Bio-Inspired Solutions and Its Impact on Real-World Problems: A Network on Chip (NoC) Perspective

Bio-inspired solutions are used to solve the real-world problems as they are able to resolve the complex issues. Already existing bio-inspired solutions are reviewed in this chapter which solved the complex engineering problems. Moreover, this chapter also discusses the implementation of biological brain mechanism in Network on Chip to address the fault-tolerant issues. Network on Chip (NoC) is a communication framework for System on Chip (SoC). Due to routers and interconnect failure, NoC suffers from faults. Therefore, bio-inspired solutions help us to recover from these faults. The techniques from the biological brain were implemented in NoC as the brain is fault tolerant and highly adaptive. Results showed that bio-inspired techniques are performing well compared to the traditional fault-tolerant algorithms

WORKPLACE BULLYING: CASE STUDY OF PUBLIC SECTOR UNIVERSITY

Workplace bullying is an amalgamation of negative behaviors of varying intensity that can severely damage one‟s ability to work effectively or efficiently. The study aims to examine the prevalence, forms and perceived perpetrator(s) of workplace bullying in a public sector university, ultimately highlighting the existing policies and procedures aiming to discourage the practice of workplace bullying at an organizational level. The study adopts a mixed method strategy. A two-step sampling approach is adopted for gathering quantitative data, where stratified sampling was followed by simple random sampling technique. For qualitative data, purposive sampling is used. The study identifies that workplace bullying prevails among university‟s faculty members where more than half of the respondents were exposed to it. The perceived perpetrators were mostly male employees targeting male employees on the same  hierarchical level. Also, faculty members belonging from the middle age and those who are at the middle of their career experienced highest exposure to bullying at work

Una formulación tradicional de poli-hierbas mejora la función cognitiva en ratones C57BL / 6

Introduction: Khamira Gawzaban Ambari Jadwar Ood Saleeb Wala (KGAJOS) is a polyherbal compound Unani Pharmacopoeial formulation described in traditional Unani texts as Muqawwi-e-Aza-e-Raeesa (tonic for brain, heart, liver and stomach). KGAJOS is reported to possess anxiolytic and antidepressant activity in mice. Though it is used clinically for various neurological conditions, preclinical efficacy of this formulation in learning and memory enhancement / improvement is not established. Method: KGAJOS was evaluated for cognitive function improvement activity using Morris water maze test in C57BL/6 mice. Piracetam was used as positive control for comparison. Anymaze video tracking software was used for tracking the path of mice in pool as per standard protocol. Results: During probe trial in Morris water maze test, a significant increase in time spent in platform quadrant was observed at 1000 and 1500 mg/kg bw of KGAJOS (p<0.01 and 0.001, respectively) as well as in piracetam group (p<0.01) compared to vehicle control. Latency to reach the platform quadrant (escape latency) was significantly reduced (p<0.001) in piracetam and KGAJOS group at 1000 and 1500 mg/kg bw compared to vehicle control. No change in time spent in platform quadrant and escape latency was observed at 500 mg/kg bw of KGAJOS. Conclusions: Morris water maze experiment conducted in mice revealed improved learning and memory function of KGAJOS at the dose levels of 1000 and 1500 mg/kg bw whereas 500 mg/kg bw was not found to be effective. Observed efficacy of KGAJOS confirmed the traditional claims and usage of this formulation in conditions associated with cognition and memory.Introducción: Khamira Gawzaban Ambari Jadwar Ood Saleeb Wala (KGAJOS) es una formulación de Unani compuesto de poliherbal descrito como tónico para el cerebro, corazón, hígado y estómago. Este estudio se realizó para evaluar la eficacia preclínica de KGAJOS en el aprendizaje y la memoria. Método: Se evaluó la actividad de mejora de la función cognitiva de KGAJOS utilizando la prueba de laberinto de agua de Morris en ratones C57BL / 6. Se utilizó piracetam como control positivo. Se utilizó el software de seguimiento de video Anymaze para rastrear la ruta. Resultados: Durante la prueba de la sonda, se observó un aumento significativo en el tiempo empleado en el cuadrante de la plataforma a 1000 y 1500 mg / kg de peso corporal de KGAJOS (p <0,01 y 0,001, respectivamente) y en el grupo de piracetam (p <0,01) en comparación con el control. La latencia para alcanzar el cuadrante de la plataforma (latencia de escape) se redujo significativamente (p <0,001) en el grupo de piracetam y KGAJOS a 1000 y 1500 mg / kg de peso corporal en comparación con el control. Conclusiones: El experimento del laberinto de agua de Morris reveló una mejora en la función de aprendizaje y memoria con 1000 y 1500 mg / kg de peso corporal de KGAJOS, mientras que 500 mg / kg de peso corporal no fue efectivo. La eficacia observada de KGAJOS confirmó las afirmaciones tradicionales y el uso de esta formulación en condiciones asociadas con la cognición y la memoria.Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, Ministry of AYUSH, Government of Indi

