Herbicidal effects of aqueous extracts of three Chenopodium species on Avena fatua

Herbicidal effects of aqueous leaf extracts of three Chenopodium species; Chenopodium album L., Chenopodium murale L. and Chenopodium ambrosioides were evaluated on wild oat (Avena fatua L.), one of the problematic weeds of wheat. Among the aqueous extracts of 0, 2, 4 and 6% (w/v) employed in bioassays, 6% of C. album and 2% of C. murale caused significant inhibition in germination of A. fatua resulting in 66 and 34% decline in germination, respectively. Lower concentration of 2% of all the three Chenopodium species enhanced seedling growth of A. fatua. The highest extract concentration of C. album (6%) markedly suppressed both length and biomass of shoot of test weed species. The highest herbicidal effect was exhibited by 6% C. album leaf extract, resulting in 88, 89, 70 and 92% reduction in maximum and total root length, number of roots and root biomass, respectively. This study concludes that the aqueous leaf extracts of C. album contain herbicidal constituents for the management of A. fatua.Key words: Aqueous extracts, Avena fatua, Chenopodium, natural herbicides

Photoplethysmographic signals and blood oxygen saturation values during artificial hypothermia in healthy volunteers

Pulse oximetry utilizes the technique of photoplethysmography to estimate arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) values. During hypothermia, the amplitude of the photoplethysmograph (PPG) is compromised which can lead to inaccurate estimation of SpO2. A new mutlimode PPG/pulse oximeter sensor was developed to investigate the behaviour of PPGs during conditions of induced hypothermia (hand immersed in an ice bath). PPG measurements from 20 volunteers were conducted and SpO2 values were estimated at all stages of the experiment. Good quality PPG signals were observed from the majority of the volunteers at almost all hand temperatures. At low temperature ranges, from 13 to 21 ◦C, the failure rate to estimate SpO2 values from the multimode transreflectance PPG sensor was 2.4% as compared to the commercial pulse oximeter with a failure rate of 70%

Root zone salinity management using fractional skimming wells with pressurized irrigation: Inception report

Wells / Aquifers / Pumping / Groundwater irrigation / Water quality / Salinity control / Irrigation programs / Climate / Waterlogging / Drainage / Soils / Land use / Cropping systems / Farm income

VLSI Circuits, Systems, and Architectures for Advanced Image and Video Compression Standards

Modern image and video standards achieve very high compression ratios and include several coding modes in order to address applications with different requirements ranging from low-complexity to high-quality/high-end applications. As a consequence, VLSI circuits, systems, and architectures are mandatory to effectively address the above-mentioned challenges and application demands/characteristics with low power consumption. This special issue is dedicated to research problems and innovative solutions in all aspects of design and architecture addressing realization issues of cutting-edge standards for image and video compression. The authors have focused on different aspects including i) VLSI architectures for computationally intensive blocks, as the DCT and the intra-frame coding mode; ii) Automatic code generation and multicore implementation of complex video encoders, as MPEG4 and H.264. Due to the increasing importance of stereo and 3D video processing an invited paper dealing with this topic is included in the issu

Technologies and solutions for location-based services in smart cities: past, present, and future

Location-based services (LBS) in smart cities have drastically altered the way cities operate, giving a new dimension to the life of citizens. LBS rely on location of a device, where proximity estimation remains at its core. The applications of LBS range from social networking and marketing to vehicle-toeverything communications. In many of these applications, there is an increasing need and trend to learn the physical distance between nearby devices. This paper elaborates upon the current needs of proximity estimation in LBS and compares them against the available Localization and Proximity (LP) finding technologies (LP technologies in short). These technologies are compared for their accuracies and performance based on various different parameters, including latency, energy consumption, security, complexity, and throughput. Hereafter, a classification of these technologies, based on various different smart city applications, is presented. Finally, we discuss some emerging LP technologies that enable proximity estimation in LBS and present some future research areas

Investigation of pulse oximeter failure rates during artificial hypoperfusion utilising a custom made multimode pulse oximetery sensor

Pulse oximetry utilises the technique of photople-thysmography (PPG) to estimate arterial oxygen saturation values (SpO2). In poorly perfused tissues, SpO2 readings may be compromised due to the poor quality of the PPG signals. In order to investigate further the threshold where pulse oximetry fails to produce accurate SpO2 values, we have developed a custom made multimode finger pulse oximetry probe that operates in conventional, reflectance and transmittance mode independently and also in a combined mode called transreflectance. Experiments on twenty healthy volunteers undergoing induced artificial hypoperfusion utilising a brachial blood pressure cuff were performed in order to investigate the possible threshold of failure to accurately estimate SpO2 values from all pulse oximetry modes. The results suggest that the transreflectance pulse oximeter endures more in estimating accurately SpO2 values when compared with the other two custom made pulse oximeters and a commercial finger pulse oximeter

Prospective study on haematological and coagulation changes in acute pancreatitis.

INTRODUCTION : Acute pancreatitis was defined in the Atlanta symposium as an acute inflammatory process involving the pancreas that further involve peripancreatic tissues and organs remote from the pancreas. Criteria had been defined for severity which include organ failure (Pulmonary insufficiency, shock and renal failure) and /or complications involving locally which include pseudocyst. pancreatic necrosis and pancreatic abscess. The diagnosis of the disease requires 2 out of the following 3 features: 1) Abdominal pain characteristic of acute pancreatitis. 2) serum amylase and /or lipase which is _ 3 times the upper limit of normal and 3) characteristics findings in Imaging ( USG/CT scan).The severity of acute pancreatitis does not correlate with the rise in level of serum lipase and amylase.Risk factors of severity of acute pancreatitis at admission include older age,obesity and organ failure. Tests at admission which distinguish mild from severe acute pancreatitis include APACHE-11 score(_8-suggestive of severe AP) and serum haematocrit ( <44 suggests mild acute pancreatitis). A high CRP level measured within 72hours correlates with formation of pancreatic necrosis. Pancreatic necrosis and persistent organ failure were the most important factors responsible for severity in acute pancreatitis. The most important investigation to distinguish interstitial from necrotizing type of acute pancreatitis is CECT abdomen and it is more sensitive and specific especially if taken 2-3 days after the onset of illness. Mortality rate increases to >40% when the multisystem organ failure coexistent with necrotizing type of acute pancreatitis. AIM OF THE STUDY : To Study the Haematological and coagulation changes prospectively in patients with acute pancreatitis and correlating the changes to its severity. CONCLUSION : The study titled Prospective study on haematological and coagulation changes in acute pancreatitis was conducted in 50 patients in Madras Medical college and Rajiv Gandhi Government general hospital, Chennai and following conclusions were made. 1. Haematological and coagulation abnormalities were more common in severe acute pancreatitis. 2. Though evidence of full blown Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation is seen in few patients, the cases which were impending Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation and cases which have high potential to develop Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation were recognised and could be managed effectively. 3. The difference between variables comparing haematological and coagulation indices with severity of pancreatitis were not statistically significant except for the increase in FDP value which was statistically significant . 4. Therapeutic regimens like Activated protein C, Anti thrombin 111, Platelet activating factor modulating agents, Factor V11a inhibitors could be tried in near future to improve the clinical outcome of patients with severe coagulatory disturbance in acute pancreatitis

Evaluation of a multimode photoplethysmographic sensor during cuff-induced hypoperfusion

Abstract—Photoplethysmography (PPG) is a technique widely used to monitor volumetric blood changes induced by cardiac pulsations. Pulse oximetry uses the technique of PPG to estimate arterial oxygen saturation values(SpO2). In poorly perfused tissues, SpO2 readings may be compromised due to the poor quality of the PPG signals. We have developed a new multimode PPG measurement system which utilizes a reflectance PPG probe that operates in reflectance, transmittance and transreflectance mode simultaneously aiming to improve the quality of the PPG signals in cases of poor peripheral perfusion. In order to evaluate the performance of the probe, experiments were performed in healthy volunteers. A blood pressure cuff was used to induce systematic and controlled artificial hypoperfusion while PPG signals were recorded using all three modes. It was found that the amplitude of the transreflectance signal was significantly greater than the other two conventional PPG sensors at all occlusion pressures, suggesting the potential for improved signal acquisition in patients with peripheral hypoperfusion

Mitigating Carbon Emissions in China: The Role of Clean Energy, Technological Innovation, and Political-Institutional Quality

The global warming phenomena arise from the subject of climate change, which draws intellectuals’ attention toward replacing polluting energy sources with clean energy sources by continued deployment of innovations. Also, global warming problems put large pressure on governments, individuals, and policymakers. Therefore, for reliable energy supply and economic development, the target of achieving a low-carbon and sustainable environment is needed. In this light, we explore the role of clean energy and technological innovation in carbon emission reduction in China from 1995 to 2018. The key outcomes from the fully modified least-squares and robust least-squares indicate an elasticity of −0.065 and −0.075, respectively, for the nexus of renewable energy and CO2 emissions. Similarly, nuclear energy, technology innovation, and political-institutional quality have a negative influence on CO2 emissions. Furthermore, the granger causality demonstrates feedback between renewable energy and CO2 emissions, as well as between technological innovation and CO2 emissions. To achieve a cleaner environment, the implementation of the existing policy pathways is potentially geared toward applying technological innovations to produce renewable energy at lower costs

Water-pipe smoking and albuminuria: new dog with old tricks

Water-pipe (WP) smoking is on rise worldwide for the past few years, particularly among younger individuals. Growing evidence indicates that WP smoking is as harmful as cigarette smoking. To date, most of the research has focused on acute health effects of WP smoking, and evidence remains limited when it comes to chronic health effects in relation to long-term WP smoking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association between WP smoking and albuminuria in apparently healthy individuals. This analysis was conducted on data of a population-based cross-sectional study—the Urban Rural Chronic Diseases Study (URCDS). The study sample was recruited from three sites in Pakistan. Trained nurses carried out individual interviews and obtained the information on demographics, lifestyle factors, and past and current medical history. Measurements of complete blood count, lipid profile, fasting glucose level, and 24-hour albuminuria were also made by using blood and urine samples. Albumin excretion was classified into three categories using standard cut-offs: normal excretion, high-normal excretion and microalbuminuria. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between WP smoking and albuminuria. The final analysis included data from 1,626 health individuals, of which 829 (51.0%) were males and 797 (49.0%) females. Of 1,626 individuals, 267 (16.4%) were current WP smokers and 1,359 (83.6%) were non-WP smokers. WP smoking was significantly associated with high-normal albuminuria (OR = 2.33, 95% CI 1.68-3.22, p-value &#60;0.001) and microalbuminuria (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.18-2.58, p-value 0.005) after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, social class, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. WP smoking was significantly associated with high-normal albuminuria and microalbuminuria when analysis was stratified on hypertension and diabetes mellitus categories. WP smoking has a strong association with albuminuria in apparently healthy individuals. More research is warranted to evaluate the temporality of this association between WP smoking and albuminuria