Supporting 'design for reuse' with modular design

Engineering design reuse refers to the utilization of any knowledge gained from the design activity to support future design. As such, engineering design reuse approaches are concerned with the support, exploration, and enhancement of design knowledge prior, during, and after a design activity. Modular design is a product structuring principle whereby products are developed with distinct modules for rapid product development, efficient upgrades, and possible reuse (of the physical modules). The benefits of modular design center on a greater capacity for structuring component parts to better manage the relation between market requirements and the designed product. This study explores the capabilities of modular design principles to provide improved support for the engineering design reuse concept. The correlations between modular design and 'reuse' are highlighted, with the aim of identifying its potential to aid the little-supported process of design for reuse. In fulfilment of this objective the authors not only identify the requirements of design for reuse, but also propose how modular design principles can be extended to support design for reuse

Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals and its Application: A comprehensive study

Year after year, heavy metal concentrations in the environment are increasing. As a result, heavy metal-contaminated soils must be decontaminated to safeguard the environment and restore the ecosystem. Phytoremediation is a technique for cleaning up toxins in the environment that relies on natural processes. Plants aid in the removal of pollutants through several mechanisms, including absorption and concentration, pollutant transformation, stabilization, and rhizosphere degradation, in which plants promote the growth of bacteria that break down toxins underground in the root zone. While the use of phytoremediation is on the rise, little. There has been focus on the ecological features of the plants used. This research investigated the possibility of using native plants to clean up soil while simultaneously providing benefits above ground, such as wildlife habitat. A relatively new technology is phytoremediation. With several advantages over traditional site clean-up methods. Some of the applications have only been tested in the lab or a greenhouse, while others have been field-tested to the point that they may be employed on a large scale. Phytoremediation was recently produced by engineers and scientists as a cost-effective and environmentally acceptable method of treating polluted areas using biomass/microorganisms or live plants. Only a few of the applications include Phytofiltration, phytostabilization, phytoextraction, and phytodegradation

The hydrolytic reactivities of N-methyl-N(methylthiomethyl)acetamide and N-acetyl-1,3-thiazolidine: the influence of the sulfur atom

The sulfur atom in the substrates leads to modest enhancements in the titled phenomena: these are essentially derived from favourable enthalpies of activation, the negative entropies of activation possibly indicating a measure of stereoelectronic control

The complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic characterization of two putative subspecies of golden jackal (Canis aureus cruesemanni and Canis aureus moreotica)

The golden jackal (Canis aureus) is a canid species found across southern Eurasia. Several subspecies of this animal have been genetically studied in regions such as Europe, the Middle East, and India. However, one subspecies that lacks current research is the Indochinese jackal (Canis aureus cruesemanni), which is primarily found in Southeast Asia. Using a genome skimming approach, we assembled the first complete mitochondrial genome for an Indochinese jackal from Thailand. To expand the number of available&nbsp;Canis aureus&nbsp;mitogenomes, we also assembled and sequenced the first complete mitochondrial genome of a golden jackal from Turkey, representing the&nbsp;C. a. moreotica&nbsp;subspecies. The mitogenomes contained 37 annotated genes and are 16,729 bps (C. a. cruesemanni) and 16,669 bps (C. a. moreotica) in length. Phylogenetic analysis with 26 additional canid mitogenomes and analyses of a cytochrome&nbsp;b&nbsp;gene-only data set together support the Indochinese jackal as a distinct and early-branching lineage among golden jackals, thereby supporting its recognition as a possible subspecies. These analyses also demonstrate that the golden jackal from Turkey is likely not a distinct lineage due to close genetic relationships with golden jackals from India and Israel.</p

Chronic complications in newly diagnosed patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in India

Background: Prevalence of diabetes is on an increase in India, currently there is limited nation-wide data regarding the prevalence of chronic complications in diabetic patients at diagnosis. This information will help health-care professionals approach management more aggressively to prevent complications. Objective: To determine the prevalence of chronic complications in newly-diagnosed Type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients in India. Design and Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of T2D patients, diagnosed within 3 months of their first visit to the centers doing the survey. Each patient was screened for diabetic complications, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and body mass index. Family history was recorded. Standard protocols were used to make the diagnosis of retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy. Data analysis was carried out using the standard statistical techniques. Results: Of the total 4,600 (males 67%, females 33%) newly diagnosed patients with T2D, majority were from the age group 41-50 years (40%). 13.15% of newly detected India T2D had neuropathy 6.1% had retinopathy and 1.06% had nephropathy. Risk factors of macro vascular complication such as hypertension, obesity, and dyslipidemia were observed in 23.3%, 26%, and 27% of patients respectively. Ischemic heart disease was noticed in 6%. Conclusion: High prevalence of micro vascular complications was present at diagnosis along with association of CV cardiovascular risk factors among Indian T2D. In view of this, screening must be instituted for all diabetics for complications at the time of diagnosis itself

Effect of a collaborative care model on depressive symptoms and glycated hemoglobin, blood pressure, and serum cholesterol among patients with depression and diabetes in India. The INDEPENDENT randomized clinical trial.

