A novel welded demountable shear connector for sustainable steel-concrete composite structures is proposed. The proposed connector consists of a grout-filled steel tube bolted to a compatible partially threaded stud, which is welded on a steel section. This connector allows for an easy deconstruction at the end of the service life of a building, promoting the reuse of both the concrete slabs and the steel sections. This paper presents the experimental evaluation of the structural behavior of the proposed connector using a horizontal pushout test arrangement. The effects of various parameters, including the tube thickness, the presence of grout infill, and the concrete slab compressive strength, were assessed. A nonlinear finite element mode

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of in vitro long-term simulation of oral conditions on the bond strength of PEEK CAD/CAM lingual retainers.

Material and methods: The sample consisted of 12 PEEK CAD/CAM retainers each composed of 2 centrally perforated 3x4mm pads joined by a connector. They were treated by 98% sulfuric acid for 1 minute and then conditioned with Single Bond Universal and bonded to the lingual surface of premolar teeth by 3M Transbond TM System. Half of the retainers were artificially aged using a 30-day water storage and 5000 thermocycling protocol before bond strength testing to compare with the non-aged specimens.

Results: The artificially aged retainers showed a marginally

The deposition method of perovskite solar cell layers significantly impacts device functionality and the achievement of industrial goals. Aluminum (Al) nanoparticles with rutile titanium oxide (TiO2) nanoparticle thin films are fabricated on Fluorine Tin Oxide (FTO) glass substrates by nanosecond pulsed fiber laser deposition (PLD) to be used as a plasmonic electron transport layer (ETL) in perovskite solar cell (PSC). The effect of various pulsed fiber laser parameters on the structural, optical, and surface morphology on Al/TiO2 films is extensively examined utilizing a variety of measurement techniques; X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Atomic

A detailed methodology is presented in this paper for the calculation of nucleate boiling safety margin (NBSM) in nuclear research reactors using a temperature function with three different thermal-hydraulic hot-spot analyses: nominal, cumulative and statistical for normal operating condition and coolant flow variation. A computer simulation program is developed for applying the methodology to the IRT-5000 reactor based on experimental core data. According to cumulative analysis as the overconservative approach, the NBSM at normal operating condition of thermal power 5 MW and coolant velocity 1.672 m/s was 2.3% with reactor power limit 5.13 MW. However, during power or coolant flow trip condition, transient nucleate boiling would occur for

In this work, multilayer nanostructures were prepared from two metal oxide thin films by dc reactive magnetron sputtering technique. These metal oxide were nickel oxide (NiO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). The prepared nanostructures showed high structural purity as confirmed by the spectroscopic and structural characterization tests, mainly FTIR, XRD and EDX. This feature may be attributed to the fine control of operation parameters of dc reactive magnetron sputtering system as well as the preparation conditions using the same system. The nanostructures prepared in this work can be successfully used for the fabrication of nanodevices for photonics and optoelectronics requiring highly-pure nanomaterials.

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the association of quality of life with the resilience of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional study was performed, including 105 ICU nurses from five hospitals in Iraq, using a convenience sample method. Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire that includes three sections: the demographics, the Brooks Quality of Nursing Work Life survey, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10). Findings: The QWL of the ICU nurses was moderately satisfied (mean = 161.42), and the level of resilience was moderate (mean = 26). A statistically significant positive correlation between QWL and resilience. Conclusion: Strategies

Hedging is a linguistic avoidance of full commitment or precision. It is the use of a vague language. The main objectives of this study are to

     In the present study, metal complexes of Mn(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Cu(II) and Hg(II) were synthesized using new Tetraazamacrocyclic Schiff Base (5E,8E,14E,17E)-6,8,15,17-tetramethyl-1,2,3,4,4a,7,9a,10,11,12,13,13a,16,18a-tetradecahydrodibenzo [b,i][1,4,8,11]tetraazacyclotetradecine (L) derived from 1,2-diamino cyclo hexane with the acetyl acetone.  Compounds  have been exanimated and confirmed by fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-visible), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR), carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (13CNMR), microelemental analyses (CHN), thermal analysis (TG), conductivity and magnetic susceptibility. The propose geometry for all complexes [MLCl2] structures were octahedral. Therm