Non-Linear Analysis Of Reinforced And Pre-Stressed Concrete Beams

Reinforced/pre-stressed (RC/PC) concrete is one of the most commonly used construction materials. This composite material demonstrates a highly non-linear behaviour caused by, cracking, crushing, aggregate interlock, bond slip, dowel action, shrinkage, creep, etc. Because the behaviour of reinforced/pre-stressed concrete involves so many non-linear phenomena interacting with one other, the formulation of rational analytical procedures to describe this behaviour is very difficult Since the advent of the computer, powerful methods of analysis such as the finite element method and stiffness matrix method have been implemented to study and develop analytical solutions for the non-linear phenomena. However, the success of such analysis depends on a thorough understanding and modeling of the composite material behaviour.This study describes the development of a non-linear computer code used to predict the non-liner response of reinforced/pre-stressed concrete beams that are subjected to a combined axial force and bending moment The study discusses a new simplified approach, whereby the non-linear response is captured via a series of sequentially linear steps. The finite element approach with the stiffness matrix method were used to model the beam element structure and generate its stiffness matrix. A monotonic empirical model for the concrete's stress-strain curve has been implemented to predict both ascending and descending parts of the curve. An idealized bi-linear elasto-plastic in tension and compression model has been assumed for reinforcing and pre-stressing steel

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

Search for black holes and other new phenomena in high-multiplicity final states in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Peer reviewe

Search for new phenomena in monophoton final states in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe

Erratum: Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Interpretation: By quantifying levels and trends in exposures to risk factors and the resulting disease burden, this assessment offers insight into where past policy and programme efforts might have been successful and highlights current priorities for public health action. Decreases in behavioural, environmental, and occupational risks have largely offset the effects of population growth and ageing, in relation to trends in absolute burden. Conversely, the combination of increasing metabolic risks and population ageing will probably continue to drive the increasing trends in non-communicable diseases at the global level, which presents both a public health challenge and opportunity. We see considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity in levels of risk exposure and risk-attributable burden. Although levels of development underlie some of this heterogeneity, O/E ratios show risks for which countries are overperforming or underperforming relative to their level of development. As such, these ratios provide a benchmarking tool to help to focus local decision making. Our findings reinforce the importance of both risk exposure monitoring and epidemiological research to assess causal connections between risks and health outcomes, and they highlight the usefulness of the GBD study in synthesising data to draw comprehensive and robust conclusions that help to inform good policy and strategic health planning

Search for microscopic black hole signatures at the Large Hadron Collider

This is the Pre-Print version of the Article. The official published paper can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 ElsevierA search for microscopic black hole production and decay in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV has been conducted by the CMS Collaboration at the LHC, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35 inverse picobarns. Events with large total transverse energy are analyzed for the presence of multiple high-energy jets, leptons, and photons, typical of a signal expected from a microscopic black hole. Good agreement with the expected standard model backgrounds, dominated by QCD multijet production, is observed for various final-state multiplicities. Limits on the minimum black hole mass are set, in the range 3.5 -- 4.5 TeV, for a variety of parameters in a model with large extra dimensions, along with model-independent limits on new physics in these final states. These are the first direct limits on black hole production at a particle accelerator.This work is supported by the FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF and WCU (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTD (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)

Search for single production of a heavy vector-like T quark decaying to a Higgs boson and a top quark with a lepton and jets in the final state

Peer reviewe

Thymol alleviates imidacloprid-induced testicular toxicity by modulating oxidative stress and expression of steroidogenesis and apoptosis-related genes in adult male rats

The present work was designed to assess the potential ameliorative effect of thymol on the testicular toxicity caused by imidacloprid (IMI) in adult male rats. Forty adult male rats were allocated into four groups; control group was given corn oil, thymol-treated group (30 mg/kg b.wt), IMI-treated group (22.5 mg/kg b.wt), and IMI + thymol-treated group. All administrations were done by gavage every day for duration of 56 days. As a result, the IMI exposure caused a significant decline in the body weight change, reproductive organ weights, sperm functional parameters, and serum level of testosterone, widespread histological alterations, and apoptosis in the testis. Additionally, the IMI-treated rats exhibited a remarkable increment in the serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. Also, IMI induced testicular oxidative stress, as indicated by elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and a marked decline in the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduced glutathione (GSH), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels. Moreover, IMI treatment significantly downregulated the mRNA expression of steroidogenic genes and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunoexpression in the testicular tissue. However, thymol co-administration significantly mitigated the IMI-induced toxic effects. Our findings suggested that IMI acts as a male reproductive toxicant in rats and thymol could be a potential therapeutic option for IMI reprotoxic impacts

Exploring the cost-effectiveness of high versus low perioperative fraction of inspired oxygen in the prevention of surgical site infections among abdominal surgery patients in three low- and middle-income countries

Background: This study assessed the potential cost-effectiveness of high (80–100%) vs low (21–35%) fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) at preventing surgical site infections (SSIs) after abdominal surgery in Nigeria, India, and South Africa. Methods: Decision-analytic models were constructed using best available evidence sourced from unbundled data of an ongoing pilot trial assessing the effectiveness of high FiO2, published literature, and a cost survey in Nigeria, India, and South Africa. Effectiveness was measured as percentage of SSIs at 30 days after surgery, a healthcare perspective was adopted, and costs were reported in US dollars ($). Results: High FiO2 may be cost-effective (cheaper and effective). In Nigeria, the average cost for high FiO2 was$216 compared with $222 for low FiO2 leading to a −$6 (95% confidence interval [CI]: −$13 to −$1) difference in costs. In India, the average cost for high FiO2 was $184 compared with$195 for low FiO2 leading to a −$11 (95$15 to −$6) difference in costs. In South Africa, the average cost for high FiO2 was$1164 compared with $1257 for low FiO2 leading to a −$93 (95% CI: −$132 to −$65) difference in costs. The high FiO2 arm had few SSIs, 7.33% compared with 8.38% for low FiO2, leading to a −1.05 (95% CI: −1.14 to −0.90) percentage point reduction in SSIs. Conclusion: High FiO2 could be cost-effective at preventing SSIs in the three countries but further data from large clinical trials are required to confirm this