A criterion to determine residual coordinates of A2\mathbb{A}^2-fibrations

This article discusses a criterion to determine residual variables of an $\mathbb{A}^2$-fibration over a Noetherian domain containing $\mathbb{Q}$.Comment: 10 page

Recirculating fluidized bed reactor for chemical-looping

Chemical-Looping Combustion (CLC) is an oxy-combustion CO2 capture technique. CLC involves metal oxides to split the combustion in oxidation and reduction cycles. A wide variety of reactors, single as well as interconnected, have been tested for CLC. These reactor configurations have some operational and process difficulties associated with them. A single Recirculating Fluidized Beds (RCFB) reactor configuration is proposed here for CLC with a feeling that it can overcome some of these problems. RCFB is a spouted fluidized bed with a central riser tube and the outer tube is known as downcomer. A cold model of RCFB reactor was operated in such a manner that the central riser tube was acting like air reactor and the downcomer was acting like a fuel reactor. There was a fast fluidization regime in the riser and the downcomer of the RCFB was in the slugging bed regime. Atmospheric air was used to fluidize the bed material in the reactor. The bed material was Indian standard sand. The usability of the RCFB reactor was tested for CLC by studying the parameters like bed voidage, pressure drop, solid circulation rate and suspension density in the riser and downcomer. Diameter of the jet tube, height of the spacer section and bed inventory were the variables during the experiments

Phosphoregulation of the autophagy machinery by kinases and phosphatases

Eukaryotic cells use post-translational modifications to diversify and dynamically coordinate the function and properties of protein networks within various cellular processes. For example, the process of autophagy strongly depends on the balanced action of kinases and phosphatases. Highly conserved from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to humans, autophagy is a tightly regulated self-degradation process that is crucial for survival, stress adaptation, maintenance of cellular and organismal homeostasis, and cell differentiation and development. Many studies have emphasized the importance of kinases and phosphatases in the regulation of autophagy and identified many of the core autophagy proteins as their direct targets. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on kinases and phosphatases acting on the core autophagy machinery and discuss the relevance of phosphoregulation for the overall process of autophagy

Salvaging collateral damage by COVID-19 pandemic in form of exposed silicone ear framework in 33-year post reconstructed ear

Total ear reconstruction is being practiced by different techniques. Ready to use Silicone ear framework (Silastic ear framework by Dow corning) was being used frequently by Plastic surgeons in the eighties and nineties of the twentieth century. Framework exposure, either due to skin necrosis or due to infection used to be the commonest complication in the early postoperative period. A follow-up case of a 50 year old male patient, our 33 years follow up case of Total ear reconstruction by silicone ear framework implantation presented to us with exposed silicone framework and infection. Due to constant use of facemask with elastic ear loop for support during COVID-19 pandemic. The exposed infected implant successfully salvaged using negative pressure wound therapy. In all cases of autologous or alloplastic ear reconstruction, we strictly recommend not to use facemasks with elastic ear loops. If a facemask has to be used it should have a head loop or to be used with an ear protector. 

See Through the Fog: Curriculum Learning with Progressive Occlusion in Medical Imaging

In recent years, deep learning models have revolutionized medical image interpretation, offering substantial improvements in diagnostic accuracy. However, these models often struggle with challenging images where critical features are partially or fully occluded, which is a common scenario in clinical practice. In this paper, we propose a novel curriculum learning-based approach to train deep learning models to handle occluded medical images effectively. Our method progressively introduces occlusion, starting from clear, unobstructed images and gradually moving to images with increasing occlusion levels. This ordered learning process, akin to human learning, allows the model to first grasp simple, discernable patterns and subsequently build upon this knowledge to understand more complicated, occluded scenarios. Furthermore, we present three novel occlusion synthesis methods, namely Wasserstein Curriculum Learning (WCL), Information Adaptive Learning (IAL), and Geodesic Curriculum Learning (GCL). Our extensive experiments on diverse medical image datasets demonstrate substantial improvements in model robustness and diagnostic accuracy over conventional training methodologies.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Transcending Grids: Point Clouds and Surface Representations Powering Neurological Processing

In healthcare, accurately classifying medical images is vital, but conventional methods often hinge on medical data with a consistent grid structure, which may restrict their overall performance. Recent medical research has been focused on tweaking the architectures to attain better performance without giving due consideration to the representation of data. In this paper, we present a novel approach for transforming grid based data into its higher dimensional representations, leveraging unstructured point cloud data structures. We first generate a sparse point cloud from an image by integrating pixel color information as spatial coordinates. Next, we construct a hypersurface composed of points based on the image dimensions, with each smooth section within this hypersurface symbolizing a specific pixel location. Polygonal face construction is achieved using an adjacency tensor. Finally, a dense point cloud is generated by densely sampling the constructed hypersurface, with a focus on regions of higher detail. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated on a publicly accessible brain tumor dataset, achieving significant improvements over existing classification techniques. This methodology allows the extraction of intricate details from the original image, opening up new possibilities for advanced image analysis and processing tasks

