A novel educational tool for teaching ocular ultrasound

Ocular ultrasound is now in increasing demand in routine ophthalmic clinical practice not only because it is noninvasive but also because of ever-advancing technology providing higher resolution imaging. It is however a difficult branch of ophthalmic investigations to grasp, as it requires a high skill level to interface with the technology and provide accurate interpretation of images for ophthalmic diagnosis and management. It is even more labor intensive to teach ocular ultrasound to another fellow clinician. One of the fundamental skills that proved difficult to learn and teach is the need for the examiner to “mentally convert” 2-dimensional B-scan images into 3-dimensional (3D) interpretations. An additional challenge is the requirement to carry out this task in real time. We have developed a novel approach to teach ocular ultrasound by using a novel 3D ocular model. A 3D virtual model is built using widely available, open source, software. The model is then used to generate movie clips simulating different movements and orientations of the scanner head. Using Blender, Quicktime motion clips are choreographed and collated into interactive quizzes and other pertinent pedagogical media. The process involves scripting motion vectors, rotation, and tracking of both the virtual stereo camera and the model. The resulting sequence is then rendered for twinned right- and left-eye views. Finally, the twinned views are synchronized and combined in a format compatible with the stereo projection apparatus. This new model will help the student with spatial awareness and allow for assimilation of this awareness into clinical practice. It will also help with grasping the nomenclature used in ocular ultrasound as well as helping with localization of lesions and obtaining the best possible images for echographic diagnosis, accurate measurements, and reporting

GREEN SYNTHESIS OF PLANT-MEDIATED METAL NANOPARTICLES: THE ROLE OF POLYPHENOLS

The use of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) in various fields is increasing day-by-day leading to a genuine concern about the issues related to their environmental and biological safety. The major approaches for the synthesis of NPs include physical and chemical methods which are expensive and hazardous to health in addition to being toxic to the environment. This review highlights the potential of plant extracts to carry out the synthesis of MNPs with a special emphasis on the role of flavonoids in nanosynthesis. This green and clean approach have been actively utilized in recent years as an alternative to conventional hazardous approaches. It has proved as cost-effective, non-toxic, less time and labor consuming, efficient, and eco-friendly method for the synthesis of MNPs with specific biological actions. This review also focuses on the role of polyphenols, including the flavonoids as bioreductants of metal salts for the synthesis of NPs along with their biomedical applications. Various examples of the MNPs, along with their biological actions, have also been summarized

Public Integrity Auditing for Dynamic Data Sharing With Multiuser Modification

In cloud storage systems, information proprietors have their information on cloud servers furthermore, clients (information customers) can get to the information from cloud servers. Because of the information outsourcing, be that as it may, this new worldview of information facilitating administration additionally presents new security challenges, which requires an autonomous evaluating administration to check the information honesty in the cloud. In huge scale distributed storage frameworks, the information might be refreshed powerfully, so existing remote uprightness checking strategies served for static chronicle information are no longer appropriate to check the information uprightness. Accordingly, a proficient and secure dynamic inspecting convention is wanted to persuade information proprietors that the information is accurately put away in the cloud. In this section, we initially present an evaluating structure for cloud capacity frameworks. At that point, we depict Third-party Auditing Scheme a proficient and security saving evaluating convention for distributed storage, which can likewise bolster information dynamic operations and cluster reviewing for both various proprietors what's more

Coordination of Mobile Mules via Facility Location Strategies

In this paper, we study the problem of wireless sensor network (WSN) maintenance using mobile entities called mules. The mules are deployed in the area of the WSN in such a way that would minimize the time it takes them to reach a failed sensor and fix it. The mules must constantly optimize their collective deployment to account for occupied mules. The objective is to define the optimal deployment and task allocation strategy for the mules, so that the sensors' downtime and the mules' traveling distance are minimized. Our solutions are inspired by research in the field of computational geometry and the design of our algorithms is based on state of the art approximation algorithms for the classical problem of facility location. Our empirical results demonstrate how cooperation enhances the team's performance, and indicate that a combination of k-Median based deployment with closest-available task allocation provides the best results in terms of minimizing the sensors' downtime but is inefficient in terms of the mules' travel distance. A k-Centroid based deployment produces good results in both criteria.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, conferenc

Efektivitas Kombinasi Bakteri Hidrokarbonoklastik Dengan Saponin Sapindus Rarak Dalam Menurunkan Kadar Total Petroleum Hidrokarbon

