Ultimate Failure Resistance of Concrete with Partial Replacements of Sand by Polycarbonate Plastic Waste Under Impact Load

Disposal of waste polycarbonate plastic is a serious environmental issue all around the globe, on account of its health hazard and difficulty in land filling. As a possible solution to the problem of polycarbonate plastic waste, an experimental study was conducted to examine the potential of using it as sand replacement in the concrete. This paper examines impact strength properties of concrete in which different amounts 2.5%, 5% and 10% of polycarbonate plastic waste particles were used as sand replacement. For each amount, six beams of 100 mm ×100 mm × 500mm were subjected to 4.5 kg hammer from 480mm height. The number of blows of the hammer required to induce the ultimate failure of the beams were recorded. The results are presented in terms of impact energy required for the ultimate failure. The concrete mixtures exhibited ability to absorb a large amount of impact energy. The polycarbonate plastic waste increased the ultimate failure impact energy of concrete. Keywords: Polycarbonate plastic waste; Cement concrete; Compressive strength; Ultimate failure impact energy. DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-2-06 Publication date: February 29th 2020

The Extent to which Auditors Apperception their Responsibilities in the Importance of Implementing the Economic Units of Transparency Indicators and their Reflection on the Quality of the Audit Process

     يهدف البحث الى التعرف على مدى التزام مراقب الحسابات بالواجبات والمسؤوليات الملقاة على عاتقه  وما مدى تأثير ذلك في جودة عملية التدقيق حيث اظهرت النتائج ان ارتفاع مستوى إدراك مراقبي الحسابات لمسؤولياتهم عند تدقيق حسابات الوحدة الاقتصادية التي يكلفون بتدقيق حساباتها يمكن ان يساهم وبقوة في تحسين جودة تدقيق الحسابات النهائية لتلك الوحدة  واظهارها بشكل يعكس واقع حالها فعلا, تبين من البحث إن ارتفاع مستوى إدراك المصارف عينة الدراسة لأهمية الشفافية في عرض القوائم المالية يمكن ان يساهم في اظهار نتائج التدقيق بشكل اكثر جودة فيما لو لم يتم عرض البيانات المالية بشفافية امام مراقبي الحسابات إضافة الى التزام المدققين بالأنظمة والتعليمات الخاصة بالتدقيق تساهم بشكل كبير في تحسين جودة التدقيق و يمكن الإفادة من شعور مراقب الحسابات بالمسؤولية في الضغط على الوحدات الاقتصادية  المختلفة لغرض زيادة مستوى شفافية حساباتها المختلفة. وهذا ما دل عليه تحليل علاقات الارتباط والتأثير.       The objective of the research is to identify the auditor's compliance with the duties and responsibilities assigned to him and the extent to which this affects the quality of the audit. The results showed that the high level of auditors' awareness of their responsibilities when auditing the accounts of the economic unit, which is mandated to audit their accounts, can contribute strongly to improve audit quality The study showed that the high level of awareness of banks in the sample of the study of the importance of transparency in the presentation of financial statements can contribute to show the results of the audit in a better quality if the data is not presented As well as auditors' compliance with auditing regulations and instructions, contribute significantly to improving the quality of audit, and it is possible to benefit from the auditor's sense of responsibility in exerting pressure on the various economic units in order to increase the transparency of their various accounts. This is demonstrated by the analysis of correlation and impact relationship

Design and Analysis of Different Optical Attocells Deployment Models for Indoor Visible Light Communication System

Visible light communication (VLC) is a promising candidate that is expected to revolutionize indoor environment communications performance and fulfill fifth generation and beyond (5GB) technologies requirements. It offers high and free bandwidth, electromagnetic interference immunity, low-cost front end and low power consumption. Also, VLC has dual functions that could be utilized in both illumination and communication concurrently. The number of optical attocells (OAs) and their deployment in the room represent the main issue that should be taken into consideration in designing an optimal VLC system. In this paper, we have introduced a new model of five OAs in the typical room. In addition to an investigation of various optical attocells (OAs) deployment models, in which a multi-variable evaluation was performed in terms of received power, illumination, SNR and RMS delay spread in order to determine the optimal OAs model. Also, various modulation schemes performances were investigated which included NRZ-OOK, BPSK, and QPSK in order to improve the BER performance. Results indicated that BPSK modulation had superior BER performance when compared with all OAs models. Further, a comprehensive results analysis and comparison of all proposed models was conducted over various parameters, in which our new proposed OAs model achieved an optimal performance in comparison with the other models

Design and analysis of different optical attocells deployment models for indoor visible light communication system

Visible light communication (VLC) is a promising candidate that is expected to revolutionize indoor environment communications performance and fulfill fifth generation and beyond (5GB) technologies requirements. It offers high and free bandwidth, electromagnetic interference immunity, low-cost front end and low power consumption. Also, VLC has dual functions that could be utilized in both illumination and communication concurrently. The number of optical attocells (OAs) and their deployment in the room represent the main issue that should be taken into consideration in designing an optimal VLC system. In this paper, we have introduced a new model of five OAs in the typical room. In addition to an investigation of various optical attocells (OAs) deployment models, in which a multi-variable evaluation was performed in terms of received power, illumination, SNR and RMS delay spread in order to determine the optimal OAs model. Also, various modulation schemes performances were investigated which included NRZ-OOK, BPSK, and QPSK in order to improve the BER performance. Results indicated that BPSK modulation had superior BER performance when compared with all OAs models. Further, a comprehensive results analysis and comparison of all proposed models was conducted over various parameters, in which our new proposed OAs model achieved an optimal performance in comparison with the other models

Dermatological Emergencies in Family Medicine: Recognition, Management, and Referral Considerations

Numerous people with skin disorders who have real dermatologic crises show up at the emergency room. Family doctors need to be able to identify potentially fatal dermatological disorders quickly since they could be the first to encounter patients with these illnesses. The purpose of this review is to provide guidance for early recognition, help identify distinct symptoms, and enable early diagnosis of emerging dermatological conditions. Necrotizing fasciitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and other possible emergencies that might manifest as dermatological symptoms are examples of these conditions. In this article we will be discussing the dermatological emergencies present at primary care settings and encountered by family physician, recognition and management of those emergencies, referral considerations, role of family medicine in dermatological emergencies and other topics

Diasporic virginities: social representations of virginity and identity formation amongst British arab muslim women

This study compares how practising and non-practising British Arab Muslim women position themselves in relation to representations of virginity. Overall, in our qualitative study, we found that representations of culture and religion influenced social practices and social beliefs in different ways: non-practising Muslim women felt bound by culture to remain virgins, while practising Muslim women saw it as a religious obligation but were still governed by culture regarding the consequences of engaging in premarital sex. Interestingly, some practising Muslim participants used Mut’a (a form of temporary ‘marriage’) to justify premarital sex. This, however, did not diminish the importance of virginity in their understanding and identification as Arab women. In fact, this study found that virginity, for the British Arabs interviewed, embodied a sense of ‘Arabness’ in British society. Positioning themselves as virgins went beyond simply honour; it was a significant cultural symbol that secured their sense of cultural identity. In fact this cultural identity was often so powerful that it overrode their Islamic identities, prescribing their behaviour even if religion was seen as more ‘forgiving’

Organisational culture and TQM implementation: investigating the mediating influences of multidimensional employee readiness for change

Despite the robust evidence for the direct relationship between organisational culture (OC) and total quality management (TQM), the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully explored and have received little empirical attention. This paper extends prior TQM research in a novel way by building and then empirically testing a theoretical model that includes the mediating role of employee readiness for change dimensions (ERFCs) in the OC-TQM relationship. The paper adds value through its contextual originality in being one of the first studies that are conducted in Algeria; which has special ties with the EU geographically, politically and economically. The empirical data for this study was drawn by distributing a questionnaire to 226 middle managers of Algerian firms. Our findings support the mediating roles of two dimensions of ERFC, namely: self-efficacy (ERFC1) and personal valence (ERFC4) in the OC-TQM relationship. This indicates that the improvement in TQM implementation is not a direct consequence of supportive organisational culture but rather of self-efficacy and personal valence transferring the impact of group and adhocracy culture to TQM. To this effect, these results go beyond previous research and contribute significantly in explaining the underlying psychological mechanisms in the OC-TQM relationships model

Groin wound infection after vascular exposure ( GIVE ) multicentre cohort study

Surgical site infections (SSIs) of groin wounds are a common and potentially preventable cause of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs in vascular surgery. Our aim was to define the contemporaneous rate of groin SSIs, determine clinical sequelae, and identify risk factors for SSI. An international multicentre prospective observational cohort study of consecutive patients undergoing groin incision for femoral vessel access in vascular surgery was undertaken over 3 months, follow‐up was 90 days. The primary outcome was the incidence of groin wound SSI. 1337 groin incisions (1039 patients) from 37 centres were included. 115 groin incisions (8.6%) developed SSI, of which 62 (4.6%) were superficial. Patients who developed an SSI had a significantly longer length of hospital stay (6 versus 5 days, P = .005), a significantly higher rate of post‐operative acute kidney injury (19.6% versus 11.7%, P = .018), with no significant difference in 90‐day mortality. Female sex, Body mass index≥30 kg/m2, ischaemic heart disease, aqueous betadine skin preparation, bypass/patch use (vein, xenograft, or prosthetic), and increased operative time were independent predictors of SSI. Groin infections, which are clinically apparent to the treating vascular unit, are frequent and their development carries significant clinical sequelae. Risk factors include modifiable and non‐modifiable variables

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries