Network-based investigation of petroleum hydrocarbons-induced ecotoxicological effects and their risk assessment.

Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) are compounds composed mostly of carbon and hydrogen, originating from crude oil and its derivatives. PHs are primarily released into the environment through the diffusion of oils, resulting from anthropogenic activities like transportation and offshore drilling, and accidental incidents such as oil spills. Once released, these PHs can persist in different ecosystems and cause long-term detrimental ecological impacts.

Responses of plankton community to threshold metal concentrations of cadmium and lead in a mesocosm experiment at Bay of Bengal.

Metals are essential at trace levels to aquatic organisms for the function of many physiological and biological processes. But their elevated levels are toxic to the ecosystem and even brings about shifts in the plankton population. Threshold limits such as Predicted No Effect Concentration (PNEC - 0.

Effect of Light-Emitting Diode Phototherapy on Serum Calcium Levels in Neonates With Jaundice.

Background: To assess the change in serum total calcium levels during light-emitting diode phototherapy treatment for jaundice in term neonates.

Methods: A prospective observational study was done on 104 term neonates with hyperbilirubinemia in a tertiary care center to investigate the effects of phototherapy using a light-emitting diode device. The total serum bilirubin along with total calcium levels was measured at the start and at the end of phototherapy.

An Interesting and Rare Case of Hemoglobin D-Punjab Variant in Tamil Nadu.

Hemoglobin D (Hb D), a variant of hemoglobin appears in a few Asian individuals belonging to India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and other parts of the world. In India, it is mainly reported in the North-Western states. Hb D disease causes subclinical jaundice, or it may be asymptomatic with pallor in its heterozygous form.

Prescribing sea water quality criteria for arsenic, cadmium and lead through species sensitivity distribution.

Water quality standards are essential for regulation of contaminants in marine environment. Seawater quality criteria (SWQC) for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) have not been developed for India. The aim of this study is to derive the SWQC for the metals based on Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD).

A constrained spline dynamics (CSD) method for interactive simulation of elastic rods.

In this paper, we present constrained spline dynamics (CSD) as a unified framework for the elastodynamic simulation of elastic rods subjected to constraints at interactive rates. The geometry of the rod and its kinematics are discretized using smooth spline functions and the rod's centerline co-ordinates as degrees of freedom (DOF). Interpolating B-spline shape functions are used to take advantage of the smooth basis and the Kronecker delta property.

Characterizing the learning curve of a virtual intracorporeal suturing simulator VBLaST-SS©.

Background: The virtual basic laparoscopic skill trainer suturing simulator (VBLaST-SS©) was developed to simulate the intracorporeal suturing task in the FLS program. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the training effectiveness and participants' learning curves on the VBLaST-SS© and to assess whether the skills were retained after 2 weeks without training.

Methods: Fourteen medical students participated in the study.

Effect of sublethal gradient concentrations of nickel on postlarvae of Penaeus monodon, Perna viridis and Terapon jarbua: Enzyme activities and histopathological changes.

The present study evaluates the enzyme activities and histopathological changes in the post larvae (PL) of shrimp (Penaeus monodon), green mussel (Perna viridis) and fingerlings of crescent perch (Terapon jarbua) exposed to sublethal gradient concentrations of Nickel (Ni). The median lethal concentration (LC) values were 2.49, 66.

Correction to: Validation of a virtual intracorporeal suturing simulator.

The surname of Sreekanth Arikatla incorrectly appeared as Sreekanth Artikala.

Validation of a virtual intracorporeal suturing simulator.

Background: Intracorporeal suturing is one of the most important and difficult procedures in laparoscopic surgery. Practicing on a FLS trainer box is effective but requires large number of consumables, and the scoring is somewhat subjective and not immediate. A virtualbasic laparoscopic skill trainer (VBLaST©) was developed to simulate the five tasks of the FLS Trainer Box.

Effect of selenium on Penaeus monodon and Perna viridis: Enzyme activities and histopathological responses.

The study was carried out to evaluate enzyme activities and histopathological changes due to the effect of acute and chronic definitive toxicity of selenium (Se) on the post larvae (PL) of giant tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), and green mussel (Perna viridis). The 96-h Median Lethal concentration (LC) for the PL of shrimp was 3.36 mg L and the chronic value for the long-term survival endpoint in a 21-d exposure was 0.

Toxicity of Nickel on the Selected Species of Marine Diatoms and Copepods.

Toxicity values for nickel on marine diatoms and copepods were derived based on bioassay tests. The 96 h IC of nickel on diatoms, Odontella mobiliensis and Coscinodiscus centralis were 0.31 ± 0.

Virtual interactive suturing for the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS).

Background: Suturing with intracorporeal knot-tying is one of the five tasks of the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS), which is a pre-requisite for board certification in general surgery. This task involves placing a short suture through two marks in a penrose drain and then tying a double-throw knot followed by two single-throw knots using two needle graspers operated by both hands. A virtual basic laparoscopic skill trainer (VBLaST©) is being developed to represent the virtual versions of the FLS tasks, including automated, real time performance measurement and feedback.