Recycling marble wastes and Jarosite wastes into sustainable hybrid composite materials and validation through Response Surface Methodology

During marble processing such as cutting, polishing and grinding, a considerable amount of fine residues refereed as marble processing rejects (MPRs) are produced and have become a serious environmental issue. So the current study deals with the conversion of MPRs into hybrid ceramic composite bricks (CCB) with Jarosite waste in a clay matrix system. Mix design and optimization of CCB was performed to illustrate the potentials of MPRs and Jarosite wastes as low-cost high-value composites materials. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) model was also used in this work for simulation and to optimize the process for improving CCB quality employing classic mixture approach. Detoxification through mineralogical changes was achieved during firing composite bricks at 960 °C ± 2 °C and was confirmed using the XRD analysis. Compressive strength of CCB using 15% MPRs with 1:1 Jarosite waste - clay matrix ratio met the standard quality (>35 kg/cm2) for its use in construction purpose. It is evident from the RSM model results and statistical analysis for the response compressive strength, shrinkage, water absorption capacity, density and leachate concentration of Cd as well as Pb in the CCB is in laudable agreement with actual experimental performance

The Role and Correlation of Music Intervention to Alleviate Pain and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Many studies suggest that Music Therapy (MT) can help calm nervous system and lower cortisol levels, both of which can help reduce stress and anxiety. The objective of the study was to find out the potential correlation between music, anxiety and pain by locating all research and merging their findings. A literature search on PubMed, Web of Science, Global health, Medline & Cochrane review of journals databases was performed on the recent 10 years of data. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) studies included patients with anxiety and pain and accumulated data on music intervention therapies with the help of Revman software. The quality of evidence was assessed using the modified Jadad scale and was found to be 5.3 in a scale of 9. It was evaluated that patient’s anxiety levels decreased and their blood pressure, oxygen saturation level, and heart rate values improved when on music therapy. It raised the stress threshold and reduced discomfort. For the MT group, the analysis produced a moderate effect of anxiety with a statistically significant result (RD= -0.01, 95%CI, -0.04-0.03, p=0.832, I2=0%). The Hamilton Anxiety Rating scale measured anxiety, Visual Analogue Scale (0–10) measured pain which was found to be 1.The outcome of the study was that patient with anxiety and pain have benefited from MT though effect of MT on anxiety was greater as compared to pain.http://impactfactor.org/PDF/IJCPR/14/IJCPR,Vol14,Issue4,Article5.pd

Effect of lignocellulosic corn stalk on mechanical, physical, and thermal properties of injection moulded low density polyethylene composites: An approach towards a circular economy

Escalating concern over global warming, which is mostly associated with deforestation, has led to the development of new classes of materials that can replace wood and better utilise natural resources. Presently, waste is a significant factor in recycling. In this regard, one of the leading contributors to waste is agricultural waste, which includes dried branches, leaves of trees, plants, and other organic materials. In the current study, waste from corn agriculture was utilised as a potential reinforcement for the fabrication of corn stalk-low density polyethylene (CS-LDPE) composites via an injection moulding technique at 170 °C. The different parameters were assessed to develop composites using CS, including physico-chemical, macromolecular, mineralogical, elemental, and morphological analysis. The amount of corn stalk (CS) was varied from 10 to 50 wt% with respect to the polymer. The mechanical, physical and thermal performance of the composites was examined. The density and water absorption of the composites were found to remain within the ranges of 1.00–1.11 g/cm3 and 0.22–1.01 %, respectively, whereas these parameters increased as the proportion of CS increased. The thermal conductivity decreases with the addition of CS from 0.36964 ± 0.020 to 0.22388 ± 0.002 W/mK. It was observed that adding CS to the composites increased their tensile and flexural properties, but decreased their impact strength. The maximum flexural strength of 14.40 ± 1.558 MPa, flexural modulus of 752.53 ± 180.409 MPa, tensile strength of 10.49 ± 0.946 MPa and tensile modulus of 539.79 ± 91.044 MPa were observed with a 50 % CS content. The results suggest that these materials have considerable potential to serve as a cost-effective substitute for the conventional lignocellulosic fillers in the manufacturing of wood-plastic composites