Variable - temperature scanning optical and force microscope

The implementation of a scanning microscope capable of working in confocal, atomic force and apertureless near field configurations is presented. The microscope is designed to operate in the temperature range 4 - 300 K, using conventional helium flow cryostats. In AFM mode, the distance between the sample and an etched tungsten tip is controlled by a self - sensing piezoelectric tuning fork. The vertical position of both the AFM head and microscope objective can be accurately controlled using piezoelectric coarse approach motors. The scanning is performed using a compact XYZ stage, while the AFM and optical head are kept fixed, allowing scanning probe and optical measurements to be acquired simultaneously and in concert. The free optical axis of the microscope enables both reflection and transmission experiments to be performed.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, submitted to the journal "Review of Scientific Instruments

Powerline Communication: Efficient Communication Considerations

This paper focuses on the efficiency considerations while implementing Powerline Communication. The OFDM modulation scheme is deliberated, before introducing the adaptation of Hadamard Coded Modulation. The BER and Peak-to-average ratio (PAPR ) of OFDM are discussed in conjuncture with those of Hadamard Coded Modulation. Further discussions are made on reducing DC Bias without significant Information Loss and concept of interleaving for dispersive channels. Security of system is also preconceived

Mechanical property evaluation of an Al-2024 alloy subjected to HPT processing

An aluminum-copper alloy (Al-2024) was successfully subjected to high-pressure torsion (HPT) up to five turns at room temperature under an applied pressure of 6.0 GPa. The Al-2024 alloy is used as a fuselage structural material in the aerospace sector. Mechanical properties of the HPT-processed Al-2024 alloy were evaluated using the automated ball indentation technique. This test is based on multiple cycles of loading and unloading where a spherical indenter is used. After two and five turns of HPT, the Al-2024 alloy exhibited a UTS value of ~1014 MPa and ~1160 MPa respectively, at the edge of the samples. The microhardness was measured from edges to centers for all HPT samples. These results clearly demonstrate that processing by HPT gives a very significant increase in tensile properties and the microhardness values increase symmetrically from the centers to the edges. Following HPT, TEM examination of the five-turn HPT sample revealed the formation of high-angle grain boundaries and a large dislocation density with a reduced average grain size of ~80 nm. These results also demonstrate that high-pressure torsion is a processing tool for developing nanostructures in the Al-2024 alloy with enhanced mechanical propertie

Acute abdomen in pregnancy: a case series on clinical presentation and diagnostic dilemma

Acute abdomen in pregnancy remains one of the most challenging situation in regard with the diagnosis and management. Pregnancy is a unique state in which the female body undergoes both anatomical and physiological changes which can pose a challenge in diagnosis. This may result in delay in management and increase in maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. This study was to identify the spectrum of causes, the clinical presentation and diagnostic dilemma of acute abdomen in pregnancy. It was an observational study was done over a period of 3 years which included all the pregnant women who presented with acute abdomen. In this study, eighteen pregnant women presented with acute abdomen. Among the study group, 5.5%, 50% and 44.5% presented in first, second and third trimester respectively. The diagnosis included acute appendicitis in 11.1%, acute cholecystitis in 16.6%, acute pancreatitis in 16.6%, malrotation in 11.1%, uterine rupture 11.1%, rudimentary horn rupture in 22.4% and ovarian cyst torsion in 11.1%. The clinical presentation included pain abdomen (16.6%), pain abdomen and vomiting (44.4%), pain abdomen in shock (39%) and abdominal tenderness (33.3%). The diagnosis was confirmed with ultrasonography in 55.6%, 11.1% women required higher imaging like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 33.3% women were diagnosed on table. Majority of them had good outcome, but there was one maternal mortality (6%). Diagnosis and treatment of acute abdomen in pregnancy should be individualized. Good clinical acumen is essential for ordering early diagnostic test in acute abdomen in pregnancy. Appropriate intervention should be undertaken at the earliest to reduce the maternal and fetal complications.

Soil Water Retention Characteristics of Vertisols and Pedotransfer Functions Based on Nearest Neighbor and Neural Networks Approaches to Estimate AWC

Not AvailableIrrigation management in vertisols is one of the major challenges to increase agricultural productivity in India and many developing countries. Unfortunately, information on hydraulic properties of these soils is very sparse. In an attempt to understand these soils for better management, 10 different functions were evaluated for their efficacy to describe soil-water retention characteristics (SWRC) of vertisols of India, and point pedotransfer functions (PTFs) were developed by using a nearest neighbor (k-NN) algorithm as an alternative to widely used artificial neural networks (ANN) for prediction of available water capacity (AWC). Soil profile information of 26 representative sites comprising 157 soil samples was used for analysis. The Campbell model fit to measured SWRC data better than any other model, with relatively lower root mean square error (RMSE) (0.0199), higher degree of agreement (0.9867), and lower absolute error on an average (0.0134). Three other functions, namely, modified Cass-Hutson, Brooks-Corey, and van Genuchten, also described the SWRC data with acceptable accuracy. Four levels of input information were used for point pedotransfer function (PTF) development: (1) textural data [data on sand, silt, and clay fraction (SSC)]; (2) Level 1 þ bulk density data (SSCBD); (3) Level 2 þ organic matter (SSCBDOM); and (4) Level 1 þ organic matter (SSCOM). The RMSE in predictions by k-NN PTFs ranged from 0.0339 to 0:0450 m3 m 3 with an average of 0:0403 m3 m 3. The ANN PTFs performed with average RMSE 0:0426 m3 m 3 and a range of 0.0395 to 0:0474 m3 m 3. The k-NN algorithm provided a viable alternative to neural regression with marginally better performance and the benefit of flexibility in the appending reference database. The results are significant because SWRC data are still in the development stage in India, and k-NN PTFs would have a greater value because of the flexibility.Not Availabl

