This paper investigates the outage and throughput performance of full-duplex (FD) cooperative relaying (CR) based non-orthogonal multiple access system (NOMA) with energy harvesting (EH) i.e., ...FD-CR-EH-NOMA system. We consider a network scenario, where the base station (BS) serves two downlink users, with the near user configured as a FD relay to deliver messages to the far user. We derive analytical expressions for the outage probabilities experienced by the users and the system outage probability of FD-CR-EH-NOMA network under time switching relaying (TSR) protocol in the presence/absence of direct link from BS to the far user. Assuming imperfect successive interference cancellation (i-SIC), we derive analytical expressions for (i) optimal power allocation (OPA) factor at the BS and (ii) optimal time switching (OTS) factor at the relay that independently minimizes the system outage probability. Further, we use the alternating optimization technique to determine the jointly optimal power allocation and time switching factors that minimize the system outage probability. Furthermore, we determine the OTS factor that maximizes the asymptotic throughput of the system in the delay-limited transmission mode. With the help of numerical and simulation investigations, we show that the system outage and throughput of the considered network improve significantly under the proposed schemes.
Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics- a review Pandey, Kavita. R.; Naik, Suresh. R.; Vakil, Babu. V.
Journal of food science and technology,
12/2015, Volume:
52, Issue:
12
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The health benefits imparted by probiotics and prebiotics as well as synbiotics have been the subject of extensive research in the past few decades. These food supplements termed as functional foods ...have been demonstrated to alter, modify and reinstate the pre-existing intestinal flora. They also facilitate smooth functions of the intestinal environment. Most commonly used probiotic strains are:
Bifidobacterium, Lactobacilli, S. boulardii, B. coagulans.
Prebiotics like FOS, GOS, XOS, Inulin; fructans are the most commonly used fibers which when used together with probiotics are termed synbiotics and are able to improve the viability of the probiotics. Present review focuses on composition and roles of Probiotics, Prebiotics and Synbiotics in human health. Furthermore, additional health benefits like immune-modulation, cancer prevention, inflammatory bowel disease etc. are also discussed.
Graphical abstract
Pictorial summary of health benefits imparted by probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics
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CEKLJ, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Biodegradable nano/microparticles of poly(
d,l-lactide-
co-glycolide) (PLGA) and PLGA-based polymers are widely explored as carriers for controlled delivery of macromolecular therapeutics such as ...proteins, peptides, vaccines, genes, antigens, growth factors, etc. These devices are mainly produced by emulsion or double-emulsion technique followed by solvent evaporation or spray drying. Drug encapsulation, particle size, additives added during formulation, molecular weight, ratio of lactide to glycolide moieties in PLGA and surface morphology could influence the release characteristics. Encapsulation efficiency and release rates through nano/microparticle-mediated drug delivery devices can be optimized to improve their therapeutic efficacy. In this review, important findings of the past decade on the encapsulation and release profiles of macromolecular therapeutics from PLGA and PLGA-based nano/microparticles are discussed critically in relation to nature and type of bioactive molecule, carrier polymer and experimental variables that influence the delivery of macromolecular therapeutics. Even though extensive research on biodegradable microparticles containing macromolecular drugs has greatly advanced to the level of production know-how, the effects of critical parameters influencing drug encapsulation are not sufficiently investigated for nano-scaled carriers. The present review attempts to address some important data on nano/microparticle-based delivery systems of PLGA and PLGA-derived polymers with reference to macromolecular drugs.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
This article gives an overview of the application of nanomaterials in environmental remediation. In the area of environmental remediation, nanomaterials offer the potential for the efficient removal ...of pollutants and biological contaminants. Nanomaterials in various shapes/morphologies, such as nanoparticles, tubes, wires, fibres
etc.
, function as adsorbents and catalysts and their composites with polymers are used for the detection and removal of gases (SO
2
, CO, NO
x
,
etc.
), contaminated chemicals (arsenic, iron, manganese, nitrate, heavy metals,
etc.
), organic pollutants (aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons) and biological substances, such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and antibiotics. Nanomaterials show a better performance in environmental remediation than other conventional techniques because of their high surface area (surface-to-volume ratio) and their associated high reactivity. Recent advances in the fabrication of novel nanoscale materials and processes for the treatment of drinking water and industrial waste water contaminated by toxic metal ions, radionuclides, organic and inorganic solutes, bacteria and viruses and the treatment of air are highlighted. In addition, recent advances in the application of polymer nanocomposite materials for the treatment of contaminants and the monitoring of pollutants are also discussed. Furthermore, the research trends and future prospects are briefly discussed.
This article presents an in-depth review of the role of various types of nanomaterials in environmental remediation.
Background
Operations on structures in the chest (usually the lungs) involve cutting between the ribs (thoracotomy). Severe post‐thoracotomy pain can result from pleural (lung lining) and muscular ...damage, costovertebral joint (ribcage) disruption and intercostal nerve (nerves that run along the ribs) damage during surgery. Poor pain relief after surgery can impede recovery and increase the risks of developing complications such as lung collapse, chest infections and blood clots due to ineffective breathing and clearing of secretions. Effective management of acute pain following thoracotomy may prevent these complications and reduce the likelihood of developing chronic pain. A multi‐modal approach to analgesia is widely employed by thoracic anaesthetists using a combination of regional anaesthetic blockade and systemic analgesia, with both non‐opioid and opioid medications and local anaesthesia blockade.
There is some evidence that blocking the nerves as they emerge from the spinal column (paravertebral block, PVB) may be associated with a lower risk of major complications in thoracic surgery but the majority of thoracic anaesthetists still prefer to use a thoracic epidural blockade (TEB) as analgesia for their patients undergoing thoracotomy. In order to bring about a change in practice, anaesthetists need a review that evaluates the risk of all major complications associated with thoracic epidural and paravertebral block in thoracotomy.
Objectives
To compare the two regional techniques of TEB and PVB in adults undergoing elective thoracotomy with respect to:
1. analgesic efficacy;
2. the incidence of major complications (including mortality);
3. the incidence of minor complications;
4. length of hospital stay;
5. cost effectiveness.
Search methods
We searched for studies in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2013, Issue 9); MEDLINE via Ovid (1966 to 16 October 2013); EMBASE via Ovid (1980 to 16 October 2013); CINAHL via EBSCO host (1982 to 16 October 2013); and reference lists of retrieved studies. We handsearched the Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia (16 October 2013). We reran the search on 31st January 2015. We found one additional study which is awaiting classification and will be addressed when we update the review.
Selection criteria
We included all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing PVB with TEB in thoracotomy, including upper gastrointestinal surgery.
Data collection and analysis
We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Two review authors (JY and SG) independently assessed the studies for inclusion and then extracted data as eligible for inclusion in qualitative and quantitative synthesis (meta‐analysis).
Main results
We included 14 studies with a total of 698 participants undergoing thoracotomy. There are two studies awaiting classification. The studies demonstrated high heterogeneity in insertion and use of both regional techniques, reflecting real‐world differences in the anaesthesia techniques. Overall, the included studies have a moderate to high potential for bias, lacking details of randomization, group allocation concealment or arrangements to blind participants or outcome assessors. There was low to very low‐quality evidence that showed no significant difference in 30‐day mortality (2 studies, 125 participants. risk ratio (RR) 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39 to 4.23, P value = 0.68) and major complications (cardiovascular: 2 studies, 114 participants. Hypotension RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.01 to 6.62, P value = 0.45; arrhythmias RR 0.36, 95% CI 0.04 to 3.29, P value = 0.36, myocardial infarction RR 3.19, 95% CI 0.13, 76.42, P value = 0.47); respiratory: 5 studies, 280 participants. RR 0.62, 95% CI 0.26 to 1.52, P value = 0.30). There was moderate‐quality evidence that showed comparable analgesic efficacy across all time points both at rest and after coughing or physiotherapy (14 studies, 698 participants). There was moderate‐quality evidence that showed PVB had a better minor complication profile than TEB including hypotension (8 studies, 445 participants. RR 0.16, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.38, P value < 0.0001), nausea and vomiting (6 studies, 345 participants. RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.75, P value = 0.001), pruritis (5 studies, 249 participants. RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.59, P value = 0.0005) and urinary retention (5 studies, 258 participants. RR 0.22, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.46, P value < 0.0001). There was insufficient data in chronic pain (six or 12 months). There was no difference found in and length of hospital stay (3 studies, 124 participants). We found no studies that reported costs.
Authors' conclusions
Paravertebral blockade reduced the risks of developing minor complications compared to thoracic epidural blockade. Paravertebral blockade was as effective as thoracic epidural blockade in controlling acute pain. There was a lack of evidence in other outcomes. There was no difference in 30‐day mortality, major complications, or length of hospital stay. There was insufficient data on chronic pain and costs. Results from this review should be interpreted with caution due to the heterogeneity of the included studies and the lack of reliable evidence. Future studies in this area need well‐conducted, adequately‐powered RCTs that focus not only on acute pain but also on major complications, chronic pain, length of stay and costs.
In the present study, a low-cost adsorbent is developed from the naturally and abundantly available sawdust which is biodegradable. The removal capacity of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions and from the ...synthetically prepared industrial effluent of electroplating and tannery industries is obtained. The batch experiments are carried out to investigate the effect of the significant process parameters such as initial pH, change in pH during adsorption, contact time, adsorbent amount, and the initial Cr(VI) concentration. The maximum adsorption of Cr(VI) on sawdust is obtained at an initial pH value of 1. The value of pH increases with increase in contact time and initial Cr(VI) concentration. The equilibrium data for the adsorption of Cr(VI) on sawdust is tested with various adsorption isotherm models such as Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich–Peterson, Koble–Corrigan, Tempkin, Dubinin–Radushkevich and Generalized equation. The Langmuir isotherm model is found to be the most suitable one for the Cr(VI) adsorption using sawdust and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained is 41.5
mg
g
−1 at a pH value of 1. The adsorption process follows the second-order kinetics and the corresponding rate constants are obtained. Desorption of Cr(VI) from sawdust using acid and base treatment exhibited a higher desorption efficiency by more than 95%. A feasible solution is proposed, for the disposal of the contaminant (acid and base solutions) containing high concentration of Cr(VI) obtained during the desorption process. The interference of other ions which are generally present in the electroplating and tannery industrial effluent streams on the Cr(VI) removal is investigated.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The reversible oxidation of methionine plays a crucial role in redox regulation of proteins. Methionine oxidation in proteins causes major structural modifications that can destabilize and abrogate ...their function. The highly conserved methionine sulfoxide reductases protect proteins from oxidative damage by reducing their oxidized methionines, thus restoring their stability and function. Deletion or mutation in conserved methionine sulfoxide reductases leads to aging and several human neurological disorders and also reduces yeast growth on nonfermentable carbon sources. Despite their importance in human health, limited information about their physiological substrates in humans and yeast is available. For the first time, we show that Mxr2 interacts in vivo with two core proteins of the cytoplasm to vacuole targeting (Cvt) autophagy pathway, Atg19, and Ape1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Deletion of MXR2 induces instability and early turnover of immature Ape1 and Atg19 proteins and reduces the leucine aminopeptidase activity of Ape1 without affecting the maturation process of Ape1. Additonally, Mxr2 interacts with the immature Ape1, dependent on Met17 present within the propeptide of Ape1 as a single substitution mutation of Met17 to Leu abolishes this interaction. Importantly, Ape1 M17L mutant protein resists oxidative stress-induced degradation in WT and mxr2Δ cells. By identifying Atg19 and Ape1 as cytosolic substrates of Mxr2, our study maps the hitherto unexplored connection between Mxr2 and the Cvt autophagy pathway and sheds light on Mxr2-dependent oxidative regulation of the Cvt pathway.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
This manuscript proposes a method for effective discharging method of pulsed energy in industrial effluents. The proposed approach is based on the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and Electro ...hydraulic Plasma Discharge (EHPD). The objective function of the proposed approach is minimizing the concentration of the ethylene blue (MB) dye in the industrial waste water. Using DBD and EHPD technique, treating such industrial effluents before mixing to the running water can effectively prevent polluting the water bodies and human health. It is one of the tertiary waste water treatments, which can also degrade biological substances. DBD technique is one of the advanced oxidation technique to de-color MB dye and the EHPD reactor is a strong and extremely efficient method for the degradation of MB. By then, the proposed model is implemented in the MATLAB platform and the implementation is calculated with the present procedure. The study concludes that the DBD and EHPD method outperforms other methods in terms of degradation efficiency. De-colorization of methylene blue (MB) took just 15 s using a 3 KV, 50μs pulse.
•Hybrid method using optimal power quality enhancement.•Honey Badger Algorithm (HBA).•Golden Jackal optimization (GJO).•Electro hydraulic Plasma Discharge (EHPD).
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
A process of conversion of solid carbonaceous fuel into combustible gas by partial combustion is known as gasification. The resulting gas, known as producer gas, is more versatile in its use than the ...original solid biomass. In the present study, a downdraft biomass gasifier is used to carry out the gasification experiments with the waste generated while making furniture in the carpentry section of the institute’s workshop.
Dalbergia sisoo, generally known as sesame wood or rose wood is mainly used in the furniture and wastage of the same is used as a biomass material in the present gasification studies. The effects of air flow rate and moisture content on biomass consumption rate and quality of the producer gas generated are studied by performing experiments. The performance of the biomass gasifier system is evaluated in terms of equivalence ratio, producer gas composition, calorific value of the producer gas, gas production rate, zone temperatures and cold gas efficiency. Material balance is carried out to examine the reliability of the results generated. The experimental results are compared with those reported in the literature.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Considering the importance of ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time of flight-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) hyphenated techniques for ...analysis of secondary metabolites from crude extracts, the present study was aimed at identification of secondary metabolites in acetone extract of the lichen
. From our study, 19 compounds were tentatively identified through comparison of exact molecular masses from their MS/MS spectra, mass fragmentation studies and comparison with literature data. In addition, potent cytotoxic activity of
extract prompted us to isolate four compounds, 18
-hydroxy-dihydroalloprotolichesterinic acid (
), neuropogolic acid (
), barbatic acid (
)
and usnic acid (
) from this extract which were adequately identified through mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. All four compounds displayed cytotoxic activity. Barbatic acid (
) manifested doxorubicin equivalent activity against A549 lung cancer cell line with IC
of 1.78 µM and strong G0/G1 accumulation of cells. Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage confirmed that it induced cytotoxic activity via apoptosis. Finally, our work has discerned the depside, barbatic acid (
) from crude extract as a candidate anti-cancer molecule, which induces cell death by stepping up apoptosis.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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