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In this paper, the modeling and analysis of single bi-layer Si-QD solar cell is addressed. The modeling of solar cell is done in MATLAB. The photo currents are calculated for various Si-QD diameters like 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 nm and SiO2 barrier layer thicknesses like 2.5, 2 and 1.5 nm. It has been observed that with the Si-QD diameter, the photo-current increases. On the other hand, photo-current varies conversely with barrier layer thickness due low carrier tunneling probability through barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of the response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus outbreak in U.S. cattle and poultry and the associated human cases, CDC and partners are monitoring influenza A virus levels and detection of the H5 subtype in wastewater. Among 48 states and the District of Columbia that performed influenza A testing of wastewater during May 12-July 13, 2024, a weekly average of 309 sites in 38 states had sufficient data for analysis, and 11 sites in four states reported high levels of influenza A virus. H5 subtype testing was conducted at 203 sites in 41 states, with H5 detections at 24 sites in nine states. For each detection or high level, CDC and state and local health departments evaluated data from other influenza surveillance systems and partnered with wastewater utilities and agriculture departments to investigate potential sources. Among the four states with high influenza A virus levels detected in wastewater, three states had corresponding evidence of human influenza activity from other influenza surveillance systems. Among the 24 sites with H5 detections, 15 identified animal sources within the sewershed or adjacent county, including eight milk-processing inputs. Data from these early investigations can help health officials optimize the use of wastewater surveillance during the upcoming respiratory illness season., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. John Anderson reports support from the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) for travel to the 2023 Advanced Molecular Detection Days and the 2024 Advanced Molecular Detection Academy. Alexandria B. Boehm reports institutional support from the Sergey Brin Family Foundation and grant support from the U.S. National Science Foundation for research coordination network for wastewater-based epidemiology and from the Sloan Foundation for public health partnerships and wastewater-based epidemiology, and membership on the state of California wastewater-based epidemiology committee of the State Water Board. Ruth Lynfield reports support from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, CSTE, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, and the American Academy of Pediatrics to attend state epidemiology meetings, ID Week, CSTE Board meetings and CSTE annual conference, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases meeting, and the Committee on Infectious Diseases meeting. Marlene K. Wolfe reports a subaward gift to Stanford University, a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation for implementation of wastewater-based epidemiology in Bangladesh and Ghana and a subaward from Ceres Nanosciences (subaward from National Institutes of Health funding) for wastewater monitoring research, and support from the American Society of Microbiology for an invited talk at a conference. No other potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Background and Aim: Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (SRUS) is an uncommon benign disorder of defecation. Management of ulcers is usually unsatisfactory with conventional treatment (laxatives, behavioral therapy, biofeedback, topical treatments, and surgery). Studies on the effectiveness of argon plasma coagulation (APC) for SRUS refractory to conventional treatment is lacking. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of APC with conventional therapy in controlling bleeding and healing of refractory SRUS., Methods: Fourteen patients of refractory SRUS diagnosed on clinical, colonoscopic, and histological findings, refractory to conventional therapy, were offered multiple sessions of APC in addition to conventional treatment. All patients were followed up to determine bleeding control and ulcer healing., Results: Fourteen patients with a mean duration of symptoms of 9.21 ± 6.94 months were included. All the patients were advised to have a high intake of fluids and laxatives and to undergo biofeedback in addition to the APC. Lesions were located anteriorly (66%), circumferentially (25%), and posteriorly (9%). Mean follow-up duration was 7 months (3 to 12 months). APC enabled bleeding control in all the patients (100%), complete healing of ulcer in 71% (10 patients), and reduction in ulcer size to less than 50% of the initial size in the remaining 29% patients. None of the patients had any procedure-related complications like bowel perforation, infections, or fistula formation., Conclusions: APC with conventional therapy is effective in controlling bleeding and healing in SRUS refractory to conventional treatment.

Objective: Adherence to oral chemotherapy is essential for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and multiple myeloma (MM) to remain in remission. Few studies have used a Likert-type scale to measure medication adherence in CML and MM patients. We applied a validated treatment adherence tool, the ASK-12 (Adherence Starts with Knowledge ® ) survey, which assessed inconvenience and forgetfulness, treatment beliefs, and medication-taking behaviors recorded on a five-point Likert-type scale at two visits., Results: A medication adherence survey was administered to 42 newly diagnosed or pre-existing CML or MM patients at two outpatient oncology clinics affiliated with an academic medical center in rural eastern North Carolina. Thirty-one patients completed surveys at visit 1 and visit 2 (median 4.5 months apart). Most patients were treated for MM (65%), were non-Hispanic black (68%) and female (58%). Within subscales, mean adherence scores decreased between visits, signaling better adherence. Overall, visit scores were correlated (0.63, p = 0.001). Forgetting to take medication sometimes was the most common reason for non-adherence. Medication costs were not a barrier for MM patients. Greater patient-provider informed decision-making was identified as an opportunity for quality improvement among CML patients. The ASK-12 survey provided a strategy to obtain robust information on medication adherence.

