Neuro-Fuzzy-based Improved IMC for Speed Control of Nonlinear Heavy Duty Vehicles

A neuro-fuzzy based improved internal model control (I-IMC) is proposed for speed control of uncertain nonlinear heavy duty vehicle (HDV) as the standard IMC (S-IMC) can’t tackle the nonlinear systems effectively and degrades the performance of HDV system. Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system and artificial neural network with adaptive control are used for the design of I-IMC. The proposed control techniques are developed to achieve the better speed tracking performance and robustness of HDV system under the influence of road grade disturbance

A comparative study of effectiveness of local injection of autologous platelet rich plasma and injection corticosteroid solution in treatment of plantar fasciitis

Background: The heel pain is the most common problem worldwide and it was associated with plantar fasciitis (PF). The condition of treatment is very complex. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and injection of corticosteroids is the treatment of PF. This study was designed to access the effect of local PRP and local corticosteroid injection in PF patients.Methods: Sixty patients (between 29 to 60 years of age) with chronic PF were randomized prospectively in single tertiary care center in India. The study conducted from December 2013 to December 2015. All the patients were enrolled according to inclusion criteria and divided into two groups randomized. In group A (n=30) received PRP and group B (n=30) received corticosteroids injections. Visual analog scales (VAS) were filled by all the included patients. The follow-up scheduled at one and six months after complete enrolment of patients.Results: Between both the groups the significantly different observed at one and six months follow-up from the baseline. At one month follow-up significantly improvement in mean VAS score were observed in group B (p<0.001). At six months follow-up significantly improvement in mean VAS score were observed in group A (p<0.001).Conclusions: The present study concluded from the significance difference between both the groups proved promising form of treatment in chronic PF patients. Both the treatment was safe and effective in relieving pain improving function at different time period.

Cognitive emotion regulation in unaffected offspring of schizophrenic patients

Background: Schizophrenic patients are reported to use ‘suppression’ strategy for emotion regulation. Milder levels of psychological issues are observed in first degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia. In this study, we examined usage of cognitive emotion regulation strategies associated with negative emotions in offspring of schizophrenic patients.Method: 20 schizophrenic patients and 20 their offspring were sampled. Cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire and depression, stress, anxiety scales were administered on each participant.Results: The results revealed greater usage of adaptive emotion regulation strategies by offspring and negative strategy by schizophrenic patients. However, under conditions of negative emotions, there is significant reduction in the usage of adaptive coping emotion regulation strategy in the offspring.Conclusion: The results implicate need for strengthening adaptive coping mechanisms under vulnerable conditions of emotional turmoil

Comparison of urodynamic parameters with respect to neurological levels in post-traumatic spinal cord injury patients

Background: Urodynamic evaluation is mandatory in order to correctly assess and classify bladder dysfunction in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. Study investigated patterns of neurogenic bladder dysfunction in patients with post traumatic spinal cord injury and assessed the relationship of detrusor leak point pressure with compliance, post void residual urine volume and maximum cystometric capacity.Methods: Eighty six patients with neurogenic bladder secondary to traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) underwent cystometry with electromyography (EMG). T-test was used to compare detrusor leak point pressure (LPP) between complete and incomplete injury groups. Pearson correlation test was used to seek correlation between detrusor LPP and compliance, post void residual volume (PRV) and maximum cystometric capacity (MCC).Results: Mean detrusor LPP in suprasacral complete injury group, suprasacral incomplete injury group and sacral complete injury was 52±21 cm of H2O, 53±18 cm of H2O and 16±9 cm of H2O respectively. No significant difference in detrusor LPP was found between suprasacral complete and incomplete group on t-Test (p= 0.571068). Significant difference in detrusor LPP was found between suprasacral and sacral group (p= 5.71891E-12). Mean compliance in sacral injury group was 24±16 and in suprasacral complete injury group was 5±6. Mean compliance in suprasacral incomplete injury group was 4±2. Pearson correlation showed negative correlation (r = -0.6918934) between detrusor leak point pressure and compliance (p= 1.2744E-13). Negative correlation (r = -0.311409922) was observed between detrusor leak point pressure and post leak/ void residual urine volume (p= 0.003335033) and between detrusor LPP and maximum cystometric capacity (r = -0.31354), (p= 0.003115).Conclusions: Significant difference in urodynamic parameters exists between sacral and suprasacral injury patients. However there is no significant difference in urodynamic parameters between complete and incomplete injury at suprasacral level

Gene Discovery and Advances in Finger Millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] Genomics—An Important Nutri-Cereal of Future

The rapid strides in molecular marker technologies followed by genomics, and next generation sequencing advancements in three major crops (rice, maize and wheat) of the world have given opportunities for their use in the orphan, but highly valuable future crops, including finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.]. Finger millet has many special agronomic and nutritional characteristics, which make it an indispensable crop in arid, semi-arid, hilly and tribal areas of India and Africa. The crop has proven its adaptability in harsh conditions and has shown resilience to climate change. The adaptability traits of finger millet have shown the advantage over major cereal grains under stress conditions, revealing it as a storehouse of important genomic resources for crop improvement. Although new technologies for genomic studies are now available, progress in identifying and tapping these important alleles or genes is lacking. RAPDs were the default choice for genetic diversity studies in the crop until the last decade, but the subsequent development of SSRs and comparative genomics paved the way for the marker assisted selection in finger millet. Resistance gene homologues from NBS-LRR region of finger millet for blast and sequence variants for nutritional traits from other cereals have been developed and used invariably. Population structure analysis studies exhibit 2-4 sub-populations in the finger millet gene pool with separate grouping of Indian and exotic genotypes. Recently, the omics technologies have been efficiently applied to understand the nutritional variation, drought tolerance and gene mining. Progress has also occurred with respect to transgenics development. This review presents the current biotechnological advancements along with research gaps and future perspective of genomic research in finger millet

Genetic dissection of drought tolerance in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is the second most important grain legume cultivated by resource poor farmers in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Drought is one of the major constraints leading up to 50 % production losses in chickpea. In order to dissect the complex nature of drought tolerance and to use genomics tools for enhancing yield of chickpea under drought conditions, two mapping populations—ICCRIL03 (ICC 4958 × ICC 1882) and ICCRIL04 (ICC 283 × ICC 8261) segregating for drought tolerance-related root traits were phenotyped for a total of 20 drought component traits in 1–7 seasons at 1–5 locations in India. Individual genetic maps comprising 241 loci and 168 loci for ICCRIL03 and ICCRIL04, respectively, and a consensus genetic map comprising 352 loci were constructed (http://cmap.icrisat.ac.in/cmap/sm/cp/varshney/). Analysis of extensive genotypic and precise phenotypic data revealed 45 robust main-effect QTLs (M-QTLs) explaining up to 58.20 % phenotypic variation and 973 epistatic QTLs (E-QTLs) explaining up to 92.19 % phenotypic variation for several target traits. Nine QTL clusters containing QTLs for several drought tolerance traits have been identified that can be targeted for molecular breeding. Among these clusters, one cluster harboring 48 % robust M-QTLs for 12 traits and explaining about 58.20 % phenotypic variation present on CaLG04 has been referred as “QTL-hotspot”. This genomic region contains seven SSR markers (ICCM0249, NCPGR127, TAA170, NCPGR21, TR11, GA24 and STMS11). Introgression of this region into elite cultivars is expected to enhance drought tolerance in chickpea

Exploring the Genetic Cipher of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Through Identification and Multi-environment Validation of Resistant Sources Against Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris)

Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris) of chickpea is the major limitation to chickpea production worldwide. As the nature of the pathogen is soil borne, exploitation of host plant resistance is the most suitable and economical way to manage this disease. Present study was therefore conducted with an aim to find new, stable and durable sources of resistance of chickpea against Fusarium wilt through multi-environment and multi-year screening. During 2007/2008 crop season, 130 promising genotypes having <10% wilt incidence were selected from initial evaluation of 893 chickpea genotypes in wilt sick plot at ICRISAT, Patancheru. Of them 61 highly resistant lines were selected through further evaluation in 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 crop season. Finally, a set of 31 genotypes were selected to constitute a Chickpea Wilt Nursery (CWN) and tested at 10 locations in India for three cropping seasons (2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013) coordinated through Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and ICRISAT collaboration. The genotype and genotype × environment interaction (GGE) indicated significant variations (p ≤ 0.001) due to genotype × environment (G × E) interaction. Most of genotypes were resistant at two locations, ICRISAT (Patancheru) and Badnapur. On the contrary most of them were susceptible at Dholi and Kanpur indicating the variability in pathogen. GGE biplot analyses allowed the selection six genotypes ICCVs 98505, 07105, 07111, 07305, 08113, and 93706 with high resistance and stability across most of the locations and eight moderately resistant (<20% mean incidence) genotypes viz., ICCVs 08123, 08125, 96858, 07118, 08124, 04514, 08323, and 08117. As chickpea is grown in diverse agro-ecological zones and environments; these stable/durable sources can be used in future resistance breeding program to develop Fusarium wilt resistant cultivars

Possible nitric oxide mechanism in the protective effect of hesperidin against ischemic reperfusion cerebral injury in rats

609-618Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability around the globe. The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the protective effect of hesperidin and its nitric oxide mechanism against cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. Bilateral common carotid artery occlusion for 30 min followed by 24 h reperfusion was given to induce ischemia in rats. Animals were pretreated with hesperidin (50 and 100 mg/kg, po) for 7 days. Various behavioural tests, oxidative stress parameters, endogenous antioxidant system, antioxidant enzyme activity and mitochondrial enzyme complex (I, II, III and IV) dysfunctions in cortex and striatum were assessed subsequently. Hesperidin (50 and 100 mg/kg) significantly improved neurobehavioral alterations (neurological score, locomotor activity, resistance to lateral push and hanging wire latency), attenuated oxidative damage, restored antioxidant and mitochondrial complex enzyme activities in cortex and in striatum regions of the brain as compared to their respective controls. L-arginine (100 mg/kg) or L-NAME (10 mg/kg) pretreatment with lower dose of hesperidin (50 mg/kg) significantly reversed or potentiated its protective effect, respectively which was significant as compared to hesperidin (50 mg/kg). The results highlight the involvement of nitric oxide mechanism in the protective effect of hesperidin against ischemia reperfusion injury induced alterations

Nitric oxide modulation in protective role of antidepressants against chronic fatigue syndrome in mice

Background and Objective: The present study was designed to elucidate the possible nitric oxide (NO) mechanism in the protective effect of antidepressants using mice model of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Materials and Methods: Male albino laca mice were forced to swim for each 6 min session for 7 days and immobility period was measured on every alternate day (1 st , 3 rd , 5 th , 7 th ). After 7 days various behavioral tests (locomotor, mirror chamber, and plus maze tests for anxiety) were performed and biochemical estimations (lipid peroxidation, nitrite levels, GSH (reduced glutathione), and catalase activity) in mice brain were performed. Animals were pretreated with citalopram (5 and 10 mg/kg) and imipramine (10 and 20 mg/kg) daily for 7 days. Results: The present study showed that continued forced swimming for 7 days caused chronic fatigue-induced anxiety-like behavior as assessed in mirror chamber, plus maze tests, and impairment in locomotor activity followed by oxidative damage (as evidenced by increased lipid peroxidation, nitrite levels, depleted reduced glutathione, and catalase activity) in animals. Seven days pretreatment with citalopram (5 and 10 mg/kg) and imipramine (10 and 20 mg/kg) significantly improved behavioral and biochemical alterations. Further, L-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME,5 mg/kg) and methylene blue (MB, 10 mg/kg) pretreatment with citalopram (5 mg/kg) or imipramine (10 mg/kg) potentiated their protective effect. However, l-arginine (100 mg/kg) pretreatment with citalopram (5 mg/kg) or imipramine (10 mg/kg) reversed their protective effect as compared with their effect per se (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The present study suggests that protective effect of citalopram and imipramine might be due to its NO modulation against chronic fatigue induced behavioral and biochemical alterations

Possible role of NO modulators in protective effect of trazodone and citalopram (antidepressants) in acute immobilization stress in mice

1131-1135Stress is an aversive stimulus which disturbs physiological homeostasis and is reflected on a variety of biological systems. The present study was designed to investigate the nitric oxide mechanism in neuroprotective effect of trazodone and citalopram against acute immobilization-induced behavioral and biochemical alteration in mice. Mice were immobilized for a 6 h. Acute immobilization stress caused anxiety, hyperalgesia, impaired locomotor activity and oxidative damage. Pre-treatment with trazodone and citalopram significantly reversed immobilized stress-induced behavioral and biochemical alterations. L-arginine, pretreatment with trazodone or citalopram significantly reversed their protective effects. However, L-NAME or methylene blue pretreatment with trazodone or citalopram significantly potentiated their protective effects alone. Results suggest the involvement of nitric oxide pathways in the protective effect of trazodone and citalopram against immobilization stress induced behavioral and biochemical alteration