Control of a Circular Jet

The present study report direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a circular jet and the effect of a large scale perturbation at the jet inlet. The perturbation is used to control the jet for increased spreading. Dual-mode perturbation is obtained by combining an axisymmetric excitation with the helical. In the fluid dynamics videos, an active control of the circular jet at a Reynolds number of 2000 for various frequency ratios (both integer and non-integer) has been demonstrated. When the frequency ratio is fixed to 2, bifurcation of the jet on a plane is evident. However, for a non-integer frequency ratio, the axisymmetric jet is seen to bloom in all directions.Comment: 2 page

Cervical traction: a simple step ahead in the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage

Background: Postpartum hemorrhage is the most common preventable cause of maternal mortality in developing countries. The present study aimed to examine the impact of cervical traction technique in reducing the amount of postpartum blood loss and rate of PPH.Methods: This was a case-control, pilot study conducted in a tertiary hospital between June 2017 to June 2018. A total of 200 singletons, low-risk pregnant females, undergoing normal vaginal delivery, were enrolled in this study. Subjects showing a high risk for PPH were excluded. Patients were randomized as case group (n=100) and control group (n=100). The case group received sustained traction for 90 seconds to anterior and posterior lip of the cervix with active management of the third stage of labor, whereas the control group received routine active management of the third stage of labor. All subjects were followed up for 6 hours post-delivery. The amount of blood loss, hematocrit and hemoglobin post-delivery were compared between both groups.Results: The mean blood loss (ml), decrease in hemoglobin (g/L) and decrease in hematocrit post-delivery in cases were significantly low compared to controls (207±37.6 versus 340±49, P<0.01), (0.78±0.2 versus 1.4±0.3, P=0.03) and (1.7±0.2 versus 3.5±0.2, P<0.01). PPH occurred in 7 of 200 (3.5%) patients. The difference in the number of PPH was not significant (5/100; 5% versus 2/100; 2% P=0.2). There were no complications reported due to cervical traction.Conclusions: Cervical traction is a simple and safe maneuver to reduce the amount of postpartum blood loss. Larger RCT is recommended to investigate the reduction in PPH rate

Determination of V(V) & Cr(VI) in Presence of Chloride

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Outcome of distal femoral fractures treated with locking compression plates

Background: Fixation of distal femoral fractures with a lateral plate alone is associated with nonunion and/or malunion with varus collapse. Locking compression plates may reduce the tendency of varus collapse. Hence, we evaluated the union rates and functional and anatomical outcome in patients of distal femoral fractures who were treated with locking compression plates.Methods: This prospective study was conducted at a tertiary health care center at Bangalore between July 2010 and June 2012. Patients with distal femoral fractures were treated with locking compression plates and were followed up for at least 6 months. Outcomes were evaluated using Neer’s score to assess outcomes in adult distal femoral fractures.Results: The study included 22 patients (10 males and 11 females) among whom one patient was lost to follow up within 6 months after the procedure. All the fractures were post-traumatic. Nineteen (91%) patients had closed fractures whereas two (9%) had open fractures. Muller’s A1 type was the most common (n=7) type of fracture followed by C2, C1, A2 (n=4 each) and B1, A3 (n= 1 each). Median duration of follow-up was 8 months (range: 6-18 months). The mean NEER’s functional score was 80 points. Overall results were excellent in 5 (24%) out of 21 cases and were satisfactory in 15 (71%) cases and only one had an unsatisfactory result.Conclusions: Locking compression plates offer excellent-satisfactory outcome in patients with distal femoral fractures.

Hairpins in the conformations of a confined polymer

If a semiflexible polymer confined to a narrow channel bends around by 180 degrees, the polymer is said to exhibit a hairpin. The equilibrium extension statistics of the confined polymer are well understood when hairpins are vanishingly rare or when they are plentiful. Here we analyze the extension statistics in the intermediate situation via experiments with DNA coated by the protein RecA, which enhances the stiffness of the DNA molecule by approximately one order of magnitude. We find that the extension distribution is highly non-Gaussian, in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations of confined discrete wormlike chains. We develop a simple model that qualitatively explains the form of the extension distribution. The model shows that the tail of the distribution at short extensions is determined by conformations with one hairpin.Comment: Revised version. 22 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables, supplementary materia

YBCO-buffered NdBCO film with higher thermal stability in seeding REBCO Growth

In this work, we report a strengthened superheating effect caused by a buffering YBa2Cu3Oy (Y123 or YBCO) layer in the Nd1+xBa2-xCu3O7-y (Nd123 or NdBCO) thin film with MgO substrate (i.e., NdBCO/YBCO/MgO thin film). In the cold-seeding melt-textured (MT) growth, the NdBCO/YBCO/MgO film presented an even higher superheating level, about 20 {\deg}C higher than that of non-buffered NdBCO film (i.e., NdBCO/MgO film). Using this NdBCO/YBCO/MgO film as seeds and undergoing a maximum processing temperature (Tmax) up to 1120 {\deg}C, we succeeded in growing various RE1+xBa2-xCu3O7-y (REBCO, RE=rare elements) bulk superconductors, including Gd1+xBa2-xCu3O7-y (GdBCO), Sm1+xBa2-xCu3O7-y (SmBCO) and NdBCO that have high peritectic temperatures (Tp). The pole figure (X-Ray \phi-scan) measurement reveals that the NdBCO/YBCO/MgO film has better in-plane alignment than the NdBCO/MgO film, indicating that the induced intermediate layer improves the crystallinity of the NdBCO film, which could be the main origin of the enhanced thermal stability. In short, possessing higher thermal stability and enduring a higher Tmax in the MT process, the NdBCO/YBCO/MgO film is beneficial to the growth of bulk superconductors in two aspects: (1) broad application for high-Tp REBCO materials; (2) effective suppression against heterogeneous nucleation, which is of great assistance in growing large and high-performance REBCO crystals.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Surgical management of proximal tibial fractures with locking compression plate

Background: Incidence of proximal tibial fractures is increasing due to increasing incidence of road traffic accidents (RTA). Knee joint being one of the major weight bearing joint of the body, appropriate management of fracture around it will be of paramount importance in maintaining mobility. The recent development of locking compression plate (LCP) has revolutionized the treatment of proximal tibial fractures by overcoming the few drawbacks of conventional buttress plate.Methods: We studied 30 patients involving proximal tibial fracture manged using LCP [23 patients with minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis, (MIPO) technique and 7 patients with Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) technique]. We followed up all the patients until complete union of fractures.Results: The average time for union of fracture was 14 weeks (range: 12-24 weeks). Overall 96.7% patients had acceptable outcome (70% excellent and 26.7% good). Patients treated with MIPO technique healed earlier and more frequently had excellent results than those treated with ORIF. A total of four patients had complications (knee joint stiffness in 1, postoperative loss of reduction in 1, infection in 1 and knee instability in 1). Conclusions: Locking compression plate system acts as a good biological fixation for proximal tibial fractures even in difficult fracture situations. MIPO technique offers faster healing and better outcome than ORIF in patients with proximal tibial fractures

Sonographic assessment of fetal head deflexion using occiput: spine angle measured during first stage of labour and its role in predicting the mode of delivery among nulliparous women

Background: The attitude of the fetal head during labour significantly influences the progress and outcome of delivery and is mainly diagnosed by vaginal examination during labour. The aim of the study was to quantify the extent of deflexion of the fetal head by measuring the fetal occiput spine angle (OSA) through transabdominal ultrasonography in the first stage of labour and to determine whether the fetal OSA can predict the mode of delivery.Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study on 145 nulliparous uncomplicated singleton pregnant women without occiput-posterior position of the fetus during active labour. The OSA was measured as the angle between the two tangential lines to the occipital bone and the vertebral body of the first cervical spine, during active labour and monitored until delivery. Intra- and interobserver reproducibility of the OSA measurement and the correlation between the OSA and mode of delivery were also evaluated.Results: For the study population, the mean value of the OSA measured in the active phase of the first stage was 124.2±11.5⁰. The OSA measurement showed excellent intraobserver agreement (r = 0.82; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.70-0.80) and fair-to-good interobserver agreement (r = 0.62; 95% CI 0.51-0.71).  The mean OSA was significantly less for the group of patients who required conversion to cesarean section due to labour arrest (n=32) as compared to those who had vaginal delivery (n=113) (116.25±9.2⁰ versus 126.53±11.1⁰, P<0.01). An OSA of ≥121° was associated with vaginal delivery in 80.5% (91/113) of women, whereas 87.5% (28/32) of the women who delivered by cesarean section had an OSA <121⁰.Conclusions: Measurement of the OSA, by sonography is feasible, reproducible and an objective tool to assess the degree of fetal head deflexion during labour and to predict the mode of delivery

A rare case of neomercazole induced hepatitis

Neomercazole is one of the most commonly used drugs to treat hyperthyroidism. Common side effects include rash, hair loss and agranulocytosis. Hepatotoxicity is a common side effect of Propylthiouracil, the other major antithyroid drug, but it has been rarely described as a side effect of neomercazole. Here, a patient presents with hepatitis 6 months after starting neomercazole therapy for graves disease. Diagnosis is based on excluding other causes of hepatitis, and treatment involves removing the offending drug. This is followed by normalization of liver function. Rechallenging should not be done as it can lead to recurrence of symptoms