Showing papers by "Cochin University of Science and Technology published in 2019"

First measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters using neutrinos and antineutrinos by NOvA.

Abstract: The NOvA experiment has seen a 4.4σ signal of ν[over ¯]_{e} appearance in a 2 GeV ν[over ¯]_{μ} beam at a distance of 810 km. Using 12.33×10^{20} protons on target delivered to the Fermilab NuMI neutrino beamline, the experiment recorded 27 ν[over ¯]_{μ}→ν[over ¯]_{e} candidates with a background of 10.3 and 102 ν[over ¯]_{μ}→ν[over ¯]_{μ} candidates. This new antineutrino data are combined with neutrino data to measure the parameters |Δm_{32}^{2}|=2.48_{-0.06}^{+0.11}×10^{-3} eV^{2}/c^{4} and sin^{2}θ_{23} in the ranges from (0.53-0.60) and (0.45-0.48) in the normal neutrino mass hierarchy. The data exclude most values near δ_{CP}=π/2 for the inverted mass hierarchy by more than 3σ and favor the normal neutrino mass hierarchy by 1.9σ and θ_{23} values in the upper octant by 1.6σ.

Effect of an ICU Diary on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract: Importance Keeping a diary for patients while they are in the intensive care unit (ICU) might reduce their posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Objectives To assess the effect of an ICU diary on the psychological consequences of an ICU hospitalization. Design, Setting, and Participants Assessor-blinded, multicenter, randomized clinical trial in 35 French ICUs from October 2015 to January 2017, with follow-up until July 2017. Among 2631 approached patients, 709 adult patients (with 1 family member each) who received mechanical ventilation within 48 hours after ICU admission for at least 2 days were eligible, 657 were randomized, and 339 were assessed 3 months after ICU discharge. Interventions Patients in the intervention group (n = 355) had an ICU diary filled in by clinicians and family members. Patients in the control group (n = 354) had usual ICU care without an ICU diary. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was significant PTSD symptoms, defined as an Impact Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) score greater than 22 (range, 0-88; a higher score indicates more severe symptoms), measured in patients 3 months after ICU discharge. Secondary outcomes, also measured at 3 months and compared between groups, included significant PTSD symptoms in family members; significant anxiety and depression symptoms in patients and family members, based on a Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score greater than 8 for each subscale (range, 0-42; higher scores indicate more severe symptoms; minimal clinically important difference, 2.5); and patient memories of the ICU stay, reported with the ICU memory tool. Results Among 657 patients who were randomized (median [interquartile range] age, 62 [51-70] years; 126 women [37.2%]), 339 (51.6%) completed the trial. At 3 months, significant PTSD symptoms were reported by 49 of 164 patients (29.9%) in the intervention group vs 60 of 175 (34.3%) in the control group (risk difference, −4% [95% CI, −15% to 6%];P = .39). The median (interquartile range) IES-R score was 12 (5-25) in the intervention group vs 13 (6-27) in the control group (difference, −1.47 [95% CI, −1.93 to 4.87];P = .38). There were no significant differences in any of the 6 prespecified comparative secondary outcomes. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients who received mechanical ventilation in the ICU, the use of an ICU diary filled in by clinicians and family members did not significantly reduce the number of patients who reported significant PTSD symptoms at 3 months. These findings do not support the use of ICU diaries for preventing PTSD symptoms. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT02519725

Patient blood management in obstetrics: prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage. A NATA consensus statement.

Abstract: Patient blood management (PBM) is the timely application of evidence-informed medical and surgical concepts designed to maintain haemoglobin concentration, optimise haemostasis, and minimise blood loss in an effort to improve patient outcomes. The aim of this consensus statement is to provide recommendations on the prevention and treatment of postpartum haemorrhage as part of PBM in obstetrics. A multidisciplinary panel of physicians with expertise in obstetrics, anaesthesia, haematology, and transfusion medicine was convened by the Network for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management, Haemostasis and Thrombosis (NATA) in collaboration with the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), the European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (EBCOG), and the European Society of Anaesthesiology (ESA). Members of the task force assessed the quantity, quality and consistency of the published evidence, and formulated recommendations using the system developed by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) working group. The recommendations in this consensus statement are intended for use by clinical practitioners managing perinatal care of women in all settings, and by policy-makers in charge of decision making for the update of clinical practice in health care establishments.

Monsoon Mission: A Targeted Activity to Improve Monsoon Prediction across Scales

Abstract: In spite of the summer monsoon’s importance in determining the life and economy of an agriculture-dependent country like India, committed efforts toward improving its prediction and simulat...

Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Dabrafenib

Abstract: Dabrafenib is a potent and selective inhibitor of BRAF-mutant kinase that is approved, as monotherapy or in combination with trametinib (mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase (MEK) inhibitor), for unresectable or metastatic BRAF-mutated melanoma, advanced non-small cell lung cancer and anaplastic thyroid cancer harbouring the BRAFV600E mutation. The recommended dose of dabrafenib is 150 mg twice daily (bid) under fasted conditions. After single oral administration of the recommended dose, the absolute oral bioavailability (F) of dabrafenib is 95%. Dabrafenib shows a time-dependent increase in apparent clearance (CL/F) following multiple doses, which is likely due to induction of its own metabolism through cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4. Therefore, steady state is reached only after 14 days of daily dose administration. Moreover, the extent of this auto-induction process is dependent on the dose, which explains why dabrafenib systemic exposure at steady state increases less than dose proportionally over the dose range of 75–300 mg bid. The main elimination route of dabrafenib is the oxidative metabolism via CYP3A4/2C8 and biliary excretion. Among the three major metabolites identified, hydroxy-dabrafenib appears to contribute to the pharmacological activity. Age, sex and body weight did not have any clinically significant influence on plasma exposure to dabrafenib. No dose adjustment is needed for patients with mild renal or hepatic impairment, whereas the impacts of severe impairment on dabrafenib pharmacokinetics remain unknown. Considering that dabrafenib is a substrate of CYP3A4/2C8 and is a CYP3A4/2B6/2C inducer, drug–drug interactions are expected with dabrafenib. The relationship between clinical outcomes and plasma exposure to dabrafenib and hydroxy-dabrafenib should be investigated more deeply.

High-Performance CNN Accelerator on FPGA Using Unified Winograd-GEMM Architecture

Abstract: Deep neural networks have revolutionized a variety of applications in varying domains like autonomous vehicles, weather forecasting, cancer detection, surveillance, traffic management, and so on. The convolutional neural network (CNN) is the state-of-the-art technique for many machine learning tasks in the image and video processing domains. Deployment of CNNs on embedded systems with lower processing power and smaller power budget is a challenging task. Recent studies have shown the effectiveness of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as a hardware accelerator for the CNNs that can deliver high performance at low power budgets. Majority of computations in CNNs involve 2-D convolution. Winograd minimal filtering-based algorithm is the most efficient technique for calculating convolution for smaller filter sizes. CNNs also consist of fully connected layers that are computed using general element-wise matrix multiplication (GEMM). In this article, we propose a unified architecture named UniWiG, where both Winograd-based convolution and GEMM can be accelerated using the same set of processing elements. This approach leads to efficient utilization of FPGA hardware resources while computing all layers in the CNN. The proposed architecture shows performance improvement in the range of $1.4\times $ to $4.02\times $ with only 13% additional FPGA resources with respect to the baseline GEMM-based architecture. We have mapped popular CNN models like AlexNet and VGG-16 onto the proposed accelerator and the measured performance compares favorably with other state-of-the-art implementations. We have also analyzed the vulnerability of the accelerator to the side-channel attacks. Preliminary investigations show that the UniWiG architecture is more robust to memory side-channel attacks than direct convolution-based techniques.

Contrasting trends in southwest monsoon rainfall over the Western Ghats region of India

Abstract: This study presents the contrasting trends of rainfall in the northern and southern Western Ghats (WG) and examines possible reasons for the phenomenon. The WG is one of the important mountain ranges that run parallel to the west coast of India. The mountain chain lies almost perpendicular to the low level jet stream (LLJ) and hence, receives about three times the average rainfall in India. The onset of southwest monsoon also occurs at this region, and thus WG plays a key role in regulating Indian climate through regional climate modulations. Therefore, detecting changes in the rainfall in WG is necessary to identify changes in regional climate. Here, we examine the features of rainfall received and reasons for the observed rainfall patterns in the northern and southern WG. In general, the rainfall peaks are observed in low elevated areas with high inter-annual variability. We find an increase (decrease) southwest monsoon rainfall of about 1.6 mm day−1 decade−1 in certain pockets of the northern (southern) WG. However, an average trend of + 0.3 (− 0.39) mm day−1 decade−1 is estimated in the northern (southern) WG for the 1931–2015 period. Our analyses reveal that this contrasting trend in rainfall (i.e. positive in the north and negative in the south WG) is due to the northward movement of LLJ; from 10°N to 15°N. This shift in LLJ is triggered by an abnormal increase in the surface temperature of the northern Arabian Sea and tropospheric temperature of the north India in the recent decades. The warming helped the LLJ core to move northwards and that weakened (strengthened) the westerly winds over the southern (northern) WG to significantly change the pattern of southwest monsoon rainfall. Henceforth, this study cautions the changes in the rainfall pattern over WG, which can have significant long-term implications for regional climate change.

Face Recognition based Surveillance System Using FaceNet and MTCNN on Jetson TX2

Abstract: Surveillance systems, in spite of the recent advances, still poses many challenges, especially in the field of patrolling or tracking of subjects through CCTV footage or any other portable drone mechanisms. Real time monitoring of public places for possible suspects are still made through manual observations in many places. The manual labour involved and the human errors that can occur makes the system less efficient. Many research attempts were made for designing foolproof systems and still going on, understanding the importance of the problem. This paper presents the implementation of an intelligent multicamera Face Recognition based surveillance system using FaceNet and MTCNN algorithm on Jetson TX2. The proposed portable system tracks the subject or the suspect with the camera ID/location together with the timestamp and logs his presence in the database, using multiple camera installation.

NKG2D/NKG2-Ligand Pathway Offers New Opportunities in Cancer Treatment.

Abstract: The antitumor functions of NK cells are regulated by the integration of positive and negative signals triggered by numerous membrane receptors present on the NK cells themselves. Among the main activating receptors, NKG2D binds several stress-induced molecules on tumor targets. Engagement of NKG2D by its ligands (NKG2D-Ls) induces NK cell activation leading to production of cytokines and target cell lysis. These effects have therapeutic potential as NKG2D-Ls are widely expressed by solid tumors, whereas their expression in healthy cells is limited. Here, we describe the genetic and environmental factors regulating the NKG2D/NKG2D-L pathway in tumors. NKG2D-L expression is linked to cellular stress and cell proliferation, and has been associated with oncogenic mutations. Tumors have been found to alter their to NKG2D-L expression as they progress, which interferes with the antitumor function of the pathway. Nevertheless, this pathway could be advantageously exploited for cancer therapy. Various cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and targeted therapies, indirectly interfere with the cellular and soluble forms of NKG2D-Ls. In addition, NKG2D introduced into chimeric antigen receptors in T- and NK cells is a promising tumor immunotherapy approach.

A novel humidity and ammonia sensor based on nanofibers/polyaniline/polyvinyl alcohol

Abstract: An efficient sensor for monitoring humidity and ammonia gas was fabricated using nanofibers, polyaniline (PANI) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The sensor was fabricated using two nanofibers, i.e. carbon nanofiber (CNF) and nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC). The sensor film was prepared by casting of the hot aqueous PVA solution containing the nanofibers modified with polyaniline. The composites (PANI/CNF/PVA and PANI/NFC/PVA) were studied using TEM, SEM, FTIR, and BET surface area analysis. The response of the sensor was evaluated from the change in capacitance with varying humidity levels. The AC capacitance of the sensor film was measured over a relative humidity (RH) range of 30% to 100%. Compared to PANI/NFC/PVA composite, PANI/CNF/PVA composite exhibited higher sensitivity, shorter response time (41 s) and better recovery (46 s). The change of sensitivity for CNF based composite was from 290 to 6570% at 100 Hz frequency. The response of the films to ammonia was investigated over a range of 0–100 ppm at room temperature. The observed sensitivity of the film varied from 10 to 84. PANI/CNF/PVA composite was found to have much better response time (46 s) and sensitivity for ammonia sensing. This improvement in the sensing performance of CNF composite was attributed to the higher pore size and the enhanced hydrogen bonding interaction with water molecules.

Variability of Indian summer monsoon droughts in CMIP5 climate models

Abstract: Variability of Indian summer monsoon droughts is investigated by computing all-India drought indices namely Percent of Normal Precipitation, Standardized Precipitation Index and percentage area of India under moderate and severe drought conditions. Observations for recent decades, post 1960, exhibit declining trend in monsoon rainfall with frequent occurrence and intensification of droughts along with an increase in percentage of area under moderate and severe drought conditions, in association with variations in sea surface temperature (SST). Historical simulations from CMIP5 models suggest that two models, ACCESS1.0 and INMCM4, could well simulate monsoon rainfall variability, particularly the frequent occurrence of droughts and spatial variability of rainfall during drought years in recent historical period (1961–2005). Future projections of all-India drought indices from these two models indicate frequent droughts during near and mid future (2010–2069) with respect to the recent historical period. Intensification of severe droughts for near and mid future are suggested to be more pronounced over north-central India. The reduction in rainfall in the near and mid future is dynamically consistent with a westward shift in large-scale monsoon circulation, particularly the monsoon trough over South Asia. Interestingly, future projections of monsoon teleconnections indicate a weakening (strengthening) of in-phase (out-of-phase) relationship of all-India drought intensity with the equatorial eastern Pacific and the Indian Ocean (western Pacific) SST. Whereas, a strengthening of in-phase relationship between percentage of area under drought conditions and the equatorial eastern Pacific SST is projected for near and mid future with respect to the recent historical period. These drought features are consistent in both the models.

Phage Endolysins as Potential Antimicrobials against Multidrug Resistant Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus: Current Status of Research and Challenges Ahead

Abstract: Vibrio alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus, the causative agents of Vibriosis in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, are also responsible for fatal illnesses such as gastroenteritis, septicemia, and necrotizing fasciitis in humans via the ingestion of contaminated seafood. Aquaculture farmers often rely on extensive prophylactic use of antibiotics in farmed fish to mitigate Vibrios and their biofilms. This has been postulated as being of serious concern in the escalation of antibiotic resistant Vibrios. For this reason, alternative strategies to combat aquaculture pathogens are in high demand. Bacteriophage-derived lytic enzymes and proteins are of interest to the scientific community as promising tools with which to diminish our dependency on antibiotics. Lysqdvp001 is the best-characterized endolysin with lytic activity against multiple species of Vibrios. Various homologues of Vibrio phage endolysins have also been studied for their antibacterial potential. These novel endolysins are the major focus of this mini review.

Microwave/Persulphate assisted ZnO mediated photocatalysis (MW/PS/UV/ZnO) as an efficient advanced oxidation process for the removal of RhB dye pollutant from water

Abstract: Microwave (MW), ultraviolet (UV) light and MW-UV combination are tested as sources of activation for the ZnO-mediated, persulphate (PS)-assisted (MW/PS/UV/ZnO) degradation/mineralization of the pollutant dye Rhodamine B (RhB) in water. The simultaneous irradiation by MW and UV is more efficient and synergistic for the mineralization of the dye compared to the respective individual energy sources. The degradation is influenced by catalyst dosage, concentration of the dye, pH of the medium, presence of contaminant salts, dissolved oxygen etc. The synergy of the MW/PS/UV/ZnO process in comparison to the respective individual processes (MW/PS and UV/ZnO) is attributed to the ‘nonthermal’ and ‘specific’ effect of MW which induce increased formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as O2-, and OH radicals. Formation of surface defects which inhibits the recombination of photoinduced electrons and holes in ZnO is another major reason for the synergy. MW enhances the degradation/mineralisation of RhB even in systems with less dissolved oxygen because of the efficient transference of oxygen from the bulk of the catalyst to the surface. Another interesting observation is that simultaneous MW + UV irradiation of ZnO suspensions deaerated with N2 results in N-doped ZnO, with extended absorption in the visible range of sunlight. The potential of this simple convenient method without any cumbersome procedure for preparing N-doped ZnO needs further in-depth investigation. The study demonstrated the potential use of the combination process ‘microwave-photocatalysis’ for the efficient decontamination of water from dye pollutants.

