Advanced logic gates for ultrafast network interchanges

By overcoming speed bottlenecks from electronic switching as well as optical/electronic conversions, all‐optical logic gates can permit further exploitation of the nearly 40 THz of bandwidth available from optical fibers. We focus on the use of optical solitons and all‐optical logic gates to implement ultrafast ‘‘interchanges’’ or switching nodes on packet networks with speeds of 100 Gbit/s or greater. For example, all‐optical logic gates have been demonstrated with speeds up to 200 Gbit/s, and they may be used to decide whether to add or drop a data packet. The overall goal of our effort is to demonstrate the key enabling technologies and their combination for header processing in 100 Gbit/s, time‐division‐multiplexed, packed switched networks. Soliton‐based fiber logic gates are studied with the goal of combining attractive features of soliton‐dragging logic gates, nonlinear loop mirrors, and erbium‐doped fiber amplifiers to design logic gates with optimum switching energy, contrast ratio, and timing sensitivity. First, the experimental and numerical work studies low‐latency soliton logic gates based on frequency shifts associated with cross‐phase modulation. In preliminary experiments, switching in 15 m long low‐birefringent fibers has been demonstrated with a contrast ratio of 2.73:1. Using dispersion‐shifted fiber in the gate should lower the switching energy and improve the contrast ratio. Next, the low‐birefringent fiber can be cross‐spliced and wrapped into a nonlinear optical loop mirror to take advantage of mechanisms from both soliton dragging and loop mirrors. The resulting device can have low switching energy and a timing window that results from a combination of soliton dragging and the loop mirror mechanisms.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/87474/2/605_1.pd

Effect of soil mulching on growth, productivity, and water use efficiency of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) under deficit irrigation

Two field studies were conducted consecutively in the summer season of 2015 and 2016 to investigate the effect of different soil mulching materials (bare soil: BS as a control, white plastic: WP, black plastic: BP and rice straw: RS) on growth, productivity, and water-use efficiency (WUE) of potato under three levels of irrigation (I100=100%, I80=80%, and I60=70% of crop evapotranspiration). Growth characteristics, yield and its components, and WUE were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by both irrigation level and mulching materials. All mulching materials effectively enhanced growth and productivity when compared to bare soil. Potato plants grown under BP and WP as well as RS showed higher mean values of large size (> 60 mm) tubers and WUE compared to non-mulched treatment (BS) in both seasons. Mulching treatments noticeably increased tuber yield in the order of BP > RS > WP. Results displayed that, under different soil mulching materials, the I80 strategy studied here could be successfully applied during summer season in commercial potato production allowing water savings of 20% without any detrimental effect on plant growth or productivity

Comparison of different cephalometric variables in patients with and without history of snoring

Background: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome has a high prevalence among adults. Cephalometric variables can be a valuable method for evaluating patients with this syndrome. The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the craniofacial variables in subjects with and without snoring by cephalometric analysis.Methods: 40 patients were included in the study who were divided into two groups; group 1 of 20 snoring patients and group 2 control group of 20 non-snoring patients and were evaluated and compared for various cephalometric variables.Results: The distance from the hyoid bone to the mandibular plane (MP-H) was the only variable that showed a statistically significant correlation between two groups.Conclusions: Cephalometric variables are useful tools for evaluating the patients with snoring who are predisposed to obstructive sleep apnoea. The distance from the hyoid bone to the mandibular plane showed a statistically significant correlation between two groups

Effects of micronutrient and spacing on growth and chlorophyll content of rice

An experiment was carried out at the research field of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU).There were four nutrient treatments i.e., E1= NPKS recommended dose; E2= NPKS + Zn 5 Kg ha-1; E3= NPKS + Zn (5 Kg ha-1) + B (3 Kg ha-1) E4= NPKS + Zn (5 Kg ha-1) + B (3 Kg ha-1) + Mo (2 Kg ha-1) and three spacing S1= 20 x 10 cm2; S2 = 20 x 15 cm2 and S3 = 20 x 20 cm2.Micronutrient and spacing combined had a distinct positive response in crop growth attributes and chlorophyll content of rice. The tallest plant height (147.0 cm) and root length (13.50 cm) highest panicle length (22.56 cm) was attained in the treatment E2S3 but the maximum tillers per hill (14.95) and effective panicle per hill (14.17) were recorded in treatment E2S2. Physiological parameter i.e., LAI, CGR, RGR, NAR, total chlorophyll content of rice also responded significantly and the appropriate combination was E4S2treatment. Based on vegetative growth, physiological parameters and yield attributes the treatment combination E4S2 showed the best performance

Prevalence of Bacterial Lower Respiratory Tract Infections at a Tertiary Hospital in Jordan

Background: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that LRTI are the most common global cause of death from infectious diseases.  However, the specific etiologic agent associated with LRTI is often unknown. Aims: We determined the bacterial infections and seasonal patterns associated with LRTI among hospitalized cases at Jordan University Hospital (JUH) for a period of five years. Methods: We conducted a multi-year study among hospitalized patients in Jordan on LRTI-associated bacterial etiology. Results: We found bacterial infections among 105 (21.1%) out of 495 LRTI patients. The most frequently identified bacteria in the LRTI patients were Staphylococcus aureus (7.7%) followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5.1%). Most of the LRTI patients (95.2%) had at least one chronic disease and many were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (16.8%). Of the 18 (3.64%) patients with LRTI who died at the hospital, 2 had a bacterial infection. We noticed a seasonal pattern of bacterial infections, with the highest prevalence during the winter months. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that early identification of bacterial agents and control of chronic disease may improve clinical management and reduce morbidity and mortality from LRTI

Risk factors and in-hospital outcome of acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction in young Bangladeshi adults

BackgroundSouth Asians have a higher overall incidence rate and younger age of onset for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared to Western populations. However, limited information is available on the association of preventable risk factors and outcomes of AMI among young individuals in Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors and in-hospital outcome of AMI among young (age &le;40 years) adults in Bangladesh.MethodsWe conducted a prospective observational study among consecutive 50 patients aged &le;40 years and 50 patients aged &gt;40 years with acute ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) and followed-up in-hospital at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD). Clinical characteristics, biochemical findings, diet, echocardiography and in-hospital outcomes were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess the association between risk factors and in-hospital outcome in young patients adjusting for other confounding variables.ResultsThe mean age of the young and older patient groups was 36.5&thinsp;&plusmn;&thinsp;4.6 years and 57.0&thinsp;&plusmn;&thinsp;9.1 years respectively. Male sex (OR 3.4, 95 % CI 1.2&thinsp;&minus;&thinsp;9.75), smoking (OR 2.4, 95 % CI 1.04&thinsp;&minus;&thinsp;5,62), family history of MI (OR 2.4, 95 % CI 1.11&thinsp;&minus;&thinsp;5,54), homocysteine (OR 1.2, 95 % CI 1.08&thinsp;&minus;&thinsp;1.36), eating rice &ge;2 times daily (OR 3.5, 95 % CI 1.15&thinsp;&minus;&thinsp;10.6) and eating beef (OR 4.5, 95 % CI 1.83&thinsp;&minus;&thinsp;11.3) were significantly associated with the risk of AMI in the young group compared to older group. In multivariate analysis, older patients had significantly greater chance of developing heart failure (OR 7.5, 95 % CI 1.51 to 37.31), re-infarction (OR 7.0, 95 % CI 1.08&thinsp;&minus;&thinsp;45.72), arrhythmia (OR 15.3, 95 % CI 2.69&thinsp;&minus;&thinsp;87.77) and cardiogenic shock (OR 69.0, 95 % CI 5.81&thinsp;&minus;&thinsp;85.52) than the younger group.ConclusionYounger AMI patients have a different risk profile and better in-hospital outcomes compared to the older patients. Control of preventable risk factors such as smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity and dyslipidemia should be reinforced at an early age in Bangladesh.<br /

Digital Autopsy: Popular Tools for an Unpopular Procedure

Digital autopsy is the future of postmortem examination of the human body through digital visualization. Imaging modalities such as CT scanners and MRI scanners use X rays and magnetic fields to visualize the structures within the human body. The outputs from these modalities are obtained in a DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications of Medicine) format. They are in gray-scale consisting of information in every slice taken during the scan. This is rendered and visualized as the full body in a digital format during the digital autopsy procedure. The visualization rendering produces a three-dimensional body, further presented in colour format based on each structure of the human organ system. Digital autopsy is a technology which allows pathologists to navigate and explore deeper into the human body. It allows analysis to be done in both two-dimensional and three dimensional perspectives. Digital autopsy involves analysis of human pathology and anatomical findings for diagnostic purposes. It can also be used for education and research purposes. Another advantage of digital autopsy is the availability of information and data that can be easily and securely transferred to a different digital autopsy facility at a different location. Thus, digital autopsy provides an efficient, fast, cheaper and accurate post-mortem data enabling a forensic pathologists to play a more effective role in the criminal justice system

Influence of moisture contents on the fast pyrolysis of trommel fines in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor

In this study, the effect of moisture contents [2.69 wt% (bone-dry), 5 wt% and 10 wt%] on product yields and process conversion efficiency during fast pyrolysis of a pre-treated trommel fines feedstock was investigated at 500 °C. Experiments were carried out using a 300 g h −1 bubbling fluidised bed rig. Yields of organic liquids ranged from 15.2 to 19.6 wt% of feedstock, which decreased with increasing moisture content. Hence, the bone-dry feedstock gave the maximum yield and consequently the highest process conversion efficiency of 43%. Increased moisture content also led to increase formation of unidentified gas products, indicating increased conversion of organic liquids. Due to the high ash content of the feedstocks, about 52 wt% solid residues, containing around 82% ash was recovered in the char pot in each case. Hence, to maximize oil yields during fast pyrolysis, trommel fines would require extensive drying to remove the original 46 wt% moisture as well as reducing the ash content considerably. XRF analysis of the ash in the feedstock and solid residues showed that the main elements present included Ca, Si, Fe, Pb, K, Cl and Al. Apart from the presence of Pb (which may be from the glass contents of the feedstock), the solid residues could be used for land reclamation or co-incinerated at cement kilns for cement manufacture

A clinical study of arrhythmias associated with acute coronary syndrome: a hospital based study of a high risk and previously undocumented population

Background: ACS represents a global epidemic. Arrhythmia in ACS is common. Careful investigation may lead to further improvement of prognosis. Retrospectively analyzed the year- round data of our center. Study was undertaken to analyze the incidence, frequency and type of arrhythmias in ACS. This is to aid timely intervention and to modify the outcome. Identification of the type of arrhythmia is of therapeutic and prognostic importance.Methods: This cross sectional analytical study was conducted in the Department of Cardiology, Apollo Hospitals Dhaka, from January 2019 to January 2020 with ACS patients. Enrolled consecutively and data analyzed.Results: There were 500 patients enrolled considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sample was subdivided into 3 groups on the type of ACS. Group-I with UA, Group-II with NSTE - ACS and Group-III with STE - ACS. Different types of arrhythmia noted. Types of arrhythmia were correlated with type of ACS. 500 patients included. Mean age 55.53±12.70, 71.6% male and 28.4% female. 60.4% hypertensive, 46.2% diabetic, 20.2% positive family history of CAD, 32.2% current smoker, 56.4% dyslipidaemic and 9.6% asthmatic. 31.2% UA, 39.2% NSTE-ACS and 29.6% STE-ACS. Type of arrhythmias noted. 22% sinus tachycardia, 20.2% sinus bradycardia, 9% atrial fibrillation, 5.2% ventricular ectopic, 4.8% supra ventricular ectopic, 2.8% bundle branch block, 2.2% atrio-ventricular block, 1% broad complex tachycardia, 0.4% narrow complex tachycardia, 0.2% sinus node dysfunction and 32.2% without any arrhythmia. Significant incidences of arrhythmia detected - respectively 29.8%, 39.2% and 31%, p<0.001.Conclusions: In conclusion, arrhythmias in ACS are common. More attention should be paid to improve their treatment and prognosis

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI