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The paper presents the details of various investigations conducted for the laboratory evaluation of the performance of crumb-rubber modified asphalt mixes. Crumb rubber (CR) obtained from discarded truck and bus tires was used to modify 80/100 penetration grade asphalt cement. Fatigue and permanent deformation characteristics, temperature and moisture susceptibility, and oxidative aging are some of the performance indicators of mixes evaluated. A static indentation test was adopted for assessing the relative permanent deformation characteristics of different mixes. Three aggregate gradations: (1) superpave; (2) gradation specified by the Ministry of Surface Transport, India for asphalt concrete; and (3) one gap gradation, were considered in the investigation. Compared to normal mixes, CR modified mixes were found to have improved fatigue and permanent deformation characteristics. They also showed lower temperature susceptibility and greater resistance to moisture damage compared to normal mixes. Superpave mixes gave better overall performance compared to the mixes having other aggregate gradations. CE Database subject headings: Rubber; Binders, materials; Asphalt mixes; Laboratory tests; Fatigue strength; Deformation.

Low-grade laterite and pit-run gravel aggregates available in abundance in eastern India may be turned into a cost-effective base for low-volume roads when ordinary portland cement, river sand, and aggregates are mixed in a 1:6:12 proportion by weight. 152 x 152 x 152 [mm.sup.3] cubes were cast at several water-cement ratios and the mix was compacted by a vibratory plate compactor. The compressive strength test was determined for different water-cement ratios, and the one that gave the maximum strength was used to prepare 102 x 102 x 508 [mm.sup.3] beam specimens. A number of cubes and beams were kept inside airtight polyethylene bags for accelerated curing at a temperature of 50 [degrees] C. Modulus of rupture and flexural fatigue tests were carried for the evaluation of pavement design parameters. A methodology of design of a lightly cemented pavement along with an example are also presented.

Introduction Carcinoma penis is more common in less developed areas of the world, such as parts of Africa, Asia, and South America where it accounts for 10-20% of malignancies inm men as against <1% in developed countries. Bihar being in developmental stage socioeconomically sees a very large proportion of patients suffering from penile cancers. We attempted to study the demographic characteristics of these patients. Methods A total of 50 patients presenting to our hospital between May2016 to April 2017 were included in this study and studied for various pre-determined demographic factors which included age, socioeconomic status, BMI, district of residence, grade and stage of disease and need for total or partial penectomy. All penile amputations except T1a(G1, 2) were combined with a bilateral inguinal nodal clearance. Results Average age of patients included in this study was 48.2 years (range 25-74 years). 80% of the patients belonged to low socio-economic class while majority of the patients hailed from Dharbhanga, Sharasa, Purnia, Chhapra and Khagaria districts which had 24%, 20%, 18%, 14% and 10% contribution respectively. 50% of the patients presented with Grade II disease. 14% had histopathology reported as Verrucous carcinoma. T2 N1 was the most common stage at presentation(40%). None of the patients in this study had systemic metastasis at presentation. Partial penectomy was needed in 70% while 30% had to undergo total penile amputation for want of adequate clear margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for breast cancer in patients with LABC is considered to be an important prognostic factor; but there are limited studies to evaluate preoperative response assessment in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) after NACT. We estimated the accuracy of ultrasound (US) to predict pathologic response after NACT using common response criteria and pCR definitions Methods: A total of 185 patients presenting with locally advanced breast cancer were subjected to pre-operative ultrasound of axilla after completion of NACT. Histo-pathologic assessment of Axillary Lymph Node dissection specimen was considered as gold standard and used to assess the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of axillary ultrasound. Results On axillary ultrasound examination of 185 post NACT patients, 131 were found to have demonstrable LN in the axilla, of these, only 108 harboured metastasis. USG could successfully detect 108/121 histologically positive lymph nodes. USG showed 89.25% sensitivity and 63.49% specificity for overall nodal status. For N1 disease, USG could correctly classify 73/86 as N1. Its sensitivity was 84.88a%, which much higher than that of clinical examination only. The specificity for USG was 63.49%. The sensitivity and specificity of USG for N2 disease was 71.42% and 100% respectively, similar to that for clinical examination alone offering no added advantage in N2 disease. Conclusions: Pre-operative axillary ultrasound examination is a good tool for assessment of response and tailoring of further therapy after NACT. This accuracy increases for higher N stages. Combining this with guided FNAC may further improve the accuracy in assessing response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]