Investigation of electrochemical micromachining on magnesium alloy using hollow tool electrode.

This study investigates the application of Electrochemical Micromachining (ECMM) on magnesium alloy AZ31 using a hollow tool electrode. Magnesium alloys, particularly AZ31, are valued for their lightweight properties and strength-to-weight ratio but pose challenges in precision machining due to their high reactivity and susceptibility to corrosion. Utilizing a hollow tool electrode in ECMM offers potential advantages in precision and control, crucial for micro-scale manufacturing applications.

Spark erosion behavior in the machining of MoSi-SiC ceramic composites for improving dimensional accuracy.

The novel applications of MoSi and SiC as matrix and reinforcing materials in the creation of high-performance composites were investigated in this work. In particular, Spark Erosion Machining's geometric tolerances were studied in order to shed light on the technique's potential for precision manufacture in the realm of MoSi-SiC composites. Our research focused on evaluating critical parameters and their impact on machining performance, including material removal rate, surface roughness, wear rate and drilled hole accuracy.

StrokeRehab: A Benchmark Dataset for Sub-second Action Identification.

Automatic action identification from video and kinematic data is an important machine learning problem with applications ranging from robotics to smart health. Most existing works focus on identifying coarse actions such as running, climbing, or cutting vegetables, which have relatively long durations and a complex series of motions. This is an important limitation for applications that require identification of more elemental motions at high temporal resolution.

SiN-TiN rotary EDM optimization by Mo-Jaya algorithm with Pareto optimal solution, analysis of micro-structural and geometrical tolerances.

Research into rotary electrical discharge machining on high temperature with biomedical application SiN-TiN ceramic composite is presented in this paper. Current (I), pulse on time (T), pulse off time (T), dielectric pressure (DP), speed and spark gap voltage (Sv) are some of the many performance characteristics. Among the factors taken into account is the material removal rate, surface roughness, electrode wear rate, cylindricity, perpendicularity, top radial overcut, bottom radial over cut and run out.

PrimSeq: A deep learning-based pipeline to quantitate rehabilitation training.

Stroke rehabilitation seeks to accelerate motor recovery by training functional activities, but may have minimal impact because of insufficient training doses. In animals, training hundreds of functional motions in the first weeks after stroke can substantially boost upper extremity recovery. The optimal quantity of functional motions to boost recovery in humans is currently unknown, however, because no practical tools exist to measure them during rehabilitation training.

Binocular fusion enhances the efficiency of spot-the-difference gameplay.

Spot-the-difference, the popular childhood game and a prototypical change blindness task, involves identification of differences in local features of two otherwise identical scenes using an eye scanning and matching strategy. Through binocular fusion of the companion scenes, the game becomes a visual search task, wherein players can simply scan the cyclopean percept for local features that may distinctly stand-out due to binocular rivalry/lustre. Here, we had a total of 100 visually normal adult (18-28 years of age) volunteers play this game in the traditional non-fusion mode and after cross-fusion of the companion images using a hand-held mirror stereoscope.

Overexpression of two stress-responsive, small, non-coding RNAs, 6S and tmRNA, imparts butanol tolerance in Clostridium acetobutylicum.

While extensively studied in several model organisms, the role of small, non-coding RNAs in the stress response remains largely unexplored in Clostridium organisms. About 100 years after the first industrial Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol fermentation process, based on the Weizmann Clostridium acetobutylicum strain, strain tolerance to butanol remains a crucial factor limiting the economics of the process. Several studies have examined the response of this organism to metabolite stress, and several genes have been engaged to impart enhanced tolerance, but no sRNAs have yet been directly engaged in this task.

Whole-genome sequence of an evolved Clostridium pasteurianum strain reveals Spo0A deficiency responsible for increased butanol production and superior growth.

