Preparation and characterisation of Nylon/PEG/PAN composite membrane for liquid filtration

A novel method has been proposed to prepare a Nylon/PEG/PAN composite membrane for the improvement of electrospun PAN fibre properties and filtration efficiency. Polyacrylonitrile fibre has been prepared by electrospinning technique. Different proportions of blended mixture of Nylon and PEG are prepared separately. Blended mixture of Nylon and PEG is poured over the electrospun PAN to prepare a Nylon/PEG/PAN composite membrane. The prepared Nylon/PEG/PAN composite membrane and Nylon/PEG membrane are characterized by using optical microscope, porosimeter, X-ray diffractometer and thermogravimetric analysis. Filtration efficiency of the prepared Nylon/PEG/PAN composite membrane is studied using pure water flux and oil water emulsion methods. The 50/50 proportion of Nylon and PEG has been identified for getting uniform and evenly distributed pores and also it shows around 80% of solute rejection, whereas 60/40 proportion shows little bit higher percentage due to higher proportion of Nylon. Thus, the pure water flux of 60/40 and 50/50 PAN/PEG/Nylon membranes met with the recommended pure water flux

Different isoforms of starch-synthesizing enzymes controlling amylose and amylopectin content in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Starch, composed of amylose and amylopectin, greatly influences rice cooking and textural quality, which in turn is controlled by various isoforms of several enzymes. Activity of one or more isoforms of starch synthesizing enzymes results in various forms of starch structure based on the amylopectin chain length, average external, internal and core chain length distribution and hence result in varying physicochemical and cooking quality. Since the synthesis of starch is highly complex, it is crucial but essential to understand its biosynthetic pathway, starch structure and its effects on the physicochemical properties that control eating and cooking quality; and alongside conduct research on gene/QTL mapping for use in marker-assisted selection (MAS) with a view to improve and select cultivars with most desirable range and class of rice starch properties. This article presents the updates on current understanding of the co-ordination among various enzymes/isoforms towards rice starch synthesis in endosperm and their effect on rice grain physico-chemical, cooking and eating qualities. The efforts in identifying regions responsible for these enzymes by mapping the gene/QTLs have provided a glimpse on their association with physic-chemical and cooking properties of rice and hence, improvement is possible by modifying the allelic pattern, resulting in down or nil regulation of a particular enzyme. The clear understanding of the tissue specific co-ordination between enzyme isoforms and their subsequent effect in controlling eating and cooking properties will enhance the chances to manipulate them for getting desired range of amylose content (AC) and gelatinization temperature (GT) in improved cultivars through combining desired alleles through MAS

A longitudinal study on high risk pregnancy and its outcome among antenatal women attending rural primary health centre in Puducherry, South India

BACKGROUND: Almost 15% of all pregnant women can develop potentially life-threatening complications. As a result, identification of high-risk pregnancy at earliest stage will be useful in directing appropriate intervention. Hence, the current study was done to determine the prevalence and outcome of high-risk pregnancy among antenatal women in rural Puducherry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A record-based longitudinal study was done during March 2018 among 569 antenatal women who have attended rural health center of tertiary care institute. High-risk pregnancy was classified based on the guidelines from Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan and outcome assessment based on the obstetric and neonatal outcomes. RESULTS: Among 569 antenatal case record reviewed, 315 (55.3%) were in the age group of 20–25 years and majority (463, 81.4%) belonged to below poverty line families; 410 (74.3%) registered their current pregnancy within the first trimester. The prevalence of high-risk pregnancy among study participants was 18.3% (95% confidence interval: 15.3%–21.7%). Majority (81.9%) had term delivery. Regarding obstetric and neonatal outcomes, majority had spontaneous vaginal delivery (73.9%); about 10.4% gave birth to low-birth weight baby, and only 1.7% had stillbirth. Parity, socioeconomic status, and unfavorable outcomes such as low-birth weight, preterm, and postterm delivery were associated with high-risk pregnancy. CONCLUSION: The current study found that almost one-fifth of the pregnant women in rural area have high-risk pregnancy. Unfavorable obstetric and neonatal outcomes were common among high-risk cases. Hence, early detection of high-risk pregnancy needs to be done at primary health-care level to improve the maternal, obstetric, and neonatal outcomes

Prevalence of medication adherence and its associated factors among patients with noncommunicable disease in rural Puducherry, South India – A facility-based cross-sectional study

Background: Trends in morbidity and mortality due to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are rising because of poor control status. Medication nonadherence is one of the most common and modifiable causes of inadequate control status. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of drug adherence among patients with NCD in rural Puducherry. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was done among 260 patients with NCD receiving treatment from rural primary health center in Puducherry during February and March 2018. Information regarding sociodemographic profile and household was collected using pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Morisky Medication Adherence Scale was done to assess the adherence. We calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) to identify the factors associated with medication adherence. Results: Among the 260 participants, 42.7% belonged to elderly age group; 66.2% were females; 44% did not have any formal education; 70% were unemployed. The majority were suffering from hypertension (71.2%) followed by diabetes (56.2%). This study found that almost one-third (32.7%) of the study participants were not properly adherent to medications. Elderly [aPR 2.51 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.70–3.70] and female participants (aPR 1.64 95% CI: 1.04–2.58) were found to have more chance being nonadherent to medications after adjusting for possible confounding variables. Conclusion: This study reported that almost one-third of the study participants were nonadherent to medications. Elderly age group and female gender were found to be the determinants of nonadherence. Corrective measures need to be started at patient level first by motivating and educating them regarding the importance of drug intake

Association between Indoor Air Pollution and Cognitive Impairment among Adults in Rural Puducherry, South India

Background: Recent evidences showed that outdoor air pollution had significant influence on cognitive functioning of adults. However, little is known regarding the association of indoor air pollution with cognitive dysfunction. Hence, the current study was done to assess the association between indoor air pollution and cognitive impairment among adults in rural Puducherry. Methodology: A community-based cross-sectional study was done among 295 adults residing in rural field practice area of tertiary care institute in Puducherry during February and March 2018. Information regarding sociodemographic profile and household was collected using pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Mini-Mental State Examination was done to assess cognitive function. We calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) to identify the factors associated with cognitive impairment. Results: Among 295 participants, 173 (58.6) were in 30–59 years; 154 (52.2%) were female; and 59 (20.0%) were exposed to indoor air pollution. Prevalence of cognitive impairment in the general population was 11.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.7–16.1). Prevalence of cognitive impairment among those who were exposed to indoor air pollution was 27.1% (95% CI: 17.4–39.6). Individuals exposed to indoor air pollution (aPR = 2.18, P = 0.003) were found to have two times more chance of having cognitive impairment. Conclusion: About one-fourth of the participants were exposed to indoor air pollution, out of which more than one-fourth was found to have cognitive impairment which is twice that of the general population. Hence, prevention of exposure to indoor air pollution needs to be done through increased availability to cleaner fuels for household usage

Optimization-Based Safety Analysis of Obstacle Avoidance Systems for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

This article was published in the Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems [© Springer Science+Business Media B.V.]. The definitive version is available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10846-011-9586-0?LI=true#. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com.The integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in airspace requires new methods to certify collision avoidance systems. This paper presents a safety clearance process for obstacle avoidance systems, where worst case analysis is performed using simulation based optimization in the presence of all possible parameter variations. The clearance criterion for the UAV obstacle avoidance system is defined as the minimum distance from the aircraft to the obstacle during the collision avoidance maneuver. Local and global optimization based verification processes are developed to automatically search the worst combinations of the parameters and the worst-case distance between the UAV and an obstacle under all possible variations and uncertainties. Based on a 6 Degree of Freedom (6DoF) kinematic and dynamic model of a UAV, the path planning and collision avoidance algorithms are developed in 3D space. The artificial potential field method is chosen as a path planning and obstacle avoidance candidate technique for verification study as it is a simple and widely used method. Different optimization algorithms are applied and compared in terms of the reliability and efficiency