Megakaryoblastic Termination of Myeloproliferative Disorders

Megakaryoblastic termination of myeloproliferative disorders is rare. The morphology of megakaryoblastic transformation can be subtle and is often mistaken for myeloid or lymphoid proliferations. Previously reported observations suggest a relatively poor prognosis for this category of patients, making precise diagnosis imperative. A multifaceted approach using morphology, ultrastructure, cytochemistry, and immunological membrane analysis may be helpful. We present two cases of myeloproliferative disorder with aggressive megakaryoblastic phases (myelofibrosis with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia and chronic myeloid leukemia with blast crisis). The clinical course is described and the results of the morphological, cytochemical, ultrastructural, and cytogenetic studies of both cases are presented. In addition, immunochemical studies (flow cytometry) and platelet function studies (aggregation, heta-thromboglobulin, and platelet factor IV release) were done for one of these patients

Screening and characterization of antimicrobial secondary metabolites from Halomonas salifodinae MPM-TC and its in vivo antiviral influence on Indian white shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicus against WSSV challenge

AbstractAntimicrobial secondary metabolites from extremophiles play a significant role in the pharmacological industry due to their stable and strong activity and it is used in the treatment of microbial infections. In the present work, Halomonas salifodinae MPM-TC (M. Peter Marian-T. Citarasu) was isolated from the solar salt works in India and identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. The secondary metabolites were extracted from H. salifodinae MPM-TC and tested for antibacterial activity against aquatic bacterial pathogens such as Vibrio harveyi, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from infected fish/shrimp, and it effectively controlled them with more than 10mm of zone of inhibition. The metabolites were purified through silica column chromatography and in vitro antiviral activity was performed against White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) using different fractions. Among the different tested fractions, fraction-III (F-III) was able to suppress WSSV replication. Shrimps challenged with a WSSV inoculum incubated with F-III and treated Fenneropenaeus indicus survived around twice as many as the controls. Gas chromatography–mass spectroscopic (GC–MS) analysis revealed that the antiviral active fraction contains around eight compounds including Perfluorotributylamine, Cyclopentane, 1-butyl-2-ethyl and 1,1′-Biphenyl]-3-amine. Further the active fraction F-III was incorporated in the artificial diets at the concentration of 200 (HS1), 400 (HS2) and 800 (HS3) μgkg−1 and fed to F. indicus for 30days. After 30days of culture, shrimps were challenged with virulent WSSV and studied for WSSV VP 28 gene expression, biochemical, haematological and immunological changes. Surprisingly, groups treated with lower concentrations of fraction F-III (HS1 or HS2) significantly (P<0.05) suppressed the viral replication. Different levels of protein and glucose, improved total haemocyte count (THC), coagulase activity and oxyhaemocyanin level all were comparable to controls. Also, immunological parameters such as prophenol oxidase and intracellular superoxide anion production were significantly increased (F=97.18; P⩽0.001 and F=5.70; P⩽0.05) in the groups treated with the three test concentrations. The presence of antiviral and immunostimulant active principles in the F-III fraction effectively suppressed the WSSV load and boosted F. indicus’s immune system. This research will help to develop novel antiviral drugs from plants against aquatic important pathogens

An integrated strain improvement and process development program for the production of UK-2A, the precursor of the fungicide InatreqTM active

Secondary metabolites produced by Actinobacteria serve a variety of functions including molecules having agricultural applications. Streptomyces sp. 517-02 produces a novel fungicidal compound called UK-2A, which through a single step chemical reaction is converted to Inatreq™ active. Inatreq utilizes a unique target site of action, ubiquinone reductase Qi site (inner side of membrane), and is intended for use in cereals and banana markets with strong residual protectant and curative activity in wheat against Zymoseptoria tritici, with additional activity on rust and other diseases. To achieve a commercially viable process an integrated multidiscipline approach was applied in parallel including mutagenesis, high-throughput (HTP) screening, fermentation process optimization, and targeted genetic engineering. The presentation will review how the integrated approach contributed to a rapid acceleration in productivity gains resulting in a 75% improvement in titer over a one-year period, more than a 2 fold improvement in 4 years and successful scale-up to the final commercial production plant. Examples of topics to be discussed: Development, deployment, and optimization of the mutagenesis and high-throughput screening process for the selection of improved strains. Deployment of targeted genetic engineering to alleviate biosynthesis bottlenecks identified using approaches such as biosynthetic gene overexpression and precursor feeding. Use of “omics” tools to identify native promoters which permit temporal gene expression suitable for enhanced precursor production and increased UK-2A production. Vetting of new strains and fermentation process improvements both in bioreactors at multiple scales and in the downstream process for product recovery. Use of experimental results from across the integrated program to guide prioritization of strain and process improvement targets. Incorporation of final product design and performance requirements into the program with a line of sight to manufacturing process constraints. ™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ( Dow ) or an affiliated company of Do