Dual Target Optimization of Two-Dimensional Truss Using Cost Efficiency and Structural Reliability Sufficiency

The main contribution of this study is to open a discussion regarding the structural optimization associated with the cost efficiency and structural reliability sufficiency consideration. To do so, several various optimization approaches are investigated to deliberate both cost and reliability concerns. Particularly, particle swarm optimization is highlighted as a reliable optimization approach. Accordingly, an illustrative example is rendered to compare the feasibility of the considered optimization approaches. The feasibility of the investigated approaches is evaluated using the cost and reliability analysis. For the considered example, it was observed that the PSO optimization algorithm has multiple advantages such as easy realization, fast convergence, and promising performance in nonlinear performance optimization. The PSO optimization algorithm can be successfully applied in various fields of civil engineering. This popularity is due to the understandable performance of the PSO as well as its simplicity. In this paper, first, the literature on the subject has been described by two-dimensional truss analysis using the finite element method and optimized using the PSO particle swarm algorithm. A comparison of the results with this reference indicates the accuracy of this particle swarm algorithm in truss optimization. Indeed, this study ignites two main insights in structural optimizations assessment. The first illustration is related to how to establish a framework for structural system reliability analysis associated with the different degrees of indeterminacies. And the second illustration is related to making a decision problem concerning the structural optimization while both cost and reliability metric are two main parameters for the construction point of the view

Classification of Seismic Vulnerability Based on Machine Learning Techniques for RC Frames

Seismic vulnerability means the inability of historical and monumental buildings to withstand the effects of seismic forces. This article presents a classification model to specify the damage state of the Reinforced Concrete (RC) frames based on a collection of datasets from the damaged buildings in Bingol earthquake of Turkey for use in the learning process of the algorithm. The proposed model uses two classifiers including the redundancy and also the construction quality of the buildings to estimate the class of damage from four categories including none, light, moderate and severe. The available database of the considered earthquake includes the information of 27 damaged RC buildings which are published in the literature. The model provided a simple structure for engineers to predict the class without complex calculations in which it needs a few steps to determine the class of damage for RC frames. The results show that the presented model can estimate the class of each input vector with an acceptable error

System reliability analysis of the scoliosis disorder.

BACKGROUND: Scoliosis is a spine abnormal deviation, which is an idiopathic disorder among children and adolescents. As a matter of the fact, distribution of loads on the patient\u27s spine and load-carrying capacity of the vertebral column are both random variables. Therefore, the probabilistic approach may consider as a sophisticated method to deal with this problem. METHOD: Reliability analysis is a probabilistic-based approach to consider the uncertainties of load and resistance of the vertebral column. The main contribution of this paper is to compare the reliability level of a normal and scoliosis spinal. To do so, the numerical analyses associated with the inherent random parameters of bones and applied load are performed. Then, the reliability indices for all vertebrae and discs are determined. Accordingly, as the main innovation of this paper, the system reliability indices of the spinal column for both normal and damaged backbone systems are represented. RESULTS: Based on the required reliability index for normal spinal curvature the target system reliability level for scoliosis disorder is proposed. CONCLUSION: Since the proposed target reliability index is based on the strength limit state of the vertebral column, it can be considered as a reliability level for any proposed treatment approaches

Effect of nanoclay contents on properties, of bagasse flour/reprocessed high density polyethylene/nanoclay composites

