Enhanced Activity of Chemically Synthesized Nanorod Mn3O4 Thin Films for High Performance Supercapacitors

The present study addresses a cost effective method for fabricating high performance and flexible supercapacitor based on the transition metel oxides of Mn3O4 thin films. The Mn3O4 prepared by SILAR method at different cycles such as 25, 50, 75 and 100 cycles. The prepared Mn3O4 thin films were characterized by means of structural, morphological and electrochemical studies. The structural studies of X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveal that 75 cycles have good crystalline nature with tetrahedral structure. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicates the functional group of Mn-O. Raman spectra indicate the formation of Mn3O4 thin films. SEM analysis depicted that Mn3O4 thin films have a rod-like structure. TEM images show the SAED pattern and lattice fringes of Mn3O4. The electrochemical measurements of CV, GCD and impedance measurements are investigated using 1M Na2SO4 electrolyte. In the electrochemical measurement Mn3O4 thin films exhibit the maximum specific capacitance value of 295 Fg-1 at the scan rate of 2 mVs-1

Validation of multi-machine and single-machine equivalent models for wind farm transient stability studies

Stability study of power system with wind farm is challenging task due to collection of system data, computation burden in case of system order and long simulation time. An aggregated representation of fixed speed wind turbine generator (WTG) is proposed for an actual wind farm which is a part of the Indian utility system. The stability study of actual system and equivalent system are simulated in MATLAB software package. Multi-machine and single-machine equivalent wind farm models are developed based on simple aggregation technique. The transient stability responses of these two equivalent wind farm models that are compared with actual wind farm system at point of common coupling (PCC). The two equivalent wind farm models response provides a satisfactory accuracy with actual system response for the three phase fault and varying wind speed. Also equivalent wind farm model responses are validated with actual system response for different dynamic conditions.Â

Non-alcholic fatty liver disease in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An independent predictor for Macro angiopathy and Micro angiopathy

INTRODUCTION : Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a condition in which there is collection of fat in liver cells mainly triglycerides. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a condition most often present in association with Obesity. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease has a strong association with glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, either with or without obesity. In Indian population the prevalence of this disease is 15to 20 %, whereas the prevalence among diabetes population is more than two fold higher (50 to 75%). There is very strong association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus especially in obese individuals. Hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is higher in the diabetic population which may act as a predictor for diagnosis of micro and macrovasuclar disease .The micro and macrovasuclar disease have a great impact on economy of the patient. AIM OF THE STUDY : 1. To clarify the clinical characteristics of type 2 diabetic patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). 2. To assess whether nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is related to diabetic micro and macroangiopathy. METHODS AND MATERIALS : This was an observational study done in Government Royapettah Hospital. The study recruited 100 patients who were admitted in the department of medicine and who attended diabetology department as out-patients. Those who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. In patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Fasting & postprandial glucose, lipid profile, liver function test with enzymes, Ultrasonogram, Urine spot albumin creatinine ratio, ECG, Carotid Doppler for Carotid Intimal Thickness, Ankle brachial index by Oscillometric method, urea, and creatinine will be done after obtaining written informed consent and the findings correlated to find out whether NAFLD is an independent indicator of angiopathy in these patients. OBSERVATION AND RESULTS : Out of 100 patients with diabetes 24 had retinopathy, 33 had peripheral arterial disease, 18 had peripheral neuropathy, 12 patients had cerebrovascular accident, 30 had ischemic heart disease, 31 patients are in grade 2 diabetic nephropathy, 1 patient is in grade 3 diabetic nephropathy and 1 patient is in grade 4 diabetic nephropathy. Out of 40 patients with NAFLD 17 had retinopathy, 18 had peripheral neuropathy, 18 had ischemic heart disease, 10 had cerebrovascular accident. Among NAFLD patients with peripheral arterial disease 11 had mild disease 2 had moderate disease 1 had severe disease. Among NAFLD patients with diabetic nephropathy 29 patients are in grade 1 diabetic nephropathy, 11 patients are in grade 2 diabetic nephropathy and there is no patient in grade 3 and grade 4nephropathy.the mean carotid intimal medial thickness is high among NAFLD group when compared with that of no NAFLD group (0.789 Vs 0.698). The prevalence of retinopathy (17 Vs 7), cerebrovascular accident (10 Vs 2), ischemic heart disease (18 Vs 12), peripheral neuropathy (18 Vs 0) is high among NAFLD group when compared to that of no NAFLD group all of which are statistically significant. The patients with NAFLD group had high BMI, high cholesterol, high blood pressure. CONCLUSION : The study concluded that the diabetic patients with nonalcoholic liver disease have high prevalence of ischemic heart disease, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, cerebrovascular accident and have increased carotid intimal medial thickness. The diabetic patients with nonalcoholic liver disease did not have any relation with diabetic nephropathy and peripheral arterial disease. The patients with NAFLD group had high BMI, high cholesterol, high blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) high triglyceride levels. Thus NAFLD in type 2 diabetes mellitus independently predicts of diabetic microangiopathy and diabetic macroangiopathy the characteristics of NAFLD in type 2 diabetes mellitus are studied

