A Rare Case of Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome Accompanying Late Postpartum Eclampsia or Hypertensive Encephalopathy-A Clinical Dilemma

Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES) refers to a clinic-radiologic diagnosis. Clinically it is characterized by non specific symptoms such as headache, confusion, visual disturbances and seizures. The radiological findings in PRES are thought to be due to vasogenic oedema, predominantly in the posterior cerebral hemispheres, and are reversible with appropriate management. We report a case of reversible encephalopathy diagnosed by MRI scan occurring in atypical areas like the caudate and lentiform nuclei of the brain following an uneventful lower segment caesarean section in a normotensive patient, who was successfully treated with antihypertensives, anticonvulsants and supportive treatment. The differential diagnosis of convulsions in the post-partum period is discussed

Mapping of pathways of care, assessment of delays and gap analysis in provision of care following road traffic injury among patients in selected tertiary hospitals in urban Karnataka, South India

Background: Evidence-based public health advocates decision making based on best available scientific evidence, hence it is important to gather evidence of current scenario of trauma care. Aim & Objective: To determine pathways of care and delays among Road Traffic Injury patients and assess gaps in resources. Settings and Design: This cross-sectional study was conducted in selected tertiary care hospitals in Mangaluru taluk, Karnataka. Methods and Material: Participants were administered validated proformas on prehospital and hospital care. WHO trauma care checklist was used for capacity assessment and gap analysis. Statistical analysis used: Time intervals are expressed as measures of central tendency and dispersion. Descriptive analysis is given as percentages and proportions. Results: Median pre-hospital time was 30 minutes. Overall, 67.5% of the patients reached within golden hour. Majority (64.1%) were directly transported to current hospital. All patients received first aid, but only 0.8% received it at the RTI site. First aid was mostly administered by doctors (68.7%) or nursing staff (31.1%) and none by bystander. Insurance coverage was 32.8% and 87.9% incurred out of pocket expenditures. Scores were low in GP level hospital. Conclusions: Although transport was within the golden hour, pre-hospital care was poor. Out of pocket expenditures were high

Documentation of Indigenous Knowledge on Folk Medicine in Doddakavalande Doddakavalande Hobli, Nanjangud Taluk of Mysore District, Karnataka

An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to collect information from traditional healers on the use of herbal medicine in Doddakavalande Hobli, Nanjangud taluk of Mysore District. The indigenous knowledge of local healers was documented through questionnaire and personal interviews. In the present study, about 19 respondents of age group between 50 to 89 yrs gave information of traditional medicines used to cure different ailments. Of about 35 plant species belonging to 26 families were used for the treatment of human ailments. In which family Fabaceae and Polygonaceae contained 3 plant species, followed by Acanthaceae, Amaranthaceae, Apocynaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Poaceae contained 2 species each, and the rest of the families Amaryllidaceae, Anacardiaceae, Apiaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Asteraceae, Cleastraceae, Crassulaceae, Lamiaceae, Lecythidaceae,  Meliaceae,  Olaceae, Phylanthaceae, Piperaceae,  Plumbaginaceae, Poaceae, Polygonaceae, Rutaceae,  Smilacaceae, Solanaceae,  Styracaceae and Zingiberaceae. Habit wise analysis of medicinal plant species used indicated that herbs (19 species) were the most preferred life form followed by trees (8 species), shrubs (5 species) and climbers (3 species) for drug formulation. Herbal formulations were administrated either internally or applied externally depending on the type of ailment. Local people in the study area possess traditional knowledge of medicinal plants to treat various human ailments, therefore it is necessary to preserve the indigenous knowledge on traditional medicines by proper documentation, identification of plant species used, and herbal preparation. Keywords: Ethnobotany, Traditional knowledge, Medicinal plants, Mysore district

Reduction Behaviour of Iron Ore Pellets

Demand of sponge iron and pre-reduced pellets for the manufacture of different varieties of steel is increasing day by day and new solid reductants based sponge iron plans are being commissioned. In the existing blast furnace an increase in production by at least 25 to 35% can be achieved by using pre reduced iron ore. Pre-reduced iron ore pellets have been established as a good substitute for steel scrap in an electric arc furnace which enhances the productivity of the arc furnace. A lot of investigations have been carried out on direct reduction process of iron oxides by carbonaceous materials, but little work has been done on the characterization of properties and reduction behavior of iron ore of. In the present project work, an attempt has been made to study the reduction behavior and kinetics of iron ore fired pellets. The effect of different reduction parameters such as temperature (850-1000ºC), time (15-120 minutes.), mixing of particles of different sizes at different ratios for pellet preparation etc. on the reduction behavior of iron ore pellets. These form the subject matter of the thesis. First chapter gives the introduction about the subject. It speaks about the need of DRI industry, scope, present status and future planning of DRI industry in India, world wise DRI production, etc. It gives a general idea of raw materials quality required for producing DRI, especially in Rotary Kiln. The second chapter deals with the literature survey. The third chapter deals with planning of experiments, selection of raw materials, preparation of samples, preparation of iron ore pellets, experimental procedure , evaluation of reduction and activation energies, etc. The results obtained and the discussions made from these observations have been outlined in chapter four. The result for fired iron ore pellets indicated an increase in degree of reduction with increase in reduction temperature (850-1000ºC) and time. The reduction kinetics of Zenith iron ore pellets were studied in temperature range of 850-1000ºC. The data were fitted on a differential model and the activation energies of reduction of pellets were calculated. Analysis of swelling behavior was also done. Results obtained from chapter four have been summarized in chapter five. Lastly, these conclusions have been followed by the list of references

ICT AND EMPLOYMENT AMONG WOMEN: A CASE STUDY OF KUDUMBASREE ICT PROJECT

The Kudumbashree project from Kerala (a state in the southern part of India) has been a much discussed case for the community of practitioners, policy makers, researchers working on technology, empowerment and development. It is built around three pillars of economic, social and women’s empowerment. Its formation was the culmination of a process of community mobilization taken up by the State Government. But this article is focusing on the inclusion of gender in policies relating to information and communication technology with the aim of empowering socially excluded women as users and producers of this technology. The prominent part of this investigation is the case study of Kudumbashree ICT enterprises in the State of Kerala to understand the factors that resulted in the working of the enterprises and performance of them. Data were collected from Northern part of Kerala. Focus group discussions and interviews were the method employed to gather information

Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Epoxy Nano Composites for High Voltage Applications

The tribological and mechanical properties of organomodified montmorillonite (oMMT)-incorporated Epoxy (Epoxy-oMMT), vinyl ester (vinyl ester-oMMT) and titanium dioxide (TiO2)-filled Epoxy (Epoxy-TiO2) nanocomposites are discussed below. Implications of introducing oMMT and TiO2 nanoparticles on mechanical and dry sliding wear properties are presented using micrographs of cast samples and through observations of wear affected surface of nanocomposites. Distribution of nanoparticles and their influence on properties are being emphasized for understanding the wear properties. The data on mechanical and tribological properties determined experimentally are compared with published literature. The main focus is to highlight the importance of nanofillers in the design of wear-resistant thermoset polymer composites. A detailed study of strength and moduli of Epoxy-oMMT, Epoxy-TiO2 and vinyl ester-oMMT nanocomposites was taken up as a part of the investigation. A discussion on density, hardness, tensile, flexural test data, and friction and wear of nanocomposites and analysis of results by comparison with prevalent theoretical models and published results of experiments are presented