A review of laser scanning for geological and geotechnical applications in underground mining

Laser scanning can provide timely assessments of mine sites despite adverse challenges in the operational environment. Although there are several published articles on laser scanning, there is a need to review them in the context of underground mining applications. To this end, a holistic review of laser scanning is presented including progress in 3D scanning systems, data capture/processing techniques and primary applications in underground mines. Laser scanning technology has advanced significantly in terms of mobility and mapping, but there are constraints in coherent and consistent data collection at certain mines due to feature deficiency, dynamics, and environmental influences such as dust and water. Studies suggest that laser scanning has matured over the years for change detection, clearance measurements and structure mapping applications. However, there is scope for improvements in lithology identification, surface parameter measurements, logistic tracking and autonomous navigation. Laser scanning has the potential to provide real-time solutions but the lack of infrastructure in underground mines for data transfer, geodetic networking and processing capacity remain limiting factors. Nevertheless, laser scanners are becoming an integral part of mine automation thanks to their affordability, accuracy and mobility, which should support their widespread usage in years to come

Design and development of a machine vision system using artificial neural network-based algorithm for automated coal characterization

Coal is heterogeneous in nature, and thus the characterization of coal is essential before its use for a specific purpose. Thus, the current study aims to develop a machine vision system for automated coal characterizations. The model was calibrated using 80 image samples that are captured for different coal samples in different angles. All the images were captured in RGB color space and converted into five other color spaces (HSI, CMYK, Lab, xyz, Gray) for feature extraction. The intensity component image of HSI color space was further transformed into four frequency components (discrete cosine transform, discrete wavelet transform, discrete Fourier transform, and Gabor filter) for the texture features extraction. A total of 280 image features was extracted and optimized using a step-wise linear regression-based algorithm for model development. The datasets of the optimized features were used as an input for the model, and their respective coal characteristics (analyzed in the laboratory) were used as outputs of the model. The R-squared values were found to be 0.89, 0.92, 0.92, and 0.84, respectively, for fixed carbon, ash content, volatile matter, and moisture content. The performance of the proposed artificial neural network model was also compared with the performances of performances of Gaussian process regression, support vector regression, and radial basis neural network models. The study demonstrates the potential of the machine vision system in automated coal characterization

Fatal Postoperative Candida glabrata Septicemia in a Child with Congenital Heart Disease

The incidence of candidemia has been reported to be high in some cardiovascular surgery units. Congenital heart disease has been considered a risk factor for acquisition of candidemia. This present case is a postoperative Candida glabrata in a child with congenital heart disease. A 3-year-old child, a previously diagnosed case of situs-solitus D loop situs with double outlet right ventricle, ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis and large ostium secundum atrial septal defect, was admitted with history of effort intolerance. A left modified Blalock-Taussig shunt was performed and then the child underwent closure of the ventricular septal defect and the atrial septal defect. On the third day the patient developed fever. Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from blood which responded to piperacillin + tazobactam but on the twelfth day, the patient again developed fever spikes. The blood cultures performed at this time showed repeated isolation of Candida glabrata. Amphotericin B was started but still the patient deteriorated and died on the 22nd day after operation. The antifungal susceptibility of the isolate performed showed that the isolate was resistant to Amphotericin B

Enterococcal cerebellopontine angle abscess in a 12-year-old female

Despite advances in imaging and antibiotic treatment, brain abscess is still encountered occasionally. Various aerobic and anaerobic bacteria have been reported as causative agents of brain abscess but only a few cases of enterococcal brain abscesses have been reported. Here we report a case of brain abscess in a 12-year-old female patient, who presented with a history of fever, chills, headache, convulsions since seven days and history of altered sensorium and aphasia since the last two days<b> . </b> The patient had chronic suppurative otitis media of both ears following trauma and presented with ear discharge. The diagnosis of brain abscess was done by computerized tomography scan and the pus was aspirated by left suboccipital burr hole operation. <i>Enterococcus species </i>was cultured from the aspirated pus sample. The patient responded to surgical drainage and antibiotic treatment

Prevalence of metallo-\u3b2-lactamase producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter species in intensive care areas in a tertiary care hospital

A total of 39 non-duplicate isolates of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter species isolated from blood and endotracheal secretions were tested for metallo-\u3b2-lactamase (MBL) production by modified-EDTA disc synergy and double disc synergy tests. The prevalence of MBLs was 33.33% by both the above tests. All patients with MBL-positive isolates were multidrug resistant and had multiple risk factors like &gt; 8 days hospital stay, catheterization, IV lines, previous antibiotic use, etc. These were risk factors for imipenem resistance also. The overall mortality in MBL-positive patients was 46.15%

A study on evaluating the effectiveness of pre- and posttest model of learning microbiology in a tertiary peripheral medical college of West Bengal

Background and Aims: Traditional didactic lecture methods were previously dominant in medical education in India, where students tend to lose their concentration after 15–20 min of lectures. In the context of competency-based medical education, a teaching–learning method that includes pre- and posttests were hypothesized to have the potential to enhance the learning process and make difficult topics easier for students to understand. This method was implemented for phase 2 MBBS students at Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital in India. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the department of microbiology in October 2021, with 65 male and 33 female students who provided informed consent. All the students were allotted immunology topics and were asked to present seminars. The students were required to complete a pretest and posttest questionnaire covering key areas of immunology. The mean and standard deviation of the scores were calculated. Paired Student's t-test was used to compare pre- and posttest scores, and P values were calculated using SPSS 20. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The total number of correct responses on the posttest was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the number of responses on the pretest. Gender-specific posttest responses were also significant (for males, P < 0.001; for females, P < 0.001). Overall marks were improved on the posttest, and the mean scores among all the students showed significant improvement in their posttest scores compared to their pretest scores. Conclusions: Evaluating students using a pretest and posttest was found to be a practical and feasible tool for learning. The majority of students reported that this method of learning helped them engage in critical thinking and understand topics more systematically, which they believed would contribute to their success as competent Indian Medical Graduates

Prevalence of metallo-β-lactamase producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter species in intensive care areas in a tertiary care hospital

A total of 39 non-duplicate isolates of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter species isolated from blood and endotracheal secretions were tested for metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) production by modified-EDTA disc synergy and double disc synergy tests. The prevalence of MBLs was 33.33% by both the above tests. All patients with MBL-positive isolates were multidrug resistant and had multiple risk factors like > 8 days hospital stay, catheterization, IV lines, previous antibiotic use, etc. These were risk factors for imipenem resistance also. The overall mortality in MBL-positive patients was 46.15%