Thoracic myelopathy due to ossified hypertrophied ligamentum flavum

Calcification of ligamentum flavum is a rare disease that was found to occur almost exclusively in Japanese population. However the disease is now being increasingly recognized as a cause of thoracic myeloradiculopathy in Indian Population. We report a case of thoracic myelopathy at multiple levels due to ossified and hypertrophied ligamentum flavum

Measurement of Vibration in Berthing Structure During Underwater Rock Blasting

Blasting, in particular underwater rock blasting is the most challenging and least understood source of vibration, which may cause considerable damage to the safety of the adjacent buildings and structures and including berthing structures. Though the blast-induced vibration is best controlled by specification of blasting procedures, it is very essential to measure and monitor the blast-induced vibration of the adjacent structures to access its safety. This paper discusses the measurement and monitoring of underwater blast induced vibration on the berthing structure (berth No.8) at Tuticorin in southern part of India. The vibration is recorded using three acceleration transducers mounted on the deck slab of berthing structure and monitored using a data efficiency system consisting of HBM make multi channel carrier frequency amplifier system with digital storage oscilloscope. It is observed that the peak vertical acceleration is much higher than the longitudinal and lateral peak acceleration, because of vibration of deck slab along with frequency of ground excitation. The peak particle velocity (PPV) is obtained from the time history of acceleration by simple integration. From the spectral analysis, the predominant frequency is found as 26 Hz. For this frequency the allowable PPV value is established from various standards as 25mm/sec. The measured PPV values fro all blasts (31 nos) are well below the limit of allowable PPV value, except in few blasts, which shows the berth is safe against underwater blast induced vibration. Pre and post crack survey also proves that there is no considerable damage to the berthing structure

Monitoring Lateral Deflections of a Berthing Structure During Dredging — A Case Study

For one of the major ports in India, a shallow water berth is recently constructed comprising of a diaphragm wall and pile rows to support the deck structure. The soil strata are essentially very soft clay extending to a large depth. Reclaiming land behind this structure created number of problems including mud flow. The structure was constructed after placement of fill required for reclamation. After completion of the structure, when dredging work was undertaken, it was decided to monitor the lateral movements of berths, as the dredging depth increases. For this purpose inclinometer tubes were installed in one of the diaphragm wall panels and another in one of the piles of the structure. The structure is analysed using PLAXIS finite element software and results are compare with field measurements which are in good agreements

Antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory response by two formulations of Jatyadithailam in healing diabetic foot ulcers

Jatyadithailam is a polyherbal formulation used by Ayurvedic practitioners and clinically reportedfor the treatment of inflammation related ailment specifically in non-healing chronic foot ulcers. The study is focused to validate and compare the Ayurvedic Formulary of India (AFI) and Yogagrantha (YG) formulations of Jatyadithailam in vitro, for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory potential. Antimicrobial activity of thailam was determined by broth microdilution method for its minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and microbicidal activity (MBC/MFC). In vitro anti-inflammatory activity of varying concentrations was determined by assaying albumin denaturation inhibition, membrane stabilization (hypotonicity-induced hemolysis), heat induced hemolysis and antiproteinase activities for both the formulations. Highest bactericidal and fungicidal activity was recorded by AFI formulation of Jatyadithailam showing low MIC values compared to YG formulation. Of all the tested bacterial strains, both the formulations showed great bactericidal effect against Staphylococcus aureus. Both the formulations exhibited significant dose dependent anti-denaturation and anti-proteinase effectively. The thailam also showed marked stabilization of human red blood cell (HRBC) membrane against thermal hemolysis. Our study confirmed AFI formulation of Jatyadithailam possessed better antimicrobial and significant (p<0.05) anti-inflammatory effect. AFI Jatyadithailam was more effective than YG formulation in terms of dose-dependence activity against infection causing microbes and toxic inflammatory mediators. The outcome of the study emphasizes the positive therapeutic potential of Jatyadithailam to combat infectious and inflammatory conditions

Adsorption of Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) ions onto a low cost activated carbon: Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic studies

19-28Batch sorption system using activated carbon from Aegle marmelos fruits source as an adsorbent was investigated to remove Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The system variables studied include initial concentration of the sorbate, agitation time, adsorbent dose, pH, co-ions and temperature. The experimental data fitted well to the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The values of thermodynamic parameters such as ΔHº, ΔSº and ΔGº indicated that the adsorption was a spontaneous, endothermic and a physical process. Kinetic studies revealed that the adsorption is of first order. A two staged mechanism has been proposed for the adsorption of metal ions onto the adsorbent. FT-IR and SEM patterns of the adsorbent were used to understand the mechanism of the adsorption process. The order of adsorption of the metal ions was found to be Fe(II) > Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Co(II) which is in agreement with the intra-particle diffusion studies