Robust multi-objective optimization has emerged as an active research area in the past few years.... more Robust multi-objective optimization has emerged as an active research area in the past few years. A recent study proposed two different definitions of robust solutions in the context of multi-objective optimization. In this paper, we extend the concepts for finding robust solutions in the presence of active constraints. The meaning of robust solutions for constrained problems is demonstrated by suggesting three test problems and simulating an evolutionary multi-objective optimization method using the two definitions of robustness. The inclusion of constraint handling strategies makes the multi-objective robust optimization procedure more pragmatic and the procedure is now ready to be applied to real-world problems.
An air/ratio control system and method for an internal combustion engine coupled to a fuel vapor ... more An air/ratio control system and method for an internal combustion engine coupled to a fuel vapor recovery system simultaneously maps a difference between a desired air/fuel ratio and a measured air/fuel ratio to fueling errors and a purge vapor flow. This system and method maximizes the ability to purge the vapor recovery system while maintaining the ability to diagnose fuel errors.
Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2015
Purpose: This study aims at the development and preliminary evaluation of dexamethasone nanomicel... more Purpose: This study aims at the development and preliminary evaluation of dexamethasone nanomicelles for treating posterior uveitis. Nanomicelles were formulated using polyoxyl 40 stearate (P40S) and polysorbate 80 (P80), which are approved by the FDA for ocular use. Methods: Dexamethasone nanomicelles were prepared and characterized for critical micellar concentration, solubility of dexamethasone, particle size, surface charge, morphology, in vitro drug release, clarity, stability, filtration efficiency, and sterility. Ocular tolerance and the tissue drug distribution of dexamethasone were assessed in rabbits after single and multiple topical administration. Results: Dexamethasone nanomicelles (0.1% w/v) were successfully developed and characterized with an optimized composition of P40S/P80 = 7/3 by weight. The mean diameter of blank and drug-loaded nanomicelles was 13.3-0.4 and 14.5-0.4 nm, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed the spherical structure of nanomicelles. Nanomicelles were found to be stable with respect to clarity, size and drug content at 4°C and 25°C for up to 6 months. No irritation or redness was observed in the treated eyes as compared with the untreated control rabbit eyes. Therapeutic concentrations of dexamethasone were observed in the retina and choroid after single and multiple topical application in rabbits. Conclusion: In conclusion, the nanomicelles of P40S and P80 could efficiently solubilize 0.1% dexamethasone in their cores. The results also indicate that mixed nanomicelles could be utilized as a potential delivery system for delivering dexamethasone to treat the back of the eye diseases such as posterior uveitis after topical application.
Disk-based model Definition The I/O model of computation measures the efficiency of an algorithm ... more Disk-based model Definition The I/O model of computation measures the efficiency of an algorithm by counting how many disk reads and writes it needs. It is widely applicable to the database environment, since most data is stored on disks and disk access typically dominates CPU time.
We sought to demonstrate the distinguishing features between interarterial and intraseptal course... more We sought to demonstrate the distinguishing features between interarterial and intraseptal courses of an anomalous left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva (RSV) on X-ray angiography, using an ex vivo model. An anomalous left main coronary artery (LMCA) arising from the RSV can take prepulmonary, retro-aortic, interarterial (IA) or intraseptal (IS) courses, of which only the IA course is associated with sudden death. Anomalous LMCA is usually identified during catheter angiography. On Xray angiography, IA and IS courses have common characteristics that makes their distinction challenging. We hypothesized that the cranialcaudal orientation of the vessel on X-ray angiography allows these pathways to be distinguished, and tested this hypothesis using an ex vivo heart model. Plastic tubing was inserted along the IA and IS courses in an ex vivo normal pig heart. X-ray imaging in standard views and MRI on a 3-T scanner were performed. In a normally formed heart, an anomalous ...
Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI, Jan 19, 2014
To evaluate the relationship between left ventricular (LV) twist, shear, and twist-per-volume and... more To evaluate the relationship between left ventricular (LV) twist, shear, and twist-per-volume and the severity of mitral regurgitation (MR). Primary MR is a valvular disorder that induces LV dysfunction. There exist several measures of LV rotational mechanics, but it remains unclear which measure of LV dysfunction best accords with the severity of MR. We hypothesized that LV systolic twist-per-volume slope would decrease with increasing severity of MR because of both decreases in rotational mechanics and increases in stroke volumes. Normal subjects (n = 54), moderate MR patients (n = 29), and severe MR patients (n = 54) were studied. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 1.5T scanner and grid-tagged LV images were collected at the LV base and LV apex. Measures of LV rotational mechanics were derived from tagged images using Fourier Analysis of STimulated echoes (FAST). Peak systolic twist-per-volume slope was significantly different for all pairwise comparisons…
Proceedings of the 2005 ACM symposium on Applied computing, 2005
Active learning is a generic approach to accelerate training of classifiers in order to achieve a... more Active learning is a generic approach to accelerate training of classifiers in order to achieve a higher accuracy with a smaller number of training examples. In the past, simple active learning algorithms like random learning and query learning have been proposed for the design of support vector machine classifiers. In random learning examples are chosen randomly, while in query learning examples closer to the current separating hyperplane are chosen at each learning step. However, it is observed that a better scheme would be to use random learning in the initial stages (more exploration) and query learning in the final stages (more exploitation) of learning. Here we present two new active learning algorithms which use adaptive mixtures of pure random and query learning strategies. One of the proposed algorithms is inspired by online decision problems, and involves a hard choice among the pure strategies in each step. The other extends this to soft choices using a mixture of instances recommended by the individual pure strategies. Both the strategies handle the exploration-exploitation trade-off in active SV learning in an efficient manner. The efficacy of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated by experiments on benchmark datasets.
Chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) is one of the major pathogenesis-related proteins, which is a polypeptide... more Chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) is one of the major pathogenesis-related proteins, which is a polypeptide that accumulates extracellularly in infected plant tissue. An attempt was made to isolate and purify the chitanase enzyme using moth beans as an enzyme source. The enzyme was isolated and purified from moth beans against the fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina strain 2165. The isolation and purification was done in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Purification of chitinase was carried out to obtain three fractions, viz. 50°C heated, ammonium sulfate precipitated and sephadex G-25 column-eluted fractions. The molecular mass of Chitinase was directly estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacryamide gel electroresis (SDS-PAGE). The yield is sufficient for initial characterization studies of the enzyme. The molecular study of the enzyme shows the possibility of generating the defense mechanism in plants in which it cannot occur. Chitinase was purified by gel filtration chromatography with 20.75-fold and 32.78-fold purification in the in vitro and in vivo conditions, respectively. The enzyme shows a maximum activity after 90 min with 0.1 ml of colloidal chitin as a substrate and 0.4 ml of crude chitinase extract. The optimum pH of 5.0 and an optimum temperature of 40°C was found for maximal activity. The molecular weight of purified chitinase was estimated to be 30 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The chitinase isolated in both in vitro and in vivo conditions is stable andactive.
It is widely recognized that the pharmaceutical industry faces serious financial challenges. Larg... more It is widely recognized that the pharmaceutical industry faces serious financial challenges. Large numbers of blockbuster drugs are losing patent protection and going generic. The pipeline of new drugs is too sparse to fill the gap and generate a platform for future growth. Moreover, many of the new products are biologics with much narrower target patient populations and comparatively higher prices relative to traditional pharmaceuticals. So now the time has come for pharmaceutical scientists to have a better understanding of patent fundamentals. This need is illustrated by analyses of key scientific and legal issues that arose during recent patent infringement cases involving Prozac, Prilosec, and Buspar. Facing this scenario, the pharmaceutical industry has moved to accelerate drug development process and to adopt at the same time different strategies to extend the life time of the patent monopoly to provide the economic incentives and utilizing it for drug discovery and development. This review covers the need of patent protection and various strategies to extend the patent.
Background-Mast cells are increased in isolated mitral regurgitation (MR) in the dog and may medi... more Background-Mast cells are increased in isolated mitral regurgitation (MR) in the dog and may mediate extracellular matrix (ECM) loss and left ventricular (LV) dilatation. We tested the hypothesis that mast cell stabilization would attenuate LV remodeling and improve function in the MR dog. Methods-MR was induced in adult dogs randomized to no treatment (MR, n = 9) or to mast cell stabilizer, ketotifen (MR+MCS, n = 6) for four months. LV hemodynamics was obtained after four months of MR and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at sacrifice. Results-MRI-derived serial short axis LV end-diastolic (ED) and end-systolic (ES) volumes, LVED volume/mass ratio, and LV three-dimensional radius/wall thickness were increased in MR and MR+MCS dogs compared to normal dogs (n = 6) (P < 0.05). Interstitial collagen was decreased by 30% in both MR and MR+MCS vs. normal dogs (P < 0.05). LV contractility by LV maximum time-varying elastance was significantly depressed in MR and MR + MCS dogs. Furthermore, cardiomyocyte fractional shortening was decreased in MR vs. normal dogs and further depressed in MR+MCS dogs (P < 0.05). In vitro administration of ketotifen to normal cardiomyocytes also significantly decreased fractional shortening and calcium transients. Conclusions-Chronic mast cell stabilization did not attenuate eccentric LV remodeling or collagen loss in MR. However, MCS therapy had a detrimental effect on LV function due a direct negative inotropic effect on cardiomyocyte function.