BRAIN COMPUTER INTERFACE (BCI) ON ATTENTION: A SCOPING REVIEW

Technological innovations are now an integral part of healthcare. Brain-computer interface (BCI) is a novel technological intervention system that is useful in restoring function to people disabled by neurological disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cerebral palsy, stroke, or spinal cord injury. This paper surveys the literature concerning the effectiveness of BCI on attention in subjects under various conditions. The findings of this scoping review are that studies have been made on ADHD, ALS, ASD subjects, and subjects recovering from brain and spinal cord injuries. BCI based neurofeedback training is seen to be effective in improving attention in these subjects. Some studies have also been made on healthy subjects.BCI based neurofeedback training promises neurocognitive improvement and EEG changes in the elderly. Different cognitive assessments have been tried on healthy adults.   From this review, it is evident that hardly any research has been done on using BCI for enhancing attention in post-stroke subjects. So there arises the necessity for making a study on the effects of BCI based attention training in post-stroke subjects, as attention is the key for learning motor skills that get impaired following a stroke. Currently, many researches are underway to determine the effects of a BCI based training program for the enhancement of attention in post-stroke subjects

Formicidae of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Indian Ocean: Bay of Bengal)

Ants on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India were surveyed. These collections doubled the number of ant species recorded from these islands (from 59 to 125). Records include five endemic species, but no endemic genera. The surveys were fairly superficial, and it is likely many species remain to be discovered on these islands

Study on drug utilization pattern in conservative management of patients with pancreatitis in a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Drug utilization plays a key role in helping the healthcare system to understand, interpret and improve the prescribing, administration and use of medications. The objective of the study was to assess the drug utilization pattern of drugs prescribed in conservative management of pancreatitis patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital.Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in department of surgery, Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital, Annamalai University. The study period was six months from November 2019 to April 2020. A total of 115 patients were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results: The study population containing of 90% (n=104) males and 10% (n=11) females were included in the study. Most of the patients between age group of 25-44 years (48%). The most common etiology was alcoholic 68% (n=78). 7% of population with comorbidities (5% hypertension, 2% diabetes mellitus). In analgesics, tramadol (28%) and in antibiotics cefotaxime 21% was most prescribed. Lactated ringer solution (36%) was prescribed most as intravenous hydration. 7% (n=8) and 3% (n=4) of patients receiving enteral nutrition and parenteral nutrition. The average number of drugs per prescription was 8.5. Out of 1205 drugs, 61% of drugs prescribed in generic form, 39% were prescribed in brand name. The study analyzed that 69% of drugs were prescribed from essential drugs list (EDL) 2019 and 84% drugs prescribed from national list of essential medicines (NLEM) 2015. Number of prescriptions with injection were 79.07%. The overall antibiotic encounter rate 15%. Prescribed daily dose/defined daily dose (PDD/DDD) ratio of folic acid was 5.Conclusions: Drug utilization study can help in evaluating the quality of care given to the pancreatitis patients and promote rational use of medicines

Analysis on knowledge level of recommended plant protection technologies in areca nut (Areca catechu) cultivation in Salem district of Tamil Nadu

Areca nut (Areca catechu) is one of the important cash crops in India. India ranks first in terms of area and production of areca nut and accounts of 54.07 per cent of its world production. The harvesting of nuts commence on the Tamil month of ‘Thai’ (Mid-January to Mid-February) and spread over six months in carrying out the post-harvest practices and marketing of nuts. This study was purposively conducted in Salem district 2018-2019 and occupies first position in area (2,421 hectares) of areca nut in Tamil Nadu. The Peddanackenpalyam, Valapddy, Gengavalli and Attur blocks were selected based on the 87.28 per cent of the area under areca nut in this district with a sample size of 120 areca nut farmers selected by using a proportionate random sampling technique. Most of the respondents (80.00 per cent) had knowledge level of medium to high level of knowledge on the recommended plant protection technologies in areca nut cultivation. It was mainly due to the medium to the high level of information seeking behaviour and social participation. The study revealed that the areca nut growers differed widely in their social characteristics. Most of the respondents had a medium to a high level of knowledge on recommended technologies in areca nut cultivation. This finding stressed the importance of formulating different extension strategies for different audiences by the change agency system.

