Thermal characterization, multi-scale thermal modeling and experimental validation of lithium-ion batteries for automobile application

This work focuses on studying the thermal aspects of automotive battery systems that includes developing a detailed thermal model for lithium-ion battery systems comprising an electrochemical heat generation model and a heat transfer model dynamically coupled together to form a full 3D thermal model. And finally validating the model by experimental findings

Advancing sustainable decomposition of biomass tar model compound: Machine learning, kinetic modeling, and experimental investigation in a non-thermal plasma dielectric barrier discharge reactor

This study examines the sustainable decomposition reactions of benzene using non-thermal plasma (NTP) in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The aim is to investigate the factors influencing benzene decomposition process, including input power, concentration, and residence time, through kinetic modeling, reactor performance assessment, and machine learning techniques. To further enhance the understanding and modeling of the decomposition process, the researchers determine the apparent decomposition rate constant, which is incorporated into a kinetic model using a novel theoretical plug flow reactor analogy model. The resulting reactor model is simulated using the ODE45 solver in MATLAB, with advanced machine learning algorithms and performance metrics such as RMSE, MSE, and MAE employed to improve accuracy. The analysis reveals that higher input discharge power and longer residence time result in increased tar analogue compound (TAC) decomposition. The results indicate that higher input discharge power leads to a significant improvement in the TAC decomposition rate, reaching 82.9%. The machine learning model achieved very good agreement with the experiments, showing a decomposition rate of 83.01%. The model flagged potential hotspots at 15% and 25% of the reactor’s length, which is important in terms of engineering design of scaled-up reactors.Web of Science1615art. no. 583

Ideological Dimensions of Muslim Nationalism and Democracy

oai:ojs2.www.ijsshe.com:article/14The term “Nationalism” can be redefined within the scope of Post-colonial discourse and often looked to be different in meaning for the readers. It requires a deep and intensive observation of the historical facts which contributed a great deal tracing origin and gauging development of the notion of ‘nationalism’ in South Asia. Nationalism in its simplest means is the similarity in culture, politics, religion, economic endeavours and social norms of the inhabitants of a particular region. The democratic era commenced in Europe with its marvellous philosophy. European enlightenment and emancipation passed through many phases. As far as Muslim Nationalism is concerned, especially in colonial setting, it is evolution of centuries old phenomenon based on Two-Nation Theory which in itself is not the product of one day. Research paper in hand throws light on the very evolution of the ideological dimensions of Muslim Nationalism resulting into the form of democracy which has ultimately been evolved in today’s socio-political framework

Evaluation of transmission potential and pathobiological characteristics of mallard originated Avian orthoavulavirus 1 (sub-genotype VII.2) in commercial broilers

Newcastle disease (ND), caused by Avian orthoavulavirus 1 (AOAV-1), affects multiple avian species around the globe. Frequent disease outbreaks are not uncommon even in vaccinates despite routine vaccination and, in this regards, viruses of diverse genotypes originating from natural reservoirs (migratory waterfowls) play an important role in a disease endemic setting. Though genomic characterization of waterfowl originated viruses has been well-elucidated previously, there is a paucity of data on clinico-pathological assessment of mallard-originated sub-genotype VII.2 in commercial chickens. Hence, the current study was designed to evaluate its transmission potential, tissue tropism and micro- and macroscopic lesions in commercial broilers. Based on complete genome and complete F gene, phylogenetic analysis clustered the study isolate within genotype VII and sub-genotype VII.2 in close association with those reported previously from multiple avian species worldwide. The study strain was found to be velogenic on the basis of typical residue pattern in the F-protein cleavage site (112R-RQ-K-R↓F117), sever disease induction in chicken, tissue tropism and subsequent clinico-pathological characteristics. Giving a clear evidence of horizontal transmission, a 100% mortality was observed by 4th and 6th day post infection (dpi) in chickens challenged with the virus and those kept with the challenged birds (contact birds), respectively. The observed clinical signs, particularly the greenish diarrhea, and macroscopic lesions such as pinpoint hemorrhages in proventriculus and caecal tonsils were typical of the infection caused by an AOAV-1 in chickens. The virus exhibited a broad tissue tropism where genomic RNA corresponding to study virus was detected in all of the tissues collected from recently mortile and necropsied birds. The study concludes that mallard-originated Avian orthoavulavirus 1 is highly velogenic to commercial chicken and therefore ascertain continuous disease monitoring and surveillance of migratory/aquatic fowls to better elucidate infection epidemiology and subsequent potential impacts on commercial poultry

Molecular detection, phylogenetic analysis and designing of siRNA against Potato Virus X

Background: As potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most liked food crops for human diet so increasing its production is an important goal for scientists to achieve. In this molecular study, we characterized the Coat Protein (CP) gene of Potato Virus X (PVX). CP gene is virulence mediator and integral part of viral structural assembly.Methodology: We tissue cultured the PVX positive potato plants for viral RNA extraction. Total RNA was converted to cDNA for priming CP gene in PCR for amplification. To get the complete sequence of gene, we cloned CP gene into pTZ57R/T cloning vector. Upon double digestion of recombinant plasmid with EcoRI and HindIII restriction enzymes, 710 bp fragment was obtained which confirmed cloning. Recombinant plasmid was sequenced with M13 primers.Results: Derived consensus sequence of 710 bp was found to be exact cds of CP gene showing 95% similarity with referenced genome. Phylogenetic analysis suggested Indian isolate of PVX as the nearest one. Multiple siRNA were designed against mentioned and optimized computationally to provide base for further studies.Conclusion: Following facts may be established upon findings of this research; i) CP gene of Pakistani isolate of PVX has high homology with other PVX isolates found around the world, ii) in determining target for efficient siRNA mediated approach to silence PVX genome, this conserved nature can be proved very promising. Thus, to develop PVX-resistant potato crop in Pakistan through siRNA mediated strategy, CP gene could be the best target

Genomic and biological characterization of Newcastle disease viruses isolated from migratory mallards (Anas platyrhynchos)

Given the global evolutionary dynamics of Newcastle disease viruses (NDVs), it is imperative to continue extensive surveillance, routine monitoring and characterization of isolates originating from natural reservoirs (waterfowls). In this report, we isolated and characterized two virulent NDV strains from clinically healthy mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Both isolates had a genome of 15,192 nucleotides encoding six genes in an order of 3´-NP-P-M-F-HN-L-5´. The biological characteristics (mean death time: 49.5-50 hr, EID50108.5 ml-1) and presence of a typical cleavage site in the fusion (F) protein (112R-R-Q-K-R↓F117) confirmed the velogenic nature of these isolates. Phylogenetic analysis classified both isolates as members of genotype VII within class-II. Furthermore, based upon the hypervariable region of the F gene (375 nt), isolates showed clustering within sub-genotype VIIi. Similarity index and parallel comparison revealed a higher nucleotide divergence from commonly used vaccine strains; LaSota (21%) and Mukteswar (17%). A comparative residues analysis with representative strains of different genotypes, including vaccine strains, revealed a number of substitutions at important structural and functional domains within the F and hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) proteins. Together, the results highlight consistent evolution among circulating NDVs supporting extensive surveillance of the virus in waterfowl to better elucidate epidemiology, evolutionary relationships and their impacts on commercial and backyard poultry