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2007
The influence of several process parameters on the calcination of a naturally occurring limestone... more The influence of several process parameters on the calcination of a naturally occurring limestone and a precipitated mesoporous calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) sorbent structure to calcium oxide (CaO) is detailed in this study. CaCO 3 calcination is an integral part of a multicyclic ...
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2004
Micron-sized CaO, obtained by calcination of mesoporous CaCO 3 , attained 36 wt % CO 2 sorption c... more Micron-sized CaO, obtained by calcination of mesoporous CaCO 3 , attained 36 wt % CO 2 sorption capacity after 100 cycles of carbonation and calcination reactions at 700°C. The extent of simultaneous carbonation (X CO 2) and sulfation (X SO 2) of CaO at 700°C was obtained under simulated flue gas conditions (10% CO 2 , 3000 ppm of SO 2 , 4% O 2 in N 2). CaO reacts with SO 2 to form thermally stable CaSO 4 , which leads to a reduction in the CO 2 capture capacity of CaO. Whereas X SO 2 increases monotonically with the residence time, X CO 2 goes through a maximum and eventually drops as a result of direct sulfation of CaCO 3. The maximum value attained by X CO 2 was 50% in 10 min in the first cycle. The highest X CO 2 /X SO 2 ratio of 5 is attained at a residence time of 5 min. X SO 2 is higher under simultaneous carbonation and sulfation conditions compared to sulfation of CaO or direct sulfation of CaCO 3 .
Background: Results of surgical treatment in Indian patients of Ewing's sarcoma managed with mult... more Background: Results of surgical treatment in Indian patients of Ewing's sarcoma managed with multimodality treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy are insufficient. We report a retrospective evaluation of a series of cases of Ewing's sarcoma managed with chemotherapy, surgery with or without radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: 54 patients of biopsy-proven Ewing's sarcoma of the bone, except craniofacial and vertebral bones were included. The patients having recurrence or having previous treatment were excluded from the study. Local and systemic extent of the sarcoma was defined, staged, and patients were subjected to the chemotherapy, surgery, and in some cases radiotherapy. Patients were evaluated for results of surgery with respect to complications, recurrence, and metastases at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months of follow-up Results: Average age of patients was 15.6 years (range 7-26 years); average delay in treatment was 4.1 months (1-7 months); follow-up ranged from 2 to 5 years (median 3.1 years); 14 patients (25.9%) had pulmonary metastases at their initial presentation. Twenty-one patients (38.9%) underwent resection and intercalary reconstruction with bone grafting, fixed with locking plates. Allograft was also used in 11 of these. Sixteen patients underwent resection and reconstruction with endoprosthesis, while seven patients (13.0%) underwent resection and arthrodesis. An above-knee amputation was required in 7.4% (four patients). Mesh was used for containing the graft longitudinally in five patients (femoral and tibial intercalary reconstructions) and for soft tissue attachment in two patients (hip and shoulder endoprostheses). Two patients had deep wound infection. One patient presented 1 year later with implant failure. The disease-free survival at 2 years from the time of diagnosis was 57.5% (23 out of 40) for patients without preoperative metastases and 42.9% (6 out of 14) for those with preoperative metastases. Overall, the disease-free survival at 2 years was 53.7% (29 out of 54 patients). Overall survival rate at 2 years was 61.1% (33 out of 54 patients). Conclusion: Results of surgical treatment in this study are comparable with the current literature in spite of involvement of long bony segment and large soft tissue component. Intramedullary fibular autograft with morcellized cancellous autograft and allograft contained longitudinally in a mesh appears to be a good alternative with such large bone tumors.
