Design of CNN architecture for Hindi Characters

Handwritten character recognition is a challenging problem which received attention because of its potential benefits in real-life applications. It automates manual paper work, thus saving both time and money, but due to low recognition accuracy it is not yet practically possible. This work achieves higher recognition rates for handwritten isolated characters using Deep learning based Convolutional neural network (CNN). The architecture of these networks is complex and plays important role in success of character recognizer, thus this work experiments on different CNN architectures, investigates different optimization algorithms and trainable parameters. The experiments are conducted on two different types of grayscale datasets to make this work more generic and robust. One of the CNN architecture in combination with adadelta optimization achieved a recognition rate of 97.95%. The experimental results demonstrate that CNN based end-to-end learning achieves recognition rates much better than the traditional techniques

A Review of Fixed Bed Gasification Systems for Biomass

The gasification of biomass into useful fuel enhances its potential as a renewable energy resource. The fixed bed gasification systems are classified as updraft, Imbert downdraft, throatless downdraft, crossdraft and two stage gasifiers. Updraft gasifiers are suitable for gasification of biomass containing high ash (up to 15 %) and high moisture content (up to 50 %) and generate producer gas having high tar content (50-100 g/Nm 3 ). The high temperature (830 o C) air gasification of biomass in updraft gasifiers increase the lower calorific value of producer gas and reduce the tar content. The updraft gasifiers have been used for gasification of bark, wood blocks, chips and pellets, straw, maize cobs, refuse derived fuel (RDF), and waste pellets with air and O 2 as the gasifying media. The Imbert downdraft gasifiers are suitable to handle biomass fuel having ash and moisture content less than five per cent and 20% respectively. Modifications in the design of grate and hopper of Imbert downdraft gasifiers have been suggested to gasify non-woody biomass such as coir dust, cotton stalks, wheat straw, hazelnut shells, leather residues, sludge etc. Downdraft gasifiers yield producer gas with lower tar content (1-2 g/Nm 3 ) than updraft gasifiers. Throatless downdraft gasifiers have been developed to overcome the problems of bridging and channelling in Imbert downdraft gasifiers. The throatless gasifiers have been successfully used for gasification of rice husk, wood chips, bagasse, sugarcane leaves, coconut shells etc. Improving the insulation of the gasifier, re-circulation of producer gas and varying the air distribution have been reported to enhance the performance of the throatless gasifiers and reduce the tar content to 50-250 mg/Nm 3 . In two stage gasifiers, pyrolysis and gasification of biomass takes place in separate chambers resulting in low tar (15-50 mg/Nm 3 ) producer gas. Some aspects of the research and development in fixed bed gasification of biomass and their commercial applications are reviewed and cited in this paper

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Diclofenac Sodium Gel Prepared with Cellulose Ether and Carbopol 934P

Purpose: To develop diclofenac sodium gel using high molecular weight hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and Carbopol 934P for topical and systemic delivery.Methods: Diclofenac sodium gel was prepared with HPMC K100M and Carbopol 934P as gelling agents. The formulations were examined for pH, spreadability, consistency, viscosity, homogeneity, drug content and stability. In vitro drug release was evaluated using Franz diffusion cell. Carrageenaninduced rat paw oedema model was used for the evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of the gels. A commercial diclofenac sodium gel product was used as the reference drug.Results: Formulations containing glycerin as permeation enhancer gave drug release patterns comparable to that of the reference product. The drug content of F2, F5 and F9 was 99.81, 99.75 and 99.96 %, respectively. Accelerated stability results showed no significant variation in the appearance and drug release after storage for 3 months.Conclusion: Diclofenac sodium gel containing HPMC K100M and Carbopol 934P exhibited pronounced anti-inflammatory activity and could be further developed for topical and systemic delivery..Keywords: Diclofenac sodium, Anti-inflammatory, Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, Carbopol, Drug release, Glyceri

Use of central venous access devices and its complications in neonates

Background: Intravenous therapy is a major component in the health care and appropriate research-based knowledge is essential to ensure positive patient outcomes. Objective: The objective of the study was to study the use of Central Venous Access Devices (CVADs) and their complications in neonates in routine practice. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) on 40 newborns. CVADs were inserted in neonates, who had been anticipated to have intravenous access for >7 days. CVADs used in the study included Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters (PICCs) and umbilical venous catheters. CVADs were inserted under strict aseptic precautions as per international guidelines, and maintenance protocols followed. Monitoring for complications was done daily. Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI) was established by a combination of suggestive clinical signs and blood culture reports as per Centre for Disease Control and prevention definition. Results: Extremely low birth weight neonates contributed 40% of the patients. PICC insertions formed the 85% of the devices used. Basilic vein was the preferred site of the insertion in almost one-half of the patients. 80% of the PICCs in neonates were used to administer total parenteral nutrition. CLABSI was the most common complication occurring at a rate of 7.5/1000 catheter days. Other complications were occlusion, suspected infection, accidental displacement, and thromboembolism. Conclusion: Central venous catheterization is a safe and efficient procedure with minimal complication in neonates. This study emphasizes its use whenever prolonged intravenous access requirement is expected

A REVIEW UPDATED ON CHEMOTHERAPEUTICS

Antineoplastic therapy aims at completely eliminating all neoplastic cells, by either surgical, radio therapeutic or pharmacological (administration of drugs) intervention. If this is not possible or feasible, the aim of therapy becomes palliative, that is, its purpose is to reduce the number of neoplastic cells, to improve the symptoms and, if possible, to prolong survival while maintaining an adequate quality of life. Neoplastic cells constitute a heterogeneous cellular population, with biochemical, morphological and immunological differences. Consequently, they evidence a widely varying sensitivity to antineoplastic drugs. Furthermore, not all the cells present in a given tumor are in the same phase in the cell cycle (generally, in the proliferative or in the rest phase). When a neoplasm is diagnosed, most of its cells have usually attained a phase of decelerated growth, because of vascularisation problems, of nutrient competitively problems, of lack of physical space, or of problems of other types. Many of the chemotherapeutic drugs are most effective on cells that are in their division process, and this means that, in principle, a large proportion of the neoplastic cells will be resistant to the effects of a given drug. The small-molecule drugs are the ones whose molecular weight is less than 1000 Daltons. The fastest growing cells in the body are present in skin, hair follicles and lining of the gastrointestinal tract and hence they are affected the most during chemotherapy. In this present review summarized knowledge of chemotherapy by different way

NANOSUSPENSION: AN OVERVIEW

Nanotechnology has emerged as a tremendous field in the medicine. Nano refers to particles size range of 1-1000nm. Nanosuspensions are part of nanotechnology. Nanosuspensions contain submicron colloidal dispersion of pharmaceutical active ingredient particles in a liquid phase stabilized by surfactants. Nanosuspension technology is a unique andeconomical approach to overcome poor bioavailability that is related with the delivery of hydrophobic drugs, including those that are poorly soluble in aqueous media. Nanosuspensions are important carriers to develop novel drug formulations. Few techniques such as precipitation methods, milling methods and homogenization methods are developed to produce nanosuspension (NS) and have been successfully employed in large-scale production. They are administered by Parenteral, per oral, ocular and pulmonary routes. Now their application also extended to site specific delivery. Nanosuspensions are prepared by using wet mill, high pressure homogenizer, emulsionâ€solvent evaporation, melt emulsification method and super critical fluid techniques. Nanosuspension technology can be used to improve the stability as well as bioavailability of poorly soluble drug. Nanosuspensions are also use in various dosage forms, including specialized drug delivery system such as mucoadhesive hydrogel. The unique features of nanosuspensions have enabled their use in various dosage forms, including specialized delivery systems such as mucoadhesive hydrogels. Rapid strides have been made in the delivery of nanosuspensions by parenteral, per-oral, ocular and pulmonary routes. Currently, efforts are being directed to extending their applications in site-specific drug delivery

Detection of weak gravitational lensing distortions of distant galaxies by cosmic dark matter at large scales

Most of the matter in the universe is not luminous and can be observed directly only through its gravitational effect. An emerging technique called weak gravitational lensing uses background galaxies to reveal the foreground dark matter distribution on large scales. Light from very distant galaxies travels to us through many intervening overdensities which gravitationally distort their apparent shapes. The observed ellipticity pattern of these distant galaxies thus encodes information about the large-scale structure of the universe, but attempts to measure this effect have been inconclusive due to systematic errors. We report the first detection of this ``cosmic shear'' using 145,000 background galaxies to reveal the dark matter distribution on angular scales up to half a degree in three separate lines of sight. The observed angular dependence of this effect is consistent with that predicted by two leading cosmological models, providing new and independent support for these models.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures: To appear in Nature. (This replacement fixes tex errors and typos.

Traditional use of medicinal plants among the tribal communities of Chhota Bhangal, Western Himalaya

The importance of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare practices, providing clues to new areas of research and in biodiversity conservation is now well recognized. However, information on the uses for plants for medicine is lacking from many interior areas of Himalaya. Keeping this in view the present study was initiated in a tribal dominated hinterland of western Himalaya. The study aimed to look into the diversity of plant resources that are used by local people for curing various ailments. Questionnaire surveys, participatory observations and field visits were planned to illicit information on the uses of various plants. It was found that 35 plant species are commonly used by local people for curing various diseases. In most of the cases (45%) under ground part of the plant was used. New medicinal uses of Ranunculus hirtellus and Anemone rupicola are reported from this area. Similarly, preparation of "sik" a traditional recipe served as a nutritious diet to pregnant women is also not documented elsewhere. Implication of developmental activities and changing socio-economic conditions on the traditional knowledge are also discussed

Differentiating Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease from Controls and Hemifacial Spasm

10.1371/journal.pone.0049596PLoS ONE82