Prestressed concrete targets under high rate of loading

© The Author(s) 2018. Prestressed concrete is highly being preferred as material for construction in the case of strategic and relevant structures such as, for instance, nuclear containments, armor deposits, shelters, bridges, and military bunkers. It is highly durable, fire and corrosion resistant, and non-porous. In order to study the influence of prestressing on the mechanics of deformation, energy absorption capacity, and failure modes of concrete targets, finite element simulations have been carried out using hard steel bullets and compared with the experiments carried out by the authors earlier. Prestressed concrete targets of plan size 450 mm × 450 mm and thickness of 80 mm were impacted by 0.5-kg hard steel projectiles. The concrete was designed to obtain an unconfined compressive strength of 48 MPa. An initial stress of 10% magnitude of compressive strength was induced by 4-mm-diameter high-tensile-strength (1700 MPa) steel wires in prestressed concrete targets. A grid of 8-mm-diameter steel bars was inserted in the reinforced and prestressed concrete targets to enable the straight comparison between these concretes. The prestressing in concrete has been found to be effective in reducing the volume of scabbed material as well as the ballistic resistance of prestressed concrete targets. The ballistic limit of prestressed concrete with 10% induced stress was found to be, respectively, 14% higher than that of the plain concrete target and 10.2% higher than the reinforced concrete. Failure modes predicted through finite element simulations were found in agreement with that of the actual results

Experimental Study of Plain and Reinforced Concrete Targets Subjected to Impact Loading

AbstractIn order to study the influence of the plain concrete and reinforced concrete on ballistic performances. Penetration tests were conducted on different thicknesses of plain concrete and reinforced concrete plates having 40Mpa unconfined compressive strength and reinforcement of 8mm diameter steel mesh in reinforced concrete plates is incorporated. The plates were 450mm of diameter and 60mm, 80mm, 100mm thicknesses are studied. The plates were subjected to an impact of hard steel projectile with ogive nose weighing 1kg with diameter 19mm and length of 450mm. The projectiles were accelerated by the laboratory pneumatic gun to velocities range between 28m/s to 102m/s. impact and residual velocities were measured by the high speed digital camera system. Ballistic resistance of plain concrete and reinforced concrete at different thicknesses had been find out in the experiments and compared with already proposed analytical formula. The results thus obtained are presented and influences there on due to the variation in the concrete plate thicknesses to the projectile impact are discussed. The ballistic limit was found to increase with an increase of target thickness

Sigmoid perforation caused by an ingested chicken bone presenting as right iliac fossa pain mimicking appendicitis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Gastrointestinal perforation due to a foreign body is not unknown. The foreign body often mimics another cause of acute abdomen and requires emergency surgical intervention. The majority of patients do not recall ingesting the foreign body. Perforations have been reported to occur in a pathologically abnormal colon.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report an interesting case of a 47-year-old Caucasian man who had a perforation of the sigmoid colon caused by an ingested chicken bone mimicking acute appendicitis. Our patient presented with right iliac fossa pain and local tenderness. When a laparotomy was performed, a chicken bone was found protruding through the sigmoid colon, which was found to lie in the right iliac fossa, thus mimicking acute appendicitis. Our case is different from previously reported cases in that perforation occurred in a non-pathological colon.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our case emphasises the fact that the operating surgeon has to be aware of various differential diagnostic possibilities which mimic acute appendicitis. This has implications on the training of junior surgeons who are often involved in performing these procedures, and may do so out of hours. Care needs to be taken while obtaining consent for the necessary operation.</p

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ASTHMA SEVERITY & CONTROL AMONG PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH & WITHOUT CO-MORBID RHINITIS

