The Confidence-Competence Gap in Large Language Models: A Cognitive Study

Large Language Models (LLMs) have acquired ubiquitous attention for their performances across diverse domains. Our study here searches through LLMs' cognitive abilities and confidence dynamics. We dive deep into understanding the alignment between their self-assessed confidence and actual performance. We exploit these models with diverse sets of questionnaires and real-world scenarios and extract how LLMs exhibit confidence in their responses. Our findings reveal intriguing instances where models demonstrate high confidence even when they answer incorrectly. This is reminiscent of the Dunning-Kruger effect observed in human psychology. In contrast, there are cases where models exhibit low confidence with correct answers revealing potential underestimation biases. Our results underscore the need for a deeper understanding of their cognitive processes. By examining the nuances of LLMs' self-assessment mechanism, this investigation provides noteworthy revelations that serve to advance the functionalities and broaden the potential applications of these formidable language models.Comment: 19 pages, 8 Figures, to be published in a journal (Journal TBD), All Authors contributed equally and were Supervised by Chandra Dhaka

Outcome of tibial diaphyseal fracture fixation with Surgical Implant Generation Network (SIGN) nail

Introductions: Fractures of diaphyseal region of the tibial bone are amongst the most commonly seen extremity injuries in the developing countries. The surgical implant generation network (SIGN) intramedullary (IM) nail was designed for the treatment of long bone fractures in the developing nations. Methods: From March 2008 to December 2018, a total of 104 patients with 104 tibial diaphyseal fractures were treated with SIGN IM nail. The followup visits were arranged at 6, 12, 24 weeks and one-year post operatively. During followup visits, the signs of fracture union clinically as well as radiologically and the presence of complications any were recorded and analyzed. Results: The mean age of the patients was 32.81 (16 – 65) years, male 74 (71.2%) and  female 30 (28.8%). Majority of the patients 70 (67.3%) had fractures after road traffic accidents. The mean time of surgery was 13.58 (1 – 463) days. Six (5.8%) patients had delayed union and no non-union was detected. We had 10 cases (9.6%) of mal-alignment but were on acceptable range. Conclusions: In the developing country like Nepal, the SIGN nail is an effective surgical implant for the management of the tibial diaphyseal fractures with good result of fracture union and low rates of nonunion, mal-alignment and manageable complications. Keywords: diaphyseal fracture, intramedullary nailing, SIGN nail, tibial fractur

Minimally Invasive Plate Osteosynthesis In The Treatment Of Isolated Ulnar Bone Fractures

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive internal fixation is also called “biological internal fixation”. This concept is used widely in the treatment of various fractures but to date, there have been no report about such application in the repair of isolated ulnar bone fractures. METHODS: Eleven patients with fracture of isolated ulnar bone (four AO type 22A11 and seven AO type 22A12), mean age 43.16 (range, 24- 59y), were treated using closed reduction and locking compression plate with minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis (MIPO) with the aim of minimising soft tissue damage. RESULTS: Fractures healed at an average of 7.8 weeks with good to excellent clinical outcomes. There were no complications such as nonunion, implant failure or neurovascular injuries. CONCLUSIONS: MIPO seems to be advantageous for soft tissue and bone biology. Good union was seen and fracture complications were also prevented by early mobilisation

Threshold Switching in CdTe Photovoltaics

With the ubiquitous acceptance of PVs, the number of devices manufactured annually is following an exponential trend. Yet, the manufacturing process of important brands of thin film solar cells involves a tedious and expensive step of laser scribing. The time-consuming and technologically involved laser scribing method remains widely used to contact the device electrodes. This work examines an alternative method (threshold switching phenomenon) to create an enduring conductive path in cadmium telluride (CdTe) PV, which eliminates the pitfalls in conventional scribing technology. The samples undergoing threshold switching show a promising sign of the conductive path compared to the control samples. This method could potentially lead to the manufacturing technology saving time, money, and raw materials along with added reliability and efficiency.Comment: 5 Figures, 8 page

Orthopaedic services during COVID-19 lockdown at Patan Hospital, Nepal

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has paralyzed the world, including elective health care services. To prevent the spread of infection, most countries have gone into lockdown and adjustments have been made to provide urgent medical care, including Orthopaedic services. In accordance with the guidelines from worst affected countries and neighboring India, Patan Hospital followed instructions from Ministry of Health and Population to provide only urgent and semi-urgent Orthopaedic services. This study aims to audit the patient profile during lockdown so as to have a clearer picture, which will enable us to be prepared for similar epidemic in the future. Method: All patients admitted to the Orthopaedic ward of Patan hospital from 24 March to 27 April 2020, during the lockdown, were included. Clinical profile, including cause of admission, management, hospital stay were descriptively analyzed. Ethical approval was obtained. Result: Out of 44 admissions, there were male 27 and female 17. Trauma cases were 38, and 18 were in age group 20-26 years. Admission due to infections were four. Conservative management were done in seven while 33 were treated surgically, out of which 30 accounted for trauma. Average 6.14 days hospital stay, range 1-22 days. Conclusion: Trauma comprised of major bulk of patients seeking urgent Orthopaedic care. Hospital needs to be prepared with necessary measures to ensure safety of health care workers and yet provide urgent Orthopaedic services. Keyword: COVID-19, lockdown, orthopaedic

