The total dose effects of 1 MeV electrons on the dc electrical characteristics of silicon NPN transistors are investigated in the dose range from 100 krad to 100 Mrad. The different electrical characteristics such as Gummel characteristics, excess base current ( I B ), dc current gain (h FE ), transconductance (g m ), displacement damage factor (K) and output characteristics were studied in situ as a function of total dose. A considerable increase in base current (I B ) and a decrease in h FE , g m and I CSat was observed after 1 MeV electron irradiation. The collector-base (C-B) junction capacitance of transistors was measured to estimate the change in the effective carrier concentration. After 1 MeV electron irradiation, a considerable degradation in capacitance was observed. The plot of (1/C 2 ) versus voltage shows that the effective carrier concentration and built-in voltage (V bi ) increase marginally upon 1 MeV electron irradiation. The results of 1 MeV electron irradiation were compared with 1 MeV proton and Co-60 gamma irradiation results in the same dose range. The degradation for 1 MeV electron and Co-60 gamma-irradiated transistors was significantly less when compared to 1 MeV proton-irradiated transistor. The 1 MeV proton, 1 MeV electron and Co-60 gamma-irradiated transistors were subjected to isochronal annealing to analyze the recovery of the electrical parameters. ARTICLE HISTORY

No abstract

No abstract

Background: The upper respiratory infections cause considerable morbidity mainly in children due to the fact that they mainly affect children. Accordingly, a study was conducted on antibiotics to compare the effectiveness of clarithromycin, cefuroxime, and levofloxacin for treating upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in children. Methods: A prospective observational study for a period of 6 months was conducted in the pediatrics department of RVM hospital. Outpatients under the age of 14 years given antibiotics for the treatment of URTI were included in the study. A total of 99 study subjects were included in the study, divided into three groups each containing 33 sample sizes (clarithromycin, cefuroxime, and levofloxacin). Patient data was collected using a form and verbal consent was obtained from patients/patient representatives, and drugs were given using the lottery method. Follow-up was done and noted for the 3rd, 5th, 7th day through telephonic calls, and the collected data were evaluated using statistical analysis. Results: Pool data from 99 patients shows that many patients belong to 0–5 years age groups (age distribution), and males were more than female (gender distribution). Clarithromycin (cure rate 3 days) and cefuroxime (cure rate 5 days) showed an equal rate of cure percentage (94%), while levofloxacin for 3–5 days with a 3% failure rate. A significant difference of p<0.05 (p=0.000) was observed and no adverse events were noted. Conclusion: The study findings showed, out of 3 drugs, clarithromycin and cefuroxime showed an equal efficacy rate of 94%, but clarithromycin showed shorter duration of outcome, i.e., 3 days. Hence, clarithromycin is effective than the other two drugs in the treatment of URTI.

No abstract