Effect of Foliar Sprays of NAA, Triacontanol and Boron on Growth and Seed Quality in Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.) Cv. Pusa Visesh

An investigation was undertaken to study the effect of foliar sprays of NAA, triacontanol and boron on vine growth, seed quality and storability in bitter gourd cv. Pusa Visesh. Results revealed that NAA at 50mg/l produced the longest vines (192.33 and 260.67cm), maximum leaf area (1.890 and 2.965cm2/vine), leaf area index (1.969 and 2.760) and leaf chlorophyll content (39.23 and 38.90 SPAD value) at 85 and 100 days after sowing (DAS), respectively. As for seed quality attributes, treatment with boron at 4mg/l recorded lowest seed moisture content and highest seed germination percentage (9.16% and 85.5%, respectively), followed by NAA at 50mg/l (9.21% and 85.25%, respectively) whereas, Control recorded highest seed moisture and lowest seed germination percentage (9.84% and 74.5%, respectively) recorded at the end of storage

The role of computed tomography in the evaluation of cerebrovascular accidents

Background:Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) or stroke ranks first in frequency and important among all the neurological diseases of adult life. 50% of neurological disorders in a hospital are of this type. It is the third leading cause of death throughout the world. The prolonged morbidity and extended hospitalization required by these patients makes the disease one of the most devastating in medicine. The purpose of the present study was to document the presence or absence of hemorrhage or infarct, to determine the size, location of infarct, reasonably assessing the territory to blood vessels involved and to detect the incidence of negative cases of clinically suspected stroke.Methods:100 cases admitted to KIMS, Hubli and those referred to the NMR scan centre, Hubli with the clinical diagnosis of acute stroke were taken up for the study. The study was done from May 2010 to April 2012.Results:Out of 100 patients clinically suspected of CVA, submitted for CT scan study of the brain, 69 patients had infarcts, 21 patients had hemorrhage, 8 patients had CVT, 1 patient had SAH and 1 patient had normal scans. Infarcts (69%) formed the major group of the CVA cases involving most commonly the LMCA territory in 10 (14.49%) patients. Hemorrhage (21%) formed the second major group of CVA cases involving most commonly the RMCA territory 9 (42.85%) patients.Conclusions:CT scanning is a gold standard technique for the diagnosis and management of stroke and can be ideally done in all cases.The role of computed tomography in the evaluation of                cerebrovascular accident

SENSORIMOTOR CONTROL OF THE KNEE IN MALE AND FEMALE ATHLETES

Evidence suggests that the female predisposition to knee injuries may be related to sensorimotor control (Hewett et al., 2005). The purpose of this study was to compare the quadriceps and hamstrings muscle control strategies of male and female athletes using an established method of testing muscle control (Williams et al., 2003)

Context Mining with Machine Learning Approach: Understanding, Sensing, Categorizing, and Analyzing Context Parameters

Context is a vital concept in various fields, such as linguistics, psychology, and computer science. It refers to the background, environment, or situation in which an event, action, or idea occurs or exists. Categorization of context involves grouping contexts into different types or classes based on shared characteristics. Physical context, social context, cultural context, temporal context, and cognitive context are a few categories under which context can be divided. Each type of context plays a significant role in shaping our understanding and interpretation of events or actions. Understanding and categorizing context is essential for many applications, such as natural language processing, human-computer interaction, and communication studies, as it provides valuable information for interpretation, prediction, and decision-making. In this paper, we will provide an overview of the concept of context and its categorization, highlighting the importance of context in various fields and applications. We will discuss each type of context and provide examples of how they are used in different fields. Finally, we will conclude by emphasizing the significance of understanding and categorizing context for interpretation, prediction, and decision-making

A study of abuse including physical, substance, and sexual abuse among urban adolescent children

Background: Adolescents are the future citizens of a country, and it is imperative to systematically address their needs. The prevalenceof abuse including physical and sexual, by these adolescents as well as against them, have been increased. Objective: The study wasundertaken to estimate the prevalence of abuse including physical, substance, and sexual abuse in adolescents of Bengaluru urban.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted among the adolescents aged 10-19 years in Bengaluru. A pretestedself-designed semi-structured questionnaire which included demographic profile and details of the substance abuse (physical and sexualabuse), juvenile delinquency was used. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: A total of 303 adolescents were enrolledduring the study period, out of which 167 adolescents were from school and 136 adolescents from the slum. Most children (54.1%)belonged to the age group of 14-16 years. Smoking (48.5%) was the most common form of abuse among the parents. The most commonsubstance abuse seen among children was smoking (30%). Majority were involved in violence with other adolescents (71%). Sexualabuse was seen more in slum children as compared to school children. Substance abuse among children was mostly influenced byfriends in 70 (40.7%) cases. Conclusion: Substance abuse was common in male slum adolescents for which peer pressure and curiositywere the main influences. More than one-quarter of slum adolescents reported physical abuse while sexual abuse was more commonlyreported in female slum adolescents