Status of marine fisheries in Gujarat with strategies for sustainable and responsible fisheries

Gujarat with about 20% (1600 km) of the country’s coastline, 33% of the continental shelf area (1,64,000 sq. km) and over 2,00,000 sq. km of EEZ ranks second among the maritime states in marine fish production. The marine fish production in the state has shown a declining trend from 2002 (4.68 lakh tons) to 2005 (3.56 lakh tons) with promising increase by 42.7 % to 5.08 lakh tons during 2006. There is a conspicuous change in the resource composition over the years with quality fishes like pomfrets, larger sciaenids, threadfins and penaeid prawns being replaced by low value fishes such as ribbonfishes, threadfin breams, carangids, nonpenaeid prawns and smaller crabs. During the five year period, pelagic resources contributed (40%), followed by the demersal resources (30%), crustacean resources (22%) and cephalopod resources (8%). Among the pelagic resources, the contribution of Bombay duck Harpadon nehereus (Synodontidae) decreased from 34.8% in 2003 to 24.6% in 2006, while the contribution of Trichiurus lepturus (Trichiuridae) increased from 33.5% in 2003 to 46.6% in 2006. The demersal resources were dominated by croakers (30%) and the crustacean resources by non-penaeid prawns (60%). The substantial component of the catches was landed by trawlers (59%), followed by dolnetters (26%) and gillnetters (14%). The last quarter (46%) recorded the highest landings with the poor catches in the second (14%) and third quarters (15%). There was a distinct change in species composition of sciaenids caught by dolnetters over the years with smaller sciaenids (Otolithes cuvieri, Sciaenidae and Johnius glaucus, Sciaenidae) completely replacing commercially important larger sciaenids like koth (Otolithoides biauritus, Sciaenidae) and ghol (Protonibea diacanthus, Sciaenidae). The mean length for Harpadon nehereus increased from 159 mm in 2003 to 216 mm in 2006, whereas for Otolithes cuvieri and Nemipterus japonicus (Nemipteridae) the mean length decreased from 202 mm and 223 mm in 2003 to 163 mm and 193 mm in 2005. The emergence of mackerel fishery in 2006 coupled with increased landings of high export value cephalopods and tunas provide scope for the sustenance of marine fishery of Gujarat. Strategies for sustainable responsible fisheries are outlined

Spawning, intracapsular development and production potential of viable juveniles of a murex Chicoreus virgineus var. ponderosa Sowerby under laboratory conditions

Muricids are commercially important gastropods and are exploited primarily for shell craft industries. They also occupy a niche in ornamental keeping. Studies on the larval development of muricids in Indian waters are few. Hence, an attempt was made to study with a focus on the optimum requirements for captive brood maintenance; regional variation in egg laying, intracapsular development and to estimate production potential of individual brooder (the length/ weight ranged from 80 - 110 mm/49 - 169 g (average 94.875 ± 3.980 mm/111.625 ± 14.870 g) of Chicoreus virgineus var. ponderosa collected off Tuticorin coast, Gulf of Mannar. Experimental airlift water circulation system fitted in 1 t FRP tanks having an overturn of 300% water is found suitable for long term maintenance and maturation of brooders with near cent percent survival over a year. Spontaneous breeding commenced from June ’09. Eggs cases were ‘vase’ shaped and measured 1.2 - 1.5 cm in height. Egg case numbers varied between 110 and 140 and got reduced to 10 - 40 during October and increased in Nov & December. Number of eggs within the egg case was highly variable ranging from 100 - 380. Eggs were spherical, embedded in jelly mass within the egg case and measured 510 - 608 μ (578 μ). Intra capsular development is detailed and compared with the earlier report on this species from other areas of Indian coast. Development took nearly 20 days and only few free living juveniles measuring between 1.7 - 1.9 mm emerged and the rest of the eggs have functioned as “Nurse eggs”. Average net production potential of a single viable egg case was estimated to be 6.7 nos for Chicoreus virgineus var. ponderosa of Tuticorin coast of Gulf of Mannar