Advancements In Effective Black Cotton Soil Stabilization: A Review

Soil stabilization has become the main concern to develop promising structures by strengthening the characteristics of weak soil. This can be achieved by incorporating many stabilization techniques like sand cushions, CNS layer method, columns, vibrations, and chemical methods. This re-view is based on a study of different soil stabilizing procedures and their effectiveness in altering and intensifying the features like Optimum Moisture Content (OMC), California Bearing Ratio (CBR), Maximum Dry Density (MDD), Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and shrinkage behavior, etc., of feeble soil as it covers the greatest land area in India

Analysis of wave III of brain stem auditory evoked potential waveforms during microvascular decompression of cranial nerve VII for hemifacial spasm

INTRODUCTION:: Intraoperative monitoring of brain stem auditory evoked potential during microvascular decompression (MVD) prevent hearing loss (HL). Previous studies have shown that changes in wave III (wIII) are an early and sensitive sign of auditory nerve injury. OBJECTIVE:: To evaluate the changes of amplitude and latency of wIII of brain stem auditory evoked potential during MVD and its association with postoperative HL. Hearing loss was classified by American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) criteria, based on changes in pure tone audiometry and speech discrimination score. METHODS:: Retrospective analysis of wIII in patients who underwent intraoperative monitoring with brain stem auditory evoked potential during MVD was performed. A univariate logistic regression analysis was performed on independent variables amplitude of wIII and latency of wIII at change max and On-Skin, or a final recording at the time of skin closure. A further analysis for the same variables was performed adjusting for the loss of wave. RESULTS:: The latency of wIII was not found to be significantly different between groups I and II. The amplitude of wIII was significantly decreased in the group with HL. Regression analysis did not find any increased odds of HL with changes in the amplitude of wIII. CONCLUSIONS:: Changes in wave III did not increase the odds of HL in patients who underwent brain stem auditory evoked potential s during MVD. This information might be valuable to evaluate the value of wIII as an alarm criterion during MVD to prevent HL. © 2014 by the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society

Solid–liquid mass transfer coefficients in an ultrasound-irradiated extraction of iota-carrageenan

A 20-kHz intensity ultrasound was used in the extraction of iota-carrageenan from Eucheuma denticulatum seaweed by using water as solvent. In a simplified extraction procedure, the seaweed particle size of 0.7125E-03 m, 1.2E-3 m, and 1.7E-03 m diameter were studied at different ultrasonic amplitude levels, ranging from 2.08E-06 to 6.4E-06 m and the temperatures from 30 to 60 °C. The maximum iota-carrageenan yield obtained was 57.2 %. This study suggested that ultrasound intensity employed reduced the extraction time required and improved the yield of iota-carrageenan by 6 %. The particle diameter variation during the extraction was found to be a linear equation. The solid-liquid mass transfer coefficient was correlated for ultrasound extraction of iota-carrageenan in terms of operating conditions employed in this investigation as kL = 0:0027A0.866Dp -0.533(T)0.133

2-(2,6-Dimethoxy­phen­yl)-5-hydr­oxy-7-meth­oxy-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one

In the title compound, C18H16O6, the dimethoxy­phenyl ring is rotated by 61.8 (1)° from the plane of the benzopyran system. The mol­ecule is stabilized by an intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond

Structural, Morphological and 1/f noise Properties of ITO/TiO2 thin Films by e-beam Evaporation System for Optoelectronic Device Applications

In the present research study, ITO/TiO2 thin films were prepared on a glass substrate by using an electron beam (e-beam) evaporation system at different annealing temperatures (300, 350, 400 and 450 °C). The amorphous and crystalline natures of ITO/TiO2 structure were analyzed by X-ray diffraction study. As the grain size becomes larger, indirectly it will develop the crystalline quality of the TiO2 films studied from AFM. The surface of TiO2 films and the crystalline size of the sample were increased gradually with respect to a temperature that is observed in SEM. The elemental composition determined by the energy dispersive analysis of EDAX showed that TiO2 thin films were highly stoichiometric. Further, the higher optical transmittance (93%) was obtained with 450 °C annealed ITO/TiO2 film. The optical band gap increased along with annealing temperatures (300, 350, 400 and 450 °C). All the above results of this present work can be utilized for solar cell and optoelectronic device applications. © 2020 Author(s)

Ameliorative Effect of Ginger on Blood Glucose Levels and Cardiac TCA Cycle Enzymes Activity in STZ Induced Diabetic Rat

This study aimed to investigate the effects of ginger administration on altered blood glucose levels, cytosolic and mitochondrial enzymes (TCA cycle enzymes) activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetes rats. The study divided Wistar strain rats into five groups: normal control, ginger treated, diabetic control, diabetic plus ginger treated, and diabetic plus glibenclamide treated groups. The diabetic group had significantly elevated blood glucose levels, which were significantly lowered by ginger administration. The cytosolic enzyme G6PDH activity was significantly (P<0.001) decreased along with a significant increase in the LDH activity in diabetic rats heart tissue. The activities of SDH, MDH, GDH in the heart tissue of diabetic rats were significantly decreased, but the daily oral treatment of ginger to diabetic rats for thirty days reversed the above changes in a significant (P<0.001) manner. The study demonstrated that an ethanolic extract of ginger could lower blood glucose levels, improve enzyme activities and body weight in diabetic rats. This suggests that ginger extracts could be used as a cardio-protective supplement to reverse diabetic-induced complications

