The study was aimed to evaluate the performance of a newly developed spectroscopy-based non-invasive and noncontact device (SAMIRA) for the simultaneous measurement of hemoglobin, bilirubin and ...oxygen saturation as an alternative to the invasive biochemical method of blood sampling. The accuracy of the device was assessed in 4318 neonates having incidences of either anemia, jaundice, or hypoxia. Transcutaneous bilirubin, hemoglobin and blood saturation values were obtained by the newly developed instrument which was corroborated with the biochemical blood tests by expert clinicians. The instrument is trained using Artificial Neural Network Analysis to increase the acceptability of the data. The artificial intelligence incorporated within the instrument determines the disease condition of the neonate. The Pearson's correlation coefficient, r was found to be 0.987 for hemoglobin estimation and 0.988 for bilirubin and blood gas saturation respectively. The bias and the limits of agreement for the measurement of all the three parameters were within the clinically acceptance limit.
Drug delivery to a target without adverse effects is one of the major criteria for clinical use. Herein, we have made an attempt to explore the delivery efficacy of SDS surfactant in a monomer and ...micellar stage during the delivery of the model drug, Toluidine Blue (TB) from the micellar cavity to DNA. Molecular recognition of pre‐micellar SDS encapsulated TB with DNA occurs at a rate constant of k1 ∼652 s−1. However, no significant release of encapsulated TB at micellar concentration was observed within the experimental time frame. This originated from the higher binding affinity of TB towards the nano‐cavity of SDS at micellar concentration which does not allow the delivery of TB from the nano‐cavity of SDS micelles to DNA. Thus, molecular recognition controls the extent of DNA recognition by TB which in turn modulates the rate of delivery of TB from SDS in a concentration‐dependent manner.
Delivery of Toluidine Blue (TB) to DNA in the form of TB‐surfactant ionic pair occurs in the pre‐micellar stage of the surfactant, in contrast to the no transfer of TB molecules to DNA in the micellar stage.
Globally estrogenic pollutants are a cause of concern in wastewaters and water bodies because of their high endocrine disrupting activity leading to extremely negative impacts on humans and other ...organisms even at very low environmental concentrations. Bioremediation of estrogens has been studied extensively and one technology that has emerged with its promising capabilities is Bioelectrochemical Systems (BESs). Several studies in the past have investigated BESs applications for treatment of wastewaters containing toxic recalcitrant pollutants with a primary focus on improvement of performance of these systems for their deployment in real field applications. But the information is scattered and further the improvements are difficult to achieve for standalone BESs. This review critically examines the various existing treatment technologies for the effective estrogen degradation. The major focus of this paper is on the technological advancements for scaling up of these BESs for the real field applications along with their integration with the existing and conventional wastewater treatment systems. A detailed discussion on few selected microbial species having the unusual properties of heterotrophic nitrification and extraordinary stress response ability to toxic compounds and their degradation has been highlighted. Based on the in-depth study and analysis of BESs, microbes and possible benefits of various treatment methods for estrogen removal, we have proposed a sustainable Hybrid BES-centered treatment system for this purpose as a choice for wastewater treatment. We have also identified three pipeline tasks that reflect the vital parts of the life cycle of drugs and integrated treatment unit, as a way forward to foster bioeconomy along with an approach for sustainable wastewater treatment.
Display omitted
•Studies suggest that Bioelectrochemical Systems (BESs) have promising capabilities in bioremediation of estrogens.•Sustainable BES-centered hybrid wastewater treatment system as solution for estrogen removal.•Anammox, Rhodopseudomonas and Shewanella are proposed as the potential microorganisms for this purpose.
This study conducts an extensive comparative analysis of computational intelligence approaches aimed at predicting the compressive strength (CS) of concrete, utilizing two non-destructive testing ...(NDT) methods: the rebound hammer (RH) and the ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) test. In the ensemble learning approach, the six most popular algorithms (Adaboost, CatBoost, gradient boosting tree (GBT), random forest (RF), stacking, and extreme gradient boosting (XGB)) have been used to develop the prediction models of CS of concrete based on NDT. The ML models have been developed using a total of 721 samples, of which 111 were cast in the laboratory, 134 were obtained from in-situ testing, and the other samples were gathered from the literature. Among the three categories of analytical models-RH models, UPV models, and combined RH and UPV models; seven, ten, and thirteen models have been used respectively. AdaBoost, CatBoost, GBT, RF, Stacking, and XGB models have been used to improve the accuracy and dependability of the analytical models. The RH-M5, UPV-M6, and C-M6 (combined UPV and RH model) models were found with highest performance level amongst all the analytical models. The MAPE value of XGB was observed to be 84.37%, 83.24%, 77.33%, 59.46%, and 81.08% lower than AdaBoost, CatBoost, GBT, RF, and stacking, respectively. The performance of XGB model has been found best than other soft computing techniques and existing traditional predictive models.
Background
Neurological involvement can occur in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) due to co-existing neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The symptoms can mimic those of neuropsychiatric ...manifestations of SLE. Pathogenic anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies, commonly found in NMOSD, are responsible for the neuroinflammatory response and secondary demyelinating lesions. These anti-AQP4 antibodies can be the drivers of neuroinflammatory process in SLE patients, which is distinct from the immunopathogenesis seen in traditional neuropsychiatric SLE. The clinical course is often a relapsing one and is managed differently. In this review, we describe and outline the clinical course and outcomes of AQP4+ NMOSD/SLE overlap cases.
Methods
To investigate the co-existence of SLE with AQP4+NMOSD, we conducted a systematic review of individual patient data from case reports and case series reported in major databases. The study extracted clinic-demographic features, imaging and laboratory profiles, treatment approaches, and outcomes of these patients. Inclusion criteria for the review required patients to have positivity for AQP4 or NMO in the blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and exhibit at least one manifestation of both NMOSD and SLE.
Results
In this overlap between SLE and AQP4+NMOSD, a high female preponderance was observed, with 42 out of 46 patients (91.3%) being female. Nearly half of the NMOSD cases (47.8%) had onset after lupus, with a median of 5 years between the two diagnoses. Hematological manifestations were seen in the majority of patients (63%), as well as longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (87%), and brainstem involvement on imaging (29.6%). Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed a dominantly lymphocytic pleocytosis, with oligoclonal bands being reported scarcely. Although cyclophosphamide was the most common steroid sparing agent used for maintenance, robust evidence for both efficacy and safety in AQP4+NMOSD is available for mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, and rituximab. The majority of reported cases showed a relapsing course, while one patient had a monophasic course.
Conclusion
AQP4+NMOSD in SLE patients is a relapsing and neurologically disabling disorder that can mimic neuropsychiatric manifestations, frequently occurs after the onset of lupus or may predate, responds to immunosuppressants, and necessitates indefinite treatment.
Protruded roughness geometry is generally considered to be simple, an innovative and economic technique for improving thermal performance of solar air heater. Experimental investigation has been ...carried to study the effect of different shapes, position, and height of protrusions on heat transfer and friction characteristics of solar air heater duct for the range of parameters. Correlations for Nusselt number and friction factor have been brought out from the experimental data which can be further used for evaluating performance of solar air heater having the considered roughness geometry.
Energy, water, and clean air constitute the fundamental necessities for human survival, and these resources are deeply interconnected. The detrimental effects of modern lifestyle activities and ...increasing energy requirements have led to amplified use of fossil fuels. This situation is further exacerbated by the improper disposal of substantial amounts of biomass waste, especially in developing nations. However, there is an innovative solution that can address these pressing issues - the carbonization process, which transforms biomass waste into valuable advanced materials. Among the extraordinary materials generated through this procedure are porous activated carbons derived from diverse forms of biomass. Our discussion has explored various biomass sources for activated carbon and their corresponding electrochemical characteristics. Within the realm of energy storage applications, we have delved into the utilization of bio sources including waste tyre, wood, lotus husk, banana peels, bamboo waste, green tea waste, datura, and pineapple leaves in the form of activated carbons. These activated carbons possess remarkable energy storage capabilities in supercapacitors, with reported specific capacitances reaching an impressive value 1400 F/g. Furthermore, we have highlighted the functionalities of supercapacitors and batteries, as well as the distinct roles played by their individual components in energy storage. This all-inclusive assessment not only summarizes the most recent advancements in biomass-derived activated carbon but also underscores its pivotal role in storing energy. Moreover, the assessment delves into the key factors that influence the efficiency of biomass-derived activated carbon in these specific applications, perfectly catering to the requirements of future demands.
Display omitted
•Bio wastes of diverse nature are studied to determine their potential as a valuable source in producing activated carbon.•Biomass-derived electrodes for supercapacitors and batteries lead to the growing energy storage demands of today's world.•Biomass-derived carbons undergoes the process of activation, and modification to be carefully tailored and optimized.•AC undergoes thorough evaluation to achieve high energy density and extended cycle life in energy storage devices.•Functioning of key components of energy storage devices is explained.
