MAPPING OF THE RESEARCH OUTPUT ON ‘WIRELESS COMMUNICATION (2010 - 2018)’: A WEB OF SCIENCE BASED SCIENTOMETRIC EVALUATION

The present study aimed at examining the quantitative and qualitative aspects of literature output on Wireless Communication as available and indexed in Web of Science database covering a nine year period i.e from 2010 to 2018. A total of 8482 records were downloaded from Web of Science core collection database. The downloaded records, in txt format, were exported to Bibexcel software for analyzing the data for certain quantitative and qualitative indicators. MS Excel programme was used to do all the necessary calculations and preparation of cross tables with Pivot Table options. The findings were presented under the major heads as basic metrics, author metrics, quality metrics, institution and publisher metrics, future metrics and geo metrics. The findings reveal that there is a gradual growth of publications on WLC during the study period. An exponential growth pattern was found. The Relative Growth Rate shows a decreasing trend and the Doubling time shows an increasing trend. Rather than single authored publications, multi-authored publications are more in numbers. The authors preferred to work in very small / small teams. The Degree of collaboration kept on growing throughout the study period. The researchers in WLC preferred to publish their research findings in the form of Journal articles. English is the preferred language of publications among the WLC researchers. China and USA lead the world in WLC research followed by India in the third place. Intra-county collaboration was found to be more in numbers than inter-country collaboration in WLC research output. The journals publishing research papers in WLC research do not fall in Bradford’s law of scattering. The time series analysis shows that the growth of WLC research output will be in better prospects in the years to come

THE MODUS OPERANDI OF CREATING AN ONLINE DIRECTORY OF LIS PROFESSIONALS OF TAMILNADU, INDIA : A LIVE WEB PROJECT IN WORDPRESS DOMAIN

The present study is an online endeavour by the researchers to create a web directory to give a brief account of library and information science professionals working in different institutions in Tamilnadu. The researchers have chosen Wordpress – an open source blogging software and domain – to create an online directory of LIS professionals because of its simplicity and powerful features. The researchers who have a good understanding of Wordpress blogs, collected data about 50 LIS professionals working in universities and arts and science colleges of about 10 districts. They have created the online directory with the URL www.tnlisdirectory.wordpress.com. First of all they chose theme for the blog and decided upon its layout. Then, they customized the blog with various options like site title, tagline, font style, font colour, background colour and custom header. After customization, widgets required for the blog were added. Home page was designed as a static page. The data for about 25 LIS professionals – both teaching and practicing – of higher educational institutions of Tamilnadu are uploaded in the form of posts. Links were created for about 15 LIS professionals. Interesting quotes on Librarians were also included. Six galleries to showcase the photos of about 100 LIS professionals were created to add a colourful look of the blog. Text widget and image widget were used to give ‘about information’ and ‘motivating pictures’. Search option is provided in the blog to enable the online users to search for LIS professionals. A video about the life of Dr.S.R.Ranganathan is placed in the footer sidebar along with the archives option and calendar option. The feedback received from 15 diverse LIS professionals on the design, layout and content of the blog was quite welcoming, motivating and positive. This endeavour was a different, fruitful, online learning experience for the researchers

THE MODUS OPERANDI OF CREATING AN ONLINE DIRECTORY OF LIS PROFESSIONALS OF TAMILNADU, INDIA : A LIVE WEB PROJECT IN WORDPRESS DOMAIN

