Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bars are anisotropic in nature and have high tensile strength in the fiber direction. The use of High-Strength Concrete (HSC) allows for better use of the high-strength properties of FRP bars. The mechanical properties of FRP bars can yield to large crack widths and deflections. As a result, the design of concrete elements reinforced with FRP materials is often governed by the Serviceability Limit States (SLS). This study investigates the short-term serviceability behavior of FRP RC I-beams. Eight RC I-beams reinforced with carbon-FRP (CFRP) and four steel RC I-beams, for comparison purposes, were tested under two-point loading.
Deformations on the concrete and crack widths and spacing are measured and

The pandemic SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmittable with its proliferation among nations. This study aims to design and exploring the efficacy of novel nirmatrelvir derivatives as SARS entry inhibitors by adapting a molecular modeling approach combined with theoretical design. The study focuses on the preparation of these derivatives and understanding their effectiveness, with a special focus on their binding affinity to the S protein, which is pivotal for the virus’s access to the host cell. Considering molecular docking aspects in the scope of a study on nirmatrelvir derivatives and S protein, dynamics simulations with 25 nanoseconds of their binding are explored. The study shows that these derivatives might work as effective antivi

The advancements in horizontal drilling combined with hydraulic fracturing have been historically proven as the most viable technologies in the exploitation of unconventional resources (e.g., shale and tight gas reservoirs). However, the number of fractures, well timing, and arrangement pattern can have a significant impact on the project economy. Therefore, such design and operating parameters need to be efficiently optimized for obtaining the best production performance from unconventional gas reservoirs. In this study, the process of selecting the optimal number of fractures was conducted on a section of a tight gas reservoir model (based on data from the Whicher Range (WR) tight gas field in Western Australia). Then, the optimal number

Olanzapine (OLZ) is classified as a typical antipsychotic drug utilized for the treatment of schizophrenia. Its oral bioavailability is 60% due to its low solubility and pre-systemic metabolism. Hence, the present work aims to formulate and evaluate OLZ nanoparticles dissolving microneedles (MNs) for transdermal delivery to overcome the problems associated with drug administration orally. OLZ nanoparticles were prepared by the nanoprecipitation method. The optimized OLZ nanoparticle formula was utilized for the fabrication of dissolving MNs by loading OLZ nanodispersion into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micromould cavities, followed by casting the polymeric solution of polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP-K30) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form

The Weibull distribution is considered one of the Type-I Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution, and it plays a crucial role in modeling extreme events in various fields, such as hydrology, finance, and environmental sciences. Bayesian methods play a strong, decisive role in estimating the parameters of the GEV distribution due to their ability to incorporate prior knowledge and handle small sample sizes effectively. In this research, we compare several shrinkage Bayesian estimation methods based on the squared error and the linear exponential loss functions. They were adopted and compared by the Monte Carlo simulation method. The performance of these methods is assessed based on their accuracy and computational efficiency in estimati

Dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis (SD) are common skin disorders affecting the scalp and extending to other body sites in the case of SD. They are associated with pruritus and scaling, causing an esthetical disturbance in the population affected.   Treatment of such conditions involves using a variety of drugs for long terms, thus optimizing drug formulation is essential to improve therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. Conventional topical formulations like shampoos and creams have been widely used but their use is associated with disadvantages. To overcome such effects, novel topical nanotechnology-based formulations are currently under investigation. In the following article, we highlight recently published formulatio