A comparative clinical study on the efficacy of Siravyadha and Agnikarma in the management of Snayugata Vata affecting Kurpara Sandhi vis-à-vis Tennis Elbow

Background: Snayugatavata (fibromyalgia) affecting Koorpara Sandhi (elbow joint) is one among pain predominant Vata Vyadhi. Tennis elbow is a musculoskeletal, degenerative disorder affecting elbow joint. Acharya Sushruta has mentioned Siravyadha (blood letting) for Snayurogas and Agnikarma (thermal cautery) as specific Chikitsa for Snayuroga.[1] As similar features are shared, the study has been taken up to see the efficacy of Siravyadha and Agnikarma affecting Koorparasandhi in comparison to tennis elbow. Objective: To study the clinical effect of Agnikarma (thermal cautery) in Snayugatavata affecting Kurparasandhi (elbow joint) vis-à-vis Tennis elbow. Method: The method used in the study is single blind clinical study with pre-test and post-test design. 40 patients suffering from Snayugatavata of either sex were selected and divided into two groups. Group A patients were subjected to Agnikarma at maximum point of tenderness and Group B patients were subjected to Siravyadha. Both modalities were done for only once and studied for 28 days. The data during the study was recorded and analysed statistically. Result: The study confirms Agnikarma and Siravyadha are effective in the treatment of Snayugatavata and later being the more effective in comparison statistically

Highly efficient conversion of glycerol and tt-butanol to biofuel additives over AlPO solid acid catalyst under microwave irradiation technique: kinetic study

Metal-aluminophosphate solid acids ($m$-AlPO) were prepared and characterized by various techniques such as powder-XRD, FT-IR, BET surface area, SEM, TEM, EDAX, NH$_{3}$-TPD/$n$-butylamine back titration and ICP-OES techniques. These materials were used as catalysts in liquid phase etherification reaction of glycerol with alcohol. In order to obtain good yield of the reaction product, optimization reaction was carried out by varying time, temperature, catalyst weight and molar ratio of reactants. CuAlPO solid acid showed superior performance in a short period of time with 95% glycerol conversion and 68% selectivity to higher ethers (di and tri). The catalytic activity was investigated by three heating techniques (microwave, ultrasonic and conventional). The pre-adsorption experiment obeys the Langmuir–Hinshelwood type mechanism. Kinetic studies were also carried out to determine the activation energy $(E_a)$ and temperature coefficient $(T_c)$ of the catalyst. The catalyst was reused for several reaction cycles without much loss of catalytic activity

Highly efficient conversion of glycerol and tt-butanol to biofuel additives over AlPO solid acid catalyst under microwave irradiation technique: kinetic study

Metal-aluminophosphate solid acids ($m$-AlPO) were prepared and characterized by various techniques such as powder-XRD, FT-IR, BET surface area, SEM, TEM, EDAX, NH$_{3}$-TPD/$n$-butylamine back titration and ICP-OES techniques. These materials were used as catalysts in liquid phase etherification reaction of glycerol with alcohol. In order to obtain good yield of the reaction product, optimization reaction was carried out by varying time, temperature, catalyst weight and molar ratio of reactants. CuAlPO solid acid showed superior performance in a short period of time with 95% glycerol conversion and 68% selectivity to higher ethers (di and tri). The catalytic activity was investigated by three heating techniques (microwave, ultrasonic and conventional). The pre-adsorption experiment obeys the Langmuir–Hinshelwood type mechanism. Kinetic studies were also carried out to determine the activation energy $(E_a)$ and temperature coefficient $(T_c)$ of the catalyst. The catalyst was reused for several reaction cycles without much loss of catalytic activity

Relict of Olivines in Micrometeorites: Precursors and interactions in the Earth's atmosphere

Antarctica micrometeorites (~1200) and cosmic spherules (~5000) from deep sea sediments are studied using electron microscopy to identify Mg-rich olivine grains in order to determine the nature of the particle precursors. Mg-rich olivine (FeO < 5wt%) in micrometeorites suffers insignificant chemical modification during its history and is a well-preserved phase. 420 forsterite grains enclosed in 162 micrometeorites of different types - unmelted, scoriaceous and porphyritic - are examined in this study. Forsterites in micrometeorites of different types are crystallized during their formation in solar nebula; their closest analogues are chondrule components of CV-type chondrites or volatile rich CM chondrites. The forsteritic olivines are suggested to have originated from a cluster of closely related carbonaceous asteroids that have Mg-rich olivines in the narrow range of CaO (0.1−0.3 wt%), Al2O3 (0.0−0.3wt%), MnO (0.0−0.3wt%) and Cr2O3 (0.1−0.7wt%). Numerical simulations carried out with the Chemical Ablation Model (CABMOD) enable us to define the physical conditions of atmospheric entry that preserve the original compositions of the Mg-rich olivines in these particles. The chemical compositions of relict olivines affirm the role of heating at peak temperatures and the cooling rates of the micrometeorites. This modelling approach provides a foundation for understanding the ablation of the particles and the circumstances in which the relict grains tend to survive

