Construction of N-M Interaction Diagram for Reinforced Concrete Columns Strengthened with Steel Jackets Using Plastic Stress Distribution Method

No attempts have been made in developing the N-M interaction diagram for reinforced concrete columns strengthened with steel jackets using the plastic stress distribution method. Therefore, this paper presents an analytical model to construct the N-M interaction diagram for reinforced concrete columns strengthened with steel jackets using the plastic stress distribution method after assuming the behavior of strengthened column to be like composite column and including the effects of confinement on concrete compressive strength. The proposed model was compared with experimental results. The comparisons showed that the model is conservative and it reveals the ultimate strength of the strengthened column. A parametric study has been also carried out to investigate the influence of various parameters on the N-M interaction diagram of the strengthened column. These parameters were: dimensions of steel angle, yield stress of the steel angles, concrete compressive strength and the size of the reinforcement bars used in RC columns. The results made clear the effects of these parameters on the N-M interaction diagram, and encouraged the use of the model in preliminary strengthening studies

Thin RC Shell-Slab Roofing System with Steel Rod Connections

An innovated structural system, namely the Shell-Slab Roofing System(SSRS) of precast thin reinforced concrete cylindrical shell and flat slab has beenfabricated as a roof segmental unit. The flat slab rests on the cylindrical shell at thecrown and also connected to the shell by steel rod connections at each side. Steelplate strips are fixed on the bottom surface of the slab and on the top and thebottom surfaces of the shell as external tensile and shear steel reinforcement toprevent punching shear around the steel rod connections. The ratio of the shellheight to the chord length was (0.1). The structural behavior of the roof system hadbeen investigated under uniformly distributed static load. Experimental work wascarried out by fabrication of six complete segments with scale-down simulationfactor equal to (0.25). The vertical deflections had been observed at selectedpositions on the models. A water/cement ratio of (0.5) combined with a cement:sand ratio of (1:2) had been employed. The influence of certain experimentalparameters had been studied. The model with only twelve rod connections andminimum reinforcement volume ratio was adequate to resist the live loads forbuildings with large span roofing. The investigation showed that the combined unitof thin concrete shell and flat slab with embedded small diameter steelreinforcement was suitable for construction of such roofing system as large spanstructures with lower ratio of shell height to chord length (h/c) equal to (0.1)

First Order Phase Transformation in Amorphous Ge25Se75 – xSbx Glasses

Non-isothermal Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique was used to study the kinetics of first order phase transformation in Ge25Se75 – xSbx glasses. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was employed to investigate the amorphous and crystalline phases in Ge25Se75 – xSbx glasses. From the heating rate dependences of crystallization temperature; the activation energy for crystallization and other kinetics parameters were derived. The temperature difference (Tc – Tg) and Tc is highest for the samples with 6 % of Sb. Hence, Ge25Se69Sb6 glass is most stable. The enthalpy released is found to be less for Ge25Se69Sb6 glass which further confirms its maximum stability. The activation energy of crystallization (Ec) is found to vary with compositions indicating a structural change due to the addition of Sb. The crystallization data are interpreted in terms of recent analyses developed for non-isothermal conditions. The present investigation indicates that both the glass transition and the crystallization processes occur in a single stage. When you are citing the document, use the following link http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/3101

Factors influencing patient loyalty to outpatient medical services: an empirical analysis of the UAE’s government healthcare system

Purpose The aim of this research is to uncover issues that inhibit patients' satisfaction and loyalty and identify factors that could enhance customer retention by government hospitals in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The mediating impact of outpatient satisfaction on service quality, word of mouth (WoM), hospital image, outpatient–physician relationship and outpatient loyalty were tested. Design/methodology/approach The sample data used to test the hypotheses were drawn from a pool of patients served by a government healthcare agency in Abu Dhabi. Questionnaires were provided to 418 participants using methods such as short message service, e-mail and face-to-face delivery. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS 3.3.2 software. Findings The results indicate that service quality, WoM and outpatient–physician relationship positively impact outpatient satisfaction and indirectly effect outpatient loyalty; that hospital image positively impacts outpatient satisfaction and loyalty and has a partially mediating effect on loyalty; that waiting time satisfaction has no effect on outpatient satisfaction and no moderating effect on the outpatient satisfaction–loyalty relationship and that switching cost has a positive effect on loyalty but no moderating effect on the outpatient satisfaction–loyalty relationship. Research limitations/implications The first limitation of this study concerns the fact that only patients who had previously been served by these hospitals' outpatient units were included. Furthermore, the research was not able to obtain extensive findings related to the various factors that negatively impacted patient satisfaction and loyalty among all of the departments of government hospitals, such as inpatient care and emergency care. Practical implications Centered on the findings from this research, increasing switching costs would prevent patients from switching to other healthcare providers. Therefore, it has the potential to create a false loyalty or a hostage customer (Jones and Sasser, 1995). Additionally, making patients feel connected to their treatment plan and engaged in their care by developing a tool to maintain their enthusiasm about their health is important. It is therefore recommended that government hospital care providers and management consider providing online tools that patients can use to self-manage their care. Social implications The results regarding patients' satisfaction level suggest several areas for improvement. The first pertains to waiting area entertainment and comfort because patients indicated that there is not enough entertainment or ways to pass the time when waiting for services. In addition to enhancing the entertainment and comfort of waiting areas, government hospital staff should maintain contact with patients who are waiting to ensure that they are aware of the time they will spend. Another area for improvement is the parking lot. During summer, patients prefer to walk less in the sun, which causes them to seek parking closer to the door. Government hospital management should consider different methods for transporting patients closer to the door, such as golf carts or valet services. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate the mediating impact of outpatients' satisfaction between its antecedents and loyalty in the UAE. These results provide an improved understanding of the factors influencing patient choices and establish more accurate methods for increasing patient loyalty to retain more patients

The Role of Media and Islamic Criminal Legislation in Reducing Crime (From the perspective of students of the University of Jordan)

The study aimed to know the role of the media and its various styles, as well as the role of Islamic criminal legislation in reducing crime and identifying the obstacles that limit the effectiveness of the media in the prevention of crime. A random sample of 600 students was selected at different university levels at the University of Jordan, as well as personal background factors (independent variables): sex, place of residence, specialty, so that eleven different positions were identified, asking the respondents to determine their opinion on their respective trends. Keywords: Role, Media, Islamic Criminal Legislation, Crime DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/44-05 Publication date: September 30th 201

Colour change in traumatised anterior permanent teeth. A prospective cohort observational study

Background: There is limited information about colour change following traumatic dental injuries (TDI), and any variable associated with discolouration. It is now increasingly recognised that children’s perception and satisfaction are important and may provide an insight into the psychosocial impact of their oral health and their wider quality of life. Therefore, research to quantify colour change with time following TDI and the patient’s perception is important. This study was designed to identify any association between clinical variables and discolouration following TDI. Aim: To investigate the change in colour of permanent teeth following TDI in children. To explore what variables are associated with discolouration. To examine methods of measuring colour change including IKAM system (objective measure), the use of a shade guide (clinical pseudo objective measure), patient’s perception (patient reported measure) and to evaluate the agreement between these three methodologies. Method: Children following TDI were invited to participate in an observational prospective cohort. Colour change was measured using patients’ perception, investigator’s perception (using a shade guide) and an objective digital system (IKAM). Measurements were taken at baseline, 3 months and 6 months following the TDI with IKAM providing objective CIELAB colour scores. Results: Thirty-nine children, with 73 traumatised teeth, completed the study. Twenty-six children attended two follow-up reviews comprising 52 teeth, and thirteen children attended for one follow-up visit only with 21 teeth. A heterogenous sample of TDI was recruited including various types of hard tissue injuries and periodontal injuries with variable pulpal survival and periodontal healing outcomes. At the last review (n=73 teeth) the objective overall colour change was ΔE 5.45 (SD +/- 2.80) with a mean change in ΔL* 0.74 (lighter), Δa* 0.69 (redder) and Δb* 1.73 (yellower). There was little consistency between patients reported colour change and that recorded by the investigator using a shade guide. There was no significant difference in ΔE values as measured by IKAM in comparison with the patients’ or investigator’s perception. Conclusions: Following TDI, there was an observable colour change identified by an objective measure, IKAM. On average, teeth got predominantly yellow and to a lesser extent lighter and redder. Patients and investigator measures were inconsistent when compared to the objective measure (IKAM). No variables were identified to be associated with colour change. However several variables came to significance (p<0.05). These variables were; time interval between the baseline assessment and the final review, presence of hard tissue injury, splinting, and restoration placed at or before baseline

