Effects of Using Silica Fume and Lime in the Treatment of Kaolin Soft Clay

Soil stabilization can make the soils becoming more stable by using an admixture to the soil. Lime stabilization enhances the engineering properties of soil, which includes reducing soil plasticity, increasing optimum moisture content, decreasing maximum dry density and improving soil compaction. Silica fume is utilized as a pozzolanic material in the application of soil stabilization. Silica fume was once considered non-environmental friendly. In this paper, the materials required are kaolin grade S300, lime and silica fume. The focus of the study is on the determination of the physical properties of the soils tested and the consolidation of kaolin mixed with 6% silica fume and different percentages (3%, 5%, 7% and 9%) of lime. Consolidation test is carried out on the kaolin and the mixtures of soil-lime-silica fume to investigate the effect of lime stabilization with silica fume additives on the consolidation of the mixtures. Based on the results obtained, all soil samples are indicated as soils with medium plasticity. For mixtures with 0% to 9% of lime with 6% SF, the decrease in the maximum dry density is about 15.9% and the increase in the optimum moisture content is about 23.5%. Decreases in the coefficient of permeability of the mixtures occur if compared to the coefficient of permeability of kaolin soft clay itself reduce the compression index (Cc) more than L- SF soil mix due to pozzolanic reaction between lime and silica fume and the optimum percent of lime-silica fume was found to be (5%+6%) mix. The average coefficient of volume compressibility decreases with increasing the stabilizer content due to pozzolanic reaction happening within the soil which results in changes in the soil matrix. Lime content +6% silica fume mix can reduce the coefficient of consolidation from at 3%L+6%SF, thereafter there is an increase from 9%L+6%SF mix. The optimal percentage of lime silica fume combination is attained at 5.0% lime and 6.0% silica fume in order to improve the shear strength of kaolin soft clay. Microstructural development took place in the stabilized soil due to increase in lime content of tertiary clay stabilized with 7% lime and 4% silica fume together

Engineering Properties of Clayey Soil Stabilized with Lime

Kaolin soil represents the soft clay soil with a depleted bearing capacity and an elevated compressibility level. Thus, in order to hold up civil structures, the bearing capacity of kaolin soil needs to be raised. Several soil improvement procedures are currently available. These include soil replacement, preloading, corduroy and chemical stabilization. However, as these procedures are harmful to the environment, efforts to achieve soil stabilization ought to make use of materials that are environmentally friendly. The utilization of industrial waste that does not have a negative impact on the environment would represent a significant step forward in this area. Among the most frequently employed procedures to achieve soil stabilization is the utilization of a binder such as lime. This study puts forward an array of laboratory investigations to assess the influence of lime on the compressibility and swelling traits of soil. According to the findings, the liquid limit and plasticity index of soil is reduced with the introduction of lime. Pozzolanic reactions transpire due to the siliceous and aluminous nature of the material which has a negligible cementation value and is made up of large particles. This circumstance culminates in a reduction of the liquid limit. With a 9% application of lime, an elevation in the liquid limit was observed (a decrease in other reaction materials). This is attributed to the excessive presence of lime. The optimal water content rose from 20% to 23% with a 5% application of lime. The stabilizer content (lime) reduces the maximum dry density from 1.63 to 1.585 g/cm3. Lime content enhances the compressibility of soft clay by lowering the coefficient of volume compressibility (mv) reduces with increasing stabilizer content and the optimum percent for lime. This is a result of the reaction between lime and soil

Degree of Creative Teaching Skills Used by Teachers Practicing Social Studies in Jordan in Light of the Variables of Qualification, Experience and Gender

The study aims to find out the degree to which teachers practicing social studies in Jordan use creative teaching skills and how the variables of qualification, experience and gender affect these skills. A random sample of 145 teachers was selected, and the tool of the study used consisted of 26 items to measure creative teaching skills. The study found that the degree of creative teaching skills used by teachers practicing social studies in Jordan in light of variables of qualification, experience and gender was large, with statistically significant differences in the degree of practice among teachers due to the variable of qualification in favor of master's degree holders and experience, especially those with less than 5 years. There were no significant differences in the variable of gender in the degree of creative teaching skills used by social studies teachers Keywords: skills, teachers, creative teaching

Social Studies Teachers’ Awareness of their Teaching Roles in Light of the Curriculum Based on Knowledge Economy in the Second Directorate of Education in Amman

The aim of this study was to explore the extent to which social studies’ teachers are aware of of their teaching roles in the cotext of knowledge economy based curriculum. The sample consisted of 125 randomly selected teachers of social studies (history, geography, social studies) in the second Directorate of Education in Amman, Jordan. In order to achieve the aims of the study, the researcher built a questionnaire in light of educational literature, and it was applied to the sample after ensuring its rlibility. The main result of the study was that the awareness of teachers of their teaching roles in the context of knowledge economy was high. Also, there were statistically significant differences in the level of wareness of teachers due to academic qualification in favor of teachers who obtained a master's degree. The results of the study showed that there were no significant differences in the awareness of teachers due to experience, specialty and sex

A Patient with autoimmune hepatitis and transverse myelitis presented with persistent Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, the discrepancies in assessing susceptibility; VISA versus Non-VISA

Vancomycin-Intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) is still uncommon among MRSA isolates. In our region, we rarely encountera case of VISA and/or GISA bacteremia. Here, we report a man who suffered from autoimmune hepatitis on immunosuppressive therapy and thoracic transverse myelitis suspected to be due to polyomavirus infection; he developed persistent MRSA blood stream infection, PVL-positive and MLST clonal complex 88 which is reported most commonly from Africa. A strain with Vancomycin susceptibility of 4 – 6 µg/ml (VISA) was initially identifid, retested again elsewhere and showed MIC of 2µg/ml and Teicoplanin susceptibility of 4µg/ml. Treatment failure occurred while attaining higher serum vancomycin levels than recommended and died

Effect Of Management Accounting Techniques In Improving The Quality Of Financial Reports: A Case Study From Kurdistan Region

Management accounts is a tool of management. In this respect, the conventional approach to management accountability reveals an opposition between strategic management, management control and operational control processes. The aims of this study is to provide the company with management accounting information systems, which will help the company to use its management accounting instruments to gain competitive advantage. Many organizations combine their strategic and priorities formally or informally with management accounting information in order to manage operational activities and participate in longer-term decision making. This research outlines the background of management accounting, early research on management account and a study to investigate the impact of management accounting techniques on Iraq companies’ financial reports

Usefulness of routine pairing of anaerobic with aerobic blood culture bottles and decision making on antimicrobial therapy

ObjectivesTo evaluate the growth concordance in paired aerobic/anaerobic sets, and the impact of the anaerobic growth on patients' antimicrobial management.MethodThis is a prospective multicenter study which was conducted in three hospitals, with total beds of 750 beds and 52 ICU beds. Prospectively, laboratory blood cultures logbooks were daily reviewed and patients from whom blood cultures were ordered were followed, their chart were reviewed. Entries on antimicrobial therapeutic changes were noted for all paired sets. Clinicians were blinded to the study, though they were informed about culture results via the usual work protocol in each hospital.ResultsCollected Blood culture sets totaled 2492; 172 single sets were excluded, and 1160 paired sets were analyzed. 1046 were concordant; 79 sets had bacterial growth and 967 sets had no bacterial growth. 114 sets were discordant; 97 in aerobic bottles, 13 in anaerobic, and 4 in both.The proportion of agreement for the concordant paired growth sets was 90.2%.  The composite proportion of agreement for sets with any growth (N = 193, composite proportion of agreement = 56%, 95% C.I., 34% - 48%). Cohen kappa composite agreement, measured for the total analyzed paired-sets (N = 1160, K = .52, SE = .038. 95% C.I., .447 - .595). The odds of modifying antimicrobial regimen were for total and subgroups intent to treat odds, based on paired sets showed that one modification took place in one anaerobic growth set (N = 1160, Odds = 0.0008), the odds for all sets with any growth (N = 193, odds = .005), and based on any anaerobic sets (79 concordant, 13 anaerobic, and 4 discordant) with bacterial growth (N = 96: odds = 0.010).ConclusionThe study demonstrates that the proportion of agreement among paired sets were high, and needless to include anaerobic sets in routine blood culture collection. Also the decision-making of anti-infective treatment on patients based on anaerobic blood culture growth was not evident

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background: There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low-and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods: Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results: Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion: For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe