Nation, Science and Religion in Nehru’s Discovery of India

Nation, Science and Religion in Nehru’s Discovery of Indi

Projected Trends in Climate Extremes in the Passaic River Basin Based on Bias-Corrected and Spatially Downscaled Global Climate Model Simulations

Global Climate Models (GCMs) are increasingly becoming useful tools for predicting future climatic changes. These GCMs typically employ large spatial scales while municipalities may experience varied impacts at the local level. By downscaling and bias-correcting GCM outputs, more accurate predictions concerning specific regions can be made. The Multivariate Adaptive Constructed Analogs (MACA) models provide daily precipitation and temperature information for point localities by modifying coarse resolution data from GCMs to a higher spatial resolution. In this study, trends in climate extremes over the Passaic River Basin (PRB) between 1981-2005 are estimated based on three MACA models (bcc-csm1-1m, CCSM4, and MRI-CGCM3). The historical trends obtained from the MACA models are validated using an observational dataset and further corrected for bias, and then projected trends for 2051-2075 relative to the 1981-2005 investigated. The models are united in their expectations of a decrease in very cold nights, ranging from -0.05% to -0.25%. Warm nights show slightly less agreement; while bcc-csm1-1m and MRI-CGCM3 see an increase ranging from 0.05% to 0.18%, CCSM4 sees a decrease of 0.075% for RCP 8.5. Consecutive dry days decrease by up to 3 days between CCSM4 and MRI-CGCM3, whereas bcc-csm1-1m only shows an increase in CDD for scenario RCP 8.5. Rainy days also increase per model from 1-3 days except for bcc-csm1-1m, which sees a decrease by 1 day. The 95th percentile of (or extreme) precipitation also sees almost universal increase ranging from 25% to 80% except for MRI-CGCM3, which projects a slight decrease of the extreme at only -5%. This analysis presents a unique opportunity to glimpse at the projected changes in the PRB with regards to the impacts of climate change

Nutritional status and its association with quality of life among people living with HIV attending public anti-retroviral therapy sites of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

This article was published in AIDS Research and Therapy [© 2015 BioMed Central Ltd.] and the definite version is available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4417539/Background: Little evidence exists on the connections between nutrition, diet intake, and quality of life (QoL) among people living with HIV (PLHIV). The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of under-nutrition among PLHIV in Nepal, and identify risk factors and assess correlations with PLHIVs' QoL and nutritional status. Methods: This quantitative cross-sectional study used Body Mass Index (BMI) as an indicator for nutritional status, and additional information on opportunistic infections (OIs), CD4 count, and World Health Organization (WHO) clinical staging was collected from medical records. Participants were asked to complete surveys on food security and QoL. Descriptive analysis was used to estimate the prevalence of under nutrition. To assess associations between nutrition status and independent variables, bivariate and multivariate analysis was completed. Spearman's rank correlation test was used to assess the association between nutritional status and QoL. Results: One in five PLHIVs was found to be under nourished (BMI <18.5 kg/m2). Illiteracy, residence in care homes, CD4 cells count <350 cells/mm3, OIs, and illness at WHO clinical stages III and IV were found to be significant predictors of under nutrition. BMI was significantly correlated with three domains of QoL (psychological, social and environmental). Conclusion: Nutrition interventions should form an integral part of HIV care programs. Understanding the presence of OI, decline in CD4 count, and advancing WHO clinical stages as risk factors can be helpful in preventing under nutrition from developing. Longitudinal research is necessary to further explicate associations between nutritional status and QoL.Publishe

An Undergraduate-Level Electrochemical Investigation of Gold Nanoparticles-Modified Physically Small Carbon Electrodes

This paper reports an undergraduate experiment based on analytical chemistry, electrochemistry and materials science of carbon microelectrodes. The modification of the electroactive surface of the carbon microelectrode was done using gold nanoparticles electrodeposited from gold solution. To determine the changes on the surface, the electrode was subjected to simple optical microscopy. Next, the electrode was characterized using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry of two known electrochemical redox markers: hexaamineruthenium(III) chloride and potassium hexacyanoferrate (III), i.e. potassium ferricyanide. The redox behavior of both markers demonstrated the change in electrode surface. After modification, the ferricyanide reduction peaks were observed to increase significantly, as a consequence of accelerated electron transfer. Furthermore, changes in wave slope and half-wave potentials (E1⁄2) of the redox waves also confirmed an altered electrode surface that students can logically trace back to the modification. The electrode tip dimension was also determined using a modified form of the Cottrell equation, confirming the tip size to be 2.0 μm. The discussion of these results enables an understanding of electrochemistry, analytical chemistry and materials chemistry, and presents an excellent opportunity to apply these in an undergraduate setting

Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the commonest inflammatory gastrointestinal disorder of newborn infants, occurring primarily in premature neonates. Presenting as a medical and surgical emergency, it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. NEC is characterized by acute intestinal inflammation and necrosis with intramural dissection of gas, pathognomically appearing as pneumatosis intestinalis on radiography. The incidence and mortality, with an inverse relationship to maturation, range between 3–11% and 17–20% respectively. Mortality may be up to 50% in extremely premature infants who require surgery for intestinal perforation or gangrene. The exact etiopathogenesis is unknown. Over 90% of infants are premature and more than 98% are enterally fed. NEC presents with feeding intolerance and abdominal distension, which may rapidly progress to cardiorespiratory decompensation and death in severe cases. Intestinal dysbiosis and its functional and immunological immaturity are proposed to play roles in the pathogenesis. While exact triggers are undetermined, the disease is marked by an anomalous immunological response of enterocytes to inflammation, invoking cytokines and chemokines. NEC is treated with bowel rest, antibiotics, cardiorespiratory support, parenteral nutrition, and blood products transfusion. Approximately 30% of cases require surgery and a significant number of survivors suffer from neurological deficits, intestinal dysfunction, and post surgical short bowel syndrome

EFFECT OF ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION ON THE LYMPHOID SERIES OF THE HEMOPOETIC SYSTEM OF GUINEA PIG (CAVUS PORCELLUS)

Guinea pigs (C. porcellus) were exposed to UV radiation for different durations and hematological parameters have been observed after exposure. The observation gives a clear indication that intermittent exposure (15min, 30min, 1h) of mild doses of UV radiation shows immune response in terms of increased leucocytic count specially lymphocytes and neutrophil

Painless labour: attitude and awareness amongst pregnant women

Background: Labour pain has been described as most severe pain experienced by a female. Labour analgesia is widely practiced in developed countries. Many labour analgesic methods have been introduced to make delivery a pleasurable moment in a women’s life.Methods: This prospective study was performed at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, India after getting permission from institute ethical committee. 100 pregnant females attending the antenatal clinic were interviewed in their mother language. Information was collected on a questionnaire after an informed consent. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, desire and acceptability of pregnant women regarding painless labour.Results: The mean age of the women in the study was 24.98years.56% of women in the study were primigravida whereas 44% were multigravida.66% women belonged to urban area while 34% were from rural area. 10% were illiterate, 35% were educated upto secondary education and 55% were having higher education. Only 24% of the women were having knowledge about painless labour however 87% female were having positive attitude towards epidural analgesia. The correlation between the educational status and knowledge about painless labour was not statistically significant (p0.949). The knowledge and attitude of women regarding painless labour was statistically significant with p value of 0.00001.Conclusions: There is lack of knowledge about labour analgesia among women. Obstetrician and anaesthetist should educate women regarding painless labour. Labour analgesia is standard of care in obstetrics and should be provided to all parturient