1,386 research outputs found
STUDY OF RADON AND THORON CONCENTRATION IN ENVIRONMENT OF MORADABAD DISTRICT OF UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA
Purpose: A study of indoor radon and thoron has been carried out in the dwelling of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Radon is an invisible radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the indoor atmosphere. It comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soils and rocks. Lung cancer risk depends upon the concentration of radon, thoron and their decay product in the air.
Methodology: The measurements of radon and thoron concentration were carried out by using LR-115 type II plastic track detectors (SSNTD Technique).
Findings: In the present study the value of radon concentration from10.5 Bq/m3to 30Bq/m3 with an average19.9Bq/m3and thoron concentration from 5.6 Bq/m3 to 24 Bq/m3 with an average of 14.9 Bq/m3. It is observed that radon and thoron concentration is maximum in winter and minimum during summer. The maximum concentration in winter is essentially influenced by the intense temperature inversion, which occurs in the winter season when the wind velocity is low.
The maximum concentration in winter is also the result of decreased ventilation because in this season the houses are closed for a long time and radon/thoron accumulated inside the room and a weak positive correlation was observed between radon and thoron.
Social Implications: There are some difficulties in assessing the exact risks of radon in the home. Most studies have used data from miners who will have had far more exposure to radon than is likely in any building.
Originality/ Novelty: This study is done at Moradabad City and Research Lab present in S.S.P. G. College Shajhanapur. Data of radon and thoron concentration has been taken from twin cup radon-thoron Dosimeter and Spark Counter
Economic evaluation of zinc and copper use in treating acute diarrhea in children: A randomized controlled trial
BACKGROUND: The therapeutic effects of zinc and copper in reducing diarrheal morbidity have important cost implications. This health services research study evaluated the cost of treating a child with acute diarrhea in the hospital, the impact of micronutrient supplementation on the mean predicted costs and its cost-effectiveness as compared to using only standard oral rehydration solution (ORS), from the patient's and government's (providers) perspective. METHODS: Children aged 6 months to 59 months with acute diarrhea were randomly assigned to receive either the intervention or control. The intervention was a daily dose of 40 mg of zinc sulfate and 5 mg of copper sulfate powder dissolved in a liter of standard ORS (n = 102). The control was 50 mg of standard ORS powder dissolved in a liter of standard ORS (n = 98). The cost measures were the total mean cost of treating acute diarrhea, which included the direct medical, the direct non-medical and the indirect costs. The effectiveness measures were the probability of diarrhea lasting ≤ 4 days, the disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and mortality. RESULTS: The mean total cost of treating a child with acute diarrhea was US $14 of which the government incurred an expenditure of 66%. The factors that increased the total were the number of stools before admission (p = 0.01), fever (p = 0.01), increasing grade of dehydration (p = 0.00), use of antibiotics (p = 0.00), use of intra-venous fluids (p = 0.00), hours taken to rehydrate a child (p = 0.00), the amount of oral rehydration fluid used (p = 0.00), presence of any complications (p = 0.00) and the hospital stay (p = 0.00). The supplemented group had a 8% lower cost of treating acute diarrhea, their cost per unit health (diarrhea lasting ≤ 4 days) was 24% less and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio indicated cost savings (in Rupees) with the intervention [-452; 95%CI (-11306, 3410)]. However these differences failed to reach conventional levels of significance. CONCLUSION: An emphasis on the costs and economic benefits of an alternative therapy is an important aspect of health services research. The cost savings and the attractive cost-effectiveness indicates the need to further assess the role of micronutrients such as zinc and copper in the treatment of acute diarrhea in a larger and more varied population
A Review on Physical, Chemical and Optical Properties of Liquid Crystal
The foundation of the upcoming generation of cutting-edge gadgets and digitally augmented technologies is expected to be smart soft materials. Because of their responsiveness and adaptability, liquid crystals (LCs) are promising smart soft materials. In the 20th century, LCs were crucial to changing the information display sector. However, several beyond-display uses for LCs have been proven at the turn of the twentieth century, neatly using their controlled stimuli-responsive and adaptable properties. New LC materials have been developed and engineered for such applications. The review comes close with a summary and viewpoints on the potential and problems facing LCs as smart soft materials. This review is expected to inspire a wide range of concepts for the application of nature's delicate phase of matter in the generation and beyond of smart and augmented devices
Magnetoresistance behavior of a ferromagnetic shape memory alloy: Ni_1.75Mn_1.25Ga
A negative-positive-negative switching behavior of magnetoresistance (MR)
with temperature is observed in a ferromagnetic shape memory alloy
Ni_1.75Mn_1.25Ga. In the austenitic phase between 300 and 120 K, MR is negative
due to s-d scattering. Curiously, below 120K MR is positive, while at still
lower temperatures in the martensitic phase, MR is negative again. The positive
MR cannot be explained by Lorentz contribution and is related to a magnetic
transition. Evidence for this is obtained from ab initio density functional
theory, a decrease in magnetization and resistivity upturn at 120 K. Theory
shows that a ferrimagnetic state with anti-ferromagnetic alignment between the
local magnetic moments of the Mn atoms is the energetically favoured ground
state. In the martensitic phase, there are two competing factors that govern
the MR behavior: a dominant negative trend up to the saturation field due to
the decrease of electron scattering at twin and domain boundaries; and a weaker
positive trend due to the ferrimagnetic nature of the magnetic state. MR
exhibits a hysteresis between heating and cooling that is related to the first
order nature of the martensitic phase transition.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. Accepted in Phys. Rev.
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