Strength & Conduct of Reinforced Concrete Corner Joint under Negative Moment Effect

The aim of our study is to reveal the effect of steel reinforcement details,tensile steel reinforcement ratio, compressed reinforcing steel ratio,reinforcing steel size, corner joint shape on the strength of reinforcedconcrete Fc' and delve into it for the most accurate details and concreteconnections about the behavior and resistance of the corner joint ofreinforced concrete, Depending on the available studies and sources inaddition to our study, we concluded that each of these effects had a clearrole in the behavior and resistance of the corner joint of reinforced concreteunder the influence of the negative moment and yield stress. A studyof the types of faults that can be reinforced angle joints obtains detailsand conditions of crushing that are almost identical for all types of steelreinforcement details and the basic requirements for the acceptable behaviorof reinforced concrete joints in the installations and the efficiency of thejoint and this may help us to prepare for disasters, whether natural or other,as happens with tremors The floor and failure that may occur due to wrongdesigns or old buildings and the possibility of using those connections totreat those joints and sections in reinforced or unarmed concrete facilitiesto preserve the safety of humans and buildings from sudden disasters andreduce and reduce risks, as well as qualitative control over the productionof concrete connections and sections free from defects to the extreme

Isolated Renal Sarcoidosis: a Rare Cause for Granulomatous Interstitial Nephritis

Introduction: Granulomatous interstitial nephritis (GIN) is a rare histological diagnosis that can be the first manifestation of systemic disease. It has been associated with medications, infections, sarcoidosis, crystal deposits, paraproteinemia and Wegnere's granulomatosis. It can also be seen in an idiopathic form. Case report: A 37 year-old female patient presented to our nephrology service with lethargy and weight loss of three months duration. Her past medical history and clinical examination were not remarkable. She had impaired renal function tests and hypercalcemia associated with elevated angiotensin converting enzyme levels and sonographically normal kidneys. Extensive investigations revealed no other organ involvement and no evidence of infection or malignancy. Renal biopsy showed extensive interstitial non-necrotizing granulomata. Accordingly, she was diagnosed as a case of isolated renal sarcoidosis and started on steroid therapy. Within one month of treatment, she recovered normal renal function. Steroids were successfully tapered after another six months, and she shows no evidence of recurrence 24 months after steroid withdrawal. Conclusion: The possibility of isolated renal sarcoidosis should be considered in any case of impaired kidney function and hypercalcemia even in the absence of systemic manifestation. The finding of non-caseating interstitial granulomata in renal biopsy supports this diagnosis. Keywords: granulomatous interstitial nephritis, non-caseating granuloma, renal insufficiency, renal sarcoidosis

Automatic Optic Disc Abnormality Detection in Fundus Images: A Deep Learning Approach

Optic disc (OD) is a key structure in retinal images. It serves as an indicator to detect various diseases such as glaucoma and changes related to new vessel formation on the OD in diabetic retinopathy (DR) or retinal vein occlusion. OD is also essential to locate structures such as the macula and the main vascular arcade. Most existing methods for OD localization are rule-based, either exploiting the OD appearance properties or the spatial relationship between the OD and the main vascular arcade. The detection of OD abnormalities has been performed through the detection of lesions such as hemorrhaeges or through measuring cup to disc ratio. Thus these methods result in complex and inflexible image analysis algorithms limiting their applicability to large image sets obtained either in epidemiological studies or in screening for retinal or optic nerve diseases. In this paper, we propose an end-to-end supervised model for OD abnormality detection. The most informative features of the OD are learned directly from retinal images and are adapted to the dataset at hand. Our experimental results validated the effectiveness of this current approach and showed its potential application

A 2X2 MIMO Patch Antenna for Multi-Band Applications

In this paper, a Multiple Input Multiple Output (2x2MIMO)  patch antenna for  multiband applications has been proposed. It has been designed using groups of rings nearby the stepped cut at four corners of the patch and a separation in mid slot. This modification is proposed in order to increase the resonant frequencies and reduce the mutual coupling. The proposed 2x2 MIMO patch antenna is simulated using Computer Simulation Technology (CST), fabricated and tested. With such small geometrical dimensions, the proposed antenna is suitable for LTE (1.8 GHz), WiFi (2.4 GHz), and WiMax (3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz and 5.5 GHz) application

Photovoltaic/thermal systems for carbon dioxide mitigation applications: a review

The urgent need to mitigate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and address climate change has led to increasing interest in renewable energy technologies. There are other promising energy generation systems, including photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems. This paper provides a comprehensive review of PV/T systems for CO2 mitigation applications. PV/T systems are reviewed according to their principles, their design configurations, and their performance characteristics. Various types of PV/T systems, including flat-plate, concentrating, hybrid, and novel designs, are discussed, along with their advantages and limitations. In addition to examining PV/T systems as part of the integration of building systems with renewable energy sources and energy storage technologies. Furthermore, the environmental and economic aspects of PV/T systems, as well as their potential for CO2 mitigation in various applications such as residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors, are critically analyzed. Finally, future research directions and challenges in the field of PV/T systems for CO2 mitigation are outlined. The purpose of this review is to provide researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with information on how PV/T systems can be applied to reduce CO2 emissions and promote sustainable building design

Worrying about climate change

The paper discusses the impact of climate change on ten sectors: water, water desalination, energy, renewable energy supply, health, society, agriculture, economy, industry, and built environment. Each of the sectors has unique characteristics that require special consideration. Planning for climate change adaptation is among the most complex challenges cities are facing today. Climatic alterations put a strain on 1) energy needs for cooling/heating and release of anthropogenic heat, 2) mortality and morbidity due to air pollution and air turbidity, 3) productivity and wellbeing, and 4) accessibility to public spaces and social prosperity. There are many innovate ideas and proposals suggested in order to minimize the impact of climate change, but no simple solution exists because of the interdependence and fast-moving technological solutions, and the role of the policy makers in setting targets and providing finance for solutions

Autozygome-guided exome sequencing in retinal dystrophy patients reveals pathogenetic mutations and novel candidate disease genes

Retinal dystrophy (RD) is a heterogeneous group of hereditary diseases caused by loss of photoreceptor function and contributes significantly to the etiology of blindness globally but especially in the industrialized world. The extreme locus and allelic heterogeneity of these disorders poses a major diagnostic challenge and often impedes the ability to provide a molecular diagnosis that can inform counseling and gene-specific treatment strategies. In a large cohort of nearly 150 RD families, we used genomic approaches in the form of autozygome-guided mutation analysis and exome sequencing to identify the likely causative genetic lesion in the majority of cases. Additionally, our study revealed six novel candidate disease genes (C21orf2, EMC1, KIAA1549, GPR125, ACBD5, and DTHD1), two of which (ACBD5 and DTHD1) were observed in the context of syndromic forms of RD that are described for the first time

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020