Non-Stationary Astrophysical Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background: A New Probe to the High Redshift Population of Binary Black Holes

The astrophysical Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background (SGWB) originates from the mergers of compact binary objects in the observable Universe that are otherwise undetected as individual events, along with other sources such as supernovae, magnetars etc. The individual GW signal is time-varying over a time scale that depends on the chirp mass of the coalescing binaries. Another timescale that plays a role is the timescale at which the sources repeat, which depends on the merger rate. The combined effect of these two leads to a breakdown of the time-translation symmetry of the observed SGWB and leads to a correlation between different frequency modes in the signal covariance matrix of the SGWB. Using an ensemble of SGWB sky map due to binary black hole (BBH) coalescence, calculated using simulations of different astrophysical and primordial black hole mass distribution and merger rates, we show how the structure of the signal covariance matrix varies. This structure in the signal covariance matrix brings additional information about the sources on top of the power spectrum of the SGWB. We show that there is up to a factor of 2.5 improvement in the Figure of Merit (FoM) by using this additional information in comparison to only power spectrum estimation for the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) network of detectors with the design sensitivity noise with two years of observation time. The inclusion of the off-diagonal correlation in the covariance of the SGWB in the data analysis pipelines will be beneficial in the quest for the SGWB signal in LVK frequency bands as well as in lower frequencies (nano-Hz, mili-Hz, deci-Hz) and in getting an insight into the origin of the SGWB signal.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures. Prepare for submission in MNRA

Fabrication of Aluminum Matrix Composites by Stir Casting Technique and Stirring Process Parameters Optimization

Aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) and hybrid aluminum matrix composites (HAMCs) becomes choice for automobile and aerospace industries due to its tunable mechanical properties such as very high strength to weight ratio, superior wear resistance, greater stiffness, better fatigue resistance, controlled co-efficient of thermal expansion and good stability at elevated temperature. Stir casting is an appropriate method for composite fabrication and widely used industrial fabrication of AMCs and HAMCs due to flexibility, cost-effectiveness and best suitable for mass production. Distribution of the reinforcement particles in the final prepared composite regulates the anticipated properties of AMCs and HAMCs. However, distribution of reinforcements is governed by stirring process parameters. The study of effect of stirring parameters in the particle distribution and optimal selection of these is still a challenge for the ever-growing industries and research. In this chapter accurate and precise attempts were taken to explore the effect of stirring parameters in stir casting process rigorously. Further, Optimal values of stirring parameters were suggested which may be helpful for the researchers for the development of AMCs and HAMCs. This chapter may also provide a better vision towards the selection of stirring parameters for industrial production of AMCs and HAMCs comprising superior mechanical properties

IoT Enabled Health Monitoring System

This paper presents an architecture of an IoT enabled health monitoring system which will continuously read vital signs like heartbeat rate and outer body temperature of the patient while it is attached to patient�s body. Most of the time it is not possible for a Doctor to observe vital signs of patients, this system will enable a Doctor to observe vital signs of one or more patients at any instance of time from anywhere while the doctor has access to Internet

Promoting Reproductive Health Using Telemedicine: A Prospective Study Among Rural Appalachian High School Teens

Introduction: Telemedicine allows rural underserved populations access to medical resources that may not be available in their communities. Following promising results with a telemedicine project aimed at educating female students in McDowell County, West Virginia on reproductive health (RH) in 2015, we conducted a follow-up study including both male and female high school students during the 2016 school year. Materials and Methods: Telemedicine sessions on RH were incorporated into existing afterschool programs at two rural high schools. Students’ knowledge on RH was assessed via pre-test, immediate post-test, and 6-month post-test evaluations. RH was taught by medical students and faculty at a distal university. Results: 77 students participated and 37 students completed a 6-month follow-up survey. Statistically significant increases in knowledge scores regarding both birth control and sexually transmitted disease prevention were noted at 6-month follow-up. A larger proportion of students reported “always” utilizing birth control (35.3% vs. 64.7%) as well as condom usage (46.2% vs. 58.8%) at six months compared to before the intervention, but was not statistically significant. The intervention was rated as “effective” or “very effective” by 91.9% of participants, and 75.6% stated they were “very likely” to participate the future. Discussion: Telemedicine is a promising and sustainable tool in teaching RH to rural underserved areas

