Predicting LIS Scholarly Research Directions In The Era Of Data Science

Abstract Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to present the quantitative analysis of scholarly literature published worldwide on Data Science in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS). Design/methodology/approach –The Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database was used as the main source for extracting data from the published documents during the period 2010-2019. The analysis of the published documents was based on the following important trends: Number of Data Science publications in all fields, Number of Data Science publications in the LIS field, the most cited document type on Data Science in LIS perspective, the most prolific author, the most productive publication year, the most productive country, annual citations, highly cited journal and research article on Data Science in LIS perspective, highly contributing research organizations and group authors on Data Science in LIS field and highly contributing universities on Data Science in LIS field during the period 2010-2019. The types of documents considered in this study were research articles, conference proceeding papers, book chapters, book reviews and editorial material. Findings –The findings of this study showed that the USA possessed the highest number of publications on Data Science in the field of LIS. The total number of publications on Data Science including all fields was 106,028 and the number of publications on Data Science in LIS perspective was 3,799 during the period 2010-2019. The year 2019 was identified as the most productive year as the research output in this year was maximum. IEEE was identified as the most productive research organization/group author, Wuhan University China as the most productive university and the Journal of Scientometrics was declared as the most prolific journal on Data Science in LIS perspective during the period 2010-2019. Bornmann Lutz, from Germany, was identified as the most prolific author with a total of 69 publications and the article titled “Business Intelligence and Analytics: From Big Data to Big Impact” was the highly cited article on Data Science in LIS perspective during the period 2010-2019. Originality/value –The study will be of great importance for students, scholars, educationists, professionals and researchers who intend to perform Scientometrics research studies in the LIS field

Morphological characterization, phytochemical profile, and cytotoxic and insecticidal activities of diverse parts of Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.)

Purpose: To standardize Zakham-e-Hayat (Bryophyllum pinnatum Lam.) as well as determine its cytotoxic and insecticidal activity. Methods: Different parts of the plant (flowers, young leaves, old leaves and stem) and different solvents, viz, methanol, ethyl acetate and n-hexane were used for the extraction. Morphological characterization (macroscopic and microscopic), phytochemical screening for primary and secondary metabolites, and thin layer chromatography (TLC) using various solvent systems, namely, methanol/chloroform (MeOH/CHCl3), n-hexane/methanol/chloroform (n-hexane/MeOH/CHCl3), methanol/chloroform/water (MeOH/CHCl3/H2O), n-hexane/chloroform (n-hexane/CHCl3), n-hexane/ethyl acetate (n-hexane/EtOAc) were carried out. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was also performed. In addition, the extracts were evaluated for their cytotoxic and insecticidal activities. Results: The methanol fraction of the young leaves had 50% lethal dose (LD50) of 28.46 µg/mL while the ethyl acetate fraction of young and old leaves showed significant cytotoxicity at LD50 of 0.13 µg/mL and 142.68 µg/mL respectively. On the other hand, n-hexane fraction was inactive. The methanol fraction of the flower revealed the presence of carbohydrates, the ethyl acetate fraction showed the presence of carbohydrates and amino acids, while the n-hexane fraction showed the presence of carbohydrates as primary metabolites. Furthermore, alkaloids, flavonoid, saponins and resins were present in the methanol fraction, flavonoid and alkaloids in the ethyl acetate fraction, and alkaloids and resins in the n-hexane fraction as secondary metabolites. Conclusion: Methanol and n-hexane fractions of Bryophyllum pinnatum have some safe bioactive compounds which may exhibit potential health benefits

EVALUATION OF CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF DICHOLOROMETHANE (DCM) AND METHANOL (MEOH) EXTRACT OF ROOT BARK OF CAPPARIS DECIDUA

The present study was conducted to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of different extracts of root bark of Capparis decidua (Capparidaceae). The root barks of Capparis decidua were collected from village Kirri khaisore Tehsil Pahar pur, Dera Ismail Khan; shade dried and ground into fine powder. The weighed plant material was then extracted with dichloromethane and methanol in triplicate for 72 hours by the process of successive maceration. The filtrate obtained was concentrated under reduced pressure at 30 °C using rotary evaporator. Brine shrimp lethality bioassays and MTT colorimetric assay were carried out on the extracts to assess the cytotoxic activity. Dichloromethane extract showed moderate brine shrimp lethality activity, while this activity was not shown by methanol extract. Both extract showed no cytotoxic activity. Keywords: Capparis decidua, cytotoxicity, Brine Shrim

Self-Configurable Current-Mirror Technique for Parallel RGB Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Strings

Traditional current-mirror circuits require buck converter to deal with one fixed current load. This paper deals with improved self-adjustable current-mirror methods that can address different LED loads under different conditions with the help of one buck converter. The operating principle revolves around a dynamic and self-configurable combinational circuit of transistor and op-amp based current balancing circuit, along with their op-amp based dimming circuits. The proposed circuit guarantees uniformity in the outputs of the circuit. This scheme of current-balancing circuits omitted the need for separate power supply to control the load currents through different kinds of LEDs, i.e. RGB LEDs. The proposed methods are identical and modular, which can be scaled to any number of parallel current sources. The principle methodology has been successfully tested in Simulink environment to verify the current balancing of parallel LED strings

Pharmacognostic, phytochemical, biological and spectroscopic analyses of Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew root and stem bark

Purpose: To investigate the pharmacognostic, phytochemical, biological and spectroscopic analyses of Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew root and stem bark.Methods: Plant material (root and stem bark) was collected, authenticated, shade-dried and extracted by maceration using methanol as a solvent separately. Powder microscopy was performed using a binocular microscope. Fluorescence, physico-chemical analysis and phytochemical screening for the presence of secondary metabolites were performed using standard methods. Brine shrimp lethalitybioassay was carried out using Artemia salina bioassay, while enzymatic modulatory study was performed by α-amylase inhibition assay. Microscopic analysis was carried out with scanning electron microscopy. Spectroscopic analysis was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).Results: Powder microscopy showed the presence of different cellular structures. Various colors were observed under ultraviolet (UV) and ordinary light when treated with different reagents. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins and flavonoids but phenol and cardiac glycosides were absent from both extracts. The root bark of the plant showed significant brine shrimp lethality activity.Conclusion: Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew root and stem bark contain a variety of bioactive compounds that have medicinal and therapeutic potentials. Therefore, further investigations are required to elucidate their pharmacological properties. Keywords: Capparis decidua (Forsk.) Edgew, Phytochemical, Spectroscopy, α-Amylas

Nanoparticle-formulated curcumin prevents posttherapeutic disease reactivation and reinfection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis following isoniazid therapy

Curcumin, the bioactive component of turmeric also known as “Indian Yellow Gold,” exhibits therapeutic efficacy against several chronic inflammatory and infectious diseases. Even though considered as a wonder drug pertaining to a myriad of reported benefits, the translational potential of curcumin is limited by its low systemic bioavailability due to its poor intestinal absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid systemic elimination. Therefore, the translational potential of this compound is specifically challenged by bioavailability issues, and several laboratories are making efforts to improve its bioavailability. We developed a simple one-step process to generate curcumin nanoparticles of ~200 nm in size, which yielded a fivefold enhanced bioavailability in mice over regular curcumin. Curcumin nanoparticles drastically reduced hepatotoxicity induced by antitubercular antibiotics during treatment in mice. Most interestingly, co-treatment of nanoparticle-formulated curcumin along with antitubercular antibiotics dramatically reduced the risk for disease reactivation and reinfection, which is the major shortfall of current antibiotic treatment adopted by Directly Observed Treatment Short-course. Furthermore, nanoparticle-formulated curcumin significantly reduced the time needed for antibiotic therapy to obtain sterile immunity, thereby reducing the possibility of generating drug-resistant variants of the organisms. Therefore, adjunct therapy of nano-formulated curcumin with enhanced bioavailability may be beneficial to treatment of tuberculosis and possibly other diseases

A Theoretical Model for Predicting Axial Compressive Strain of FRP-Confined Concrete

