A BCB Diaphragm Based Adhesive Wafer Bonded CMUT Probe for Biomedical Application

This dissertation presents the design methodology, fabrication procedure, and key experimental characterization results of a linear array of capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUT) for possible ophthalmic anterior segment imaging application. The design methodology involves analytical, 3-D electromechanical finite element analysis, and Verasonics Vantage 128 ultrasonic research platform based diagnostic imaging simulations to develop a technique that minimizes electrical charging and center frequency drift while improving the transduction efficiency. In the design, Bisbenzocyclobutene (BCB), a low K polymer from Dow Chemical Company, has been innovatively used for the first time to fabricate the structural layer of the CMUT diaphragm, realize the interelectrode dielectric spacer, and to act as a low temperature adhesive bonding agent. Additionally, the top CMUT electrode has been placed at the bottom of the diaphragm to affect higher capacitance change that increases sensitivity and provides additional decoupling of the electrical charging effects. Several arrays with element count ranging from 8 to 128 elements and a center frequency range of 5 MHz to 40 MHz have been designed and fabricated. Due to an unforeseen adhesion issue during wirebonding, a 32 channel 40 MHz CMUT array has been packaged manually to validate the fabrication process and CMUT operation. Extensive SEM inspections of the CMUT cross-sections show good agreement with the design specifications. Static and dynamic measurements using a Polytec laser Doppler vibrometer, impedance measurement using an Agilent vector network analyzer, and LCR measurement results are in excellent agreement with analytical and FEA analysis using IntelliSuite. The frequency analysis exhibits high electromechanical coupling coefficient of 0.66 at a low bias voltage of 20 V and high uniformity. A successful measurement of the lower drift of the center frequency 0.32% and higher coupling coefficient verifies the hypothesis that the excellent electrical, structural, and processing characteristics of BCB is a viable option to mitigate the dielectric charging and improve the transduction efficiency of CMUTs

VISUALIZATION FOR IDENTIFYING SERVICE RESPONSES

A secure web gateway is a type of security solution that prevents unsecured traffic from entering an internal network of an organization. By translating static log data from a secure web gateway into a meaningful and sensible format, an end user may identify issues that may cause delayed responses from services. Incorporating a visualization of a health view of a system into web gateway software may provide clarity to end users. By binding logged data into five-minute intervals for a selected daily or weekly duration and displaying the data on a single screen, an end user may easily view the health of services

Tuboenterocutaneous fistula following caesarean section

Fistulous communication between fallopian tube, sigmoid colon and the skin after caesarean section is an unreported entity so far. Here we report a case of tuboenterocutaneous fistula which developed after wound complication following lower segment caesarean section (LSCS). Computed tomography (CT) was used to diagnose the case and laparotomy was done as definitive surgery

Evaluation of status of ecosystem of Sawanga (Vithoba) Lake (Malkhed Talav), District Amravati, Maharashtra by assessment of Some Physicochemical Characteristics of water

Abstract- Lakes are sometimes subjected to wastewater discharges originating from different sources. Chemicals such as nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon in certain concentrations might distort and disrupt aquatic ecosystems. The purpose of this study is to assess water quality of Sawanga (Vithoba) lake. Sawanga Lake is located in district Amravati Maharashtra. This study began in Feb 2011 and was carried out for 12 months by taking monthly water samples from five different stations of the lake. Water quality parameters like pH, Temperature, Total dissolve

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

Biological Control of Sclerotium rolfsii, Causing Stem Rot of Groundnut by Pseudomonas cf. monteilii 9

In an attempt to develop effective biocontrol system for management of stem rot disease caused by Sclerotium rolfsii in groundnut, 11 Pseudomonas spp. isolated from rhizospheric soil, were evaluated for their antagonistic activity against Sclerotium rolfsii. A soil bacterium identified as, Pseudomonas cf. monteilii 9, showed highest antagonistic activity against Sclerotium rolfsii. In dual cultures, the Pseudomonas cf. monteilii 9 inhibited the Sclerotium rolfsii up to 94 % in terms of dry weight. Pseudomonas cf. monteilii 9 produced diffusible antibiotic, volatile metabolites, hydrogen cyanide and siderophore which affect Sclerotium rolfsii growth in vitro. This strain also produced a clear halo region on skim milk agar plates, indicating that it excretes protease which played vital role in inhibition of S. rolfsii. In pot assay for control of Sclerotium rolfsii, Pseudomonas cf. monteilii 9 treated seeds showed decrease in incidence of disease up to 45.45 to 66.67% in comparison to untreated seeds

Comparative antioxidant potential of Withania somnifera based herbal formulation prepared by traditional and non-traditional fermentation processes

AbstractBackgroundAshwagandharishtha is a liquid polyherbal formulation traditionally prepared by fermentation process using the flowers of Woodfordia fruticosa. It contains roots of Withania somnifera as a major crude drug. Alcohol generated during the fermentation causes the extraction of water insoluble phytoconstituents. Yeasts present on the flowers are responsible for this fermentation.MethodsTotal nine formulations of ashwagandharishtha were prepared by fermentation process using traditional Woodfordia fruticosa flowers (ASG-WFS) and using yeasts isolated from the same flowers. During fermentation, kinetic of alcohol generation, sugar consumption, changes in pH and withanolides extraction were studied. All the formulations were tested for in vitro antioxidant potential by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging, hydrogen peroxide scavenging and total reducing power assay. The results were compared with standard ascorbic acid.ResultsTraditional formulation (ASG-WFS) showed the highest activity (p < 0.001) relative to other formulations and standard ascorbic acid. ASG-WFS showed significant (DPPH) free radical scavenging (78.75%) and hydrogen peroxide scavenging (69.62%) at the concentration of 1000μg/mL and 100μg/mL, respectively.ConclusionTraditional process is the best process for preparing ashwagandharishtha to obtain significant antioxidant activity