Results of traction followed by hip spica cast for closed fracture shaft of femur in children from 2 years upto 10 years of age: experience from a remote centre in North India

Background: Fracture shaft of femur is a common fracture in children, with treatment from conservative in form of skin traction to intramedullary nailing depending on age. Conservative treatment is mostly used upto six years of age, while for children more than 12 years surgery is usually preferred. We extended conservative in form of hip spica cast till 10 years of age. This study evaluates results of skin traction followed by spica cast in children upto 10 years of age.Methods: Study was done in GMC Doda from April 2019 to March 2022. 47 patients were enrolled for study, patients were initially given skin traction to get alignment which was followed by spica cast. Patients were evaluated at 3, 6, 9 and 12 weeks, final follow up was done at 6 months.Results: Out of 47 children, 4 patients were lost to follow up. Average age of children was 5.83 years. Mode of trauma was mostly RTA or fall from height. Average duration of traction was 9.14 days and average stay in hospital was 11.5 days. Average union time was 8.36 weeks. We had significant limb length discrepancy or angulation in 6 (13.9%) of our patients.Conclusions: skin traction followed by spica cast gives good results in fracture shaft femur in children upto 10 years of age

A Study of a Generalized Photovoltaic System with MPPT Using Perturb and Observer Algorithms under Varying Conditions

In recent years, renewable energy (RE) has shown promise as a sustainable solution to the rising energy demand worldwide. Photovoltaic (PV) technology has emerged as a highly viable RE alternative. The majority of PV schemes use specific PV models with specified parameters. This study proposes a PV model with generic specifications, a PV array, a DC/DC converter, a DC/AC inverter, maximum power point tracking (MPPT), and grid synchronization using a feedback control system under the MATLAB/Simulink environment. Various MPPT techniques have been adapted to track the PV’s maximum power point (MPP); however, there are various uncertainties. To address these challenges, this paper presented a perturb and observe (P&O) strategy to track the MPP of PV systems reliably. The MPP of a PV system varies according to meteorological order, such as solar radiation and cell temperature. The MPPT primarily gathers the maximum current and voltage of the PV array and provides them to the load using a boost converter. The MPPT performance and PV array attributes are analyzed during abrupt weather changes. Finally, a feedback controller is configured to perform synchronization of the inverter with the grid. The validity and reliability of the PV module using P&O methods provide a higher efficacy of MPPT under MATLAB/simulation. Finally, the presented results endorse the strength of the proposed technique