Objectives: Natural killer (NK) cells are important effector lymphocytes. NK cells are considered to represent innate immune system. NK cells target and kill aberrant cells such as virally infected and tumorigenic cells. The purpose of this study was to assess the expression of CD57 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to correlate the expression of CD57 with 3 years survival in patients with OSCC., Materials and Methods: About 100 histopathologically diagnosed cases of OSCC of various grades were divided into two groups, i.e., Group I (dead patients) and Group II (live patients) from the archives of Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology. CD57 was detected in these tissues by immunohistochemistry., Result: The results were analyzed using Spearman's correlation coefficient and students unpaired t-test. The mean CD57 labeling index in Group II was significantly higher than that found in Group I (P = 0.000). There was a significant correlation (P = 0.00) in the mean CD57 levels between Groups I and II and prognosis of patient., Conclusion: CD57 could be a good prognostic marker for OSCC patients.

A novel composite barrier comprising of hydrophilic and solvent resistant chitosan (CS) membrane on porous solvent resistant poly(ether-block-amide) (PEBA-2533) substrate was synthesized for pervaporation (PV) based dehydration of the polar aprotic n-methyl-2-pyrolidone (NMP) green solvent. The composite barrier was crosslinked with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) to control swelling and enhance selectivity. Operating parameters such as feed water concentration, permeate pressure and membrane thickness were varied to assess membrane flux and selectivity. A two-dimensional finite element method (FEM) model was developed to predict the concentration profile within the membrane through computational fluid dynamics (CFD). On the basis of complete mixing experiments, a numerical simulation was performed to predict membrane area requirement and exit streams' compositions for commercial pervaporation units operated in plug flow mode. Both unmodified chitosan and tetraethyl orthosilicate crosslinked composite membranes successfully separated feed mixture containing 4.6 wt% water by exhibiting water fluxes of 0.024 and 0.019 kg/m(2)h, whereas the corresponding selectivities were found to be as high as 182 and 225, respectively., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is limited data regarding the demographics and type of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) in India., Aim: The aim of this survey was to define trends in CIED implants, which included permanent pacemakers (PM), intracardiac defibrillators (ICD), and cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemakers and defibrillators (CRT-P/D) devices in India., Methods: The survey was the initiative of the Indian Society of Electrocardiology and the Indian Heart Rhythm Society. The type of CIED used, their indications, demographic characteristics, clinical status and co-morbidities were collected using a survey form over a period of 1 year., Results: 2117 forms were analysed from 136 centers. PM for bradyarrhythmic indication constituted 80% of the devices implanted with ICD's and CRT-P/D forming approximately 10% each. The most common indication for PM implantation was complete atrio-ventricular block (76%). Single chamber (VVI) pacemakers formed 54% of implants, majority in males (64%). The indication for ICD implantation was almost equal for primary and secondary prevention. A single chamber ICD was most commonly implanted (65%). Coronary artery disease was the etiology in 58.5% of patients with ICD implants. CRT pacemakers were implanted mostly in patients with NYHA III/IV (82%), left ventricular ejection fraction <0.35 (88%) with CRT-P being most commonly used (57%)., Conclusion: A large proportion of CIED implants in India are PM for bradyarrhythmic indications, predominantly AV block. ICD's are implanted almost equally for primary and secondary prophylaxis. Most CRT devices are implanted for NYHA Class III. There is a male predominance for implantation of CIED., (Copyright © 2015 Cardiological Society of India. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) classically shows a triad of orofacial swelling, fissured tongue and facial palsy, more commonly the oligosymptomatic form. The orofacial swelling is characterised by swollen reddish-brown non-pruritic lips and facial oedema. In one-third to one half of patients, fissured tongue is seen, which also aids in diagnosis. The histological finding of MRS includes non-caseating, sarcoidal granulomas, but their absence does not exclude the diagnosis. All these findings together form a basis for a cautious search for confrontational reasons for the symptom complex of MRS., (2015 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Polyphenylene oxide (PPO) membranes synthesized from 2,6-dimethyl phenol monomer were subjected to pervaporation-based dehydration of the highly hazardous and hypergolic monomethyl hydrazine (MMH) and unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine (UDMH) liquid propellants. Membranes were characterized by TGA, DSC and SEM to study the effect of temperature besides morphologies of surface and cross-section of the films, respectively. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to study the diffusion behavior of solutions within the membrane. CFD method was employed to solve the governing mass transfer equations by considering the flux coupling. The modeling results were highlighted by the experimental data and were in good agreement. High separation factors (35-70) and reasonable water fluxes (0.1-0.2 kg/m(2)h) were observed for separation of the aqueous azeotropes of MMH (35 wt%) and UDMH (20 wt%) and their further enrichment to >90% purity. Effect of feed composition, membrane thickness and permeate pressure on separation performance of PPO membranes were investigated to determine optimum operating conditions., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a precancerous condition predominantly seen in people of Asian descent. About 7-12% OSMF patients develop oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Morphological features of OSMF especially fibrosis suggests a possibility of the hypoxic environment in diseased tissues. Oral cancer usually develops from hyperplasia through dysplasia to carcinoma. Neovascularization and increased glycolysis, represent adaptations to a hypoxic microenvironment that are correlated with tumor invasion and metastasis. The adaptation of cells to hypoxia appears to be mediated via hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). HIF-1α is said to be associated with malignant transformation of epithelium in other sites. It appears that HIF-1α plays a significant role in both prostate and cervical carcinogenesis at early stages. We hypothesize that progression of OSMF and malignant transformation in the background of fibrosis mediates via HIF-1α either by up- or down-regulation of various such molecules. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the expression of HIF-1α in OSMF, OSCC and OSCC with OSMF., Aim: To investigate the relationship between the expression of HIF-1α in OSMF, OSCC and OSCC with OSMF., Materials and Methods: The study group consists of histopathologically diagnosed 20 cases of OSCC, oral submucous fibrosis and OSCC with OSMF each. The immunohistochemistry was carried out on neutral buffered formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections by using the monoclonal antibody of HIF-1α., Results: A rise in the expression of HIF-1α from OSMF to OSCC to OSCC with OSMF is observed.

