Study and Design of 40 nW CMOS Temperature Sensor for Space Applications

In this paper, a novel CMOS temperature sensors based on sub-threshold MOS operation has been presented, which is designed for space and satellite applications. This proposed CMOS temperature sensor is enunciated good linearity between temperatures range from -55OC to 150OC with inaccuracy of 0.85 OC/V. This circuit is operated at supply 1V and static power consumption 40nW is achieved. The proposed circuit is based on the MOS threshold voltage and mobility. There are two type of sensor output in presented circuit first, voltage proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) due to threshold voltage and second, negative temperature coefficient (NTC) due to mobility. This circuit is designed & simulated using Cadence analog & digital system design tools UMC90nm CMOS technology. The layout area of the circuit is 17.213μm  6.655μm. This is a low power and longer battery life for harsh environment, wireless sensor network applications etc.

Energy Expenditure and Nutritional Status of Sailors and Submarine Crew of the Indian Navy

Nutritional requirements of sailors and submariners are different from those of ground forces as they work under confined environment as well as due to logistic constraints of cooking and storage of food. Study was conducted for a period of three months at Eastern Naval Command to evaluate nutrient requirements, nutritional status of Indian Navy personnel and adequacy of the existing ration scales. The study volunteers were from crew of two warships (n = 35) and submariners (n = 20) who were attached to their mother ships during time of data collection and offshore during rest of the period. Energy expenditure, nutrient intake, level of nutrients in body, and urinary excretion were measured along with changes in body composition. All variables were analysed before and after three months of nutritional monitoring. Energy expenditure at ship was in the range of 2449-4907 kcal/day with a mean of 3313 + 578 kcal/day, while in the case of submariners, it was 3168 + 282 (2606-3907) kcal/day. The energy intake in the case of sailors and submariners was not different either on shore establishment or at ship. Energy intake was found to be 3518 + 286 kcal/day. The energy contribution from carbohydrates, fats, and protein was 59.9 per cent, 27.8 per cent and 12.3 per cent, respectively. No sign and symptoms of any nutritional deficiency were observed either initially or after three months. Status of micronutrients present in their blood and in their urinary excretions along with body composition were maintained, indicating adequacy of existing ration scales of Indian Navy.Defence Science Journal, 2011, 61(6), pp.540-544, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.61.93

Biochemical Changes in Lowlanders on Descent to Plains after Prolonged Stay at High Altitude-A Cross-sectional Study

The biochemical changes taking place in human subjects following de-induction to plains from high altitude (5700-6100 m) after a prolonged slay of 9-13 months were investigated in 120 soldieri in four groups of 30 each on day 5, 30, 60 and 90 after their descent. One group of soldiers, who were never posted at high altitude served as control. Haemoglobin levels, which were initiall,v hiueh after 5 dnvs of de-induction droooed lo sienificantlv lower levels in the erouo . L ., " . studied on day 60 after de-induction. No clinically abnormal changes were noted in activities of serum enzymes, ie, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and y-glutamyl transpeptidase. Alanine aminotransferase activity was found significantly elevated in 5-day group (53.1 i0.24 IUII). Cholesterol and triglyceride levels were higher in 30-day group in comparison to groups studied on day 5,60 and 90 after de-induction from high altitude. Activity of glutathione S-transferase was more in groups studied on day 30 and 60 and may he in response to increased demand for detoxification of certain metabolites. Endogenous creatinine clearance was impaired with concomitant increase in serum creatinine levels. The creatinine clearance returned to normal only in group studied on day 90 after de-induction. Testosterone and estradiol levels were within normal physiological limits. However, there was increase in testosterone levels following ds- ~nductionR. esults of this cross-sectional study indicate that it takes 1-3 months after de-induction from high altitude for biochemical parameters to reach normal levels

In-vitro scolicidal activity of Mallotus philippinensis (Lam.) Muell Arg. fruit glandular hair extract against hydatid cyst Echinococcus granulosus

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate new scolicidal agent from natural resources to cope with the side effects associated with synthetic drugs in Echinococcosis.MethodsThe scolicidal potential of methanolic fruit powder extract (10 and 20 mg/mL) of Mallotus philippinensis (M. philippinensis) was investigated. Viability of protoscoleces was confirmed by trypan blue exclusion method, where mortality was observed at concentration of 10 and 20 mg/mL in 60 min treatment against Echinococcus granulosus (E. granulosus), under in-vitro conditions with reference to the known standard drug Praziquantel®.ResultsAt concentration 10 and 20 mg/mL, the mortality rate was observed 97% and 99% respectively for 60 min treatment; while up to 93% mortality was observed with 20 mg/mL for only 10 min treatment. The concentration above 20 mg/mL for above 2 h showed 100% mortality, irrespective of further incubation.ConclusionsAs compared with the standard anti-parasitic drug Praziquantel our extract has significant scolicidal activity with almost no associated side effects

FPGA-Based Implementation of Finite Set-MPC for a VSI System Using XSG-Based Modeling

Finite set-model predictive control (FS-MPC) is used for power converters and drives having unique advantages as compared to the conventional control strategies. However, the computational burden of the FS-MPC is a primary concern for real-time implementation. Field programmable gate array (FPGA) is an alternative and exciting solution for real-time implementation because of the parallel processing capability, as well as, discrete nature of the hardware platform. Nevertheless, FPGA is capable of handling the computational requirements for the FS-MPC implementation, however, the system development involves multiple steps that lead to the time-consuming debugging process. Moreover, specific hardware coding skill makes it more complex corresponding to an increase in system complexity that leads to a tedious task for system development. This paper presents an FPGA-based experimental implementation of FS-MPC using the system modeling approach. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of FS-MPC in stationary αβ and rotating dq frame is considered for simulation as well as experimental result. The FS-MPC for a three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI) system is developed in a realistic digital simulator integrated with MATLAB-Simulink. The simulated controller model is further used for experimental system implementation and validation using Xilinx FPGA: Zedboard Zynq Evaluation and Development Kit. The digital simulator termed as Xilinx system generator (XSG) provided by Xilinx is used for modeling-based FPGA design

Effect of the Histone Methyltransferase Specific Probe BRD4770 on Metabolic Profiling of the Endophytic Fungus Diaporthe longicolla

The endophytic fungus Diaporthe longicolla was isolated from the stem of Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willd., commonly known as Ashok plant in India and Sri Lanka. Since no reports are available regarding epigenetic modulations by BRD4770 in microbial entities, D. longicolla was treated with different concentrations of BRD4770 for this purpose and evaluated for its antioxidant and antibacterial potential against five human pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Shigella boydii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. The crude extract obtained from cultures treated with 100 nM concentration of BRD4770 showed increased antioxidant activity and inhibition zone against S. aureus and MRSA, compared to the non-treated control. The composition of the non-treated and treated crude extract was analyzed, and induced compounds were identified with the help of Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and LC-ESI-MS/MS. LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis showed that berberine (antibacterial)-, caffeine-, and theobromine (antioxidant)-like compounds were induced in the BRD4770-treated crude extract. The presence of particular absorbance at a wavelength of 346.5 nm for berberine, 259.4 nm for caffeine, and 278.4 nm for theobromine in the reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of both BRD4770-treated crude metabolites and standard solution of the above compounds strongly supported the increased antibacterial and antioxidant activities that may be due to inducing the alterations in bioactivities of the BRD4770-treated culture

Response surface optimization for development of Dragon fruit based ready to serve drink

Dragon fruit based ready to serve drink (RTS) was formulated using dragon fruit (60-80% v/v), grape juice (0-10% v/v) and sugar syrup (2-6% v/v). The juice concentrations were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) following box-behnken design (BBD) for obtaining blended RTS drink with higher functional and nutritional characteristics like total soluble solid (TSS), titratable acidity, ascorbic acid content, total phenol content, colour and sensory evaluation. Results showed that there was significant (P<0.01) effect of incorporating grape juice and sugar syrup which further improved the organoleptic properties of the blended RTS.Optimum juice percentages obtained for the best blend formulation were,dragon fruit (70%), grape juice (5%) and sugar syrup (3%), respectively. The beverage was observed to be acceptable in terms of its nutritional value and overall acceptability

Energy Expenditure and Nutritional Status of Sailors During One Month of Extensive Physical Training

The present study was conducted to determine nutritional requirements during extensive physical training by sailors of Indian Navy. A total of 37 sailors who were undergoing physical trainers course at training establishment of Indian Navy participated in this study. Energy expenditure, energy intakes, nutrient status and body composition changes during one month of training were recorded. Mean energy expenditure was found to be 4035 ±733 kcal/day and an average intake of 4478 ±340 kcal/day with sufficient amount of micro and macronutrients. The level of vitamin and minerals in blood and their excretion were in the normal range. Body composition was also maintained with a marginal decrease in body fat content. Increase in grip strength of passive hand was observed (Basal: 41.5 ± 8.8 kg, after 1 month of training:  46.5 ± 6.1 kg). Results indicate adequate nutritional support from the diet and positive effects of the training on healt

Differential susceptibility of catheter biomaterials to biofilm-associated infections and their remedy by drug-encapsulated Eudragit RL100 nanoparticles

Biofilms are the cause of major bacteriological infections in patients. The complex architecture of Escherichia coli (E. coli) biofilm attached to the surface of catheters has been studied and found to depend on the biomaterial’s surface properties. The SEM micrographs and water contact angle analysis have revealed that the nature of the surface a ects the growth and extent of E. coli biofilm formation. In vitro studies have revealed that the Gram-negative E. coli adherence to implanted biomaterials takes place in accordance with hydrophobicity, i.e., latex > silicone > polyurethane > stainless steel. Permanent removal of E. coli biofilm requires 50 to 200 times more gentamicin sulfate (G-S) than the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) to remove 90% of E. coli biofilm (MBIC90). Here, in vitro eradication of biofilm-associated infection on biomaterials has been done by Eudragit RL100 encapsulated gentamicin sulfate (E-G-S) nanoparticle of range 140 nm. It is 10–20 times more e ective against E. coli biofilm-associated infections eradication than normal unentrapped G-S. Thus, Eudragit RL100 mediated drug delivery system provides a promising way to reduce the cost of treatment with a higher drug therapeutic index