Folklorismus: indian folklore and mass culture

The main objective of this brief study is to focus the attention of the scholars of folklore on the relationship between the fast growing Indian mass culture and folklore

Low energy sputtering of cobalt by cesium ions

An experimental facility to investigate low energy (less than 500 eV) sputtering of metal surfaces with ions produced by an ion gun is described. Results are reported on the sputtering yield of cobalt by cesium ions in the 100 to 500 eV energy range at a pressure of 1 times 10(exp -6) Torr. The target was electroplated on a copper substrate. The sputtered atoms were collected on a cobalt foil surrounding the target. Co-57 was used as a tracer to determine the sputtering yield

A thermoanalytical, X-ray diffraction and petrographic approach to the forensic assessment of fire affected concrete in the United Arab Emirates

For most fires, Forensic investigation takes place well after building materials have cooled and knowledge of the structural damage due to heat exposure can reveal the temperature reached during an incident. Recently, there have been significant changes in the characteristics of cementitious materials used in the United Arab Emirates. Few studies focus on the application of thermo-gravimetric and petrographic techniques on newly developed structures and this work aims to address this deficiency by utilising a series of parametric laboratory-based tests to assess the effects of heat on hardened concrete. Specimens were made with a design mix used for low-rise residential homes and storage facilities. The key constituents were: Portland cement (PC), crushed gabbro stone and dune sand with water/cement ratios of 0.4-0.5. Cement substitutes included slag (GGBS), and silica fume (SF) at replacement percentages of up to 50% and 4%, respectively. The concrete cubes were exposed to heat inside an electric furnace with pre-determined temperature regimes of 150°C, 300°C, 600°C and 900°C. Petrographic examination was utilised to compare the discolouration of the cooled concrete. Data derived from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are reported in order to assess the usefulness of these techniques in fire scene investigation to differentiate between these temperature regimes.. The results from the TGA indicate that the majority of the percentage weight loss for all the mixtures occurred in the range 650-700°C, which corresponds to the decarbonation of calcium carbonate, mainly from the aggregates. The endothermic DSC peak at 70-120°C relates to the loss of evaporable water. Since both of these reactions are irreversible, this information can help fire investigators estimate the temperature history of concrete after exposure to fire. On the other hand, the portlandite in the cement matrix dehydroxylates at 450-550°C but then reforms as the concrete cools. The onset temperature for the dehydroxylation of the reformed mineral is always lower than in virgin samples and its enthalpy furthermore depends strongly on the thermal history of the portlandite. Thus, this feature can be used to establish the temperature to which the material was exposed to during a fire incident

Associating Use of Digital Technology and Self-Reported Health Problems among College Going Students in Delhi-NCR, India

INTRODUCTION: The increased use of digital media among college students has the tendency to cause various health problems based on the duration and medium used. AIM: To assess the use of digital technology and self- reported health problems among college going students in Delhi-NCR, IndiaMATERIALS AND METHODS: Data was collected using a pre-tested and pre-validated questionnaire which was divided into three sections. The first section contained seven questions regarding demographic details, the second contained three questions regarding the device used, hours spent and the type of media assessed, while the third contained twelve questions regarding self-reported adverse events while accessing digital media. Statistical tests involved the Shapiro-Wilk test, Independent samples t-test, multivariate linear regression and the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The analysis was done using SPSS version 19.0.RESULTS: Responses of 717 students were included in the final analysis. Most of the students were between 17-19 years (53.9%), the primary device used was smartphone (91.8%). Most students used their device for >1-4 hours (34.6%). The most common self-reported symptom was back and/or neck pain (18.4%) followed by sleep issues/ insomnia (17.7%) and headache (17.3). Multiple linear regression model revealed that good knowledge scores were significantly associated with age(p = 0.04) and the duration of device used (p = 0.02). A positive, linear, great strength of association (r: +0.747) and a significant relationship (p = 0.037) was found between self-reported health problems and the hours of device usage. CONCLUSION: It is advised that college students be advised regarding the ill effects of digital medium without taking proper precautions

The complex hybrid origins of the root knot nematodes revealed through comparative genomics

Meloidogyne root knot nematodes (RKN) can infect most of the world's agricultural crop species and are among the most important of all plant pathogens. As yet however we have little understanding of their origins or the genomic basis of their extreme polyphagy. The most damaging pathogens reproduce by mitotic parthenogenesis and are suggested to originate by interspecific hybridizations between unknown parental taxa. We sequenced the genome of the diploid meiotic parthenogen Meloidogyne floridensis, and use a comparative genomic approach to test the hypothesis that it was involved in the hybrid origin of the tropical mitotic parthenogen M. incognita. Phylogenomic analysis of gene families from M. floridensis, M. incognita and an outgroup species M. hapla was used to trace the evolutionary history of these species' genomes, demonstrating that M. floridensis was one of the parental species in the hybrid origins of M. incognita. Analysis of the M. floridensis genome revealed many gene loci present in divergent copies, as they are in M. incognita, indicating that it too had a hybrid origin. The triploid M. incognita is shown to be a complex double-hybrid between M. floridensis and a third, unidentified parent. The agriculturally important RKN have very complex origins involving the mixing of several parental genomes by hybridization and their extreme polyphagy and agricultural success may be related to this hybridization, producing transgressive variation on which natural selection acts. Studying RKN variation via individual marker loci may fail due to the species' convoluted origins, and multi-species population genomics is essential to understand the hybrid diversity and adaptive variation of this important species complex. This comparative genomic analysis provides a compelling example of the importance and complexity of hybridization in generating animal species diversity more generally

Fatal Subacute Hepatic Failure in a Patient with AA-Type Amyloidosis: Case Report

Although systemic amyloidosis of amyloid-associated protein (AA) type (secondary or reactive amyloidosis) frequently involves the liver, it rarely causes clinically apparent liver disease. Mild elevation of alkaline phosphatase and hepatomegaly are the most common biochemical and clinical findings, respectively. We report a case of systemic amyloidosis of AA type, which clinically presented as subacute hepatic failure and resulted in a fatal clinical course in a 69-year-old man. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fifth case of hepatic amyloidosis of AA type that clinically presented as fatal subacute hepatic failure, an unusual clinical presentation for hepatic involvement by systemic AA-type amyloid

Association of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Indicators with Heart Failure

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the airway is repeatedly blocked during sleep, resulting in frequent brief awakenings throughout the night. OSA has been found to increase the risk of many cardiovascular diseases, especially heart failure (HF). HF with reduced, preserved, and borderline ejection fraction (HFrEF, HFpEF, and HFbEF) are three subtypes common in OSA patients. The aim of this study is to further explore the relationship between OSA and HF and the influence of specific OSA measures. Methods: Electronic medical data was collected from health histories, echocardiograms, and polysomnography studies. Observations were sorted into three categories based on left ventricular ejection fraction: HFpEF (n=334), HFrEF (n=77), and HFbEF (n=37). Multinomial logistic regression was then conducted to determine the relative risk of HFpEF and HFrEF from each variable as compared to the baseline HFbEF. Results: Pacemaker presence, previous stroke, BMI, and a measure of left ventricular dysfunction (LVD), called relative wall thickness, all raised the risk of HFpEF compared to HFbEF, while another LVD measure, left ventricular end-systolic dimension, reduced it. These factors also increased risk for HFrEF, except for previous stroke and pacemaker presence, which were not significant. Relevant OSA metrices included average blood oxygen saturation and three measures of sleep apnea severity, named central apnea index, hypopnea index per hour, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). These all decreased relative HFpEF risk, other than ESS, which raised it. Conclusions: As was expected, several standard HF predictors increased the risk of both types of HF. Surprisingly, few OSA indices had the same effect. This suggests that targeting specific OSA markers may not be effective in treating patients with any of these HF types. Future work could involve the influence of OSA and its indices on mortality, or the responses of these indicators to treatment, both topics with limited previous findings