Effects of a high-dose 24-h infusion of tranexamic acid on death and thromboembolic events in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (HALT-IT): an international randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods: We did an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 164 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients were enrolled if the responsible clinician was uncertain whether to use tranexamic acid, were aged above the minimum age considered an adult in their country (either aged 16 years and older or aged 18 years and older), and had significant (defined as at risk of bleeding to death) upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients were randomly assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients received either a loading dose of 1 g tranexamic acid, which was added to 100 mL infusion bag of 0·9% sodium chloride and infused by slow intravenous injection over 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 g tranexamic acid added to 1 L of any isotonic intravenous solution and infused at 125 mg/h for 24 h, or placebo (sodium chloride 0·9%). Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation; analysis excluded patients who received neither dose of the allocated treatment and those for whom outcome data on death were unavailable. This trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN11225767, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01658124. Findings: Between July 4, 2013, and June 21, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 009 patients to receive tranexamic acid (5994, 49·9%) or matching placebo (6015, 50·1%), of whom 11 952 (99·5%) received the first dose of the allocated treatment. Death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation occurred in 222 (4%) of 5956 patients in the tranexamic acid group and in 226 (4%) of 5981 patients in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·82–1·18). Arterial thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction or stroke) were similar in the tranexamic acid group and placebo group (42 [0·7%] of 5952 vs 46 [0·8%] of 5977; 0·92; 0·60 to 1·39). Venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) were higher in tranexamic acid group than in the placebo group (48 [0·8%] of 5952 vs 26 [0·4%] of 5977; RR 1·85; 95% CI 1·15 to 2·98). Interpretation: We found that tranexamic acid did not reduce death from gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of our results, tranexamic acid should not be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding outside the context of a randomised trial

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Assessing the Risk Factors Associated with Patients Diagnosed to have Adhesive Capsulitis

Background: Adhesive Capsulitis (AC) of the shoulder or Frozen Shoulder (FS) is the most common disabling shoulder condition which has serious functional implications in daily life. FS affects 2 to 3 percent of the population. In Pakistan, fewer studies have been performed in the past describing the common risk factors linked to AC. Objective: The objectives of the study are to assess the risk factors e.g diabetes, thyroid disease, stroke, trauma, hyperlipidemia, rheumatoid and tuberculosis present in patients with AC, and whether the levels of HbA1c have a role in AC. Study type, settings & duration: This descriptive study was carried out at Shifa Foundation Falahi Clinic and Pain and Medical Clinic at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad between June 2018 and January 2021. Methodology:Non probability convenience sampling technique was used. Consecutive patients more than 18 years old with shoulder pain or stiffness were identified and informed consent was obtained. A detailed survey using a questionnaire was used. Descriptive statistics were performed. Mean and standard deviation was calculated for age. The SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. Frequency analysis of risk factors was performed. Further statistical analysis was done by applying chi-square test to assess the relationship between HbA1c levels(control of Diabetes Mellitus) and adhesive capsulitis. Results:Data of 304 patients with mean age of 54±9 years. Frequency analysis showed 86 (28.3%) were males and 218 (71.7%) were females. The most common risk factor was diabetes 41.6% followed by hyperlipidemia 28.6%, shoulder trauma 14.8%, hypothyroidism 12.5%. High HbA1c levels were found in 78% of diabetic patients and it was strongly associated with AC (p-value <0.001). Conclusion:Age above 50, female gender, presence of diabetes, poor control, hypothyroidism, hyperlipidemia were found to be associated with AC. Patients with the above risk factors should be closely monitored for the development of FS and control of primary disease to prevent morbidity

Real-time recognition of spraying area for UAV sprayers using a deep learning approach.

Agricultural production is vital for the stability of the country's economy. Controlling weed infestation through agrochemicals is necessary for increasing crop productivity. However, its excessive use has severe repercussions on the environment (damaging the ecosystem) and the human operators exposed to it. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has been proposed by several authors in the literature for performing the desired spraying and is considered safer and more precise than the conventional methods. Therefore, the study's objective was to develop an accurate real-time recognition system of spraying areas for UAVs, which is of utmost importance for UAV-based sprayers. A two-step target recognition system was developed by using deep learning for the images collected from a UAV. Agriculture cropland of coriander was considered for building a classifier for recognizing spraying areas. The developed deep learning system achieved an average F1 score of 0.955, while the classifier recognition average computation time was 3.68 ms. The developed deep learning system can be deployed in real-time to UAV-based sprayers for accurate spraying