Addition polyimides. I

Crosslinking of 4,4′(bismaleimido)diphenyl ether (BM) was investigated in presence of bis(m-aminophenyl)methylphosphine oxide (BAP), tris(m-aminophenyl)phosphine oxide (TAP), diaminodiphenyl ether (E) and 3,3-bis(p-aminophenyl)phthalide (AP). These crosslinked resins were examined for thermal stability by thermogravimetric analysis. A slight decrease in initial decomposition temperature, the temperature of maximum rate of weight loss, was observed, though the char yield in nitrogen atmosphere at 800°C did not change appreciably. Glass-cloth-reinforced laminates were fabricated from BM and amine mixtures. An improvement in mechanical properties was observed in the presence of phosphorus-containing di- and triamines.     

Leukocyte image analysis in the diff3 system

The diff3 System uses image processing and pattern recognition techniques to automatically analyze normal and abnormal white blood cells in a blood smear. The system consists of a spinner which creates a monolayer of cells on a glass slide, a stainer utilizing Wright's stain, the reagents to support the spinner and stainer, and an analyzer for automatic slide handling, analysis and report generation. The analyzer incorporates a wide range of image processing functions, including the generation and storage of gray scale image data, whole-field and partial-field image histogramming, and high-order binary image texture analysis and image transformation using the Golay processor (GLOPR). This paper describes the manner in which these hardware capabilities are used for white cell acquisition, scene segmentation and feature analysis. It concludes with some examples of texture extraction which illustrate the power of the Golay processor as a tool for image analysis.     

Epidemiology and risk management of listeriosis in India

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause serious invasive illness, mainly in certain well-defined high-risk groups, including elderly and immunocompromised patients, pregnant women, newborns and infants. In India, this pathogen has been isolated from humans, animals and foods. The incidence of Listeria is generally comparable to those reported elsewhere in the world. In humans, maternal/neonatal listeriosis is the most common clinical form reported. Among animal populations, spontaneous abortions, subclinical mastitis, meningoencephalitis and endometritis were the commonest forms reported. The disease largely remains undiagnosed and under reported. From reported analyses of a variety of foods for Listeria, milk and milk products, meat and meat products, seafood and vegetables have been reported to be contaminated in India. The legal framework for microbiological safety of foods against microbes including L. monocytogenes is summarised. The epidemiological studies would help in understanding of the sources of infection and persistence and their risk assessment, routes of transmission, clinical forms and allow for better management of the infection.     

Changes in Pigments and Volatiles of Saffron ( Crocus sativusL) During Processing and Storage

Significant variations were observed in the concentration of pigments (10·0–17·0%, moisture-free basis) and flavour components during different post-harvest processing conditions of saffron (stigmas ex Crocus sativus L). The crocin pigments concentration was highest (15–17%) in the saffron samples dried between 35°C and 50°C either in a solar dryer or in an oven dryer and this also resulted in considerable reduction of normal drying time. Under these conditions the main flavouring component, safranal, was at its peak value of 60% in the oil in almost all the samples except the vacuum oven dried samples which interestingly contained 4-β-hydroxysafranal in major amounts. Studies indicated that 4-β-hydroxysafranal may be an intermediate in the formation of safranal. It was observed that prolonged storage affected the pigments and flavour concentration to a great extent, but proper packaging and storage with 5% moisture in the saffron reduced the deterioration, thereby increasing the shelflife of the product.     

Comparison of Different Mass Spectrometry Workflows for the Proteomic Analysis of Tear Fluid

The tear film is a multi-layer fluid that covers the corneal and conjunctival epithelia of the eye and provides lubrication, nutrients, and protection from the outside environment. Tear fluid contains a high concentration of proteins and has thus been recognized as a potential source of biomarkers for ocular disorders due to its proximity to disease sites on the ocular surface and the non-invasive nature of its collection. This is particularly true in the case of dry eye disease, which directly impacts the tear film and its components. Proteomic analysis of tear fluid is challenging mainly due to the wide dynamic range of proteins and the small sample volumes. However, recent advancements in mass spectrometry have revolutionized the field of proteomics enabling unprecedented depth, speed, and accuracy, even with small sample volumes. In this study using the Orbitrap Fusion Tribrid mass spectrometer, we compared four different mass spectrometry workflows for the proteomic analysis of tear fluid collected via Schirmer strips. We were able to establish a method of in-strip protein digestion that identified >3000 proteins in human tear samples from 11 healthy subjects. Our method offers a significant improvement in the number of proteins identified compared to previously reported methods without pooling samples.     

Performance evaluation of different machine learning techniques for prediction of heart disease

Neural Computing and Applications - Heart diseases are of notable public health disquiet worldwide. Heart patients are growing speedily owing to deficient health awareness and bad consumption...     

Studies on polyblends of poly(vinyl chloride) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene terpolymer

Blends of poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene (ABS) terpolymer were prepared in different ratios by a melt blending technique. ABS containing three different levels of rubber content were used. A quantitative assessment of ABS in PVC/ABS blends has been shown by infrared studies. ABS content has been shown as the presence of the characteristic acrylonitrile peak. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies have been carried out to study the glass transition (T_g) behavior of the blends. Two T_g values corresponding to PVC and styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymer have been observed. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reveals a significant improvement in thermal stability of these blends as compared to PVC. Mechanical properties show a significant increase in the impact strength which is related to rubber content of the ABS used. Morphological studies have been carried out by scanning electron microscopy which support the observation that an increase in rubber content results in greater ductility.     

Electron microscopy of shock deformation in alumina

Shock recovered samples of a coarse grain (10 μm), high density (>99.9% theoretical) alumina from asymmetric impact tests conducted at 6.5 GPa (e.g. 3.2 times its Hugoniot Elastic Limit) in a single stage gas gun and characterized by X-ray diffractometry, scanning and field emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy showed prolific presence of reduced crystallite size, higher average microstrain, grain localized micro/nano-scale deformations, micro-cleavages, grain-boundary microcracks, micro-wing crack formation, extensive shear induced deformations and fractures localized at grains, grain boundaries and triple grain junctions, grain localized entanglement of dislocations and their pile up impeded at grain boundaries. A new qualitative model based on micro-shear and micro-twist induced deformation and fracture in single and/or multiple planes in suitably oriented grain and/or grain assembly was developed to explain the experimentally observed damage evolution process.