A ‘locking-bolt’ demountable shear connector (LBDSC) is proposed to facilitate the deconstruction and reuse of steel-concrete composite structures, in line with achieving a more sustainable construction design paradigm. The LBDSC is comprised of a grout-filled steel tube and a geometrically compatible partially threaded bolt. The latter has a geometry that ‘locks’ the bolt in compatible holes predrilled on the steel flange and eliminates initial slip and construction tolerance issues. The structural behaviour of the LBDSC is evaluated through nine pushout tests using a horizontal test setup. The effects of the tube thickness, strength of concrete slab, and strength of infilled grout on the shear resistance, initial stiffness, and du

Soursop is useful in treating diseases and the bioactive components of the fruit are beneficial in the treatment of gastrointestinal parasites. Annona muricata contains flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins in its leaves, pulp, and seeds. The current study provided an accurate analytical method for the pharmacologically active components, including glutathione, potassium, and vitamin B6, in soursop fruit samples of soursop using high-performance liquid chromatography and atomic absorption spectrometry. The fruits of the soursop were cleaned, peeled, and sliced into tiny pieces. The juice was chilled and kept in glass bottles. After blending the fruits with distilled water, they were placed on a magnetic stirrer and left for 72 hours. For

planning is among the most significant in the field of robotics research.  As it is linked to finding a safe and efficient route in a cluttered environment for wheeled mobile robots and is considered a significant prerequisite for any such mobile robot project to be a success. This paper proposes the optimal path planning of the wheeled mobile robot with collision avoidance by using an algorithm called grey wolf optimization (GWO) as a method for finding the shortest and safe. The research goals in this study for identify the best path while taking into account the effect of the number of obstacles and design parameters on performance for the algorithm to find the best path. The simulations are run in the MATLAB environment to test the

Shear lag is the phenomenon that occurs when a supported slender member undergoes deformation from lateral loading, causing in-plane non-uniform distribution of stresses that results in reducing the member’s minimum strength capacity. This paper investigates the behaviour of shear distribution in steel I-section and box girders when subjected to both static and impact loadings. Three-dimensional finite element analysis models were prepared in Strand7 and validated against experimental results providing a basis for further comparison research into shear lagging effects. A parametric study was conducted comparing the effects of impact loading through certain specified velocities at the midspan of restrained ends. It provided new ins

A critical milestone in nano-biotechnology is establishing reliable and ecological friendly methods for fabricating metal oxide NPs. Because of their great biodegradable, electrical, mechanical, and optical qualities, zirconia NPs (ZrO₂NPs) attract much interest among all zirconia NPs (ZrO₂NPs). Zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) has piqued the interest of researchers throughout the world, particularly since the development of methods for the manufacture of nano-sized particles. An extensive study into the creation of nanoparticles utilizing various synthetic techniques and their potential uses has been stimulated by their high luminous efficiency, wide bandgap, and high exciton binding energy. Zirconium dioxide nano

A rapid, sensitive and without extraction spectrophotometric method for determination of clonazepam (CLO) in pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms has been described. The proposed method was simply depended on charge transfer reaction between reduced CLO (n-donor) and metol (N-methyl-p-aminophenol sulfate) as a chromogenic reagent (π- acceptor). The reduced drug, with zinc and concentrated hydrochloric acid, produced a purple colored soluble charge-transfer complex with metol in the presence of sodium metaperiodate in neutral medium, which has been measured at λmax 532 nm. All the variables which affected the developed and the stability of the colored product such as concentration of reagent and oxidant, temperature and time of rea

Big data analysis is essential for modern applications in areas such as healthcare, assistive technology, intelligent transportation, environment and climate monitoring. Traditional algorithms in data mining and machine learning do not scale well with data size. Mining and learning from big data need time and memory efficient techniques, albeit the cost of possible loss in accuracy. We have developed a data aggregation structure to summarize data with large number of instances and data generated from multiple data sources. Data are aggregated at multiple resolutions and resolution provides a trade-off between efficiency and accuracy. The structure is built once, updated incrementally, and serves as a common data input for multiple mining an

Background: The insertion torque (IT) values and implant stability quotient (ISQ) values are the measurements most used to assess primary implant stability. This study aimed to assess the relationship between ISQ values and IT. Materials and methods: This study included 24 patients with a mean (SD) age of 47.9 (13.64) years (range 25-75 years). The patients received 42 dental implants (DI), 33 in the mandible and 9 in the maxilla. The DI were installed using the motorized method with 35 Ncm torque, When DI could not be inserted to the requisite depth by the motorized method, a hand ratchet was used and the IT was recorded as ˃ 35 Ncm. Implant stability was measured utilizing Osstell® ISQ. The secondary stability was measured after 16

Osteoporosis (OP) is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mineral density and deterioration of bone architecture, resulting in bone strength reduction and increased fracture susceptibility. Estrogen deficiency in post-menopausal women is possibly responsible for the instability between bone formation and resorption, which is managed by specific osteoclastogenic cytokines that may be leading to resorption. This study aims to estimation of the concentrations of interleukins −8, −17, −22, beside to certain parameters in blood serum and explained their roles in the development of osteoporosis pathogenicity in postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods A case-control study included 108 Iraqi postmenopausal women participa

This work involved the successful synthesis of three new Schiff base complexes, including Ni(II), Mn(II), and Cu(II) complexes. The Schiff base ligand was created by reacting the malonyldihydrazide molecule with naphthaldehyde, and the final step involved reacting the ligand with the corresponding metallic chloride yielding pure target complexes. FTIR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, mass, and UV/Vis spectroscopies were used to comprehensively characterize the produced complexes. These substances have been employed in this study to photo-stabilize polystyrene (PS) and lessen the photo-degradation of its polymeric chains. Several methods, including FTIR, weight loss, viscosity average molecular weight, light and atomic force microscopy, and energy disper