Peripheral Ossifying Fibroma

Peripheral ossifying fibroma is a relatively uncommon gingival growth that is considered to be reactive in nature and postulated to appear secondary to irritation or trauma. They usually occur in young adults with a female predominance and are solitary in nature. We report a case of peripheral ossifying fibroma in a 55-year old femal

UTILITY OF TUMOUR VOLUME IN DETERMINING MEDIAN SURVIVAL FOR LOCALLY ADVANCED ORAL CANCER: A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

Background: Surgical intervention has traditionally served as the primary therapeutic modality for mouth cancer. Patients who are not subjected to surgical intervention are often managed with the administration of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Several variables contribute to the survival of patients, and tumour volume is perhaps one of these aspects. The objective of this research is to investigate the impact of pre-treatment tumour volume on survival outcomes. Methodology:  A retrospective analysis was carried out on the reports of the patients treated for oral cancer. The tumour volume was estimated by performing a CT scan before treatment. The ideal tumour volume was determined for this study. The statistical analysis was carried out to estimate the effect of various factors on the survival outcome. Results:  The average total tumors volume among the 40 patients who were treated with radiation was 74 cm3. The average primary volume of the tumour was 59 cm3. The average volume of the tumour in the lymph nodes was 6 cm3. The patients who had a volume of the tumor less than 52 cm3 had higher survival of 34 months and those who had more than 52 cm3 had survival of 9 months. Conclusion:  The volume of the tumour influences the prognosis of oral cancer. The volume above 52 cm3 resulted in a poor survival outcome. The TTV can be used as a factor to develop a treatment that delivers a favourable outcome. Recommendation:  Total tumour volume (TTV) should be used by the oncologist to develop a treatment plan that is effective and improves overall survival. Also, prospective studies are required in this domain to confirm the association of various factors with survival outcomes

Paclitaxel delivery by micro/nano encapsulation using layer-by-layer assembly

A novel formulation of paclitaxel (PTX) has been developed by providing multilayer assembly over drug loaded porous CaCO3 microparticles (CaCO3 MP) using combination of biocompatible and biodegradable polyelectrolytes (PE’s). PTX was encapsulated into the nanopores of preformed CaCO3 MP prepared by the co-precipitation method. Infrared (IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) provides evidences that PTX has been encapsulated into nanopores of CaCO3 MP and not crystallized on the surface. PTX loaded CaCO3 MP (CaCO3-PTX) was found to be highly stabilized against thermal decomposition as evinced by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) indicating decomposition at 600°C and 250°C for CaCO3-PTX and PTX respectively. The multilayer assembly over CaCO3-PTX was effectuated by alternate deposition of protamine sulfate (PRM) and sodium alginate (SA) using LBL technique followed by subsequent core removal [PTX- (PRM/SA)5]. The pay load efficiency of PTX in this system was found to be 78.98±2.14%. The developed system was further evaluated for surface morphology, size and size distribution, surface charge, core removal and layer-by-layer growth due to sequential adsorption of PE’s. The release data of PTX-(PRM/SA)5 was comparable with marketed formulation of PTX (PTX-M) and CaCO3-PTX when performed in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF pH=7.4). The release profile of PTX-(PRM/SA)5 indicates that PEs based multilayer matrix is capable to provide barrier to PTX release as it has been found to follow first order matrix diffusion kinetics with 64±4.8% release within 24 hrs. The t50% of PTX-M, CaCO3-PTX and PTX-(PRM/SA)5 was found to be 70, 90 and 480 minutes respectively. This alternative delivery system of PTX disguised in the form of LBL assembly could have immense application for the treatment of metastasized mammary glands vis-à-vis existing formulation of PTX which is by and large criticized for having certain toxic excipients to be given parentrally. Moreover, the proposed system provides ample of opportunity to modify the surface for targeted application of PTX.
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Output feedback stable stochastic predictive control with hard control constraints

We present a stochastic predictive controller for discrete time linear time invariant systems under incomplete state information. Our approach is based on a suitable choice of control policies, stability constraints, and employment of a Kalman filter to estimate the states of the system from incomplete and corrupt observations. We demonstrate that this approach yields a computationally tractable problem that should be solved online periodically, and that the resulting closed loop system is mean-square bounded for any positive bound on the control actions. Our results allow one to tackle the largest class of linear time invariant systems known to be amenable to stochastic stabilization under bounded control actions via output feedback stochastic predictive control

RURAL DECENTRALIZATION IN INDIA AT THE CROSS- ROADS: THE CONTEXT, CHALLENGES AND CONSEQUENCES

This article attempts to make a critical evaluation of the working of the institutional system of democratic decentralization in rural India against the backdrop of its historical development. It has been argued that although it is not difficult to trace the roots of decentralized government in ancient India it hardly resembles the modern model of decentralization conceived and developed by a host of the Western scholars. The colonial rulers introduced decentralized governance in India to promote colonial objectives and to help perpetuate the British rule. The post- colonial state took steps to initiate the process of rural decentralization in 1950s but it went out of steam soon. In 1990s there was a paradigm shift in India’s policy. And in 1992 the Constitution was amended to pave the road for democratic decentralization but currently it seems to be in the cross-roads. This paper seeks to capture the historical development of the journey of decentralization and identify the roadblocks and the takeaways from the experience of working of the institutions of rural decentralization in India

Integration of Cloud Computing and Artificial Intelligence in Driverless Car Using High Performance Behavioural Cloning

Research on autonomous vehicle system has risen in the past couple of years. It has posed challenges to the researchers to develop an understanding about the real time scenarios. Deep Learning has demonstrated its extraordinary computational potential by transcending its abilities into more complex areas, where pattern matching, image recognition and behavioral cloning plays a vital role. The system consists of Image Processing and analyzing of the training data into behavioral cloning of the vehicle in a simulated environment. A control algorithm responsible for consolidating the sub systems calculations of the correct steering angle is used to keep the vehicle within the lane markings of the road. The solution proposed requires a better data collection and data interpretation. Addition of cloud computing fastens the data calculation and hence improves the performance of the system