Analysis of waiting time for elective surgical procedures in neurosurgery department at a tertiary care teaching hospital in NCT, India

Background: Reported increases in waiting times for publicly-funded elective surgeries have intensified the need to decrease wait by healthcare providers and hence the study.Methods: Descriptive study done in neurosurgery department, to ascertain waiting times for its elective surgeries, included a retrospective analysis of admitted post-surgical patients and a prospective study using interviews with relevant stakeholders to do a process mapping.Results: Median time from decision of surgery to actual date of surgery was found to be 110.5 days. It was calculated that for optimum utilization of present available OTs, 19 extra beds are required and to address the existing load of patients waiting for their respective surgeries there is a need of 63 additional beds with 2 additional OTs functioning per day.Conclusions: The most common cause of waiting time was unavailability of vacant beds due to mismatch in demand-supply. The reason for postponement of surgery after admission was found to be lack of availability of theatre time followed by patient not being fit for surgery. Shortage of operating time was due to delayed start of operation theatre time. The study recommends improving admission process, restricting OPD time, standardized patient prioritization depending on relevant clinical criteria

Computation of electroconductive gyrotactic bioconvection from a nonlinear inclined stretching sheet under non-uniform magnetic field : simulation of smart bio-nano-polymer coatings for solar energy

Incompressible, steady-state, boundary layer magneto-bioconvection of a nanofluid (containing motile gyrotactic micro-organisms) over a nonlinear inclined stretching sheet subjected to non-uniform magnetic field is studied theoretically and numerically. This regime is encountered in novel bio-nano-material electroconductive polymeric processing systems currently being considered for third generation organic solar coatings, anti-fouling marine coatings etc. Buongiorno’s two-component nanofluid model is deployed with the OberbeckBoussinesq approximation. Ohmic dissipation (Joule heating) is included. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations are reduced to a system of ordinary differential equations and appropriate similarity transformations. The normalized system of equations with associated boundary conditions features a number of important dimensionless parameters including magnetohydrodynamic body force parameter (M), sheet inclination (δ), Brownian motion nanoscale parameter (Nb), thermophoresis nanoscale parameter (Nt), Richardson number (Ri=GrRe2 , where Gr is thermal Grashof number and Re is Reynolds number), buoyancy ratio parameter (Nr), Eckert (viscous dissipation) number (Ec), bioconvection Rayleigh number (Rb), Lewis number (Le), bioconvection Lewis number (Lb), Péclet number (Pe), nonlinear stretching parameter (n) are solved with a variational Finite Element Method (FEM). Validation is conducted with earlier published studies of Khan and Pop (2010) for the case of non-magnetic stretching sheet nanofluid flow without bioconvection. Further validation of the general magnetic bioconvection nanofluid model is achieved with a generalized differential quadrature (GDQ) numerical technique developed by Bég and Kuharat (2017). The response of non-dimensional velocity, temperature, nanoparticle concentration, motile microorganism density function, local skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number, Sherwood number, wall motile density gradient function to variation in physically pertinent values of selected control parameters (representative of real solar bio-nano-magnetic materials manufacturing systems) are studied in detail. Interesting features of the flow dynamics are elaborated and new future pathways for extension of the study identified in bio-magneto-nano polymers (BMNPs) for solar coatings

Service Quality Towards Retail Stores on Expected and Perceived Service Quality

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between expected service quality and perceived service quality in retail stores.   Theoretical framework: The study will be based on the Servqual model, which measures service quality by assessing the gap between expected and perceived service.   Design/methodology/approach: The research will be conducted using a survey method. A sample of customers from various retail stores will be asked to rate their expected and perceived service quality. The data will be analyzed using statistical techniques to determine the relationship between the two variables.   Findings: The findings of the study will show the extent to which customers' expectations are met by retail stores in terms of service quality. The results will also indicate areas where retailers need to improve in order to meet customers' expectations.   Research, practical and social implications: The research will provide insight into how retailers can improve their service quality to meet customers' expectations. The findings will also be useful for retailers in developing strategies to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. The results will also have practical implications for customers in terms of their expectations and perceptions of service quality.   Originality/value: This research paper is of immense value as it depicts the real-life service qualities that have been provided and the perceived quality of service. The wide variety of service quality and commitment of the employees to the customers and stores are also crucial (Liebrechtet al. 2021). The real-life examples are of immense significance as customer service is the need of the hour, applicable at any part of the world. Moreover, this paper has its originality by bringing forth the effectiveness of retail customer service and management of the same

