A Computing Model for Design of Flexible Buoyancy System for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Gliders

Modern design approaches are conceived and utilised in an integrated loop covering system statics, dynamics, optimisation, and others. In this regard this paper presents a computing based integrated design approach for a flexible buoyancy system (FBS) aimed towards the applications in autonomous underwater vehicles and gliders. The primary design alternatives for the FBS are: piston and pump driven and both are investigated. The primary design of autonomous underwater vehicles and gliders is computed from first principle of mechanics and defined in the computer aided design model and it is implemented in the Matlab*TM. Lastly, to show the application of the present approach, a design example is presented for a water depth of 6000 m

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ALCOHOLIC AND AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF SYZYGIUM CUMINI ON CARBON TETRACHLORIDE-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN WISTAR RATS

ABSTRACTObjective: In this investigation, the comparative hepatoprotective effect of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Syzygium cumini (AESC and EESC,respectively) was studied on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic injury in rats. These findings were also compared with the standardhepatoprotective drug silymarin.Methods: Hepatotoxicity was induced by a single dose of CCl4 to healthy Wistar rats. Standard drug (100 mg/kg) and test extracts (500 mg/kg forboth) were given orally for 10 days; the effects were observed using different biochemical and histological methods.Results: In most of the studied parameters test extracts exhibited significant hepatoprotection, these were comparative to standard. Histologicalanalysis also revealed the protective nature of both the extracts.Conclusion: These results suggest that the SC extracts can ameliorate CCl4 induced hepatic injury. However, its ethanolic extract was found to berelatively less effective than aqueous extract. Indicated, some hydrophilic active compound of SC might work here.Keywords: Hepatoprotective, Carbon tetrachloride, Silymarin, Syzygium cumini, Alkaline phosphatase, Total bilirubin

Zingiber officinale Roscoe aqueous extract modulates Matrixmetalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of Metalloproteinases expressions in Dengue virus-infected cells: implications for prevention of vascular permeability

Purpose: To investigate the effect of the aqueous extract of Zingiber officinale Roscoe. (ZOA) rhizome on the activity and expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 using an in vitro model of Dengue virus (DV) infection.Methods: Z. officinale rhizomes were extracted with water by continuous shaking for 5 days. The total phenolic content in extract was measured by Folin-Ciocalteu method. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed to define qualitative and quantitative content of [6]-gingerol in ZOA. The median inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of ZOA for Vero cells was determined by 3-(4,5 dimethylthiazol-2- yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. To induce MMPs production, Vero cells were infected with DV3. The modulatory effect of ZOA on the activity and expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were assessed using gelatin zymography and quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR), respectively.Results: The yield of the ZOA was 7.98%. Total phenolics in ZOA was 68.17 ± 0.28 mg GAE/g of extract and it contained 29.32 ± 1.97 mg 6-gingerol/g of extract.The half-maximal inhibition concentration (IC50) of ZOA was 348.8 μg/mL for Vero cells. DV infection of Vero cells significantly elevated the production of soluble gelatinolytic MMP-2 and to a lesser extent, MMP-9, and their activities were significantly inhibited by ZOA in a dose-dependent manner. A significant down-regulation of MMP-2, MMP-9 mRNA expression and up-regulation of TIMP-1, TIMP-2 mRNA expression were observed in DV-infected Vero cells following treatment with ZOA, and it occurred in a  dose-dependent manner.Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that ZOA may ameliorate plasma leakage in dengue virus infection and decrease the chances of severe dengue complications, dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) by inhibiting the activities and expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 while upregulating the expression of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2

Analysis and prediction of antibacterial peptides

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Antibacterial peptides are important components of the innate immune system, used by the host to protect itself from different types of pathogenic bacteria. Over the last few decades, the search for new drugs and drug targets has prompted an interest in these antibacterial peptides. We analyzed 486 antibacterial peptides, obtained from antimicrobial peptide database APD, in order to understand the preference of amino acid residues at specific positions in these peptides.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>It was observed that certain types of residues are preferred over others in antibacterial peptides, particularly at the N and C terminus. These observations encouraged us to develop a method for predicting antibacterial peptides in proteins from their amino acid sequence. First, the N-terminal residues were used for predicting antibacterial peptides using Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Quantitative Matrices (QM) and Support Vector Machine (SVM), which resulted in an accuracy of 83.63%, 84.78% and 87.85%, respectively. Then, the C-terminal residues were used for developing prediction methods, which resulted in an accuracy of 77.34%, 82.03% and 85.16% using ANN, QM and SVM, respectively. Finally, ANN, QM and SVM models were developed using N and C terminal residues, which achieved an accuracy of 88.17%, 90.37% and 92.11%, respectively. All the models developed in this study were evaluated using five-fold cross validation technique. These models were also tested on an independent or blind dataset.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Among antibacterial peptides, there is preference for certain residues at N and C termini, which helps to demarcate them from non-antibacterial peptides. Both the termini play a crucial role in imparting the antibacterial property to these peptides. Among the methods developed, SVM shows the best performance in predicting antibacterial peptides followed by QM and ANN, in that order. AntiBP (Antibacterial peptides) will help in discovering efficacious antibacterial peptides, which we hope will prove to be a boon to combat the dreadful antibiotic resistant bacteria. A user friendly web server has also been developed to help the biological community, which is accessible at <url>http://www.imtech.res.in/raghava/antibp/</url>.</p

Exercise and Coronary Atherosclerosis: Observations, Explanations, Relevance, and Clinical Management.

Physical activity and exercise training are effective strategies for reducing the risk of cardiovascular events, but multiple studies have reported an increased prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis, usually measured as coronary artery calcification, among athletes who are middle-aged and older. Our review of the medical literature demonstrates that the prevalence of coronary artery calcification and atherosclerotic plaques, which are strong predictors for future cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, was higher in athletes compared with controls, and was higher in the most active athletes compared with less active athletes. However, analysis of plaque morphology revealed fewer mixed plaques and more often only calcified plaques among athletes, suggesting a more benign composition of atherosclerotic plaques. This review describes the effects of physical activity and exercise training on coronary atherosclerosis in athletes who are middle-aged and older and aims to contribute to the understanding of the potential adverse effects of the highest doses of exercise training on the coronary arteries. For this purpose, we will review the association between exercise and coronary atherosclerosis measured using computed tomography, discuss the potential underlying mechanisms for exercise-induced coronary atherosclerosis, determine the clinical relevance of coronary atherosclerosis in middle-aged athletes and describe strategies for the clinical management of athletes with coronary atherosclerosis to guide physicians in clinical decision making and treatment of athletes with elevated coronary artery calcification scores

To Evaluate and Compare the Efficacy of Vidarikanda Churna and Kataka Churna in the Management of Male Sexual Function and Visual Acuity

Background: Eye is an important sense organ. It is very important to protect vision. Aacharya Sushruta described Atimaithuna (excessive sexual activity), in etiological factors causing Netraroga. Excessive sexinduced stress hormones – epinephrine and nor-epinephrine – may damage retinal endothelial cells, inflame eye balls and dilate pupils, over sensitivity to light in the retina and adverse effect on power of vision.Need of study: Most ophthalmologists can effectively diagnose and treat blurred vision caused by glaucoma, cataracts, presbyopia, diabetes, macular degeneration or retinal detachment. But for sexually exhausted people with blurred vision, the problem goes undiagnosed and treated.Aim: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of Vidarikanda churna and Kataka churna in the management of male sexual function and poor vision.Materials and Methods: 110 patients who had Timira (refractive errors) with associated symptoms of male sexual dysfunction (MSD) were selected for randomized control trial on the basis of prepared inclusion and exclusion criteria; out of them 50 patients each were divided in two groups (excluding drop outs)named Group A and Group B.Results: The trial drug Kataka churna showed statistically significant results in subjective parameters of visual disturbances (Timira roga) and visual acuity. Vidarikanda churna significantly improved the quality of vision and MSD.Conclusion: The study overall concluded that Shukravradhaka drugs like Vidarikanda significantly improve the quality of vision

Application of Computed Tomography (CT) Attenuation Values in Diagnosis of Transudate and Exudate in Patients with Pleural Effusion

