New distributional range record of the Red slate ornamental spider Poecilotheria rufilata (Theraphosidae) in Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu

The distributional records of Poecilotheria species are scarce, yet it is crucial to know their distribution patterns for effective species conservation. In this article, we present a new distributional range for Poecilotheria rufilata. During a spider survey conducted in August 2022 at Anaimalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu, a male P. rufilata, commonly known as the Red slate ornamental tarantula, was sighted. This species has limited distributional data, with the type locality being Peppara Dam in the Agastyavanam Reserve of the Western Ghats in Kerala. The observation of P. rufilata in Anaimalai Tiger Reserve expands our knowledge of the species range and highlights the need for continued distributional work to identify the distribution patterns of Poecilotheria spp in Tamil Nadu. Such studies are crucial for developing effective conservation strategies to protect these spiders and their habitats

Sliding Mode Controller with Multisensor Data Fusion for Piezo Actuated Structure

The benefits of multisensor data fusion (MSDF) in controlling the piezo actuated beam structure using sliding mode controller (SMC) has been brought out. The first two vibrating modes of the smart cantilever beamare measured by two sensors namely, piezoelectric sensor and laser displacement sensor. The states are estimated from the sensors outputs using information filter, which were then fused and applied as input to the controller. The controller has been designed from the linear dynamic model of a piezo actuated beam, identified using linear recursive least square (RLS) method based on ARX model. A digital control system consisting of virtual instrumentation software LabVIEW, and USB data acquisition module NI 6008, was used for simulation and real-time control. Improved closed-loop performance was obtained when the controller designed used fused data, as compared to the closed-loop performance obtained with a single sensor. The beam structure considered in this work was a pilot model of the structures used in aerospace applications. Simulation and experimental results presented demonstrate the benefits of data fusion in controlling the vibration modes.Defence Science Journal, 2011, 61(4), pp.346-353, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.61.111

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CYCLOHEXANE-1,3-DIONE DERIVATIVES AND THEIR IN SILICO AND IN VITRO STUDIES ON ANTIMICROBIAL AND BREAST CANCER ACTIVITY

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate in silico and in vitro anticancer activity for synthesized cyclohexane-1,3-dione derivatives. Methods: The new series of cyclohexane-1,3-dione derivatives were synthesized based on the Michael addition reaction. Further, the structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and 13C NMR spectral data. Then, the in silico molecular docking studies were carried out using AutoDock tool version 1.5.6 and AutoDock version 4.2.5.1 docking program. The antimicrobial activity was carried out using the agar disk diffusion method, and the in vitro anticancer activity was performed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for the synthesized compound. Results: In silico docking study, compound 5c showed good binding score and binding interactions with selected bacterial proteins and breast cancer protein. Further, compound (5a-5h) was tested for their antimicrobial activity and compound 5c was only tested for anticancer activity (human breast adenocarcinoma 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine-MB-231 cell line). Compound 5c was found to be the most active one of all the tested compounds. In the MTT assay compound, 5c showed the LC50 value of 10.31±0.003 μg/ml. In antimicrobial activity, the minimum inhibitory concentration of compound 5c is 2.5 mg/ml. Conclusion: An efficient synthesis of biologically active cyclohexane-1, 3-dione derivatives has been developed

Non-Syndromic Solitary Neurofibroma in floor of the mouth: A case report

Neurofibromas are rare in the head and neck region, but most frequent tumor of neural origin. Oral hard and soft tissue is affected bythe tumor. In this paper, we describe an unusual case of non-syndromic solitary neurofibroma of the floor of the mouth in a 70-yearfemalepatient with a chief complaint of growth in the floor of the mouth for the past 3 months. An occlusal, intraoral periapicalradiograph and CT imaging were done. After confirming the diagnosis, the lesion was excised under local anesthesia and the specimenwas submitted for histopathological examination. On subsequent follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic. Intraoral neurofibromaalthough uncommon, deserve special attention because of their similarity with other inflammatory neoplastic condition, and theirtendency to undergo malignant transformation

Design of bio-nanosystems for oral delivery of functional compounds

Nanotechnology has been referred to as one of the most interesting topics in food technology due to the potentialities of its use by food industry. This calls for studying the behavior of nanosystems as carriers of biological and functional compounds aiming at their utilization for delivery, controlled release and protection of such compounds during food processing and oral ingestion. This review highlights the principles of design and production of bio-nanosystems for oral delivery and their behavior within the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract, while providing an insight into the application of reverse engineering approach to the design of those bio-nanosystems. Nanocapsules, nanohydrogels, lipid-based and multilayer nanosystems are discussed (in terms of their main ingredients, production techniques, predominant forces and properties) and some examples of possible food applications are given. Phenomena occurring in in vitro digestion models are presented, mainly using examples related to the utilization of lipid-based nanosystems and their physicochemical behavior throughout the GI tract. Furthermore, it is shown how a reverse engineering approach, through two main steps, can be used to design bio-nanosystems for food applications, and finally a last section is presented to discuss future trends and consumer perception on food nanotechnology.Miguel A. Cerqueira, Ana C. Pinheiro, Helder D. Silva, Philippe E. Ramos, Ana I. Bourbon, Oscar L. Ramos (SFRH/BPD/72753/2010, SFRH/BD/48120/2008, SFRH/BD/81288/2011, SFRH/BD/80800/2011, SFRH/BD/73178/2010 and SFRH/BPD/80766/2011, respectively) are the recipients of a fellowship from the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT, POPH-QREN and FSE Portugal). Maria L. Flores-Lopez thanks Mexican Science and Technology Council (CONACYT, Mexico) for PhD fellowship support (CONACYT Grant number: 215499/310847). The support of EU Cost Actions FA0904 and FA1001 is gratefully acknowledged

Design and experimental evaluation of piecewise output feedback control for structural vibration suppression

This paper presents the design and the experimental implementation of fast and periodic output feedback controllers to minimize structural vibration, using collocated piezoelectric actuators and sensors. A linear dynamic model of the smart cantilever beam is obtained using online recursive least squares parameter estimation. A digital control system that consists of simulink modeling software and a dSPACE1104 controller board has been used for identification and control. The effectiveness of the controllers is shown experimentally by exciting the structure at resonance