044056   SIDDAYA R , PUTTAMALIGAIAH S B, RUDRESH H B , BHOOMPURAM N G , MUNINARAYANASWAMY V (Community Medicine Dep, Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, Mandya - 571 401, Karnataka, Email: p.subhash.babu@gmail.com) : An epidemiologic study of patients presenting with burns and scald injuries to a government medical college hospital in Karnataka. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(2), 54-7.

As per the World Health Organization’s Global burden of disease (GBD) estimates in 2004 about 3,10,000 people (30 % of them under 20 yrs of age) died due to burn injuries and 237500 in 2013 as per GBD 2013. In terms of years of life lost, deaths/ injuries due to fire ranked 25^th in 1990 and 34^th in 2013. In India, as per data released by National Crime Record Bureau in the year 2013, electrocution and fire accidents were responsible for 2.6 % and 5.5 % of the total deaths due to accidents respectively. Injury due to burns leads to significant mortality and morbidity, so this study was done with the following objectives. To determine the profile of the victims of burns and scald injuries treated at the MIMS hospital. To quantify the morbidity, mortality due to burns and scalds in patients treated in MIMS hospital. To determine the reasons for burns/ scald injuries among the victims. A Cross sectional, hospital based study was done sourcing data from medical records of admitted patients from January 2013 to December 2013. The total number of patients admitted with burn injuries during the study period were 217 of which 189 sustained burns/ scald injuries and the remaining sustained electrical burn injuries. 122 were aged between 16-35 yrs. Of the 189 people who sustained burns/ scald injuries 33 were children aged 15 yrs or less. The risk of females sustaining critical burn injuries (>25 % body surface area) was statistically significant in adults.

4 tables, 10 ref

042189   KUMAR M S, KRISHNAMOORTHY G, VAITHIYANATHAN D (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi - 110 040, Email: dvaithiyanathan@nitdelhi.ac.in) : An adaptive denoising approach to powerline interference reduction in ECG recording. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 939-51.

The objective of this paper is to develop an adaptive denoising algorithm for the reduction of powerline interference (PLI) in electrocardiogram (ECG) recording. The problem of mode mixing and inability to deal with non-stationary characteristics have the major drawbacks posed by existing PLI removal techniques. The technique used in the proposed work has been combined with the concept of synchrosqueezing transform with an adaptive filter to overcome such limitations. The synchrosqueezing transform has facilitated as a mode decomposition tool to disintegrate the signal into a set of intrinsic mode functions and then applying adaptive filter on decomposition results to estimate PLI so as to recover noise free ECG. The performance assessment of the proposed techniques have been carried out with several established ECG database available in physio net and its adaptability to powerline frequency drift has also been studied. A comparative analysis has been conducted to validate the proposed techniques. Experimental results have suggested that the proposed SST based PLI reduction approaches provide better denoising effect than state of the art methods.

12 illus, 4 tables, 33 ref

044055   KHAN M S , GUTCH M, KUMAR S , KUMAR M (Endocrinology Dep, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow-226 010, Uttar Pradesh, Email: manish07gutch@gmail.com) : Insulin resistance as a prognostic indicator in severe sepsis, septic shock and multiorgan dysfunction syndrome. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 47-50.

: Insulin resistance can be broadly defined as subnormal biological response to normal insulin concentration. Insulin resistance (IR) is one of the major factors in the pathogenesis of sepsis. To study the Insulin Resistance as Prognostic Indicator in Severe Sepsis, Septic Shock and Multiorgan Dysfunction syndrome (MODS). A prospective observational study done at Intensive care unit of Department of Medicine, at the tertiary care health centre of Northern India, it was done between June 2016-to May 2017. Patients with age between 14 to 75 years and satisfying the criteria for severe sepsis, septic shock, MODS according to third international consensus 2016 guidelines was included in the study. Patients on statins and insulin, those who had chronic disease and who had CPR were excluded. A total of 81 patients were enrolled. Mean of fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting insulin level and insulin resistance of both groups were calculated and compared on Day 1 and Day of outcome. Out of 81 patients 42 were euglycemic (RBS140 mg/dl). Mean fasting insulin (13.36+4.95v/s 9.83+4.54) and insulin resistance (6.65+3.84v/s2.41+1.11) of hyperglycemic was found to be significantly (p<.01) higher than euglycemic group of patients. Of 39 hyperglycemic patients 30 % (n=13) expired while out of 42 euglycemic patients 28.5 % expired (n=12) showing mortality was higher in hyperglycaemic patients and the value was found to be non-significant. In patients of severe sepsis, septic shock and MODS stress induced hyperglycemia and insulin resistance are associated with increased mortality. IR is a good and easily estimated method for assessing, but it is not the appropriate indicator of mortality in patients with severe sepsis and organ failure as there are many other factors which come into interplay leading to poor prognosis.

4 tables, 19 ref

044054   KULKARNI P, THOMAS J J, DOWERAH J , NARAYANA MURTHY MR , RAVIKUMAR K (JSS Medical Coll, Mysuru-570 015, Karnataka, Email: josejom031@gmail.com) : Awareness and practices on malaria and its prevention in two northern districts of Karnataka- understanding the ground realities. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 43-6.

Malaria is a disease with global public health importance. India is endemic for the disease and accounts for 4 % of global deaths due to Malaria. Karnataka contributes 0.89% of cases annually of the country and is in the pre-elimination phase of the disease. The study was conducted in two districts of Karnataka to assess the awareness about malaria and practices on its prevention and treatment among residents of the districts. A crosssectional study was conducted in 2 urban and 6 rural randomly selected clusters in Raichur and Bagalkot districts of Karnataka. A total of 480 individuals were assessed for their perception and practices related to malaria prevention by direct interview and observation checklist using a pretested structured interview schedule. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS-22. The present study found that 43.1 % of study subject were aware that malaria is transmitted through mosquito bite. 39 % of respondents were able to identify at least one symptom of malaria while 44.6 % were aware of at least one preventive measure to be taken against transmission of the disease. 60.8 % of households surveyed under the study owned at least one mosquito net in their house. The proportion of houses where indoor residual spraying was done was only 3.5 %. The overall awareness about malaria and its prevention was notably low in the study region. So, we recommend additional behavioural change communication programmes and other appropriate interventions from the health system to improve them.

2 tables, 18 ref

042185   MUTHU B R, SOLOMON E P P, DHANDAPANI V (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, Anna Univ, Chennai - 600 025, Tamil Nadu, Email: mbharathiraj@annauniv.edu.in) : Simulation of the process variation in negative capacitance virtual-source carbon nanotubeFET devices and circuits. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 916-20.

We have reported the impact of process variation of virtual- source carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (VS-CNFET) device externally connected to the epitaxial ferroelectric (FE) capacitor through the spectre parametric simulation. We have found that the FE materials with high remnant polarization produces better transfer characteristics and suppressed short channel effects (SCE). The increase in the ferroelectric thickness (t_fe) has brought out the good impact of 4x improvement in ON current and reduced subthreshold swing of 40 mV/decade. The ON current has been increased with increase in thickness of ferroelectric material and has followed a monotonic trend, where the leakage current becomes a major concern and optimization of crucial parameters such as a diameter of the nanotube has given importance. Relative to the VS- CNFET model, the negative capacitance VS-CNFET model has stacked in ring oscillator (RO) displays immune to delay variation and produces better switching characteristics.

4 illus, 30 ref

042184   JAMES B P, DHANDAPANI V, MARIAMMAL K (National Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi - 110 040, Email: dvaithiyanathan@nitdelhi.ac.in) : An optimized MAC based architecture for adaptive digital filter. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 906-15.

Filter design in signal processing field plays a vital role in achieving low power dissipation, which is essential for portable gadgets. This paper proposes an effective flexible FIR filter structure, which is adaptive and utilizes multiply– accumulate (MAC) core. Most common algorithm for filter coefficient optimization includes least mean square (LMS) and recursive least square (RLS). Though the performance of the recursive least square (RLS) algorithm is superior as compared to the least mean square (LMS); because of higher arithmetic complexity in design, it has not been preferred for real time applications. The fundamental filter has used a LMS based tapped delay line filter, which is practically a feasible choice for adaptive filtering algorithm in order to attain lesser computation. In the proposed work, the adjustable coefficient filters using an optimized LMS approach has been implemented for the utilization of determining the unexplored system. The filter tap considered here is a 32-tap and its analysis and synthesis has been carried out using hardware description language (HDL) programming and synthesized in field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices. The placement and post routing design has offered good performance in terms of utilized resources. The implemented filter architecture requires 80% reduction in resources and has enhanced the clock frequency by about five times when examined with the reported architecture.

