Concrete structures are exposed to aggressive environmental conditions that lead to corrosion of the embedded reinforcement and pre-stressing steel. Consequently, the safety of concrete structures may be compromised, and this requires a significant budgets to repair and maintain critical infrastructure. Prediction of structural safety can lead to significant reductions in maintenance costs by maximizing the impact of investments. The aim of this paper is to establish a framework to assess the reliability of existing post-tensioned concrete bridges. A time-dependent reliability analysis of an existing post-tensioned involving the assessment of Ynys-y-Gwas bridge has been presented in this study. The main cause of failure of this bridge was corrosion of tendons, making it a relevant case study to evaluate the effect of corrosion on bridge safety. Uncertainties associated with material properties, geometry, loads and corrosion parameters are taken into account. The probabilistic models of the uncertainties are combined with a non-linear finite element analysis to study the effect of tendons pitting corrosion on the post-tensioned concrete bridge. The limit state function considered is flexural strength. The Monte-Carlo simulation (MCS) method is used to compute the statistical parameters of the resisting bending moment through a MATLAB code running ABAQUS. It was found that the reliability index for the first year of bridge service life is below the minimum value acceptable for structures. The study confirmed that this bridge was a high risk structure due to its design and location. The proposed framework can be used by engineers and researchers as a tool to support decision for segmental post-tensioned (PT) bridges maintenance since they need for a regular inspection due to their risk to corrosion.
The study explores the use of ergative verbs in constructing clauses and their impact on the backgrounding of the agent's role in two selected short stories. Contrary to hypothesis No. 1, the research indicates that changes in sentence patterns don't affect the meaning of the process. Additionally, hypothesis No. 2 is refuted as the middle structure is found to highlight the agent's role in the science fiction short story, Terra Infirmum, rather than concealing it as hypothesized for "The Invisible Man." The analysis uncovers that writers utilize ergative processes to narrate stories in various ways, including transitive/active voice, intransitive/active voice, and transitive/passive voice. Furthermore, the findings suggest that writers emp
... Show MoreTechnological and digital development has allowed the emergence of many methods of producing semantics on social media sites within semiotic and propagandistic frameworks. This is what made the image appear in different molds and shapes, especially as it is the first material for visual perception.
This made the Israeli propaganda discourse use it as an important tool to manage the content of suggestive messages with semiological connotations. By doing so, such tool uses social networking sites as an appropriate environment to achieve those goals, which are related to cases of manipulating emotions and minds. It, moreover, changes convictions, attitudes, trends and behaviors according to what the propaganda planner wants.
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Background: The marginal fit is the most characteristic that closely related to the longevity or success of a restoration, which is absolutely affected by the fabrication technique. The objective of present in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of four different CAD/CAM systems on the marginal fit of lithiµm disilicate all ceramic crowns. Materials and Methods: Adentoform tooth of a right mandibular first molar was prepared to receive all ceramic crown restoration with deep chamfer finishing line (1mm) and axial reduction convergence angle of 6 degree, dentoform model duplicated to have Nickel-Chromiµm master die. Thirty two stone dies produce from master die and distributed randomly in to four groups (8 dies for each group) accor
... Show MoreIn this experimental and numerical analysis, three varieties of under-reamed piles comprising one bulb were used. The location of the bulb changes from pile to pile, as it is found at the bottom, center, and top of the pile, respectively.
Background: White spot lesion is the first visible sign of dental caries that is characterized by demineralized lesion underneath an intact surface. Several studies demonstrated that they could be treated using noninvasive techniques like the use of fluoride or casein phospho-peptide and amorphous calcium phosphate. Improvement in aesthetic outcomes by covering the demineralized enamel is one of the advantages of the use of resin infiltration and opal-ustre microabrasion, which are two new techniques that had been used for treatment of white spot lesion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of resin infiltration and microabrasion in the microhardness of the artificial white spot lesions at various depths. Material and method
... Show MoreRudimentary non-communicating functional uterine horn with unicornuate uterus, originating from anomalous embryological development of one Mullerian duct, is prone to different complications either at the gynecological or obstetrical level such as chronic pelvic pain, hematometra, subfertility and decreased quality of life. This unique case report presents a 14-year-old female with a history of severe chronic pelvic pain. She was diagnosed with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) and had an appendectomy for suspected appendicitis within the symptoms’ interval. Ultrasound showed a right 5*6 cm right complex cystic mass assuming ovarian in place. She underwent a suspected endometrioma cystectomy operation and was diagnosed with left unico
... Show MoreThe research problem stems from a chief question: “What is the nature of the responsibility that «Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed» and «Al-Mada» Newspapers have undertaken in promoting the values of citizenship and national belonging in the society? The research aims to achieve a number of goals, including: Determining the most prominent themes that were emphasized in the opinion articles in these two newspapers within the framework of the responsibility of promoting the values of citizenship and national belonging in society, and revealing the most prominent topics that were discussed in opinion articles in the two sample newspapers regarding the promotion of the mentioned values. This research is a desc
... Show MoreThis study showed the basic features of corporate tax in Iraq by showing what was in the Income Tax Law in force .The study aims of this to indicate the role of tax corprates in tax revenue and then the possibility of strengthening the revenue of this tax as an important source of local funding sources in the form that is with him reduce dependence on oil revenues to finance the general budget in Iraq, the risks and the study found a number of conclusions from the most important: that the corporate tax comes in the introduction to the components of the income tax structure in terms of relative importance and formed a revenue source of prime The gross proceeds of the income tax in Iraq, where it contributed to more than a quarter of that
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