Power management and optimization

After many years of focusing on “faster” computers, people have started taking notice of the fact that the race for “speed” has had the unfortunate side effect of increasing the total power consumed, thereby increasing the total cost of ownership of these machines. The heat produced has required expensive cooling facilities. As a result, it is difficult to ignore the growing trend of “Green Computing,” which is defined by San Murugesan as “the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems – such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communication systems – efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment”. There have been different approaches to green computing, some of which include data center power management, operating system support, power supply, storage hardware, video card and display hardware, resource allocation, virtualization, terminal servers and algorithmic efficiency. In this thesis, we particularly study the relation between algorithmic efficiency and power consumption, obtaining performance models in the process. The algorithms studied primarily include basic linear algebra routines, such as matrix and vector multiplications and iterative solvers. Our studies show that it if the source code is optimized and tuned to the particular hardware used, there is a possibility of reducing the total power consumed at only slight costs to the computation time. The data sets utilized in this thesis are not significantly large and consequently, the power savings are not large either. However, as these optimizations can be scaled to larger data sets, it presents a positive outlook for power savings in much larger research environments

Survey of polypharmacy prescription in a tertiary care hospital, belagavi

  Polypharmacy is the use of four or more medications in one prescription or implies the prescription of too many medications for an individual. Concerns about polypharmacy include increase adverse drug reactions, drug interactions, prescribing cascade and higher cost. Objectives: To conduct a prescription survey of polypharmacy in tertiary care hospital at Belagavi. Methodology: The study was conducted in the Medicine outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital, Belagavi, after obtaining approval and clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Total 83 patients were selected by Simple Random Sampling and the data were collected prospectively by direct observation in specially designed proforma containing relevant patient details like registration number, age, gender and diagnosis, disease data and drug data. Results: Out of the total sample population (N=83), 56.62% had prescriptions falling under major polypharmacy (>6 drugs), 43.37% had prescriptions categorized as minor polypharmacy (3-5 drugs). The most common age group of patients receiving prescriptions with polypharmacy was between 41 to 60 years accounting for 38.55%. Majority of the patients receiving prescriptions with polypharmacy in our study were females (59.03%) as compared to males (40.96%). Major polypharmacy is more prevalent in patients receiving treatment for Hypertension (60.24%) followed by patients with diabetes (23.67%). Conclusion: Our prescription survey portrays polypharmacy to be widely prevalent in a tertiary care setting. Specific treatment goals with certainty are the essential need for curing diseases rather than polypharmacy, which could be a possible threat of more harm than good

Expert consensus statements for the management of COVID-19-related acute respiratory failure using a Delphi method.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused unprecedented pressure on healthcare system globally. Lack of high-quality evidence on the respiratory management of COVID-19-related acute respiratory failure (C-ARF) has resulted in wide variation in clinical practice. Using a Delphi process, an international panel of 39 experts developed clinical practice statements on the respiratory management of C-ARF in areas where evidence is absent or limited. Agreement was defined as achieved when > 70% experts voted for a given option on the Likert scale statement or > 80% voted for a particular option in multiple-choice questions. Stability was assessed between the two concluding rounds for each statement, using the non-parametric Chi-square (χ <sup>2</sup> ) test (p < 0·05 was considered as unstable). Agreement was achieved for 27 (73%) management strategies which were then used to develop expert clinical practice statements. Experts agreed that COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is clinically similar to other forms of ARDS. The Delphi process yielded strong suggestions for use of systemic corticosteroids for critical COVID-19; awake self-proning to improve oxygenation and high flow nasal oxygen to potentially reduce tracheal intubation; non-invasive ventilation for patients with mixed hypoxemic-hypercapnic respiratory failure; tracheal intubation for poor mentation, hemodynamic instability or severe hypoxemia; closed suction systems; lung protective ventilation; prone ventilation (for 16-24 h per day) to improve oxygenation; neuromuscular blocking agents for patient-ventilator dyssynchrony; avoiding delay in extubation for the risk of reintubation; and similar timing of tracheostomy as in non-COVID-19 patients. There was no agreement on positive end expiratory pressure titration or the choice of personal protective equipment. Using a Delphi method, an agreement among experts was reached for 27 statements from which 20 expert clinical practice statements were derived on the respiratory management of C-ARF, addressing important decisions for patient management in areas where evidence is either absent or limited. The study was registered with Clinical trials.gov Identifier: NCT04534569