Background: Biodiesel production results in crude glycerol waste from the transesterification of fatty acids (10 % w/w). The solventogenic Clostridium pasteurianum, an anaerobic Firmicute, can produce butanol from glycerol as the sole carbon source. Coupling butanol fermentation with biodiesel production can improve the overall economic viability of biofuels.

Complete genome sequence, metabolic model construction and phenotypic characterization of Geobacillus LC300, an extremely thermophilic, fast growing, xylose-utilizing bacterium.

We have isolated a new extremely thermophilic fast-growing Geobacillus strain that can efficiently utilize xylose, glucose, mannose and galactose for cell growth. When grown aerobically at 72 °C, Geobacillus LC300 has a growth rate of 2.15 h(-1) on glucose and 1.

A rare case of type-I auto-immune hepatitis and thyroiditis presenting with crescentic glomerulonephritis.

A middle-aged female patient with a past history of non-alcoholic liver disease and hypothyroidism presented with swelling of the body, off and on, for six months and rapidly worsening renal function. Renal biopsy showed crescentic glomerulonephritis with negative immunofluorescence. Serological tests were positive for anti-thyroglobulin, anti-nuclear antibody (1:80), p-anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies; gamma globulin was 5.

Complex and extensive post-transcriptional regulation revealed by integrative proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of metabolite stress response in Clostridium acetobutylicum.

Background: Clostridium acetobutylicum is a model organism for both clostridial biology and solvent production. The organism is exposed to its own toxic metabolites butyrate and butanol, which trigger an adaptive stress response. Integrative analysis of proteomic and RNAseq data may provide novel insights into post-transcriptional regulation.

Expression of heterologous sigma factors enables functional screening of metagenomic and heterologous genomic libraries.

A key limitation in using heterologous genomic or metagenomic libraries in functional genomics and genome engineering is the low expression of heterologous genes in screening hosts, such as Escherichia coli. To overcome this limitation, here we generate E. coli strains capable of recognizing heterologous promoters by expressing heterologous sigma factors.

Capturing the response of Clostridium acetobutylicum to chemical stressors using a regulated genome-scale metabolic model.

Background: Clostridia are anaerobic Gram-positive Firmicutes containing broad and flexible systems for substrate utilization, which have been used successfully to produce a range of industrial compounds. In particular, Clostridium acetobutylicum has been used to produce butanol on an industrial scale through acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation. A genome-scale metabolic (GSM) model is a powerful tool for understanding the metabolic capacities of an organism and developing metabolic engineering strategies for strain development.

Analysis of case series of milky urine: A single center and departmental clinical experience with emphasis on management perspectives: A prospective observational study.

Background: Milky urine can be due to chyluria or lipiduria due to nephrotic syndrome. Filarial chyluria usually responds to medical management while non-filarial cases may require surgical intervention.

Aim: To perform a prospective observational study in patients presenting with milky urine in our centre over a period of one year from July 2011 to June 2012, a complete biochemical work up and imaging to find out the site of leakage of lymph if it is a case of chyluria, its response to medical management and the requirement of surgical intervention.

Parallel labeling experiments validate Clostridium acetobutylicum metabolic network model for (13)C metabolic flux analysis.

In this work, we provide new insights into the metabolism of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 obtained using a systematic approach for quantifying fluxes based on parallel labeling experiments and (13)C-metabolic flux analysis ((13)C-MFA). Here, cells were grown in parallel cultures with [1-(13)C]glucose and [U-(13)C]glucose as tracers and (13)C-MFA was used to quantify intracellular metabolic fluxes. Several metabolic network models were compared: an initial model based on current knowledge, and extended network models that included additional reactions that improved the fits of experimental data.

Filariasis, with chyluria and nephrotic range proteinuria.

28 yr female presented with (grade III) chyluria, with nephrotic range proteinuria and Ig M mesangial deposition in immunofluorescence, secondary to filariasis which was confirmed by serology and microfilaria in glomerulus,and successfully treated by Renal Pelvic instillation sclerotherapy with 0.2% povidine and medical treatment (Diethylcarbamazine). She was asymptomatic with follow up period of 19 months.

