This paper reports a comprehensive study on the behavior of concavely curved soffit reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened in flexure with carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites under static loading. The main objective of this paper is to explore the effect of surface concavity on the bond performance of externally bonded wet layup CFRP sheets and laminates. An experimental program consisting of flexural strengthening of 24 RC beams with concavely curved soffits was carried out. All specimens were simply supported RC beams tested under three-point bending. Of the 24 beams, 6 beams were flat soffit RC beams, and the remainder were fabricated with concavely curved soffits with a degree of curvature that is ranging from 5 mm/m to 20 mm/m. All tested specimens were 2,700-mm long and had a constant cross section at midspan of 140-mm wide × 260-mm deep. The experiments showed that all strengthened beams failed by intermediate crack-induced (IC) debonding of the CFRP. The experimental results were then used, together with those for other specimens in the literature to set recommendations for strengthening concavely curved RC beams.
Monitoring water quality in hemodialysis systems is extremely important to maintain adequate quality services for patients suffering from kidney failure. This work aims to examine and evaluate bacteriological characteristics and endotoxin contamination levels in hemodialysis water produced in dialysis centers. Forty‐eight water samples were collected and analyzed from four major hospitals in Baghdad for one year to evaluate seasonal effects. The analysis included the determination of total heterotrophic bacteria using the pour plate method, identification of bacterial isolate using the Vitek2 compact instrument, and the determination of endotoxins levels using Limulus ameboc
Asthma is a disease characterized by hyper reactivity of the trachea and bronchi to reversible either spontaneously or as a result of treatment.
In this study serum magnesium, Zinc, and reduced glutathione levels
were meas ured in order to determine their levels in the asthmatic patients and comparing these levels with healthy controls.
Fifty- four asthmatic patients were enrolled in the study and had their pulmonary function test, and the levels of Mg,Zn
... Show MoreA New developed technique to estimate the necessary six elastic constants of homogeneous laminate of special orthotropic properties are presented in this paper for the first time. The new approach utilizes the elasto-static deflection behavior of composite cantilever beam employing the famous theory of Timoshenko. Three extracted strips of the composite plate are tested for measuring the bending deflection at two locations. Each strip is associated to a preferred principal axis and the deflection is measured in two orthogonal planes of the beam domain. A total of five trails of testing is accomplished and the numerical results of the stiffness coefficients are evaluated correctly under the contribution of the macromechanic
... Show MoreQuantum dots (QDs) of zinc sulfide (ZnS) was prepared by chemical reaction with different potential of hydrogen (pH) and used to fabricate organic quantum dot hybrid junction device. The optical properties of QDs were characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis.) and photoluminescence (PL) spectrometer. The results show that the prepared QDs were nanocrystalline with defects formation. The energy gap (Eg)calculated from PL were 3.64, 3.53 and 3.35 eV for pH=8, 10 and 12 respectively. This decreasing of energy gaps is results of the effect the pH solution increases, which in turn leads to the shifted of the PL spectrum toward red shifted, which makes the energy bands at surface states are shallow ban
... Show MoreThe effects of using aqueous nanofluids containing covalently functionalized graphene nanoplatelets with triethanolamine (TEA-GNPs) as novel working fluids on the thermal performance of a flat-plate solar collector (FPSC) have been investigated. Water-based nanofluids with weight concentrations of 0.025%, 0.05%, 0.075%, and 0.1% of TEA-GNPs with specific surface areas of 300, 500, and 750 m2/g were prepared. An experimental setup was designed and built and a simulation program using MATLAB was developed. Experimental tests were performed using inlet fluid temperatures of 30, 40, and 50 °C; flow rates of 0.6, 1.0, and 1.4 kg/min; and heat flux intensities of 600, 800, and 1000 W/m2. The FPSC’s efficiency increased as the flow rate and hea
... Show MorePoly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) was introduced in dentistry as an alternative to metal alloys.
To assess the effectiveness of PEEK-fixed retainers in preserving the stability of mandibular anterior and participant satisfaction as compared to the Dead-soft coaxial fixed retainer (DSC).
A single-centre, two-arm parallel groups
Back ground: This in vitro study was carried out to investigate the effect of post space regions (coronal, middle and apical), Time and the mode of polymerization (dual, self-cured) of the cements used on the bond strength between translucent fiber post and root dentin by using push-out test. Materials and Methods: Forty eight extracted mandibular first premolars (single root) were instrumented with ProTaper Universal system files (for hand use) and obturated with gutta percha for ProTaper and AH26® root canal sealer following the manufacturer instructions, after 24 hours post space was prepared using FRC postec® plus drills no.3 creating 8 mm depth post space. The prepared samples were randomly divided into two main groups (24 samples ea
... Show MoreThis study included the estimation of growth rate, viability and morphological changes in different culture media (NNN, P-Y, RPMI- 1640, and Panmed). Promastigotes cultured in RPMI-1640 showed maximal growth rate after (2, 4, 6) days of cultivation (27.26 ± 0.05), (172.20 ± 0.1) and (343.81 ± 1.48) million parasites / ml for each day respectively, while P-Y media gave the highest mean of growth rat after (8 and 10) days of cultivation (307.16 ± 1.67) and (303.5 ± 4.96) million parasites / ml for each day respectively. P-Y medium showed the maximal percentage of viability after (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) days of cultivation (99.76 ± 0.5) %, (98.30 ± 0.17) %, (96.1 ± 0.1) %, (92.5 ± 0.52) % and (87.26 ± 0.05) % for each day respectively.
... Show MoreAbstract—The upper limb amputation exerts a significant burden on the amputee, limiting their ability to perform everyday activities, and degrading their quality of life. Amputee patients’ quality of life can be improved if they have natural control over their prosthetic hands. Among the biological signals, most commonly used to predict upper limb motor intentions, surface electromyography (sEMG), and axial acceleration sensor signals are essential components of shoulder-level upper limb prosthetic hand control systems. In this work, a pattern recognition system is proposed to create a plan for categorizing high-level upper limb prostheses in seven various types of shoulder girdle motions. Thus, combining seven feature groups, w
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