Utdragskapacitet för bygel och stång ingjuten i håldäckskanal

There are high requirements regarding the connection between a hollow-core slab and the supporting wall or beam. One requirement is that the Connection must be able to withstand design loads parallel to the slab. STARKA Betongelement AB provides this by casting concrete and a steel Connection detail in one of the voids in the hollow-core slab on site. There have been questions about the reliability of the bonding between the void surface and the new cast concrete, which is the origin of the idea of this work.The purpose of this work is to investigate the shear bond strength between these two surfaces, in the hollow-core slab most commonly produced by STARKA. This is investigated by performing pull-out tests and theoretical models and the load carrying capacity is compared with the design loads. The tests are performed on two different types of steel connection details: a reinforcement stirrup and a threaded rod. Simplified calculations based on the finite element method have been used to model the state of stress in a concrete slab subjected to relevant loads. Furthermore, a study of available literature regarding concrete bonding to concrete has been performed and compared to test results and design requirements according to Eurocode. Results of the pull-out tests and numerical calculations indicate that the connection withstands the design loads for three examined types of fracture: fracture in the steel detail, bond failure between steel and concrete and bond failure between concrete and concrete. All of the tests showed fracture in the steel detail. The reinforcement stirrup withstood an average load of 98 kN, and the threaded rods 134 kN. This shows that the bond strength is sufficient, although a value of the bond strength could not be determined because of this type of failure not being critical. Keywords: concrete, bonding, pre-stressed hollow-core slab, progressive collapse, connection, experiment

Impact of referral templates on the quality of referrals from primary to secondary care: a cluster randomised trial

Background: The referral letter is an important document facilitating the transfer of care from a general practitioner (GP) to secondary care. Hospital doctors have often criticised the quality and content of referral letters, and the effectiveness of improvement efforts remains uncertain. Methods: A cluster randomised trial was conducted using referral templates for patients in four diagnostic groups: dyspepsia, suspected colorectal cancer, chest pain and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The GP surgery was the unit of randomisation. Of the 14 surgeries served by the University Hospital of North Norway Harstad, seven were randomised to the intervention group. Intervention GPs used referral templates soliciting core clinical information when initiating a new referral in one of the four clinical areas. Intermittent surgery visits by study personnel were also carried out. A total of 500 patients were included, with 281 in the intervention and 219 in the control arm. Referral quality scoring was performed by three blinded raters. Data were analysed using multi-level regression modelling. All analyses were conducted on intention-to-treat basis. Results: In the final multilevel model, referrals in the intervention group scored 18 % higher (95 % CI (11 %, 25 %), p Conclusion: In this study, the dissemination of referral templates coupled with intermittent surgery visits produced higher quality referrals. Trial registration: This trial has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. The trial registration number is NCT01470963

Evaluation of the performance of self-healing concrete at small and large scale under laboratory conditions

