Cost Benefit Analysis Of The Structures Designed For Alternative Seismic Hazard Levels

In this study, multiple performance objectives under the various earthquake hazard levels are investigated. In case of well defined earthquake hazard, as an alternative of classical earthquake resistant design principles, it is possible to design structures at different performances depending on structure's initial cost and economic life. In this study, costs of the structure with different performance levels are discussed.Current study is carried out on the reinforced concrete structures that are designed and analyzed for various seismic hazard levels. The aim is to determine, if the risk is released, whether the economic losses can be acceptable or not. In the study, cost of reinforced concrete ductile frames and dual systems that are designed for various seismic performances, are also compared for the economical aspects.To that end, in the first step 3, 5 and 8 storey frames and dual systems of several structures at Life Safety and Immediate Occupancy performance levels was designed for the earthquake hazards of 2% and 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years. The study reveals that if both direct and indirect effects of earthquake such as retrofitting costs, cost of temporary moving, temporary accommodation costs, cost of demolition and reconstructing the building, cost of damage to household goods and business disruption, social disturbance, are be taken into consideration, initial design performance level can be accepted as Immediate Occupancy performance level rather than Life Safety performance which is proposed current earthquake codes. The cost due to injuries and cost due to loss of lives are not included

Determination of Yield and Yield Components of Vetch and Cereal Mixture and Evaluation Using by GGE-Biplot Analysis

This study was carried out to determine forage and seed yield and its effecting component in different vetch and cereal mixtures, ecological condition of Tekirdağ-Thrace region of Turkey. The study was conducted using a total 5 vetch and cereals varieties includes three different vetch species orakefe, Hungarian vetch species sarıefe, narbon vetch candidate variety 570, two different cereals (barley variety scarpia, oat variety sebat) and their mixture combinations, each species were sown as sole, double and triple mixtures (8 combinations for each genotype) a randomized complete block design with 3 replications was laid out on 2013-2015 growing season. Eight mixture combinations for each genotype (common vetch, Hungarian vetch, Narbon vetch, barley and oat) were evaluated for yield and major plant structural characteristics. Genotype-Trait (GT) biplot analyses were used. Applying type of analyses to the multiple trait data revealed that GT biplot graphically displayed the interrelationships among traits and facilitated visual comparison of mixtures and selection for each genotype. Wide variation was observed for traits plant structure and components (plant height, branch number and pod number/plant, 1000 seed weight, individual genotype ratio). It was found that; seed yield, 1000 seed weight, plant height, branch and pod number /plant were the highest value in pure stand NV570. In addition (570+sebat) had maximum dry forage yield, sarıefe as pure stand has the maximum plant height and seed yield value. On the other had sarıefe+scarpia combination showed very high value for pod number/plant, branch number/plant and fresh and dry forage yield. Pure stand scarpia was the best performer in seed yield. CV+NV+scarpia had the highest 1000 seed weight, fresh and dry forage yield. Maximum planth height was determined from sebat+scarpia, CV+O+B and CV+HV+B combinations. Favorable seed yield and 1000 seed weight value was produced under pure stand sebat seeding. Intercrop NV570+O combination had the higher fresh and dry forage yield. CV+HV+O, CV+NV+O and CV+B+O combination had the highest plant height of sebat

Assessment amount of the horizontal and vertical displacements of sea wall using FLAC3D software

Sea Walls are constructed to protect coastal against of waves and prevent water to coastal. In order to properly understand the behavior of these structures must have proper information of loads to the structure. One of the main significance loads over the sea wall is wave’s loads. Weight forces the walls, Weight backfill, Seawater weight on the heel wall and Forces exerted on the beach other forces that enters the coastal wall. Considering the importance of seawalls study on the stability of these structures has been the subject of study. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, three scenarios include changes in the geometry of the wall and Soil properties. In present study four geometry vertical, inclined, convex, concave, are considered and modeling with Flac 3D software. The results of this study showed that the minimum of horizontal and vertical displacement are about convex seawalls and the maximum of them is about vertical concave seawalls. Also the results showed that in the higher shear strength of soils the minimum of horizontal and vertical displacements occurred

An inter-laboratory effort to harmonize the cell-delivered in vitro dose of aerosolized materials