Data caching can significantly improve the efficiency of information access in a wireless ad hoc ... more Data caching can significantly improve the efficiency of information access in a wireless ad hoc network by reducing the access latency and bandwidth usage. However, designing efficient distributed caching algorithms is non-trivial when network nodes have limited memory. In this article, we consider the cache placement problem of minimizing total data access cost in ad hoc networks with multiple data items and nodes with limited memory capacity. The above optimization problem is known to be NPhard. Defining benefit as the reduction in total access cost, we present a polynomial-time centralized approximation algorithm that provably delivers a solution whose benefit is at least one-fourth (one-half for uniform-size data items) of the optimal benefit. The approximation algorithm is amenable to localized distributed implementation, which is shown via simulations to perform close to the approximation algorithm. Our distributed algorithm naturally extends to networks with mobile nodes. We simulate our distributed algorithm using a network simulator (ns2), and demonstrate that it significantly outperforms another existing caching technique (by Yin and Cao [31]) in all important performance metrics. The performance differential is particularly large in more challenging scenarios, such as higher access frequency and smaller memory. Index Terms-caching placement policy, ad hoc networks, algorithm/protocol design and analysis, simulations.
Spatial query execution is an essential functionality of a sensor network, where a query gathers ... more Spatial query execution is an essential functionality of a sensor network, where a query gathers sensor data within a specific geographic region. Redundancy within a sensor network can be exploited to reduce the communication cost incurred in execution of such queries. Any reduction in communication cost would result in an efficient use of the battery energy, which is very limited in sensors. One approach to reduce the communication cost of a query is to self-organize the network, in response to a query, into a topology that involves only a small subset of the sensors sufficient to process the query. The query is then executed using only the sensors in the constructed topology. In this article, we design and analyze algorithms for such self-organization of a sensor network to reduce energy consumption. In particular, we develop the notion of a connected sensor cover and design a centralized approximation algorithm that constructs a topology involving a nearoptimal connected sensor cover. We prove that the size of the constructed topology is within an O(log n) factor of the optimal size, where n is the network size. We also develop a distributed self-organization version of our algorithm, and propose several optimizations to reduce the communication overhead of the algorithm. Finally, we evaluate the distributed algorithm using simulations and show that our approach results in significant communication cost reduction.
Robust multi-objective optimization has emerged as an active research area in the past few years.... more Robust multi-objective optimization has emerged as an active research area in the past few years. A recent study proposed two different definitions of robust solutions in the context of multi-objective optimization. In this paper, we extend the concepts for finding robust solutions in the presence of active constraints. The meaning of robust solutions for constrained problems is demonstrated by suggesting three test problems and simulating an evolutionary multi-objective optimization method using the two definitions of robustness. The inclusion of constraint handling strategies makes the multi-objective robust optimization procedure more pragmatic and the procedure is now ready to be applied to real-world problems.
An air/ratio control system and method for an internal combustion engine coupled to a fuel vapor ... more An air/ratio control system and method for an internal combustion engine coupled to a fuel vapor recovery system simultaneously maps a difference between a desired air/fuel ratio and a measured air/fuel ratio to fueling errors and a purge vapor flow. This system and method maximizes the ability to purge the vapor recovery system while maintaining the ability to diagnose fuel errors.
Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2015
Purpose: This study aims at the development and preliminary evaluation of dexamethasone nanomicel... more Purpose: This study aims at the development and preliminary evaluation of dexamethasone nanomicelles for treating posterior uveitis. Nanomicelles were formulated using polyoxyl 40 stearate (P40S) and polysorbate 80 (P80), which are approved by the FDA for ocular use. Methods: Dexamethasone nanomicelles were prepared and characterized for critical micellar concentration, solubility of dexamethasone, particle size, surface charge, morphology, in vitro drug release, clarity, stability, filtration efficiency, and sterility. Ocular tolerance and the tissue drug distribution of dexamethasone were assessed in rabbits after single and multiple topical administration. Results: Dexamethasone nanomicelles (0.1% w/v) were successfully developed and characterized with an optimized composition of P40S/P80 = 7/3 by weight. The mean diameter of blank and drug-loaded nanomicelles was 13.3-0.4 and 14.5-0.4 nm, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy images revealed the spherical structure of nanomicelles. Nanomicelles were found to be stable with respect to clarity, size and drug content at 4°C and 25°C for up to 6 months. No irritation or redness was observed in the treated eyes as compared with the untreated control rabbit eyes. Therapeutic concentrations of dexamethasone were observed in the retina and choroid after single and multiple topical application in rabbits. Conclusion: In conclusion, the nanomicelles of P40S and P80 could efficiently solubilize 0.1% dexamethasone in their cores. The results also indicate that mixed nanomicelles could be utilized as a potential delivery system for delivering dexamethasone to treat the back of the eye diseases such as posterior uveitis after topical application.