HEALCON is an EU-FP7 project which aims to develop self-healing concrete to create durable and sustainable concrete structures. While during the first years of the project the self-healing materials (including the healing agents and suitable encapsulation methodologies) and monitoring techniques were designed and tested at lab-scale, large scale elements have been tested near the end of the project to verify the feasibility and efficiency of the self-healing concrete under conditions closer to reality. For this paper, two types of healing agents were investigated for use in mortar and concrete. The first type of healing agent studied was a coated superabsorbent polymer (C-SAP). It is known that the autogenous healing capacity is increased by incorporation of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) in mortar/concrete. The agents present in the crack can absorb intruding water, swell and block the crack, leading to immediate sealing, but can also exude moisture to the surrounding concrete environment stimulating healing of the concrete by hydration of unreacted cement particles or by CaCO3 precipitation. The disadvantage of these SAPs in the fresh mortar/concrete mix is however that they absorb large quantities of mixing water, leading to unwanted effects (e.g. loss of workability and macro-pore formation). By coating of the SAPs, we want to eliminate this disadvantage. The fluid bed spraying of the different layers was applied by VTT. A second healing agent studied, is a biogenic healing agent, namely a Mixed Ureolytic Culture (MUC). This type of healing agent was developed by Avecom in order to reduce the cost associated with the production of pure bacterial strains. This mixed ureolytic culture is moreover self-protecting and does not need any further encapsulation. At first, the performance of the healing agents itself was evaluated. For the coated SAPs, the swelling performance and swelling rate were determined, showing that the coating can limit the uptake of water during the first 10-15 minutes. For the MUC, the ureolytic and CaCO3 precipitating capacity was determined, immediately after production of the MUC and after 3 months of storage. The results show the potential of these mixed cultures to be used as self-healing agent in mortar/concrete, but also show a decrease of their effectiveness with time. Subsequently, the healing agents were incorporated in mortar mixes at UGent. A dosage of 1 wt% relative to the cement content caused a large reduction of the mechanical properties of the mortar (up to ~ 50%), except for the coated SAP. The sealing efficiency was evaluated with the water flow test, as designed by one of the project partners in HEALCON. The performance of reference mixes was compared to that of self-healing mixes with SAP, coated SAP or MUC (+ urea). Results showed that for cracks with a width less than 0.150 mm, all mortars were sealed (almost) completely after storage for 28 days in wet-dry environment (12 h wet – 12 h dry) after crack creation. For cracks with a larger width, differences were noticed between the different specimens. Moreover, also the immediate sealing effect induced by the presence of SAPs could be noticed. It has to be noted however that the crack width plays an important role but is varying along the crack length (within a specimen) and between specimens, making the analysis more difficult. In order to extend the application to concrete, self-healing and reference reinforced concrete beams (2500 x 400 x 200 mm) were produced at the Danish Technological Institute. The self-healing concretes contained coated SAPs or MUC. Moreover, the beams were equipped with corrosion sensors that are connected to a wireless monitoring system, developed by the Technology-Transfer- Initiative at the University of Stuttgart. The multi reference electrodes (MuRE) were installed alongside the reinforcements and measure the corrosion potential at certain positions. Data is collected in sufficiently dense intervals by battery powered nodes that transmit the data wirelessly to a base station and further on to a database where it can be accessed through a web based application for data analysis over the internet. At the age of 28 days, three-point bending cracks up to 0.6 mm were created in the beams. Subsequently, the beams were regularly sprayed with water (four times one hour per day) for 6 weeks and afterwards, the beams were, once a week, exposed to 3 wt% NaCl solution for 24 h. Evaluation of the self-healing performance by microscopic analysis (crack microscopy and analysis of thin sections) showed that for the reference beam and beam with MUC no significant healing could be noticed (probably because of insufficient supply of nutrients for the bacteria). For the beams with coated SAPs, the smaller cracks (0.1 and 0.2 mm) were partly closed. Continuous corrosion monitoring showed corrosion in the reference and MUC beams already after the first exposure to NaCl solution. Onset of corrosion was delayed in the case the beams contained coated SAPs

Effect of biofuel- and lube oil-originated sulfur and phosphorus on the performance of Cu-SSZ-13 and V2O5-WO3/TiO2 SCR catalysts

Two different SCR catalysts, V2O5-WO3/TiO2 and Cu-SSZ-13, were exposed to biodiesel exhausts generated by a diesel burner. The effect of phosphorus and sulfur on the SCR performance of these catalysts was investigated by doping the fuel with P-, S-, or P + S-containing compounds. Elemental analyses showed that both catalysts captured phosphorus while only Cu-SSZ-13 captured sulfur. High molar P/V ratios, up to almost 3, were observed for V2O5-WO3/TiO2, while the highest P/Cu ratios observed were slightly above 1 for the Cu-SSZ-13 catalyst. Although the V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalyst captured more P than did the Cu-SSZ-13 catalyst, a higher degree of deactivation was observed for the latter, especially at low temperatures. For both catalysts, phosphorus exposure resulted in suppression of the SCR performance over the entire temperature range. Sulfur exposure, on the other hand, resulted in deactivation of the Cu-SSZ-13 catalyst mainly at temperatures below 300-350 \ub0C. The use of an oxidation catalyst upstream of the SCR catalyst during the exhaust-exposure protects the SCR catalyst from phosphorus poisoning by capturing phosphorus. The results in this work will improve the understanding of chemical deactivation of SCR catalysts and aid in developing durable aftertreatment systems

