Fuel enhancement of parallel hybrid electric two-wheeler motorcycle

In this paper, design and simulation of a parallel hybrid electric two-wheeler motorcycle (PHETM) by means of continuous variable transmission (CVT) is illustrated. For simulation, the parallel hybrid electric power train model type in MATLAB/ADVISOR is customized. The internal combustion engine (ICE) be supposed to drive at elevated efficiency areas, in order to attain enhanced fuel economy and a reduced amount of emission. Simultaneously, the ICE must not activate at values of low torque areas. For that reason, get better it whilst ICE is ON, a new energy control strategy is proposed. In the new strategy, the electrical machine absorbs the extra torque of the ICE. This article proposes a PHETM system to propel the vehicle efficiently with reduced amounts of emission on comparing witha conventional vehicle. This system includes two modes of operations for achieving the better results known as motoring mode and generating mode. The switching from one mode to other is based on the vehicle speed which is sensed in real time. A drive cycle is generated by running the vehicle in normal and slightly gradient condition and finally the results are compared

Innovative methods of Teaching and Learning

Advance pedagogy is the way to enhance teaching and learning performance. Different innovative teaching methods are now in use across the globe. Hybrid teaching includes e - learning in addition to the face to face teaching. Use of technology and multimedia is described in details. Use of smart gadgets for different tasks like teaching, designing question papers, assessment of student, feedback and research methodology is discussed. The application of innovative teaching and learning methods is critical if we are to motivate and engender a spirit of learning as well as enthusiasm on the part of students, The role of education is to ensure that while academic staffs do teach, what is taught should also be intelligible to students emanating from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and that they rapidly become familiar with the expected standards. It is more often than not the case that students underachieve because of the fact that they have not grasped an awareness of the level of assessment or what it is that the lecturer expects from them. Lecturers should thus apply themselves to utilizing innovative methods so that the students’ learning process is as free-flowing as possible and that the methodology they adopt is conducive to learning. Innovative teaching and learning methodologies such as short lecture, simulation, role-playing, portfolio development and problem-based learning (PBL) are very useful in addressing the rapid technological advances and developing workplaces that will be required in the foreseeable future

Failure to initiate treatment for tuberculosis patients diagnosed in a community survey and at health facilities under a DOTS programme in a district of south India

We studied the proportion and fate of tuberculosis patients who were not initiated on treatment (initial defaulters) in Tiruvallur district of Tamilnadu, where DOTS strategy was implemented. These patients were visited to find out the reason for default. Treatment was not initiated in 57 (23.5%) of the 243 sputum positive cases diagnosed in a community survey and 156 (14.9%) of 1049 patients diagnosed in health facility. Men were more likely not to have treatment initiated. The common reasons stated for initial default were unwillingness, symptoms being mild, personal reasons and dissatisfaction. There is an urgent need to improve the patient’s perception of treatment and strengthen the health systems’ capabilities to reduce initial default

Impact of improved treatment success on the prevalence of TB in a rural community based on active surveillance.

Objective: To study the impact of improved treatment outcome of a cohort of patients treated under DOTS strategy on the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in the community. Design: The data from TB register of one Tuberculosis Unit (TU) in Tiruvallur district of Tamilnadu, and two TB disease surveys conducted in the same area during 1999-2003 were analysed. The successful treatment outcome was compared to the prevalence of TB in the subsequent cohort. Results: The proportion of patients who completed treatment successfully was 75.3% in the first cohort period. This higher proportion of treatment success among patients treated under DOTS in the first cohort period (1999-2001) compared to the 51-55% reported during SCC, resulted in a lower prevalence of smear-positive cases, irrespective of culture results observed in the survey conducted during 2001-2003 compared to that in the survey conducted during 1999-2001 (252 vs. 323 per 100,000; annual decline of 9%). Similarly, a decline in culture-positive cases, irrespective of smear results, was also observed (443 vs. 605; annual decline 11%). Conclusion: The higher proportion of successful completion of treatment after DOTS implementation was associated with a substantial decline in the prevalence of TB. These findings showed that we are in the direction towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Status of Re-registered Petients for Tuberculosis Treatment Under DOTS Programme

Objective: To assess the proportion of patients re-registered after default, failure or successful treatment, completion and evaluate their treatment outcome. Setting: Tuberculosis patients diagnosed were registered for treatment under DOTS in rural area, South India. Patients reregistered during 1999-2004 identified from the TB register were considered for analysis. Results: Among 273 Category-I patients ‘defaulted’ 23% and among 112 ‘failure’ cases 68% were re-registered. After ‘successful treatment completion’ of 1796 cases 6.5% were re-registered as relapse. Corresponding figures for Category II were 20% of 281 defaulters; 23% of 60 failures; 12.9% of 302 ‘successful treatment completion’ patients. Among patients re-registered as ‘default’, subsequent default was also high (57% vs 37%). Failure in Category II treatment was similar among patients who were re-registered for Category II and initially registered in it for treatment. Median delay for reregistration was >200 days for ‘defaulters’ and 18 days for ‘failures’. Conclusion: Our findings emphasise the need for continuing motivation and prompt defaulter retrieval action to reduce default at all stages of treatment. ‘Defaulters’ need to be contacted so that they can be started on treatment without delay. Patients declared as ‘successful treatment completion’ should be encouraged to report if chest symptoms recur

Estimation of annual risk of tuberculosis infection among children irrespective of BCG scar in the south zone of India

