A Spanning Tree Approach in Placing Multi-channel and Minimum Channel PMU’s for Power System Observability

Synchronized phasor measurements have become the measurement technique of choice for electric power systems. They provide positive sequence voltage and current measurements synchronized to within a microsecond. The objective is to use the spanning tree approach and tree search technique for optimal placement of multichannel and minimum channel synchronized phasor measurement units (PMUs) in order to have full observability of Power System. The novel concept of depth of observability is used and its impact on the number of PMU placements is explained.  The spanning tree approach is used for the power system graphs and a tree search technique is used for finding the optimal location of PMUs. This is tested on IEEE-14 and IEEE-30 bus system. The same technique is modified to optimally place minimum channel PMUs on the same IEEE-14 and IEEE-30 bus systems. Matlab tool has been used for fulfilling the objective

Infection of Mycobacterium mageritense at surgical site: A first case report of India

A 27 years old non diabetic, normotensive, female had undergone lower segment caesarean section (LSCS) with tubular ligation. She complained discharge at left side of stitch line after about 5 weeks of operation, and was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics. As she did not improve, first and second debridement was done in January and February 2017 and pyogenic cultures sent were sterile. Later she was advised  for Multiple detector computed tomography (MDCT) in March 2017, which revealed accumulations in pre-peritoneal space of urinary bladder posteriorly and reached to anterior wall of uterus. This pus was from multiple sinuses and were sent for mycobacterial cultures which showed growth of MOTT- M.mageritense further identified by MALDI-TOF and supported by molecular technologies. After identification of this Non-tuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM). She was treated for the same and recovered completely after seven months of anti-NTM treatment. This is the first reported case of M. mageritense in skin and soft tissue in India. Literature also reports a few cases around the globe. &nbsp

Direct synthesis of 2-(cycloalkylamino)-3,4-substituted thiophenes via selective deprotonation-cyclization of aroyl ketene N,S-acetals

Acyclic and cyclic aroyl ketene N,S-acetals undergo regioselective deprotonation-cyclization via dipole stabilized carbanion in the presence of LDA/THF to afford the corresponding 2-(cycloalkylamino)-4-aryl or 3,4-annelated thiophenes in moderate to good yields

A Self-learning Nonlinear Variable Gain Proportional Derivative (PD) Controller in Robot Manipulators

This paper proposes a nonlinear variable gain Proportional-Derivative (PD) controller that exhibits self-constructing and self-learning capabilities. In this method, the conventional linear PD controller is augmented with a nonlinear variable PD gain control signal using a dynamic structural network. The dynamic structural network known as Growing Multi-Experts etwork grows in time by placing hidden nodes in regions of the state space visited by the system during operation. This results in a network that is "economic" in terms of network sileo The proposed approach enhances the adaptability of conventional PD controller while preserving its' linear structure. Based on the simulation study on variable load and friction compensation, the fast adaptation is shown to be able to compensate the non-linearity and the uncertainty in the robotic system

The raising epidemic of COPD in women

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) represents an important public health challenge that is both preventable and treatable. Although it is more frequently observed in males, the number of females with COPD is on the rise due to either active smoking or passive exposure and biomass fuel combustion.Methods: It is a cross sectional study comprising forty female patients with signs and symptoms of COPD and graded according to Global association for obstructive lung diseases (GOLD) spirometry strategy. For all the enrolled patients, clinical history was taken and investigations like chest X-ray, Spirometry, Six minute walk distance test (6MWD) and BODE index was assessed.Results: The majority of cases (72.5%) belong to fifth to sixth decade. Most of cases were from rural area. 85% of the COPD females were smokers. Among non smokers biomass fuel is major risk factor. COPD is common in patients with smoking history of more than 20 years. Duration of exposure to biomass fuel exceeded 45 years in the COPD subjects. The mean 6MWD was 311 meters suggesting low exercise capacity. Most of the patients with severe COPD have BODE score >7 with poor prognosis.Conclusions: This study recognizes the prevalence of reverse chutta smoking among the COPD females and the risk of biomass exposure in the development of COPD in women, especially from rural areas. Identification and control of the risk factors are important steps in prevention and treatment of COPD.

Synthesis and anti–microbial activity of 1,2,3–triazole tethered nitroguiacol ethers

Nitro aromatic/nitrophenols have been widely distributed in nature and are mostly isolated from marine microorganisms and had shown a broad spectrum of anti–microbial activities against a wide range of microbial pathogens. The objective of the present work is to Synthesize some new 1,2,3–triazole tethered nitroguiacol ethers and evaluated of their anti–bacterial and anti–fungal activities. A focused library of 1,2,3-triazole tethered nitroguiacol ethers were prepared by employing Cu (I) catalyzed click chemistry reaction and evaluated for their antimicrobial activities by broth microdilution method. Among the tested compounds, compounds 8e, 8f, 8g, and 8i exhibited broad–spectrum activity against selected pathogenic strains, with the MIC of 8 µg/mL for gram–positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), 16 µg/mL for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram–negative bacteria), and Candida species, respectively. Future investigations with this class of compounds may lead to the development of potential candidates for antimicrobial drug discovery.Â

ESTIMATION OF PRIMIDONE IN COMMERCIAL DOSAGE FORMS USING A SIMPLE AND CONVENIENT HPLC METHOD

ABSTRACT A simple fast and precise reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of Primidone Tablets. A symmetry (5µ, 150 x 4 .6mm column) in isocratic mode with methanol: Water (50:50) as mobile phase. The Flow rate is1.0ml/min and effluent is monitored at 210nm

End of life care of hospitalized patients with Parkinson disease: a retrospective analysis and brief review

