Comparative Study of Networking Protocols in WSN Implementation for Greenhouse Monitoring

Wireless sensor networks consist of number of small devices called sensor nodes formed by combining a sensing unit, processor unit, wireless communication unit and power source unit. WSN has gained a lot of importance in recent years because of its use in various fields where monitoring and controlling are important aspects. This paper discusses implementation of wireless sensor network in greenhouse for the growth of crop yields. Wireless sensor networkcan use various types of networking protocols for implementing WSN in greenhouse monitoring.Main focus of this paper is on comparative study of various networking protocols available for implementing WSN

LEAD ACID BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR ELECTRICAL VEHICLES

ABSTRACT The high level of energy and power density of Lithium-ion and Zinc batteries amongst electrochemical batteries such Lead acid battery etc. makes them suitable as the energy storage in electric, hybrid electric vehicle, and plug-in vehicles (EV/HEV/PHEV). The battery management system is an electronic system that manages battery. One of the requirements in electrical system is rechargeable battery and its precise management. The Battery management system (BMS) monitors very important battery parameters i.e. state of charge, state of health, coolant flow for air or fluid, ampere hour counting, terminal voltage and flowing current (in and out).Open circuit voltage and integral of discharging current of the battery be used for estimation of SOC and are the function of SOC. The on line measurement and comparison of the predicted and measured terminal voltage and integral of current provides a tool for estimating the SOC and SOH. The BMS is also used for calculating secondary reports and reporting the generated data. The BMS also helps in controlling or balancing battery environment. In this research paper attempt is made to design the battery management system for electrical system or plug-in vehicles. KEYWORDS: Battery management system (BMS), plug-in-vehicles-state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH

Computed Tomography- and Radiography-Based Morphometric Analysis of the Lateral Mass of the Subaxial Cervical Spine in the Indian Population

Study DesignThis was a double-blinded cross-sectional study, which obtained no financial support for the research.PurposeTo obtain a detailed morphometry of the lateral mass of the subaxial cervical spine.Overview of LiteratureThe literature offers little data on the dimensions of the lateral mass of the subaxial cervical spine.MethodsWe assessed axial, sagittal, and coronal computed tomography (CT) cuts and anteroposterior and lateral X-rays of the lateral mass of the subaxial cervical spine of 104 patients (2,080 lateral masses) who presented to a tertiary care public hospital (King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai) in a metropolitan city in India.ResultsFor a majority of the parameters, males and females significantly differed at all levels (p<0.05). Females consistently required higher (p<0.05) minimum lateral angulation and lateral angulation. While the minimum lateral angulation followed the order of C5<C4<C6<C3, the lateral angulation followed the order of C3<C5<C4<C6. The lateral mass becomes longer and narrower from C3 to C7. In axial cuts, the dimensions increased from C3 to C6. The sagittal cut thickness and diagonal length increased and the sagittal cut height decreased from C3 to C7. The sagittal cut height was consistently lower in the Indian population at all levels, especially at the C7 level, as compared with the Western population, thereby questioning the acceptance of a 3.5-mm lateral mass screw. A good correlation exists between X-ray- and CT-based assessments of the lateral mass.ConclusionsLarger lateral angulation is required for Indian patients, especially females. The screw length can be effectively calculated by analyzing the lateral X-ray. A CT scan should be reserved for specific indications, and a caution must be exercised while inserting C7 lateral mass screws

Clinical application of polysialylated deoxyribonuclease and erythropoietin

administered twice or thrice weekly), and retained in vivo efficacy. Conclusion: This approach has been clinically validated in phase I (in healthy volunteers) and II studies of PSA-EPO [for managing anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD)].Background: While protein therapeutics are invaluable in managing numerous diseases, many require frequent injections to maintain therapeutically effective concentrations, due to their short half-life in circulation. PolyXen™, a platform and patented technology employing biodegradable, non-immunogenic and hydrophilic Polysialic Acids (PSA) for drug delivery, is being utilized to overcome such limitations, thereby potentially enabling the clinical utility of a broad range of protein therapeutics. Here, we report the recent progress on two development candidates, polysialylated deoxyribonuclease I (PSA-DNase) and polysialylated erythropoietin (PSA-EPO). Methods and Results: Chemical polysialylation of DNase I (DNase) using PSA with different chain length at various conjugation sites led to improved stability against proteases and thermal stress, and slightly reduced enzymatic activity. Polysialylation of EPO resulted in retention of protein structure and PSA-EPO remained biologically active. PSA-EPO had a significantly prolonged circulating half-life (e.g. t 1/2 of PSA-EPO = ~400 h in patients after subcutaneous administration, aimed for once monthly administration, vs. t 1/2 of EPO = ~22

Factors affecting health-related quality of life in Thai children with thalassemia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Knowledge of the factors associated with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among patients with thalassemia is essential in developing more suitable clinical, counseling, and social support programs to improve treatment outcomes of these patients. In light of the limited research in this area, this study aims to examine factors associated with HRQOL among children and adolescents with thalassemia in Thailand.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey was conducted in three selected hospitals in Thailand during June to November 2006. PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scale (Thai version) was used to assess HRQOL in 315 thalassemia patients between 5 and 18 years of age. Other related clinical characteristics of the patients were collected via medical record review.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean (SD) of the total summary score was 76.67 (11.40), while the means (SD) for the Physical Health Summary score and Psychosocial Health Summary score were 78.24 (14.77) and 75.54 (12.76), respectively. The school functioning subscale scored the lowest, with a mean of 67.89 (SD = 15.92). The following factors significantly affected the HRQOL of the patients: age; age at onset of anemia and age at first transfusion; pre-transfusion hemoglobin (Hb) level; receiving a blood transfusion during the previous three months; and disease severity. In addition, iron chelation therapy had a significant negative effect on HRQOL in the school functioning subscale. In contrast, serum ferritin level, frequency of blood transfusions per year, and gender were not significantly related to HRQOL among these patients. The results from multivariate analysis also confirmed these findings.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>To improve HRQOL of thalassemia patients, suitable programs aimed at providing psychosocial support and a link between the patient, school officials, the family and the physician are important, especially in terms of improving the school functioning score. The findings also confirmed the importance of maintaining a pre-transfusion Hb level of at least 9-10.5 g/dL. In addition, special care and attention should be given to patients with a severe condition, and those who are receiving subcutaneous iron chelation therapy.</p

SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain displayed on HBsAg virus–like particles elicits protective immunity in macaques

Authorized vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 remain less available in low- and middle-income countries due to insufficient supply, high costs, and storage requirements. Global immunity could still benefit from new vaccines using widely available, safe adjuvants, such as alum and protein subunits, suited to low-cost production in existing manufacturing facilities. Here, a clinical-stage vaccine candidate comprising a SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain–hepatitis B surface antigen virus–like particle elicited protective immunity in cynomolgus macaques. Titers of neutralizing antibodies (>104) induced by this candidate were above the range of protection for other licensed vaccines in nonhuman primates. Including CpG 1018 did not significantly improve the immunological responses. Vaccinated animals challenged with SARS-CoV-2 showed reduced median viral loads in bronchoalveolar lavage (~3.4 log10) and nasal mucosa (~2.9 log10) versus sham controls. These data support the potential benefit of this design for a low-cost modular vaccine platform for SARS-CoV-2 and other variants of concern or betacoronaviruses

Development of an E-Nose Using Metal Oxide Semiconductor Sensors for the Classification of Climacteric Fruits

Abstract- The present work deals with the development of an artificial olfactory system as a nondestructive instrument to be used for classification of different fruits and exploration of its application in measurement of fruit ripening stages. The fruits chosen for this study are Guava, Orange and Banana. The developed system comprises of an array of eight metal oxide semiconductor gas sensors, odor delivery system, interface circuit board, data acquisition card and self programmed Data acquisition as well as analysis software using LabVIEW. The design of this tool focused on studying the response of a sensor array to various VOC vapors released by fruit during ripening and optimizing the data acquisition, signal preprocessing, storage, feature extraction parameters using principle component analysis. It was found that developed e-nose can discriminate the patterns of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from three fruits taken for experimentation. These three fruits, as analysed by the principal component analysis (PCA). With further validation and development, this e-nose may become very useful for monitoring the exhaled as a screening device for discriminating the fruits. This e-nose can also be used for classification and grading of different climacteric fruits on the basis of their ripening stages. 467 Index Terms — Electronic nose; gas sensors; PCA; Classification of Fruits; volatile organic compounds,VOC; ripening stage detection