Qatar Crisis and Challenges to GCC Unity

This paper argues that though the GCC, as a regional organisation, has been seen as a symbol of unity in this volatile region, the present crisis seems to have reached a status-quo that challenges the very unity of the organisation. This paper also argues that though there are still possibilities that diplomacy may succeed in bringing the neighbours to work in unison like before, post Qatar- blockade, the unity of the organisation will be a little shaky and will not revert back exactly to how it was before. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.346485

On Efficient Signal Processing Algorithms for Signal Detection and PAPR Reduction in OFDM Systems

The driving force of the study is susceptibility of LS algorithm to noise. As LS algorithm is simple to implement, hence it’s performance improvement can contribute a lot to the wireless technology that are especially deals with high computation. Cascading of AdaBoost algorithm with LS greatly influences the OFDM system performance. Performance of Adaptive Boosting based symbol recovery was investigated on the performance of LS, MMSE, BLUE were also compared with the performance of AdaBoost algorithm and MMSE has been found the higher computational complexity. Furthermore, MMSE also requires apriori channel statistics and computational complexity O(5N3) of the MMSE increases exponentially as the number of carrier increases. For the Adaboost case the computational complexity calculation is little different.Therefore, in the training stage of the AdaBoost algorithm, the computational complexity is only O(nT M) Furthermore, as it is a classification algorithm so in the receiver side we will require a separate de-mapper (or decoder) to get the desired data bits, i.e., a. SAS aided DCT based PAPR reduction 1326 and b. SAS aided DCT based PAPR reduction. A successive addition subtraction preprocessed DCT based PAPR reduction technique was proposed. Here, the performance of proposed method was compared with other preexisting techniques like SLM and PTS and the performance of the proposed method was seen to outperform specially in low PAPR region. In the proposed PAPR reduction method, the receiver is aware of the transmitted signal processing, this enables a reverse operation at the receiver to extract the transmit data. Hence the requirement of sending extra information through extra subcarrier is eliminated. The proposed method is also seen to be spectrally efficient. In the case of PTS and SLM it is inevitable to send the side information to retrieve the transmit signal. Hence, these two methods are spectrally inefficient. Successive addition subtraction based PAPR reduction method was also applied to MIMO systems. The performance of the SAS based PAPR reduction method also showed better performance as compared to other technique. An extensive simulation of MIMO OFDM PAPR reduction was carried out by varying the number of subcarriers and number of transmitter antennas. A detailed computational complexity analysis was also carried out. BATE aided SDMA multi user detection. A detailed study of SDMA system was carried out with it’s mathematical analysis.Many linear and non linear detectors like ML, MMSE, PIC, SIC have been proposed in literature for multiuser detection of SDMA system. However, except MMSE every receivers other are computational extensive. So as to enhance the performance of the MMSE MUD a meta heuristic Bat algorithm was incorporated in cascade with MMSE

Tracheal bronchus presenting with recurrent haemoptysis in an adult female

  Abnormal bronchus arising directly from the trachea or the main bronchus is a rare developmental anomaly of the tracheobronchial tree. In general, tracheal bronchus has been reported in less than 1% of adult patients undergoing bronchoscopy with a male predominance. Tracheal bronchus is classified as — ‘displaced’ and ‘supernumerary’, the former being the most common type reported. Most patients are asymptomatic; however, cases presenting with cough, haemoptysis or recurrent lung infections are not uncommon. The diagnosis is usually made through computed tomography or bronchoscopy. Awareness of this anomaly may help in timely identification or prevention of perioperative complications during general anaesthesia or resectional thoracic surgery. Herein we report a case of right-sided displaced tracheal bronchus in an adult female presenting with recurrent haemoptysis.

Clinical study of central serous chorioretinopathy presenting in a tertiary care centre

Background: Central Serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is one of the common causes of visual handicap affecting young people of highly intellectual professionals at the peak of their career which can lead to irrecoverable loss of vision.Methods: The present prospective observational population-based study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology, S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha from October 2013 to September 2015. The total number of patients attended the Outpatient Department (OPD) during the study period were 1,83,199. Amongst which 123 patients diagnosed to have CSCR were selected for the present study.Results: Incidence of CSCR during in this study period was 0.06%. The age group most commonly affected was 31 to 40 years. Males were affected 7 times more commonly than females. Increased incidence was noticed in bank employees (21.1 %) and IT professionals (17.8%).Conclusions: There was increased incidence of the disease in people under stressful life condition

Actively caseating endobronchial tuberculosis successfully treated with intermittent chemotherapy without corticosteroid: a report of 2 cases