The present study is an online endeavour by the researchers to create a web directory to give a brief account of library and information science professionals working in different institutions in Tamilnadu. The researchers have chosen Wordpress – an open source blogging software and domain – to create an online directory of LIS professionals because of its simplicity and powerful features. The researchers who have a good understanding of Wordpress blogs, collected data about 50 LIS professionals working in universities and arts and science colleges of about 10 districts. They have created the online directory with the URL www.tnlisdirectory.wordpress.com. First of all they chose theme for the blog and decided upon its layout. Then, they customized the blog with various options like site title, tagline, font style, font colour, background colour and custom header. After customization, widgets required for the blog were added. Home page was designed as a static page. The data for about 25 LIS professionals – both teaching and practicing – of higher educational institutions of Tamilnadu are uploaded in the form of posts. Links were created for about 15 LIS professionals. Interesting quotes on Librarians were also included. Six galleries to showcase the photos of about 100 LIS professionals were created to add a colourful look of the blog. Text widget and image widget were used to give ‘about information’ and ‘motivating pictures’. Search option is provided in the blog to enable the online users to search for LIS professionals. A video about the life of Dr.S.R.Ranganathan is placed in the footer sidebar along with the archives option and calendar option. The feedback received from 15 diverse LIS professionals on the design, layout and content of the blog was quite welcoming, motivating and positive. This endeavour was a different, fruitful, online learning experience for the researchers

USE OF LEGAL INFORMATION SOURCES AND SERVICES BY THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF GOVERNMENT LAW COLLEGE, COIMBATORE, TAMILNADU STATE, INDIA : A STUDY

The present study is undertaken to investigate the use of legal information sources and services by the undergraduate students of Government Law College, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu State, India. It is a descriptive research study which employed questionnaires to collect data from 200 students who are pursing III, IV and V year of undergraduate law courses. The findings of the study reveal that : A majority of 83 students need human rights information and 78 students need academic information. A majority of 62 (93.94%) students know and use textbooks, 50 (75.76%) know and use law books and 49 (74.24%) know and make use of Bye-Laws. Updates of court rules (33, 41.25%) and Statutes (25, 30.12%) are the sources which are not known to most number of IV year students. A majority of them are aware of Internet and legal databases and they make use of such resources. The website of Supreme Court of India is widely known and used among them. A majority of them browse internet, read books/journals, ask faculty members and use mass media to access legal information. Reading books / journals, cyber café, trial and error method and instruction from library staff are the methods used by most of the students to learn to use legal information resources. More than 80% of them know and use JUDIS. Inadequate number of journals, non-availability of latest journals, difficulty in finding relevant information and erratic power supply are the major problems faced by the male students in accessing library resources. A majority of the students want the library to conduct demos of online legal sources by external experts, expect the library to provide more electronic resources and online legal databases and want the library to provide index to law reports and more current legal materials

Oil bearing seasonal crops in India:energy and phytoremediation potential

Purpose: A variety of biomass plantations are being raised for energy production. This case study is on energy production potential of seasonal oil bearing crops in India. These crops have the advantage of producing oil (liquid fuel) as well as biomass as agro residue (solid fuel). The purpose of the study is to estimate total energy yields of oil bearing crops and compare with other types of energy plantations. Also oil bearing crops bioaccumulate metals and thus phytoremediate soil. This provides scope for waste water irrigation. Design/methodology/approach: Relevant published papers on energy production by raising oil bearing crops have been analyzed. The effect of waste water irrigation and agronomic practices on increasing productivity is given special attention. Findings: It is shown that the seasonal oil bearing crops such as castor have a high potential to generate energy and this is comparable to energy produced by many perennial grasses. The energy yields of castor under irrigated condition was 196×103 MJ/ha and this is comparable to the reed canary grass which yields 195×103 MJ/ha. Some of the oil bearing crops are also super accumulators of certain toxic metals. Research limitations/implications: In this study, only all the accessible papers on the topic could be analyzed. Practical implications: This case study indicates that raising oil bearing crops such as castor using waste water has many advantages which include high energy yields, utilization of waste water for productive purpose and phytoremediation of soil. Originality/value: The comparison made between various types of energy crops for their energy generation is an original contribution. Findings of economic and environmental benefits by waste water irrigation are also of value

