Electroless Deposition of Nanolayered Metallic Coatings

Electroless metallic coating is referred as the deposition of a substrate material by the process of chemical or autocatalytic reduction of aqueous metal ions deposited to a substrate material without any external supply of power. Electroless nickel alloys are generally considered synonymous to the word “electroless coating” as ~90% of productions in industries are of this alloy coating. Rest of the electroless metallic coatings includes gold, copper, palladium, cobalt, silver, etc. These electroless metallic coatings (other than electroless nickel coatings) are also one of the vibrant areas in the field of materials properties and surface engineering research. From the year 2000 to till date, nearly 1000 SCI indexed research papers were published on this topic. However, no comprehensive studies about the recent progress on this topic were reported elsewhere so far. In this context, the present chapter aims to give a complete overview on various aspects of the rest of the electroless metallic nanocoatings/layer as a whole. More importance will be on the recent developments of the nanocharacteristics and future scopes

Theoretical Bounds on Control-Plane Self-Monitoring in Routing Protocols

Routing protocols rely on the cooperation of nodes in the network to both forward packets and to select the forwarding routes. There have been several instances in which an entire network's routing collapsed simply because a seemingly insignificant set of nodes reported erroneous routing information to their neighbors. It may have been possible for other nodes to trigger an automated response and prevent the problem by analyzing received routing information for inconsistencies that revealed the errors. Our theoretical study seeks to understand when nodes can detect the existence of errors in the implementation of route selection elsewhere in the network through monitoring their own routing states for inconsistencies. We start by constructing a methodology, called Strong-Detection, that helps answer the question. We then apply Strong-Detection to three classes of routing protocols: distance-vector, path-vector, and link-state. For each class, we derive low-complexity, self-monitoring algorithms that use the routing state created by these routing protocols to identify any detectable anomalies. These algorithms are then used to compare and contrast the self-monitoring power these various classes of protocols possess. We also study the trade-off between their state-information complexity and ability to identify routing anomalies

Noise-induced schooling of fish

We report on the dynamics of collective alignment in groups of the cichlid fish, Etroplus suratensis. Focusing on small-to-intermediate sized groups ($10<N<100$), we demonstrate that schooling (highly polarised and coherent motion) is noise-induced, arising from the intrinsic stochasticity associated with finite numbers of interacting fish. The fewer the fish, the greater the (multiplicative) noise and therefore the likelihood of alignment. Such empirical evidence is rare, and tightly constrains the possible underlying interactions between fish: computer simulations indicate that E. suratensis align with each other one at a time, which is at odds with the canonical mechanism of collective alignment, local direction-averaging. More broadly, our results confirm that, rather than simply obscuring otherwise deterministic dynamics, noise is fundamental to the characterisation of emergent collective behaviours, suggesting a need to re-appraise aspects of both collective motion and behavioural inference.Comment: Main manuscript: 8 pages (incl. refs), 4 figures. Supplementary: 11 pages, 5 figure

Can millet consumption help manage hyperlipidemia and obesity?: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Many health benefits of millets (defined broadly to also include sorghum) have been advocated, including their roles in managing and preventing diabetes; however, the effects of millets on hyperlipidemia (high lipid levels) have been underrecognized. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to collate available evidence of the impacts of millets consumption on lipid profile, namely total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and very-low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C). The results from 19 studies showed that the consumption of millets for periods as short as 21 days to 4 months reduced levels of TC, triacylglycerol, LDL-C, and VLDL-C (p<0.01) by 8.0, 9.5, 10 and 9.0%, respectively. Four studies demonstrated that millets consumption brought TC and triacylglycerol levels to the normal levels (<200 and <150 mg/dl, respectively). Furthermore, upon consumption of millet-based meals, there was a 6.0% increase in the HDL-C 4.0 and 5.0% reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and 7.0% reduction in body mass index (BMI). This evidence, leads us to conclude that consumption of millets reduces hyperlipidemia and hence hypertension, and raises the levels of HDL-C (good cholesterol), which can be beneficial for managing the associated risk of developing hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in future

Are millets more effective in managing hyperlipidaemia and obesity than major cereal staples? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Millets are important staples across developing countries in Asia and Africa. A previous systematic review and meta-analysis showed that eating millets significantly controlled hyperlipidaemia and obesity by focusing on a comparison of pre- and post-intervention measurements. This study further provides meta-analysis of the effects of the consumption of millets on hyperlipidaemia and obesity by analysing millets against other staple grains using the difference-in-differences method, where the effects were computed on the Standardised Mean Difference scale. Thus, only studies that included a control group as well as the baseline were included. The results from twelve eligible studies on blood lipid profile show significant (p < 0.05) favourable effects of consuming millets compared to other staples (rice, wheat, and quinoa). Specifically, the effects on total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were −0.44, −0.29, and −0.41, respectively (p < 0.05), while the effect on the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was +0.59 (p < 0.05). In addition, the effects on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the body mass index were −0.60 and −0.29, respectively, with p = 0.06 each. While this study strengthens the evidence that the consumption of millets contributes to reducing the risks of hyperlipidaemia, and therefore cardiovascular diseases, more detailed and rigorous studies are recommended

Comprehensive computational investigations on various aerospace materials under complicated loading conditions through conventional and advanced analyses: a verified examination

Most failures develop as a result of a lack of resistivity information at the internal structure level during typical loading situations such as shock load and impact load. Impact loads have a significant impact on a component’s structural performance. A careful, organized examination of impact load settings and their side effects can reveal how well something can withstand peak loads. First, this study investigated the impact analyses on nine varied lightweight composite materials through a conventional experimental setup and computational tools. So, the best three lightweight materials are shortlisted for further investigation under complicated explicit analysis. Second, the study investigated the behavior of composite materials subjected to rapid loading circumstances in several real-time applications. The applications chosen include bullet crash analysis, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) propellers, and car bumpers. The three different principal composites, carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP), and Kevlar fiber-reinforced polymer (KFRP), are selected and applied in crash analysis using ANSYS Workbench’s explicit technique-based finite element analysis (FEA). The comparison assessments are conducted using stumpy structural characteristics such as impact stress and equivalent strain. Two distinct grid convergence tests were performed to check whether the computational processes and discretization were correct. The standard methodologies were used on all three selected real-time applications, resulting in error percentages that were within acceptable bounds, ensuring the generation of dependable structural outputs. The ideal composite material is a Kevlar fiber-based composite with minimal defect affectability for all types of crash applications. Furthermore, multidisciplinary optimizations are performed, and the KFRP is verified to give good crash load resistance with reduced dense contribution

Impact of regular consumption of millets on fasting and post-prandial blood glucose level: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Millets have a low Glycemic Index and are thus expected to help reduce concentration of Fasting and Post-Prandial Blood Sugar (FBS and PPBS) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which can potentially help the management of type 2 diabetes. This study conducts a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of millets consumption on FBS, PPBS, and HbA1c levels in comparison to major staple diets using the difference-in-differences (DID) method, where the effect size was computed on the Standardized Mean Difference scale. Among twelve eligible articles, ten were used in the meta-analysis to assess the effects on FBS levels, while five were used to assess the effects on PPBS levels. The results show significant effects on FBS (p <  0.01) and PPBS (p <  0.05) levels with the effect size of −0.71 and −0.42, respectively. There were 11.8% (p =  0.001) and 15.1% (p =  0.012) reductions in FBS and PPBS level respectively observed in the millet consuming group whereas the comparator group did not have significant reductions in either indicator. On the other hand, the effects on HbA1c levels were insignificant, presumably due to the small sample size where only two studies were undertaken over 90 days, which warrants further research. The findings corroborate the evidence that millets can contribute to managing FBS and PPBS levels better than major staple diets, implying that millets consumption helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabete

Calcium from finger millet—a systematic review and meta-analysis on calcium retention, bone resorption, and in vitro bioavailability

Calcium deficiency during child growth leads to osteoporosis in later stages of life. Finger millet is one of the calcium dense foods, with three times the level of calcium than milk, and the only cereal that contains high calcium content which is consistent across different varieties (364 � 58 mg/100 g). Thus, finger millet has potential for addressing calcium deficiency naturally. This study aimed to determine the retention and impact of finger millet calcium on bone turnover through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Three human studies were eligible for systematic review. Of these, only two were eligible for meta-analysis to assess the retention of calcium in children of 9 to 12 years. One study on bone turnover markers was not used in the meta-analysis as at least two studies are required to conduct meta-analysis. Due to the lack of complete data only four studies were eligible for meta-analysis to assess the in vitro bioavailability of calcium from unprocessed and a range of different types of processed finger millet. The result shows that there was significant retention (p < 0.05) of 23.4 � 2.9% calcium from finger-millet-based diet which could help bone accretion during child growth if finger-millet-based diet is consumed. The bone turnover marker study shows that the resorption of calcium reduced by 28% and 47% among peri and post-menopausal women respectively after feeding the nutria mixed grain ball. However, there is no significant change in bone formation marker. Depending on the type of processing, calcium bioavailability either increased or decreased. One in vitro study showed that calcium bioavailability from finger millet was 28.6% when boiled, whereas three studies on processing show that certain processing can double the calcium bioavailability to 61.4%. Irrespective of the type of processing, finger millets contribute to high calcium retention and extremely high bioavailable calcium and could be useful for healthy growth and in dealing with complications related to calcium deficiency

Isolation and comparative genomics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from cattle and their attendants in South India

Funder: UK Medical Research Council, grant Reference number (MR/N501864/1)Abstract: The major human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis is rarely reported to cause disease in other animals. Cases in livestock are thought to occur through contact with infected handlers, but previous studies evaluating putative livestock-human transmission used typing techniques with limited resolution. Here, we undertook cross-sectional surveillance for tuberculosis in 271 livestock handlers and 167 cattle on three farms in Chennai, India and defined the relatedness of cultured isolates using whole genome sequencing. Humans and livestock were screened for active mycobacterial infection, and opportunistic post-mortem examination was performed on comparative intradermal test-positive cattle that died. Four cattle and 6 handlers on two farms were culture-positive for M. tuberculosis; M. bovis was not isolated. All 10 isolates (one from each case) belonged to Lineage 1. Pairwise genome comparisons of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences ranged from 1 to 600 SNPs, but 3 isolate pairs were less than 5 SNPs different. Two pairs were from handlers and the third pair were from two cattle on the same farm. The minimum pairwise SNP difference between a cattle and human isolate was >250 SNPs. Our study confirms the presence of M. tuberculosis infection in cattle in India, sequencing of which characterised relatedness between human and cattle-derived isolates