Standard Gravity and Wind Load Analysis on 103-years old Unreinforced Masonry Building

Finite element modelling and analysis has been performed on 103-years old unreinforced masonry Senate hall building (SHB), Allahabad University, India. It is an Indo-Saracenic style of architecture which was built in 1915. An in-situ survey is conducted to know the present condition of the SHB. The major and minor cracks are visible, and construction material has deteriorated at various part of the SHB. The old documents, reports, on-site measurement, and photographs are used to gather the historical data and prepared the accurate model of the SHB on Ansys workbench (ANSYS 14.0) tool. Macro and homogenisation approach has used in the modelling of the SHB. The standard gravity and wind load analysis is performed with a fixed boundary condition on its based of SHB. In gravity analysis, maximum stress (5.69MPa) has been observed at the connections of the ground floor and maximum deformation (7.8mm) on the crown of the arch of the first-floor. The maximum stress and deformation 14.286MPa and 12.491mm have been observed under live load analysis. Further, the maximum stress and deformation obtained under wind load analysis are 4.10MPa and 8.07mm, respectively. The finite element simulation and visual inspection of the SHB are in good agreement with the present condition of the structure

Potential of Archimedes Screw Turbine in Rural India Electrification: a Review

With the growing population of India, the demand for energy consumption is increasing. For the overall development of a region, especially remote areas, electricity is of prime importance. Production of electricity in large scale can further lead to various effects like environmental pollution, climate change and it is also costly. Thus the need for a socio-economic energy conversion to electricity is of prime importance for a sustainable development. India has a huge potential in the Hydro to generate 2,50,000 MW. An Archimedes Screw Turbine that was earlier used as a pump can give a very good solution in harnessing water potential. It rotates as water flows through it, rotating the generator\u27s prime mover connected to it. Archimedes Screw turbines operate at a low head of 0.8m to 10 m and relatively lower flow rate than the other turbines and more cost effective and are highly efficient. The AST is quite a new form of electricity generation practice which has been implemented in different countries along with India. Thus the electrification scenario in rural areas can be improved specially where there is a continuous flow of a river or canal by the installation of the low-cost socio-economic AST

Prospective Phase II trial of drug-eluting bead chemoembolization for liver transplant candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma and marginal hepatic reserve.

Purpose: To determine whether chemoembolization using drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) is safe and effective for liver transplantation candidates with liver-limited hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) without vascular invasion and baseline hepatic dysfunction. Materials and methods: Seventeen adult liver transplantation candidates (median age 66 years, range 58-73 years; 13 men) with HCC were treated with DEB-TACE as a part of Stage 1 of a prospective single-institution Phase II trial. All patients had marginal hepatic reserve based on at least one of the following criteria: ascites (n=14), bilirubin between 3 and 6 mg/dL (n=5), AST 5-10 times upper normal limit (n=1), INR between 1.6 and 2.5 (n=4), portal vein thrombosis (n=2), and/or portosystemic shunt (n=2). Primary study objectives were safety and best observed radiographic response. Results: Thirty-seven DEB-TACE procedures were performed. Objective response rate and disease control rate were 63% and 88%, respectively. HCC progression was observed in 12 patients. Median time to progression was 5.6 months (range 0.9-13.6 months). Within 1 month following DEB-TACE, 13 patients (76%) developed grade 3 or 4 AE attributable to the procedure. Four patients (all within Milan Criteria) were transplanted (2.7-6.9 months after DEB-TACE), and 12 patients died (1.8-32 months after DEB-TACE). All deaths were due to liver failure that was either unrelated to HCC (n=5), in the setting of metastatic HCC (n=5), or in the setting of locally advanced HCC (n=2). Mortality rate at 1 month was 0%. Conclusions: DEB-TACE achieves tumor responses but carries a high risk of hepatotoxicity for liver transplant candidates with HCC and marginal hepatic reserve

Hypertrophic pachymeningitis: a rare manifestation of IgG4 related disease

Hypertrophic pachymeningitis (HP) is a rare form of diffuse inflammatory disease that causes thickening of the dura mater. It can involve the cranial or the spinal dura or both. An increasingly well-known symptom of IgG4-related illness, a fibroinflammatory syndrome that may affect almost any organ, is IgG4-related hypertrophic pachymeningitis (IgG4-RHP). It is estimated that IgG4-RHP may account for a high proportion of cases of hypertrophic pachymeningitis once considered idiopathic. Contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows pachymeningeal enhancement. Serum IgG4 levels may be elevated but are normal in most patients. However, most patients have elevated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) IgG4 index. Hence, CSF IgG4 index could serve as a less invasive diagnostic marker of IgG4-RHP. Confirmation of diagnosis is by meningeal biopsy that shows swirling “storiform” fibrosis with lymphocytic infiltrates, obliterate phlebitis and IgG4 positive plasma cells. This case highlights the diagnostic dilemma of IgG4-RHP as gold standard of diagnosis is meningeal biopsy which has many of its own limitations. CSF IgG4 index could be an alternate option for meningeal biopsy when the procedure is contraindicated or uninformative

Characterization of Historic Mortars for Compatible Restoration: Case Study of South Africa

The history of the South African construction industry dates as far back as the Castle of Good Hope (1666), Slave Lodge (1679), Robben Island (1700), Union Buildings (1913), memorials and cathedrals, among many others. These structures represent the political, slavery, liberation and religious history of South Africa and its development throughout the years, while also contributing towards economic growth through tourism. Historical buildings stand out from the rest of the modern constructions as they portray marvellous architectural designs and unique materials used for their construction. However, due to ageing and environmental conditions, they often show critical signs of deterioration, which threaten the existence of some. In attempts to rescue these national treasures, the use of Portland cement, which is considered incompatible with the original materials, has become a common practice, not only in South Africa but abroad. To avoid disparity in materials during repair of historic structures, original material characterization is therefore recommended. This paper investigates the effects of Portland cement used on the repairs of historical masonries of the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town and buildings on Robben Island, in South Africa. The mortar samples were collected from the Castle and analyzed using the techniques such as the visual investigation, cohesion test, microscopic and titration test. It is observed that the original lime- based mortars are not compatible with the Portland cement produced mortars. It was evident on the masonry, as the repairs are repelling from the original surfaces on these two structures

Assay strategies for the discovery and validation of therapeutics targeting <i>Brugia pahangi</i> Hsp90

The chemotherapy of lymphatic filariasis relies upon drugs such as diethylcarbamazine and ivermectin that largely target the microfilarial stages of the parasite, necessitating continued treatment over the long reproductive life span of the adult worm. The identification of compounds that target adult worms has been a long-term goal of WHO. Here we describe a fluorescence polarization assay for the identification of compounds that target Hsp90 in adult filarial worms. The assay was originally developed to identify inhibitors of Hsp90 in tumor cells, and relies upon the ability of small molecules to inhibit the binding of fluorescently labelled geldanamycin to Hsp90. We demonstrate that the assay works well with soluble extracts of Brugia, while extracts of the free-living nematode C. elegans fail to bind the probe, in agreement with data from other experiments. The assay was validated using known inhibitors of Hsp90 that compete with geldanamycin for binding to Hsp90, including members of the synthetic purine-scaffold series of compounds. The efficacy of some of these compounds against adult worms was confirmed in vitro. Moreover, the assay is sufficiently sensitive to differentiate between binding of purine-scaffold compounds to human and Brugia Hsp90. The assay is suitable for high-throughput screening and provides the first example of a format with the potential to identify novel inhibitors of Hsp90 in filarial worms and in other parasitic species where Hsp90 may be a target