Blind Assistance System using Image Processing

Eye diseases usually cause blindness and visual impairment As per the statistics there are over 285 million visually impaired people living worldwide They come across many troubles in their daily life especially while navigating from one place to another on their own They often depend on others for help to satisfy their day-to-day needs So it is quite a challenging task to implement a technological solution to assist them Several technologies were developed for the assistance of visually impaired people One such attempt is that we would wish to make an Integrated Machine Learning System that allows the blind victims to identify and classify real-time objects generating voice feedback and distance Which also produces warnings whether they are very close or far away from the thin

Comparative study between open versus laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty

Background: Inguinal hernia repair is one of the commonly performed procedure and has undergone a paradigm shift from open to laparoscopic approach in the era of minimally invasive surgery but the superiority is still debatable. The aim was to compare open (Lichtenstein) versus laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal approach (TAPP) hernia repair techniques. Methods: A total of 60 patients were enrolled in the study and divided into two equal groups (open versus laparoscopic) were compared. Results: It was observed that laparoscopic repair (TAPP) has statistically significant superiority than open inguinal hernioplasty in terms of lesser post-operative pain (VAS score of 4.8±0.66, 3.67±0.66, 2.53±0.82 versus 6.7±0.92, 5.03±0.72, 3.83±0.65 at 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours post operatively, p value <0.001), shorter duration of hospital stay (3.1±0.71 days versus 5.83±0.75 days, p value <0.001) and early resumption to regular activities (10.57±2.28 days versus 12.2±1.52 days, p value 0.002). It also showed that incidence intra operative and post-operative complications was lesser in laparoscopic group but not statistically significant. Whereas duration of surgery was prolonged in laparoscopic group (104±27.49 min versus 61.5±17.08 min, p value <0.001). Conclusions: Laparoscopic inguinal hernioplasty (TAPP) is superior to open inguinal hernioplasty in terms of lesser intra operative and post-operative complications, lesser post-operative pain, shorter duration of hospital stay with early resumption to regular activities having better subjective and objective cosmetic results in short term follow-up. However, duration of surgery was prolonged on comparison with Lichtenstein open inguinal hernioplasty

Anatomical variations of sinonasal region: a CT scan study

Multislice CT is currently the imaging modality of choice for evaluating PNS & adjacent structures. Such a method has been increasingly utilized in the assessment of anatomical variations, allowing their accurate identification with high anatomical details. Some anatomical variations may predispose to sinonasal disease, constituting areas of high risk for injuries & complications during surgical procedures. Therefore, the recognition of such variations is critical in the preoperative evaluation for endoscopic surgery

3D Printing: The Dawn of a New Era in Manufacturing

Printing is a process for reproducing text and images, typically with ink on paper using a print press.3D printing is method of converting a virtual 3D model into a physical object from a digital file. It is achieved using Additive Process, where an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created.3D printing could revolutionize and reshape the world. Advances in 3D printing technology can significantly change and improve the manufacturing world with effects on energy use, waste reduction, customization, product availability, medicine, art, construction and science. By using this technology it becomes easier to transmit designs for new objects around the world

Low latitude ionospheric response to March 2015 geomagnetic storm using multi-instrument TEC observations over India

The regional ionospheric models are successful in capturing the variability of ionosphere with the inclusion of local ground-based GPS observations and location dependent ionospheric dynamics. In this context, there is a need to develop regional ionospheric maps that aids in improving the consistency of global models. In this paper, an attempt is made to understand the potentiality of multi-instrument observations over Indian region. Four different Total Electron Content (TEC) data sources namely from network of GPS receivers, Ionosonde stations, space based COSMIC radio occultation profiles and SWARM mission data is utilized. The multi-source data is chosen for the geo-magnetic storm conditions prevailed during March 2015. Data from multiple-sources is observed over the period from 15th March 2015 to 20th March 2015. Validation of ground and space-based TEC data with International GNSS service (IGS) station data is significantly observed

