Improving the lateral capacity of monopiles in submarine clay

The European offshore wind sector has been undergoing tremendous growth, resulting in offshore wind farms having larger wind turbines that are located further away from the shore in harsh environmental conditions. To cater for the resulting higher loads, the current trend has been to continually increase the size of the monopile, which is the most popular foundation type. However, this is not viable in the long term given the current installation technology. This paper presents the results of three-dimensional finite-element analyses investigating the improvement in the lateral capacity of a large-diameter monopile in clay when used in combination with hybrid features and rock armour. Non-skirted reinforced concrete and steel footings, a skirted steel footing and steel fins were assessed under a combination of vertical, lateral and moment loads expected at an offshore wind farm location with a water depth of 30 m. The findings, based on shear and bending moment developed in the monopile and mobilised soil resistance, indicate the skirted steel footing and fins to be the most effective in enhancing monopile lateral capacity at serviceability. </jats:p

Economic and Humanistic Burden of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Systematic Literature Review

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer; Economic burdenCáncer de mama triple negativo; Carga económicaCàncer de mama triple negatiu; Càrrega econòmicaBackground Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 10–20% of all breast cancers (BCs). It is more commonly diagnosed in younger women and often has a less favorable prognosis compared with other BC subtypes. Objective The objective of this study was to provide a literature-based extensive overview of the economic and humanistic burden of TNBC to assist medical decisions for healthcare payers, providers, and patients. Methods A systematic literature review was performed using multiple databases, including EMBASE, MEDLINE, Econlit, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, from database inception to 16 May 2021. In addition, a targeted search was performed in the Northern Light Life Sciences Conference Abstracts database from 2016 through June 2021. The bibliographies of included articles were reviewed to identify other potentially relevant publications. Quality assessment of the included studies was conducted. Results The review identified 19 studies assessing the economic burden and 10 studies assessing the humanistic burden of TNBC. Studies varied widely in study design, settings, patient populations, and time horizons. The estimates of mean per-patient annual direct medical costs ranged from around $20,000 to over$100,000 in stage I–III TNBC and from $100,000 to$300,000 in stage IV TNBC. Healthcare costs and resource utilization increased significantly with disease recurrence, progression, and increased cancer stage or line of therapy. Compared with the costs of systemic anticancer therapy, cancer management costs comprised a larger portion of total direct costs. The estimates of indirect costs due to productivity loss ranged from $207 to$1573 per patient per month (all costs presented above were adjusted to 2021 US dollars). Cancer recurrence led to significantly reduced productivity and greater rates of leaving the workforce. A rapid deterioration of health utility associated with disease progression was observed in TNBC patients. Treatment with pembrolizumab or talazoparib showed significantly greater improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) compared with chemotherapy, as measured by EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-BR23, and FACT-B. Conclusion TNBC is associated with a substantial economic burden on healthcare systems and societies and considerably reduced productivity and HRQoL for patients. This study synthesized the published literature on the economic and humanistic burden of TNBC and highlighted the need for continued research due to the rapidly changing landscape of TNBC care

Improving the lateral capacity of monopiles in submarine clay

© ICE Publishing. All rights reserved. The European offshore wind sector has been undergoing tremendous growth, resulting in offshore wind farms having larger wind turbines that are located further away from the shore in harsh environmental conditions. To cater for the resulting higher loads, the current trend has been to continually increase the size of the monopile, which is the most popular foundation type. However, this is not viable in the long term given the current installation technology. This paper presents the results of three-dimensional finite-element analyses investigating the improvement in the lateral capacity of a large-diameter monopile in clay when used in combination with hybrid features and rock armour. Non-skirted reinforced concrete and steel footings, a skirted steel footing and steel fins were assessed under a combination of vertical, lateral and moment loads expected at an offshore wind farm location with a water depth of 30 m. The findings, based on shear and bending moment developed in the monopile and mobilised soil resistance, indicate the skirted steel footing and fins to be the most effective in enhancing monopile lateral capacity at serviceability

Lateral and Axial Capacity of Monopiles for Offshore Wind Turbines

Offshore wind has enormous worldwide potential to generate increasing amounts of clean, renewable energy. Monopile foundations are considered to be viable in supporting larger offshore wind turbines in shallow to medium depth waters. In this paper, the lateral and axial response of monopiles installed in undrained clays of varying shear strength and stiffness is investigated using three-dimensional finite element analysis. A combination of axial and lateral loads expected at an offshore wind farm located in a water depth of 30 m has been used in the analysis. Numerically derived monopile axial capacities will be compared to those calculated using an established method in the literature. In addition, the lateral monopile capacity will be determined at ultimate limit state and compared to that at the serviceability limit state. Through a parametric study, it will be shown that with the exception of extremely high axial loads that border on monopile axial capacities, variation in axial loads does not have a significant effect on the ultimate lateral capacity and lateral displacement of monopiles. © 2013 Indian Geotechnical Society