Vibration Analysis Of Carbon Nanotube Using Continuum Model And Finite Element Model

The main objective of the thesis is to propose the methods of determining vibration behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using continuum models and finite element models. Secondary objective is to find the effect of van der Waals force on vibration of multiwalled carbon nanotubes . The study of vibration behavior of CNTs is important because of their potential engineering applications such as nano-mechanical resonators and tips of scanning probe instruments where they are subjected to mechanical vibrations. Continuum modeling is based on an elastic beam model. The interlayer van der Waals interactions are represented by Lennard-Jones potential. In finite element modeling, single walled nanotubes (SWNTs) are modeled as finite beam elements and multi-walled nanotubes (MWNTs) as finite solid elements. The interlayer van der Waals interactions are simulated by distributed springs. The proposed finite element approach and continuum approach for vibration analysis of CNTs are verified by comparing the results with experimental and analytical results available in the literature. The results from both continuum and finite element modeling show that the effect of van der Waals force on vibration of MWNTs are high for smaller aspect ratios irrespective of boundary conditions and number of layers; fixed nanotube than cantilever nanotube for the same dimensions ; five-walled nanotube than a double walled nanotube for the same aspect ratio

Instrument development for organisational health

This study establishes the factors influencing Organisational Health (OH), leading to the development of an empirical measurement instrument.Despite the fact that a few firms have understood the significance of measuring health, they mostly do not know precisely what to measure, because of an absence of understanding of what constitutes a set of organisational health dimensions.This study used a mixed method through literature review, expert opinion and a quantitative pilot survey with 123 supervisory staff from a telecommunication company in India. The instrument was further tested for standardisation in Malaysia, Bangladesh and Indonesia.The study identified an OH measurement model consisting three constructs such as Change Capacity, Goal Alignment and Competitive Advantage.There are 29 items which collectively influence the degree of OH in an Organisation. By proposing, creating, and validating a multi-dimensional, operational measure of the organisational health, and by showing its viability in enhancing organisational performance, the present study gives practitioners a handy instrument for assessing the extensiveness of their current OH initiatives.The experts while interacting for the study expressed a uniform opinion regarding the OH constructs and its factors.We believe that developing an objective measurement instrument for organisational health is a significant contribution to the body of knowledge

Protective effect of L-glutamine on lysosomal integrity in isopoterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats

Lysosomal acid hydrolases play an imperative part in the initiation of inflammation processes associated with myocardial infarction. In the present investigation, we have studied the protective effect of L-glutamine on isoproterenol-induced myocardial damage in male albino rats with respect to alterations in lysosomal function. The myocardial infarction in experimental animals was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of isoproterenol (11 mg/100 g body weight/day) for 2 days. The total and free activities of lysosomal acid hydrolases (β-glucuronidase, β-galactosidase, β-glucosidase and acid phosphatase) were determined in plasma and heart tissue of control and treated rats. Significant elevation in the total activities of lysosomal hydrolases was observed in plasma and heart tissue of isoproterenol administered rats. A parallel (p<0.05) rise in the free activities of these acid hydrolases in the cardiac tissue was also noticed. Isoproterenol-mediated lysosomal membrane fragility was evident from the altered subcellular distribution of heart β-glucuronidase activity. Prior oral administration of L-glutamine (100 mg/kg body weight/day for a period of 20 days) significantly attenuated the isoproterenol-induced release of these lysosomal hydrolases into the systemic circulation from the cardiac lysosomes and maintained the lysosomal stability at level comparable to that of control rats. The results of the present study suggested that the cardioprotective activity of glutamine might be related to its membrane-stabilizing property

