Failure Behavior of Pultruded GFRP Members Under Combined Bending and Torsion

Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite sections, manufactured through pultrusion process, are known for their high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, low thermal conductivity, electric and magnetic transparency, low life cycle cost and ease of fabrication. They are being widely applied in infrastructure systems.;The load response of thin-walled GFRP composite sections is different from that of isotropic slender members. For instance, stress variation exists across the wall thickness and the FRP members are more prone to warping and local buckling including shear-lag. The literature survey revealed that the response of pultruded GFRP sections under combined bending and torsion has not yet been studied both in terms of the strength and stiffness.;Thru this research, the behavior of full scale sections was investigated under bending, torsion and combined bending and torsion. The shapes under investigation include circular, square and wide-flange with dimensions from 2 to 6 and lengths from 24 to 144 . The analytical part is based on modified flexural and torsional theories for anisotropic materials.;Due to the absence of any formulation on combined bending and torsion of orthotropic sections, the formulae for isotropic sections were extended for orthotropic ones. Some finite element analysis models were also included to make a comparison.;The experimental work consists of (i) determining the laminate properties at coupon level through tension-tests, shear-tests, burnout-tests and microscopy, and (ii) investigating the behavior of full-length samples under 3-point bending, pure torsion and combined bending and torsion. Under torsion and combined loading, a dedicated apparatus was designed, fabricated, instrumented and calibrated at WVU-CFC Major Units laboratory. This apparatus is capable of incorporating samples of cross-sections up to 6 x6 and lengths up to 144 ; with the angle of twist measurement ranging from +60° to -60°.;It was found from coupon tests that strength and modulus values are measurable with a reasonable range of accuracy, but fiber alignment and fiber volume fraction may vary along the cross-section. The bending behavior of full-length closed-sections was controlled by strength and that of wide-flange sections was due to flange-buckling. The torsional behavior of closed sections was also strength controlled, while the wide-flange section practically showed no torsional strength. The behavior under combined bending and torsion was influenced by principal stresses and maximum shear stresses under the effect of compressive bending and torsional shear stresses. On the T/Tmax - M/Mmax interaction curve, some of the data-points agreed-well with the ideal curve, while the others lay beyond that. The reasons of deviation were investigated to be load rate, variations in fiber content and different types of losses in the apparatus

Epidemiology of Oral Cancer in Pakistan

Oral carcinoma is one of the most frequently reported form of cancer in Pakistan. In time oncogenic prognosis facilities are still available in various regions countrywide. Provincial comparison indicates that more than 67% cases of oral squamous cancer are reported from Punjab whereas ratio in KPK is also high than Sindh and Baluchistan. The prevalence of this growing ailment can be minimized only by collaborative efforts of both government and general public regarding awareness of oral hygiene, causes of oral and esophageal carcinogenesis, early symptoms of this disease and its management.  &nbsp

Probabilistic Analysis of Strength of Structural Concrete for Post-Code Buildings in Developing Countries

Code compliance and quality construction remain a point of interest for developing countries. For structural vulnerability studies on reinforced concrete buildings, researchers usually adopt random strength parameters to represent the compressive strength of concrete for various structural members. This matter becomes a challenge if researchers are dealing to quantify the structural response of code-compliant buildings. Since the research on the response of code-compliant buildings is limited hence this paper aims at data collection and presenting the probabilistic trends in compressive strength variation of structural concrete being used or has been used in multiple projects of the federal capital city of Pakistan for code-compliant buildings. The data has been collected from well-reputed academic and commercial testing labs in the area for past 10 years (the timeline after implementation of BCP 2007). Compressive strength testing records of concrete cylinders for 28 days strength have been sorted for different structural members i.e., beams, columns, shear walls, slabs and footings separately. From the selected data, histograms have been plotted for each member category and mean values with standard deviations have been highlighted. Obtained results are further compared with anticipated design compressive strengths which were obtained from different tagged reports, design offices and resident engineers of the sites. The produced results would lead to true representation of structural strength of concrete for code-compliant buildings, to be further studied for structural vulnerability and risk assessments of the desired areas in developing countries

Effectiveness of pack intervention in the health care profession community on patients satisfaction

Objectives: To explore the factors that measured the patient satisfaction Measurement Tool (PS-MT) after the implementation of the Practical Approach to Care Kit at Primary healthcare centers of Lahore, Pakistan with health professionals who had been trained in the protocol. Methodology: A cross-sectional study through semi-structured interviews were carried out with doctors and nurses working at Primary health care tiers / Basic Health Units (BHUs)/ Dispensaries in the metropolitan city where the protocol was implemented. The interviews took place in the research participant's workplace, between October 2019 and March 2020. Descriptive information was represented in the form of a frequency table and graph and paired t-test was applied on pre and post changing and facilities provided to patients on primary health centers. Results: 400 respondents with 60 years of age visited the hospital.  The majority 212 of the respondents were male patients and 208 patients belong to a rural area. After the intervention, a significant difference was found in hospital management at p-value 0.02 and information system at p-value 0.000 Conclusion: We founded significant change after the implementation of the Practical Approach to Care Kit at primary healthcare centers of Pakistan with health professionals who had been trained in the protocol

Effect of Time-Lapse Administration of Panadol (Paracetamol) on Spleen and Kidney Functions of Adult Albino Mice

Panadol is a remarkable pain and fever reducing non opioid drug. It is known to be completely safe and tolerant medicine throughout the globe among people of all age groups. The goal of this study was to elaborate the histopathological effects of reduced interrupted regime of panadol on spleen and kidney functions of mice (Mus musculus). The animals were categorized into four groups, the control group (C), and rest of the three were labeled as 1, 2 and 3, made on the basis of time interval of pandol administration via gavage (n=7). Matched volume of panadol (15000 µg/0.1ml) and normal saline was given to mice.  Tissue samples were collected after sacrifice of the mice and processed for assessment. The findings of the current study reflected the histopathological damage of kidney and spleen caused by panadol in reduced interval of time. The kidney section illustrated clear distortion in glomeruli integrity, marked increase in interstitial spaces, damaged epithelia, and degeneration in tubules in all the groups. The spleen histology exhibited the degradation of white pulp, depopulation, activation of follicles, cellular disruption thereby overall disorganized stature. The raised values of serum creatinine and blood urea examinations also revealed the deleterious effects of panadol overconsumption. It is inferred from the above mentioned outcomes that though panadol is considered to be a safe drug even then its intake prior to four hours can account for adverse effects on kidney and spleen

Dynamic performance evaluation of ultrasonic composite horn for machining soft and brittle composites

Ultrasonic horn (USH) is a key component in high intensity power ultrasonic systems to enhance vibration amplitude at tool end (VATE). Due to high intensity ultrasonic operating frequency of at least , horn may be exposed to high stress levels leading to failure. The primary objective of USH design is to achieve high vibration amplification with good strength. In present research, the effect of fillet radius / roundness on ultrasonic composite horn (USCH) performance was investigated for various materials: stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, and steel, respectively, using finite element analysis (FEA). USCH was developed for ultrasonic machining of soft and brittle composites, especially Nomex honeycomb composite. The important performance parameters considered were longitudinal modal frequency (LMF), Von Mises (VM) stresses, magnification factor (MF), VATE and factor of safety (FS). LMF was found to increase, with decrease in VATE and VM stresses by increasing the roundness at the transition section. Titanium was observed to be highly appropriate material for USCH, because it delivered at least 81.6 % to 142.62 % more vibration amplification and up to 4 times higher factor of safety, consequently, operating life in comparison to other USCH materials

Hepatoprotective Effects of Silybum marianum

Oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, and transaminase reactions are some of the mechanisms that can lead to liver dysfunction. A time-dependent study was designed to evaluate the ability of silymarin (SLN) and glycyrrhizin (GLN) in different dosage regimens to lessen oxidative stress in the rats with hepatic injury caused by the hepatotoxin carbon tetrachloride. Wistar male albino rats (n = 60) were randomly assigned to six groups. Group A served as a positive control while groups B, C, D, E, and F received a dose of CCl4 (50% solution of CCl4 in liquid paraffin, 2 mL/kg, intraperitoneally) twice a week to induce hepatic injury. Additionally, the animals received SLN and GLN in different doses for a period of six weeks. CCl4 was found to induce hepatic injury by significantly increasing serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances while decreasing total protein and the activities of reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. Treatment with various doses of SLN and GLN significantly reduced ALT, AST, ALP, and TBARS levels and increased GSH, SOD, and CAT levels. Our findings indicated that SLN and GLN have hepatoprotective effects against oxidative stress of the liver

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability