Evaluation of new composite rigid joint under cyclic loading and its effect on one-floor composite frame

In order to improve the performance of structure against lateral and gravity loads, new systems known as composite systems consisting of the reinforced concrete columns and steel beams (RCS) can be used and thereby the advantages of concrete beside steel are acquired. RCS joints can be implemented as either through-beam-type joint or through-column-type joint. In this paper, a concrete joint as standard reference joint and a proposed composite joint through-column‎ with new details were built and tested under cyclic loading. Then, using numerical analysis by finite element method, the behavior of composite joint under cyclic loading has been studied and the behavior and performance of proposed composite joint has been studied by comparing the results with that of concrete joint. The results showed that the joint composition in this way resulted in decreasing of the compressive and tensile damages of concrete and increasing in loading capacity, ductility, stiffness and energy absorption. General results of application of composite joint at the one floor-one span composite frame indicating that lateral loading capacity of frame was increased and the performance of frame was improved

Anti-cancer effect of COVID-19 vaccines in mice models

Aims: Without any doubt, vaccination was the best choice for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic control. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), people with cancer or a history of cancer have a higher risk of dying from Covid-19 than ordinary people; hence, they should be considered a high-priority group for vaccination. On the other hand, the effect of the Covid-19 vaccination on cancer is not transparent enough. This study is one of the first in vivo studies that try to show the impact of Sinopharm (S) and AstraZeneca (A) vaccines on breast cancer, the most common cancer among women worldwide. Materials and methods: Vaccination was performed with one and two doses of Sinopharm (S1/S2) or AstraZeneca (A1/A2) on the 4T1 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) mice model. The tumor size and body weight of mice were monitored every two days. After one month, mice were euthanized, and the existence of Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and expression of the important markers in the tumor site was assessed. Metastasis in the vital organs was also investigated. Key findings: Strikingly, all of the vaccinated mice showed a decrease in tumor size and this decrease was highest after two vaccinations. Moreover, we observed more TILs in the tumor after vaccination. Vaccinated mice demonstrated a decrease in the expression of tumor markers (VEGF, Ki-67, MMP-2/9), CD4/CD8 ratio, and metastasis to the vital organs. Significance: Our results strongly suggest that COVID-19 vaccinations decrease tumor growth and metastasis