CONCRETE MIX DESIGN USING SIMPLE EQUATIONS

The behaviour of concrete, whether fresh or hardened, depends basically on the behaviour of its components and the relationship between them, therefore, obtaining a concrete with certain properties depends fundamentally on the concrete mix design. Concrete mix design generally includes two main steps: 1-Selection of the main components suitable for the concrete (cement, aggregate, water, and additives); 2-Determination of more economical mix ratios to fulfil the workability, strength and efficiency requirements. Currently, there are many international methods locally approved for mix designs. They are all related to each other, they give relatively the same quantities of the mix components and they are all capable of providing a good concrete mix. It is important to consider that these methods give approximate quantities which should be checked by experimental mixes in order to obtain results suitable for the requirements of the local environment and local materials. The ACI and BS methods are the most commonly used. Both of these methods depend on graphs and standard tables derived from previous research experience and actual concrete production as well as studies of the properties of the materials used. This paper illustrates a new approach for concrete mix design named as: “Double Coating Method”, which is currently used in some research centers in the republic of Poland and was recently applied in the laboratories of the Civil Engineering Departments in the Universities of Tripoli and Benghazi in Libya. This paper describes experiment in which 24 mixtures were used to assess the usefulness of this technique for problem of proportioning concrete mixtures in general

COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Israel

Introduction. The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the causative agent for a series of atypical respiratory diseases in the Hubei Province of Wuhan, China in December of 2019. The disease SARS-CoV-2, termed COVID-19, was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. In Israel the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported on 21 February 2020 and the first death - on 20 March 2020. The first emergency restrictions were put in place by March 2020. Purpose. To analyze the of COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Israeli population during the pandemic. Material and methods. Data on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality were retrieved from the Ministry of Health of Israel and WHO databases, and officially published reports and scientific articles in English and Hebrew. Results. COVID-19 data suggest that about half (4.6 million) of the nearly 8.9 million of Israeli population had a confirmed COVID-19 infection over the six waves of outbreak (Fig. 1). The highest mortality rate was registered during the third (10.87 new deaths per million, January 2021) and fifth (13.88 new deaths per million, February 2022) waves of the outbreak. Case-fatality rate of COVID-19 was the highest (1.69%) in the earliest stage (May-June 2020) of the outbreak, and declined as treatment improved and response changed, reaching 0.26% in May 2022. Vaccination started in December 2020, nearly 75% of population being vaccinated by March 2022. All the waves had a predictive pattern of subsiding with more restrictions, and emerging again when the said restrictions were removed. Stringency Index - a composite measure based on nine response indicators including school closures, workplace closures, travel bans, stay-at-home requirements, face covering, contact tracing, testing policy and public information campaigns, rescaled to a value from 0 to 100 (100 = strictest) was used as a Government response tracker (Fig. 2). Conclusions. Six waves were registered during the COVID-19 outbreak in Israel. Vaccination and government's response policies, limiting possible contacts and corona virus spread, and early detection by testing on a large scale, played an essential role in determining the direction of the outbreak

Morbiditatea și mortalitatea prin COVID-19 în Israel

Background. On March 11, 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. In Israel the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported on 21 February 2020 and the first death – on 20 March 2020. The first emergency restrictions were put in place by March 2020. Objective of the study. To analyze COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in Israeli population during the pandemic. Material and Methods. Data on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality were retrieved from the Ministry of Health of Israel database and officially published reports and scientific articles. Results. COVID-19 data suggest that about half (4.1 million) of the nearly 8.9 million of Israeli population had a confirmed COVID-19 infection over the five waves of outbreak. The highest mortality rate was registered during the third (10.87 new deaths per million, January 2021) and fifth (13.88 new deaths per million, February 2022) waves of the outbreak. Case-fatality rate of COVID-19 was the highest (1.69%) in the earliest stage (May-June 2020) of the outbreak, and declined as treatment improved and response changed, reaching 0.26% in May 2022. Vaccination started in December 2020, nearly 75% of population being vaccinated by March 2022. Conclusion. Five waves were registered during the COVID-19 outbreak in Israel with vaccination and government’s response policies playing an essential role in determining the direction of the outbreak.Introducere. La 11 martie 2020, OMS a declarat COVID-19 drept pandemie. În Israel, primul caz confirmat de COVID-19 a fost raportat la 21 februarie 2020, iar primul deces – la 20 martie 2020. Primele restricții de urgență au fost instituite până în martie 2020. Scopul lucrării. Analiza morbidității și mortalității prin COVID-19 în populația israeliană în timpul pandemiei. Material și metode. Datele privind morbiditatea și mortalitatea prin COVID-19 au fost preluate din baza de date a Ministerului Sănătății din Israel și rapoartele oficiale și articole științifice publicate. Rezultate. Datele despre COVID-19 sugerează că aproximativ jumătate (4,1 milioane) din cei aproape 8,9 milioane de populația israeliană au avut o infecție confirmată cu COVID-19 în cele cinci valuri ale focarului. Cea mai mare rată a mortalității a fost înregistrată în timpul celui de-al treilea (10,87 decese noi la 1 milion, ianuarie 2021) și al cincilea (13,88 decese noi la 1 milion, februarie 2022) valuri ale focarului. Rata de letalitate prin COVID-19 a fost cea mai mare (1,69%) în prima etapă (mai-iunie 2020) a focarului și a scăzut pe măsură ce tratamentul s-a îmbunătățit și răspunsul s-a schimbat, ajungând la 0,26% în mai 2022. Vaccinarea a început în decembrie 2020, aproape 75% din populație fiind vaccinată până în martie 2022. Concluzii. Au fost înregistrate cinci valuri în timpul focarului de COVID-19 în Israel, iar vaccinarea și politicile de răspuns ale guvernului au jucat un rol esențial în determinarea direcției focarului

The Effect of the Late Global Financial Crisis on the Jordanian Insurance Companies Profits (Case of Jordan)

This study aims to shed light on the effects left by the global financial crisis in the Jordanian insurance sector and the efficiency change of Jordan’s insurance companies after the global financial crisis. researchers have used the correlation coefficient test, t-tests ,and Simple regression in the statistical analysis. The study results found no significant  impact of the global financial crisis on the net income on the Jordanian insurance companies while there was a significant impact of the global financial crisis on company assets and equities as compared to their value prior to the financial crisis.  The study recommended the need to develop and initiate laws and regulations that will reduce the sudden effects which occur in the private insurance sector and the local and global economy

Oral Candida albicans isolates from HIV-positive individuals have similar in vitro biofilm-forming ability and pathogenicity as invasive Candida isolates

Background: Candida can cause mucocutaneous and/or systemic infections in hospitalized and immunosuppressed patients. Most individuals are colonized by Candida spp. as part of the oral flora and the intestinal tract. We compared oral and systemic isolates for the capacity to form biofilm in an in vitro biofilm model and pathogenicity in the Galleria mellonella infection model. The oral Candida strains were isolated from the HIV patients and included species of C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, C. krusei, C. norvegensis, and C. dubliniensis. The systemic strains were isolated from patients with invasive candidiasis and included species of C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis, C. lusitaniae, and C. kefyr. For each of the acquired strains, biofilm formation was evaluated on standardized samples of silicone pads and acrylic resin. We assessed the pathogenicity of the strains by infecting G. mellonella animals with Candida strains and observing survival.Results: The biofilm formation and pathogenicity in Galleria was similar between oral and systemic isolates. The quantity of biofilm formed and the virulence in G. mellonella were different for each of the species studied. on silicone pads, C. albicans and C. dubliniensis produced more biofilm (1.12 to 6.61 mg) than the other species (0.25 to 3.66 mg). However, all Candida species produced a similar biofilm on acrylic resin, material used in dental prostheses. C. albicans, C. dubliniensis, C. tropicalis, and C. parapsilosis were the most virulent species in G. mellonella with 100% of mortality, followed by C. lusitaniae (87%), C. novergensis (37%), C. krusei (25%), C. glabrata (20%), and C. kefyr (12%).Conclusions: We found that on silicone pads as well as in the Galleria model, biofilm formation and virulence depends on the Candida species. Importantly, for C. albicans the pathogenicity of oral Candida isolates was similar to systemic Candida isolates, suggesting that Candida isolates have similar biofilm-forming ability and virulence regardless of the infection site from which it was isolated

