A novel welded demountable shear connector for sustainable steel-concrete composite structures is proposed. The proposed connector consists of a grout-filled steel tube bolted to a compatible partially threaded stud, which is welded on a steel section. This connector allows for an easy deconstruction at the end of the service life of a building, promoting the reuse of both the concrete slabs and the steel sections. This paper presents the experimental evaluation of the structural behavior of the proposed connector using a horizontal pushout test arrangement. The effects of various parameters, including the tube thickness, the presence of grout infill, and the concrete slab compressive strength, were assessed. A nonlinear finite element model was also calibrated against the experimental results, and the validated numerical model was used to extend the validity of the experimental results and to perform further parametric studies. The experimental and numerical results show that the tested connectors have similar stiffness, but higher shear resistance and slip capacity compared with traditional welded shear studs and can be classified as ductile according to Eurocode 4.
Successive waves and generations of terrorists attacked the Iraqis in the years following the fall of the regime in Iraq in 2003, after the US invasion of the country under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction. Hence, the Iraqi people enrolled in ongoing war with these armed groups which led to massive casualties due to blasts and missile injuries.
Mechanism of blasts injury can be classified into primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary. While bullet injuries can be classified into low and high-energy injuries, the type and severity of the injury will influence the type of management, together with facilities available in
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) can cause blindness in premature neonates. It is diagnosed when new blood vessels form abnormally in the retina. However, people at high risk of ROP might benefit significantly from early detection and treatment. Therefore, early diagnosis of ROP is vital in averting visual impairment. However, due to a lack of medical experience in detecting this condition, many people refuse treatment; this is especially troublesome given the rising cases of ROP. To deal with this problem, we trained three transfer learning models (VGG-19, ResNet-50, and EfficientNetB5) and a convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify the zones of ROP in preterm newborns. The dataset to train th
Cipher security is becoming an important step when transmitting important information through networks. The algorithms of cryptography play major roles in providing security and avoiding hacker attacks. In this work two hybrid cryptosystems have been proposed, that combine a modification of the symmetric cryptosystem Playfair cipher called the modified Playfair cipher and two modifications of the asymmetric cryptosystem RSA called the square of RSA technique and the square RSA with Chinese remainder theorem technique. The proposed hybrid cryptosystems have two layers of encryption and decryption. In the first layer the plaintext is encrypted using modified Playfair to get the cipher text, this cipher text will be encrypted using squared
... Show MoreBackground: Semen contamination is a detrimental factor in decreasing fertility. Seasonal changes may affect the contamination, too. Objectives: This study was designed to detect semen contamination in ovine and caprine during different seasons. Methods: Six fully mature male sheep and goats were subjected to electro-ejaculator collection twice monthly from February 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023 (Spring, February 1, 2022-April 30, 2022; Summer, May 1, 2022, July 31, 2022; Autumn August 1, 2022, October 31, 2022; Winter November 1, 2022, January 31, 2023), for studying the seasonal effect. A total of 288 semen samples were collected from both species (36 samples from each per season). All samples were subjected to bacterial isolatio
... Show MoreAtorvastatin (ATR) is a poorly water-soluble anti-hyperlipidemic drug. The drug belongs to the class II group according to the biopharmaceutical classification system (BCS) with low bioavailability due to its low solubility. Solid dispersion is an effective technique for enhancing the solubility and dissolution of drugs. Phospholipid solid dispersion (PSD) using phosphatidylcholine (PC) as a carrier with or without adsorbent (magnesium aluminum silicate, silicon dioxide 15nm, silicon dioxide 30nm, calcium silicate) was used to prepare ATR PSD using different drug: PC: adsorbent ratios by solvent evaporation method. The resulted PSD was evaluated for its percentage yield, drug content, solubility, dissolution rate, Fourier transforma
... Show MoreEverybody is connected with social media like (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram…etc.) that generate a large quantity of data and which traditional applications are inadequate to process. Social media are regarded as an important platform for sharing information, opinion, and knowledge of many subscribers. These basic media attribute Big data also to many issues, such as data collection, storage, moving, updating, reviewing, posting, scanning, visualization, Data protection, etc. To deal with all these problems, this is a need for an adequate system that not just prepares the details, but also provides meaningful analysis to take advantage of the difficult situations, relevant to business, proper decision, Health, social media, sc
... Show MorePortulacaria afra is a small succulent tree, previously belonging to the Portulacaceae family, but with further studies, the plant transferred to the Didieracea family. P. afra was used as an ornamental, vegetable, and ethnomedicinal plant. Uses of the plant by rural South Africans to treat chronic skin conditions and rashes, alleviate exhaustion, and aid in treating TB and diarrhea have been documented in folklore. According to pharmaceutical research, plant extracts off er a wide range of remedial outcomes, such as antidiabetic, antifungal, antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-infl ammatory. The study aims to determine some bioactive constituents responsible for pharmacological activities and traditional usefulness. Th
... Show MoreThis paper predicts the resilient modulus (Mr) for warm mix asphalt (WMA) mixtures prepared using aspha-min. Various predictor variables were analyzed, including asphalt cement types, asphalt contents, nominal maximum aggregate sizes (NMAS), filler content, test temperatures, and loading times. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the behavior of each predictor variable individually and collectively. Through univariate analysis, it was observed that Mr exhibited an inverse trend with asphalt cement grade, NMAS, test temperature, and load duration. Although Mr increased slightly with higher filler and asphalt content, the magnitude of this increase was minimal. Multivariate analysis revealed that the rate of change
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