Autonomous Droid for Terrestrial Research and Intelligence (ATRi)

ATRi (Autonomous droid for Terrestrial Research and Intelligence) is an autonomous and sentient droid designed to assist space crews with various activities and experiments. The artificially intelligent droid autonomously navigates inside crewed space capsules and utilizes voice and visual recognition algorithms to receive commands, record basic readings, and assist the crew in performing various experiments. ATRi's machine learning algorithms can be tailored to the specific astronaut(s) it will accompany in the space capsule. This personalized approach not only assists astronauts but also fosters a sense of companionship. This paper provides details about the physical and algorithmic characteristics of the droid and outlines how it can be trained and deployed in any crewed space capsule. The droid will be powered by a sentient program that incorporates visual recognition (including facial recognition and video recording capabilities), natural language processing, voice recognition, and speech synthesis. Six microphones and two cameras are embedded to capture audio/voice commands and visuals. While the current version of the droid is fixed to the space capsule, future iterations are envisioned to be highly mobile in zero-gravity environments within any crewed space capsule. This mobility is facilitated by a sophisticated motion control system that enables the droid to align in any direction, rotate, and navigate inside the crewed space module. In addition to assisting the crew, ATRi will document all activities inside the capsule through photos and videos. It can process images and videos, automatically categorize them, and periodically communicate the information to ground control

The role cell signalling pathways play in tnf[alpha] release from uv-irradiated skin cells

According to the WHO, three million non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) occur annually with one in every three cancers diagnosed is a skin cancer. In most cases, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light seems to be the main cause in initiating and promoting skin cancer. In order to delineate how UV induces NMSC, the underlying mechanism needs to be identified. UV radiation has been shown to activate cell signalling pathways such as p38 MAPK, JNK and NFκB in keratinocytes and melanocytes. Activation of these cell signalling pathways results in many cellular responses like the release of cytokines such as TNFα and IL1α from these cells which may be implicated in skin carcinogenesis. In this study, the effect of high (1 MED) and low dose (0.1 MED) UV radiation on cell signalling pathways and cytokine release in human keratinocyte-derived cells [HEK (primary epidermal keratinocytes), HaCaT (immortalised), Colo16 (squamous carcinoma)] and human melanocyte-derived cells [HEM (primary epidermal melanocytes) and MM96L (melanoma cells)] was observed. The results indicate that HaCaT cells do not appear to be a suitable substitute to study cell signalling pathways and cytokine release in normal keratinocytes as their UV-induced responses mirrored those of Colo16 cells (squamous carcinoma cells). Therefore, these cells (HaCaT) may be better suited as a model to study solar keratoses or precancerous lesions. The key finding in this study was that normal and malignant cells exhibited different responses to UV radiation in activating cell signalling pathways which are involved in TNFα release. Since these pathways (p38 MAPK, JNK and NFκB) were regulated differently in cancerous cells, further intervention into these pathways may provide an insight on how the malignant status of these cells is maintained. As inflammation is involved in skin carcinogenesis, the finding that p38 MAPK is involved in UV-induced TNFα release may help to treat skin cancer as specific tumour-targeted inhibitors can be designed to reduce inflammation. In contrast, the malignant cells [Colo16 and MM96L (melanoma)] in this study produced low levels of TNFα which may be necessary to suppress immunosurveillance. As such, the pathways and cytokines studied in this project may have therapeutic potential but their functional roles in malignancy still needs to be further investigated. In addition the marine lipid extracts were effective in inhibiting TNFα release from HEM cells but had no effect on suppressing p38 MAPK pathway activity. This suggests that these compounds do not act through the p38 MAPK pathway to inhibit TNFα release in UVB-irradiated HEM cells. It is most likely that other mechanisms may also be involved in this process which should be investigated further. Moreover, as scymnol and MCLE (mussel crude lipid extract) exhibited potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, they may be useful supplements to add to sunscreens. This may help reduce the detrimental effects of penetrating UV radiation in the skin by protecting the cells from oxidative and/or inflammatory stress as a result of exposure to UV radiation. Therefore, further research into antioxidants and the effects of UV radiation on skin functions need to be investigated