Surfaktan memiliki peran penting dalam meningkatkan biodegradasi minyak bumi. Salah satu surfaktan alami yang jarang dieksplorasi dalam membantu biodegradasi limbah minyak bumi adalah saponin. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menganalisis pengaruh kombinasi saponin komersial dari tanaman Sapindus rarak dengan bakteri hidrokarbonoklastik terisolasi dalam menurunkan kadar total petroleum hidrokarbon. Bakteri hidrokarbonoklastik diisolasi dari sampel tanah tercemar minyak bumi di Desa Wonocolo, Kabupaten Bojonegoro, Provinsi Jawa Timur, dengan metode enrichment dalam medium Bushnell-Haas broth dengan konsentrasi minyak bumi 0,5 %. Isolat bakteri yang diperoleh diseleksi dengan dua tahap. Tahap pertama, isolat diinokulasikan dalam medium nutrient broth yang mengandung saponin 0 %, 8 %, dan 12 % untuk memperoleh isolat bakteri yang toleran terhadap saponin. Tahap kedua, isolat diinokulasikan ke dalam medium Bushnell-Haas broth yang mengandung saponin 0,5 % untuk memperoleh isolat bakteri yang tidak dapat mendegradasi saponin. Isolat yang lolos seleksi dibuat kurva pertumbuhannya dalam medium Bushnell-Haas broth dengan konsentrasi minyak bumi 0,5 % dan dipilih berdasarkan laju pertumbuhan tercepat. Isolat terpilih digunakan pada uji biodegradasi minyak bumi 0,5 % dalam medium Bushnell-Haas broth menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) faktorial dengan perlakuan keberadaan isolat terpilih dan saponin 0,5 %. Penurunan total petroleum hidrokarbon (TPH) minyak bumi dihitung berdasarkan kandungan TPH dengan metode gravimetri. Data TPH dianalisis ragam ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) pada taraf α 0,05. Bakteri unggul diidentifikasi berdasarkan sekuen 16S rDNA dan dikonstruksikan dalam bentuk pohon filogeni. Bakteri sebanyak 34 isolat telah diisolasi dan dimurnikan dari tanah tercemar minyak bumi. Hasil seleksi tahap pertama, mendapatkan sembilan isolat yaitu IHT1.3, IHT1.5, IHT3.8, IHT3.14, IHT3.17, IHT3.19, IHT3.20, IHT3.23, dan IHT3.24 yang memiliki toleransi tinggi terhadap saponin 12 %. Berdasarkan hasil seleksi tahap berikutnya, tiga dari sembilan isolat tersebut (IHT1.3, IHT1.5, dan IHT3.24) tidak memiliki aktivitas degradasi saponin konsentrasi 0,5 %. Ketiga isolat bakteri tersebut dianalisis kurva pertumbuhannya. Isolat IHT3.24 memiliki laju pertumbuhan paling cepat sehingga digunakan pada uji berikutnya. Perlakuan kombinasi isolat IHT3.24 dan saponin mampu menurunkan TPH minyak bumi sebesar 38 % setelah inkubasi 30 hari. Nilai ini lebih tinggi daripada nilai perlakuan yang hanya diberi bakteri yaitu sebesar 20 %. Data ini menunjukkan bahwa kombinasi bakteri dan saponin lebih efektif dalam mendegradasi minyak bumi dibandingkan dengan ix degradasi minyak bumi oleh bakteri tanpa pemberian saponin. Isolat bakteri IHT1.3, IHT1.5, dan IHT3.24 berdasarkan sekuen 16S rDNA secara berurutan teridentifikasi sebagai Ochrobactrum pseudogrignonense (99,6 %), Pseudomonas mendocina (99,2 %), dan Ochrobactrum pituitosum (97,8 %). Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa penambahan saponin Sapindus rarak lebih efektif meningkatkan kemampuan bakteri hidrokarbonoklastik dalam mendegradasi minyak bumi dari Desa Wonocolo hingga dua kali lipat dibanding bakteri tanpa pemberian saponin. Saponin sebagaimana surfaktan diketahui mampu mensolubilisasi minyak bumi sehingga bakteri dapat lebih cepat menyerap substrat tersebut. Kombinasi tersebut dapat dikembangkan sebagai agen bioremediasi ekosistem tercemar minyak bum

Attitudes toward brushing children's teeth—A study among parents with immigrant status in Norway