A survey of small bowel modelling and its applications for capsule endoscopy

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordThe small intestine, an anatomical site previously considered inaccessible to clinicians due to its small diameter and length, is the part of the gastrointestinal tract between the stomach and the colon. Since its introduction into clinical practice two decades ago, capsule endoscopy has become established as the primary modality for examining the surface lining of the small intestine. Today, researchers continue to develop ground-breaking technologies for novel miniature devices aiming for tissue biopsy, drug delivery and therapy. The purpose of this paper is to provide researchers and engineers in this area a comprehensive review of the progress in understanding the anatomy and physiology of the small intestine and how this understanding was translated to virtual and physical test platforms for assessing the performance of these intestinal devices. This review will cover both theoretical and practical studies on intestinal motor activities and the work on mathematical modelling and experimental investigation of capsule endoscope in the small intestine. In the end, the requirements for improving the current work are drawn, and the expectations on future research in this field are provided.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)China Scholarship Counci

Drag reduction on saltating sediment in shallow flow

Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Hydroscience and Engineering, Philadelphia, PA, September 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1860/732Laboratory flume experiments of shallow overland flow with sediments consisting of sand particles of sizes (1000-1400 μm) and (600- 850 μm) and fine particles of sand (74-125 μm) revealed several features similar to gravity driven granular flow experiments with glass beads [Prasad et al. (2000)]. In the saltating flow regime the particle velocity was measured by cross-correlating signals obtained with twin photonic probes and particle concentrations by pre-calibrated single probe signals. In the very low particle concentration range, particle velocity showed an increased trend followed by a decreased trend at larger concentration values. A simple model was developed for the particles transport in water that showed drag reduction by so called "drafting". This "drafting" model is based on the superposition principle of two flow fields. First the drag coefficient is computed for the case of a single particle and the second part consists of a similar coefficient due to the flow field behind the leading particle. Thus, for a row of infinite number of spherical particles of diameter, ds, equally spaced at a distance, s, (center to center), the ratio of the drag coefficients (multiple to single particles) is found to be (1 - cα2) where α is the linear concentration, ds/s and c (a constant) depends on the particle Reynolds number

Evaluating changes in the elemental composition of micrometeorites during entry into the earth's atmosphere

We evaluate the heating of extraterrestrial particles entering the atmosphere using the comprehensive chemical ablation model (CABMOD). This model predicts the ablation rates of individual elements in a particle with a defined size, composition, entry velocity, and entry angle with respect to the zenith (ZA). In the present study, bulk chemical analyses of 1133 Antarctica micrometeorites (collected from the south pole water well) are interpreted using CABMOD. The marked spread in Fe/Si values in unmelted, partially melted, and melted micrometeorites is explained by the loss of relatively volatile Fe during atmospheric entry. The combined theoretical modeling and elemental composition of the micrometeorites (Mg/Si ratios) suggest that ∼85% of particles have a provenance of carbonaceous chondrites, the remaining ∼15% are either ordinary or enstatite chondrites. About 65% of the micrometeorites have undergone 11–21 km s−

Antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antiinvasive activities of biopolyphenolics

A large number of polyphenolic and heterocyclic compounds, i.e. 4-methylcoumarins, 4-methylthionocoumarins, xanthones, pyrazoles, pyrazolylacrylonitriles, flavones and isoflavones have been tested for their antioxidant activity towards NADPH-catalysed liver-microsomal lipid peroxidation with a view to establish their structure-activity relationship. Inhibition of microsomal lipid peroxidation by 7,8-dihydroxy-4-methylcoumarin (DHMC, 2) and 7,8-diacetoxy-4-methylcoumarin (DAMC, 3) was intriguing. We also found that dihydroxy and diacetoxy derivatives of 4-methylthionocoumarin were more potent in comparison to the corresponding coumarin derivatives in inhibiting TNF-α induced expression of ICAM-1. The effect of nine different xanthones has been examined on the modulation of cytokine-induced expression of ICAM-1 in human endothelial cells. 1,4-Dihydroxyxanthone (10) showed enhanced antioxidant activity as well as the inhibition of the expression of cell adhesion molecules, such as ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin on endothelial cells in a concentration and time dependent manner. Antioxidant activity of different pyrazoles and pyrazolylacrylonitriles and antiinvasive activity of flavones and isoflavones against solid tumors have also been studied

TSLP signaling pathway map: a platform for analysis of TSLP-mediated signaling

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a four-helix bundle cytokine that plays a critical role in the regulation of immune responses and in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells. TSLP signals through a heterodimeric receptor complex consisting of an interleukin-7 receptor α chain and a unique TSLP receptor (TSLPR) [also known as cytokine receptor-like factor 2 (CRLF2)]. Cellular targets of TSLP include dendritic cells, B cells, mast cells, regulatory T (Treg) cells and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The TSLP/TSLPR axis can activate multiple signaling transduction pathways including the JAK/STAT pathway and the PI-3 kinase pathway. Aberrant TSLP/TSLPR signaling has been associated with a variety of human diseases including asthma, atopic dermatitis, nasal polyposis, inflammatory bowel disease, eosinophilic eosophagitis and, most recently, acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A centralized resource of the TSLP signaling pathway cataloging signaling events is not yet available. In this study, we present a literature-annotated resource of reactions in the TSLP signaling pathway. This pathway map is publicly available through NetPath (http://www.netpath.org/), an open access signal transduction pathway resource developed previously by our group. This map includes 236 molecules and 252 reactions that are involved in TSLP/TSLPR signaling pathway. We expect that the TSLP signaling pathway map will provide a rich resource to study the biology of this important cytokine as well as to identify novel therapeutic targets for diseases associated with dysregulated TSLP/TSLPR signaling. Database URL: http://www.netpath.org/pathways?path_id=NetPath_2