The effect of nanoclay contents on the physical and mechanical properties of bagasse flour/ reprocessed high density polyethylene (rHDPE)/ nanoclay composites was investigated. The bagasse flour content was constant at 50%, the maleic anhydride content was constant at 3%, and the nanoclay (Cloisite 30B) content was set at three different levels: 0%, 2%, and 4%. The materials were mixed in a co-rotating twin-screw extruder; afterwards, the specimens were fabricated using an injection molding method. The water absorption and mechanical properties, such as flexural and tensile strength, flexural and tensile modulus, and notched impact strength, were measured. The nanoclay dispersion was examined by X-ray diffraction. The results indicated that tensile and flexural modulus increased with an increase in nanoclay content. Also By increasing the nanoclay content at 2 wt.%, the tensile and flexural strengths of the composite were increased. However, the addition of 4 wt.% nanoclay resulted in reductions of these properties. Water absorption decreased with increasing nanoclay content. The structural examination of the bagasse polymer composite with X-ray diffraction showed that the nanoclay was distributed as an intercalated structure in the polymer matrix, and the d-spacing of layers decreased with increasing nanoclay content. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that 2% nanoclay samples with lower and more uniform pores compared at 4% nanoclay samples, respectively

Global prevalence of polypharmacy among the COVID-19 patients : A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy has traditionally been defined in various texts as the use of 5 or more chronic drugs, the use of inappropriate drugs, or drugs that are not clinically authorized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of polypharmacy among the COVID-19 patients, and the side effects, by systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: This study was performed by systematic review method and in accordance with PRISMA 2020 criteria. The protocol in this work is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021281552). Particular databases and repositories have been searched to identify and select relevant studies. The quality of articles was assessed based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale checklist. Heterogeneity of the studies was measured using the I 2 test. RESULTS: The results of meta-analysis showed that the prevalence of polypharmacy in 14 studies with a sample size of 189,870 patients with COVID-19 is 34.6% (95% CI: 29.6-40). Studies have shown that polypharmacy is associated with side effects, increased morbidity and mortality among patients with COVID-19. The results of meta-regression analysis reported that with increasing age of COVID-19 patients, the prevalence of polypharmacy increases (p < 0.05). DISCUSSION: The most important strength of this study is the updated search to June 2022 and the use of all databases to increase the accuracy and sensitivity of the study. The most important limitation of this study is the lack of proper definition of polypharmacy in some studies and not mentioning the number of drugs used for patients in these studies. CONCLUSION: Polypharmacy is seen in many patients with COVID-19. Since there is no definitive cure for COVID-19, the multiplicity of drugs used to treat this disease can affect the severity of the disease and its side effects as a result of drug interactions. This highlights the importance of controlling and managing prescription drugs for patients with COVID-19

The prevalence of sleep disturbances among physicians and nurses facing the COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract: Background: In all epidemics, healthcare staff are at the centre of risks and damages caused by pathogens. Today, nurses and physicians are faced with unprecedented work pressures in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in several psychological disorders such as stress, anxiety and sleep disturbances. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of sleep disturbances in hospital nurses and physicians facing the COVID-19 patients. Method: A systematic review and metanalysis was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA criteria. The PubMed, Scopus, Science direct, Web of science, CINHAL, Medline, and Google Scholar databases were searched with no lower time-limt and until 24 June 2020. The heterogeneity of the studies was measured using I2 test and the publication bias was assessed by the Egger’s test at the significance level of 0.05. Results: The I2 test was used to evaluate the heterogeneity of the selected studies, based on the results of I2 test, the prevalence of sleep disturbances in nurses and physicians is I2: 97.4% and I2: 97.3% respectively. After following the systematic review processes, 7 cross-sectional studies were selected for meta-analysis. Six studies with the sample size of 3745 nurses were examined in and the prevalence of sleep disturbances was approximated to be 34.8% (95% CI: 24.8-46.4%). The prevalence of sleep disturbances in physicians was also measured in 5 studies with the sample size of 2123 physicians. According to the results, the prevalence of sleep disturbances in physicians caring for the COVID-19 patients was reported to be 41.6% (95% CI: 27.7-57%). Conclusion: Healthcare workers, as the front line of the fight against COVID-19, are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of this disease than other groups in society. Increasing workplace stress increases sleep disturbances in the medical staff, especially nurses and physicians. In other words, increased stress due to the exposure to COVID-19 increases the prevalence of sleep disturbances in nurses and physicians. Therefore, it is important for health policymakers to provide solutions and interventions to reduce the workplace stress and pressures on medical staff

