334 research outputs found
Autonomous Mobile Vehicle based on RFID Technology using an ARM7 Microcontroller
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system is looked upon as one of the top ten important technologies in the 20th century. Industrial automation application is one of the key issues in developing RFID. Therefore, this paper designs and implements a RFID-based autonomous mobile vehicle for more extensively application of RFID systems. The microcontroller LPC2148 is used to control the autonomous mobile vehicle and to communicate with RFID reader. By storing the moving control commands such as turn right, turn left, speed up and speed down etc. into the RFID tags beforehand and sticking the tags on the tracks, the autonomous mobile vehicle can then read the moving control commands from the tags and accomplish the proper actions. Due to the convenience and non-contact characteristic of RFID systems, the proposed mobile vehicle has great potential to be used for industrial automation, goods transportation, data transmission, and unmanned medical nursing etc. in the future. Experimental results demonstrate the validity of the proposed mobile vehicle
Interactions between the Nse3 and Nse4 Components of the SMC5-6 Complex Identify Evolutionarily Conserved Interactions between MAGE and EID Families
The SMC5-6 protein complex is involved in the cellular response to DNA damage. It is composed of 6-8 polypeptides, of which Nse1, Nse3 and Nse4 form a tight sub-complex. MAGEG1, the mammalian ortholog of Nse3, is the founding member of the MAGE (melanoma-associated antigen) protein family and Nse4 is related to the EID (E1A-like inhibitor of differentiation) family of transcriptional repressors.Using site-directed mutagenesis, protein-protein interaction analyses and molecular modelling, we have identified a conserved hydrophobic surface on the C-terminal domain of Nse3 that interacts with Nse4 and identified residues in its N-terminal domain that are essential for interaction with Nse1. We show that these interactions are conserved in the human orthologs. Furthermore, interaction of MAGEG1, the mammalian ortholog of Nse3, with NSE4b, one of the mammalian orthologs of Nse4, results in transcriptional co-activation of the nuclear receptor, steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1). In an examination of the evolutionary conservation of the Nse3-Nse4 interactions, we find that several MAGE proteins can interact with at least one of the NSE4/EID proteins.We have found that, despite the evolutionary diversification of the MAGE family, the characteristic hydrophobic surface shared by all MAGE proteins from yeast to humans mediates its binding to NSE4/EID proteins. Our work provides new insights into the interactions, evolution and functions of the enigmatic MAGE proteins
Micellar effect on metal-ligand complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) with citric acid
Chemical speciation of citric acid complexes of Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) was investigated pH-metrically in 0.0-2.5% anionic, cationic and neutral micellar media. The primary alkalimetric data were pruned with SCPHD program. The existence of different binary species was established from modeling studies using the computer program MINIQUAD75. Alkalimetric titrations were carried out in different relative concentrations (M:L:X = 1:2:5, 1:3:5, 1:5:3) of metal (M) to citric acid. The selection of best chemical models was based on statistical parameters and residual analysis. The species detected were MLH, ML2, ML2H and ML2H2. The trend in variation of stability constants with change in mole fraction of the medium is explained onthe basis of electrostatic and non-electrostatic forces. Distributions of the species with pH at different compositions of micellar media are also presented
Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial
Background
Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy
Decreasing referrals to transient ischemic attack clinics during the COVID-19 outbreak: results from a multi-centre cross-sectional survey
Objective. The COVID-19 pandemic is having major implications for stroke care with a documented significant fall in hospital acute stroke admissions. We investigated whether COVID-19 has resulted in a decreased number of referrals to the Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) clinics across the North West London region. Setting and Design. All the TIA clinical leads of the North West London region received an invitation by email to participate in an online survey in May 2020. The survey questionnaire aimed to assess the number of patients with suspected TIA consecutively referred to each of the TIA clinics of the North West London region between 1st March to 30th April 2020, the COVID-19 period, and between 1st March to 30th April 2019. Results. We had a response rate of 100%. During the COVID-19 period, the TIA clinics of the North West London region received 440 referrals compared to 616 referrals received between 1st March to 30th April 2019 with a fall in the number of the referrals by 28.6%. In April 2020 compared with April 2019, the number of the referrals declined by 40.1%. Conclusions. This multicentre analysis documented a significant reduction in the number of patients referred with suspected TIA to the specialised rapid access outpatient clinics in the North West London region during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future studies are needed to confirm our findings and to better characterise the incidence of cerebrovascular disease during the COVID-19 pandemic
Integrated agronomic practices and their impact on hybrid pigeonpea productivity