Objective: To estimate the proportion infected and compute Annual Risk of Tuberculosis Infection (ARTI) among children irrespective of BCG scar and compare with that among children without BCG scar. Methodology: Tuberculin survey was conducted in south zone of India as a part of the nation-wide survey to estimate the ARTI in different parts of the country and ARTI was computed among children without BCG scar excluding children with BCG scar. In this exercise, the tuberculin test results of children with BCG scar and irrespective of BCG scar were considered for analysis and the results were compared. Results: The prevalence of infection and ARTI estimated among children irrespective of BCG scar aged 1-9 years were 5.7% and 1.0% (95% C.I: 0.8-1.3) respectively. The corresponding figures among unvaccinated children were 5.9% and 1.0% (95% C.I: 0.7-1.4) respectively. The ARTI among children irrespective of BCG scar were similar to that among unvaccinated children. Conclusion: Estimation of proportion of children infected and computation of ARTI using mirror-image technique could be undertaken among children irrespective of BCG scar among children aged either from 1-9 years or 5-9 years

Default during the intensive phase of treatment under DOTS programme

Objective: To study default and its associated risk factors during the intensive phase of treatment among new sputum smear positive patients registered under a Directly Observed Treatment- Short Course (DOTS) programme in Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu. Design: Analysis of data collected from the Tuberculosis Register, treatment cards and interview schedules during May 1999 to December 2002. Results: Of the 1463 patients registered, drug regularity results were available for 1406 patients. The cure rate was 76% with an overall default rate of 15%, of which nearly three-fourth occurred during the intensive phase. The potential risk factors were identified by multivariate analysis. A higher likelihood of default was associated with age > 45 years (AOR=1.9; 95% CI=1.2-3.0), illiteracy (1.6; 1.0-2.4), alcoholism (2.7; 1.8-4.2), DOTS inconvenience (1.9; 1.1-3.4) and cases identified and referred by the community survey (1.8; 1.1-3.0). Of the 75 defaulters from two cohort periods visited separately, 53 defaulted during the intensive phase. Among these, only 31 patients were interviewed since 17 (32%) migrated, three died, one was untraceable at the address provided while another had treatment elsewhere. Drug related (84%) and work related (32%) problems were the other reasons for default reported by the patients interviewed. Conclusion: The majority of defaults occurred during intensive phase of treatment. All efforts should be made to retrieve these patients and return them to treatment to achieve the expected goal of the RNTCP

Sputum examination at 2-months into continuation phase - How much does it contribute to define treatment outcome?

Objective: To assess the usefulness of sputum examination at 2-months into Continuation Phase (CP) to declare treatment outcome. Methodology: It is a retrospective study conducted in one tuberculosis unit, Tiruvallur district of Tamilnadu among smear positive patients treated with Category I and Category II regimens from May, 1999 – December, 2003. Results: Sputum was collected at 2-months into CP from 70% of 1551 Category I and 74% of 292 Category II patients declared cure, failed or treatment completed. Result at 2-months CP was used for giving outcome in 112 (10.3%) of 1088 Category I patients and 37 (17%) of 217 Category II patients. Conclusion: In practice, sputum needs to be collected for 7.8% of the patients with smear positive at the end of Intensive Phase. By doing so, there will be a delay of 1 month for 3.6% of the patients in declaring ‘failure’. By deferring the sputum examination at 2 months into CP, workload of laboratory technicians can be reduced by about 30%

DOTS Reaches Socially Marginalized Population in the Community : A Study from a Rural Area of South India

We report here that the Directly Observed Treatment, Short course (DOTS) is reaching all tuberculosis patients in the community irrespective of social classification based on the analysis from the tuberculosis prevalence survey and programme performance during 1999-2003 from a rural area in Tamilnadu, South India. New smear- positive cases treated under a DOTS programme were classified in two groups namely; scheduled caste living in colony and other population. The prevalence of smear- positive cases among the scheduled caste population was 1.9 times higher than the other population and this was reflected in the notification also. The successful treatment outcome was also similar in these two groups (75% and 78% respectively; overall 77%). From these findings it is concluded that people living in colony have equal access to DOTS as those in the village

Estimation of burden of tuberculosis in India for the year 2000

Background & objectives: Data on the burden of tuberculosis (TB) in India are vital for programme planners to plan the resource requirements and for monitoring the nation-wide TB control programme. There was a need to revise the earlier estimate on the burden of TB in India based on the increase in population and current epidemiological data. This study estimates the burden of disease for the year 2000 based on recent prevalence of TB and annual risk of tuberculosis infection (ARTI) estimates. Methods: Data on prevalence generated among adults by the Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC), Chennai, among children by National Tuberculosis Institute (NTI), Bangalore, and the ARTI estimates from the nation-wide sample survey by NTI and TRC were used for the estimation. The prevalence of disease corresponding to 1 per cent ARTI was extrapolated to different parts of the country using the estimates of ARTI and the population in those areas and added together to get the total cases. Abacillary cases that required treatment were estimated from X-ray abnormals. The estimates of bacillary, abacillary and extrapulmonary cases were then combined to get the national burden. Results: The estimated number of bacillary cases was 3.8 million (95% CI: 2.8 - 4.7). The number of abacillary cases was estimated to be 3.9 million and that for extrapulmonary cases was 0.8 million giving a total burden of 8.5 million (95% CI: 6.3-10.4) for 2000. Interpretation & conclusion: The present estimate differs from the earlier estimates because we have included the disease burden of X-ray cases that are likely to breakdown to bacillary cases in a one year period, and extrapulmonary TB cases. The current estimates provided baseline information for advocacy and planning resource allocation for TB control activities. Also, these estimates can be compared with that in future years to measure the long term impact of TB control activities in India