Symbiotic Dynamics in Living Liquid Crystals

An amalgamate of nematic liquid crystals and active matter, referred to as living liquid crystals, is a promising self-healing material with futuristic applications for targeted delivery of information and micro-cargo. We provide a phenomenological model to study the symbiotic pattern dynamics in this contemporary system using the Toner-Tu model for active matter (AM), the Landau-de Gennes free energy for liquid crystals (LCs), and an experimentally motivated coupling term that favours co-alignment of the active and nematic components. Our extensive theoretical studies unfold two novel steady states, chimeras and solitons, with sharp regions of distinct orientational order that sweep through the coupled system in synchrony. The induced dynamics in the passive nematic is unprecedented. We show that the symbiotic dynamics of the AM and LC components can be exploited to induce and manipulate order in an otherwise disordered system

STARR-DCS: Spatio-temporal adaptation of random replication for data-centric storage

This article presents a novel framework for data-centric storage (DCS) in a wireless sensor and actor network (WSAN) that employs a randomly selected set of data replication nodes, which also change over time. This enables reductions in the average network traffic and energy consumption by adapting the number of replicas to applications' traffic, while balancing energy burdens by varying their locations. To that end, we propose and validate a simple model to determine the optimal number of replicas, in terms of minimizing average traffic/energy consumption, based on measurements of applications' production and consumption traffic. Simple mechanisms are proposed to decide when the current set of replication nodes should be changed, to enable new applications and nodes to efficiently bootstrap into a working WSAN, to recover from failing nodes, and to adapt to changing conditions. Extensive simulations demonstrate that our approach can extend a WSAN's lifetime by at least 60%, and up to a factor of 10× depending on the lifetime criterion being considered. The feasibility of the proposed framework has been validated in a prototype with 20 resource-constrained motes, and the results obtained via simulation for large WSANs have been also corroborated in that prototype.The research leading to these results has been partially funded by the Spanish MEC under the CRAMNET project (TEC2012-38362-C03-01) and the FIERRO project (TEC 2010- 12250-E), and by the General Directorate of Universities and Research of the Regional Government of Madrid under the MEDIANET Project (S2009/TIC-1468). G. de Veciana was supported by the National Science Foundation under Award CNS-0915928Publicad

Laparoscopic drainage of sub phrenic abscess

Sub phrenic collections are a common sequel to hepatobiliary surgery. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are necessary to reduce the morbidity and mortality to a bare minimum. Contrast enhanced CT (CECT) scan is the best imaging modality to identify the location and approximate size of the collection. Laparoscopic drainage is the best option for treating sub phrenic abscesses. A case of a sub phrenic abscess drained laparoscopically is presented to highlight the efficacy of this approach

Effect of Welding Parameters on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of BQ Plateastm SA 516 – 60 Grade

A detailed study on the microstructure, phase analysis and mechanical properties, HAZ width of BQ PLATE ASME SA 516 – 60 GRADE weld metal V- joint and heat-affected zone of 10 mm thick BQ plate was carried out using metallurgical microscopy, with olimpus inverted metallurgical microscope projection system including mega pixel camera and image analysis software. The various sub-zones in the microstructure were observed in the HAZ of weld, base metal and weld pool are spheroidized, partially transformed, grain refined and grain coarsened. The main purpose of present work is to investigation and correlate the relationship between the various parameters; mechanical properties and microstructure of single “V” butt joint of Boiler Quality plate

Botox and derma fillers: The twin-face of cosmetic dentistry

In recent years, botulinum toxin and derma fillers have made their way into dentistry for both dental esthetic and therapeutic uses. They are here to stay and with more and more intra oral uses of these materials, they are fast becoming an integral part of everyday dental practice. They provide most significant, minimally invasive procedure at low cost with limited to no recovery time. Today botox and derma fillers both go hand in hand for rejuvenative and cosmetic procedures. This article focuses on the mechanism of action and various uses of botox and derma fillers in the maxillofacial areas along with its future implications in the dentistry

Design and Performance Evaluation of An Arduino Based Activity Tracker

Fitness band is an activity tracker that monitors the overall health of the wearer and helps us to predict the fitness plan to be followed on the basis of the number of footstep of the wearer over span of time. The band is connected to an android app where it can show user the various stats monitored by the band and the possible health plan which can be used to achieve the necessary health goals. The fitness band will also help in informing family members in case of some medical emergency