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 mode

This paper introduces a non-conventional approach with multi-dimensional random sampling to solve a cocaine abuse model with statistical probability. The mean Latin hypercube finite difference (MLHFD) method is proposed for the first time via hybrid integration of the classical numerical finite difference (FD) formula with Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) technique to create a random distribution for the model parameters which are dependent on time t . The LHS technique gives advantage to MLHFD method to produce fast variation of the parameters’ values via number of multidimensional simulations (100, 1000 and 5000). The generated Latin hypercube sample which is random or non-deterministic in nature is further integrated with the FD method t

The present work investigates the effect of; superficial air velocities of: 1, 3, and 6 cm/s for two types of perforated distributor on hydrodynamic characteristic in a gas-liquid dispersion column of; air-water, and airaqueous-n-propanol solution. Bubble distribution, gas holdup, and power consumption are parameters take in consideration. Experimental work was carried out in perspex column of 8.5 cm inside diameter and 1.5 m height. Two types of bubble generator (perforated plate) were fixed at the bottom of the column; plate A (99 holes of 0.5 mm diameter and free area of 0.34%), plate B (20 holes of 1.5 mm diameter and free area of 0.62%). Photographic technique was used to measure the bubble parameters. The experimental results were

Prodigiosin is a ‘natural red pigment produced by Serratia marcescens which exhibits immunosuppressive and anticancer properties in addition to antimicrobial activities. This work presents an attempt to maximize the production of prodigiosin by two different strategies: one factor at time (OFAT) and statistical optimization. The result of OFAT revealed that sucrose and peptone were the best carbon and nitrogen sources for pigment production with concentration of prodigiosin of about 135 mg/ L. This value was increased to 331.6mg/ L with an optimized ratio of C/N (60:40) and reached 356.8 with pH 6 and 2% inoculum size at end of classical optimization. Statistical experimental design based on Response surface methodology was co

    In the drilling and production operations, the effectiveness of cementing jobs is crucial for efficient progress. The compressive strength of oil well cement is a key characteristic that reflects its ability to withstand forceful conditions over time. This study evaluates and improves the compressive strength and thickening time of Iraqi oil well cement class G from Babylon cement factory using two types of additives (Nano Alumina and Synthetic Fiber) to comply with the American Petroleum Institute (API) specifications. The additives were used in different proportions, and a set of samples was prepared under different conditions. Compressive strength and thickening time measurements were taken under different conditions. The amoun