Controller Design for the Rotational Dynamics of a Quadcopter

Researchers have shown their interests in establishing miniature flying robots to be utilized for, both, commercial and research applications. This is due to that fact that there appears to be a huge advancement in miniature actuators and sensors which depend on the MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) NEMS (Nano-Electro Mechanical Systems). This research underlines a detailed mathematical model and controller design for a quadcopter. The nonlinear dynamic model of the quadcopter is derived from the Newton-Euler method and Euler Lagrange method. The motion of a quadcopter can be classified into two subsystems: a rotational subsystem (attitude and heading) and translational subsystem (altitude and x and y motion). The rotational system is fully actuated whereas translational subsystem is under actuated. However, a quadcopter is 6 DOF (Degrees of Freedom) under actuated system. The controller design of a quadcopter is difficult due to its complex and highly nonlinear mathematical model where the state variables are strongly coupled and contain under actuated property. Nonlinear controller such as SMC (Sliding Mode Controller) is used to control altitude, yaw, pitch, and roll angles.Simulation results show that the robustness of the SMC design gives a better way to design a controller with autonomous stability flight with good tracking performance and improved accuracy without any chattering effect. The system states are following the desired trajectory as expected

Frequency of endometriosis among infertile women and association of clinical signs and symptoms with the laparoscopic staging of endometriosis

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine the frequency of endometriosis in women who underwent diagnostic laparoscopy for evaluation of infertility and the association of clinical, ultrasonographic and laparoscopic findings of endometriosis with the laparoscopic stages of the disease.METHOD: It was a retrospective study of women presenting to gynaecologic clinics of the Aga Khan University Hospital from January 1999 to December 2005 with primary complaint of primary or secondary infertility and were diagnosed with endometriosis through laparoscopy. Relevant demographic and clinical information was entered and analyzed in SPSS version 14.0.RESULTS: The frequency of endometriosis in women with primary compliant of infertility was found to be 16.8%. Statistically significant associations was found between staging of the disease and thin built (p=0.007) and restricted uterine mobility on pelvic examination (p=0.035). The patients\u27 ultrasound and laparoscopic examination showed significant association with staging of the disease with the presence of cysts on ultrasound (p-value \u3c 0.0001) and adhesions on laparoscopy (p valu

The Global Polio Eradication Initiatives: From Past to Present

The war against infections is one that has been remuneration all through the history of human. In this centuries-long effort the worldwide population has prepared remarkable advancement in stopping infections, therapeutic infections, and enlarging living expectancies. Up till now for all our successes, only once in history 30 years ago, with smallpox made completely eliminate an infection from the earth. Now a days we are on the entrance of eradicating the earth of polio an infection able of crippling and killing many children. The story of polio is both lengthy and hesitant. The arrival of efficient vaccines in the 1950s facilitated polio prevention, and the resultant struggles were victorious wildly, however confronts still continue (Plan, 2011)

Effectiveness of unani regimen in protecting high risk population from COVID -19: A pilot study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread globally. COVID-19 presents varied clinical features. The present study focuses on number of patients turning COVID-19 positive, change in Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ) and WHO quality of life- Bref (WHO Qol – BREF) scales after taking intervention. This open labelled, double arm, controlled, interventional, clinical trial was conducted on high-risk individuals i.e., those residing with a COVID-19 positive member in the identified quarantine area. This twin armed study was conducted on asymptomatic individuals exposed to COVID -19. The test group were prescribed Unani poly-herbal decoction together with Unani formulations Khamira Marwareed and Tiryaq e Arba whereas the control group was not on any intervention. The duration of intervention was 20 days; follow ups were planned on day 10 and day 20. Of the 81 participants enrolled, none of the patients turned COVID-19 positive. However, 13.58% (n=11) developed COVID like symptoms and 70 patients completed the study. The mean age of the participants was 41.42±16.9 years; however, majority of the participants were 18-28 years male with Damvi (Sanguine) temperament. The quality of life of the intervention group improved significantly however, the immune status in both the groups increased with P &lt;0.001. The Unani prophylactic regimen provides a 62% (relative risk reduction) protection against COVID -19. This pilot study paves for a study on a larger population. No adverse effects were observed during the study. Absence of biochemical investigations were limitations to the study

