Niranjan Kumar - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Niranjan Kumar

THE INDIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

A study was conducted to record the incidence, risk factors and haematological changes during hae... more A study was conducted to record the incidence, risk factors and haematological changes during haemoprotozoan infections of bovines over a period from January, 2014 to December, 2016. A total of 193 suspected cases (141 cattle and 52 buffaloes) presented at Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex and Livestock Research Station, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, were examined for the presence of haemoprotozoan parasites by Giemsa staining technique. Total 46 (23.83%) cases (23 each of cattle and buffaloes) were found positive for presence of haemoparasite infection. The effect of source of sample, season and species on incidence of haemoprasitic infections was significant whereas effect of year was non-significant. Higher incidence was observed in rainy (34.92) followed by winter (25.42 %) and summer (12.68%) season. Significantly higher incidence of Anaplasmosis (8.29%) was observed followed by Babesiosis (6.74%), Theileriosis (3.63%) and Trypanosomosis and Ehrlichiosis...

Astrophysical Bulletin

The highest critical mass of neutron stars (NSs) was reviewed in the context of equation of state... more The highest critical mass of neutron stars (NSs) was reviewed in the context of equation of state and observational results. It was predicted that the maximum NS mass (MNS) exists in the range MNS ≈ 2.2-2.9 M⊙. However, recent observations of gravitational waves and other studies had suggested the higher mass limit of NSs, MNS ≈ 3.2 M⊙. The NS mass up to the value of MNS ≈ 2 M⊙ is well understood, and with such a mass value it was meaningful to discuss the "mass gap" ("m-gap") between the NS and black hole (BH) collapsars. The "m-gap" exists in between the highest mass of NS and the lowest mass of BH collapsars (Mm-gap ≈ 2-5 M⊙). In the mass distribution, the maximum population of NSs and BHs is located at MNS = 1.4 M⊙ and MBH = 6.7 M⊙, respectively. However, recent observational results predicted filling the "m-gap" by the compact objects. In this paper, the concept of gravidynamics was reported to resolve the problem of peak likelihood value of gravitational mass at Mpeak = 6.7 M⊙ and the "m-gap" (Mm-gap ≈ 2-5 M⊙). This concept was based on a non-metric scalar-tensor model of gravitational interaction with localizable field energy. The gravidynamics model shows the total mass (MQ) of a compact relativistic object filled with matter of quark-gluon plasma of the radius r* = GMQ/c 2 ≈ 10 km, consistent with the "m-gap". It was conceptualized that the total measurable gravitational mass of such an extremely dense object consists of both matter and field, which is described by scalar-tensor components. This model is also useful for predicting the collapsars within the "m-gap".

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Plasmon loss in Be/Si multilayer mirrors was comprehensively investigated by X-ray photoelectron ... more Plasmon loss in Be/Si multilayer mirrors was comprehensively investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, 2022

2018 International Conference on Smart Electric Drives and Power System (ICSEDPS), 2018

The electric supply industry has been undergoing drastic change right from 1980's. A signific... more The electric supply industry has been undergoing drastic change right from 1980's. A significant feature of these changes is to create competition. The minor portion of the cost is governed by the transmission cost but creates a large impact over the Indian power market. It should be ensured that the transaction charges should be paid by users must be fair and accurate. In India MW mile is frequently used for pricing the transmission services. This method does not consider transmission losses and power factor of the load while calculating transaction cost. This paper presents you how transmission losses and power factor of the load affects the transmission charges by a case study of IEEE 30 bus system using MW mile method. This paper presents you the comparison of the transmission cost by incorporating transmission losses considering power factor with the cost without considering the transmission loss and power factor. It is necessary that the benefit of power factor improvement at the load end must be given to the user. This will encourage the users to operate their system at optimal power factor for receiving benefits. Users have to pay the penalty for poor power factor. Therefore this paper have included the transmission losses along with the term associated with the variation in the load power factor from the power factor set by the regulator in pricing the transmission services. Newton Raphson method is used to calculate the line flows and losses in an IEEE 30 bus system due to each transaction of power and finally cost is calculated using mw mile method after including losses and the power factor correction term

