EFFECTS OF ADDITION OF SMALL PERCENTAGES OF FLY ASH ON LIQUEFACTION CHARACTERISTICS OF SAND

Severe damages to physical infrastructures as well as lifeline facilities have been observed during past earthquakes. Saturated sands as well as sands containing fines liquefied. The effect of fines on liquefaction resistance of sand is not fully understood till today. The basis of comparison and types of fines are reported as important factors affecting effects of fines on liquefaction. The fly ash is non-plastic and finer. Hence, study of liquefaction behavior of sand-fly ash mixtures may be helpful for the understanding of effects of fines on liquefaction resistance. The objective of this study were (1) to investigate effects of addition of fly ash on pore water pressure generation and deformation characteristics of sand, (2) to study effects of confining pressure on liquefaction resistance of sand-fly ash mixtures, and (3) to study Youngs modulus and damping ratio of sand-fly ash mixtures. Stress controlled cyclic triaxial tests were performed on clean sand, fly ash and sand-fly ash mixtures containing 10, 20 % of fly ash. For the evaluation of effects of confining pressure in liquefaction resistance, three series of tests were conducted at 5, 10 and 15 psi initial effective confining pressures. The reversible shear stress was applied systematically by varying CSR (Cyclic Stress Ratio) from 0.1 to 0.5. But, the tests were conducted only in 5 psi effective confining pressure in case of pure fly ash. The results obtained from the tests were used to compare the effects on liquefaction resistance in terms of pore water pressure build up, deformation behavior and effective confining pressure. Based on the results, it was observed that, the liquefaction resistance decreases with an increase in cyclic shear stresses at a given initial confining pressure. Liquefaction resistance also decreases with an increase in confining pressure for any CSR values. Further, the effects of fly ash content on liquefaction resistance was found to depend upon the confining pressure. For all effective confining pressure, liquefaction resistance decreased with an addition of 10 % fly ash. However, when the fly ash content was increased to 20 %, the liquefaction resistance increased. Moreover, the liquefaction resistance of sand containing 20 % fly ash was higher than clean sand at 5 psi effective confining pressure. On the other hand, it was lower than clean sand for the effective confining pressure 10 and 15 psi. The brittleness of the sample was found to increase with an addition of fly ash. Youngs modulus and damping ratio were also determined. The Youngs modulus was found to decrease with an increase in axial strain for clean sand, and for sand containing 10 and 20 % fly ash. It was also noted that, Youngs modulus increases with an increase in confining pressure. The damping ratio increases with an increase in axial strain. No distinct variation of damping ratio with confining pressure was observed

Breast Self-Examination for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer: A Quantitative Research Approach

Breast cancer now accounts for almost one in four cancers diagnosed in women, the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today (after lung cancer). According to Globocan 2012, India along with United States and China collectively accounts for almost one third of the global breast cancer burden. India is facing challenging situation due to 11.54% increases in incidence and 13.82% increase in mortality due to breast cancer during 2008-2012.1 The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge of breast self-examination among college girls. A descriptive research design was used to conduct the study. The study was conducted among the college girls of a selected college of Delhi (Rufaida College of Nursing, Jamia Hamdard). The sample size was 70 and the subject was selected using the convenient sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was developed to assess the knowledge of breast self-examination among college girls. Findings of the present revealed that majority of the subjects (88.6%) possess previous information of breast cancer, while few of the subjects (11.4%) were not aware much about the breast cancer. The study concludes that emphasis should be given to the studies that are related to the breast self-examination as there is an urgent need to look after the issues of growing risk of breast cancer and their poor health seeking behavior in young age

Trataka Exercise – Improving Vision and Memory

Trataka is a method of meditation that involves staring at a single point such as a small object, black dot or candle flame. It is said to bring energy to the “third eye” and promote various psychic abilities. Trataka is of two kinds: internal and external. Internal trataka is called dharana or concentration because in this practice the eyes are closed and the mind concentrated upon some subtle element within. External trataka means fixing the eyes on some object outside. The word trataka means to gaze steadily. Trataka is gazing without blinking at an object placed directly in front of the eyes. At the time of practicing trataka, the eyeballs should remain steady and the eyelids should not flicker. No object except the one on which trataka is to be performed should be seen, and the mind should not wander hither and thither but be merged in observation of the object. The sadhana of trataka will help a great deal in understanding the mind and making its unseen powers active, so as to prepare for self-realizatio

Assessment of the Risk Factors contributing to the Development of Cardiovascular Diseases among Adolescents

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in men and women in the whole world. Children are increasingly adopting unhealthy lifestyles. Obesity, poor diets, smoking and physical inactivity, the leading causes of heart disease and stroke, are now seen at an alarmingly early age. The main objectives of the study were to identify the risk factors contributing to cardiovascular diseases among adolescents, to assess the risk status for cardiovascular diseases among adolescents, to develop & disseminate an Information Booklet for prevention of cardiovascular diseases for adolescents and to seek relationship between the risk status and selected demographic variables, i.e., gender, family history of CVD, family income, BMI, waist-hip ratio and blood pressure. The research approach adopted for the study was quantitative non experimental research approach. Cross sectional design was used to achieve the objectives of the study. Purposive sampling technique was adopted to select 100 students through total enumeration technique for the study. Data gathered was analyzed and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study showed that lifestyle and exercises were the major risk factors among adolescents, and psychological factors were the least. Risk status of adolescents for CVD revealed that 16% adolescents were in moderate risk and 84% were in the category of low risk. There was no significant relationship between risk status of adolescents and the selected demographic variables. Life styles, once established are difficult to change

