Laboratory Model Tests on Stone Column and Pervious Concrete Columns: A Comparative Study

This study aims to perform laboratory model tests to investigate the load-deformation behavior of stone columns (SCs), pervious concrete columns (PCCs), and composite columns (CCs). Here, CC refers to the column which has the upper portion made of PCC and the lower portion made of SC. The parameters investigated in this study include column diameters, column lengths, and installation methods (pre-cast and cast-in-situ methods). The results of the model tests reveal that the axial load-carrying capacity of PCC is nearly 8 times more than that of SC with the same diameter. Moreover, it is also observed that at the top portion of SC, with the PCC length which is about 3.75 to 5 times the column diameter, the load-carrying capacity can significantly increase. It is concluded that the installation methods have marginal influence on the load-deformation behavior of PCC

Lateral Response of 2 x 2 Pile Group Embedded in Cohesive Soil Near Slope

This work studies the response of a 2 x 2 pile group near a slope subjected to lateral load. Three-dimensional, non-linear finite element analysis is carried out. The entire code is developed in FORTRAN 90. Bending-dominated pile and pile caps are represented by 20 node elements with quadratic shape function, and shear-dominated soil elements are represented by eight-node elements with linear shape function. Sixteen node interface element of zero thickness is used for stress transfer between pile and soil. The outcome highlights the influence of slope parameters like slope angle and edge distance on the response of the 2 x 2 pile group near a slope. The lateral displacement and maximum bending moments are increased with an increase in slope. However, its effect reduces with an increase in slope distance. The point of zero-shear along the pile's depth shifts deeper with an increase in slope

Process evaluation of child health services at outreach sites during health and nutrition day (Mamta Day) in urban slums of Western India

Introduction: Health indicators of rural and urban India show a wide variation. Rural areas have received large focus in child health services, but on the flip side, urban areas have been the last to receive such attention. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to include one randomly selected outreach session from all the 19 urban primary health centers of Vadodara city from April 2013 to May 2014. Nineteen session sites were observed for the process evaluation of three components of child health care, namely, “planning of Health and Nutrition Day,” “availability of vaccines/logistics,” and “direct observation of actual immunization process” at the site using a structured checklist. Results: Most of the vaccines and logistics were present at all 19 sites visited, but adverse events following immunization kit were observed at ten sites (52%) only. Open vial policy, no-touch technique, and immediate cutting of syringe with hub cutter were implemented at all sites; however, completely filled Mamta Card was observed at 9 (47%) sites only. All four key messages were given at 5 (26%) sites only. Conclusion: Immunization services such as proper vaccine administration with no-touch technique and open vial policy were mainly focused; however, other services such as biomedical waste management, record keeping, and delivery of all four key messages need to be strengthened during Mamta Divas. Strengthening of other child health care services such as growth monitoring, Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illnesses, and referral services is required in urban areas

Readiness to quit addiction! A study among patients attending tertiary care hospital in Western India

Background Tobacco use has been an important public health problem in India. Tobacco cessation is considered a cost effective intervention in controlling the tobacco epidemic in terms of preventable morbidity and mortality. Readiness to quit is one of the key steps in the process towards tobacco cessation. However, it is important to know the addiction pattern in the particular region so as to initiate de-addiction initiatives. So the current study was carried out with an objective to find the addiction habits and readiness to quit addiction among patients visiting GMERS Gotri General Hospital, a tertiary care hospital attached to Medical College in Gujarat, India. Methods All the patients at the registration desk of the hospital were randomly selected during May 2015. A total of 626 patients having any form of addiction were enrolled in this cross sectional study after taking written informed consent. They were interviewed in vernacular language using a validated semi-structured questionnaire. After counseling them for quitting tobacco use, their readiness to quit was enquired and those willing were referred to de-addiction clinic in Psychiatry department. Data was entered and analysed using Epi Info Software. Results Out of 626 addictive patients registered, 97% were males, 50.8% in the middle age group and 59.3% from rural areas. The most common form of addiction was tobacco chewing (66.4%) followed by smoking (32.7%) and alcohol (19.4%). Among them 428 (68.4%) showed readiness to quit. Out of those ready to quit 198 (46.2%) were actually registered at the de-addiction clinic. Conclusions Majority of patients were ready to quit addiction, so there is a need to have an ongoing program for awareness among patients about the de-addiction services already available within the hospital to improve quit rate. An awareness kiosk at the outpatient department can be explored in further studies

Influence of randomly distributed waste tire fibres on swelling behaviour of expansive soils