Genetic diversity and population structure of Fusarium fujikuroi causing Bakanae, an emerging disease of rice in India

45-52Bakanae caused by Fusarium fujikuroi (Nirenberg), is emerging as a serious threat for rice (Oryza sativa. L.) cultivation in India. In this study, 63 isolates of Fusarium fujikuroi isolated from symptomatic diseased plants were characterized for their morphology, pathogenicity and molecular variability using universal rice primers (URP). Of the 12 URPs used in the study, 6 primers could produce polymorphic fragments in all the isolates. The URP 17R primer was highly polymorphic (100%), whereas, the URP 1F primer produced 75% polymorphic fragments. A dendrogram obtained from the combined analysis of 6 URP primers categorized the isolates into four clusters, where most of the isolates from Punjab and Haryana were clustered separately. Mating type of the population was identified based on MAT-1 and MAT-2 region universal primers for Gibberella fujikuroi. Among the 63 isolates, 18 (28.57%) were identified as MAT-1 and 45 (71.42%) as MAT-2. The effective population number for mating type was 89% of the total population. Since the distribution frequencies of both mating types were not equal in the Indian population of F. fujikuroi, it could conclude that majority of the multiplication of isolates under field conditions was through asexual reproduction. However, the presence of both mating types in F. fujikuroi indicates that the population is also capable of sexual reproduction. Therefore, it is important to develop cultivars with inbuilt resistance to bakanae disease, taking into consideration the factors such as environmental conditions and variability of the pathogen in the area of intended cultivation

A global database of lake surface temperatures collected by in situ and satellite methods from 1985–2009

Global environmental change has influenced lake surface temperatures, a key driver of ecosystem structure and function. Recent studies have suggested significant warming of water temperatures in individual lakes across many different regions around the world. However, the spatial and temporal coherence associated with the magnitude of these trends remains unclear. Thus, a global data set of water temperature is required to understand and synthesize global, long-term trends in surface water temperatures of inland bodies of water. We assembled a database of summer lake surface temperatures for 291 lakes collected in situ and/or by satellites for the period 1985–2009. In addition, corresponding climatic drivers (air temperatures, solar radiation, and cloud cover) and geomorphometric characteristics (latitude, longitude, elevation, lake surface area, maximum depth, mean depth, and volume) that influence lake surface temperatures were compiled for each lake. This unique dataset offers an invaluable baseline perspective on global-scale lake thermal conditions as environmental change continues

Rapid and highly variable warming of lake surface waters around the globe

In this first worldwide synthesis of in situ and satellite‐derived lake data, we find that lake summer surface water temperatures rose rapidly (global mean = 0.34°C decade−1) between 1985 and 2009. Our analyses show that surface water warming rates are dependent on combinations of climate and local characteristics, rather than just lake location, leading to the counterintuitive result that regional consistency in lake warming is the exception, rather than the rule. The most rapidly warming lakes are widely geographically distributed, and their warming is associated with interactions among different climatic factors—from seasonally ice‐covered lakes in areas where temperature and solar radiation are increasing while cloud cover is diminishing (0.72°C decade−1) to ice‐free lakes experiencing increases in air temperature and solar radiation (0.53°C decade−1). The pervasive and rapid warming observed here signals the urgent need to incorporate climate impacts into vulnerability assessments and adaptation efforts for lakes

Evaluation of anticoagulation status for atrial fibrillation on early ischaemic stroke outcomes:a registry-based, prospective cohort study of acute stroke care in Surrey, UK

