Self-organized Nano-lens Arrays by Intensified Dewetting of Electron Beam Modified Polymer Thin-films

Sub-100 nm polymeric spherical plano-convex nano-lens arrays are fabricated using short electron beam exposures to selectively modify the ultrathin (< 30 nm) polymer films, followed by their intensified self-organized dewetting under an aqueous-organic mixture. A short exposure to e-beam locally modifies the polymer chains to effectively change the viscosity of the film in small domains, thus bringing in the dynamical dewetting contrast in the film that produces aligned and ordered dewetted nanostructures. Both negative and positive e-beam tone polymers are thus used to produce array of nano-lenses. The intensified self-organized dewetting under a water-organic solvent mixture overcomes the limitations on surface tension and dewetting force and thus facilitates the formation of sub-100 nm diameter polymer nanolenses of tunable curvature. By varying the extent of e-beam exposure, various configurations from isolated to connected nano-lens arrays can be fabricated.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure

Review of Software Fault-Tolerance Methods for Reliability Enhancement of Real-Time Software Systems

Real time systems are those systems which must guarantee to response correctly within strict time constraint or within deadline. Failures can arise from both functional errors as well as timing bugs. Hence, it is necessary to provide temporal correctness of programs used in real time applications in addition to providing functional correctness. Although, there are several researches concerned with achieving fault tolerance in the presence of various functional and operational errors but many of them did not address the problem concerned with the timing bugs which is an important issue in real time systems. As for real time systems, many times it becomes a necessity for a given service to be delivered within the specified time deadline. Therefore, this paper reviews the existing approaches from the perspective of  real time systems to analyse the shortcomings of these approaches to  present a versatile and cost effective approach in the presence of timing bugs for providing fault tolerance to enhance the reliability of the real time software applications

Real-time degradation of methylene blue using bio-inspired superhydrophobic PDMS tube coated with Ta-ZnO composite

Dyes are widely used in a variety of industrial applications for aesthetical purpose as well as to provide the color of their products. Huge amount of dye-containing wastewater is released after their processing, posing a risk of environmental contamination. This has prompted the development of low-cost, highly reliable, and long-term technologies for effluent remediation. In this work, the synthesized tantalum (Ta)-doped Zinc oxide (ZnO) composite coated over the bioinspired polymeric platform has been reported for the decolouration of methylene blue (MB) dye when exposed to UV light. These structures were carefully investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a contact angle (CA) goniometer. The contact angle results show the contact angle of 108˚ for pure polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and 168˚ for bio-inspired PDMS with Ta-doped ZnO composite leading to a superhydrophobic surface. This superhydrophobic bio-inspired polymeric platform was modified by optimizing the surface roughness and coating it with low-surface-energy Ta-ZnO NWs composites, paving the way for it to be envisioned in "self-cleaning" water treatment facilities. When exposed to UV light, the MB dye degradation time was reduced from 150 mins to 105 mins, indicating that the synthesized Ta-doped ZnO NWs composite is more effective than ZnO. These photocatalysts lead to "waste control using Ta-ZnO NWs composites," which opens up new possibilities for flexible and biocompatible environmental remediation platforms. In this study, real-time MB dye degradation is also monitored using the Internet of things (IoT) technique by integrating a NodeMCU microcontroller board as a control center and a pH sensor as a tool for detecting the change in pH value of the MB dye under UV light exposure

Ultrafast Large Area Micropattern Generation in Non-absorbing Polymer Thin-Films by Pulsed Laser Diffraction

We report an ultrafast, parallel and beyond-the-master micro-patterning technique for ultrathin (30 nm-400 nm) non-absorbing polymer films by diffraction of a laser light through a two dimensional periodic aperture. The redistribution of laser energy absorbed by the substrate causes self-organization of polymer thin-film in the form of wrinkle like surface relief structures caused by localized melting and freezing of the thin-film. Unlike the conventional laser ablation and laser writing processes, low laser fluence is employed to only passively swell the polymer as a pre-ablative process without the loss of material, and without absorption/reaction with the incident radiation. Self-organization in the thin polymer film aided by the diffraction pattern produces micro-structures made up of thin raised lines. These regular microstructures have far more complex morphologies than the mask geometry and very narrow line widths that can be an order of magnitude smaller than the openings in the mask. The microstructure morphology is easily modulated by changing the film thickness, aperture size and geometry and by changing the diffraction pattern, e.g., by changing the aperture-substrate distance.Comment: 23 page

Comparison of single dose transdermal patches of diclofenac and ketoprofen for postoperative analgesia in lower limb orthopaedic surgery

Background: Transdermal patch is a very simple and painless method for providing postoperative analgesia. The aim of the study was to compare the  efficacy and safety of transdermal patch of ketoprofen in comparison to diclofenac patch for postoperative analgesia. It is a randomized single blind study.Methods: Sixty patients were randomly allocated to receive either ketoprofen or diclofenac patch at the end of surgery under spinal anaesthesia. Statistical analyses used, data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences version 15.0.Results: In diclofenac group the post-operative VAS was 2.4±0.72 and in ketoprofen group, post-operative VAS was 1.4±0.3 which was significantly low when compared to group D (p<0.05 value). 11 patients in group D and 3 patients in group K required rescue analgesia (Inj. tramadol) in the first 24 hours which was statically significant (p<0.05).Conclusions: Both ketoprofen and diclofenac transdermal patch are effective for postoperative analgesia but less number of patients required rescue analgesic in ketoprofen group

Hoffa’s Fat Pad Impingement and Medial Plica Syndrome

CASE HISTORY: The patient is a 27-year-old female that presented with ongoing right knee pain. She stated that she has been dealing with knee pain for approximately five years. Pain is constant with activities of daily living and running, aching during rest and throbbing during activity. She recalled that the initial pain started after running a half marathon. Pain was relieved with rest and elevation and progressively decreased with physical therapy until reaggravating it with no specific cause. Anti-inflammatory creams and medication had minimal effect on pain reduction. PHYSICAL EXAM: Significant tenderness to palpation along the proximal patellar tendon, the fat pad on either side of the tendon, medial patellar facets, and increased pain from passive dorsiflexion of the ankle. Positive J-sign was greater on the right side than left, positive patellar grind test on the right, and crepitus exist bilaterally. Positive provocative tests also showed patellar malalignment, poor neuromuscular control, decreased right hamstring flexibility compared to the left, and decreased function based on the Lower Extremity Functional Scale. Patient also had pain with valgus stress test and McMurray tests, and there was significant hypertonicity along the IT band. She demonstrated good skin turgor; right knee focused exam revealed full knee range of motion with increased pain during passive knee flexion along the Hoffa’s fat pad area. DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSES: Chronic pain of right knee, Hoffa’s fat pad impingement, patellar tendinitis, occult meniscal tear, Hoffa’s fat pad disease, patellar tendinopathy, and medial plica syndrome. TESTS & RESULTS: Positive patellar compression for pain, positive Ober’s for tightness, positive Thessaly, and McMurray’s for pain along the medial knee, negative valgus and varus stress test. MRI showed some slight medial trochlear dysplasia as well as lateral patella tilt. Right knee limited ultrasound demonstrated normal fibrillar architecture and thickness of the patellar tendon without any focal hypoechoic areas. No infrapatellar bursitis was noted, and lower extremity strength was 5 out of 5 bilaterally. FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Hoffa’s fat pad impingement and medial plica syndrome. DISCUSSION: Hoffa\u27s fat pad impingement and medial plica syndrome are two conditions that impact the knee joint causing anterior knee pain. Hoffa\u27s fat pad impingement involves compression of the infrapatellar fat pad, while medial plica syndrome is characterized by inflammation of the medial plica. Impingement of the infrapatellar fat pad can cause irritation and inflammation of the nearby medial plica, leading to the development of medial plica syndrome. This can result in anterior knee pain, swelling, and difficulty with knee movements. Factors such as repetitive knee movements, knee instability, and knee misalignment can contribute to the development of these conditions. Common treatments involve physical therapy, medication, and injections. The reported prevalence of plica is approximately 90% amongst knee pain cases, whereas medial plica prevalence is 84%. OUTCOME OF THE CASE: Physical therapy focused on IT band, dry needling, sports taping, gait training, and vastus medialis oblique strengthening. Further treatment included patellar tendon scraping due to its relatively short recovery time, therefore, enabling the patient to resume running soon after the procedure. RETURN TO ACTIVITY AND FURTHER FOLLOW-UP: Patient was advised to hold off from running for one week and to continue working on low impact cardiovascular activity. Patient is currently doing well and returned to pre-injury running activities

Awareness of Risk Factors for Skin Infections and its Impact on Quality of Life among Adults in a Malaysian City: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: To explore the level of awareness of risk factors related to skin infection and its impact on quality of life (QoL) in Klang, Malaysia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults in Klang, Malaysia using a validated questionnaire and Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI). A stratified and convenient sampling technique was executed. Multivariate analysis was employed to summarize significant relationships between variables.Results: The prevalence of skin infection was 59 %. A majority (51.9 %) of the participants had experienced or claimed to have bacterial infections of the skin. More than 50 % of them were aware of the risk factors for skin infection. Several significant associations (p &lt; 0.05) between variables of awareness of risk factors associated with skin infection and QoL were documented.Conclusion: Awareness of the risk factors contributing to skin infection do play a major role in improving basic understanding of skin infections and quality of life among Malaysians in Klang.Keywords: Skin infection, Awareness, Risk factors, Quality of Lif

Non-standard neutrino interactions in light mediator models at reactor experiments

Compared to other neutrino sources, the huge anti-neutrino fluxes at nuclear reactor based experiments empower us to derive stronger bounds on non-standard interactions of neutrinos with electrons mediated by light scalar/vector mediators. At neutrino energy around $200$~keV reactor anti-neutrino flux is at least an order of magnitude larger compared to the solar flux. The atomic and crystal form factors of the detector materials related to the details of the atomic structure becomes relevant at this energy scale as the momentum transfers would be small. Non-standard neutrino-electron interaction mediated by light scalar/vector mediator arises naturally in many low-scale models. We also propose one such new model with a light scalar mediator. Here, we investigate the parameter space of such low-scale models in reactor based neutrino experiments with low threshold Ge and Si detectors, and find the prospect of probing/ruling out the relevant parameter space by finding the projected sensitivity at $90 \%$ confidence level by performing a $\chi^2$-analysis. We find that a detector capable of discriminating between electron recoil and nuclear recoil signal down to a very low threshold such as $5$~eV placed in reactor based experiment would be able to probe a larger region in parameter space compared to the previously explored region. A Ge (Si) detector with $10$~kg-yr exposure and 1 MW reactor anti-neutrino flux would be able to probe the scalar and vector mediators with masses below 1 keV for coupling products $\sqrt{g_\nu g_e}$ $\sim$ $1 \times 10^{-6}~(9.5 \times 10^{-7})$ and $1\times 10^{-7} ~(8\times 10^{-8})$, respectively.Comment: Manuscript is revised, results are unchanged, updated figures, references adde

Unusual case of seizures due to prolonged QT syndrome - A Case Report

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiac electrical disorder. One of the rare symptoms of long QT caused by ventricular arrhythmia is seizure. Patients with LQTS may develop seizures due to an acute hypoxic-ischemic event associated with a ventricular arrhythmia. We present a case of a 47-year-old male who came to the Emergency Department (ED) with seizures and was diagnosed as LQTS. The cardiac cause of seizures was suspected because the patient was pulseless during the episode of seizures. The patient developed refractory ventricular tachycardia in the ED and was cardioverted (synchronized) multiple times. He was also put on amiodarone infusions. The patient was then urgently shifted to the Coronary Cath Lab for temporary pacemaker insertion with overdrive pacing. He was advised for an automated implantable cardioverter-defibrillator. This case illustrates that prolonged QT syndrome can masquerade as seizure. Therefore, a careful examination should be done in the patient presenting with the same and a cardiac cause should be excluded. Delays in recognition and treatment may expose the patient to a high risk of sudden cardiac death