The quality of target foils often plays an important role in the success of nuclear physics experiments. Specially, in an experiment intended to measure the level lifetimes of short lived excited ...nuclear states with Doppler shift attenuation method (DSAM), an isotopically enriched thin target on appropriately thick backing foil of high-Z material is preferentially required. In the present work, a thin (thickness ≈ 0.9 mg/cm2) mono-isotopic Nb target on thick (thickness ≈ 9.2 mg/cm2) lead backing has been prepared using rolling technique at the Inter University Accelerator Center (IUAC), New Delhi. To meet the important criteria of sufficient thickness and proper sticking of two foils without any air gap in-between, some novel methods like heating of stainless steel (SS) pack before rolling, frequent change of rolling pack, use of alcohol during rolling, unidirectional rolling under low pressure specially for rolling lead foil and the composite target, were adopted. The quality check of prepared target foil was done with the energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) technique. The prepared target has been successfully used in a recent DSAM lifetime measurement experiment at IUAC, New Delhi.
MXenes have captured the interest of scientists and technologists in several domains, especially devices for storing energy like supercapacitors (SC) as well as flexible batteries. Because of their ...distinctive optical, mechanical, electrochemical, electrical, and physicochemical capabilities, pure MXene and their hybrids are increasingly being used in several kinds of energy storage devices. Some recently used MXene and MXene hybrid materials have shown attractive energy parameter values like energy density, specific capacity, gravimetric capacity, volumetric capacity, and power density as well. Regarding high electrochemical performances (MWCNT)/V2CTx, hybrid material plays a vital role, giving the highest capacitance value of 1872 Fg−1 compared to other composite materials. The electrodes fabricated using (MWCNT)/V2CTx demonstrated a retention capacity of 94 % during a 10,000-cycle lifespan and gave satisfactory rate performance. The addition of MWCNTs improved the reaction kinetics and conductivity of the MXenes while facilitating the ability to store charges, which is advantageous for future smart devices for storing energy. In addition to providing a thorough discussion of the electrochemical energy storage applications, such as batteries (like; Lithium, sulphur, potassium and metal sulphur batteries) and supercapacitor. This review concentrates on the MXene and MXene hybrid materials synthesis techniques, properties and summarises recent advancements in Storage applications. The intricate design of MXenes' Nano-microstructures is given special consideration in light of their many functions as electrodes, multifunctional parts, or protective layers for metal anodes. The article concludes with the possible avenues for future MXene material synthesis, structure, characteristics, analysis, and production research. Various problems that occur during the synthesis of MXene and its composite materials are discussed in detail.
Display omitted
•What are MXenes, and why it is better than other commercially used materials for storage applications?•MAX phase structures and their related MXenes•Obstacles in MXene preparation•Top-down and Bottom-up approaches for MXene preparation•Recently used MXene composite material for storage application
Measurement of nitrate nitrogen is relatively less easy and reliable, given the complexity of analytical procedures already marred by interferences. Interfering constituents like organics are ...frequently integral to the nature of the samples. As a result, in practice nitrate nitrogen (
) concentrations often go under-/over-reported. Objective of this study was to compare three analytical procedures extensively used for determination of
, namely Ultraviolet Spectrophotometric Screening (UV) Method, Nitrate Electrode Method (Ion-Electrode method) and Phenol Disulphonic Acid (PDA) Method. Usually, these methods of nitrate measurement are commonly employed based on availability of analytical facilities rather than the characteristics of the samples that carry many constituents other than nitrates also, which can limit their application in certain cases. The paper can help serve as a guide to method selection. Comparative investigation on the basis of Passing-Bablok and Bland-Altman analyses showed that when samples had no organics, the accuracy of the three methods was in the order: UV > PDA > Ion-Electrode. Ion-Electrode method was found to be affected by a positive bias of 0.799 for a confidence interval of (0.161, 1.436). For samples containing organics, all three methods were affected by proportional bias. UV method was most affected by interference, exhibiting a bias, regression intercept and slope coefficient of −1.733, −1.359 and 0.922, respectively. Interference due to organics was further analysed experimentally and accuracy with respect to rising organic concentration was found to be in the order: UV < Ion-Electrode < PDA, i.e. PDA method gave least percentage error for high organic concentrations. Multiple linear regression (MLR) models were developed for predicting more accurate readings. MLR models based on two and four explanatory variables for PDA (R
2
= 92.86%, predicted R
2
= 91.33%) and UV method (R
2
= 99.87%, predicted R
2
= 99.83%) respectively are reported.
