Comparative Analysis of Flexural Capacity of Bamboo Reinforced and Conventional Steel Reinforced Concrete Beams Through Numerical Evaluation

Steel reinforcement bars are commonly used in the building industry, but their production contributes to toxic waste and emissions. Bamboo is being marketed as a sustainable alternative due to its low cost and tensile strength. It is a readily available natural material that can potentially replace steel as a conventional reinforcement. The idea of hybrid beams (50% bamboo and 50% steel) was developed to get equal outcomes in terms of the structural reaction, and ABAQUS was used to develop a set of beams. By using conventional dimensions and material qualities, a total of five beams were modeled. According to the analysis, the maximum displacements for each beam would be different. The load-displacement curve of five beams was obtained and it was determined that when combined with steel, bamboo may partially replace it

Assessment of Influence of Reinforcement Detailing on Blast Resistance of Reinforced Concrete Beam-column Connections

This study investigates the influence of blast loading on Reinforced Concrete (RC) beam-column connections, which are critical components for maintaining the structural integrity of buildings during extreme events like explosions. The impact of varying blast loads, detonation distance, and reinforcement detailing on the extent of damage in the RC frame and connections is analyzed using ABAQUS/CAE Finite Element Method (FEM) software. Joint rotation is used as a damage indicator to assess the damage level in the structure. The study evaluates the effect of reinforcement detailing on the blast damage resistance of the RC frame and connections and proposes recommendations for reducing damage in the connections through the effective placement of steel reinforcement. The effectiveness of different configurations of reinforcing steel bars is also analyzed, and the presence of shear and diagonal reinforcements is found to reduce joint damage by 3-4 times. This study highlights the significance of reinforcement detailing and recommends its careful consideration in the design of blast-resistant structures

A review of friction performance of lubricants with nano additives

: It has been established in literature that nanoparticle’s addition in lubricants at optimum con-centration results in lower coefficient of friction as compared to lubricants with no nanoparticle additive. This review paper shows a comparison of different lubricants based on COF (Coefficient of Friction) with nano additives. The effect of nanoparticle addition on friction coefficient is an-alyzed for both synthetic and biolubricants separately. The limitations associated with the use of nanoparticles are explained. The mechanisms responsible for the friction reduction, when nano-particles are used as additive are also discussed. Various nanoparticles that are most widely used in recent years and have shown good performance with lubricants include CuO (Copper Oxide), MoS2 (Molybdenum disulfide) and TiO2 (Titanium Dioxide). The paper also indicates some research gaps which need to be addressed

SnapShare: AI Trained Mobile App to Share Snaps Automatically

These days people take more than 1 million group or selfie photos per day. This goes very hectic for a mobile owner to identify photos of each individual and send them their photos separately. Sharing photos create extra burden for mobile owners. There are fewer applications available (i.e., 23Snaps, Cluster, Path, letmesee) to share photos with small circle of friends. Unfortunately, these developed apps require user’s interaction to identify individuals in the photo. This study proposes a SnapShare mobile application that uses Face Recognition Algorithms to classify individuals in the photos and automatically shares photos with recognized individuals. SnapShare basically uses Deep learning (DL) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques for Face Recognition from the captured images. Based on the results, the developed system achieves the standard performance accuracy (i.e., >90%). The aim of the SnapShare is to create comfort for mobile owners and people visible in-group photo to share and access photo automatically. Furthermore, SnapShare also facilitates user to back up their photo gallery on server storage

Heavy metal toxicity in plants and the potential NO-releasing novel techniques as the impending mitigation alternatives

Environmental pollutants like heavy metals are toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulative in nature. Contamination of agricultural fields with heavy metals not only hampers the quality and yield of crops but also poses a serious threat to human health by entering the food chain. Plants generally cope with heavy metal stress by regulating their redox machinery. In this context, nitric oxide (NO) plays a potent role in combating heavy metal toxicity in plants. Studies have shown that the exogenous application of NO donors protects plants against the deleterious effects of heavy metals by enhancing their antioxidative defense system. Most of the studies have used sodium nitroprusside (SNP) as a NO donor for combating heavy metal stress despite the associated concerns related to cyanide release. Recently, NO-releasing nanoparticles have been tested for their efficacy in a few plants and other biomedical research applications suggesting their use as an alternative to chemical NO donors with the advantage of safe, slow and prolonged release of NO. This suggests that they may also serve as potential candidates in mitigating heavy metal stress in plants. Therefore, this review presents the role of NO, the application of chemical NO donors, potential advantages of NO-releasing nanoparticles, and other NO-release strategies in biomedical research that may be useful in mitigating heavy metal stress in plants

Chitosan-GSNO nanoparticles : a positive modulator of drought stress tolerance in soybean

Funding: This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea funded by the Ministry of Education (RS-2023-00245922) to Prof. Byung-Wook Yun and by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2021R1I1A1A01049154) to Dr. Bong-Gyu Mun.Background : Chitosan biopolymer is an emerging non-toxic and biodegradable plant elicitor or bio-stimulant. Chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) have been used for the enhancement of plant growth and development. On the other hand, NO is an important signaling molecule that regulates several aspects of plant physiology under normal and stress conditions. Here we report the synthesis, characterization, and use of chitosan-GSNO nanoparticles for improving drought stress tolerance in soybean. Results: The CSGSNONPs released NO gas for a significantly longer period and at a much lower rate as compared to free GSNO indicating that incorporation of GSNO in CSNPs can protect the NO-donor from rapid decomposition and ensure optimal NO release. CS-GSNONPs improved drought tolerance in soybean plants reflected by a significant increase in plant height, biomass, root length, root volume, root surface area, number of root tips, forks, and nodules. Further analyses indicated significantly lower electrolyte leakage, higher proline content, higher catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase activity, and reduction in MDA and H2O2 contents after treatment with 50 μM CS-GSNONPs under drought stress conditions. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that CS-GSNONPs protected against drought-induced stress by regulating the expression of drought stress-related marker genes such as GmDREB1a, GmP5CS, GmDEFENSIN, and NO-related genes GmGSNOR1 and GmNOX1. Conclusions : This study highlights the potential of nano-technology-based delivery systems for nitric oxide donors to improve plant growth, and development and protect against stresses.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Efficacy and Safety of Whey Protein Supplements on Vital Sign and Physical Performance Among Athletes: A Network Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Athletes train physically to reach beyond their potential maximum aerobic threshold. Whey protein supplements (WPS) are often used in conjunction with physiotherapy and psychotherapy to regain better vital sign and physical performances. This review aimed to explore the clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of WPS in sports performance and recovery among athletes.Methodology: A comprehensive literature search was performed to identify relevant randomized control trials (RCTs) that investigated the efficacy and safety of WPS on the vital sign and physical performance among athletes. The Cochrane Risk of Bias (ROB) Assessment tools were used to assess the quality of the studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using the frequentist model with STATA version 14.2®.Results: A total of 333,257 research articles were identified out of which 20 RCTs were included for qualitative synthesis and network meta-analysis with 351 participants. Among the studies, 7 had low ROB and 3 RCTs had high ROB. Of these 20 trials, 16 trials were randomized clinical trials which compared whey protein supplements (WPS) with various comparators i.e., L-alanine, bovine colostrum, carbohydrate, casein, leucine, maltodextrin, rice, protein + caffeine were compared with placebo. Analysis from the pairwise meta-analysis revealed that for respiratory exchange ratio (RER) WPS was found to be significantly improving compared to maltodextrin (WMD = 0.012; 95%CI = 0.001, 0.023). Similarity to RPE (Rate Perceived Exertion), slight difference between WPS and the comparators, however, when the estimation was favorable to the comparators, there was moderate-high heterogeneity. For VO2max, high heterogeneity appeared when WPS compared to maltodextrin with the I2 = 97.8% (WMD = 4.064; 95% CI = −4.230, 12.359), meanwhile bovine colostrum (WMD = −2.658; 95%CI = −6.180, 0.865) only comparator that was better than WPS. According to the estimated effect of the supplements on physical performance outcome results, maximum power (8 studies, 185 athletes), highest ranked was bovine colostrum (SUCRA = 70.7%) and the lowest ranked was placebo (SUCRA = 17.9%), yet all insignificant. Then again, on average power (nine studies, 187 athletes), WPS was the highest ranked (SUCRA = 75.4 %) about −112.00 watt (−187.91, −36.08) and most of the estimations were significant. Body mass was reported in 10 studies (171 athletes), carbohydrate may be at the highest ranked (SUCRA = 66.9%) but it is insignificant. Thought the second highest ranked was WPS (SUCRA = 64.7%) and it is significant (WMD = −6.89 kg; CI = −8.24, −5.54).Conclusion: The findings of this review support the efficacy and safety of WPS as an ergogenic aid on athletes' sports performance and recovery. The overall quality of clinical evidence was found to be valid and reliable from the comprehensive search strategy and ROB assessment

ECONOMICS OF VEGETABLE PRODUCTION BY FARM LOCATION

Three vegetables namely bitter gourd, tinda gourd and muskmelon were selected to determine the profitability of these vegetables with special emphasis on location of the farms with respect to market. The study was based on secondary data. Two categories were made Le. the farms near to market and the farms far from market and profitability was determined separately for each category thereby indicated that cost of production per acre was higher on the farms near to market than that of the ·farms far from market. Nevertheless, higher returns were also estimated for this category. Results of the study highlight the need for the development of market infrastructure to boost up vegetable production in the country to meet the increasing requirement of food supplies and to create more employment opportunities in the rural economy

Thermo-solutal dual diffusive flow of chemically reactive magneto couple-stress nanomaterial capturing robin conditions, transpiration and thermal generation/sink

Nanomaterials have attracted extensive relevance from researchers and scientists around the globe because of their unique thermo-physical features and ample potential advantages and utilizations in crucial areas, for illustration, biomedicine, electronics, energy, vehicles and aerospace. This attempt accounts magnetohydrodynamics and chemical reaction consideration in couple-stress nanomaterial confined by convectively heated vertical surface. Flow is mixed convective and thermally radiative. Brownian motion, heat generation, thermophoresis, Robin conditions and transpiration are considered for formulation. Boundary-layer expressions representing couple-stress liquid are implied utilizing transformation procedure. The obtained nonlinear expressions are tackled analytically by implementing series solution methodology (known as homotopy analysis method (HAM)). Convergence of analytical solutions is authenticated arithmetically (i.e., via table) and by drawing ℏ− curves. In addition, the significant parameters occurring in dimensionless expressions are addressed graphically. Our findings indicate retardation in flow when suction variable is augmented. Transfer of heat is higher for radiation and heat source parameters. Nanoparticles concentration decays for larger estimations of destructive reaction factor while it upsurges for generative reaction factor

First Observation of Induced Ferroelectric and Magnetoelectric Properties in Pristine and Ni‐Intercalated Mo2TiC2Tx Double Transition Metal MXene

Abstract In recent years, multiferroic (MF) materials have attained remarkable attention because of their exceptional ability to demonstrate both ferroelectric (FE) and magnetic properties simultaneously which has lead to their applications in memory, sensors, and energy storage devices. Here, a simple synthesis approach is used to enhance the ferroelectricity and induce the multiferroicity in double transition metal carbide (DTM) MXene film. The successful synthesis is confirmed by X‐ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis. In addition, the FE and magnetic hysteresis (MH) loops are conducted to observe the nature of synthesized materials. Furthermore, the magnetoelectric (ME) effect is also examined to explore its significance in data storage and ME signal generation devices. Thus, the findings reveal the first report on the co‐existence of FE and magnetic properties of DTM MXene for potential applications in nano‐electronic devices of future technology