Quintessential Inflation in a thawing realization

We study quintessential inflation with an inverse hyperbolic type potential $V(\phi) = {V_0}/{\cosh \left( {\phi^n}/{\lambda^n} \right)}$, where $V_0$, $\lambda$ and "n" are parameters of the theory. We obtain a bound on $\lambda$ for different values of the parameter n. The spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar-ratio fall in the $1 \sigma$ bound given by the Planck 2015 data for $n \geq 5$ for certain values of $\lambda$. However for $3 \leq n < 5$ there exist values of $\lambda$ for which the spectral index and the tensor-to-scalar-ratio fall only within the $2 \sigma$ bound of the Planck data. Furthermore, we show that the scalar field with the given potential can also give rise to late time acceleration if we invoke the coupling to massive neutrino matter. We also consider the instant preheating mechanism with Yukawa interaction and put bounds on the coupling constants for our model using the nucleosynthesis constraint on relic gravity waves produced during inflation.Comment: 11 page

Weak Lensing Effect on CMB in the Presence of a Dipole Anisotropy

We investigate weak lensing effect on cosmic microwave background (CMB) in the presence of dipole anisotropy. The approach of flat-sky approximation is considered. We determine the functions $\sigma_0^2$ and $\sigma_2^2$ that appear in expressions of the lensed CMB power spectrum in the presence of a dipole anisotropy. We determine the correction to B-mode power spectrum which is found to be appreciable at low multipoles ($l$). However, the temperature and E-mode power spectrum are not altered significantly.Comment: 9 page

Maximum-Likelihood Sequence Detector for Dynamic Mode High Density Probe Storage

There is an increasing need for high density data storage devices driven by the increased demand of consumer electronics. In this work, we consider a data storage system that operates by encoding information as topographic profiles on a polymer medium. A cantilever probe with a sharp tip (few nm radius) is used to create and sense the presence of topographic profiles, resulting in a density of few Tb per in.2. The prevalent mode of using the cantilever probe is the static mode that is harsh on the probe and the media. In this article, the high quality factor dynamic mode operation, that is less harsh on the media and the probe, is analyzed. The read operation is modeled as a communication channel which incorporates system memory due to inter-symbol interference and the cantilever state. We demonstrate an appropriate level of abstraction of this complex nanoscale system that obviates the need for an involved physical model. Next, a solution to the maximum likelihood sequence detection problem based on the Viterbi algorithm is devised. Experimental and simulation results demonstrate that the performance of this detector is several orders of magnitude better than the performance of other existing schemes.Comment: This paper is published in IEEE Trans. on communicatio

Assessing the factors that influence a recurrence of congenital talipes equinovarus in children treated with the Ponseti method

Background: Congenital talipes equinovarus, also known as clubfoot, is one of the most common congenital malformations in pediatric orthopedics. With a checkered treatment history extending from Hippocrates' bandages to Kite's serial plaster cast application to surgical treatment, no single modality can claim to be a complete treatment. Methods: In a combined prospective and retrospective study at the Department of Orthopaedics of St. Stephen's Hospital, 192 patients with 292 clubfeet who met the inclusion criteria and received ethics committee approval were included. The purpose of the research was to identify early recurrence characteristics, undertake the Pirani scoring, and identify additional clinical characteristics to evaluate recurrence predictors. Results: In our study, out of 192 patients, 188 were successfully treated with the Ponseti casting technique combined with tendoachilles tenotomy; tenotomy was required in 177 patients (93%). Four patients were lost to follow-up. Nine out of sixty-one children in the six-month-to-one-year age group showed the maximum rate of recurrence (15%). The mean number of cast applications was 7.23. In all, 90% of children required casts ranging from four to eight in number. The syndromic association was seen in 10.4% of cases with club feet. Most common among them were neural tube defects (4.2%) and arthrogryposis (3% of cases). Fourteen out of 154 (or 9%) of the non-operated idiopathic patients had lateral border recurrence during an average follow-up of two years. According to the Pirani score, recurrence was seen in eight out of twenty (or 40% of) syndromic patients and five out of fourteen (or 35% of) operated cases. In 37% of recurrences, dynamic supination was observed. Conclusions: Even though Ponseti's approach to treating idiopathic clubfoot is widely regarded as the gold standard, recurrences are known to occur even in the best of circumstances. The most common cause of recurrence was poor brace compliance, with families citing a variety of reasons

COVAD survey 2 long-term outcomes: unmet need and protocol

COVID-19; Registries; VaccinationCOVID-19; Registros; VacunaciónCOVID-19; Registres; VacunacióVaccine hesitancy is considered a major barrier to achieving herd immunity against COVID-19. While multiple alternative and synergistic approaches including heterologous vaccination, booster doses, and antiviral drugs have been developed, equitable vaccine uptake remains the foremost strategy to manage pandemic. Although none of the currently approved vaccines are live-attenuated, several reports of disease flares, waning protection, and acute-onset syndromes have emerged as short-term adverse events after vaccination. Hence, scientific literature falls short when discussing potential long-term effects in vulnerable cohorts. The COVAD-2 survey follows on from the baseline COVAD-1 survey with the aim to collect patient-reported data on the long-term safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines in immune modulation. The e-survey has been extensively pilot-tested and validated with translations into multiple languages. Anticipated results will help improve vaccination efforts and reduce the imminent risks of COVID-19 infection, especially in understudied vulnerable groups.HC is supported by the National Institution for Health Research Manchester Biomedical Research Centre Funding Scheme. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health

Intra-operative point-of-procedure delineation of oral cancer margins using optical coherence tomography.

ObjectivesSurgical margin status is a significant determinant of treatment outcome in oral cancer. Negative surgical margins can decrease the loco-regional recurrence by five-fold. The current standard of care of intraoperative clinical examination supplemented by histological frozen section, can result in a risk of positive margins from 5 to 17 percent. In this study, we attempted to assess the utility of intraoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging with automated diagnostic algorithm to improve on the current method of clinical evaluation of surgical margin in oral cancer.Materials and methodsWe have used a modified handheld OCT device with automated algorithm based diagnostic platform for imaging. Intraoperatively, images of 125 sites were captured from multiple zones around the tumor of oral cancer patients (n = 14) and compared with the clinical and pathologic diagnosis.ResultsOCT showed sensitivity and specificity of 100%, equivalent to histological diagnosis (kappa, ĸ = 0.922), in detection of malignancy within tumor and tumor margin areas. In comparison, for dysplastic lesions, OCT-based detection showed a sensitivity of 92.5% and specificity of 68.8% and a moderate concordance with histopathology diagnosis (ĸ = 0.59). Additionally, the OCT scores could significantly differentiate squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from dysplastic lesions (mild/moderate/severe; p ≤ 0.005) as well as the latter from the non-dysplastic lesions (p ≤ 0.05).ConclusionThe current challenges associated with clinical examination-based margin assessment could be improved with intra-operative OCT imaging. OCT is capable of identifying microscopic tumor at the surgical margins and demonstrated the feasibility of mapping of field cancerization around the tumor

Artificial Intelligence applications for responsive healthcare supply chains: a decision-making framework

Post-COVID-19, the healthcare sector is extensively digitalizing operations by applying emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is evident from previous research that the adoption of AI in the healthcare supply chain results in unmatched benefits. Therefore, the present study identifies the enablers for adopting AI in healthcare supply chains and validates them using the Fuzzy-Delphi technique. Furthermore, enablers are prioritized, and the dyadic connections between them are investigated using the fuzzy-DEMATEL approach. In the last phase, the Graph Theory Matrix Approach was applied to assess the readiness of a case organization to adopt AI across various healthcare functions. The sensitivity analysis confirms the reliability of the results. Competitive and mimetic pressures, together with government policies and support, were the most influencing enablers. Furthermore, Scalability and Traceability of information flow across the healthcare supply chain are found to be the most influenced factor by other enablers