Material flow in construction sites – a case study

The efficient movement of materials at sites in fair quantity at fair time without any interruption is called material flow. Operation and flow of these materials is a challenge experienced in sites today due to material scarcity, delivery delays, inadequate transportation facilities, loss and wastage, insufficient storage space etc. Data on material flows and inventory levels is intended to promote circular economy and resource efficiency in the construction sector. This paper presents a case study in Kerala, India with the purpose to quantify the flow of materials and stocks in the construction site. A questionnaire survey was conducted to find out the main factors that can affect the flow of materials in the building industry. Out of 65 respondents labour, equipment, material, time and cost are identified as the main factors which can contribute towards material flow. Based on the identified parameters, a material flow pathway is developed for the case study. It demonstrates the management of logistics and factors influencing the movement of materials on work sites. It therefore helps in the analysis of factors concerning the efficient use of materials in infrastructure projects. Keywords-material flow, logistics management, material scarcity, infrastructure projects

The Role of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, affecting eighty million people globally and three million patients in the USA. Primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common type, is a multifactorial progressive optic nerve neurodegenerative disorder that leads to loss of optic nerve head (ONH) tissue, thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer, and corresponding visual field (VF) defects with or without elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Risk factors include older age, black or Hispanic race, elevated IOP, thin central corneal thickness, disk hemorrhage, and low ocular perfusion pressure. The two prevalent theories explaining glaucomatous damage are mechanical (elevated IOP) and vascular (compromised optic nerve perfusion). Current diagnostic methods, such as measuring IOP, VF testing, and ONH evaluation, are subjective and often unreliable. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a rapid, non-invasive imaging modality that provides 3-D, volumetric details of both the structure and vascular networks of the retina and optic nerve. Various researchers have shown that OCTA provides an accurate and objective evaluation of the retina and the optic nerve in glaucoma. This chapter describes the role of OCTA in managing patients with glaucoma

Survey Among Medical Students During COVID-19 Lockdown: The Online Class Dilemma

Background: In view of COVID-19 lockdown in India, many colleges started online classes. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of, and the factors affecting, medical students attending online classes during lockdown. Methods: We designed an online questionnaire with open-ended, close-ended, and Likert scale questions. Links to the questionnaires were shared with the medical students who have attended at least one online class during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Respondents were 1061 participants from 30 medical colleges from the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in India. Results: The majority of students – 94% (955/1016) – used smartphones to attend online classes. ZOOM/ Skype – by 57.1% (580/1016) – and Google platforms – by 54.4% (553/1016) – were commonly used. Learning at leisure – 44.5% (452/1016) – was the top reason why students liked online classes, whereas network problems – 85.8% (872/1016) – was the top reason why students disliked them. Lack of sufficient interaction – 61.1% (621/1016) was another reason why students disliked online learning. More than half the participants – 51.7% (526/1016) – did not want to continue online classes after COVID-19 lockdown. More students – 55% (558/1016) – favored regular classes than online classes. Conclusion: Students in our survey did not seem favorably disposed to online classes. Network problems experienced by students should be addressed. Furthermore, teachers should try to make the classes more interactive and educational institutions should address the problems pointed out by the students in order to make online classes more effective in the future

Survey data on bullying involvement among school-going adolescents in India

The data was collected from 169 school-going adolescents of grades sixth to twelfth from two cities in South India. The data set contains information of the frequency and type of bullying involvement (perpetration and victimization; physical, verbal, and social) among the participants in traditional and virtual classrooms. The data set can be used by all stakeholders to identify the frequency and types of bullying involvement among Indian adolescents. Further, relevant policies and programs can be developed that is tailored to the Indian adolescent population and the specific sociodemographic groups that are most vulnerable. Researchers can also replicate the study in various parts of India to compare bullying involvement among school-going adolescents across different parts of the nation

Quantification of vascular morphology in optical coherence tomography angiography in primary open angle glaucoma

Purpose: To quantitatively measure and compare the vascular morphology in healthy eyes and eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) scans. Methods: This is a retrospective and cross-sectional study which include healthy individuals and individuals with POAG that underwent OCTA imaging at an academic center's glaucoma clinic. We analyzed OCTA scans of the macula and optic nerve head (ONH) of one eye from each subject to quantitatively measure vessel density (VD), vessel length density (VLD), and branchpoint density (BPD). We compared these 3 parameters between the healthy and POAG groups and used logistic regression classification models to determine their diagnostic value in differentiating healthy and glaucomatous eyes. Results: We included 49 healthy subjects and 49 subjects with POAG. After age-adjusted analysis, the parameters of VD, VLD, and BPD were significantly reduced in eyes with POAG (P ​< ​0.001) in all scan layers and most significantly around the ONH. The parameter with the best performances were radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) VD [AUC (areas under the curve ): 0.939 (0.891, 0.987)] which had statistically higher performances (P ​< ​0.05) than parameters in the superficial or deep layers. All 3 parameters in the RPC layer had statistically similar performances. Conclusions: We found that VD, VLD, and BPD were reduced in glaucomatous eyes. The morphologic parameters of VLD and BPD had similar performances to the traditional parameter of VD in RPC layers. Our results suggest that vascular morphology parameters may provide additional value in the diagnosis and evaluation of glaucoma

Experimental and computational studies of cellulases as bioethanol enzymes.

Bioethanol industries and bioprocesses have many challenges that constantly impede commercialization of the end product. One of the bottlenecks in the bioethanol industry is the challenge of discovering highly efficient catalysts that can improve biomass conversion. The current promising bioethanol conversion catalysts are microorganism-based cellulolytic enzymes, but lack optimization for high bioethanol conversion, due to biological and other factors. A better understanding of molecular underpinnings of cellulolytic enzyme mechanisms and significant ways to improve them can accelerate the bioethanol commercial production process. In order to do this, experimental methods are the primary choice to evaluate and characterize cellulase's properties, but they are time-consuming and expensive. A time-saving, complementary approach involves computational methods that evaluate the same properties and improves our atomistic-level understanding of enzymatic mechanism of action. Theoretical methods in many cases have proposed research routes for subsequent experimental testing and validation, reducing the overall research cost. Having a plethora of tools to evaluate cellulases and the yield of the enzymatic process will aid in planning more optimized experimental setups. Thus, there is a need to connect the computational evaluation methods with the experimental methods to overcome the bottlenecks in the bioethanol industry. This review discusses various experimental and computational methods and their use in evaluating the multiple properties of cellulases

Resveratrol Protects the Brain of Obese Mice from Oxidative Damage

Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a polyphenolic phytoalexin that exerts cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and antioxidant effects. Recently it has been shown that obesity is associated with an increase in cerebral oxidative stress levels, which may enhance neurodegeneration. The present study evaluates the neuroprotective action of resveratrol in brain of obese (ob/ob) mice. Resveratrol was administered orally at the dose of 25 mg kg−1 body weight daily for three weeks to lean and obese mice. Resveratrol had no effect on body weight or blood glucose levels in obese mice. Lipid peroxides were significantly increased in brain of obese mice. The enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and nonenzymatic antioxidants tocopherol, ascorbic acid, and glutathione were decreased in obese mice brain. Administration of resveratrol decreased lipid peroxide levels and upregulated the antioxidant activities in obese mice brain. Our findings indicate a neuroprotective effect of resveratrol by preventing oxidative damage in brain tissue of obese mice