Numerical Analysis of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) Shear Walls and Steel Strips under Cyclic Loads Using Finite Element Method

Reinforced concrete shear walls are the main elements of resistance against lateral loads in reinforced concrete structures. These walls should not only provide sufficient resistance but also provide sufficient ductility in order to avoid brittle fracture, particularly under strong seismic loads. However, many reinforced concrete shear walls need to be stabilized and reinforced due to various reasons such as changes in requirements of seismic regulations, weaknesses in design and execution, passage of time, damaging environmental factors, patch of rebar in plastic hinges and in some cases failures and weaknesses caused by previous earthquakes or explosion loads. Recently, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) components have been extensively and successfully used in seismic improvement. This study reinforces FRP reinforced concrete shear walls and steel strips. CFRP and steel strips are evaluated by different yield and ultimate strength. Numerical and experimental studies are done on walls with scale 1/2. These walls are exposed to cyclic loading. Hysteresis curves of force, drift and strain of FRP strips are reviewed in order to compare results of numerical work and laboratory results. Both numerical and laboratory results show that CFRP and steel strips increase resistance, capacity and ductility of the structure

Not a melting pot: Plant species aggregate in their non-native range

Aim: Plant species continue to be moved outside of their native range by human activities. Here, we aim to determine whether, once introduced, plants assimilate into native communities or whether they aggregate, thus forming mosaics of native- and alien-rich communities. Alien species might aggregate in their non-native range owing to shared habitat preferences, such as their tendency to establish in high-biomass, species-poor areas. Location: Twenty-two herbaceous grasslands in 14 countries, mainly in the temperate zone. Time period: 2012–2016. Major taxa studied: Plants. Methods: We used a globally coordinated survey. Within this survey, we found 46 plant species, predominantly from Eurasia, for which we had co-occurrence data in their native and non-native ranges. We tested for differences in co-occurrence patterns of 46 species between their native (home) and non-native (away) range. We also tested whether species had similar habitat preferences, by testing for differences in total biomass and species richness of the patches that species occupy in their native and non-native ranges. Results: We found the same species to show different patterns of association depending on whether they were in their native or non-native range. Alien species were negatively associated with native species; instead, they aggregated with other alien species in species-poor, high-biomass communities in their non-native range compared with their native range. Main conclusions: The strong differences between the native (home) and non-native (away) range in species co-occurrence patterns are evidence that the way in which species associate with resident communities in their non-native range is not species dependent, but is instead a property of being away from their native range. These results thus highlight that species might undergo important ecological changes when introduced away from their native range. Overall, we show origin-dependent associations that result in novel communities, in which alien-rich patches exist within a mosaic of native-dominated communities

The role of maternal emotional cognitive strategies and newborn gender satisfaction in the postpartum depression in the primiparous women

Background: The Postpartum depression has a negative effect on the infant’s developmental and behavioral performance, mother-child relationship and mother‘s health, and its etiology is also very complicated. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the role of maternal emotional cognitive strategies and newborn gender preference in the postpartum depression in primiparous women. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was performed on 205 primiparous women referring to health centers in Kerman city the center of Kerman province of Iran from 1April to 31 June 2015. Primiparous women according to presence (n=103) or absence (n=102) of postpartum depression (PPD< 12: without depression) were selected using purposeful sampling. The measurement tools included the demographic questionnaire, Edinburgh postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). The data were analyzed using SPSS software and the logistic regression method. Results: The results showed positive cognitive strategies including acceptance, positive re-focus and re-focus on planning have a negative relationship with the postpartum depression (P0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, postpartum depression can be predicted by emotional regulation cognitive strategies

In vitro Antimicrobial Effect of Punica granatum Extract versus Chlorhexidine on Streptococcus sobrinus, Streptococcus sanguinis, and Candida albicans

Background and Aim: Considering the search for an effective antimicrobial agent comparable to chlorhexidine (CHX), this study aimed to assess the antimicrobial effect of Punica granatum (P. granatum) hydroalcoholic extract on Streptococcus sobrinus (S. sobrinus), Streptococcus sanguinis (S. sanguinis) and Candida albicans (C. albicans), in comparison with CHX. Materials and Methods: In this in vitro study, the disc diffusion test was used to assess the antimicrobial activity of the extract by measuring the growth inhibition zones; while, the microdilution and macrodilution broth tests were applied to find the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extract against the tested microorganisms. The MBC was measured using the blood agar or Mueller Hinton agar culture medium. The Sabouraud dextrose agar culture medium was used for C. albicans. Each test was repeated in triplicate, and data were analyzed by independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: None of the tested microorganisms showed any resistance to the extract. CHX had the highest antimicrobial effect against all tested microorganisms. The MIC of the hydroalcoholic extract of P. granatum was 2.5 mg/mL for S. sobrinus and S. sanguinis, and 5 mg/mL for C. albicans. Its MBC was 5 mg/mL for S. sobrinus and S. sanguinis, and 10 mg/mL for C. albicans. The mean diameter of the growth inhibition zone for S. sobrinus caused by CHX was significantly greater than that caused by P. granatum extract (Mann-Whitney U test, P=0.043). The same result was obtained for S. sanguinis (Student sample t-test, P=0.002), and C. albicans (Mann-Whitney U test, P=0.046). Conclusion: The hydroalcoholic extract of P. granatum has bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects on S. sanguinis and S. sobrinus and antifungal effect on C. albicans comparable to CHX