A novel hybrid security mechanism for data communication networks

Multimedia Tools and Applications - With the growing internet technology over the last decade, the number of intruders trying to steal the confidential information has also risen. As a result, for...     

Influence of Parathyroid Hormone-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles in Porous Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration

Biodegradable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles, containing human parathyroid hormone (PTH (1–34)), prepared by a modified double emulsion-solvent diffusion-evaporation method, were incorporated in porous freeze-dried chitosan-gelatin (CH-G) scaffolds. The PTH-loaded nanoparticles (NPTH) were characterised in terms of morphology, size, protein loading, release kinetics and in vitro assessment of biological activity of released PTH and cytocompatibility studies against clonal human osteoblast (hFOB) cells. Structural integrity of incorporated and released PTH from nanoparticles was found to be intact by using Tris-tricine SDS-PAGE. In vitro PTH release kinetics from PLGA nanoparticles were characterised by a burst release followed by a slow release phase for 3–4 weeks. The released PTH was biologically active as evidenced by the stimulated release of cyclic AMP from hFOB cells as well as increased mineralisation studies. Both in vitro and cell studies demonstrated that the PTH bioactivity was maintained during the fabrication of PLGA nanoparticles and upon release. Finally, a content of 33.3% w/w NPTHs was incorporated in CH-G scaffolds, showing an intermittent release during the first 10 days and, followed by a controlled release over 28 days of observation time. The increased expression of Alkaline Phosphatase levels on hFOB cells further confirmed the activity of intermittently released PTH from scaffolds.     

Role of Process Variables on the Solid Particle Erosion of Polymer Composites: A Critical Review

This paper presents a review of the reported research investigations that are related to the solid particle erosion behavior of polymers and polymeric composites. Attention is paid to the effects of test parameters such as erodent type, size of the erodent, impingement angle, impact velocity and stand of distance. On the erosion wear rate of polymer composites. Various predictions and models proposed by different authors to describe and quantify the erosion rate are discussed and their suitability is checked. Recent findings on the erosion response of multi-component hybrid composites are also presented. Lastly the implementation of the design of experiments and statistical techniques in making a parametric appraisal of the erosion processes of composites is discussed.     

Numerical investigation of thermal and hydraulic performance in novel oblique geometry using nanofluid

To capitalize the advantage of oblique fin heat sink (OFHS) with Al₂O₃–water nanofluids of different volumetric concentration (1, 2, and 4%), a comprehensive computational analysis has been performed for OFHS with nanofluid through the single-phase modeling. The present investigation focuses on the full domain simulation because the conventional periodic computational model approach is unable to investigate the flow migration effect and predicts higher value of Nusselt number. Apart from the disruption of boundary layer, vortices are observed in the secondary oblique channel due to flow separation that promotes an additional heat transfer enhancement. Higher Severity of the flow migration and hence more non-uniformity of nanofluid flow rate through the primary and secondary channels was observed at higher Reynolds numbers. The increment observed in the average Nusselt number (Nu_avg) at Re = 750 for OFHS is about 90% and 115% for water and 4% volumetric concentration of nanofluid respectively compared to conventional SCHS. Also, Al₂O₃–water nanofluid exhibits about 30% higher enhancement at 4% volumetric concentration at Re = 750 in the OFHS with compared to water. The increase in heat transfer exceeded the pressure drop penalty at all the Reynolds numbers.     

An analytical parasitic resistance dependent Id–Vd model for planar doped InAlAs/InGaAs/InP HEMT using non-linear charge control analysis

An analytical parasitic resistance dependent model for the current voltage characteristics for InAlAs/InGaAs/InP HEMT is proposed. The model uses a new polynomial dependence of sheet carrier concentration on gate voltage to calculate I_d–V_d characteristics and has been extended to obtain transconductance, output conductance and cut-off frequency of the device. A maximum cut-off frequency of 83 and 175 GHz was obtained for channel length of 0.25 and 0.1 μm, respectively. Close agreement with published results confirms the validity of our approach.     

Activation of ventrolateral preoptic neurons by the somnogen prostaglandin D2

Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) is an extensively studied sleep-promoting substance, but the neuroanatomical basis of PGD2-induced sleep is only partially understood. To determine potential regions involved in this response, we used Fos immunohistochemistry to identify neurons activated by infusion of PGD2 into the subarachnoid space below the rostral basal forebrain. PGD2 increased nonrapid eye movement sleep and induced striking expression of Fos in the ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO), a cluster of neurons that may promote sleep by inhibiting the tuberomammillary nucleus, the source of the ascending histaminergic arousal system. Fos expression in the VLPO was positively correlated with the preceding amount of sleep and negatively correlated with Fos expression in the tuberomammillary nucleus. PGD2 also increased Fos immunoreactivity in the basal leptomeninges and several regions implicated in autonomic regulation. These observations suggest that PGD2 may induce sleep via leptomeningeal PGD2 receptors with subsequent activation of the VLPO.     

Studies of sedimentation behaviour of high pigmented alkyd primer: A rheological approach

These rheological studies are carried out to understand the sedimentation tendency of pigments in solvent borne alkyd primer (SP). Three high pigment volume concentration (PVC) primers with varying wetting agents are studied comparatively with benchmark low PVC primer with good antisettling performance. Rheological tests namely control shear rate (CSR), creep recovery, oscillatory amplitude sweep and frequency sweep were performed on these samples and correlation with natural and accelerated stability tests was established. Here the correlation of rheological parameters like yield stress, crossover point, zero shear viscosity, deformation, loss factor, etc. with the respective pigment sedimentation tendencies in primer samples gave good understanding of their importance in primer formulation. This not only helps making better primer but also reduces development time for a product and thus improved productivity.     

Lack of tactile pain (allodynia) in lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase-deficient mice

Prostaglandin (PG) D2 is the most abundant prostanoid produced in the central nervous system of mammals and has been implicated in the modulation of neural functions such as sleep induction, nociception, regulation of body temperature, and odor responses. We generated gene-knockout mice for lipocalin-type PGD2 synthase (L-PGDS) and found that the intrathecal administration of PGE2, an endogenous pain-producing substance, failed to elicit allodynia (touch-evoked pain), which is one typical phenomenon of neuropathic pain, whereas it evoked thermal hyperalgesia, in L-PGDS-/- mice. We also found that the allodynic response induced by the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor antagonist bicuculline was selectively abolished in the L-PGDS-/- mice, among excitatory and inhibitory agents that induced allodynia in wild-type mice. Interestingly, simultaneous injection of a femtogram amount of PGD2 with PGE2 or bicuculline induced allodynia in L-PGDS-/- mice to the same extent as in wild-type mice. The PGE2- or bicuculline-evoked allodynia in wild-type and in PGD2-supplemented L-PGDS-/- mice was blocked by a PGD2 receptor antagonist given in a femtogram amount. These results reveal that endogenous PGD2 is essential for both PGE2- and bicuculline-induced allodynia.