Behavior of corroded bonded fully prestressed and conventional concrete beams

AbstractPrestressed concrete is widely used in the construction buildings. And corrosion of steel is one of the most important and prevalent mechanisms of deterioration for concrete structures. Consequently the capacity of post-tension elements decreased after exposure to corrosion. This study presents results of the experimental investigation of the performance/behavior of bonded fully prestressed and conventional concrete beams, with 40MPa compressive strength exposed to corrosion. The experimental program of this study consisted of three fully prestressed and two conventional concrete beams with overall dimensions equal to 150×400×4500mm. The variables were considered in terms of corrosion exposure effect, prestressed level, and corrosion location effect for fully prestressed beams. Mode of failure, cracking width/distribution, ultimate load and the corresponding deflection of each beam were recorded. The results showed that the fully prestressed beam in comparison with conventional beam was considered to be even more resistance to corrosion because it was perceived to be crack-free as a result of prestressing. Also the mention deterioration incident in fully prestressed beams fully corrosion exposure level unnoticed that deterioration incident in partially corrosion exposure level. The most of deterioration incident in fully prestressed beam acts on compression of non-prestressed steel reinforcement. Because the bonded tendons are less likely to corrode. Cement grout/duct is a barrier to moisture and chloride penetration, especially plastic duct without splices. The theoretical analysis based on strain compatibility and force equilibrium gave a good prediction of the deformational behavior for fully prestressed beams

Role of Assistive Devices on Gait in Patients with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: Systematic Review

Background: People with incomplete spinal cord injury disabilities can be able to live a healthy, productive, and dignified life by using Assistive devices as their role in improving gait. Facilitate locomotion rehabilitation. And enable people with incomplete SCI to ambulate in an upright position. Objective: This systematic review aimed to examine the effectiveness of the role of using assistive devices in gait rehabilitation in patients with incomplete SCI. Material and Methods: Studies were identified from 2000 to 2020 by electronic search using PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Google Scholar, and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (Pedro). They were reviewed if they were randomized control trials focused on the effectiveness of Assistive Devices on Gait in Patients in age more than 18 years with incomplete Spinal Cord Injury being published in English. Eight studies were selected according to inclusive and exclusive criteria and descriptive analysis was conducted due to heterogeneity. Results: Eight trials were identified with good quality methodology. Descriptive analysis was applied for three studies that supported the use of assistive devices for those patients and meta-analysis was applied for five studies. The mean difference across all the five studies is -0.69 (95% CI -0.93, -0.45). According to AACPDM, there is level II evidence that supports the use of the assistive device as a method to be able to live a healthy, productive, and dignified life. Conclusion: The current level of evidence supports the effectiveness of assistive devices in improving gait in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury

The rise in stunting in relation to avian influenza and food consumption patterns in Lower Egypt in comparison to Upper Egypt: results from 2005 and 2008 Demographic and Health Surveys

