Strengthening of Concrete Beams Using FRP Composites

Finite element analysis (FEA) is used to predict the behavior of reinforced concrete beams strengthened with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). To verify and measure the accuracy of the FEM model, the current model results were compared with both experimental and theoretical available results. Four beams were studied simulating the Horsetail Creek Bridge, Oregon, USA. The first one is a control beam with no strengthening fiber.The second beam is strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) oriented along the length of the beam to reinforce the flexure behavior. The third beam is wrapped with glass fiber reinforced polymer(GFRP) laminates representing the shear beam. The fourth one is strengthened with CFRP and GFRP laminates representing the flexure-shear beam.The load-strain for concrete, steel and fiber as well were represented and compared. In addition, the load deflection curves and crack patterns were developed and represented. The results showed that the modeling process was accurate in simulating the tested beams. It was also clear that using FRP in strengthening reinforced concrete beams is an effective method in improving both shear and flexural behavior of the beams

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Stress analysis of laminated glass with different interlayer materials

The use of window glass in building design is becoming increasingly popular. Laminated glass has gained popularity as a suitable and practical alternative to monolithic and insulating glass in many design situations. Laminated glass plate performance is influenced by several factors such as glass thickness, glass type, temperature, aspect ratio, load duration, and hardness of the interlayer material. A new higher order finite element model (presented by the first two authors) using 9-noded quadrilateral elements was applied to investigate laminated glass plates with both different interlayer materials. An experimental load-testing program is described. Two types of interlayer materials, regular polyvinyl butyral and strong formulation of polyvinyl butyral were used. First, simply supported rectangular laminated glass plates with regular polyvinyl butyral interlayer with aspect ratios 1–5 under different temperatures were tested. Second, one set of laminated glass plates with the strong formulation of polyvinyl butyral interlayer was tested under room temperature. The experimental and theoretical results are compared and discussed. In general, the performance of laminated glass with regular polyvinyl butyral interlayer is closer to that of layered glass at higher temperature. Also, laminated glass with strong formulation of polyvinyl butyral interlayer has a significantly larger load resistance than similar regular polyvinyl butyral samples

Structural behavior of architectural glass plates

Architectural designers frequently use glass plates that have shapes other than rectangular in both residential and commercial buildings. Commonly, one sees glass plates with trapezoidal, triangular, hexagonal, and circular shapes. For example; window glass in aircraft control tower cabs leans outward to enable ground controllers to have a good view of operations. Consequently, aircraft control tower cabs have glass plates that have trapezoidal shapes. This paper deals with the structural behavior of glass plates other than rectangular shapes. A higher order finite element model based upon Mindlin plate theory was employed to analyze different shapes of glass plates. First, a comparison between experimental and finite element results for a tested trapezoidal glass plate is presented, which shows a very good agreement. Then, the finite element model was used to compare load-induced stresses with those for bounding rectangular shapes. Results of analysis are presented and discussed

Some Topological Approaches for Generalized Rough Sets and Their Decision-Making Applications

The rough set principle was proposed as a methodology to cope with vagueness or uncertainty of data in the information systems. Day by day, this theory has proven its efficiency in handling and modeling many real-life problems. To contribute to this area, we present new topological approaches as a generalization of Pawlak’s theory by using j-adhesion neighborhoods and elucidate the relationship between them and some other types of approximations with the aid of examples. Topologically, we give another generalized rough approximation using near open sets. Also, we generate generalized approximations created from the topological models of j-adhesion approximations. Eventually, we compare the approaches given herein with previous ones to obtain a more affirmative solution for decision-making problems

Integrated management of groundwater quantity, physicochemical properties, and microbial quality in West Nile delta using a new MATLAB code and geographic information system mapping

Abstract Groundwater is an excellent alternative to freshwater for drinking, irrigation, and developing arid regions. Agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential, and municipal activities may affect groundwater quantity and quality. Therefore, we aimed to use advanced methods/techniques to monitor the piezometric levels and collect groundwater samples to test their physicochemical and biological characteristics. Our results using software programs showed two main types of groundwater: the most prevalent was the Na–Cl type, which accounts for 94% of the groundwater samples, whereas the Mg–Cl type was found in 6% of samples only. In general, the hydraulic gradient values, ranging from medium to low, could be attributed to the slow movement of groundwater. Salinity distribution in groundwater maps varied between 238 and 1350 mg L−1. Although lower salinity values were observed in northwestern wells, higher values were recorded in southern ones. The collected seventeen water samples exhibited brackish characteristics and were subjected to microbial growth monitoring. Sample WD12 had the lowest total bacterial count (TBC) of 4.8 ± 0.9 colony forming unit (CFU mg L−1), while WD14 had the highest TBC (7.5 ± 0.5 CFU mg L−1). None of the tested water samples, however, contained pathogenic microorganisms. In conclusion, the current simulation models for groundwater drawdown of the Quaternary aquifer system predict a considerable drawdown of water levels over the next 10, 20, and 30 years with the continuous development of the region

Global Incidence and Risk Factors Associated With Postoperative Urinary Retention Following Elective Inguinal Hernia Repair

Importance Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is a well-recognized complication of inguinal hernia repair (IHR). A variable incidence of POUR has previously been reported in this context, and contradictory evidence surrounds potential risk factors.Objective To ascertain the incidence of, explore risk factors for, and determine the health service outcomes of POUR following elective IHR.Design, Setting, and Participants The Retention of Urine After Inguinal Hernia Elective Repair (RETAINER I) study, an international, prospective cohort study, recruited participants between March 1 and October 31, 2021. This study was conducted across 209 centers in 32 countries in a consecutive sample of adult patients undergoing elective IHR.Exposure Open or minimally invasive IHR by any surgical technique, under local, neuraxial regional, or general anesthesia.Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the incidence of POUR following elective IHR. Secondary outcomes were perioperative risk factors, management, clinical consequences, and health service outcomes of POUR. A preoperative International Prostate Symptom Score was measured in male patients.Results In total, 4151 patients (3882 male and 269 female; median [IQR] age, 56 [43-68] years) were studied. Inguinal hernia repair was commenced via an open surgical approach in 82.2% of patients (n = 3414) and minimally invasive surgery in 17.8% (n = 737). The primary form of anesthesia was general in 40.9% of patients (n = 1696), neuraxial regional in 45.8% (n = 1902), and local in 10.7% (n = 446). Postoperative urinary retention occurred in 5.8% of male patients (n = 224), 2.97% of female patients (n = 8), and 9.5% (119 of 1252) of male patients aged 65 years or older. Risk factors for POUR after adjusted analyses included increasing age, anticholinergic medication, history of urinary retention, constipation, out-of-hours surgery, involvement of urinary bladder within the hernia, temporary intraoperative urethral catheterization, and increasing operative duration. Postoperative urinary retention was the primary reason for 27.8% of unplanned day-case surgery admissions (n = 74) and 51.8% of 30-day readmissions (n = 72).Conclusions The findings of this cohort study suggest that 1 in 17 male patients, 1 in 11 male patients aged 65 years or older, and 1 in 34 female patients may develop POUR following IHR. These findings could inform preoperative patient counseling. In addition, awareness of modifiable risk factors may help to identify patients at increased risk of POUR who may benefit from perioperative risk mitigation strategies

Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries

Background: Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide.Methods: This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters.Results: A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 percent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 percent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 percent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle-compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries.Conclusion: Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761)