\u3csup\u3e68\u3c/sup\u3e Ga-Labeled Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen Ligand Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography for Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context: Gallium prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligand Ga-HBED-CC-PSMA ( Ga-PSMA) is a promising radiotracer for positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) of prostate cancer. Objective: To conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate detection rate, diagnostic test accuracy, and adverse effects of Ga-PSMA PET/CT or PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for staging of prostate cancer and for restaging of rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) after initial treatment. Evidence acquisition: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, our systematic review searched for articles in PubMed and EMBASE databases from 2012 to July 2016. The reference standard was pathology after biopsy or surgery. The analyses used a random effect model and a hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic model. Evidence synthesis: Fifteen Ga-PSMA PET/CT studies with 1256 patients met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies of staging PET/CT or PET/MRI detected a regional site of cancer for 203 of 273 patients (74%). Nine studies of restaging PET/CT detected sites of recurrence in 799 of 983 patients (81%) with a 50% detection rate (74 of 147 patients) for restaging PSA of 0.2–0.49 ng/ml and a 53% detection rate (56 of 195 patients) for restaging PSA of 0.50–0.99 ng/ml. Staging Ga-PSMA PET/CT in the studies had higher detection rates of sites in the prostate bed than restaging Ga-PSMA PET/CT (mean 57% vs 14%, p = 0.031, t test). Both staging and restaging Ga-PSMA PET/CT found that a subgroup of the patients had metastatic sites in pelvic lymph nodes or distant organs. Eight studies of staging PET/CT undertook histologic correlations. We performed prostate-segment-based analysis specifically regarding the primary cancer lesion for four of these studies, and patient-based analysis specifically regarding pelvic lymph node metastases for four other studies. The pooled sensitivities for staging in the two groups of studies were 70% and 61%, and the pooled specificities were 84% and 97%. None of the studies reported complications from the PET/CT imaging. Conclusions: Ga-PSMA PET/CT has clinical relevance to detect sites of recurrence for patients with PSA recurrence after radical prostatectomy (RP) with PSA levels less than 1.0 ng/ml. Patient summary: Choline positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) can detect sites of recurrent prostate cancer in an earlier phase of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) recurrence than bone scans and CT scans, but choline PET/CT is rarely positive for patients with restaging PSA levels under 1 ng/ml. A new radiotracer called Ga-PSMA for PET/CT was able to detect sites of recurring cancer in up to 50% of patients who had an early rise in PSA exceeding 0.5 ng/ml after initial radical prostatectomy. The published studies did not report adverse effects of Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging. The rate of detection of sites in the prostate bed was significantly higher for staging than for restaging positron emission tomography (PET) using a Ga-labeled prostate-specific membrane (PSMA) antigen ligand. Overall, the detection rate did not differ significantly between staging and restaging. The detection rate for restaging Ga-PSMA PET/computed tomography (CT) was 50% for restaging prostate-specific antigen (PSA) of 0.2–0.48 ng/ml, 53% for restaging PSA of 0.50–0.99 ng/ml, and higher for higher restaging PSA levels. Patient-based and lesion-based analysis of staging Ga-PSMA PET/CT had sensitivity of 61–70% and specificity of 84–97%. The studies did not report any adverse effects due to imaging. 68 68 68 68 68 68 68 68 68 68 68 68 68 6

Arterial blood gas levels in high altitude Kashmiri population, India

Background: The valley of Kashmir lies at an average height of 1730 m above the sea level with a barometric pressure of 624 mmHg. The fall in atmospheric pressure at higher altitude decreases the partial pressure of inspired oxygen and hence the driving pressure for gas exchange in the lungs. At sea level the normal range of PaCO2 is 35 mmHg to 45 mmHg and at 1500m above sea level (barometric pressure 634 mmHg), the predicted normal PaO2 in a healthy young adult is approximately 80 mmHg; this contrasts with a value close to 95 mmHg at sea level. On these grounds this study was undertaken to formulate normal ABG values for this place as it lies at a higher altitude.Methods: The study was undertaken to measure "arterial blood gases" (ABG) in ethnic Kashmiri population and consisted of a sample of one hundred healthy Kashmiri subjects of either sex after proper inclusion and exclusion by spirometrically measuring Vital Capacity and Forced expiratory volume in one second/Forced vital capacity (Fev1/FVC). A modified Allen's test was performed to check for adequate collateral circulation ruling out Ischemia.Results: The average mean PaO2 of 78.51 ± 4.40 mmHg and the average mean PaCO2 of 33.37 ± 2.38 mmHg was obtained of the volunteers of both the sexes. The average mean pH of males (7.43 ± 0.02) was significantly lower than the mean pH of females (7.45 ± 0.021).Conclusions: The present study might provide useful base line normal values of Arterial Blood Gases for the local population and will be beneficial to the clinicians.

A nationwide analysis of hormonal contraception, sterilisation surgeries and reversal practices amongst Australian men and women from 2001 to 2021

Family planning falls within the spectrum of care within our medical society. We sought to illustrate changes in contraceptive methods over time and evaluate tubal ligation and vasectomy reversal practices in Australia. Yearly data from 2000 to 2021 was extracted from 3 databases: Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule, Medicare Benefit schedule and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare databases. Population adjusted rates of procedures and medical therapies were calculated using data from Australian Bureau of statistics. Use of Long acting reversible contraception (LARC) has increased by 34.1% from 2001 to 2021, with Mirena being the preferred contraception. The peak age group for tubal ligation during caesarean section was those >35-year-old (64.7%) whereas vasectomy more commonly performed in men aged 35–44. There was a 21.6% decrease in the number of vasectomies over time from 2000–2020. Female surgical sterilisation:vasectomy ratio shows tubal ligation was twice more common than vasectomy. Both macro/microsurgical anastomosis of the vas deferences were conducted: vasovasostomy (VV) and vasoepididymostomy (VE). There was a preponderance in the use of microsurgical approach for VV. Reversal mostly common occurred in those aged 40–44 at 29%. Overall, the rate of vasectomy is continuously falling over time whilst there is a steady incline in the use of LARC from 2020–2021. Both vasovasostomy and vasoepididymostomy reconstruction are practised. Although definitive conclusion from the literature lags, “real-world” trend indicate that micro-surgically conducted vasovasostomy might be the better surgical technique for desired patient outcomes