Experimental Studies on Fiber Reinforced Soil Stabilized with Lime and Fly Ash

This study investigates the enhancement in strength of fiber-reinforced soil stabilized with lime and fly ash, focusing on key parameters essential for highway design and construction i.e., California Bearing Ratio (CBR) and compaction characteristics. Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the CBR values, Maximum Dry Density (MDD), and Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) of soil stabilized with varying percentages of fly ash (FA) and lime, and reinforced with different types and percentages of fibers, specifically coir fibers (CF) and polypropylene fibers (PF). The addition of stabilizing agents (fly ash and lime) to the fiber-reinforced soil was found to increase the OMC and decrease the MDD. Notably, a significant increase in the CBR value was observed up to an optimum content of these admixtures. However, adding fibers beyond a certain percentage resulted in the sample breaking. This study is novel in its comprehensive evaluation of both natural (coir) and synthetic (polypropylene) fibers in combination with traditional stabilizers (fly ash and lime), offering insights into the optimal mix for enhancing soil strength. The findings contribute to more efficient and durable highway construction practices by identifying the balance between fiber reinforcement and chemical stabilization

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, PRACTICE, AND PERCEPTION TOWARDS COVID-19 IN NORTH EASTERN STATES OF INDIA: AN ONLINE CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Objective: The study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, practices, and perception (KAP) toward COVID-19 among the population of eight North Eastern (NE) states of India. Methods: A cross-sectional study from June 30 to July 13, 2020 was carried out through a self-reported, structured questionnaire that was circulated online to participants of age group of 18 years or above. Convenient sampling was used to recruit respondents for the study. Results: The study received responses from 8309 participants. Key findings revealed that most respondents had good knowledge of preventive measures and common symptoms of COVID-19. The majority of the respondents showed a good attitude and adopted preventive practices. The mean score of knowledge was 7.137, attitude was 16.132, practice was 9.379, and perception was 13.583. The scores of four KAP categories significantly differed across most of the demographic variables (p<0.001). The majority of people took homoeopathic medicine as prophylaxis for immune booster. Conclusion: The study highlights that the focus on behavioral change communication in all the NE states could be strengthened, especially in rural areas. Advocacy based on the comprehensive list of symptoms for COVID-19 may also be bolstered. There is scope for strategically promoting knowledge, immunity boosting, and self-care practices suggested in the AYUSH systems of medicine

Factors affecting willingness to participate in vaccine clinical trials in an underdeveloped country: perspective from Nepal

Due to the inherent complex nature of clinical trials, individual’s willingness to participate and hence, enrollment in a clinical trial maybe challenging. When it comes to vaccine clinical trial in children, informed consent needs to be secured from the parents or legally acceptable representatives (LARs). Some of the factors which contribute to hesitancy in taking part in clinical trials are based on the level of education, living standards, part of the world they live, associated burden of disease, fear of different procedures in clinical trial, side effects, limited understanding, limited time, and mistrust with Investigational product. This study included 201 parents/LARs, who approached Kanti Children Hospital site in Kathmandu with the interest to get their children enrolled in a vaccine clinical trial with objectives of describing the reasons for agreeing or disagreeing to participate in the vaccine clinical trial, factors affecting decision making, and finding the major concerns of parents/LARs. The acceptance for the study vaccine was 136 (67.7%) whereas denial was 65 (32.3%). This study showed that age, education level, family structure, advice from family and friends, and medical guidance play important roles in willingness of parents to get their child enrolled in the trial. If a proper counseling is done, fear of blood sampling is not a big factor which is contrary to the belief among clinical researchers. Safety of vaccine, frequency of injections, and cost of vaccine were the main concerns of the parents, which need to be addressed extensively while planning for any clinical trial in children

Conducting a phase III clinical trial in children during the COVID- 19 pandemic: Experience and lessons learnt from a clinical research facility of Nepal

Clinical trials in humans are vital to test safety and efficacy of new interventions and are accompanied with the complexity of related regulatory guidelines, stringent time frame and financial burden particularly when participants are children. Conducting clinical trials in low and middle income countries, where 90% of global diseases occur, increases the complexity as resources, infrastructures, and experience related to clinical trials may be limited in some countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, due to multiple infection control measures such as social distancing, lock-down of the societies, and increased work load of hospital workers, conducting clinical trials seemed very challenging. Related guidelines and recommendations on clinical trials required updates to adapt the situation for ongoing clinical trials to be continued and new clinical trials to be initiated. In this review report, we described the lessons learnt through our experiences, challenges we faced, and the mitigation measures implemented as a response while conducting a phase III clinical trial on a non-COVID-19 vaccine at a government children’s hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope this report will contribute in lowering the obstacles to allow the successful completion of future studies, in countries where people live with the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases