BRAILLE OTP TOKEN

The present disclosure relates to a system and a method of providing secured authentication to visually impaired users. The secured authentication is provided by connecting a braille token device (120) with a user mobile device (110) and receiving sensitive information in the braille token device read from Short Mailing Service (SMS) received in the user mobile device. To receive the sensitive information, the braille token device includes a driver program that may match a format of sensitive information stored in the braille token device with the format of the sensitive information received in the SMS of the user mobile device. If the format matches, the braille token device reads the sensitive information from the SMS. The proposed techniques may help the users to authenticate payment transactions in a secured wa

PRODUCTION OF INDUSTRIALLY IMPORTANT ENZYMES BY THERMOBACILLI ISOLATED FROM HOT SPRINGS OF INDIA

Enzymes from thermophilic bacteria have received great attention for their potential applications in various industrial sectors. The present study deals with the production of five thermozymes (amylase, lipase, xylanase, protease and cellulase) from 10 thermophilic bacterial species, originally isolated from two hot springs namely Soldhar and Ringigad in Uttarakhand Himalaya, India. The bacterial isolate GBPI_25 produced maximum amylase (1217.86 U/ml) at 45 °C and 5 pH, GBPI 3 produced maximum lipase (22.59 U/ml) at 65 °C and 9 pH, GBPI_25 produced maximum xylanase (98.07 U/ml) at45 °C and 9 pH, GBPI_35 produced maximum protease (16.66 U/ml) at 55 °C and 9 pH, and GBPI 4 produced maximum cellulose (108.68 U/ml) at 45 °C and 5 pH. Crude enzyme preparations showed thermal and pH activities at broad temperature and pH range between 10-100 °C and 3-11 pH, respectively, with different temperature and pH optima. Amylase, xylanase and cellulase showed maximum activity at 50 °C while lipase and protease showed higher activity at 40 and 60 °C, respectively. Enzyme activity at wide temperature range-cellulase and protease from 10-100 °C, amylase and xylanasefrom10-90 °C, and lipase activity from 10-80 °C were the remarkable records from this study. Similarly, pH range for amylase and lipase activity was recorded from 4-11, for xylanase from 3-9, and for protease and cellulase from 3-10. All the thermozymes showed maximum stability at 40 °C and pH 5 except cellulase that showed higher stability at40 °C and neutral pH

DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATIONS OF MICRO- AND NANOROBOTICS IN DRUG DELIVERY

Micro-and nanorobotics is a new field of research that emerged from the fusion of micro/nanotechnology and robotics and has since acquired enormous importance. The advantages of micro- and nanorobots include their small dimension, light weight, high flexibility, and high sensitivity. Micro- and nanorobots have sparked the scientific community's interest in research and opened up a broad variety of application areas, including medication delivery and disease diagnostics, due to their differences from macroscopic robots. Over the past 30 years, research on micro- and nanorobots has made major strides. This manuscript provides a detailed explanation of the development of these robots. Then, each of the primary robot components including their actuation, design, production, and control is discussed separately. Additionally, potential challenges in developing such robots are explored from the perspectives of intelligence and sensing, therapeutic applications, materials, and performance

Preferences and Perception Influencing Usage of Neighborhood Public Urban Green Spaces in Fast Urbanizing Indian City

In rapidly expanding Indian cities, the current provisions for public urban green spaces (PUGS) falls below the minimum standards recommended by the WHO, linked with the well-being of urban dwellers. The local authorities are struggling to fulfill the supply side gap, with a disparity in PUGS provisions. Currently, the provisions focus on fulfilling the prerequisites identified by the planning agencies and do not appropriately address the urban greenspace demands. However, effective planning has been emphasized as a way to respond to the diverse, competing and changing demands of PUGS, allowing the incorporation of the needs and preferences of urban dwellers in the planning and management of PUGS to help determine their multifunctionality, usefulness, and popularity. In response, this study attempts to capture the demands of urban dwellers through local social data for neighborhood PUGS of the fast-urbanizing Nagpur. We attempt to assist local authorities in better understanding the provisions for planning and managing PUGS that can fulfil the growing PUGS needs of urban dwellers. Via a social survey of users and residents, we capture visitations, usage, activities, motives of visits, and perceptions about neighborhood PUGS characteristics. The findings highlight the determinants that influence the usage and favored activities. Urban dwellers have a strong tendency to use neighborhood “parks and gardens” due to their convenient proximity, emphasizing how crucial their location is in shaping urban residents’ engagement with these spaces. The socio-demographics shape the preference, and the locals hold negative perceptions about size, vegetation, amenities, as well as maintenance. The identified determinants (access and availability), influencing factors (socio-demographic), and the barrier to usage (negative perceptions) need prioritized attention from the local authorities to accommodate the diverse and competing demands of different sub-groups of the urban dwellers

PCSK9 knock-out mice are protected from neointimal formation in response to perivascular carotid collar placement

Background and aims: Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) induces degradation of the low-density lipoprotein-receptor (LDLR). Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in human atherosclerotic plaques and cultured SMCs express PCSK9. The present study aimed at defining the role of PCSK9 on vascular response to injury. Methods: Carotid neointimal lesions were induced by positioning a non-occlusive collar in PCSK9 knockout (PCSK9(-/-)) and wild type littermate (PCSK9(+/+)) mice. Results: In PCSK9(-/-) mice, we observed a significantly less intimal thickening (p < 0.05), a lower intimal media ratio (p < 0.02), and a tendency to higher lumen area, compared to PCSK9(+/+) mice. When compared with PCSK9(-/-), lesions of PCSK9(+/+) mice had a higher content of SMCs (p < 0.05) and collagen (p < 0.05), while no difference was observed in the accumulation of macrophages. PCSK9 was detectable in both left and right carotids artery in regions occupied by medial and neointimal SMCs. SMCs freshly isolated from PCSK9(-/-), when compared to PCSK9(+/+) cells, showed higher levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA; 2.24 +/- 0.36 fold; p < 0.01) and myosin heavy chain II (MHC-II; 8.65 +/- 1.55 fold; p < 0.01), and lower levels of caldesmon mRNA (-54 +/- 14%; p < 0.01). PCSK9(-/-) cells also showed a slower proliferation rate, and an impaired migratory capacity and G1/S progression of the cell cycle. The reconstitution of PCSK9 expression, by retroviral infection of PCSK9(-/-) SMCs, led to a downregulation of a-SMA (-56 +/- 2%; p < 0.01), MHC-II(-45% +/- 25.5 fold: p = 0.06) and calponin (-25% +/- 0.8 fold: p < 0.05) and induction of caldesmon mRNA (1.46 +/- 0.3 fold; p < 0.05). Proliferation rate of SMCs PCSK9(-/-) was significantly lower compared to PCSK9 reconstituted cells. Conclusions: Taken together, the present results suggest that PCSK9, by sustaining SMC synthetic phenotype, proliferation, and migration, may play a pro-atherogenic role in the arterial wall

Incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), peripheral artery disease (PAD) and cardiovascular events (CVE) in the PLIC population according to the rs9370867 SNP.

<p>Panels A, B and C shows the incidence (%) of CHD, PAD and CVE for GG, AG or AA carriers of the rs9370867 IDOL SNP. Panel D shows the risk CHD, PAD and CVE for the carriers of A allele of the rs9370867 vs carriers of the G allele. Odds Ratios (OR, the 95% Confidence Interval (C.I.), adjusted for age, gender, lipid profile, systolic blood pressure, glucose levels and therapies) are not statistically significant.</p

Genotypic [n(%)] and allelic frequencies (%) of the rs9370867 SNP in the PLIC population.

<p>Genotypic [n(%)] and allelic frequencies (%) of the rs9370867 SNP in the PLIC population.</p

Anthropometric and biochemical characteristics according to the rs9370867 SNP in subjects from the PLIC population.

<p>Anthropometric and biochemical characteristics according to the rs9370867 SNP in subjects from the PLIC population.</p

mRNA expression of LDL-R and IDOL and LDL uptake in macrophages from N342 and S342 macrophages.

<p>Panel A shows mRNA expression for LDL-receptor and for IDOL in macrophages obtained from N342 and S342 carriers (n = 5 for both genotypes) cultured in complete RPMI medium The results, normalized for the expression of an housekeeping gene (18S), data are shown as mean ± SEM. Next flow cytometry was used to study the LDL uptake in macrophages obtained from N342 or S342 carriers. To determine the LDL uptake, macrophages were incubated with fluorescently labelled LDL (DiO-LDL, 10 μg/mL) for 2 hours at 37°C. Panel B shows representative images for flow cytometry in N342 and S342 macrophages, with the gating strategy of macrophages (inside panel) and the fluorescence intensity for Dio-LDL while panel C shows the results from five N342 and five S342 patients (mean intensity fluorescence is given, mean ± SEM is shown).</p

Heart left ventricular mass and carotid intima media thickness of the common carotid arteries in the PLIC population according to the rs9370867 IDOL SNP.

<p>Panel A shows the mean ± SD for left ventricular mass for GG, AG or AA carriers. Panel B shows the mean ± SD of carotid intima media thickness of the common carotid arteries (right and left) for GG, AG or AA carriers.</p