Discrepancy in current central serous chorioretinopathy classification

Abstract: Aim To report the discordance in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) classification among practising retina specialists. Methods The study conducted was a multicentre survey. Multimodal retinal images along with relevant clinical details of 100 cases diagnosed as CSCR (from six centres) were circulated among six retina specialists across the globe. The image sets included colour fundus photographs, fundus autofluorescence images, optical coherence tomography b-scans, fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography of the study and fellow eyes. The graders were asked to classify the disease of study eye, according to their own criteria. The graders were masked to the responses of other graders. The final analysis of the pooled response data was done based on the diagnosis of study eye only. The main outcome measure was degree of agreement between six independent observers using Fleiss Kappa statistics. Results Grading for 100 eyes of 100 patients (men, 93%) was included in the analysis. 20 patients had a history of steroid use. The graders provided 36 different terms to classify the disease, with poor agreement among graders (Fleiss Kappa=0.134). The consistency in diagnosing acute CSCR was statistically higher than for either chronic (p=0.012) or recurrent CSCR (p Conclusion The high discordance among experienced retina specialists in describing CSCR clinical subtypes is highlighted. The current work demonstrates the limitations of current empirical CSCR classification methods and the need for a more objective and refined system to bring uniformity in diagnosis and prognostication of the disease.

Some properties of cumulative Tsallis entropy of order $$\alpha $$

Abstract: Tsallis entropy of order \(\alpha \) (see Tsallis in J Stat Phys 52(1–2):479–487, 1988) plays an important role in the measurement uncertainty of random variables. Recently, Sati and Gupta (J Probab Stat, doi:10.1155/2015/694203, 2015) introduced a cumulative Tsallis entropy of order \(\alpha \) and studied its various properties in the context of reliability modeling. In this paper, we introduce an alternate measure of cumulative Tsallis entropy of order \(\alpha \) and study its properties. Unlike the cumulative Tsallis entropy due to Sati and Gupta (J Probab Stat, doi:10.1155/2015/694203, 2015), the proposed measure has some additional features and has simple relationships with other important information and reliability measures.

Talent Management and Employee Retention: An Integrative Research Framework:

Abstract: The differential value created by talented employees and their contribution to organizations in the hypercompetitive and complex global economy has made talent management a strategic priority for o...

A narrative review of family members’ experience of organ donation request after brain death in the critical care setting

Abstract: Family members of critically ill patients suffer from high levels of anxiety and depression in the ICU, and are at risk of developing post-ICU syndrome following ICU discharge. In the case of brain death, and potential organ donation, the family is at the center of the decision process: within a limited time frame, the family will be informed that the patient is brain-dead and will be approached about potential organ donation. Family experience with organ donation has been the topic of several research papers allowing one to gain knowledge about family members’ experience of organ donation, emphasizing specific needs, adequate support, and pointing out gaps in current delivery of family-centered care. In this narrative review, experts, clinicians, and researchers present the various legal systems regarding family implication in organ donation decisions; describe factors that influence the decision-making process; highlight family perspectives of care and respect for potential donors in the ICU environment; describe the impact of organ donation discussions and decisions on post-ICU syndrome; and suggest communication skills and support to be developed in the future. A research agenda for the next decade is also encouraged. Overall, challenges remain and concern all persons involved in the process, ICU doctors and nurses, the organ procurement organization, family members, and, in some cases, the patients themselves. Looking at the big picture will provide opportunities for further improvements.

Enhanced room temperature gas sensing properties of low temperature solution processed ZnO/CuO heterojunction.

Abstract: The development of room temperature gas sensors having response towards a specific gas is attracting researchers nowadays in the field. In the present work, room temperature (29 °C) ethanol sensor based on vertically aligned ZnO nanorods decorated with CuO nanoparticles was successfully fabricated by simple cost effective solution processing. The heterojunction sensor exhibits better sensor parameters compared to pristine ZnO. The response of the heterojunction sensor to 50 ppm ethanol is, at least, 2-fold higher than the response of the ZnO bare sensor. Also the response and recovery time of ZnO/CuO sensor to 50 ppm ethanol are of 9 and 420 s whereas the values are 16 and 510 s respectively for ZnO sensor. The vertical alignment of ZnO nanorods as well as its surface modification by CuO nanoparticles increased the effective surface area of the device and the formation of p-CuO/n-ZnO junction at the interface are the reasons for the improved performance at room temperature. In addition to ethanol, the fabricated device has the capability to detect the presence of reducing gases like hydrogen sulfide and ammonia at room temperature.

