Aims:The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of websites on the thumb sucking habit using DISCERN instrument and Health on the Net (HON) seal code at a single moment in time.Subjects and Methods:An Internet search engine (www.google.com) was used to identify websites comprising information on “thumb sucking habit.” Of over 204,000 links for thumb sucking habit, the first 100 were analyzed in detail. After excluding discussion groups, news and video feeds, and removing carbon copy sites, only 36 relevant websites remained, which were then assessed using the DISCERN instrument and HON seal code. Using the 16 questions of DISCERN for assessing the reliability and quality of the consumer information which were scored from 1 to 5, an appropriate index of the quality of the information was generated. All the assessed websites were also checked for presence or absence of HON seal code.Results:The maximum score attainable for an outstanding website is 80. Of the 36 websites that were scored the highest score obtained by one of the websites according to the DISCERN tool was 55 of 80, and the lowest score achieved was 16 of 80. The websites achieving the maximum and minimum score were children.webmd.com and thebehaviorsolution.com, respectively. The HON seal was displayed only in three websites, which were medicinenet.com, righthealth.com, and children.webmd.com.Conclusions:By directing patients to validated websites on the thumb sucking habit, clinicians can ensure patients find appropriate information.

No abstract

No abstract

Agrochemicals are a major cause of concern for the aquatic environment because of their toxicity, persistence, and tendency to accumulate in the organisms. The impact of these chemicals on aquatic organisms is due to their movement from various diffuse or point sources, which poses a great threat to aquatic fauna especially fishes, which constitute one of the major sources of protein‐rich food for mankind. The present study is a first of its kind, where the toxic potential of two sublethal concentration (LC1/10th and LC1/25th) of four different classes of agrochemicals have been tested (Insecticide‐ Imidacloprid‐0.074 ppm, 0.02 ppm, Fungicide‐Curzate‐ 4.9 ppm, 1.96 ppm, Herbicide‐ Pyrazosulphuron ethyl‐50 ppm, 20 ppm and Fertilizer‐Micronutrient mixture 500 ppm, 200 ppm) on candidate markers of hypothalamus pituitary‐thyroid axis (TSH, T3, T4, TSHβr) in Oreochromis mossambicus (tilapia) by validating hormonal level and mRNA expression. The results reveal that exposure to agrochemicals resulted in a broad range of alterations with maximum damage being caused by insecticide followed by herbicide and fungicide in that order on the thyroid axis. The results of the present study highlight the need for more detailed studies on the effects of agrochemicals that accumulate in organisms and propose that there should be a check on the rampant use of agrochemicals.

Background Organophosphates and Pyrethroids are the most widely used pesticides worldwide and are known to have significant toxicity on the nervous system of the target pest. Assessment for combined toxicity of Organophosphate and Pyrethroid on Sf9 (Spodoptera frugiperda) cells is less explored. The present study demonstrates and compares the two organochemicals whose trade names are Ammo and Profex, for its cytotoxic potential on the insect Sf9 cells. Ammo and Profex were selected as the test chemicals as toxicity of these insecticides at molecular and cellular level is poorly understood. Results The results of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay demonstrated that Ammo and Profex exhibited significant cytotoxicity to Sf9 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In our study, the IC50 value was obtained by MTT assay and the sub-lethal concentrations (IC50/20-17.5 µg/ml, IC50/10-35 µg/ml, and IC50/5–70 µg/ml for Ammo and IC50/20-20 µg/ml, IC50/10-40 µg/ml, and IC50/5-80 µg/ml for Profex) were selected for further tests. Acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining proved the apoptotic cell death on exposure of both the insecticides confirming its toxic potential. Furthermore, antioxidant status was assessed using DCF-DA staining and both the insecticides resulted into an increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. A dose- and time-dependent significant (p < 0.05) alterations in lipid peroxidase (LPO), glutathione (GSH) and catalase (CAT) activity were observed. Conclusion The results showed that both Ammo and Profex triggered apoptosis in Sf9 cells through an intrinsic mitochondrial pathway via the generation of ROS. Of the two insecticides, Ammo was found to be more toxic compared to Profex. The present study is important to evaluate the environmental safety and risk factors of Organochemicals’ exposure to crops and livestock.

No abstract

When developing a turbocharged internal combustion engine, the choice of turbocharger is usually based on designer experience and existing hardware. However, proper turbocharger design relies on matching the compressor and turbine performance to the engine requirements so that parameters such as boost and back pressure, compressor pressure ratio, and turbine inlet temperatures meet the needs of the engine without exceeding its allowable operating envelope. Therefore, the ultimate measure of a successful turbocharger design is how well it is matched to an engine across various operating conditions. This, in turn, determines whether a new turbocharger is required, or an existing solution can be used. When existing turbocharger solutions are not viable, the engine designer is at a loss on how to define a new turbocharger that meets the desired performance requirements. A common approach in industry has been to scale the performance of an existing turbocharger (compressor and turbine maps) and take these requirements for Original Equipment Manufacturers to possibly match it with a real machine. However, the assumptions made in a basic scaling process are quite simplistic and generally not satisfactory in this situation. A better approach would be to use a validated meanline model for a compressor and turbine instead, allowing to perform an actual preliminary design of such components. Such approach allows to link the engine performance requirements in a very early stage of te component design project and it guides the designer for the design decisions, such as rotor size, variable geometry nozzles, diameter, or shroud trims and others. Therefore, a feasible solution is more likely with design less iterations. This paper describes a methodology for an integrated approach to design and analyze a turbocharged internal combustion engine using commercially available state-of-the-art 1D gas dynamics simulation tool linked to two powerful turbomachinery meanline programs. The outputs of this analysis are detailed performance data of the engine and turbocharger at different engine operating conditions. Two case studies are then presented for a 10-liter diesel truck engine. The first study demonstrates how the programs are used to evaluate an existing engine and reverse engineer an existing turbocharger based only on the available performance maps. Then a second study is done using a similar approach but redesigning a new turbocharger (based on the reverse engineered one) for an increased torque output of the same engine.

Callosobruchus chinensis (Bruchidae: Coleoptera) known as pulse beetle is a serious pest of pulses causing economic losses. The present work reports the effect of pulses on life cycle parameters (oviposition, emergence, longevity, total development period) of Callosobruchus chinensis (L.), and also on the nutritional loss incurred by it. Grains of seven pulses viz. Vigna radiata (green gram), Vigna aconitifolia (moth bean), Cicer arietinum (desi chickpea), Vigna unguiculata (cowpea), Cajanus cajan (pigeon pea), Vigna mungo (black gram) and Pisum sativum (yellow pea) were used as host with three replications. The results exhibit alterations in the developmental period as it was recorded least in green gram (23± 0.58 days) and maximum in peas (42± 1 days). The number of eggs were maximum on pea (310± 2) and least in moth (180± 2). Maximum longevity was recorded on green grams (16 days) and least on pea (9± 1 days). A significant correlation between weight loss and adult emergence was observed. Loss of nutritional content like protein and carbohydrate was significant.