arXiv: Materials Science, 2018

In this present work, friction and wear behavior of UNCD thin film has been studied against three... more In this present work, friction and wear behavior of UNCD thin film has been studied against three different sliding counterbodies i.e. Al2O3, SiC and steel balls. UNCD/steel sliding pair showed high friction coefficient in the beginning of the sliding process which decreased to the lower value after longer sliding passes. This behavior might be explained by oxidation mechanism. However, high friction value was observed in the case of UNCD/SiC and this was attributed to strong adhesive force acting across the sliding interfaces. Stable and low friction value was measured in UNCD/Al2O3 sliding combination. This was governed by chemically inert interfaces and graphite tribolayer formation.

The thermoelastic behaviour of a laminated composite skew plate with hole subjected to non-linear... more The thermoelastic behaviour of a laminated composite skew plate with hole subjected to non-linear variation of temperature as well as combined temperature and transverse pressure loading has been investigated in the present analysis. The finite element method which works on the basis of three-dimensional theory of elasticity is employed to evaluate the transverse deflection and in-plane stresses. In most of the cases the magnitudes of the transverse deflection and in-plane stresses for combined loading are observed to be less at higher skew angles, because the distance between opposite sides of the plate decreases with increase in skew angle causing an increase in the stiffness of the plate.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2021

The fine structure revealed that the interface of W/Si multilayers consists of metal-enriched tun... more The fine structure revealed that the interface of W/Si multilayers consists of metal-enriched tungsten silicide and the atomic structure of silicide was modified with a change in the thickness of the Si layers.

Emerging Materials Research, 2020

The application of natural fibre composites has increased manifold due to their environment-frien... more The application of natural fibre composites has increased manifold due to their environment-friendliness and sustainable characteristics. In this study, short Borassus fruit fibre (natural fibre)-based composites were fabricated and the water absorption and mechanical (tensile, flexural and impact) behaviour of the developed composites were evaluated. Alkali treatment of Borassus fruit fibres was also carried out at different concentrations (4, 8 and 12%) of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to investigate the influence of the concentration of sodium hydroxide on the water absorption and mechanical behaviour of the developed composites. The water absorption behaviour of the fabricated composites was tested under three distinct conditionsnamely, Ganga water, distilled water and tap water. The surface morphology of the Borassus fibres showed that the sodium hydroxide treatment of the fibres resulted in surface modification of the fibres, which subsequently resulted in improved mechanical strength and less water uptake tendency by the developed short Borassus fibre-based composites. Notation W water absorption (%) w f final weight of the composite specimen w i initial weight of the composite specimen

Frontiers of Optoelectronics, 2020

A scheme for the generation of a pseudo noise (PN) sequence in the optical domain is proposed. Th... more A scheme for the generation of a pseudo noise (PN) sequence in the optical domain is proposed. The cascaded units of micro-ring resonator (MRR)-based D flip-flop are used to design the device. D flip-flops consist of a single MRR and share the same optical pump signal. Numerical analysis is performed, and simulated results are discussed. The proposed device can be used as a building block for optical computing and for creating an information processing system.

Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 2019

Veterinary World, 2019

Background and Aim: The most widely adopted technique to preserve the gross specimen of the paras... more Background and Aim: The most widely adopted technique to preserve the gross specimen of the parasite is immersions and storage in liquid preservatives. The present study aimed to describe the dry method of the preservation of Toxocara vitulorum using plastination technique. Materials and Methods: Acetone dehydrated parasites were incubated at –20°C for 1 month in five different plastination solutions, prepared by mixing melamine and turpentine oil with clove oil (MTCl)/chloroform (MTC)/isopropanol (MTI)/benzene (MTB)/xylene (MTX) in 1:1:1 ratio to infiltrate the polymer. Technical personnel was asked to assign weekly score for dryness, stickiness, shrinkage, glossiness, flexibility, and odor of the prepared model on a 5-point scale. Results: Overall, the plastinated parasites were dry, non-sticky, glossy, odorless, chemical-free, harmless, to some extent flexible, with detectable morphological structure including natural form but lost their natural color, and cuticle became transluc...

