Alien Registration- Cronkhite, Beulah M. (Bridgewater, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/26131/thumbnail.jp

Experimental and Analytical Study of High-Strength Concrete Containing Natural Zeolite and Additives

The study compares the durability of Natural Zeolite with Metakaolin, Silica Fume, and Fly Ash on high-strength concrete. 300 concrete specimens were tested for compressive strength before and after an acid attack, modulus of elasticity, water absorption, and rapid chloride permeability. 5%, 10%, and 15% of the cement were replaced with cementitious elements while maintaining the same quantity of Natural Zeolite. In this investigation, the water-cement ratio was maintained at 0.35. After 28 days, the specimens were tested for durability. Samples of all mixes were TG/DT and FTIR tested. The optimal percentages of cementitious materials that resulted to the maximum durability enhancements were reported as the study results. Experimental results showed that Natural Zeolite and Metakaolin strengthened the durability of concrete. All the data show that 5% Natural Zeolite with 10% Metakaolin performs well. Good R2values and appropriate independent variable coefficients suggested that the regression findings for high-strength concrete durability were accurate. The P values of all models were less than 0.005 and the F values were statistically significant and appropriate; therefore, the generated models predict concrete's strength with authenticity. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-10-019 Full Text: PD

Multigene Genetic Programming Based Prediction of Concrete Fracture Parameters of Unnotched Specimens

This study explores the fracture energy of notched and unnotched concrete specimens subjected to the classical three-point bend test, instantiating a gradational step in the continued development of concrete fracture mechanics. An experimental campaign involving 18 notched test specimens and nine unnotched specimens of three different grades of concrete, an examination of the existing literature models for unnotched specimens, and a novel Multigene Genetic programming (MGGP) based concrete fracture energy model for unnotched specimens are integral to this study. As a salient result, the multiple approaches to quasi-brittle materials adopted in the study, highlighted the criticality of the determination of fracture energy, tensile strength and characteristic length for the crack width study. The failure modes of notched and unnotched specimens were found to be similar. The reported literature has mainly focused on a limited number of fracture energy influencing parameters. Therefore, six impact parameters have been chosen and incorporated into the present study to provide a more acceptable explanation of concrete fracture behaviour. A sensitivity analysis of the parameters and an error analysis of the model undertaken have established the accuracy and robustness of the developed MGGP model. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-02-011 Full Text: PD

Competition Reform in the Philippine Rice Sector

The rice sector is regulated by the National Food Authority, with imports under a statutory monopoly. Consistent with previous studies done on the rice supply chain, a rapid appraisal finds that the domestic paddy and rice supply chain is highly competitive. Entry into import business is however severely curtailed. Welfare analysis indicates that in 2013, if quantitative restrictions were eliminated and rice imports were allowed to freely enter the country, rice imports would have increased tenfold, bringing down the retail price of rice to PHP 19.80/kg from PHP 33.08/kg. Consumer surplus would have increased by PHP 178 billion, compared to a PHP 34 billion reduction in producer surplus, for a net social benefit of PHP 138 billion. This paper recommends tariffication, i.e., liberalized importation policy with moderate tariffs

Geopolymer Bricks Using Iron Ore Tailings, Slag Sand, Ground Granular Blast Furnace Slag and Fly Ash

World is pound with million tonnes of industrial wastes such as ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), flyash and mine tailings as a various industrial waste. The best way to make use of these wastes is to incorporate these materials as structural elements, which in turn minimizes the carbon foot print. In this contest, this study focuses on using iron ore tailings and slag sand as a replacement for clay or natural sand for the production of stabilized geopolymer blocks. Also, in this study geopolymer is used as a stabilizer instead of cement. Development of geopolymer binder based bricks using flyash and ground granulated blast furnace slag has been carried out in this research. The study includes mechanical properties of the geopolymer bricks. Sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution have been used as alkaline activators. The ratio of alkaline liquid to aluminosilicate solid ratio and percentage of binder had major influence on the strength of brick. The bricks were casted and cured at ambient temperature. The compressive strength was carried out at 7, 14 and 28 days

Beulah Fenderson Smith Correspondence

Entries include brief biographical information, a typed biography, several lengthy and descriptive newspaper review clippings with the poems: Time Runs Me By, Legacy, Roots, and Return, a typed letter from Smith concerning the Maine Author Collection, a typed letter from the Maine State Library in receipt of Smith\u27s book gift, and a publisher advertisement with the photographic image of Smith holding her dog The Deacon and an author biography

Division of Student Affairs: Centennial History

This departmental history was written on the occasion of the UND Centennial in 1983.https://commons.und.edu/departmental-histories/1110/thumbnail.jp

Controlling Internal Pore Sizes in Bicontinuous Polymeric Nanospheres

Complex polymeric nanospheres were formed in water from comb-like amphiphilic block copolymers. Their internal morphology was determined by three-dimensional cryo-electron tomographic analysis. Varying the polymer molecular weight (MW) and the hydrophilic block weight content allowed for fine control over the internal structure. Construction of a partial phase diagram allowed us to determine the criteria for the formation of bicontinuous polymer nanosphere (BPN), namely for copolymers with MW of up to 17?kDa and hydrophilic weight fractions of ?0.25; and varying the organic solvent to water ratio used in their preparation allowed for control over nanosphere diameters from 70 to 460?nm. Significantly, altering the block copolymer hydrophilic–hydrophobic balance enabled control of the internal pore diameter of the BPNs from 10 to 19?nm

Current practices, challenges and new advances in the collection and use of food composition data for Africa

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.High-quality food composition data are indispensable for improved decisionmaking in food security, health policy formulation, food labeling, diet formulation, agricultural policymaking, nutrition research, and many other nutrition-related activities. The optimisation of dietary patterns is a powerful tool to reduce the impact of malnutrition on a population’s health and well-being. Many countries in resource-poor settings lack a framework for developing and managing food composition data appropriate for these purposes. In the article, an overview of available food composition tables in Africa and the origin, use and limitations of theses tables are discussed. It is important that those working on any nutrition-related activity for resource-poor settings understand the limitations of current food composition data. Production of high-quality data requires the harmonization and adoption of international standards and guidelines across Africa. Moreover, continuity in the production, compilation and management of high-quality food composition data is challenged by suboptimal capacity building in terms of organizational, institutional and legal framework development. In this perspective article, the authors deliberate on challenges with a focus on Africa, while discussing new advances in food composition activities. Opportunities (such as the Internet of Things (IoT), wearable devices, natural language processing (NLP) and other machine learning techniques) to improve existing resources must be more actively explored and supported.The Economic and Social Research Council under the ARUA-GCRF UKRI Partnership Program as part of the Capacity Building in Food Security (CaBFoodS-Africa) project and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)/National Research Foundation (NRF) South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChl) in the National Development Plan Priority Area of Nutrition and Food Security.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systemsam2024Animal and Wildlife SciencesSDG-02:Zero Hunge

High Annual Risk of Tuberculosis Infection among Nursing Students in South India: A Cohort Study

Background: Nurses in developing countries are frequently exposed to infectious tuberculosis (TB) patients, and have a high prevalence of TB infection. To estimate the incidence of new TB infection, we recruited a cohort of young nursing trainees at the Christian Medical College in Southern India. Annual tuberculin skin testing (TST) was conducted to assess the annual risk of TB infection (ARTI) in this cohort. Methodology/Principal Findings: 436 nursing students completed baseline two-step TST testing in 2007 and 217 were TST-negative and therefore eligible for repeat testing in 2008. 181 subjects completed a detailed questionnaire on exposure to tuberculosis from workplace and social contacts. A physician verified the questionnaire and clinical log book and screened the subjects for symptoms of active TB. The majority of nursing students (96.7%) were females, almost 84% were under 22 years of age, and 80% had BCG scars. Among those students who underwent repeat testing in 2008, 14 had TST conversions using the ATS/CDC/IDSA conversion definition of 10 mm or greater increase over baseline. The ARTI was therefore estimated as 7.8% (95%CI: 4.3-12.8%). This was significantly higher than the national average ARTI of 1.5%. Sputum collection and caring for pulmonary TB patients were both high risk activities that were associated with TST conversions in this young nursing cohort. Conclusions: Our study showed a high ARTI among young nursing trainees, substantially higher than that seen in the general Indian population. Indian healthcare providers and the Indian Revised National TB Control Programme will need to implement internationally recommended TB infection control interventions to protect its health care workforce