Identification of suitable drug combinations for treating COVID-19 using a novel machine learning approach: The RAIN method

COVID-19 affects several human genes, each with its own p-value. The combination of drugs associated with these genes with small p-values may lead to an estimation of the combined p-value between COVID-19 and some drug combinations, thereby increasing the effectiveness of these combinations in defeating the disease. Based on human genes, we introduced a new machine learning method that offers an effective drug combination with low combined p-values between them and COVID-19. This study follows an improved approach to systematic reviews, called the Systematic Review and Artificial Intelligence Network Meta-Analysis (RAIN), registered within PROSPERO (CRD42021256797), in which, the PRISMA criterion is still considered. Drugs used in the treatment of COVID-19 were searched in the databases of ScienceDirect, Web of Science (WoS), ProQuest, Embase, Medline (PubMed), and Scopus. In addition, using artificial intelligence and the measurement of the p-value between human genes affected by COVID-19 and drugs that have been suggested by clinical experts, and reported within the identified research papers, suitable drug combinations are proposed for the treatment of COVID-19. During the systematic review process, 39 studies were selected. Our analysis shows that most of the reported drugs, such as azithromycin and hydroxyl-chloroquine on their own, do not have much of an effect on the recovery of COVID-19 patients. Based on the result of the new artificial intelligence, on the other hand, at a significance level of less than 0.05, the combination of the two drugs therapeutic corticosteroid + camostat with a significance level of 0.02, remdesivir + azithromycin with a significance level of 0.03, and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist protein + camostat with a significance level 0.02 are considered far more effective for the treatment of COVID-19 and are therefore recommended. Additionally, at a significance level of less than 0.01, the combination of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist protein + camostat + azithromycin + tocilizumab + oseltamivir with a significance level of 0.006, and the combination of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist protein + camostat + chloroquine + favipiravir + tocilizumab7 with corticosteroid + camostat + oseltamivir + remdesivir + tocilizumab at a significant level of 0.009 are effective in the treatment of patients with COVID-19 and are also recommended. The results of this study provide sets of effective drug combinations for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. In addition, the new artificial intelligence used in the RAIN method could provide a forward-looking approach to clinical trial studies, which could also be used effectively in the treatment of diseases such as cancer

The global prevalence of osteoporosis in the world: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Osteoporosis affects all sections of society, including families with people affected by osteoporosis, government agencies and medical institutes in various fields. For example, it involves the patient and his/her family members, and government agencies in terms of the cost of treatment and medical care. Providing a comprehensive picture of the prevalence of osteoporosis globally is important for health policymakers to make appropriate decisions. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of osteoporosis worldwide. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA criteria. The PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, Magiran, and Google Scholar databases were searched with no lower time limit up till 26 August 2020. The heterogeneity of the studies was measured using the I2 test, and the publication bias was assessed by the Begg and Mazumdar’s test at the significance level of 0.1. Results After following the systematic review processes, 86 studies were selected for meta-analysis. The sample size of the study was 103,334,579 people in the age range of 15–105 years. Using meta-analysis, the prevalence of osteoporosis in the world was reported to be 18.3 (95% CI 16.2–20.7). Based on 70 studies and sample size of 800,457 women, and heterogenicity I2: 99.8, the prevalence of osteoporosis in women of the world was reported to be 23.1 (95% CI 19.8–26.9), while the prevalence of osteoporosis among men of the world was found to be 11.7 (95% CI 9.6–14.1 which was based on 40 studies and sample size of 453,964 men.). The highest prevalence of osteoporosis was reported in Africa with 39.5% (95% CI 22.3–59.7) and a sample size of 2989 people with the age range 18–95 years. Conclusion According to the medical, economic, and social burden of osteoporosis, providing a robust and comprehensive estimate of the prevalence of osteoporosis in the world can facilitate decisions in health system planning and policymaking, including an overview of the current and outlook for the future; provide the necessary facilities for the treatment of people with osteoporosis; reduce the severe risks that lead to death by preventing fractures; and, finally, monitor the overall state of osteoporosis in the world. This study is the first to report a structured review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of osteoporosis worldwide

