Analysis of Edge Detection Technique for Hardware Realization

Edge detection plays an important role in image processing and computer vision applications. Different edge detection technique with distinct criteria have been proposed in various literatures. Thus an evaluation of different edge detection techniques is essential to measure their effectiveness over a wide range of natural images with varying applications. Several performance indices for quantitative evaluation of edge detectors may be found in the literature among which Edge Mis-Match error (EMM), F-Measure (FM), Figure of Merit (FOM) and Precision and Recall (PR) curve are most effective. Several experiments on different database containing a wide range of natural and synthetic images illustrate the effectiveness of Canny edge detector over other detectors for varying conditions. Moreover, due to the ever increasing demand for high speed and time critical tasks in many image processing application, we have implemented an efficient hardware architecture for Canny edge detector in VHDL. The studied implementation technique adopts parallel architecture of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to accelerate the process of edge detection via. Canny’s algorithm. In this dissertation, we have simulated the considered architecture in Modelsim 10.4a student edition to demonstrate the potential of parallel processing for edge detection. This analysis and implementation may encourage and serve as a basis building block for several complex computer vision applications. With the advent of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), massively parallel architectures can be developed to accelerate the execution speed of several image processing algorithms. In this work, such a parallel architecture is proposed to accelerate the Canny edge detection algorithm. The architecture is simulated in Modelsim 10.4a student edition platform

Clinical study of Snuhi Ksharasutra and its role in management of Bhagandara (Fistula in Ano)

Kshar Sootra treatment heals the fistulous tract with maintaining integrity of sphincters of anal canal. In Ayurveda Chhedana Karma, Kshara Karma, Ksharasootra therapy and Agnikarma are described for the management of Bhagandara Out of these; Ksharasootra became more popular and proven therapy as a radical cure of Bhagandara with negligible rate of recurrence and complication in comparison to the contemporary methods like fistulectomy and fistulotomy. In this clinical study total 20 patients of Bhagandara were registered from OPD and IPD of Shalya Tantra department, Major S.D. Singh P.G. Ayurvedic Medical College, Farrukhabad, and randomly divided in two groups. In this comparative clinical study all the subjective parameters like pain, itching and objective parameter like swelling, discharge and unit cutting time showed statistically significant results in all groups. It was found that Snuhi Ksharasutrawas more effective than Apamarg Kshar Sutra

Equation of Craft in India

Description ‘Equation of Craft in India’ is a design research project of Craft Future Lab, NID Ahmedabad, India under the collaborative effort of the International Centre for Indian Craft (ICIC), Dept. of Lifestyle Accessory Design (LAD), and Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability Lab (NID DESIS Lab). The project was initiated and led by Prof. Amresh Panigrahi with his fellow 16 Master level Design students of the Department of LAD batch 2018 with the prime objective of attempting to understand the current dynamics in the Indian craft sector. The origin of crafts goes a long way back, to the Indus Valley civilization. It had its fair share of evolution through the centuries that followed from the Vedic, Mauryan, Mughal periods to the British colonization and the onset of industrialization. The crafts of India have gone through several impactful events with our relatively newfound Independent democratic country and its political and economic development. The current context of craft in the 20th century takes into account the social, economic and geopolitical setting of India with the presence of various global developments in technology, import-export scenario, travel and popular mass ideas. Here the System mapping is an attempt to represent the identified components and variables and interrelationship within the current system understanding of the craft sector in India. Craft in its essence Craft is a vital source of identity for the craftsman as it derived its meaning by its local acceptance in its socio-cultural fabric. It has developed through a long line of rich cultural heritage. The function of crafts varies from being utilitarian, ornamental to finding purposes in religious, ritualistic, and festival purposes. Crafts now are much more susceptible to cross-cultural influences of the increasing spread of media, the internet, and education. The Development Commissioner of Handicrafts (DCH), India defined crafts as ‘items made by hand, often with the use of simple tools and generally artistic and traditional. They include objects of utility and objects of decoration’. The three main confluence for the creation of a craft comes with (a) an artisan along with his ability working on (b) the raw materials with a little help from the (c) simple tools that aids where human abilities limit him. The craftsmen and the craft dynamics The four significant divisions of craftsmen based on their ability are – Master-craftsmen, Craftsmen, Apprentice, and newly joined. Master-craftsmen display the highest skill and bring novelty in the craft. Apart from the newly joined category of artisans, all other craftsmen majorly learn the craft from the master craftsperson or from within the family itself, passed down through the generations. It is a labour-intensive sector where artisans get less return in terms of money, recognition, value for craft for the much more investment they put into it. The investment may be in terms of effort, time, and the number of workforces. The real success of a craft is no more confined to the ability of the craftsperson’s skills, raw material and tools. It is the time that demands the market knowledge to make the craft a success. However, the craftsman abilities are currently limited with less market knowledge and mostly restricted to the boundaries of his craft understanding. Lack of knowledge, their struggle with the craft practices and its continuity became much more complicated, which forced them to switch to other jobs or to want a different life for their children. Initiatives at organising the sector The craft & cottage industry is the most significant non-agricultural decentralized sector of the Indian economy. In the wake of the government’s attempt to organize the sector and tap into its full potential, it works on multiple value chains of the craft sector. The government provides market platforms through multiple exhibitions, Haats, fairs and emporiums, wherein efforts are put into making the customer realize the cultural context of the craft. One of the major competitors in the market remains to be the mass-produced industrialized products flooding in domestically and also via imports from other neighbouring countries. Domestically, authentic craft loses its market to mass-produced fake craft due to its comfortable, cheaper availability. Protection of crafts ingenuity The fake market affected the craftsmen and the identity of the craft which led to government initiatives aimed at creating protection and preservation of craft’s ingenuity owing to the craftsmen and its community through the creation of geographical indication (GI) tag, Craftmark logo and also through handicraft census. With over 200 crafts GI tagged, it is beneficial to the owners as they can safeguard their products from unauthorized commercial use. Presence of the GI tag has still left some room for improvements for craftsman’s awareness and fight for their rights. The Craftmark logo is an initiative to provide a mark for genuine handicraft for the consumers to authenticate their purchase. Private exhibitions and museums purposefully created for documentation and preservation of the handicrafts. Role of design in craft innovation With above systematic study, the working groups further discovered various gaps as an opportunity for design-driven strategic intervention. Practice-based Design research facilitates the application of design strategies at various levels to imagine a craft social innovation and its sustainable future

