Evaluating performance characteristics of different fusible intertinings

An attempt has been made to evaluate the performance characteristics of three different fusible interlinings used in apparel industries with sheep nappa leathers in terms of bending, softness, bond strength, shrinkage, tensile strength and double hole stitch tear strength. Of all aspects of performance investigated, it is found that among the three interlinings, the fusible interlining which is warp knitted with a combination of strong nylon yarn woven with the cotton yarn performs well as compared to the other two interlining materials. The results not only facilitate the basic understanding of the fusing behavior of interlining materials with nappa leathers but also are useful for apparel design and construction

A Software System to Collect Expert Relevance Ratings of Medical Record Items for Specific Clinical Tasks

Development of task-specific electronic medical record (EMR) searches and user interfaces has the potential to improve the efficiency and safety of health care while curbing rising costs. The development of such tools must be data-driven and guided by a strong understanding of practitioner information requirements with respect to specific clinical tasks or scenarios. To acquire this important data, this paper describes a model by which expert practitioners are leveraged to identify which components of the medical record are most relevant to a specific clinical task. We also describe the computer system that was created to efficiently implement this model of data gathering. The system extracts medical record data from the EMR of patients matching a given clinical scenario, de-identifies the data, breaks the data up into separate medical record items (eg, radiology reports, operative notes, laboratory results, etc), presents each individual medical record item to experts under the hypothetical of the given clinical scenario, and records the experts’ ratings regarding the relevance of each medical record item to that specific clinical scenario or task. After an iterative process of data collection, these expert relevance ratings can then be pooled and used to design point-of-care EMR searches and user interfaces tailored to the task-specific needs of practitioners

Study on health seeking behaviour of elderly population for chronic diseases in a rural area of northern Kerala

Background: The existing global and national demographic structure is evolving towards a greater number of elderly people. Chronic diseases have negative personal, societal, and financial consequences in all communities and economies. Health seeking behaviour is thought to be the result of a complicated interplay between the patient's disease condition and socioeconomic and demographic variables, as well as the quality, availability, and accessibility of healthcare services. Methods: Community based cross sectional study was carried out among the persons aged 60 years or above who had one or more chronic disease residing in rural area of Malappuram district, Kerala. Data was collected from 240 participants by interview method using a pre-designed questionnaire. Results: Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus were the three diseases that affect elderly individuals most frequently. Majority (86.7%) of the study population is seeking medical care for chronic conditions. 82.1% of the population prefer modern medicine and 5.8% prefer AYUSH system of medicine. Age, marital status, education, and occupation were all factors that contributed to their health-seeking behaviour. Conclusions: Immediate attention and action are required from the health care authorities and policymakers to reinforce the geriatric healthcare strategy and enhance the behaviour of people seeking health care for chronic diseases

Compatibility of mulberry silk fabric with cow nappa leather for product development

298-304The present work describes the application of silk fabric for leather garments and goods to support the leather products industry in identifying alternate raw material. The results show that the quilted silk fabric has the potential to be combined with cow nappa leather to make products with improved strength and enhanced aesthetic appeal. The major findings of this study also prove that on treatment with artificial alkaline perspiration, leather and silk-based samples behave inversely and this relation gives a clear direction to product designers and developers about the placement of leather and silk panels while making combination products. Apparently, this study helps the silk industry to attain the major share in the domestic and global market

Compatibility of mulberry silk fabric with cow nappa leather for product development

The present work describes the application of silk fabric for leather garments and goods to support the leather products industry in identifying alternate raw material. The results show that the quilted silk fabric has the potential to be combined with cow nappa leather to make products with improved strength and enhanced aesthetic appeal. The major findings of this study also prove that on treatment with artificial alkaline perspiration, leather and silk-based samples behave inversely and this relation gives a clear direction to product designers and developers about the placement of leather and silk panels while making combination products. Apparently, this study helps the silk industry to attain the major share in the domestic and global market.

Bim and Bmf synergize to induce apoptosis in Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection

Abstract: Bcl-2 family proteins including the pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins are central regulators of apoptotic cell death. Here we show by a focused siRNA miniscreen that the synergistic action of the BH3-only proteins Bim and Bmf is required for apoptosis induced by infection with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ngo). While Bim and Bmf were associated with the cytoskeleton of healthy cells, they both were released upon Ngo infection. Loss of Bim and Bmf from the cytoskeleton fraction required the activation of Jun-N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK-1), which in turn depended on Rac-1. Depletion and inhibition of Rac-1, JNK-1, Bim, or Bmf prevented the activation of Bak and Bax and the subsequent activation of caspases. Apoptosis could be reconstituted in Bim-depleted and Bmf-depleted cells by additional silencing of antiapoptotic Mcl-1 and Bcl-XL, respectively. Our data indicate a synergistic role for both cytoskeletal-associated BH3-only proteins, Bim, and Bmf, in an apoptotic pathway leading to the clearance of Ngo-infected cells. Author Summary: A variety of physiological death signals, as well as pathological insults, trigger apoptosis, a genetically programmed form of cell death. Pathogens often induce host cell apoptosis to establish a successful infection. Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ngo), the etiological agent of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea, is a highly adapted obligate human-specific pathogen and has been shown to induce apoptosis in infected cells. Here we unveil the molecular mechanisms leading to apoptosis of infected cells. We show that Ngo-mediated apoptosis requires a special subset of proapoptotic proteins from the group of BH3-only proteins. BH3-only proteins act as stress sensors to translate toxic environmental signals to the initiation of apoptosis. In a siRNA-based miniscreen, we found Bim and Bmf, BH3-only proteins associated with the cytoskeleton, necessary to induce host cell apoptosis upon infection. Bim and Bmf inactivated different inhibitors of apoptosis and thereby induced cell death in response to infection. Our data unveil a novel pathway of infection-induced apoptosis that enhances our understanding of the mechanism by which BH3-only proteins control apoptotic cell death