National Institute of Technology Calicut

About: National Institute of Technology Calicut is a education organization based out in Kozhikode, Kerala, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & Control theory. The organization has 3627 authors who have published 4638 publications receiving 50830 citations. The organization is also known as: Calicut Regional Engineering College & NIT Calicut.

Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery System: The Magic Bullet for the Treatment of Chronic Pulmonary Diseases.

Abstract: Chronic pulmonary diseases encompass different persistent and lethal diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), cystic fibrosis (CF), asthma, and lung cancers that affect millions of people globally. Traditional pharmacotherapeutic treatment approaches (i.e., bronchodilators, corticosteroids, chemotherapeutics, peptide-based agents, etc.) are not satisfactory to cure or impede diseases. With the advent of nanotechnology, drug delivery to an intended site is still difficult, but the nanoparticle's physicochemical properties can accomplish targeted therapeutic delivery. Based on their surface, size, density, and physical-chemical properties, nanoparticles have demonstrated enhanced pharmacokinetics of actives, achieving the spotlight in the drug delivery research field. In this review, the authors have highlighted different nanoparticle-based therapeutic delivery approaches to treat chronic pulmonary diseases along with the preparation techniques. The authors have remarked the nanosuspension delivery via nebulization and dry powder carrier is further effective in the lung delivery system since the particles released from these systems are innumerable to composite nanoparticles. The authors have also outlined the inhaled particle's toxicity, patented nanoparticle-based pulmonary formulations, and commercial pulmonary drug delivery devices (PDD) in other sections. Recently advanced formulations employing nanoparticles as therapeutic carriers for the efficient treatment of chronic pulmonary diseases are also canvassed.

A hybrid neural network–genetic algorithm approach for permutation flow shop scheduling

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to find a sequence of jobs for the permutation flow shop to minimise the makespan. The shop consists of 10 machines. A feed-forward back-propagation artificial neural network (ANN) is used to solve the problem. The network is trained with the optimal sequences for five-, six- and seven-job problems. This trained network is then used to solve a problem with a greater number of jobs. The sequence obtained using the neural network is used to generate the initial population for the genetic algorithm (GA) using the random insertion perturbation scheme (RIPS). The makespan of the sequence obtained by this approach (ANN-GA-RIPS) is compared with that obtained using GA starting with a random population (ANN-GA). It was found that the ANN-GA-RIPS approach performs better than ANN-GA starting with a random population. The results obtained are compared with those obtained using the Nawaz, Enscore and Ham (NEH) heuristic and upper bounds of Taillard's benchmark problems. ANN-GA-RIPS per...

Hydrogel Scaffolds: Towards Restitution of Ischemic Stroke-Injured Brain.

Abstract: Chronic brain injury following cerebral ischemia is a severe debilitating neurological condition, where clinical intervention is well known to decrease morbidity and mortality. Despite the development of several therapeutic strategies, clinical outcome in the majority of patients could be better improved, since many still face life-long neurological deficits. Among the several strategic options that are currently being pursued, tissue engineering provides much promise for neural tissue salvage and regeneration in brain ischemia. Specifically, hydrogel biomaterials have been utilized to docket biomolecules, adhesion motifs, growth factors, and other proneural cues for stable stem cell encapsulation. Here, we provide an overview of therapeutic applications of hydrogels in stroke treatment. Special focus is given to design considerations for generation of efficient hydrogel systems for neurological applications. Therapeutic applications of hydrogels in stroke as conducive microenvironments for stem cell transplantation and drug delivery have been discussed. Finally, we present our perspectives on clinical translation of hydrogels for neural tissue regeneration.

Accelerated Subgrade Stabilization Using Enzymatic Lime Technique

Abstract: Soft soils are problematic because of their low strength, low bearing capacity, low permeability, and high compressibility. The addition of lime has a pronounced effect on such soils. In th...