Search

Steel – concrete composite members are widely used in the construction of multistorey buildings and bridges. Composite construction takes the advantages of steel and concrete, in turn reduces the cost of construction. This paper discuss the use of galvanised steel with concrete as composite beam under flexural loading. Six specimens were tested to failure with varying number of headed stud connectors from 0 to 5. Load carrying capacity of the composite beam specimen improved by 62 % as compared to beam without shear connectors. The mode of failure of the composite beam is mainly due to failure of the shear connectors at tension zone, which leads to formation of multiple cracks on concrete portion. The analytical model was developed using finite element software ANSYS and found to obtain similar result as compared to the experimental results with minimal variation in the central deflection.

There has been a lot of focus in recent years on finding ways to incorporate renewable energy systems, especially solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, into the existing electrical grid. Power conversion technologies that are both efficient and reliable are in high demand due to the expanding popularity of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Micro-inverters, which are module-based inverters placed on individual PV modules, have grown in popularity in recent years due to their decentralized design. However, the integration of solar micro-inverter into the electrical grid presents power quality challenges. This research article presents an experimental investigation and power quality analysis of a solar micro-inverter under various operating conditions such as dust and shade.

It is very important to ensure that the fly ash produced, after adsorbing the metal ions from aqueous solution, is disposed of in such a manner that it does not adversely affect the environment. Therefore, in the present study, the fly ash which was used for adsorption of three metal ions from aqueous solution was investigated for its safe and environment friendly disposal after cement based solidification. For its safe disposal the used fly ash was solidified with cement and two tests namely, compressive strength test and semi-dynamic leaching tests were conducted for this cement solidified fly ash to ensure that this fly ash can be safely used for various purposes. The results obtained from these two tests were found to be very encouraging for its safe use for outdoor and indoor applications for various civil engineering purposes.

Histoplasmosis is an endemic mycosis with global distribution, primarily reported in immunocompromised individuals. A 29-year old immunocompetent male presented with fever, hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia. His peripheral blood showed features suggestive of intravascular hemolysis and echocardiography showed features suggestive of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Bone marrow showed yeast with morphology suggestive of Histoplasma capsulatum. Further investigations revealed hyperferritinemia, hypofibrinogenemia and increased triglycerides. With a diagnosis of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis with secondary Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, he was successfully treated with amphotericin B followed by itraconazole. We report this case to highlight the atypical and rare manifestations of histoplasmosis.

In the present study, the stress-stain behaviour of confined concrete made with basalt fibre reinforced polymer bars (BFRP) were taken up. The stress-strain behaviour was studied for the concrete mixes confined with steel rebars and BFRP rebars. The confinement was given in the form of steel hoops in the cylinders, 3 hoops (0.8%), 4 hoops (1.1%), 5 hoops (1.3%) and 6 hoops (1.6%). The addition of basalt fibres along with confinement of concrete with steel and BFRP hoops enhanced the compressive strength, indicating further confinement effect in the concrete. It is observed that the addition of fibres is helpful in lower confinements only. Beyond 1.1% confinement, the addition of any type of basalt fibres doesn’t show any effect on compressive strengths. From the stress-strain behaviour of all types of concrete mixes, it is concluded that the ultimate load-carrying capacity and strains at peak stresses are more in concrete with BFRP hoops for mixes up to 1.1% confinement. The addition of basalt fibres to concrete has increased the ductility in both confined and unconfined states

INTRODUCTION: While there are many studies assessing the pre-treatment loss to follow-up (LFU) among tuberculosis patients in public sector, there is no evidence from private-for-profit health sector and pre-diagnostic LFU from Zimbabwe. We aimed to assess the gaps in the cascade of care of presumptive TB patients registered during January-June 2017 in different types of health facilities in Hwange district, Zimbabwe. METHODS: This was a cohort study involving review of routine programme data. Pre-diagnostic LFU was defined as the proportion of presumptive TB patients not tested using sputum microscopy or Xpert MTB/RIF. A log binomial regression was done to assess factors associated with pre-diagnostic LFU. RESULTS: Of 1,279 presumptive TB patients, 955(75%) were tested for TB and 102(8%) were diagnosed as having TB. All TB patients were started on treatment. Pre-diagnostic LFU (overall 25%) was significantly higher among patients visiting private-for-profit health facilities (36%), local self-government run council health facilities (35%) and church-run mission health facilities (25%) compared to government health facilities (14%). Pre-diagnostic LFU was significantly higher among patients in rural areas (30%) compared to urban areas (18%). Type of health facility was associated with pre-diagnostic LFU after adjusting for HIV status and area of residence. CONCLUSION: While pre-diagnostic LFU was high, there was no pre-treatment LFU. Pre-diagnostic LFU was especially high in private-for-profit-for-profit and council health facilities and rural areas. National TB Programme should take immediate steps to improve access in rural areas and support the private and council health facilities by improving sputum collection and transport.

Expansive soils such as black cotton soil which are widely distributed in India have a tendency for volume changes due to change in moisture content. Also exhibits very low bearing capacity and high compressibility. Stabilization of such soil by admixture is used commonly now days. But no mix is suitable to improve all the types of soil. But it is obvious that depending on type of soil & type of admixture the optimum mix can be designed. In this paper a mix has been designed to improve the bearing capacity of soil by using fly ash and lime mixture, reinforced with waste synthetic bag pieces. Various tests are carried out to determine the CBR value and other soil properties with and without using any admixture and reinforcement. The maximum value of CBR was found to be23.82% for 2.5 mm penetration and 22.21% for 5 mm penetration, when waste synthetic bag pieces of size 2 cm * 2 cm were used at a proportion of 0.1%.

INTRODUCTION: infective endocarditis is an infection of the endocardial lining of the heart mainly associated with congenital and rheumatic heart disease. Although it is a rare disease in children, it is associated with high morbidity and mortality; death due to infective endocarditis has been reported to be as high as 26% in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: this was a retrospective review of routinely collected data from patient records. RESULTS: a total of 40 children (71% female) with 41 episodes of infective endocarditis admitted to a general paediatric ward in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia between 2008 and 2013. Age ranged from 7 months to 14 years, with a median of 9 years (Inter quartile Range: 7-12 years). Rheumatic and congenital heart diseases were underlying risk factors in 49% and 51% of cases respectively. Congestive heart failure, systemic embolization and death occurred in 66%, 12% and 7.3% respectively. Death was associated with the occurrence of systemic embolization (P-value=0.03). CONCLUSION: rheumatic heart disease was an important predisposing factor for infective endocarditis in Ethiopian children. Late presentations of cases were evidenced by high proportion of complications such as congestive heart failure. A low rate of clinically evident systemic embolization in this study may be a reflection of the diagnostic challenges. High proportion of prior antibiotic intake might explain the cause of significant BCNE. Preventive measures like primary and secondary prophylaxis of rheumatic fever may decrease the associated morbidity and mortality. Early detection and referral of cases, awareness creation about indiscriminate use of antimicrobials, and proper history taking and documentation of information recommended.