neutrino Detection at JUNO

JUNO is an underground neutrino observatory under construction in Jiangmen, China. It uses 20kton liquid scintillator as target, which enables it to detect supernova burst neutrinos of a large statistics for the next galactic core-collapse supernova (CCSN) and also pre-supernova neutrinos from the nearby CCSN progenitors. All flavors of supernova burst neutrinos can be detected by JUNO via several interaction channels, including inverse beta decay, elastic scattering on electron and proton, interactions on C12 nuclei, etc. This retains the possibility for JUNO to reconstruct the energy spectra of supernova burst neutrinos of all flavors. The real time monitoring systems based on FPGA and DAQ are under development in JUNO, which allow prompt alert and trigger-less data acquisition of CCSN events. The alert performances of both monitoring systems have been thoroughly studied using simulations. Moreover, once a CCSN is tagged, the system can give fast characterizations, such as directionality and light curve