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.
Indoor air pollution is a critical environmental challenge with negative impacts on human health, especially in urban and enclosed settings. This study aimed to evaluate the tolerance of three indoor ornamental plants—Epipremnum aureum, Sansevieria trifasciata, and Syngonium podophyllum Schott—against pollutants generated by cigarette smoke and kerosene combustion. Plants were exposed under controlled indoor conditions, while particulate matter (PM₁. ₀, PM₂. ₅, PM₁₀), total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) were measured before, during, and after exposure. Plant tolerance was assessed using the Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI), calculated from total chlorophyll content, leaf extract pH, ascor
... Show MoreBackground: The COVID-19 virus outbreak had a massive effect on many parts of people's lives, as they were advised to quarantine and lockdown to prevent the virus from spreading, which had a big impact on people's mental health, anxiety, and stress. Many internal and external factors lead to stress. This negatively influences the body's homeostasis. As a result, stress may affect the body's capacity to use energy to defend against pathogens. Many recent investigations have found substantial links between human mental stress and the production of hormones, prohormones, and/or immunological chemicals. some of these researches have verified the link between stress and salivary cortisol levels. The aim of this study is to measure salivary corti
... Show MoreA laboratory experiment was carried out at the College of Agriculture University of Baghdad in 2017. The aim was to improve the anatomical and physiological traits of broad bean seedling under salt stress by soaking it in salicylic acid. The concentrations of salicylic acid were 0, 10, and 20 mg L-1 and the electrical conductivity levels were 0, 3, and 6 dS m-1. The complete randomized design was used with four replications. The increasing of salicylic acid concentration up to 10 mg L-1 led to increasing the stem cortex thickness, stem vascular bundles thickness, and root cortex thickness significantly by (34.9,36.7,and 55 µm) respectively, while the treatment of 20 mg L-1 led to decreasing these traits by (28.2, 27.8, and 48.1 µm
... Show MoreThe aldol condensation of 2-acetylnaphthalene with 9-anthracene carboxaldehyde afforded α, β-unsaturated keton (1) . New heterocyclic compounds containing: cyclohexenone[2], indazole[3], pyrimidinethion [4], thiazolo fused pyrimidine[5], isoxazoline[6], substituted pyrazoline[7]a-d and pyrimidinone[8] rings system were synthesized from α, β-unsaturated keton[1]. Cyclization of [1] with ethylacetoacetate gave the mentioned heterocycle cyclohexanone [2]. The cyclo condensation of [2] with hydrazine gave the new indazole derivative [3]. furthermore, the reation of [1]with thiourea gives thiopyrmidine derivative [4]. The cyclo condensation of [4] with chloroacetic acid gave the fused rings [5]. Then reacted compound[1] with hydroxy
... Show MoreNanomaterials, including nanoparticles such as iron oxide nanoparticles, have received great attention from researchers due to their unique properties and applications. There are several diverse methods, including chemical, physical, and green biological methods, to prepare iron oxide nanoparticles. The green method was chosen because it is safer, purer, and less toxic compared to other methods. Therefore, the green method is a promising and environmentally friendly method in the near future. The aqueous extract of Iraqi orange leaves was used to prepare nano iron oxide, it was examined structurally and spectrally by several techniques (X-ray diffraction- XRD, Fourier transform infrared - FT-IR, field emission scanning electron micr
... Show MoreBackground: This study evaluates transdermal delivery of tamoxifen (TXN) as an alternative to the oral route of administration in treating breast cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women globally. Oral TXN, a Class II drug, is associated with first-pass metabolism and serious side effects, including secondary cancers. Objectives: To enhance transdermal delivery, lipid-based transethosomes (TRS) were formulated using three different 24 factorial designs with various non-ionic surfactants, including Tween 20®, Span 20®, and Span 80®. Methods: Optimized TRS formulations were incorporated into HPMC-based gels and characterized for morphology, drug content, pH, viscosity, spreadability, ex vivo skin penetrat
... Show MoreSynthesis of a new class of Schiff-base ligand with a tetrazole moiety to form polymeric metal complexes with CoII, NiII, ZnII, and CdII ions has been demonstrated. The ligand was synthesised by a multi-steps by treating 5-amino-2-chlorobenzonitrile and cyclohexane -1,3-dione, the 5,5'-(((1E,3E)-cyclohexane-1,3-diylidene)bis(azanylylidene))bis(2-chlorobenzonitrile) was obtained. The precursor (M) was prepared from the reaction 5,5'-(((1E,3E)-cyclohexane-1,3-diylidene)bis(azanylylidene))bis(2-chlorobenzonitrile) with NaN3 to obtained (1E,3E)-N1,N3-bis(4-chloro-3-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)phenyl)cyclohexane-1,3-diimine (N). By reacting the precursor (M) with CS2
... Show MoreAu nanoparticle-functionalized (TiO2)1−x(ZnO:MgO)x nanocomposite thin films (0≤x≤0.3) were effectively produced by chemical spray pyrolysis and annealed at 600 °C. The effects of ZnO incorporation and Au nanoparticle modification on the films' structural, optical, and antibacterial properties were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV–Vis spectroscopy, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). XRD analysis confirms the formation of polycrystalline anatase TiO2 and shows a composition-dependent structural develop- ment with increasing ZnO concentration. The optical experiments revealed increased transmittance and a progressive wid- ening of the optical band gap f
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