Importance Mental health comorbidities are increasing worldwide and worsen outcomes for people with diabetes, especially when care is fragmented. Objective To assess whether collaborative care vs usual care lowers depressive symptoms and improves cardiometabolic indices among adults with diabetes and depression. Design, Setting, and Participants Parallel, open-label, pragmatic randomized clinical trial conducted at 4 socioeconomically diverse clinics in India that recruited patients with type 2 diabetes; a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score of at least 10 (range, 0-27); and hemoglobin A(1c)(HbA(1c)) of at least 8%, systolic blood pressure (SBP) of at least 140 mm Hg, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of at least 130 mg/dL. The first patient was enrolled on March 9, 2015, and the last was enrolled on May 31, 2016; the final follow-up visit was July 14, 2018. Interventions Patients randomized to the intervention group (n = 196) received 12 months of self-management support from nonphysician care coordinators, decision support electronic health records facilitating physician treatment adjustments, and specialist case reviews; they were followed up for an additional 12 months without intervention. Patients in the control group (n = 208) received usual care over 24 months. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the between-group difference in the percentage of patients at 24 months who had at least a 50% reduction in Symptom Checklist Depression Scale (SCL-20) scores (range, 0-4; higher scores indicate worse symptoms) and a reduction of at least 0.5 percentage points in HbA(1c), 5 mm Hg in SBP, or 10 mg/dL in LDL cholesterol. Prespecified secondary outcomes were percentage of patients at 12 and 24 months who met treatment targets (HbA(1c)&lt;7.0%, SBP &lt;130 mm Hg, LDL cholesterol &lt;100 mg/dL [&lt;70 mg/dL if prior cardiovascular disease]) or had improvements in individual outcomes (&gt;= 50% reduction in SCL-20 score, &gt;= 0.5-percentage point reduction in HbA(1c), &gt;= 5-mm Hg reduction in SBP, &gt;= 10-mg/dL reduction in LDL cholesterol); percentage of patients who met all HbA(1c), SBP, and LDL cholesterol targets; and mean reductions in SCL-20 score, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score, HbA(1c), SBP, and LDL cholesterol. Results Among 404 patients randomized (mean [SD] age, 53 [8.6] years; 165 [40.8%] men), 378 (93.5%) completed the trial. A significantly greater percentage of patients in the intervention group vs the usual care group met the primary outcome (71.6% vs 57.4%; risk difference, 16.9% [95% CI, 8.5%-25.2%]). Of 16 prespecified secondary outcomes, there were no statistically significant between-group differences in improvements in 10 outcomes at 12 months and in 13 outcomes at 24 months. Serious adverse events in the intervention and usual care groups included cardiovascular events or hospitalizations (4 [2.0%] vs 7 [3.4%]), stroke (0 vs 3 [1.4%]), death (2 [1.0%] vs 7 [3.4%]), and severe hypoglycemia (8 [4.1%] vs 0). Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with diabetes and depression in India, a 12-month collaborative care intervention, compared with usual care, resulted in statistically significant improvements in a composite measure of depressive symptoms and cardiometabolic indices at 24 months. Further research is needed to understand the generalizability of the findings to other low- and middle-income health care settings.This randomized clinical trial compares the effect of a collaborative care model that integrates management of depression and enhanced diabetes care on depressive symptoms and HbA(1c), SBP, and LDL cholesterol measures among individuals with depression and diabetes in India.Question Among patients with diabetes and depression in India, does a 12-month collaborative care intervention that includes nonphysician care coordinators, decision support functions in electronic health records, and specialist case reviews improve depressive symptoms and measures of cardiometabolic health more than usual care at 24 months? Findings In this randomized clinical trial that included 404 patients at urban clinics in India with poorly controlled diabetes and depression, patients in the collaborative care intervention group, compared with the usual care group, were significantly more likely to achieve the composite outcome of at least a 50% reduction in the 20-item Symptom Checklist Depression Scale score and at least 1 of the following: reduction of at least 0.5 percentage points in hemoglobin A(1c), reduction of at least 5 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure, or reduction of at least 10 mg/dL in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol at 24 months (71.6% vs 54.7%). Meaning Among patients with diabetes and depressive symptoms in urban India, a multicomponent collaborative care intervention resulted in statistically significantly greater improvements in a composite measure of depressive symptoms and cardiometabolic indices compared with usual care

Time-in-range and frequency of continuous glucose monitoring: Recommendations for South Asia

Background and aim: The prevalence of diabetes is on its rise and South Asia bears a huge burden. Several factors such as heterogeneity in genetics, socio-economic factors, diet, and sedentary behavior contribute to the heightened risk of developing diabetes, its rapid progression, and the development of complications in this region. Even though there have been considerable advances in glucose monitoring technologies, diabetes treatments and therapeutics, glycemic control in South Asia remains suboptimal. The successful implementation of treatment interventions and metrics for the attainment of glycemic goals depends on appropriate guidelines that accord with the characteristics of the diabetes population. Method: The data were collected from studies published for more than the last ten years in the electronic databases PubMed and Google Scholar on the various challenges in the assessment and achievement of recommended TIR targets in the SA population using the keywords: Blood glucose, TIR, TAR, TBR, HbA1c, hypoglycemia, CGM, Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and diabetes. Results: The objective of this recommendation is to discuss the limitations in considering the IC-TIR Expert panel recommendations targets and to propose some modifications in the lower limit of TIR in older/high-risk population, upper limit of TAR, and flexibility in the percentage of time spent in TAR for pregnant women (GDM, T2DM) for the South Asian population. Conclusion: The review sheds insights into some of the major concerns in implementing the IC-TIR recommendations in South Asian population where the prevalence of diabetes and its complications are significantly higher and modifications to the existing guidelines for use in routine clinical practice