Peristaltic Flow in a Deformable Channel

The effects of wall contraction or expansion on the characteristics of the peristaltic flow have been considered in this paper. For that, we present a theoretical model of laminar incompressible viscous peristaltic flow in a deformable channel. The problem is modeled in terms of unsteady twodimensional Navier Stokes equations and the solution is obtained using the perturbation method. The physical parameters appearing due to deformation and the peristaltic motion are the wall expansion ratio (α) and the wave number (δ ), respectively. Analytic perturbation results are obtained for small wave number and small wall expansion ratio. Basically the study is undertaken to examine the peristaltic motion along with the deformation of the channel. This will enhance our understanding of deformation/squeezing and peristalsis phenomena independently and jointly. Deformation effects are shown on the otherwise peristaltic fluid flow. The results of peristaltic flow [Shapiro et al., J. Fluid Mech. Digit. Archive 37, 799 (1969)] can be recovered for the limiting case of α equal to zero

Colour, water and chlorophyll loss in harvested broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. Italica) under ambient conditions in Pakistan

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. Italica) is a nutritious green vegetable containing desirable phytochemicals that is being more widely consumed in Pakistan. However the florets rapidly discolour and wilt after harvest. This study reports the changes in the colour, turgor, weight, visual quality and chlorophyll of harvested broccoli florets after harvest under ambient temperatures of 18 ± 1 °C and a relative humidity of 45–62%. There were significant declines in colour, turgor, weight and chlorophyll within the first two days, with a change from “good” to “unacceptable” assessments occurring at day 4 or 5. The level of chlorophyll decreased from 13.47 μg/ mg on day 1 to 5.18 μg/ mg on day 4. It is proposed that the green colour and turgor can be retained longer by storing at lower temperatures and higher relative humidities

The functional outcome of direct lateral approach for fixation of proximal humeral fractures: A case series from a tertiary care hospital

Displaced proximal humeral fractures warrant surgical fixation for early rehabilitation and better functional outcome. These fractures are traditionally fixed by delto pectoral surgical approach. Direct lateral approach has recently gained interest as it involves less soft tissue dissection and is particularly helpful in certain fracture patterns. However, there have been concerns of axillary nerve damage with this approach. We report a case series of proximal humerus fractures fixed by direct lateral approach from our institution. All displaced Type 2 and 3 fractures were included in our study. Pathological and comminuted Type 4 fractures and fractures with ipsilateral clavicle or elbow fractures were excluded. Oxford Shoulder Score was done at regular intervals for assessment of functional outcome. We did not observe any axillary nerve damage in our case series and the outcomes of 70.5% of our patients were excellent while in 29.5% it was good. We recommend direct lateral approach for specific pattern of proximal humerus fractures

The health seeking behaviour of elderly population in a poor-urban community of Karachi, Pakistan

OBJECTIVES: To presents socio-demographic characteristics and health seeking behaviour of elderly and to determine frequency of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in elderly population of a poor peri-urban community in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, targeting population aged 65 or above. A total of 438 respondents were interviewed after taking informed consent, between November 2005 and December 2005. Frequencies and Chi square values were calculated for different variables using SPSS 13.0. RESULTS: Total population surveyed comprised of 438 elderly, 158 (36%) women and 280 (63.9%) men. Mean age for the population was 71.44 +/- 7.74. A total of 238 (54.3%) elderly were found to be economically active. More than half (n = 269, 61.4%) of the elderly were found to be illiterate. Only 72 (16.4%) of the elderly population were Diabetic and 132 (30.1%) were Hypertensive. Common symptoms that prompted elderly of Azam Basti to seek health care were fever (61.2%), generalized body aches (43.4%) and cough (40.4%). Over half of the (n = 269, 61.4%) responders reported factors which deterred them from seeking health care, out of which 62% reported financial constraint as the commonest factor. Deterrence from seeking health care was associated with illiteracy (p = 0.001) and living alone (p = 0.06). CONCLUSION: The elderly population of this peri-urban community has financial constraints in seeking health care. Hypertension was found to be more prevalent among women as compared to men, ratio being 1:2. Less number of people knew they were diabetics; this might be attributed to ignorance and non-availability of investigations and screening

Ambient Air and Hole Transport Layer Free Synthesis: Towards Low Cost CH 3

Perovskite absorbers have witnessed a remarkable efficiency increase in last couple of years. To meet the commercialization challenge, reduced cost and improved efficiency are the two critical factors. We report on a hole transport layer free device synthesized under ambient air conditions of high humidity of 50% using TiO2-graphene oxide nanocomposite as electron selective contact. The devices achieved a power conversion efficiency of 5.9%. We introduce a novel synthesis route for TiO2-graphene oxide (GO) composite allowing superior charge transport properties. Incorporation of GO in TiO2 allows achieving higher power conversion efficiencies while working under ambient air conditions. Ambient air synthesis with hole transport free architecture has the potential to reduce the cost of this technology leading to commercial viability

Sensor-Fusion Based Navigation for Mobile Robot in Outdoor Environment

Autonomous navigation of the vehicles or robots is very challenging and useful task used by many scientists and researchers these days. By keeping this fact in mind, an algorithm for autonomous navigation of mobile robot in outdoor environment is proposed. This navigation track consists of colored border containing obstacles and some unplanned surfaces along with some specific points for GPS (Global Positioning System) alarms. The main goal is to avoid colored border and obstacles. For the vision problem webcam is used. First the colored border is detected by using OpenCV library by following HSI (Hue Saturation Intensity)technique. The Canny edge algorithm is used to find both edges of the border, then for detecting straight lines on both sides of track, Hough transformation is used. Finally, the closest border line is detected and its center point is calculated for which the mobile robot has to steer to avoid it. Second step is to avoid the obstacles, which is done by LRF (Laser Range Finder), first the range of LRF is defined, because not all obstacles have to be avoided, only those obstacles are detected and avoided which are in specified range as defined before, and finally GPS receiver is used to make alarms at some specific points. As a result, a successful navigation of the mobile robot in the outdoor environment is implemented

Cost-effectiveness and diagnostic accuracy of telemedicine in macular disease and diabetic retinopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine cost-effectiveness and the diagnostic accuracy of teleophthalmology (TO) in the detection of macular edema (ME) and various grades of diabetic retinopathy (DR). METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were searched for TO, ME, and DR on May 25, 2016. The search was updated on April 2, 2019. Pooled sensitivity and specificity for ME and various grades of DR were determined using Meta-Disc software. A systematic review of the articles discussing the cost-effectiveness of TO screening was also performed. RESULTS: Thirty-three articles on the diagnostic accuracy and 28 articles on the cost-effectiveness were selected. CONCLUSIONS: Telescreening is moderately sensitive but very specific for the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Non-mydriatic Teleretinal screening services are cost-effective, decrease clinics workload, and increase patient compliance if provided free of cost in remote low socioeconomic regions