Design and rationale of the North Indian ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Registry: A prospective cohort study.

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Although remarkable progress has been made in the management of STEMI in high-income countries, contemporary data to evaluate processes and outcomes of STEMI care in India is limited. The North Indian ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NORIN STEMI) registry is a prospective cohort study based at government funded and largely free of cost tertiary medical centers in New Delhi, India. These hospitals serve a large proportion of the patients with lower socioeconomic status presenting from multiple states in India, as many centers in these states lack adequate specialized cardiovascular care. The study has been approved by the Institutional Review Boards of each institution and informed consent has been obtained from study participants. The NORIN STEMI registry aims to provide important insights regarding contemporary risk factors profiles, practice patterns, and prognosis in patients with STEMI in an underserved population in North India. These findings may identify opportunities to improve the outcomes of patients with STEMI in India.

Mechanical and Electronic Properties of Thin-Film Transistors on Plastic, and Their Integration in Flexible Electronic Applications.

The increasing interest in flexible electronics and flexible displays raises questions regarding the inherent mechanical properties of the electronic materials used. Here, the mechanical behavior of thin-film transistors used in active-matrix displays is considered. The change of electrical performance of thin-film semiconductor materials under mechanical stress is studied, including amorphous oxide semiconductors. This study comprises an experimental part, in which transistor structures are characterized under different mechanical loads, as well as a theoretical part, in which the changes in energy band structures in the presence of stress and strain are investigated. The performance of amorphous oxide semiconductors are compared to reported results on organic semiconductors and covalent semiconductors, i.e., amorphous silicon and polysilicon. In order to compare the semiconductor materials, it is required to include the influence of the other transistor layers on the strain profile. The bending limits are investigated, and shown to be due to failures in the gate dielectric and/or the contacts. Design rules are proposed to minimize strain in transistor stacks and in transistor arrays. Finally, an overview of the present and future applications of flexible thin-film transistors is given, and the suitability of the different material classes for those applications is assessed.