Anatomical Variants of Portal Vein Branching in CECT Scan of Abdomen: A Descriptive Study

Introduction: Various anatomical variants are encountered in portal venous system which are quite important while undergoing hepatobiliary surgeries and percutaneous radiological interventions. Contrast enhanced computed tomography (CECT) of the abdomen is considered a better imaging modality to identify these variations. Methods: A descriptive prospective study was conducted in 1000 individuals undergoing CECT of abdomen. Triple phase CECT scan of the abdomen was done and the portal vein anatomy was reconstructed and analyzed. Results: Normal branching pattern of the portal vein was seen in 786 (78.6%) patients. Variations were seen in rest of the 214 (21.40%) patients. The most common variant was trifurcation of the portal vein seen in 113 (11.3%) patients. Right posterior portal vein as the first branch of main portal portal vein was found in 72 (7.2%) patients. Right anterior portal vein arising from left portal vein was seen in 29 (2.9%). Sixty nine of the 567 males had trifurcation accounting for 12.1% incidence of this variation amongst males. Trifurcation was seen in 44 of the 433 females resulting in an incidence of 10.1%. Forty-four (7.7%) males and 28 (6.4%) females had right posterior portal vein as the first branch of main portal vein. Right anterior portal vein was noted to arise from the left portal vein in 20 (3.5%) males and nine (2.07%) females. Conclusion: The most common variation in portal venous system was trifurcation of portal vein followed by right posterior as first branch and right anterior branch arising from left portal vein respectively

Modeling and sensitivity analysis of grid-connected hybrid green microgrid system

The demonstrated research work analyses the technoeconomic modelling and sensitivity analysis of the available resources for the rural community in India. The various resources used in this study are solar, wind, hydro, battery and utility grid-connected system. The usefulness of the on-grid system in the rural sector is that excess amount of electricity produced through renewable energy sources (RES) could be sold back to the utility grid. A total of 12 possible configurations of various resources with and without a grid-connected system was analyzed for minimum Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and Total Net Present Cost (TNPC). Further, sensitivity analysis is accomplished for different sensitive variables to understand the nature of the system for wider application in rural communities. The solar-wind-hydro-based utility grid-connected network is observed to be the best optimal configuration with a minimum value of LCOE of 0.056 $/kWh. The simulation results reveal that the effective utilization of RES has been a cost-efficient and reliable system to the power supply in remote communities

Annotated Speech Corpus for Low Resource Indian Languages: Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Braj and Magahi

In this paper we discuss an in-progress work on the development of a speech corpus for four low-resource Indo-Aryan languages -- Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Braj and Magahi using the field methods of linguistic data collection. The total size of the corpus currently stands at approximately 18 hours (approx. 4-5 hours each language) and it is transcribed and annotated with grammatical information such as part-of-speech tags, morphological features and Universal dependency relationships. We discuss our methodology for data collection in these languages, most of which was done in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, with one of the aims being to generate some additional income for low-income groups speaking these languages. In the paper, we also discuss the results of the baseline experiments for automatic speech recognition system in these languages.Comment: Speech for Social Good Workshop, 2022, Interspeech 202

Promoting Reproductive Health Using Telemedicine: A Prospective Study Among Rural Appalachian High School Teens