Homeoviscous response of Clostridium pasteurianum to butanol toxicity during glycerol fermentation.

Clostridium pasteurianum ATCC 6013 achieves high n-butanol production when glycerol is used as the sole carbon source. In this study, the homeoviscous membrane response of C. pasteurianum ATCC 6013 has been examined through n-butanol challenge experiments.

The Clostridium small RNome that responds to stress: the paradigm and importance of toxic metabolite stress in C. acetobutylicum.

Background: Small non-coding RNAs (sRNA) are emerging as major components of the cell's regulatory network, several possessing their own regulons. A few sRNAs have been reported as being involved in general or toxic-metabolite stress, mostly in Gram- prokaryotes, but hardly any in Gram+ prokaryotes. Significantly, the role of sRNAs in the stress response remains poorly understood at the genome-scale level.

Transcription factors and genetic circuits orchestrating the complex, multilayered response of Clostridium acetobutylicum to butanol and butyrate stress.

Background: Organisms of the genus Clostridium are Gram-positive endospore formers of great importance to the carbon cycle, human normo- and pathophysiology, but also in biofuel and biorefinery applications. Exposure of Clostridium organisms to chemical and in particular toxic metabolite stress is ubiquitous in both natural (such as in the human microbiome) and engineered environments, engaging both the general stress response as well as specialized programs. Yet, despite its fundamental and applied significance, it remains largely unexplored at the systems level.

A Rare Case of Type I RenalTubular Acidosis with Membranous Nephropathy Presenting as Hypokalemic Paralysis.

Type 1 renal tubular acidosis (RTA), or distal RTA (dRTA), is a disorder of renal tubular acidification, which is generally asymptomatic but may rarely present as hypokalemic paralysis. Here, we report the case of a young male who presented with sudden onset weakness of all 4 limbs and a 2-month history of swelling of the legs. An investigation revealed hypokalemia, metabolic acidosis, and nephrotic syndrome.

Role of ionic strength on n-butanol partitioning into anionic dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylglycerol vesicles.

Bacteria adjust their membrane lipid composition to counteract the fluidizing effects of alcohol and to adapt to elevated alcohol concentrations during fermentation. Bacterial membranes are rich in anionic phosphatidylglycerols (PGs), but little is known regarding alcohol partitioning into anionic membranes, particularly for n-butanol. This work examines the effects of lipid charge on n-butanol partitioning into anionic membrane vesicles composed of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and dipalmitoyl phosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) in the absence and presence of salt (phosphate-buffered saline, PBS; 0.

Cervical tumoral calcinosis with secondary hyperparathyroidism in a chronic hemodialysis patient.

Tumoral calcinosis is an uncommon and severe complication of chronic renal failure. It is generally associated with the presence of a high-serum calcium-and-phosphorus product. We report here a case of a patient on maintenance hemodialysis who presented with progressively increasing, solitary, tumor-like swelling over the nape of the neck.

n-Butanol partitioning and phase behavior in DPPC/DOPC membranes.

Membrane phase behavior and fluidization have been examined in heterogeneous membranes composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC, a saturated lipid) and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC, an unsaturated lipid) at n-butanol concentrations below and above the interdigitation threshold of DPPC. Our results show that the presence of DOPC did not influence the interdigitation concentration of n-butanol on DPPC (0.1-0.

Impact of impurities in biodiesel-derived crude glycerol on the fermentation by Clostridium pasteurianum ATCC 6013.

During the production of biodiesel, crude glycerol is produced as a byproduct at 10% (w/w). Clostridium pasteurianum has the inherent potential to grow on glycerol and produce 1,3-propanediol and butanol as the major products. Growth and product yields on crude glycerol were reported to be slower and lower, respectively, in comparison to the results obtained from pure glycerol.