Evaluation of Seismic Behavior of a Braced Tubular Steel Structure by Pseudodynamic Testing

The inelastic seismic behavior of an X-braced, tubular Introduction To exploit limited oil resources, many offshore drilling towers are constructed in seismically active areas, such as the coastal regions of Southern California. To reduce construction costs while maintaining conservative safety precautions, the American Petroleum Institute (API) design criteria [1] permit inelastic deformations of structural members during severe earthquake excitations. However, the API provisions specify that the structures should remain stable and develop high energy-absorption capabilities under extreme seismic conditions. Experimental studies regarding the inelastic behavior of such structures provide valuable information for assessing design criteria and for improving current analytical techniques. Recently, an on-line computercontrol (pseudodynamic) method has been developed to simulate quasi-statically the inelastic dynamic response of structures to seismic excitations. The pseudodynamic method retains the economy and versatility of conventional quasi-static testing. Moreover, it produces results as informative as those of shaking table tests by accounting for the changing dynamic characteristics of a test structure. This experimental technique was initiated at the University of Tokyo in Japan, where it was successfully applied to the testing of building systems and component

Air injection into the stereotactic biopsy site in cerebral lesions; A feasibility study

We assessed the utility and safety of injecting a small amount of air into the stereotactic biopsy site. Specifically, we wanted to know whether it helps in visualizing the target on a post-op brain CT scan. In this clinical series, we chose our subjects by consecutive sampling, among candidates for frame-based stereotactic biopsy of a supratentorial cerebral lesion. By applying certain inclusion and exclusion criteria, twenty cases were biopsied by two surgeons in a four-month period. After obtaining the tissue sample, we injected 0.5-1 ml of filtered room air through the biopsy cannula. The immediate post-op CT scan was evaluated by two researchers for the presence and location of the air bubble. The subjects consisted of 12 male and 8 female patients, 10-76 years old. The histologic diagnosis rate was 100; 60 high - grade glioma, 20 low-grade glioma, 10 metastasis and one case of meningioma and brain abscess. The air bubble could be visualized in all cases within the lesion territory. In two cases (10) bubbles were also found in other locations. There was no neurologic or radiologic complications. Our findings substantiates the limited available literature in regard with safety and diagnostic usefulness of air bubbles. Further research is needed to verify and quantify the diagnostic impact and any complications attributable to this measure

Assessing the Responsiveness of the Persian Version of the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool in Patients with Meniscus Injuries

Background and Objective: Responsiveness is one of the important properties of health-related questionnaires in demonstrating the changes in a patient's clinical conditions before and after therapy. The present study was carried out with the aim of assessing the responsiveness of the Western Ontario Meniscal Evaluation Tool (WOMET) and determining its minimal clinically important difference in patients undergoing physical therapy interventions after meniscus injuries. Methods: This cross-sectional methodological study was performed on 100 patients aged 18-70 years with meniscus injuries who underwent physical therapy interventions. Patients completed WOMET and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaires in the first and tenth sessions. The minimum score obtained from the WOMET questionnaire was zero and the maximum was 1600, and the minimum score obtained from the KOOS questionnaire was zero and the maximum was 168. Internal and external responsiveness were the primary outcomes, and effect size tests, ROC curves, and correlation coefficients were used to examine them. The relationship between the WOMET and KOOS questionnaires were considered as secondary outcomes, which were evaluated by calculating the correlation coefficient. Findings: The results of internal responsiveness showed that the standardized response mean for the entire WOMET questionnaire was 0.11 (insignificant) and Cohen's d score for the entire WOMET questionnaire was -1.586 (large). The difference in the mean internal responsiveness between recovered (20%) and unrecovered (80%) patients reached a significant level (p<0.001). This questionnaire had an acceptable external responsiveness; the area under the curve of the ROC curve was greater and equal to 0.7 and the optimal cut-off point was 20.031 (p<0.001). The Pearson correlation coefficient between WOMET and KOOS questionnaires (except the emotions subscale) was moderate to large (0.5-0.8) with p<0.001. Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that the Persian version of the WOMET questionnaire has a high level of responsiveness and is a suitable tool for evaluating the quality of life among patients suffering from meniscus injury

The Effect of Vitamin D Deficiency on Pregnancy Outcomes

Background and Objective: Supplying vitamin D during pregnancy is necessary for fetal calcium homeostasis and bone growth and its mineralization, and its deficiency can lead to pregnancy complications. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of vitamin D level on pregnancy outcomes in pregnant women. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 450 pregnant women referring to Ayatollah Rouhani Hospital in Babol. Mothers' information was collected using a questionnaire. Blood samples were collected from people to measure the serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 level by ELISA method using the EUROIMMUN kit. Patients were divided into two groups (vitamin D level 25) and were compared. Findings: 247 people (54.8%) had vitamin D level 25. People with lower vitamin D levels had significantly more gestational hypertension (p=0.03) and premature rupture of membranes (PROM) (p=0.04) compared to people with higher vitamin D levels. The variables of labor pain, diabetes, fetal growth restriction and prolonged pregnancy did not show significant differences in people with high and low levels of vitamin D. Pregnancy complications including pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery, placental abruption and fetal growth restriction did not show any significant difference in people with high and low levels of vitamin D. In the evaluation of neonatal outcomes, infant weight, infant gender, fifth minute Apgar, head circumference and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, no significant differences were found. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that some pregnancy complications such as gestational hypertension and premature rupture of membranes (PROM) in pregnant women are related to vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to design plans to check the vitamin D level of mothers before pregnancy and correct it during pregnancy

Bamboo reinforced concrete: a critical review

© 2018, The Author(s). The use of small diameter whole-culm (bars) and/or split bamboo (a.k.a. splints or round strips) has often been proposed as an alternative to relatively expensive reinforcing steel in reinforced concrete. The motivation for such replacement is typically cost—bamboo is readily available in many tropical and sub-tropical locations, whereas steel reinforcement is relatively more expensive—and more recently, the drive to find more sustainable alternatives in the construction industry. This review addresses such ‘bamboo-reinforced concrete’ and assesses its structural and environmental performance as an alternative to steel reinforced concrete. A prototype three bay portal frame, that would not be uncommon in regions of the world where bamboo-reinforced concrete may be considered, is used to illustrate bamboo reinforced concrete design and as a basis for a life cycle assessment of the same. The authors conclude that, although bamboo is a material with extraordinary mechanical properties, its use in bamboo-reinforced concrete is an ill-considered concept, having significant durability, strength and stiffness issues, and does not meet the environmentally friendly credentials often attributed to it

A historical overview of the classification, evolution, and dispersion of Leishmania parasites and sandflies

Background The aim of this study is to describe the major evolutionary historical events among Leishmania, sandflies, and the associated animal reservoirs in detail, in accordance with the geographical evolution of the Earth, which has not been previously discussed on a large scale. Methodology and Principal Findings Leishmania and sandfly classification has always been a controversial matter, and the increasing number of species currently described further complicates this issue. Despite several hypotheses on the origin, evolution, and distribution of Leishmania and sandflies in the Old and New World, no consistent agreement exists regarding dissemination of the actors that play roles in leishmaniasis. For this purpose, we present here three centuries of research on sandflies and Leishmania descriptions, as well as a complete description of Leishmania and sandfly fossils and the emergence date of each Leishmania and sandfly group during different geographical periods, from 550 million years ago until now. We discuss critically the different approaches that were used for Leishmana and sandfly classification and their synonymies, proposing an updated classification for each species of Leishmania and sandfly. We update information on the current distribution and dispersion of different species of Leishmania (53), sandflies (more than 800 at genus or subgenus level), and animal reservoirs in each of the following geographical ecozones: Palearctic, Nearctic, Neotropic, Afrotropical, Oriental, Malagasy, and Australian. We propose an updated list of the potential and proven sandfly vectors for each Leishmania species in the Old and New World. Finally, we address a classical question about digenetic Leishmania evolution: which was the first host, a vertebrate or an invertebrate? Conclusions and Significance We propose an updated view of events that have played important roles in the geographical dispersion of sandflies, in relation to both the Leishmania species they transmit and the animal reservoirs of the parasites