The laser radiation parameters control method based on the digital video system registration

The paper describes a method of a beam radiation parameters analysis. Such analysis bases on the laser beam registration in the plane of a diffusely reflecting screen and digital processing of the registered image. The algorithm of the laser beam spatial parameters determination is presented and realized programmatically. The experiment was carried out using a digital high-speed video system and a solid-state pulsed periodic laser based on a Cr3+: BeAl2O4 alexandrite crystal. A comparison of the proposed method with a standardized method based on the registration of radiation by a matrix photodetector is presented. The development of measure methods of the laser radiation parameters is necessary due to the appearance of new sources of laser radiation and their use in various applications.

Use of repeated mammograms to evaluate risk of breast cancer: a systematic review of methods used in the literature

Objective This systematic review aimed to assess methods used to relate repeated mammographic images to breast cancer risk, including the time from mammogram to diagnosis of breast cancer, and methods for analysis of data from either one or both breasts (averaged or assessed individually). Design A systematic review was performed. Setting The databases including in Medline (Ovid) 1946-, Embase.com 1947-, CINAHL Plus 1937-, Scopus 1823-, Cochrane Library (including CENTRAL), and Clinicaltrials.gov. were searched through October 2021, to extract published articles in English, describing relationship of the change in mammographic features with risk of breast cancer. Participants Women with mammogram images. Main outcome measure Breast cancer incidence. Results Twenty articles were included in the final review. We found that BIRADs and Cumulus were most commonly used for classifying mammographic density and automated assessment was used on more recent digital mammograms. Time between mammograms varied from 1 to 4 years, and only 9 of the studies used more than 2 mammograms to quantify features. One study used a prediction horizon of 5 and 10 years, one used 5 years only and another 10 years only, while in the others the prediction horizon was not clearly defined with investigators using the next screening mammogram. Conclusion This review provided an updated overview of the state of the art and revealed research gaps; based on these, we provide recommendations for future studies using repeated measure methods for mammogram images to make the use of accumulating image data. By following these recommendations, we expect to improve risk classification and risk prediction for women to tailor screening and prevention strategies to level of risk.

Assessment of Level of Compliance with the Use of Condom Among HIV Infected Couples in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Background: The use of condom is key in the global fight against HIV and AIDS, this helps to reduce the rate of infection and disease burden in the general Population. This underscores the need to intermittently study or assess level of compliance with the use of condom as a preventive measure. Methods: The research was conducted to assess the level of compliance on condom use among HIV- infected discordant couples in Kaduna State Nigeria. The study was conducted in Antiretroviral (ART) treatment centers of 9 LGAs of the 23 LGAs in Kaduna State Nigeria. A total of 158 couples or 317 individuals were recruited for the study. A detailed questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics, the use of condom and practice of unprotected sex. Discussion: The results obtained in the study shows that majority of the respondents 225(71%) were Christians, and majority 224(70.7%) were unemployed. Most of the respondents 230(72.6%) never used condom while 87(27.4%) used condom. The study also revealed that Educational status of respondents had strong association to their perceived attitude towards use of condom during sex (p- value 0.009) while attitude towards practice of unprotected sex was statistically insignificant (p-value 0.404). There is need to improve on educational coverage for the entire population in order to mitigate the scourge of HIV transmission.

Therapeutic effect of certain Indian medicinal compounds against the Corona Virus: An in-silico study

Introduction: Since Covid-19 has emerged as a pandemic, it has taken innumerable lives and caused havoc in the developing as well as developed countries. The health facilities throughout the world have taken a toll and to counter this some immediate alternative measures have to be taken. Utilization of the plant-based products from the Indian traditional medicine can be one such measure. Methods: NCBI, Pubchem and PDB databases were used to obtain the structures of the relevant protein targets and plant-based ligands. Apart from this, softwares such as Open Babel, UCSF Chimera, PatchDock and FireDock were used for the purpose of interconversion of file formats, visualization of the structures and docking respectively. Results: After the screening of 9 plant-based products against the 3 main protein targets (spike protein, hemagglutinin, nucleocapsid) of corona virus we found that glucoraphanin showed the best binding energy against spike protein (-51.44 KJ/mol), alpha amyrin showed the best binding energy against hemagglutinin (-31.76 KJ/mol) and beta-sitosterol showed best binding energy against nucleocapsid (-55.44 KJ/mol). Conclusion: This study would aid in the speedy recovery and better immune response of the corona virus infected patients.

Nation-wide vector surveillance did not indicate transmission of the “American lineage pandemic ZIKA virus” in India

Background In wake of the global health emergency declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) during 2016, on the outbreak of ZIKA pandemic, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) carried out countrywide vector surveillance for ZIKA and DENGUE viruses (ZIKV & DENV) in India, as a preparedness measure. Methods The study incorporated high-risk zones distributed to 49 Districts in 14 states/ Union Territories (UT) of India during 2016-2019. Seven ICMR Institutions undertook the study, following a uniform Standard Operating Protocol. Aedes specimens sampled on weekly intervals were processed by multiplex Reverse transcriptase PCR for ZIKV/DENV and Real time RT-PCR of ZIKV, among few samples distributed to all the Districts. Results Altogether, 79492 specimens of Aedes mosquitoes in 6492 pools were processed for both ZIKV and DENV infections. Among these, three and 63 pools respectively were found positive for ZIKV and DENV. ZIKV infections were recorded from Aedes aegypti sampled during 2018 sporadic ZIKA outbreak in Jaipur, Rajasthan, which belonged to the Asian lineage, already circulating in the Country. Both Ae. aegypti and Aedes albopictus were found infected with DENV and were distributed to ten states/ UTs. Both male and female specimens of Ae. albopictus recorded DENV infections indicating trans-ovarial transmission of DENV in the species. Conclusion This national vector surveillance study evinced no active transmission of the “American lineage - pandemic ZIKA virus” in India during 2016-2019, although Asian lineage of the virus already circulating in the Country was detected from Ae. aegypti from Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Assessment of pedicle size in patients with scoliosis using EOS 2D imaging: a validity and reliability study

Purpose Free-hand pedicle screw insertion methods are widely used for screw insertion during scoliosis surgery. Preoperative knowledge about the pedicle size helps to maximize screw containment and minimize the risk of pedicle breach. Radiographs taken by a biplanar low-dose X-ray device (EOS) have no divergence in the vertical plane. The criterion validity and reliability of preoperative EOS images for pedicle size measurements in patients with idiopathic scoliosis (IS) was investigated in this study. Methods Sixteen patients who underwent surgical treatment for IS were prospectively included. Intra- and extracortical pedicle height and width measurements on EOS images were compared with reconstructed intra-operative 3D images of the isthmus of included pedicles. Secondly, intra- and interobserver reliability of pedicle size measurements on EOS images was determined. Results The total number of analyzed pedicles was 203. The correlation between the EOS and 3D scan measurements was very strong for the intra- and extracortical pedicle height and strong for the intra- and extracortical pedicle width. There are, however, significant, but likely clinically irrelevant differences (mean absolute differences < 0.43 mm) between the two measure methods for all four measurements except for extracortical pedicle height. For pedicles classified as Nash–Moe 0, no significant differences in intra- and extracortical pedicle width were observed. Both intra- and interobserver reliability was excellent for all pedicle size measurements on EOS images. Conclusion The results of this study indicate a good validity and reliability for pedicle size measurements on EOS radiographs. Therefore, EOS radiographs may be used for a preoperative estimation of pedicle size and subsequent screw diameter in patients with IS.

Clothing Lifespans: What Should Be Measured and How

Increasing the use of each product, most often called longer lifespans, is an effective environmental strategy. This article discusses how garment lifespans can be described in order to be measured and compared. It answers two sub-questions: (1) what to measure (units), and (2) how to measure (methods). We introduce and define terms related to clothing lifespans and contribute to discussions about an appropriate functional unit for garments in life cycle assessments (LCA) and other environmental accounting tools. We use a global wardrobe survey to exemplify the units and methods. Clothing lifespans can be described and measured in years, the number of wears, cleaning cycles, and users. All have an independent value that show different and central aspects of clothing lifespans. A functional unit for LCAs should emphasise both the number of wears for all users as well as the service lifespan in years. Number of wears is the best measure for regular clothing, while number of years is most suited for occasion wear, because it is important to account for the need of more garments to cover all the relevant occasions during a specified time period. It is possible to study lifespan via carefully constructed surveys, providing key data relating to actual garment use.

A Novel Just-in-Time Learning Strategy for Soft Sensing with Improved Similarity Measure Based on Mutual Information and PLS

In modern industrial process control, just-in-time learning (JITL)-based soft sensors have been widely applied. An accurate similarity measure is crucial in JITL-based soft sensor modeling since it is not only the basis for selecting the nearest neighbor samples but also determines sample weights. In recent years, JITL similarity measure methods have been greatly enriched, including methods based on Euclidean distance, weighted Euclidean distance, correlation, etc. However, due to the different influence of input variables on output, the complex nonlinear relationship between input and output, the collinearity between input variables, and other complex factors, the above similarity measure methods may become inaccurate. In this paper, a new similarity measure method is proposed by combining mutual information (MI) and partial least squares (PLS). A two-stage calculation framework, including a training stage and a prediction stage, was designed in this study to reduce the online computational burden. In the prediction stage, to establish the local model, an improved locally weighted PLS (LWPLS) with variables and samples double-weighted was adopted. The above operations constitute a novel JITL modeling strategy, which is named MI-PLS-LWPLS. By comparison with other related JITL methods, the effectiveness of the MI-PLS-LWPLS method was verified through case studies on both a synthetic Friedman dataset and a real industrial dataset.