MPI-Vector-IO: Parallel I/O and Partitioning for Geospatial Vector Data

In recent times, geospatial datasets are growing in terms of size, complexity and heterogeneity. High performance systems are needed to analyze such data to produce actionable insights in an efficient manner. For polygonal a.k.a vector datasets, operations such as I/O, data partitioning, communication, and load balancing becomes challenging in a cluster environment. In this work, we present MPI-Vector-IO 1 , a parallel I/O library that we have designed using MPI-IO specifically for partitioning and reading irregular vector data formats such as Well Known Text. It makes MPI aware of spatial data, spatial primitives and provides support for spatial data types embedded within collective computation and communication using MPI message-passing library. These abstractions along with parallel I/O support are useful for parallel Geographic Information System (GIS) application development on HPC platforms

New solutions of Isochronous potentials in terms of exceptional orthogonal polynomials in heterostructures

Point canonical transformation (PCT) has been used to find out new exactly solvable potentials in the position-dependent mass (PDM) framework. We solve $1$-D Schr\"{o}dinger equation in the PDM framework by considering two different fairly generic position-dependent masses $(i) M(x)=\lambda g'(x)$ and $(ii) M(x) = c \left( {g'(x)} \right)^\nu$, $\nu =\frac{2\eta}{2\eta+1},$ with $\eta= 0,1,2\cdots$. In the first case, we find new exactly solvable potentials that depend on an integer parameter $m$, and the corresponding solutions are written in terms of $X_m$-Laguerre polynomials. In the latter case, we obtain a new one parameter $(\nu)$ family of isochronous solvable potentials whose bound states are written in terms of $X_m$-Laguerre polynomials. Further, we show that the new potentials are shape invariant by using the supersymmetric approach in the framework of PDM.Comment: 17 pages, 5 Figs, Late

Validity of international ovarian tumour analysis simple rules in characterization of ovarian mass

Background: Ovarian malignancy is one of the most common cancer in women and is diagnosed at later stage in majority. The limiting factor for early diagnosis is lack of standardized terms and procedures in gynaecological sonography. Recently, IOTA simple rules have been externally validated to have an increased sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing ovarian malignancy. Methods: This is a prospective study in the Department of obstetrics and gynaecology conducted at ESIC-MC & PGIMSR Hospital, Bangalore from January 2020 to June 2021. 50 women diagnosed with ovarian mass and scheduled for surgery were admitted and evaluated for nature of ovarian mass using IOTA simple rules on ultrasonography and correlated with their histopathological diagnosis. Results: Among 50 ovarian masses, all 38 masses (76%) characterized as benign by IOTA simple rules were true benign (100%) on histopathological diagnosis. 10 masses (20%) characterized as malignant, 9 were true malignant and 1 was false malignant on histopathological diagnosis. 2 cases which were inconclusive by IOTA simple rules were characterized as benign on histopathological diagnosis. Thus in our study test sensitivity was 100%, specificity 97.56%, positive predictive value 90% and negative predictive value 100%. Conclusions: In clinical practice, IOTA simple rules as a diagnostic tool helps in characterization of most ovarian masses, which aids in optimal management and enhance better outcome. In ovarian masses for which the rules yielded an inconclusive results, subjective assessment by an experienced sonologist is advocatedd

Effect of Annealing on Hardness and Elastic Modulus of Invar36 Thin Films Deposited by Direct Current Sputtering for Strain Gauge Applications

Invar36 thin film was deposited at room temperature on p-type silicon (100) substrates using DC magnetron sputtering technique. In order to investigate the post-annealing effect on the structural characteristics and mechanical properties of the prepared films, they were vacuum annealed for one hour at different temperatures viz. 200°C, 400°C and 500°C. Composition analysis, phase structure, microstructure and roughness of as-deposited and annealed Invar36 thin films were investigated by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Mechanical properties of Invar36 thin films were studied by nano indentation method. EDX analysis revealed a variation in nickel content with annealing. The XRD measurements indicated the phase transformation of Invar36 thin film with annealing. AFM analysis implied uniform surface morphology of the films, increase of surface roughness and grain size with annealing. The hardness (H) of the film decreased with annealing. Hardness of as-deposited, annealed at 200oC, 400oC and 500oC were found as 8.5±0.96 GPa, 7.64±0.35 GPa, 6.34±0.14GPa and 3.95±1.05 GPa, respectively. The elastic modulus of Invar36 thin films was increased with annealing. Elastic modulus of as-deposited, annealed at 200oC, 400oC and 500oC were found as 157.00±25.49 GPa, 166.0±11.8 GPa, 172.00±9.93 GPa and 176.00 ±10.78 GPa, respectively. These results are explained on the basis of the change of microstructure after annealing and the effect of the same on the mechanical properties of Invar36 thin films for strain gauge applications

FORMULATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF ORODISPERSIBLE TABLETS OF IBUPROFEN

Objective: The present study aimed to formulate, develop and optimize orodispersible tablets of ibuprofen.Methods: Orodispersible tablets were prepared by direct compression technique using crospovidone, sodium starch glycolate, croscaramelose sodium, sodium carboxy methylcellulose as superdisintegrants at concentrations of 5, 7.5 and 10% w/w and mannitol used as diluent. The prepared powder mixtures are subjected to pre compression parameters including FTIR spectroscopy, DSC and micromeritics. The formulations were evaluated for tablet weight variation, hardness, friability, wetting time, absorption ratio, drug content, in vitro dispersion time, in vitro disintegration time and in vitro drug release studies.Results: The results of micromeritics studies revealed that all formulations were of acceptable to good flowability. Crospovidone at 10% w/w concentration (F3) showed the least in vitro disintegration time 38 seconds with acceptable hardness 3.93 kg/cm3, friability 0.652% and good dissolution profile (D5 min = 95.89%) in comparison with control (D5 min = 18.29%). The optimized formulation showed t90% drug release at 2.6 minutes. The FTIR and DSC studies were done for the optimized formula and showed no interaction between the drug and excipients.Conclusion: It is concluded that crospovidone gives the best results at 10% w/w (F3) for formulation of orodispersible tablets of ibuprofen with better pharmaceutical properties.Keywords: Orodispersible, Ibuprofen, Superdisintegrant, Crosspovidone, Direct compressio

Cytological patterns of cervical pap smears with histopathological correlation

Background: Cervical cancer is the most common, preventable cancer and does not develop suddenly from normal epithelium but is presented by a spectrum of intraepithelial neoplasia. Pap smear is an ideal screening and low cost effective test to detect intraepithelial neoplasia especially in developing countries but has limitations and needs confirmation by histopathology. The study aimed to determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of pap smears as screening test in cervical lesions by comparing with histopathology.Methods: This is a prospective study conducted at a tertiary care centre in Department of pathology from October 2012 to September 2014. A complete clinical history and demographic status of the subjects was recorded. Conventional pap smears were reported adopting Bethesda system and biopsies were taken in cases of epithelial cell abnormality, routinely processed and stained with H&E.Results: Total number of pap smears analysed were 356. NILM (negative for intraepithelial lesions or malignancy) constituted major group 248/356 (69.64%) and epithelial cell abnormality were 98/356 (27.5%). In the present study overall sensitivity was 94.11% specificity 64.28% positive predictive value 82.75%,negative predictive value 85%,diagnostic accuracy 83.33%,concordance rate 78.2% and P value <0.001. Concordance rate for CIN I was 78.9%, for CINII and CINIII 60% and for squamous cell carcinoma 100%.Conclusion: Pap smear is simple, inexpensive and can be performed in the outpatient department. Hence, it should be recommended routinely as a method of improving reproductive health, early detection of premalignant and malignant cervical lesions.

N-nitroso-N-ethylurea activates DNA damage surveillance pathways and induces transformation in mammalian cells

Abstract Background The DNA damage checkpoint signalling cascade sense damaged DNA and coordinates cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, and/or apoptosis. However, it is still not well understood how the signalling system differentiates between different kinds of DNA damage. N-nitroso-N-ethylurea (NEU), a DNA ethylating agent induces both transversions and transition mutations. Methods Immunoblot and comet assays were performed to detect DNA breaks and activation of the canonical checkpoint signalling kinases following NEU damage upto 2 hours. To investigate whether mismatch repair played a role in checkpoint activation, knock-down studies were performed while flow cytometry analysis was done to understand whether the activation of the checkpoint kinases was cell cycle phase specific. Finally, breast epithelial cells were grown as 3-dimensional spheroid cultures to study whether NEU can induce upregulation of vimentin as well as disrupt cell polarity of the breast acini, thus causing transformation of epithelial cells in culture. Results We report a novel finding that NEU causes activation of major checkpoint signalling kinases, Chk1 and Chk2. This activation is temporally controlled with Chk2 activation preceding Chk1 phosphorylation, and absence of cross talk between the two parallel signalling pathways, ATM and ATR. Damage caused by NEU leads to the temporal formation of both double strand and single strand breaks. Activation of checkpoints following NEU damage is cell cycle phase dependent wherein Chk2 is primarily activated during G2-M phase whilst in S phase, there is immediate Chk1 phosphorylation and delayed Chk2 response. Surprisingly, the mismatch repair system does not play a role in checkpoint activation, at doses and duration of NEU used in the experiments. Interestingly, NEU caused disruption of the well-formed polarised spheroid archithecture and upregulation of vimentin in three-dimensional breast acini cultures of non-malignant breast epithelial cells upon NEU treatment indicating NEU to have the potential to cause early transformation in the cells. Conclusion NEU causes damage in mammalian cells in the form of double strand and single strand breaks that temporally activate the major checkpoint signalling kinases without the occurrence of cross-talk between the pathways. NEU also appear to cause transformation in three-dimensional spheroid cultures.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109493/1/12885_2013_Article_4466.pd