Evaluation Study of Boundary and Depth of the Soil Structure for Geotechnical Site Investigation using MASW

This study reviews the correlation between the experimental Rayleigh dispersion curve and the Vp & Vs ground model versus depth. Six samples of stations A , B , C , D , E and F were used in the experiment.The geophone spacing used was set 1 m and total length of each line was 23 m. The result shows positive significance (best fit) of R2 that ranges from 0.80 to 0.90. The fk (frequency-wave number method) dispersion curves analysis confirmed that the soil structure investigated is divided into three zones: (1) Unsaturated soil zone (clay soil), in which the layer is dominated by soil with typically alluvial clayey silt and sand. The Vp ranges from 240 m/s to 255 m/s at a depth of 2 to 8 m. (2) The intermediate zone (stiff soil), in which the layer is dominated by sand, silt, clayey sand, sandy clay and clay of low plasticity. This structure is interpreted as partially saturated soil zone, the soil is typically very dense. It contains soft rock typically fill with cobble, sand, slight gravel and highly weathered at depth of 18 to 30 m with Vp of 255 to 300 m/s. (3) Saturated soil zone at a depth of 8 to 18 m with Vp of 300 to 390 m/s. There is a very good agreement between wave-number (k) and phase velocity (Vw) produced. Both the two parameters shows similar pattern in the topsoil and subsurface layer, which constitute boundary field of soil structure. Moreover, relationship between phase velocity versus wave-length shows best fit of model from inversion with measured value (observed) in implementation of the boundary and depth of each layer

Evaluation Study of Boundary and Depth of the Soil Structure for Geotechnical Site Investigation using MASW

This study reviews the correlation between the experimental Rayleigh dispersion curve and the Vp & Vs ground model versus depth. Six samples of stations A , B , C , D ,  E  and  F  were used in the experiment.The geophone spacing used was set 1 m and total length of each line was 23 m. The result shows positive significance (best fit) of R2 that ranges from 0.80 to 0.90. The fk (frequency-wave number method) dispersion curves analysis confirmed that the soil structure investigated is divided into three zones: (1) Unsaturated soil zone (clay soil), in which the layer is dominated by soil with typically alluvial clayey silt and sand. The Vp ranges from 240 m/s to 255 m/s at a depth of 2 to 8 m. (2) The intermediate zone (stiff soil), in which the layer is dominated by sand, silt, clayey sand, sandy clay and clay of low plasticity. This structure is interpreted as partially saturated soil zone, the soil is typically very dense. It contains soft rock typically fill with cobble, sand, slight gravel and highly weathered at depth of 18 to 30 m with Vp of  255 to 300 m/s. (3) Saturated soil zone at a depth of  8 to 18 m with Vp of 300 to 390 m/s. There is a very good agreement between wave-number (k) and phase velocity (Vw)  produced. Both the two parameters shows similar pattern in the topsoil and subsurface layer, which constitute boundary field of soil structure. Moreover, relationship between phase velocity versus wave-length shows best fit of model from inversion with measured value (observed) in  implementation of the boundary and depth of each layer

Assessment of Microgravity Anomalies of Soil Structure for Geotechnical 2D Models

A microgravity investigation on bedrock topography was conducted at Maluri Park in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The study characterized the subsurface structure to delineate soil structure for the geotechnical application. Cross-section modelling of the residual anomaly generated the Maluri Bouguer Anomaly model for test site. The 2D microgravity models produced the contour map, displaying the characterization due to density contrast in rock types while mapping the subsurface geological structure at different depths. Moreover, a synthetic model was initiated with the assumption of lateral distance on the left and right sides taken at 50 m and a depth of 60 m. The results of modeling confirmed that the soil and rock type composition on models test site, i.e: topsoil (1.1 g/cm3), soil (1.8 g/cm3), clay (1.63 g/cm3), gravel (2.0 g/cm3), sand (1.7 g/cm3), shale (2.40 g/cm3), sandstone (2.76 g/cm3) and limestone (2.9 g/cm3). The 2D gravity synthetic model show a good match with the observed microgravity data

Helminth parasites of the oceanic horse mackerel Trachurus picturatus Bowdich 1825 (Pisces: Carangidae) from Madeira Island, Atlantic Ocean, Portugal

The helminth parasite fauna of the oceanic horse mackerel Trachurus picturatus Bowdich 1825, caught off the Madeira Islands was composed of six different taxa. Prevalence and abundance of larval Anisakis sp. (Nematoda: Anisakidae) and Nybelinia lingualis (Trypanorhyncha: Tentaculariidae), the most common parasite taxa, were 24.3%, 0.9 and 37.9%, 0.7, respectively. Bolbosoma vasculosum (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) and the monogeneans Heteraxinoides atlanticus (Monogenea: Heteraxinidae) and Pseudaxine trachuri (Monogenea: Gastrocotylidae) were comparatively rare. The depauperate helminth fauna of the oceanic horse mackerel at Madeira compared to other geographical regions of the north-eastern Atlantic, namely the Azores banks and the West African coast, may be attributed to the paucity of nutrients off oceanic islands and to a low density of the fish population.This work was partially supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) Pluriannual Programs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Review and Analysis of the Effects of Colors of Light On the Performance of Solar Photovoltaic Panels