SURGERY CAN BE AVOIDED IN EXTRA OCULAR AND ORBITAL MYOCYSTICERCOSIS

Aim: To study the efficacy of Albendazole in treating Extra ocular and Orbital Myocysticercosis. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective interventional  case study conducted at Department of Oculoplasty and Orbital disorder of Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital which is a tertiary care eye hospital. 6 cases of Myocysticercosis, 4 males and 2 females presented between Jan 2014 to June 2014 at department of Oculoplasty were included in the study. After clinical examination and radiological confirmation patients were given oral Albendazole 400mg bd for 3 weeks along with Tab.Prednisolone 1mg /Kg of body weight. They were evaluated clinically for control of symptoms like pain, redness and protrusion of eyeball and regression of signs like reduction in chemosis, Proptosis and tenderness. Results: All 6 cases responded to medical treatment by Albendazole and Prednisolone by total reduction in symptoms and signs thereby avoiding surgery on them. Conclusion: Ocular and Orbital Myocysticercosis respond well to medical treatment by Tab.Albendazole along with Tab. Prednisolone. Key Words: Myocysticercosis, Albendazole, Proptosis, Prednisolone

Characterization of 9-Nitrocamptothecin Liposomes: Anticancer Properties and Mechanisms on Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Vitro and In Vivo

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer related mortality worldwide. 9-Nitrocamptothecin (9NC) is a potent topoisomerase-I inhibitor with strong anticancer effect. To increase the solubility and stability, we synthesized a novel 9NC loaded liposomes (9NC-LP) via incorporating 9NC into liposomes. In the present study, we determined the effects of 9NC and 9NC-LP on in vitro and in vivo, and the underlying mechanisms. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We first analyzed the characteristics of 9NC-LP. Then we compared the effects of 9NC and 9NC-LP on the proliferation and apoptosis of HepG2, Bel-7402, Hep3B and L02 cells in vitro. We also investigated their anticancer properties in nude mice bearing HCC xenograft in vivo. 9NC-LP has a uniform size (around 190 nm) and zeta potential (∼-11 mV), and exhibited a steady sustained-release pattern profile in vitro. Both 9NC and 9NC-LP could cause cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a dose-dependent and p53-dependent manner. However, this effect was not ubiquitous in all cell lines. Exposure to 9NC-LP led to increased expression of p53, p21, p27, Bax, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 and apoptosis-inducing factor, mitochondrion-associated 1 and decreased expression of Bcl-2, cyclin E, cyclin A, Cdk2 and cyclin D1. Furthermore, 9NC-LP exhibited a more potent antiproliferative effect and less side effects in vivo. Western blot analysis of the xenograft tumors in nude mice showed similar changes in protein expression in vivo. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, 9NC and 9NC-LP can inhibit HCC growth via cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis. 9NC-LP has a more potent anti-tumor effect and fewer side effects in vivo, which means it is a promising reagent for cancer therapy via intravenous administration

Genetic and metabolic predictors of chemosensitivity in oligodendroglial neoplasms

The −1p/−19q genotype predicts chemosensitivity in oligodendroglial neoplasms, but some with intact 1p/19q also respond and not all with 1p/19q loss derive durable benefit from chemotherapy. We have evaluated the predictive and prognostic significance of pretherapy 201Tl and 18F-FDG SPECT and genotype in 38 primary and 10 recurrent oligodendroglial neoplasms following PCV chemotherapy. 1p/19q loss was seen in 8/15 OII, 6/15 OAII, 7/7 OIII, 3/11 OAIII and was associated with response (Fisher-Exact: P=0.000) and prolonged progression-free (log-rank: P=0.002) and overall survival (OS) (log-rank: P=0.0048). Response was unrelated to metabolism, with tumours with high or low metabolism showing response. Increased 18F-FDG or 201Tl uptake predicted shorter progression-free survival (PFS) in the series (log-rank: 201Tl P=0.0097, 18F-FDG P=0.0170) and in cases with or without the −1p/−19q genotype. Elevated metabolism was associated with shorter OS in cases with intact 1p/19q (log-rank: 18F-FDG P=0.0077; 201Tl P=0.0004) and shorter PFS in responders (log-rank: 18F-FDG P=0.005; 201Tl P=0.0132). 201Tl uptake and 1p/19q loss were independent predictors of survival in multivariate analysis. In this initial study, 201Tl and 18F-FDG uptake did not predict response to PCV, but may be associated with poor survival following therapy irrespective of genotype. This may be clinically useful warranting further study

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection