Performance of Slabs with varying Reinforcement Configurations

The subject of ductility of suspended slabs constructed with Class L mesh as primary reinforcement led to widespread industry discussion over recent years which led to the current provisions in Australian Standard 3600 - Concrete Structures (2009) [1] which outlines the analysis, design and detailing of such slabs. The aim of this research program was to examine the behaviour – in terms of ultimate strength and ductility parameters - of simply supported one way reinforced concrete slabs with differing reinforcement types with relatively consistent tensile steel reinforcing ratios of the order of 0.4%. Eight slabs were constructed with a range of reinforcing including (i) class L mesh only, (ii) class N reinforcing bar only, (iii) combination of L class mesh and N class bar or (iv) reinforcing consisting of two layers of class L mesh. The classification of the reinforcing is in accordance to Australian and New Zealand Standard 4671 – Steel Reinforcing Materials (2001) [2]. The behaviour of slabs reinforced with L class mesh and steel fibre reinforced concrete was also investigated. This paper presents the test data for 8 test slabs. Four of the slabs were duplicate tests; Control 1 and Control 2 had the same reinforcing arrangement consisting of mesh SL 102; and CS2 and N10 slabs both had 4 N10-220 in both directions ofslab. The testing of duplicate tests enabled an assessment of the variability of test data and sensitivity of the ductility parameter W1/W0

Invasive Bush Honeysuckle Removal Coalition Proposal

Course Code: ENR 2367The objective of this paper is to communicate to the general public the importance of the removal of nonnative honeysuckle from Ohio ecosystems. With a cohesive plan that links together organizations that have already performed successful operations, and willing student volunteers, we believe we can create a lasting partnership that will keep Bush Honeysuckle under control.Academic Major: Criminology and Criminal Justice StudiesAcademic Major: Environment, Economy, Development, and SustainabilityAcademic Major: Environmental Policy and Decision MakingAcademic Major: Natural Resources Managemen

On the size distribution of spots within sunspot groups

Size distribution of sunspots provides key information about the generation and emergence processes of the solar magnetic field. Previous studies on the size distribution have primarily focused on either the whole group or individual spot areas. In this paper, we investigate the organization of spot areas within sunspot groups. In particular, we analyze the ratio, $\rm{R}$, of the area of the biggest spot ($\rm{A_{big\_spot}}$) inside a group, to the total area of that group ($\rm{A_{group}}$). We use sunspot observations from Kislovodsk, Pulkovo and Debrecen observatories, together covering solar cycles 17 to 24. We find that at the time when the group area reaches its maximum, the single biggest spot in a group typically occupies about 60% of the group area. For half of all groups, $\rm R$ lies in the range between roughly 50% and 70%. We also find R to change with the group area, $\rm{A_{group}}$, such that $\rm{R}$ reaches a maximum of about 0.65 for groups with $\rm{A_{group}}\approx 200\mu$Hem and then remains at about 0.6 for lager groups. Our findings imply a scale invariant emergence pattern, providing an observational constraint on the emergence process. Furthermore, extrapolation of our results to larger sunspot groups may have a bearing on the giant unresolved starspot features found in Doppler images of highly active sun-like stars. Our results suggest that such giant features are composed of multiple spots, with the largest spot occupying roughly 55--75% of the total group area (i.e. of the area of the giant starspots seen in Doppler images).Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Website Redesign

Redesign is a necessary part of having a news website. The process can be lengthy and costly and there's always some risk involved – will the audience engage with and like the redesigned look? The Center for Media Engagement wanted to test whether online experiments could help news organizations learn more about what their audience wants when going through a redesign.The results show that an online experiment can pick up on many of the same signals as a full deployment of a site redesign. To the extent that these findings continue to replicate, doing an online experiment would provide news organizations with a relatively inexpensive way to test out redesigns before embarking on a full launch

Factors Associated with Breastfeeding Duration and Satisfaction after Gestational Diabetes among Women Living in Northwest Ohio

Background: Given the potential for type 2 diabetes and the protective benefits of breastfeeding after gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), there is a need to promote and support breastfeeding; however, delayed lactogenesis and postpartum experiences may challenge breastfeeding success. We aimed to describe factors that influence breastfeeding duration and satisfaction after GDM.Methods: A cross-sectional survey, informed by an elicitation phase and subject matter expert review, was conducted to evaluate factors associated with breastfeeding satisfaction and duration after GDM. The study included women (n = 50) from Northwest Ohio who delivered a living child from a singleton pregnancy at greater than or equal to 34 weeks gestation, who intended to breastfeed after GDM. Spearman correlation and Mann-Whitney U test were calculated to evaluate factors associated with breastfeeding duration and satisfaction.Results: Women described a lack of breastfeeding support, and there appeared to be a lack of awareness on the benefits of breastfeeding after GDM. Attitudes were associated with breastfeeding duration and satisfaction. Negative experiences in the child’s first week of life were associated with shorter duration and lower level of satisfaction. Delayed lactogenesis, barriers after delivery, and negative normative influences were significantly associated with a lower level of breastfeeding satisfaction.Conclusion: More work is needed to deliver breastfeeding education and support after GDM. Interventions tailored for GDM are recommended to promote positive breastfeeding beliefs and realistic breastfeeding expectations. Ongoing support to address early experiences and barriers after GDM is recommended. Further work should examine these factors in a larger, more diverse sample

The impact of mitigation measures on perinatal outcomes during the first nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Acknowledgements Thank you to the authors who provided additional primary data for use in this meta-analysis.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

How and why do students’ career interests change during higher education?

Given the increased emphasis on employability in higher education, there is an urgent need to better understand how higher education influences students’ career interests. Much of the vocational psychological interest literature has assumed that career interest is stable from adolescence through adulthood. Newer conceptions of interest, drawn from developmental-educational perspectives, instead emphasise the mutability of interest and the ways in which the environment can support its development. This study makes a novel contribution by extending a developmental-educational theory of interest to illuminate how students’ career interests develop during university and what students perceive influences those career interests. Upon completing their bachelor’s degrees, we surveyed the 2019 graduating class (n=663) at a mid-ranked UK university offering a blend of applied and pure programmes. Graduates indicated whether their career interests had changed during university, described their career interests ‘when they started university’ and what they were ‘now’, and explained what had affected their career interest during university. Most (61%) reported that their career interests had changed. Consistent with interest theory, the most common types of change were clarification within a single Standard Industrial Classification (30%), shifts to a different SIC (19%), becoming more decided (12%), or rejecting a plan, leaving them unsure (5%). The most common influences on career interests were the curriculum (46%), placements (14%), work experiences (7%), and co-curricular activities (6%). In a follow up study, we interviewed fifteen students about their interest development during higher education. We used the interview results to illustrate and illuminate nuances in the way students experienced those influences. We suggest that the results of this study raise concerns about relying solely on career decidedness measures such as Careers Registration. We also conclude that career practitioners and academics need to consider the central role of disciplinary curricula in career learning, as well as continue to emphasise opportunities for work experiences in and outside the curriculum

Associations between reliable changes in depression and changes in BMI, total body fatness and visceral adiposity during a 12-month weight loss trial.

We investigated associations between changes in depression and body composition over a 12-month weight loss trial. Of the 298 adults (BMI > 27 m/kg2), 219 with complete depression and body composition data were included. A 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale measured depression; dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measured body composition. Multinomial logistic regression predicted reliable changes in depression by BMI, body fat (BF) and visceral adiposity (VAT). Multiplicative interaction terms tested modification by sex and ethnicity. Participants with increases in body composition were less likely to experience improvements in depression (BMI: RRR = 0.79 (0.68-0.91), p < 0.01; BF: RRR = 0.97 (0.94 - 0.99), p = 0.01; VAT: RRR = 0.99 (0.98-1.00), p = 0.02), but not worsening of depression (BMI: RRR = 1.29 (0.96-1.73), p = 0.10; BF: RRR = 1.04 (0.99-1.09), p = 0.15; VAT: RRR = 1.01 (1.00-1.03), p = 0.18). Sex and ethnicity interaction terms were not significant. However, the relationship was only significant among females, among non-Latinos for BMI and BF, and among Latinos for VAT. Our study supports the association between depression and obesity and highlights the need for longitudinal studies investigating VAT and depression in diverse ethnic groups

Comparing patient experience survey scores between telehealth and in-person ambulatory pediatric subspecialty visits

To determine the effect of encounter methods on patient experience, we evaluated patient experience survey data comparing scores between telehealth and in-person visits and pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 time periods. Pediatric subspecialty visits were either in-person or via telehealth and received the same 16-question patient experience survey. Top box (5/5) scores were compared between in-person and telehealth visits for pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods as well as between periods for in-person and telehealth visits. In addition, for both time periods and encounter methods, correlation analysis was performed to evaluate best correlation between likelihood to recommend practice and the 15 other survey questions. Comparing the COVID-19 period data, there was a statistically significant difference in the top box likelihood to recommend practice score comparing in-person to telehealth numbers (81.01% vs 87.13%, p = 0.0003). Comparing pre-COVID-19 with COVID-19, this was not true for in-person scores (79.97% vs 81.01%, p = 0.4060) or telehealth scores (82.50% vs 87.13%, p = 0.2084). The question with the highest correlation coefficient to likelihood to recommend practice was how well staff worked together in both time periods and visit methods. We conclude that Likelihood to recommend experience scores were statistically significantly higher for telehealth as compared to in-person pediatric subspecialty ambulatory visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no such differences in likelihood to recommend comparing pre- vs COVID-19 time periods for either in-person or telehealth visits so the change in scoring seems to be related to the mode of care delivery. Experience Framework This article is associated with the Policy & Measurement lens of The Beryl Institute Experience Framework. (https://www.theberylinstitute.org/ExperienceFramework). Access other PXJ articles related to this lens. Access other resources related to this lens