Agent-oriented Programming in Defence Domain

Research in distributed artificial intelligence has given rise to agent-oriented programming (AOP), an advanced software modelling paradigm. It has several benefits when compared with the existing development approaches, in particular, the ability to let agents represent high-level abstractions of active entities in a software system. Although still young and under evolution, this paradigm has already shown particular promise in a number of areas. This paper gives an overview of this paradigm, its benefits over the other conventional programming paradigms being used. It also proposes the decision support system model for the military domain.In the proposed system there are certain critical issues, which need to be focused upon. The existing conventional paradigms are inadequate to deal with these issues. This paper identifies these critical issues and discusses how AOP can address these issues

EFFECT OF SOLDER VOIDS AND DISTANCE TO NEUTRAL POINT (DNP) ON SJR OF WCSP UNDER REFLOW CONDITION AND THERMAL CYCLING

Since the introduction of Chip Scale Packages (CSP’s) in the early 2000s, they have become one of the biggest packaging trends in recent history. There are currently over 50 different types of CSP’s available throughout the industry and the numbers are increasing almost daily. Wafer Level Chip Scale Package’s (WCSP) is kind of CSP’s used widely due to its small form factor which offers efficient use of limited space and miniaturization of the electronic device. On the other hand, small form factor typically incurs greater initial cost in product design and development. In an electronic device, it is equally important to design a device with greater mechanical stability, with electrical stability as well. In this study, I am going to optimize the design of WCSP to enhance the thermo-mechanical reliability of the package by studying the effect of DNP. Further, the attempt has been made to study the effect of a void on BLR and SJR in the critical solder joint during thermal cycling and reflow condition. For this study PCB of 1 mm was leveraged. Thermo-Mechanical Analyzer (TMA), Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) and, Oven were used to characterize material properties. PCB cross-sectioning was done using a cutter and Optical Microscopy was used to study voids and layer by layer composition of PCB. ANSYS Workbench 18.0 was leveraged to model 3D CAD of the quarter geometry of PCB and it was used to do the computational study

On the landing of a whale shark Rhincodon typus Smith at Anjuna, Goa.

Report on female whale shark, which got entangled in a nylon gill net operated by fishermen off Anjuna, Goa at a depth of 27 m

A prospective comparative study between biodegradable temporizing matrix (BTM) and Matriderm in the reconstruction of lower lip and limb contractures.

Background: Reconstruction of post-burn and post-traumatic contractures, especially in the lower lip and limbs, requires an effective dermal substitute to restore both function and aesthetics. Biodegradable Temporizing Matrix (BTM) and MatriDerm® are two commonly used options with distinct properties.  Aim: To compare the clinical outcomes of BTM and MatriDerm® in the surgical reconstruction of lower lip and limb contractures.  Materials and methods: A prospective comparative study was conducted over 3 years at Patna Medical College and Hospital, involving 50 patients. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: Group A (BTM, n = 25) and Group B (MatriDerm®, n = 25). Outcome measures included graft take, healing time, infection rate, aesthetic appearance, functional recovery, and patient satisfaction.  Results: The study population comprised 27 males (54%) and 23 females (46%), aged 10–60 years (mean 32.4 ± 9.8 years). BTM demonstrated superior graft take (A1: 94%, A2: 91%) compared to MatriDerm® (B1: 88%, B2: 83%). MatriDerm® showed faster healing (B1: 16 days, B2: 18 days), but at the cost of higher infection rates (B1: 11%, B2: 22%). BTM groups had better aesthetic scores (A1: 8.8, A2: 8.3), functional recovery (A1: 91%, A2: 87%), and patient satisfaction (A1: 9.0, A2: 8.5). Lip reconstructions generally had better outcomes than hand reconstructions.  Conclusion: BTM is more effective than MatriDerm® in achieving durable reconstruction with fewer complications. Individual patient assessment and further large-scale studies are recommended.  Recommendation: MatriDerm® can be saved for smaller or less contaminated wounds, whereas BTM is advised for complex or mobile areas. It is necessary to do more extensive, multicentric research

Utilization of Mobile Based ICT Tools by the Dairy Farmers of Satara and Pune Districts of Maharashtra

This cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the extent of use of mobile based ICT tools by dairy farmers and constraints faced by them while its use. Respondents were randomly selected from two districts of western Maharashtra namely Satara and Pune and study was undertaken during June – November, 2020. A total of 120 respondents (60 each from Satara and Pune districts) were randomly selected and interviewed with the help of structured schedule. Analysis of data was done and frequency and percentage were calculated accordingly. Almost all the variables studied like age group (68.32%), family size (39.17%), land holding (48.33%), herd size (45.00%), experience (69.17%), social participation (75.84%), extension contacts (70.00%) and knowledge level (72.50%) could be grouped under medium level. Dairy farmers were mostly aware about voice calls (90.83%), whatsapp (82.50%) and financial apps for e-transaction (65%). However, they were totally unaware about use of Twitter, Skype, Instagram, Bluetooth and GIS applications. Similarly, most of the respondents never used video calls (73.34%), SMS facility (70.84%), and mobile for taking photographs (64.16%) related to dairy farming. Whats app found to be used on daily basis, and mobile based ICT tools were used primarily for social purposes with less involvement for its use in order to improve dairy farming activities. Major constraints faced by dairy farmers were unavailability of relevant information in local language, lack of reliable, useful and location specific contents, lack of repairing services and centers in the village. Based on the observations, it is concluded that actual utilization of mobile based ITC tools by dairy farmers is poor in terms of its use for the purpose of dairy related activities. There is need to popularized use of mobile based ICT tools and impart competence and skills in its use among the dairy farmers

Bonding of 304L Stainless Steel to Cast Iron by Selective Laser Melting

While cast iron is widely used in industry, a major limitation is the weldability of a dissimilar material onto cast iron due to hot cracking as a result of lack of ductility from graphite flakes. Consequently, a significant amount of preheat is often employed to reduce the cooling rate in the fusion zone, which, however, may lead to distortion of the welded parts. A potential remedy could be the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process, where only small melt pools are created and thus the overall energy input is reduced. The present paper describes an investigation of the SLM process to join 304L stainless steel with cast iron. In this study, 304L stainless steel particles ranging from 15-45 μm in size were melted on a grey cast iron substrate by the SLM process. Multiple sets of parameter values were chosen to test different energy densities on the tensile strength of the bond created. Subsequent characterization of the bonded area included energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) mapping for obtaining insight into the elemental diffusion, and metallography for visualization of the microstructure. A range of energy densities was identified for purposes of eliminating bond delamination and maximizing mechanical strength

Selective Laser Sintering and Freeze Extrusion Fabrication of Scaffolds for Bone Repair using 13-93 Bioactive Glass: A Comparison

13-93 glass is a third-generation bioactive material which accelerates the bone’s natural ability to heal by itself through bonding with surrounding tissues. It is an important requirement for synthetic scaffolds to maintain their bioactivity and mechanical strength with a porous internal architecture comparable to that of a human bone. Additive manufacturing technologies provide a better control over design and fabrication of porous structures than conventional methods. In this paper, we discuss and compare some of the common aspects in the scaffold fabrication using two such processes, viz. selective laser sintering (SLS) and freeze extrusion fabrication (FEF). Scaffolds fabricated using each process were structurally characterized and microstructure analysis was performed to study process differences. Compressive strength higher than that of human trabecular bone was achieved using SLS process and strength almost comparable to that of human cortical bone was achieved using FEF process

Intestinal Parasitic Infections among Long-Term-Residents and Settled Immigrants in Qatar in the Period 2005 to 2011

Abstract. The expanding economy of Qatar in the last two decades has attracted immigrants, often from countries with poor socio-economic levels. Many arrive with patent intestinal parasitic infections, and recent analyses have indicated consistently rising trends in the prevalence of some infections. Here, we examined 18,563 hospital records of subjects in Qatar seeking medical assistance for a variety of ailments, combining data from 2009 to 2011 with the earlier dataset from 2005 to 2008 to enable trends to be identified across a 7-year period. We found that 8.6% were infected with one or more species of parasites, however in contrast to the earlier period (2005–2008), in the latter 3 years there were falling trends of prevalence providing some optimism that parasitic infections among the resident immigrants have begun to decline. We identified also geographic regions from which resident workers still maintain a relatively high prevalence of helminth infections despite their long-term residence in Qatar.This publication was made possible by a grant from Qatar National Research Fund (QRNF) at Qatar Foundation through National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) (Project No. NPRP 4-1283-3-327

Urine Tests for Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases and Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens

The relation between disease and urine was recognized by physicians since the earliest civilization BC. Urine is considered an ideal diagnostic specimen for its noninvasive and easy method of collection. Urinalysis encompasses a wide range of tests, which includes a variety of chemical tests, urine microscopy, bacterial cultures, and molecular tests. Importantly, urine tests can diagnose patients with antibiotic-resistant urinary tract infections (UTI), directly from urine and/or bacterial culture. This chapter summarizes the most common urine tests in the infectious disease field, with a special focus on diagnosing UTI and characterizing their antibiotic resistant. In addition to describing the advantages and limitation of these tests, the chapter explores the promising emerging technologies and methods in this field. This chapter is beneficial for scientists and healthcare workers in the field