Agrobacterium-mediated rapid and efficient development of transgenics using shoot apex explants in two elite Indica rice cultivars

An efficient multiple shoot induction, plant regeneration, and subsequent genetic transformation system for two locally adapted recalcitrant indica rice cultivars ASD16 and ADT43 using shoot apex explants were established. Three different plant growth regulators (PGRs) were tested for their efficacy in forming multiple shoots from shoot apices. Thidiazuron (TDZ) (5.0 mg/L) induced the highest frequencies of multiple shoot induction compared to Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP) and Kinetin (Kin). Shoot apices cultured on MS basal medium devoid of plant growth regulators formed single shoots. All tested PGRs produced multiple shoots at concentrations higher than 3.0 mg/L. Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) and Indole-3-Butyric Acid (IBA) were supplemented to media containing TDZ (5.0 mg/L) for assessing the root induction efficiencies and it was found that media devoid of growth hormones were sufficient to produce better-rooting frequencies comparatively. Among the two tested cultivars, ASD16 responded with better shooting frequencies than ADT43. Further, genetic transformation experiments were carried out with the shoot apex explants of both cultivars. The putative transgenic plants were screened and confirmed by transient GUS expression, PCR, and Southern hybridization in both T0 and T1 generations, respectively. This rapid and efficient regeneration system amenable to Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation from shoot apices may be used for genetic manipulation of recalcitrant indica varieties for varietal crop improvement strategies

Simulation of superselective catheterization for cerebrovascular lesions using a virtual injection software

Abstract Background This report addresses the feasibility of virtual injection software based on contrast-enhanced cone-beam CTs (CBCTs) in the context of cerebrovascular lesion embolization. Intracranial arteriovenous malformation (AVM), dural arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and mycotic aneurysm embolization cases with CBCTs performed between 2013 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Cerebrovascular lesions were reviewed by 2 neurointerventionalists using a dedicated virtual injection software (EmboASSIST, GE Healthcare; Chicago, IL). Points of Interest (POIs) surrounding the vascular lesions were first identified. The software then automatically displayed POI-associated vascular traces from vessel roots to selected POIs. Vascular segments and reason for POI identification were recorded. Using 2D multiplanar reconstructions from CBCTs, the accuracy of vascular traces was assessed. Clinical utility metrics were recorded on a 3-point Likert scale from 1 (no benefit) to 3 (very beneficial). Results Nine cases (7 AVM, 1 AVF, 1 mycotic aneurysm) were reviewed, with 26 POIs selected. Three POIs were in 2nd order segments, 8 POIs in 3rd order segments and 15 POIs in 4th order segments of their respective arteries. The reviewers rated all 26 POI traces – involving a total of 90 vascular segments – as accurate. The average utility score across the 8 questions were 2.7 and 2.8 respectively from each reviewer, acknowledging the software’s potential benefit in cerebrovascular embolization procedural planning. Conclusion The operators considered CBCT-based virtual injection software clinically useful and accurate in guiding and planning cerebrovascular lesion embolization in this retrospective review. Future prospective studies in larger cohorts are warranted for validation of this modality

Influence of exogenous polyamines on somatic embryogenesis and regeneration of fresh and long-term cultures of three elite indica rice cultivars

The influence of putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd), and spermine (Spm) on somatic embryogenesis (SE) and plant regeneration of three indica rice cultivars (ASD16, IR64, and ADT43) were evaluated since polyamines (PAs) are reported to play vital roles in SE and plant regeneration. Significant increases in the regeneration potential of the rice cultivars upon polyamine treatments were observed. Put (1.0 mM) induced the highest regeneration frequencies, somatic embryos, and shoot numbers. PAs influenced the fresh weights of the suspension cultures. Spd was found to be detrimental to cultivar ADT43 towards embryogeneicity, regeneration, and somatic embryo induction. Among the cultivars, ASD16 was found to respond superiorly to the polyamine treatment. Experiments with long-term cultures of the rice revealed that Put and Spm enhanced the regeneration potential, and the highest frequencies were recorded for ASD16 and IR64. Results indicate that PAs can be effectively used as growth modulators to achieve success in in vitro tissue and genetic manipulation studies with elite recalcitrant indica rice cultivars

