EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVE WIDTH AND DISTRIBUTION FACTORS FOR GFRP BRIDGE DECKS SUPPORTED ON STEEL GIRDERS

Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bridge deck systems offer an attractive alternative to concrete decks, particularly for bridge rehabilitation projects. Current design practice treats GFRP deck systems in a manner similar to concrete decks. The results of this study, however, indicate that this may result in non-conservative design values for the bridge girders. Results from a number of in situ load tests of three steel girder bridges having the same (GFRP) deck system are used to determine the degree of composite action that may be developed and the transverse distribution of wheel loads that may be assumed for such structures. Results indicate that appropriately conservative design values may be found by assuming no composite action between GFRP deck and steel girder and using the lever rule to determine transverse load distribution. When used to replace an existing concrete deck, the lighter GFRP deck will result in lower total loads applied to the bridge structure, although, due to the decreased effective width and increased distribution factors, local flange stresses and particularly the live load-induced stress range is likely to be increased. Thus, existing fatigue-prone details may become a concern and require attention in design

ANALISIS PENGENDALIAN KUALITAS UNTUK MENGENDALIKAN PRODUK CACAT DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN SEVEN TOOLS (Studi pada PT. Mazebah Saroha - Jakarta)

Problems that often occurred on PT. Mazebah Saroha are significant number of costs from defective products that resulting waste. This study aims to help the company in achieving standard quality that has already been defined and decrease waste from defective products. The method that has been used to increase the quality on PT. Mazebah Saroha is seven tools. There are 7 analysis tools in seven tools method, i.e, flow chart, check sheet, histogram, control chart, scatter diagram, pareto chart, fish-bone diagram. Flow chart serves to show production flow on PT. Mazebah Saroha so that the next analysis process can be facilitated. Check sheet and histogram serves to present comprehensive data of defective products based on their type of defects. Control chart scatter diagram serves to show whether some taken variables have connection on each other. Pareto chart serves to show which types of defective product are the most dominant so that some precaution can be done. Fish bone diagram serves to help find the factors that cause the occurrence of defective products. Control chart shows that there are 11 points outside the determined control limits. This can prove that there are still much needed improvements on PT. Mazeba Saroha’s quality control. Through pareto chart, improvements is done to defective products. Result from pareto chart shows that the most dominant type of defects on PT. Mazebah Saroha are striped and broken papers. If PT. Mazebah Saroha focus their quality improvements to both type of defects, it will indirectly improve overall product defects. The last one is find out what factors that are causing defective products on PT. Mazebah Saroha. The analysis result of fish-bone diagram using factor analysis found that there are 5 factors that are causing defective products on PT. Mazebah Saroha, i.e., professionalism, production support factors, a good working atmosphere, production process control, and production method. Factors that have been formed by the method of analysis factor is then compiled graphically using fish-bone diagram to ease the handling of defective products on PT. Mazebah Saroha

Application of Artificial Intelligence for Detecting Derived Viruses

Computer viruses have become complex and operates in a stealth mode to avoid detection. New viruses are argued to be created each and every day. However, most of these supposedly ‘new’ viruses are not completely new. Most of the supposedly ‘new’ viruses are not necessarily created from scratch with completely new (something novel that has never been seen before) mechanisms. For example, most of these viruses just change their form and signatures to avoid detection. But their operation and the way they infect files and systems is still the same. Hence, such viruses cannot be argued to be new. In this paper, the authors refer to such viruses as derived viruses. Just like new viruses, derived viruses are hard to detect with current scanning-detection methods. Therefore, this paper proposes a virus detection system that detects derived viruses better than existing methods. The proposed system integrates a mutating engine together with neural network to improve the detection rate of derived viruses. Experimental results show that the proposed model can detect derived viruses with an average accuracy detection rate of 80% (this include 91% success rate on first generation, 83% success rate on second generation and 65% success rate on third generation). The results further shows that the correlation between the original virus signature and its derivatives decreases further down along its generations

Motive8!: feasibility of a text messaging intervention to promote physical activity in knee osteoarthritis

Aim: To develop and test the feasibility of using a SMS text messaging intervention to promote physical activity in patients with knee OA. Methods: 27 people (6 male, 21 female; aged 25-81 years) with knee osteoarthritis received 4 text messages per week, for 6 weeks. Telephone surveys were conducted at baseline and 6 weeks to measure physical activity levels and beliefs, including self-efficacy for exercise, barriers and benefits of exercise, social support and pain. Participants completed physical activity diaries. Process evaluation included participant perceptions of the intervention and 'real-time' data on intervention fidelity (automated collection of delivery and response data) and participant engagement (text response). Results: 648 messages were sent, 100% were accurately delivered. From baseline to 6 weeks, physical activity, self-efficacy for exercise, perceived benefits of exercise and social support significantly increased; reductions were observed in barriers to exercise and pain. Participants engaged with the intervention; 100% read the messages, 89% responded to texts requesting replies, 64% completed physical activity diaries with low attenuation (1.8% drop) by six weeks. Participants perceived messaging to be enjoyable (96%), personally relevant (85%), of appropriate frequency (100%) and duration (88%). Mobile phones, email and web were perceived to be most acceptable for health promotion compared with other forms of technology. Conclusions: People with knee osteoarthritis can engage meaningfully with an interactive mobile phone messaging intervention over a six-week period. Health communications promoting physical activity demonstrate potential for behaviour change and positive implications for perceptions of exercise and pain; this needs to be tested in a randomised trial. Data collected in 'real-time' can be used for process evaluation to demonstrate participant engagement and intervention fidelity

