Automation in Leather Making

Content: In most of the tanneries, water and chemicals are added manually in the tanning drum and pH of the float / leather is adjusted. Addition of correct amount of process recipe are necessary for better processing of the hides and minimizing wastage of utility, thereby controlling pollution load in effluent. However, fugitive-emission from process and drains accumulate ammonia, hydrogen-sulphide and volatile organic compounds which contribute bad odor in tannery as well as in wastewater-treatment premises causing problems to occupational health & safety of workers. Both local and supervisory control stations are employed to monitor and accurately manage the unit operations. The objective of this work is to produce consistent quality of leathers and to provide a healthy environment through automatic dosing and odor abatement system. Therefore the entire process control operation is integrated to operate through PLCs with following five modules: i) Water addition module ii) Chemical preparation and dosing system iii) pH monitoring and float recycle system iv) Drum rotation module v) Odor reduction module. In the integrated system, critical and bulk chemicals are stored in bulk storage tanks and are drawn into the load cell (LC) as per process sequence or recipe for feeding into the drums through auxiliary tanks. The float-recycle system helps to remix & heat the float where a pH electrode is housed to monitor pH online. The pH monitoring system adjusts addition of critical chemicals that indicates automatic end point. The contaminated air inside the tannery is sucked and passed through blower and then through bio-filter. The filtration process is based on the principle that VOCs (in the order of 50-200 ppm) and odors can be biologically treated by naturally occurring microbes. The control parameters monitored are: moisture in the bed and uniformity of media (contaminated air or process liquor). The humidity and temperature of inlet media is controlled and contact time with microbes is 10-30 secs. Moisture is controlled to maintain microbial population. A lead in laboratory scale has been developed to measure process variables (PV) considering their spatial distribution in two dimensions. Spatial distribution of process variables inside hides (across cross section) may provide accurate measurement of through reconstruction of image and data driven models using artificial intelligence tools. Computational intelligence is developed for updation of model parameters as that can be used for direct estimation of PV Take-Away: 1. Cleaner production is provided through automation of dosing & pH monitoring using PLC in indegeneous way 2. Pollution Load in exit stream and odor-gas emmision are minimized 3. Artificial Intelligence and data analytics techniques are used in Leather makin

Development of a Novel Biological Intervertebral Disc Scaffold

Back pain is a major public health issue in our society, and is strongly correlated with the degeneration of intervertebral discs (IVDs). Current therapies are conservative or surgical, and no attempt to regenerate the IVD. The first goal of our project is to create a fully decellularized bovine caudal IVD to be used as a scaffold on which to seed adult human stem cells in an attempt to engineer a healthy, replacement IVD for patients suffering from IVD degeneration and lower back pain. The goal of decellularization is to eliminate DNA content while retaining glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content. Eliminating DNA content will prevent a foreign body response by the host\u27s immune system once the IVD is implanted. GAG is responsible for forming interfibrillar bridges with collagen fibrils and thus assisting in resisting compressive and tensile forces. By retaining GAG content in our decellularized IVDs we will maintain structural integrity of the extracellular matrix. The IVDs closest to the base of the bovine tail were targeted, because they are similar in size and biochemistry to the human IVD. We use a mix of conventional methods including freeze thaw, sonication and agitation in a solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA). After decellularization, half of each IVD was placed in a tissue cassette and put formalin in preparation for histological analysis, and the other half was frozen prior to biochemical analysis (DMMB and PicoGreen assay). Our results thus far are promising in eliminating DNA content but show we have a large room for improvement in retaining GAG content

Estudo experimental da ação dos anti-inflamatórios não hormonais inibidores seletivos da ciclooxigenase 2 (COX-2) e anti-inflamatórios tradicionais na regeneração óssea