Disk-based model Definition The I/O model of computation measures the efficiency of an algorithm ... more Disk-based model Definition The I/O model of computation measures the efficiency of an algorithm by counting how many disk reads and writes it needs. It is widely applicable to the database environment, since most data is stored on disks and disk access typically dominates CPU time.
We sought to demonstrate the distinguishing features between interarterial and intraseptal course... more We sought to demonstrate the distinguishing features between interarterial and intraseptal courses of an anomalous left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva (RSV) on X-ray angiography, using an ex vivo model. An anomalous left main coronary artery (LMCA) arising from the RSV can take prepulmonary, retro-aortic, interarterial (IA) or intraseptal (IS) courses, of which only the IA course is associated with sudden death. Anomalous LMCA is usually identified during catheter angiography. On Xray angiography, IA and IS courses have common characteristics that makes their distinction challenging. We hypothesized that the cranialcaudal orientation of the vessel on X-ray angiography allows these pathways to be distinguished, and tested this hypothesis using an ex vivo heart model. Plastic tubing was inserted along the IA and IS courses in an ex vivo normal pig heart. X-ray imaging in standard views and MRI on a 3-T scanner were performed. In a normally formed heart, an anomalous ...
Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI, Jan 19, 2014
To evaluate the relationship between left ventricular (LV) twist, shear, and twist-per-volume and... more To evaluate the relationship between left ventricular (LV) twist, shear, and twist-per-volume and the severity of mitral regurgitation (MR). Primary MR is a valvular disorder that induces LV dysfunction. There exist several measures of LV rotational mechanics, but it remains unclear which measure of LV dysfunction best accords with the severity of MR. We hypothesized that LV systolic twist-per-volume slope would decrease with increasing severity of MR because of both decreases in rotational mechanics and increases in stroke volumes. Normal subjects (n = 54), moderate MR patients (n = 29), and severe MR patients (n = 54) were studied. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on a 1.5T scanner and grid-tagged LV images were collected at the LV base and LV apex. Measures of LV rotational mechanics were derived from tagged images using Fourier Analysis of STimulated echoes (FAST). Peak systolic twist-per-volume slope was significantly different for all pairwise comparisons…
Proceedings of the 2005 ACM symposium on Applied computing, 2005
Active learning is a generic approach to accelerate training of classifiers in order to achieve a... more Active learning is a generic approach to accelerate training of classifiers in order to achieve a higher accuracy with a smaller number of training examples. In the past, simple active learning algorithms like random learning and query learning have been proposed for the design of support vector machine classifiers. In random learning examples are chosen randomly, while in query learning examples closer to the current separating hyperplane are chosen at each learning step. However, it is observed that a better scheme would be to use random learning in the initial stages (more exploration) and query learning in the final stages (more exploitation) of learning. Here we present two new active learning algorithms which use adaptive mixtures of pure random and query learning strategies. One of the proposed algorithms is inspired by online decision problems, and involves a hard choice among the pure strategies in each step. The other extends this to soft choices using a mixture of instances recommended by the individual pure strategies. Both the strategies handle the exploration-exploitation trade-off in active SV learning in an efficient manner. The efficacy of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated by experiments on benchmark datasets.
Chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) is one of the major pathogenesis-related proteins, which is a polypeptide... more Chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14) is one of the major pathogenesis-related proteins, which is a polypeptide that accumulates extracellularly in infected plant tissue. An attempt was made to isolate and purify the chitanase enzyme using moth beans as an enzyme source. The enzyme was isolated and purified from moth beans against the fungal pathogen Macrophomina phaseolina strain 2165. The isolation and purification was done in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Purification of chitinase was carried out to obtain three fractions, viz. 50°C heated, ammonium sulfate precipitated and sephadex G-25 column-eluted fractions. The molecular mass of Chitinase was directly estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacryamide gel electroresis (SDS-PAGE). The yield is sufficient for initial characterization studies of the enzyme. The molecular study of the enzyme shows the possibility of generating the defense mechanism in plants in which it cannot occur. Chitinase was purified by gel filtration chromatography with 20.75-fold and 32.78-fold purification in the in vitro and in vivo conditions, respectively. The enzyme shows a maximum activity after 90 min with 0.1 ml of colloidal chitin as a substrate and 0.4 ml of crude chitinase extract. The optimum pH of 5.0 and an optimum temperature of 40°C was found for maximal activity. The molecular weight of purified chitinase was estimated to be 30 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The chitinase isolated in both in vitro and in vivo conditions is stable andactive.
