In order to promote sustainable steel-concrete composite structures, special shear connectors that can facilitate deconstruction are needed. A lockbolt demountable shear connector (LB-DSC), including a grout-filled steel tube embedded in the concrete slab and fastened to a geometrically compatible partial-thread bolt, which is bolted on the steel section's top flange of a composite beam, was proposed. The main drawback of previous similar demountable bolts is the sudden slip of the bolt inside its hole. This bolt has a locked conical seat lug that is secured inside a predrilled compatible counter-sunk hole in the steel section's flange to provide a non-slip bolt-flange connection. Deconstruction is achieved by demounting the tube from the top of the slab by unfastening using a simple modified wrench. The mechanical behaviour of the proposed connector is assessed by four pushout tests that were conducted per Eurocode 4 recommendations. The tests showed high shear resistance, and high stiffness as compared to other DSCs, while the slip capacity results classified the LB-DSC as a ductile shear connector according to Eurocode 4. A refined nonlinear finite element model (FEM) was validated through the tests and reliably reproduced the experimental behaviour. Consequently, the calibrated FEM model was applied to carry out extensive parametric analyses to investigate the strength and geometry effects of concrete slab, infilled grout, tube, and bolt on the structural behaviour of the LB-DSC. On the basis of numerical and experimental results, a design equation is derived to predict the shear resistance of the LB-DSC.
Objectives: To compare early pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, multiple pregnancy, and congenital anomalies, among women who conceived following ovulation induction with letrozole or clomiphene citrate. Methods: A prospective comparative observational study was conducted at Al-Elwiya Maternity Teaching Hospital and a private clinic in Baghdad, Iraq, from March 2023 to December 2024. One hundred infertile women aged 21–35 years who conceived after ovulation induction with either letrozole (5 mg/day) or clomiphene citrate (100 mg/day) for five days (cycle days 3–7) were enrolled. Participants were followed through early pregnancy with serial sonography at 6, 8–11, and 18–20 weeks of gestation. Data
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Objective: The study’s aim to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional program about healthy lifestyle on patients’ attitudes after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.
Methodology: Quasi-experimental design/ has been utilized for the current study starting from December 2018 to March 2020 to achieve the objectives of the study. Non-probability (purposive) sample of 60 patients was divided into intervention and control groups. Data were analyzed by the application of descriptive and inferential statistical methods.
Results: findings reported that before intervention both study and control groups demonstrated low total mean of score relat
... Show MoreThe effects of nutrients and physical conditions on phytase production were investigated with a recently isolated strain of Aspergillus tubingensis SKA under solid state fermentation on wheat bran. The nutrient factors investigated included carbon source, nitrogen source, phosphate source and concentration, metal ions (salts) and the physical parameters investigated included inoculum size, pH, temperature and fermentation duration. Our investigations revealed that optimal productivity of phytase was achieved using wheat bran supplemented with: 1.5% glucose. 0.5% (NH4)2SO4, 0.1% sodium phytate. Additionally, optimal physical conditions were 1 × 105 spore/g substrate, initial pH of 5.0, temperature of fermentation 30˚C and fermentation dura
... Show MoreAbstract: Background: Staphylococcus aureus is Gram-positive bacteria that lives as a normal flora in living organisms but can be pathogenic to humans. Although a relatively unspectacular, nonmotile coccoid bacterium, S. aureus is a dangerous human pathogen in both community-acquired and nosocomial infections. Due to the increasing emergence of new strains of this antibiotic-resistant bacteria, it has become essential to approach different methods to control this pathogen. One of these methods is the antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation process using a low-level laser, in this paper, the Photodynamic effects of Rose Bengal and LLLL on the virulence factors of S.aureus were evaluated.
In wide range of chemical, petrochemical and energy processes, it is not possible to manage without slurry bubble column reactors. In this investigation, time average local gas holdup was recorded for three different height to diameter (H/D) ratios 3, 4 and 5 in 18" diameter slurry bubble column. Air-water-glass beads system was used with superficial velocity up to 0.24 m/s. the gas holdup was measured using 4-tips optical fiber probe technique. The results show that the axial gas holdup increases almost linearly with the superficial gas velocity in 0.08 m/s and levels off with a further increase of velocity. A comparison of the present data with those reported for other slurry bubble column having diameters larger than
... Show MoreThe increasing use of antiseptic compounds creates selective pressure cause emergence of antiseptic resistance among Staphylococcus aureus .Resistance mechanism of antiseptic is driven mainly by multi drug resistant (MDR) efflux protein.Sixty five isolates of S.aureuswere collected from different clinical sources and subjected to 11 antibiotics most of them are recognized by efflux systems as extruded substrates. Range of efflux activity was estimated using cartwheel method. Simultaneous discrimination of antiseptic coding genes (qacA/B, smr and norA)as well as nuc and mecA genes among multidrug resistantS.aureus(MRSA) isolates was preformed using multiplex PCR assay
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The purpose of our study was to develop Dabigatran Etexilate loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (DE-NLCs) using Glyceryl monostearate and Oleic acid as lipid matrix, and to estimate the potential of the developed delivery system to improve oral absorption of low bioavailability drug, different Oleic acid ratios effect on particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency and loading capacity were studied, the optimized DE-NLCs shows a particle size within the nanorange, the zeta potential (ZP) was 33.81±0.73mV with drug entrapment efficiency (EE%) of 92.42±2.31% and a loading capacity (DL%) of 7.69±0.17%. about 92% of drug was released in 24hr in a controlled manner, the ex-vivo intestinal p
... Show MoreObjective: Determination the effectiveness of educational program on female students’ practices toward premenstrual.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental design study was conducted involving (140) student purposely in four secondary schools at Al-sadder city (70) student for study group and (70) for control group. The prevalence of PMS selected through American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) (2015) criteria to select PMS students before program. The education program were set in four steps, the first step (pre-test) is to assess the practices, before the implementation of the program, the second step is implementing the program, following two steps post-test I and II betwe
... Show MoreBackground: Dolutegravir sodium (DTG), used to treat HIV, faces challenges in delivering effective therapeutic concentrations to the brain due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) combined with in situ gels present a promising strategy for enhancing brain drug delivery via the intranasal route. Objective: To compare brain pharmacokinetics of DTGs delivered via NLC-loaded in situ gel intranasal administration with the conventional intravenous (IV) drug solution. Methods: 80 Wistar rats, which were divided into three groups: two groups consisting of 39 animals each and a control group with 2 animals. Rats were administered with a dose of 1.0 mg/kg of DTGs IV, and DTGs NLC-loaded in situ gel were admin
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