Solar energy is quite simple as the energy can be obtained from the sun directly. Solar energy is categorized as one of the best renewable energy since it does not emit carbon dioxide and because of unlimited supports from the sun. In this paper, three main sections of solar technologies like photovoltaic solar panel, concentrating solar power, heating and cooling system which is available present days have been investigated.  In the second part of this research, an experiment has been carried out to evaluate the effects of colors of light on the performance of solar photovoltaic panels. Different colors of light having different wavelength, resulting in different frequency and hence different energy. In general, the solar spectrum influences the performance of the solar panels. The results show that the solar panels are influenced more by the red color of light. This report will start off by detailing the three main solar technologies, followed by the testing on the colors of light with the solar panels

Evaluation of immunogenicity and reactogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. Vaccines are highly effective at preventing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but there are limited data on COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy. This study aimed to investigate the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women when administered according to the 12-week-interval dosing schedule recommended in the UK. METHODS: This was a cohort study of pregnant women receiving COVID-19 vaccination between April and September 2021. The outcomes were immunogenicity and reactogenicity after COVID-19 vaccination. Pregnant women were recruited by phone, e-mail and/or text and were vaccinated according to vaccine availability at their local vaccination center. For immunogenicity assessment, blood samples were taken at specific timepoints after each dose to evaluate nucleocapsid protein (N) and spike protein (S) antibody titers. The comparator group comprised non-pregnant female healthcare workers in the same age group who were vaccinated as part of the national immunization program in a contemporaneous longitudinal cohort study. Longitudinal changes in serum antibody titers and association with pregnancy status were assessed using a two-step regression approach. Reactogenicity assessment in pregnant women was undertaken using an online questionnaire. The comparator group comprised non-pregnant women aged 18-49 years who had received two vaccine doses in primary care. The association of pregnancy status with reactogenicity was assessed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 67 pregnant women, of whom 66 had received a mRNA vaccine, and 79 non-pregnant women, of whom 50 had received a mRNA vaccine, were included in the immunogenicity study. Most (61.2%) pregnant women received their first vaccine dose in the third trimester, while 3.0% received it in the first trimester and 35.8% in the second trimester. SARS-CoV-2 S-antibody geometric mean concentrations after mRNA vaccination were not significantly different at 2-6 weeks after the first dose but were significantly lower at 2-6 weeks after the second dose in infection-naïve pregnant compared with non-pregnant women. In pregnant women, prior infection was associated with higher antibody levels at 2-6 weeks after the second vaccine dose. Reactogenicity analysis included 108 pregnant women and 116 non-pregnant women. After the first dose, tiredness and chills were reported less commonly in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women (P = 0.043 and P = 0.029, respectively). After the second dose, feeling generally unwell was reported less commonly (P = 0.046) in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women. CONCLUSIONS: Using an extended 12-week interval between vaccine doses, antibody responses after two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine were found to be lower in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women. Strong antibody responses were achieved after one dose in previously infected women, regardless of pregnancy status. Pregnant women reported fewer adverse events after both the first and second dose of vaccine. These findings should now be addressed in larger controlled studies. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Utilisation of an operative difficulty grading scale for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background A reliable system for grading operative difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy would standardise description of findings and reporting of outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate a difficulty grading system (Nassar scale), testing its applicability and consistency in two large prospective datasets. Methods Patient and disease-related variables and 30-day outcomes were identified in two prospective cholecystectomy databases: the multi-centre prospective cohort of 8820 patients from the recent CholeS Study and the single-surgeon series containing 4089 patients. Operative data and patient outcomes were correlated with Nassar operative difficultly scale, using Kendall’s tau for dichotomous variables, or Jonckheere–Terpstra tests for continuous variables. A ROC curve analysis was performed, to quantify the predictive accuracy of the scale for each outcome, with continuous outcomes dichotomised, prior to analysis. Results A higher operative difficulty grade was consistently associated with worse outcomes for the patients in both the reference and CholeS cohorts. The median length of stay increased from 0 to 4 days, and the 30-day complication rate from 7.6 to 24.4% as the difficulty grade increased from 1 to 4/5 (both p < 0.001). In the CholeS cohort, a higher difficulty grade was found to be most strongly associated with conversion to open and 30-day mortality (AUROC = 0.903, 0.822, respectively). On multivariable analysis, the Nassar operative difficultly scale was found to be a significant independent predictor of operative duration, conversion to open surgery, 30-day complications and 30-day reintervention (all p < 0.001). Conclusion We have shown that an operative difficulty scale can standardise the description of operative findings by multiple grades of surgeons to facilitate audit, training assessment and research. It provides a tool for reporting operative findings, disease severity and technical difficulty and can be utilised in future research to reliably compare outcomes according to case mix and intra-operative difficulty

Constraints on the χ_(c1) versus χ_(c2) polarizations in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

The polarizations of promptly produced χ_(c1) and χ_(c2) mesons are studied using data collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC, in proton-proton collisions at √s=8  TeV. The χ_c states are reconstructed via their radiative decays χ_c → J/ψγ, with the photons being measured through conversions to e⁺e⁻, which allows the two states to be well resolved. The polarizations are measured in the helicity frame, through the analysis of the χ_(c2) to χ_(c1) yield ratio as a function of the polar or azimuthal angle of the positive muon emitted in the J/ψ → μ⁺μ⁻ decay, in three bins of J/ψ transverse momentum. While no differences are seen between the two states in terms of azimuthal decay angle distributions, they are observed to have significantly different polar anisotropies. The measurement favors a scenario where at least one of the two states is strongly polarized along the helicity quantization axis, in agreement with nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics predictions. This is the first measurement of significantly polarized quarkonia produced at high transverse momentum