7 illus, 8 tables, 39 ref

044053   AGGARWAL A, RAO T, PALEKAR T, PARANJAPE P, SINGH G (Dr. D.Y Patil Vidyapeeth, Dighi 411015, Pune, Maharashtra, Email: amita15pgi@gmail.com) : Effect of yogasanas and pranayama on pain, severity and quality of life in primary dysmennorhea. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 38-42.

Primary dysmennorhea is the commonest problem experienced by adolescent girls. Pain begins just prior to or with the onset of menstrual flow and resolves with end of menstruation. The pain may be experienced in the pelvis, abdomen and lower back or upper legs. Yoga provides benefits that prove extremely useful for people to lead a healthy life. Anulomaviloma is one of the pranayama which balances both the sides of the brain. This study is undertaken to find the effect of three yoga asanas (the cat, fish and cobra pose) and anulomaviloma in primary dysmennorhea on pain, severity and quality of life. The subjects were assigned to three groups by randomized controlled sampling Group A (n=10) who performed the three yogasanas Bhujangasana, Marjarasana and Matsyasana and Group B (n=10) who performed the anulom vilom pranayam technique and Group C (n=10) combination of these two intervention protocols. The subjects were assessed at the baseline and after 4 weeks which included the subjects having presence of dysmennorhea of Grade 2 and Grade 3 Severity on the Verbal Multidimensional Scoring system for Dysmennorhea Scale and Pain on the Numerical Pain Rating Scale and quality of life was assessed by using Short Form-12 questionnaire. The intervention consisted for a period of 4 weeks. The study concluded that there is statistically significant difference in all the three groups. Yogasanas along with pranayama technique are more effective than using a single intervention protocol either of yogasanas or pranayama in primary dysmennorhea.

1 illus, 4 tables, 19 ref

042183   BHARTI M ( Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Delhi - 110 040, Email: manishabharti@nitdelhi.ac.in) : Design and investigation of Hybrid 2D codes for optical CDMA systems. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 901-5.

Hybrid 2D codes have been designed, implemented and investigated for optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) system. For analysis, the codes that have been chosen in this manuscript are algebraically constructed codes, prime codes, hybrid W/T codes and optical orthogonal codes (OOCs). To investigate the performance of codes in detail, on-off keying method has been employed on all codes and combinatorial analysis has been implemented. Hard limiting error probability (HEP) and other hit probability equations have been mentioned to perform the analysis. Based on the performance analysis and simulation results, hybrid W/T code has outperformed all other optical family codes that have been taken into consideration. Emb-M/MPHC from hybrid W/T code family has shown lower bit error rate (BER) curves for increasing number of users count. The main attributes to its superior performance in comparison to all other codes have been its better code design and properties it possess.

6 illus, 8 ref

042182   CHOUDHARY H, VAITHIYANATHAN D, SINGH A P, SHEORAN A J, KUMAR H (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Delhi - 110 040, Email: harshvardhanchoudhary@nitdelhi.ac.in) : Design and development of an additive manufactured force transducer. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 897-900.

This paper discusses the design and development of an additive manufactured force transducer for force measurement applications. The force transducer is of square ring shape and dimensions have been evaluated in accordance to available literature. Fused filament fabrication technique has been adopted for fabrication of the force transducer and strain gauges have been applied at defined location in form of a Wheatstone bride. Efforts regarding metrological characterization are underway and successful demonstration of the force transducer will define a new development in the direction of force transducers.

3 illus, 2 tables, 41 ref

042181   RANA R, MURTAZA Q, WALIA R S (Mechanical and Automation Engineering Dep, Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology, Delhi - 110 086, Email: 7ramakant@gmail.com) : Optimization using genetic algorithm of tribological behaviour of WC tool material. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 889-96.

In this investigation we have used a heuristic approach to optimize the process parameters in terms of tool wear rate. We have used the L8 orthogonal array design of experiments with three input parameters set at two levels. We have carried out the experimentation on two different processes viz. dry sliding and dry turning processes. An attempt has been made to achieve and validate the results obtained from these processes to check the repeatability of values in the same experimental environment. The tool material chosen for tool insert is Tungsten Carbide which is used in the manufacturing industries. We have optimised the results obtained on tribometer under the dry sliding process through a modern optimization technique i.e. genetic algorithm. The response surface methodology model (L8 orthogonal array) formed the basis for the development of genetic algorithm model through which we have defined the conditions. We have used the conditions of minimum tool wear for turning process, minimum coefficient of friction and minimum surface roughness for sliding process on a pin-on-disc test rig. It has been inferred that the sliding and turning processes under the conditions of no lubrication yielded analogous results. We have verified the same results practically by performing confirmation experiments on lathe machine for turning operation under the same experimental conditions.

7 illus, 2 tables, 31 ref

042180   DAVE V, SINGH S, VAKHARIA V (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum Univ, Gandhinagar - 382 007, Gujarat, Email: vinayvakharia4343@gmail.com) : Diagnosis of bearing faults using multi fusion signal processing techniques and mutual information. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 878-88.

Bearing is a widely used rotating component in most of the industrial machinery. Failure of bearings can incur substantial losses in the industries. During operation, to prohibit failure in bearing, it becomes necessary to identify faults that occur in bearings. In the present work, bearing vibration signals have been taken for the detection of faults in bearings. In the next step, features obtained from various signal processing techniques such as ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), walsh hadamard transform (WHT) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT) have been used to detect bearing faults (inner race defect, outer race defect, and ball defects). To select the mother wavelet, the maximum energy to entropy ration criteria has been used. Mutual Information feature ranking algorithm is used to select the relevant features. Machine learning techniques such as Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, Artificial Neural Network, and IBK are used. Training and tenfold cross-validation procedures applied to all ranked features. Results reveal that random forest gives 100 % training accuracy with one ranked feature and 98.43 % ten-fold cross-validation accuracy with seven features. From the results, it is observed that the proposed methodology can be reliable and it may serve as an effective tool for fault diagnosis of bearing.

11 illus, 7 tables, 26 ref

042179   DEEPAK, VIPIN (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Delhi Technological Univ, Shahbad Daulatpur, Delhi - 110 042, Email: vipin@dce.ac.in) : Investigation of surface roughness for EN-31 by REDM with graphite electrode. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 872-7.

Machining of EN-31 is supposed to be very difficult by conventional machining methods. A rotational electrical discharge machine (REDM) has been developed with concentration of abrasive particles in oil. Investigations have been carried out for machining EN-31 material by REDM with graphite electrodes (Ge). Analysis of REDM process parameter has made to carry out on EN-31 for Surface Roughness (R_a) with graphite electrode (G_e). The experiments have been performed with three parameters: Peak current (P_c), tool rotation (T_rpm) and abrasive concentration (A_c). The variable concentration of silicon carbide (SiC) has been used to analyse the R_a at various concentration such as 60, 80 & 100 g/L. Optimal results have been obtained for process parameters, Pc – 12 amp, Trpm – 1800 rpm and Ge – 80 g/L.

6 illus, 5 tables, 9 ref

044052   MAZUMDER D N G, GHOSH A K, MAJUMDAR K K , MUKHERJEE S , MAJUMDER P K (DNGM Research Foundation, Kolkata-700 053, West Bengal, Email: dngmazumder@gmail.com) : Ground water arsenic contamination in Malda, West Bengal, India: Epidemiology and efficacy of mitigation measures. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 34-7.

Health hazard due to arsenic exposure through ground water is a major problem in West Bengal. The State Government is involved in supplying arsenic safe water to the population. An epidemiological study is done on Malda, one of the severely arsenic affected district of West Bengal. Quality of drinking water and its availability to the people have also been assessed. A population based cross sectional study was done in Malda. Water from household tube well was tested for arsenic and availability of safe water was assessed. Four hundred and forty-six (8.3%) cases of arsenicosis with typical skin lesion were detected out of 5355 participants examined in 2013 households studied in seven affected blocks of Malda. Out of 1638 water samples tested from home tube wells, 78% of water samples were found to be contaminated with arsenic >0.01 mg/L. Out of 81 habitations surveyed, 68 habitations had pipelines constructed for supplying arsenic safe water. However, supply was regular in four habitations only. Arsenic safe water (<0.01mg/L) was available from 5 tube wells out of 21 tube wells constructed by PHED in the habitations. Significant number of arsenicosis cases were identified in Malda district. Large number of home tube wells were contaminated with arsenic. In spite of presence of PHED tube wells and pipelines in most arsenic affected habitations, safe water was not available to most people.

2 tables, 12 ref

042178   BAJWA G S, SINGARI R M, MISHRA R S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Guru Nanak Dev Institute of Technology, Rohini, Delhi - 110 089, Email: gurdevinder65bajwa@gmail.com) : The natural fibre and nano talc based hybrid composite of polypropylene: Thermal performance. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 866-71.

Hybrid composite are the latest development in the field of engineering materials and due to environmental concern we are employing natural fibre in place of synthetic fibres to save energy and environment as these hybrid composite are biodegradable. Reinforcement of nano talc in hybrid composite also enhances the properties of hybrid composite. Processing of hybrid composite is easy and economical. The hybrid composite produced by melt blending via co-rotating twin screw extruder. The thermal and morphological properties of hybrid composite have been investigated. The chemical structure has been observed by FTIR and morphology of hybrid composite by SEM has shown the uniform dispersion of natural fibres and talc in the polypropylene matrix. The thermal properties have been analysed by DSC, HDT, VST tests and gives positive results.

4 illus, 4 tables, 28 ref

044051   PRASAD A M, BABU A R, SHIVAKUMAR V (Dermatology Dep, PESIMSR, Beggilipalle-517425, Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, Email: aneeha.rameshbabu@gmail.com) : A clinical study of non-venereal genital dermatoses in women in a rural setup. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 29-33.

Genital dermatoses which can be venereal or non-venereal in nature are common in a significant number of women. The female non-venereal genital dermatoses can be classified into congenital anomalies, infections and infestations, inflammatory conditions, benign and malignant neoplasms. Local factors such as moisture, warmth, friction and irritants may alter the morphology of lesions involving the genital area thereby causing a diagnostic dilemma to the treating physician. Till date, few studies are published on the genital dermatoses of nonvenereal origin in females. Hence, the present study was undertaken to determine the various female non-venereal genital dermatoses for their appropriate understanding and management. A prospective observation study was carried out on women above 18 years of age attending the outpatient department of PESIMSR, Kuppam from September 2018 to June 2019 with complaints of genital lesions. A detailed clinical history, examination and basic investigations were performed on recruited women to rule out sexually transmitted infections. Women with only non-venereal dermatoses were included in the study. A total of 97 women were included in the study. The most common dermatoses observed were vitiligo (15.4 %), candidal intertrigo (13.4 %), lichen sclerosus (11.3 %), lichen simplex chronicus (10.3 %) and irritant contact dermatitis (10.3 %). Other dermatoses included were folliculitis, lichen planus, pemphigus vulgaris, drug eruptions, tinea cruris, herpes zoster, bartholin cyst, psoriasis and behcet’s disease. This study concludes that all dermatoses involving the genital area are not sexually transmitted and the need for health education regarding the non-venereal skin conditions is necessary.

11 illus, 4 tables, 20 ref

042177   MOHAN S, ANAND A, HAQ M I U, RAINA A, KUMAR R, KAMAL M (Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Univ, Katra - 182 320, Jammu & Kashmir, Email: sanjaysmvdu@gmail.com) : Development of a NIOSH based software tool for musculoskeletal disorders. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 860-5.

Musculoskeletal disorders amongst workers performing manual lifting tasks have become a major challenge now a days. Such problems hamper productivity of any concern to a greater extent. Industrial experts and researchers have been devising ways and means to reduce such disorders and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) agency lifting equation is one amongst such tools. NIOSH lifting equation has significantly enhanced the safety of the workers involved in manual lifting tasks. With this equation, a prior indication of musculoskeletal disorders can be obtained from the workers anthropometric details. However, till date there is no such tool available with which we can have recommendations to eliminate/reduce such disorders. In this paper an expert system on the basis of NIOSH equation has been developed to deal with the musculoskeletal problems amongst the workers involved in manual lifting tasks. The expert system is basically a computer programme developed to facilitate the use of NIOSH lifting equation. On the basis of lifting parameters, this equation computes recommended weight limit (RWL) and lifting index (LI). These outputs have been further analyzed by the programe to check existing working conditions against occupational hazards, and suggest recommendations for the safe working conditions.

3 illus, 2 tables, 23 ref

044050   SEKHAR C C, BABU D S, KRISHNA G A, DEEPTHI C S, KALLURI J B ( Community Medicine Dep, ESIC Medical Coll and Hospital, Sanath Nagar-500 018, Hyderabad, Email: surya.doc.2@gmail.com) : A study on assessment of level of self-care practices among known type 2 diabetes patients in rural field practice area of South India. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 24-8.

Self-care in diabetes has been defined as an evolutionary process of development of knowledge or awareness by learning to survive with the complex nature of the diabetes in a social context. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted with the objective to assess the level of self-care among known type-2 diabetes patients in rural field practice area. A total of 727 patients were involved and predesigned, pretested and semi structured questionnaire developed by referring the Summary of diabetes self-care activities measure (SDSCA), Diabetes self-management questionnaire (DSMQ) and patient health questionnaire-2 was used for the study. Data entry was made in Microsoft excel and analysis was done using the SPSS statistics 20.0 version. Results were expressed in proportions and percentages and appropriate statistical tests was applied to see the association. A total of 727 known diabetes patients were participated, out of which 298 (40.9 %) were males and 429 (59.1 %) were females. With respect to self-care activities variables in diet modification except intake of fried foods, binge eating and skipping of the meals, good physical activity, drug adherence and some variables in problem solving are having good influence over glycemic control with P value <0.05. Frequency of glucose monitoring, variables in risk reduction except stopping smoking and alcohol and healthy coping were not influencing the glucose levels and it was not significant statistically. Self-care activities such as eating green leafy vegetables and fruits frequently, occasional consumption of meat, strict restriction of sweets and consuming salt restricted diet will have positive influence over glycemic control. 

1 illus, 2 tables, 21 ref

042176   GUPTA S K, PRAKASH J, KANKAR P K (Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore - 453 552, Madhya Pradesh, Email: pkankar@iiti.ac.in) : Buckling load for telescopic cylinder using successive approximation method. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 853-9.

In this manuscript, a new way of determining the buckling load of the two-stage both end-hinged, single acting hydraulic cylinder has been engrossed using successive approximation method. The method has been extended from single stage hydraulic cylinder to the two-stage hydraulic cylinder mounted with pin support at both ends. This method includes a few numbers of iterations required in order to achieve good accuracy or in other words getting the minimum error. Further, finite element analysis of the hydraulic cylinder has also been performed for the validation purpose. The buckling mode shape for three different modes and their corresponding buckling load has also been obtained using the finite element method. The approximation of the buckling load corresponding to the first buckling mode shape has been performed and observed load lies in the close vicinity of theoretical calculation. The critical load obtained using a successive approximation method after two iteration shows the minor deviation of 3.63 %.

7 illus, 3 tables, 10 ref

044049   THAKUR A , DABAR D, MANGAL A, DARAL S, YADAV V, RAUT DK (Community Health Dep, St. Stephen’s Hospital, Gurugram -122002, Haryana, Email: abha.mangal@gmail.com) : Perceptions and practices of married women regarding medical abortion in an urbanized village of South Delhi, India. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 18-23.