In-orbit Performance of UVIT on ASTROSAT

We present the in-orbit performance and the first results from the ultra-violet Imaging telescope (UVIT) on ASTROSAT. UVIT consists of two identical 38cm coaligned telescopes, one for the FUV channel (130-180nm) and the other for the NUV (200-300nm) and VIS (320-550nm) channels, with a field of view of 28 $arcmin$. The FUV and the NUV detectors are operated in the high gain photon counting mode whereas the VIS detector is operated in the low gain integration mode. The FUV and NUV channels have filters and gratings, whereas the VIS channel has filters. The ASTROSAT was launched on 28th September 2015. The performance verification of UVIT was carried out after the opening of the UVIT doors on 30th November 2015, till the end of March 2016 within the allotted time of 50 days for calibration. All the on-board systems were found to be working satisfactorily. During the PV phase, the UVIT observed several calibration sources to characterise the instrument and a few objects to demonstrate the capability of the UVIT. The resolution of the UVIT was found to be about 1.4 - 1.7 $arcsec$ in the FUV and NUV. The sensitivity in various filters were calibrated using standard stars (white dwarfs), to estimate the zero-point magnitudes as well as the flux conversion factor. The gratings were also calibrated to estimate their resolution as well as effective area. The sensitivity of the filters were found to be reduced up to 15\% with respect to the ground calibrations. The sensitivity variation is monitored on a monthly basis. UVIT is all set to roll out science results with its imaging capability with good resolution and large field of view, capability to sample the UV spectral region using different filters and capability to perform variability studies in the UV.Comment: 10 pages, To appear in SPIE conference proceedings, SPIE conference paper, 201

Transcriptome analysis using next generation sequencing reveals molecular signatures of diabetic retinopathy and efficacy of candidate drugs

Purpose: To define gene expression changes associated with diabetic retinopathy in a mouse model using next generation sequencing, and to utilize transcriptome signatures to assess molecular pathways by which pharmacological agents inhibit diabetic retinopathy. Methods: We applied a high throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) strategy using Illumina GAIIx to characterize the entire retinal transcriptome from nondiabetic and from streptozotocin-treated mice 32 weeks after induction of diabetes. Some of the diabetic mice were treated with inhibitors of receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) and p38 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase, which have previously been shown to inhibit diabetic retinopathy in rodent models. The transcripts and alternatively spliced variants were determined in all experimental groups. Results: Next generation sequencing-based RNA-seq profiles provided comprehensive signatures of transcripts that are altered in early stages of diabetic retinopathy. These transcripts encoded proteins involved in distinct yet physiologically relevant disease-associated pathways such as inflammation, microvasculature formation, apoptosis, glucose metabolism, Wnt signaling, xenobiotic metabolism, and photoreceptor biology. Significant upregulation of crystallin transcripts was observed in diabetic animals, and the diabetes-induced upregulation of these transcripts was inhibited in diabetic animals treated with inhibitors of either RAGE or p38 MAP kinase. These two therapies also showed dissimilar regulation of some subsets of transcripts that included alternatively spliced versions of arrestin, neutral sphingomyelinase activation associated factor (Nsmaf), SH3-domain GRB2-like interacting protein 1 (Sgip1), and axin. Conclusions: Diabetes alters many transcripts in the retina, and two therapies that inhibit the vascular pathology similarly inhibit a portion of these changes, pointing to possible molecular mechanisms for their beneficial effects. These therapies also changed the abundance of various alternatively spliced versions of signaling transcripts, suggesting a possible role of alternative splicing in disease etiology. Our studies clearly demonstrate RNA-seq as a comprehensive strategy for identifying disease-specific transcripts, and for determining comparative profiles of molecular changes mediated by candidate drugs. Diabetes has emerged as a major worldwide public health concern, and the number of diabetics is estimated to exceed 400 million by the year 203

Chemo-resistant gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: a review of cases at a tertiary cancer centre

Background: Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) was earlier a dreaded malignancy with high mortality rates. GTN is now considered to be one of the most curable solid tumours in women with cure rates greater than 90% even in the presence of metastases. Despite the high chemo sensitivity, treatment failure or drug resistance has been described in both groups.Methods: In this study, available records of GTN cases over 6 years were reviewed with emphasis on those who were resistant to the first line of chemotherapy. Of these, 37(34.58%) were resistant to the first line of chemotherapy. These cases were studied with respect to age, parity, antecedent pregnancy, interval from antecedent pregnancy, pretreatment β hCG, risk score and presence of metastases. The data was analyzed in order to find any risk factors associated with chemo-resistance.Results: Total number of cases of GTN was 107. Out of these 107 cases, 63 (58.88%) were low risk and 44 (41.12%) were high risk according to FIGO scoring system. Complete response was achieved with first line chemotherapy in 70 (65.42%) patients. The remaining 37 (34.57%) were resistant to first line chemotherapy. In the low risk group, 30 (47.62%) cases, and in the high-risk group, 7(15.91%) were resistant to first line of chemotherapy.Conclusions: Despite the high chemo sensitivity of GTN, resistance to first line chemotherapy may be encountered in up to 40% of cases.  It is important to identify the patients who are at risk to develop resistance, early identification of resistance and change of chemotherapy so as to minimize the exposure of these patients to ineffective chemotherapy