Antifungal activity of Zinc nitrate derived nano Zno fungicide synthesized from Trachyspermum ammi to control fruit rot disease of grapefruit

Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) is a widely grown citrus and its fruit is affected by a variety of biotic and abiotic stress. Keeping in view the hazardous effects of synthetic fungicides, the recent trend is shifting towards safer and eco-friendly control of fruit diseases. The present study was aimed to diagnose the fruit rot disease of grapefruit and its control by using zinc oxide green nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). Fruit rot symptoms were observed in various grapefruit growing sites of Pakistan. Diseased samples were collected, and the disease-causing pathogen was isolated. Following Koch’s postulates, the isolated pathogen was identified as Rhizoctonia solani. For eco-friendly control of this disease, ZnO NPs were prepared in the seed extract of Trachyspermum ammi and characterized. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of these NPs described the presence of stabilizing and reducing compounds such as phenols, aldehyde and vinyl ether, especially thymol (phenol). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed their crystalline nature and size (48.52 nm). Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis elaborated the presence of major elements in the samples, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the morphology of bio fabricated NPs. ZnO NPs exhibited very good anti-fungal activity and the most significant fungal growth inhibition was observed at 1.0 mg/ml concentration of green NPs, in vitro and in vivo. These findings described that the bioactive constituents of T. ammi seed extract can effectively reduce and stabilize ZnO NPs. It is a cost-effective method to successfully control the fruit rot disease of grapefruit.The publication of the present work is supported by the Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi Province (grant no. 2018JQ5218) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51809224), Top Young Talents of Shaanxi Special Support Program. The authors would like to express their deepest gratitude to University of Tabuk, for the technical support for this study

Power Distribution Network Expansion and Location Optimization of Additional Facilities: A Case Study

Planning the power distribution network is critical and challenging; the main challenges include the multiple costs involved, selecting the appropriate locations of different nodes of the network at minimal cost, and minimizing the cost of energy loss for both the primary and secondary networks. Literature on the power distribution network presents different approaches, however, lacks to address the several issues of the complex power distribution networks and many aspects are yet to be explored; for example, the uncertain cost of energy loss. This study intends to address the gaps in the literature by proposing a four-phased approach. In doing so, first, an integer linear programming model is formulated with the objective of cost minimization. Secondly, fuzzy variables are used to tackle the parameters with uncertainty; cost of energy loss. In the third phase, a fine-tuned genetic algorithm (FT-GA) that uses the Taguchi Orthogonal Array is introduced to solve the mathematical model. It is worth mentioning that during the design of the experiment, the input parameters are crossover rate, elite count, and population size. In the last phase, a pragmatic approach is adopted and a Pakistan-based case study is used to validate the proposed model and its implication in real-life scenarios. The results exhibit that our proposed approach outperforms traditional methods like the genetic algorithm (GA) and inter-point methods in terms of fitness function value, number of generations, and computational time. This research contributes at both theoretical and managerial levels and may help decision-makers to design networks more efficiently and cost-effectively in Pakistan, Asia, and beyond

Utilization of corncob xylan as a sole carbon source for the biosynthesis of endo-1,4-β xylanase from Aspergillus niger KIBGE-IB36

Abstract Background Xylan is a hemicellulose polysaccharide which is composed of β-1,4-linked d-xylosyl residues. Endo-1,4-β xylanase has the ability to cleave xylan back bone chains to release xylose residues. They are produced by a number of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Among them, filamentous fungi are attracting great attention due to high secretion of xylanolytic enzymes. Endo-1,4-β xylanase has wide industrial applications such as in animal feed, bread making, food and beverages, textile, bleaching of wood pulp, and biofuel production. Results In this study, different Aspergillus species were screened for the production of endo-1,4-β xylanase, and Aspergillus niger KIBGE-IB36 was selected for optimum production of enzyme in submerged fermentation technique. Influence of various fermentation conditions was investigated to produce high titer of endo-1,4-β xylanase. The results indicated that A. niger KIBGE-IB36 showed optimum production of endo-1,4-β xylanase at 30 °C, pH 8 after 6 days of incubation. Different macro- and micronutrients were also amalgamated in the fermentation medium to increase the enzyme production. The parametric optimization of endo-1,4-β xylanase resulted in tenfold increase after hydrolysis of 20 g L−1 corncob xylan. Conclusions The use of low-cost substrate approach for high production of endo-1,4-β xylanase has been developed successfully that can be consumed in different industrial applications especially in paper and pulp industry. Graphical abstract Production of Xylanase from Aspergillus niger KIBGE-IB36