The main objectives of this study were investigating the effects of the maximum size of coarse Attapulgite aggregate and micro steel fiber content on fresh and some mechanical properties of steel fibers reinforced lightweight self-compacting concrete (SFLWSCC). Two series of mixes were used depending on maximum aggregate size (12.5 and 19) mm, for each series three different steel fibers content were used (0.5 %, 1%, and 1.5%). To evaluate the fresh properties, tests of slump flow, T500 mm, V funnel time, and J ring were carried out. Tests of compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural tensile strength, and calculated equilibrium density were done to evaluate mechanical properties. For reference mixes, the results showed that mixes with a larger maximum aggregate size of 19 mm exhibited better fresh properties, while mechanical properties negatively affected by using a larger maximum aggregate size. The results also showed that using steel fibers led to negative effects on fresh properties, especially with higher steel fibers content and larger maximum aggregate size. The marginal effect of steel fibers on compressive strength was noticed, while for both splitting and flexural tensile strength, significant increase was obtained with increasing of steel fibers content. The properties of SFLWSCC in the fresh state had a considerable effect on mechanical properties, whereas with the best fresh properties, the best mechanical properties can be obtained.
Objective Tea lovers are increasing worldwide. We hope that this report is the first to discuss the possible impacts of high black tea consumption on gestational weight gain (GWG) and birth parameters. Methods Throughout one year, a total of 7,063 pregnant ladies coming for first antenatal visit were screened in a major tertiary center. Of them, 1,138 were involved and divided according to their preference into 3 groups: excessive tea (ET), usual tea (UT), and mixed beverages group. The study included women who gave birth to healthy neonates. Results The rate of ET consumption was 4.13% with a total of 41 cases. The UT group (controls) comprised 94 women. ET was significantly associated (P<0.05) with maternal age, parity, occupation, smokin
... Show MoreEriobotrya japonica Lindl., named as loquat, is a subtropical fruit tree of the family Rosaceae which is well known medical plant originated in Japan and China. Loquat portions, like leaves, peels and fruits have been shown to possess various health usefulnesses. In Chinese classical medicine, it is vastly utilized in many illnesses, like gastroenteric disorders, diabetes mellitus, pulmonary inflammatory diseases and chronic bronchitis. Loquat plant contain many active constituents, such as flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins, polyphenolic compounds, other that have many biological effects like anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, antioxidant, antiviral, antitussive, hepatoprotective and hypoli
... Show MoreCrystalline silicon (c-Si) has low optical absorption due to its high surface reflection of incident light. Nanotexturing of c-Si which produces black silicon (b-Si) offers a promising solution. In this work, effect of H2O2 concentrations towards surface morphological and optical properties of b-Si fabricated by two-step silver-assisted wet chemical etching (Ag-based two-step MACE) for potential photovoltaic (PV) applications is presented. The method involves a 30 s deposition of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) in an aqueous solution of AgNO3:HF (5:6) and an optimized etching in HF:H2O2:DI H2O solution under 0.62 M, 1.85 M, 2.47 M, and 3.7 M concentrations of H2O<
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The catalytic cracking conversion of Iraqi vacuum gas oil was studied on large and medium pore size (HY, HX, ZSM-22 and ZSM-11) of zeolite catalysts. These catalysts were prepared locally and used in the present work. The catalytic conversion performed on a continuous fixed-bed laboratory reaction unit. Experiments were performed in the temperature range of 673 to 823K, pressure range of 3 to 15bar, and LHSV range of 0.5-3h-1. The results show that the catalytic conversion of vacuum gas oil increases with increase in reaction temperature and decreases with increase in LHSV. The catalytic activity for the proposed catalysts arranged in the following order:
HY>H
... Show MoreAbstract: Background: Tribuls terrestris increases levels of various hormones in steroid family including testosterone, DEHA, and estrogen and for this reason improves sport performance, fertility in men and women, sexual function in men and women. There is, at present, lack of scientific confirmation of these supposed benefits. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the possible effect(s) of Tribuls terrestris on the mouse ovarian morphology and function, alone and in combination with other ovulation modulator agent (clomiphene citrate). Materials & Methods: A total of 49 sexually mature healthy Norway albino female mice were used in this study; 25 for pilot study and 24 for the experimental study. Experimental animals were divided
... Show MoreQuercetin, one of the flavonoids family member, can be found in many vegetables, fruits, and beverages with a noticeable nutritional pharmacological properties. This study was aimed to evaluate the ability of quercetin to inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that induced lethal toxicity in vivo, and to elucidate the importance of the quercetin as an antitumor agent in breast cancer cell line MCF-7.In vivo experiments included the effect of hesperidin and LPS on the liver and spleen of male mice. In the liver, the antioxidant activity was measured by estimating the concentration of glutathione (GSH), and catalase (CAT), while in the spleen, the concentration of cytokines was measured including IL-33 and TNF-α. In vitro experiments included MTT
... Show MoreAn experiment was carried out on the fields of the college of Agriculture - Abu Ghraib, of a silty clay loam soil that has moisture of 15-16%, to study the effect of plowing and pulverization systems on some plant indicators of onion. The experiment included plowing systems with three levels (plowing with a moldboard plow, plowing by chisel plow and zero tillage plowing) as a primary factor. The second factor was that pulverization for only one time and repeating the pulverization twice through the use of the rotary tiller. The plant indicators of onion that are studied: plant length, onion diameter, onion weight and onion neck diameter. The experiment has carried out according to SPLIT PLOT design according to RCBD design by three replicat
... Show MoreThis paper presents a hybrid energy resources (HER) system consisting of solar PV, storage, and utility grid. It is a challenge in real time to extract maximum power point (MPP) from the PV solar under variations of the irradiance strength. This work addresses challenges in identifying global MPP, dynamic algorithm behavior, tracking speed, adaptability to changing conditions, and accuracy. Shallow Neural Networks using the deep learning NARMA-L2 controller have been proposed. It is modeled to predict the reference voltage under different irradiance. The dynamic PV solar and nonlinearity have been trained to track the maximum power drawn from the PV solar systems in real time.
Moreover, the proposed controller i
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