A prospective observational study of thyroid dysfunctions during pregnancy in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Thyroid dysfunctions are the second most common endocrine disorders seen during pregnancy. Overt or subclinical thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy adversely affects maternal and fetal outcomes. Maternal euthyroid status in early gestation period and optimal transfer of thyroxine to fetus is crucial for the optimal growth, development and maturation of fetal nervous system. This study is undertaken to know the magnitude of thyroid dysfunctions during pregnancy in our region and to validate the need for early detection of maternal thyroid dysfunctions by antenatal screening.Methods: It was a hospital based prospective study over a period of one year. According to our study criteria, blood samples were collected from consenting pregnant woman during their first antenatal visit and analyzed for TSH level by ultrasensitive method. Free T3 and Free T4 were assayed in patients showing abnormal TSH level and anti thyroid peroxide antibodies tested in all hypothyroid patients. All pregnant woman enrolled were followed up throughout the pregnancy, labour and postpartum to note any maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. The data obtained were analyzed and pregnancy outcomes compared between women showing thyroid dysfunctions and euthyroid state.Results: Among 800 pregnant women studied 88.75% were euthyroid and 11.25% showed thyroid dysfunction, affecting more in the age group 21-25 years and multigravidae. Prevalence of hypothyroidism was 10.12%, presenting as subclinical hypothyroidism (7.37%) and overt hypothyroidism (2.75%). Hyperthyroidism was seen in 1.12% of cases, 0.87% of them presented subclinically and 0.25% overtly. Risk factor was present in 29.62% of hypothyroid group and 33.33% of hyperthyroid group. Pregnancy complications were seen in 55.55% of thyroid dysfunctional group, preeclampsia being the most common complication.Conclusions: Our study showed 11.25% prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in pregnant women and commonest dysfunction was hypothyroidism in subclinical form. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were seen in 55.55% woman having thyroid dysfunctions. Absence of risk factor was noted in upto 70% of the cases with thyroid dysfunctions hence the diagnosis will be missed if only high risk cases are screened. Therefore universal screening is recommended early in pregnancy to identify and correct thyroid dysfunctions to prevent the associated adverse pregnancy outcomes

Relationship between emotional maturity, self-esteem and life-satisfaction: A study on traditional dancers of Odisha region

Dance is a dynamic root point to develop emotional maturity, self-esteem and life satisfaction. The present study aims to examine emotional maturity towards dancer’s life satisfaction through the presence of self-esteem. The study intentionally portrays co-association between study variables like, emotional maturity, self-esteem and life satisfaction through SEM. It divulges direct and indirect model with elucidating path relationship by using structural equation model. Data were collected from traditional dancers (176 Odissi and 116 folk dancers) at Odisha state in India by administering Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, emotional maturity scale, life satisfaction scale and demographic information profile. The results reveal that all the variables of factor loading are greater than 0.40 based on EFA and CFA. The multivariate analysis technique used to perform the structural model of variables and their inter-relationship. Furthermore, the indirect model declared satisfactory model that the magnitude of the regression path coefficient (β value) leading from emotional maturity through the moderator self-esteem towards criterion variable life satisfaction. The results are discussed in terms of sociocultural context of India

The impact of conflict exposure and social support on posttraumatic growth among the young adults in Kashmir The impact of conflict exposure and social support on posttraumatic growth among the young adults in Kashmir

Abstract: This study examined the effect of social support and conflict exposure on posttraumatic growth (PTG) among the young adults who have been exposed to stressful experiences regarding the armed conflict in Kashmir. The aim of the study is to explore PTG in this population and its association with conflict exposure and perceived social support. This is a cross-sectional study involving 803 college students. The data were collected by four self-report instruments comprising of demographic data schedule, the exposure to Kashmir conflict checklist, the posttraumatic growth inventory and the multidimensional scale of perceived social support. The respondents reported relatively high levels of PTG and social support. Conflict exposure and total perceived social support were significantly associated with an increase in PTG. Formulation of programmes to sensitize people living in conflict zones about the importance of PTG and social support in buffering negative outcomes can help lessen their stress, increase their ability to withstand adversities and help them move towards personal growth

Enhancing Medical Image Reclamation for Chest Samples Using B-Coefficients, DT-CWT and EPS Algorithm

This paper introduces a novel approach for medical image reclamation, specifically focusing on enhancing chest image resolution. The proposed method introduces the Dual-Tree Complex Wavelet Transform (DT-CWT) with Edge Preservation Smoothing (EPS) filters to balance visual clarity. The resulting Image Reclamation system maintains high-quality results while preserving image edges. Performance validation using established metrics like Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), Structural Similarity Index (SSIM), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and entropy demonstrates substantial improvements: PSNR of 31, SSIM of 0.99, RMSE of 8.25, and entropy of 1.03. Furthermore, the algorithm extracts features from the enhanced chest image through symlet transform, allowing for Bhattacharya coefficient computation and unique bin analysis to enhance image retrieval. Experimental results show efficiency gains, increasing the top 5 matching images' retrieval score from 320 to 512. This approach promises to enhance medical image reclamation in emergency settings, facilitating quicker and more accurate diagnoses and treatments for acute chest injuries. Ultimately, this work can potentially save lives, reduce complications, and improve patient outcomes in chest trauma emergencies

ASSET-LIABILITY MANAGEMENT IN INDIAN PRIVATE SECTOR BANKS-A CANONICAL CORRELATION ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT Banks generally mobilize resources in the form of deposits and lend them as loans and advances. The resources mobilized by the banks are generally short-term in nature and the deployments of funds are medium and long-term, hence there is always a mismatch between the maturity and repayment of funds in banks. The mismatch risk the banks due to the incurrent risks involved in the business mechanisms and leads to liquidity crunch and loss of margins at times. There are many risks involving the banking business -such as credit risk, liquidity risk, interest rate risk, operational risk, exchange risk, and regulatory risk. However, the major risks faced by the banks are liquidity risk and interest rate risk. A systematic management of assets and liability of the banks help the banks to address these risks effectively and leads the banks towards a sustainable growth. For this purpose, the sample of three Old & New generation Private sector Banks was taken and the Canonical correlation technique has been applied to capture the predictor variables, liability and predictive variables assets in these banks. The finding of the paper reveals that except ICICI banks, all other banks are in safer zone and mostly the predictor variables are long-term and the predictive variables are also long-term, and short-term in nature

When to use cascade control

Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research29102163-2166IECR

Hybrid Foams based on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and Cellulose Nanocrystals for Anisotropic Electromagnetic Shielding and Heat Transport

Lightweight and mechanically robust hybrid foams based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with an anisotropic structure are prepared by directional ice-templating. The anisotropic hybrid CNC-MWCNT foams displayed a combination of highly anisotropic thermal conductivity and an orientation-dependent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding with a maximum EMI shielding efficiency (EMI-SE) of 41–48 dB between 8 and 12 GHz for the hybrid foam with 22 wt% MWCNT. The EMI-SE is dominated by absorption (SEA) which is important for microwave absorber applications. Modelling of the low radial thermal conductivity highlighted the importance of phonon scattering at the heterogeneous CNC-MWCNT interfaces while the axial thermal conductivity is dominated by the solid conduction along the aligned rod-like particles. The lightweight CNC-MWCNT foams combination of an anisotropic thermal conductivity and EMI shielding efficiency is unusual and can be useful for directional heat transport and EMI shielding