Tuberculous infection of the tracheobronchial tree confirmed by microbiological or histopathological evidence with or without parenchymal involvement is known as endobronchial tuberculosis. Chronic cough is the predominant symptom. Expectorated sputum examination for acid fast bacilli is often negative leading to delay in diagnosis. Therefore, bronchoscopy is crucial for early diagnosis and evaluation of the extent of disease. Bronchostenosis is a significant complication of endobronchial tuberculosis that may be present at the time of diagnosis or develops during the course of treatment. Previously, corticosteroids have been used along with antitubercular therapy to prevent or reduce the extent of bronchostenosis; however, their role is debatable as bronchostenosis often develops despite the use of corticosteroids. Furthermore, the duration of treatment varied from 6–9 months of daily therapy in previous series and little is known about efficacy of intermittent antituberculous therapy. Here we report two cases of actively caseating endobronchial tuberculosis successfully managed with six months of intermittent oral antitubercular therapy without corticosteroids

Modelling automobile users’ response pattern in defining urban street level of service

This paper presents a qualitative study on automobile users’ response pattern to assess the provided transportation service quality under heterogeneous traffic flow conditions. An Automobile Users’ Satisfaction index (AUSi) is established using data sets of questionnaire survey collected from 34 urban street segments of three midsized Indian cities. About 977 respondents with a suitable cross-section of gender, age, driving experience etc. were participated in travellers’ intercept survey. Rasch Model (RM) was applied to identify a set of quantitative measures to analyse the complex process of measuring perceived service quality and degree of drivers’ satisfaction together. The present study comprehends the multidimensional nature of users’ perception to evaluate AUSi with the help of six-dimensional variables such as roadway geometry, traffic facilities, traffic management, pavement condition, safety and aesthetics. RM offers a particular score to each user and each dimensional attribute along with a shared continuum. This way, the attributes those are more demanding to produce satisfaction as well as the variation in response of different modes of transport are evidently identified. The key findings indicate that the participants reported lower satisfaction level mainly due to the absence of separate bike/bus pull-out lanes, improper parking facilities and interruption by non-motorised vehicles/public transit or roadside commercial activities. Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering was applied to classify AUSi scores into six auto Levels Of Service (LOS) categories (A–F) for each street segment. The model was well validated with a significant matching of predicted Automobile users’ LOS (ALOS) service categories with the users’ perceived Overall Satisfaction (OS) scores for fourteen randomly selected segments. This prediction model is new to mixed traffic flow condition, which uses linguistic information and real-life issues of drivers for the current state of services. Hence, the proposed method would be more credible than conventional models to support the decision makers for long term planning and designing road networks on a priority basis

COMPARISON OF COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH OF BULK FILLED COMPOSITE AND NANO HYBRID COMPOSITE- AN IN-VITRO STUDY.

Background During the past 60 years, the use of composite resin for direct restorations in anterior and posterior teeth has increased significantly, largely due to the esthetic demands of patients and concerns regarding mercury in amalgam fillings. Because composite resins require little to no preparation, minimally invasive procedures can be used to preserve tooth structure and provide natural-looking results. Dental composites typically are composed of three chemical materials: an organic matrix, an inorganic matrix, and a coupling agent. Today’s composite resins produce highly esthetic, long-lasting restorations for many indications. Through an understanding of advanced layering techniques, microleakage, and fracture rate concerns can be decreased significantly. Hence it is imperative to evaluate the compressive strength of bulk-filled composite and nanohybrid composite.Aims & Objectives To assess, evaluate and compare the compressive strength of Bulk filled composite and Nano Hybrid composite. Materials and MethodsStudy method- In-vitro study Sample A-Ivoclar Vivadent Inc. Bulk filled composite & Tetric N-Ceram Bulk Filled Composite (Leichtenstein).Sample B-Ivoclar Vivadent Nano filled composite & Tetric N- Ceram Nano Hybrid Composite (Leichtenstein).The cylindrical specimens were transferred onto the Instron testing machine (Model H50KS; Instron,Redhill, Surrey,RH15DZ, UK) individually and subjected to compressive testing at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/minute.Results: A comparison of the compressive strength of the individual groups was done. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups pertaining to compressive strength. The mean score for Group B was more than Group A.ConclusionsWithin the limitation of the specific materials, testing methods, and in-vitro environment in the study, it is concluded that Nanohybrid composite material has better compressive strength as compared to bulk fill composite. RecommendationsFurther studies are needed to determine the optimal curing light intensity to obtain the best results in terms of mechanical properties for newer bulk-fill composite materials

Fault detection in a centrifugal pump using vibration and motor current signature analysis

