Anti-ulcer effect of rhizome of Curcuma longa Linn, by the method of pyloric ligation

Background: Substantial part of the world population has been known for a long time to suffer from peptic ulcer disease. In the present study, Curcuma longa, a plant belonging to the Zingiberaceae family was chosen for investigating its anti-ulcer properties.Methods: The rhizomes of Curcuma longa were collected locally. The extract was prepared by soxhlet extraction with 50% ethanol. Albino rats of Wistar strain (120-200 grams) obtained from the animal house of medical college Thiruvananthapuram were used. Ranitidine was collected from Kerala Sate Drugs and Pharmaceutical LTD Alapuzha. Antiulcer study in rats were done using the method of pyloric ligation.Results: Antiulcer study in rats using the method of pyloric ligation, extract of Curcuma longa in 1000mg/Kg dose levels exhibited significant protection against shay ulceration. The results were comparable to that of standard drug Ranitidine.Conclusions: The present study with extract of Curcuma longa revealed that it has significant anti-ulcer activity

An Assessment of the Mental Health of Mastectomized Women in South India

Aim: The present study is aimed at understanding the psychiatric morbidity among mastectomized women and in identifying differences in depression, anxiety, psychological impact and well-being based on psychiatric diagnosis. Method: One hundred and sixty breast cancer patients who had undergone mastectomy and were on either on adjuvant therapies or on waiting list were interviewed. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) - Plus, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Impact of Event Scale and the Psychological General Well-Being Schedule were used. Results: Around 68% of patients did not meet psychiatric diagnosis, while the remaining 32% patients were found to have psychiatric morbidity. Of these, 15% diagnosed with adjustment disorders, 13% patients with a major depressive disorder, while 4% patients with anxiety disorders. A significant difference in anxiety, depression, psychological impact and well-being was found among mastectomized women who were grouped on the basis of their psychiatric diagnosis. Conclusion: Psychiatric morbidity is evident in patients. This study reinforces the need for identifying psychiatric disorders among women who are undergoing mastectomy, in order to provide adequate psychological treatment

Impact of Capital Structure on Profitability: Evidence from Star Category Hotels in Sri Lanka

This study examines the impact of the capital structure on the profitability of the 25 registered hotels in the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). The data on capital structure and profitability collected from audited annual reports (2011 to 2021), were analyzed using panel regression methodology and presented through descriptive statistics and models. Total debt to total assets, total debt to total equity and interest coverage ratio were used to measure the capital structure and return on assets and return on equity were used to measure the profitability of the firm. The study found no significant impact of debt to equity ratio and interest coverage ratio on the return on equity and return on asset. There is a significant impact of debt to asset and return on equity and the return on asset. These results concluded that there is an impact of capital structure on the profitability of the hotel industry in Sri Lanka.    © 2022 The Authors. Published by Department of Estate Management and Valuation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura   Key Words: Capital structure; Profitability; Registered Star Category Hotels in Sri Lank

Evaluating the Microwave Sintering Behaviors of Binder-jetted Additively Manufactured Alumina

