An analysis on choices of contraception

Background: Contraception is a matter of choice by the end users. The choice varies time to time. Present study tries to find out which type of contraceptive measure people prefer nowadays.Methods: This is a retrospective observational study conducted at College of Medicine & JNM Hospital, WBUHS, Kalyani, India. The contraceptive performance data of the hospital are collected from the computerised data entry register. The study period was from January 2015 to December 2017. Total number of different contraceptive methods (OCP, condom, IUCD, MTP, tubal ligation etc.) accepted by the people were found out. Data was then analysed in comparison to total number of contraception with each other by student ‘t’ test and chi square test.Results: It is found that condom use is significantly increased from 2015 to 2017 (p<0.00001). OCP use is significantly decreased from 2015 to 2017 (p<0.00001). IUCD insertion significantly increased from 2015 to 2017 (P<0.00001) and tubal ligation significantly decreased from 2015 to 2017 (p<0.00001).Conclusions: Contraception choice preference is shifting towards LARCs (long acting reversible contraceptives)

Learning Cross-Modal Deep Embeddings for Multi-Object Image Retrieval using Text and Sketch

In this work we introduce a cross modal image retrieval system that allows both text and sketch as input modalities for the query. A cross-modal deep network architecture is formulated to jointly model the sketch and text input modalities as well as the the image output modality, learning a common embedding between text and images and between sketches and images. In addition, an attention model is used to selectively focus the attention on the different objects of the image, allowing for retrieval with multiple objects in the query. Experiments show that the proposed method performs the best in both single and multiple object image retrieval in standard datasets.Comment: Accepted at ICPR 201

Rough set based ensemble classifier for web page classification

Combining the results of a number of individually trained classification systems to obtain a more accurate classifier is a widely used technique in pattern recognition. In this article, we have introduced a rough set based meta classifier to classify web pages. The proposed method consists of two parts. In the first part, the output of every individual classifier is considered for constructing a decision table. In the second part, rough set attribute reduction and rule generation processes are used on the decision table to construct a meta classifier. It has been shown that (1) the performance of the meta classifier is better than the performance of every constituent classifier and, (2) the meta classifier is optimal with respect to a quality measure defined in the article. Experimental studies show that the meta classifier improves accuracy of classification uniformly over some benchmark corpora and beats other ensemble approaches in accuracy by a decisive margin, thus demonstrating the theoretical results. Apart from this, it reduces the CPU load compared to other ensemble classification techniques by removing redundant classifiers from the combination

Improvement of both performance and stability of photovoltaic devices by in situ formation of a sulfur-based 2D perovskite

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with superior performance have been recognized as a potential candidate in photovoltaic technologies. However, the defects in active perovskite layer induce non-radiative recombination which restricts the performance and stability of the PSCs. The construction of thiophene-based 2D structure is one of the significant approaches for surface passivation of hybrid PSCs that may combine the benefits of the stability of 2D perovskite with the high performance of 3D perovskite. Here, a sulfur-rich spacer cation 2-thiopheneethylamine iodide (TEAI) is synthesized as a passivation agent for the construction of three-dimensional/two-dimensional (3D/2D) perovskite bilayer structure. TEAI-treated PSCs possess a much higher efficiency (20.06%) compared to the 3D perovskite (MAFAPbI3) devices (17.42%). Time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) and femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy are employed to investigate the effect of surface passivation on the charge carrier dynamics of the 3D perovskite. Additionally, the stability test of TEAI-treated perovskite devices reveals significant improvement in humid (RH ~ 56%) and thermal stability as the sulfur-based 2D (TEA)2PbI4 material self-assembles on the 3D surface making the perovskite surface hydrophobic. Our findings provide a reliable approach to improve device stability and performance successively, paving the way for industrialization of PSCs

Antibodies against 9-O-acetylated sialoglycans: a potent marker to monitor clinical status in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background: Although childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is highly responsive to chemotherapy, reliable techniques are needed to determine treatment outcome and predict impending relapse. In ALL, the cell surface over expression of 9-O-acetylated sialoglycans (9-OAcSGs) on lymphoblasts and concomitant high antibody titers in patients' sera was reported. Objectives: The present study was aimed to evaluate whether anti-9-OAcSG titers can be harnessed to monitor the clinical outcome of ALL. Design and methods: Anti-9-OAcSGs were analyzed by ELISA in children receiving either UK ALL X (n = 69, Group I) in India or UK ALL 97 (n = 47, Group II) in UK along with age-matched normal healthy controls at different time points over a period of &gt; 2 years. An attempt was also made to investigate subclass distribution of disease-specific IgG. Moreover, 17 patients having a higher sample size were longitudinally monitored. Results: Antibody levels were raised at disease presentation, decreased with remission induction, and importantly, reappeared with clinical relapse. Sera from patients with other hematological disorders and normal controls showed negligible levels of circulating anti-9-OAcSGs. In patients of both Groups I and II, the assay showed high sensitivity (98.92% and 96.77%) and specificity (92.1% and 95.91%), respectively. IgG subclass analyses during different phases of treatment revealed that 9-OAcSG-specific IgG1 could serve as a better prognostic marker in ALL. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the potential of this disease-specific antibody as an alternate marker in diagnosis and long-term assessment of ALL patients, suggesting its application in detection and prediction of impending relapse. Therefore, the expression of anti-9-OAcSGs, irrespective of their treatment protocol, may serve as an economical yet effective index for monitoring of childhood ALL

Substituted Methyl Benzimidazole Carbamate (CDRI Compound 81-470) in the Mass Treatment of Poultry Round Worms

Methyl 5 [4- (2-pyridinyl) -1- piperazinylcarbonyl] -1-H- benzimidazol -2- yl carbamate: (CDRI Comp. 81/470) has consistently exhibited broadspectrum anthelmintic efficacy both against adult and larval stages of various helminth parasites of experimental and domestic animals by oral or parenteral route. The compound incorporated in transdermal tape has also yielded anthelmintic action. In order to increase solubility and to make mass administration easier, two formulations e.g. soluble and dispersible, were prepared and found effective in control testing against various helminth parasites of rodents. Both the preparations were put to trial at 3 dose schedules to ascertain their utility for mass treatment of poultry carrying Ascaridia galli infection. Though the three dose schedule (20mg/kgx1, 10mg/kgx2, 5mg/kgx3 days) were found to have parallel efficacy, 5mg/kgx3 days dose requiring lesser compound than single administration was suggested useful in mass therapy. Thus, either of the preparations could be safely used for the control of poultry round-worms. However, the dispersible formulation having longer shelf-life and convenience of packaging and transportation may be preferred over the soluble preparation

High photon energy spectroscopy of NiO: experiment and theory

We have revisited the valence band electronic structure of NiO by means of hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES) together with theoretical calculations using both the GW method and the local density approximation + dynamical mean-field theory (LDA+DMFT) approaches. The effective impurity problem in DMFT is solved through the exact diagonalization (ED) method. We show that the LDA+DMFT method alone cannot explain all the observed structures in the HAXPES spectra. GW corrections are required for the O bands and Ni-s and p derived states to properly position their binding energies. Our results establish that a combination of the GW and DMFT methods is necessary for correctly describing the electronic structure of NiO in a proper ab-initio framework. We also demonstrate that the inclusion of photoionization cross section is crucial to interpret the HAXPES spectra of NiO.We argue that our conclusions are general and that the here suggested approach is appropriate for any complex transition metal oxide.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure