Process and structural health monitoring of advanced fibre reinforced composites using optical fibre sensors

The focus of this research was to design, optimise and deploy a practical multi-measurand sensor (MMS) for process monitoring of glass and carbon fibre preforms in an autoclave. The MMS design was based on the optical fibre-based extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) strain sensor. The EFPI sensor consisted of a pair of cleaved optical fibres, with a defined gap that were housed in a precision bore capillary. Interferometric interrogation was used to measure the cavity length hence, permitting the strain to be determined. The basic EFPI sensor design was modified in the following manner to enable multi-measurand monitoring. Firstly, a fibre Bragg grating (FBG) was inscribed on one of the optical fibres that were destined to be housed in the capillary; the end-face of this cleaved optical fibre was sputter coated with Au/Pd to produce a reflective surface. This FBG is in a relatively strain-free condition and only responds to temperature. Secondly, a technique was developed to manufacture optical-quality end-faces of the capillary and this too was sputter coated with Au/Pd. Thirdly, secondary cleaved optical fibres were packed around the lead-in optical fibre of the EFPI sensor with a defined (secondary) cavity thus, permitting transmission/reflection FTNIR spectroscopy. Finally, cleaved secondary optical fibres were also secured to the lead-in fibre and these served as Fresnel reflection sensors. The interrogation of the MMS was carried out using a conventional fibre-coupled multi-channel FTNIR spectrometer. The feasibility of monitoring strain, temperature, cross-linking kinetics and refractive index simultaneously during the processing of glass and carbon fibre preforms was demonstrated

Cross-cultural adaptation and validity of the patient rated michigan hand uutcome questionnaire in Bahasa Melayu for Malaysian patients

Background: The Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ) was designed in 1998 by Chung and colleagues at the University of Michigan in 1998. It is a hand-specific patient-rated outcome (PRO) instrument used to measure patients' outcome with conditions of, or injury to, the hand and/or wrist. This study is aimed at translating and cross-culturally adapting the MHQ into Bahasa Melayu (BM), examining the validity and reliability of the MHQ-BM version for our local population to be used as a patient-rated outcome measurement in Malaysian patients with hand injuries. Methods: This study was performed in two phases. Phase 1 involved the translation of the MHQ into BM using Beaton Protocol. In Phase 2, we administered the final version of the MHQ-BM in patients with hand and/or wrist injuries to test its stability (n = 50) and validity (n = 185). Results: The MHQ-BM showed good content and face validity. Cronbach α totalled 0.821 for the MHQ-BM. The Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of the test-retest reliability for the six domains ranged from 0.960 to 0.984 with excellent correlation (ICC = 0.984) for the total score. The BM version of MHQ-BM showed excellent test-retest reliability. Conclusions: The MHQ-BM is well-translated and culturally well-adapted to maintain the reliability and content validity of the instrument (MHQ) at a conceptual level across Malaysia. We found the application and evaluation of the instrument to be feasible and understandable among patients with hand and/or wrist injuries in Malaysia

Process monitoring of fibre reinforced composites using a multi-measurand fibre-optic sensor

AbstractThis paper reports on the design, fabrication, characterisation and deployment of a multi-measurand optical fibre sensor (MMS) that is capable of simultaneously monitoring strain, temperature, refractive index and cross-linking chemistry. The sensor design is based on the extrinsic fibre Fabry–Perot interferometer. A feature of this sensor system is that a conventional multi-channel fibre-coupled near-infrared spectrometer is used to monitor the four independent parameters. The issues relating to the measurement resolution of the individual sensors and the associated interrogation equipment are discussed. The MMS was embedded in between the fourth and fifth plies of an eight-ply E-glass plain-weave fabric. A commercially available thermosetting epoxy/amine resin system was used to impregnate the fabric layers manually. The laminated preform was vacuum-bagged and cured in an autoclave. The following parameters were monitored: the depletion rates of the epoxy and amine functional groups in the resin system; the temperature in close proximity to the “chemical sensor”; the evolution of strain; and the refractive index of the resin system. The effect of post-processing on the output from the embedded optical fibre sensors is also considered

Corrigendum to "a review of chromium (Cr) epigenetic toxicity and health hazards" [Sci. Total environ., volume 882, 1-12, 15 July 2023, 163,483]

Refers to A review of chromium (Cr) epigenetic toxicity and health hazards Science of The Total Environment, Volume 882, 15 July 2023, Pages 163483 Mahalaxmi Iyer, Uttpal Anand, Saranya Thiruvenkataswamy, Harysh Winster Suresh Babu, Arul Narayanasamy, Vijay Kumar Prajapati, Chandan Kumar Tiwari, Abilash Valsala Gopalakrishnan, Elza Bontempi, Christian Sonne, Damià Barceló, Balachandar VellingiriThe authors regret that the printed version of the above article contained a number of errors. The correct and final version follows. The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused. Incorrect Affiliation. In the published article, there was an error in affiliation [b]. Instead of ‘Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000, Israel’, it should be “CytoGene Research & Development LLP, K-51, Industrial Area, Kursi Road (Lucknow), Dist.– Barabanki, 225001, Uttar Pradesh, India”. The authors apologize for this error and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way.Peer reviewe

Cytokinin and abiotic stress tolerance -What has been accomplished and the way forward?

More than a half-century has passed since it was discovered that phytohormone cytokinin (CK) is essential to drive cytokinesis and proliferation in plant tissue culture. Thereafter, cytokinin has emerged as the primary regulator of the plant cell cycle and numerous developmental processes. Lately, a growing body of evidence suggests that cytokinin has a role in mitigating both abiotic and biotic stress. Cytokinin is essential to defend plants against excessive light exposure and a unique kind of abiotic stress generated by an altered photoperiod. Secondly, cytokinin also exhibits multi-stress resilience under changing environments. Furthermore, cytokinin homeostasis is also affected by several forms of stress. Therefore, the diverse roles of cytokinin in reaction to stress, as well as its interactions with other hormones, are discussed in detail. When it comes to agriculture, understanding the functioning processes of cytokinins under changing environmental conditions can assist in utilizing the phytohormone, to increase productivity. Through this review, we briefly describe the biological role of cytokinin in enhancing the performance of plants growth under abiotic challenges as well as the probable mechanisms underpinning cytokinin-induced stress tolerance. In addition, the article lays forth a strategy for using biotechnological tools to modify genes in the cytokinin pathway to engineer abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The information presented here will assist in better understanding the function of cytokinin in plants and their effective investigation in the cropping system

The emerging role of exosomes in innate immunity, diagnosis and therapy

Exosomes, which are nano-sized transport bio-vehicles, play a pivotal role in maintaining homeostasis by exchanging genetic or metabolic information between different cells. Exosomes can also play a vital role in transferring virulent factors between the host and parasite, thereby regulating host gene expression and the immune interphase. The association of inflammation with disease development and the potential of exosomes to enhance or mitigate inflammatory pathways support the notion that exosomes have the potential to alter the course of a disease. Clinical trials exploring the role of exosomes in cancer, osteoporosis, and renal, neurological, and pulmonary disorders are currently underway. Notably, the information available on the signatory efficacy of exosomes in immune-related disorders remains elusive and sporadic. In this review, we discuss immune cell-derived exosomes and their application in immunotherapy, including those against autoimmune connective tissue diseases. Further, we have elucidated our views on the major issues in immune-related pathophysiological processes. Therefore, the information presented in this review highlights the role of exosomes as promising strategies and clinical tools for immune regulation

A nationwide study of adults admitted to hospital with diabetic ketoacidosis or hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state and COVID‐19

AimsTo investigate characteristics of people hospitalized with coronavirus-disease-2019 (COVID-19) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS), and to identify risk factors for mortality and intensive care admission.Materials and methodsRetrospective cohort study with anonymized data from the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists nationwide audit of hospital admissions with COVID-19 and diabetes, from start of pandemic to November 2021. The primary outcome was inpatient mortality. DKA and HHS were adjudicated against national criteria. Age-adjusted odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression.ResultsIn total, 85 confirmed DKA cases, and 20 HHS, occurred among 4073 people (211 type 1 diabetes, 3748 type 2 diabetes, 114 unknown type) hospitalized with COVID-19. Mean (SD) age was 60 (18.2) years in DKA and 74 (11.8) years in HHS (p < .001). A higher proportion of patients with HHS than with DKA were of non-White ethnicity (71.4% vs 39.0% p = .038). Mortality in DKA was 36.8% (n = 57) and 3.8% (n = 26) in type 2 and type 1 diabetes respectively. Among people with type 2 diabetes and DKA, mortality was lower in insulin users compared with non-users [21.4% vs. 52.2%; age-adjusted odds ratio 0.13 (95% CI 0.03-0.60)]. Crude mortality was lower in DKA than HHS (25.9% vs. 65.0%, p = .001) and in statin users versus non-users (36.4% vs. 100%; p = .035) but these were not statistically significant after age adjustment.ConclusionsHospitalization with COVID-19 and adjudicated DKA is four times more common than HHS but both associate with substantial mortality. There is a strong association of previous insulin therapy with survival in type 2 diabetes-associated DKA

A Rare Case of Osteoid Osteoma in Second Sacral Arch

ABSTRACT The name Osteoid Osteoma was first proposed by Jaffe to designate a benign condition of the bone characterized by the formation of a nidus of vascularized osteoid tissue with sclerosis of surrounding bone7. The incidence of osteoid Osteoma in vertebrae is about 0-25% with average of about 10%6.Patients with Osteoid Osteoma complain of a typical history of pain at night, subsiding on consuming salicylates or NSAIDS. Our patient had a history of chronic back pain more at night associated with radiating pain to his right lower limb mimicking IVDP for which he was treated elsewhere with medication and physiotherapy for 2 years. MRI of the lumbosacral spine was suggestive of infection and when a CT guided biopsy was being done, he was incidentally diagnosed to have osteoid osteoma. He was treated as chronic lumbosacral strain; Disc prolapsed, and even suspected to have tuberculosis of the sacrum after an MRI scan report suggested infection. On examination of the patient, he had point tenderness over the right side of the Sacrum and over the right Sacroiliac joint. Straight leg raising test was negative, Hips were found to be normal. Spinal movements were normal. No neurological deficit was noticed. Though we suspected tuberculosis after the MRI, we wanted to do a CT-guided biopsy of the lesion to prove the same. When a CT-scan was done, the typical feature of Osteoid Osteoma of the right 2nd sacral vertebral lamina was observed by the radiologist. CT-scan showed a central nidus1. Measuring &lt;0.5mm, surrounded by sclerosed bone measuring 0.5mm , following which he was managed surgically