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 be replaced, while precast decks and shear connectors can be reused. A series of push‐out tests are conducted to assess the behavior of the connector and quantify the effect of important parameters. The experimental results show shear resistance, stiffness, and slip capacity significantly higher than those of welded shear studs along with superior stiffness and strength against slab uplift. Identical tests reveal negligible scatter in the shear load – slip displacement behavior. A design equation is proposed to predict the shear resistance with absolute error less than 8%.
The accurate extracting, studying, and analyzing of drainage basin morphometric aspects is important for the accurate determination of environmental factors that formed them, such as climate, tectonic activity, region lithology, and land covering vegetation.
This work was divided into three stages; the 1st stage was delineation of the Al-Abiadh basin borders using a new approach that depends on three-dimensional modeling of the studied region and a drainage network pattern extraction using (Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission) data, the 2nd was the classification of the Al-Abiadh basin streams according to their shape and widenings, and the 3rd was ex
... Show MoreO estudo destaca a necessidade crítica de se focar nas capacidades físicas, motoras e técnicas das jogadoras de esgrima, desenvolvendo e testando metodologias de treino modernas, baseadas na ciência, adaptadas às exigências específicas do desporto. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a eficácia do treino tridimensional visando melhorar as capacidades motoras e o desempenho técnico dos participantes. Recorrendo a um desenho experimental, o estudo envolveu a formação de grupos experimentais e de controlo. A amostra incluiu 16 esgrimistas da Faculdade Feminina de Educação Física e Ciências do Desporto. Após a exclusão de dois jogadores durante a fase exploratória, os restantes 14 foram divididos igualmente em grupos experimental
... Show MoreAbstract: The international community now places significant emphasis on achieving zero carbon emissions, requiring both new researchers and experienced policymakers to prioritise this goal. This article examines the effects of carbon taxes, carbon cap and trade, renewable energy (RE) production and consumption, and economic growth (EG) on carbon emission reduction in the United States, Japan, Canada, and Australia. The study collected secondary data from the World Development Indicators (WDI) secondary source spanning the years 1991 to 2022. The study examines the relationship between variables using the cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) approach. The findings indicate that carbon taxes, carbon cap and tr
... Show MoreBackground: Fifteen percent of small for gestational age are small as a result of fetal growth restriction, which could be due to maternal, placental or fetal factors. It is an important clinical problem associated with increase perinatal mortality and morbidity. Leptin is a protein that produced by many tissues including the placenta (syncytiotropholoast). Dysregulation of leptin metabolism may be implicated in preeclampsia and IUGR pathogenesis.
Aim of the study: To study the trend of leptin level alteration in maternal serum and cord blood in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction and its relation with fetal outcome.
Methods: An Analytic, cross- sectional study conducted in Al-Elwyia Maternity Teaching Hospital and
Background: Non-nutritive sucking habits are common in infants and toddlers. One of the most common non-nutritive sucking habits is pacifier; its prevalence varies from one population to another. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of pacifier sucking habit among children aged 1-5 years old in Baghdad city and to assess its effect on the occlusion of primary dentition concerning posterior crossbite. Materials and methods: The study was carried out among 1222 children aged 1-5 years old, from which 50 children with continues pacifier sucking habit were chosen to be the study group, compared to 50 children without any sucking habit (control group) matching the study group in age and gender. Children were examined clinically t
... Show MoreIn this work, the impact of different geomagnetic storm events on the plasma-sphere layer (ionosphere layer) over the northern and southern hemisphere regions was investigated during solar cycle 23. To grasp the influence of geomagnetic storms on the behavior and variation of the critical frequency parameter of the F2 ionospheric layer (foF2), five geomagnetic storms (classified as great, severe, and strong), with Disturbance storm time (Dst) values <-100 nT were chosen. Four stations located in different mid-latitude regions in northern and southern hemispheres were designated, the northern stations are: Millstone Hill (42.6° N, 288.50° W) and Rome (41.90° N, 12.50° E) and the southern stations are: Port Stanley (-51.60° S,
... Show MoreThe rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria necessitates the exploration of novel antimicrobial agents. Yttrium oxide nanoparticles (Y₂O₃) have shown potential due to their unique physicochemical properties and antibacterial activities against various pathogens. This study investigates the cytotoxic and antibacterial effects of Y₂O₃ nanoparticles against Serratia fonticuli and Citrobacter koseri, bacteria isolated from cholangitis patients. Bacterial strains were isolated from bile specimens and confirmed using standard microbiological techniques. The methods of X-ray diffraction (XRD), (SEM), and Frequency transform-infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR) were used to characterize YO₃ particles. Using a microdilution technique, the minimum
... Show MoreThe use of real-time machine learning to optimize passport control procedures at airports can greatly improve both the efficiency and security of the processes. To automate and optimize these procedures, AI algorithms such as character recognition, facial recognition, predictive algorithms and automatic data processing can be implemented. The proposed method is to use the R-CNN object detection model to detect passport objects in real-time images collected by passport control cameras. This paper describes the step-by-step process of the proposed approach, which includes pre-processing, training and testing the R-CNN model, integrating it into the passport control system, and evaluating its accuracy and speed for efficient passenger flow
... Show MoreExperiments research is done to determine how saturated stiff clayey soil responds to a single impulsive load. Models made of saturated, stiff clay were investigated. To supply the single pulse energy, various falling weights from various heights were tested using the falling weight deflectometer (FWD). Dynamic effects can range from the major failure of a sensitive sensor or system to the apparent destruction of structures. This study examines the response of saturated stiff clay soil to a single impulsive load (vertical displacement at the soil surface below and beside the bearing plates). Such reactions consist of displacements, velocities, and accelerations caused by the impact occurring at the surface depth induced by the impact loads
... Show MoreBackground: Anemia is a common finding in patients with renal failure disease and it is, primarily, due to reduced production of iron and erythropoietin. Therefore, the aim of current study was to evaluate the relationship between serum level of hepcidin 25, on the one hand, and levels of serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, serum erythropoietin and transferrin saturation% in Iraqi male patients undrgoning haemodialysis.. Methods: Serum from75 males in the end stage of hemodialysis, as group one, and 25 Iraqi healthy malecontrols, as group two, were recruited in this study. Results: Data from current study showed significant increase in hepcidin 25 and significant decrease in serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, transferrin saturati
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