Background A 2006 avian influenza (AI) outbreak resulted in mass removal of chickens in Lower Egypt, which decreased the household supply of poultry. Poultry, a key animal-source food, contains nutrients critical for child growth. This paper examines determinants of stunting between 2006 and 2008 in children 6 to 59 months of age within the context of the AI outbreak. Methods The 2005 and 2008 nationally representative Egypt Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) were used to analyse anthropometric data from 7,794 children in 2005 and 6,091 children in 2008. Children, 6–59 months of age, with length for age Z-score \u3c −2 S.D. were categorized as stunted. Predictors of stunting were examined by bivariate and multivariable analyses, focusing on Lower Egypt, where a rise in stunting occurred, and Upper Egypt, where stunting declined. Results Between 2005 and 2008, Upper Egypt experienced a significant decline in stunting (28.8 to 21.8%, P \u3c 0.001). Lower Egypt experienced a significant rise in stunting (16.6 to 31.5%, P \u3c 0.001), coinciding with the 2006 AI outbreak. In Lower Egypt (2008), households owning poultry were 41.7% less likely to have a stunted child [aOR 0.58; 95% CI (0.42, 0.81) P = 0.002], and 12–47 month old children were 2.12-2.34 times [95% CI (1.39 – 3.63) P ≤ 0.001] more likely to be stunted than 6–11 month old children. Older children were likely affected by AI, as these children were either in-utero or toddlers in 2006. In Upper Egypt, stunting peaked at 12–23 months [aOR 2.62, 95% CI (1.73-3.96), P \u3c 0.001], with lowered risk (22-32%) of stunting in 24–47 month old children [aOR1.65, 95% 1.07-2.53, P = 0.022, 24–35 month old] and [aOR 1.57, 95% CI 1.01-2.43, P = 0.043 36–47 months old]. A two-fold increase in child consumption of sugary foods between 2005 and 2008 was found in Lower Egypt (24.5% versus 52.7%; P \u3c .001). Conclusions Decreased dietary diversity, reduced poultry consumption, substitution of nutritious foods with sugary foods paralleled a reduction in household raising of birds, following the AI outbreak in Lower Egypt and not Upper Egypt. Increased feeding of sugary foods due to fear of illness or greater penetration of these foods may be related to stunting. Advice on infant and young child feeding is needed to improve dietary intake and reduce sugary food consumption

The impact of banner advertisement placement for Arabic readers and advertising outcomes

A main advantage of web advertising over other advertising mediums is its efficiency in driving purchase intentions, enabling consumers to jump from advertisement to purchase in a single click. This paper aims to explore the optimal advertisement placement for Arabic web pages by considering how advertising placement and page context affects advertising outcomes. This study is one of the first to examine the physiological and cognitive processes involved in the understanding of the effectiveness of ad placement in Arabic languages. The theoretical model suggests that advertising outcomes can be affected significantly by hemispheric context (how the two hemispheres of the brain process information on an image or text-oriented page) as well as hemispheric ad placement, pertaining to optimal left-right placement of image/text ads. Demographic and advertisement data was collected from participants during the study upon ensuring ethical approval for this. The data sample involved online testing of 320 Arabic readers who were shown one of eight different web page layouts, with each layout shown to 40 respondents. Results indicate that Arabic readers perform differently to English readers, since the former process text using both brain hemispheres, in comparison to other languages. The implications of this research are that placement and optimal banner advertisement design are highly dependent on the objectives of advertising

Condiciones óptimas para la degradación enzimática de proteínas de semillas oleaginosas

Soybean, sesame seed, and rice bran meal proteins were hydrolyzed with two enzymes, namely, papain and bromelain. Experiments were carried out to elucidate the optimum condition for each enzyme when acting on each substrate seperately. Results revealed that the highest relative activities for papain were achieved with E/S 0.06 , 0.29, 0.19 and pH 7.2, 7.0, 7.0 for soybean, sesame,and rice bran meal proteins, respectively. Optimum temperature for papain while hydrolysing the three substrates was 50 ºC. When using bromelain optimum E/S resulting in highest relative activities were 0.067, 0.058 and 0.21 for soybean, sesame,and rice bran meal protein, respectively. Optimum pH was 6.0 and optimum temperature was 45 ºC for bromelain when hydrolysing the protein of the three substrates. A numerical correlation of enzymatic behaviour for the different substrates was calculated.Proteínas de haba de soja, semilla de sésamo y harina de germen de arroz se hidrolizaron con dos enzimas, denominadas, papaina y bromelaina. Se han llevado a cabo experimentos para determinar las condiciones óptimas de cada enzima cuando actúan separadamente sobre cada sustrato. Los resultados mostraron que las mayores actividades relativas para la papaina se consiguieron con una E/S 0,06, 0,29, 0,19 y un pH 7.2, 7.0, 7.0 para las proteínas de haba de soja, sésamo y harina de germen de arroz, respectivamente. La temperatura óptima para la papaina durante la hidrólisis de los tres sustratos fue de 50 ºC. Cuando se usa bromelaina las relaciones E/S óptimas que proporcionaron mayor actividad relativa fueron 0.067, 0.058 y 0.21 para las proteínas de habas de soja, sésamo y harina de germen de arroz respectivamente. El pH óptimo fue 6.0 y la temperatura óptima 45 ºC para la bromelaina cuando se hidroliza la proteína de los tres sustratos. Con estos datos se hizo una correlación numérica del comportamiento enzimático para los diferentes sustratos

Endovascular Treatment of Cerebral Mycotic Aneurysm: A Review of the Literature and Single Center Experience.

The management of mycotic aneurysm has always been subject to controversy. The aim of this paper is to review the literature on the intracranial infected aneurysm from pathogenesis till management while focusing mainly on the endovascular interventions. This novel solution seems to provide additional benefits and long-term favorable outcomes

Urban–rural differences of gynaecological malignancies in Egypt (1999–2002)

Please cite this paper as: Dey S, Hablas A, Seifeldin I, Ismail K, Ramadan M, El-Hamzawy H, Wilson M, Banerjee M, Boffetta P, Harford J, Merajver S, Soliman A. Urban–rural differences of gynaecological malignancies in Egypt (1999–2002). BJOG 2010;117:348–355.In previous studies, we have shown a three to four times higher urban incidence of breast cancer and estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers in the Gharbiah Province of Egypt. We investigated the urban–rural incidence differences of gynaecologic malignancies (uterine, ovarian and cervical cancers) to explore if they show the same trend that we found for breast cancer.Cancer registry-based incidence comparison.Gharbiah population-based cancer registry (GPCR), Tanta, Egypt.All patients with uterine, ovarian and cervical cancer in GPCR from 1999 to 2002.We calculated uterine, ovarian and cervical cancer incidence from 1999 to 2002. For each of the three cancers, we calculated the overall and age-specific rates for the province as a whole, and by urban–rural status, as well as for the eight districts of the province.Incidence of all three cancer sites was higher in urban than in rural areas. Uterine cancer showed the highest urban–rural incidence rate ratio (IRR = 6.07, 95% CI = 4.17, 8.85). Uterine cancer also showed the highest urban incidence in the oldest age group (70+ age category, IRR = 14.39, 95% CI = 4.24, 48.87) and in developed districts (Tanta, IRR = 4.14, 95% CI = 0.41, 42.04). Incidence rates by groups of cancer sites showed an increasing gradient of urban incidence for cancers related to hormonal aetiology, mainly of the breast and uterus (IRR = 4.96, 95% CI = 2.86, 8.61).The higher urban incidence of uterine cancer, coupled with our previous findings of higher incidence of breast cancer and estrogen receptor positive breast cancer in urban areas in this region, may be suggestive of possible higher exposure to environmental estrogenic compounds, such as xenoestrogens, in urban areas.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78726/1/j.1471-0528.2009.02447.x.pd

A mediation approach to understanding socio-economic inequalities in maternal health-seeking behaviours in Egypt.

BACKGROUND: The levels and origins of socio-economic inequalities in health-seeking behaviours in Egypt are poorly understood. This paper assesses the levels of health-seeking behaviours related to maternal care (antenatal care [ANC] and facility delivery) and their accumulation during pregnancy and childbirth. Secondly, it explores the mechanisms underlying the association between socio-economic position (SEP) and maternal health-seeking behaviours. Thirdly, it examines the effectiveness of targeting of free public ANC and delivery care. METHODS: Data from the 2008 Demographic and Health Survey were used to capture two latent constructs of SEP: individual socio-cultural capital and household-level economic capital. These variables were entered into an adjusted mediation model, predicting twelve dimensions of maternal health-seeking; including any ANC, private ANC, first ANC visit in first trimester, regular ANC (four or more visits during pregnancy), facility delivery, and private delivery. ANC and delivery care costs were examined separately by provider type (public or private). RESULTS: While 74.2% of women with a birth in the 5-year recall period obtained any ANC and 72.4% delivered in a facility, only 48.8% obtained the complete maternal care package (timely and regular facility-based ANC as well as facility delivery) for their most recent live birth. Both socio-cultural capital and economic capital were independently positively associated with receiving any ANC and delivering in a facility. The strongest direct effect of socio-cultural capital was seen in models predicting private provider use of both ANC and delivery. Despite substantial proportions of women using public providers reporting receipt of free care (ANC: 38%, delivery: 24%), this free-of-charge public care was not effectively targeted to women with lowest economic resources. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-cultural capital is the primary mechanism leading to inequalities in maternal health-seeking in Egypt. Future studies should therefore examine the objective and perceived quality of care from different types of providers. Improvements in the targeting of free public care could help reduce the existing SEP-based inequalities in maternal care coverage in the short term

Associations between Physical Activity and Health Parameters in Adolescent Pupils in Egypt

Physical activity (PA) could be protective against hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease. This quantitative study assessed the association between a PA intervention and three anthropometric parameters (weight, body mass index, body fat) and four physiological parameters (cholesterol level, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate) among secondary school pupils (N = 160) in Egypt through the school term. The pupils were randomised to an intervention group (80 pupils) and controls (80 pupils). Measurements were obtained for all pupils twice: at baseline; and then again after three months. The PA intervention programme comprised an ‘afterschool’ one hour of moderate exercise three times a week for three months. Both the controls and the intervention pupils attended the ‘normal’ exercise schedule provided by the school; in addition, the intervention group attended afterschool PA programme from about 2–3 o’clock in the afternoon. At baseline, employing pupil’s BMI, 27.5% and 28.8% of the intervention and control pupils respectively were classified as overweight. After three months, the percentage of overweight decreased to 12.5% in the intervention pupils, while it increased to 37.3% in the controls. At the end of the three months period, there were significant improvements across most anthropometric and physiological parameters of the intervention pupils when compared with the control children. The correlation coefficient of the improvements for the boys and the girls was 0.97, indicating clearly that the intervention was having nearly the same beneficial effect for boys and girls. A moderate PA programme for a modest period of 3 months could be effective in maintaining or enhancing pupil’s anthropometric and physiological parameters in comparison to the controls where there was deterioration in both parameters. Policy makers and secondary schools in Egypt might need to pay more attention to PA programmes conducted on school days, in order to motivate pupils to attend such programmes. There is also an urgent need to look at current PA systems within schools in Egypt in order to assess PA outside school times

Urban Area Disadvantage and Under-5 Mortality in Nigeria: The Effect of Rapid Urbanization

Background: Living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas is associated with increased -childhood mortality risks. As city living becomes the predominant social context in low- and middle-income countries, the resulting rapid urbanization together with the poor economic circumstances of these countries greatly increases the risks of mortality for children < 5 years of age (under-5 mortality). Objective: In this study we examined the trends in urban population growth and urban under-5 mortality between 1983 and 2003 in Nigeria. We assessed whether urban area socioeconomic dis-advantage has an impact on under-5 mortality. Methods: Urban under-5 mortality rates were directly estimated from the 1990, 1999, and 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed on data for 2,118 children nested within data for 1,350 mothers, who were in turn nested within data for 165 communities. Results: Urban under-5 mortality increased as urban population steadily increased between 1983 and 2003. Urban area disadvantage was significantly associated with under-5 mortality after adjusting for individual child- and mother-level demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Conclusions: Significant relative risks of under-5 deaths at both individual and community levels underscore the need for interventions tailored toward community- and individual-level inter-ventions. We stress the need for further studies on community-level determinants of under-5 mortality in disadvantaged urban areas