Economic Design of X̅ Control Chart under Double EWMA

Designing of parameters plays an important role in economic design of control charts for lowering the cost and time. Manipulating sample size (n) and sampling interval (h), the effect of double exponentially weighted moving average (DEWMA) model was studied for the Economic Design (ED) of X̅ control chart. Optimum sizes and level were obtained when the characteristics of an item possesses DEWMA model. When shifts are uncertain the optimal design for DEWMA chart should be more conservative and should be implemented for benefiting the consumers as well as producers

Isothermal study of Congo Red dye biosorptive removal from water by Solanum tuberosum and Pisum sativum peels in economical way

Solanum tuberosum (STP) and Pisum sativum peels (PSP) were used for removal of toxic Congo Red dye using indigenous sources. Potato (Solanum tuberosum) and pea (Pisum sativum) are commonly and abundantly cultivated plants in Asian countries and their peels are easily available. The optimized conditions for Solanum tuberosum peels (STP) and Pisum sativum peels (PSP) were: adsorbent dose; 0.8 and 0.6 g, contact time; 50 and 35 min, pH; 3 and 2, agitation speed; 200 and 125 rpm and temperature; 30 oC for both STP and PSP respectively. Isothermal studies indicated that Langmuir model followed by equilibrium data more than Freundlich model. Negative value of thermodynamic parameter ∆Go shown that Cong Red removal by both adsorbents was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. The adsorption capacity (qmax) for Solanum tuberosum and Pisum sativum peels were found to be 6.9 and 16.4 mg.g-1, respectively. Higher value of qmax for pea peels shown that it is more suitable adsorbent for removal of Congo Red dye than potato peels.               KEY WORDS: Congo red, Solanum tuberosum, Pisum sativum, Biosorption Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2018, 32(2), 213-223.DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v32i2.

Diagnostic utility of fine needle aspiration cytology in thyroid lesions

Background: Thyroid fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an important screening tool and thereby dictates clinical management. The exclusion of non-invasive follicular variant of papillary carcinoma (NIFVPTC) from thyroid malignancies and its reclassification as non-malignant entity i.e., non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary like nuclear features (NIFTP) has added a new dimension. Aim of this study was to study the role of fine needle aspiration cytology in screening thyroid lesions by correlation with histopathological examination and to calculate diagnostic accuracy of FNAC considering NIFTP as non-malignant and compare it with pre NIFTP era.Methods: It was an observational study done over a period of 2 years (2017-2018). It included the cases where FNAC was followed subsequently by histopathology. FNAC results were correlated with histopathological diagnosis established thereof.Results: A total of 107 patients were included in this study. Considering NIFTP as non-malignant, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy were 92.97%, 100%, 100%, 92.73% and 96.23% respectively, that is significantly higher if authors considered NIFTP as malignant.Conclusions: FNAC plays an indispensable role in making preliminary diagnosis in thyroid lesions. There is a notable increase in diagnostic accuracy of FNAC in thyroid lesions and significant decrease in risk of malignancy by considering NIFTP as non-malignant

Improving Performance of QUIC in WiFi

QUIC is a new transport protocol under standardization since 2016. Initially developed by Google as an experiment, the protocol is already deployed in large-scale, thanks to its support in Chromium and Google's servers. In this paper we experimentally analyze the performance of QUIC in WiFi networks. We perform experiments using both a controlled WiFi testbed and a production WiFi mesh network. In particular, we study how QUIC interplays with MAC layer features such as IEEE 802.11 frame aggregation. We show that the current implementation of QUIC in Chromium achieves sub-optimal throughput in wireless networks. Indeed, burstiness in modern WiFi standards may improve network performance, and we show that a Bursty QUIC (BQUIC), i.e., a customized version of QUIC that is targeted to increase its burstiness, can achieve better performance in WiFi. BQUIC outperforms the current version of QUIC in WiFi, with throughput gains ranging between 20% to 30%

OLA-DRB1 microsatellite variants are associated with ovine growth and reproduction traits

