Objective: To evaluate biomarkers of insulin resistance and acute phase reactants in obese, overweight and lean subjects and investigate the associations among those biomarkers. Methodology: This cross sectional study included 158 subjects who were stratified into three groups. Group1 comprised 53 obese patients (BMI≥ 30 kg/m2); group 2 were 54 overweight subjects, and group 3 had 51 healthy lean (BMI

The nanostructured MnO2 /carbon fiber (CF) composite electrode was prepared using the anodic electrodeposition process. The crystal structure and morphology of MnO2 particles were determined with X-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrosorptive properties of the prepared electrode were investigated in the removal of cadmium ions from aqueous solution, and the effect of pH, cell voltage, and ionic strength was optimized and modeled using the response surface methodology combined with Box–Behnken design. The results confirm that the optimum conditions to remove Cd(II) ions were: pH of 6.03, a voltage of 2.77 V, and NaCl concentration of 3 g/L. The experimental results showed a good fit for the Freundli

In this study, the effect of fire flame on the punching shear strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete flat plates was experimentally investigated using nine half-scale specimens with dimensions of 1500×1500 mm and a total thickness of 100 mm. The main investigated variables comprised the steel fiber volume fraction 0, 1, and 1.5% and the burning steady state temperature 500 and 600 °C. The specimens were divided into three groups, each group consists of three specimens. The specimens in the first group were tested with no fire effect to be the reference specimens, while the others of the second and third groups were tested after being exposed to fire-flame effect. The adopted characteristics of the fire test were; (one hour) b

This paper presents a nonlinear finite element modeling and analysis of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) deep beams with and without openings in web subjected to two- point loading. In this study, the beams were modeled using ANSYS nonlinear finite element
software. The percentage of steel fiber was varied from 0 to 1.0%.The influence of fiber content in the concrete deep beams has been studied by measuring the deflection of the deep beams at mid- span and marking the cracking patterns, compute the failure loads for each deep beam, and also study the shearing and first principal stresses for the deep beams with and without openings and with different steel fiber ratios. The above study indicates that the location of openings an

This research investigates the pre- and post-cracking resistance of steel fiber-reinforced concrete specimens with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars subjected to flexural loading. The purpose is to modify the ductility and cracking resistance of GFRP-reinforced beams, which are prone to early cracking and excessive deflections instigated by the low modulus of elasticity of GFRP. Six self-compacting concrete specimens (1500×240×200 mm), incorporating steel fibers of two lengths (25 mm and 40 mm) with varying distribution depths, were tested to assess their structural performance. The results indicate significant enhancements in cracking resistance, stiffness, energy absorption, ductility, and flexural strength. Tested beam

In this research study Hardness (shore D), Water absorption,
Flexural, Impact Test, and Fracture Toughness of polymer nano
composites. The polymer nano composites based on unsaturated
polyester resin reinforced with Kevlar fibers (K.F). The samples are
attended by hand lay – up method according to (Rule mixture) for
various volume fractions of unsaturated polyester resin, fiber and
carbon nanotube. The polyester resin was matrix strengthened with
3% volume fraction from Kevlar fiber and (0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%)
volume fractions of carbon nanotube. The water absorption, hardness
(shore D), flexural test, impact test and toughness fracture properties
were studied. Results showed that the water absorption increas

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bars are anisotropic in nature and have high tensile strength in the fiber direction. The use of High-Strength Concrete (HSC) allows for better use of the high-strength properties of FRP bars. The mechanical properties of FRP bars can yield to large crack widths and deflections. As a result, the design of concrete elements reinforced with FRP materials is often governed by the Serviceability Limit States (SLS). This study investigates the short-term serviceability behavior of FRP RC I-beams. Eight RC I-beams reinforced with carbon-FRP (CFRP) and four steel RC I-beams, for comparison purposes, were tested under two-point loading.
Deformations on the concrete and crack widths and spacing are measured and

Introduction: The present study was performed to evaluate the influence of a 1064 nm fiber laser on shear bond strength (SBS) at the interface of titanium and resin cement. Methods: Forty titanium discs of 6 mm × 3 mm (diameter and thickness respectively) were categorized into four groups (n=10): control group without any surface treatment and three groups treated with a fiber laser with 81 ns pulse duration, 30 kHz frequency, 10000 mm/s scanning speed, 0.05 mm spot size, and different average power values (3, 5 and 7 W) depending on the tested group. Titanium disc characterization was performed by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and surface roughness tester. Phase analysis was achieved using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD). F

The reduction of vibration properties for composite material (woven roving E-glass fiber plies in thermosetting polyester matrix) is investigated at the prediction time under varied combined temperatures (60  to -15) using three types of boundary conditions like (CFCF, CCCF, and CFCC). The vibration properties are the amplitude, natural frequency, dynamic elastic moduli (young modulus in x, y directions and shear modulus in 1, 2 plane) and damping factor. The natural frequency of a system is a function of its elastic properties, dimensions, and mass. The woven roving glass fiber has been especially engineered for polymer reinforcement; but the unsaturated thermosetting polyester is widely used, offering a good balance of vibration p