Fatigue Behavior of Welded Connections Enhanced with UIT and Bolting

A common problem in bridges employing welded steel girders is development of fatigue cracks at the ends of girder coverplates. Fatigue cracks tend to form at the toes of the transverse welds connecting a coverplate to a girder flange since this detail has a region of very high stress concentration. Because many aging bridges employ these fatigue-prone, AASHTO fatigue Category E or E' details, a means to effectively enhance the fatigue lives of these details is being sought. A research project funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation was undertaken at the University of Kansas to investigate the fatigue life enhancement afforded by two retrofit methods. One retrofit method was similar to a method described in the AASTHO Bridge Design Specification (AASHTO 2004) and involved pretensioned bolts being added to the ends of coverplates near the transverse welds. Unlike the AASHTO bolting procedure, the modified bolting procedure studied during this project utilized coverplates having transverse fillet welds that were left in the as-fabricated state. The other retrofit method was the use of a proprietary needle peening procedure called Ultrasonic Impact Treatment (UIT). Results of the research project showed that UIT was highly effective at enhancing the fatigue lives of coverplate end details while the bolting procedure was ineffective. Weld treatment with UIT resulted in an improvement in fatigue life over control specimens by a factor of 25. This translated in an improvement from an AASTHO fatigue Category E detail rating to and AASHTO fatigue Category A detail rating. The modified coverplate bolting procedure tested during this project had either no effect on fatigue life or, in some cases, had a detrimental effect on fatigue life. The coverplate bolting procedure included in the AASHTO specification allows a coverplate end detail to achieve a fatigue Category B resistance when bolted rather than transversely welded. 11 Therefore, the modified bolting procedure tested during this project was much less effective at enhancing fatigue life than either the AASHTO bolting procedure or UIT

Sexualidade e câncer de mama: uma revisão sistemática da literatura

O objetivo deste estudo foi compreender como o câncer de mama e seus tratamentos afetam a vivência da sexualidade da mulher acometida. Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática qualitativa de artigos científicos, publicados entre 2000 e 2010, disponíveis nas bases de dados PubMed, Web of Science, LILACS e SciELO. Foram obtidos 50 artigos cujos textos foram categorizados segundo análise de conteúdo temática. Foram identificadas seis categorias temáticas: a cirurgia mamária e os demais tratamentos para o câncer de mama; a experiência da mulher acometida; o relacionamento afetivo-sexual; estudos sobre relação entre sexualidade e características específicas do câncer; os profissionais de saúde e a atenção à sexualidade; e propostas para amenizar as consequências negativas dos tratamentos na sexualidade. Há necessidade de novos estudos a respeito dos aspectos culturais da sexualidade, diversidade sexual, relacionamento com o parceiro, formação do profissional de saúde e intervenções em sexualidade no contexto do câncer de mama

Successful Instructional Approaches for Contemporary Students – A Case Study

The purpose of this case study was to learn more about characteristics of contemporary students and to identify teaching methods used to meet the needs of this unique population of students. Semi-structured interviews of tenured, tenure-track and adjunct faculty in the Department of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism at California State University, East Bay were conducted to obtain their perspectives about challenges faced by contemporary students, teaching methods, and resources. Similarities were found across the academic ranks related to the use of experiential activities, analysis of complex problems with real-world application, use of technology and flexible course policies

Responsibility as an Obstacle to Good Policy: The Case of Lifestyle Related Disease

People are causally responsible for many of their own problems. Indeed, in the arena of healthcare, up to 40% of premature deaths are preventable by changes to lifestyle (Yoon et al. 2014). The biggest causes of lifestyle-related morbidity and mortality are behaviors which are widely known to be unhealthy (smoking, unhealthy diets, lack of exercise and excessive drinking). These facts make the following inference prima facie plausible: if agents are causally responsible for their ill-health, and the causes are voluntary behaviors they know to be linked to ill-health, they are also morally responsible for their ill-health. That conclusion need not be taken to entail that they are not entitled to healthcare, say. However, it (plausibly) has some practical import. It may, for instance, bear on how their entitlements are to be weighed against those of others who are not responsible for their ill-health, when it comes to the allocation of scarce resources