Reproducibility and repeatability of measuring the electrical impedance of the pregnant human cervix-the effect of probe size and applied pressure

Background: The utility of cervical electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) as a diagnostic tool is being investigated in clinical trials. We sought to assess the reliability of two different sizes of tetrapolar probes used in measuring cervical impedance. Methods: Cervical transfer impedance was measured at 14 frequencies between 76 and 625 000 Hz from 11 pregnant subjects at term. Repeated measurements were taken with two probes (3 mm and 12 mm diameter) applied softly (approximately 0.7 Newton of force), and firmly (approximately 2.2 Newton) to the surface of the cervix by two observers. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV) and repeatability standard deviations (SD) were derived from these measurements and compared. Results: Measurements taken by one observer were highly repeatable for both probes as demonstrated by high ICC and low CV values. Probe performance was improved further by firm application. Firm application of the 3 mm probe resulted in ICC values that ranged from 0.936 to 0.986 (p = 0.0001) and CV values between 1.0 and 3.4%. Firm pressure with the 12 mm probe resulted in ICC values that ranged between 0.914 and 0.988 (p = 0.0001) with CV values between 0.7 and 2.1%. In addition, the repeatability SD was low across all frequencies implying that there was low intra-observer variability. Measurements taken by 2 observers with firm application of the 12 mm probe demonstrated moderate reproducibility between 9.8 and 156 kHz, the frequency range in which previous clinical studies have shown predictive association between high cervical resistivity and vaginal delivery: ICC values ranged between 0.528 and 0.638 (p < 0.05), CV values were between 3.3 and 5.2% and reproducibility SD values were also low. In contrast the 3 mm probe demonstrated poor reproducibility at all study frequencies. Conclusion: Measuring cervical resistivity by a single observer with both the 3 and 12 mm probes is highly repeatable whilst inter-observer reproducibility is poor with the 3 mm probe but moderately good when the 12 mm probe is firmly applied to the cervix in the frequency range 9.8 to 156 kHz, consistent with our observations of probe performance in clinical trials

Pressure induced structural phase transition in solid oxidizer KClO3_3: A first-principles study

High pressure behavior of potassium chlorate (KClO$_3$) has been investigated from 0-10 GPa by means of first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The calculated ground state parameters, transition pressure and phonon frequencies using semiempirical dispersion correction scheme are in excellent agreement with experiment. It is found that KClO$_3$ undergoes a pressure induced first order phase transition with an associated volume collapse of 6.4$\%$ from monoclinic (\emph{P2$_1$/m}) $\rightarrow$ rhombohedral (\emph{R3m}) structure at 2.26 GPa, which is in good accord with experimental observation. However, the transition pressure was found to underestimate (0.11 GPa) and overestimate (3.57 GPa) using LDA and GGA functionals, respectively. Mechanical stability of both the phases are explained from the calculated single crystal elastic constants. In addition, the zone center phonon frequencies have been calculated using density functional perturbation theory at ambient as well as at high pressure and the lattice modes are found to soften under pressure between 0.6 to 1.2 GPa. The present study reveals that the observed structural phase transition leads to changes in the decomposition mechanism of KClO$_3$ which corroborates with the experimental results.Comment: 6 Figure

Pharmacological Activities of Boswellia serrata Roxb. - Mini Review

Boswellia serrata (Salai Guggal) is one of the most ancient and respected herbs in Ayurveda. “Gajabhakshya” a Sanskrit name sometimes used for Boswellia suggests that elephants enjoy this herb as a part of their diet. Historically Boswellia serrata is recommended for osteoarthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, soft tissue fibrosis and spondilytis without any side effect. Present review focuses on pharmacological activities of Boswellia serrata Roxb

Evaluating Performance of Fault Current Limiters in Electric Substations Using Monte Carlo Method

Application of Fault Current Limiters (FCL’s) seems a promising alternative to upgrade system breakers and switchgears in areas with heavy demand growth. These devices are mainly expected to improve reliability by reducing fault current values to levels interruptible by existing switchgears, and therefore ensuring safer and more reliable operation of power apparatus. Power substations are one of the ideal candidates for application of FCL’s. In this work, Monte Carlo simulation method has been used to study performance of fault current limiters and their impacts on different components. Results show effectiveness of these device in reducing the average fault current passed through power system components and reducing the associated burdens

Ethnomedical Knowledge of Plants used by the Tribal people of Purandhar in Maharashtra, India

This study presents the results of a field survey of the plants used medically by the tribal people of Purandhar in Maharashtra, India. Tribes like Dhangars and Gowlis inhabit the dry deciduous forests of the region. This is an effort to record the valuable ethnomedical knowledge of these Purandhar tribes. A total of 77 species belonging to 30 families and 56 genera were included. These plants are used to treat various aliments, discomforts and diseases like whooping cough, asthma, diabetes, diphtheria, conjunctivitis, snake bite, scorpion bite, etc

A gender synchronized family planning intervention for married couples in rural India: study protocol for the CHARM2 cluster randomized controlled trial evaluation.

