Applications of Infrared Thermography for Non-destructive Characterization of Concrete Structures

Usage of reinforced concrete structures has very long tradition in infrastructure industry due to their low cost, high strength, robustness, sustainability along with the easy availability of raw materials. However, they also have some drawbacks such as poor tensile strength and ductility, which leads to the formation of cracks in the structures. These cracks may cause penetration of chlorides, resulting into corrosion in the reinforcement. Quality control, maintenance and planning for the restoration of these structures demands a suitable non-destructive testing and evaluation method for wide-area monitoring to detect the hidden corrosion of the rebar at an early stage. Infrared thermal wave imaging has emerged as a viable technique for non-destructive testing and evaluation of reinforced concrete structures due to its full-field, remote, fast inspection capabilities to monitor the sub-surface rebar corrosion. Among the various thermal non-destructive testing techniques the present chapter proposes a novel aperiodic thermal wave imaging technique named as Gaussian windowed frequency modulated thermal wave imaging for testing and evaluation of rebar corrosion in concrete structures

Clinical significance of ovarian stromal blood flow in assessment of ovarian response in stimulated cycle for in vitro fertilization

Background: Several ultrasound parameters have been examined to predict the ovarian response to gonadotropins. The only parameter that has been conclusively proven to predict ovarian response is the antral follicle count. It has been suggested that ovarian blood flow may play a crucial role in the development of ovarian follicles. The present study was planned to prospectively analyse the effect of ovarian stromal blood flow on ovarian responsiveness in terms of number of oocytes retrieved in stimulated cycle for IVF.Methods: Fifty subjects between 22 to 37 years of age with male factor, tubal factor or unexplained infertility underwent controlled ovarian stimulation by the standard “Long protocol”. Ovarian stromal blood flow was recorded on baseline transvaginal sonography on day 2 or 3 of cycle and was correlated with number of oocytes retrieved in IVF cycle.Results: The ovarian stromal blood flow was found to be negatively correlated with age. The number of follicles formed in a subject after stimulation with gonadotropins was negatively correlated with ovarian stromal resistance index and pulsatility index.Conclusions: Ovarian blood flow predicts ovarian responsiveness and hence provides a non-invasive and cost effective prognostic factor of IVF outcome

Complementary Coded Thermal Wave Imaging Scheme for Thermal Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation

Abstract Active InfraRed Thermography (IRT) is an emerging technique in the field of Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation (NDT&E). In recent years, pulse compression supportive techniques and associated data processing schemes have been proposed by various research groups to enhance the inspection capabilities of these techniques as well as to make the experimentation simple and more reliable. This paper exploits a suitable complementary coded excitation for thermal NDT&E along with the associated pulse compression favorable data processing scheme. The proposed scheme has been implemented on a metallic sample in order to test its capabilities for subsurface defect detection and characterization

Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism: looking beyond ovarian senescence

Gonadotropin resistant ovary syndrome (GROS) is a rare cause of primary infertility where ovarian reserve is present but they fail to respond to gonadotropin stimulation. This condition can be easily confused with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) if thorough workup is not done as in both the cases serum FSH is high, but ovarian reserve is normal in GROS and low or absent in POI. So, we are presenting this case of GROS. A 28-year-old lady presented with oligomenorrhoea since menarche and primary infertility. On workup her serum FSH and LH levels were markedly elevated, serum estradiol was normal. Markers of ovarian reserve, ante Mullerian hormones (AMH) and antral follicle count (AFC), were normal. Her autoantibody assay was also normal. She did not respond to stimulation with high doses of gonadotropins (uHMG). Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism is not always POI. We should not miss diagnosis of GROS where it is possible to have own biological child by in vitro maturation of immature oocytes, whereas in POI donor oocyte is the only fertility option

Physicochemical Properties and Oxidative Stability of Milk Fortified with Spray-Dried Whey Protein Concentrate–Iron Complex and In Vitro Bioaccessibility of the Added Iron