Formulation of polymeric inhibitor for viscosity reduction of crude oil

Generally, waxes and asphaltenes are classified as solid category which involved with deposition of high-molecular-weighted compounds along pipelines which leads to production issues. This study presents the effect of different mixture concentration consisting of copolymer and solvent on crude oil viscosity in order to find a solution for reduction of wax and asphalthene deposition along the surface of pipelines. There were two proportions used which are ethylene-vinyl acetate 25 (EVA 25), methylcyclohexane (MCH) and paraxylene as first proportion and EVA 40, MCH and paraxylene as second proportion. EVA is a polymer that comprises of linear chain of polyethylene fragment and vinyl acetate molecule which has the ability in controlling the size of formed wax crystals. Laboratory experiments were designed by response surface methodology (RSM) specifically using central composite design (CCD) to formulate ratio and analyzed optimum percentage composition of mixture to obtain a good model. The optimum parameters were 10.02% of EVA 25, 10.00% of MCH and 79.98% of paraxylene for first proportion and 10.00% of EVA 40, 45.78% of MCH and 44.22% of paraxylene for second proportion to minimize the viscosity of crude oil

Awareness regarding eye donation among stakeholders in Srikakulam district in South India

Background There is a huge need for the availability of transplantable donor corneas worldwide to reduce the burden of corneal blindness due to corneal opacity. Voluntary eye donation depends on the awareness levels of various stakeholders in the community. This study aimed to assess the awareness level regarding eye donation among various stakeholders in Srikakulam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods 355 subjects were selected from the district using multi stage random sampling. A pre tested semi structured questionnaire was used to collect information regarding each individual’s awareness, knowledge, and perception regarding eye donation. Each response was scored individually and a total score was calculated. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with willingness towards eye donation and increased awareness levels. Results Of the 355 subjects interviewed, 192 (54%) were male and 163 (46%) were female. The mean age of the stakeholders was 35.9 years (SD ±16.1) and all the study subjects were literate. Ninety-three percent of subjects were aware of the concept of eye donation. Knowledge levels were similar among the teaching community and persons engaged in social service, but lower among students (p < 0.05). Among the stakeholders, there was considerable ambiguity regarding whether persons currently wearing spectacles or suffering from a chronic illnesses could donate their eyes. Older age group (p < 0.001), female gender (p < 0.001) and education (p < 0.001) were associated with increased knowledge levels. 82% of the subjects were willing to donate their eyes and this was unaffected by gender or geographical location (rural vs urban). Conclusions Awareness levels and willingness to donate eyes are high among the stakeholders in Srikakulam district in India. The services of stakeholders could be utilized, in conjunction with other community based eye donation counselors, to promote awareness regarding eye donation among the general population

Structural, morphological and 1/f noise properties of ITO/TiO2thin films by e-beam evaporation system for optoelectronic device applications

In the present research study, ITO/TiO2 thin films were prepared on a glass substrate by using an electron beam (e-beam) evaporation system at different annealing temperatures (300, 350, 400 and 450 °C). The amorphous and crystalline natures of ITO/TiO2 structure were analyzed by X-ray diffraction study. As the grain size becomes larger, indirectly it will develop the crystalline quality of the TiO2 films studied from AFM. The surface of TiO2 films and the crystalline size of the sample were increased gradually with respect to a temperature that is observed in SEM. The elemental composition determined by the energy dispersive analysis of EDAX showed that TiO2 thin films were highly stoichiometric. Further, the higher optical transmittance (93%) was obtained with 450 °C annealed ITO/TiO2 film. The optical band gap increased along with annealing temperatures (300, 350, 400 and 450 °C). All the above results of this present work can be utilized for solar cell and optoelectronic device applications. © 2020 Author(s)

Simulation and Optimisation of Bioethanol Purification using Extractive Distillation with Additive Solvent

In this study, simulation and optimisation of the purification of bioethanol from an azeotropic mixture was done using the Aspen HYSYS and the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), respectively, to achieve an acceptable bioethanol content with minimal energy use. The objective of this study is to develop the simulation process of bioethanol production from a fermentation effluent. Additionally, the effects of parameters such as solvent temperature, number of entrainer feed stage, mass flow rate and third components of the process for production of bioethanol were studied. As bioethanol is a product of biofuel production, the main challenge facing bioethanol production is the separation of high purity ethanol. However, the separation of ethanol and water can be achieved with the addition of a suitable solvent such as 1,3-butylene glycol (13C4Diol), mixture 13C4Diol and ethylene glycol (EGlycol) and mixture 13C4Diol and glycol ethyl ether (DEG) in the extractive distillation process. For the 13C4Diol mixture, the temperature of entrainer is 90o C with 1500 kg/hr of entrainer rate, while the number of entrainer feed stage is one. The optimum conditions for mixture 13C4Diol and EGlycol require a temperature of entrainer of 90.77oC with an entrainer rate of 1500 kg/hr, while the number of entrainer feed stage is one. Lastly, for optimum conditions for the mixture 13C4Diol and DEG, the temperature of entrainer should be 90oC with an entrainer rate of 1564.04 kg/hr, while the number of entrainer feed stage is one. This study shows that process simulation and optimisation can enhance the removal of water from an azeotropic mixture