© 2021, Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. Reinforcement of soil with fibres in different forms has been a regular practice since early days. Utilizing the waste tire fibres instead of other types of fibres will serve the dual purpose of utilization of waste as well as improving the behaviour of expansive soils. This paper presents the effect of tire fibres on swelling behaviour of expansive soils with a change in size as well as the percentage of fibres. The consolidation tests were performed and swelling potential was identified and compared for different fibre types A (L/B = 8.95), B(L/B = 6.387) and C (L/B = 4.457) with varying fibre content as 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75% and 1.00%. The swelling potential for 12 combinations was computed and compared with that of the virgin soil to calculate the swelling potential ratio (SPR) to find out the optimum percentage and aspect ratio at which the fibres are most effective in reducing the swelling behaviour of the problematic soils

Experimental Study of Soil Water Characteristic Curve for a Clayey Soil Reinforced with Model Geocell for Freezing-Thawing Cycles

The category of geosynthetics includes geocells as a common subclass. As a low-cost, easilyinstalled solution to soil stabilisation problems, geocells are gaining popularity in the field of geotechnical engineering. Assessing and measuring the matric potential of geocell reinforced soil subjected to alternating freezing-thawing cycles depends on understanding the water retention behaviour of the soil. The water retention properties of geocell reinforced soil are influenced by alternate freezing-thawing cycles. For the objective of this study, the thawing soil freezing characteristic curve (SFCC) of a clayey soil with variable numbers of model geocells was determined (0, 1, and 2 number). With the progression of freezingthawing cycles, which dramatically changed the retention behaviour of reinforcing soil, the matric potential was measured using the filter paper method methodology. The thawing SFCC for reinforced soil with model geocell was assessed using the van Genuchten model. For the studied soil with varied numbers of model geocells, the VG model was evaluated for five consecutive freezing-thawing cycles, demonstrating its efficacy in determining the retention behaviour of geocell reinforced soils. The experimental findings showed that the matric potential in SFCC has considerably enhanced due to the presence of model geocell

Experimental Study of Soil Water Characteristic Curve for a Clayey Soil Reinforced with Model Geocell for Freezing-Thawing Cycles

The category of geosynthetics includes geocells as a common subclass. As a low-cost, easilyinstalled solution to soil stabilisation problems, geocells are gaining popularity in the field of geotechnical engineering. Assessing and measuring the matric potential of geocell reinforced soil subjected to alternating freezing-thawing cycles depends on understanding the water retention behaviour of the soil. The water retention properties of geocell reinforced soil are influenced by alternate freezing-thawing cycles. For the objective of this study, the thawing soil freezing characteristic curve (SFCC) of a clayey soil with variable numbers of model geocells was determined (0, 1, and 2 number). With the progression of freezingthawing cycles, which dramatically changed the retention behaviour of reinforcing soil, the matric potential was measured using the filter paper method methodology. The thawing SFCC for reinforced soil with model geocell was assessed using the van Genuchten model. For the studied soil with varied numbers of model geocells, the VG model was evaluated for five consecutive freezing-thawing cycles, demonstrating its efficacy in determining the retention behaviour of geocell reinforced soils. The experimental findings showed that the matric potential in SFCC has considerably enhanced due to the presence of model geocell

Stabilization/Solidification of Zinc- and Lead-Contaminated Soil Using Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3): An Environmentally Friendly Alternative

Due to increased carbon emissions, the use of low-carbon and low-cost cementitious materials that are sustainable and effective are gaining considerable attention recently for the stabilization/solidification (S/S) of contaminated soils. The current study presents the laboratory investigation of low-carbon/cost cementitious material known as limestone-calcined clay cement (LC3) for the potential S/S of Zn- and Pb-contaminated soils. The S/S performance of the LC3 binder on Zn- and Pb-contaminated soil was determined via pH, compressive strength, toxicity leaching, chemical speciation, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analyses. The results indicate that immobilization efficiency of Zn and Pb was solely dependent on the pH of the soil. In fact, with the increase in the pH values after 14 days, the compressive strength was increased to 2.5–3 times compared to untreated soil. The S/S efficiency was approximately 88% and 99%, with increase in the residual phases up to 67% and 58% for Zn and Pb, respectively, after 28 days of curing. The increase in the immobilization efficiency and strength was supported by the XRPD analysis in forming insoluble metals hydroxides such as zincwoodwardite, shannonite, portlandite, haturite, anorthite, ettringite (Aft), and calcite. Therefore, LC3 was shown to offer green and sustainable remediation of Zn- and Pb-contaminated soils, while the treated soil can also be used as safe and environmentally friendly construction material