The Effect of Different Proportions of Aggregates in Self-Compacting Concrete

The purpose of conducting this study was to obtain Self Compacting Concrete with different proportions of aggregate. The project was an experimental basis and requires research to familiarize with Self Compacting Concrete. The project requirement was to consider aggregates as important aspect. Material preparation was very critical as the aggregates need to undergo the sieve analysis, soaking in the water for 24 hours and let it dry for another 24 hours at room temperature to ensure the aggregates were saturated surface dry. Admixture (VMA) and superplasticizer (HRWR) were to be added in SCC to ensure stability and flowability of the SCC. The results was obtained and the all the trial mixes could be considered as SCC from the results of Slump Flow Test and V-Funnel Test. For the Segregation Index (SI), the results show improvement from trial mix I (0.5 CAlF A) until trial mix 4 (0.8 CAlF A). For the Compressive Strength Test ouly trial mix 4 (0.8 CAlF A) achieved the requirement of at least 28 MPa at 28 days. The reason was due to different type of superplasticizer used. The. supetplasticizer need to be changed until the desired strength of concrete could be achieved. From the results, it can be concluded that SCC could be obtained nsing only admixtures and superplasticizer as the agent to increase stability and flowability. 1he ratio of coarse aggregate to fme aggregate that achieved the be~1 sec was 0.8. 11le most important thing was, the right superplasticizer need to be used in order to achieve desired strength in Self Compacting Concrete

Balancing Technology, Organization, and Process in Inner Source

The Software Product Line strategy resorts often on a platform team, being responsible for the core assets. A central problem is that this platform team becomes a bottleneck in the development organization, as conflicting requirements are asked for by many different core assets users. This presentation is about how Open Source Development Methods help to decouple product and platform teams. The idea is that working in an Open Source manner within the borders of a company gives the right amount of flexibility to each product team, while allowing the platform team to focus on the long term business targets and build a sustainable set of core assets

Determination Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell (Msc) Adhesion On Surface Modified With Ionic Polymers

Daya kelekatan sel stem mesenkim dipengaruhi oleh ciri-ciri kimia and fizikal membran ekstraselular. Selain daripada itu, cas positif and cas negatif garam kalium juga mempengaruhi daya kelekatan sel. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) adhesion is influenced by the chemical and physical properties of extracellular membrane (ECM). For example, the electrostatic property of cationic and anionic sodium salt within ECM influence cell adhesion as well

The Effect of Different Proportions of Aggregates in Self-Compacting Concrete

The purpose of conducting this study was to obtain Self Compacting Concrete with different proportions of aggregate. The project was an experimental basis and requires research to familiarize with Self Compacting Concrete. The project requirement was to consider aggregates as important aspect. Material preparation was very critical as the aggregates need to undergo the sieve analysis, soaking in the water for 24 hours and let it dry for another 24 hours at room temperature to ensure the aggregates were saturated surface dry. Admixture (VMA) and superplasticizer (HRWR) were to be added in SCC to ensure stability and flowability of the SCC. The results was obtained and the all the trial mixes could be considered as SCC from the results of Slump Flow Test and V-Funnel Test. For the Segregation Index (SI), the results show improvement from trial mix I (0.5 CAlF A) until trial mix 4 (0.8 CAlF A). For the Compressive Strength Test ouly trial mix 4 (0.8 CAlF A) achieved the requirement of at least 28 MPa at 28 days. The reason was due to different type of superplasticizer used. The. supetplasticizer need to be changed until the desired strength of concrete could be achieved. From the results, it can be concluded that SCC could be obtained nsing only admixtures and superplasticizer as the agent to increase stability and flowability. 1he ratio of coarse aggregate to fme aggregate that achieved the be~1 sec was 0.8. 11le most important thing was, the right superplasticizer need to be used in order to achieve desired strength in Self Compacting Concrete

Different teams, same conclusions?: a systematic review of existing clinical guidelines for the assessment and treatment of tinnitus in adults

Background: Though clinical guidelines for assessment and treatment of chronic subjective tinnitus do exist, a comprehensive review of those guidelines has not been performed. The objective of this review was to identify current clinical guidelines, and compare their recommendations for the assessment and treatment of subjective tinnitus in adults. Method: We systematically searched a range of sources for clinical guidelines (as defined by the Institute of Medicine, United States) for the assessment and/or treatment of subjective tinnitus in adults. No restrictions on language or year of publication were applied to guidelines. Results: Clinical guidelines from Denmark, Germany, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the United States were included in the review. There was a high level of consistency across the guidelines with regard to recommendations for audiometric assessment, physical examination, use of a validated questionnaire(s) to assess tinnitus related distress, and referral to a psychologist when required. Cognitive behavioral treatment for tinnitus related distress, use of hearing aids in instances of hearing loss and recommendations against the use of medicines were consistent across the included guidelines. Differences between the guidelines centered on the use of imaging in assessment procedures and sound therapy as a form of treatment for tinnitus distress respectively. Conclusion: Given the level of commonality across tinnitus guidelines from different countries the development of a European guideline for the assessment and treatment of subjective tinnitus in adults seems feasible. This guideline would have the potential to benefit the large number of clinicians in countries where clinical guidelines do not yet exist, and would support standardization of treatment for patients across Europe

