Numerical Simulations of Spread Foundations Supported on Stone Columns Using the Discrete Element Method

The implementation of stone columns as a ground improvement technique has become more popular in geotechnical construction practice as a result of their ability to improve strength, stiffness and permeability characteristics of weak clayey soil deposits. There are several analytical and empirical approaches to estimate the bearing capacity of stone column foundation systems; however, there is notable variation in the performance of these existing methods when compared with full-scale experimental results. For very weak cohesive soils (i.e., undrained shear strength less than 15 kPa), the use of conventional stone columns becomes restricted because of the insufficient confinement that these types of soils can provide to the columns. Hence, the inclusion of cement-coated aggregate has been developed as an alternative method to improve the efficacy of stone columns in soft soils. Limited information is available regarding the global performance, load-transfer mechanism, and design of these types of cemented stone columns under various field conditions. Efforts to refine the accuracy of current design methods and reinforcement techniques for conventional stone columns naturally point to the need for improving the understanding of the fundamental load-transfer mechanisms of stone columns. Three-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) simulations of small- and full-scale footing loading tests were developed to investigate the effects of aggregate strength, pier length, aggregate Young’s modulus, area replacement ratio, cement content, and undrained shear strength of the matrix soil on the bearing pressure-displacement responses of isolated foundations supported on stone columns. The elemental responses of the aggregate and plastic matrix soil were calibrated against laboratory and in-situ test data from a well-characterized site and compared against the results of small- and full-scale footing loading tests. The column aggregate material was represented by discrete-deformable tetrahedrons in conjunction with strain-softening and strain-hardening models in order to improve the simulation of the nonlinear response of the cemented aggregate. Joined deformable blocks were employed to represent the continuous mechanical behavior of the surrounding clayey soil. The numerical results are in excellent agreement with the experimental laboratory and field data and provide improved estimates of the bearing pressure-displacement curves of the column-foundation systems investigated in this study. The Young’s modulus of the aggregate column and the area replacement ratio were found to have the greatest influence on the bearing pressure-displacement response. The DEM results also improve the understanding of the effects of granular material-cementation on the performance of stone columns. At low cement contents the stone column exhibits a type of bulging failure mechanism similar to uncemented stone columns, but at higher cement contents (10 % in this study), bulging is not observed, and the behavior resembles more like that of a concrete pile. These types of behavioral differences also have different implications for single isolated stone columns and group column behavior

Estrategias de control solar en el diseño de un centro de educación básica regular en el distrito de La Esperanza

El distrito de La Esperanza cuenta con un nivel de radiación extremadamente alto según el Senahmi (Ambiente, 2019) este expone la importancia del uso de sistemas de control solar en las edificaciones y el cuidado que deben tener las personas con su piel al salir, esta es una llamada de atención para los colegios de La Esperanza que no cuentan con un diseño adecuado para proteger la calidad de vida de sus usuarios por medio del control solar, además tener en cuenta el uso obligatoria de coberturas al 100% en el aire libre y las losas deportivas

Growth of the tropical scallop, Euvola (Pecten) ziczac, in bottom and suspended culture in the Golfo de Cariaco, Venezuela

We compared the growth of the scallop Euuolu (Pecten) ziczuc (L.) in three situations which potentially could be used for commercial culture, in cages maintained in suspension, in cages on the bottom and in cages partly buried in a sediment bottom. The latter permitted the scallops to bury themselves as in their natural habitat. Throughout the 7-month study, growth, as measured by shell length and muscle mass, was by far superior for scallops in the partly buried cages. Possible explanations for this are ( 1) that the scallops are stressed by enclosures which prevent them from burying themselves and (2) that organic material at the sediment/water interface is an important food resource and E. ziczac has better access to this when it buries itself flush with the bottom. The timing of gonadal growth and spawning varied markedly among treatments. Some spawnings coincided with temperature increases but others did not. Differences between scallops in suspension compared to those in bottom treatments suggested that reproduction is as much controlled by conditions in the immediate environment of the scallops as by large-scale environmental factors. Survival was highest for the scallops maintained in partly buried cages

Development of standards for education and training in family and community medidcine - contributions by WONCA IberoAmerica (CIMF)

