Showing papers by "Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology Allahabad published in 2018"

Nano based drug delivery systems: recent developments and future prospects

Abstract: Nanomedicine and nano delivery systems are a relatively new but rapidly developing science where materials in the nanoscale range are employed to serve as means of diagnostic tools or to deliver therapeutic agents to specific targeted sites in a controlled manner Nanotechnology offers multiple benefits in treating chronic human diseases by site-specific, and target-oriented delivery of precise medicines Recently, there are a number of outstanding applications of the nanomedicine (chemotherapeutic agents, biological agents, immunotherapeutic agents etc) in the treatment of various diseases The current review, presents an updated summary of recent advances in the field of nanomedicines and nano based drug delivery systems through comprehensive scrutiny of the discovery and application of nanomaterials in improving both the efficacy of novel and old drugs (eg, natural products) and selective diagnosis through disease marker molecules The opportunities and challenges of nanomedicines in drug delivery from synthetic/natural sources to their clinical applications are also discussed In addition, we have included information regarding the trends and perspectives in nanomedicine area

Marine Fungi: A Source of Potential Anticancer Compounds.

Abstract: Metabolites from marine fungi have hogged the limelight in drug discovery because of their promise as therapeutic agents. A number of metabolites related to marine fungi have been discovered from various sources which are known to possess a range of activities as antibacterial, antiviral and anticancer agents. Although, over a thousand marine fungi based metabolites have already been reported, none of them have reached the market yet which could partly be related to non-comprehensive screening approaches and lack of sustained lead optimization. The origin of these marine fungal metabolites is varied as their habitats have been reported from various sources such as sponge, algae, mangrove derived fungi, and fungi from bottom sediments. The importance of these natural compounds is based on their cytotoxicity and related activities that emanate from the diversity in their chemical structures and functional groups present on them. This review covers the majority of anticancer compounds isolated from marine fungi during 2012-2016 against specific cancer cell lines.

Tensile and flexural properties of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites: A review:

Abstract: In recent years, researchers and scientists are facing problems in terms of environmental imbalance and global warming owing to numerous use of composite materials prepared by synthetic fibers and

Acquisition and Homeostasis of Iron in Higher Plants and Their Probable Role in Abiotic Stress Tolerance

Abstract: Iron (Fe),a micronutrient,plays an important role in agriculture world wideand its smaller amount because a small amount is required for plant growth and development.All major functions in thea plant’s life from chlorophyllbiosynthesisto energy transfer are performed by Fe.Iron also acts as a major constituent of many plant proteins and enzymes. The Acacquisition of Fein plants occurs throughby two strategies i.e. stragegystrategy I and strategy II. Under various stress conditions, Nramp and the YSL gene families help in translocation of Fe,which further actsas amineral regulatory element and defends plants against stresses.Iron plays an irreplaceable role in alleviating stress imposed by salinity,drought, and heavy metal stress. This is because,as it activates plant enzymatic antioxidants like catalase (CAT),peroxidase, andone anisoform of superoxide dismutase (SOD) whichthat act as a scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS).In contrast, both its deficiency and excess amount can disturb the homeostasis of the a plant’s cell as a result of via decliningits declining the photosynthetic rate, respiration, and increased accumulation of Na+ and ClCal- ions which ultimately resulted intoculminate in an excessive formation of ROS. The short-range-order hydrated Fe oxides and organic functional groups show affinities for metal ions. Iron plaque biofilm matricesx could sequester a large amount of metals at the soil-root interface.Hence, it has attracted the attentions of plant physiologists and agricultural scientists for who are discovering more exciting and hidden applications of Fe and its potential in the development of bio-factories.This review looks into recent progress made in putting forward the role of Fe in plant growth, development, and acclimation under major abiotic stresses i.e.salinity, drought, and heavy metals.