The DRB1 intron 2 (GT)n (GA)m microsatellite was genotyped in experimental flocks of seven Merinoland rams and 249 ewes as well as their offspring (381 lambs) from consecutive lambings. A total of 16 DRB1 alleles were detected, ranging between 353 and 857 bp. In comparison with carriers of other alleles, the ewes carrying the predominant 411 bp allele had higher values of all the recorded fertility traits. For ewes carrying the 394 and 857 bp alleles, the birth weight of lambs was about 400 g higher as compared to the residual group of ewes. The observed associations could be due to differences in disease resistance, cell recognition or tissue differentiation between carriers of various MHC haplotypes which can in turn affect individual fertility and growth performance

Analysis of metallurgical aspects and their role in processing and performance of superalloys: A review

Metallurgical processing factors like kinetic and thermodynamic parameters which are essential for modeling of γ′ phase precipitation have been studied. These parameters include γ′ solvus temperature, Gibbs free energy of dissociation of the γ matrix to form γ′, nucleation rate, effective diffusivity and interfacial energy. Nucleation methods and effect of cooling rate on the final phase structure have been analyzed. Co based  superalloys have been studied as a potential and promising material for aerospace applications. Effect of microporosity on the mechanical properties of Superalloys has also been analyzed.Keywords: Superalloys, Precipitation, Solidification, Gamma prime, Microsegregation, Microporosity

HIV associated lupus like nephropathy

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)– seropositive patients are at a high risk for the development of a variety of acute and chronic renal diseases. Most patients with HIVAN are of African descent, presenting late in the course of their HIV-1 infection. The only reliable test to establish or rule out the presence of HIVAN (HIV associated nephropathy) is renal biopsy. The most common lesion associated with HIV is a focal segmental glomeruloscelerosis, but several times, other biopsyfindings may also be seen. Our patient had lupus nephritis like pathology picture. The therapeutic agents with the most promise are angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and antiretroviral medications. Role of steroids are less well-defined although they have been used with success many times.CASE DETAILS: Our patient was a young male who presented with a  pulmonary renal syndrome like picture and wasting. On evaluation, he was found to be HIV-1 positive, and renal biopsy showed lupus nephritis like pathological picture. The patient was treated with HAART (Highly active anti retroviral therapy) , steroids and ACE inhibitors and showed an excellent response.CONCLUSION: The case highlights the fact that immune mediated  glomerulonephritis, although rare, can be the presenting feature of HIV infection and can be controlled, if not cured, with proper treatment.KEYWORDS: HIV, Glomerulonephritis, HIV associated nephropath

Psychological disorders and personality characteristics of with gastro-esophageal reflux disease

Background: Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) can be traced back to disorders of the gastro-esophageal junction but several psychological factors interact to affect treatment outcomes. There is sparse literature from India regarding psychological co-morbidity and personality characteristics in patients with GERD.Aim and Objectives: To study the co-morbid psychological disorders and personality profiles in patients suffering from GERD.Methods: Two hundred patients with GERD-related symptoms were randomly screened for psychological disorders and personality characteristics using 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) respectively. Patients who screened positive for presence of co-morbid psychological disorders were further interviewed using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis 1 Disorders (SCID-1) to find out the type of psychological disorder. Results:The prevalenceofpsychological co-morbidity in patients with GERD-related symptoms in our sample was foundto be 40%. Major depressive disorder was the most common psychological disorder found co-morbid in these patients. Alcohol dependence was significantly observed in males; while in females, major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder was more commonly seen. Regarding personality characteristics, a higher degree of neuroticism and risk-taking attitudes was found in patients of GERD with associated psychological co-morbidity Conclusions:This study suggests that the management of GERD may include psychological evaluations and possibly interventions in standard treatment protocols.

Relationship between the levels of Serum Thyroid Hormones and the Risk of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is still one of the leading causes of cancer death in women, but there has been a sustained decline in mortality rates over the last decades the relationship between breast cancer and thyroid diseases is controversial many works have been done in past also. The relation between autoimmune and non-autoimmune thyroid diseases has been investigated in patients with breast cancer and age-matched control individuals without breast or thyroid disease. Determination of serum thyroid hormone and antibody levels was done in 100 breast cancer patients and 75 control individuals. The mean values for thyroid hormones and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies were significantly higher in breast cancer patients than in control individuals. Our results indicate an increased prevalence of autoimmune and non-autoimmune thyroid diseases in breast cancer patients. Keywords: breast, cancer, autoimmune thyroid diseases