Three-Dimensional Response Spectra for Multiple-Support Input Motions

New response spectra for multiple-support input motions are presented to study the seismic responses of long-span bridges. Three-dimensional response spectra are defined using the response of simple beams with various natural periods. These spectra clearly verify the dominant vibration mode and the critical location of the maximum response. Numerical examples using the earthquake records observed by a newly-installed array at the Akashi Kaikyo bridge construction site in Japan show that the different input motions to each support produce different predominant vibration modes compared with the identical excitation case. It has also been observed that response usually decreases when multiple-support input motions with phase lags are considered. The ordinary response spectra method is also examined and it has been found that the approximated values using the RMS method overestimated the maximum response

Seismic Damage Assessment of RC Structures using Different Hysteretic Models

Estimation of seismic damage of a structure varies depending on the assumed hysteretic rules and input excitations due to indices being calculated from earthquake response time histories. In this study, effects of the different hysteretic models on damage indices were studied. First, the response of RC bridge piers during earthquakes was calculated using different hysteretic models and input motions. Then, seismic damage was evaluated by 1) a damage index based on a linear combination of the maximum deformation ratio and the energy dissipation during cyclic loadings, and 2) damage spectra of damage index, ductility and absorbed hysteretic energy for structures with various natural periods. Results showed that the non-degrading maximum value directed model was accurate enough for seismic damage analysis while the bilinear model underestimated damage because of its linear response to the low intensity cyclic loadings. The maximum value directed model was also needed to predict the damage index from the maximum velocity or the spectral intensity of the input motions

Surgical Management of Congenital Nasal Pyriform Aperture Stenosis: A Case Report

Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS) is a rare cause of respiratory distress in newborns. This paper reports a case of severe CNPAS that required endotracheal intubation immediately after birth, and eventually, surgical intervention. At birth, the width of the pyriform aperture was only 4 mm, and the patient was completely unable to breathe through his nose. We performed tracheostomy at 23 days of age and waited for the patient to grow, but at 56 days of age, the width of the pyriform aperture was not sufficient (6 mm) for the patient to breathe through his nose. Therefore, surgical dilation of the pyriform aperture by a sublabial approach was performed on day 79 after birth, and the width was increased to 14 mm. Postoperative stent placement was performed for two weeks. After the removal of the stents, the patient could finally breathe through his nose, and the postoperative course was uneventful, with no restenosis after four months. CNPAS is a rare cause of nasal obstruction, but it can cause respiratory distress in infants because they are dependent on nasal breathing. Conservative treatments are initially recommended for CNPAS; however, in severe cases where conservative treatments are ineffective, surgical treatment is recommended

An apparent case of undiagnosed donor K awasaki disease manifesting as coronary artery aneurysm in a pediatric heart transplant recipient

We present a case of coronary ectasia and LAD coronary artery aneurysm with angiographic characteristics of K awasaki disease in a three‐yr‐old girl two‐yr status post‐orthotopic heart transplant. Coronary anomalies were noted during initial screening coronary angiography two yr after transplant. Subsequent review of the donor echocardiogram revealed that the LMCA had been mildly dilated prior to transplant. In the absence of any symptoms consistent with K awasaki disease in the transplant recipient, this appears to be a case of K awasaki disease in the organ donor manifesting with coronary anomalies in the transplant recipient. The patient has done well clinically, and repeat coronary angiography has revealed partial regression of coronary anomalies. Given multiple reports in the literature of persistent abnormalities of coronary artery morphology and function after K awasaki disease, close monitoring is warranted, with consideration of potential coronary protective medical therapies.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96280/1/petr12014.pd

Hysteretic response of a nine story reinforced concrete building during the San Fernando Earthquake

The Millikan Library on the campus of the California Institute of Technology was strongly shaken during the San Fernando earthquake of February 9, 1971. The building was not damaged structurally, but the observed E-W response of the building showed a fundamental period of about 1. 0 sec, significantly longer than the 0. 66 sec observed in preearthquake vibration tests. In this study, the response of the fundamental mode was treated as that of a single- degree- of- freedom hysteretic structure, and four simple models, two stationary and two with changing properties, were examined to see if they could describe the observed response. It was found that an equivalent linear model and a bilinear hysteretic model both could match the response, provided their properties were changed during the earthquake. (Four changes were used). A linear model with constant properties and a stationary, bilinear hysteretic model did not give nearly as good agreement as the nonstationary models. The results indicated, in general, a degrading of the stiffness and energy dissipation capacity of the building, but it could not be determined whether the changes were sudden or gradual

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