ANCIENT METHODS OF RESEARCH IN AYURVEDA

Ayurveda is the Upaveda of Atharvaveda, the ancient literature which gave us the knowledge of healthier life. The absolute aim of Ayurveda is to maintain the health of a healthier person and diagnose and treat the diseased person. Ayurveda has the ability to treat many chronic diseases that are untreatable in modern medicine, it has got some very preventive and curative tools to treat the diseases, but unfortunately, due to the lack of scientific validation in various concepts, this precious gift from our ancestors is trailing. In a nutshell, Ayurveda gives human a healthy life with proven methods of medical treatment. The ancient methods of treatment are very effective and relevant in present time also. Hence, evidence-based research is highly needed for global recognition and acceptance of Ayurveda, which needs further advancements in the research methodology

An experimental investigation of droplet morphology in swirl flow

The interaction of a droplet with a swirling airstream is investigated experimentally by shadowgraphy and particle image velocimetry techniques. In swirl flow, the droplet experiences oppose-flow, cross-flow, and co-flow conditions depending on its ejection location, the velocity of the airstream, and swirl strength, which results in distinct droplet morphologies as compared to the straight airflow situation. We observe a new breakup phenomenon, termed as `retracting bag breakup', as the droplet encounters a differential flow field created by the wake of the swirler's vanes and the central recirculation zone in swirl airflow. A regime map demarcating the various modes, such as no breakup, vibrational breakup, retracting bag breakup, and bag breakup modes, is presented for different sets of dimensionless parameters influencing the droplet morphology and its trajectory. In contrast to the straight flow, the swirl flow promotes the development of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability, enhancing the stretching factor in the droplet deformation process, resulting in a larger number of fingers on the droplet's surface. In order to gain physical insight, a modified theoretical analysis based on the Rayleigh-Taylor instability is proposed for the swirl flow. The experimental behaviour of droplet deformation phenomena in swirl flow conditions can be determined by modifying the stretching factor in the theoretical model.Comment: 29 pages, 19 figure

Influences of Various Parameters on Sound Absorption Properties of Vetiver Grass Fiber-based Developed Composite Material

422-429Recently, the trend of natural fibers based eco-friendly materials utilization in the field of acoustic application has been growing rapidly in place of traditional synthetic materials to counter environmental issues, due to their cheap processing cost and other several advantages. In this work, sound absorption and thermal insulation properties of the vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) based material have been investigated. Efforts have been carried out in developing porous vetiver grass fibers based composite material. The developed samples tested for the sound absorption coefficient (alpha) over a wide range of frequencies (100 Hz – 4000 Hz) by the reverberation chamber method as per IS 8225-1987/ISO 354- 2003/ASTM 423-909-19 and noise reduction coefficient (NRC) also been calculated. The experimental outcome proved that vetiver grass-based manufactured material has comparable sound absorption to already developed traditional synthetic materials. Further, two different bulk densities, thickness and fibre lengths-based samples were developed and their sound absorption acoustic performances were evaluated to see the influences of these parameters on sound absorption characteristics. Apart from these, some required physical properties as per application requirements were also discussed. However, in this study major focus has been done on acoustical properties

Simulations of a weakly conducting droplet under the influence of an alternating electric field

We investigate the electrohydrodynamics of an initially spherical droplet under the influence of an external alternating electric field by conducting axisymmetric numerical simulations using a charge-conservative volume-of-fluid based finite volume flow solver. The mean amplitude of shape oscillations of a droplet subjected to an alternating electric field for leaky dielectric fluids is the same as the steady-state deformation under an equivalent root mean squared direct electric field for all possible electrical conductivity ratio $(K_r)$ and permittivity ratio $(S)$ of the droplet to the surrounding fluid. In contrast, our simulations for weakly conducting media show that this equivalence between alternating and direct electric fields does not hold for $K_r \ne S$. Moreover, for a range of parameters, the deformation obtained using the alternating and direct electric fields is qualitatively different, i.e. for low $K_r$ and high $S$, the droplet becomes prolate under alternating electric field but deforms to an oblate shape in the case of the equivalent direct electric field. A parametric study is conducted by varying the time period of the applied alternating electric field, the permittivity and the electrical conductivity ratios. It is observed that while increasing $K_r$ has a negligible effect on the deformation dynamics of the droplet for $K_r<S$, it enhances the deformation of the droplet when $K_r>S$ for both alternating and direct electric fields. We believe that our results may be of immense consequence in explaining the morphological evolution of droplets in a plethora of scenarios ranging from nature to biology.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