Measuring Semantic Similarity among Text Snippets and Page Counts in Data Mining

Measuring the semantic similarity between words is an important component in various tasks on the web such as relation extraction, community mining, document clustering, and automatic metadata extraction. Despite the usefulness of semantic similarity measures in these applications, accurately measuring semantic similarity between two words (or entities) remains a challenging task. We propose an empirical method to estimate semantic similarity using page counts and text snippets retrieved from a web search engine for two words. Specifically, we define various word co-occurrence measures using page counts and integrate those with lexical patterns extracted from text snippets. To identify the numerous semantic relations that exist between two given words, we propose a novel pattern extraction algorithm and a pattern clustering algorithm. The optimal combination of page counts-based co-occurrence measures and lexical pattern clusters is learned using support vector machines. The proposed method outperforms various baselines and previously proposed web-based semantic similarity measures on three benchmark data sets showing a high correlation with human ratings. Moreover, the proposed method significantly improves the accuracy in a community mining task

Updates on the pretreatment of lignocellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy production–a review

Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant renewable energy bioresources available today. Due to its recalcitrant structure, lignocellulosic feedstocks cannot be directly converted into fermentable sugars. Thus, an additional step known as the pretreatment is needed for efficient enzyme hydrolysis for the release of sugars. Various pretreatment technologies have been developed and examined for different biomass feedstocks. One of the major concerns of pretreatments is the degradation of sugars and formation of inhibitors during pretreatment. The inhibitor formation affects in the following steps after pretreatments such as enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation for the release of different bioenergy products. The sugar degradation and formation of inhibitors depend on the types and conditions of pretreatment and types of biomass. This review covers the structure of lignocellulose, followed by the factors affecting pretreatment and challenges of pretreatment. This review further discusses diverse types of pretreatment technologies and different applications of pretreatment for producing biogas, biohydrogen, ethanol, and butanol

Steroid-sparing effect of ciclosporin A 1 mg/mL: 5-year case series of 107 children and young people with vernal keratoconjunctivitis

Background/aims To explore the steroid-sparing and other therapeutic effects of ciclosporin A (CsA) 1 mg/mL in the management of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC). Methods Open retrospective single-group interventional consecutive cohort study (case series) of 107 children and young people (CYP) age 4.4-18 years with severe and/or recurrent VKC who were prescribed CsA 1 mg/mL between November 2015 and May 2021 at one institution. Review of electronic patient records, noting clinical indication for prescribing CsA 1 mg/mL, dosage prescribed at initiation and follow-up, impact on steroid usage before and after commencing CsA as well as adverse events and indications for discontinuation of treatment. Results The median number of inflammatory episodes requiring treatment with topical corticosteroids fell from 3 (IQR 2-4) during the 12 months prior to CsA 1 mg/mL to 1 (IQR 0-3) during the 12 months after, excluding steroid prescriptions with the first CsA 1 mg/mL prescription (Wilcoxon signed ranks test, two tailed, p<0.01). In the 12-month period following initiation of CsA 1 mg/mL with concomitant prescription of topical corticosteroids (n=82), daily dosage of steroids was reduced in 79 (96.3%) and discontinued in 67 (81.7%). The median number of hospital clinic visits fell from 4 (IQR 3-5) to 3 (IQR 2-5) (Wilcoxon p<0.01). Adverse events leading to discontinuation of CsA 1 mg/mL within 12 months of starting included stinging (instillation site pain) (6/107, 5.6%) and skinrash (1/107, 0.9%). Conclusion Commercial preparations of CsA 1 mg/mL, licensed for severe VKC in CYP, significantly reduce the need for concomitant topical corticosteroids and hospital clinic visits. Adverse events which may lead to discontinuation are stinging and skin rash

Groundwater Geochemistry of Neyveli Lignite Mine-Industrial Complex, Tamil Nadu, India and Its Suitability for Irrigation

