Cytopathological and ultrastructural changes in the male reproductive organs of freshwater crab Paratelphusa jacquemontii (Rathbun) exposed to nurocombi

Accumulation of pollutants in the aquatic system has a high impact on the reproductive physiology of crustaceans. The objective of the present study was to assess the possible histopathological effects of combined chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin (nurocombi) exposure on reproductive tissue in male freshwater crab Paratelphusa jacquemontii using light and electron microscopy. The testis of experimental crabs showed disorganization of testicular lobules, increased inters cellular space, necrosis, and cellular damage in both germinal cells and Sertoli cells. The treated vas deferens exhibited epithelial degeneration, misshaped spermatophores, decline in the number of spermatophores, and dehiscence of spermatophore wall. These clinical manifestations expressed in crabs following the exposure of nurocombi significantly reduce the testicular activity and substantially inhibits the seminal secretions, which ultimately lead to impairment of reproduction.     

Use of 2'-fluoro-5-methyl-beta-L-arabinofuranosyluracil as a novel antiviral agent for hepatitis B virus and Epstein-Barr virus

A novel anti-hepatitis B virus (anti-HBV) agent, 2'-fluoro-5-methyl-beta-L-arabinofuranosyluracil (L-FMAU), was synthesized and found to be a potent anti-HBV and anti-Epstein-Barr virus agent. Its in vitro potency was evaluated in 2.2.15 and H1 cells for anti-HBV and anti-Epstein-Barr virus activities, respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity in MT2, CEM, 2.2.15, and H1 cells was also assessed, and the results indicated high antiviral selectivities of L-FMAU in these cells.     

Time dependent moisture driven backout of nailplates: experimental investigations and numerical predictions

European Journal of Wood and Wood Products - Nailplates are widely used in domestic and low-rise residential housing markets and have begun forming part of mid-rise developments. There is however a...     

Nafion/lead oxide–manganese oxide combined catalyst for use as a highly efficient alkaline air electrode in zinc–air battery

In this study, we report the application of an inexpensive and easily prepared lead oxide–manganese oxide catalyst combined with Nafion (designated as Nf/PbMnO_x) as a highly efficient air-cathode for a zinc–air battery. We verify the mechanistic study of the reduction of O₂ for Nf/PbMnO_x in alkaline aqueous solution using rotating ring/disk electrode voltammetry, and also an electrochemical approach using a wall-jet screen-printed ring disk electrode. The presence of Nf/PbMnO_x shows great catalytic activity for the disproportionation reaction of HO₂⁻ to O₂ and OH⁻ with an overall 4e⁻ reduction of O₂ in the first reduction reaction. The 4e⁻ reduction of O₂ was eventually achieved at the Nf/PbMnO_x through evidence from the slope of Koutecky–Levich plots. With these inherent features, we then fabricated the zinc–air battery with the Nf/PbMnO_x catalyst and examine the performance for a practical application with air cathodes.     

Deep Learning-Based Hookworm Detection in Wireless Capsule Endoscopic Image Using AdaBoost Classifier

Hookworm is an illness caused by an internal sponger called a roundworm. Inferable from deprived cleanliness in the developing nations, hookworm infection is a primary source of concern for both motherly and baby grimness. The current framework for hookworm detection is composed of hybrid convolutional neural networks; explicitly an edge extraction framework alongside a hookworm classification framework is developed. To consolidate the cylindrical zones obtained from the edge extraction framework and the trait map acquired into the hookworm scientific categorization framework, pooling layers are proposed. The hookworms display different profiles, widths, and bend directions. These challenges make it difficult for customized hookworm detection. In the proposed method, a contourlet change was used with the development of the Hookworm detection. In this study, standard deviation, skewness, entropy, mean, and vitality were used for separating the highlights of the each form. These estimations were found to be accurate. AdaBoost classifier was utilized to characterize the hookworm pictures. In this paper, the exactness and the territory under bend examination in identifying the hookworm demonstrate its scientific relevance.     

Robust PCA-based solution to image composition using augmented Lagrange multiplier (ALM)

Computational photography relies on specialized image-processing techniques to combine multiple images captured by a camera to generate a desired image of the scene. We first consider the high dynamic range (HDR) imaging problem. We can change either the exposure time or the aperture while capturing multiple images of the scene to generate an HDR image. This paper addresses the HDR imaging problem for static and dynamic scenes captured using a stationary camera under various aperture and exposure settings, when we do not have any knowledge of the camera settings. We have proposed a novel framework based on sparse representation which enables us to process images while getting rid of artifacts due to moving objects and defocus blur. We show that the proposed approach is able to produce significantly good results through dynamic object rejection and deblurring capabilities. We compare the results with other competitive approaches and discuss the relative advantages of the proposed approach.     

Reconstruction of high contrast images for dynamic scenes

High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging requires one to composite multiple, differently exposed images of a scene in the irradiance domain and perform tone mapping of the generated HDR image for displaying on Low Dynamic Range (LDR) devices. In the case of dynamic scenes, standard techniques may introduce artifacts called ghosts if the scene changes are not accounted for. In this paper, we consider the blind HDR problem for dynamic scenes. We develop a novel bottom-up segmentation algorithm through superpixel grouping which enables us to detect scene changes. We then employ a piecewise patch-based compositing methodology in the gradient domain to directly generate the ghost-free LDR image of the dynamic scene. Being a blind method, the primary advantage of our approach is that we do not assume any knowledge of camera response function and exposure settings while preserving the contrast even in the non-stationary regions of the scene. We compare the results of our approach for both static and dynamic scenes with that of the state-of-the-art techniques.     

Condensed‐phase flame retardation in nylon 6‐layered silicate nanocomposites: Films,fibers, and fabrics

Flame‐retardant properties of nylon 6/organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) thin films, fibers, and fabrics were investigated to determine the efficacy of condensed‐phase flame‐retardant mechanism in relation to montmorillonite concentration, sample geometry, and flame test conditions. Horizontal flame spread conducted on thin films revealed no significant difference in burning behavior between nylon 6 and nanocomposites with 5 wt% OMMT. However, with a higher concentration level of 8–10 wt% OMMT, the films burned without any dripping. The flame spread rate was reduced by 30–40% as compared with nylon 6 films. Cone calorimeter study on nanocomposite films showed that the peak heat release rate of nylon 6 was reduced by 65–67% with 8–10 wt% OMMT. Undrawn nanocomposite monofilaments with 10 wt% OMMT burned slowly and steadily in Bunsen flame without dripping. In cone calorimeter, nanocomposite fabrics with 8 wt% OMMT showed reduced heat release rate and mass loss rate compared to nylon 6 fabrics with increase in fabric tightness factor. The mass loss rate was about 40–60% less when compared with nylon 6 fabrics. The fabric char structure remained intact after burning. This demonstrated the interdependence of fabric tightness factor, OMMT concentration, and source of heat flux in forming a protective char and affecting the flammability of fabrics. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers