Search

Understanding the concrete-steel interface's behavior at cryogenic temperatures is important for designing concrete for direct liquefied natural gas (LNG) containment; such behavior is currently unclear. Hence, the work conducted involved pull-out testing in providing insights on the bond-slip relationship and the development of internal strains, which have seldom been measured in cryogenic concrete. Deformed cryogenic steel rebars (16 and 19 mm diameter) were embedded in cylindrical concrete specimens made with either traprock or limestone aggregates, with and without air entrainment (AE). Embedded foil and vibrating wire gages monitored the concrete and rebar's internal strains during cooling and pull-out testing. Pull-out testing involving applied stresses ranging from 34.5 to 241.5 MPa was conducted at normal and cryogenic temperatures. Bond stress was similar in both aggregate types but increased with rebar diameter within the applied stress range. The gages indicated that the rebar and concrete showed similar strain patterns in AE and non-AE traprock, and the AE limestone concretes during cryogenic cooling. However, the rebar gages responded to expansive movements below −20 °C in the non-AE limestone concrete. Bond stiffness degradation occurred at higher applied tensile stresses with AE in limestone concrete but at similar tensile stresses in AE and non-AE traprock concrete.

The dataset in this work compares the response of two fodder crops, alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris), to industrial biosludge amendment of an arid soil in the State of Qatar. It also evaluates the response of soil structure parameters in the biosludge-amended soils containing the different fodder crops. The dataset relates to our previously published works detailed subsequently. The underlying data comparing the water storage capacity and pore structure evolution of the planted soils treated with 0.75, 1.5, and 3% biosludge contents, which showed good outcomes in the companion articles, alongside soil only and soil-fertilizer controls, are presented. These are shown in terms of the percentage of irrigation water leached, and variations in the logarithmic mean T2 (i.e., T2LM - a proxy for mean pore size) and cumulative porosity, respectively. Data on plant growth parameters such as the number of days to flowering, plant height, and aboveground fresh biomass weight in individual replicates of the different treatments as a percentage of the soil-fertilizer control are also shown. The dataset shows the different responses of both plants and the planted soils to amendments with industrial biosludge from the wastewater treatment plant of a gas-to-liquid (GTL) plant.

Background: Bassini’s repair and the Lichtenstein’s tension free mesh hernioplasty are commonly used hernia repair techniques and yet there is no unison as to which is the best technique. Our hospital being in a rural setup and catering to majority of poor patients who are daily wagers, open hernia repairs are commonly done. This study was undertaken to compare the technique and post-operative course so as to determine the best suitable of the two procedures for them. Materials and Methods: A comparative randomized study was conducted on a total of 70 patients with inguinal hernia and were operated upon by either of technique and followed up. Outcome of both the techniques were analyzed and compared with other similar studies. Results: Study involved 35 each of Modified Bassini’s Repair (MBR) and Lichtenstein’s Mesh Repair (LMR), over a period of 18 months. MBR took more operating time than LMR. Commonest complication in both the groups was seroma formation. There were two recurrences in the MBR group and none in LMR group. Conclusion: LMR was comparatively better than MBR due to its simplicity, less dissection and early ambulation in the postoperative period and with no recurrence, in our study.

In fluid dynamics, a flow control device is used to control, manage, or modify the behavior of a fluid flow. Jet actuators work by releasing high-velocity jets of fluid, usually air or gas, into the surrounding environment to control or manipulate the flow of fluids. In this study, the flow control device, which was a dual synthetic jet actuator (DSJA), acted as a lift enhancement device over an optimized NACA 0012 aerofoil with a rounded trailing edge (TE) (Coanda surface approximately 9% of the trailing edge was modified) to enhance the lift at various angles of attack (AOAs). Fluctuating pressure inlets were introduced in two slots. When the dual synthetic jets were in control, the out-of-phase jets from the upper and lower trailing edge jets helped to boost the lift coefficient. The suction stroke from the lower half of the jet made the Coanda effect stronger in the upper half. The upper trailing edge jet deflected downwards merged with the lower one and helped to deflect the flow field closer to the bottom half. An unsteady CFD analysis was performed on optimized airfoils with and without a DSJ, with a driving frequency of 40.6 and a reduced frequency of 0.025 at a Reynolds number of 25000. The results obtained at different angles indicated that the L/D ratio was improved by 13.5% at higher angles of attack in the presence of the DSJA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses a novel two-step Monte Carlo simulation algorithm to estimate the weighted volume of a polytope of the form A ⁢ z ≤ T . The essential idea is to partition the columns of A into two categories – a lightweight category and a heavyweight category. Simulation is done in a two-step manner where, for every sample of the lightweight category variables we use multiple samples of the heavyweight category variables. Thus, the heavyweight category variables are oversampled with respect to the lightweight category variables and increasing samples of the heavyweight variables at the expense of the lightweight variables will lead to a more efficient Monte Carlo method. In this paper we present a fast heuristic approximate for estimating the optimal oversampling ratio and substantiate with experimental results which confirm the effectiveness of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aloe vera is a cactus plant that thrives in warm areas. Since ancient times, it has been used to treat acute wounds. However, the efficacy of aloe vera for burns and split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor sites is inconclusive. In this study, we have applied pure aloe vera gel extract as an adjunct to dressing second-degree (superficial) burn wounds and assessed the time for complete epithelialization. The time taken for complete epithelialization of the wound was 11 days when compared to the normal (evidence-based) time of 14 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]