Two novel demountable shear connectors for precast steel-concrete composite bridges are presented. The connectors use high-strength steel bolts, which are fastened to the steel beam with the aid of a special locking configuration that prevents slip of bolts within their holes. Moreover, the connectors promote accelerated construction and overcome typical construction tolerances issues of precast structures. Most importantly, the connectors allow bridge disassembly, and therefore, can address different bridge deterioration scenarios with minimum disturbance to traffic flow, i.e. (1) precast deck panels can be rapidly uplifted and replaced; (2) connectors can be rapidly removed and replaced; and (3) steel beams can be replaced, while precast

Posible interference of vamin with the activity of several antibiotics against E. coli was evaluated in vitro. In MBS- glucose medium, significant growth delay was induced by 8 ug/ml of terramycin (oxytetracycline- polymyxin B) and bactrim (trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole), and by 16 ug/ml of refocin, lincomycin, and chloramphenicol. Rapid growth inhibition was induced by 32 ug/ml of all an- tibiotic tested separately. Significant inactivation of up to 64 ug/ml of licomycin and bactrim was in- duced by the addition of vamin at a concentration of 1:20 v/v of the medium. This effect was found to be due to the presence of specific amino acids in vamin. Among them is valine, leucine, isoleucine tyrosine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, cysteine, meth

ABSTRACT Possible interference of vamin nutritional solution with the activity of several B-lactam antibiotics against E.coli was evaluated in vitro.In Minimal basal salts-glucose medium rapid growth inhibition of sensitive E. coli was induced by 4 µg/ml of ampicillin / cloxaillin, 8 µg/ml of ampicillin, 6 µg/ml of carbencillin, hostacillin, and cephalotin, and by 32 µg/ml of penicillin G and cloxacillin. Significant inactivation of up to 32 µg/ml of carbencillin, cephalotin, penicillin G, and hostacillin was induced by addition of 1:20 v/v vamin. This inactivation was due to the presence of specific amino acids in the mixture. Deletions of amino acids revealed that valine, leucine, isoleucine, tyrosine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, cys

Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) used for many applications especially in security applications, including border control. However, more accurate and language-independent techniques are still needed. This work provides a new approach to identifying Arabic license plates in different formats, colors, and even including English characters. Numbers, characters, and layouts with either 1-line or 2-line layouts are presented. For the test, we intend to use Iraqi license plates as there is a wide range of license plate styles written in Arabic, Kurdish, and English/Arabic languages, each different in style and color. This variety makes it difficult for recent traditional license plate recognition systems and algorithms to recogn

A simple, rapid spectrophotometric method has been established for the determination of chlorpromazine hydrochloride (CPZ) in its pure form and in a tablet formulations. The  suggested  method  is  based  on  the  oxidative coupling  reaction  with4-nitroainlline using KIO₃ in acidic solution to produce a violet colored product with maximum absorption at λ=526 nm.The  analytical data  obtained  throughout  this  study  could  be  summarid  as  follows:  1ml of 1M HCl (pH=2.2), 1 ml  of  4-nitroanilline (1x10^-2M), and 1.5ml  of (1x10^-2)KIO₃ per 25 ml reaction medium. The order of a

Levan is an exopolysaccharide produced by various microorganisms and has a variety of applications. In this research, the aim was to demonstrate the biological activity of levan which produced from B. phenoliresistens KX139300. These were done via study the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antileishmanial activities in vitro. The antioxidant levan was shown 80.9% activity at 1250 µg/mL concentration. The efficient anti-inflammatory activity of 88% protein inhibition was noticed with levan concentration at 35 µg/mL. The cytotoxic activity of levan at 2500 µg/mL concentration showed a maximum cytotoxic effect on L20B cell line and promastigotes of Leishmani tropica. Levan has dose-dependent anticancer and antileishman

Concrete filled steel tube (CFST) columns are being popular in civil engineering due to their superior structural characteristics. This paper investigates enhancement in axial behavior of CFST columns by adding steel fibers to plain concrete that infill steel tubes. Four specimens were prepared: two square columns (100*100 mm) and two circular columns (100 mm in diameter). All columns were 60 cm in length. Plain concrete mix and concrete reinforced with steel fibers were used to infill steel tube columns. Ultimate axial load capacity, ductility and failure mode are discussed in this study. The results showed that the ultimate axial load capacity of CFST columns reinforced with steel fibers increased by 28% and 20 % for circular and square c