Comparative Studies on Mechanical Properties of High Strength Concrete Using Foundry Slag and Alccofine

The main purpose of this research study is to compare the strength properties (Mechanical) of High Strength Concrete(HSC) using Foundry Slag(FD) and Alccofine(AF) for different curing ages(7, 14, 28, 56 and 90 days). This paper discussed the use of Foundry Slag(FD) as partial replacement for conventional fine aggregates and Alccofine (AF) as partial substitute for cement. Concrete specimens of M100 grade using water/binder ratio 0.239, with varying percentage of FD (0 to 50%) and with optimum percentage of AF(15%) were casted and tested for development of compressive strength(CS), tensile strength(TS) and flexural strength(FS) after curing age of 7, 14, 28, 56 and 90 days. Results suggested that reasonably high strength concrete can be prepared by replacing fine aggregates(FA) with FD and cement with 15% of AF. Results showed increase in mechanical properties ( CS, TS and FS) of HSC with increase in FD content up to 45% and with  age. A straight line equation from the regression analysis has been formed from the results obtained by means of best fit

Synthesis, structural and physical properties of some rare-earth doped nickel chromites

633-639A systematic investigation of structural, magnetic and transport properties of NiCr1.9R0.1O4 (R = Eu, Dy and Ho) has been undertaken. Rietveld analysis of powder X-ray diffraction data revealed that all the compounds crystallize in the cubic symmetry with Fdm space group having small volume fraction of orthorhombic phase RCrO3. Both lattice parameter and cell volume decreases with the substitution of heavier rare earth ion which is consistent with the decrease in ionic radius of rare earth ion. The temperature dependent magnetization studies have shown that all our investigated compounds have negative value of Weiss constant. It indicates the dominance of anti-ferromagnetic interactions in the samples. The phases are semi-conductors and the conduction mechanism is dominated by Arrhenius model in the high temperature paramagnetic semiconducting region

WEB PLOT DIGITIZER SOFTWARE: CAN IT BE USED TO MEASURE NECK POSTURE IN CLINICAL PRACTICE?

Objective : The aim of this study was to examine the use of WPD software to evaluate FHP using digital photogrammetry method.Method: A total of 15 adults with no history of neck pain for the past 6 months were recruited for the study. Using digital photogrammetry and sagittal head tilt, craniocervical and shoulder angles (SAs) were measured using a WPD, which is an open resource of web or Windows-based software.Result: Fifteen participants aged 17–40 years (mean 24.7±6.3 years) were examined. Sagittal head tilt and craniocervical angles were 16.35°±8.33° and 47.43°±7.97°, respectively. SA was 52.28°±12.46°.Conclusion: WPD may be used to evaluate FHP in the clinical settings. However, future research is required to determine the validity and reliability of WPD among patients with neck-related musculoskeletal disorders with a larger sample

Potential of Some Fungal and Bacterial Species in Bioremediation of Heavy Metals

Microorganisms including fungi and bacteria have been reported to extract heavy metals from wastewater through bioaccumulation and biosorption. An attempt was, therefore, made to isolate bacteria and fungi from sites contaminated with heavy metals for higher tolerance and removal from wastewater. Bacterial and fungal isolates were obtained from the samples collected from Karnal, Ambala and Yamunanagar districts of Haryana using enrichment culture technique. Bacterial and fungal isolates with tolerant up to 100 ppm concentration of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cr) were tested for their removal from liquid media containing 50 ppm concentration of Pb, Cd and Cr each. Five fungi (Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspegillus nidulans, Aspergillus flavus, Rhizopus arrhizus, Trichoderma viride) were also included in this study. Fungi Aspergillus nidulans, Rhizopus arrhizus and Trichoderma viride showed maximum uptake capacity of 25.67 mg/g for Pb, 13.15 mg/g for Cd and 2.55 mg/g of Cr, respectively. The maximum uptake capacity of tolerant bacterial isolates - BPb12 and BPb16, BCd5 and BCr14 were observed to be ~ 45 mg/g for Pb, 2.12 mg/g for Cd and 3.29 mg/g for Cr, respectively. This indicated the potential of these identified fungi and bacteria as biosorbent for removal of high concentration metals from wastewater and industrial effluents

Masquelet technique for management of posttraumatic bone defect in a patient of chronic osteomyelitis of long bone

Masquelet technique, which is the use of a temporary cement spacer followed by staged bone grafting, is a treatment strategy for reconstruction of large, infected, bone defects. This paper describes a patient treated with this technique to successfully manage postinfective or posttraumatic osseous long bone defect. Sequestrectomy was done and the injured limb was stabilized and aligned with application of external fixator at the time of initial antibiotic cement spacer placement. After 6 weeks of proper antibiotic coverage, all antibiotics were stopped for next 2 weeks. Clinical evaluation and investigations were done to rule out any residual infection. Osseous consolidation was successfully achieved with staged bone grafting and internal stabilization of long bone defect

