Finite Element Analysis of Multipass Effects of Vehicles on Soil Compaction

Finite element procedure was used to simulate multiple wheel loading and to predict its effect on soil compaction. Results of nonlinear analysis, conducted using an incremental loading procedure, show effects of tire size, soil type, and number of passes on soil compaction. The results of the study also demonstrate the potential use of the procedure in compaction related studies. However, experimental verification of the model is necessary before the procedure can be recommended for wider use

Community wells for sustainable irrigation in tank commands: a case study

An optimization model has been formulated to maximize the net benefit from a tank command with conjunctive use of surface water from the tank and ground water from wells and community well in the tank area. The Kannangudi tank in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu, India has been taken as the case study. Six crops were found in the command area and are considered for arriving the optimal cropping pattern. The study result shows that, the wells and community well in a tank command contributes to a sustainable irrigation and apparently maximize the net benefit from that tank command

NCX-4040, a nitric oxide-releasing aspirin, sensitizes drug-resistant human ovarian xenograft tumors to cisplatin by depletion of cellular thiols

Background: Ovarian carcinoma is the leading cause of mortality among gynecological cancers in the world. The high mortality rate is associated with lack of early diagnosis and development of drug resistance. The antitumor efficacy and mechanism of NCX-4040, a nitric oxide-releasing aspirin derivative, against ovarian cancer is studied. Methods: NCX-4040, alone or in combination with cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, cDDP), was studied in cisplatin-sensitive (A2780 WT) and cisplatin-resistant (A2780 cDDP) cell lines as well as xenograft tumors grown in nude mice. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used for measurements of nitric oxide and redox state. Immunoblotting analysis of A2780 cDDP tumor xenografts from mice was used for mechanistic studies. Results: Cells treated with NCX-4040 (25 μM) showed a significant reduction of cell viability (A2780 WT, 34.9 ± 8.7%; A2780 cDDP, 41.7 ± 7.6%; p < 0.05). Further, NCX-4040 significantly enhanced the sensitivity of A2780 cDDP cells (cisplatin alone, 80.6 ± 11.8% versus NCX-4040+cisplatin, 26.4 ± 7.6%; p < 0.01) and xenograft tumors (cisplatin alone, 74.0 ± 4.4% versus NCX-4040+cisplatin, 56.4 ± 7.8%; p < 0.05), to cisplatin treatment. EPR imaging of tissue redox and thiol measurements showed a 5.5-fold reduction (p < 0.01) of glutathione in NCX-4040- treated A2780 cDDP tumors when compared to untreated controls. Immunoblotting analysis of A2780 cDDP tumor xenografts from mice treated with NCX-4040 and cisplatin revealed significant downregulation of pEGFR (Tyr845 and Tyr992) and pSTAT3 (Tyr705 and Ser727) expression. Conclusion: The results suggested that NCX-4040 could resensitize drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin possibly by depletion of cellular thiols. Thus NCX-4040 appears to be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of human ovarian carcinoma and cisplatin-resistant malignancies

Performance of Abbott Architect, Ortho Vitros, and Euroimmun Assays in Detecting Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection [preprint]

Background: Several serological assays have been developed to detect anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, but evidence about their comparative performance is limited. We sought to assess the sensitivity of four anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in individuals with evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: We obtained sera from 36 individuals with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between March and May 2020. We evaluated samples collected at around 21 days (±14 days) after their initial PCR test using 3 commercially available ELISA assays, two anti-spike (Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics Vitros, and Euroimmun) and one anti-nucleocapsid (Abbott Architect), and a Yale-developed anti-spike ELISA test. We determined the sensitivity of the tests and compared their results. The Euroimmun and Yale ELISA had an equivocal and indeterminate category, which were considered as both negative and positive. Results: Among the 36 individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection, mean age was 43 (±13) years and 19 (53%) were female. The sensitivities of the tests were not significantly different (Abbott Architect, Ortho Vitros, Euroimmmun, and Yale assays: 86% (95% confidence interval [CI], 71-95), 94% (95% CI, 81-99), 86% (95% CI, 71-95), and 94% (95% CI, 81-99), respectively; p-value=0.464). The sensitivities of the Euroimmun and Yale ELISA tests increased when the equivocal/indeterminate results were considered positive (97% [95% CI, 85-100] and 100% [95% CI, 90-100], respectively), but were not significantly different from other tests (p=0.082). The cross-correlation coefficient ranged from 0.85-0.98 between three anti-spike protein assays (Ortho Vitros, Euroimmun, Yale) and was 0.58-0.71 between the three anti-spike protein assays and the anti-nucleocapsid assay (Abbott). Conclusion: The sensitivities of four anti-SARS-CoV-2 protein assays did not significantly differ, although the sample size was small. Sensitivity also depended on the interpretation of equivocal and indeterminate results. The strongest correlations were present for the three anti-spike proteins assays. These findings suggest that individual test characteristics and the correlation between different tests should be considered when comparing or aggregating data across different populations studies for serologic surveillance of past SARS-CoV-2 infection