How artificial intelligence changes the future of accounting industry

Purpose: The main theme of the study relates to the assessment of the impact of artificial intelligence on accounting professionals, especially the upcoming generation of an accountant. The study aims to assess the effects of the introduction of AI-based systems in the field of accounting and answer the question of how it has changed the world of accounting professionals and to forward relevant suggestions to policymakers. Design/Approach/Methodology: The study consists of the results of qualitative document analysis on the topic of artificial intelligence in the accounting industry. Findings: The research concludes that the serious concerns amongst the practicing accountant in the present-day world can be replaced by an Artificial Intelligence-based automated system. To avoid this fate, the accountants need not only to adapt to the use of information technology but also need to adapt to the ever-changing business environment. Practical Implication: It has been recommended that to enhance the performance and effectiveness of accounting functions the accountants and accounting firms should keep abreast of continuous improvements in artificial intelligence in their field, which will eventually lead to a reduction in accounting costs to the firm along with adding value to the accounting industry by shifting the focus of accountants to data-driven and analytics-based decision from existing monotonous tasks. Originality/Value: The study is original and it adds to scholarly debate on how the technology revolution changes the future of the accounting industry.peer-reviewe

Estudo duplo-cego, randômico comparando indinavir, zidovudina e indinavir mais zidovudina na terapia anti-retroviral de indivíduos HIV+ sem tratamento anterior, com contagem de células CD4 entre 50 e 250/mm3

Treatment with indinavir has been shown to result in marked decreases in viral load and increases in CD4 cell counts in HIV-infected individuals. A randomized double-blind study to evaluate the efficacy of indinavir alone (800 mg q8h), zidovidine alone (200 mg q8h) or the combination was performed to evaluate progression to AIDS. 996 antiretroviral therapy-naive patients with CD4 cell counts of 50-250/mm3 were allocated to treatment. During the trial the protocol was amended to add lamivudine to the zidovudine-containing arms. The primary endpoint was time to development of an AIDS-defining illness or death. The study was terminated after a protocol-defined interim analysis demonstrated highly significant reductions in progression to a clinical event in the indinavir-containing arms, compared to the zidovudine arm (p<0.0001). Over a median follow-up of 52 weeks (up to 99 weeks), percent reductions in hazards for the indinavir plus zidovudine and indinavir groups compared to the zidovudine group were 70% and 61%, respectively. Significant reductions in HIV RNA and increases in CD4 cell counts were also seen in the indinavir-containing groups compared to the zidovudine group. Improvement in both CD4 cell count and HIV RNA were associated with reduced risk of disease progression. All three regimens were generally well tolerated.Foi demonstrado que o tratamento com indinavir resulta em importante redução da carga viral e aumentos das células CD4 em pacientes infectados pelo HIV. Foi realizado um estudo duplo-cego, randômico para avaliar a eficácia do indinavir isoladamente (800 mg cada 8h), zidovudina isoladamente (200 mg cada 8h) ou a combinação, para avaliar a progressão para AIDS. Foram distribuidos para tratamento 996 pacientes virgens de tratamento antiretroviral, com contagens de CD4 entre 50 e 250 células/mm3. Durante o estudo, o protocolo foi modificado para adicionar lamivudina aos braços contendo zidovudina. O "endpoint" primário foi o tempo para o desenvolvimento de uma doença-definidora de AIDS ou morte. O estudo foi interrompido após uma análise preliminar definida no protocolo ter demonstrado reduções significativas na progressão para um evento clínico nos grupos contendo indinavir, comparado ao grupo da zidovudina (p< 0,0001). Após uma mediana de seguimento de 52 semanas (chegando a 99 semanas), as reduções percentuais nas ocorrências para indinavir+zidovudina e indinavir, comparado com zidovudina foram de 70% e 61%, respectivamente. Reduções significativas na medida do RNA viral e aumentos nas contagens de CD4 também foram observadas nos grupos contendo indinavir, em relação ao da zidovudina. A melhora nas células CD4 e RNA viral foram ambas associadas a risco reduzido de progressão da doença. Os três tratamentos foram geralmente bem tolerados