Cement composites reinforced with surface modified coir fibers

An experimental investigation of coir mesh reinforced mortar (CMRM) is conducted using nonwoven coir mesh matting. The main parameters in this study are the fiber volume fraction (number of mesh layers) and fiber surface treatment with a wetting agent. The composites are subjected to the four-point bending test. The short-term mechanical properties of CMRM are discussed. Scanning electron micrograph analysis is used to observe the fiber&mdash;matrix interfacial characteristics. The results indicate that the addition of coir mesh to mortar significantly improves the composite post-cracking flexural stress, toughness, ductility, and toughness index, compared to plain mortar materials. The Albatex &copy; FFC wetting agent (2-ethylhexanol) can effectively improve water absorption of coir fiber and enhance the fiber&mdash;matrix bonding strength. These coir mesh reinforced composites may be useful in civil engineering applications.<br /

Does replacement of missing dental units with resin-retained bridges improve oral health-related quality of life?: A systematic review

Objectives To assess the current literature in regard to two research questions: • Does placement of a 2-unit cantilever RRB to replace a missing dental unit improve oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients over 18 years old? • Are there any differences in OHRQoL between different methods of replacing missing teeth? Methods Systematic review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement (PRISMA) statement. Data/sources MEDLINE via Ovid, Scopus, PsycINFO via Ovid, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and clinicaltrials.gov were searched (Jan 1980 to Nov 2018) using high-level MeSH terms for studies published in English, investigating OHRQoL, using valid indices. Risk of bias (RoB) Determined using Cochrane RoB tool and ROBINS-I. Evidence certainty Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group tool. Results Study Selection: 280 articles were identified; 270 were excluded after abstract review, 7 after examining full text, leaving 3 articles (3 studies, 188 participants, 172 analysed) included in this review; one RCT and two observational studies. Synthesis of results: There was significant heterogeneity and no meta-analysis was possible. Description of effect: One pre-post study design found provision of 2-unit RRBs significantly reduced the total OHIP-49 score (effect size 0.67), compared with an untreated control. One case-control study found no differences in total OHIP-49 between individuals treated with RRB or implant-supported crown. Major complications related to a worse OHRQoL. Discussion Quality of evidence: The overall RoB assessments were one study “some concerns” and two studies “serious”. The GRADE assessment was “moderate” for one comparison and “low” for two comparisons. Clinical significance: A 2-unit cantilever RRB to replace one missing tooth probably results in a large improvement in oral health-related quality of life. Clinicians should ensure that the correct investigations and design of prosthesis are prescribed to help reduce any failures that may impact on OHRQoL

Career self: a longitudinal study with college students

O self de carreira constituí um subconjunto organizado do universo cognitivo de uma pessoa, responsável pelo carácter subjetivo que a mesma confere à carreira. Este estudo pretende avaliar mudanças no conteúdo do self de carreira de estudantes universitários, do início para o final do último ano de graduação. Para tal, recorreu-se a medidas repetidas dos índices da Grelha de Repertório da Carreira (Silva & Taveira, 2005; Silva, 2008). Na investigação, participaram 80 estudantes, dos quais 49 são mulheres (61,25%) e 31 são homens (38,75%), com idades entre os 21 e os 45 anos (M= 23,9, DP= 4,31). Os resultados indicam que, no final da licenciatura, os estudantes diminuem a distância como se constrõem em relação aos outros e mantêm uma construção positiva do self de carreira.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Towards a History of Mass Violence in the Etat Indépendant du Congo, 1885-1908

The present article provides an up-to-date scholarly introduction to mass violence in the Etat Indépendant du Congo (Congo Free State, EIC). Its aims are twofold: to offer a point of access to the extensive literature and historical debates on the subject, and to make the case for exchanging the currently prevalent top-down narrative, with its excessive focus on King Leopold's character and motives, for one which considers the EIC's culture of violence as a multicausal, broadly based and deeply engrained social phenomenon. The argument is divided into five sections. Following a general outline of the EIC's violent system of administration, I discuss its social and demographic impact (and the controversy which surrounds it) to bring out the need for more regionally focused and context sensitive studies. The dispute surrounding demographics demonstrates that what is fundamentally at stake is the place the EIC's extreme violence should occupy in the history of European ‘modernity’. Since approaches which hinge on Leopoldian exceptionalism are particularly unhelpful in clarifying this issue, I pause to reflect on how such approaches came to dominate the distinct historiographical traditions which emerged in Belgium and abroad before moving on to a more detailed exploration of a selection of causes underlying the EIC's violent nature. While state actors remain in the limelight, I shift the focus from the state as a singular, normative agent, towards the existence of an extremely violent society in which various individuals and social groups within and outside of the state apparatus committed violent acts for multiple reasons. As this argument is pitched at a high level of abstraction, I conclude with a discussion of available source material with which it can be further refined and updated