Diabetic Glomerulosclerosis

Why should the mesangial cells be irritated? We recently observed in some diabetics black deposits beneath and on both sides of the basement membrane. These appear quite similar to deposits seen in and around the basement membrane in glomerulonephritis and in lupus nephritis. I do not know for sure what they are, but theory says that in glomerulonephritis they probably represent antigen-antibody complexes. There is some evidence to support this. One would assume that in diabetes they might be the same thing. Or they might be some other atypical plasma protein which results from the abnormal pattern of diabetic metabolism. I do not know. I believe this substance may be trapped by the basement membrane. It may be an abnormal substance that is trapped, or it may be an abnormal basement membrane that traps it. As this material is trapped, it is irritating to the mesangial cells and causes them to proliferate and secrete more of the basement membrane-like material. This material gradually fills up the glomeruli, and causes them to become non-functional, ultimately leading to uremia and death. It is of great interest also that these same processes are observed in experimentally-produced diabetes in the dog, a non-hereditary form of diabetes. This would seem to favor a metabolic rather than a genetic origin for the vascular defect

Diabetic Microangiopathy

Microangiopathy is the term applied to the abnormal state of the capillaries, arterioles, and venules found in the diabetic patient. It is characterized principally by thickening of the basement membrane of these small vessels. It might be worth mentioning that while we are concerned here with the smaller blood vessels, diabetic patients also show thickening of the basement membrane beneath the endothelium of arteries of all sizes. Also, the basement membrane-like material that surrounds each smooth muscle fiber in the wall of arteries shows similar thickening in diabetic patients. With this thickening, there is an increased glycoprotein content of the arterial wall. Diabetic microangiopathy is associated with well known clinical disturbances in the retina and in the kidney, but involves as well capillaries throughout the body

An advanced polymer composite and concrete slab system

This paper reports on an investigation into the feasibility of a structural slab system comprising of a sheet of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) in tension and concrete in compression. The CFRP serves as permanent formwork as well as tension reinforcement. It was found that the slab system performed satisfactorily at ultimate and serviceability limit states. A design for a slab for use in a typical building is presented

Developing a multi-pollutant conceptual framework for the selection and targeting of interventions in water industry catchment management schemes

In recent years water companies have started to adopt catchment management to reduce diffuse pollution in drinking water supply areas. The heterogeneity of catchments and the range of pollutants that must be removed to meet the EU Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC) limits make it difficult to prioritise areas of a catchment for intervention. Thus conceptual frameworks are required that can disaggregate the components of pollutant risk and help water companies make decisions about where to target interventions in their catchments to maximum effect. This paper demonstrates the concept of generalising pollutants in the same framework by reviewing key pollutant processes within a source-mobilisation-delivery context. From this, criteria are developed (with input from water industry professionals involved in catchment management) which highlights the need for a new water industry specific conceptual framework. The new CaRPoW (Catchment Risk to Potable Water) framework uses the Source-Mobilisation-Delivery concept as modular components of risk that work at two scales, source and mobilisation at the field scale and delivery at the catchment scale. Disaggregating pollutant processes permits the main components of risk to be ascertained so that appropriate interventions can be selected. The generic structure also allows for the outputs from different pollutants to be compared so that potential multiple benefits can be identified. CaRPow provides a transferable framework that can be used by water companies to cost-effectively target interventions under current conditions or under scenarios of land use or climate change

Application of particle image velocimetry in reinforced concrete pile cap experiments

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is an optical method to measure full-field displacement of moving objects, with significant advantages over traditional method using labour intensive strain gauges. This paper introduces an application of PIV with single non-commercial digital camera, in a series of reinforced concrete four-pile cap shear experiments performed by the first author at University of Southampton, the UK during his PhD study. The PIV measurement for cap surface displacement and strain distribution helped to reveal the shear behaviour of reinforced concrete pile caps under wall loadings. A full PIV procedure and the derivation of displacement/strain data from PIV readings is explained. This paper also presents an error analysis for the inherent random and system errors associated with PIV technology. Advice are made regarding the efficient way to improve the measurement accuracy for future implementation. Examples of the corrected output from PIV are given and compared with numerical modelling output

Integral bridges? Development of a constitutive soil model for soil structure interaction

Traditionally, engineers have used bearings and expansion joints to accommodate bridge expansion and contraction caused by daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations. Studies carried out in the late 1980s showed durability problems can be associated with bearings and expansion joints Wallbank, 1989. Since the mid twentieth century Integral Bridges with no expansion joints or bearings have been used. Deck expansion and contraction is accommodated by movement of the abutments into the retained fill. This eliminates the problem of durability but the movement of the abutments has been thought to cause a build up of horizontal pressures, particularly in the case of full height abutments. In the United Kingdom BA42/96 Highways Agency, 2000 was issued and gave guidance on the soil pressures that should be adopted in design. The validity of the work on which the code of practice was based is a subject of continued debate by both researchers and practicing engineers. For this reason Integral Bridges have been used much less widely than conventional bridges. As part of a strategy by the University of Southampton to further investigate the occuring soil pressures, Xu 2005 carried out radial controlled triaxial tests of granular material under cyclic loading. The applied strain and stress path used represented that typically experienced by an element of retained material behind an integral bridge abutment. This was the first time that the fundamental behaviour had been investigated in this way. The further research discussed in this paper builds upon this by use of numerical modelling. The fundamental behaviour of granular material under this particular loading could not be represented by any available constitutive model and therefore a new model was be developed based on this behaviour. The basis of the model and initial validation process are discussed. The first stage of the validation process was implementation in a commercially available spreadsheet package. This was then used to develop a model in the Finite Difference Method package FLAC. Once this was implemented, the triaxial tests were modelled and the results compared to experimental data

Modelling granular soil to predict pressures on integral bridge abutments

Presented here is a granular soil model created to investigate the soil pressures which develop behind integral bridge abutments. The problem is introduced along with a brief summary of the fundamental behaviour, the model produced, and the initial validation. The paper looks at the initial outcome of the final validation procedure where experimental behaviour of an abutment is compared to the modelled behaviour, and the influence of the Young's modulus profile applied is investigated. The results show that the model behaves as expected producing lateral stresses close to those measured experimentally. Comparisons show that the Young's modulus profile adopted influences the resultant lateral stresses sufficiently to warrant further investigation

Exercise, health and well-being: A philosophical analysis.

It is commonly thought that exercise improves both our health and well-being. Indeed, prominent psychological researchers argue that exercise which makes us feel good necessarily enhances well-being. Their research employs a subjective conception of well-being, understood in terms of life-satisfaction and affect. Conversely, I argue that pleasure, enjoyment and desire-fulfilment do not necessarily enhance well-being. Subjective judgements of well-being can be mistaken. Exercise is of merely instrumental value in preserving functionings and capabilities that constitute well-being. This understanding of well-being draws extensively upon Nussbaum's capabilities approach. The biomedical case for the health benefits of exercise excludes subjective valuing, presupposing a dichotomy between objective scientific fact and subjective value. Health is understood in naturalistic terms, focusing upon the absence of disease and illness. In contrast, I argue health cannot be isolated from those functionings and capabilities constitutive of well-being which entangle fact and value. To be healthy is to be in a bodily and mental state that ensures the capability to function in valuable ways. Rejecting the fact/value dichotomy paves the way for reflection upon those values central to well-being. I argue for an objective list theory of well-being, in which listed constituents, such as affiliation and play, are considered valuable independent of possibly flawed subjective valuations. The human body, however, is not merely a vessel for listed values. Griffin elevates our rational nature over our animality in proposing his theory of well-being. His theory appears distant from some of our most central concerns as embodied human beings. Ageing, disease and illness mark some of the ways in which our bodies limit our capabilities. The capabilities and functionings proposed in Nussbaum's approach reflect both our animal and rational nature. In conclusion, I argue that exercise offers one important way in which to preserve the physical preconditions of these valuable functionings and capabilities

SASICE: Safety and sustainability in civil engineering

The performance of the built environment and the construction sector are of major importance in Europe’s long term goals of sustainable development in a changing climate. At the same time, the quality of life of all European citizens needs to be improved and the safety of the built environment with respect to man-made and natural hazards, such as flooding and earthquakes, needs to be ensured. Education has a central role to play in the transformation of a construction sector required to meet increasing demands with regard to safety and sustainability. In this work, the SASICE project is presented. The aim of this project is to promote the integration of safety and sustainability in civil engineering education. The project is organised in the context of the Lifelong Learning Programme, funded by the European Community. The coordinator organisation is the University of Bologna. Nine partner universities from different countries are involved in this transnational project. The universities participating to the project constitute a network of high level competences in the civil engineering area, with several opportunities to improve lifelong learning adopting different media: joint curricula, teaching modules and professor and student exchanges. As a response to the challenge regarding new educational methods in sustainable engineering, teaching modules are developed in 4 thematic areas: (1) Safety in construction, (2) Risk induced by Natural Hazards Assessment, (3) Sustainability in construction, and (4) Sustainability at the territorial level. The development of the teaching modules is based on an extensive analysis of the need for highly qualified education on Safety and Sustainability involving all relevant stakeholders (European and national authorities, companies, research institutes, professional organizations, and universities).The main target is enabling students to introduce these advanced topics in their study plans and curricula and reach, at the end of their studies, a specific skill and expertise in safety and sustainability in Civil Engineering. With our natural resources fading away and our infrastructure in dire need of repair, new trends and challenges in civil engineering education in the concept of “Sustainable Development” are needed to be adressed.<br/

Hot Tops for STeel Ingots - Their Developments as Influenced by Solidification Patterns

This paper is concerned with hot tops for steel ingots, an area in which Foseco has been actively involved for many years. After defining the need for hot tops, the histo-rical devleopment is reviewed, highlighting the major steps taken in the development of the two hot top compon-ents - sideliner and top cover, in particular the impact made by the introduction of lightweight expandable PROFAX @ side-liners and succesive generations of anti-piping compounds. It next examines current developments, in particular superlightweight exothermic sideliners, and anti-piping is a review of the ancillary testing techn-iques including a computer model for predicting ingot solidification profiles. Finally the future course of hot topping practice is considered highlighting those areas in which further developments are anticipated