The Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) is a completely biodegradable potential alternate of plastics applied in Civil infrastructural field because it posses very good "Ultimate Withstanding" properties. It can also be stated that hybrid fiber composite is having higher Mechanical and Physical characteristics compared with Mono fiber reinforced composite. Naturally existing Snake Grass (SG) and Elephant Grass (EG) reinforced PLA matrix fabrication is being narrated in this research article. By experimentation and analysis of results, it is proved that the Tensile strength, % Elongation, Flexural strength, Impact strength and Water absorption properties of SG & EG reinforced PLA composite is better than that of pure PLA Matrix.

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Background:Candidemia is an important nosocomial blood stream infection in critically ill patients. Although several studies have addressed candidemia, very few have reviewed the impact of Candida glabrata candidemia in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients.Materials and Methods:The medical records of ICU patients between 2006 and 2010 were reviewed retrospectively. The epidemiology, clinical features and mortality related risk factors among our adult ICU patients were seen.Results:Among 144 episodes of candidemia, C. glabrata (n = 26; 18.05%) was the third most common species isolated. The incidence of C. glabrata candidemia was 0.21/1000 ICU admissions. The most common risk factors were prior exposure to broad spectrum antibiotics (100%), central venous catheter (100%), mechanical ventilation (76.9%), diabetes mellitus (50%), age >65 years (46.15%). Urine (23%) was the most common source of C. glabrata candidemia. Overall in hospital 30 days mortality rate due to C. glabrata fungemia was 53.8%. Patients who were treated with fluconazole showed better outcome than patients treated with amphotericin B. Renal failure requiring hemodialysis was the significantly associated with mortality in our study.Conclusion:Candida glabrata was the 3rd most common Candida causing candidemia in our ICUs with a incidence of 0.21/1000 ICU admissions. The outcome of ICU acquired C. glabrata candidemia was poor with 30 days mortality rate of 53.8%. Renal failure requiring hemodialysis was the only risk factor associated with mortality. Further studies are required to identify the other risk factors associated with mortality in C. glabrata candidemia.

The application of natural fibers as reinforcement in polymer composites has been continuously growing during the last few decades. These composites find diverse applications in hostile environment where they are exposed to external attacks such as solid particle erosion. Also, in many respects, the mechanical properties of different polymer composites are their most important characteristics. Therefore, improvement of the erosion resistance and mechanical behavior of polymer composites are the prime requirements in their applications. Bamboo fiber which is rich in cellulose, relatively inexpensive, and abundantly available has the potential for reinforcement in polymers. To this end, an attempt has been made in this paper not only to study the utilization potential of bamboo fiber in polymer composites but also to study the effect of various parameters on mechanical and erosion wear performance of bamboo fiber reinforced epoxy composites.

Biomass gasification involves the production of a gaseous fuel by partial oxidation of a solid fuel. Clean synthesis (syn) gas, produced from partial combustion of biomass, can be burnt in a gas turbine combustion chamber to run a biomass based combined cycle power plant. A thermochemical model has been developed to predict the gas composition and performance of a biomass gasifier based on thermodynamic equilibrium concept for different biomass materials. A simplified numerical method is applied to solve the thermochemical equilibrium reactions. The system consists of a pressurized circulating fluidized bed to produce the syn gas from the biomass. The effect of the relative air fuel ratio (RAFR), steam fuel ratio (SFR), and gasifier pressure has been examined on the gas composition, gasifier temperature, lower heating value of syn gas, and exergy efficiency of biomass gasifier to obtain a high yield from the biomass. It has been found that at lower values of RAFR and SFR, the heating value of the syn gas and the exergy efficiency of gasifier is high.

The natural fiber reinforced biodegradable polymer composites were prepared with short sisal fiber as reinforcement in poly lactic acid (PLA) matrix. The sisal fiber is treated with 10% NaOH followed by H 2 O 2 . The composites were prepared with untreated and treated short sisal fibers at different weight proportions up to 25% in PLA matrix and investigated for mechanical and degradation properties. The results showed that the composite with treated fiber at 20% fiber loading has shown 30% and 8% higher tensile strength than neat PLA and untreated sisal/PLA composite, respectively. The flexural strength of treated sisal fiber composite at same weight fraction was 17% higher than that of plain PLA. The impact strength of composite with untreated fibers at 25% fiber loading was 107% high compared to that of neat PLA whereas the impact strength of treated sisal composite was reduced with increased fiber loading. The water absorption was high for untreated sisal/PLA composite compared to all other composites in the present study. Untreated sisal/PLA composite has high thermal degradation temperature compared to composite with treated fibers but lower than that of pure PLA. The enzymatic environment has increased the rate of degradation of composites. Surface morphology of tensile fractured and soil degraded surfaces of the composites were observed using scanning electron microscopy.

The natural fiber reinforced biodegradable polymer composites were prepared with short jute fiber as reinforcement in PLA (Poly lactic acid) matrix. The short jute fiber is successively treated with NaOH at various concentrations (5%, 10%, and 15%) and H 2 O 2 . The composites were prepared with untreated and treated short jute fibers at different weight proportions (up to 25%) in PLA and investigated for mechanical properties. The results showed that the composite with successive alkali treated jute fiber at 10% NaOH and H 2 O 2 with 20% fiber loading has shown 18% higher flexural strength than neat PLA and untreated jute/PLA composite. The flexural modulus of the composite at 25% fiber loading was 125% and 110% higher than that of composites with untreated fibers and neat PLA, respectively. The impact strength of composite with untreated fibers at higher fiber weight fraction was 23% high as compared to neat PLA and 26% high compared to composite with treated fibers. The water absorption was more for untreated jute/PLA composite at 25% fiber loading than all other composites. The composite with untreated fibers has high thermal degradation compared with treated fibers but lower than that of pure PLA matrix. The enzymatic environment has increased the rate of degradation of composites as compared to soil burial. Surface morphology of biodegraded surfaces of the composites were studied using SEM method. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:2160-2170, 2016

In this study the mechanical and erosion wear behavior of bamboo fiber reinforce epoxy composites filled with Cement By-Pass Dust (CBPD) were studied. The effect of CBPD content and alkalization on the various properties of these composites was also investigated. Taguchi's orthogonal arrays are used for analysis of experiential results. It identifies significant control factors influencing the erosion wear and also outlines significant interaction effects. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test has also been performed on the measured data to find the most significant factors affecting erosion rate. Finally, eroded surfaces of both untreated and alkali treated bamboo fiber reinforced composites were characterized using SEM.