Air-liquid interface (ALI) lung cell models cultured on permeable transwell inserts are increasingly used for respiratory hazard assessment requiring controlled aerosolization and deposition of any material on ALI cells. The approach presented herein aimed to assess the transwell insert-delivered dose of aerosolized materials using the VITROCELL® Cloud12 system, a commercially available aerosol-cell exposure system. An inter-laboratory comparison study was conducted with seven European partners having different levels of experience with the VITROCELL® Cloud12. A standard operating procedure (SOP) was developed and applied by all partners for aerosolized delivery of materials, i.e., a water-soluble molecular substance (fluorescence-spiked salt) and two poorly soluble particles, crystalline silica quartz (DQ 12) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NM-105). The material dose delivered to transwell inserts was quantified with spectrofluorometry (fluorescein) and with the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) integrated in the VITROCELL® Cloud12 system. The shape and agglomeration state of the deposited particles were confirmed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Inter-laboratory comparison of the device-specific performance was conducted in two steps, first for molecular substances (fluorescein-spiked salt), and then for particles. Device- and/or handling-specific differences in aerosol deposition of VITROCELL® Cloud12 systems were characterized in terms of the so-called deposition factor (DF), which allows for prediction of the transwell insert-deposited particle dose from the particle concentration in the aerosolized suspension. Albeit DF varied between the different labs from 0.39 to 0.87 (mean (coefficient of variation (CV)): 0.64 (28%)), the QCM of each VITROCELL® Cloud 12 system accurately measured the respective transwell insert-deposited dose. Aerosolized delivery of DQ 12 and TiO 2 NM-105 particles showed good linearity (R 2 > 0.95) between particle concentration of the aerosolized suspension and QCM-determined insert-delivered particle dose. The VITROCELL® Cloud 12 performance for DQ 12 particles was identical to that for fluorescein-spiked salt, i.e., the ratio of measured and salt-predicted dose was 1.0 (29%). On the other hand, a ca. 2-fold reduced dose was observed for TiO 2 NM-105 (0.54 (41%)), which was likely due to partial retention of TiO 2 NM-105 agglomerates in the vibrating mesh nebulizer of the VITROCELL® Cloud12. This inter-laboratory comparison demonstrates that the QCM integrated in the VITROCELL® Cloud 12 is a reliable tool for dosimetry, which accounts for potential variations of the transwell insert-delivered dose due to device-, handling- and/or material-specific effects. With the detailed protocol presented herein, all seven partner laboratories were able to demonstrate dose-controlled aerosolization of material suspensions using the VITROCELL® Cloud12 exposure system at dose levels relevant for observing in vitro hazard responses. This is an important step towards regulatory approved implementation of ALI lung cell cultures for in vitro hazard assessment of aerosolized materials

Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, ventilation management, and outcomes in invasively ventilated intensive care unit patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome: a pooled analysis of four observational studies

Background: Geoeconomic variations in epidemiology, the practice of ventilation, and outcome in invasively ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients without acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remain unexplored. In this analysis we aim to address these gaps using individual patient data of four large observational studies. Methods: In this pooled analysis we harmonised individual patient data from the ERICC, LUNG SAFE, PRoVENT, and PRoVENT-iMiC prospective observational studies, which were conducted from June, 2011, to December, 2018, in 534 ICUs in 54 countries. We used the 2016 World Bank classification to define two geoeconomic regions: middle-income countries (MICs) and high-income countries (HICs). ARDS was defined according to the Berlin criteria. Descriptive statistics were used to compare patients in MICs versus HICs. The primary outcome was the use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) for the first 3 days of mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcomes were key ventilation parameters (tidal volume size, positive end-expiratory pressure, fraction of inspired oxygen, peak pressure, plateau pressure, driving pressure, and respiratory rate), patient characteristics, the risk for and actual development of acute respiratory distress syndrome after the first day of ventilation, duration of ventilation, ICU length of stay, and ICU mortality. Findings: Of the 7608 patients included in the original studies, this analysis included 3852 patients without ARDS, of whom 2345 were from MICs and 1507 were from HICs. Patients in MICs were younger, shorter and with a slightly lower body-mass index, more often had diabetes and active cancer, but less often chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure than patients from HICs. Sequential organ failure assessment scores were similar in MICs and HICs. Use of LTVV in MICs and HICs was comparable (42\ub74% vs 44\ub72%; absolute difference \u20131\ub769 [\u20139\ub758 to 6\ub711] p=0\ub767; data available in 3174 [82%] of 3852 patients). The median applied positive end expiratory pressure was lower in MICs than in HICs (5 [IQR 5\u20138] vs 6 [5\u20138] cm H2O; p=0\ub70011). ICU mortality was higher in MICs than in HICs (30\ub75% vs 19\ub79%; p=0\ub70004; adjusted effect 16\ub741% [95% CI 9\ub752\u201323\ub752]; p<0\ub70001) and was inversely associated with gross domestic product (adjusted odds ratio for a US$10 000 increase per capita 0\ub780 [95% CI 0\ub775\u20130\ub786]; p<0\ub70001). Interpretation: Despite similar disease severity and ventilation management, ICU mortality in patients without ARDS is higher in MICs than in HICs, with a strong association with country-level economic status. Funding: No funding