Cardiovascular disease in older people with serious mental illness: Current challenges and future directions

open access articleBy 2050, it is projected that the population of over 60 years old will reach 2.1 billion, from 900 million in 2015 . A total of 20% of this cohort have a neurological or mental health disorder, which is expected to rise in line with these changing population demographics. Anxiety, substance abuse disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are also seen commonly in older people. Serious mental illness (SMI) is a term used to group several common psychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder and major depressive disorder) which significantly affect functional abilities. While the mortality gap remains significant between people living with SMI and the general population, older people with SMI are routinely cared for by old age psychiatrists and have distinct challenges from the younger SMI population. These challenges include greater frailty, high levels of physical health morbidity, polypharmacy, and greater levels of cognitive and functional impairments. A recent study found that 17.5% of 65–84 year olds have both a physical and mental health condition, rising to 30% of over 85 year olds . There is a substantial interplay between physical and mental health and people with SMI have a 10–20 year reduction in life expectancy compared to those without

Anticipatory competence building: Towards a measurement model

Identification of resources that will be a source of competitive advantage is not a simple task for today’s firms, since many of the characteristics attributed to them can only be intuitively perceived. The available competence frameworks capture the competence requirements for a family of clear and present jobs.In a fast moving business world of new products and technology, companies are grappling with the requirement to generate, acquire and internalize newer competence required for future products. This study examines Anticipatory Competence Building (ACB) as an essential moderator between Technology Competence Obsolescence (TCO) and Organisational Health (OH) in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.In this paper, we argue that ACB can be developed into a measurement model with five distinct dimensions, namely Competence obsolescence, Future competence, Technology research, Market orientation and Competence renewal.The data is consolidated using the Delphi technique with the opinions of experts from diverse fields within Malaysia. The study ratified an ACB model consisting second order constructs with 17 factors which collectively influence the degree of TCO and OH in an Organization.These factors are itemized to convert the model into a survey based instrument of measure.The model gives practitioners a refreshed look at the current competency framework to be wary about the imminent and essential future competencies

Impact of innovation capacity and anticipatory competence on organizational health: A resource based study of Nokia, Motorola and Blackberry

Analysts cite several reasons for the decline of Nokia, Motorola & Blackberry which include wrong product strategy, market mis-alignment, improper customer orientation, untimely investment etc. However, looking at from the Resource-Based View (RBV), the researchers identify few catalytic elements, which arguably augmented an unfavorable situation for these companies to be decimated gradually by the quick and the smart in the marketplace.The study was conducted through the analytical research of the literature available on the three companies.From the RBV perspective, the researchers identify Collective Competence Deficiency (CCD) as a common factor in the companies which resulted in decline of the organizational health.The study acknowledges the role of disruptive technology in making internal competence obsolete faster than the usual in Information and Communication Technology sector. The researchers further explore the moderating role of Innovation Capacity (IC) and Anticipatory Competence Building (ACB), in defining the degree of competence deficiency created by the fast changing technology.Through the case studies of Nokia, Motorola and Blackberry and from the content analysis of literature around technology companies, there emerge the measurement models of IC and ACB.Researchers consolidated 7 dimensions and 21 factors for IC and 6 dimensions and 17 factors for ACB. HRD practitioners and scholars should further explore these relationships, especially in the high tech industry sector where the competition drives out established companies from the marketplace for want of innovation and competence, a right mix of vitamins to maintain theOrganizationalHealth (OH)

Minimally Invasive Subaxial Cervical Pedicle Screw Placement with Routine Fluoroscopy: Cadaveric Feasibility Study and Report of 6 Clinical Cases

Objective Conventional cervical pedicle screw insertion necessitates extensive paraspinal muscle dissection and retraction in order to achieve the lateral to medial angulation needed to achieve the optimal screw trajectory. Minimally invasive transmuscular approach can comfortably achieve this angulation without significant injury to the midline structures and its musculo-ligamentous attachments. Methods Minimally invasive cervical pedicle screws were inserted in 4 fresh frozen cadaveric specimens. Pre-procedure and post-procedure CT scans were done to assess the pedicle dimensions, suitability for screw insertion and integrity of the screws. The same technique was applied in a clinical cohort of six cases – 3 cases of traumatic subluxation; one case of traumatic vertebral fracture and 2 cases of infective facet destruction (Koch’s). Results Among the 38 screws in the cadaver specimens, a total of 11 screws (28.9%) had breached the pedicle wall(Lateral wall breach–9; Medial wall breach–2). Of the 9 screws (23.6%) that had a lateral breach into the vertebral canal, 4 (10.5%) each had Grade IIa breach and one (2.6%) had Grade III breach. Among the 22 screws inserted in the clinical cohort of 6 cases, 4 screws (18.1%) had breached the pedicle wall. All the identified breaches were in the lateral wall(Grade IIa – 3; Grade IIb–1; Grade III–nil). Conclusion Minimally invasive subaxial pedicle screw insertion provides robust posterior cervical fixation, either in isolation or as an adjunct to anterior surgery, in cases where a direct posterior decompression is not warranted. It is a safe and effective approach which minimizes injury to the paraspinal structures and midline attachments

