PERFORMANCE OF CEMENT-FREE GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE MADE WITH CERAMIC WASTE POWDER USING TAGUCHI METHOD

The ceramic industry produces a substantial amount of waste during its production processes. Recycling and reutilizing such ceramic waste is a challenge due to its extended biodegradation period. Consequently, the ceramic industry is dedicated to attaining a sustainable solution to dispose of this waste rather than discarding it wastefully into landfills or stockpiles. In turn, the demand for ordinary Portland cement has been on a steady increase, leading to concerns about the sustainability of the construction industry. As a sustainable alternative to cement, alkali-activated binders have been proposed owing to their ability to reduce carbon emissions, preserve nonrenewable natural resources, and recycle industrial solid wastes. This research aims to evaluate the feasibility of recycling ceramic waste powder (CWP) in cement-free geopolymer concrete. Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) was integrated at different mass replacement percentages to enhance the performance of said concrete and promote the use of CWP as the main component. The study encompassed three experimental phases. The first phase characterized the as-received materials, while the second phase involved the use of the Taguchi method to proportion different geopolymer concrete mixes. Various factors and levels were utilized to generate an orthogonal array of the parameters. Mixture proportions were optimized to attain superior mechanical and short-term durability performance. Further augmentation was performed in the third phase through multi-response optimization using the Best Worst Method (BWM) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) based Taguchi method. The optimized CWP-GGBFS blended geopolymer concrete mix made with a binder content of 450 kg/m3, GGBFS replacement percentage of 60%, alkaline-activator solution-to-binder ratio of 0.50, sodium silicate-to-sodium hydroxide ratio of 1.5, and molarity of SH solution of 10 M exhibited a compressive strength of 80.3 MPa, a flexural strength of 5.72 MPa, and splitting tensile strength of 3.81 MPa, among other properties. Nevertheless, it was possible to produce a concrete made with 80% CWP with acceptable performance for structural applications. Accordingly, this work highlights the feasibility of producing geopolymer concrete made with CWP to promote the recycling of industrial solid waste, reduce carbon emissions, and preserve natural resources. Recommendations for future investigations were also included

Big Reed Forest Study Sheds Light on Natural Patterns of Growth and Mortality in Maine Woods

A new view of the constant struggle going on in the Maine woods between trees, diseases and weather has emerged from several years of painstaking research by a team of University of Maine students and faculty. Working in the Big Reed forest preserve in northern Piscataquis County, one of the largest remaining stands of old growth forest in New England, researchers have described patterns of life and death over the past 200 years with an unprecedented level of sophistication and detail. The project was led by Unna Chokkalingam, a Ph.D. student and a native of India. Chokkalingam received her undergraduate education at the University of Madras in India and her Masters degree at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. At UMaine, Chokkalingam received guidance from Alan White, advisor on the project and an associate professor in the Dept. of Forest Ecosystem Science, as well as faculty in biological sciences and spatial information science and engineering. The research was funded by the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

IntelligentAssistive Methods for Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis using Histogram Smoothing and Feature Extraction of Bone Images

Abstract- Advances in the field of image processing envisions a new era of evaluation techniques and application of procedures in various different fields. One such field being considered is the biomedical field for prognosis as well as diagnosis of diseases. This plethora of methods though provides a wide range of options to select from, it also proves confusion in selecting the apt process and also in finding which one is more suitable. Our objective is to use a series of techniques on bone scans so as to detect the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) accurately as much as possible. Amongst other techniques existing in the field our proposed system tends to be more effective as it depends on new methodologies that have been proved to be better and more consistent than others. Computer aided diagnosis will provide more accuracy and infallible rate of consistency that will help to improve the efficiency of the system. The image first undergoes histogram smoothing and specification, morphing operation, boundary detection by edge following algorithm. Classification of Bone image to find out the Bone Mineral Density (BMD) using mean, median and Standard deviation has been carried out in the paper. Support Vector Machine (SVM) is utilized for the classification of golden ranges and observed ranges. MatLab R2011a is used for morphological operation and estimation of BMD and finally Feature extraction is used to determine the presence of rheumatoid arthritis in a more efficient and effective way. A total of 120 Bone images are considered for feature extraction and final routine assessment is validated through yardstick results

A one-compartment, direct glucose fuel cell for powering long-term medical implants

We present the operational concept, microfabrication, and electrical performance of an enzyme-less direct glucose fuel cell for harvesting the chemical energy of glucose from body fluids. The spatial concentrations of glucose and oxygen at the electrodes of the one-compartment setup are established by self-organization, governed by the balance of electro-chemical depletion and membrane diffusion. Compared to less stable enzymatic and immunogenic microbial fuel cells, this robust approach excels with an extended life time, the amenability to sterilization and biocompatibility, showing up a clear route towards an autonomous power supply for long-term medical implants without the need of surgical replacement and external refueling. Operating in physiological phosphate buffer solution containing 0.1 wt% glucose and having a geometrical cathode area of 10 cm2, our prototype already delivers 20 µ W peak power over a period of 7 days

Ecology and Occurrence of Pugilina (Hemifusus) cochlidium and Pugilina erecta (Gastropoda: Melongenidae) from Thondi coast , Palk strait in Tamil Nadu

The environment is a selective force of an organism and its population. Knowledge of the environmental parameters of study area is thus an essential prerequisite to understand the composition of animal’s inhabitants and their distribution. In the present study the Ecology and Occurrence  of two species of Pugilina (Hemifusus) cochlidium and Pugilina erecta along the coast of Thondi are influenced by the environmental factors with less significance. As these animals are bottom living, they were not much affected by changes in the environmental factors.  In the present study the maximum temperature was recorded during summer season and the minimum during monsoon. The changes in the temperature have been proved to have meager influence in the distribution of these two species as the temperature variation was not sufficient enough to affect their distribution.Keywords: Pugilina (Hemifusus) cochlidium, Pugilina erecta, temperature, monsoon, distribution

Hybrid chaos-based image encryption algorithm using Chebyshev chaotic map with deoxyribonucleic acid sequence and its performance evaluation

The media content shared on the internet has increased tremendously nowadays. The streaming service has major role in contributing to internet traffic all over the world. As the major content shared are in the form of images and rapid increase in computing power a better and complex encryption standard is needed to protect this data from being leaked to unauthorized person. Our proposed system makes use of chaotic maps, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) coding and ribonucleic acid (RNA) coding technique to encrypt the image. As videos are nothing but collection of images played at the rate of minimum 30 frames/images per second, this methodology can also be used to encrypt videos. The complexity and dynamic nature of chaotic systems makes decryption of content by unauthorized personal difficult. The hybrid usage of chaotic systems along with DNA and RNA sequencing improves the encryption efficiency of the algorithm and also makes it possible to decrypt the images at the same time without consuming too much of computation power

Adolescent medial epicondyle trash lesion clinic radiological evaluation and treatment

Elbow injures in children accounts for 10% of all fractures, ranges from simple sprain to elbow fracture dislocation. Ligamentous injury accounts for 2-3% only and are mostly sports related seen in overhead athletes. Trash lesions (the radiological appearances seemed harmless) around the elbow are reported in children under 10 years which are high energy trauma with initial normal looking X-rays. These are osteochondral or physical injures presenting with soft tissue swelling without any fractures. A high index of suspicion, early additional imaging such as MRI, CT scan, ultrasound examination and aggressive surgical care are usually necessary for prompt diagnosis and successful treatment of these injuries before complications arise. We presented a case of an elbow injury in a 15 year old girl, following a fall on her outstretched hand with initial normal findings in her X-rays. 3 months following the injury she had persisting pain and instability with ulnar nerve impingement symptoms. Her elbow CT scan, nerve conduction study confirmed the avulsion fracture of medial epicondyle with ulnar nerve neuritis and cubital tunnel syndrome. Valgus stress test proved the extent of additional medial instability. Medial epicondyle avulsion fractures are always challenging for fixation. The retracting UCL forces prevents healing and were prone for failure with non-operative splinting once instability is defined. Attempted fixation can also result in failure of fixation. Our case study highlights the possibility of such trash lesion in adolescent and also the modified technique of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction in a cost effective manner

Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Charging for Electric vehicles - A Review

Considering a future scenario in which a driverless Electric Vehicle (EV) needs an automatic charging system without human intervention. In this regard, there is a requirement for a fully automatable, fast, safe, cost-effective, and reliable charging infrastructure that provides a profitable business model and fast adoption in the electrified transportation systems. These qualities can be comprehended through wireless charging systems. Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) is a futuristic technology with the advantage of flexibility, convenience, safety, and the capability of becoming fully automated. In WPT methods resonant inductive wireless charging has to gain more attention compared to other wireless power transfer methods due to high efficiency and easy maintenance. This literature presents a review of the status of Resonant Inductive Wireless Power Transfer Charging technology also highlighting the present status and its future of the wireless EV market. First, the paper delivers a brief history throw lights on wireless charging methods, highlighting the pros and cons. Then, the paper aids a comparative review of different type’s inductive pads, rails, and compensations technologies done so far. The static and dynamic charging techniques and their characteristics are also illustrated. The role and importance of power electronics and converter types used in various applications are discussed. The batteries and their management systems as well as various problems involved in WPT are also addressed. Different trades like cyber security economic effects, health and safety, foreign object detection, and the effect and impact on the distribution grid are explored. Prospects and challenges involved in wireless charging systems are also highlighting in this work. We believe that this work could help further the research and development of WPT systems.publishedVersio

Sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy: a review of pathophysiologic mechanisms.

Cardiac dysfunction is a well-recognized complication of severe sepsis and septic shock. Cardiac dysfunction in sepsis is characterized by ventricular dilatation, reduction in ejection fraction and reduced contractility. Initially, cardiac dysfunction was considered to occur only during the hypodynamic phase of shock. But we now know that it occurs very early in sepsis even during the hyperdynamic phase of septic shock. Circulating blood-borne factors were suspected to be involved in the evolution of sepsis induced cardiomyopathy, but it is not until recently that the cellular and molecular events are being targeted by researchers in a quest to understand this enigmatic process. Septic cardiomyopathy has been the subject of investigation for nearly half a century now and yet controversies exist in understanding it\u27s pathophysiology. Here, we discuss our understanding of the pathogenesis of septic cardiomyopathy and the complex roles played by nitric oxide, mitochondrial dysfunction, complements and cytokines

Mangrove Distribution and Morphology Changes in the Mullipallam Creek, South Eastern Coast of India

The Mangrove forest is globally important for the productivity of the coastal environment and is a good nursery site for aquatic organisms. The objective of the present paper was to create thematic maps of the wetland ecosystem and to analyse its changes, while making Remote Sensing and GIS techniques contributions to the Mullipallam region. Remotely sensed satellite data were used to detect changes in the mangrove cover for a period of 16 years (1991-2007). We found that an area of about 165.4 ha of dense mangrove degraded from 1999 to 2007 due to anthropogenic and shoreline erosion but sparse mangroves area significantly increased during this period due conservation and restoration activities. A Morphodynamics study (1929-2007) found that the migration of the River Cauvery tributaries in the wetland system had shifted towards the eastern side of the creek and the confluence of River Koraiyar had migrated towards the N-NNE direction. We observed that in recent decades mangrove forest have swiftly degraded because of intensified human activities