Objective: This study hopes to compare the severity and control of asthma among patients presenting with and without co-morbid rhinitis. Methodology:This retrospective, comparative analysis was conducted upon a total of 377 asthmatic patients, presenting at the medical out-patient department with and without co-morbid rhinitis. The data was collected using a structured interview based questionnaire (after taking written informed consent) which included in-depth inquiries regarding the asthma severity and control for the past 4 week. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS v. 21. 0. Results: Among the 377 subjects, 200 were males while 177 were females. Mean age of the subjects was 36 years. 172 asthmatic patients in the sample suffered from the co-morbid rhinitis, while the remaining did not have the said comorbidity. Asthmatic patients with co-morbid rhinitis experienced more frequent asthmatic attacks. The incidence of visits to the emergency room and frequency of hospital admissions too was high among asthmatic patients with co-morbid rhinitis. Conclusion: The results reveal that, all attempts to draw a comparison of asthma severity and control among patients with and without comorbid rhinitis yield clear and unidirectional results, leading to a transparent conclusion i.e. the asthma severity and control is considerably poorer in asthmatics with co-morbid rhinitis. Keywords: Asthma, Severity, Control, Rhinitis and Co-morbidity

CASUAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF INCIDENCE & EXTENT OF ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AMONG SMOKERS & NON-SMOKERS PRESENTING AT A MALE SEXUAL HEALTH CLINIC IN HYDERABAD

Background: The term ‘‘erectile dysfunction’’ (ED) is defined as the inability to achieve and maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. ED affects millions of men throughout the world, with a strong negative effect on the quality of life and well-being of men and couples. The etiology of ED once was considered to be mainly psychogenic. However, because of advances in the understanding of the physiology of erection and the development of modern diagnostic techniques, it is now generally agreed that the etiology of ED is often multifactorial, with psychological, neurological, endocrine, vascular, traumatic or iatrogenic causes.Objective: Smoking, among many other causes, is believed to be associated with smoking. This study hopes to compare the incidence and extent of erectile dysfunction (ED) among smokers and non-smokers presenting at a male sexual health clinic in an attempt to further understand the association. Methodology: This casual-comparative analysis was conducted upon a total of 64 male patients presenting with erectile dysfunction at a sexual health clinic. Inquiries regarding the habit of smoking were made using a structured interview based questionnaire and extent of erectile dysfunction was investigated using the “International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) Questionnaire”. The data obtained was analyzed using MS. Excel 2017 and SPSS v. 21.0. Results: Smokers showed a markedly high incidence when compared to non-smokers. The extent of erectile dysfunction too was observed to be significantly high among smokers in comparison to non-smokers. Ex-smokers too showed a more worrisome IIEF-5 score, when compared to non-smokers. Conclusion: The results obtained, make it abundantly clear that, the association between the incidence and extent of erectile dysfunction and smoking is strong. Although, the research does not attempt to control co-founding variables, the results can be regarded as reliable due to the sheer difference in incidence and extent of erectile dysfunction between smokers and non-smokers. Keywords: Erectile Dysfunction, Smoking, The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) Questionnaire, Sexual Health & Sex Related Quality of Life

Association of Hypomagnesaemia & Hypocalcemia with Intracerebral Hemorrhage and Outcome

Determine if hypomagnesemia & hypocalcemia on admission was associated with ICH and outcome. Magnesium is a vascular smooth muscle relaxant and appears to provide protection against cellular injury in experimental stroke models. The implication of low serum magnesium in primary ICH is not well defined. All patients with a primary ICH presented to PIMS, Islamabad prospectively analyzed in a pilot study. Demographics, initial lab values, ICH location, Mg+2 level, NIHSS & MRS at presentation were recorded. All patients with INR \u3c= 1.5 were included in this study. We took normal serum magnesium in our study was 1.8 - 2.5 mEq/dL. Statistical significance was determined using linear regression adjusting for admission systolic blood pressure (SBP). We identified 66 patients who met the inclusion criteria. The mean age was 52.76 years with minimum and maximum age was 25 and 80 years respectively. Total male and female patients were 40 (61%) and 26 (39.4%). The total number of patients with hypomagnesemia was 23 (30%) and with hypocalcemia was 54 (65%). All patients having hypomagnesemia (30%) also had subsequent hypocalcemia. Mean systolic Blood pressure (SBP) was 156.65 mmHg and 55patients (84.62%) presented with high SBP. All patients with hypomagnesemia presented with high SBP (p=0.001). Hypomagnesemia and hypocalcemia both were showed statically significant association with poor MRS & NIHSS score (p=0.013 and p=0.001). Hypomagnesemia was not showed statistically significant relation with the outcome (p=0.11) while hypocalcemia showed a remarkable association with outcome (p=0.001)

Demographic profile and associations of dialysis dependent chronic kidney disease patients in federal capital of pakistan.

Depression is quite prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease. Knowing the frequency of depression in such patients and its association with different variables may be helpful in devising strategies for better and timely management of such patients in our setup. Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted by recruiting 315 patients of either gender, ≥ 18 years of age with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and receiving care at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad. Patients were divided into two groups; group A: pre-dialysis and group B: dialysis (End Stage Renal Disease). Prevalence of depression in CKD and dialysis group and its association with gender, level of formal education and socioeconomic status was evaluated using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. Results: Out of 204 (100%) patients in group B, 171 (83.8%) patients had depression while in group A, 68 (61.3%) out of 111 (100%) patients were depressed. The prevalence of depression in all stages of CKD combined was 75.87 % (239 out of 315) and that in dialysis group was 83.82% (171 out of 204). Frequency of depression was significantly higher in the dialysis group (p=0.01). Those with higher level of education less commonly suffered from depression (p=0.01). No such association was found with gender (p=0.68) or socioeconomic status (p=0.12).Conclusion: Frequency of depression is significantly higher in dialysis dependent CKD patients with an overall prevalence of 75.87% in CKD and 83.82% in dialysis dependent ones. Higher level of formal education positively affects the outcome while gender and socioeconomic class have no significant association

Under recognized entity: chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy with lupus

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired, autoimmune peripheral neuropathy. It has an insidious disease progression resulting in a debilitating illness. It is a well known neurological disorder. The causative factors are elucidating and it is generally considered idiopathic. However, its’ associations with various systemic disorders is well established albeit under recognized, especially with lupus as evident by few of the case reports/ series published in the recent past. The aim of this report is to highlight this neglected but important aspect of clinical neurology in common practice

CROSS-SECTIONAL ANALYSIS OF INTER-RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSULIN RESISTANCE AND HYPERTENSION AMONG PATIENTS AT LIAQUAT UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Background: Insulin resistance and hypertension often stem from the same genotypic and phenotypic phenomenon. It is well established that a sedentary lifestyle, and a plentiful diet rich in sodium and energy are the likely culprits that over the years have contributed to the rise of both ailments. However, the inter-relationship too is worthy of exploration. Objective: This research hopes to study the inter-relationship between insulin resistance and hypertension among patients by eyeing the co-presentation of both diseases in patients and by evaluating the time elapsed in diagnosis of each disease to assess which disease preceded the other. Methods: This observational was carried out on patients presenting at the medicine outpatient department of Liaquat University Hospital with a joint complaint of insulin resistance and hypertension from 1st Dec 2015 to 10th February 2016. Data was collected using an interview based structured questionnaire administered to the patients after taking written informed consent. The data was analyzed in SPSS v. 16.0. Results: During the course of the study, a total of 248 patients presented with the complaint of insulin resistance, 356 patients presented with the complaint of hypertension. While 136 patients presented with a joint complaint of insulin resistance and hypertension. Majority (70.588%) of the patients reportedly developed insulin resistance prior to developing hypertension. The chief complaint of 120 (88.24%) of the patients was insulin resistance. 42 (30.88%) of the patients, despite suffering from hypertension, were not taking treatment. Conclusion: The inter-relationship of both diseases is marked. For every 10 patients suffering from insulin resistance, 3.7 suffered from hypertension as well. While for every 10 patients suffering from hypertension, 2.8 suffered from insulin resistance as well. Thus patients suffering from insulin resistance are more likely to be hypertensives. Keywords: Insulin resistance, Hypertension, Cardiac comorbidities, Diabetes and Insulin