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Typhoid remains one of the major serious health concerns for children in developing countries. With extremely drug-resistant cases emerging, preventative measures like sanitation and vaccination, including typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCV) remain the mainstay in its prevention and control. Different types of TCVs are being developed to meet the global demand. This report outlines the results from a study done to assess the immunogenicity and safety of Vi-Diphtheria toxoid (Vi-DT) TCV in Nepal. The study was a randomized, active-controlled, immunological non-inferiority and safety study. Eligible participants from Sunsari and Morang districts of eastern Nepal were randomized into 4 study groups (A-D) within 3 age strata (6 months to

The process of automation and monitoring in industrial control system involves the use of many types of sensors. A programmable logic controller plays an important role in the automation of the different processes in the power plant system. The major control units are boiler for temperature and pressure, turbine for speed of motor, generator for voltage, conveyer belt for fuel. The power plant units are controlled using microcontrollers and PLCs, but FPGA can be the feasible solution. The paper focused on the design and simulation of hardware chip to monitor boiler, turbine, generator and conveyer belt. The hardware chip of the plant is designed in Xilinx Vivado Simulator 17.4 software using VHDL programming. The methodology includes VHDL code design, simulation, verification and testing on Virtex-5 FPGA hardware. The system has four independent buzzers used to indicate the status of the boiler, generator, turbine motor and conveyer belt in on/off conditions respectively. The GSM is used to display corresponding message on the mobile to know the status of the device in on/off condition. The system is very much helpful for the industries working on plant automation with FPGA hardware integration.

Molecular diagnostic assays can expedite the diagnosis of fungal infections, and subsequently help in early interventions and appropriate management of patients. The aim of this study was to develop a single set of primers for a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay to detect and identify commonly reported, clinically relevant molds i.e., Aspergillus spp, Mucorales and Fusarium spp., up to genus level by melting curve analysis. This assay was evaluated in whole blood from patients with suspected invasive aspergillosis (IA), and in tissue biopsy, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and other site-specific samples from patients with suspected invasive mucormycosis (IM). The limit of detection (LoD) was determined as 10 copies/μl for all three molds. The mean coefficient of variation (CV) across all sets of intra- and inter-assay data was 0.63% (ranging from 0.42 to 1.56%), showing high reproducibility of the assay. Sensitivity and specificity of the assay were 93.3 and 97.1% respectively for diagnosis of IA, and 99.29 and 83.84% respectively for diagnosis of IM. Fusarium was not detected in any of the clinical samples included and the few laboratory confirmed cases of fusariosis did not meet the inclusion criteria of the study. Hence no ROC curve or cutoff value could be generated for the same. This newly developed qPCR assay therefore appears to be a promising tool in detection of IA and IM.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the common complications of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Timely treatment will decrease progression to chronic kidney disease. Treatment varies with different stages for which biopsy is needed. Controversies still exist regarding its requirement in management. This is a retrospective study from September 2014 to August 2016 in B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal among all patients with SLE and undergone renal biopsy. Of 92 patients, most were female 85 (92.4%) with a median age of 32 years. In this study, 80.4% had some clinical symptomatology. Of the clinical manifestations, 41.3% had polyarthritis, edema (20.7%), and malar rash (17.4%). Anti-nuclear antibody was positive in 80.4% and ds DNA in 70.7%. Renal biopsy showed more number of patients 27 (35%) had Stage IV LN, followed by Stage I, 19 (24%), and Stage II, 16 (20%) LN. Median urinary protein in Class I was 1.05 g, Class II (0.63 g), Class III (1.5 g), Class IV (2.44 g), Class V (3.99 g), and Class VI (4.7 g). Only Stage IV had Kappa of 0.269 {P = 0.003) showing agreement between proteinuria and histological staging which was statistically significant (P

Objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality around the world. Preliminary studies have evaluated the association between innate immunity including Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and airway samples of patients with COPD. The role of TLRs in peripheral blood neutrophils is poorly understood. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the role of TLR2 and TLR4 in peripheral blood neutrophils of COPD patients. Methods: A total of 101 COPD cases and an equal number of healthy controls participated in this case-control study. Peripheral blood neutrophils were isolated from all participants and cultured for 24 hours through lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. The gene expressions of TLR2 and TLR4 were assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The protein levels of interleukin (IL)-8 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 were measured in neutrophils cell culture supernatants using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The levels of IL-8 and MMP-9 were significantly higher in patients with COPD compared to healthy controls. Similarly, the gene expression of TLR2 and TLR4 were increased in LPS stimulated peripheral blood neutrophils of patients with COPD. Smoke pack years was positively correlated with IL-8 levels and negatively correlated with forced expiratory volume in the first second % (r = -0.33; p = 0.023) and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) (r = -0.27; p = 0.011). Conclusions: The increased expression of TLR2 and TLR4 suggests its role in disease pathogenesis of COPD. Smoke pack years was negatively associated with spirometric parameters in COPD patients. This may help to predict the smokers without COPD who risk developing the condition in the future.

Doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is the most popular machine for the wind power application that consists of the ability for variable speed operation and reactive power control with the help of power electronics converters. It is one of the prominent system that follows grid code requirement as it remains connected with the grid even during the fault occurrence. For making the DFIG continuity in the grid, low-voltage ride through or fault ride through (FRT) techniques are used. Fault current limiter is one of the major schemes used under the FRT. A saturated core fault current limiter (SCFCL) is used in DFIG system to enhance the FRT capability. The main property of SCFCL is the change in permeability between the saturated and unsaturated conditions of the magnetic core to concurrently provide low steady-state impedance and high transient fault impedance for limiting the fault current.

Introduction: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is characterized by partially reversible airflow obstruction and chronic inflammation in the pulmonary as well as in systemic compartment. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) is one of the most potent inflammatory mediators and it is involved in the migration and activation of neutrophils. Previous studies demonstrated the increased levels of IL-8 in plasma and sputum of COPD, but peripheral blood neutrophils mediated IL-8 level including their relationship to smoking pack years and spirometric parameters is still unknown. Aim: To assess the levels of IL-8 in sputum and peripheral blood neutrophils of COPD patients and to compare them with healthy controls. Materials and Methods: This case control study was done from March 2014 to November 2016 in the department of respiratory medicine KGMU. A total of 81 COPD patients and 81 healthy controls were recruited in this study. Peripheral blood neutrophils were isolated from COPD patients and healthy controls and stimulated with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The neutrophils cell culture supernatant was assessed for IL-8 level using ELISA techniques, whilst IL-8 mRNA expression was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Induced sputum was obtained from all participants and processed. The sputum supernatant was also assayed for IL-8 level. Results: COPD patients had significantly higher protein level of IL-8 in peripheral blood neutrophils (p=0.018) and sputum supernatant (p=0.011) compared to healthy controls. Gene expression of IL-8 was also significantly higher in peripheral blood neutrophils of COPD patients (p=0.001). In the patients with COPD, the smoke pack year was significantly correlated with the level of IL-8 in peripheral blood neutrophils (r=0.42; p=0.009) and sputum (r=0.48; p=0.002). The smoke pack years was found negatively correlated with FEV1 % predicted (r=- 0.37; p=0.044) and FEV1 /FVC (r=-0.47; p=0.007) in the COPD patients. Conclusion: The increased level of IL-8 in peripheral blood neutrophils and sputum support the hypothesis that COPD is a multicomponent disease. IL-8 level may be helpful in predicting development of COPD in smokers.

Blending ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with a low molecular weight polyolefin is a well‐established technique to improve its processability. The binary blends of UHMWPE and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE) were prepared with varying LDPE content (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% by wt.) leading to the formation of a single polymer composite system (SPCS) as melting and sintering followed preferential stages during mixing. Interestingly, the sequence of either "melting followed by sintering" or "simultaneous sintering and melting" depends on the LDPE content in the blend, resulting in unique blend morphology. Separate melting peaks for the blend's constituents were observed in thermal characterization, showing the blend's immiscibility, while intermediate peaks showed moderate miscibility in the melt state. Due to the high entanglement density, UHMWPE retained a solid‐like structure and showed an intense viscous nature even above the melting point in rheological characterization. Typically, the UHMWPE samples are fabricated by boundary fusion between particles called sintering. At LDPE content higher than 30 wt.%, the sea island structure was visible in morphological analysis, and the preexisting cavities reduced the tensile modulus by 54% in the blend, along with decreased elongation at failure (250%–100%). Similarly, the flexural modulus was reduced by 34.7% in the blends, along with the decreased flexural strength. Interestingly, the decrease in performance properties occurred in two steps over the range of LDPE content. Thus, it was clear that 30 wt.% of LDPE in the UHMWPE/LDPE blend represented the critical concentration for controlling melting and sintering sequence to develop specified morphology and performance properties. These blends have the potential for biomedical application as well as for the development of foam products, which is the further scope of the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Processing of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) involves sintering due to its high melt strength and no flowability above melting temperature. Variations in compression molding pressure during sintering lead to chain rearrangement at the sintered interphase and the boundary, affecting foamability. UHMWPE particles are sintered using compression molding; samples are prepared at two different pressures: UHPE‐HP (80 bar) and UHPE‐LP (40 bar) at 180°C. The sintering phenomenon of UHMWPE particles is observed through an optical microscope, and their effect on foaming was observed. UHPE‐HP foams are systematically studied to obtain the foaming window. Increasing foaming pressure (80–120 bar) made UHPE‐HP foams softer (0.350–0.219 g/cm3) with varying average cell size (26.37–46.1 μm) and foam cell density (3.98 × 107–1.06 × 108 cells/cm3), and compression modulus decreased from 9 to 5.4 MPa. DMA results showed a strong dependence of stiffness on crystallinity, and foamed samples exhibit higher stiffness than their unfoamed counterpart. The storage modulus for foamed samples decreases with increase in the gas content. The UHPE‐LP foam is relatively softer, with a lower foam density (0.233 g/cm3), a higher expansion ratio, bigger average foam cells (35.13 μm), and lower foam cell density (9.33 × 107 cells/cm3). This is due to constrained crystallinity at the interphase and pre‐existing cavities, favoring the foaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]