Due to growth of mechanisation and automation, today’s industrial systems are becoming more complex. A small breakdown of any non-redundant machine component affects the operation of the entire system. To increase the availability and reliability, automated health monitoring and self-diagnostic capability (SDC) becoming essential to many industrial machineries like pumps, motors, etc. Condition monitoring does not prevent the failure, but it can predict the possibility of future failure by measuring certain machine parameters. Though there are various condition monitoring techniques, vibration analysis and motor current signature analysis (MCSA) are most suitable for detection of faults and abnormalities in machine systems. This work attempts to develop an SDC framework and diagnose the impeller condition of a centrifugal pump using MCSA. Time and frequency domain analyses are done for different impeller conditions of the pump, such as normal impeller and defective impellers. Significant differences are observed and a fault prediction strategy is recommended.Peer reviewe

A case of systemic melioidosis: unravelling the etiology of chronic unexplained fever with multiple presentations

Melioidosis, caused by the environmental saprophyte, Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an important public health problem in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It is being increasingly reported from other parts, including India, China, and North and South America expanding the endemic zone of the disease. We report a case of systemic melioidosis in a 58-year-old diabetic, occupationally-unexposed male patient, who presented with chronic fever, sepsis, pneumonia, pleural effusion and subcutaneous abscess, was undiagnosed for long, misidentified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection elsewhere, but was saved due to correct identification of the etiologic agent and timely institution of appropriate therapy at our institute. A strong clinical and microbiological suspicion for melioidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute pyrexia of unknown origin, acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute onset of sepsis, especially in the tropics.Melioidosis, caused by the environmental saprophyte, Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an important public health problem in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It is being increasingly reported from other parts, including India, China, and North and South America expanding the endemic zone of the disease. We report a case of systemic melioidosis in a 58-year-old diabetic, occupationally-unexposed male patient, who presented with chronic fever, sepsis, pneumonia, pleural effusion and subcutaneous abscess, was undiagnosed for long, misidentified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection elsewhere, but was saved due to correct identification of the etiologic agent and timely institution of appropriate therapy at our institute. A strong clinical and microbiological suspicion for melioidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute pyrexia of unknown origin, acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute onset of sepsis, especially in the tropics

Powtarzające się krwioplucie u dorosłej kobiety z oskrzelem tchawiczym

Nieprawidłowe oskrzele wychodzące bezpośrednio z tchawicy lub oskrzeli głównych jest rzadką anomalią rozwojową drzewa tchawiczo-oskrzelowego. Oskrzele tchawicze zostało stwierdzone u mniej niż 1% dorosłych pacjentów, którzy mieli wykonywaną bronchoskopię; a większość z nich stanowili mężczyźni. Oskrzele tchawicze może być „przemieszczone” lub „nadliczbowe”, przy czym drugi rodzaj jest spotykany częściej. U większości pacjentów nie występują żadne objawy, chociaż zdarzają się osoby skarżące się na kaszel, krwioplucie lub nawracające infekcje płuc. Nieprawidłowość jest najczęściej rozpoznawana podczas badania tomografii komputerowej lub bronchoskopii. Świadomość istnienia anomalii może pomóc w identyfikacji lub uniknięciu okołooperacyjnych powikłań podczas ogólnego znieczulenia lub zabiegu chirurgicznego klatki piersiowej. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono przypadek prawostronnego oskrzela tchawiczego u dorosłej kobiety skarżącej się na nawracające krwioplucie.Nieprawidłowe oskrzele wychodzące bezpośrednio z tchawicy lub oskrzeli głównych jest rzadką anomalią rozwojową drzewa tchawiczo-oskrzelowego. Oskrzele tchawicze zostało stwierdzone u mniej niż 1% dorosłych pacjentów, którzy mieli wykonywaną bronchoskopię; a większość z nich stanowili mężczyźni. Oskrzele tchawicze może być „przemieszczone” lub „nadliczbowe”, przy czym drugi rodzaj jest spotykany częściej. U większości pacjentów nie występują żadne objawy, chociaż zdarzają się osoby skarżące się na kaszel, krwioplucie lub nawracające infekcje płuc. Nieprawidłowość jest najczęściej rozpoznawana podczas badania tomografii komputerowej lub bronchoskopii. Świadomość istnienia anomalii może pomóc w identyfikacji lub uniknięciu okołooperacyjnych powikłań podczas ogólnego znieczulenia lub zabiegu chirurgicznego klatki piersiowej. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono przypadek prawostronnego oskrzela tchawiczego u dorosłej kobiety skarżącej się na nawracające krwioplucie