Rancang Bangun Model Sistem Informasi Pelayanan Terpadu Satu Pintu untuk Meningkatkan Kualitas Pelayanan Sekolah

The service process in some schools is still running ineffectively, due to the aging process, such&nbsp;as the use of ledgers for archiving and recording of data that is managed, this requires a long&nbsp;time and a large cost, so it is deemed ineffective and inefficient. To overcome this problem, a&nbsp;computerized system is needed so that it can overcome the problem and be able to assist in&nbsp;speeding up the process, besides that it can improve the quality of service. This study proposes&nbsp;the design of a one-stop integrated service information system automatically using various&nbsp;methods including methods of data collection through the process of observation and&nbsp;interviews, current and expected analysis methods using pieces to evaluate performance and&nbsp;design methods using uml (unified modeling language) which includes usecase diagrams,&nbsp;squares diagrams and activity diagrams as tools to describe object-oriented programming&nbsp;languages and the use of mysql for database management, which in turn will produce a wellintegrated system. So this research can improve the quality of school services

Influence of Polyethylene Soil Mulch and Foliar Application of Urea , Complete Fertilizers, Seaweed in Alleviating Salt Stress of Broccoli (Brassica Oleracea Var.Italica)

This experiment was carried out to study the effect of soil mulch (with black polyethylene) and foliar application of  urea, complete fertilizer and seaweed as well as control) and their interaction in alleviation of salt stress on broccoli which cultivated in salty soil(11.3 dS.m-1) under drip irrigation , by estimating of leaf area, SOD and Catalase activity , MDA and Glutathione concentration in both of leaves and flowers.  In broccoli leaves, soil mulch gave a significant effect in each of leaf area, SOD activity and non- significant effect in catalase activity, Glutathione  and MDA concentration , while in flowers it caused a significant effects on all studied parameters except catalase activity compared to no mulch treatment . Complete fertilizer treatment caused higher effect in all studied parameters than urea and seaweed compared to control treatment . In all studied parameters , the interaction between soil mulch and foliar treatments had high significant effect . complete fertilizer + mulch treatment was the  best, which caused increase in leaf area , SOD and Catalase activity in addition of Glutathione concentration compared to control treatment in both leaves and flowers , while it caused the biggest significant decrease in MDA concentration in both of leaves and flowers. Keywords: Broccoli, Foliar fertilizer, seaweed , soil mulch, Urea, complete fertilize

Experimental Investigation of Composite Steel-Concrete Arches

This research is concerned with behavior of composite steel-concrete arches under static load. For this purpose, eight models of composite steel-concrete arches are fabricated as test specimens.According to their supporting systems, the eight fabricated specimens are equally divided into Hinge-Roller and Hinge-Hinge supported arches in which varied numbers of shear connectors are used to investigate the effects of support conditions and degree of shear connection on the behavior of the composite arches. The specimens are tested under monotonically increasing point load applied on their crowns (on the top of concrete slabs). The mechanical properties of the used materials are determined by laboratory tests. Push-out tests on three specimens, fabricated for this purpose, are also carried out to determine the properties of the stud shear connectors. It is concluded that increasing the number of connectors tends to increase the ultimate load capacity and decrease both displacement and slip in the composite arches. This trend is considerably satisfied when the horizontal movements of supports are constrained (Hinge-Hinge supported arches)