Computational prediction and validation of C/D, H/ACA and Eh_U3 snoRNAs of Entamoeba histolytica

Background: Small nucleolar RNAs are a highly conserved group of small RNAs found in eukaryotic cells. Genes encoding these RNAs are diversely located throughout the genome. They are functionally conserved, performing post transcriptional modification (methylation and pseudouridylation) of rRNA and other nuclear RNAs. They belong to two major categories: the C/D box and H/ACA box containing snoRNAs. U3 snoRNA is an exceptional member of C/D box snoRNAs and is involved in early processing of pre-rRNA. An antisense sequence is present in each snoRNA which guides the modification or processing of target RNA. However, some snoRNAs lack this sequence and often they are called orphan snoRNAs. Results: We have searched snoRNAs of Entamoeba histolytica from the genome sequence using computational programmes (snoscan and snoSeeker) and we obtained 99 snoRNAs (C/D and H/ACA box snoRNAs) along with 5 copies of Eh_U3 snoRNAs. These are located diversely in the genome, mostly in intergenic regions, while some are found in ORFs of protein coding genes, intron and UTRs. The computationally predicted snoRNAs were validated by RT-PCR and northern blotting. The expected sizes were in agreement with the observed sizes for all C/D box snoRNAs tested, while for some of the H/ACA box there was indication of processing to generate shorter products. Conclusion: Our results showed the presence of snoRNAs in E. histolytica, an early branching eukaryote, and the structural features of E. histolytica snoRNAs were well conserved when compared with yeast and human snoRNAs. This study will help in understanding the evolution of these conserved RNAs in diverse phylogenetic groups

Synthesis, structural and physical properties of some rare-earth doped nickel chromites

A systematic investigation of structural, magnetic and transport properties of NiCr1.9R0.1O4 (R = Eu, Dy and Ho) has been undertaken. Rietveld analysis of powder X-ray diffraction data revealed that all the compounds crystallize in the cubic symmetry with space group having small volume fraction of orthorhombic phase RCrO3. Both a and V decreases with the substitution of heavier rare earth ion which is consistent with the decrease in ionic radius of rare earth ion. Temperature dependent magnetization studies showed that all our investigated compounds have negative value of Weiss constant (Θ) indicating the dominance of anti-ferromagnetic interactions in the samples. The phases are semi-conductors and the conduction mechanism was dominated by Arrhenius model in the high temperature paramagnetic semiconducting region.

Chemical modification of L-glutamine to alpha-amino glutarimide on autoclaving facilitates Agrobacterium infection of host and non-host plants: A new use of a known compound

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Accidental autoclaving of L-glutamine was found to facilitate the <it>Agrobacterium </it>infection of a non host plant like tea in an earlier study. In the present communication, we elucidate the structural changes in L-glutamine due to autoclaving and also confirm the role of heat transformed L-glutamine in <it>Agrobacterium </it>mediated genetic transformation of host/non host plants.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When autoclaved at 121°C and 15 psi for 20 or 40 min, L-glutamine was structurally modified into 5-oxo proline and 3-amino glutarimide (α-amino glutarimide), respectively. Of the two autoclaved products, only α-amino glutarimide facilitated <it>Agrobacterium </it>infection of a number of resistant to susceptible plants. However, the compound did not have any <it>vir </it>gene inducing property.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We report a one pot autoclave process for the synthesis of 5-oxo proline and α-amino glutarimide from L-glutamine. Xenobiotic detoxifying property of α-amino glutarimide is also proposed.</p

Epidemiology and risk factors of chronic kidney disease in India – results from the SEEK (Screening and Early Evaluation of Kidney Disease) study

Background: There is a rising incidence of chronic kidney disease that is likely to pose major problems for both healthcare and the economy in future years. In India, it has been recently estimated that the age-adjusted incidence rate of ESRD to be 229 per million population (pmp), and >100,000 new patients enter renal replacement programs annually. Methods: We cross-sectionally screened 6120 Indian subjects from 13 academic and private medical centers all over India. We obtained personal and medical history data through a specifically designed questionnaire. Blood and urine samples were collected. Results: The total cohort included in this analysis is 5588 subjects. The mean ± SD age of all participants was 45.22 ± 15.2 years (range 18–98 years) and 55.1% of them were males and 44.9% were females. The overall prevalence of CKD in the SEEK-India cohort was 17.2% with a mean eGFR of 84.27 ± 76.46 versus 116.94 ± 44.65 mL/min/1.73 m2 in non-CKD group while 79.5% in the CKD group had proteinuria. Prevalence of CKD stages 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 was 7%, 4.3%, 4.3%, 0.8% and 0.8%, respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of CKD was observed to be 17.2% with ~6% have CKD stage 3 or worse. CKD risk factors were similar to those reported in earlier studies. It should be stressed to all primary care physicians taking care of hypertensive and diabetic patients to screen for early kidney damage. Early intervention may retard the progression of kidney disease. Planning for the preventive health policies and allocation of more resources for the treatment of CKD/ESRD patients are imperative in India