Background Early childhood caries (ECC) is a common chronic childhood disease with multifactorial etiology including poor parental dietary and hygiene behaviors. Aim This study aimed to assess toothbrushing‐related perceptions among parents with immigrant background living in Norway. Design A structured interview was performed with immigrant parents to assess their oral health‐related knowledge, beliefs, and attitude toward toothbrushing. Immigrant parents of non‐Western origin with newborn infants (0‐6 months) were included in this study. Results Of those interviewed, 66% chose to participate and they were found to have an average favorable attitudes, subjective norms, and strong perceptions of control related to child's tooth brushing with reported means of (3.3), (3.6), and (4.6), respectively. They had on average low indulgence (mean 7.8) with respect to this behavior and a relatively high level of knowledge (mean 6.9). Parents with strong intention toward toothbrushing (61%) had on average more frequent oral hygiene behavior than parents with weak intentions. Conclusion Parents with non‐Western origin have adequate knowledge and intention toward toothbrushing, although some have an unsatisfactory attitude, which might affect the oral health of their children negatively. Culture and habits are contributing factors in ECC and should be addressed in oral health prevention policies.publishedVersio

Hospital admission trends due to respiratory diseases in England and Wales between 1999 and 2019: an ecologic study

BACKGROUND: Identifying trends of hospital admissions for respiratory diseases is crucial for public health and research to guide future clinical improvements for better outcomes. This study aims to define the trends of respiratory disease-related hospital admissions (RRHA) in England and Wales between 1999 and 2019. METHODS: An ecological study was conducted using hospital admission data taken from the Hospital Episode Statistics database in England and the Patient Episode Database for Wales. Hospital admissions data for respiratory diseases were extracted for the period between April 1999 and March 2019. The trend in hospital admissions was assessed using a Poisson model. RESULTS: Hospital admission rate increased by 104.7% [from 1535.05 (95% CI 1531.71–1538.38) in 1999 to 3142.83 (95% CI 3138.39–3147.26) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, trend test, p < 0.01]. The most common causes were influenza and pneumonia, chronic lower respiratory diseases, other acute lower respiratory infections, which accounted for 26.6%, 26.4%, and 14.9%, respectively. The age group 75 years and above accounted for 34.1% of the total number of hospital admissions. Males contributed to 50.5% of the total number of hospital admissions. Hospital admission rate in females increased by 119.8% [from 1442.18 (95% CI 1437.66–1446.70) in 1999 to 3169.38 (95% CI 3163.11–3175.64) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, trend test, p < 0.001]. Hospital admission rate increased by 92.9% in males [from 1633.25 (95% CI 1628.32–1638.17) in 1999 to 3149.78 (95% CI 3143.46–3156.09) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, trend test, p < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: During the study period, hospital admissions rate due to respiratory diseases increased sharply. The rates of hospital admissions were higher among males for the vast majority of respiratory diseases. Further observational studies are warranted to identify risk factors for these hospital admissions and to offer relevant interventions to mitigate the risk

Hospital Admissions Due to Ischemic Heart Diseases and Prescriptions of Cardiovascular Diseases Medications in England and Wales in the Past Two Decades

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the trend of ischemic heart disease (IHD) admission and the prescriptions of IHD medications in England and Wales. Methods: A secular trends study was conducted during the period of 1999 to 2019. We extracted hospital admission data for patients from all age groups from the Hospital Episode Statistics database in England and the Patient Episode Database for Wales. Prescriptions of IHD medications were extracted from the Prescription Cost Analysis database from 2004 to 2019. The chi-squared test was used to assess the difference between the admission rates and the difference between IHD medication prescription rates. The trends in IHD-related hospital admission and IHD-related medication prescription were assessed using a Poisson model. The correlation between hospital admissions for IHD and its IHD medication-related prescriptions was assessed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Our study detected a significant increase in the rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) medication prescriptions in England and Wales, representing a rise in the CVD medications prescription rate of 41.8% (from 539,334.95 (95% CI = 539,286.30–539,383.59) in 2004 to 764,584.55 (95% CI = 764,545.55–764,623.56) in 2019 prescriptions per 100,000 persons), with a mean increase of 2.8% per year during the past 15 years. This increase was connected with a reduction in the IHD hospital admission rate by 15.4% (from 838.50 (95% CI = 836.05–840.94) in 2004 to 709.78 (95% CI = 707.65–711.92) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, trend test, p < 0.01), with a mean decrease of 1.02% per year during the past 15 years and by 5% (from 747.43 (95% CI = 745.09–749.77) in 1999 to 709.78 (95% CI = 707.65–711.92) in 2019 per 100,000 persons, trend test, p < 0.01) with a mean decrease of 0.25% per year during the past two decades in England and Wales. Conclusion: The rate of hospitalisation due to IHD has decreased in England and Wales during the past two decades. Hospitalisation due to IHD was strongly and negatively correlated with the increase in the rates of dispensing of IHD-related medications. Other factors contributing to this decline could be the increase in controlling IHD risk factors during the past few years. Future studies exploring other risk factors that are associated with IHD hospitalisation are warranted