A fused lightweight CNN model for the diagnosis of COVID-19 using CT scan images

Computed tomography is an effective tool that can be used for the fast diagnosis of COVID-19. However, in high case-load scenarios, there are chances of delay and human error in interpreting the scan images manually by an expert. An artificial intelligence (AI) based automated tool can be employed for fast and efficient diagnosis of this disease. For image-based diagnosis, convolutional neural networks (CNN) which is a subcategory of AI has been widely explored. However, these CNN models require significant computational resources for processing. Hence in this work, the performance of two lightweight least explored CNN models, namely SqueezeNet and ShuffleNet have been evaluated with CT scan images. While SqueezeNet produced an accuracy of 86.4%, ShuffleNet was able to provide an accuracy of 95.8%. Later, in order to improve the accuracy, a novel fused-model combining these two models has been developed and its performance has been evaluated. The fused-model outperformed the two base models with an overall accuracy of 97%. The analysis of the confusion matrix revealed an improved specificity of 96.08% and precision of 96.15% with a better fallout and false discovery rate of 3.91% and 3.84%, respectively

Mobile Apps Making a Socio-Economic Impact for Managing Power at Underprivileged Homes

The paper presents how connectivity feature integrated into a roof-top solar power system, Inverterless500, designed and developed to electrify off-grid and near off-grid homes in an energy efficient manner, is critical in optimum service delivery, especially for lower income homes. It makes such products not only suitable for different categories of homes, but also economically viable, offering a promising business solution. Monitoring and manageability are unique features that help in maintaining the solution at remote areas of installation where manual intervention is not routinely feasible. The paper the describes the technology and learnings gained from deployment of these systems that helped in improving the product and overall management process

Care seeking behaviour for childhood illness- a questionnaire survey in western Nepal

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization estimates that seeking prompt and appropriate care could reduce child deaths due to acute respiratory infections by 20%. The purpose of our study was to assess care seeking behaviour of the mothers during childhood illness and to determine the predictors of mother's care seeking behaviour. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the immunization clinics of Pokhara city, Kaski district, western Nepal. A trained health worker interviewed the mothers of children suffering from illness during the preceding 15 days. RESULTS: A total of 292 mothers were interviewed. Pharmacies (46.2%) were the most common facilities where care was sought followed by allopathic medical practitioners (26.4%). No care was sought for 8 (2.7%) children and 26 (8.9%) children received traditional/home remedies. 'Appropriate', 'prompt' and 'appropriate and prompt' care was sought by 77 (26.4%), 166 (56.8%) and 33 (11.3%) mothers respectively. The mothers were aware of fever (51%), child becoming sicker (45.2%) and drinking poorly (42.5%) as the danger signs of childhood illness. By multiple logistic regression analysis total family income, number of symptoms, mothers' education and perceived severity of illness were the predictors of care seeking behaviour. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study show that the mothers were more likely to seek care when they perceived the illness as 'serious'. Poor maternal knowledge of danger signs of childhood illness warrants the need for a complementary introduction of community-based Integrated Management of Childhood Illness programmes to improve family's care seeking behaviour and their ability to recognize danger signs of childhood illness. Socioeconomic development of the urban poor may overcome their financial constraints to seek 'appropriate' and 'prompt' care during the childhood illness

Quantification of Pimavanserin in Bulk and Tablet Dosage Form Using A Stability Indicating High Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method

Background: Pimavanserin, an antipsychotic agent, is used to treat patients suffering with Parkinson's disease. Till now no stability indicating reverse phase HPLC method was reported for the quantification of pimavanserin in bulk and tablet dosage form. Hence in the present study, a new sensitive, precise and accurate stability indicating reverse phase HPLC method with photodiode array detector has been developed for the quantification of pimavanserin in bulk and tablet dosage form. Methods: Separation and analysis of pimavanserin was achieved on Kromasil C18 (5 µm, 250 mm × 4.6 mm) column using 0.1M NaH2PO4, methanol and acetonitrile in ratio of 55:30:15 (v/v/v) as mobile phase at 25°C. The flow rate was 1.0 ml/min. The effluents were monitored with detector set at 239 nm. The method validation was done with regard to the guidelines by the International Conference on Harmonization. Pimavanserin was subjected to acid, alkali and neutral hydrolysis, hydrogen peroxide oxidation, thermal degradation, and photo (sunlight) degradation. Results: Linear relationship was obtained between the concentration of drug and peak area response in the range of 4.25-34.0 µg/ml. The limits of detection and quantitation were found to be 0.027 µg/ml and 0.089 µg/ml, respectively. All the validation characteristics were within the acceptance criteria. The peaks of degradation products were well resolved from the pimavanserin peak. Conclusion: The developed and validated method is able to quantify the pimavanserin in the presence of degradation products

Isoniazid concentrations in hair and plasma area-under-the-curve exposure among children with tuberculosis.

