Experimental Investigation on Sound Absorption Property of a Panel Board Using Maize Stem

Abstract In this project our aim is to produce a soundproofing board which is made out of Maize stem (stalk). Due to increase in number of industries, factories and vehicle traffic cause serious noise pollution. So to overcome this, use of Sound proofing panels in the structural elements could significantly help to reduce the sound as well as gives a good environment to work. People nowadays demand for a better working environment. Many commercialized sound proofing materials are available in the market, the cost of these materials would be much higher and also it could cause health issues when people are exposed with the material. So use of sound proofing panels made with agro-waste could be a better solution, an attempt has been made to produce a soundproofing board which is made out of stalk portion of maize plant. The board’s sound absorption property is studied in this research by using Impedance test and the cost of maize stem board is cheap enough so that everyone can afford it.</jats:p

Performance Analysis of Solar Still by Using Octagonal-Pyramid Shape in the Solar Desalination Techniques

This research work explored and compared the experimental performance of a solar still having novel octagonal-pyramid shape with a single slope solar still. It is found that the novel still provides twice distillation compared with conventional still. The experiments also evaluated the desalination productivity of octagonal-pyramid solar still by varying the depth of saline water inside the basin and angle of inclination of glass cover. It is observed that the optimum condition for high distillation is obtained when depth of water inside the basin is 5 cm with angle of inclination of glass cover which is 30°. Four types of water, i.e., underground borewell water, sea water, leather industry effluent, and plastic industry effluent were also used to see the effect on distillation. Results showed that underground borewell water provides high distillation due to low density. Furthermore, the performance of the octagonal-pyramid solar still is enhanced by adding different latent heat and sensible heat materials in the octagonal-pyramid solar still. Hence, the addition of brick to the octagonal-pyramid still yields the highest productivity compared to incorporation of paraffin wax. Hence, it can be concluded that the octagonal design of the solar still has shown an increased productivity when compared to a single slope solar still (conventional still) under all the conditions

Performance of Polyvinyl Alcohol and Polypropylene Fibers under Simulated Cementitious Composites Pore Solution

The thermal properties of polymer fibers namely polyvinyl alcohol fiber (PVA) and polypropylene fiber (PP) have been taken for study to carry out this present work. Simulated pore solution (SPS) is prepared by using the combination of chemicals NaOH, KOH, and Ca(OH)2 with distilled water to study the effect of C-S-H gel formation on fibers. The fibers are dipped in the solution for 35 days. The thermal properties of raw and SPS-dipped fibers are fetched out by performing various tests such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). On analysis, the thermal properties of SPS-dipped fiber have better properties when compared with raw fiber. In FTIR analysis the first broad peak of both raw and SPS-dipped fibers are observed between 3000 cm−1 to 2800 cm−1 indicating that fibers have strong bond. In TGA analysis noted that the residual mass of raw fiber (77.19%) is higher than SPS-dipped fiber (52.33%) due to the formation of C-S-H gel formation. DSC analysis showed both endothermic and exothermic reaction under N2 atmosphere

Prognostic biomarkers for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Identifying informative prognostic biomarkers for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is of great importance in order to better predict tumour behaviour and to guide treatment planning. Here, we summarise existing evidence regarding immunohistochemical prognostic biomarkers for OTSCC. Methods: A systematic search of the literature was performed using the databases of Scopus, Ovid Medline, Web of Science and Cochrane Library. All studies which had investigated the prognostic significance of immunohistochemical biomarkers in OTSCC during the period from 1985 to 2015 were retrieved. For the five most often evaluated biomarkers a random-effects meta-analysis on overall survival was performed, including those studies that provided the necessary statistical results. Results: A total of 174 studies conducted during the last three decades were found, and in these 184 biomarkers were evaluated for the prognostication of OTSCC. The five biomarkers most frequently assessed were p53, Ki-67, p16, VEGFs and cyclin D1. In the meta-analyses, the most promising results of the prognostic power for OTSCC were obtained for cyclin D1. For studies of VEGF A and C the results were equivocal, but the pooled analysis of VEGF A separately showed it to be a useful prognosticator for OTSCC. There was no sufficient evidence to support p53, Ki-67 and p16 as prognostic biomarkers for OTSCC. Limitations in the quality of the published studies (e.g., small cohorts, lack of compliance with REMARK guidelines) are widespread. Conclusions: Numerous biomarkers have been presented as useful prognosticators for OTSCC, but the quality of the conduct and reporting of original studies is overall unsatisfactory which does not allow reliable conclusions. The value of two biomarkers (VEGFA and cyclin D1) should be validated in a multicentre study setting following REMARK guidelines.Peer reviewe