It is widely recognized that the pharmaceutical industry faces serious financial challenges. Larg... more It is widely recognized that the pharmaceutical industry faces serious financial challenges. Large numbers of blockbuster drugs are losing patent protection and going generic. The pipeline of new drugs is too sparse to fill the gap and generate a platform for future growth. Moreover, many of the new products are biologics with much narrower target patient populations and comparatively higher prices relative to traditional pharmaceuticals. So now the time has come for pharmaceutical scientists to have a better understanding of patent fundamentals. This need is illustrated by analyses of key scientific and legal issues that arose during recent patent infringement cases involving Prozac, Prilosec, and Buspar. Facing this scenario, the pharmaceutical industry has moved to accelerate drug development process and to adopt at the same time different strategies to extend the life time of the patent monopoly to provide the economic incentives and utilizing it for drug discovery and development. This review covers the need of patent protection and various strategies to extend the patent.
Background-Mast cells are increased in isolated mitral regurgitation (MR) in the dog and may medi... more Background-Mast cells are increased in isolated mitral regurgitation (MR) in the dog and may mediate extracellular matrix (ECM) loss and left ventricular (LV) dilatation. We tested the hypothesis that mast cell stabilization would attenuate LV remodeling and improve function in the MR dog. Methods-MR was induced in adult dogs randomized to no treatment (MR, n = 9) or to mast cell stabilizer, ketotifen (MR+MCS, n = 6) for four months. LV hemodynamics was obtained after four months of MR and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed at sacrifice. Results-MRI-derived serial short axis LV end-diastolic (ED) and end-systolic (ES) volumes, LVED volume/mass ratio, and LV three-dimensional radius/wall thickness were increased in MR and MR+MCS dogs compared to normal dogs (n = 6) (P < 0.05). Interstitial collagen was decreased by 30% in both MR and MR+MCS vs. normal dogs (P < 0.05). LV contractility by LV maximum time-varying elastance was significantly depressed in MR and MR + MCS dogs. Furthermore, cardiomyocyte fractional shortening was decreased in MR vs. normal dogs and further depressed in MR+MCS dogs (P < 0.05). In vitro administration of ketotifen to normal cardiomyocytes also significantly decreased fractional shortening and calcium transients. Conclusions-Chronic mast cell stabilization did not attenuate eccentric LV remodeling or collagen loss in MR. However, MCS therapy had a detrimental effect on LV function due a direct negative inotropic effect on cardiomyocyte function.
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2007
The influence of several process parameters on the calcination of a naturally occurring limestone... more The influence of several process parameters on the calcination of a naturally occurring limestone and a precipitated mesoporous calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) sorbent structure to calcium oxide (CaO) is detailed in this study. CaCO 3 calcination is an integral part of a multicyclic ...
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2004
Micron-sized CaO, obtained by calcination of mesoporous CaCO 3 , attained 36 wt % CO 2 sorption c... more Micron-sized CaO, obtained by calcination of mesoporous CaCO 3 , attained 36 wt % CO 2 sorption capacity after 100 cycles of carbonation and calcination reactions at 700°C. The extent of simultaneous carbonation (X CO 2) and sulfation (X SO 2) of CaO at 700°C was obtained under simulated flue gas conditions (10% CO 2 , 3000 ppm of SO 2 , 4% O 2 in N 2). CaO reacts with SO 2 to form thermally stable CaSO 4 , which leads to a reduction in the CO 2 capture capacity of CaO. Whereas X SO 2 increases monotonically with the residence time, X CO 2 goes through a maximum and eventually drops as a result of direct sulfation of CaCO 3. The maximum value attained by X CO 2 was 50% in 10 min in the first cycle. The highest X CO 2 /X SO 2 ratio of 5 is attained at a residence time of 5 min. X SO 2 is higher under simultaneous carbonation and sulfation conditions compared to sulfation of CaO or direct sulfation of CaCO 3 .