Impact of dyes used in the mat on groundwater in and around Pattamadai, Tirunelveli district, Tamilnadu

The main focus of this study concentrates on evaluating the quality of groundwater in and around the zone of pattamadai where the production of the mat in this region is a landmark industry, which is using dyes in a larger volume. The primary work starts with the collection of water samples from 13 boreholes and 13 hand-dug wells in different time intervals in the month of March 2021, which is a dry season. As per standards the water quality parameters have been evaluated and observed to be within the range. All the physico-chemical parameters for the samples have been studied for boreholes and hand-dug wells as all the values are observed to be within the range and are highlighted in the results

Sequential Interventional Management of Osseous Neoplasms via Embolization, Cryoablation, and Osteoplasty

The purpose of this study is to determine if sequential interventional therapy can become a mainstay option in providing palliation from fastidious osseous neoplasms in patients with pain refractory to oral analgesia and radiotherapy. This retrospective monocentric study was approved by our institutional review board. Between July 2012 and August 2014, we reviewed 15 patients (6 women, 9 men; age range of 36-81 years) who underwent embolization followed by cryoablation, with or without osteoplasty. Patient demographics and tumor characteristics, including primary histology and the location of metastasis, were included in our review. Pain intensity at baseline, after radiotherapy, and after sequential interventional therapy was reviewed using the hospital electronic medical record. The use of oral analgesia and procedural complications was also noted. Data was then assessed for normality and a two-tailed Student’s t-test was performed on mean pain scores for difference phases of treatment. While radiotherapy offers pain relief with a mean pain score of 7.25 ±1.5 (p =<.0001), sequential interventional therapy results in better comfort as demonstrated by a mean pain score of 3.9 ± 2.6 (p=.0015). Moreover, all patients who reported oral analgesic use at presentation reported a decrease in their requirement after sequential interventional therapy. Embolization and cryoablation were performed in all patients, while osteoplasty was indicated in 6 cases. There was no difference in postprocedural pain intensity between patients who required osteoplasty and patients who did not (p = 0.7514). There were no complications observed during treatment. This retrospective study shows that sequential intervention with transarterial embolization, cryoablation, and osteoplasty is both safe and efficacious for bone pain refractory to the current standard of care. We demonstrated that this combination therapy has the potential to become an effective mainstay treatment paradigm in the palliative care of osseous neoplasm to improve quality of life

Sequential Interventional Management of Osseous Neoplasms via Embolization, Cryoablation, and Osteoplasty

© 2019 Sri Hari Sundararajan et al. The purpose of this study is to determine if sequential interventional therapy can become a mainstay option in providing palliation from fastidious osseous neoplasms in patients with pain refractory to oral analgesia and radiotherapy. This retrospective monocentric study was approved by our institutional review board. Between July 2012 and August 2014, we reviewed 15 patients (6 women, 9 men; age range of 36-81 years) who underwent embolization followed by cryoablation, with or without osteoplasty. Patient demographics and tumor characteristics, including primary histology and the location of metastasis, were included in our review. Pain intensity at baseline, after radiotherapy, and after sequential interventional therapy was reviewed using the hospital electronic medical record. The use of oral analgesia and procedural complications was also noted. Data was then assessed for normality and a two-tailed Student\u27s t-test was performed on mean pain scores for difference phases of treatment. While radiotherapy offers pain relief with a mean pain score of 7.25 ±1.5 (p =\u3c.0001), sequential interventional therapy results in better comfort as demonstrated by a mean pain score of 3.9 ± 2.6 (p=.0015). Moreover, all patients who reported oral analgesic use at presentation reported a decrease in their requirement after sequential interventional therapy. Embolization and cryoablation were performed in all patients, while osteoplasty was indicated in 6 cases. There was no difference in postprocedural pain intensity between patients who required osteoplasty and patients who did not (p = 0.7514). There were no complications observed during treatment. This retrospective study shows that sequential intervention with transarterial embolization, cryoablation, and osteoplasty is both safe and efficacious for bone pain refractory to the current standard of care. We demonstrated that this combination therapy has the potential to become an effective mainstay treatment paradigm in the palliative care of osseous neoplasm to improve quality of life