European Journal of Ophthalmology, 2009

PurPose. To study the incidence of endophthalmitis after vitrectomy and after combined vitrectomy... more PurPose. To study the incidence of endophthalmitis after vitrectomy and after combined vitrectomy and phacoemulsification surgery and to report the results of treatment in such cases. Methods. This is a retrospective, noncomparative, interventional study based at a tertiary ophthalmology center in Kuwait. Cases of vitrectomy only and combined vitrectomy with phacoemulsification surgery performed during the period from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2007, were included. Patients undergoing vitrectomy for traumatic etiologies and endophthalmitis were excluded. Patients who developed endophthalmitis after vitrectomy were identified and their records were analyzed. results. Six patients developed endophthalmitis among 2965 cases of all vitrectomy procedures, resulting in an incidence of 0.20%. The incidence of endophthalmitis was 0.12% for cases undergoing vitrectomy (3 out of 2564 cases) and 0.75% for cases undergoing combined vitrectomy and phacoemulsification surgery (3 out of 401 cases), respectively. Three cases were culture positive. Four cases ended up with final visual acuity of perception of hand movements or worse. ConClusions. Incidence of endophthalmitis in our series was higher than in other studies. The visual results were poor in 4 out of 6 cases. Earlier diagnosis and more aggressive approach may be needed to improve the results of treatment in these cases.

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 2018

Ultralow friction coefficient in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanofluid was observed at high pres... more Ultralow friction coefficient in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanofluid was observed at high pressure lubrication conditions. High pressure Raman spectroscopic studies of graphene oxide (GO) and rGO in a hydrostatic pressure medium in diamond anvil cell (DAC) showed an increase in G-band linewidth in GO but this value was decreased in rGO at same pressure range due to the defect relaxation in sp 2 networks. Moreover, loss of recovery of G band linewidth in decompression cycles was clearly noticed in both the samples but it was significantly higher in GO due to the irreversible sp 3 into sp 2 planar phase.

Veterinary world, 2017

The objective of the present study was to know the seroprevalence status of Fasciola gigantica in... more The objective of the present study was to know the seroprevalence status of Fasciola gigantica infection in cattle and buffaloes using cysteine proteinase (CP) antigen in dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format under field conditions. As per the standard protocol, the sera were collected from the blood of 112 cattle and 38 buffaloes of coastal areas of Navsari district, South Gujarat, India. The indirect ELISA was performed on the strip of nitrocellulose paper blotted with 1 µl of CP antigen, to detect F. gigantica seropositive animals. The native CP of F. gigantica revealed a single visible band on 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. There was no any noted cross-reaction between the selected antigen and sera of Gastrothylax crumenifer-infected animals in ELISA. Out of 150 screened bovines, the sera of 47 (31.33%) were found to be reactive in dot-ELISA, with a prevalence rate of 31.25% and 31.58% in cattle and buffaloes, respectively. The sero...

Veterinary world, 2017

Preservation of macroparasites by infiltrating the polymer in the tissues can defy the inherited ... more Preservation of macroparasites by infiltrating the polymer in the tissues can defy the inherited shortcoming of classical wet preservation method. Preservation was done by infiltrating the melamine alone or with xylene (MX)/chloroform (MC)/turpentine oil (MT) in 1:1 and hardener (MH) in 9:1 ratio in the tissues of the gross specimen of the animal parasites. The plastinated models withstand the process of microbial decomposition, and remain intact in the environmental conditions. The polymer mixture resists the entry of the water molecule, and model dried just after taking out it from the water tank. Overall, the plastinated parasites were dry, non-sticky, glossy, odorless, chemical free, and harmless, to some extent flexible, with detectable morphological structure, and retain their natural form but lost their natural color. Full marks were assigned to the degree of dryness, non-stickiness, and odorlessness to the model plastinated in different solutions on a five-point scale. For f...

