Ultrasonography awareness among pregnant women attending medical college hospital in Kolhapur District of Maharashtra, India

Background: Globally there has been increased medicalization of pregnancy due to advances in technology. Ultrasonography examination during pregnancy has become an integral part of antenatal care throughout the world with advanced health care services.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in pregnant women attending the ANC clinic of Obstetric department of D. Y. Patil Medical College Hospital, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India for routine check up to know the awareness about ultrasonography among them. The study included 290 pregnant women. All were explained the purpose of study and assured confidentiality. Data has been collected from willing participants using pre-tested questionnaire in June-August 2015.Results: The study shows literacy was 87.6%, pregnancy above 20 years age 98.97% and most of them unskilled (83.4%), majority of middle social class (89%). Many (72.41%) pregnant women considered USG use to detect fetal anomalies while 27.93% considered for sex detection. Majority (93.1%) done USG in this pregnancy, of that more (43.45 %) in second trimester and mainly advised by doctors (91.03%). Nearly half of them (50.69%) considered its expensive procedure, 69.31% spent 200/- to 500/- rupees per USG, in spite 94.83% of them would recommend other pregnant women to undergo USG in pregnancy. 50.69%% of them opined it should be done twice in pregnancy. Almost 94.83% considered USG as safe and beneficial.Conclusions: Awareness regarding the uses of Ultrasonography during pregnancy and attitude towards it was found to be average. There is need to create more awareness in community about PCPNT act and its provisions. Also there is need of counselling about the safety, utility and frequency of USG during pregnancy to avoid misuse

Mercury or Mercury Free Restorations in Oral Cavity

Amalgam is basically a concoction of metals that has been used as a potent filling material in dentistry for the last 150 years. Amalgam usually consists of silver, mercury, tin and copper. Dental amalgam is a material used to fill cavities of tooth. Over the years, amalgam has become a topic of concern because it contains mercury. Mercury is a naturally occurring metal in the environment. Mercury exists as a liquid in room temperature but when heated, it becomes a gas. Flexibility of amalgam as a filling material is due Mercury. An alloy powder, a compound that is soft in nature when mixed with mercury makes it enough to mix and condense into the tooth. It hardens quickly and offers strong resistance to the forces of biting and chewing. There are studies reported on the safety of amalgam fillings. In 2005, European Union launched a comprehensive mercury strategy to reduce use of mercury. In 2008, countries like Norway and Denmark restricted the use of dental amalgam containing mercury. In 2009, this research was evaluated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and found no rationale to limit the use of amalgam. There are certain restorative materials that are available commercially that are mercury free in nature like Gold, Porcelain, Gallium alloys, Composite resin restoratives etc. They offer many advantages over amalgams containing mercury like: seals the dentin from future decay, reinforces remaining tooth structure, provides smooth and bonded margins, conservative and it blends naturally

Technological advancements driving agricultural trans-formation

The article discusses the pivotal role of technology in modern agriculture, highlighting its transformative impact on farming practices. It explores various technological innovations such as precision agriculture, smart farming, genetic engineering, and automation, which have enabled farmers to boost productivity, optimize resource use, promote sustainability, and address global food security challenges. Additionally, the article emphasizes the significance of agriculture in poverty reduction, particularly during early stages of economic development, where it proves more effective than other industries. It also underscores agriculture's contribution to GDP per capita growth, citing examples of its positive economic impact. Furthermore, the article acknowledges agriculture's role in stabilizing food production, enhancing food security, and preventing food crises, crucial for maintaining societal well-being and economic stability

Mass function and dynamical study of the open clusters Berkeley 24 and Czernik 27

We present a $UBVI$ photometric study of the open clusters Berkeley 24 (Be 24) and Czernik 27 (Cz 27). The radii of the clusters are determined as 2\farcm7 and 2\farcm3 for Be 24 and Cz 27, respectively. We use the Gaia Data Release 2 (GDR2) catalogue to estimate the mean proper motions for the clusters. We found the mean proper motion of Be 24 as $0.35\pm0.06$ mas yr$^{-1}$ and $1.20\pm0.08$ mas yr$^{-1}$ in right ascension and declination for Be 24 and $-0.52\pm0.05$ mas yr$^{-1}$ and $-1.30\pm0.05$ mas yr$^{-1}$ for Cz 27. We used probable cluster members selected from proper motion data for the estimation of fundamental parameters. We infer reddenings $E(B-V)$ = $0.45\pm0.05$ mag and $0.15\pm0.05$ mag for the two clusters. Analysis of extinction curves towards the two clusters show that both have normal interstellar extinction laws in the optical as well as in the near-IR band. From the ultraviolet excess measurement, we derive metallicities of [Fe/H]= $-0.025\pm0.01$ dex and $-0.042\pm0.01$ dex for the clusters Be 24 and Cz 27, respectively. The distances, as determined from main sequence fitting, are $4.4\pm0.5$ kpc and $5.6\pm0.2$ kpc. The comparison of observed CMDs with $Z=0.01$ isochrones, leads to an age of $2.0\pm0.2$ Gyr and $0.6\pm0.1$ Gyr for Be 24 and Cz 27, respectively. In addition to this, we have also studied the mass function and dynamical state of these two clusters for the first time using probable cluster members. The mass function is derived after including the corrections for data incompleteness and field star contamination. Our analysis shows that both clusters are now dynamically relaxedComment: 16 pages including 8 tables. 22 figures. Accepted by MNRA