BackgroundTowards the end of life (EOL), persons with parkinsonism (PwP) have complex needs and can present with unique palliative care (PC) challenges. There are no widely accepted guidelines to aid neurologists, hospitalists, or PC clinicians in managing the symptoms of PwP at EOL. We examined a population of PwP at EOL, aiming to describe trends of in-hospital management and utilization of PC services.MethodsAll PwP admitted to two hospitals during 2018 (N = 727) were examined retrospectively, assessing those who died in hospital or were discharged with hospice (EOL group, N = 35) and comparing them to the main cohort. Their demographics, clinical data, engagement of multidisciplinary and palliative services, code status changes, invasive care, frequency of admissions, and medication administration were assessed.ResultsAmong the EOL group, 8 expired in hospital, and 27 were discharged to hospice. Forty-six percent of EOL patients received a PC consultation during their admission. The median interval from admission to death was 37 days. Seventy-seven percent had a full code status on admission. Compared to hospice patients, those who expired in hospital had higher rates of invasive procedures and intensive care unit transfers (41% vs. 75%, in both variables), and lower rates of PC involvement (52% vs. 25%). The transition of code status change for the EOL group from Full code to Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) occurred at a median 4–5 days from admission. For patients that passed in the hospital, the median days from transition of code status to death was 0(IQR 0–1). Levodopa dose deviations were frequent in both EOL and non-EOL group, but contraindicated medications were infrequently administered (11% in EOL group vs. 9% in non-EOL group).ConclusionOur data suggest a low utilization of PC services and delayed discussions of goals of care. More work is needed to raise awareness of inpatient teams managing PwP regarding the unique but common challenges facing PwP with advanced disease. A brief narrative review summarizing the suggested management of symptoms common to hospitalized PwP near EOL is provided

Endovascular equipoise shift in a phase III randomized clinical trial of sonothrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke

Background: Results of our recently published phase III randomized clinical trial of ultrasound-enhanced thrombolysis (sonothrombolysis) using an operator-independent, high frequency ultrasound device revealed heterogeneity of patient recruitment among centers. Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis after excluding subjects that were recruited at centers reporting a decline in the balance of randomization between sonothrombolysis and concurrent endovascular trials. Results: From a total of 676 participants randomized in the CLOTBUST-ER trial we identified 52 patients from 7 centers with perceived equipoise shift in favor of endovascular treatment. Post hoc sensitivity analysis in the intention-to-treat population adjusted for age, National Institutes of Health Scale score at baseline, time from stroke onset to tPA bolus and baseline serum glucose showed a significant (p < 0.01) interaction of perceived endovascular equipoise shift on the association between sonothrombolysis and 3 month functional outcome [adjusted common odds ratio (cOR) in centers with perceived endovascular equipoise shift: 0.22, 95% CI 0.06–0.75; p = 0.02; adjusted cOR for centers without endovascular equipoise shift: 1.20, 95% CI 0.89–1.62; p = 0.24)]. After excluding centers with perceived endovascular equipoise shift, patients randomized to sonothrombolysis had higher odds of 3 month functional independence (mRS scores 0–2) compared with patients treated with tPA only (adjusted OR: 1.53; 95% CI 1.01–2.31; p = 0.04). Conclusion: Our experience in CLOTBUST-ER indicates that increasing implementation of endovascular therapies across major academic stroke centers raises significant challenges for clinical trials aiming to test noninterventional or adjuvant reperfusion strategies

Safety and efficacy of sonothrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke: a multicentre, double-blind, phase 3, randomised controlled trial

Background: Pulsed-wave ultrasound increases the exposure of an intracranial thrombus to alteplase (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator), potentially facilitating early reperfusion. We aimed to ascertain if a novel operator-independent transcranial ultrasound device delivering low-power high-frequency ultrasound could improve functional outcome in patients treated with alteplase after acute ischaemic stroke. Methods: We did a multicentre, double-blind, phase 3, randomised controlled trial (CLOTBUST-ER) at 76 medical centres in 14 countries. We included patients with acute ischaemic stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥10) who received intravenous thrombolysis (alteplase bolus) within 3 h of symptom onset in North America and within 4·5 h of symptom onset in all other countries. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) via an interactive web response system to either active ultrasound (2 MHz pulsed-wave ultrasound for 120 min [sonothrombolysis]; intervention group) or sham ultrasound (control group). Ultrasound was delivered using an operator-independent device, which had to be activated within 30 min of the alteplase bolus. Participants, investigators, and those assessing outcomes were unaware of group assignments. The primary outcome was improvement in the modified Rankin Scale score at 90 days in patients enrolled within 3 h of symptom onset, assessed in the intention-to-treat population as a common odds ratio (cOR) using ordinal logistic regression shift analysis. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01098981. The trial was stopped early by the funder after the second interim analysis because of futility. Findings: Between August, 2013, and April, 2015, 335 patients were randomly allocated to the intervention group and 341 patients to the control group. Compared with the control group, the adjusted cOR for an improvement in modified Rankin Scale score at 90 days in the intervention group was 1·05 (95% CI 0·77–1·45; p=0·74). 51 (16%) of 317 patients in the intervention group and 44 (13%) of 329 patients in the control group died (unadjusted OR 1·24, 95% CI 0·80–1·92; p=0·37) and 83 (26%) and 79 (24%), respectively, had serious adverse events (1·12, 0·79–1·60; p=0·53). Interpretation: Sonothrombolysis delivered by an operator-independent device to patients treated with alteplase after acute ischaemic stroke was feasible and most likely safe, but no clinical benefit was seen at 90 days. Sonothrombolysis could be further investigated either in randomised trials undertaken in stroke centres that are dependent on patient transfer for endovascular reperfusion therapies or in countries where these treatments cannot yet be offered as the standard of care