BackgroundPrior research from India demonstrates&nbsp;a need for family planning counseling that engages both women and men, offers complete family planning method mix, and focuses on gender equity and reduces marital sexual violence (MSV) to promote modern contraceptive use. Effectiveness of the three-session (two male-only sessions and one couple session) Counseling Husbands to Achieve Reproductive Health and Marital Equity (CHARM) intervention, which used male health providers to engage and counsel husbands on gender equity and family planning (GE + FP), was demonstrated by increased pill and condom use and a reduction in MSV. However, the intervention had limited reach to women and was therefore unable to expand access to highly effective long acting reversible contraceptives such as the intrauterine device (IUD). We developed a second iteration of the intervention, CHARM2, which retains the three sessions from the original CHARM but adds female provider- delivered counseling to women and offers a broader array of contraceptives including IUDs. This protocol describes the evaluation of CHARM2 in rural Maharashtra.MethodsA two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial will evaluate CHARM2, a gender synchronized GE + FP intervention. Eligible married couples (n&nbsp;= 1200) will be enrolled across 20 clusters in rural Maharashtra, India. Health providers will be gender-matched to deliver two GE + FP sessions to the married couples in parallel, and then a final session will be delivered to the couple together. We will conduct surveys on demographics as well as GE and FP indicators at baseline, 9-month, and 18-month follow-ups with both men and women, and pregnancy tests at each time point from women. In-depth interviews will be conducted with a subsample of couples (n&nbsp;= 50) and providers (n&nbsp;= 20). We will conduct several implementation and monitoring activities for purposes of assuring fidelity to intervention design and quality of implementation, including recruitment and tracking logs, provider evaluation forms, session observation forms, and participant satisfaction surveys.DiscussionWe will complete the recruitment of participants and collection of baseline data by July 2019. Findings from this work will offer important insight for the expansion of the national family planning program and improving quality of care for India and family planning interventions globally.Trial registrationClinicalTrial.gov, NCT03514914

CHARM, a gender equity and family planning intervention for men and couples in rural India: protocol for the cluster randomized controlled trial evaluation.

BackgroundGlobally, 41% of all pregnancies are unintended, increasing risk for unsafe abortion, miscarriage and maternal and child morbidities and mortality. One in four pregnancies in India (3.3 million pregnancies, annually) are unintended; 2/3 of these occur in the context of no modern contraceptive use. In addition, no contraceptive use until desired number and sex composition of children is achieved remains a norm in India. Research shows that globally and in India, the youngest and most newly married wives are least likely to use contraception and most likely to report husband's exclusive family planning decision-making control, suggesting that male engagement and family planning support is important for this group. Thus, the Counseling Husbands to Achieve Reproductive Health and Marital Equity (CHARM) intervention was developed in recognition of the need for more male engagement family planning models that include gender equity counseling and focus on spacing contraception use in rural India.Methods/designFor this study, a multi-session intervention delivered to men but inclusive of their wives was developed and evaluated as a two-armed cluster randomized controlled design study conducted across 50 mapped clusters in rural Maharashtra, India. Eligible rural young husbands and their wives (N = 1081) participated in a three session gender-equity focused family planning program delivered to the men (Sessions 1 and 2) and their wives (Session 3) by village health providers in rural India. Survey assessments were conducted at baseline and 9&amp;18 month follow-ups with eligible men and their wives, and pregnancy tests were obtained from wives at baseline and 18-month follow-up. Additional in-depth understanding of how intervention impact occurred was assessed via in-depth interviews at 18 month follow-up with VHPs and a subsample of couples (n = 50, 2 couples per intervention cluster). Process evaluation was conducted to collect feedback from husbands, wives, and VHPs on program quality and to ascertain whether program elements were implemented according to curriculum protocols. Fidelity to intervention protocol was assessed via review of clinical records.DiscussionAll study procedures were completed in February 2015. Findings from this work offer important contributions to the growing field of male engagement in family planning, globally.Trial registrationClinicalTrial.gov, NCT01593943

Content-Based Image Retreival for Detecting Brain Tumors and Amyloid Fluid Presence

Medical images play a vital role in identifying diseases and detecting if organs are functioning correctly. Image processing related to medical images is an active research area in which various techniques are used in order to make diagnosis easier. The brain is a vital organ in our body, and brain tumors are a very critical life altering condition. Identifying tumors is a challenging task and various image processing techniques can be used. Doctors can identify tumors from looking at the scan, and this project attempts to automatically derive these results. In this project, image processing is done for automatically detecting the presence of brain tumors in a given brain scan. Content-based image retrieval extracts features from a query or template image, computes a measure of similarity, and gives results by detecting tumors. Template matching is used to identify a template at any position within the image to identify tumor location. Secondly, early detection of Alzheimer’s, which in turn prevents dementia, can be determined from the presence of amyloid fluid along with the other factors. The amyloid fluid presence helps in detecting dementia at an early stage. The presence of this fluid can be found in a PET scan of the brain. Here, the idea is to show the color distribution from a scan image, i.e., the domination of given colors. Content-based image retrieval’s low level feature based approaches such as color histograms are used. In this project, the conventional K- means algorithm is used for clustering the histograms, and identifying dominant colors