Test results of six half-scale reinforced concrete flat plates connections with an opening in the vicinity of the column are reported. The test specimens represent a portion of a slab bounded by the lines of contraflexure around the column. The tests were designed to study the effect of openings on the punching shear behavior of the slab-column connections. The test parameters were the location and the size of the openings. One specimen had no opening and the remaining five had various arrangements of openings around the column. All specimens were cast with normal density concrete of approximately 30 MPa compressive strength. The openings in the specimens were square, with the sides parallel to the sides of the column. Three sizes of ope

Nanofluids, liquid suspensions of nanoparticles (Np), are an effective agent to alter the wettability of oil-wet reservoirs to water-wet thus promoting hydrocarbon recovery. It can also have an application to more efficient carbon storage. We present a series of contact angle (θ) investigations on initially oil-wet calcite surfaces to quantify the performance of hydrophilic silica nanoparticles for wettability alteration. These tests are conducted at typical in-situ high pressure (CO2), temperature and salinity conditions. A high pressure–temperature (P/T) optical cell with a regulated tilted surface was used to measure the advancing and receding contact angles at the desired conditions. The results showed that silica nanofluids can alte

This study was focused on biotreatment of soil which polluted by petroleum compounds (Diesel) which caused serious environmental problems. One of the most effective and promising ways to treat diesel-contaminated soil is bioremediation. It is a choice that offers the potential to destroy harmful pollutants using biological activity. Four bacterial strains were isolated from diesel contaminated soil samples. The isolates were identified by the Vitek 2 system, as Sphingomonas paucimobilis, Pentoae species, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterobacter cloacae. The potential of biological surfactant production was tested using the Sigma 703D stand-alone tensiometer showed that these isolates are biological surfactant producers. The bet

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process comprising cellular and molecular events which result in cells shifting from an epithelial to a mesenchymal phenotype. Periodontitis is a destructive chronic disease of the periodontium initiated in response to a dysbiotic microbiome, and dominated by Gram-negative bacteria in the subgingival niches accompanied by an aberrant immune response in susceptible subjects. Both EMT and periodontitis share common risk factors and drivers, including Gram-negative bacteria, excess inflammatory cytokine production, smoking, oxidative stress and diabetes mellitus. In addition, periodontitis is characterized by down-regulation of key epithelial markers such as E-cadherin together with up-regulation of

Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR) is an efficient routing protocol used for various Ad hoc networks. OLSR employs the Multipoint Relay (MPR) technique to reduce network overhead traffic. A mobility model's main goal is to realistically simulate the movement behaviors of actual users. However, the high mobility and mobility model is the major design issues for an efficient and effective routing protocol for real Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs). Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the performance of the OLSR protocol concerning various random and group mobility models. Two simulation scenarios were conducted over four mobility models, specifically the  Random Waypoint model (RWP), Random Direction model (RD), Nomadic Co

Phosphorus (P) is an element that is potatoes require in large amounts. Soil pH is a crucial factor impacting phosphorus availability in potato production. This study was conducted to evaluate the influence of P application rates on the P efficiency for tuber yield, specific gravity, and P uptake. Additionally, the relationship between soil pH and total potato tuber yield was determined. Six rates of P fertilization (0–280 kg P ha−1) were applied at twelve different sites across Northern Maine. Yield parameters were not responsive to P application rates. However, regression analysis showed that soil pH was significantly correlated with total potato tuber yield(R2 = 0.38). Sites with soil pH values < 6 had total tuber yields,

Chemical compounds, characteristics, and molecular structures are inevitably connected. Topological indices are numerical values connected with chemical molecular graphs that contribute to understanding a chemical compounds physical qualities, chemical reactivity, and biological activity. In this study, we have obtained some topological properties of the first dominating David derived (DDD) networks and computed several K-Banhatti polynomials of the first type of DDD.

Infection of the gastric mucosa with Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer and gastric cancer. Helicobacter pylori virulence factors include a variety of proteins that are involved in its pathogenesis, such as VacA and CagA. Another group of virulence factors is clearly important for colonization of H.pylori in the gastric mucosa. These include urease, motility factors (flagellin), and Superoxide dismutase (SOD). Because of this organism's microaerophilic nature and the increased levels of reactive oxygen in the infected host, we expect that other factors involved in the response to oxidative stress are likely to be required for virulence. Superoxide dismutase is a near