Muscle Cramp Management: Intra-Dialytic Stretching Exercise

A study to assess the effect of intra-dialytic stretching exercise on muscle cramps in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), of a selected Hospital in New Delhi was conducted with the aim to assess the severity of muscle cramps among experimental and control groups and to compare the effect of intra-dialytic stretching exercise on muscle cramps in patients undergoing hemodialysis in experimental and control groups. A total of 60 samples were selected for the study. Data was collected using structured interview schedule and pain was assessed using numerical pain rating scale. Intra-dialytic stretching exercise was administered to the experimental group for three alternate days during dialysis whereas the control group resumed with routine nursing care. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee Board of Jamia Hamdard and formal permission obtained from the private hospital prior to conducting the study. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that there was a significant reduction in the pain score after performing intra-dialytic stretching exercise among experimental group on day 1, 3 and 5 and the mean difference of pain score obtained was 1.57 on day 5. In the control group, there was a significant increase in the pain score on day 1, 3 and 5 and the mean difference of pain score obtained was 0.7 on day 5. While comparing the experimental and control groups on day 1, 3 and 5, there was a significant reduction in pain score among experimental group and the mean difference of pain score obtained was 2.07 on day 5, thus indicating that intra-dialytic stretching exercise is an effective measure in reducing muscle cramps among hemodialysis patients. The study concluded that intra-dialytic stretching exercise was effective in reducing muscle cramps among patients undergoing hemodialysis

Effectiveness of Palm Fisting Exercise on Occurrence of Thrombophlebitis among the IV Cannulated Patients Receiving Chemotherapy – A Selected Hospital of Delhi

Thrombophlebitis is a common complication among IV cannulated patients receiving chemotherapy. Themain objectives of the present study were to compare the effect of palm fisting exercise on the occurrenceof thrombophlebitis among the IV cannulated patients receiving chemotherapy in experimental and controlgroups and to find an association between the occurrences of thrombophlebitis with selected demographicvariables in the experimental group. The quantitative research approach was used. The research designwas post-test-only control design. Sample comprised of 60 patients who were newly cannulated in thearm and were receiving chemotherapy for at least two days from the medical oncology ward of Delhi StateCancer Institute, New Delhi, selected by the lottery method and assigned in to experimental and controlgroups. There was a significant difference of palm fisting exercise on the occurrence of thrombophlebitisamong the IV cannulated patients receiving chemotherapy between the experimental and control groups.There was a significant difference of palm fisting exercise on the occurrence of thrombophlebitis amongthe IV cannulated patients receiving chemotherapy between the experimental and control group at 0.05level of significance. In experimental group, there was a significant association between the occurrencesof thrombophlebitis among the IV cannulated patients receiving chemotherapy with selected variables,viz., age, stages of cancer, duration of illness, concurrent illness, body mass index, size of the cannula, siteof the cannula, duration of chemotherapy administration, number of present cycles of chemotherapy andother treatment modalities at 0.05 level of significance. So, palm fisting exercise with soft ball was effectivein reducing the occurrence of thrombophlebitis among the IV cannulated patients receiving chemotherapy

Pyrroline-5-Carboxylate Reductase-2 Promotes Colorectal Carcinogenesis by Modulating Microtubule-Associated Serine/Threonine Kinase-like/Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

Background: Despite significant progress in clinical management, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths. A positive association between PYCR2 (pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase-2), a terminal enzyme of proline metabolism, and CRC aggressiveness was recently reported. However, how PYCR2 promotes colon carcinogenesis remains ill understood. Methods: A comprehensive analysis was performed using publicly available cancer databases and CRC patient cohorts. Proteomics and biochemical evaluations were performed along with genetic manipulations and in vivo tumor growth assays to gain a mechanistic understanding. Results: PYCR2 expression was significantly upregulated in CRC and associated with poor patient survival, specifically among PYCR isoforms (PYCR1, 2, and 3). The genetic inhibition of PYCR2 inhibited the tumorigenic abilities of CRC cells and in vivo tumor growth. Coinciding with these observations was a significant decrease in cellular proline content. PYCR2 overexpression promoted the tumorigenic abilities of CRC cells. Proteomics (LC-MS/MS) analysis further demonstrated that PYCR2 loss of expression in CRC cells inhibits survival and cell cycle pathways. A subsequent biochemical analysis supported the causal role of PYCR2 in regulating CRC cell survival and the cell cycle, potentially by regulating the expression of MASTL, a cell-cycle-regulating protein upregulated in CRC. Further studies revealed that PYCR2 regulates Wnt/β-catenin-signaling in manners dependent on the expression of MASTL and the cancer stem cell niche. Conclusions: PYCR2 promotes MASTL/Wnt/β-catenin signaling that, in turn, promotes cancer stem cell populations and, thus, colon carcinogenesis. Taken together, our data highlight the significance of PYCR2 as a novel therapeutic target for effectively treating aggressive colon cancer