Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Panels Subject to Impact by Non-deformable Projectiles

In impact resistance of reinforced concrete (RC) panels against projectiles the contribution of the orthogonal mesh reinforcement has been ignored. In this study the contribution of mesh reinforcement to impact resistance and itseffect on the nature of local damage caused by impact of non-deformable projectiles are investigated. The investigation included a combination of 53 experiments and series of finite-element based numerical simulations. Three levels of local damage modes were investegated based on the severity of the degree of damage in the impacted panels. Mesh reinforcement ratio within the range of reinforcement ratio considered, namely 0.19% to 0.48%, was irrelevant to the impact behavior of RC panels under different impact velocities, while bar spacing was to be a controlling parameter for the degree of damage. RC panels reinforced with bar spacing greater than 1.5 times the panel thickness have a tendency to spall concrete from the back face more than RC panels with closely spaced bars. RC panels reinforced with bar spacing greater than 1.5 time the panel thickness formed punching shear crater, while panels reinforced with less than that limit distributed the damage over a wider area without forming the punching shear crater on the back face. Orthogonal mesh reinforcement with bars spaced no wider than one-third of the projectile diameter were able to prevent the projectiles from perforating the panels. Offseting the reinforcing meshes did not improve the impact resistance of RC panels. An equation was developed to estimate the perforation resistance of an RC panel under impact of non- deformable projectile with given mass, diameter, and impact velocity

The challenges of translating English compounds into Arabic: For better or for worse

This paper examines the main challenges of translating English compounds into Arabic. Compounding is linguistically a common process across many languages where compounds are frequently formed. In English compounding is highly creative and innovative, and often used as a means of introducing new phrases or coining new words into the lexicon. In contrast, Arabic is less resourceful. Arabic does not possess similar multiword expressions as an integral linguistic mechanism that merges language items to form a unit of language that can be broken down into single words and display idiosyncratic features. (Sag et al. 2002). As the English text-writer and the Arabic translator use their respective languages from different mental pictures and from disparate thought processes, each operates from a different worldview, so transferring English compounds often leads to loss of meaning. Understanding and

The Effects of Tibial Tray Rotation and Posterior Slope on Knee Kinematics Following Total Knee Replacement

Aims To determine the effects of tibial component rotation and posterior slope on kinematics following Scorpio CR navigated TKR in cadaver specimens. Methods & Results Knee kinematics were monitored using a validated IR Navigation System. Ten normal comparable cadaver specimens were mounted in a custom rig allowing assessment of kinematics under various loading conditions. The specimens then underwent Navigated TKR. The surgery was performed as per normal operating surgical protocols by an expert knee surgeon. However an augmented tibial component was implanted allowing the researchers to precisely modify its rotation and posterior slope. A pneumatic cylinder attached to the quadriceps tendon was then used to repetitively flex and extend the knee with a variety of applied loads. Kinematics were different after TKR. Increasing posterior slope resulted in increasing posterior position of the femur, particularly at maximum flexion. Posterior slope also resulted in a deviation of the neutral path of motion and alteration of the normal envelope of laxity. Tibial component malrotations over 5 degrees resulted in deviations of the neutral path of motion without affecting the envelope of laxity. Combined malrotations over 10 degrees with posterior slopes over 6 degrees resulted in prosthetic subluxation under certain loading conditions. Discussion Knee kinematics are different after TKR. Increasing internal and external malrotation as well as the addition of posterior slope resulted in deviations of TKR kinematics through alteration of the neutral path of movement and or the envelope of laxity. Combined misalignments of slope and rotation resulted in the greatest deviations from normal kinematics, and in some cases, prosthetic subluxation. Incompatibilities of alignment may result in increased ligament tension and component articulation dysfunction that may contribute to premature wear and loosening. Surgeons should be aware of this when considering the addition of posterior slope or assessing tibial component positioning in TKR

CAL Dataflow Components for an MPEG RVC AVC Baseline Encoder

In this paper, an efficient H.264/AVC baseline encoder, described in RVC-CAL actor language, is introduced. The main aim of the paper is twofold: a) to demonstrate the flexibility and ease that is provided by RVC-CAL, which allows for efficient implementation of the presented encoder, and b) to shed light on the advantages that can be brought into the RVC framework by including such encoding tools. The main modules of the designed encoder include: Inter Frame Prediction (Motion Estimation/Compensation), Intra Frame Prediction, and Entropy Coding. Descriptions of the designed modules, accompanied with RVC-CAL design issues are provided. A comparison between different development approaches is also provided. The obtained results show that specifying complex video codecs (e.g. H.264/AVC encoder) using RVC-CAL followed by automatic translation into HDL, which is achievable by the tools that support the standard, results in more efficient HW implementation compared to the traditional HW design flow. A discussion that explains the reasons behind such results concludes the pape

The Role of Social Media Platforms in Confronting Intellectual Extremism from Majmaah University Students Perspective

The present study aims to investigate the role of social media platforms in confronting intellectual extremism among Majmaah University students. The researchers conducted the descriptive analytical approach and applied a 20- item questionnaire to a randomly selected sample of (213) students. The results showed that Tik Tok and Snapchat were ranked first among the study sample. Also, there was a moderate negative impact of social media on intellectual security, with a mean of (2.99). This is due to the nature of the content published on networks and its impact on the subscribers. It indicated the importance of social media, more specifically Tik Tok and Snapchat, among the sample of the study. It can be attributed to gender since females are more interested in social networks to publish and share photos. Moreover, the results revealed that social media platforms played a moderate role in resisting intellectual deviation among the participants, with an average mean of (2.96). There were no statistical differences in the impact of social media platforms on young peoples intellectual security and their role in resisting intellectual extremism due to responses to the study questions. The findings of the study call for the necessity of activating the positive role of social media by exploring new approaches to evolve effective alternatives in dealing with social networks by enhancing young peoples media literacy. Contribution/Originality: This study contributed to the existing literature by identifying the role of social media in combating intellectual extremism from the perspective of students at Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. It also explored the most popular social media platforms among university students and their impact on students intellectual security