Acta parasitologica, Jan 20, 2017

Three recombinant antigens viz. arginine kinase, cathepsin L-1 and TES-26 of Toxocara canis were ... more Three recombinant antigens viz. arginine kinase, cathepsin L-1 and TES-26 of Toxocara canis were expressed in Escherichia coli and evaluated for their potential in the detection of T. canis larval infection in human in immunoglobulin G-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (IgG-ELISA). Results of the IgG-ELISA with the above recombinant antigens were confirmed with commercially available IgG detection kit for T. canis infection used as a standard test. All three recombinant antigens were 100% sensitive in the detection of positive cases (n = 6) of T. canis infection in human and were screened for their cross-reactivity in human patients with history of Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium vivax, Entamoeba histolytica, hydatid and hookworm infections. The recombinant TES-26 antigen showed higher specificity and cross-reacted with T. gondii infection sera only. However, arginine kinase and cathepsin L-1 recombinant antigens showed cross-reactions with sera of patients infected with T. gondii, P....

Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology, 2017

Applications of plasma-produced vertically oriented graphene nanosheets (VGNs) rely on their uniq... more Applications of plasma-produced vertically oriented graphene nanosheets (VGNs) rely on their unique structure and morphology, which can be tuned by the process parameters to understand the growth mechanism. Here, we report on the effect of the key process parameters such as deposition temperature, discharge power and distance from plasma source to substrate on the catalyst-free growth of VGNs in microwave plasmas. A direct evidence for the initiation of vertical growth through nanoscale graphitic islands is obtained from the temperature-dependent growth rates where the activation energy is found to be as low as 0.57 eV. It is shown that the growth rate and the structural quality of the films could be enhanced by (a) increasing the substrate temperature, (b) decreasing the distance between the microwave plasma source and the substrate, and (c) increasing the discharge power. The correlation between the wetting characteristics, morphology and structural quality is established. It is a...

Scientific Reports, 2017

Functionalized and fully characterized graphene-based lubricant additives are potential 2D materi... more Functionalized and fully characterized graphene-based lubricant additives are potential 2D materials for energy-efficient tribological applications in machine elements, especially at macroscopic contacts. Two different reduced graphene oxide (rGO) derivatives, terminated by hydroxyl and epoxy-hydroxyl groups, were prepared and blended with two different molecular weights of polyethylene glycol (PEG) for tribological investigation. Epoxy-hydroxyl-terminated rGO dispersed in PEG showed significantly smaller values of the friction coefficient. In this condition, PEG chains intercalate between the functionalized graphene sheets, and shear can take place between the PEG and rGO sheets. However, the friction coefficient was unaffected when hydroxyl-terminated rGO was coupled with PEG. This can be explained by the strong coupling between graphene sheets through hydroxyl units, causing the interaction of PEG with the rGO to be non-effective for lubrication. On the other hand, antiwear properties of hydroxyl-terminated rGO were significantly enhanced compared to epoxy-hydroxyl functionalized rGO due to the integrity of graphene sheet clusters.

The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2017

Background: Advancements in airway management have made the practice of blind nasal intubation ob... more Background: Advancements in airway management have made the practice of blind nasal intubation obsolete. We report on successful blind nasal intubation performed with the help of capnography and real-time ultrasonography in two patients with tempormandibular joint ankylosis. Case Report: Blind nasal intubation was performed in a 12-year-old patient and a 17-year old patient under general anesthesia with spontaneous respiration. Capnography was used as an aid during insertion and dynamic ultrasonography was performed to guide and confirm proper tracheal tube placement. Use of capnography helps in following the correct path toward the glottic opening, with quick detection of any obstruction, and with confirmation of final placement of the tracheal tube. Ultrasonography aids with entry into the glottis and with identifying the correct placement. We recommend the use of this modified blind nasal intubation in patients with limited mouth opening when equipment, such as a fiberoptic scope, is not available or is nonfunctional in the emergency department. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?: Adapting this technique will add to the armamentarium available for airway management in emergency medicine, particularly in maxillofacial injuries with limited mouth opening.

THE INDIAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

A study was conducted to record the incidence, risk factors and haematological changes during hae... more A study was conducted to record the incidence, risk factors and haematological changes during haemoprotozoan infections of bovines over a period from January, 2014 to December, 2016. A total of 193 suspected cases (141 cattle and 52 buffaloes) presented at Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex and Livestock Research Station, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, were examined for the presence of haemoprotozoan parasites by Giemsa staining technique. Total 46 (23.83%) cases (23 each of cattle and buffaloes) were found positive for presence of haemoparasite infection. The effect of source of sample, season and species on incidence of haemoprasitic infections was significant whereas effect of year was non-significant. Higher incidence was observed in rainy (34.92) followed by winter (25.42 %) and summer (12.68%) season. Significantly higher incidence of Anaplasmosis (8.29%) was observed followed by Babesiosis (6.74%), Theileriosis (3.63%) and Trypanosomosis and Ehrlichiosis...

Astrophysical Bulletin

The highest critical mass of neutron stars (NSs) was reviewed in the context of equation of state... more The highest critical mass of neutron stars (NSs) was reviewed in the context of equation of state and observational results. It was predicted that the maximum NS mass (MNS) exists in the range MNS ≈ 2.2-2.9 M⊙. However, recent observations of gravitational waves and other studies had suggested the higher mass limit of NSs, MNS ≈ 3.2 M⊙. The NS mass up to the value of MNS ≈ 2 M⊙ is well understood, and with such a mass value it was meaningful to discuss the "mass gap" ("m-gap") between the NS and black hole (BH) collapsars. The "m-gap" exists in between the highest mass of NS and the lowest mass of BH collapsars (Mm-gap ≈ 2-5 M⊙). In the mass distribution, the maximum population of NSs and BHs is located at MNS = 1.4 M⊙ and MBH = 6.7 M⊙, respectively. However, recent observational results predicted filling the "m-gap" by the compact objects. In this paper, the concept of gravidynamics was reported to resolve the problem of peak likelihood value of gravitational mass at Mpeak = 6.7 M⊙ and the "m-gap" (Mm-gap ≈ 2-5 M⊙). This concept was based on a non-metric scalar-tensor model of gravitational interaction with localizable field energy. The gravidynamics model shows the total mass (MQ) of a compact relativistic object filled with matter of quark-gluon plasma of the radius r* = GMQ/c 2 ≈ 10 km, consistent with the "m-gap". It was conceptualized that the total measurable gravitational mass of such an extremely dense object consists of both matter and field, which is described by scalar-tensor components. This model is also useful for predicting the collapsars within the "m-gap".

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

Plasmon loss in Be/Si multilayer mirrors was comprehensively investigated by X-ray photoelectron ... more Plasmon loss in Be/Si multilayer mirrors was comprehensively investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, 2022

2018 International Conference on Smart Electric Drives and Power System (ICSEDPS), 2018

The electric supply industry has been undergoing drastic change right from 1980's. A signific... more The electric supply industry has been undergoing drastic change right from 1980's. A significant feature of these changes is to create competition. The minor portion of the cost is governed by the transmission cost but creates a large impact over the Indian power market. It should be ensured that the transaction charges should be paid by users must be fair and accurate. In India MW mile is frequently used for pricing the transmission services. This method does not consider transmission losses and power factor of the load while calculating transaction cost. This paper presents you how transmission losses and power factor of the load affects the transmission charges by a case study of IEEE 30 bus system using MW mile method. This paper presents you the comparison of the transmission cost by incorporating transmission losses considering power factor with the cost without considering the transmission loss and power factor. It is necessary that the benefit of power factor improvement at the load end must be given to the user. This will encourage the users to operate their system at optimal power factor for receiving benefits. Users have to pay the penalty for poor power factor. Therefore this paper have included the transmission losses along with the term associated with the variation in the load power factor from the power factor set by the regulator in pricing the transmission services. Newton Raphson method is used to calculate the line flows and losses in an IEEE 30 bus system due to each transaction of power and finally cost is calculated using mw mile method after including losses and the power factor correction term