Whole genome expression analysis within the angiotensin II-apolipoprotein E deficient mouse model of abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abstract\ud Background: An animal model commonly used to investigate pathways and potential therapeutic\ud interventions relevant to abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) involves subcutaneous infusion of\ud angiotensin II within the apolipoprotein E deficient mouse. The aim of this study was to investigate\ud genes differentially expressed in aneurysms forming within this mouse model in order to assess the\ud relevance of this model to human AAA.\ud Results: Using microarrays we identified genes relevant to aneurysm formation within\ud apolipoprotein E deficient mice. Firstly we investigated genes differentially expressed in the\ud aneurysm prone segment of the suprarenal aorta in these mice. Secondly we investigated genes that\ud were differentially expressed in the aortas of mice developing aneurysms relative to those that did\ud not develop aneurysms in response to angiotensin II infusion. Our findings suggest that a host of\ud inflammation and extracellular matrix remodelling pathways are upregulated within the aorta in\ud mice developing aneurysms. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome categories enriched in the\ud aortas of mice with aneurysms included cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, leukocyte\ud transendothelial migration, natural killer cell mediated cytotoxicity and hematopoietic cell lineage.\ud Genes associated with extracellular matrix remodelling, such as a range of matrix\ud metalloproteinases were also differentially expressed in relation to aneurysm formation.\ud Conclusion: This study is the first report describing whole genome expression arrays in the\ud apolipoprotein E deficient mice in relation to aneurysm formation. The findings suggest that the\ud pathways believed to be critical in human AAA are also relevant to aneurysm formation in this\ud mouse model. The findings therefore support the value of this model to investigate interventions\ud and mechanisms of human AAA

Faktor yang Memengaruhi Tingkat Pluralisme Kaum Muda di Era Digital

Latar belakang masyarakat majemuk yang dimiliki Indonesia menjadikan bangsa ini kaya akan beragam kebudayaan, hal tersebut perlu dimbangi dengan pemahaman mengenai pluralisme. Pemahaman yang baik diharapkan akan mempengaruhi sikap toleransi yang tinggi, utamanya bagi kaum muda saat ini sebagai masa depan bangsa. Semangat pluralisme perlu dimiliki oleh pemuda sebagai tonggak awal penerapan toleransi yang menjadi modal untuk integrasi bangsa nantinya. Semangat pluralisme tentu tidak bisa seirama setiap orang, banyak hal mempengaruhi seberapa kuat toleransi setiap orang. Karena hal tersebut, perlu diketahui faktor apa saja yang dapat mempengaruhi tingkat toleransi atau semangat pluralisme tersebut. Pendekatan yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah pendekatan Sequential Explanatory oleh John W. Creswell. Pendekatan diawali dengan pengumpulan data kuantitatif berupa kuesioner berskala likert. Dilanjutkan dengan studi literatur dari jurnal-jurnal ilmiah terkait, sebagai bahan penjelasan atau pendukung dari data kuantitatif yang telah didapat. Hasil dari penelitian menunjukan pola yang positif. Menunjukan angka index yang baik dan dapat diterjemahkan sebagai tingkat toleransi yang baik juga. Namun peneliti juga menemukan adanya persetujuan mengenai masih maraknya sikap intoleransi. Dari studi literatur sendiri, peneliti menemukan aspek pendukung mengenai faktor internal maupun eksternal dari tingkat pemahaman pluralisme dan penerapan toleransi pada pemuda

Effect of isoniazid preventive therapy on immune responses to mycobacterium tuberculosis: an open label randomised, controlled, exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: With the renewed emphasis to implement isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) in Sub-Saharan Africa, we investigated the effect of IPT on immunological profiles among household contacts with latent tuberculosis. METHODS: Household contacts of confirmed tuberculosis patients were tested for latent tuberculosis using the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold In-Tube (QFN) assay and tuberculin skin test (TST). HIV negative contacts aged above 5 years, positive to both QFN and TST, were randomly assigned to IPT and monthly visits or monthly visits only. QFN culture supernatants from enrolment and six months' follow-up were analysed for M.tb-specific Th1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory cytokines by Luminex assay, and for M.tb-specific IgG antibody concentrations by ELISA. Effects of IPT were assessed as the net cytokine and antibody production at the end of six months. RESULTS: Sixteen percent of contacts investigated (47/291) were randomised to IPT (n = 24) or no IPT (n = 23). After adjusting for baseline cytokine or antibody responses, and for presence of a BCG scar, IPT (compared to no IPT) resulted in a relative decline in M.tb-specific production of IFN gamma (adjusted mean difference at the end of six months (bootstrap 95% confidence interval (CI), p-value) -1488.6 pg/ml ((-2682.5, -294.8), p = 0.01), and IL- 2 (-213.1 pg/ml (-419.2, -7.0), p = 0.04). A similar decline was found in anti-CFP-10 antibody levels (adjusted geometric mean ratio (bootstrap 95% CI), p-value) 0.58 ((0.35, 0.98), p = 0.04). We found no effect on M.tb-specific Th2 or regulatory or Th17 cytokine responses, or on antibody concentrations to PPD and ESAT-6. CONCLUSIONS: IPT led to a decrease in Th1 cytokine production, and also in the anti CFP-10 antibody concentration. This could be secondary to a reduction in mycobacterial burden or as a possible direct effect of isoniazid induced T cell apoptosis, and may have implications for protective immunity following IPT in tuberculosis-endemic countries. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN15705625. Registered on 30(th) September 2015