Introduction: Telemedicine allows rural underserved populations access to medical resources that may not be available in their communities. Following promising results with a telemedicine project aimed at educating female students in McDowell County, West Virginia on reproductive health (RH) in 2015, we conducted a follow-up study including both male and female high school students during the 2016 school year. Materials and Methods: Telemedicine sessions on RH were incorporated into existing afterschool programs at two rural high schools. Students’ knowledge on RH was assessed via pre-test, immediate post-test, and 6-month post-test evaluations. RH was taught by medical students and faculty at a distal university. Results: 77 students participated and 37 students completed a 6-month follow-up survey. Statistically significant increases in knowledge scores regarding both birth control and sexually transmitted disease prevention were noted at 6-month follow-up. A larger proportion of students reported “always” utilizing birth control (35.3% vs. 64.7%) as well as condom usage (46.2% vs. 58.8%) at six months compared to before the intervention, but was not statistically significant. The intervention was rated as “effective” or “very effective” by 91.9% of participants, and 75.6% stated they were “very likely” to participate the future. Discussion: Telemedicine is a promising and sustainable tool in teaching RH to rural underserved areas

Topical therapy with clobetasol propionate 0.025% for various dermatological conditions

Topical corticosteroids (TC) are the most commonly prescribed medications for the treatment of several dermatoses. Owing to their potent effect of relieving symptoms, these drugs are indicated for the use of inflammatory and pruritic presentations of dermatologic conditions. Clobetasol propionate (CP) is the most common TC used to treat itching, redness, and swelling caused by some skin conditions. It possesses anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, and vasoconstrictive properties. To exert its effect, CP binds to cytoplasmic glucocorticoid receptors and subsequently activates glucocorticoid receptor-mediated gene expression, thus resulting in the synthesis of certain anti-inflammatory proteins, while inhibiting the synthesis of certain inflammatory mediators. This case series discusses the efficacy, safety, and clinical experience of using CP 0.025% cream for the treatment of different dermatologic conditions

Temperature-induced modulation of stress-tolerant PGP genes bioprospected from Bacillus sp. IHBT-705 associated with saffron (Crocus sativus) rhizosphere: A natural -treasure trove of microbial biostimulants

There is a renewed interest in sustainable agriculture wherein novel plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are being explored for developing efficient biostimulants. The key requirement of a microbe to qualify as a good candidate for developing a biostimulant is its intrinsic plant growth-promoting (PGP) characteristics. Though numerous studies have been conducted to assess the beneficial effects of PGPRs on plant growth under normal and stressed conditions but not much information is available on the characterization of intrinsic traits of PGPR under stress. Here, we focused on understanding how temperature stress impacts the functionality of key stress tolerant and PGP genes of Bacillus sp. IHBT-705 isolated from the rhizosphere of saffron (Crocus sativus). To undertake the study, Bacillus sp. IHBT-705 was grown under varied temperature regimes, their PGP traits were assessed from very low to very high-temperature range and the expression trend of targeted stress tolerant and PGP genes were analyzed. The results illustrated that Bacillus sp. IHBT-705 is a stress-tolerant PGPR as it survived and multiplied in temperatures ranging from 4°C-50°C, tolerated a wide pH range (5-11), withstood high salinity (8%) and osmolarity (10% PEG). The PGP traits varied under different temperature regimes indicating that temperature influences the functionality of PGP genes. This was further ascertained through whole genome sequencing followed by gene expression analyses wherein certain genes like cspB, cspD, hslO, grpE, rimM, trpA, trpC, trpE, fhuC, fhuD, acrB5 were found to be temperature sensitive while, cold tolerant (nhaX and cspC), heat tolerant (htpX) phosphate solubilization (pstB1), siderophore production (fhuB and fhuG), and root colonization (xerC1 and xerC2) were found to be highly versatile as they could express well both under low and high temperatures. Further, the biostimulant potential was checked through a pot study on rice (Oryza sativa), wherein the application of Bacillus sp. IHBT-705 improved the length of shoots, roots, and number of roots over control. Based on the genetic makeup, stress tolerance potential, retention of PGP traits under stress, and growth-promoting potential, Bacillus sp. IHBT-705 could be considered a good candidate for developing biostimulants