A Study on Eco-Friendly Cost-Effective Earthbag House Construction

This report will highlight the benefits both in terms of CO2 reduction and cost-saving construction. This project will develop rigorous assessment methods and broaden applications. It is expected that the project will have an impact on construction practice and lead to more research in this area. The weakest specimens tested obtained maximum compressive strengths ranging from 120 kN/m to 140 kN/m, almost 10 times as great as those typically achieved by conventional stud-frame housing in terms of load per meter of wall length. The lowest load deformation response was observed for the G9 specimen group, at 0.7 kN/mm. The strongest and stiffest results were observed for the 3-bag soil-filled specimen, with load deformation responses ranging from 8 kN/mm to 15 kN/mm, and compressive strength two orders of magnitude higher than conventional stud-frame housing, ranging from 1100 kN/m to 1300 kN/m. Strength and stiffness values for medium soil-filled specimens measuring 508 mm x 914 mm were in the same range as the values for the small specimens. There was little difference in stiffness between specimens filled with topsoil and those filled with a 4:1 ratio of topsoil to masonry sand, though a small sample size prevents a meaningful statistical analysis of the variance between the two fill materials

Standard Infection Control Practices among Peripheral Health Care Workers: A Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Study from a Rural Haryana

Background: Globally, around 2.5% of HIV and 40% of HBV among Health Care Workers (HCWs) are attributed to occupational exposure with an overall incidence of occupational exposure to blood/body fluids among HCW as 32.3%. There exists a gap between the knowledge and practice of standard infection control practices among HCW. Failure to follow these standard protocols leads to loss of precious work hours of this skilled work force.Methods: To know the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding standard infection control protocols, a community based, cross- sectional, analytical, non –interventional study was planned among health care workers at a Rural Community Health Centre (CHC) , Dighal of district Jhajjar (Haryana). A total of 50 HCWs were included in the study. The study was conducted during the months of July –August, 2016.Results: About 56% of HCWs were having the knowledge about the correct steps of hand washing but only 20% were actually practicing hand washing before administrating injections. Only 28% of participants were correctly using hub-cutter and needle destroyers after the injection practices. It was observed that 42% of subjects were still trying to re-cap needles after the injections. 60% of subjects felt that using standard precautions was cumbersome. 74% of the subjects felt that using standard precautions was expensive. 54% of study subjects felt that it was difficult to follow stand precautions in government institutions due to logistics issues. Only 28% of the participants had received complete vaccination against Hepatitis B.Conclusion: There exists a huge gap between the knowledge and practice of standard infection control protocols. Among most of the HCWs, the attitude was not positive towards using standard precautions despite having knowledge. Lack of initiative from the higher up officials, poor training, poor monitoring further complex the issue. Regular monitoring and supervision, capacity building of HCWs along with regular logistic supply are recommended

Phases of a conserved mass model of aggregation with fragmentation at fixed sites

To study the effect of quenched disorder in a class of reaction-diffusion systems, we introduce a conserved mass model of diffusion and aggregation in which the mass moves as a whole to a nearest neighbour on most sites while it fragments off as a single monomer (i.e. chips off) from certain fixed sites. Once the mass leaves any site, it coalesces with the mass present on its neighbour. We study in detail the effect of a \emph{single} chipping site on the steady state in arbitrary dimensions, with and without bias. In the thermodynamic limit, the system can exist in one of the following phases -- (a) Pinned Aggregate (PA) phase in which an infinite aggregate (with mass proportional to the volume of the system) appears with probability one at the chipping site but not in the bulk. (b) Unpinned Aggregate (UA) phase in which $\emph{both}$ the chipping site and the bulk can support an infinite aggregate simultaneously. (c) Non Aggregate (NA) phase in which there is no infinite cluster. Our analytical and numerical studies show that the system exists in the UA phase in all cases except in 1d with bias. In the latter case, there is a phase transition from the NA phase to the PA phase as density is increased. A variant of the above aggregation model is also considered in which total particle number is conserved and chipping occurs at a fixed site, but the particles do not interact with each other at other sites. This model is solved exactly by mapping it to a Zero Range Process. With increasing density, it exhibits a phase transition from the NA phase to the PA phase in all dimensions, irrespective of bias. Finally, we discuss the likely behaviour of the system in the presence of extensive disorder.Comment: RevTex, 19 pages including 11 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Use of intramedullary implants in adult diaphyseal fracture both bone forearm

Background: Fractures of the forearm bones are very common. The most common form of stabilization is plate and screw fixation. The role of Intramedullary nailing of fractures of the shafts of the adult radius and ulna is still to be defined. This study was perform to analyze anatomical and function outcome of the patients treated by Talwarkar square nail.Methods: We evaluated 46 patients (29 males and 17 females) had fracture both bone forearm treated by intramedullary nail. We analyzed patients in two broad group one with close fracture or grade I, II open fracture (34 patients) and other have open fracture grade IIIA or IIIB (12 patients). First group patients further analyzed weather close (22 patients) or open reduction (8 patients) required. Functional outcome was calculated by Grace and Eversman system.Results: Out of 32 patients of close fracture or open grade 1 or 2 fracture, 29 (90.62%) have excellent or acceptable result. All the patients (100%) in whom close reduction succeeds achieved excellent result. 22 (64.70%) patients close nailing possible.12 patients in whom open reduction required 9 (75%) goes into union. Close nailing have overall success rate is 90.62% where it fail and open nailing require success rate bring down to 75%.. Conclusions: IM nailing gives satisfactory results. Advantages of close nailing are- early union, low incidence of infection, small scars, less blood loss, short operating time with minimal surgical trauma, easier implant removal. Even though plate and screw fixation is the gold standard for stabilization of both bone forearm fracture but intramedullay implant can be used in selected cases with good result. To achieve acceptable result – early surgery, proper selection of the case, pre-operative planning, proper assessment of diameter, length and radial bowing of the nail, is required

Spectroscopic investigation of quantum confinement effects in ion implanted silicon-on-sapphire films

Crystalline Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) films were implanted with boron (B$^+$) and phosphorous (P$^+$) ions. Different samples, prepared by varying the ion dose in the range $10^{14}$ to 5 x $10^{15}$ and ion energy in the range 150-350 keV, were investigated by the Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and glancing angle x-ray diffraction (GAXRD). The Raman results from dose dependent B$^+$ implanted samples show red-shifted and asymmetrically broadened Raman line-shape for B$^+$ dose greater than $10^{14}$ ions cm$^{-2}$. The asymmetry and red shift in the Raman line-shape is explained in terms of quantum confinement of phonons in silicon nanostructures formed as a result of ion implantation. PL spectra shows size dependent visible luminescence at $\sim$ 1.9 eV at room temperature, which confirms the presence of silicon nanostructures. Raman studies on P$^+$ implanted samples were also done as a function of ion energy. The Raman results show an amorphous top SOS surface for sample implanted with 150 keV P$^+$ ions of dose 5 x $10^{15}$ ions cm$^{-2}$. The nanostructures are formed when the P$^+$ energy is increased to 350 keV by keeping the ion dose fixed. The GAXRD results show consistency with the Raman results.Comment: 9 Pages, 6 Figures and 1 Table, \LaTex format To appear in SILICON(SPRINGER

Ayurvedic management of Sandhivat - A Case Study

Knee arthritis is the analogy of Vatavyadhi termed as Sandhivata in Ayurveda possessing similar symptoms like pain, limited range of motion, crepitus with bony enlargement. Vata is vitiated by Rooksha Aahar (Dry food material) and Ativyaama (Excessive exercise). It mostly affects the body\u27s weight-bearing joints, particularly the knee, hip, and lumbar spine Sandhigata Vata is the most frequent type of articular condition, and it makes daily activities like walking, dressing, and bathing difficult for the person. Shula, Sotha, Vata Poornadriti Sparsha and difficulties flexion and extension of the Sandhi are the most common symptoms of the condition. The allopathic treatment provides the symptomatic relief but the underlined pathology remains untreated due to absence of effective therapy and also giving rise to many side effects, toxic effects and adverse reactions

Influence of Cohesion on Bed Load Transport of Bimodal Sediments

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Clinical Case Study on Osteoarthrosis: Integrative Treatment and Functional Improvement

Osteoarthrosis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by the progressive breakdown of articular cartilage and changes in subchondral bone, leading to pain, stiffness, and reduced joint function. Its management involves a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches aimed at alleviating symptoms and improving quality of life.[1] Sandhivata is a term used in Ayurveda to describe a condition resembling osteoarthritis, characterized by joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. It is considered to be caused by an imbalance in the body's Doshas (humors), particularly Vata Dosha, leading to degeneration of the joints and surrounding tissues.[2] Routine full-body massage (Abhyanga) using warm, therapeutic oils aids in nourishing the tissues, improving circulation, and balancing Vata Dosha. Basti is a vital therapy for managing Vata-related conditions

Comparative Analysis of Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms for Diabetes Prediction

Because of its increasing prevalence and the implications that are associated with it, diabetes mellitus, which is a chronic metabolic disorder that is characterized by hyperglycemia, poses a significant threat to the health of people all over the world. Forecasting diabetes in a manner that is both accurate and timely is absolutely necessary for effective management and preventative approaches. Through the application of machine learning methods, this study comes up with a model that can accurately predict diabetes. The predictive model utilizes supervised machine learning techniques, specifically Decision Tree, Naïve Bayes, Artificial Neural Network, and Logistic Regression. These techniques are applied to provide accurate predictions. A number of performance criteria, like as accuracy, recall, precision, and F-score, have been utilized in order to carry out the comparison of different techniques

Study of clinical outcome of acromioclavicular joint injury type III-VI treated by EndoButton and threads in adults

Background: Acromioclavicular joint dislocations are common in physically active young adults that too most common in persons who are participating in sports activities. Incidence is more in males who are participating in contact sports like rugby, basketball, hockey. It accounts for 9% of all shoulder injuries. Literature says the incidence is 3-4/1,00,000 population. The aim of the present study was to study the functional outcome of acromioclavicular joint after reconstruction of both acromioclavicular and coracoclavicular ligament using endo button system and to provide pain-free, mobile shoulder.Methods: In the present study, 15 patients were selected of age group 20-60 years. Acromioclavicular joint injuries are classified according to Rockwood classification and the findings from the physical examination and anteroposterior and axillary radiographs. All patients were treated as per status of injury level by either conservatively or operatively with open reduction and reconstruction of both ligament by using endo button thread system and its outcomes were assessed clinically and radiologically.Results: Patients were evaluated using American shoulder and elbow score (ASES) score and Constant shoulder score. Average ASES score was 90 (range 68.3-98.3) and constant score was 88 (range 63-96). According to constant score 7 patients had excellent outcome, 6 patients had good outcome, 2 patients had adequate outcome. All patients reported satisfaction with the treatment. The patients were followed upto 6 months.Conclusions: The technique proved to be effective in treating acute. Acromioclavicular joint dislocations (Rockwood type III-VI) with a high degree of patient satisfaction