Background: Results of surgical treatment in Indian patients of Ewing's sarcoma managed with mult... more Background: Results of surgical treatment in Indian patients of Ewing's sarcoma managed with multimodality treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy are insufficient. We report a retrospective evaluation of a series of cases of Ewing's sarcoma managed with chemotherapy, surgery with or without radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: 54 patients of biopsy-proven Ewing's sarcoma of the bone, except craniofacial and vertebral bones were included. The patients having recurrence or having previous treatment were excluded from the study. Local and systemic extent of the sarcoma was defined, staged, and patients were subjected to the chemotherapy, surgery, and in some cases radiotherapy. Patients were evaluated for results of surgery with respect to complications, recurrence, and metastases at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months of follow-up Results: Average age of patients was 15.6 years (range 7-26 years); average delay in treatment was 4.1 months (1-7 months); follow-up ranged from 2 to 5 years (median 3.1 years); 14 patients (25.9%) had pulmonary metastases at their initial presentation. Twenty-one patients (38.9%) underwent resection and intercalary reconstruction with bone grafting, fixed with locking plates. Allograft was also used in 11 of these. Sixteen patients underwent resection and reconstruction with endoprosthesis, while seven patients (13.0%) underwent resection and arthrodesis. An above-knee amputation was required in 7.4% (four patients). Mesh was used for containing the graft longitudinally in five patients (femoral and tibial intercalary reconstructions) and for soft tissue attachment in two patients (hip and shoulder endoprostheses). Two patients had deep wound infection. One patient presented 1 year later with implant failure. The disease-free survival at 2 years from the time of diagnosis was 57.5% (23 out of 40) for patients without preoperative metastases and 42.9% (6 out of 14) for those with preoperative metastases. Overall, the disease-free survival at 2 years was 53.7% (29 out of 54 patients). Overall survival rate at 2 years was 61.1% (33 out of 54 patients). Conclusion: Results of surgical treatment in this study are comparable with the current literature in spite of involvement of long bony segment and large soft tissue component. Intramedullary fibular autograft with morcellized cancellous autograft and allograft contained longitudinally in a mesh appears to be a good alternative with such large bone tumors.
Data caching can significantly improve the efficiency of information access in a wireless ad hoc ... more Data caching can significantly improve the efficiency of information access in a wireless ad hoc network by reducing the access latency and bandwidth usage. However, designing efficient distributed caching algorithms is non-trivial when network nodes have limited memory. In this article, we consider the cache placement problem of minimizing total data access cost in ad hoc networks with multiple data items and nodes with limited memory capacity. The above optimization problem is known to be NPhard. Defining benefit as the reduction in total access cost, we present a polynomial-time centralized approximation algorithm that provably delivers a solution whose benefit is at least one-fourth (one-half for uniform-size data items) of the optimal benefit. The approximation algorithm is amenable to localized distributed implementation, which is shown via simulations to perform close to the approximation algorithm. Our distributed algorithm naturally extends to networks with mobile nodes. We simulate our distributed algorithm using a network simulator (ns2), and demonstrate that it significantly outperforms another existing caching technique (by Yin and Cao [31]) in all important performance metrics. The performance differential is particularly large in more challenging scenarios, such as higher access frequency and smaller memory. Index Terms-caching placement policy, ad hoc networks, algorithm/protocol design and analysis, simulations.
Spatial query execution is an essential functionality of a sensor network, where a query gathers ... more Spatial query execution is an essential functionality of a sensor network, where a query gathers sensor data within a specific geographic region. Redundancy within a sensor network can be exploited to reduce the communication cost incurred in execution of such queries. Any reduction in communication cost would result in an efficient use of the battery energy, which is very limited in sensors. One approach to reduce the communication cost of a query is to self-organize the network, in response to a query, into a topology that involves only a small subset of the sensors sufficient to process the query. The query is then executed using only the sensors in the constructed topology. In this article, we design and analyze algorithms for such self-organization of a sensor network to reduce energy consumption. In particular, we develop the notion of a connected sensor cover and design a centralized approximation algorithm that constructs a topology involving a nearoptimal connected sensor cover. We prove that the size of the constructed topology is within an O(log n) factor of the optimal size, where n is the network size. We also develop a distributed self-organization version of our algorithm, and propose several optimizations to reduce the communication overhead of the algorithm. Finally, we evaluate the distributed algorithm using simulations and show that our approach results in significant communication cost reduction.
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Papers by Himanshu Gupta