The WONCA Education Working Party (WEP) is developing a set of standards for medical student education, postgraduate training in family medicine / general practice and continuing professional development for family doctors. At this point the contributions by WONCA world regions are very important, and for this reason the main objective of this report is to present the standards developed by the Iberoamerican WONCA Region (CIMF). To be comprehensive and effective, standards should reflect regional realities and so the contributions from CIMF may reinforce and strengthen the key initiative of WEP and the implementation of the standards throughout the world. (C) 2010 Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936 USAUniv Prov Rio de Janeiro UERJ, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilFlinders Univ S Australia, Adelaide, SA, AustraliaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Gestión de la planificación de los riesgos según las buenas prácticas guía PMBOK® 6ta edición para el cumplimiento del proyecto Implementación de la Norma ISO 9001:2015 a nivel pregrado en una facultad de una universidad pública del Lima

Objetivo y método: Para determinar si la gestión de la planificación de los riesgos según las buenas prácticas guía PMBOK® 6ta edición permitirá el cumplimiento del proyecto Implementación de la Norma ISO 9001:2015 a nivel pregrado en una facultad de una universidad pública se analizará el resultado de encuestas dirigidas a 30 partes interesadas internas de una facultad, entre ellas la alta dirección, unidades usuarias, directivos, equipo implementador y patrocinador. Atendiendo a los objetivos específico primero se verificará que se haya aplicado los procesos internos de la planificación de riesgos según PMBOK ® 6ta edición, para esto se ha determinado un instrumento mediante una encuesta en la cual las partes interesadas internas de acuerdo a su participación en la implementación valoraran el grado de aplicación de los procesos de planificación de riesgos (Véase anexo N° 10, encuesta 1). Posteriormente para poder determinar el cumplimiento del proyecto implementación de la Norma ISO 9001:2015 se requiere verificar si cumplió con el alcance y el tiempo; para esto se verificará mediante una encuesta a los involucrados que se haya gestionado el alcance y gestionado el cronograma, posteriormente se contrastará con la información documentada como plan de auditoría de certificación, informe de auditoría, entre otros. (Véase anexo N° 11, encuesta N° 2). Resultados: Se encontró que en promedio el 50.3 % (15 personas) de las partes interesadas participaron activamente durante la planificación de la gestión de los riesgos, 43% (12 personas) de manera regular y 6.7% (2 personas) algunas veces. En cuanto a la gestión del alcance y del cronograma se encontró que en promedio el 52.8 % (15 personas) de las partes interesadas participaron activamente, 42.46% (12 personas) de manera regular y 4.74% (2 personas) algunas veces. El involucramiento parcial o total de las partes interesadas durante la planificación de gestión de riesgos permitió que se logré cumplir con la implementación del SGC según el alcance y plazo de 4 meses, con un costo real por debajo del costo planificado BAC, obteniendo un ahorro de hasta S/. 7,587.00 soles. Resumen de conclusiones: La gestión de la planificación de riesgos ha permitido en gran medida cumplir con el alcance, cronograma y hasta el costo del proyecto debido a las acciones preventivas que se han realizado.Escuela de Postgrad

Phytochemical Characterization and Fixed Carbon by Ignition of Two Varieties of Cocoa Husk (Theobroma Cacao L.) for Sustainable Use of the Residue

One reality for Colombia is that the government has considered cocoa production to be of great economic importance and plans to progressively increase the areas under cultivation. In this context, only the seed, which represents approximately 10 % of the weight of the fruit, is used for cocoa production. The waste generated consists of the husk or pod, which is a focus for the propagation of pathogens of the Phytophora spp. genus, the main cause of economic losses in cocoa farming. Therefore, this project evaluated the potential use of cocoa pods of ICS-95 and CCN-51 clone based on bromatological, phytochemical, volatile material, and fixed carbon analyses of harvest residues. Laboratory tests were carried out at the Fundación Universitaria Agraria de Colombia - UNIAGRARIA, in the Nutrition and Animal Feeding laboratories, as well as in the Phytochemistry laboratory. The bromatological analysis and preliminary phytochemistry were carried out under the Colombian technical standard, while moisture was determined with the use of standard D3173-87, volatile matter with standard D3175-89 (02), ash with standard D3172-89 (02) and fixed carbon ignition with standard 3172- 89 (02); The latter, considered as the part that is not volatile and burns in solid state of the lignocellulosic material, establishing the difference between the sum of residual moisture, moisture, ash and volatile material and 100. The analysis of the data was carried out in the IBM SPSS Statistics package using a simple analysis of variance and a multiple range test for comparison of means. The comparative analysis of the variables shows a statistically significant difference in fixed carbon content according to the variety under study, but greater than 20% in both cases. The above results agree with those indicated for the % moisture, the response variables of the bromatological analysis, the phytochemical results, and the content of volatile compounds. Keywords: Agricultural, plant fisiology, by-products, agribusiness

Potent Cardioprotective Effect of the 4-Anilinoquinazoline Derivative PD153035: Involvement of Mitochondrial KATP Channel Activation

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of the 4-anilinoquinazoline derivative PD153035 on cardiac ischemia/reperfusion and mitochondrial function. Methodology/Principal Findings: Perfused rat hearts and cardiac HL-1 cells were used to determine cardioprotective effects of PD153035. Isolated rat heart mitochondria were studied to uncover mechanisms of cardioprotection. Nanomolar doses of PD153035 strongly protect against heart and cardiomyocyte damage induced by ischemia/reperfusion and cyanide/aglycemia. PD153035 did not alter oxidative phosphorylation, nor directly prevent Ca(2+) induced mitochondrial membrane permeability transition. The protective effect of PD153035 on HL-1 cells was also independent of AKT phosphorylation state. Interestingly, PD153035 activated K(+) transport in isolated mitochondria, in a manner prevented by ATP and 5-hydroxydecanoate, inhibitors of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K(+) channels (mitoK(ATP)). 5-Hydroxydecanoate also inhibited the cardioprotective effect of PD153035 in cardiac HL-1 cells, demonstrating that this protection is dependent on mitoK(ATP) activation. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that PD153035 is a potent cardioprotective compound and acts in a mechanism involving mitoK(ATP) activation

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Intoxication of llamas by Astragalus punae in Argentina

Several plants that contain indolizidine alkaloids, including swainsonine, are toxic to livestock, causing dysfunctional lysosomes and storage disease. Swainsonine induces a neurovisceral disease, known as locoism, in sheep, goats, and cattle, which occurs in several parts of the world, including, but not limited to, the western United States, China, and parts of Australia. In South America, locoism has been described in the Andean region of Argentina affecting sheep, cattle, and llamas. Intoxication by consumption of Astragalus punae was suspected in 4 llamas in Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina. The grazing area contained abundant specimens of A. punae. The clinical course was ~15 d, and included moderate ataxia, incoordination of hindlimbs, and progressive loss of body condition. Microscopically, fine cytoplasmic microvacuolation was observed in the proximal convoluted renal tubules. Ultrastructurally, these changes consisted of severely dilated lysosomes. Swainsonine was detected in stem and leaf samples of A. punae at a concentration of 0.06%. Based on clinical history and signs, histologic and ultrastructural changes, and plant analysis, a diagnosis of swainsonine toxicosis caused by consumption of A. punae was made, which has not been reported previously, to our knowledge.Fil: Marin, Raul Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; ArgentinaFil: Gardner, Dale R.. United States Department of Agriculture. Agriculture Research Service; Estados UnidosFil: Armien, Anibal G.. University of California at Davis; Estados UnidosFil: Fortunato, Renee Hersilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Botánica Darwinion; Argentina. Universidad de Morón. Facultad de Agronomía y Ciencias Agroalimentarias; ArgentinaFil: Uzal, Francisco A.. University of California at Davis; Estados Unido

Intoxication of llamas by Astragalus punae in Argentina

Several plants that contain indolizidine alkaloids, including swainsonine, are toxic to livestock, causing dysfunctional lysosomes and storage disease. Swainsonine induces a neurovisceral disease, known as locoism, in sheep, goats, and cattle, which occurs in several parts of the world, including, but not limited to, the western United States, China, and parts of Australia. In South America, locoism has been described in the Andean region of Argentina affecting sheep, cattle, and llamas. Intoxication by consumption of Astragalus punae was suspected in 4 llamas in Jujuy Province, northwestern Argentina. The grazing area contained abundant specimens of A. punae. The clinical course was ~15 d, and included moderate ataxia, incoordination of hindlimbs, and progressive loss of body condition. Microscopically, fine cytoplasmic microvacuolation was observed in the proximal convoluted renal tubules. Ultrastructurally, these changes consisted of severely dilated lysosomes. Swainsonine was detected in stem and leaf samples of A. punae at a concentration of 0.06%. Based on clinical history and signs, histologic and ultrastructural changes, and plant analysis, a diagnosis of swainsonine toxicosis caused by consumption of A. punae was made, which has not been reported previously, to our knowledge