Tube-assisted Minimally Invasive versus Open Posterior Decompression for Multilevel Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: A Prospective Comparative Study

Objective There have been several reports of minimally invasive decompression for cervical canal stenosis and degenerative myelopathy. Most of these reports are for less than 4 levels and there have not been any comparative studies between Open and MIS cervical decompression for multilevel (≥4) degenerative cervical myelopathy. Methods Twenty consecutive patients were allotted to undergo either ‘Open’ cervical laminectomy (n=10) or MIS posterior cervical decompression (n=10). All patients were evaluated for 1. Clinical, (JOA, MDI, NDI, Nurick grade, Blood loss, Duration of surgery); 2. Radiological (CSA of dural sac and Spinal cord, Muscle edema on post-op T2W MRI); 3. Laboratory (TLC, CRP, ESR, CPK) and 4. Physical (Isometric neck extensor muscle strength). Differences between Open and MIS groups were calculated with respect to above parameters. Results The mean number of levels decompressed was 4.4 (range, 4–6). MIS group had significantly longer duration of surgery and lesser blood loss as compared to open group. The patients in open group were more disabled than MIS group pre-operatively, as evidenced by higher MDI and NDI. However, proportionate improvements were seen in both groups post-operatively in terms of all clinical parameters. Postoperative increase in CSA of spinal cord was also identical in both groups. Elevations in CRP and ESR were significantly higher in Open group post-operatively as compared to MIS group. Post-operative extensor neck muscle strength improved to a higher extent in MIS group as compared to open group though this was not statistically significant. No patient had any major post-operative complications. Conclusion MIS posterior cervical decompression is safe and effective, can achieve similar extent of decompression and degree of clinical improvement as compared to open surgery. MIS has definite advantages of lesser blood loss, reduced tissue injury and better improvement in post-operative neck muscle strength as compared to open surgery

Pearl millet genome sequence provides a resource to improve agronomic traits in arid environments

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br., syn. Cenchrus americanus (L.) Morrone], is a staple food for over 90 million poor farmers in arid and semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. We report the ~1.79 Gb genome sequence of reference genotype Tift 23D2B1-P1-P5, which contains an estimated 38,579 genes. Resequencing analysis of 994 (963 inbreds of the highly cross-pollinated cultigen, and 31 wild accessions) provides insights into population structure, genetic diversity, evolution and domestication history. In addition we demonstrated the use of re-sequence data for establishing marker trait associations, genomic selection and prediction of hybrid performance and defining heterotic pools. The genome wide variations and abiotic stress proteome data are useful resources for pearl millet improvement through deploying modern breeding tools for accelerating genetic gains in pearl millet.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Organogenesis and tumorigenesis: Insight from the JAK/STAT pathway in the Drosophila eye

The Janus kinase (JAK) signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway is one of the main signaling pathways in eukaryotic cells. This pathway is used during diverse growth and developmental processes in multiple tissues to control cell proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. In addition to its role during development, the JAK/STAT pathway has also been implicated in tumorigenesis. Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful genetic tool, and its eyes have been used extensively as a platform to study signaling pathways. Many reports have demonstrated that the JAK/STAT pathway plays pleiotropic roles in Drosophila eye development. Its functions and activation are decided by its interplay with other signal pathways and the epigenetic status. In this review, we focus on the functions and regulation of the JAK/STAT pathway during eye development and provide some insights into the study of this pathway in tumorigenesis. Developmental Dynamics 239:2522–2533, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc