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

Abstract

The aim of the current research is to identify the level of administrative applications of expert systems in educational leadership departments in light of the systems approach. To achieve the objectives of the research, the descriptive-analytical and survey method was adopted. The results showed that the level of availability of the knowledge base for expert systems in educational leadership departments (as inputs) was low. The level of availability of resources and software for expert systems in educational leadership departments (as transformational processes) came to be low, as well as the level of availability of the user interface for expert systems in educational leadership departments (as outputs

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) formerly called non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes is a common disease. Rheumatoid factor is a well-established test used in the diagnosis and follows the prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rheumatoid factor is sometimes found in serum of patients with other diseases including diabetes mellitus (DM), due to the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF- α which play an important role in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the study is to investigate the associations between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in scope of rheumatoid factor (RF), hyperglycemia a

In Computer-based applications, there is a need for simple, low-cost devices for user authentication. Biometric authentication methods namely keystroke dynamics are being increasingly used to strengthen the commonly knowledge based method (example a password) effectively and cheaply for many types of applications. Due to the semi-independent nature of the typing behavior it is difficult to masquerade, making it useful as a biometric. In this paper, C4.5 approach is used to classify user as authenticated user or impostor by combining unigraph features (namely Dwell time (DT) and flight time (FT)) and digraph features (namely Up-Up Time (UUT) and Down-Down Time (DDT)). The results show that DT enhances the performance of digraph features by i

To evaluate and improve the efficiency of photovoltaic solar modules connected with linear pipes for water supply, a three-dimensional numerical simulation is created and simulated via commercial software (Ansys-Fluent). The optimization utilizes the principles of the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics by employing the Response Surface Method (RSM). Various design parameters, including the coolant inlet velocity, tube diameter, panel dimensions, and solar radiation intensity, are systematically varied to investigate their impacts on energetic and exergitic efficiencies and destroyed exergy. The relationship between the design parameters and the system responses is validated through the development of a predictive model. Both single and mult

The problem of frequency estimation of a single sinusoid observed in colored noise is addressed. Our estimator is based on the operation of the sinusoidal digital phase-locked loop (SDPLL) which carries the frequency information in its phase error after the noisy sinusoid has been acquired by the SDPLL. We show by computer simulations that this frequency estimator beats the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) on the frequency error variance for moderate and high SNRs when the colored noise has a general low-pass filtered (LPF) characteristic, thereby outperforming, in terms of frequency error variance, several existing techniques some of which are, in addition, computationally demanding. Moreover, the present approach generalizes on existing work tha

This paper presents a new transform method to solve partial differential equations, for finding suitable accurate solutions in a wider domain. It can be used to solve the problems without resorting to the frequency domain. The new transform is combined with the homotopy perturbation method in order to solve three dimensional second order partial differential equations with initial condition, and the convergence of the solution to the exact form is proved. The implementation of the suggested method demonstrates the usefulness in finding exact solutions. The practical implications show the effectiveness of approach and it is easily implemented in finding exact solutions.

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Malware represents one of the dangerous threats to computer security. Dynamic analysis has difficulties in detecting unknown malware. This paper developed an integrated multi – layer detection approach to provide more accuracy in detecting malware. User interface integrated with Virus Total was designed as a first layer which represented a warning system for malware infection, Malware data base within malware samples as a second layer, Cuckoo as a third layer, Bull guard as a fourth layer and IDA pro as a fifth layer. The results showed that the use of fifth layers was better than the use of a single detector without merging. For example, the efficiency of the proposed approach is 100% compared with 18% and 63% of Virus Total and Bel

In this paper we used frequentist and Bayesian approaches for the linear regression model to predict future observations for unemployment rates in Iraq. Parameters are estimated using the ordinary least squares method and for the Bayesian approach using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method. Calculations are done using the R program. The analysis showed that the linear regression model using the Bayesian approach is better and can be used as an alternative to the frequentist approach. Two criteria, the root mean square error (RMSE) and the median absolute deviation (MAD) were used to compare the performance of the estimates. The results obtained showed that the unemployment rates will continue to increase in the next two decade