Thermocatalytic cleavage of C-C and C-O bonds in model compounds and kraft lignin by NiMoS2/C nanocatalysts

Abstract: The effective utilization of biomass derived lignin as a source of chemicals and fuels involves chemical transformation such as depolymerization and deoxygenation reactions. Since lignin macromolecules are predominantly made up of both C-C and C-O bond linkages, the simultaneous cleavage of these linkages requires the design of a highly efficient catalytic system. Therefore, this paper reports an innovative technique for preparing NiMoS2 nanoparticles as an upgrading catalyst for lignin via a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) route. The key aspect of this strategy is to produce single layered, short MoS2 slabs (∼4 nm) that possess increasingly exposed edge active sites in contrast to the bulk MoS2 materials. A microemulsion synthesis technique was utilized to prepare the NiMoS2 nanocatalyst, which was dispersed on an activated carbon support giving a weak metal-support interaction that facilitated a "metal-like character" of the catalyst as well as the formation of type-II NiMo phases. Initial catalyst screening for the HDO of lignin phenolic model compounds (phenol, guaiacol, veratrole and syringol) showed that partial deoxygenation accompanied by hydrogenation was the favoured reaction pathway. Moreover, rapid cleavage of C-C and C-O bonds of recalcitrant α-O-4, β-O-4 and 4-O-5 linkages was achieved in a relatively short reaction time (i.e. <3 h). Eventually, the catalyst was demonstrated to be capable of depolymerizing kraft lignin by hydrogenolysis to produce monomeric and dimeric phenolic compounds as indicated by the GPC and GC-MS results. The reusability of the catalyst for guaiacol conversion, as a prototype for other phenolic compounds, showed that catalytic activity is stable and maintained even after three reaction cycles. Catalytic stability was ascribed primarily to the preservation of the catalytic active edges containing short MoS2 layers and high stacking (up to 7 layers) and as a result, leached sulphur and coke formed were minimized. Thus, synthesising amorphous NiMoS2/C nanocatalysts by the microemulsion technique represents a promising alternative for designing cheap and efficient catalysts for lignin upgrading.

Metastatic melanoma: pretreatment contrast-enhanced CT texture parameters as predictive biomarkers of survival in patients treated with pembrolizumab

Abstract: To determine whether texture analysis features on pretreatment contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images can predict overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma (MM) treated with an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, pembrolizumab. This institutional-approved retrospective study included 31 patients with metastatic MM treated with pembrolizumab. Texture analysis of 74 metastatic lesions was performed on CT scanners obtained within 1 month before treatment. Mean gray-level, entropy, kurtosis, skewness, and standard deviation values were derived from the pixel distribution histogram before and after spatial filtration at different anatomic scales, ranging from fine to coarse. Lasso penalized Cox regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of OS and PFS. Median OS and PFS were 357 days (range 42–1355) and 99 days (range 35–1185), respectively. Skewness at coarse texture scale (SSF = 6; HR (CI 95%) = 6.017 (1.39, 26.056), p = 0.016), Response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) conclusion (HR (CI 95%) = 3.41 (1.17, 9.89), p = 0.024), and body weight (HR (CI 95%) = 0.96 (0.92, 0.995), p = 0.026) were independent predictors of OS. Skewness at coarse texture scale (SSF = 6; HR (CI 95%) = 4.55 (1.46, 14.13), p = 0.0089) and RECIST conclusion (HR (CI 95%) = 10.63 (3.11, 36.29), p = 0.00016) were independent predictors of PFS. Skewness values above − 0.55 at coarse texture scale were significantly associated with both lower OS and lower PFS after administration of pembrolizumab. Pretreatment CT texture analysis–derived tumor skewness may act as predictive biomarker of OS and PFS in patients with metastatic MM treated with pembrolizumab. • Pretreatment skewness at coarse texture scale in metastases from malignant melanoma was an independent predictor of overall survival and progression-free survival. • Skewness values above −0.55 at coarse texture scale were significantly associated with both lower OS and lower PFS after administration of pembrolizumab. • In patients with metastatic MM, texture analysis performed on pretreatment CT may act as a useful tool to select the best candidates for pembrolizumab therapy.

Hydrogen from photo-electrocatalytic water splitting

Abstract: Photoelectrochemical water splitting has been frontier research in the last 50 years to meet the energy demand from sustainable hydrogen production. Various materials have designed and engineered to split the water to the constituents. However, the efforts in this regard do not lead the process to a viable scale. The chapter deals with the perspective on the current scenario of material designing approach and its consequences. Also, a revisit to the genesis of the photoelectrochemical water splitting in the boom years and cited the essential articles in the field appeared before 1990 in the form of a chronological table. A prospect for the future of the field has been suggested based on the effect of the photon as well as electric field together in the system—also, a proposition on the materials design aspects given.