An Acromegalic Patient with Sickle Cell Disease Undergoing Endoscopic Trans-Sphenoidal Surgery: Anesthetic Concerns for a Neuroanesthesiologist

Sickle cell disease (SCD) refers to a group of hemoglobinopathies that include mutations in the gene encoding the β subunit of hemoglobin. The glutamine in the heme portion of the hemoglobin molecule is abnormally substituted by valine. Sickle hemoglobin (hemoglobin type S), when gets deoxygenated, tends to polymerize and aggregate leading to vaso-occlusion and organ ischemia. Such patients are at increased risk of perioperative mortality and severe complications like vaso-occlusive crisis, acute chest syndrome, and congestive heart failure. We describe the perioperative management of a case of SCD with acromegaly scheduled for trans-sphenoidal removal of a functional pituitary adenoma. The acromegalic habitus, the cardiovascular effects of acromegaly, and the hormonal imbalances due to pituitary adenoma pose challenges in addition to the challenge of preventing complications of SCD making the anesthetic management more exigent

Facile Synthesis of Quinazolinediones by Lewis-acid Promoted Cyclization of Acyclic Urea Derivatives

Quinazolinediones have gained special interest as it is known to have many pharmacological and medicinal uses. An efficient synthesis of Quinazolinediones with the help of a Lewis acid via acyclic urea derivative is discussed in this work. In this work, we report a series of various derivatives of Quinazolinediones which have been synthesized and characterized. The Quinazolinediones is formed by reacting the acyclic urea derivative 1(a) with a catalytic amount of zinc chloride in the presence of methanol at 60ºC for 24 hrs. The conversion of acyclic urea derivative to Quinazolinedione and yield we got from this reaction was appreciable. The separation of the desired product was done by doing ethyl acetate and water work up followed by column chromatography. The product obtained was then characterized by NMR, IR, and HRMS. The reaction conditions were then optimized using different solvents and catalysts. A proper mechanism is given indicating formation Quinazolinediones

Lewis Acid Promoted Cyclization of Acyclic Urea Derivatives to Quinazolinediones

Quinazolinediones have gained special interest among researchers as they are known to have many pharmacological and medicinal uses. Here, we report an efficient way to synthesize quinazolinediones through the cyclization of acyclic ureido‐benzoate esters, catalyzed by anhydrous zinc chloride under mild conditions. A series of quinazolinediones was synthesized in good yield by reacting the corresponding ureido‐benzoate esters using this protocol. The quinazolinedione products were characterized using NMR, IR, HRMS spectroscopy and single crystal x‐ray diffraction analysis. We also present here a most plausible mechanism for the cyclization reaction

A comparison of McCoy, TruView, and Macintosh laryngoscopes for tracheal intubation in patients with immobilized cervical spine

Background: Cervical spine immobilization results in a poor laryngeal view on direct laryngoscopy leading to difficulty in intubation. This randomized prospective study was designed to compare the laryngeal view and ease of intubation with the Macintosh, McCoy, and TruView laryngoscopes in patients with immobilized cervical spine. Materials and Methods: 60 adult patients of ASA grade I-II with immobilized cervical spine undergoing elective cervical spine surgery were enrolled. Anesthesia was induced with propofol, fentanyl, and vecuronium and maintained with isoflurane and nitrous oxide in oxygen. The patients were randomly allocated into three groups to achieve tracheal intubation with Macintosh, McCoy, or TruView laryngoscopes. When the best possible view of the glottis was obtained, the Cormack-Lehane laryngoscopy grade and the percentage of glottic opening (POGO) score were assessed. Other measurements included the intubation time, the intubation difficulty score, and the intubation success rate. Hemodynamic parameters and any airway complications were also recorded. Results: TruView reduced the intubation difficulty score, improved the Cormack and Lehane glottic view, and the POGO score compared with the McCoy and Macintosh laryngoscopes. The first attempt intubation success rate was also high in the TruView laryngoscope group. However, there were no differences in the time required for successful intubation and the overall success rates between the devices tested. No dental injury or hypoxia occurred with either device. Conclusion: The use of a TruView laryngoscope resulted in better glottis visualization, easier tracheal intubation, and higher first attempt success rate as compared to Macintosh and McCoy laryngoscopes in immobilized cervical spine patients

A unique anesthesia approach for carotid endarterectomy: Combination of general and regional anesthesia

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA), a preventable surgery, reduces the future risks of cerebrovascular stroWke in patients with marked carotid stenosis. Peri-operative management of such patients is challenging due to associated major co-morbidities and high incidence of peri-operative stroke and myocardial infarction. Both general anesthesia (GA) and local regional anesthesia (LRA) can be used with their pros and cons. Most developing countries as well as some developed countries usually perform CEA under GA because of technical easiness. LRA usually comprises superficial, intermediate, deep cervical plexus block or a combination of these techniques. Deep block, particularly, is technically difficult and more complicated, whereas intermediate plexus block is technically easy and equally effective. We did CEA under a combination of GA and LRA using ropivacaine 0.375% with 1 mcg/kg dexmedetomidine (DEX) infiltration. In LRA, we gave combined superficial and intermediate cervical plexus block with infiltration at the incision site and along the lower border of mandible. We observed better hemodynamics in intraoperative as well as postoperative periods and an improved postoperative outcome of the patient. So, we concluded that combination of GA and LRA is a good anesthetic technique for CEA. Larger randomized prospective trials are needed to support our conclusion

A simple method for evaluation of the uptake of isoflurane and its comparison with the square root of time model

Background: The square root of time (SqRT) model had been used to predict the uptake of volatile agents. Methods: We studied the rate of uptake of isoflurane in 10 patients using liquid isoflurane infusion through syringe pump into the closed circuit. The infusion rates were titrated to maintain a constant end tidal concentration of isoflurane of 1.5%. The predicted uptake values were also calculated from the square root principle and compared with the derived uptake. Results: The observed rate of uptake was higher than predicted from the Lowe and Ernst equation (P<0.001). There exists considerable inter-individual variability in uptake pharmacokinetics and it showed statistically significant correlation with ideal body weight, body weight (P<0.01), body surface area, and body weight 3/4 from 30 min of start of isoflurane infusion (P<0.05). Conclusion: SqRT model is inaccurate in predicting isoflurane uptake and underestimates it during closed circuit anaesthesia

Efficacy of Dexmedetomidine as an Adjuvant to Local Anesthetic Agent in Scalp Block and Scalp Infiltration to Control Postcraniotomy Pain: A Double-Blind Randomized Trial

Context: Scalp infiltration and scalp block are being used to manage postcraniotomy pain. Dexmedetomidine has been successfully used as an adjuvant in regional anesthesia. The study was intended to compare whether addition of dexmedetomidine prolonged the duration of analgesia as well as to compare the two techniques. Aims: The primary objective was to assess whether addition of dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine prolonged the duration of analgesia. The secondary objective was to compare between scalp nerve block and scalp infiltration as techniques for pain relief. Settings and Design: The randomized control study was conducted in a tertiary care center from November 2013 to October 2014. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status I–II patients, aged 18–70 years undergoing elective craniotomy were included. Patients were randomized into three groups of 50 patients, i.e., Group BI (bupivacaine infiltration), Group BDI (bupivacaine and dexmedetomidine infiltration), and Group BDNB (bupivacaine and dexmedetomidine scalp nerve block). Patient's pain score, pain-free interval, rescue analgesic requirement, and hemodynamic and respiratory parameters were noted for 48 h. Patients were followed up at 1 and 3 months to assess postcraniotomy pain. Results: Pain-free period was significantly longer in Group BDNB than Groups BDI and BI (P < 0.0001) and pain control was better in dexmedetomidine containing groups than in bupivacaine group (BI) (P < 0.0001). The rescue analgesic requirement was significantly lower in Group BDNB and Group BDI compared to Group BI. Conclusion: The addition of dexmedetomidine (1 µg/kg) to bupivacaine prolonged the pain-free period. Scalp nerve block is a superior technique than scalp infiltration