Pilot Experimental Tests on Punching Shear Strength of Flat Plates Reinforced with Stirrups Punching Shear Reinforcement

Flat plates are favor structure systems usually used in parking garages and high-rise buildings due to its simplicity for construction. However, flat plates have some inherent structural problems, due to high shear stress surrounding the supporting columns which cause a catastrophic brittle type of failure called "Punching Shear Failure". Several solutions are used to avoid punching shear failure, including the use of drop panels or punching shear reinforcement. The latter is being a more sophisticated solution from the structural ductility, the architectural and the economical point of view. This study aims at investigating the effect of stirrups as shear reinforcement in enhancing the punching strength of interior slab-column connections. A total of four full-scale interior slab-column connections were tested up to failure. All slabs had a side length of 1700 mm and 160 mm thickness with 200 mm x 200 mm square column. The test parameters were the presence of shear reinforcement and stirrups concentration around the supporting column. The test results showed that the distribution of stirrups over the critical punching shear zone was an efficient solution to enhance not only the punching shear capacity but also the ductility of the connection. Furthermore, the concentrating of stirrups shear reinforcement in the vicinity of the column for the tested slabs increases the punching shear capacity by 13 % compared to the uniform distribution at same amount of shear reinforcement

The Impact of Impression Coping Geometrical Design on Accuracy of Implant Impressions: An Experimental Study

Aim This in vitro study aimed to evaluate the effect of implant impression coping geometrical designs on the accuracy of open and closed impression techniques and in the parallel and nonparallel implant positions. Material and methods Three custom-made acrylic resin models of three tested implant systems (Straumann (R), SIC Invent (R), and Osstem (R)) with diverse coping geometrical designs were evaluated in simulated cases of two parallel and two nonparallel implants. The horizontal and vertical discrepancies were measured and analyzed. Results No statistically significant differences between the two impression techniques in either parallel or nonparallel implants were observed. The high retentive design of the Osstem system showed a statistically significant difference. Conclusion The geometrical design of the impression copings did not affect the accuracy for either the open and closed tray techniques. However, the high retentive coping design of the Osstem implant affected the accuracy in the open tray technique

Pilot Experimental Tests on Punching Shear Strength of Flat Plates Reinforced with Stirrups Punching Shear Reinforcement

Flat plates are favor structure systems usually used in parking garages and high-rise buildings due to its simplicity for construction. However, flat plates have some inherent structural problems, due to high shear stress surrounding the supporting columns which cause a catastrophic brittle type of failure called "Punching Shear Failure". Several solutions are used to avoid punching shear failure, including the use of drop panels or punching shear reinforcement. The latter is being a more sophisticated solution from the structural ductility, the architectural and the economical point of view. This study aims at investigating the effect of stirrups as shear reinforcement in enhancing the punching strength of interior slab-column connections. A total of four full-scale interior slab-column connections were tested up to failure. All slabs had a side length of 1700 mm and 160 mm thickness with 200 mm x 200 mm square column. The test parameters were the presence of shear reinforcement and stirrups concentration around the supporting column. The test results showed that the distribution of stirrups over the critical punching shear zone was an efficient solution to enhance not only the punching shear capacity but also the ductility of the connection. Furthermore, the concentrating of stirrups shear reinforcement in the vicinity of the column for the tested slabs increases the punching shear capacity by 13 % compared to the uniform distribution at same amount of shear reinforcement

Patent foramen ovale closure versus medical therapy after cryptogenic stroke: An updated meta-analysis of all randomized clinical trials

