Modified Method for prefabricated vertical drain consolidation analysis

Ground improvement with the prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) has become widely employed for soft ground treatment because of its economical and efficient method. While numerous numerical and analytical methods have been derived for PVD however, it is still an extensively high demand for a simpler and more accurate method for design steps. This paper proposes a method for solving the problem of one-dimensional (1D) consolidation with prefabricated vertical drains. The current approach introduces a 1D equivalent permeability, increasing linearly with depth to perform the consolidation of soft ground improved with PVD. The analytical solutions have been carried out and verified by analyses for two cases of one-way drainage and two-way drainage for uniform soil layer. The results show that the error of excess pore pressure determined by the proposed method is less than that obtained by the simpler method of Chai and smaller than 10% compared to the theoretical solution. The paper also compares the analytical solution with the FEM by ABAQUS software. It is found that the excess pore pressures and consolidation degrees obtained by these methods are similar and close to the theory. These confirm that the introduced 1D equivalent permeability can be employed to perform the consolidation of PVD improvement by analytical and FEM methods

Modified Method for prefabricated vertical drain consolidation analysis

Ground improvement with the prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) has become widely employed for soft ground treatment because of its economical and efficient method. While numerous numerical and analytical methods have been derived for PVD however, it is still an extensively high demand for a simpler and more accurate method for design steps. This paper proposes a method for solving the problem of one-dimensional (1D) consolidation with prefabricated vertical drains. The current approach introduces a 1D equivalent permeability, increasing linearly with depth to perform the consolidation of soft ground improved with PVD. The analytical solutions have been carried out and verified by analyses for two cases of one-way drainage and two-way drainage for uniform soil layer. The results show that the error of excess pore pressure determined by the proposed method is less than that obtained by the simpler method of Chai and smaller than 10% compared to the theoretical solution. The paper also compares the analytical solution with the FEM by ABAQUS software. It is found that the excess pore pressures and consolidation degrees obtained by these methods are similar and close to the theory. These confirm that the introduced 1D equivalent permeability can be employed to perform the consolidation of PVD improvement by analytical and FEM methods

Some Theoretical and Practical Issues on the Impact of CSR on the Vietnam Textile and Garment Enterprises Operational Efficiency

The paper shows the impacts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the operational efficiency of Vietnamese textile enterprises by using primary data from qualitative analysis methods. The results show that corporate social responsibility has a great influence on the operational efficiency of textile enterprises in many ways. On that basis, the article proposes several recommendations for the Government of Vietnam as well as Vietnamese textile enterprises to well perform corporate social responsibilities. Keywords:Corporate social responsibility (CSR), operational efficiency, financial performance DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-15-04 Publication date:May 31st 202

Insight into the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (ZnO/MWCNTs) on the thermal conductivity of epoxy nanocomposite as an electrical-insulating coating

The effect of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on the thermal conductivity of zinc oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (ZnO/MWCNTs) nanocomposite electrical-insulating coating was investigated. ZnO/MWCNTs was prepared by sol–gel method and incorporated into the epoxy matrix by ultrasonic-mechanical mixing to form the nanocomposite (ZnO/MWCNTs/epoxy). The SEM, XRD, and TGA analysis results showed that ZnO nanoparticles with 3–4 nm size formed layers on MWCNTs wires with a 10-nm diameter. The formed ZnO/CNT nanofillers had a diameter about 20–40 nm and had a highly homogeneous dispersion in the epoxy matrix. The thermal property of the nanocomposites was examined by the thermal imaging method. It was found that both MWCNTs and ZnO/MWCNTs nanofillers have significantly enhanced the thermal conduction of composites even at a low content load of 0.25 wt%. The thermal conductivity of ZnO/MWCNTs/epoxy and MWCNTs/epoxy composites was 0.62 and 1.09 Wm−1 K−1 respectively. The formation of ZnO nanoparticles on MWCNTs was thus led to a decreasing of about 43% in thermal conductivity of the composite. However, the thermal conduction of the ZnO/MWCNTs/epoxy composite is significantly improved about 210% compared to that of neat epoxy. These results proposed a useful method to modify the surface of MWCNTs for the fabrication of epoxy nanocomposite where electrical-insulating and thermal conducting are both required. The composite was applied as an insulating edge coating for capacitive deionization electrodes

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Pharmacist-Led Interventions to Reduce Drug-Related Problems in Prescribing for Pediatric Outpatients in a Developing Country:A Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE To evaluate a pharmacist-led intervention’s effectiveness in reducing drug-related problems (DRPs ) related to prescriptions for pediatric outpatients. METHODS We conducted a randomized controlled trial. We recruited and randomly assigned 31 physicians to control or intervention groups. We collected 775 prescriptions (375 from the control group and 400 from the intervention group) at the start. For 3 weeks, intervention physicians received additional information and meetings with pharmacists in addition to the usual practices of the hospital. We then collected prescriptions at the end of the study. We classified DRPs, based on reliable references (Supplemental Table S1) at baseline and endpoint (a week after the intervention). The primary outcome was the proportion of prescriptions with DRPs, and secondary outcomes were the proportions of prescriptions with specific DRP types. RESULTS The influence of the intervention on general DRPs and specific DRPs was the study’s main finding. The pharmacist-led intervention helped reduce the prescriptions with DRPs proportion in the intervention group to 41.0%, compared with 49.3% in the control group (p &lt; 0.05). The DRPs proportion related to the timing of administration relative to meals, unlike the other DRP types, increased in the control group (from 31.7% to 34.9%) and decreased in the intervention group (from 31.3% to 25.3%), with a significant difference between the 2 groups at endpoint (p &lt; 0.01). Patients aged &gt;2 to ≤6 years (OR, 1.871; 95% CI, 1.340–2.613) and receiving ≥5 drugs (OR, 5.037; 95% CI, 2.472–10.261) were at greater risk of experiencing DRPs related to prescribing. CONCLUSIONS A pharmacist-led intervention improved DRP occurrence related to physicians’ prescribing. Pharmacists could be involved in in-depth research with physicians in the prescribing process to provide tailored interventions.</p