Reliability-Based Life Cycle Assessment of the Concrete Slab in Bridges

To guarantee the safety and serviceability of present bridges maintenances are essential all around the Globe and most governments’ budget effect by overhaul such infrastructures yearly without any rate of interest in these maintenances. A large proportion of costs are allocated for maintenances costs due to the increasing number of present bridges. Maintenances also have a substantial effect on economic and sustainable development. In this study, a durability reliability analysis of reinforced concrete slabs subject to the action of deteriorations during the life cycle of bridges is presented. This paper is focused on providing insight into the role of reliability life cycle assessment in One Century of bridge maintenance cost performance by two reliability factors in the monitoring of 150 points of modeled bridge. The first factor in this model is crack size expansion about the time scale of the concrete deck by consideration of concrete deterioration. The second factor is the reliability of the compaction ratio of concrete (fc) based on the probability that this factor will perform as intended for 100 years duration under normal conditions. Finally, this paper generates a complicated model, which illustrates specific duration need maintenance to reach high performance in a total of 100 years. For instance, by this sample and data binding, the best time to get reliable and durable structure is in 23 years of initial usage, and this bridge needs concrete structural rehabilitation to reach high performance and durable concrete deck and pavement in the life cycle of the bridge

The Use of Post-Natal Skeleton Development as Sensitive Preclinical Model to Test the Quality of Alternative Protein Sources in the Diet

Dietary protein is necessary throughout all life stages. Adequate intake of protein during juvenile years is essential to enable appropriate synthesis of bone matrix and achieve the full peak bone mass (PBM). Due to socio-demographic changes, accompanied by environmental damage and ethical problems, a transition to the consumption of different and alternative protein sources in the human diet must occur. This transition requires the precise evaluation of protein quality. Here, we utilize a preclinical model of young rats during their post-natal developmental period to define the nutritive quality of a number of alternative protein sources (soy, spirulina, chickpea, and fly larvae) by their health impact on growth performance and skeletal development. We indicate that when restricted (10% of calories) not one of the tested alternative protein sources have succeeded in causing optimal growth, as compared to the referenced source, casein; yet fly larvae protein followed by chickpea flour were found to be superior to the rest. Growth-plate histology and µ-CT analyses demonstrated a number of changes in growth patterns and bone morphometric parameters. Bone mechanical testing, by three-point bending analyses, was sensitive in demonstrating the effect of the reduction in the amount of the dietary protein. Moreover, the rats’ weight and length, as well as their eating patterns, were found to reflect the proteins’ quality better than their amino acid composition. Hence, our study emphasizes the importance of evaluating protein as a whole food source, and suggests a new approach for this purpose

HR systems, HR departments, and perceived establishment labor productivity

This study examines how an HR department moderates the effects of high-performance work systems (HPWSs) on perceived establishment performance. Using a representative sample of 125 small and medium-sized establishments from the 2002 National Organizations Survey, our results indicate a positive interaction between HPWSs and the existence of an establishment HR department with respect to perceived establishment labor productivity. Implications for future strategic HRM research are discussed

An Exploratory Investigation of the Role of Openness in Relationship Quality among Emerging Adult Chinese Couples

This study tested emerging adult couples&#39; openness and its fit effect on their romantic relationship quality using quadratic polynomial regression and response surface analysis. Participants were 260 emerging adult dyads. Both dyads&#39; openness and relationship quality were measured. The result showed that (1) female and male openness contribute differently to relationship quality; (2) couples with similar high openness could experience better relationship quality than those with similar low openness traits; and (3) when dyadic openness is dissimilar, it is better to be either relatively high or relatively low than to be moderate. These findings highlight the role of openness in emerging adults&#39; romantic relationships from a dyadic angle.</p