Agroforestry systems practiced in Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh, India

Chhattisgarh state has very diverse forest ecosystem and long history of traditional agroforestry. An agroforestry practice is location specific and depends on nature of agro-climatic zone. In Chhattisgarh, farmers are doing this farming practices based on fulfilling their diverse need and improvement of socioeconomic condition but stilldata is insufficient to explore more agroforestry practices in the state. In this context, assessment of different agroforestry models gives not only sufficient data but also open a door for conservation of biological diversity.. Different models like’s Boundary plantations, Agri-silviculture system, Horti-silvicuture, Silvi-pasture, Kitchen garden and Block plantation are used by farmers in Dhamtari. All models are dependent on location characteristic, land use type, soil type, climate and market requirement. This paper highlights the different models of Agroforestry, specific model for the specific sites, lacuna in models faced by farmers and role of agroforestry models in socioeconomic upliftment

Synergistic effect on static and dynamic mechanical properties of carbon fiber-multiwalled carbon nanotube hybrid polycarbonate composites

Carbon fiber (CF) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-reinforced hybrid micro-nanocomposites are prepared through melt mixing followed by injection moulding. The synergistic effect on both the static and dynamic mechanical properties with MWCNT/aMWCNT and CF reinforcement in a polycarbonate matrix is investigated by utilizing dynamic mechanical analysis, and flexural and tensile measurements. The enhancement in the flexural modulus and strength of the composite specimens as compared to pure PC for maximum loading of CF is 128.40% and 39.90%, respectively, which further improved to 142.94% and 42.60%, respectively, for CF-functionalized MWCNTs. Similarly, the storage modulus of the composite specimens reinforced with a maximum loading of CF and CF-functionalized MWCNTs show an increment of 176.57% and 203.33%, respectively over pure PC at 40 degrees C. Various types of parameter such as the coefficient C factor, degree of entanglement and adhesion factor have been calculated to analyze the interaction between fillers and the polymer matrix. Composite specimens containing 2 wt% of functionalized MWCNTs show a lower C value than the as-synthesized MWCNTs, which is indicative of a higher effectiveness of functionalized MWCNT-containing composite specimens. These results are well supported by optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy by confirming the distribution of reinforcement

The mPower Study, Parkinson Disease Mobile Data Collected Using Researchkit

Current measures of health and disease are often insensitive, episodic, and subjective. Further, these measures generally are not designed to provide meaningful feedback to individuals. The impact of high-resolution activity data collected from mobile phones is only beginning to be explored. Here we present data from mPower, a clinical observational study about Parkinson disease conducted purely through an iPhone app interface. The study interrogated aspects of this movement disorder through surveys and frequent sensor-based recordings from participants with and without Parkinson disease. Benefitting from large enrollment and repeated measurements on many individuals, these data may help establish baseline variability of real-world activity measurement collected via mobile phones, and ultimately may lead to quantification of the ebbs-and-flows of Parkinson symptoms. App source code for these data collection modules are available through an open source license for use in studies of other conditions. We hope that releasing data contributed by engaged research participants will seed a new community of analysts working collaboratively on understanding mobile health data to advance human health

Luminescent Materials in Lighting, Display, Solar Cell, Sensing, and Biomedical Applications

This chapter comprises a broader extent of the luminescence phenomenon with the mechanism involved therein as well as applications. Typically, the up and down conversion and downshifting behavior of the optical materials have been elucidated in brief. The fundamental understanding of these optical materials has been described by using schematic representations. It is well documented that the rare earth-based optical materials are known for their luminescent enrichment due to availability of the ladder-like energy levels. These energy levels can be utilized for the excitation of the luminescent materials by using a suitable excitation source. In the process of development of luminescent materials, choice of host matrices and dopant ions is very crucial. Strong correlation of these optical materials has been shown with the current scenario of our society and daily life. In view of the ongoing research, nanophosphor, glasses, and quantum dots with size- and shape-dependent optical behavior have been given in detail. The involved mechanism and the energy transfer phenomenon have been well elucidated by schematic and figures for the evident explanation to the readers. Our emphasis is to elucidate these optical materials in the development of innovative multifunctional applications such as lighting, display, sensing, LEDs, solar cell, and biological applications

Adult-onset Still’s disease with secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a case report

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an aggressive and life-threatening syndrome of excessive immune activation causing multi-organ dysfunction. HLH can be inherited genetically, but can also be secondary to infections, malignancy, immunosuppression, and autoimmune conditions. Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by fevers, arthritis, and an evanescent rash. It can rarely predispose patients to HLH. Herein, we report a case of a 20-year-old male patient who presented with fever, joint pain, and rash for 1 month. On evaluation, he was diagnosed as a case of AOSD complicated with secondary HLH. A 23-year-old male, with no significant past medical history and family history, presented to our emergency department with complaints of fever with rash for the last 1 month. He had intermittent high-grade fever with chills, which was associated with evanescent rash involving the trunk and proximal upper limbs. There was no history of joint pain, cough, sore throat, burning micturition, or weight loss. On examination, the patient was conscious and oriented with a temperature of 101 °F, pulse rate of 100/min, blood pressure of 120/84 mmHg, and SpO2 of 98% on room air. Physical examination revealed salmon-colored maculopapular rash, cervical lymphadenopathy, and mild splenomegaly. The rest of the physical examination was unremarkable. Lab investigations revealed pancytopenia, transaminitis, elevated CRP with low ESR, highly elevated ferritin, elevated LDH, hypofibrinogenemia, and sterile blood and urine cultures. ANA by ELISA, rheumatoid factor, IGRA, dengue IgM, rapid malaria Ag, typhoid IgM, Leptospira IgM and scrub IgM were reported negative. The patient met the diagnostic criteria for AOSD and HLH, and a diagnosis of HLH secondary to AOSD was made. He was given pulse iv methylprednisolone for 5 days, His general condition improved over the week. Then he was switched to oral prednisolone 60 mg once daily. There were no more episodes of fever, and he was discharged after one week on a tapering dose of steroids. AOSD is a rare autoinflammatory condition which often presents as a diagnostic challenge. A high index of suspicion is important for the diagnosis of HLH, and prompt initiation of treatment is of utmost importance, as it is a rapidly progressive life-threatening condition

MONITOR THE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON RESTRICTED ANTIBIOTICS IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF INDIA

Objective: The present study was to monitor the use of antibiotics with restricted antibiotics in intensive care units (ICUs). The aim of this studywas to observe number of patients receiving antibiotic(s), to observe number of patient receiving restricted antibiotics(s), number of restrictedantibiotic(s) forms filled in 48 hrs, observing number of instances where within three or more than three antibiotics given for more than 3 days, anyadverse drug reaction and medication error related in ICUs.Methods: The study was done prospectively in ICUs of a tertiary care hospital. 200 patients were selected from ICUs on a random basis. The durationstudy was 6.5 months. All adult patients admitted in ICUs who received an antibiotic therapy within 24 hrs of admission were included. Outpatientdepartment patients and patient admitted in the wards were not included in the study.Results: Among 200 patients, the total number of patients received antibiotic were 188 (94%), while 12 (6%) patients were not received. Among188 patients, 51 patients received restricted antibiotics, i.e., 27.2% and 137 patients not received restricted antibiotic, i.e. 72.8%. Out of 188 patientsreceived antibiotics including restricted antibiotics only 31 patients received three or more than three antibiotics for three or more than three days,which are 16.4% and 157 patients, not received three or more than three antibiotics for three or more than three days which were 83.6%. Accordingto Antimicrobial Stewardship Program, physician prescribed restricted antibiotic must have to fill restricted antimicrobial form, among 51 patients,only 8 (15.6%) forms were received.Keywords: Antibiotics, Restricted antibiotics, Outpatient department, Antimicrobial stewardship program, Intensive care units