Background: Pleural effusion is the pathologic accumulation of fluid in the pleural space. The fluid analysis yields important diagnostic information, and in certain cases, fluid analysis alone is enough for diagnosis. Analysis of pleural fluid by thoracentesis with imaging guidance helps to determine the cause of pleural effusion. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) in characterizing pleural fluid based on attenuation values and CT appearance. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 100 patients admitted to Gandaki Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Pokhara, Nepal between January 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018. Patients who were diagnosed with pleural effusion and had a chest CT followed by diagnostic thoracentesis within 48 hours were included in the study. Effusions were classified as exudates or transudates using laboratory biochemistry markers on the basis of Light’s criteria. The mean attenuation values of the pleural effusions were measured in Hounsfield units in all patients using a region of interest with the greatest quantity of fluid. Each CT scan was also reviewed for the presence of additional pleural features. Results: According to Light’s criteria, 26 of 100 patients with pleural effusions had transudates, and the remaining patients had exudates. The mean attenuation of the exudates (16.5 ±1.7 HU; 95% CI, range, -33.4 – 44 HU) was significantly higher than the mean attenuation of the transudates (11.6 ±0.57 HU; 95% CI, range, 5 - 16 HU), (P = 0.0001). None of the additional CT features accurately differentiated exudates from transudates (P = 0.70). Fluid loculation was found in 35.13% of exudates and in 19.23% of transudates. Pleural thickening was found in 29.7% of exudates and in 15.3% of transudates. Pleural nodule was found in 10.8% of exudates which all were related to the malignancy. Conclusion: CT attenuation values may be useful in differentiating exudates from transudates. Exudates had significantly higher Hounsfield units in CT scan. Additional signs, such as fluid loculation, pleural thickness, and pleural nodules were more commonly found in patients with exudative effusions and could be considered and may provide further information for the differentiation

Sonographic Measurement of Spleen in Relation to Age: A Prospective Study among Adult Nepalese People in Western Nepal

Introduction: Splenomegaly is an enlargement of the spleen which is a quite common problem in any part of the world. Spleen is enlarged in various clinical disorders e.g. infections, metabolism or storage disor­ders and hematological abnormalities. Splenomegaly is an indicator of pathologic process that may be of primary splenic origin but also may be a reflection of disease in virtually any other organ system. Thus, it is important to estimate the splenic size in vivo in the diagnosis, treat­ment and prognosis of a variety of disorders. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the normal dimension of the spleen in the adult Nepalese people. Methods: This is a prospective study in which 320 adults subjects were scanned by using 3.5 MHz curvilinear probe. We used ultrasonography to examine 160 males and 160 females, not to have any condition likely to be associated with splenic enlargement. The measurement for the length and thickness of spleen were obtained in right lateral position. Results: This study revealed the splenic dimensions for males were greater than in females. The men spleen length were (10.07 ±0.7 cm, 10.1 ±0.54 cm, 9.5 ±0.7 cm and 9.0 ±0.43 cm for age group of 16 - 30, 31 - 45, 46 - 60 and 61 - 75 years respectively). The females spleen length were (9.83 ±0.53 cm, 9.58 ±0.58cm, 9.2 ±0.64 cm and 8.8 ±0.36 cm for age group of 16 - 30, 31 - 45, 46 - 60 and 61 - 75 years respec­tively). The men spleen thickness were more (4.1 ±0.5 cm, 4.05 ±0.58 cm, 3.43 ±0.38 cm and 3.0 ±0.36 cm for age group of 16 - 30, 31 - 45, 46 - 60 and 61 - 75 years respectively). The females splenic thickness were 4.06 ±0.47 cm, 3.78 ±0.48 cm, 3.38 ±0.35 cm and 2.29 ±0.23 cm for age group of 16 - 30, 31 - 45, 46 - 60 and 61 - 75 years respectively. Thus significant differences between male and female splenic dimen­sions were found for each age group chosen (P <0.05). Conclusions: The results show that the splenic length and thickness decreased with increase in age in both males and females and all the di­mensions were greater in males than in females. This study established normogram that can be more reliably used as both a complementary modality to clinical evaluation and as a more sensitive means of evalu­ating and screening patients for splenic disorders for any pathologi­cal enlargement or reduction of size in clinical practice in a Nepalese populations. Journal of Gandaki Medical College   Vol. 10, No. 1, 2017, page: 11-1