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369

Effect of different blanching methods on peroxidase and lipoxygenase activity of broccoli and comparison of some nutritional values at enzymes inactivation levels

Peroxidase (POD) and lipoxygenase (LOX) inactivation temperature and time were investigated on broccoli florets at different blanching treatments. In addition, retention of nutritional components,which reduced POD and LOX activities, was compared. LOX inactivation required 14 min at 70 °C, 6 min at 80 °C, 11/2 min at 90 °C, 1 min at 100 °C water blanching and 1 min for steam blanching, 2 min in microwave without water and 6 min with microwave and water. The highest nutritional content of broccoli was evaluated in microwave blanching without water by comparison to all treatments. The decline of nitrate and nitrite value of broccoli was higher under longer time blanching than under higher temperature blanching

A Hybrid Bayesian Network Framework for Risk Assessment of Arsenic Exposure and Adverse Reproductive Outcomes

Orak, Nur/0000-0002-3830-9260WOS: 000518502300047PubMed: 32036100Arsenic contamination of drinking water affects more than 137 million people and has been linked to several adverse health effects. The traditional toxicological approach, "dose-response" graphs, are limited in their ability to unveil the relationships between potential risk factors of arsenic exposure for adverse human health outcomes, which are critically important to understanding the risk at low exposure levels of arsenic. Therefore, to provide insight on the potential interactions of different variables of the arsenic exposure network, this study characterizes the risk factors by developing a hybrid Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) model for health risk assessment. The results show that the low inorganic arsenic concentration increases the risk of low birth weight even for low gestational age scenarios. While increasing the mother's age does not increase the low birthweight risk, it affects the distribution between other categories of baby weight. For low MMA% ( < 4%) in the human body, increasing gestational age decreases the risk of having low birthweight. The proposed BBN model provides 82% sensitivity and 72% specificity in average for different states of birthweight

Coğrafi Sosyo-Ekonomik Mahrumiyetin ve Hava Kirleticilerinin Bebek Doğum Ağırlığı Üzerindeki Etkisi

Klasik çevresel sağlık risk tahmin yöntemleri, insan-çevre sistemlerinin döngüselliğine çözüm getirmede ve çevresel kirletici değişkenle-rinin insan sağlığı üzerindeki olası etkilerinin incelenmesinde yetersiz kalmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Bayesian yöntemleri kullanarak nitrojen dioksit (NO2) maruziyeti, partikül madde (PM), sosyoekonomik mahrumiyet ve bebek doğum ağırlığı arasındaki ilişkinin New York şehri örneği üzerinde araştırılması hedeflenmiştir. Epidemiyolojide NO2 ve PM2.5 maruziyetinin olası karıştırıcı etkenler (ör. vücut kitle indeksi) üzerindeki etkilerini göz önüne alabilmek için, ve NO2, PM2.5 ve değişkenlerin (ör. sosyoekonomik mahrumiyet) teorik etkileri arasında iki yönlü ilişkinin incelenmesi için Bayesian Ağ (BA) modeli geliştirilmiştir. Geliştirilen PM-NO2-BA etki modeli ile farklı türdeki bilgileri biraraya getirerek risk analizi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu makalede sunulan modelleme yaklaşımı halk sağlığına etki eden risk faktörleri ara-sındaki doğrusal olmayan ilişkinin değerlendirilmesi konusunda önemli katkıda bulunacaktır. Düşük Vücut Kitle Indeksine (VKI) sahip annelerin hava kirleticilerine maruziyeti ve buna bağlı olarak bebek doğum ağırlığı riskinin etkilendiği gözlenmiştir. Normal VKI’ne sahip annenin yüksek NO2 konsantrasyonuna maruziyeti sonucunda düşük doğum riski %7 iken düşük VKI’ne sahip annenin yüksek NO2 kirli-liğine maruz kalması sonucunda bu risk %36’ya çıkmaktadır. Farklı sosyo-ekonomik mahrumiyet indeksine (SMI) ait vakalar kirleticilere maruziyet sonucunda farklı risklerle karşılaşmaktadır. NO2 maruziyetine benzer olarak PM2.5 maruziyeti düşük SMI’da yüksek risk (%27) oluştururken daha yüksek indekse sahip grupta bu riskin azaldığı elde edilmiştir