Occluded Coronary Artery among Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Patients in Department of Cardiology of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction is frequently thought to be caused by incomplete blockage of the culprit artery, whereas ST elevation myocardial infarction is frequently thought to be caused by total occlusion of the culprit artery. The objective of the study was to find out the prevalence of occluded coronary arteries among non-ST elevation myocardial infarction patients department of cardiology of a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among non-ST elevation myocardial infarction patients in a tertiary care centre from 22 June 2020 to 21 June 2021 after taking ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee [Reference number: 4271 (6-11) E2 076/077]. A total of 196 patients were included in the study by simple randomized sampling. Data on the patient’s clinical profile, angiographic findings, and in-hospital complications were recorded. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 126 non-ST elevation myocardial infarction patients included in the study, the prevalence of occluded coronary artery was 41 (32.54%) (24.36-40.72, 95% Confidence Interval). Conclusions: The prevalence of occluded coronary arteries was similar to the studies done in similar settings

Post-Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis in Nepal: A Retrospective Cohort Study (2000–2010)

Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a skin disorder seen in patients treated for Leishmania donovani visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a neglected tropical disease that is fatal if left untreated. In the Indian subcontinent, PKDL is seen in 5–10% of all past VL cases and is also reported in some without history of VL. As persons with PKDL do not feel sick, the disease has only cosmetic significance for the individual and treatment is rarely sought. However, PKDL lesions harbour parasites and therefore could represent a source of transmission, through the bite of female sand flies. Our study shows that the occurrence of PKDL in patients with past treated VL is low in Nepal compared to neighboring countries. Treatment of the original VL episode with SSG (sodium stibogluconate), inadequate treatment and treatment on ambulatory basis were significantly associated with PKDL. Though SSG has since been replaced by other drugs, counseling and supervision of adherence to the prescribed VL treatment is of vital importance to reduce risk of treatment failure and relapse as well as later development of PKDL. Policy makers should include surveillance and case management of PKDL in the VL elimination program

Comparison of carbon stocks between mixed and pine-dominated forest stands within the Gwalinidaha Community Forest in Lalitpur District, Nepal

Forests play an important role in global carbon cycle as this is both a source and sink of carbon. The carbon stock in a forest is affected by climate, tree species present and forest management. Community forestry program of Nepal is successful in reviving degraded forest patches in the mid-hill but there is a lack of information whether mixed or pine plantations are beneficial in terms of carbon content. The goal of this study was to estimate and compare carbon stocks in mixed and pine-dominated forest stands within the Community Forest in the mid-hill of Nepal. The study was conducted in Gwalinidaha Community Forest of Lalitpur District, Central Nepal. Carbon components considered were tree biomass carbon, root biomass carbon, litter biomass carbon and soil organic carbon. Total carbon stock of the forest was estimated to be 2250.24 tons with average carbon stock of 166.68 tons/ha. Total carbon stock per hectare was found to be higher in the pine-dominated forest as compared to mixed forest that was largely contributed by tree biomass but the litter carbon and soil organic carbon were higher in the latter. The Community Forestry of Nepal has a huge potential for carbon storage and pine-dominated forest showed more total carbon content than in mixed forest in mid-hill of Nepal indicating its large contribution in terms of carbon storage. Similar study to a large extent combining data from many community forests in the mid-hill is recommended

Building Trust in Microelectronics: A Comprehensive Review of Current Techniques and Adoption Challenges

The field of microelectronics has experienced extensive integration into various aspects of our everyday lives, evident via its utilization across a wide range of devices such as cellphones, airplanes, computers, wristwatches, and other similar technologies. Microelectronics are vital to the healthcare and defense industries, making them vulnerable to counterfeit products. Currently, the complicated global microelectronics supply chain involves the production of varied components in multiple places, resulting in tremendous risk. In this scenario, it is possible for hostile or adversarial actors to exploit the situation by intentionally introducing counterfeit components. This hostile behavior could steal data or use these components as remote kill switches. To address these problems, enormous resources are being committed to research, innovation, and development to build trust in microelectronics. This research study provides a thorough analysis of the taxonomy associated with prominent attack, detection, and avoidance models in the realm of counterfeit microelectronics. This research aims to improve our understanding of dependable microelectronics. Prevention strategies like Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and machine learning (ML), and detection methods like aging-based fingerprints are reviewed in this study. Finally, we underscore the significance of interdisciplinary cooperation, commitment to norms, and proactive methods

Microplastics contamination in food products: Occurrence, analytical techniques and potential impacts on human health

Chemically, microplastics (MPs) are synthetic materials composed of plastic monomers and additives and vary in size from 0.1-5,000 μm. Due to their chemical stability and the widespread use of plastics for various purposes, MPs pollution of the environment has increased dramatically, leading to the contamination of daily consumer products as well. Although previous studies have reported the environmental impacts of MPs, only a few studies have highlighted the occurrence of MPs in food products and their possible effects on human health. Recent investigations have identified MP particles in drinking water and other beverages, seafood, plant products, salt, sugar, and honey, raising an alarm over the safety and quality of these food items. Ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact of such food and other consumer goods are the common routes through which MPs may enter the human body and can have several deleterious health impacts including oxidative stress, inflammation, immunotoxicity, increased risk of neoplasia, cellular metabolism impairment, neurotoxicity, gut microbiome dysbiosis, disruption of reproductive system among others. A collective approach employing source control, recycling, biodegradable plastics, strengthening legislation, and bioremediation could be a promising and sustainable solution to control the MPs pollution. The key challenge appears to standarize detection methods along with reducing the MPs contamination from the food products as well as from the environment. Therefore, this review focuses on the occurrence of MPs in several food products, current methods of analysis, potential health impacts, and strategies to mitigate the widespread MPs pollution. It also adds novel findings, knowledge gaps, and recommendations that can guide future research in this field