Spatial data observed on a group of areal units is common in scientific applications. The usual hierarchical approach for modeling this kind of dataset is to introduce a spatial random effect with an autoregressive prior. However, the usual Markov chain Monte Carlo scheme for this hierarchical framework requires the spatial effects to be sampled from their full conditional posteriors one-by-one resulting in poor mixing. More importantly, it makes the model computationally inefficient for datasets with large number of units. In this article, we propose a Bayesian approach that uses the spectral structure of the adjacency to construct a low-rank expansion for modeling spatial dependence. We propose a pair of computationally efficient estimati

A ‘locking-bolt’ demountable shear connector (LBDSC) is proposed to facilitate the deconstruction and reuse of steel-concrete composite structures, in line with achieving a more sustainable construction design paradigm. The LBDSC is comprised of a grout-filled steel tube and a geometrically compatible partially threaded bolt. The latter has a geometry that ‘locks’ the bolt in compatible holes predrilled on the steel flange and eliminates initial slip and construction tolerance issues. The structural behaviour of the LBDSC is evaluated through nine pushout tests using a horizontal test setup. The effects of the tube thickness, strength of concrete slab, and strength of infilled grout on the shear resistance, initial stiffness, and du

Variable selection is an essential and necessary task in the statistical modeling field. Several studies have triedto develop and standardize the process of variable selection, but it isdifficultto do so. The first question a researcher needs to ask himself/herself what are the most significant variables that should be used to describe a given dataset’s response. In thispaper, a new method for variable selection using Gibbs sampler techniqueshas beendeveloped.First, the model is defined, and the posterior distributions for all the parameters are derived.The new variable selection methodis tested usingfour simulation datasets. The new approachiscompared with some existingtechniques: Ordinary Least Squared (OLS), Least Absolute Shrinkage

Background: Restoration of root canal treated teeth with a permanent restoration affect in the success of endodontically treated teeth. This in vitro study was performed to evaluate and compare the fracture strength of endodontically treated teeth restored by using custom made zirconium posts and cores, prefabricated carbon fiber, glass fiber and zirconium ceramic posts. Materials and method: Forty intact human mandibular second premolars were collected for this study and were divided into five groups. Each group contains 8 specimens: Group1: Teeth restored with Carbon Fiber Posts; Group2: Teeth restored with Glass Fiber Posts; Group3: Teeth restored with Zirconium Ceramic prefabricated Posts; Group4: Teeth restored with Zirconium Posts

Bearing capacity of a concrete pile in fine grained cohesive soils is affected by the degree of saturation of the surrounding soil through the contribution of the matric suction. In addition, the embedded depth and the roughness of the concrete pile surface (expressed as British Pendulum Number BPN) also have their contribution to the shear strength of the concrete pile, consequently its bearing capacity. Herein, relationships among degree of saturation, pile depth, and surface roughness, were proposed as a mathematical model expressed as an equation where the shear strength of a pile can be predicted in terms of degree of saturation, depth, and BPN. Rel

In this study, geopolymer mortar was designed in various experimental combinations employing 1% micro steel fibers and was subjected to different temperatures, according to the prior works of other researchers. The geopolymer mortar was developed using a variety of sustainable material proportions (fly ash and slag) to examine the influence of fibers on its strength. The fly ash weight percentage was 50%, 60%, and 70% by slag weight to study its effect on the geopolymer mortar's properties. The optimal ratio produced the most significant results when mixed at a 50:50 ratio of fly ash and slag with 1% micro steel fibers at curing temperature 240oC for 4 hours through two days. The compressive strength of the geopolymer mortar increas

Background: Unlike normal EEG patterns, the epileptiform abnormal pattern is characterized by different mor phologies such as the high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) of ripples on spikes, spikes and waves, continuous and sporadic spikes, and ploy2 spikes. Several studies have reported that HFOs can be novel biomarkers in human epilepsy study. S) Method: To regenerate and investigate these patterns, we have proposed three large scale brain network models (BNM by linking the neural mass model (NMM) of Stefanescu-Jirsa 2D (S-J 2D) with our own structural con nectivity derived from the realistic biological data, so called, large-scale connectivity connectome. These models include multiple network connectivity of brain regions at different

Background: This in vitro study was carried out to investigate the effect of post space regions (coronal, middle and apical), the effect of post types ( Manually Milled Zirconia post, Prefabricated Fiber post, prefabricated Zirconia post) and the type of cement used (GIC, self-adhesive resin cement) on the bond strength between the posts and root dentin by using push-out test. Material and methods: Forty eight mandibular premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons (single rooted) were instrumented with ProTaper system (hand use) and obturated with gutta percha for ProTaper using AH26® root canal sealer following the manufacturer instructions. After 24 hours, post space was prepared using Zirix and Glassix drills no.3 creating 8 mm dept