A study to evaluate the effectiveness of iodine impregnated plastic adhesive drape during abdominal surgeries in preventing surgical site infections

BACKGROUND: Even though theoretically the use of plastic adhesive incise drapes are arguable, reports have been published regarding their usefulness in limiting bacteria around the surgical site and for preventing SSI are conflicting. In view of these controversies, and because their use is widespread, a systematic review of the possible usefulness of adhesive drapes is justified to guide clinical practice. METHODOLOGY: Patients who were posted for emergency and elective laparotomies, (Clean contaminated and contaminated surgeries) over a period of one year between July 2016 and June 2017 in our institution. Total 62 patients were divided in to two groups. Group 1 had iodine impregnated incise drape applied and Group 2had no drape and were assessed pre-operatively, intra and post-operatively followed for 30 days for SSI. Descriptive analysis was performed using the X2 or Fisher exact test or Student t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test as appropriate. RESULTS: Total 62 patients were studied, 29 laparotomies with drape and 33 cases without drape. Overall incidence of SSI around 27% with more in emergency surgeries (35%) than elective surgeries (13.63%) with a relative risk of 2.5.In the drape group 7 patients developed SSI (incidence 24.13 in 100), and in no drape group, 10 patient developed surgical site infection(30.030 in 100), with no statistically significant difference in the incidence of SSI between two groups.Surgeries lasting more than 3 hours has a higher incidence of SSI 33% than surgeries lasting for less than 3 hours (25.5 %). SSI was higher in diabetic patients (15.4%) than non-diabetic patients (11%) with a relative risk of 68.24 and attributable risk of 0.58%. Length of the hospital stay was similar in both Groups [7.8 (1.53) and 8.21 (1.49)]. E-coli was found to be the most common organism (35.2%) causing SSI. CONCLUSION: Findings from our study do not support the use of iodine impregnated incise drapes as a routine practice in laparotomies for preventing SSI. Its use should be limited to clean surgeries and long duration procedures

Local antimagic chromatic number of partite graphs

Let $G$ be a connected graph with $|V| = n$ and $|E| = m$. A bijection $f:E\rightarrow \{1,2,...,m\}$ is called a local antimagic labeling of $G$ if for any two adjacent vertices $u$ and $v$, $w(u) \neq w(v)$, where $w(u) = \sum_{e \in E(u)}f(e)$, and $E(u)$ is the set of edges incident to $u$. Thus, any local antimagic labeling induces a proper vertex coloring of $G$ where the vertex $v$ is assigned the color $w(v)$. The local antimagic chromatic number is the minimum number of colors taken over all colorings induced by local antimagic labelings of $G$. Let $m,n > 1$. In this paper, the local antimagic chromatic number of a complete tripartite graph $K_{1,m,n}$, and $r$ copies of a complete bipartite graph $K_{m,n}$ where $m \not \equiv n \bmod 2$ are determined

ADEPOS: Anomaly Detection based Power Saving for Predictive Maintenance using Edge Computing

In industry 4.0, predictive maintenance(PM) is one of the most important applications pertaining to the Internet of Things(IoT). Machine learning is used to predict the possible failure of a machine before the actual event occurs. However, the main challenges in PM are (a) lack of enough data from failing machines, and (b) paucity of power and bandwidth to transmit sensor data to cloud throughout the lifetime of the machine. Alternatively, edge computing approaches reduce data transmission and consume low energy. In this paper, we propose Anomaly Detection based Power Saving(ADEPOS) scheme using approximate computing through the lifetime of the machine. In the beginning of the machines life, low accuracy computations are used when the machine is healthy. However, on the detection of anomalies, as time progresses, the system is switched to higher accuracy modes. We show using the NASA bearing dataset that using ADEPOS, we need 8.8X less neurons on average and based on post-layout results, the resultant energy savings are 6.4 to 6.65XComment: Submitted to ASP-DAC 2019, Japa

Rhodium Complexes of a New Structurally Adaptive PNN-Pincer Type Ligand

A new PNN-pincer type ligand with pyrazolyl and diphenylphosphine flanking donors on a diarylamido anchor has been prepared. Its bis(tert-butyl isocyanide)rhodium(I) complex exhibits hemilabile behavior in solution, and its solid-state structure verified the elusive κ2P,N coordination mode for this type of ligand. Reactions between (PNN)Rh(CNtBu)2 and iodomethane afford both fac- and cis,mer-[(PNN)Rh(CNtBu)2(Me)](I), which further showcases the structural versatility of the ligand

Electronic Communication Across Diamagnetic Metal Bridges: A Homoleptic Gallium(III) Complex of a Redox-Active Diarylamido-Based Ligand and Its Oxidized Derivatives