Design and implementation of automatic water spraying system for solar photovoltaic module

Photovoltaic (PV) cell has a characteristic of decrease in power beyond a certain temperature. This decrease in power is due to a drop in the open circuit cell voltage. This decreases the efficiency of the PV cell. The objective of this research is to increase the efficiency of PV cells by reducing the PV cell temperature and reflection loss. The cell temperature and reflection loss can be reduced by spraying water over the PV cells. On spraying water over the USP36, 24V PV module, the power is found to be increased. The test result shows a 1V to 2V increase in voltage, with an efficiency increment of 1% to 1.27%. The test results of USP37 show the voltage increase of 1.2 V to 2.1 V in the PV module voltage. Due to the increase in voltage, efficiency increment of 1.29% is observed. The efficiency of USP36 with water spraying is more than the efficiency of USP37 without water spraying. In the PV power systems, an average increase in efficiency of 0.5% is observed

In vitro antiviral activity of medicinal mushroom Ganoderma neo-japonicum Imazeki against enteroviruses that caused hand, foot and mouth disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a highly contagious viral disease that predominantly affects children younger than 5 years old. HFMD is primarily caused by enterovirus A71 (EVA71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16). However, coxsackievirus A10 (CV-A10) and coxsackievirus A6 (CV-A6) are being increasingly reported as the predominant causative of HFMD outbreaks worldwide since the past decade. To date, there are still no licensed multivalent vaccines or antiviral drugs targeting enteroviruses that cause HFMD, despite HFMD outbreaks are still being frequently reported, especially in Asia-Pacific countries. The high rate of transmission, morbidity and potential neurological complications of HFMD is indeed making the development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs/agents against these enteroviruses a compelling need. In this study, we have investigated the in vitro antiviral effect of 4 Ganoderma neo-japonicum Imazeki (GNJI) crude extracts (S1-S4) against EV-A71, CV-A16, CV-A10 and CV-A6. GNJI is a medicinal mushroom that can be found growing saprophytically on decaying bamboo clumps in Malaysian forests. The antiviral effects of this medicinal mushroom were determined using cytopathic inhibition and virus titration assays. The S2 (1.25 mg/ml) hot aqueous extract demonstrated the highest broad-spectrum antiviral activity against all tested enteroviruses in human primary oral fibroblast cells. Replication of EV-A71, CV-A16 and CVA10 were effectively inhibited at 2 hours post-infection (hpi) to 72 hpi, except for CV-A6 which was only at 2 hpi. S2 also has virucidal activity against EV-A71. Polysaccharides isolated and purified from crude hot aqueous extract demonstrated similar antiviral activity as S2, suggesting that polysaccharides could be one of the active compounds responsible for the antiviral activity shown by S2. To our knowledge, this study demonstrates for the first time the ability of GNJI to inhibit enterovirus infection and replication. Thus, GNJI is potential to be further developed as an antiviral agent against enteroviruses that caused HFMD

Rotation in an Enantiospecific Self‐Assembled Array of Molecular Raffle Wheels

Tailored nano-spaces can control enantioselective adsorption and molecular motion. We report on the spontaneous assembly of a dynamic system—a rigid kagome network with each pore occupied by a guest molecule—employing solely 2,6-bis(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine-4-carboxylic acid on Ag(111). The network cavity snugly hosts the chemically modified guest, bestows enantiomorphic adsorption and allows selective rotational motions. Temperature-dependent scanning tunnelling microscopy studies revealed distinct anchoring orientations of the guest unit switching with a 0.95 eV thermal barrier. H-bonding between the guest and the host transiently stabilises the rotating guest, as the flapper on a raffle wheel. Density functional theory investigations unravel the detailed molecular pirouette of the guest and how the energy landscape is determined by H-bond formation and breakage. The origin of the guest\u27s enantiodirected, dynamic anchoring lies in the specific interplay of the kagome network and the silver surface