Phenotype-genotype correlations for clinical variants caused by CYLD mutations

Background Studies evaluating acceptability of simplified follow-up after medical abortion have focused on high-resource or urban settings where telephones, road connections, and modes of transport are available and where women have formal education. Objective To investigate women’s acceptability of home-assessment of abortion and whether acceptability of medical abortion differs by in-clinic or home-assessment of abortion outcome in a low-resource setting in India. Design Secondary outcome of a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial. Setting Outpatient primary health care clinics in rural and urban Rajasthan, India. Population Women were eligible if they sought abortion with a gestation up to 9 weeks, lived within defined study area and agreed to follow-up. Women were ineligible if they had known contraindications to medical abortion, haemoglobin &lt; 85mg/l and were below 18 years. Methods Abortion outcome assessment through routine clinic follow-up by a doctor was compared with home-assessment using a low-sensitivity pregnancy test and a pictorial instruction sheet. A computerized random number generator generated the randomisation sequence (1:1) in blocks of six. Research assistants randomly allocated eligible women who opted for medical abortion (mifepristone and misoprostol), using opaque sealed envelopes. Blinding during outcome assessment was not possible. Main Outcome Measures Women’s acceptability of home-assessment was measured as future preference of follow-up. Overall satisfaction, expectations, and comparison with previous abortion experiences were compared between study groups. Results 731 women were randomized to the clinic follow-up group (n = 353) or home-assessment group (n = 378). 623 (85%) women were successfully followed up, of those 597 (96%) were satisfied and 592 (95%) found the abortion better or as expected, with no difference between study groups. The majority, 355 (57%) women, preferred home-assessment in the event of a future abortion. Significantly more women, 284 (82%), in the home-assessment group preferred home-assessment in the future, as compared with 188 (70%) of women in the clinic follow-up group, who preferred clinic follow-up in the future (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusion Home-assessment is highly acceptable among women in low-resource, and rural, settings. The choice to follow-up an early medical abortion according to women’s preference should be offered to foster women’s reproductive autonomy

A comparative study of geosynthetically reinforced earth foundations in multi-utility transportation infrastructure for high-speed railways

A high-quality railway track resting on an excellent foundation is required to support high-speed railway transportation. The foundations of high-speed railway tracks are generally constructed on the lifted embankment with the improved ground using different reinforcement agents like geosynthetics and rigid lateral support. The present study performed dynamic finite element simulations on a ballasted rail track laid over a geosynthetically reinforced embankment with and without facing wall support. Three foundation geometries were analyzed to examine the effect of facing wall support and geosynthetics on the lateral resistance of the foundation. An area loaded with a constant pressure was moved at a constant speed, causing the load motion at different speeds in the 90–360 km/h range. Different parameters were calculated at node paths to help understand the lateral effect of moving load. The results showed that the lateral resistance based on nodal acceleration and velocity increased with facing wall support in the range of 40%–57%. Any increment over the minimum facing wall thickness of 300 mm does not significantly increase lateral resistance. Geosynthetics provided a vital function in the foundations with a less bulk volume of soil and increased the lateral resistance by 10%

Indigenous Development of Acoustic Sounder (SODAR) in India as an Upgraded Technology for Environmental Protection: A Review

Sound Detection and Ranging (SODAR) has moved to the forefront of consumer technology due to the pressing need toengage the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) in environmental protection. An active ground-based remote sensingsystem (SODAR) is used to determine the lower-atmosphere wind profile and temperature structure. SODAR can detectturbulence parameters in the ABL from a distance and can be used for wind profiling. SODAR, with its significantlyenhanced capability, is expected to be a futuristic remote sensing device with several uses in the near future. Including anemphasis on its applications and current developments, this article examines SODAR's early history, with a review of Indianstudies. The article examines past breakthroughs in SODAR as well as its advancement and applications, with an emphasison India due to the worldwide nature of SODAR research. Additionally, the article discusses how effective SODAR is inprotecting the environment and how important it is going forward. After summarising the applications, various opportunitiesand barriers incurred in SODAR use, a proposed review article to provide insights into previously understudied, unstudied,and studied research work accomplished on SODAR in India is constructed. The article accentuates the role of SODAR asan environmental safeguarding tool

Pathophysiology of Janapadoddhwamsa wsr to Covid-19 Pandemic

Janapadoddhwamsa or pandemic which is a state of worldwide destruction occurred because of Vikruti (vitiation) of Vayu, Jala, Desh and Kaal. These four natural/environmental factors are considered as ‘Janapadodhwamsakara Bhavas’ because when these Bhavas get vitiated, the ecological imbalance in nature occurs resulting in natural disasters and the creation and evolution of so many ‘Yonisankar sukshma bhutas’ or bacteria and viruses. In the scenario of Covid-19, this article is an effort to evaluate the concepts of Bhutas in the light of the pathogenesis of Janapadoddhwamsa and disease-causing agents. In Ayurveda science, the concept of microorganisms collectively comes under the topic of ‘Bhutas – which occupies the human body’. So, the aim is to explore the hidden facts about Bhutas as a causative factor of Janapadoddhwamsa, while using the method of textual analysis of Vedas and Samhitas. In conclusion, for a better future and a protracted fight against the virus, one should understand the concepts of Bhutas, and its related terminologies mentioned in our literature alongwith its preventive measures mentioned under the classification of Bhutaghna and Rakhsoghna dravyas, Krimighna dravyas and techniques, the rules mentioned in Sadvritta for the betterment of life and avoidance of Pragyaparadha

Long-term Aerosol Characteristics over Eastern, Southeastern, and South Coalfield Regions in India

Natural and anthropogenic aerosols over coal mines regions in India play a significant role in influencing the regional radiation budget, causing climate implications to the overall hydrological cycle of India. In the reference of regional climate change and air quality, we discuss aerosol optical depth (AOD) variability and long-term trends (from Mar 2000-Dec 2012) over eastern, southeast, and south coalfield regions in India. The present work analyses the variations and trends in aerosol loading using Terra-MODIS (Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) AOD(550) data in the period 2000-2012. Overall, an increasing trend in AOD(550) has been observed over all regions namely Raniganj (7.31 %) in eastern and Korba (5.0 %) in southeast, and Godavari Valley (32 %) in the south coalfield region in India. This increasing trend predominantly owes to a constant increase in the seasonal/monthly averaged AOD during the winter (Dec-Feb) and post-monsoon (Oct-Nov) seasons dominated by anthropogenic emissions. In contrast, a decreasing trend is observed during pre-monsoon (Mar-May) season over eastern coalfield region (-13 %), while at south coalfield region (44 %) and southeastern coalfield region (0.8 %), increasing trends are observed. Similarly, increasing trends is observed over all regions in monsoon (Jun-Sep) months. Furthermore, the values of Hurst exponent, fractal dimension, and predictability index for AODs are 0.5, 1.5, and 0, respectively suggesting that the AODs in all sites follow the Brownian time series motion (true random walk). High AOD values (0.59+/-0.21) are observed over eastern region Raniganj

Time series model prediction and trend variability of aerosol optical depth over coal mines in India

A study of the assessment and management of air quality was carried out at 11 coal mines in India. Long-term observations (about 13 years, March 2000-December 2012) and modeling of aerosol loading over coal mines in India are analyzed in the present study. In this respect, the Box-Jenkins popular autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model was applied to simulate the monthly mean Terra Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD(550 nm)) over 11 sites in the coal mines region. The ARIMA model was found as the most suitable model with least normalized Bayesian information criterion (BIC) and root mean square error and high value of R (2). Estimation was done with the Ljung-Box test. Finally, a forecast for a 3-year period from January 2013 to December 2015 was calculated which showed that the model forecasted values are following the observed trend quite well over all mining areas in India. The average values of AOD for the next 3 years (2013-2015) at all sites are found to be 0.575 +/- 0.13 (Raniganj), 0.452 +/- 0.12 (Jharia), 0.339 +/- 0.13 (Bokaro), 0.280 +/- 0.09 (Bishrampur), 0.353 +/- 0.13 (Korba), 0.308 +/- 0.08 (Talcher), 0.370 +/- 0.11 (Wardha), 0.35 +/- 0.10 (Adilabad), 0.325 +/- 0.09 (Warangal), 0.467 +/- 0.09 (Godavari Valley), and 0.236 +/- 0.07 (Cuddapah), respectively. In addition, long-term lowest monthly mean AOD(550) values are observed over Bishrampur followed by Cuddapah, Talcher, Warangal, Adilabad, Korba, Wardha, Godavari Valley, Jharia, and Raniganj. Raniganj and Jharia exhibit the highest AOD values due to opencast mines and extensive mining activities as well as a large number of coal fires. Similarly, the highest AOD values are observed during the monsoon season among all four seasons over all the mining sites. Raniganj exhibits the highest AOD value at all seasons and at all sites. In contrast, the lowest seasonal AOD values are observed during the post-monsoon season over Raniganj, Talcher, Wardha, Adilabad, Warangal, and Godavari Valley. Similarly, over Jharia, Bokaro, Bishrampur, Korba, and Cuddapah, the lowest AOD values are found in the winter season. Increasing trends in AOD(550) have been observed over Raniganj, Bokaro, Bishrampur, Korba, Talcher, and Wardha as well as over Adilabad and Godavari Valley, which is in agreement with previous works. Negative or decreasing AOD trend is found only over Jharia, Warangal, and Cuddapah without being statistically significant. Seasonal trends in AODs have also been studied in the present paper