Complexes with cations of the type [Ga(L)2]n+ where L = bis(4-methyl-2-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)phenyl)amido and n = 1, 2, 3 have been prepared and structurally characterized. The electronic properties of each were probed by electrochemical and spectroscopic means and were interpreted with the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The dication, best described as [Ga(L–)(L0)]2+, is a Robin-Day class II mixed-valence species. As such, a broad, weak, solvent-dependent intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) band was found in the NIR spectrum in the range 6390–6925 cm–1, depending on the solvent. Band shape analyses and the use of Hush and Marcus relations revealed a modest electronic coupling, Hab of about 200 cm–1, and a large rate constant for electron transfer, ket, on the order of 1010 s–1 between redox active ligands. The dioxidized complex [Ga(L0)2]3+ shows a half-field ΔMs = 2 transition in its solid-state X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum at 5 K, which indicates that the triplet state is thermally populated. DFT calculations (M06/Def2-SV(P)) suggest that the singlet state is 21.7 cm–1 lower in energy than the triplet state

AN EFFICIENT MULTIPROCESSOR MEMORY MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK USING MULTI-AGENTS

ABSTRACT The current generation computer users call for fast addressal of their requests. Multi-processin

Switchgrass Biomass Composition Altered by Six Generations of Divergent Breeding for Digestibility

Biomass composition of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) can affect its utilization by ruminants and its conversion to liquid fuels in a biorefinery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of six generations of divergent breeding for forage in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) on switchgrass biomass composition, forage quality traits, and ethanol yield. Initially there was one cycle of selection for both low (C-1) and high IVDMD (C1 = cv. Trailblazer), followed by four additional breeding cycles for high IVDMD. In cycles 4 and 5, winter survival was included as a selection criterion because of decreased winter survival of the C3 population. The experimental populations that were produced by these breeding generations and nine half-sib families from cycle 5 were evaluated for two post-establishment years at the research station in eastern Nebraska, where all the breeding work was conducted. The six breeding generations resulted in significant differences among the populations for all the 28 cell wall and non-cell-wall composition variables measured, forage quality, and ethanol yield traits measured except for total biomass C, cell wall concentration, soluble glucose, and etherified ferulates. These traits included all cell wall and nonstructural carbohydrates. Breeding for the heritable complex trait IVDMD affected a large number of plant biomass characteristics and also adversely affected plant biomass yield and winter survival

Metabolomic biomarkers predictive of early structural lung disease in cystic fibrosis

Neutrophilic airway inflammation plays a role in early structural lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF), but the mechanisms underlying this pathway are incompletely understood

Convective thundercloud development over the western ghats mountain slope in Kerala

Studies were carried out on the data from Braemore mountain observatory (lat. 8°45'N, long. 77°5'E) using a single-lens ceilometer (LIDAR), an electric field mill and a portable automatic weather station throughout the year 2010. The simultaneous data collected using the above instruments indicate the existence of strong updrafts followed by the formation of thunderclouds, a characteristic of the mountain slopes, during the thunderstorm months. Changes in atmosphere related to condensation and formation of water droplets during updraft events on the mountain slope could be detected from the ceilometer scattering data. Results of the study point to the cause of relatively more thunderstorm activity in that zone. This seems to be due to excessive updraft, which is strongly related to lightning activity in the region

Homoleptic Nickel(II) Complexes of Redox-Tunable Pincer-type Ligands

Different synthetic methods have been developed to prepare eight new redox-active pincer-type ligands, H(X,Y), that have pyrazol-1-yl flanking donors attached to an ortho-position of each ring of a diarylamine anchor and that have different groups, X and Y, at the para-aryl positions. Together with four previously known H(X,Y) ligands, a series of 12 Ni(X,Y)2 complexes were prepared in high yields by a simple one-pot reaction. Six of the 12 derivatives were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which showed tetragonally distorted hexacoordinate nickel(II) centers. The nickel(II) complexes exhibit two quasi-reversible one-electron oxidation waves in their cyclic voltammograms, with half-wave potentials that varied over a remarkable 700 mV range with the average of the Hammett σp parameters of the para-aryl X, Y groups. The one- and two-electron oxidized derivatives [Ni(Me,Me)2](BF4)n (n = 1, 2) were prepared synthetically, were characterized by X-band EPR, electronic spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (for n = 2), and were studied computationally by DFT methods. The dioxidized complex, [Ni(Me,Me)2](BF4)2, is an S = 2 species, with nickel(II) bound to two ligand radicals. The mono-oxidized complex [Ni(Me,Me)2](BF4), prepared by comproportionation, is best described as nickel(II) with one ligand centered radical. Neither the mono- nor the dioxidized derivative shows any substantial electronic coupling between the metal and their bound ligand radicals because of the orthogonal nature of their magnetic orbitals. On the other hand, weak electronic communication occurs between ligands in the mono-oxidized complex as evident from the intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) transition found in the near-IR absorption spectrum. Band shape analysis of the IVCT transition allowed comparisons of the strength of the electronic interaction with that in the related, previously known, Robin–Day class II mixed valence complex, [Ga(Me,Me)2]2+