ऊष्णीत गृह के बारे में जानें (Know Your Warming Planet-ClimEd Series:1B)

This instructional material "Know Your Warming Planet" has been developed as a part of the Belmont funded project titled "Global Understanding and Learning for Local solutions: Reducing Vulnerability of marine dependent coastal communities" as a means to create awareness and impart climate change knowledge across the target populace

Safety and efficacy of dialyzer reuse by manual reprocessing: an observational study

Background: Haemodialysis is the main form of RRT in the patients of CKD. Haemodialysis is a costly procedure and is not afforded by many. Reuse of components of Haemodialysis circuit helps in reducing cost but may be associated with decreased efficacy and side effects.Methods: Prospective observational study. Manual reprocessing of dialyzer was done with either formaldehyde or peracetic acid. Single brand (Fresenius) dialyzer were used across all patients. Dialysis efficacy was calculated by URR and side effect and toxicity monitored in a predefined proforma.Results: A total 50 patients were studied (39 male and 11 female) with age ranging from 31-60 years. The mean urea reduction ratio after four dialysis session with the same dialyzer was 62.93% which is below KDOQI recommendation. The findings in our study suggest that URR was adequate upto three session of haemodialysis by reprocessed dialyzer but not beyond that. The choice of chemical for reprocessing did not affect the efficacy. As compared to F6 dialyze F8 dialyzer had better initial URR and this was maintained upto fourth reuse. Serum albumin levels correlated with the fall in efficacy of dialyzers. There were no significant complications of reuse of dialyzers across both methods of reprocessing and there was no dialyzer first use syndrome.Conclusions: ESRD affects a younger age group in our country. Use of large membrane area results in better efficacy. Dialyzer reuse with manual reprocessing is safe and also effective upto third and fourth use. Dialyzer reuse is associated with economic benefits

Bianchi Type III String Cosmological Models with Time Dependent Bulk Viscosity

Bianchi type III string cosmological models with bulk viscous fluid for massive string are investigated. To get the determinate model of the universe, we have assumed that the coefficient of bulk viscosity ($\xi$) is inversely proportional to the expansion ($\theta$) in the model and expansion ($\theta$) in the model is proportional to the shear ($\sigma$). This leads to $B = \ell C^{n}$, $\ell$ and $n$ are constants. The behaviour of the model in presence and absence of bulk viscosity, is discussed. The physical implications of the models are also discussed in detail.Comment: 11 pages, no figur

Solid Wastes Recyling through Sinter-Status at Tata Steel

Integrated steel plants generate several by-products rich in iron, flux and fuel values, categorised as waste. These by-products contain, besides mineral values, hazar-dous constituents causing damages to the environment. The environmental quality consciousness, the product cost competitiveness and high mineral values of these wastes have resulted in attempts to recyle these materials. Recycling recovers the mineral values, preserves the dec-reasing natural resources and deteriorating environment and eliminates the disposal cost. Sinter plant provides an avenue for recycling of these wastes. Recycling decreases the cost of sinter and hence the cost of steel produced. Present paper outlines the status of waste generation, their characteristics, and the quantity being recycled via the sinter plant at Tata Steel.Furthermore, it highlights the problems, which restricts its further recycling and discusses its influence on cost and quality of sinter

Photoconductivity of an InAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dot photoconductive THz antenna

A broadband terahertz (THz) source is desirable for applications such as imaging, spectroscopy and security. Towards this, an InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) based photoconductive antenna (PCA) is a promising and compact solution for THz generation. Coherent THz radiation in the pulsed and the CW regime has been generated with a QD PCA under a resonant and off-resonant pumps [1, 2]. While photoconductivity of QD materials in mid- and far-IR at lower temperatures has been studied for cryogenic sensors and attributed to interlevel transitions, near-IE interband photoconductivity needs further investigation [3, 4]. In this work, we report on the photoconductive properties of an InAs/GaAs QD PCA pumped by a broadly-tunable InAs/GaAs QD external-cavity diode laser