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare the effects of traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that are selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors in the process of bone regeneration in a rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four Wistar strain rats were subjected to osteotomy of the right femur and randomly divided into 3 groups according to the drug to be given (diclofenac, rofecoxib, or placebo). Each group was divided into 2 subgroups according to the time to euthanasia after the surgery. The animals of Subgroup 1 were submitted to euthanasia 2 weeks after surgery, and those of Subgroup 2, underwent euthanasia 4 weeks after surgery. Radiographic examinations and bone callus histomorphometry were analyzed. RESULTS: No intergroup statistical difference was found in the bone callus area or in bone formation area 2 and 4 weeks after surgery. Intra-group analysis concerning the bone neoformation area inside the callus showed a significant difference within the diclofenac group, which presented less tissue. CONCLUSIONS: Fracture consolidation in Wistar rats occurs within less than 2 weeks, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs does not significantly influence this process.OBJETIVO: Comparar os efeitos do uso de antiinflamatórios não-esteróides tradicionais (AINES) e AINES que são inibidores seletivos da ciclooxigenase-2 (COX-2), no processo de regeneração óssea em ratos. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Quarenta e quatro ratos da linhagem Wistar submetidos a osteotomia do femur direito e divididos em três grupos, conforme o medicamento que receberam (diclofenaco, rofecoxib e placebo). Cada grupo foi dividido em dois subgrupos, conforme o tempo até o sacrifício, após a cirurgia. Os animais do subgrupo 1 foram sacrificados duas semanas após a cirurgia e os do subgrupo 2, quatro semanas após a cirurgia. Foram analisados exames radiográficos e a histomorfometria do calo ósseo. RESULTADOS: Não foram encontradas diferenças estatísticas na área do calo ósseo 2 e 4 semanas após a cirurgia. No que se refere à área de neoformação óssea dentro do calo, observou-se diferença estatisticamente significante apenas dentro do grupo do diclofenaco, que apresentou menos tecido. CONCLUSÕES: A consolidação da fratura em ratos Wistar ocorre dentro de 2 semanas e o uso de antiinflamatórios não-esteróides não influi de forma significante neste processo

Successful recovery of infective endocarditis-induced rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis by steroid therapy combined with antibiotics: a case report

BACKGROUND: The mortality rate among patients with infective endocarditis, especially associated with the presence of complications or coexisting conditions such as renal failure and the use of combined medical and surgical therapy remains still high. Prolonged parenteral administration of a bactericidal antimicrobial agent or combination of agents is usually recommended, however, the optimal therapy for infective endocarditis associated with renal injury is not adequately defined. CASE PRESENTATION: Patient was a 24-years old man who presented to our hospital with fever, fatigue, and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. He had a history of ventricular septum defect (VSD). A renal biopsy specimen revealed crescentic glomerulonephritis and echocardiogram revealed VSD with vegetation on the tricuspid valve. Specimens of blood demonstrated Propionibacterium Acnes. The intensive antibiotic therapy with penicillin G was started without clinical improvement of renal function or resolution of fever over the next 7 days. After the short-term treatment of low dose of corticosteroid combined with continuous antibiotics, high fever and renal insufficiency were dramatically improved. CONCLUSION: Although renal function in our case worsened despite therapy with antibiotics, a short-term and low dose of corticosteroid therapy with antibiotics was able to recover renal function and the patient finally underwent tricuspid valve-plasty and VSD closure. We suggest that the patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis associated with infective endocarditis might be treated with a short-term and low dose of corticosteroid successfully

Study of Leading Hadrons in Gluon and Quark Fragmentation

The study of quark jets in e+e- reactions at LEP has demonstrated that the hadronisation process is reproduced well by the Lund string model. However, our understanding of gluon fragmentation is less complete. In this study enriched quark and gluon jet samples of different purities are selected in three-jet events from hadronic decays of the Z collected by the DELPHI experiment in the LEP runs during 1994 and 1995. The leading systems of the two kinds of jets are defined by requiring a rapidity gap and their sum of charges is studied. An excess of leading systems with total charge zero is found for gluon jets in all cases, when compared to Monte Carlo Simulations with JETSET (with and without Bose-Einstein correlations included) and ARIADNE. The corresponding leading systems of quark jets do not exhibit such an excess. The influence of the gap size and of the gluon purity on the effect is studied and a concentration of the excess of neutral leading systems at low invariant masses (<~ 2 GeV/c^2) is observed, indicating that gluon jets might have an additional hitherto undetected fragmentation mode via a two-gluon system. This could be an indication of a possible production of gluonic states as predicted by QCD.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, Accepted by Phys. Lett.

Determination of the b quark mass at the M_Z scale with the DELPHI detector at LEP

An experimental study of the normalized three-jet rate of b quark events with respect to light quarks events (light= \ell \equiv u,d,s) has been performed using the CAMBRIDGE and DURHAM jet algorithms. The data used were collected by the DELPHI experiment at LEP on the Z peak from 1994 to 2000. The results are found to agree with theoretical predictions treating mass corrections at next-to-leading order. Measurements of the b quark mass have also been performed for both the b pole mass: M_b and the b running mass: m_b(M_Z). Data are found to be better described when using the running mass. The measurement yields: m_b(M_Z) = 2.85 +/- 0.18 (stat) +/- 0.13 (exp) +/- 0.19 (had) +/- 0.12 (theo) GeV/c^2 for the CAMBRIDGE algorithm. This result is the most precise measurement of the b mass derived from a high energy process. When compared to other b mass determinations by experiments at lower energy scales, this value agrees with the prediction of Quantum Chromodynamics for the energy evolution of the running mass. The mass measurement is equivalent to a test of the flavour independence of the strong coupling constant with an accuracy of 7 permil.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.

Measurement and Interpretation of Fermion-Pair Production at LEP energies above the Z Resonance

This paper presents DELPHI measurements and interpretations of cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries, and angular distributions, for the e+e- -> ffbar process for centre-of-mass energies above the Z resonance, from sqrt(s) ~ 130 - 207 GeV at the LEP collider. The measurements are consistent with the predictions of the Standard Model and are used to study a variety of models including the S-Matrix ansatz for e+e- -> ffbar scattering and several models which include physics beyond the Standard Model: the exchange of Z' bosons, contact interactions between fermions, the exchange of gravitons in large extra dimensions and the exchange of sneutrino in R-parity violating supersymmetry.Comment: 79 pages, 16 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.

A Determination of the Centre-of-Mass Energy at LEP2 using Radiative 2-fermion Events

Using e+e- -> mu+mu-(gamma) and e+e- -> qqbar(gamma) events radiative to the Z pole, DELPHI has determined the centre-of-mass energy, sqrt{s}, using energy and momentum constraint methods. The results are expressed as deviations from the nominal LEP centre-of-mass energy, measured using other techniques. The results are found to be compatible with the LEP Energy Working Group estimates for a combination of the 1997 to 2000 data sets.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.

Evidence for an Excess of Soft Photons in Hadronic Decays of Z^0

Soft photons inside hadronic jets converted in front of the DELPHI main tracker (TPC) in events of qqbar disintegrations of the Z^0 were studied in the kinematic range 0.2 < E_gamma < 1 GeV and transverse momentum with respect to the closest jet direction p_T < 80 MeV/c. A clear excess of photons in the experimental data as compared to the Monte Carlo predictions is observed. This excess (uncorrected for the photon detection efficiency) is (1.17 +/- 0.06 +/- 0.27) x 10^{-3} gamma/jet in the specified kinematic region, while the expected level of the inner hadronic bremsstrahlung (which is not included in the Monte Carlo) is (0.340 +/- 0.001 +/- 0.038) x 10^{-3} gamma/jet. The ratio of the excess to the predicted bremsstrahlung rate is then (3.4 +/- 0.2 +/- 0.8), which is similar in strength to the anomalous soft photon signal observed in fixed target experiments with hadronic beams.Comment: 37 pages, 9 figures, Accepted by Eur. Phys. J.