Failure strength of thin-walled cylindrical GFRP composite shell against static internal and external pressure for various volumetric fiber fraction

A study on a Circular cylindrical thin-walled shell failure made of GRP composite subjected to static internal and external pressure was carried out. The results were acquired using analytical and FEM simulation approaches for various volumetric fiber fractions. Fiber breakage, matrix breakage, interlaminate shear deformation, delamination shear deformation and micro buckling failure were investigated employing maximum failure criteria against internal and external pressure. One-ply cylindrical shell with fiber angle orientation of 0 degree was modeled in ABAQUS finite element simulation and the result was varied using analytical approaches. Moreover, the pressure fluctuations for various volumetric fiber fraction were quadratic according to plotted graphs. Meanwhile, MATLAB software was used for theoretical analysis. The comparison of two approaches was proved to be accurate. Subsequently, failure strength of various laminated GFRP cylindrical shell with different fiber angle orientations at each ply was studied for diverse volumetric fiber fraction factors. Stacking sequence, fiber angle orientations were mainly effective on failure strength

FORTRAN programs for calculating lower ionosphere electron densities and collision frequencies from rocket data

FORTRAN programs for calculating lower ionosphere electron densities and collision frequencie

Enhancing legacy in palliative care: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of Dignity Therapy focused on positive outcomes.

BackgroundDignity Therapy is a brief psychotherapy that can enhance a sense of legacy while addressing the emotional and existential needs of patients receiving hospice or palliative care. In Dignity Therapy, patients create a formalized "legacy" document that records their most cherished memories, their lessons learned in life, as well as their hopes and dreams for loved ones in the future. To date, this treatment has been studied for its impact on mitigating distress within hospice and palliative care populations and has provided mixed results. This study will instead focus on whether Dignity Therapy enhances positive outcomes in this population.Methods/designIn this study, 90 patients with cancer receiving hospice or palliative care will complete a mixed-methods randomized controlled trial of Dignity Therapy (n = 45) versus Supportive Attention (n = 45). The patients will be enrolled in the study for 3 weeks, receiving a total of six study visits. The primary outcomes examine whether the treatment will quantitatively increase levels of positive affect and a sense of life closure. Secondary outcomes focus on gratitude, hope, life satisfaction, meaning in life, resilience, and self-efficacy. Using a fixed, embedded dataset design, this study will additionally use qualitative interviews to explore patients' perceptions regarding the use of positive outcome measures and whether these outcomes are appropriately matched to their experiences in therapy.DiscussionDignity Therapy has shown mixed results when evaluating its impact on distress, although no other study to date has solely focused on the potential positive aspects of this treatment. This study is novel in its use of mixed methods assessments to focus on positive outcomes, and will provide valuable information about patients' direct experiences in this area.Trial registrationISRCTN91389194

Effect of biomass fuel combustion on increasing the risk of chronic Bronchitis in women, Shahrekord, 2001

به نظر می رسد که میزان برونشیت در زنان این استان زیاد باشد که احتمالا ناشی از استنشاق هوای آلوده ناشی از سوخت های آلی و چوب است. لذا در یک مطالعه مورد-شاهدی در زنان بالای 40 سال به بررسی احتمال دخالت سوخت مواد آلی و سیگار در ایجاد برونشیت مزمن پرداخته شد. از مراجعه کنندگان به درمانگاه ریه یکصد نفر مبتلا به برونشیت مزمن به عنوان مورد و از بین بیماران بستری 100 نفر به عنوان گروه کنترل انتخاب شدند. افراد این دو گروه به سوالات پرسشنامه در مورد سابقه پخت نان در منزل، نوع سوخت مصرفی برای گرمایش منزل، سوخت آشپزخانه و سوخت تنور پاسخ دادند. عوامل زیر با ایجاد برونشیت مزمن در زنان شهرکرد رابطه آماری معنی داری داشت. سیگار (P=0.009)، قلیان (P=0.014)، پخت نان با تنور در منزل (P=0.002)، وجود بخاری چوب سوز (P=0.009)، مصرف چوب برای آشپزی (P=0.000)، مصرف نفت برای آشپزی (P=0.000) و مصرف چوب برای تنور نان پزی (P=0.000). سوخت چوب برای آشپزی، پخت نان و گرم کردن منزل علل مهم ایجاد برونشیت مزمن در زنان منطقه چهارمحال و بختیاری می باشد و جایگزینی چوب و نفت با سوخت های بهداشتی تر (مثل گاز) باعث کاهش بیماری برونشیت مزمن خواهد شد

Dengue-induced autophagy, virus replication and protection from cell death require ER stress (PERK) pathway activation

Avirus that reproduces in a host without killing cells can easily establish a successful infection. Previously, we showed that dengue-2, a virus that threatens 40% of the world, induces autophagy, enabling dengue to reproduce in cells without triggering cell death. Autophagy further protects the virus-laden cells from further insults. In this study, we evaluate how it does so; we show that dengue upregulates host pathways that increase autophagy, namely endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and ataxia telangiectasiamutated (ATM) signaling followed by production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Inhibition of ER stress or ATM signaling abrogates the dengueconferred protection against other cell stressors. Direct inhibition of ER stress response in infected cells decreases autophagosome turnover, reduces ROS production and limits reproduction of dengue virus. Blocking ATM activation, which is an early response to infection, decreases transcription of ER stress response proteins, but ATM has limited impact on production of ROS and virus titers. Production of ROS determines only late-onset autophagy in infected cells and is not necessary for dengue-induced protection from stressors. Collectively, these results demonstrate that among the multiple autophagy-inducing pathways during infection, ER stress signaling is more important to viral replication and protection of cells than either ATM or ROS-mediated signaling. To limit virus production and survival of dengue-infected cells, one must address the earliest phase of autophagy, induced by ER stress

Spirometry reference equations for central European populations from school age to old age.

Spirometry reference values are important for the interpretation of spirometry results. Reference values should be updated regularly, derived from a population as similar to the population for which they are to be used and span across all ages. Such spirometry reference equations are currently lacking for central European populations. To develop spirometry reference equations for central European populations between 8 and 90 years of age. We used data collected between January 1993 and December 2010 from a central European population. The data was modelled using "Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape" (GAMLSS). The spirometry reference equations were derived from 118'891 individuals consisting of 60'624 (51%) females and 58'267 (49%) males. Altogether, there were 18'211 (15.3%) children under the age of 18 years. We developed spirometry reference equations for a central European population between 8 and 90 years of age that can be implemented in a wide range of clinical settings

Impact of neoadjuvant therapy on eligibility for and frequency of breast conservation in stage II–III HER2-positive breast cancer: surgical results of CALGB 40601 (Alliance)

It had been previously shown that patients who receive neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST) are more likely to undergo breast-conserving therapy (BCT) than those who have primary surgery. However, the frequency with which patients who are not BCT-eligible prior to NST convert to BCT-eligible with treatment is unknown. To document this conversion rate in a subset of patients expected to have a high clinical response rate to NST, we studied surgical assessment and management of patients enrolled on a randomized neoadjuvant trial for stage II-III HER2-positive breast cancer (HER2 + BC)(CALGB 40601). The treating surgeon assessed BCT candidacy based on clinico-radiographic criteria both before and after NST. Definitive breast surgical management was at surgeon and patient discretion. We sought to determine (1) the conversion rate from BCT-ineligible to BCT-eligible (2) the percentage of BCT-eligible patients who chose breast conservation, and (3) the rate of successful BCT. We also evaluated surgeon-determined factors for BCT-ineligibility and the correlation between BCT eligibility and pathologic complete response (pCR). Of 292 patients with pre- and post-NST surgical assessments, 59 % were non-BCT candidates at baseline. Of the 43 % of these patients who converted with NST, 67 % opted for BCT, with an 80 % success rate. NST increased the BCT-eligible rate from 41 to 64 %. Common factors cited for BCT-ineligibility prior to NST including tumor size (56 %) and probable poor cosmetic outcome (26 %) were reduced by 67 and 75 %, respectively, with treatment, while multicentricity, the second most common factor (33 %), fell by only 16 %. Since 23 % of the BCT-eligible patients chose mastectomy, BCT was the final surgical procedure in just 40 % of the patients. Patients considered BCT-eligible both at baseline and after NST had a pCR rate of 55 %, while patients who were BCT-ineligible prior to NST had the same pCR rate (44 %) whether they converted to BCT-eligible or not. Many patients with HER2 + BC deemed ineligible for BCT at baseline can be converted to BCT-eligible with NST; excluding patients with multicentric disease substantially increases that percentage. In converted patients who opt for BCT, the success rate is similar to that of patients considered BCT-eligible at baseline. Whether a BCT-ineligible patient converts to BCT eligibility or not does not appear to affect the likelihood of achieving a pCR. Despite the efficacy of NST in this patient cohort, only 40 % of patients had successful BCT; further research into why BCT-eligible patients often opt for mastectomy is needed

Male breast cancer

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease representing less than 1% of all breast cancers (BC) and less than 1% of cancers in men. Age at presentation is mostly in the late 60s. MBC is recognized as an estrogen-driven disease, specifically related to hyperestrogenism. About 20% of MBC patients have family history for BC. Mutations in BRCA1 and, predominantly, BRCA2, account for approximately 10% of MBC cases. Because of its rarity, MBC is often compared with female BC (FBC). Based on age-frequency distribution, age-specific incidence rate patterns and prognostic factors profiles, MBC is considered similar to late-onset, postmenopausal estrogen/progesterone receptor positive (ER+/PR+) FBC. However, clinical and pathological characteristics of MBC do not exactly overlap FBC. Compared with FBC, MBC has been reported to occur later in life, present at a higher stage, and display lower histologic grade, with a higher proportion of ER+ and PR+ tumors. Although rare, MBC remains a substantial cause for morbidity and mortality in men, probably because of its occurrence in advanced age and delayed diagnosis. Diagnosis and treatment of MBC generally is similar to that of FBC. Men tend to be treated with mastectomy rather than breast-conserving surgery. The backbone of adjuvant therapy or palliative treatment for advanced disease is endocrine, mostly tamoxifen. Use of FBC-based therapy led to the observation that treatment outcomes for MBC are worse and that survival rates for MBC do not improve like FBC. These different outcomes may suggest a non-appropriate utilization of treatments and that different underlying pathogenetic mechanisms may exist between male and female BC