The axial compressive strength and strain of structural elements made of reinforced concrete are enhanced by the external confinement provided by fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets. There is still a need for more research into estimating axial compressive strain even though numerous studies have suggested analytical approaches to predict the axial compressive strength of concrete structural elements. This is a result of earlier strain models’ inadequate accuracy. Furthermore, rudimentary modelling techniques and small, noisy databases were used in the development of these models. To suggest a more realistic strain model and compare it with earlier models, a more rigorous methodology is therefore required. The goal of this study is to present a strain model for FRP-confined concrete members by analytical modeling based on a large database containing 570 sample points. When the models were assessed using statistical parameters, it was discovered that the estimations of the freshly proposed models were more accurate than those of the previous models. The estimations’ relative study provides significant support for the recommended analytical model’s applicability and accuracy in forecasting the axial-strain of CFRP-confined concrete compression members

An efficient color LED driver based on self-configuration current mirror circuit

The string channel of Color LED driver with precise current balancing is proposed. It is noted that to drive a multiple LEDs string is by using a proper current source, due to the level of the brightness LED depends on the quantity of the current flows. In the production of LEDs, the variation in the forward voltage for each LED has been found significantly high. This variation causes different levels of brightness in LEDs. Then, controlling load current of LED by using a resistor to limit the LED current flowing is considered by associated with the forward voltage, instantly. Current sources have been designed to become immune to the above problem since it regulates the current, and not the voltage which flows through the LEDs. Hence, constant current source is the essential requirement to drive the LEDs. Besides, it is complex for color LEDs, dependent on the number of control nodes and dimming configuration. To arrange an accurate load current for the different sets of string color LEDs, the efficient LED driver is required, in which the current sharing is complement to each LED strings. Therefore, this paper suggests a color LED driver with self-configuration of enhanced current mirrors in multiple LED strings. The load currents have been efficiently balanced among the identical loads and unequal loads. The comparable efficiency of the string color LEDs losses has been shown thoroughly

Influence of the Air Gap in Firefighter Personal Protective Equipment on Skin Temperature in Pre-Flashover Thermal Exposures

Exposure to pre-flashover thermal conditions is typically considered as routine for many structural firefighters, and these low level thermal exposures pose a threat of burn injury. Skin burns occur as a result of prolonged exposure within these environments, and this hazard must be addressed to reduce the number of firefighters that fall victim to thermal injury. The incorporation of an air gap within firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE) was explored in this work to gain an understanding of the influence of the air gap on skin temperature in pre-flashover thermal exposures. The relationship between the air gap size and skin temperature was investigated both through experimental and numerical means. Experimental testing was conducted to measure the temperatures at a representative skin layer positioned underneath firefighter PPE with an incorporated air gap subject to thermal exposures consistent with pre-flashover conditions. Material property testing was conducted for the same PPE-air gap assembly and the effective thermal properties for the bulk assembly were input into a computational model constructed with Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) to predict the temperatures at the equivalent skin position. The results show that the presence of an air gap within firefighter PPE prolongs the time to critical skin temperatures, and reduces the maximum temperatures reached at the skin surface. As the air gap thickness increases, the time to burn injury increases and the maximum temperatures at the skin decrease for both thermal exposures. These findings fundamentally suggest that the larger the air gap, the more thermal insulation is provided for the firefighter. Based on comparisons of the conduction-driven model with the experimental temperature data, the model was demonstrated to be accurate to within 15% of the experiments in the prediction of burn injury times for low heat flux exposures and small air gap sizes. The agreement of the model also confirms that the heat transfer is conduction-dominated for air gap sizes leading up to 6.35 mm, and transitions to alternative modes of heat transfer among larger air gap sizes

An efficient digitally controlled of RGB driver for LED pixels

The RGB LEDs are used for producing different colours and different intensities. These LEDs are generally driven by constant current sources because their colours and brightness are directly related to their forward current. This paper proposes a digital control of the DC-DC converter to provide accurate currents for the RGB LED driver for achieving a high efficiency and accuracy of load current. The load current accuracy is an essential index for a high performance LED driver. The proposed maintains the current source for the minimum drive of the voltage across the LEDs which lead to reduce power dissipation in the MOSFET and increase efficiency in the LEDs’ string. The RGB LEDs use three different voltage sources as each RGB colour requires different drive voltages. The proposed LED driver system is also able to dim LEDs in the pixel through pulse width modulation signals as dimming signals. These dimming signals also work as a reference voltage for the current controllers to regulate the load current. The proposed model is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink environment, and the results are verified accordingly. With 12V supply voltage, the efficiency of RGB LEDs are 93%, 97% and 97% respectively