45 research outputs found
Physics Potential of the ICAL detector at the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)
The upcoming 50 kt magnetized iron calorimeter (ICAL) detector at the
India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is designed to study the atmospheric
neutrinos and antineutrinos separately over a wide range of energies and path
lengths. The primary focus of this experiment is to explore the Earth matter
effects by observing the energy and zenith angle dependence of the atmospheric
neutrinos in the multi-GeV range. This study will be crucial to address some of
the outstanding issues in neutrino oscillation physics, including the
fundamental issue of neutrino mass hierarchy. In this document, we present the
physics potential of the detector as obtained from realistic detector
simulations. We describe the simulation framework, the neutrino interactions in
the detector, and the expected response of the detector to particles traversing
it. The ICAL detector can determine the energy and direction of the muons to a
high precision, and in addition, its sensitivity to multi-GeV hadrons increases
its physics reach substantially. Its charge identification capability, and
hence its ability to distinguish neutrinos from antineutrinos, makes it an
efficient detector for determining the neutrino mass hierarchy. In this report,
we outline the analyses carried out for the determination of neutrino mass
hierarchy and precision measurements of atmospheric neutrino mixing parameters
at ICAL, and give the expected physics reach of the detector with 10 years of
runtime. We also explore the potential of ICAL for probing new physics
scenarios like CPT violation and the presence of magnetic monopoles.Comment: 139 pages, Physics White Paper of the ICAL (INO) Collaboration,
Contents identical with the version published in Pramana - J. Physic
Advantages of type and screen policy: Perspective from a developing country!
Introduction: The authors' center recently changed their pretransfusion testing protocol from “conventional” type and screen (TS) with anti-human globulin (AHG) crossmatch (Policy A) to TS with immediate-spin (IS) crossmatch (Policy B). Red blood cell (RBC) units were issued after compatible IS crossmatch as and when required instead of AHG crossmatch. This study was conducted to compare the effects of change of policy from A to B over 1-year period on crossmatch-to-transfusion (C/T) ratio, RBC issue turnaround time (TAT), outdating of RBC, man-hours consumption, and monetary savings.
Materials And Methods: This was a comparative, prospective study conducted by the Department of Transfusion Medicine of a tertiary hospital-based blood bank in Northern India. The Policy B was implemented in the department from January 2014. Relevant retrospective data for comparison of the previous 1 year, when Policy A was practiced, were derived from hospital information system.
Results: 23909 and 24724 RBC units transfused to patients admitted to the hospital during respective 1-year period of practice for Policy A and B. There was significant reduction in C/T ratio (1.94 vs. 1.01) and RBC issue TAT (79 vs. 65 min) with Policy B. Expiry due to outdating reduced (37 vs. zero) along with man-hours (16% reduction) and monetary (33% reduction) savings.
Conclusion: Use of 'TS with IS crossmatch' policy provides multiple advantages to all the stakeholders; blood banker, clinician, patient, and the hospital management
Audit of clinical use of red blood cells in a tertiary care setting: An algorithmic approach!
Objective: There have been quite a few publications on audit of clinical use of blood components. However, there is paucity of studies on red blood cell (RBC) clinical use. Therefore, a study was designed to determine the appropriate clinical use of RBC in various departments in a tertiary care setting. Materials and Methods: It was a prospective observational study conducted from January 2017 to April 2017 in a large tertiary care hospital in north India. The study population included all consecutive admitted patients who received RBC transfusion during the study period. Patients undergoing RBC transfusions the in operation theater were excluded. An algorithmic approach was used which analyzed the “appropriateness” on the basis of hemoglobin thresholds, symptoms in patient, comorbidities, and imminent blood loss in a sequential manner. Results and Discussion: Of a total of 1024 transfusions, 924 (90.02%) episodes were appropriate. This was higher than the previous published reports because of algorithmic approach, higher hemoglobin threshold (8 g%), and possibly better informed physicians in tertiary care setting. Conclusion: There were a high percentage of appropriate RBC transfusions in large tertiary care settings