arXiv: Materials Science, 2018

In this present work, friction and wear behavior of UNCD thin film has been studied against three... more In this present work, friction and wear behavior of UNCD thin film has been studied against three different sliding counterbodies i.e. Al2O3, SiC and steel balls. UNCD/steel sliding pair showed high friction coefficient in the beginning of the sliding process which decreased to the lower value after longer sliding passes. This behavior might be explained by oxidation mechanism. However, high friction value was observed in the case of UNCD/SiC and this was attributed to strong adhesive force acting across the sliding interfaces. Stable and low friction value was measured in UNCD/Al2O3 sliding combination. This was governed by chemically inert interfaces and graphite tribolayer formation.

The thermoelastic behaviour of a laminated composite skew plate with hole subjected to non-linear... more The thermoelastic behaviour of a laminated composite skew plate with hole subjected to non-linear variation of temperature as well as combined temperature and transverse pressure loading has been investigated in the present analysis. The finite element method which works on the basis of three-dimensional theory of elasticity is employed to evaluate the transverse deflection and in-plane stresses. In most of the cases the magnitudes of the transverse deflection and in-plane stresses for combined loading are observed to be less at higher skew angles, because the distance between opposite sides of the plate decreases with increase in skew angle causing an increase in the stiffness of the plate.

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2021

The fine structure revealed that the interface of W/Si multilayers consists of metal-enriched tun... more The fine structure revealed that the interface of W/Si multilayers consists of metal-enriched tungsten silicide and the atomic structure of silicide was modified with a change in the thickness of the Si layers.

Emerging Materials Research, 2020

The application of natural fibre composites has increased manifold due to their environment-frien... more The application of natural fibre composites has increased manifold due to their environment-friendliness and sustainable characteristics. In this study, short Borassus fruit fibre (natural fibre)-based composites were fabricated and the water absorption and mechanical (tensile, flexural and impact) behaviour of the developed composites were evaluated. Alkali treatment of Borassus fruit fibres was also carried out at different concentrations (4, 8 and 12%) of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to investigate the influence of the concentration of sodium hydroxide on the water absorption and mechanical behaviour of the developed composites. The water absorption behaviour of the fabricated composites was tested under three distinct conditionsnamely, Ganga water, distilled water and tap water. The surface morphology of the Borassus fibres showed that the sodium hydroxide treatment of the fibres resulted in surface modification of the fibres, which subsequently resulted in improved mechanical strength and less water uptake tendency by the developed short Borassus fibre-based composites. Notation W water absorption (%) w f final weight of the composite specimen w i initial weight of the composite specimen

Frontiers of Optoelectronics, 2020

A scheme for the generation of a pseudo noise (PN) sequence in the optical domain is proposed. Th... more A scheme for the generation of a pseudo noise (PN) sequence in the optical domain is proposed. The cascaded units of micro-ring resonator (MRR)-based D flip-flop are used to design the device. D flip-flops consist of a single MRR and share the same optical pump signal. Numerical analysis is performed, and simulated results are discussed. The proposed device can be used as a building block for optical computing and for creating an information processing system.

Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 2019

Veterinary World, 2019

Background and Aim: The most widely adopted technique to preserve the gross specimen of the paras... more Background and Aim: The most widely adopted technique to preserve the gross specimen of the parasite is immersions and storage in liquid preservatives. The present study aimed to describe the dry method of the preservation of Toxocara vitulorum using plastination technique. Materials and Methods: Acetone dehydrated parasites were incubated at –20°C for 1 month in five different plastination solutions, prepared by mixing melamine and turpentine oil with clove oil (MTCl)/chloroform (MTC)/isopropanol (MTI)/benzene (MTB)/xylene (MTX) in 1:1:1 ratio to infiltrate the polymer. Technical personnel was asked to assign weekly score for dryness, stickiness, shrinkage, glossiness, flexibility, and odor of the prepared model on a 5-point scale. Results: Overall, the plastinated parasites were dry, non-sticky, glossy, odorless, chemical-free, harmless, to some extent flexible, with detectable morphological structure including natural form but lost their natural color, and cuticle became transluc...

European Journal of Ophthalmology, 2009

PurPose. To study the incidence of endophthalmitis after vitrectomy and after combined vitrectomy... more PurPose. To study the incidence of endophthalmitis after vitrectomy and after combined vitrectomy and phacoemulsification surgery and to report the results of treatment in such cases. Methods. This is a retrospective, noncomparative, interventional study based at a tertiary ophthalmology center in Kuwait. Cases of vitrectomy only and combined vitrectomy with phacoemulsification surgery performed during the period from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2007, were included. Patients undergoing vitrectomy for traumatic etiologies and endophthalmitis were excluded. Patients who developed endophthalmitis after vitrectomy were identified and their records were analyzed. results. Six patients developed endophthalmitis among 2965 cases of all vitrectomy procedures, resulting in an incidence of 0.20%. The incidence of endophthalmitis was 0.12% for cases undergoing vitrectomy (3 out of 2564 cases) and 0.75% for cases undergoing combined vitrectomy and phacoemulsification surgery (3 out of 401 cases), respectively. Three cases were culture positive. Four cases ended up with final visual acuity of perception of hand movements or worse. ConClusions. Incidence of endophthalmitis in our series was higher than in other studies. The visual results were poor in 4 out of 6 cases. Earlier diagnosis and more aggressive approach may be needed to improve the results of treatment in these cases.

Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 2018

Ultralow friction coefficient in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanofluid was observed at high pres... more Ultralow friction coefficient in reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanofluid was observed at high pressure lubrication conditions. High pressure Raman spectroscopic studies of graphene oxide (GO) and rGO in a hydrostatic pressure medium in diamond anvil cell (DAC) showed an increase in G-band linewidth in GO but this value was decreased in rGO at same pressure range due to the defect relaxation in sp 2 networks. Moreover, loss of recovery of G band linewidth in decompression cycles was clearly noticed in both the samples but it was significantly higher in GO due to the irreversible sp 3 into sp 2 planar phase.

Veterinary world, 2017

The objective of the present study was to know the seroprevalence status of Fasciola gigantica in... more The objective of the present study was to know the seroprevalence status of Fasciola gigantica infection in cattle and buffaloes using cysteine proteinase (CP) antigen in dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format under field conditions. As per the standard protocol, the sera were collected from the blood of 112 cattle and 38 buffaloes of coastal areas of Navsari district, South Gujarat, India. The indirect ELISA was performed on the strip of nitrocellulose paper blotted with 1 µl of CP antigen, to detect F. gigantica seropositive animals. The native CP of F. gigantica revealed a single visible band on 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. There was no any noted cross-reaction between the selected antigen and sera of Gastrothylax crumenifer-infected animals in ELISA. Out of 150 screened bovines, the sera of 47 (31.33%) were found to be reactive in dot-ELISA, with a prevalence rate of 31.25% and 31.58% in cattle and buffaloes, respectively. The sero...

Veterinary world, 2017

Preservation of macroparasites by infiltrating the polymer in the tissues can defy the inherited ... more Preservation of macroparasites by infiltrating the polymer in the tissues can defy the inherited shortcoming of classical wet preservation method. Preservation was done by infiltrating the melamine alone or with xylene (MX)/chloroform (MC)/turpentine oil (MT) in 1:1 and hardener (MH) in 9:1 ratio in the tissues of the gross specimen of the animal parasites. The plastinated models withstand the process of microbial decomposition, and remain intact in the environmental conditions. The polymer mixture resists the entry of the water molecule, and model dried just after taking out it from the water tank. Overall, the plastinated parasites were dry, non-sticky, glossy, odorless, chemical free, and harmless, to some extent flexible, with detectable morphological structure, and retain their natural form but lost their natural color. Full marks were assigned to the degree of dryness, non-stickiness, and odorlessness to the model plastinated in different solutions on a five-point scale. For f...