ObjectiveThe relationship of anticoagulation therapies with stroke severity and outcomes have been well documented in the literature. However, none of the previous research has reported the relationship of atrial fibrillation (AF)/anticoagulation therapies with urinary tract infection (UTI), pneumonia and length of stay in hyperacute stroke units (HASUs). The present study aimed to evaluate AF and anticoagulation status in relation to early outcomes in 1387 men (median age=75 years, IQR=65–83) and 1371 women (median age=83 years, IQR=74–89) admitted with acute ischaemic stroke to HASUs in Surrey between 2014 and 2016.MethodsWe conducted this registry-based, prospective cohort study using data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme. Association between AF anticoagulation status with severe stroke on arrival (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥16), prolonged HASU stay (&gt;3 weeks), UTI and pneumonia within 7 days of admission, severe disability on discharge (modified Rankin Scale score=4 and 5) and inpatient mortality was assessed by logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, congestive heart failure, diabetes and previous stroke.ResultsCompared with patients with stroke who are free from AF, those with AF without anticoagulation had an increased adjusted risk of having more severe stroke: 5.8% versus 14.0%, OR=2.4 (95% CI 1.6 to 3.6, P&lt;0.001), prolonged HASU stay: 21.5% versus 32.0%, OR=1.4 (1.0–2.0, P=0.027), pneumonia: 8.2% versus 19.1%, OR=2.1 (1.4–2.9, P&lt;0.001), more severe disability: 24.2% versus 40.4%, OR=1.6 (1.2–2.1, P=0.004) and mortality: 9.3% versus 21.7%, OR=1.9 (1.4–2.8, P&lt;0.001), and AF patients with anticoagulation also had greater risk for having UTI: 8.6% versus 12.3%, OR=1.9 (1.2–3.0, P=0.004), pneumonia: 8.2% versus 11.5%, OR=1.6 (1.1–2.4, P=0.025) and mortality: 9.7% versus 21.7%, OR=1.9 (1.4–2.8, P&lt;0.001). The median HASU stay for stroke patients with AF without anticoagulation was 10.6 days (IQR=2.8–26.4) compared with 5.8 days (IQR=2.3–17.5) for those free from AF (P&lt;0.001).ConclusionsPatients with AF, particularly those without anticoagulation, are at increased risk of severe stroke, associated with prolonged HASU stay and increased risk of early infection, disability and mortality.</jats:sec

Genetic diversity and population structure of Fusarium fujikuroi causing Bakanae, an emerging disease of rice in India

Bakanae caused by Fusarium fujikuroi (Nirenberg), is emerging as a serious threat for rice (Oryza sativa. L.) cultivation in India. In this study, 63 isolates of Fusarium fujikuroi isolated from symptomatic diseased plants were characterized for their morphology, pathogenicity and molecular variability using universal rice primers (URP). Of the 12 URPs used in the study, 6 primers could produce polymorphic fragments in all the isolates. The URP 17R primer was highly polymorphic (100%), whereas, the URP 1F primer produced 75% polymorphic fragments. A dendrogram obtained from the combined analysis of 6 URP primers categorized the isolates into four clusters, where most of the isolates from Punjab and Haryana were clustered separately. Mating type of the population was identified based on MAT-1 and MAT-2 region universal primers for Gibberella fujikuroi. Among the 63 isolates, 18 (28.57%) were identified as MAT-1 and 45 (71.42%) as MAT-2. The effective population number for mating type was 89% of the total population. Since the distribution frequencies of both mating types were not equal in the Indian population of F. fujikuroi, it could conclude that majority of the multiplication of isolates under field conditions was through asexual reproduction. However, the presence of both mating types in F. fujikuroi indicates that the population is also capable of sexual reproduction. Therefore, it is important to develop cultivars with inbuilt resistance to bakanae disease, taking into consideration the factors such as environmental conditions and variability of the pathogen in the area of intended cultivation