Cholestatic hepatitis in a patient with typhoid fever - a case report

Typhoid fever is a very common infectious disease, particularly in developing countries such as Sri Lanka. Although multiple organs are known to be affected by the disease, hepatic involvement could be considered the most important as studies have showed that it is associated with a higher relapse rate. We report a young patient who presented with fever and jaundice and found to have cholestatic hepatitis secondary to typhoid fever

Design and Calibration of a Flowfield Survey Rake for Inlet Flight Research

The Propulsion Flight Test Fixture at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center is a unique test platform available for use on NASA's F-15B aircraft, tail number 836, as a modular host for a variety of aerodynamics and propulsion research. For future flight data from this platform to be valid, more information must be gathered concerning the quality of the airflow underneath the body of the F-15B at various flight conditions, especially supersonic conditions. The flow angularity and Mach number must be known at multiple locations on any test article interface plane for measurement data at these locations to be valid. To determine this prerequisite information, flight data will be gathered in the Rake Airflow Gauge Experiment using a custom-designed flowfield rake to probe the airflow underneath the F-15B at the desired flight conditions. This paper addresses the design considerations of the rake and probe assembly, including the loads and stress analysis using analytical methods, computational fluid dynamics, and finite element analysis. It also details the flow calibration procedure, including the completed wind-tunnel test and posttest data reduction, calibration verification, and preparation for flight-testing

Sytemic lupus erythematosus presenting with protein losing enteropathy in a resource limited centre: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Systemic lupus erythematosus is a disease which may initially present with varying symptoms, most commonly a photosensitive rash and arthritis. Protein losing enteropathy is a recognized but rare presenting manifestation. Diagnosing protein losing enteropathy in resource limited centres is challenging but possible through the exclusion of other possible causes of hypoalbunaemia.</p> <p>Case Presentation</p> <p>We report a case of protein losing gastroenteropathy secondary to intestinal lymphangiectasia as the initial manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus in a 57 year old Sri Lankan (South Asian) male patient. The diagnosis was made by the exclusion of other causes of hypoalbuminaemia as the gold standard investigations for protein losing enteropathy were not available at this centre.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Protein losing enteropathy is a diagnosis of exclusion in resource limited centres in the world. Systemic lupus erythematosus should be considered in the differential diagnosis of protein losing enteropathy. Intestinal lymphangiectasia should also be recognized as a possible pathophysiological mechanism.</p

Effect of polyethylene glycol-intercalated organoclay on vulcanization characteristics and reinforcement of natural rubber nanocomposites

Organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) clay was intercalated with low-molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) oligomer at melt stage. The intercalation behaviour of PEG into the OMMT clay galleries and its interaction with clay platelets were characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetric techniques. A natural rubber (NR)-organoclay nanocomposite (NROCN) was prepared by melt-compounding of NR with PEG-treated organoclay (P-OMMT) and other compounding chemicals using a laboratory-scale internal mixer. XRD analysis of the nanocomposites revealed the intercalation of NR molecules into the P-OMMT clay galleries and subsequent exfoliation during the melt-compounding process. Vulcanization characteristics of the NROCN, especially processing safety and optimum curing time, have been interpreted with reference to the organic modifier of the montmorillonite clay, PEG modification and the degree of exfoliation. Solid-state mechanical properties of P-OMMT clay-filled NROCN vulcanizates have shown a significant enhancement in stiffness and strength characteristics whilst without scarifying the elasticity of the nanocomposites. Results have been explained in terms of the degree of exfoliation, dispersibility of the organoclay and strain-induced crystallization of the natural rubber.The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article

Natural rubber/layered silcate nanocomposite for Building applications

Polymeric nanocomposite materials with a nano tag are nowadays moving into the market and are beginning to compete with traditional composite materials in various applications. Nanocomposite materials based on a polymeric matrix and nano-scale particles have offered a great opportunity in sustainable construction/green building applications since its potential capability of addressing key components of the sustainable construction: efficient materials and environmental protection. Natural rubber (NR)/layered silicate (NRLS) nanocomposites have been prepared by melt mixing of NR with organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) in the presence of functionalized polar additive and other curing chemicals. The resultant nanorubber vulcanizate structures were characterised with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD analysis showed that NR molecules diffused into the OMMT gallery in the presence of functionalised polar additive and, as a result, intercalated/exfoliated rubber nanocomposite was formed, the result further confirmed by the analysis of SEM images. The mechanical performances of NRLS nanocomposite material prepared with increasing loading level of OMMT and 90 phr of inert filler (CaCO3) were investigated to evaluate the reinforcing effect of OMMT in the presence of inert filler. The mechanical properties of the NRLS vulcanisate were compared with conventional NR vulcanizate containing carbon black (CB) and CaCO3

Global manufacturing capability modelling and evaluation.

Desires to gain access to new markets, minimise production cost, take advantage of regional investment incentives and enhance technological development have prompted many companies to study the feasibility of globalising their manufacturing activities. They need evaluation tools which will provide structured and systematic methodologies to study and facilitate global manufacturing decisions. Past work by numerous academics and researchers in comparing the manufacturing competitiveness between different nations provide valuable insight into the advantages and disadvantages of locating manufacturing facilities in different countries. In an operational point of view, however, companies require more specific information about a changing industry and its sub-industries with the view of evaluating their capabilities within the context of global socio-economic and technological trends.This thesis proposes a conceptual model that will assist companies to measure, compare and project their manufacturing performances when supplying to a particular market using products manufactured in different locations. This Manufacturing Capabilities Model is conceptually represented by a cuboid, the three axis of which relates to manufacturing process, performance and potential respectively. Manufacturing processes and performance measures are organised in a hierarchical matrix under major stages of the production process and four main performance criteria of cost, quality, delivery and flexibility. The relative importance of these four performance criteria to a company varies according to the structure of the industry in a particular region. Potential represents the changes in performance in response to changes in the business environment. The validity of the model is demonstrated based on its implementation on the steel industry.The Manufacturing Capabilities Model adopts Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique to evaluate global manufacturing competitiveness. This model enables a company to compare the competitiveness of different production route configurations encompassing different plants in different countries. It analyses the multiple-attribute problems by decomposing them to hierarchies. It provides pairwise comparison of criteria and generates an integrated overall score based on which alternative decisions can be ranked and compared.Software built on Expert Choice, a software package based on AHP, facilitates the implementation of the model in the steel industry. User interface is provided by Microsoft Excel with Visual Basic for Applications. Several options are available for the users to analyse performance results.The model validation is supported by a comprehensive questionnaire which facilitates data collection in the steel industry. Two industrial case studies based on the Chinese steel industry are used to validate the overall modelling methodology

COMPARISON OF FLORISTIC DIVERSITY OF FOUR WOODLAND TYPES IN THE UPPER HANTANA CAMPUS LAND

In the Upper Hantana campus land, three broad-leaf woodlands Peresereanthes fa/cataria.A /stonia macrophylla, or mixed species woodland and Pinus caribaea woodland grow inproximity to one another. The wide range of floristic diversity exhibited by these differentwoodlands was compared using plot sampling.The overstorey vegetation of the Alstonia woodland showed the highest, i) density, ii)floristic richness, iii) proportion of endemics and iv) plant diversity, foIlowed in decreasingorder by that in the Peresereanthes-, mixed-, and Pinus woodland. In the understoreyvegetation, floristic diversity «10 ern) was highest in Peresereanthes woodland, foIlowedin decreasing order by that in Alstonia-, mixed species-, and Pinus woodlands. Speciesrank abundance plots of overstorey and understorey species show that over storeyvegetation in Pinus woodland, fits the geometric series, whereas the others fit the logseries or log normal model.The broad-leaf species woodlands in Upper Hantana also showed better naturalregeneration of an array of species. AIl woodlands showed differences in micro-siteconditions. Levels of human disturbance and burning may contribute to differencesamongst them. These results provide baseline ecological information on naturalregeneration in different woodland types and indicate their relative potential forconservation of biodiversity and water resources.