FPGA-based Signal Processor for Detection and Interpretationof Pulsed Laser Radiation

A novel design technique for detection and interpretation of pulsed laser radiationimplemented on Xilinx Spartan-III field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) is presented. The designarchitecture is modular with high performance and unparalleled flexibility that simplifies designchanges. The design gives superior accuracy and scalability and is applicable to a range ofFPGA technologies

A large-scale comparative analysis of Coding Standard conformance in Open-Source Data Science projects

Background: Meeting the growing industry demand for Data Science requires cross-disciplinary teams that can translate machine learning research into production-ready code. Software engineering teams value adherence to coding standards as an indication of code readability, maintainability, and developer expertise. However, there are no large-scale empirical studies of coding standards focused specifically on Data Science projects. Aims: This study investigates the extent to which Data Science projects follow code standards. In particular, which standards are followed, which are ignored, and how does this differ to traditional software projects? Method: We compare a corpus of 1048 Open-Source Data Science projects to a reference group of 1099 non-Data Science projects with a similar level of quality and maturity. Results: Data Science projects suffer from a significantly higher rate of functions that use an excessive numbers of parameters and local variables. Data Science projects also follow different variable naming conventions to non-Data Science projects. Conclusions: The differences indicate that Data Science codebases are distinct from traditional software codebases and do not follow traditional software engineering conventions. Our conjecture is that this may be because traditional software engineering conventions are inappropriate in the context of Data Science projects.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures. To appear in ESEM 2020. Updated based on peer revie

Machining performance enhancement of EN-31 diesteel using MWCNT mixed rotary EDM

309-319The present study investigates the influence of adding multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) into the dielectric fluid of  electric discharge machining (EDM) in terms of material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (SR) and surface topology of EN-31 die steel using Cu electrode. A customized rotary electrode set-up has been developed to compare the performance improvement of powder mixed rotary electrical discharge machining (PMREDM) as compared to powder mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) and conventional EDM. The present study attempts to investigate the optimization of process parameters of MWCNT mixed rotary EDM of EN-31 die steel using response surface methodology (RSM) and genetic algorithm (GA) in terms of MRR and SR. The optimization results show that MWCNT mixed rotary EDM shows highest value of MRR (9.72 mm3/min) and lowest value of SR (Ra = 2.03 µm), which are approximately 46.17% higher and 45.43% lower than conventional EDM values respectively. Further, various combinations of optimal values of MRR and SR and their corresponding input parameters setting have been shown in pareto table created by multi-objective optimization GA technique available in MATLAB. Finally, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analysis of MWCNT mixed rotary EDM and EDM surfaces is carried out which revealsthat MWCNT mixed rotary EDM shows better surface topography as compared to EDM process

Machining performance enhancement of EN-31 diesteel using MWCNT mixed rotary EDM

The present study investigates the influence of adding multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) into the dielectric fluid of electric discharge machining (EDM) in terms of material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (SR) and surface topology of EN-31 die steel using Cu electrode. A customized rotary electrode set-up has been developed to compare the performance improvement of powder mixed rotary electrical discharge machining (PMREDM) as compared to powder mixed electrical discharge machining (PMEDM) and conventional EDM. The present study attempts to investigate the optimization of process parameters of MWCNT mixed rotary EDM of EN-31 die steel using response surface methodology (RSM) and genetic algorithm (GA) in terms of MRR and SR. The optimization results show that MWCNT mixed rotary EDM shows highest value of MRR (9.72 mm3/min) and lowest value of SR (Ra = 2.03 μm), which are approximately 46.17% higher and 45.43% lower than conventional EDM values respectively. Further, various combinations of optimal values of MRR and SR and their corresponding input parameters setting have been shown in pareto table created by multi-objective optimization GA technique available in MATLAB. Finally, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) analysis of MWCNT mixed rotary EDM and EDM surfaces is carried out which revealsthat MWCNT mixed rotary EDM shows better surface topography as compared to EDM process

Co-cultivation of Curcuma longa with Piriformospora indica Enhances the Yield and Active Ingredients

The rhizome of Curcuma longa is used in the traditional medicinal system. Its secondary metabolites curcumin and the volatile oil possess wound-healing properties and inhibitory activities against certain pathogenic fungi and bacteria. Piriformospora indica is a root endophytic fungus that colonizes many plant roots and promotes the growth. P. indica was cultivated in the 5 litre capacity fermentor under standard conditions. The filtered biomass was then mixed with raw talcum powder. The propagative buds were treated with this formulation containing both sterile and inoculated fungus. We demonstrated that co- cultivation of C. longa and P. indica resulted in pronounced productivity and enhanced secondary metabolites- curcumin and volatile oil in farmers’ field. To the authors best of knowledge this is the first report where symbiotic fungus has added value to this medicinal plant in the agricultural field

