COVID-19 identification in ct images based on deep learning models: a comparative approach

People's lives could be in danger if a contagious disease spreads quickly, Corona-2019 virus disease (COVID-19) is one. The coronavirus epidemic rapidly spread over the world. The Corona virus has had a major impact on the health of populations and healthcare systems all over the world. RT-PCR (RT-Reverse transcription, PCR-polymerase chain reaction) testing can benefit from the use of computed tomography images. Most available methods use large training data, and the detection accuracy needs to be improved due to the inadequate border segment of symptom descriptions. This study proposes a robust and effective way for identifying normal and COVID-19 patients using small training data. Deep learning quickly creates accurate models. Data augmentation increases the training dataset to reduce over fitting and improve model generalisation. Using data augmentation, we evaluated Xception and VGG-19. The study showed that deep learning can detect COVID-19. &nbsp

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Not AvailableEffects of Lecanicillium lecanii alone and in 1:1 combination with neem oil were evaluated against Phenacoccus solenopsis infesting major vegetables (eggplant, tomato, chilli, okra, pointed gourd and cucumber) and compared with cotton and whitetop weed (Parthenium hysterophorus Linn.). Marked differences were observed in the mortality of P. solenopsis amongst the vegetables and highest percent mortality (66.2 and 90.2 % at 3 and 5 DAT, respectively) was recorded in okra whereas lowest was in Parthenium (13.9 and 29.9 %) in case of L. lecanii. Similar trends were also followed in neem oil and their 1:1 combination. Amongst all the vegetables, median lethal time (LT50) varied from 38.4 to 184.3, 33.7 to 172.8 and 30.6 to 149.2 h in case of L. lecanii, neem oil and their 1:1 combination, respectively. Lowest LT50 value was noted from of L. lecanii when P. solenopsis fed on okra and their ascending order of median lethal time was Okra > Pointed gourd > Tomato > Chilli > Cotton > Eggplant > Cucumber > Parthenium. Considering the median lethal time of mealybug reared on okra as base (1), time required for L. lecanii for 50 % killing of 6 ± 1 day old nymphs of P. solenopsis was 1.15, 1.38, 2.20, 2.72, 2.75, 2.90 and 4.80 times higher than when fed on pointed gourd, tomato, chilli, cotton, eggplant, cucumber and Parthenium respectively. From the present study, it is clearly evident that strong host mediated variations existed for susceptibility of P. solenopsis to L. lecanii, neem oil and their combination.Not Availabl

A comparative study of the adverse effects due to use of N95 and cloth mask

Introduction: Covid -19 infection spread rapidly from person to person. Social distancing, hygiene and mask are among various preventive measures for spread of this infection Prolonged use of N95 and surgical masks causes physical adverse effects such as headaches, difficulty breathing, acne, skin breakdown, rashes, and impaired cognition. Some facial masks are secured by anchoring to the ears, causing damage to the external ears and retroauricular skin areas because of pressure, prolonged exposure, or both. Methods: This was questionnaire bases study. Questionnaire was distributed to participants. 200 N95 mask wearer and 200 cloth mask wearers were included in study. Results: Dermatological adverse effects were more in participants wearing N95 mask. Also, N95 mask wearer have to speak louder during conversation. There is statistically significant between N95 and cloth wearer in terms of dermatological and speech difficulties. Conclusion: Mask prevents spread of covid- 19 infection from person to person. There are many adverse effects of masks. In view of adverse effect related to skin and speech difficulty cloth mask is better

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Not AvailableA new cell line [pearlspot fin (PSF)] has been developed from caudal fin of Etroplus suratensis, a brackish/freshwater fish cultivated in India. The cell line was maintained in Leibovitz's L-15 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The PSF cell line consisted predominantly of epithelial-like cells. The cells were able to grow at temperatures between 25 degrees C and 32 degrees C with optimum temperature of 28 degrees C. The growth rate of PSF cells increased as the FBS proportion increased from 2% to 20% at 28 degrees C with optimum growth at the concentration of 10% FBS. One marine fish virus (fish nodavirus) was tested on this cell line and found not susceptible. After confluency, the cells were subcultured with a split ratio of 1:2. The cells showed epithelial-like morphology and reached confluency on the third d after subculture. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of mitochondrial 16S rRNA and COI indicated identity of this cell line with those reported from this fish species, confirming that the cell line was of pearlspot origin. The cells were successfully cryopreserved and revived at the tenth, 25th, and 35th passages. The bacterial extracellular products from Vibrio cholerae MTCC 3904 were found to be toxic to PSF. Karyotyping analysis indicated that the modal chromosome number was 48.Not Availabl

Amino Catalytic Oxidative Thioesterification Approach to α‑Ketothioesters

An efficient metal-free method for the synthesis of α-ketothioesters is described for the first time. This reaction features the ability of pyrrolidine to fine-tune the reaction between 2-oxoaldehyde and thiols through iminium to the desired product in moderate to good yields. As an advantage, no external oxidants or metal catalysts are required in our method. Reactions performed under modified conditions lead to an apparent balance in reactivity of secondary amine and thiols toward 2-oxoaldehydes