In Australia, most of the existing buildings were designed before the release of the Australian standard for earthquake actions in 2007. Therefore, many existing buildings in Australia lack adequate seismic design, and their seismic performance must be assessed. The recent earthquake that struck Mansfield, Victoria near Melbourne elevated the need to produce fragility curves for existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings in Australia. Fragility curves are frequently utilized to assess buildings’ seismic performance and it is defined as the demand probability surpassing capacity at a given intensity level. Numerous factors can influence the results of the fragility assessment of RC buildings. Among the most important factors that can affect the performance-based seismic assessment of buildings are the building height and the characteristics of the earthquake. Despite this, very few studies accounted for the earthquake characteristics and the influence of height on the vulnerability of buildings in Australia. Consequently, the combined effect of building height and the characteristics of the earthquake were investigated in this study. This was achieved through numerical modeling and time-history analyses of three typical two-, four-, and nine-story RC frame buildings in Australia. Moreover, these buildings were subjected to three different types of ground motions which were: short- and long-duration, and near-fault earthquakes. Fragility analysis was then conducted for the three buildings under all the selected earthquake suites. It was noted from the median values of the fragility curves that the four-story and the nine-story RC buildings were 17% and 18% more susceptible to damage in comparison with the two-story building under short-duration earthquakes. Moreover, it was also noted that the median value of the vulnerability increased by 33%, 40%, and 50% for the two-, four-, and nine-story buildings, sequentially, when subjected to near-fault compared to short-duration earthquakes.
Nowadays, there is increased interest in the biosynthesis of microbial melanin related to their numerous biological functions and applications in many fields, especially in medical fields, including immune-modulating, antimicrobial antibiotic, antiviral antivenin, anticancer, antitumor activity, and anti-biofilm activity. Pyomelanin is a hydrophobic macromolecule that is typically dark brown or black in color, formed by the oxidative polymerization of phenolic or indolic compounds. Pyomelanin is reported to be safe for consumption, thus providing a crucial strategy for biocontrol of biofilm. Furthermore, natural pyomelanin is known as a potent antioxidant, photoprotective, and free radical scavenging. Objective: This study focuses on the
... Show MoreResearchers dream of developing autonomous humanoid robots which behave/walk like a human being. Biped robots, although complex, have the greatest potential for use in human-centred environments such as the home or office. Studying biped robots is also important for understanding human locomotion and improving control strategies for prosthetic and orthotic limbs. Control systems of humans walking in cluttered environments are complex, however, and may involve multiple local controllers and commands from the cerebellum. Although biped robots have been of interest over the last four decades, no unified stability/balance criterion adopted for stabilization of miscellaneous walking/running modes of biped
Rare earth metal oxides (REMOs) have gained considerable attention in recent years owing to their distinctive properties and potential applications in electronic devices and catalysts. Particularly, cerium dioxide (CeO2), also known as ceria, has emerged as an interesting material in a wide variety of industrial, technological, and medical applications. Ceria can be synthesized with various morphologies, including rods, cubes, wires, tubes, and spheres. This comprehensive review offers valuable perceptions into the crystal structure, fundamental properties, and reaction mechanisms that govern the well-established surface-assisted reactions over ceria. The activity, selectivity, and stability of ceria, either as a stand-alone catalyst or as
... Show MoreEmergency contraceptives (ECs) are indicated for preventing the chance of unintended pregnancy that follows unprotected sexual intercourse in cases of incorrectly used regular contraceptives and in sexual assault. It is considered a safe choice to prevent pregnancy than abortion which is considered life threating. The aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of community pharmacists towards emergency contraceptives and their association with sociodemographic variables. This study was a cross sectional study conducted between August and September 2021 on a convenient sample of community pharmacists from Iraq. The survey tool was an online, self-administered questionnaire, in English language and a paper-bas
... Show MoreThe paper attempts to find out the elements of picaresque novel in selected English and Iraqi novels. It studies these elements in Henry Fielding’s Joseph Andrews and Adil Abduljabbar’s Arzal Hamad Al-Salim. The paper is divided into four sections. The first is an introduction to the picaresque novel. It gives a definition, a historical background, and the elements of the genre. The second section studies Fielding’s novel focusing on the elements of this type of novel and how it affects the story itself. The paper follows the novel from the beginning to the end showing these elements. The third is dedicated to Abduljabbar’s novel and how the elements of picaresque genre appear in the novel and play an important role in its developm
... Show MoreThe habitat type and food availability always influence the population size of many
organisms. Bird’s feeding pattern should be abstracted to complete avian community structure
data. The agronomy main research farm of Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology
is a well-managed multi-crop agro-ecosystem which provides a suitable ground for ecological
research. In a multi-crop farmland, the association of Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Linnaeus,
1758, with the Indian mustard Brassica juncea (L.) Czernajew, 1859 crops have been
recorded for the first time while hovering only on this field. A flock of Barn swallows was
recorded in 32 field visits while flying continuously over the Indian mustard field after
flow
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common liver disease that ranges from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). So far, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that hepatic carboxylesterase 2 (CES2) is markedly reduced in NASH patients, diabetic
هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى التعرف على درجة استخدام معلمات الرياضيات لأدوات التقويم البديل من وجهة نظرهن، وتحديد إذا كانت توجد فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية تعزى لمتغير سنوات الخبرة التدريسية، ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة تم استخدام المنهج الوصفي. وتكونت عينة الدراسة من 37 معلمة من معلمات الرياضيات في الحلقة الثانية من التعليم الأساسي في محافظة ظفار في سلطنة عُمان. وتم بناء استبانة مكونة من (21) فقرة موزعة على (4) محاور تمثل أدوات
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