Unwanted or unintended pregnancy is common and in such a case access to safe abortion services is a women’s right. The MTP act of 1971 has provisions which make abortion services available and accessible freely. MTP pills make first trimester abortions possible safely without having to undergo any surgical procedure. But lack of correct knowledge limits its safe use. To study the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices related to use of medical abortion pills among married women in an urbanized village of Delhi. A cross sectional study was conducted among 224 married women in reproductive age group residing in an urbanized village of Delhi. Mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology was used in Data collection and analysis. 69.2 % women were under 30 years of age. 79.7 % women had at-least two children and 26.4 % had at least one abortion. 69.64 % women knew about at least one method of abortion (Medical or Surgical). Only 38.8 % women knew that abortions are legal. 61.1 % had heard about abortion “pills”. Of them, as many as 41 % said these pills can be procured directly from the chemist. Only 5.8 % had correct knowledge regarding use of these pills. Misconceptions about side effects were also common.50 % said they would feel shy to discuss these pills with a male doctor. 12.5 % reported using medical abortion pills, though ever having unplanned pregnancy was reported by 52.2 % women. 78.57 % of the women reporting MTP pill use, took the medicines directly from the chemist. Though the general attitude towards use of medical abortions was positive in the community, there were widespread misconceptions. There is an urgent need to increase the awareness about hazards of self-medication of medical abortion pills.

4 tables, 19 ref

042174   HUSAIN A, ZUNAID M, BRASHDI M A, MAQBALI F A, AL-JABRI E, AL-MAHRIZI A (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Dep, Sultan Qaboos Univ, Muscat, PC-123, Oman, Email: mzunaid3k@gmail.com) : Computational investigation of solar updraft tower for power generation in sultanate of Oman. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 837-43.

The current study is aimed at harnessing solar power through solar updraft tower (SUT) and explored the local environmental factors conducive to SUT installation. The SUT collects solar insolation to raise the air velocity, which is then allowed to pass through a ducted turbine. An alternator is installed with the air turbine to generate electricity. The study presents a performance analysis of SUT based on local thermal radiation and wind velocity. Three-dimensional numerical modelling of SUT is carried using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver. The model is validated with the experimental results available in the open literature. The collector temperature profile obtained through CFD modelling matches well with the experimental results. A maximum temperature rise of 20 ºC was ob-served in the collector modelled and solved numerically using CFD solver. The air velocity increases as the flow move from the collector periphery to the center of the SUT and reach to its maximum just before the center of the SUT. However, for the chimney, the temperature was observed to be increased continuously due to its continuous heating through the chimney walls, which receives solar radiation. The performance of SUT is examined with the change in inlet air velocity based on the local conditions in the Sultanate of Oman.

7 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

042173   BUTOLA R, MURTAZA Q, SINGARI R M (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Delhi Technological Univ, Delhi - 110 042, Email: ranganath@dce.ac.in) : An experimental and simulation validation of residual stress measurement for manufacturing of friction stir processing tool. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 826-36.

Residual stresses have been considered to be an important parameter when friction stir processing (FSP) tool is to be manufactured. FSP has often been used for surface modification and fabrication of surface composites. Involuntary residual stress in a designed tool may cause it to fail before due time. Because of this, the knowledge about the stresses on the tool probe after its machining has been considered to be desirable. The present research has focused on the analysis of the residual stresses on the tip and periphery of the FSP tool probe which has been manufactured using H13 tool steel material during the turning processes on a CNC lathe machine. The experiments have been performed on two different types of tool probes, namely circular, tapered circular probes. ABAQUS/CAE simulation has been performed for circular and tapered circular probe, as the provision of a sustainable, simple and reasonable model to analyze the machining processes (using ABAQUS/CAE software) has been the primary objective of this research. The results have been found to be within a close range of the experimental observations. The same model can thus be applied to other geometries.

12 illus, 1 table, 28 ref

042172   KUMAR S, GHOSHAL S K, ARORA P K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad - 826 004, Jharkhand, Email: skmeiitdhn@gmail.com) : Optimization of process variables in electric discharge machining (EDM) using Taguchi methodology. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(4), 819-25.

The present study engrossed with the functional relationship between the input and output parameters of the electric discharge machining (EDM). Four controllable machining parameters, viz. gap voltage (A), current (I_p), duty cycle (C) and pulse on time (T_on) have been chosen to ascertain the electrode wear rate (EWR) and surface roughness (SR) of AISI 420 material with copper electrode. Through Taguchi method, a design of experiment developed and it has been used to perform the experiment based on L16 orthogonal array (OA). During machining of AISI420, the highest influencing factor in EWR is I_P and least is C. Similarly, for SR T_on is most and C is least significant factor. From analysis of variance (ANOVA), for EWR, I_P is having most significant 79.43 % contribution and C is having least significant 2.36 % contribution. Similarly, for SR, T_on is having most significant 39.95 % contribution and A is having least significant 11.79 % contribution.

5 illus, 14 tables, 28 ref

042169   NAYAK S, PATTNAIK S, PANIGRAHI I, NAYAK R, PARIDA S (KIIT Univ, Bhubaneswar - 751 024, Odisha, Email: ipanigrahifme@kiit.ac.in) : Small delamination detection in carbon fibre reinforced polymer composite beam by NDT and vibration analysis. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 789-94.

Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have been prone to damages such as delamination, debonding, matrix cracking and fibre breakage. In this paper, detailed study has been carried out on determining the presence of small delamination in sub layers of carbon fibre composite beam using various non-destructive tests (NDT) and vibration signal analysis. We have concluded that ultrasonic and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) tests have found to be more effective in detecting small delamination than X-Ray radiography and thermography tests. In the vibration test, we have observed that the natural frequency decreases and the rate of damping increases in delaminated carbon fibre composite beam as compared to composite beam without delamination. Besides, the fast fourier transform (FFT) results of vibration signal of delaminated beam have clearly shown higher harmonics and side bands. Finally, we have concluded that online vibration test can also be used effectively to detect presence of small delamination in FRP composites.

8 illus, 1 table, 26 ref

042168   QINGQIANG H, HAN Z, JIANGUO L, WANLI C, CHUNLI G, JUNYOU Z (China Univ of petroleum, Qingdao 266580, P.R. China, Email: heqingqiang_upc@163.com) : Average austenite grain size evolution simulation during multi-pass shape metal hot rolling process. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 783-8.

Constitutive equations describing the flow stress of Q235 steel undergoing hot plastic deformation have been developed by integrating the microstructure models and exponential flow stress models presented in literatures, in which the microstructure models parameters have been re-determined based on the related experiments carried out on cylindrical specimens of the Q235 steel. Therefore, the integrated constitutive equations are capable of calculating the evolution of austenite grain size and investigating the effects of average austenite grain size on the flow stress of Q235 steel during hot deformation. A three-dimensional thermo-mechanically coupled FEM simulation of an 11-pass H-shape metal roughing rolling process with the austenite grain size evolution taken into account have been carried out to verify the rationality of roll pass schedule. The accuracy of the integrated constitutive equations has been preliminary validated by the comparisons between measured and the calculated values of rolling force.

9 illus, 4 tables, 15 ref

042166   SALMAN O, IMRAK C E (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Istanbul Technical Univ, Inonu Cad. 65 Beyoglu 34437 Istanbul, Turkey, Email: ozlmsalmanck@gmail.com) : Experimental investigation of corrosion effect on bending fatigue of the wire ropes. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 770-5.

Wire rope has examined for the total fatigue life prediction methodologies based on the initial condition of the wire rope. The great majority of applications, e.g. cranes, lifts, and winches have been subjected the rope to bending fatigue. There are several parameters which effects on bending fatigue lifetime such as tensile load, sheave diameter, rope composition. Apart from that, according to application area, wire ropes have often exposed to atmospheric influences, and corrosion become inevitable. In this study, in order to determine the exact lifetime of wire rope, corrosion, as a major degradation influence has been investigated experimentally. Bending fatigue tests have been performed for pre-corroded wire ropes with different level of corrosion, and the data have been compared with the reference test results. For comparison of the combine effect of corrosion with tensile loads, and corrosion with sheave diameters, two different tensile loads and sheave diameters have been tested. In this paper, it has been reported the outcome of a series of test undertaken on 6 x 36 Warrington-Seale ropes in order to determine their exact fatigue endurance under different conditions.

5 illus, 2 tables, 17 ref

042163   KACHHAP S, SINGH A, DEBNATH K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology Meghalaya, Shillong – 793 003, Email: debnath.iitr@gmail.com) : Process optimization and comparative analysis of EDM and EDD process in machining Al6063/10% SiC metal matrix composites. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 750-6.

In this work, a comparative investigation of electric discharge machining (EDM) and electric discharge drilling (EDD) has been presented to evaluate the performance measures for machining blind holes in Al6063/10 % SiC metal matrix composites (MMCs). The work has been conducted with an aim of optimizing the material removal rate (MRR), tool wear rate (TWR), and surface roughness (SR). The input parameters chosen for machining are (i) discharged current, (ii) pulse-on time, and (iii) duty factor. The Taguchi’s L₉ orthogonal array has been applied to design the experiments. The grey relational analysis has also been used to determine the optimal level of input parameters to achieve better results. Analysis of variances (ANOVA) has been applied to perform the statistical analysis of the experimental data. The results have shown that discharge current is the most influencing factor that affects the multiple performance characteristics in both EDM and EDD processes.

3 illus, 12 tables, 19 ref

042160   KUMAR S V A, GANDHINATHAN R (Production Engineering Dep, PSG Coll of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - 641 004, Email: svanil999@gmail.com) : Study on microstructure and mechanical property of Ti-6Al-4V brazed joint with low temperature filler metal. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 730-6.

This study investigates the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V brazed joints which has been performed in a vacuum furnace using BAg-22 (Ag–16Cu–23Zn–4.5Ni-7.5Mn, wt. %) as filler metal. The microstructure of the brazed joints has been analyzed by means of optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). In addition, the mechanical strengths of the joints have been evaluated by shear test and microhardness test. Brazing temperatures employed in this study are 720, 750, and 780 °C for a holding time of 30 min. By increasing the brazing temperature, a variety of intermetallic phases have been formed in the bond area, such as CuTi, CuTi2 , Mn2Ti, MnZn2 , AgZn and Ag solid solution. Both the brazing temperature and the brazing time seem have critical factors for controlling the microstructure and the better mechanical property of the brazed joints. The maximum shear strength of 154.15 MPa has been achieved at 780 °C and a holding time of 30 min.

7 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

042157   SINGH G, THAKUR A, SINGH S, SHARMA N (Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology (Deemed Univ), Patiala - 147 004, Punjab, Email: gurmeet.singh@thapar.edu) : Friction stir welding of copper: Processing and multi-objective optimization. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 709-16.

Non-ferrous metals are difficult to weld as compared to the ferrous metals. Copper is one of the non-ferrous metals using worldwide in different manufacturing and other metal processing industries. This paper focuses on the processing of copper under friction stir welding (FSW) and the study of mechanical properties of friction stir welded (FSWed) copper joints. Different parameters of FSW have been studied with the help of L₉ orthogonal array (OA). Rotational speed and traverse speed of the tool with three different tool materials have undergone for the parametric optimization. Tensile strength and impact strength have been optimized using the grey relational method. Results show a significant effect of parameters on responses. Finally, it has been concluded that the grey relational method is a robust method to optimize the combined set of responses in a single attempt. From results, it has been observed that the higher rotational speed and lower traverse speed with H13 tool material give better results for mechanical properties. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been used to find the percentage contribution of each parameter on mechanical properties. P-value has been found less than 0.05 which shows that the effect of each selected parameter on the result is significant. Microstructure study has been performed on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the change in grain size within the weld zone has been observed.

7 illus, 6 tables, 34 ref

042156   SONI N, SHUKLA D K (Civil Engineering Dep, Jaypee Univ of Engineering and Technology, Guna - 473 226, Madhya Pradesh, Email: nancysonijuet@gmail.com) : Sustainable mortar mix using recycled fines obtained from construction and demolition waste. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 699-708.

Rivers are over exploited for natural sand extraction and production of cement has triggered global warming. For sustainable development a study has been conducted to use construction and demolition waste (CD-W) in cement-sand mortar. In the present study, crushed CD-W in the form of recycled concrete fine aggregate (RCFA) and recycled concrete powder (RCP) has been planned to be used in cement-sand mortar as replacement of natural standard sand (NSS) and cement, respectively. The effects of partial replacement of NSS and cement with RCFA and RCP on compressive strength and split tensile strength after 7^th and 28^th day of curing have been evaluated. Outcomes of elevating replacements of cement and sand in mortar have been found to be decreasing gradually, but falls above the minimum limit of 7.5 N/mm² as established by IS: 2250 (1981) for use of mortar in structural applications. Therefore, the study concludes the valid potential of RCFA to be utilized up to 100 % percent and RCP up to 20 % as partial replacement of natural sand and cement, respectively in mortar production.

13 illus, 4 tables, 37 ref

042155   SHANG H Y, SILVA I F D (Pontifical Catholic Univ of Parana, Curitiba – PR – Brasil, Email: hsu.shang@pucpr.br) : Finite element modeling of girth welded pipe with multiple defects. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 687-98.

Due to the expansion of the pipeline network in the transportation of petroleum and its derivatives, it has been essential to develop studies to evaluate and guarantee the safety condition, as well as the reliability of such facilities. Welded pipelines have been widely used, and they are susceptible to corrosion. Since the heating at the welded point may leads to structural and compositional modifications in the material, which may generate corrosion. The present paper presents a nonlinear computational model burst pressure assessment in API X70 girth welded pipes with multiple defects, created by corrosion, which may represent a great risk for gases and fuel leakage during transportation. In this study, the computational model has been developed by the finite element method considering the isotropic hardening model and contact conditions between different materials involved in the analysis, with corrosion simulated as a rectangular defect. The corroded pipe and the efficiency of the computational model have been analyzed by varying the width of the heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the depth of single and multiple defects. The results obtained by using the finite element analysis have been compared with the semi-empirical methods and literature results. The computational model developed by the present work has presented satisfactory results.

13 illus, 5 tables, 31 ref

042154   SHABGARD M R, GHOLIPOOR A, JAVID S L (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Tabriz Univ, Tabriz 5166616471, Iran, Email: ah.gholipoor@iaut.ac.ir) : Experimental study on the influence of copper oxide nano-fluid on surface integrity in turning of AISI O1 steel. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 677-86.

Turning operation is one of the most used operations at various industries and obtaining desired machined surface quality is one of the important concerns of researchers. In this investigation the effects of using copper oxide nano-fluid as compared with conventional fluid (soluble oil) as coolant and lubricant on surface integrity of machined surface of heat treated cold work tool steel (AISI O1) as workpiece has been investigated. So cutting speed and tool’s feed rate have been considered as input variables and surface roughness, created white layer thickness and density of generated surface cracks have been considered as output parameters and regarding full factorial method of design of experiments a set of experiments for each kind of coolants has been designed and performed. The results have been shown that adding copper oxide nano particles as equal as 1 % in volume to deionized water as base fluid decreases the amount of machined surface roughness as compared with using soluble oil. Also using the prepared copper oxide nano-fluid decreases the amount of created white layer thickness and density of generated surface cracks on machined surfaces as compared with soluble oil.

13 illus, 6 tables, 27 ref

042153   YUSUFZAI M Z K, RAJA A R, GUPTA S K, VASHISTA M (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Email: mvashista.mec@iitbhu.ac.in) : Barkhausen noise analysis of friction stir processed steel plate. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 670-76.

This work investigates the variation in material properties of steel upon friction stir processing through its magnetic response. The steel plate of grade IS 2062 having a thickness of 3 mm have been friction stir processed (FSPed) using a tool of tungsten carbide with a 15 mm shoulder diameter along with 3 mm pin diameter with traverse of 150 mm/minute and a 800 RPM revolving speed. Magnetic response of these processed plate and base metal has been recorded using Barkhausen noise (BN) analyzer in terms of BN signal parameters i.e. the rms value and pulse count or number of pulses. Barkhausen noise analysis results have been validated with micro-hardness testing and metallographic study of as received metal and the processed samples. Higher microhardness has been found in processed sample in comparison to the as received metal due to grain refinement owing to the combined effect of plastic flow of material during stirring action of the rotating tool and the frictional heat. Barkhausen noise analysis has been performed in a wide range of magnetic field intensity (MFI) and excitation frequencies to study their effect on variation in rms value and the number of pulses.

12 illus, 1 table, 26 ref

042152   GHOSH A, PAL P K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Jadavpur Univ, Kolkata - 700 032, West Bengal, Email: a.ghosh865@gmail.com) : Corrosion behaviour of dissimilar TIG welded austenitic stainless steel AISI 304 and martensitic stainless steel AISI 420. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 665-9.