This study was undertaken to assess the quality of groundwater for irrigation and level of trace metal concentration in the surface and groundwater bodies from Neyveli lignite mine-industrial complex which is located in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India. The hydrogeology of the Neyveli groundwater basin is extremely complex, consisting of a series of productive, confined aquifers below the lignite seam in both Mine I and II areas, while a semi-confined aquifer lies above the seam and occurs only in the Mine II area. The suitability of groundwater quality for agricultural purposes in and around Neyveli lignite mine-industrial complex was assessed by measuring physicochemical parameters, including major cation and anion compositions, pH, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, and trace metals. The results of the chemical analysis of the groundwater showed that concentrations of ions vary widely and the most prevalent water type is mixed CaNaHCO3, followed by other water types: mixed CaMgCl types and NaCl which is in relation with their interactions with the geological formations of the basin, dissolution of feldspars and chloride and bicarbonate minerals, and anthropogenic activities. The most dominant class is C1-S1, C2-S1 (85% PRM and 74% POM) in the study area, indicating that sodicity is very low and salinity is medium, and that these waters are suitable for irrigation in almost all soils.Based on sodium absorption ratio the groundwater of the study area is suitable for all types of crops and soil except for those crops sensitive to Na and based RSC values of the groundwater, considered safe. Based on the parameters such as TDS, EC, SO4, Cl and Wilcox diagram about 99% of samples are suitable for irrigation. The average concentration of trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Zn, Pb, and Cu) in groundwater samples fall within the permissible limit, with the exception of Ni which is recorded higher than the permissible limit which may retard growth and metabolic activities while the groundwater used for irrigation

Recurrence of intestinal metaplasia and early neoplasia after endoscopic eradication therapy for Barrett’s esophagus: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Conflicting data exist with regard to recurrence rates of intestinal metaplasia (IM) and dysplasia after achieving complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia (CE-IM) in Barrett’s esophagus (BE) patients. Aim (i) To determine the incidence of recurrent IM and dysplasia achieving CE-IM and (ii) to compare recurrence rates between treatment modalities [radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with or without endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) vs stepwise complete EMR (SRER)]. Methods A systematic search was performed for studies reporting on outcomes and estimates of recurrence rates after achieving CE-IM. Pooled incidence [per 100-patient-years (PY)] and risk ratios with 95 %CI were obtained. Heterogeneity was measured using the I 2 statistic. Subgroup analyses, decided a priori, were performed to explore heterogeneity in results. Results A total of 39 studies were identified (25-RFA, 13-SRER, and 2 combined). The pooled incidence of any recurrence was 7.5 (95 %CI 6.1 – 9.0)/100 PY with a pooled incidence of IM recurrence rate of 4.8 (95 %CI 3.8 – 5.9)/100 PY, and dysplasia recurrence rate of 2.0 (95 %CI 1.5 – 2.5)/100 PY. Compared to the SRER group, the RFA group had significantly higher overall [8.6 (6.7 – 10.5)/100 PY vs. 5.1 (3.1 – 7)/100 PY, P = 0.01] and IM recurrence rates [5.8 (4.3 – 7.3)/100 PY vs. 3.1 (1.7 – 4)/100 PY, P &lt; 0.01] with no difference in recurrence rates of dysplasia. Significant heterogeneity between studies was identified. The majority of recurrences were amenable to repeat endoscopic eradication therapy (EET). Conclusion The results of this study demonstrate that the incidence rates of overall, IM, and dysplasia recurrence rates post-EET are not inconsiderable and reinforce the importance of close surveillance after achieving CE-IM.</jats:p

Bioactivity in marine algae

Marine algae have been reponed to possess a wide range of bio active properties (Hashimoto 1979, Baslow 1969, Hoppe, et al. 1979, Hoppe et al. 1984, Blunden et al. 1981, Cocamese et al. 1981, Ramamurthy et al. 1967, Mc Lachan 1964, Byrkholder and Sharma 1969. Conover and Sieburth 1964, Garber et al. 1958). Quite recently, Naqvi et al. (1980) studied the bioactivities of 25 species of marine algae and sea grasses collected mainly from the North Eastern coast of India and a few from the coast of Tamil Nadu