Knowledge and attitude of nursing staff towards nebulization therapy in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Nebulization is an important tool in the treatment of respiratory conditions. Nurses are primary health care providers for using the nebulizers in a hospital setting. The examination of nurse's knowledge and performance regarding the nebulizer therapy is of utmost importance for proper nebulization. Aim of the study was to access the knowledge and attitude of staff nurses towards nebulization therapy.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted at the RL Jalappa hospital, Kolar, Karnataka, India. 50 nurses working the intensive care units and wards were given a questionnaire regarding the key aspects of nebulization therapy. A workshop was then conducted for the same participants on correct nebulization techniques and the questionnaire was given and the results post workshop was analyzed.Results: In pre-study, most nurses had unsatisfactory knowledge with respect to breathing pattern during nebulization (72.2%), types of masks used (83.3%), changing of filter (62.5%). On comparing satisfactory knowledge level of nurses pre-and post, it was found statistically significant increase in knowledge for breathing pattern during nebulization, knowledge of types of nebulization, nebulization time, nebulization end point, types of drugs used, type of dilution, proportion of dilution, ideal volume of drugs in medication, replacement of tubing, changing of filter, types of disinfections used, types of nebulization and types of mask (p <0.05).Conclusions: The knowledge of the staff nurses regarding the nebulization therapy was unsatisfactory which was reflected by improvement in the knowledge post workshop training. The staff nurses should be provided periodic training on nebulization therapy to give effective and safe care to patients

Spatio-temporal dynamics along the terrain gradient of diverse landscape

Land use (LU) land cover (LC) information at a temporal scale illustrates the physical coverage of the Earth’s terrestrial surface according to its use and provides the intricate information for effective planning and management activities.&nbsp; LULC changes are stated as local and location specifc, collectively they act as drivers of global environmental changes. Understanding and predicting the impact of LULC change processes requires long term historical restorations and projecting into the future of land cover changes at regional to global scales. The present study aims at quantifying spatio temporal landscape dynamics along the gradient of varying terrains presented in the landscape by multi-data approach (MDA). MDA incorporates multi temporal satellite imagery with demographic data and other additional relevant data sets. The gradient covers three different types of topographic features, planes; hilly terrain and coastal region to account the signifcant role of elevation in land cover change. The seasonality is another aspect to be considered in the vegetation dominated landscapes; variations are accounted using multi seasonal data. Spatial patterns of the various patches are identifed and analysed using landscape metrics to understand the forest fragmentation. The prediction of likely changes in 2020 through scenario analysis has been done to account for the changes, considering the present growth rates and due to the proposed developmental projects. This work summarizes recent estimates on changes in cropland, agricultural intensifcation, deforestation, pasture expansion, and urbanization as the causal factors for LULC change

Customer Perspective on Online Mobile Banking in India - An Empirical Study

Advancement of technology has brought in radical changes in the banking industry. Computerization and networking, core banking, automatic teller machine connecting any customer of any bank in any branch with a customer in any other bank in the country has made banks customer friendly. One of the latest introduction is mobile banking. A country with the highest number of mobile users, it has enormous potential in changing the outlook of banking in India and reaching the remote village in any part of the country. It is argued that online mobile banking system has a close correspondence with the ideal banking system. This paper discuses the objectives, methodology, advantages and benefits of online mobile banking facility offered by the banks to the customers. A detailed review of literature is done on the development of online banking in different developed and developing countries including India to analyze the gap of online banking in India. The significance of online mobile banking in India are discussed by considering seven native reasons namely (1) Essentiality of mobile device rather than luxurious, (2) Continuously decreased price of mobile devices, (3) Low usage cost, (4) Availability of services in rural areas, (5) Integration of various service applications within a device, (6) Improved willingness to use mobile devices, and (7) Improved economic conditions of the people. An empirical study on customer acceptance of mobile banking is carried out by developing six hypotheses. Factors affecting the actual use is studies through focus group method as the qualitative data collection instrument. The factors identified in this study include demography of customers, personal banking experience & incentives, technology experience, psychology & culture, and security & trust. The hypotheses are tested using primary data collected through questionnaire method, data are analyzed and the results are discussed

Characterization and Visualization of Spatial Patterns of Urbanisation and Sprawl through Metrics and Modeling

Characterisation of spatial patterns of urban dynamics of Coimbatore, India is done using temporal remote sensing data of 1989 to 2013 with spatial metrics. Urban morphology at local levels is assessed through density gradients and zonal approach show of higher spatial heterogeneity during late1980’s and early 90’s. Urban expansion picked up at city outskirts and buffer region dominated with large number of urban fragments indicating the sprawl. Urban space has increased from 1.87% (1989) to 21.26 % (2013) with the decline of other land uses particularly vegetation. Higher heterogeneous land use classes during 90’s, give way for a homogeneous landscape (with simple shapes and less edges) indicating the domination of urban category in 2013. Complex landscape with high number of patches and edges in the buffer region indicate of fragmentation due to urban sprawl in the region. Visualisation of urban growth through Fuzzy-AHP-CA model shows that built up area would increase to 32.64% by 2025. The trend points to lack of appropriate regional planning leading to intensification of spatial discontinuity with the unsustainable urban growth

Vascular malformations: a hospital based study

Background: Vascular anomalies comprise a widely heterogeneous group of lesions. Diagnosis and management of these lesions present challenges to the surgeons, radiologists and histopathologists. Accurate classification of these lesions results in appropriate therapy. Aim of the study is to study the role of histopathology and histochemical stain in the diagnosis of vascular malformationMethods: The present study is a hospital based observational study on vascular malformations over a period of three years from 2016 to 2018 done in department of Pathology and Plastic Surgery at tertiary care centre, Visakhapatnam.Results: Out of 107 specimens of vascular anomalies received, 72 cases were vascular neoplasms, 35 were vascular malformations. Majority of the vascular malformations were seen in the cervicofacial region (43%) followed by extremities (37.1%). Most common malformation in the present study was arterio venous malformations (60%) followed by venous malformations (22.8%). Verhoeff’s VanGieson stain demonstrated discontinuity of internal elastic lamina in cases of arteriovenous malformation and helped in differentiating the lesions from capillary malformation and vascular tumors.Conclusions: Histopathology, special histochemical stains along with imaging features can be used to reduce diagnostic difficulties and in helping proper management of vascular malformations

COLORECTAL CANCER AND ITS RISK FACTORS AMONG PATIENTS ATTENDING A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN SOUTHERN KARNATAKA, INDIA

Objective: To determine the association between certain socio-demographic and life style factors with colorectal cancer.Methods: This case-control study was conducted using a pre-designed questionnaire among 100 incident colorectal cancer patients and 200 unmatched controls attending a tertiary care hospital in southern Karnataka. Cases and the controls were interviewed and details regarding their socio-demographic factors were collected. Information on lifestyle factors such as dietary habits, physical activity levels and substance use were documented. They were also assessed for presence of existing co-morbidities and family history of colorectal and other cancers. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the association between various risk factors and colorectal cancer.Results: In the present hospital based study, mean age of the participants was less than 55 years. Sixty three percent of the cases and 54.5% of the controls were males. On multivariable analysis age ≥50years (OR=1.87; 95%CI=1.02-3.45), low physical activity (OR=5.66; 95%CI=3.10-10.34) and low frequency of fruits consumption (OR=4.10; 95%CI=2.21-7.50) and hypertension (OR= 4.65; 95% CI=1.32-16.44) showed a positive association with colorectal cancer.Conclusion: Promoting healthy dietary practices and physical activity among the middle aged population appears to be significant in the context of colorectal cancer prevention in the Indian subcontinent.Keywords: Colorectal cancer, Case–control, Risk factors, Lifestyle, Comorbidities

Analysis of ABC Model of Annual Research Productivity using ABCD Framework

Higher education institutions ought to be centres of learning as well as knowledge creation. Ne w knowledge is generated through research activities carried out by its faculty. There are various parameters for ranking an institution such as curriculum standards, student placement record, admission demand, high profile faculty, investment and infrastructure facilities, alumni accomplishments etc. Going by this, the prime objective of a higher education institution is often forgotten. ABC model recently developed by Aithal P.S & Suresh Kumar P.M., focus on measuring annual research performance of higher educational institutions. According to this model, an organization can calculate its annual research performance using its annual research output by taking into account the following factors such as the number of articles published in refereed journals, the number of books published, and the number of chapters in edited book or number of business cases published in Journals. Studying the implications of a system or model considering all determinants in key areas and analysing the key issues to identify the effective factors and its critical constituent element is the task of ABCD analysis model. In this paper, we have attempted to apply ABCD analysing technique on ABC model of annual research productivity of higher educational institutions