Background: Cryptogenic strokes can be attributed to paradoxical emboli through patent foramen ovale (PFO). However, the effectiveness of PFO closure in preventing recurrent stroke is uncertain and the results of previous randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have been inconclusive. Hence, this study pro- vides an updated meta-analysis of all RCTs comparing PFO closure with medical therapy for secondary prevention of cryptogenic stroke. Methods: All RCTs were identified by a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Collaboration Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and Clinicaltrials.gov. The primary outcome was recurrent ischemic stroke and secondary outcomes were transient ischemic at- tack (TIA), all-cause mortality, new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF), serious adverse events, and major bleeding. Results: Five RCTs with 3440 participants were included in the present study (1829 patients under- went PFO closure and 1611 were treated medically). Pooled analysis showed a statistically significant reduction in the rate of recurrent stroke with PFO closure in comparison to medical therapy (OR 0.41; 95% CI 0.19–0.90; p = 0.03). However, there were no statistically significant reductions of recurrent TIAs (OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.51–1.14; p = 0.19) or all-cause mortality (OR 0.76; 95% CI 0.35–1.65; p = 0.48). The risk of developing new-onset AF was increased significantly with PFO closure (OR 4.74; 95% CI 2.33–9.61; p < 0.0001), but no significant differences in terms of serious adverse events or major bleeding between both groups. Conclusions: Patent foramen ovale closure in adults with recent cryptogenic stroke was associated with a lower rate of recurrent strokes in comparison with medical therapy alone.

Non-adherence to Antihypertensive Medication and Its Associated Factors Among Cardiac Patients at Alshaab Referred Clinic, November 2017

Background: Non-adherence to antihypertensive drugs is identified to have negative impact on cardiovascular outcome. Various studies have been conducted on this issue worldwide but data about medications adherence and its associated factors in Sudan are limited. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to identify the prevalence and factors associated with non-adherence to antihypertensive medications among cardiac patients in Sudan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 202 patients by total coverage of all diagnosed hypertensive patients with cardiac disease who attended the referred clinic at Alshaab teaching hospital during the study period from November 5th to December 7th, 2017. Data were collected by direct interview of the patients using structured questionnaire, clinical characteristics of the patients were obtained from the medical records, WISEWOMAN medications adherence questionnaire for hypertension was used to assess the level of medication adherence. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression was used for data analysis, using SPSS version 20. Results: Out of 202 participants, 140 (69.3%) were female, the mean age of the participants was 60.74 ± 13.6. The study revealed that 41.6% of the patients were nonadherent to their antihypertensive medications, the level of non-adherence was found to be significantly associated with young age (p-value < 0.012), high level of education (p-value < 0.05), and using more than one pharmacy to get the medications (p-value < 0.00); after logistic regression analysis, non-adherence was found to be significantly associated with using more than one pharmacy to get the medications (p-value < 0.00). The level of non-adherence in our study is found to be corresponding to the findings of other similar local, regional, and international studies, which have reported that non-adherence of medication ranged between 39.5% and 55.9%. Other factors in different studies were found to be significantly associated with non-adherence such as gender, duration of hypertension, duration between follow-up visits to physician and number of drugs

Effects of sowing method and herbicide application on growth, yield and water productivity of two wheat cultivars