Acta parasitologica, Jan 20, 2017

Three recombinant antigens viz. arginine kinase, cathepsin L-1 and TES-26 of Toxocara canis were ... more Three recombinant antigens viz. arginine kinase, cathepsin L-1 and TES-26 of Toxocara canis were expressed in Escherichia coli and evaluated for their potential in the detection of T. canis larval infection in human in immunoglobulin G-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (IgG-ELISA). Results of the IgG-ELISA with the above recombinant antigens were confirmed with commercially available IgG detection kit for T. canis infection used as a standard test. All three recombinant antigens were 100% sensitive in the detection of positive cases (n = 6) of T. canis infection in human and were screened for their cross-reactivity in human patients with history of Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium vivax, Entamoeba histolytica, hydatid and hookworm infections. The recombinant TES-26 antigen showed higher specificity and cross-reacted with T. gondii infection sera only. However, arginine kinase and cathepsin L-1 recombinant antigens showed cross-reactions with sera of patients infected with T. gondii, P....

Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology, 2017

Applications of plasma-produced vertically oriented graphene nanosheets (VGNs) rely on their uniq... more Applications of plasma-produced vertically oriented graphene nanosheets (VGNs) rely on their unique structure and morphology, which can be tuned by the process parameters to understand the growth mechanism. Here, we report on the effect of the key process parameters such as deposition temperature, discharge power and distance from plasma source to substrate on the catalyst-free growth of VGNs in microwave plasmas. A direct evidence for the initiation of vertical growth through nanoscale graphitic islands is obtained from the temperature-dependent growth rates where the activation energy is found to be as low as 0.57 eV. It is shown that the growth rate and the structural quality of the films could be enhanced by (a) increasing the substrate temperature, (b) decreasing the distance between the microwave plasma source and the substrate, and (c) increasing the discharge power. The correlation between the wetting characteristics, morphology and structural quality is established. It is a...

Scientific Reports, 2017

Functionalized and fully characterized graphene-based lubricant additives are potential 2D materi... more Functionalized and fully characterized graphene-based lubricant additives are potential 2D materials for energy-efficient tribological applications in machine elements, especially at macroscopic contacts. Two different reduced graphene oxide (rGO) derivatives, terminated by hydroxyl and epoxy-hydroxyl groups, were prepared and blended with two different molecular weights of polyethylene glycol (PEG) for tribological investigation. Epoxy-hydroxyl-terminated rGO dispersed in PEG showed significantly smaller values of the friction coefficient. In this condition, PEG chains intercalate between the functionalized graphene sheets, and shear can take place between the PEG and rGO sheets. However, the friction coefficient was unaffected when hydroxyl-terminated rGO was coupled with PEG. This can be explained by the strong coupling between graphene sheets through hydroxyl units, causing the interaction of PEG with the rGO to be non-effective for lubrication. On the other hand, antiwear properties of hydroxyl-terminated rGO were significantly enhanced compared to epoxy-hydroxyl functionalized rGO due to the integrity of graphene sheet clusters.

The Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2017

Background: Advancements in airway management have made the practice of blind nasal intubation ob... more Background: Advancements in airway management have made the practice of blind nasal intubation obsolete. We report on successful blind nasal intubation performed with the help of capnography and real-time ultrasonography in two patients with tempormandibular joint ankylosis. Case Report: Blind nasal intubation was performed in a 12-year-old patient and a 17-year old patient under general anesthesia with spontaneous respiration. Capnography was used as an aid during insertion and dynamic ultrasonography was performed to guide and confirm proper tracheal tube placement. Use of capnography helps in following the correct path toward the glottic opening, with quick detection of any obstruction, and with confirmation of final placement of the tracheal tube. Ultrasonography aids with entry into the glottis and with identifying the correct placement. We recommend the use of this modified blind nasal intubation in patients with limited mouth opening when equipment, such as a fiberoptic scope, is not available or is nonfunctional in the emergency department. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?: Adapting this technique will add to the armamentarium available for airway management in emergency medicine, particularly in maxillofacial injuries with limited mouth opening.