Joint Shear Deformation and Beam Rotation in RC Beam-Column Eccentric Connections

This paper discusses joint shear deformation and beam rotation for RC beam-column eccentric connections. Two eccentric connections were designed according to ACI 318-14 and ACI-352 and their half scaled models were constructed sequentially to introduce a cold joint at the beam column interface. Specimen having eccentricity equal to bc/8 (12.5% of column width) and bc/4 (25% of column width) were named as specimen 1 and specimen 2 respectively. The specimens were tested under quasi static full cyclic loading. The results are presented in the form of beam rotation versus drift and beam rotation versus lateral load plots. In addition, joint shear deformation versus drift is also plotted for both specimens. Careful observation of the damage pattern revealed that bond slip occurred at 2.5% drift in both specimens with no yielding of beam longitudinal bars in the joint core due to the presence of construction joint. An increase in out of plane rotation was observed with increase in eccentricity. However, in plane rotation was more in specimen 1 as compared to specimen 2, primarily due to negligible out of plane rotations. Furthermore, joint shear deformation increased with increase in eccentricity. However, it was negligible due to slab contribution as well as bond slippage with minimum load transfer to the joint core. It is concluded that bond slippage is the principal failure pattern whereas out of plan rotation increases with eccentricity without significant contribution to the final failure pattern. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091650 Full Text: PD

In Vitro, Ex Vivo, and In Vivo Evaluation of Nanoparticle-Based Topical Formulation Against Candida albicans Infection

Ketoconazole is commonly used in the treatment of topical fungal infections. The therapy requires frequent application for several weeks. Systemic side effects, allergic reactions, and prolonged treatment are often associated with non-compliance and therapy failure. Hence, we developed an optimized topical antifungal gel that can prolong the release of drug, reduce systemic absorption, enhance its therapeutic effect, and improve patient compliance. Ketoconazole-loaded PLGA nanoparticles were prepared by the emulsion/ solvent evaporation method and were characterized with respect to colloidal properties, surface morphology, and drug entrapment efficiency. The optimized ketoconazole-loaded PLGA nanoparticles and commercially available silver nanoparticles were incorporated into a Carbopol 934P-NF gel base. This arrangement was characterized and compared with commercially available 2% ketoconazole cream to assess physical characteristics of the gel, in vitro drug release, ex vivo skin permeation and retention, and in vivo studies on Wister male albino rats. The results showed that polymeric PLGA nanoparticles were very effective in extending the release of ketoconazole in our optimized formulation. Nanoparticles were smooth, spherical in shape, and below 200 nm in size which is consistent with the data obtained from light scattering and SEM images. The ex vivo data showed that our gel formulation could strongly reduce drug permeation through the skin, and more than 60% of the drug was retained on the upper surface of the skin in contrast to 38.42% of the commercial cream. The in vivo studies showed that gel formulation could effectively treat the infection. This study demonstrates that our topical gel could be effective in sustaining the release of drug and suggests its potential use as a possible strategy to combat antifungal-resistant Candida albicans

Immense Industrialization And Their Air Prominent Pollutants Effect On Urban Air Quality Index

On the basis of the reported air quality index (API) and air pollutant monitoring data obtained at the Peshawar over the last seven years, the characteristics of air quality prominent pollutants and variation of the average annual concentrations of SO2, NO2total suspended particulate (TSP) fine particulates (PM10) CO and dust fall in Peshawar City were analyzed. Results showed that SO2and NO2were the prominent pollutants in the ambient air environment of Peshawar City. Of the prominent pollutants TSP accounted for nearly 63 % SO2, 32.8 ppb NO2, 147 ppb of CH4 , 13.8 ppb of CO, 94.5µg/m3of MC and 0.60 ppb of O3respectively in 2013. NO2to SO2 comparison ratio initially declined to 39.3 in 2009 and then starts to increase to 42.5 in 2010 while in 2013 reached upto 44.8 and O3 to SO2 ratio in the last year of observation, the ratio drop to 0.01830 µg/m3. Concentrations of air pollutants have shown a upward trend in recent years but they are generally worse than ambient air quality standards for EPA-USA, Pak and EU. SO2and NOx pollution were still serious impling that waste gas pollution from all kinds of vehicles had become a significant problem for environmental protection in Peshawar. The possible causes of worsening air quality were also discussed in this paper

COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A SERIOUS THREAT FOR PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH GLOBALLY

Deep emotion traumas in societies around the globe are overcome by extreme human catastrophes such as natural disasters, social crises, war conflicts and infectious virus induced pandemic diseases, etc., can lead to enormous stress-related disorders. The current ongoing pandemic known as COVID-19 caused by novel Corona virus first appeared in Wuhan, city of China and then rapidly spread in the whole world. It has affected various frontiers of lives and caused numerous psychiatric problems like nervousness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), fear and uncertainty, panic attacks, depression, obsessive compulsory disorder, xenophobia and racism, etc. Globally COVID-19 has persuaded public mental health crisis. Furthermore, inadequate resources of public mental health services in several countries are discussed in this review, which will be further straighten by the upcoming increase in demand for mental health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All mental health sciences including Psychiatry can play a very important role in the comfort of COVID-19 infected individuals and their relatives, healthcare providers and society. We need to learn more about psychological and psychiatric features of COVID-19 from the perceptions of public and global mental health in order to cope up the present deteriorating situation caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Structure-based in silico design and in vitro acaricidal activity assessment of Acacia nilotica and Psidium guajava extracts against Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi

Infestation by Sarcoptes scabiei var. cuniculi mite causes scabies in humans and mange in animals. Alternative methods for developing environmentally friendly and effective plant-based acaricides are now a priority. The purpose of this research was the in silico design and in vitro evaluation of the efficacy of ethanol extracts of Acacia nilotica and Psidium guajava plant leaves against S. scabiei. Chem-Draw ultra-software (v. 12.0.2.1076.2010) was used to draw 36 distinct compounds from these plants that were employed as ligands in docking tests against S. scabiei Aspartic protease (SsAP). With docking scores of − 6.50993 and − 6.16359, respectively, clionasterol (PubChem CID 457801) and mangiferin (PubChem CID 5281647) from A. nilotica inhibited the targeted protein SsAP, while only beta-sitosterol (PubChem CID 222284) from P. guajava interacted with the SsAP active site with a docking score of − 6.20532. Mortality in contact bioassay at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g/ml was determined to calculate median lethal time (LT50) and median lethal concentration (LC50) values. Acacia nilotica extract had an LC50 value of 0.218 g/ml compared to P. guajava extract, which had an LC50 value of 0.829 g/ml at 6 h. These results suggest that A. nilotica extract is more effective in killing mites, and these plants may have novel acaricidal properties against S. scabiei. Further research should focus on A. nilotica as a potential substitute for clinically available acaricides against resistant mites.Peer reviewe