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstrac

The role of defects in microwave-assisted synthesis of cubic ZrO2

Microwave radiation (MWR) is capable of inducing rapid, low-temperature crystallization and potential non-equilibrium phase formation in ceramic oxide materials.1 However, the mechanisms by which MWR influences phase transitions and atomic ordering are not well understood. Theories to explain the influence of MWR range from purely thermal effects (e.g., rapid heating rate) to purely MWR-driven, non-thermal effects (e.g., enhanced defect generation).2 To take full advantage of the opportunities provided by field-assisted methods, it is necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms. One limiting factor in determining how MWR affects phase formation has been the ability to effectively characterize the effects of an applied field on both long range (crystalline) and short range (amorphous/disordered) atomic order. Here, we utilize synchrotron x-ray pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, coupled with molecular dynamics (MD) and density functional theory (DFT) to explore the role of MWR-induced defects and local atomic disorder on low-temperature cubic phase formation in ZrO2 thin films. PDF analysis is an experimental technique capable of quantitatively characterizing both local and long range atomic order, and thus can characterize the effects of MWR on atomic structure beyond the capabilities of conventional x-ray diffraction. We find the application of MWR can stabilize cubic ZrO2 at temperatures as low as 225°C, about 2000°C lower than conventionally required. Our PDF analysis suggests that distortions in the local atomic structure may be responsible for the stabilization of the cubic phase, and these distortions are consistent with increased oxygen vacancy formation (Fig. 1). Interestingly, higher MWR power levels and faster heating rates do not correspond to more crystalline phase formation, suggesting that thermal effects may not be the sole driving force. To further explore the idea of MWR-induced, defect-mediated phase transitions, we utilize MD and DFT simulations to investigate how oxygen vacancy concentrations affect the relative phase stability of various ZrO2 polymorphs, and compare the resultant simulated structures with our experimental PDF data. Through analysis of both crystalline phase formation and local atomic order, we investigate how defects and local atomic distortions are influenced by MWR exposure, and how these structural effects can impact low-temperature phase transitions. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Ontology-driven development of web services to support district energy applications

Current urban and district energy management systems lack a common semantic referential for effectively interrelating intelligent sensing, data models and energy models with visualization, analysis and decision support tools. This paper describes the structure, as well as the rationale that led to this structure, of an ontology that captures the real-world concepts of a district energy system, such as a district heating and cooling system. This ontology (called eedistrict ontology) is intended to support knowledge provision that can play the role of an intermediate layer between high-level energy management software applications and local monitoring and control software components. In order to achieve that goal, the authors propose to encapsulate queries to the ontology in a scalable web service, which will facilitate the development of interfaces for third-party applications. Considering the size of the ee-district ontology once populated with data from a specific district case study, this could prove to be a repetitive and time-consuming task for the software developer. This paper therefore assesses the feasibility of ontology-driven automation of web service development that is to be a core element in the deployment of heterogeneous district-wide energy management software

Synthesis of Novel Flower-Like Zn(OH)F via a Microwave-Assisted Ionic Liquid Route and Transformation into Nanoporous ZnO by Heat Treatment

Zinc hydroxide fluoride (Zn(OH)F) with novel flower-like morphology has been prepared via a microwave-assisted ionic liquid route. The flower-like Zn(OH)F particle has six petals and every petal is composed of lots of acicular nano-structure. Nanoporous ZnO is obtained by thermal decomposition of as-prepared Zn(OH)F in air, and the flower-like morphology is well retained. In the process of synthesis, ionic liquid 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate is used as both the reactant and the template

Absence of susceptibility vessel sign and hyperdense vessel sign in patients with cancer-related stroke

Background and aimIdentification of paraneoplastic hypercoagulability in stroke patients helps to guide investigations and prevent stroke recurrence. A previous study demonstrated an association between the absence of the susceptibility vessel sign (SVS) on brain MRI and active cancer in patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy. The present study aimed to confirm this finding and assess an association between the absence of the hyperdense vessel sign (HVS) on head CT and active cancer in all stroke patients.MethodsSVS and HVS status on baseline imaging were retrospectively assessed in all consecutive stroke patients treated at a comprehensive stroke center between 2015 and 2020. Active cancer, known at the time of stroke or diagnosed within 1 year after stroke (occult cancer), was identified. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and their 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between the thrombus imaging characteristics and cancer were calculated using multivariable logistic regression.ResultsOf the 2,256 patients with thrombus imaging characteristics available at baseline, 161 had an active cancer (7.1%), of which 36 were occult at the time of index stroke (1.6% of the total). The absence of SVS was associated with active cancer (aOR 3.14, 95% CI 1.45–6.80). No significance was reached for the subgroup of occult cancer (aOR 3.20, 95% CI 0.73–13.94). No association was found between the absence of HVS and active cancer (aOR 1.07, 95% CI 0.54–2.11).ConclusionThe absence of SVS but not HVS could help to identify paraneoplastic hypercoagulability in stroke patients with active cancer and guide patient care