The Human Melanoma Proteome Atlas—Complementing the melanoma transcriptome

The MM500 meta‐study aims to establish a knowledge basis of the tumor proteome to serve as a complement to genome and transcriptome studies. Somatic mutations and their effect on the transcriptome have been extensively characterized in melanoma. However, the effects of these genetic changes on the proteomic landscape and the impact on cellular processes in melanoma remain poorly understood. In this study, the quantitative mass‐spectrometry‐based proteomic analysis is interfaced with pathological tumor characterization, and associated with clinical data. The melanoma proteome landscape, obtained by the analysis of 505 well‐annotated melanoma tumor samples, is defined based on almost 16 000 proteins, including mutated proteoforms of driver genes. More than 50 million MS/MS spectra were analyzed, resulting in approximately 13,6 million peptide spectrum matches (PSMs). Altogether 13 176 protein‐coding genes, represented by 366 172 peptides, in addition to 52 000 phosphorylation sites, and 4 400 acetylation sites were successfully annotated. This data covers 65% and 74% of the predicted and identified human proteome, respectively. A high degree of correlation (Pearson, up to 0.54) with the melanoma transcriptome of the TCGA repository, with an overlap of 12 751 gene products, was found. Mapping of the expressed proteins with quantitation, spatiotemporal localization, mutations, splice isoforms, and PTM variants was proven not to be predicted by genome sequencing alone. The melanoma tumor molecular map was complemented by analysis of blood protein expression, including data on proteins regulated after immunotherapy. By adding these key proteomic pillars, the MM500 study expands the knowledge on melanoma disease

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Diabetic Kidney Disease in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes

dentification of sequence variants robustly associated with predisposition to diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has the potential to provide insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of DKD in type 2 diabetes (T2D) using eight complementary dichotomous and quantitative DKD phenotypes: the principal dichotomous analysis involved 5,717 T2D subjects, 3,345 with DKD. Promising association signals were evaluated in up to 26,827 subjects with T2D (12,710 with DKD). A combined T1D+T2D GWAS was performed using complementary data available for subjects with T1D, which, with replication samples, involved up to 40,340 subjects with diabetes (18,582 with DKD). Analysis of specific DKD phenotypes identified a novel signal near GABRR1 (rs9942471, P = 4.5 x 10(-8)) associated with microalbuminuria in European T2D case subjects. However, no replication of this signal was observed in Asian subjects with T2D or in the equivalent T1D analysis. There was only limited support, in this substantially enlarged analysis, for association at previously reported DKD signals, except for those at UMOD and PRKAG2, both associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate. We conclude that, despite challenges in addressing phenotypic heterogeneity, access to increased sample sizes will continue to provide more robust inference regarding risk variant discovery for DKD.Peer reviewe

En allomfattande operations ledningsbehov : en studie i framtagande av en allomfattande operations ledningsbehov inom ramen för NATOs krishanteringsplanering.

Enligt Allied Command Operations (ACO) Comprehensive Operations Planning Directive (COPD) utgör direktivet en gemensam stomme för planering av North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bidrag till operationer inom ramen för ett Comprehensive approach. Direktivet är avsiktligen detaljrikt för att kunna nyttjas för utbildning. Samtidigt ska det utgöra ett verktyg för erfarna planerare att kunna värdera alla faktorer i komplexa operationer och därigenom ge högkvalitativa operationsplaner på både strategisk och operativ nivå. Framtagandet av ett koncept för ledning är en central del i framtagande av operationens plan. Men för att kunna ta fram ett koncept måste operationens ledningsbehov tas fram. Denna uppsats har ett tvådelat syfte. Huvudsyftet är att undersöka på vilket sätt COPD vägleder planerare i bedömandet av ledningsbehovet för att kunna utveckla ett adekvat koncept och en plan för ledning på både strategisk och operativ nivå inom ramen för ett allomfattande angreppssätt på en komplex operation? Men för att kunna undersöka det, måste en analys göras av vilka ledningsbehov som måste beaktas i en komplex operation. Denna uppsats bidrar i huvudsak med två saker till forskningen. Den ena är ett genom ett teoretiskt ramverk presentera en modell som kan nyttjas för analys av olika planeringsmodellers förmåga att beakta en operations ledningsbehov. Det andra bidraget är relaterat till COPD och om direktivet ger den vägledning till planerare i framtagande av operationens plan som det utger sig för att göra. Svaret är ett direktivet inte är tillräckligt detaljerat i sin vägledning. Ledningsrelaterade behov som är kopplade till informationsinhämtning och informationsdelning beaktas i stor utsträckning. Ledningsrelaterade behov som är kopplade till ledning av pågående verksamhet och att få det som ska göras gjort beaktas inte, men den största bristen i COPD är kopplade mot gemensam planering som inte beaktas alls, utan COPD vägleder bara planerare mot samverkan och samarbete

Dynamic Soil-structure Interaction of Portal Frame Bridge Walls for High-speed Railways

In Sweden, high-speed railways is a subject for public debate. The first stage of a high-speed train network, Ostlänken between Stockholm and Linköping, is under investigation, and is planned to be trafficked in 2028. The high-speed railway is intended to hold traffic with speeds up to 320 km/h. At such speeds, the design requirements of the accelerations of the bridge superstructure become more stringent. Previous studies show that the interaction between the bridge and the backfill soil can reduce these accelerations. In this thesis, dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI) of portal frame bridge walls has been studied. The SSI was represented by complex impedance functions that were calculated and analyzed for different parameters of a bridge-embankment interface. The impedance, representing dynamic stiffness and damping, were in this thesis calculated in the frequency domain with finite element (FE) software, by performing steady state analyses on 3D solid bridge-embankment models. To discretize the infinite extent of an embankment, the standard viscous boundary method was used, implemented by inserting infinite continuum elements at the boundary in the FE-software ABAQUS. The method showed successful with mitigating waves at the boundary. A parameter study was conducted, where the influence of geometries and material properties were shown through a comparison of impedance functions. Both embankments on a fixed boundary, representing bedrock, and embankments on circular ground soil plates of various thickness and stiffness, were compared. SSI showed to induce large amounts of dynamic stiffness and damping to a bridge structure. A stiffer embankment, as well as a stiffer ground soil, has shown large influence on the dynamic stiffness and is believed to reduce vibrations in a bridge deck. The study suggested that proper material modeling is important for both the soil and the concrete, to receive accuracy in the impedance functions. The work also indicates that a properly designed bridge wall geometry could be an important step towards developing the design of future high-speed railway bridges.I Sverige är höghastighetsjärnvägar ett debatterat ämne. Undersökningsarbeten har startat för det första steget i ett höghastighetsnät – Ostlänken mellan Järna och Linköping – som planeras vara trafikerad år 2028. Höghastighetsjärnvägen är avsedd att tillåta hastigheter på 320 km/h. Vid så höga hastigheter blir dimensioneringskraven för brobanans vibrationer strängare. Tidigare studier har visat att dessa vibrationer kan reduceras om man tillgodoräknar sig interaktionen mellan bron och jordbanken. Det här examensarbetet behandlar dynamisk jord-struktur-interaktion (SSI, från Soil-structure Interaction) för ramben på plattrambroar. SSI representeras här av komplexa impedansfunktioner som har beräknats och analyserats för olika parametrar i ett gränssnitt mellan jord och bro. I examensarbetet beräknades impedanser, som representerar dynamisk styvhet och dämpning, i frekvensdomänen genom steady-state analyser på tredimensionella FE-modeller som utgjordes av ett ramben och en intilliggande jordbank. För att avgränsa den oändliga utsträckningen av en jordbank, användes den så kallade standard viscous boundary-metoden, vilken implementeras i FE-mjukvaran ABAQUS genom 3D-element som simulerar oändlig utsträckning. Metoden visade sig effektivt kunna dämpa ut vågrörelser som nådde jordbankens bortre gräns. En parameterstudie utfördes, där betydelsen av geometrier och materialegenskaper kunde påvisas genom att jämföra impedansfunktioner. I parameterstudien jämfördes både modeller med jordbank på berggrund och jordbank på cirkulära jordskivor av olika djup och styvhet med varandra. Studien visade att SSI kan bidra mycket till dynamisk styvhet och dämpning för en vidhängande struktur. Styvare jordbank, såväl som styvare mark, visade sig i stor utsträckning påverka den dynamiska styvheten, och tros kunna reducera vibrationerna i den intilliggande brobanan. Studien antyder att noggrant valda materialegenskaper i både jorden och betongen är viktigt för noggrannheten i uppskattning av impedansen. Studien visade även tendenser till att vidare utredning av utformningen av rambenen är ett viktigt steg för att utforma framtidens höghastighetsjärnvägsbroar.Höghastighetståg har länge varit omdebatterat i Sverige, men ser nu ut att bli en realitet. För att kunna genomföra höghastighetsprojektet måste tekniken utvecklas och befintliga metoder för dimensionering av järnvägsbroar förbättras. Därför utarbetas en metod som ska ge en mer realistisk beskrivning av de vibrationer som uppkommer när ett tåg passerar en bro i hög hastighet

Preface

I have always had a fascination for images, be it the impressionistic masterpieces of late 19th century artists, the beauty of a well composed photograph or the modern art of computer graphics. In view of this, it is not surprising that my interest immediately awoke when I, during the pursuit of my Master’s degree in computer science and technology, heard about the course in image analysis given at the Department of Mathematics. This in turn opened my eyes to the subject of mathematics itself and made me realize its value and importance. In the spring of 1998, after focusing my studies in this direction, I presented my Master’s thesis on the subject of multi-scale image analysis based on partial differential equations. With my interest in computer vision and image analysis only escalating during the work on my Master’s thesis, it felt like a natural step to apply for a PhD position in the Mathematical Imaging Group. I received a position in the project “Dynamic Vision