To meet India's growing pulse demand, the productivity of pigeonpea hybrids must be enhanced through advanced agronomic practices tailored to optimize its potential in different soil types. Therefore, we conducted a field experiment combining planting methods, plant geometry and nutrient management strategy on hybrid pigeonpea (ICPH 2740) in black soil at ICRISAT, Hyderabad, during the 2021 and 2022 kharif seasons. The objective was to identify the best agronomic practices for yield optimization by examining growth parameters and yield components in relation to seed yield. The study evaluated 30 treatments using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis to assess substantial variation and relationships among 11 quantitative components. From the mean PCA scoring it was found that higher influential yield components were number of secondary branches plant-1 and number of pods plant-1 over other components. Higher positive scoring with respect to the number of secondary branches plant-1 (2.94) and seed yield (0.32) was recorded with transplanting in the combination of 100 × 100 cm and integrated nutrient approach. However, the number of pods plant-1 scoring (0.96) was higher with transplanting in combination with 120 × 120 cm and integrated nutrient management. Similarly, from the correlation studies it was found that seed yield was highly correlated with the number of secondary branches plant-1 and the number of pods plant-1 (0.96 and 0.86 respectively). Transplanting pigeonpea resulted in a 33.4% higher mean seed yield compared to dibbling. In terms of plant geometry, individual plant yield was highest at 120 × 120 cm spacing; however, on a per-hectare basis, 100 × 100 cm spacing achieved 23.6% higher mean seed yield than 120 × 120 cm. Under transplanting and wider geometry (100 × 100 cm), hybrid pigeonpea recorded a 38% higher seed yield when supplemented with 100% Soil TestBased (STB) NPK + vermicompost at 5 t ha-1 + phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) + Rhizobium seed treatment, compared to STB NPK alone. Ultimately, the combination of transplanting, 100 × 100 cm spacing and integrated nutrient management (100% STB NPK + vermicompost @ 5 t ha-1 + PSB + Rhizobium seed treatment) proved optimal for yield enhancement and cost-benefit analysis. These findings were consistently supported by PCA and correlation analysis
Melt-Spun SiGe Nano-Alloys: Microstructural Engineering Towards High Thermoelectric Efficiency
Silicon-germanium (SiGe) alloys are prominent high-temperature thermoelectric (TE) materials used as a powering source for deep space applications. In this work, we employed rapid cooling rates for solidification by melt-spinning and rapid heating rates for bulk consolidation employing spark plasma sintering to synthesize high-performance p-type SiGe nano-alloys. The current methodology exhibited a TE figure-of-merit (ZT) approximate to 0.94 at 1123 K for a higher cooling rate of similar to 3.0 x 10(7) K/s. This corresponds to approximate to 88% enhancement in ZT when compared with currently used radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) in space flight missions, approximate to 45% higher than pressure-sintered p-type alloys, which results in a higher output power density, and TE conversion efficiency (eta) approximate to 8% of synthesized SiGe nano-alloys estimated using a cumulative temperature dependence (CTD) model. The ZT enhancement is driven by selective scattering of phonons rather than of charge carriers by the high density of grain boundaries with random orientations and induced lattice-scale defects, resulting in a substantial reduction of lattice thermal conductivity and high power factor. The TE characteristics of synthesized alloys presented using the constant property model (CPM) and CTD model display their high TE performance in high-temperature regimes along with wide suitability of segmentation with different mid-temperature TE materials
Screening rice genotypes for nitrogen efficiency under graded nitrogen application
The global application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers continues to rise in efforts to bolster agricultural productivity. However, this surge in usage has led to significant N losses, resulting in low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) among genotypes and consequent water and air pollution. Although many studies advocate reducing N fertilizer usage, research on screening rice genotypes under graded N application is limited. This study aimed to screen rice genotypes to identify N use efficient cultivars under varying nitrogen levels: N0, N50, N100 and N150. The study also sought to identify key physiological traits linked to grain yield under reduced N conditions. Grain yield decreased by 45.2 % at N0 and 21.4 % at N50 while increasing by 22.3 % at N150 compared to N100. Under reduced N application (N0 and N50), MTU-1010, Vasumati, DRR Dhan-58, Varadhan, Brown Gora SB 92, Tulasi, BV-1692 and DRRH2 exhibited least reduction in grain yield, over N100. Notably, parameters such as ?PSII (actual quantum yield of PSII), ETR (electron transport rate) and qP (coefficient of photochemical quenching) displayed a robust positive association with grain yield under reduced N application compared to the recommended (N100) and high (N150) N application. This underscores the significance of PSII photochemistry in enhancing grain production under limited N. Consequently, leaf chlorophyll fluorescence traits emerge as promising indicators for screening rice genotypes with enhanced NUE under limited N scenarios. In summary, the study conclusively identifies Varadhan as a genotype demonstrating high efficiency in nitrogen utilization, both in terms of grain yield and GYEI, particularly under reduced N regimes
- …
