Field investigation of deformation characteristics and stress mobilisation of a soil slope

Stress mobilisation and deformation of a slope are important for engineers to carry out reliable design of retaining systems. However, most case histories reported mainly on the response of pore-water pressure (PWP), whereas knowledge about the stress-deformation characteristics of slope is limited. In this study, a saprolitic soil slope was instrumented to monitor not only the responses of PWP but also horizontal stress and horizontal displacement. To assist in the interpretation of field data, a series of laboratory tests was conducted to characterise the volume change behaviour of soil taken from the site, under the effects of both net stress and suction. During a rainstorm event when positive PWP built up, a remarkably large displacement of 20 mm was recorded between 5.5 and 6 m depths, and the top 5 m of the slope exhibited translational down-slope movement. This caused an increase in effective horizontal stress by 350%, which reached a peak value close to 40% of an effective passive stress. During the subsequent dry season when suction was recovered, an up-slope rebound of 10 mm was recorded. Comparison of field and laboratory data reveals that the rebound was attributed to suction-induced soil shrinkage. This rebound led to a decrease in the effective horizontal stress previously built up during the storm event

NATPGE: understanding registered nurses’ attitudes towards post graduate education

Nursing education is a dynamic process designed to enable nurses to competently meet the healthcare needs of society. Health system restructuring has been associated with diminishing postgraduate specialist nursing numbers worldwide. Valid instruments that monitor and evaluate nurses’ attitudes to gauge educational barriers and facilitators are a central component in planning effective education, and have been unavailable. Overall both the CE and the RNs ranked the NATPGE, using the CVI, as a realistic training platform that would be useful for evaluating RNs’ attitudes towards postgraduate education. The comments received from the CE resulted in some minor changes to the wording of some items for better clarity and simplicity. No particular concerns were raised about any of the items by the CE. The CE was agreeable that the items were arranged in a positively and negatively worded sequence, which was intentional as to prevent response bias. The present research indicates very good content and face validity and whilst the test-retest reliability overall was moderate, several individual questions did have poor kappa values

Directing Chondrogenesis of Stem Cells with Specific Blends of Cellulose and Silk

Biomaterials that can stimulate stem cell differentiation without growth factor supplementation provide potent and cost-effective scaffolds for regenerative medicine. We hypothesize that a scaffold prepared from cellulose and silk blends can direct stem cell chondrogenic fate. We systematically prepared cellulose blends with silk at different compositions using an environmentally benign processing method based on ionic liquids as a common solvent. We tested the effect of blend compositions on the physical properties of the materials as well as on their ability to support mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) growth and chondrogenic differentiation. The stiffness and tensile strength of cellulose was significantly reduced by blending with silk. The characterized materials were tested using MSCs derived from four different patients. Growing MSCs on a specific blend combination of cellulose and silk in a 75:25 ratio significantly upregulated the chondrogenic marker genes SOX9, aggrecan and type II collagen in the absence of specific growth factors. This chondrogenic effect was neither found with neat cellulose nor the cellulose/silk 50:50 blend composition. No adipogenic or osteogenic differentiation is detected on the blends suggesting that the cellulose/silk 75:25 blend induces specific stem cell differentiation into the chondrogenic lineage without addition of the soluble growth factor TGF-β. The cellulose/silk blend we identified can be used both for in vitro tissue engineering and as an implantable device for stimulating endogenous stem cells to initiate cartilage repair

Investigation of failure mode interaction in laminated composites subjected to compression loading

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90657/1/AIAA-2011-1792-899.pd

Suspended optical waveguides in InP for optomechanical applications

Optical micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) based on suspended optical waveguides offer a range of interesting applications, e.g. in optical communications and sensing. In particular, if the waveguide dimensions are sufficiently small and thus the evanescent field of propagating light extends beyond the guiding material into air, two closely spaced parallel waveguides become optically coupled with a coupling strength that is strongly dependent on the waveguide separation. This effect can be exploited for mechanically actuated optical switching, tuning of micro-resonators, or even for changing the speed of light. &more..

Computational modeling of failure in composite structures including uncertainties in material and geometrical properties

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90654/1/AIAA-2011-1722-752.pd

Effect of Cosmos caudatus (Ulam raja) supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a major health threat worldwide. Cosmos caudatus is one of the medicinal plants used to treat type 2 diabetes. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effectiveness and safety of C. caudatus in patients with type 2 diabetes. Metabolomic approach will be carried out to compare the metabolite profiles between C. Caudatus treated diabetic patients and diabetic controls. METHODS AND DESIGN: This is a single-center, randomized, controlled, two-arm parallel design clinical trial that will be carried out in a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. In this study, 100 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes will be enrolled. Diabetic patients who meet the eligibility criteria will be randomly allocated to two groups, which are diabetic C. caudatus treated(U) group and diabetic control (C) group. Primary and secondary outcomes will be measured at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The serum and urine metabolome of both groups will be examined using proton NMR spectroscopy. DISCUSSION: The study will be the first randomized controlled trial to assess whether C. caudatus can confer beneficial effect in patients with type 2 diabetes. The results of this trial will provide clinical evidence on the effectiveness and safety of C. caudatus in patients with type 2 diabetes