Heart failure self-care, factors influencing self-care and the relationship with health-related quality of life: A cross-sectional observational study.

Background:Self-care helps maintain health, prevents complications and improves the quality of life of patients living with heart failure (HF). Self-care is critical to HF management but has received limited attention in Nepal. Identification of the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with self-care is crucial to tailoring appropriate self-care programs to improve health outcomes including patients' quality of life. Aims:The aims of this study were to describe self-care including the factors influencing self-care and the relationship between self-care and health-related quality of life in patients living with HF in Kathmandu, Nepal. Methods:We used a cross-sectional observational study design to measure self-care maintenance, self-care management, and self-care confidence using the Nepali Self-Care of Heart Failure Index. To analyze data, we used descriptive statistics, bivariate associations and regression modeling. Results:We recruited 221 patients with HF: mean age 57.5 ± 15.76 years, 62% male. The results in this sample indicated poor self-care maintenance (38.5 ± 11.56), management (45.7 ± 15.14), and confidence (40.9 ± 16.31). Patients with higher education were associated with higher self-care maintenance and management. Living alone and a better New York Heart Association functional classification for HF were related to higher self-care confidence. Higher social support was associated with better self-care. Self-care confidence was an independent predictor of self-care maintenance, management and health-related quality of life on adjusted analyses. Conclusion:Self-care was limited among patients living with HF in Nepal yet was associated with better quality of life. The study identified various sociodemographic and clinical factors related to self-care, which could be crucial while developing self-care interventions

Detection and identification of viruses by capillary isoelectric focusing

Master of ScienceDepartment of ChemistryChristopher T. CulbertsonCapillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) is one of several electrophoretic separation techniques for proteins and various other bio - molecules widely used in biochemistry laboratories. A wide range of analytes separable by the different modes of Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) includes from a small organic or an inorganic molecule to the complex bio-molecules such as protein, peptides, cell organelles, and live microorganisms (e.g. bacteria and viruses). Of the various modes of electrophoresis, Isoelectric focusing (IEF) is a good method for the separation of large amphoteric molecules such as peptides and proteins because of the attainment of overall surface charge depending up on its environment pH. This thesis mainly focuses on application of cIEF for proteins separation and viruses’ detection, which is one of the biggest concerns of human and animal health because of viral outbreak causing loss of thousands of lives and property every year. In chapter one of this thesis, the principles and mechanisms of separation of CE, cIEF, comparative advantages of dynamic coatings over static coating, and advantages of Whole Column Imaging Detection (WCID) over On - olumn Single Point Detection have been discussed. Chapter two includes experimental procedure and calculations for EOF determination. The results of cIEF experiments with standard proteins to develop calibration curve followed by UV absorbance detection of two bacteriophage viruses TR4 and T1 are presented in the chapter three. Final chapter four includes the conclusion and discussion on future direction for the project. The main motivation for this work was to develop a method which is less labor intensive and requires shorter detection time compared to traditional detection methods such as virus culture in serology (7days), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis (6hrs to 2days). A commercially available dynamic coating reagent, EoTrol LN® copolymer used our CE experiments found to be more convenient and efficient than commonly used surface modifiers for example silane-based reagents. Preliminary determination of the pIs of these T1 and TR4 by cIEF was 3.1 ± 1.0 and 6.8 ± 1.0 respectively. The pI of viruses can differ by their strains and the phase of virus - growth. The viruses, though closely related, are easily distinguishable by their different pIs

Mobile device machine vision estimation of mango crop load

The application of machine vision in orchard was considered in context of mango crop load (fruit number and fruit size). An algorithm for automatic detection and counting of fruits in images of trees in orchard was developed. RGB images were acquired of two sides of mango trees (‘dual view’). Fruit count per tree was obtained by harvest of trees, and by manual count of fruit in images. The R2 and slope between dual-view and harvest count varied between 0.74 and 0.92, and 0.34 and 0.55, respectively, depending on canopy structure. The fruit counting model involved: (i) fruit-like object detection using HAAR cascade classifier using an AdaBoost technique; (ii) classification of detected region using a multilayer Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The machine vision count achieved a precision = 0.94, recall= 0.89, and F1 score = 0.9 against a human count of fruit in images. For the estimation of fruit size individual fruits were imaged against a backing board (with a circular scale printed on a blue background), with an RMSE of 3.6 mm for lineal dimension measurement achieved

Agreement between Lea Symbols and Patti Pics visual acuity in children and adults

Background: Patti Pics (PP) and Lea Symbols (LS) are commonly used by eye care practitioners worldwide. Although the relationship between the two tests is fairly well understood, the availability of different chart designs (single optotypes, multiple optotypes, multiple optotypes with crowding box) merits futher understanding. The purpose of this study is to explore the agreement between the acuity measures obtained with Patti Pics and Lea Symbols in children and adults and compare their performance with the Sloan Letter (SL) chart in adults. Methods: Monocular visual acuity was obtained from ninety-three 3 to 5-year-old children using Patti Pics and Lea Symbols. Acuities were also obtained from 113 adults using the same tests under identical conditions. Acuity results obtained with the pediatric tests were compared with the gold-standard Sloan Letter chart in adults. The Bland-Altman method was implemented to compare the level of agreement between tests. Results: Patti Pics yielded worse visual acuity than the Lea Symbols by approximately half a logMAR line in both children (mean difference: -0.07 ± 0.07 logMAR, p <0.01) and adults (Mean difference: -0.05 ± 0.06 logMAR, p <0.01). The 95% limits of agreement between Lea Symbol acuity and Patti pics acuity in children was ± 0.14 logMAR. Mean difference between the Sloan Letter chart and Lea Symbols acuity was not statistically significant (p = 0.08) in adults but the difference was statistically significant between PP and SL (p<0.001). The 95% limits of agreement between LS and SL and between PP and SL was ± 0.19 logMAR and ± 0.22 logMAR, respectively. Conclusion: Patti Pics consistently underestimated visual acuity as compared to Lea Symbols both in children and adults although the differences were not clinically significant. The LS and PP did not yield clinically significant differences in acuities when compared with Sloan letters in adults