A rare case of solitary toxic nodule in a 3yr old female child – a case report

A three year old hyperactive female child presented with a midline neck swelling of one year duration. Clinical examination revealed a nodule in the isthmus of thyroid.Her Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) was suppressed and Free T3 and Free T4 levels were elevated. Radionuclide scintigraphy showed a hyperfunctioning nodule in the isthmus of thyroid. Patient was administered antithyroid medication and brought toeuthyroid state. Isthmectomy was done. Post-operative period was uneventful. Patient was discharged on third post-operative day and is on regular follow up.

Is the current land use pattern in crop agriculture is sustainable in the Bhavani Basin of Southern India?: Application of a Bio-economic model

Efficient and sustainable utilization of resources, particularly land and water resources for agriculture have occupied the centre stage in the economic agenda of a nation. The regional resource availability and the biotic, abiotic and socio-economic constraints are largely varied in the any crop production system of that region. The integration of sustainable resource use with the production programs and income as objectives of farming thus, leads to a multiple objective-planning framework. Attaining sustainable increase in agriculture production by considering the biophysical variability of the region without affecting the natural resources base is therefore very important to achieve food security for the growing population in a developing country situation. The current study is to develop appropriate land use pattern in crop agriculture for sustainable land and water use to the agricultural development in the Bavani Basin of western zone of Tamil Nadu state in southern India, using a multiple goal linear programming approach. Bhavani basin in the western zone of Tamil Nadu - one of the most diversified in bio physical features, was evaluated in this study. The land use model employed in the study following the bio-economic model by Shiferaw and Holden, (2003) who incorporated the important variations in the biophysical system (land and soils) and market characteristics. This study traced the alternative cropping pattern which would maximizes the farm net income at a relatively lower water requirement, lower land requirement (hectare days to ensure relatively more fallow period to lower land exhaustion rate) and that would lower the environment damage in-terms of lower Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) with the given land and ground water availability of each identified ten homogeneous land units beside the length of growing period determined on the basis of quantum and distribution of rainfall and temperature. The major biophysical factors considered beside the land availability, ground and surface water availability were; crop suitability for the particular soil type, crop sequence and climatic variations and these factors were specified as constraints in the land use model. The input data for the model were collected from the sample respondents in the delineated homogeneous land units. The actual water availability for each standard week (t) was estimated after adjusting the effective rainfall received during the period of crop stand from the total water requirement of each crop activity. The land use model estimates revealed the possibility of increasing the crop income from the current level of INR 6.14 billion to INR 8.25 billion annually. This alternative crop plan also helped to reduce the area under high water consuming crops in water deficit areas

4D printing of smart polymer nanocomposites: integrating graphene and acrylate based shape memory polymers

The ever-increasing demand for materials to have superior properties and satisfy functions in the field of soft robotics and beyond has resulted in the advent of the new field of four-dimensional (4D) printing. The ability of these materials to respond to various stimuli inspires novel applications and opens several research possibilities. In this work, we report on the 4D printing of one such Shape Memory Polymer (SMP) tBA-co-DEGDA (tert-Butyl Acrylate with diethylene glycol diacrylate). The novelty lies in establishing the relationship between the various characteristic properties (tensile stress, surface roughness, recovery time, strain fixity, and glass transition temperature) concerning the fact that the print parameters of the laser pulse frequency and print speed are governed in the micro-stereolithography (Micro SLA) method. It is found that the sample printed with a speed of 90 mm/s and 110 pulses/s possessed the best batch of properties, with shape fixity percentages of about 86.3% and recovery times as low as 6.95 s. The samples built using the optimal parameters are further subjected to the addition of graphene nanoparticles, which further enhances all the mechanical and surface properties. It has been observed that the addition of 0.3 wt.% of graphene nanoparticles provides the best results

Influence of Process Parameters in n-PMEDM of Inconel 800 with Electrode and Coated Electrodes

By considering the unique performances, the Powder Mixed Electrical Discharge Machining (PMEDM) mostly encounter choice for machining the hard materials with job features like intricate shapes with grater accuracy and those materials are difficult to cut in conventional machining processes. This Research aimed to prepare parameter index chart for machining nickel based super alloy - Inconel 800 for various requirements. To achieve the aim, In this experimental study on machining of Inconel 800 in PMEDM with electrolyte copper electrode as well as silver coated electrolyte copper electrode is focused. Taguchi full factorial design derived from MINITAB release-16 software was used to design the experimentation. The factors like pulse off time, Current and Pulse on Time were considered. The responses like amount of Tool Wear, Quantity of material removal, surface finishes were noted against each case. In the same experimental conditions the coated electrode increased the MRR by 36.67% with minor increment of maximum surface roughness to 16.11%

Influence of Process Parameters in n-PMEDM of Inconel 800 with Electrode and Coated Electrodes

By considering the unique performances, the Powder Mixed Electrical Discharge Machining (PMEDM) mostly encounter choice for machining the hard materials with job features like intricate shapes with grater accuracy and those materials are difficult to cut in conventional machining processes. This Research aimed to prepare parameter index chart for machining nickel based super alloy - Inconel 800 for various requirements. To achieve the aim, In this experimental study on machining of Inconel 800 in PMEDM with electrolyte copper electrode as well as silver coated electrolyte copper electrode is focused. Taguchi full factorial design derived from MINITAB release-16 software was used to design the experimentation. The factors like pulse off time, Current and Pulse on Time were considered. The responses like amount of Tool Wear, Quantity of material removal, surface finishes were noted against each case. In the same experimental conditions the coated electrode increased the MRR by 36.67% with minor increment of maximum surface roughness to 16.11%

Is the current land use pattern in crop agriculture is sustainable in the Bhavani Basin of Southern India?: Application of a Bio-economic model

Efficient and sustainable utilization of resources, particularly land and water resources for agriculture have occupied the centre stage in the economic agenda of a nation. The regional resource availability and the biotic, abiotic and socio-economic constraints are largely varied in the any crop production system of that region. The integration of sustainable resource use with the production programs and income as objectives of farming thus, leads to a multiple objective-planning framework. Attaining sustainable increase in agriculture production by considering the biophysical variability of the region without affecting the natural resources base is therefore very important to achieve food security for the growing population in a developing country situation. The current study is to develop appropriate land use pattern in crop agriculture for sustainable land and water use to the agricultural development in the Bavani Basin of western zone of Tamil Nadu state in southern India, using a multiple goal linear programming approach. Bhavani basin in the western zone of Tamil Nadu - one of the most diversified in bio physical features, was evaluated in this study. The land use model employed in the study following the bio-economic model by Shiferaw and Holden, (2003) who incorporated the important variations in the biophysical system (land and soils) and market characteristics. This study traced the alternative cropping pattern which would maximizes the farm net income at a relatively lower water requirement, lower land requirement (hectare days to ensure relatively more fallow period to lower land exhaustion rate) and that would lower the environment damage in-terms of lower Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) with the given land and ground water availability of each identified ten homogeneous land units beside the length of growing period determined on the basis of quantum and distribution of rainfall and temperature. The major biophysical factors considered beside the land availability, ground and surface water availability were; crop suitability for the particular soil type, crop sequence and climatic variations and these factors were specified as constraints in the land use model. The input data for the model were collected from the sample respondents in the delineated homogeneous land units. The actual water availability for each standard week (t) was estimated after adjusting the effective rainfall received during the period of crop stand from the total water requirement of each crop activity. The land use model estimates revealed the possibility of increasing the crop income from the current level of INR 6.14 billion to INR 8.25 billion annually. This alternative crop plan also helped to reduce the area under high water consuming crops in water deficit areas