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 decks and shear connectors can be reused. A series of push-out tests and a beam test were conducted to assess the behavior of the connectors and quantify the effect of important parameters. The experimental results showed that shear resistance and slip capacity can reach 2.5 and 2.7 times respectively of those of welded shear studs along with superior stiffness and strength against slab uplift. Additionally, shear stiffness of M16 mm LNSC was equal to that of M19 mm welded studs. Identical tests reveal negligible scatter in the shear load – slip displacement behavior. Design equations are proposed to predict the shear resistance with minimum deviations.
The necessary optimality conditions with Lagrange multipliers are studied and derived for a new class that includes the system of Caputo–Katugampola fractional derivatives to the optimal control problems with considering the end time free. The formula for the integral by parts has been proven for the left Caputo–Katugampola fractional derivative that contributes to the finding and deriving the necessary optimality conditions. Also, three special cases are obtained, including the study of the necessary optimality conditions when both the final time and the final state are fixed. According to convexity assumptions prove that necessary optimality conditions are sufficient optimality conditions.
... Show MoreThe consumption of fossil fuels has caused many challenges, including environmental and climate damage, global warming, and rising energy costs, which has prompted seeking to substitute other alternative sources. The current study explored the microwave pyrolysis of Albizia branches to assess its potential to produce all forms of fuel (solid, liquid, gas), time savings, and effective thermal heat transfer. The impact of the critical parameters on the quantity and quality of the biofuel generation, including time, power levels, biomass weight, and particle size, were investigated. The results revealed that the best bio-oil production was 76% at a power level of 450 W and 20 g of biomass. Additionally, low power levels led to enhanced
... Show MoreOlanzapine (OLZ) is classified as a typical antipsychotic drug utilized for the treatment of schizophrenia. Its oral bioavailability is 60% due to its low solubility and pre-systemic metabolism. Hence, the present work aims to formulate and evaluate OLZ nanoparticles dissolving microneedles (MNs) for transdermal delivery to overcome the problems associated with drug administration orally. OLZ nanoparticles were prepared by the nanoprecipitation method. The optimized OLZ nanoparticle formula was utilized for the fabrication of dissolving MNs by loading OLZ nanodispersion into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micromould cavities, followed by casting the polymeric solution of polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP-K30) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form
... Show MoreThe radial wave functions of the cosh potential within the three-body model of (Core+ 2n) have been employed to investigate the ground state properties such as the proton, neutron and matter densities and the associated rms radii of neutron-rich 6He, 11Li, 14Be, and 17B exotic nuclei. The density distributions of the core and two valence (halo) neutrons are described by the radial wave functions of the cosh potential. The obtained results provide the halo structure of the above exotic nuclei. Elastic electron scattering form factors of these halo nuclei are studied by the plane-wave Born approximation.
Catalytic reduction is considered an effective approach for the reduction of toxic organic pollutants from the environment, but finding an active catalyst is still a big challenge. Herein, Ag decorated CeO2 catalyst was synthesized through polyol reduction method and applied for catalytic reduction (conversion) of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). The Ag decorated CeO2 catalyst displayed an outstanding reduction activity with 99% conversion of 4-NP in 5 min with a 0.61 min−1 reaction rate (k). A number of structural characterization techniques were executed to investigate the influence of Ag on CeO2 and its effect on the catalytic conversion of 4-NP. The outstanding catalytic performances of the Ag-CeO2 catalyst can be assigne
... Show MoreDandruff and seborrheic dermatitis (SD) are common skin disorders affecting the scalp and extending to other body sites in the case of SD. They are associated with pruritus and scaling, causing an esthetical disturbance in the population affected. Treatment of such conditions involves using a variety of drugs for long terms, thus optimizing drug formulation is essential to improve therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. Conventional topical formulations like shampoos and creams have been widely used but their use is associated with disadvantages. To overcome such effects, novel topical nanotechnology-based formulations are currently under investigation. In the following article, we highlight recently published formulatio
... Show MoreThe study aims to make an in-depth analysis and the financial account components in the Iraqi balance of payments because it reflects the economic center of the country towards outside world, it also helps in making decision about monetary and financial policies, finance and foreign Trade the importance of FDI for Iraq lies as an important sources as wells provides advanced technology and job chances, It also avoids the country negative effects of borrowing processes from abroad . for analyzing direct and indirect foreign investment on the balance of payments and financial account in a period between (2003 to 2015), a community and research sample have been selected, presented in CBI/ Balance of payments. Department,
... Show More