Welded joints of dissimilar metals are often required in nuclear and chemical industries. Among the various types of material combinations, welded joint of austenitic stainless steel and martensitic stainless steel is one good option. Due to differences in mechanical, metallurgical and corrosion properties between the two dissimilar materials, selections of suitable welding parameters, filler materials, shielding gas mixture etc. are extremely important in order to avoid drastic thermal gradient, hence significant welding distortions. In the present work, defect free TIG welding of dissimilar materials AISI 304 and AISI 420 has been made successfully. Quality of the welded joint has been judged through tensile test, microstructural investigation, micro-hardness measurement, SEM fractography and XRD analysis. Corrosion behaviour of the welded joint at different concentrations of NaCl has been measured through potentio-dynamic polarization. Weldment shows passivity at different solutions.

8 illus, 4 tables, 11 ref

042148   KUMAR D, PANDEY K N (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Raj Kumar Goel Institute of Technology, Ghaziabad - 201 003, Lucknow, Email: dipakmnnit@gmail.com) : Study on dry-sliding wear (DSW) of uncoated IN800 super alloy and sol-gel based dip coated IN800 substrate. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 631-42.

In the present paper, sliding wear characteristics of seven weight% yttria stabilized zirconia (7YSZ) sol-gel deposited on to air plasma sprayed CoNiCrAlY bond-coated Inconel 800 superalloy has been studied. For this, sliding wear tests have performed on pin-on-disc friction and wear test rig by varying experimental parameters applied load, sliding velocity, disc speed and temperature as per L16 orthogonal arrays of Taguchi. Taguchi method has been used to perform experiments to know the effect of interaction of variables on dry sliding wear behavior. The optimal experimental parameters have been obtained by orthogonal arrays, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for uncoated and coated Inconel 800 superalloy substrate. Results have shown temperature as the most influencing parameter for uncoated samples and coated samples, both. However, compared with coated samples, applied load has been found significant factor for uncoated samples. It has been exhibited better wear resistance in the sol-gel derived YSZ coated surface of IN800 superallloy substrate.

11 illus, 7 tables, 32 ref

042147   TIJO D, KUMARI S, MASANTA M (Mechanical Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Rourkela, Odisha, Email: manoj.masanta@gmail.com) : Deposition of TiC-Cu composite coating on AISI 304 stainless steel by EDC process using powder compact tool electrode. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 623-30.

In this work, powder compact tool electrode prepared with TiC-Cu powder mixture has been used to deposit TiC coating on AISI 304 stainless steel by electro discharge coating (EDC) process. Effects of peak current during EDC process have been analysed for the deposition rate, surface characteristics and micro-hardness value of the coating. Morphology of the deposited coating layers has been studied by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images while the compounds present in the coating layer have been analysed by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) technique. Wear rate of the coated samples has been measured by ball-on-disc type sliding wear test against WC-Co ball. The experimental results revealed that higher peak current during the EDC process augmented the deposition rate and corresponding coating thickness. Micro-hardness value and wear resistance of the deposited coating has been found significantly improved than those of as received substrate material.

11 illus, 3 tables, 10 ref

042146   FENGXU Z (Shanghai Polytechnic Univ, Shanghai 201209, P.R. China, Email: zhoudongyut@163.com) : Interface improvement of carbon fiber/PMMA resin composites by fiber surface coating. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 616-22.

The surface of the carbon fiber (CF) has been pretreated by liquid phase deposition of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to analyze and characterize the surface morphology and structure of carbon fiber, and the shear strength test and SEM observation of single fiber interface have been performed. The interfacial adhesion properties of carbon fiber composites have been investigated. The results have shown that the pretreated carbon fiber deposition increases the shear strength of the single fiber interface by 259.3 %. The analysis results have shown that the improvement of interfacial shear strength has been related to the mechanical riveting between the fibers/resin and the force of the interface. Pretreatment has increased the carboxyl groups on the surface of carbon fibers and forms hydrogen bonds between carboxyl groups, thereby improving the interfacial properties of carbon fiber composites.

7 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

042145   KUMAR S, SINGH A K, PATHAK V K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Manipal Univ Jaipur, Jaipur, Rajasthan – 303 007, Email: vimalpthk@gmail.com) : Modelling and optimization of injection molding process for PBT/PET parts using modified particle swarm algorithm. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 603-15.

In the present study, a systematic methodology has been presented to determine optimal injection molding conditions for minimizing warpage and shrinkage in a thin wall relay part using modified particle swarm algorithm (MPSO). Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have been injected in thin wall relay component under different processing parameters: melt temperature, packing pressure and packing time. Further, Taguchi’s L₉ (3²) orthogonal array has been used for conducting simulation analysis to consider the interaction effects of the above parameters. A predictive mathematical model for shrinkage and warpage has been developed in terms of the above process parameters using regression model. ANOVA analysis has been performed to establish statistical significance among the injection molding parameters and the developed model. The developed model has been further optimized using a newly developed modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) algorithm and the process parameters values have been obtained for minimized shrinkage and warpage. Furthermore, the predicted values of the shrinkage and warpage using MPSO algorithm have been reduced by approximately 30% as compared to the initial simulation values making more adequate parts.

10 illus, 11 tables, 27 ref

042144   RAJESWARI S, SIVASAKTHIVEL R S (SASTRA Univ, Thanjavur - 613 401, Tamil Nadu, Email: rajeswari16d@gmail.com) : Optimal selection of process parameters to reduce vibration during end milling of Al 356/SiC metal matrix composite. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 590-602.

Machining performances are strongly influenced by vibration which occurs due to the dynamic nature of machine tool structures. A self excited vibration commonly known as chatter is frequent debacle occurs during milling operations which cause worsening outcomes such as excessive tool wear, poor surface finish and reduced tool life. In this paper an effort has been tried to optimize the machining and geometrical parameters for reduced vibration using Taguchi method with grey relational analysis during end milling of Al356/SiC metal matrix composites. The twin channel piezoelectric accelerometer has been used to measure vibration. Acceleration amplitudes at two different positions, one in spindle and another in work piece holder have been recorded for each experiment. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) have been applied to find the prominent parameters and the optimal parameter combination for best average response and signal to noise (S/N) ratio. Grey relational analysis has been implemented to find the optimal permutation of machining and geometrical parameters by considering both responses (acceleration amplitude taken at two different positions) simultaneously. Confirmation tests established that the grey-based Taguchi method has been successful in optimizing the process parameter for reduced vibration.

8 illus, 14 tables, 28 ref

042143   KALRA C S, KUMAR V, MANNA A (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Chandigarh Univ, Mohali - 160 055, Punjab, Email: cskalra9988@gmail.com) : Experimental study on developed electrochemical micro machining of hybrid MMC. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 579-89.

An electrochemical micro machining (ECMM) set-up has been developed and utilized for experiments. The effects of ECMM parameters on material removal rate and electrode wear rate have been analyzed during micro drilling of hybrid Al/(Al₂O_3p+SiC_p+C_p)-MMC with tungsten electrode of diameter 298 µm. The machined surface texture, and decomposition of metallic compounds deposited on the workpiece as well as on micro tool have been analysed through SEM, EDX and XRD images. It may occur due to the reaction of the anode with electrolyte (NaCl). The formation of a new compound sodalite has been identified. This is due to the reaction between sodium chloride and reinforced particles i.e. Al₂O₃, SiC, C elements presence in hybrid MMC. It has also been identified that the formation of ferropargasite chlorous compound might be due to a chemical dissolution of ferrous material and reaction with sodium chloride. Formation of voids, micro-cracks, craters, debris, pulled out materials and pockmarks have been analyzed during micro machining at high current and pulse-on time parametric setting. From EDX analysis, it has been noticed that the reinforced particles present in hybrid metal matrix composite have been deposited on a micro tool. This is due to the melting and re-solidification of hybrid Al/MMC during machining by micro sparking at high supply voltage and pulse on time.

16 illus, 6 tables, 21 ref

042142   WU H, YANG L, LIN X, LIU J, CHAI T, DONG Y (Northeastern Univ, Qinhuangdao, China, Email: lxping3588@163.com) : Microstructure and mechanical properties of directionally solidified alloys of Mg-9Zn-2Y. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 573-8.

Samples of directionally solidified Mg-9Zn-2Y alloys have been obtained using vacuum induced directional solidification equipment. The metallographic structures and mechanical properties at room and high temperatures of the directionally solidified alloys have been investigated and compared with those of conventional casting alloys. The structures have consisted of columnar crystals with a specific orientation, and the parallel phases near the grain boundaries and inside the grains have quasi-crystals of I-Mg₃Zn₆Y. At room temperature, the maximum compressive resistance and section expansion ratio of the directionally solidified alloys have been 54 and 31 % higher, respectively, than those of the conventional casting alloys. The peak stress of the directionally solidified alloys has found 238 MPa, which is 57 % higher than that of the conventional casting alloys (152 MPa) at 200 °C with a strain rate of 0.1 s^-1. In addition, the peak stress was 140 MPa at 300 °C with a strain rate of 0.1s^-1, while it was only 84 MPa for the conventional casting alloys. Therefore, the directionally solidified alloys has higher strength and plasticity at room temperature and improved mechanical properties at a high temperature.

5 illus, 17 ref

042141   SINGH K, SHARMA S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Gautam Buddha Univ, Uttar Pradesh - 201308, Email: erkanwarjeet@yahoo.com) : Effect of rare earth on microstructure and wear behaviour of Ni based microwave clad. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 564-72.

In the present investigation microwave energy has been utilized to develop wear resistant Ni-based clad without Nd₂O₃ (unmodified coating) and with addition of Nd₂O₃ (modified coatings) in varying wt. % of 1-3. The clads have been developed using domestic microwave oven at frequency of 2.45 GHz and power 900 W for duration of 360 s. The unmodified and modified clads have been characterized in terms of microstructure, XRD, microhardness and two body abrasive wear. The average thickness of developed clads has been measured as 1.0 mm approximately. A two body abrasive wear behaviour of unmodified and modified coatings at sliding speed of 36 m/min & 72 m/min with abrasive grit size of 220 & 600 has been investigated. The results revealed a better abrasive wear resistance at lower sliding speed and fine grit size. Further, the best results of microstructure, formation of hard phases, improved microhardness and wear resistance have been shown by the samples having coating composition as 3 wt. % of Nd₂O₃.

10 illus, 3 tables, 26 ref

042140   YEDDULA B S R, SOMASUNDARAM K (Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai - 600 127, Tamil Nadu, Email: karthiyaini.s@vit.ac.in) : Effect of red mud proportion on the strength and microstructure of ferrosialate based geopolymer mortar. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 554-63.

This paper studies the effect of various red mud proportions on the strength and microstructural changes in the ferrosialate geopolymer mortar. The optimum percentage of red mud (RM) has to be found with respect to the molarity of Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to maintain the suitable alkalinity of the mixture for maximum strength gain. This percentage has been found to be between 20 and 30 % RM proportions. From XRD micrographs, it has been found that the crystallinity percentage increased with the increase in red mud content. For oven-cured samples, SEM images showed that, till the red mud replacement reaches 20 %, any increase in the red mud leads to denser microstructure and a decrease in intensity of unreactive particles. Beyond that, samples displayed a higher number of undissolved phases. Whereas, for ambientcuring specimens, this limit is found to be 30 %. Synergy has to be found among the red mud content, curing type and curing temperature for optimum results. Ferrosialate geopolymer samples has shown 53.34 % higher maximum compressive strength than sialate geopolymer samples. The oxide ratios of SiO₂/Al₂O₃ = 4.0 to 4.3, Na₂O/SiO₂ = 0.15 to 0.17 and Fe₂O₃/Al₂O₃ = 0.27 to 0.37 have found to be limits for favouring maximum strength gain.

9 illus, 3 tables, 42 ref

042139   SAGAR R V (Civil Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore - 560 012, Email: rvsagar@iisc.ac.in) : A probabilistic model of acoustic emissions generated during compression test of cementitious materials for crack mode classification. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 538-53.

This article presents a study on crack mode classification in cementitious materials under uniaxial compression using gaussian mixture modeling (GMM) of acoustic emissions approach. To implement a retrofitting method to an in-service concrete structure, a prior knowledge about the type of crack developed in the concrete structure is useful. Because, occurrence of AE events during fracture process in solids is random, a probabilsitc method has been required to classify the AE sources related to different types of cracks. In this study, a monotonically increasing unconfined uniaxial compressive load has been applied on different cylindrical specimens of plain cement concrete cast with maximum coarse aggregate size of 20 mm, 12.5 mm and cement mortar to study crack classification. It has been observed that the slope of the line separating the AE data clusters belonging to tensile and shear cracks is more steep for the concrete specimen containing 20 mm maximum coarse aggregate when compared to the concrete specimen containing 12.5 mm maximum coarse aggregate and cement mortar. This indicated that as the coarse aggregate size in concrete increased, the generated AE events related to shear cracking decreased. Also, the AE based b-value has reached minimum at the peak load. At the time of failure, AE related to shear cracking has increased sharply.

14 illus, 4 tables, 38 ref

042138   SHIM J, JINWOOPARK, JEONG J (Brain and Cognitive Engineering Dep, Korea Univ, Sungbuk-ku, Seoul 20841, Korea, Email: jcj@korea.ac.kr) : A band-selective CMOS low-noise amplifier with current reuse g_m boosting technique for 3-5 GHz UWB receivers. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 529-37.

The authors have proposed a 3-5 GHz ultra-wideband (UWB) low power and low noise amplifier (LNA) with the TSMC 0.18 μm RF CMOS process, which uses a novel dual input matching network for wideband matching. We have used a current-reuse g_m-boosted common-gate topology and shunt-shunt feedback common-source output buffer to improve gain and noise figure with low power dissipation. The proposed dual input matching g_m-boosted common-gate LNA has been efficient bandwidth to cover UWB band. It has required less inductors or amplification stages to increase bandwidth as compared with the conventional UWB common-gate LNAs. The broadband input stage has been able to be switched to three frequency bands with capacitive switches. The capacitive switch has replaced a large inductor to resonate at lower frequency band. The band-selective LNA has shown linearity improvement by attenuating the undesired interference of a wideband gain circuit and using less inductors. Simulated performance has shown the gains of 15.9, 17.6, and 16.9 dB, and the noise figures of 3.38, 3.28, and 3.27 dB at the 3.432, 3.960, and 4.488 GHz frequency bands, respectively. The proposed UWB LNA has consumed 5 mW from a 1.8-V power supply.

12 illus, 2 tables, 28 ref

042137   RUSSEL M R P, NATARAJAN S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences, Coimbatore - 641 114, Tamilnadu, Email: russelmecher@gmail.com) : Nanohardness and wear behaviour of AISI 1040 steel coated with Ti-6Al-4V 4B₄C by magnetron sputtering. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 518-28.

The Ti-6Al-4V-4B4C composite coatings have been deposited on AISI 1040 steel substrates by magnetron sputtering. The composition, structure, and topography of the coated surface have been explained by SEM, XRD, FT-IR and AFM. The constant coating thicknesses of 80 nm and 115 nm obtained for 0.5 h and 1h coating time, respectively. Wear tests have been conducted on the coated AISI 1040 steel substrates by using ball-on-disc apparatus under 2N and 3N loads at room temperature. The Ti-6Al-4V-4B4C coating has shown an excellent wear rate with a lower coefficient of friction. The nano-hardness and elastic modulus of the AISI 1040 steel coated with Ti-6Al-4V-4B4C has been attained by the AFM nano indentation technique that showed the maximum value of 10.7 GPa and 206.4 GPa, respectively. Ti-6Al-4V-4B4C composite coatings have displayed to lowest wear rates among all loading conditions, hence signifying that it could be a promising alternative to other hard coatings.

13 illus, 1 table, 26 ref

042136   KANDAVEL T K, KUMAR T A, VARAMBAN E (Technology and Research Academy (SASTRA Deemed to be Univ), Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu - 613 401, Email: tkkandavel02@mech.sastra.edu) : Prediction of tribological characteristics of powder metallurgy Ti and W added low alloy steels using artificial neural network. Indian J Eng Mater Sci 2020, 27(3), 503-17.