U ovom je radu proizveden kompleks koncentrata proteina sirutke i željeza postupkom sušenja raspršivanjem u laboratorijskoj sušilici pri optimalnim uvjetima: ulazna temperatura zraka 180 °C, protok 2,66 mL/min i ukupni udjel čvrste tvari 15 %, za uporabu u prehrambenim proizvodima. Standardnim postupkom centrifugiranja i ultrafiltracije uklonjeno je slobodno željezo, zatim je retentat sušen raspršivanjem za dobivanje kompleksa koncentrata proteina sirutke i željeza. Nije bilo bitne razlike u toplinskoj stabilnosti, vremenu koagulacije sirila, boji, tvrdoći gruša, viskoznosti i senzorskim svojstvima mlijeka obogaćenog kompleksom (y(željezo)=15 mg/L) u usporedbi s kontrolnim uzorkom. Biološka dostupnost željeza in vitro i indukcijsko vrijeme bili su nešto veći (p<0,05) u mlijeku obogaćenom kompleksom koncentrata proteina sirutke i željeza nego u onom obogaćenom željezom. Stoga je zaključeno da se mlijeko može obogatiti kompleksom željeza (maksimum 15 mg/L) i koncentrata proteina sirutke bez većeg utjecaja na njegova fizikalnokemijska svojstva.In the present study, spray-dried whey protein concentrate–iron (WPC–Fe) complex was prepared using a laboratory-scale spray drier under the optimized conditions of inlet temperature 180 °C, flow rate 2.66 mL/min and total solids 15 % with the objective to make iron compatible with food products. In order to remove the free iron from the bound iron, standardised method involving centrifugation and ultrafiltration was employed. Further, the retentate was subjected to spray drying to produce WPC–Fe complex. Milk fortified with WPC–Fe complex (γ(iron)=15 mg/L) showed non-significant difference in heat stability, rennet coagulation time, colour estimation, curd tension, viscosity and sensory attributes as compared to control milk. In vitro bioaccessibility of iron and induction period of the fat from milk fortified with WPC–Fe complex were found to be slightly higher (p<0.05) than that of milk fortified with iron alone. Therefore, milk can be fortified with up to 15 mg/L iron in the form of WPC–Fe complex without significantly affecting its physicochemical properties

Research priorities in Maternal, Newborn, &amp; Child Health &amp; Nutrition for India:An Indian Council of Medical Research-INCLEN Initiative

In India, research prioritization in Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) themes has traditionally involved only a handful of experts mostly from major cities. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-INCLEN collaboration undertook a nationwide exercise engaging faculty from 256 institutions to identify top research priorities in the MNCHN themes for 2016-2025. The Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative method of priority setting was adapted. The context of the exercise was defined by a National Steering Group (NSG) and guided by four Thematic Research Subcommittees. Research ideas were pooled from 498 experts located in different parts of India, iteratively consolidated into research options, scored by 893 experts against five pre-defined criteria (answerability, relevance, equity, investment and innovation) and weighed by a larger reference group. Ranked lists of priorities were generated for each of the four themes at national and three subnational (regional) levels [Empowered Action Group & North-Eastern States, Southern and Western States, & Northern States (including West Bengal)]. Research priorities differed between regions and from overall national priorities. Delivery domain of research which included implementation research constituted about 70 per cent of the top ten research options under all four themes. The results were endorsed in the NSG meeting. There was unanimity that the research priorities should be considered by different governmental and non-governmental agencies for investment with prioritization on implementation research and issues cutting across themes

Nations within a nation: variations in epidemiological transition across the states of India, 1990–2016 in the Global Burden of Disease Study

18% of the world's population lives in India, and many states of India have populations similar to those of large countries. Action to effectively improve population health in India requires availability of reliable and comprehensive state-level estimates of disease burden and risk factors over time. Such comprehensive estimates have not been available so far for all major diseases and risk factors. Thus, we aimed to estimate the disease burden and risk factors in every state of India as part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2016