Automation for calibrating a precision current source by Ohm’s law method

99-105We present the design of a program developed in LabVIEW for automating the calibration of a precision current source by the Ohm’s law method. The program in addition to automating the instrument setup and measurement performs uncertainty computations in accordance with guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM) and produces the calibration report and saves a record of the calibration process with all relevant information. The program has been tested for calibrating Keithley 6430 remote source meter in the current range of 1nA to 100 mA. While there are several benefits from the automation, but the most significant one is the achievement of low uncertainties in calibrating the current source

Automation for calibrating a precision current source by Ohm’s law method

We present the design of a program developed in LabVIEW for automating the calibration of a precision current source by the Ohm’s law method. The program in addition to automating the instrument setup and measurement performs uncertainty computations in accordance with guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM) and produces the calibration report and saves a record of the calibration process with all relevant information. The program has been tested for calibrating Keithley 6430 remote source meter in the current range of 1nA to 100 mA. While there are several benefits from the automation, but the most significant one is the achievement of low uncertainties in calibrating the current source

Journey of Kilogram from Physical Constant to Universal Physical Constant (h) via Artefact: A Brief Review

The redefinition of mass adopted in November 2018 and implemented from 20 May 2019, i.e. World Metrology Day, eliminated the artefact-based approach dependent upon the International Prototype of the Kilogram (IPK), in favour of realizing the kilogram in terms of the Planck constanthby fixing its value as 6.62607015 x 10(-34) J s. In this paper, the authors present a general outline of the circumstances and related developments that paved the way for the new definition that replaced the IPK after a period of 130 years since it was formally sanctioned to define the kilogram in 1889. The new definition opens up fascinating developments in mass metrology which include different realization techniques, realizing the unit at values other than 1 kg, numerous sources for traceability can be envisaged etc

Automation of Demonstrational Model of 1 g Kibble Balance Using LabVIEW at CSIR-NPL

29-37A demonstrational model of Kibble balance has been designed and fabricated at CSIR-NPL. This paper details the software developed in LabVIEW that has been developed for its testing and operation. The software performs instrument control and automation, data acquisition and signal processing, real-time display of measurement status, and finally stores the measurement data for record and further analysis. The developed software provides a highly flexible platform for conducting the various functional tests with the experimental design of the balance. It has been successfully used to investigate the performance accuracy of the balance design by collecting data while operating it in both static and dynamic modes. The results helped pinpoint inherent design errors, both mechanical and electrical, that need to be eliminated for improving the weighing accuracy of the balance

The impact of exposure to urology as a surgical field, on the career choice of medical students and junior doctors

Background: There is a global concern regarding the reduced interest of young doctors towards choosing urology as a profession. This may in part, be due to lack of clinical exposure to urology at undergraduate and post graduate levels. We aimed to assess exposure to the field, confidence in managing common conditions and career prospects, from one of the largest medical universities of the country. Our objective is to assess the exposure of young doctors towards urology (as a profession), prior to deciding if they have any interest in it.Methodology: This is a cross-sectional survey, conducted within the premises of Dow University of Health Sciences. Participants were asked to fill pre-designed questionnaires, which explored the factors that asses their prior exposure to urology as a field of science, comfortability with common urological diseases, and how this exposure influences their choice of urology as a career.Results: A total of 141 participants were inducted; including 73 postgraduates and 68 undergraduates, respectively. Overall, those who were considering to pursue a career in urology were 18.6% in males and 12.0% in females, respectively. Regarding exposure to urology; participants admitted to having limited exposure to the field by means of rotation, (8.8% undergraduates, and 32.9% post grads). Comfort in approaching basic urological scenarios, such as regional examinations, and catheterizations were also found to be low. Furthermore, 62% of the doctors had never catheterized a patient of the opposite gender.Conclusion: The lack of exposure to urology is serious deficiency in our medial curriculum

The spectrum of hereditary neuromuscular disorders in the Pakistani population

Hereditary neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) are a broad group of clinically heterogeneous disorders with varying inheritance patterns, that are associated with over 500 implicated genes. In the context of a highly consanguineous Pakistani population, we expect that autosomal recessive NMDs may have a higher prevalence compared with patients of European descent. This is the first study to offer a detailed description of the spectrum of genes causing hereditary NMDs in the Pakistani population using NGS testing. To study the clinical and genetic profiles of patients presenting for evaluation of a hereditary neuromuscular disorder. This is a retrospective chart review of patients seen in the Neuromuscular Disorders Clinic and referred to the Genetics Clinic with a suspected hereditary neuromuscular disorder, between 2016 and 2020 at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi and Mukhtiar A. Sheikh Hospital, Multan, Pakistan. The genetic testing for these patients included NGS-based single gene sequencing, NGS-based multi-gene panel and whole exome sequencing. In a total of 112 patients studied, 35 (31.3%) were female. The mean age of onset in all patients was 14.6 years (SD ±12.1 years), with the average age at presentation to the clinic of 22.4 years (SD ±14.10 years). Forty-seven (41.9%) patients had a positive genetic test result, 53 (47.3%) had one or more variants of uncertain significance (VUS), and 12 (10.7%) had a negative result. Upon further genotype-phenotype correlation and family segregation analysis, the diagnostic yield improved, with 59 (52.7%) patients reaching a diagnosis of a hereditary NMD. We also report probable founder variants in COL6A2, FKTN, GNE, and SGCB, previously reported in populations that have possible shared ancestry with the Pakistani population. Our findings reemphasizes that the rate of VUSs can be reduced by clinical correlation and family segregation studies

Loss of Motor Protein MYO1C Causes Rhodopsin Mislocalization and Results in Impaired Visual Function

Unconventional myosins, linked to deafness, are also proposed to play a role in retinal cell physiology. However, their direct role in photoreceptor function remains unclear. We demonstrate that systemic loss of the unconventional myosin MYO1C in mice, specifically causes rhodopsin mislocalization, leading to impaired visual function. Electroretinogram analysis of Myo1c knockout (Myo1c-KO) mice showed a progressive loss of photoreceptor function. Immunohistochemistry and binding assays demonstrated MYO1C localization to photoreceptor inner and outer segments (OS) and identified a direct interaction of rhodopsin with MYO1C. In Myo1c-KO retinas, rhodopsin mislocalized to rod inner segments (IS) and cell bodies, while cone opsins in OS showed punctate staining. In aged mice, the histological and ultrastructural examination of the phenotype of Myo1c-KO retinas showed progressively shorter photoreceptor OS. These results demonstrate that MYO1C is important for rhodopsin localization to the photoreceptor OS, and for normal visual function

Targeting Myosin 1c Inhibits Murine Hepatic Fibrogenesis

Myosin 1c (Myo1c) is an unconventional myosin that modulates signaling pathways involved in tissue injury and repair. In this study, we observed that Myo1c expression is significantly upregulated in human chronic liver disease such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and in animal models of liver fibrosis. High throughput data from the GEO-database identified similar Myo1c upregulation in mice and human liver fibrosis. Notably, TGF-β stimulation to hepatic stellate cells (HSCs, the liver pericyte and key cell type responsible for the deposition of extracellular matrix upregulates Myo1c expression, while genetic depletion or pharmacological inhibition of Myo1c blunted TGF-β induced fibrogenic responses, resulting in repression of α-SMA and Col1α1 mRNA. Myo1c deletion also decreased fibrogenic processes such as cell proliferation, wound healing response and contractility when compared with vehicle treated HSCs. Importantly, phosphorylation of SMAD2 and SMAD3 were significantly blunted upon Myo1c inhibition in GRX cells as well as Myo1c-KO MEFs upon TGF-β stimulation. Using the genetic Myo1c knockout (Myo1c-KO) mice, we confirmed that Myo1c is critical for fibrogenesis as Myo1c-KO mice were resistant to CCl4 induced liver fibrosis. Histological and immunostaining analysis of liver sections showed that deposition of collagen fibers and α-SMA expression were significantly reduced in Myo1c-KO mice upon liver injury. Collectively, these results demonstrate that Myo1c-mediates hepatic fibrogenesis by modulating TGF-β signaling and suggest that inhibiting this process may have clinical application in treating liver fibrosis