The Design of a semi-prefabricated LVL-concrete composite floor

This paper describes the design of a novel semi-prefabricated LVL-concrete composite floor that has been developed in New Zealand. In this solution, the floor units made from LVL joists and plywood are prefabricated in the factory and transported to the building site. The units are then lifted onto the supports and connected to the main frames of the building and to the adjacent units. Finally, a concrete topping is poured on top of the units in order to form a continuous slab connecting all the units. Rectangular notches cut from the LVL joists and reinforced with coach screws provide the composite action between the concrete slab and the LVL joists. This system proved to be an effective modular solution that ensures rapid construction. A design procedure based on the use of the effective flexural stiffness method, also known as the “gamma method” is proposed for the design of the composite floor at ultimate and serviceability limit states, in the short and long term. By comparison with the experimental results, it is shown that the proposed method leads to conservative design. A step-by-step design worked example of this novel semi-prefabricated composite floor concludes the paper

A new lightweight floor system based on sandwich panel

A new lightweight floor system was developed to tackle the sustainability issue in the construction sector. The proposed flooring system is suited for rehabilitation of degraded timber floors in existing building. Despite the great potential that sandwich construction shows as load bearing elements their use has been hindered by the high initial cost. Three alternative architecture, all including steel face sheets, were envisaged, namely i) steel webs and polyurethane (PUR) foam core system, ii) glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) webs and PUR foam system and iii) outer steel webs and balsa wood core. The structural, thermal, acoustic and fire resistance requirements were identified in the Portuguese national codes. Particular attention is given to the description of the materials adopted for the different components with respect to the driving factors of the design of the panel, namely weight, cost, environmental impact, load bearing capacity, rigidity, thermal and acoustic properties and fire resistance. The preliminary design of the three sandwich panels is carried out considering the value of the actions established in the Eurocode standards. The final layout and cost estimate are the results of a parametric study aimed at retrieving the lightest and most economical solutions.This work is part of the research project Lightslab - development of innovative slab solutions using sandwich panels (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-033865), co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), through the "Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalizacao" (POCI) and the Portuguese National Innovation Agency (ANI). The first and second authors acknowledge the grants DFA/BD/8319/2020 and SFRH/BSAB/150266/2019, respectively, provided by FCT, financed by European Social Fund and by national funds through the FCT/MCTES

Nanobody mediated inhibition of attachment of F18 fimbriae expressing Escherichia coli

Post-weaning diarrhea and edema disease caused by F18 fimbriated E. coli are important diseases in newly weaned piglets and lead to severe production losses in farming industry. Protective treatments against these infections have thus far limited efficacy. In this study we generated nanobodies directed against the lectin domain of the F18 fimbrial adhesin FedF and showed in an in vitro adherence assay that four unique nanobodies inhibit the attachment of F18 fimbriated E. coli bacteria to piglet enterocytes. Crystallization of the FedF lectin domain with the most potent inhibitory nanobodies revealed their mechanism of action. These either competed with the binding of the blood group antigen receptor on the FedF surface or induced a conformational change in which the CDR3 region of the nanobody displaces the D ''-E loop adjacent to the binding site. This D ''-E loop was previously shown to be required for the interaction between F18 fimbriated bacteria and blood group antigen receptors in a membrane context. This work demonstrates the feasibility of inhibiting the attachment of fimbriated pathogens by employing nanobodies directed against the adhesin domain

Frequency identification of Wiener systems with Backlash operators using separable least squares estimators

This paper deals with the identification of Wiener models that involve backlash operators bordered by possibly noninvertible parametric lines. The latter are also allowed to cross each other making possible to account for general-shape static nonlinearities. The linear dynamic subsystem is not-necessarily parametric but is BIBO stable. A frequency identification method is developed that provides estimates of the nonlinear operator parameters as well as estimates of the linear subsystem frequency gain. The method involves standard and separable least squares estimators that all are shown to be consistent. Backlash operators and memoryless nonlinearities are handled within a unified framework.Preprin

21st Century Skills attainment for women in ICT in facing globalization

Globalization and technological revolution are two major contributors to displacement of workers, for both men and women in the labor market. Thus, the 21st Century Skills is the skills required by career women to remain competitive in countering the challenges of globalization. The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of women involved in the ICT world, about their competence to 21st Century Skills, necessary in their job in the face of globalization. Two research questions were developed to assist this research: (1) What are the 21st century skills possess by ICT women in their job in the face of globalization?; (2) Is there any significant difference in the skills possesses by women in ICT according to their field of work? On line survey were distributed by using the 'snow ball' technique to obtain 389 respondents of women working in ICT in Malaysia. Results indicate the overall mean ratings for the 21st Century Skills possesses by women in ICT is 4.01 with standard deviation 0.25. The 21st century skills attained by ICT women vary according to each specific field. There is a significant difference in the skills possesses between women working as in the field of Web Development with women working in the field of Programming, Graphic Design, Multimedia Creative and Network Engineering. If 21st Century Skills could be trained and developed systematically, it can definitely help women to counter the challenges of globalization and be successful in their respective careers

Pre-normative recommendations for the system-based direct design of stainless steel frames using advanced analysis

This document includes the pre-normative recommendations developed in the NewGeneSS research project for the design of stainless steel frames using advanced analysisThe research project NewGeneSS, the acronym of “NEW GENEration design methods for Stainless steel Structures” was financed by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (2018). The NewGeneSS project aimed at developing the basis of system-based direct design approaches for stainless steel structures in the European framework by calibrating suitable system safety factors from rigorous structural reliability considerations, and at delivering the pre-normative design recommendations included in this document.The project leading to this document has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 842395 (NewGeneSS project).Preprin

Observing classical nucleation theory at work by monitoring phase transitions with molecular precision.

It is widely accepted that many phase transitions do not follow nucleation pathways as envisaged by the classical nucleation theory. Many substances can traverse intermediate states before arriving at the stable phase. The apparent ubiquity of multi-step nucleation has made the inverse question relevant: does multistep nucleation always dominate single-step pathways? Here we provide an explicit example of the classical nucleation mechanism for a system known to exhibit the characteristics of multi-step nucleation. Molecular resolution atomic force microscopy imaging of the two-dimensional nucleation of the protein glucose isomerase demonstrates that the interior of subcritical clusters is in the same state as the crystalline bulk phase. Our data show that despite having all the characteristics typically associated with rich phase behaviour, glucose isomerase 2D crystals are formed classically. These observations illustrate the resurfacing importance of the classical nucleation theory by re-validating some of the key assumptions that have been recently questioned

Reliability of stainless steel frames designed using the Direct Design Method in serviceability limit states

Steel structures can be consistently and efficiently designed using system-based design-by-analysis approaches such as the Direct Design Method. However, since direct design approaches lead to potentially lighter structural configurations, they can also result in larger deformations under service loads. Thus, greater attention may be required to serviceability limit states in structures designed using design-by-analysis approaches than for structures designed elastically at their ultimate limit state following current two-stage approaches, especially for materials showing highly nonlinear stress vs strain responses such as stainless steel alloys. With the aim of investigating the influence of allowing larger deformations in the ultimate limit state design of stainless steel structures, this paper presents an explicit analysis framework for assessing serviceability reliability at system level. Using this framework, the paper investigates the serviceability reliability of cold-formed stainless steel portal frames designed using the Direct Design Method for different load cases, including the gravity load and the combined gravity plus wind load combinations. The study considers six baseline frames covering the most common stainless steel families and international design frameworks (i.e., Eurocode, US and Australian frameworks), for which the reliability of vertical deflection and lateral drift serviceability limit states is investigated using advanced numerical simulations and First-Order Reliability Methods. From the comparison of the calculated average annual reliability indices and the relevant target reliabilities for the different design frameworks, it was found that the reliability of stainless steel frames appears to be adequate for the serviceability limit states investigated for the Eurocode, US and Australian frameworks.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Social integration as catalyst for people's prosperity

In a nation-state, the aspect of unity among the people is important. Unity can define the political, economic and social stability. As a multi-racial country, Malaysia is a unique and special nation. Malaysia is regarded as an ideal country, a peaceful and happy country inhabited by various races and religions by other countries in the world. Due to its multi-racial status, it can’t be denied that Malaysia faces some problems in sustaining the harmonious people. Various policies were formulated by the Federal Government and the State Government to address racial issues in Malaysia. In this regard, the article seeks to identify the level of social integration of the community in Johor. The findings show that the state of Johorian integrity is at a good level that is projected to an excellent level. In addition, the findings show that some elements need to be emphasized in empowering social integration in the state of Johor to avoid inter-racial tensions, especially in relation to the Rukun Negara that is not understood and practiced in a day-to-day life. The implication of this study is that social integration between the peoples is actually a catalyst for the welfare and at the same time improve the quality of life of the people of Johor. Hence, it is proposed that the Federal Government in collaboration with the State Government of Johor formulate various inclusive policies and have a close relationship with the peopl