The effect of polymorphisms (174G> C and 572C> G) on the Interleukin-6 gene in coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is caused by the blockage of the coronary arteries. it is argued that there has an association between the Interleukin-6 gene and the occurrence of atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, Due to the short half-life and high variability of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), limited studies have been performed on the association of serum levels of interleukin-6 with coronary artery disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between IL-6 gene polymorphisms and coronary artery disease. This study was conducted as a meta-analysis of selected articles with no lower time limit and upto March 2020. Articles related to the subject were obtained by searching several data sources,such as the SID, IranDoc, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science (ISI), PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases. The heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using the I index in the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. The GG genotype of the IL-6174 G> C polymorphism with a 0.8 odds ratio tended to reduce the risk of CAD by 20%. The odds ratio of CAD in CG and GG genotypes were found to be 1.16 and 1.48 times respectively, indicating the increasing effect of these two genotypes. In the IL-6-572 C>G polymorphism, CG and GG genotypes increased the risk of CAD by 1.21 and 1.27 times respectively, and the CC genotype tended to reduce the risk of CAD by 15%, considering the odds ratio of 0.85. This study showed a relationship between IL-6174G> C and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) 572 C>G genes and coronary artery disease. Moreover, the protective effects of GG genotype in IL-6 gene 174 G> C and CC genotype in IL-6 gene 572 C>G gene were reported. The study also confirmed that the CG and CC genotypes of the G>C IL-6174 gene have an increasing effect on coronary artery disease. Moreover, CG and GG genotypes in the IL-6 gene 572 C>G increased the risk of developing CAD. It should be noted that the increased risk of developing CAD was limited to meta-analytic studies in reported literatures

Prevalence of reflux nephropathy in Iranian children with solitary kidney: results of a multi-center study

Abstract Background: Given the importance of the function of the remnant kidney in children with unilateral renal agen‑ esis and the significance of timely diagnosis and treatment of reflux nephropathy to prevent further damage to the remaining kidney, we aimed to determine the prevalence of reflux nephropathy in this subgroup of pediatric patients. Methods: In general, 274 children referred to pediatric nephrologists in different parts of Iran were evaluated, of whom 199 had solitary kidney and were included in this cross‑sectional study. The reasons for referral included urinary tract infection (UTI), abnormal renal ultrasonography, being symptomatic, and incidental screening. Demographic characteristics, including age and gender were recorded. History of UTI and presence of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) were evaluated. Results: Of the 274 children evaluated in this study with the mean age (SD) of 4.71 (4.24) years, 199 (72.6%) had solitary kidney. Among these, 118 (59.3%) were male and 81 (60.7%) were female, 21.1% had a history of UTI, and VUR was present in 23.1%. The most common cause of referral was abnormal renal ultrasonography (40.2%), followed by incidental screening (21.1%), being symptomatic (14.1%), and UTI (5.5%). In 116 children (58.3%), the right kidneys and in 83 (41.7%) the left kidneys were absent. Besides, 14.6% of the participants had consanguineous parents and 3% had a family history of solitary kidney. Upon DMSA scan, the single kidney was scarred in 13.1%, of which only 7.5% were associated with VUR. In addition, proteinuria and hematuria were observed in 6.5% and 1.5% of children, respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of reflux nephropathy was 7.5% in children with solitary kidney with a male predomi‑ nance. Given the relatively high prevalence of reflux nephropathy in these children, screening for VUR in the remnant kidney appears to be essential in this population. Keywords: Vesicoureteral reflux, Nephropathy, Children, Solitary kidney, Renal agenesi