Seismic Damage in Shear Wall-Slab Junction in RC Buildings

AbstractNonlinear time history analyses, under different levels of recorded earthquake ground motion, are carried out using the computer program ABAQUS to study the seismic damage in shear wall – slab junction of an RC wall-frame building. The beams, columns, shear walls and slabs are discretized with eight-noded solid elements. The incurred cumulative damage is determined at various locations for all the three models. It is observed that the damage gets primarily concentrated at the wall – slab junction region with increasing levels of ground motion

hsCRP in pre-hypertension and hypertension: a prospective study in Southern Asian region

Background:Hypertension is turned into a leading cause of non-communicable disease associated mortality and morbidity in both developing as well as developed world. Hypertension is reported to be the fourth contributor to premature death in developed countries and the seventh in developing countries. In the regard of early diagnosis and better prognosis, the concept of pre-hypertension, defined as a systolic blood pressure of 120-139 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure of 80-89 mmHg was introduced as the new guideline for the management of blood pressure by the seventh report of the Joint National Committee on prevention, detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure (JNC-7). Among various other factors inflammation may be a causative factor for development of Hypertension But the association is not very clear. Accordingly, we have designed our study to find any association of hsCRP with pre-hypertension and hypertension so that early prevention and control can help to avoid or delay the grave outcome and complications of hypertension.Methods:A total of 37 hypertensives, 30 pre-hypertensives and 31 age and sex matched healthy control subjects were selected for the study, with consent. Two BP readings were taken five minutes apart, on both arms, with a mercury sphygmomanometer. The estimation of serum hsCRP was done on XL-600 automatic analyzer with the kit (Erba Mannheim) based on the measurement of antigen-antibody reaction by the end-point method.  Results:There is significant difference in systemic and diastolic blood pressure and hsCRP in between group study. In pre-hypertensive group hsCRP is correlated with diastolic blood pressure.  Conclusion:Our results suggest a correlation exists between hsCRP and hypertension more significantly with pre-hypertension. So estimation of serum hsCRP can be a good diagnostic as well as prognostic marker in diagnosing pre-hypertensives and prevent the occurance of hypertension and cardio vascular disorders thereby.

Origins of Incomplete Fusion Products and the Suppression of Complete Fusion in Reactions of Li 7

Above-barrier complete fusion involving nuclides with low binding energy is typically suppressed by 30%. The mechanism that causes this suppression, and produces the associated incomplete fusion products, is controversial. We have developed a new experimental approach to investigate the mechanisms that produce incomplete fusion products, combining singles and coincidence measurements of light fragments and heavy residues in 7Li + 209Bi reactions. For polonium isotopes, the dominant incomplete fusion product, only a small fraction can be explained by projectile breakup followed by capture: the dominant mechanism is triton cluster transfer. Suppression of complete fusion is therefore primarily a consequence of clustering in weakly bound nuclei rather than their breakup prior to reaching the fusion barrier. This implies that suppression of complete fusion will occur in reactions of nuclides where strong clustering is present.This work was supported by the Australian Research Council Grants No. DP170102423, No. DP160101254, and No. DP170102318

Origin of magnetic moments and presence of a resonating valence bond state in Ba2_2YIrO6_6

While it was speculated that 5$d^4$ systems would possess non-magnetic $J$~=~0 ground state due to strong Spin-Orbit Coupling (SOC), all such systems have invariably shown presence of magnetic moments so far. A puzzling case is that of Ba$_2$YIrO$_6$, which in spite of having a perfectly cubic structure with largely separated Ir$^{5+}$ ($d^4$) ions, has consistently shown presence of weak magnetic moments. Moreover, we clearly show from Muon Spin Relaxation ($\mu$SR) measurements that a change in the magnetic environment of the implanted muons in Ba$_2$YIrO$_6$ occurs as temperature is lowered below 10~K. This observation becomes counterintuitive, as the estimated value of SOC obtained by fitting the RIXS spectrum of Ba$_2$YIrO$_6$ with an atomic $j-j$ model is found to be as high as 0.39~eV, meaning that the system within this model is neither expected to possess moments nor exhibit temperature dependent magnetic response. Therefore we argue that the atomic $j-j$ coupling description is not sufficient to explain the ground state of such systems, where despite having strong SOC, presence of hopping triggers delocalisation of holes, resulting in spontaneous generation of magnetic moments. Our theoretical calculations further indicate that these moments favour formation of spin-orbital singlets in the case of Ba$_2$YIrO$_6$, which is manifested in $\mu$SR experiments measured down to 60~mK.Comment: 20 Pages, 7 Figure

Atomic scale chemical fluctuation in LaSrVMoO6: A proposed halfmetallic antiferromagnet

Half metallic antiferromagnets (HMAFM) have been proposed theoretically long ago but have not been realized experimentally yet. Recently, a double perovskite compound, LaSrVMoO6, has been claimed to be an almost real HMAFM system. Here, we report detailed experimental and theoretical studies on this compound. Our results reveal that the compound is neither a half metal nor an ordered antiferromagnet. Most importantly, an unusual chemical fluctuation is observed locally, which finally accounts for all the electronic and magnetic properties of this compound.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, 3 table

High-Q Slow-Wave Coplanar Waveguides

A comprehensive study of methods of maximizing Q for slow-wave coplanar waveguides is described. In addition to the widths of the signal conductor and coplanar ground lines and the distance between them, the length, spacing and stacking of the metal layers of the substrate shield strips are also shown to be critical in maximizing performance. Measured results from more than 50 different devices show that a 7X increase in the quality factor (e.g., Q > 70 at 24 GHz in 0.18 {\mu}m CMOS) is achievable using the optimum topology with optimum dimensions.This is a preprint from Hsu, Heng-Chia, Kaushik Dasgupta, Nathan M. Neihart, Sudip Shekhar, Jeffrey S. Walling, and David J. Allstot. "High-Q Slow-Wave Coplanar Waveguides." arXiv preprint arXiv:2408.14482 (2024). doi: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2408.14482

Interplay of spherical closed shells and N/Z asymmetry in quasifission dynamics

Background: Quasifission (QF) has gained tremendous importance in heavy-ion nuclear physics research because of its strong influence on superheavy-element synthesis. Collisions involving closed-shell nuclei in the entrance channel are found to affect the QF reaction mechanism. Hence, it is important to improve the understanding of their effect on QF. Apart from that, some recent studies show that the difference in N/Z of reaction partners influences the reaction dynamics. Since heavier doubly magic nuclei have different N/Z than lighter doubly magic nuclei, it is important to understand the effect of N/Z mismatch as well as the effect of shell closures.The authors acknowledge the Australian Research Council for support through Discovery Grants No. DP140101337, No. DP160101254, No. FL110100098, No. DE140100784, No. FT120100760, and No. DP170102318

Understanding one health challenges in marginalized urban settings: A patient and public involvement (PPI) approach from the CHIP consortium activities across four global cities

BACKGROUND: Slum communities face health risks influenced by environmental, human, and animal health factors, particularly antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Tailored, community-driven solutions are needed to address these multifactorial health determinants. This study explores One Health challenges in urban slums using a Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) approach. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to use qualitative methods within a PPI framework to examine the social, environmental, and animal health factors contributing to AMR and other health challenges in urban slums. Focusing on One Health, we engaged slum residents in Jaipur, Jakarta, Antofagasta, and Istanbul through participatory approaches like social mapping and transect walks to identify health risks and develop intervention strategies. METHODS: A PPI approach was employed to involve communities in the research process, ensuring culturally relevant insights. Data collection included social mapping, transect walks, and key informant interviews in the four cities, highlighting critical health determinants such as environmental contamination, healthcare access, and animal-related risks. Thematic analysis identified common challenges and intervention opportunities within the One Health framework. CONCLUSION: The study underscores the importance of PPI in addressing One Health challenges in urban slums and reveals interconnected human, environmental, and animal health risks. Engaging communities fostered trust and provided locally relevant solutions to complex health issues like AMR. Future interventions should be co-designed with communities to address social determinants like sanitation and healthcare access for sustainable outcomes