Background: Insertion of the intraoral prosthesis causes deflection of the tongue, soft palate affecting the patency of the airway., Aims: To evaluate the cephalometric soft tissue variation in tongue, soft palate, and its effect on posterior airway space in edentulous patients with the insertion of the denture., Settings and Design: Randomized controlled trial., Materials and Methods: Complete denture (CD) prosthesis was fabricated for first time denture wearers comprising 22 males and 18 females within the age range of 50-65 years. Lateral skull radiographs were taken for each of the subjects in their resting position without CDs (T0), with CDs (T1) at least 1-week postinsertion and after 6 months of usage (T2), respectively. The reference points, lines, and angles on the cephalometric films were used to evaluate the position or inclination of the head, variations in tongue position and length, the changes in the anteroposterior dimension of the soft palate, and posterior airway space variations. Intra-investigator error variance was not found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05)., Statistical Analysis Used: Using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v16.0 the significant difference in the paired samples (without CD and with CD) was found using the paired t-test. The probability value P = 0.05 is considered as a significant level., Results: On comparison of T1 and T0, the heads were more extended with the downward position of the tongue with an increase in its length and the posterior airway space was decreased in T1. Significant differences in values were not observed between T1 and T2., Conclusions: With CDs, the change in airway space was related to alteration in soft palate and tongue dimension. There were no changes in dimension at 6 months follow-up.

Objective: The main rationale for treatment failure and death of the patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is loco-regional recurrence, development of second primary tumor (SPT) and metastasis, which could be well explained by concept of field cancerization. Identification of patients at high risk for development of SPT is an important part of research for cancer management. This study was designed keeping this aspect in mind and utilizing the increased expression of p53 as an indicator of existence of altered fields in mirror image biopsies of OSCC patients., Design: Forty clinically diagnosed oral cancer patients were included in the study. Biopsy tissue samples from clinically diagnosed oral cancer patients (Group A) and the mirror image, clinically normal looking mucosa at corresponding contralateral anatomical site (Group B) were studied for histopathological evaluation and p53 immunoexpression., Results: Tissue alterations were observed in Groups A and B. There was statistically significant (chi-square value - 126.6, p=0.0001) difference in grades of epithelial dysplasia and p53 immunoexpression in Group B. Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient shows non-significant positive correlation between epithelial dysplasia and p53 (r=0.28, p=0.05) in Group B., Conclusions: Evidence of presence of field cancerization, evaluated by histopathological alterations and enhanced p53 expression was observed in mirror image biopsies of OSCC patients. This could predict the altered state of oral mucosa secondary to carcinogen exposure. The realization of a genetically altered field as a cancer risk factor provides a new paradigm. It would be prudent to keep these patients under close observation and to advice them chemotherapeutic regimes.

An experiment was conducted to study the potential of chromium (Cr) phytoaccumulatory capabilities of four tree species viz., Anogeissus latifolia, Terminalia arjuna, Tecomella undulata, and Salvadora persica Possibility of enhancement of Cr uptake by citric acid and vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAM) amendments were also tried. Cr is a major pollutant of the environment. Chromium can exist in oxidation states from III to VI, but the most stable and common forms of Cr are trivalent and hexavalent species. Cr(VI) was more toxic to the tree growth in terms of collar diameter (CD) increment in all the tree species than Cr(lll). Roots accumulated more Cr than shoots in all the tree species. There was more than 10 fold increase in root Cr content in comparison with shoot Cr content in all the trees at all the concentration of Cr and all sources of Cr. Citric acid significantly increased the Cr content in the tissues of roots in all the species under both speciation of Cr. The highest increase in Cr content brought by 20 mM citric acid addition was in A. latifolia Results suggest that Anogeissus latifolia is a potential Cr accumulator with citric acid as soil amendment.

This study explored the extent of drug use in early pregnancy (first trimester of pregnancy) in Nepalese women in the setting of a large teaching hospital in western Nepal.

The provision of a formal consultation service for inpatients between subspecialists is little studied. We prospectively surveyed the pattern of inpatient consultations from hospital-based generalists and surgeons to the gastroenterology (GI) service for inpatients in a large urban teaching hospital over a 5 month period. There are two GI consultants/attendings and five GI registrars/fellows on the service. A formal consultation is made by the requesting team to the GI service using the hospital computer network. All referrals over a 5 month period were prospectively analysed. 242 consecutive inpatient referrals were sent to the GI service over 5 months. Average age was 56 years, 48.8% males. 32 consultants/attendings from other disciplines sent referrals. Most patients were seen within one working day. Urgent referrals were seen without delay. The commonest reasons for referral were abdominal pain (15.8%), percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube insertion (13.6%), diarrhoea (12.8%), abnormal liver blood tests (10%), nausea and vomiting (8.2%), anaemia (6.2%), and melaena (4.9%). Iatrogenic diseases accounted for 6.2% of consultations. Ongoing patient care was assumed by the GI team in 9.5% of referrals. 15.3% required a second consultation visit before discharge. 22.7% of referrals were followed in the GI outpatients' clinic after discharge. 51.2% underwent an endoscopic procedure. 13.6% of referrals were for PEG tube insertion. A quarter of these were considered unsuitable for immediate PEG tube insertion. Subspecialty consultation provides an expert opinion, encourages discussion and learning, and improves patient care. In our experience, the provision of specialist advice and reassurance often speeded up a patient's work-up and expedited discharge. However, evaluating referral patients and subsequently providing ongoing inpatient and outpatient care and provision of endoscopy for these referrals contributes significantly to the workload of the GI service.

Information on the use of drugs during pregnancy is scarce and rather anecdotal. Careful consideration of the benefit to the mother and the risk to the fetus is required when prescribing drugs during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge on this issue in western Nepal. 2156 prescriptions of pregnant women were collected at random from the antenatal care (ANC) in obstetrics out-patient department (OPD) at Manipal Teaching Hospital (MTH), Nepal and analyzed for this study. The mean maternal age and hemoglobin concentration were 25 years and 12.21 g/dl, respectively. Twenty-three percent women attended obstetric OPD due to maternal disorders other than routine ANC (77%). Problem oriented drug use was due to nausea/vomiting (4.7%), dyspepsia (3.1%), and per vaginal spotting/bleeding (3.4%), mainly. Most of the women got 2-3 drugs and commonly included nutritional supplementation and tetanus toxoid. The average number of drugs/prescription was 2.00, 15.37% and 64.8% drugs were prescribed by generic name and as fixed dose combinations, respectively. The most commonly prescribed drugs were nutritional supplements like iron, folate, calcium, vitamins (72.8%), followed by tetanus toxoid (12.4%), gastrointestinals (5%), antimicrobials (4.6%), etc. Though, the selection of drugs was rational in most of the cases, some anomalies were observed and discussed with the clinicians. Our data reflect the general extent and prescribing pattern for those Nepalese pregnant women attending hospital in western Nepal.

Objective: Communication skills in medical practice are important. To assess the communication skills of physicians about asthma, we undertook this study., Methods: One thousand four hundred and twenty one physicians attending the annual conference of association of physicians of India volunteered to participate in the study. They were divided into three categories. 'Teachers' group 1, (n = 131), 'Clinicians', group 2, (n = 951) and 'Students' group 3, (n = 339). Questionnaire containing ten most frequently asked questions by asthmatic patients were given to the physicians. A panel of three patients assessed the replies of these question and graded them as 'Convincing', 'Just convincing' and 'Not convincing'., Results: Replies of only 2% of physicians were graded as convincing, 15.6% just convincing and 82.4 as not convincing. Among group 1 none gave a convincing reply while replies of 2.2% of group 2 and 2.4% of group 3 were graded as convincing. The difference in results was not significant statistically on comparing the three groups (p > 0.1)., Conclusions: Communication skills are the integral part of patient care and management. Our study demonstrated lack of effective communication skills among physicians.

A retrospective analysis of data showed that patients in general stayed for shorter duration in general hospital psychiatric clinic than in mental hospital.