A novel demountable shear connector for precast steel‐concrete composite bridges is presented. The connector uses high‐strength steel bolts, which are fastened to the top flange of the steel beam with the aid of a special locking nut configuration that prevents slip of bolts within their holes. Moreover, the connector promotes accelerated construction and overcomes typical construction tolerances issues of precast structures. Most importantly, the connector allows bridge disassembly, and therefore, can address different bridge deterioration scenarios with minimum disturbance to traffic flow, i.e. (i) precast deck panels can be rapidly uplifted and replaced; (ii) connectors can be rapidly removed and replaced; and (iii) steel beams can b

The search involve the synthesis of some new 1,3-oxazepine and 1,3-diazepine derivatives were synthesized from Schiff base. The Schiff base (VIII) prepared from reaction of aldehyde (IV) derived from L-ascorbic acid with aromatic amine ([2-(4- nitrophenyl)-5-(4-aminophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole] (VII). Oxazepine compounds (IX-XI) were synthesized from the cyclic condensation of Schiff base (VIII) with (maleic, phthalic and 3-nitrophthalic) anhydride, compounds (IX-XI) that were reacted with p-methoxyaniline to give diazepine derivatives (XII-XIV). The structures of the new synthesized compounds have been confirmed by physical properties and spectroscopy measurements such as FTIR, and some of them by 1 H-NMR, 13 CNMR, Mass, and evaluated

Green synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles of Fe/Ni (G-Fe/Ni-NPs) and zeolite-5A supported (G-Z-Fe/Ni-NPs) as heterogeneous Fenton-like oxidation for the decolourisation of reactive red 120-dye (RR120) from the aqueous medium using green tea extract as a reducing agent. Zeolite-5A from local kaolin is prepared and characterised using the hydrothermal method and is used as a supporting material for Fe/Ni-NPs. (SEM), (EDX), (AFM), (XRD), (FT-IR), (BET). Its zeta potential were used to characterise G-Fe/Ni-NPs and G-Z-Fe/Ni-NPs. The decolourisation efficiency (Ed) of the RR120-dye using a heterogeneous Fenton-like for G-Fe/Ni-NPs and G-Z-Fe/Ni-NPs is 99.8% and 99.9%, respectively, under the optimum conditions: [H2O2] = 20 and 1 mmol/L

Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) mostly associated with renal and hepatic adverse effects, and the adjunct use of compounds with potent protective effects, like silymarin, may be one of the choices to avoid these effects. This project was designed to evaluate the protective effect of silymarin against the suspected renal and hepatic injury induced with long term use of NSAIDs; 220 patients with osteoarthritis were randomized into 5 groups and treated with either silymarin 300mg/day alone, piroxicam 20mg/day alone, meloxicam 15mg/day alone or the combination of each of them with silymarin for 8 weeks. The renal and hepatic functions were evaluated before starting treatment and after 8 weeks including assessm

In recent decades, global obesity has increased significantly, causing a major health problem with associated complications and major socioeconomic issues. The central nervous system (CNS), particularly the hypothalamus, regulates food intake through sensing the metabolic signals of peripheral organs and modulating feeding behaviors.  The hypothalamus interacts with other brain regions such as the brain stem to perform these vital functions. The gut plays a crucial role in controlling food consumption and energy homeostasis. The gut releases orexigenic and anorexigenic hormones that interact directly with the CNS or indirectly through vagal afferent neurons. Gastrointestinal peptides (GIP) including cholecystokinin, peptide YY, Nesf

In this work, ZnO quantum dots (Q.dots) and nanorods were prepared. ZnO quantum dots were prepared by self-assembly method of zinc acetate solution with KOH solution, while ZnO nanorods were prepared by hydrothermal method of zinc nitrate hexahydrate Zn (NO3)2.6H2O with hexamethy lenetetramin (HMT) C6H12N4. The optical , structural and spectroscopic properties of the product quantum dot were studied. The results show the dependence of the optical properties on the crystal dimension and the formation of the trap states in the energy band gap. The deep levels emission was studied for n-ZnO and p-ZnO. The preparation ZnO nanorods show semiconductor behavior of p-type, which is a difficult process by doping because native defects.

Modified algae with nano copper oxide (CuO) were used as adsorption media to remove tetracycline (TEC) from aqueous solutions. Functional groups, morphology, structure, and percentages of surfactants before and after adsorption were characterised through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Several variables, including pH, connection time, dosage, initial concentrations, and temperature, were controlled to obtain the optimum condition. Thermodynamic studies, adsorption isotherm, and kinetics models were examined to describe and recognise the type of interactions involved. Resultantly, the best operation conditions were at pH 7, contact time

Modified algae with nano copper oxide (CuO) were used as adsorption media to remove tetracycline (TEC) from aqueous solutions. Functional groups, morphology, structure, and percentages of surfactants before and after adsorption were characterised through Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Several variables, including pH, connection time, dosage, initial concentrations, and temperature, were controlled to obtain the optimum condition. Thermodynamic studies, adsorption isotherm, and kinetics models were examined to describe and recognise the type of interactions involved. Resultantly, the best operation conditions were at pH 7, contact time