Volume and outcomes relationship in laparoscopic diaphragmatic hernia repair

BackgroundThere is no published data regarding the relationship between hospital volume and outcomes in patients undergoing laparoscopic diaphragmatic hernia repair. We hypothesize that hospitals performing high case volume have improved outcomes compared to low-volume hospitals.Materials and methodsWe reviewed the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database between 2008 and 2012 for adults with the diagnosis of diaphragmatic hernia who underwent elective laparoscopic repair of diaphragmatic Hernia and/or Nissen fundoplication. Pediatric, emergent, and open cases were excluded. Main outcome measures included logistic regression analysis of factors predictive of in-hospital mortality and outcomes according to annual hospital case volume.ResultsA total of 31,228 laparoscopic diaphragmatic hernia operations were analyzed. The overall in-hospital mortality was 0.14%. Risk factors for higher in-hospital mortality included renal failure (AOR: 6.26; 95% CI: 2.48-15.78; p < 0.001), age>60 years (AOR: 5.06; 95% CI: 2.38-10.76; p < 0.001), and CHF (AOR: 3.80; 95% CI: 1.39-10.38; p = 0.009) while an incremental increase in volume of 10 cases/year (AOR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.81-0.98; p = 0.019) and diabetes (AOR: 0.34; 95% CI: 0.12-0.93; p = 0.036) decreases mortality. There was a small but significant inverse relationship between hospital case volume and mortality with a 10% reduction in adjusted odds of in-hospital mortality for every increase in 10 cases per year. Using 10 cases per year as the volume threshold, low-volume hospitals (≤10 cases/year) had almost a twofold higher mortality compared to high-volume hospitals (0.23 vs. 0.12%, respectively, p = 0.02).ConclusionsThere was a small but significant inverse relationship between the hospitals' case volume and mortality in laparoscopic diaphragmatic hernia repair

Laparoscopic antireflux surgery and hiatal hernia repair: techniques and outcome

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most prevalent benign disorder of the upper gastrointestinal tract. For patients who suffer from PPI-refractory GERD, severe regurgitation or for those who are unwilling to take life-long medication, antireflux surgery is the treatment of choice. Despite excellent long-term reflux control, laparoscopic Nissen, or total fundoplication, is associated with an increased risk of developing troublesome side-effects, of which dysphagia and gas-related symptoms are the most important. Therefore, partial fundoplications have been developed, of which the 270 degree posterior and 180 degree anterior fundoplication are most frequently performed. Currently, there is a lack of data supporting possible superiority of one of these partial fundoplications with regards to the incidence of dysphagia and gas-related symptoms. An important cause of GERD is the presence of a hiatal hernia, or diaphragmatic hernia. For patients suffering from a symptomatic hiatal hernia, laparoscopic repair is considered the treatment of choice. Due to the repetitive stress exerted on the diaphragm, the development of a recurrent hiatal hernia is an important problem. Therefore, the use of either absorbable or non-absorbable mesh to reinforce the cruroplasty has been introduced. Despite the presence of several randomized clinical trials comparing the use of different types of mesh versus sutures, there appears to be insufficient evidence for the routine use of mesh in laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair. In this thesis, we describe the long-term outcome of laparoscopic fundoplication, and compare the mid-term outcome of 270 degree posterior and 180 degree anterior partial fundoplication. Furthermore, we analyze the outcome of patients identified with pathological esophageal acid exposure after laparoscopic fundoplication, with special emphasis on heartburn, dysphagia, and need for surgical reintervention. Regarding the surgical treatment of hiatal hernia, we studied the outcome of laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair using sutures versus sutures reinforced with non-absorbable mesh. Additionally, we analyzed the outcome of laparoscopic repair in specific groups of patients, and compared the incidence of hiatal hernia following open en minimally invasive esophagectomy

FRP Structures: A canopy in Kotzia square

The objective of my graduation project was to understand the lack of loadbearing Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) structures and why in most of the example FRP components are being used as cladding. In order to do that I decided to design an FRP loadbearing canopy, which had to be a shell structure with large spans between its support points. In every step of the design process the geometry was tested for its structural efficiency and the goal was to reduce the amount of the needed materials in order to reduce the costs. Furthermore, perforations were created on the canopy so that light can penetrate the canopy and to reduce the needed material. The final step of the optimization of the structure was to find the ideal combination of shell thickness and FRP laminate thickness. The designed canopy that has spans of 40m between some of the support points has a shell thickness of 7cm and plies of laminate of 5mm. When the geometry was optimized issues like panel division, transportation of the panels, water management and drainages, connections between the panels and the production technique of the panels were solved.Architecture and The Built EnvironmentArchitectural Engineering and TechnologyBuilding Technolog