In the present research work, the effects of Titanium (Ti) and Tungsten (W) addition on tribological behavior of powder metallurgy (P/M) Fe-1 %C steel have been investigated. The test specimens of plain carbon steel and 1 %Ti, 1 %W and 1 %Ti+1 %W added plain carbon steels were used to conduct the wear tests and wear behavior analyses. The optical and SEM images of wear tracks and microstructures of the alloys were obtained and analysed with wear behavior of the alloy steels. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) software was used to check the degree of agreement of test results with predicted values. The experimental results show that Ti and W added alloy steel exhibits excellent wear resistance. The carbides formation due to alloying elements pronounces the wear resistance of the alloy steel. It has been proven that ANN could be used as a tool to predict the wear behavior of the P/M alloy steels by agreement between the predicted and experimental values.

12 illus, 3 tables, 19 ref

044048   GEORGE M, KRISHNAKUMAR R S, SAM J, SASI J, AHMMED I, HABEEB H ( Community Medicine Dep, Travancore Medical Coll, Kollam, Kerala, Email: meeramampuzha@gmail.com) : Diabetes risk assessment among adults- a cross sectional study. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 14-7.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder of multiple etiologies characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with disturbance of carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism resulting from impaired insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Knowledge of the risk of diabetes development act as a primary prevention measure among the high-risk population. To assess the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus using Indian Diabetic Risk Score among adults of age more than 30 years in a colony. A cross sectional study was undertaken among adults of age more than 30 years to assess the risk of development of DM. A prevalidated, structured questionnaire was used to assess the risk of development of DM including the Indian Diabetes Risk Score. The total scores were classified into low, medium and high-risk categories. Mean age of the study population was 46.12±10.9 yrs. Nearly 62 % of study population were female, 42.7 % had high school education and 44.7 % were daily wage employees. Majority (47 %) of the study population belonged to high risk and 36.5 % belonged to medium risk category for development of DM. Increasing age, BMI, waist circumference, high Blood Pressure, a positive family history, female gender, higher education, current usage of alcohol and tobacco, sedentary to mild physical activities and high waist to height ratio were significantly associated with increased risk of development of Diabetes Mellitus. The risk assessment should be put forward as a major prevention tool in the DM management.

1 illus, 2 tables, 21 ref

044047   RABBANI S A, MUSTAFA F, MAHTAB A (Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology Dep, RAK Medical and Health Sciences Univ, Middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS): Awareness among future health care providers of united arab emirates, Email: arman@rakmhsu.ac.ae) : Ras Al Khaimah-31291, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 8-13.

Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has become a significant global public health concern. Recent outbreaks of this syndrome have occurred in several countries, with the major outbreaks in Saudi Arabia, Korea and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The present study assessed the awareness of students of a Medical and Health Sciences University in UAE towards MERS. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 500 university students. The study employed a specially designed, pretested and validated questionnaire based on World Health Organization factsheet for MERS for assessing the knowledge of the respondents regarding MERS. Of the 500 participants, majority (303; 60.6 %) presented with good knowledge regarding MERS. The mean knowledge score of the respondents was 10.71 ± 4.23 with medical college students having the highest score of 11.87 ± 4.07 followed by dental, nursing and pharmacy students. Gender, college and year of study and participation in educational lecture or conference on MERS were significantly associated with the knowledge level. Males possessed significantly (p<0.001) better knowledge than females. Medical students had significantly (p<0.001) better knowledge of MERS as compared to students from other colleges. As the year of study progressed the awareness regarding MERS also significantly (p<0.001) improved. The study participants presented with good knowledge of MERS – a novel viral respiratory potentially serious disease. With recent outbreaks of this syndrome in the region there is a need for medical and health sciences students, who will be the future healthcare providers, to appraise their knowledge of MERS and contribute towards raising awareness about such outbreaks.

2 illus, 3 tables, 19 ref

044046   OGBONNA E C, IKANI O R (Medical Biochemistry Dep, Nigeria Enugu campus Univ, Dick Tiger Ave-400002, Enugu, NIGERIA, Email: ikanirichard@yahoo.com) : Systematic review on onchocerciasis infection in Nigeria in the past five decades. Int J Med Public Health 2020, 10(1), 1-7.

Onchocerciasis is a serious neglected tropical disease caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca volvulus, transmitted by black fly which leads to blindness and chronic disability with estimated infection rate of about 37 million people in tropical Africa and in isolated foci in Yemen and Latin America and have caused a debilitating eye and skin disease in more than 5 million people with about 1.2 million visual impairment or blindness and half of this population residing in Nigeria. Onchocerciasis or river blindness results from infestation by the nematode Onchocerca volvulus, characterized by eye affections and skin lesions with severe troublesome itching. It is a chronic, communicable, slowly progressive, parasitic disease which has being rated as the second-leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide annually. It is a neglected tropical disease of great public health concern which is transmitted by black fly with estimated infection rate of about 37 million people in tropical Africa and in isolated foci in Yemen and Latin America. It has caused a debilitating eye and skin disease in more than 5 million people with about 1.2 million visual impairment or blindness and an estimate of over 85 million people leaving in endemic areas with 99 % of the cases resulting from Africa and half of this population residing in Nigeria. Also, estimate of about 120 million people are at a risk of contracting the disease due to the breeding habit of the vector. The databases Medline, WHO website, CDC website, PubMed, Web of Science World Factbook of Central Intelligence Agency, were searched for relevant studies published for the past five decades on onchocerciasis in Nigeria. Papers investigating it prevalence, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, government policy, world health organisation policy and recent findings as well as further finding in Nigeria were included. Extrapolation of data from the past five decades on onchocerciasis infection in Nigeria has shown that the rate of infection is significantly reduced in certain areas of the country due to repeated administration of Ivermectin. However, in most regions the infection rate still persist with a percentage of up-to 24 (75 %), 45.2 %, lizard skin and leopard skin were seen in 3.5 % and 2.0 % respectively, hanging groin 2.6 % and scrotal enlargement at 8.6 %, (Bakundi district of Taraba state with infection rate in excess of 30 %), 54.2 % (Ibarapa Local Government Area of Oyo state), 61 % and 71 % (Kuhe and Gube community of Benue state), 83 % (Oria North Local Government Area of Edo state) and certain patients were blind due to onchocerciasis and were positive to onchocerciasis test. 79.5 % in Oyo state (159 patients test positive for onchocerciasis out of 200 patients), 94.5 % in Kaduna state, (189 patients tested positive for onchocerciasis out of 200 patients). The results of this systematic review suggest that there have been a significant decrease in onchocerciasis infection in several regions of the country. However, the prevalence still persists mostly in river line area and regions which are inaccessible to the program as well as lack of orientation on the disease. Also, government policy on how often is Ivermectin made available to the people and making provision to reach these areas yet covered and the decreased in larvae control have also contributed to the high prevalence of the disease in Nigeria. This accounts for the reason why over 40 % of the world prevalence rate is from Nigeria.

8 illus, 52 ref

044045   SHAAIB H , AL-OTAIBI A, AL-OTAIBI A K A, ALSHAMRANI A A, ALQARNI M A, MAHZRI I O, ALKHALDI H M (Anesthesia Technology Dep, Prince Sultan Military Coll of Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia, Email: hshuaaieb@psmchs.edu.sa) : A systematic review of complications during insertion of central venous catheterization guided by ultrasound versus anatomical landmark. Int J Med Res Health Sci 2020, 9(12), 124-31.

Central Venous Catheter (CVC) is an interventional procedure used during anesthesia and critical care for the administration of drugs, fluids and to measure blood pressure as well as other medical uses. There are two methods for the insertion of a Central Venous Catheter, ultrasound imaging, and anatomical landmarks. The CVC is inserted into a central vein such as the internal jugular, Subclavian, and femoral veins in sterile procedures with as few attempts as possible to reduce complications. The study aimed to review the incidence of complications during the insertion of central venous catheterization guided by ultrasound versus an anatomical landmark. The researchers collected papers that met the criteria and were already published in databases, i.e., the Wiley digital library, Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Databases in the period of (2000-2020). The sample consisted of 25 articles. Mesh headings searched included ultrasound, anatomical landmark, central venous cannulation, and complications.  Findings of 24 (96 %) Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) in different parts of the world revealed that the ultrasound imaging method has fewer complications than anatomical landmark during central venous cannulation, A p-value0.05. According to all previous studies, the review concluded that ultrasound imaging is more effective in reducing complications compared to the anatomical landmark technique in patients requiring central venous catheter insertion. And this review is recommending further studies to discover other factors that can reduce the complications.

1 illus, 1 table, 33 ref