Motion through a non-homogeneous porous medium: Hydrodynamic permeability of a membrane composed of cylindrical particles

Abstract: The present problem is concerned with the flow of a viscous steady incompressible fluid through a non-homogeneous porous medium. Here, the non-homogeneous porous medium is a membrane built up by cylindrical particles. The flow outside the membrane is governed by the Stokes equation and the flow through the non-homogeneous porous membrane composed by cylindrical particles is governed by Darcy’s law. In this work, we discussed the effect of various fluid parameters like permeability parameter $ k_{0}$ , discontinuity coefficient at fluid-non homogeneous porous interface, viscosity ratio of viscous incompressible fluid region and non-homogeneous porous region, etc. on hydrodynamic permeability of a membrane, stress and on velocity profile. The comparative study for hydrodynamic permeability of membrane built up by non-homogeneous porous cylindrical particles and porous cylindrical shell enclosing a cylindrical cavity has been studied. The effects of various fluid parameters on the streamlines flow patterns are also discussed.

Multiple-Input Configuration of Isolated Bidirectional DC–DC Converter for Power Flow Control in Combinational Battery Storage

Abstract: This paper proposes a multiple-input configuration of isolated bidirectional dual active bridge dc–dc converter (MIBDC) for power flow control in combinational battery storage It can be operated in an independent source or combinational source mode of operation to control the power transfer, with the capability of bidirectional power flow and smoother transition The proposed configuration has the benefits of reduction in circulation power and peak current stress in an independent mode of operation, which enhances the efficiency of dual active bridge converter It also offers a wide range of power transmission as compared to the conventional IBDC The proposed configuration can also be used with unequal voltage level sources by connecting them in series on multi-input side The operation and investigation of the proposed configuration are presented in detail In addition, the strategy of power flow control with multiple-input sources is discussed The operation of the proposed MIBDC has been verified through simulation studies using PSCAD/EMTDC and experimentally demonstrated using ARM LPC 2148 processor

Design and analysis of novel microstrip patch antenna on photonic crystal in THz

Abstract: Recent advancement of communication system requires low cost, minimal weight, low profile and high-performance antenna to execute the demand of the future realization. A high gain novel microstrip patch antenna design is proposed, based on the photonic crystal for terahertz (THz) spectral band applications. This antenna is mounted on polyimide substrate that employs Photonic Band Gap (PBG) crystal and the Gain of 7.934 dB, Directivity 8.612 dBi and VSWR close to unity at resonant frequency of 0.6308 THz. The proposed antenna model is compared with homogeneous polyimide substrate structure based microstrip patch antenna and analyzed the radiation characteristics. Moreover, the performance of designed antenna is investigated with different PBG cylindrical distance, PBG hole radius, curvature radius of patch and substrate heights. The projected design antenna has a bandwidth of 36.25 GHz and −10 dB impedance with operating frequency range varying from 0.6152 THz to 0.6514 THz, hence it can be utilized for detection of explosive and material characterization applications.

Effect of laser scanning strategies on texture, physical and mechanical properties of laser sintered maraging steel

Abstract: Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is one of the most emerging metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) process due to its ability to quickly form complex designs with maximal surface finish. In this research, DMLS is used to additively manufacture 18% Ni maraging steel 300 samples by adopting a bidirectional and a cross-directional laser scanning strategy. The density, surface finish, texture, residual stress and mechanical properties of the DMLSed samples are investigated. Higher densification and surface finish are obtained using the cross-directional scan strategy. The formation of γ-austenite in the bi-directional scanning strategy is found to be nearly 60% in comparison to the cross-directional scan strategy. A preferential growth of columnar cells followed by epitaxial formation was found in both the directions for cross-directional scan strategy due to the rotation of heat flux and transformation of strong crystallographic texture into weaker ones. This resulted in a reduction of anisotropy and higher compressive residual stresses and mechanical properties. The outcomes of this research are likely to help in a better understanding of the DMLS AM process for fabrication of high surface finish, density and mechanical properties maraging steel parts by controlling their crystallographic texture.

Experimental analysis of Nd-YAG laser cutting of sheet materials – A review

Abstract: Cutting of sheet material is considered as an important process due to its relevance among products of everyday life such as aircrafts, ships, cars, furniture etc. Among various sheet cutting processes (ASCPs), laser beam cutting is one of the most capable ASCP to create complex geometries with stringent design requirements in difficult-to-cut sheet materials. Based on the recent research work in the area of sheet cutting, it is found that the Nd-YAG laser is used for cutting of sheet material in general and reflective sheet material in particular. This paper reviews the experimental analysis of Nd-YAG laser cutting process, carried out to study the influence of laser cutting parameters on the process performance index. The significance of experimental modeling and different optimization approaches employed by various researchers has also been discussed in this study.

A survey and classification of controller placement problem in SDN

Abstract: Summary Software defined networking emerges as a promising paradigm shift that decouples the control plane from the data plane. It has the ability to centrally monitor and control the network throu...

Endophytic Fungi: A Source of Potential Antifungal Compounds

Abstract: The emerging and reemerging forms of fungal infections encountered in the course of allogeneic bone marrow transplantations, cancer therapy, and organ transplants have necessitated the discovery of antifungal compounds with enhanced efficacy and better compatibility. A very limited number of antifungal compounds are in practice against the various forms of topical and systemic fungal infections. The trends of new antifungals being introduced into the market have remained insignificant while resistance towards the introduced drug has apparently increased, specifically in patients undergoing long-term treatment. Considering the immense potential of natural microbial products for the isolation and screening of novel antibiotics for different pharmaceutical applications as an alternative source has remained largely unexplored. Endophytes are one such microbial community that resides inside all plants without showing any symptoms with the promise of producing diverse bioactive molecules and novel metabolites which have application in medicine, agriculture, and industrial set ups. This review substantially covers the antifungal compounds, including volatile organic compounds, isolated from fungal endophytes of medicinal plants during 2013–2018. Some of the methods for the activation of silent biosynthetic genes are also covered. As such, the compounds described here possess diverse configurations which can be a step towards the development of new antifungal agents directly or precursor molecules after the required modification.

Learning path recommendation based on modified variable length genetic algorithm

Abstract: With the rapid advancement of information and communication technologies, e-learning has gained a considerable attention in recent years. Many researchers have attempted to develop various e-learning systems with personalized learning mechanisms for assisting learners so that they can learn more efficiently. In this context, curriculum sequencing is considered as an important concern for developing more efficient personalized e-learning systems. A more effective personalized e-learning recommender system should recommend a sequence of learning materials called learning path, in an appropriate order with a starting and ending point, rather than a sequence of unordered learning materials. Further the recommended sequence should also match the learner preferences for enhancing their learning capabilities. Moreover, the length of recommended sequence cannot be fixed for each learner because these learners differ from one another in their preferences such as knowledge levels, learning styles, emotions, etc. In this paper, we present an effective learning path recommendation system (LPRS) for e-learners through a variable length genetic algorithm (VLGA) by considering learners’ learning styles and knowledge levels. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed LPRS in e-learning environment.

Groundwater Quality assessment using Water Quality Index (WQI) in parts of Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract: The water quality index (WQI) is an important tool to determine the drinking water quality in urban, rural and industrial area. WQI is defined as an index reflecting the composite influence of different water quality parameters which is considered and taken for calculation of water quality index. In the present study, sixteen groundwater samples were collected from the southern portion of the Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh, India, during the pre monsoon period of May, 2015. The twenty two water quality parameters have been considered for the calculation of water quality index viz. pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total hardness (TH), total dissolved solid (TDS), alkalinity, sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), nitrates (NO3"), bicarbonate (HCO3–), chlorides (Cl–), sulphates (SO4–), fluorides (F–), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd). The Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS, 2012) has been considered to assess the suitability of groundwater for drinking purposes and for the calculation of WQI. Correlation study between various physicochemical properties also reveals significant negative relationships. The current study shows that ~20% area is falling under the non suitable for drinking water category and rest is falling under good, moderate, poor, very poor as per the WQI classification. The present study is helpful in proper planning and management of available water resource for drinking purpose.

Detection of DNA hybridization using graphene-coated black phosphorus surface plasmon resonance sensor

Abstract: In this paper, graphene-coated black phosphorus at the metal surface for the detection of DNA hybridization event is numerically demonstrated. The strategy consists of placing the sensing medium on top of black phosphorus–graphene-coated SPR which interfaces with phosphate-buffered saline solution carrying single-stranded DNA. Upon hybridization with its complementary DNA, desorption of the nanostructures takes place and thus enables the sensitive detection of the DNA hybridization event. The proposed sensor exhibits a sensitivity (125 ο/RIU), detection accuracy (0.95) and quality factor (13.62 RIU−1) for complementary DNA. In comparison with other reported papers, our suggested sensor provides much better performance. Thus, this label-free DNA detection platform should spur off new interest towards the use of black phosphorus–graphene-coated SPR interfaces.

Diabetic Retinopathy Detection by Extracting Area and Number of Microaneurysm from Colour Fundus Image

Abstract: This paper presents an improved diabetic retinopathy detection scheme by extracting accurate area and ate number of microaneurysm from color fundus images. Regular screening of eye is crucial for detection and dealing with diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is an eye disease which occurs due to damage of retina as a result of long illness of diabetic mellitus. Microaneurysms (MA) are tiny red spots on retina, shaped by inflating out of fragile part of the blood vessels. The recognition of MA at primary stage is very crucial and it is the first step in inhibiting DR. A variety of methods have been proposed for detection and diagnosis of DR. In this paper, there are two features namely; number and area of MA have been determined. Initially, pre-processing techniques like green channel extraction, histogram equalization and morphological process have been used. For detection of microaneurysms, principal component analysis (PCA), contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE), morphological process, averaging filtering have been used. Classification of DR has been done by linear Support vector machine (SVM). The sensitivity and specificity of DR detection system are observed as 96% and 92% respectively.

Recent advancements in lateral flow immunoassays: A journey for toxin detection in food.

Abstract: Biotechnology embraces various physical and chemical phenomena toward advancement of health diagnostics. Toward such advancement, detection of toxins plays an important role. Toxins produce severe health impacts on consumption with high mortality associated in acute cases. The most prominent route of infection and intoxication is through food matrices. Therefore, rapid detection of toxins at low concentrations is the need of modern diagnostics. Lateral flow immunoassays are one of the emergent and popularly used rapid detection technology developed for detecting various kinds of analytes. This review thus focuses on recent advancements in lateral flow immunoassays for detecting different toxins in agricultural food. Appropriate emphasis was given on how the labels, recognition elements, or detection strategy has laid an impact on improvement in immunochromatographic assays for toxins. The paper also discusses the gradual change in sensitivities and specificities of assays in accordance with the method of food processing used. The review concludes with the major challenges faced by this technology and provides an outlook and insight of ideas to improve it in the future.

Digital supply chain management: An Overview

Abstract: Many global supply chains are unequipped to cope with the world we are entering. For that reason, supply chain managers need to shift their attention from cutting costs to enabling new processes, and make corporations more connected and agile to create value across the enterprise. New digital technologies that are emerging everyday are on their way to disrupt nearly all the areas of traditional business processes. The key business priority of almost every industry will find itself in the centre of this upcoming digital era. The process of digitization affects almost everything in today's organizations, including supply chain management and puts huge pressure on organizations to change. Hence it is crucial for managers to understand the implication of digitization on their organization and employees. Current scenario emphasises on the importance of management of people and organization issues in digital transformations. The effect of digitization includes varied impacts on economy as a whole; create tremendous opportunities and challenges for businesses. In the current world of globalization digitization is not a choice but an imperative for all businesses across all industries. Manufacturing processes and work, business model, products and services are the main targets of digitization. The digital transformation enablers and framework discussed in this study-comprised of six techniques of Big data, Cloud services, Unique identification and display innovation, Robotics, Sensors and geolocation, and nanotech and 3D printing-can serve as enablers of digitization.