Analysis of ABC Model of Annual Research Productivity using ABCD Framework

Higher education institutions ought to be centres of learning as well as knowledge creation. Ne w knowledge is generated through research activities carried out by its faculty. There are various parameters for ranking an institution such as curriculum standards, student placement record, admission demand, high profile faculty, investment and infrastructure facilities, alumni accomplishments etc. Going by this, the prime objective of a higher education institution is often forgotten. ABC model recently developed by Aithal P.S & Suresh Kumar P.M., focus on measuring annual research performance of higher educational institutions. According to this model, an organization can calculate its annual research performance using its annual research output by taking into account the following factors such as the number of articles published in refereed journals, the number of books published, and the number of chapters in edited book or number of business cases published in Journals. Studying the implications of a system or model considering all determinants in key areas and analysing the key issues to identify the effective factors and its critical constituent element is the task of ABCD analysis model. In this paper, we have attempted to apply ABCD analysing technique on ABC model of annual research productivity of higher educational institutions

Development and mechanical characterization of cenosphere-reinforced CFRP and natural rubber core sandwich composite

Driven by the growing concern for environmental sustainability, there is an increasing need to explore innovative approaches for repurposing industrial waste materials. This study focuses on investigating the potential uses and challenges associated with cenosphere, a waste product derived from coal combustion in thermal power plants. Typically regarded as waste, cenosphere offers an opportunity to contribute to sustainability efforts. The objective of this research is to evaluate the influence of cenosphere, a ceramic-rich industrial waste, on the mechanical properties of woven CFRP-Rubber-CFRP (Carbon fibre-reinforced polymers) sandwich composites. The composite specimens were fabricated using the conventional hand lay-up technique, incorporating different weight percentages (5, 10, 15, and 20 wt.%) of cenosphere as a particulate filler. Tensile, flexural, and impact testing were conducted according to ASTM standards to assess the impact of the filler content on the mechanical properties. The results demonstrate that the inclusion of approximately 15% by weight of discarded cenosphere significantly enhances the tensile strength, flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), and impact strength of the sandwich composites, yielding improvements of approximately 1.6, 1.56, 2.06, and 1.85 times, respectively, compared to unfilled composites. Microscopic analysis of the composites reveals a well-dispersed cenosphere distribution within the matrix, contributing to the notable enhancement in overall strength characteristics

Health professional attitudes and perceptions of prehabilitation and nutrition before haematopoietic cell transplantation

Background Nutritional prehabilitation may improve haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes, although little evidence exists. The present study aimed to understand healthcare professional (HCP) perceptions of prehabilitation and nutritional care pre-HCT in UK centres. Methods An anonymous online survey (developed and refined via content experts and piloting) was administered via email to multidisciplinary HCPs in 39 UK adult centres, between July 2021 and June 2022. Data are presented as proportions of responses. Routine provision denotes that care was provided >70% of time. Results Seventy-seven percent (n = 66) of HCPs, representing 61.5% (n = 24) of UK adult HCT centres, responded. All HCPs supported prehabilitation, proposing feasible implementation between induction chemotherapy (60.4%; n = 40) and first HCT clinic (83.3%; n = 55). Only 12.5% (n = 3) of centres had a dedicated prehabilitation service. Nutrition (87.9%; n = 58), emotional wellbeing (92.4%; n = 61) and exercise (81.8%; n = 54) were considered very important constituents. HCPs within half of the HCT centres (n = 12 centres) reported routine use of nutrition screening pre-HCT with a validated tool; 66.7% of HCPs (n = 36) reported using the malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST). Sixty-two percent (n = 41) of HCPs reported those at risk, received nutritional assessments, predominantly by dietitians (91.6%; n = 22) using the dietetic care process (58.3%; n = 14). Body mass index (BMI) was the most frequently reported body composition measure used by HCPs (70.2%, n = 33). Of 59 respondents, non-dietitians most routinely provided dietary advice pre-HCT (82.4%; n = 28 vs. 68%; n = 17, p = 0.2); including high-energy/protein/fat and neutropenic diet advice. Prophylactic enteral feeding pre-HCT was rare, indicated by low BMI and significant unintentional weight loss. Just under half (n = 25 of 59, 42.4%) HCPs reported exercise advice was given routinely pre-HCT. Conclusions Nutrition and prehabilitation pre-HCT are considered important and deliverable by HCPs, but current provision in UK centres is limited and inconsistent