Evaluation of bioceramic coated materials for orthopaedic applications

637-644Many surgical metals such as stainless steel, titanium, magnesium and its alloys have been extensively used for the recovery of body structures in human beings. Corrosion is the major reason for failure in metallic implants, when the metal comes in contact with the body fluids it releases metal ions into the surrounding tissues. This may even lead to the second surgery which can be eradicated by the surface modification of the implant with bioceramics using coating techniques. The present work involves the development of coatings on the surface of 316L SS type of stainless steel using a biphasic mixture of bio ceramics HAP/β-TCP in ratio of 7.5:2.5 by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) from a suspension of ethanol. The presence of biphasic coating imparts the property of both bioactivity and bioresorbability to the implant with good adherence of the coatings in body fluids. These coatings provide corrosion resistance and also favour new bone growth. Further, the biocompatibility of these materials can be evaluated by in-vitro assay. This includes cytotoxicity tests carried out with normal cell line (Vero cell line) and cancerous cell line (HEP II cell Line). The coated samples have been tested for their biochemical nature using DPPH (2,2 diphenyl 1 picryl hydrazil compound) activity to confirm whether the coated implant is suitable for cancerous patients with its antioxidant property which helps to trap the free radicals

NIH Workshop 2018: Towards Minimally-invasive or Non-invasive Approaches to Assess Tissue Oxygenation Pre- and Post-Transfusion

Because blood transfusion is one of the most common therapeutic interventions in hospitalized patients, much recent research has focused on improving the storage quality in vitro of donor red blood cells (RBCs) that are then used for transfusion. However, there is a significant need for enhancing our understanding of the efficacy of the transfused RBCs in vivo. To this end, the NIH sponsored a one-and-a-half-day workshop that brought together experts in multiple disciplines relevant to tissue oxygenation (e.g., transfusion medicine, critical care medicine, cardiology, neurology, neonatology and pediatrics, bioengineering, biochemistry, and imaging). These individuals presented their latest findings, discussed key challenges, and aimed to construct recommendations for facilitating development of new technologies and/or biomarker panels to assess tissue oxygenation in a minimally-invasive to non-invasive fashion, before and after RBC transfusion. The workshop was structured into four sessions: (1) Global Perspective; (2) Organ Systems; (3) Neonatology; and (4) Emerging Technologies. The first day provided an overview of current approaches in the clinical setting, both from a global perspective, including the use of metabolomics for studying RBCs and tissue perfusion, and from a more focused perspective, including tissue oxygenation assessments in neonates and in specific adult organ systems. The second day focused on emerging technologies, which could be applied pre- and post-RBC transfusion, to assess tissue oxygenation in minimally-invasive or non-invasive ways. Each day concluded with an open-microphone discussion among the speakers and workshop participants. The workshop presentations and ensuing interdisciplinary discussions highlighted the potential of technologies to combine global “omics” signatures with additional measures (e.g., thenar eminence measurements or various imaging methods) to predict which patients could potentially benefit from a RBC transfusion and whether the ensuing RBC transfusion was effective. The discussions highlighted the need for collaborations across the various disciplines represented at the meeting to leverage existing technologies and to develop novel approaches for assessing RBC transfusion efficacy in various clinical settings. Although the Workshop took place in April, 2018, the concepts described and the ensuing discussions were, perhaps, even more relevant in April, 2020, at the time of writing this manuscript, during the explosive growth of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Thus, issues relating to maintaining and improving tissue oxygenation and perfusion are especially pertinent because of the extensive pulmonary damage resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection [1], compromises in perfusion caused by thrombotic-embolic phenomena [2], and damage to circulating RBCs, potentially compromising their oxygen-carrying capacity [3]. The severe end organ effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection mandate even more urgency for improving our understanding of tissue perfusion and oxygenation, improve methods for measuring and monitoring them, and develop novel ways of enhancing them