Flexural Behavior of Reactive Powder Concrete with Hybrid Section T- Beams

Reactive powder concrete (RPC) is unique of the present and greatest significant improvements in constructions field, it has usual excessive kindness happening current duration in the world owing toward its higher concrete properties, great ductility, durability, shrinkage, great opposition to corrosion and abrasion. In this experimental investigation is carried out on the way to revision the RPC flexural activity with Hybrid Segment T- Beams and the mechanical characteristics of this building material. In order to analyze the belongings of steel fiber volumetric ratio, silica fume ratio, tensile steel ratio, hybrid section on RPC T-beam flexural efficiency, the experimental program included testing five beams. The study was focused on determining the load-deflection behavior, letdown mode, strain supply across the depth of the beams and crack pattern at failure. The results of the volumetric ratio of steel fibers and the silica fume ratio were also considered in studying the mechanical properties of RPC mixes. Moreover, a study of hybrid beams showed that use of RPC web and normal concrete in flange efficiently improves the performance of T-beams compared to normal concrete T-beams with a percentage rise of 12 percent and hybrid beams have also shown that the use of RPC flange and normal concrete in web efficiently improves the display of T-beams associated to regular concrete T-beams with percentages increase of 28%.

“In Vitro” Study About Variables that Influence in Arch Friction with Conventional and Self-Ligating Brackets

Many advantages have been described surrounding self-ligating (SL) brackets compared to metallic conventional ligating (CL) brackets, such as: Less total treatment time, alignment efficiency, patient comfort, plaque retention, and low friction. The objective of this in vitro simulation was to know the variables that affect arch displacement in CL and SL brackets—active (ASL) and passive (PSL)—and analyze if static friction values are affected by bracket design, arch wire section, kind of ligature, and use of a friction reducer agent (FRA) in a wet state. Larger values of static friction were found in CL with metallic ligature (ML) (8.01 ± 1.08 N/mm) and elastic ligature (EL) (6.96 ± 0.48 N/mm). Lower values were found in PSL brackets combined with FRA (0.58 ± 0.21 N/mm). The study was carried out using different stereographical models of a maxillary upper right quadrant with canine, first and second premolar, and first molar bonded brackets. A section of 25 mm of 0.019 × 0.025” stainless steel arch with a rectangular section (SS) and hybrid section (HY) was inserted into the different bracket models. Static friction values were collected using a universal test machine in wet conditions and testing the effect of a friction reducer agent (FRA). To assure the reliability of the study, different wire combinations were repeated after two weeks by the same operator and a linear analysis of regression was done. Each bracket model analysis—with the different wires, use of the FRA, and comparison among brackets in similar conditions—was done using an ANOVA test with a confidence interval of 95% and comparative Post-Hoc tests (LSD). In this in vitro simulation we found higher static friction values in CL compared to ASL and PSL. In PSL, lower values were achieved. CL brackets using ML showed the highest static friction values with a great variability. In this setting, the use of HY wires did not reduce static friction values in ASL and PSL, while in CL brackets with EL friction the values were reduced significantly. An FRA combined with ASL reduced significantly static friction values but not with PSL. In the case of CL, the FRA effect was higher with SS and better than with HY wires. ML values were similar to ASL static friction. The direct extrapolation of the results might be inaccurate, since all these findings should be tested clinically to be validated.

A Tale of Two Sections: An Experiment to Compare the Effectiveness of a Hybrid versus a Traditional Lecture Format in Introductory Microbiology

Two sections of an introductory microbiology course were taught by one instructor. One was taught through a hybrid format and the other through a traditional format. Students were randomly assigned to the two sections. Both sections were provided with identical lecture materials, in-class worksheets, in-class assessments, and extra credit opportunities; the main difference was in the way the lecture material was delivered—online for the hybrid section and in person for the traditional section. Analysis of final grades revealed that students in the traditional section did significantly better than those in the hybrid section (p < 0.001). There was a significant main effect of class standing (p < 0.01). When performance in the two sections was compared for each class year separately, the differences were only significant for sophomores (p < 0.001); freshmen, juniors, and seniors did not perform differently in the hybrid versus the traditional section. An anonymous midterm survey suggested factors likely contributing to the overall lower success of students in the hybrid section: some students in the hybrid section did not take lecture notes and/or use the audio component of the online lectures, suggesting minimal interaction with the lecture material for these students.