Water management and weed control are crucial components in maximizing wheat yield and water productivity. Little research work has been done on the relationship between sowing methods, chemical weed control and wheat varieties. Field experiments were conducted during 2013/14-2014/15 seasons to evaluate the effect of four sowing methods and herbicide application on the performance of two wheat cultivars at the Gezira and New Halfa Research Stations. The experiment was arranged in a split-split plot design with four replicates, the main plots were assigned to herbicide application (sprayed and unsprayed), sub-plots were allocated to sowing methods (broadcasting + ridging, bed-planting, seed drill and wide level disc), and sub-sub-plots were assigned to wheat cultivars (Bohaine and Imam). Results showed that herbicides did not affect the yield and yield components of wheat for both seasons in the Gezira. Irrespective of herbicide application, seed drill resulted in the highest wheat yield for the two seasons. New Halfa results revealed that the crop growth and yield components were significantly affected. However, the two wheat cultivars resulted in higher yield with bed-planting method under sprayed condition. The interaction of herbicide application and bed-plating methods resulted in higher water productivity, which could be attributed to the lower amount of water applied compared to the other treatments. These results indicated that in the Gezira, unsprayed seed drill and wide level disc sowing methods can be used without yield reduction of wheat. Moreover, herbicides application with bed-planting sowing method in both sites can be used to improve water use efficiency. إدارة مياه الري ومكافحة الحشائش هي أحدى العوامل الأساسية لتعظيم انتاجية القمح وزيادة كفاءة مياه الري. أجريت تجارب حقلية خلال موسمي 2013/14 و 2014/15 لتقييم أثر أربعة طرق للزراعة ومبيد الحشائش على انتاجية صنفين من القمح بمحطتي بحوث الجزيرة وحلفا الجديدة. تم استخدام تصميم القطع المنشقة مرتين بأربع مكررات. وضعت معاملات مبيد الحشائش في الأحواض الرئيسية ووضعت طرق الزراعة في الأحواض الفرعية بينما وضعت الأصناف في الأحواض الفرعية . أوضحت النتائج أن مبيد الحشائش لم يؤثر على الإنتاجية ومكوناتها خلال الموسمين بمحطة بحوث الجزيرة. بغض النظر عن مبيد الحشائش، الزراعة في سطور أعطت أعلى انتاجية خلال الموسمين. كذلك أوضحت النتائج بمحطة بحوث حلفا الجديدة أن النمو ومكونات الانتاجية تأثرتا بصورة معنوية، حيث وجد أن صنفي القمح سجلتا أعلى انتاجية باستخدام الزراعة في مساطب والمكافحة الكيميائية للحشائش. إن أثر تفاعل الزراعة في مساطب والمكافحة الكيميائية للحشائش انتجت أعلى كفاءة مياه ري وذلك يمكن مرده لقلة كمية مياه الري المضافة مقارنةً بالمعاملات الأخرى. النتائج أعلاه تشير إلى أن الزراعة في سطور والزراعة باستخدام الدسك العريض يمكن استخدامهما بالجزيرة لإنتاج القمح دون نقص يذكر في الإنتاجية. اضافةً الي ذلك، فان اضافة مبيد الحشائش لطريقة الزراعة في مساطب يمكن أن تحسن من كفاءة استخدام مياه الري في كلا الموقعين

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) Diagnosis: Past and Present Perspectives

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal X-linked disorder, characterized by progressive skeletal muscle wasting. The disease is caused by various types of mutations in the dystrophin gene (DMD). The disease occurs at a frequency of about 1 in 5000 male births, making it the most common severe neuro-muscular disease. In addition to clinical examinations of muscle strength and function, diagnosis of DMD usually involves a combination of immunological assays using muscle biopsies, typically immunohistochemistry and western blotting, and molecular techniques such as DMD gene sequencing or Multiplex Ligation Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) using blood samples. In fact, precise molecular diagnosis is a prerequisite for determining the appropriate personalized therapeutic approach such as exon-skipping, gene therapy or stem cell-based therapies in conjunction with gene editing techniques like CRISPR-Cas9. However, the quest for reliable biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for DMD from liquid biopsy is still a hotspot of research, as such non-invasive biomarker(s) would not only facilitate disease diagnosis but would also help in carrier detection, which will eventually result in better disease management. In this chapter, we will illustrate the detailed current and prospect strategies for disease

An Overview and Tutorials on Modeling and Simulation

The modeling and simulation are the most important challenges to the researcher to present the system reality and study the different metrics of it. This article provides the short overview to assist the new researchers toward their goals. With aid of differ scenarios related to an engineering domain the designers have an ability to answer critical questions about modeling and simulation

BALANITES KERNEL OIL FOR THE TREATMENT OF DERMATOPHYTES: A CLINICAL TRIAL

In a previous in vitro study, we have shown that the kernel oil of fruits of the tree Balanites aegyptiaca referred to as Balanites kernel oil ((BKO) is active against dermatophytes (i.e. superficial mycosis, ringworms, tineas (T. captitis, T. cercinata and T. pedis). We report here our clinical trials with BKO. Trials were performed on patients presenting at Wad Medani Dermatology Teaching Hospital as well as primary school children in Elsoreeba Town (5 km south of Wad Medani). Not all patients followed treatment till completely cured. Patients treated with BKO (half of the total) achieved complete cure in 3-5 weeks, on average, while those treated with the standard antifungal drug Miconazole (half of the total patients) did the same in the longer period of 3-8 weeks. Photographs showing progress of response to BKO treatments are included. BKO has great potential for development as a commercial drug for the treatment of dermatophytes