We measured hair and plasma concentrations of isoniazid among sixteen children with tuberculosis who underwent personal or video-assisted directly observed therapy and thus had 100% adherence. This study therefore defined typical isoniazid exposure parameters after two months of treatment among fully-adherent patients in both hair and plasma (plasma area under the concentration-time curve, AUC, estimated using pharmacokinetic data collected 0, 2, 4, and 6 hours after drug administration). We found that INH levels in hair among highly-adherent individuals did not correlate well with plasma AUC or trough concentrations, suggesting that each measure may provide incremental and complementary information regarding drug exposure in the context of TB treatment

Chikungunya Outbreak, South India, 2006

We investigated chikungunya outbreaks in South India and observed a high attack rate, particularly among adults and women. Transmission was facilitated by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in peridomestic water containers, as indicated by a high Breteau index. We recommended vector control measures and health education to promote safe water storage practices

Discussion on a possible neutrino detector located in India

We have identified some important and worthwhile physics opportunitites with a possible neutrino detector located in India. Particular emphasis is placed on the geographical advantage with a stress on the complimentary aspects with respect to other neutrino detectors already in operation.Comment: 9 pages; arXiv copy of published proceedings contributio

Misconceptions about Mirror-Induced Motor Cortex Activation

Observation of self-produced hand movements through a mirror, creating an illusion of the opposite hand moving, was recently reported to induce ipsilateral motor cortex activation, that is, motor cortex activation for the hand in rest. The reported work goes far beyond earlier work on motor cortex activation induced by action observation, by implying a complete reversal of contralateral and ipsilateral motor cortex activation under mirror view conditions. Such a reversal would represent an unprecedented degree of neural plasticity. We considered such a reversal physiologically implausible and conducted a study with an improved design. The results refute the reversal of contralateral and ipsilateral motor cortex activation under mirrored viewing conditions as methodologically unsound. The investigation confirmed, however, more subtle expressions of motor cortical activity induced by self-produced movements observed through a mirror

Impact of HIV Infection on the Recurrence of Tuberculosis in South India

Background. There is limited information on the relative proportion of reactivation and reinfection at the time of recurrence among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and HIV-uninfected patients who are successfully treated for tuberculosis infection in India. Methods. HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients with sputum culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis were treated with short-course regimens and followed up for 36 months at the Tuberculosis Research Centre, South India. Bacteriologic recurrences were documented, and typing of strains was performed using 3 different genotypic techniques: restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) by IS6110, spoligotyping, and mycobacterial interspersed repeat unit (MIRU)-variable number tandem repeat (VNTR). DNA fingerprints of paired Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates (baseline and recurrence) were compared. Results. Among 44 HIV-infected and 30 HIV-uninfected patients with recurrent tuberculosis during the period July 1999 to October 2005, 25 and 23 paired isolates, respectively, were typed using all 3 methods. Recurrence was due to exogenous reinfection in 88% of HIV-infected and 9% of HIV-uninfected patients (P < .05). Among recurrent isolates, the HIV-infected patients showed more clustering, as well as a higher proportion of drug resistance, including multidrug resistance. Conclusions. In India, a tuberculosis-endemic country, most recurrences after successful treatment of tuberculosis are due to exogenous reinfection in HIV-infected persons and endogenous reactivation in HIV-uninfected persons. Strategies for prevention and treatment of tuberculosis infection must take these findings into consideration

Fake hands in action: embodiment and control of supernumerary limbs

Demonstrations that the brain can incorporate a fake limb into our bodily representations when stroked in synchrony with our unseen real hand [(the rubber hand illusion (RHI)] are now commonplace. Such demonstrations highlight the dynamic flexibility of the perceptual body image, but evidence for comparable RHI-sensitive changes in the body schema used for action is less common. Recent evidence from the RHI supports a distinction between bodily representations for perception (body image) and for action (body schema) (Kammers et al. in Neuropsychologia 44:2430–2436, 2006). The current study challenges and extends these findings by demonstrating that active synchronous stroking of a brush not only elicits perceptual embodiment of a fake limb (body image) but also affects subsequent reaching error (body schema). Participants were presented with two moving fake left hands. When only one was synchronous during active touch, ownership was claimed for the synchronous hand only and the accuracy of reaching was consistent with control of the synchronous hand. When both fake hands were synchronous, ownership was claimed over both, but only one was controlled. Thus, it would appear that fake limbs can be incorporated into the body schema as well as the body image, but while multiple limbs can be incorporated into the body image, the body schema can accommodate only one