Cyclen-Based Cationic Lipids for Highly Efficient Gene Delivery towards Tumor Cells

Gene therapy has tremendous potential for both inherited and acquired diseases. However, delivery problems limited their clinical application, and new gene delivery vehicles with low cytotoxicity and high transfection efficiency are greatly required.In this report, we designed and synthesized three amphiphilic molecules (L1-L3) with the structures involving 1, 4, 7, 10-tetraazacyclododecane (cyclen), imidazolium and a hydrophobic dodecyl chain. Their interactions with plasmid DNA were studied via electrophoretic gel retardation assays, fluorescent quenching experiments, dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. The in vitro gene transfection assay and cytotoxicity assay were conducted in four cell lines.Results indicated that L1 and L3-formed liposomes could effectively bind to DNA to form well-shaped nanoparticles. Combining with neutral lipid DOPE, L3 was found with high efficiency in gene transfer in three tumor cell lines including A549, HepG2 and H460. The optimized gene transfection efficacy of L3 was nearly 5.5 times more efficient than that of the popular commercially available gene delivery agent Lipofectamine 2000™ in human lung carcinoma cells A549. In addition, since L1 and L3 had nearly no gene transfection performance in normal cells HEK293, these cationic lipids showed tumor cell-targeting property to a certain extent. No significant cytotoxicity was found for the lipoplexes formed by L1-L3, and their cytotoxicities were similar to or slightly lower than the lipoplexes prepared from Lipofectamine 2000™.Novel cyclen-based cationic lipids for effective in vitro gene transfection were founded, and these studies here may extend the application areas of macrocyclic polyamines, especially for cyclen

Chickpea

Pulses form a major source of protein, particularly for vegetarian diet, and chickpea ranks among the leading legumes in this regard. Albeit considerable efforts at national and international levels, productivity of the chickpea crop has been stagnated for long due to the major biotic and abiotic constraints caused by Ascochyta blight, Fusarium wilt, pod borer, drought, and cold. Though many wild annual Cicer species possess a wealth of agronomically desirable donor genes, particularly those conferring resistance to stresses, they are sexually incompatible with the cultivated species. Transgenic approach is, therefore, a potential alternative means for incorporation of desirable alien genes into chickpea. This chapter highlights various dimensions of the international efforts in producing transgenic chickpea and provides a comprehensive perspective of strategies and achievements. Development of transgenic chickpea includes different aspects such as locating genes for particular traits from available chickpea germplasm, their isolation, making suitable constructs to transfer into chickpea through modifying them by adding marker gene, promoter sequence, and termination sequence for their effective expression, and finally transformation followed by an efficient regeneration protocol. This technology will have a very important role in developing newer varieties of chickpea with desired traits such as insect resistance, disease resistance, and drought/cold resistance

The evolution of lung cancer and impact of subclonal selection in TRACERx

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Here we analysed 1,644 tumour regions sampled at surgery or during follow-up from the first 421 patients with non-small cell lung cancer prospectively enrolled into the TRACERx study. This project aims to decipher lung cancer evolution and address the primary study endpoint: determining the relationship between intratumour heterogeneity and clinical outcome. In lung adenocarcinoma, mutations in 22 out of 40 common cancer genes were under significant subclonal selection, including classical tumour initiators such as TP53 and KRAS. We defined evolutionary dependencies between drivers, mutational processes and whole genome doubling (WGD) events. Despite patients having a history of smoking, 8% of lung adenocarcinomas lacked evidence of tobacco-induced mutagenesis. These tumours also had similar detection rates for EGFR mutations and for RET, ROS1, ALK and MET oncogenic isoforms compared with tumours in never-smokers, which suggests that they have a similar aetiology and pathogenesis. Large subclonal expansions were associated with positive subclonal selection. Patients with tumours harbouring recent subclonal expansions, on the terminus of a phylogenetic branch, had significantly shorter disease-free survival. Subclonal WGD was detected in 19% of tumours, and 10% of tumours harboured multiple subclonal WGDs in parallel. Subclonal, but not truncal, WGD was associated with shorter disease-free survival. Copy number heterogeneity was associated with extrathoracic relapse within 1 year after surgery. These data demonstrate the importance of clonal expansion, WGD and copy number instability in determining the timing and patterns of relapse in non-small cell lung cancer and provide a comprehensive clinical cancer evolutionary data resource