Status of electric vehicles charging methods

Compared with vehicles powered by fuel, electric vehicles are more efficient in energy saving, emission reduction, and environmental protection. As a result, it is becoming most important with more applications in the transportation sector. As Electric vehicles usage is growing from day to day Electric vehicles (EVs) will become a reality in the future. The time taking the method of charging an EV becomes a major problem to accept the electronic revolution of the automobile industry. In this paper, we have discussed the various charging methods for an Electric vehicle, which also gives us a view of electric vehicle use in today’s world. It gives a brief overview of the present and methods recommended for EV charging

Marriage, Sex, and Hydrocele: An Ethnographic Study on the Effect of Filarial Hydrocele on Conjugal Life and Marriageability from Orissa, India

Lymphatic filariasis, the second leading cause of permanent and long-term disability, affects 120 million people globally. Hydrocele, an accumulation of fluid in the scrotum that causes it to swell, is one of the chronic manifestations of LF among men and there are about 27 million men with hydrocele worldwide. We conducted ethnographic interviews and discussions with patients, women whose husbands have hydrocele, and the general public in a rural community of eastern India. The study describes how hydrocele impacts patients' sexual and marital life. It reveals the most worrisome effect of hydrocele for patients and their wives due to the inability to have a satisfactory sexual life. Patients expressed their incapacity during sexual intercourse. A majority of hydrocele patients' wives reported that their married life became burdened and couples were not living happily. This study also highlights the impact on marriageability, and some women expressed that a hydrocele patient is the “last choice”. In some cases, the patients were persuaded by their wives to remove hydrocele by surgery (hydrocelectomy). Hence, access to hydrocelectomy has to be strengthened under the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis, which is operational in several endemic areas in the world. Also, this activity may be integrated with primary healthcare services and interventions of other neglected tropical diseases

Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Continuation of Treatment among the OPD Geriatric Patients

The aim of the study was to identify the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on continuation of treatment among the OPD geriatric patients. Quantitative research study has been conducted. A descriptive research design and convenience sampling technique were used to pick a total of 100 samples, (n=100). Self-structured socio demographic questionnaire and self structured interview method were used to collect the data in November 2020 at tertiary care hospitals, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. The collected data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. Comparison of three categories of COVID-19 pandemic factors affecting in availing OPD services reveals that the psychological factor has more effect (73%) followed by hospital related factors (68%) and the availability of public transportation and resources (62%) has less effect in availing OPD services among patients during COVID-19 pandemic. Application of chi square test reveals that there is no significant relationship of intensity of COVID-19 pandemic factors affecting in availing OPD services among patients with selected socio demographic variables. These findings suggest that facility for sanitization of hospital premises, facility for social distancing in registration counter, waiting area and other areas of hospital are not quite satisfactory. Factors like availability of public transport, availability of healthcare personnel’s in OPD, adequacy of treatment facility, cost of medical services, availability of diagnostic services, are highly affecting geriatric patients in availing OPD services during COVID-19 pandemic and need to be taken care

Association of vitamin D with triglyceride-glucose index and cardiometabolic risk factors in subclinical hypothyroidism

Background: The present study aimed to explore the association of vitamin D with triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and cardiometabolic risk factors in subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH). Methods: We recruited 75 individuals diagnosed with SCH and 75 healthy controls of both genders aged 20 to 65 years. Triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured using chemiluminescent immunoassay. Fasting plasma glucose and lipid profile were analyzed by standard methods. The TyG index was calculated as Ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)]/2. Results: There were significant decreases in 25(OH)D levels and changes in cardiometabolic risk factors among individuals with SCH compared to healthy controls. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the TyG index among the SCH group. Correlation and regression analysis revealed that 25(OH)D was significantly and negatively associated with TyG index, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C). However, it was positively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Conclusion: Present study shows that SCH patients have lower vitamin D levels and higher TyG index, increasing cardiovascular disease risk. Screening and managing vitamin D deficiency is crucial in these subjects. In addition, TyG index could be used as an indicator for identifying vitamin D deficiency

Proteomic and Genomic Studies of Micronutrient Deficiency and Toxicity in Plants

Micronutrients are essential for plants. Their growth, productivity and reproduction are directly influenced by the supply of micronutrients. Currently, there are eight trace elements considered to be essential for higher plants: Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Ni, B, Mo, and Cl. Possibly, other essential elements could be discovered because of recent advances in nutrient solution culture techniques and in the commercial availability of highly sensitive analytical instrumentation for elemental analysis. Much remains to be learned about the physiology of micronutrient absorption, translocation and deposition in plants, and about the functions they perform in plant growth and development. With the recent advancements in the proteomic and molecular biology tools, researchers have attempted to explore and address some of these questions. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of micronutrients in plants and the proteomic/genomic approaches used to study plant nutrient deficiency and toxicity

Enhancement of Mechanical, Thermal and Morphological Properties of Eleusine Indica Grass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

This research focuses on developing a new material by reinforcing chemically treated Eleusine Indica (EI) fiber with epoxy resin as matrix. Composites using varying wt% of treated EI fibers were fabricated taking epoxy as matrix. The effect of chemical treatment and fiber loading on various mechanical properties, thermal, and morphology using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was investigated. From the results obtained, it is obvious that the mechanical and thermal properties of composites reinforced with chemically treated fibers were enhanced due to fiber surface modification which helps in better bonding with matrix. Moreover, the composites with 20 wt% fiber concentration shows good tensile strength, Young’s modulus, impact strength and was found to be 79.31MPa, 3.84 GPa, 32.24 KJ/m2 respectively. At this fiber loading the composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric (TGA) and compared with untreated fiber reinforced composites and neat epoxy. Finally, the failure analysis of fracture surface due to delimitation, pull-out of the fibers, percentage of voids, and composite fracture has been verified using scanning electron microscope. The findings provide manufacturers and engineers with a general concept of how to employ the composites to make low-weight automotive parts for improved fuel efficiency

Characterization of natural fiber extracted from Bauhinia vahlii bast subjected to different surface treatments: A potential reinforcement in polymer composite

Bauhinia vahlii (BV) is a great source of cellulosic biomass, and it is gaining popularity as a renewable resource. BV bast fiber is proposed to have the potential to replace synthetic fibers in biopolymer composites as a reinforcing material. This investigation deals with the extraction, surface modification and comprehensive characterization of BV bast fibers which could be used for the production of sustainable fiber-reinforced polymer composites. The extracted fibers were chemically treated with sodium hydroxide, sodium chlorite, and benzoyl chloride. Then, the chemical properties, mechanical properties, surface morphology and thermal properties were investigated. An improvement in chemical and mechanical properties was observed after surface modification of fibers. Benzoylation treated BV bast fibers revealed highest tensile strength of 128.56 MPa and Young’s modulus of 8.34 GPa. In addition, after treatment, the fibers had rougher surface as seen from SEM images. The surface treatments removed a specific quantity of hemicelluloses, lignin, and pectin from the natural fiber surface, according to FTIR analysis. The surface treatments had a good impact on the crystallinity index of the natural fibers, according to XRD analysis. The characterization results confirmed that BV bast fibers could be used for the production of sustainable fiber reinforced polymer composites