Critical assessment of existing slope stability formulae and application to slope stabilisation

In this research, extensive use has been made of limit equilibrium methods of analysis for studying the stability of slopes. For the determination of the factor of safety (FOS) of slopes, the usual two-step process has been adopted; (a) assuming a slip surface for the soil mass, and (b) using the appropriate limit equilibrium equation(s). Eight wellknown limit equilibrium methods have been programmed to calculate different FOS values. The comparative performance of the various analyses has been carried out successfully using case studies. The innovative use of Gauss quadrature to calculate the FOS values has been shown to reducet he iterative sequencesd ramatically with no loss of accuracy. A visco-plastic flow model has been proposed to estimate lateral forces on piles used for slope stabilisation. The present research data occupies an "in-between" position to the previously reported values, with the variation trend being confirmed satisfactorily in all cases. Slope stabilisation due to the presence of a row of piles has been investigated using two distinct lateral load estimations. These include theories of plastic deformation and the proposed visco-plastic flow which are modelled and implemented in a computer program. Eight well-known methods of slope stability analyses have been adopted and computer coded to re-calculate FOS values for a slope reinforced by a row of piles. A Finite Element computer program has been developed to evaluate the displacement, bending moment and shear force along the pile axis. The pile is analysed at two levels above and below the slip failure surface

Küçük ve Orta Büyüklükteki İşletmelerin Karşılaştığı Sorunlar ve Devir Planlaması: Avrupa Birliği Projesi Kapsamında Bir Alan Araştırması The Challenges that Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Face and Succession Planning: A Field Research in the Scope of an EU Project

Küçük ve Orta Büyüklükteki İşletmeler ekonomik büyüme ve sürdürülebilir kalkınma açısından oldukça önemli bir yere sahiptir. Ayrıca KOBİ'ler ülke ekonomilerinde %99'dan fazla bir alanı kaplamaktadır ve istihdama büyük katkı sağlamaktadır. KOBİ'lerin yaşamlarını sürdürebilmeleri ise birçok faktöre bağlıdır. Devir planlaması KOBİ'lerin bir sonraki nesle iş transferinin yapılabilmesi ve dolayısıyla KOBİ'nin yaşamının devam etmesi adına oldukça önemlidir. Bu çalışma Avrupa Birliği Erasmus+ KA2 Yetişkin Eğitimi programı kapsamında desteklenen Intogeneration projesi kapsamında Türkiye, Almanya, İspanya, Bulgaristan ve Yunanistan'da gerçekleştirilen alan araştırmalarında Türkiye alan araştırması sonuçlarını paylaşmak amacıyla yapılmıştır. Yapılan alan araştırması ile KOBİ’lerin karşılaştıkları iç ve dış sorunları belirlemek, aile şirketlerinin bir sonraki kuşağa geçişlerde devir planlaması hakkındaki mevcut durumlarını ve görüşlerini ortaya koymak amaçlanmaktadır. Araştırma amaçlarını gerçekleştirmek için literatürdeki çalışmalar, uzman ve akademisyen görüşleri ile birlikte proje ortaklarının yapmış olduğu odak grup çalışmalarının ardından 22 sorudan oluşan anket formu geliştirilmiştir. Anket uygulaması yüz yüze ve çevrim içi olarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ankara ilinde gerçekleştirilen alan araştırması sonucunda toplamda 387 kişi anket formunu doldurmuş fakat 110 anket eksik veya hatalı doldurulduğu için değerlendirme dışı bırakılmıştır. Toplanan veriler kodlanarak analize uygun hale getirilmiştir. Analiz sonucunda frekans ve yüzde dağılımları hesaplanmış ve kategorik verilerin kıyaslanmasında Pearson Ki Kare testi kullanılmıştır. KOBİ'lerin en sık karşılaştığı sorunların başına fiyat rekabetinin ve kalifiye personel ihtiyacının geldiği görülmüştür. Ayrıca KOBİ'lerin büyük çoğunluğunun devir planlaması yapmadığı ve bir sonraki nesle iş transferi yapmakla ile ilgili herhangi bir hazırlıklarının olmadığı görülmüştür. Devir planlaması ile ilgili farkındalığın arttırılmasına yönelik faaliyetlerin düzenlenmesi ve bu konuya eğitim programlarında daha geniş yer verilmesi önerilebilir. Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) have a very significant importance in terms of sustainable development and economic growth. In most countries’, SMEs cover a field more than %99 percent in all enterprises and they also make a great contribution to the employment but most cannot transfer the business to the next generation as their survival depends on many factors. At this point, succession planning is one of the most important factor that supports making business transfer to next generation and for SMEs’ survival. This paper aims to share the Turkey results of the field research findings which was implemented through Turkey, Germany, Spain, Greece and Bulgaria. The field research in different countries aims to identify the internal and external challenges that SMEs face and to evaluate the current status and views of SMEs about succession planning. In order to achieve the research objectives, a questionnaire form that includes 22 items was developed by reviewing literature, considering the views of academicians, and making focus group meetings by the Project partners. The questionnaires were implemented in Ankara province by using online channels and face to face reviews. In total, 387 responses were collected but 110 of them were not considered as they have not been correctly filled. Totally, 277 questionnaire forms were considered for the analysis. The collected data was coded by the researcher, and frequency and percentage distribution were calculated. Pearson ChiSquare was implemented for the comparison of categorical data. According to research findings, it is found that the most frequent challenges that SMEs face are the price competition and the need for qualified employee. In addition, it was observed that the majority of SMEs did not make any succession plan and they did not have any preparations for transferring business to the next generation. It is recommended to organize activities to increase awareness about succession planning and to give a broader scope to this subject in training programs

Determination of permanent deformation of flexible pavements using finite element model

Nevezani zrnati materijal koji se koristi u savitljivim kolničkim konstrukcijama ponaša se elastoplastično pod utjecajem ponavljanih prometnih opterećenja. Trajne deformacije koje se javljaju na površini kolnika uslijed prometnog opterećenja jedan su od osnovnih problema koji negativno utječu na ponašanje kolničkih konstrukcija. Zbog toga su u novije vrijeme razvijeni brojni modeli za analizu trajnih deformacija, tj. za izračunavanje pojave kolotraga na kolnicima. Većina istraživanja koja se bave tim pitanjem temelje se na provedbi dinamičkih troosnih ispitivanja. U ovom je istraživanju deformabilnost nevezanih zrnatih materijala određena ispitivanjem prema metodi rezonantnog stupca. Također, umjesto određivanja ukupnih trajnih deformacija zbrajanjem izračunanih deformacija pojedinačnih slojeva kolnika, u ovom se radu na četiri različita tipa kolničkih konstrukcija provode dinamičke dvodimenzionalne osnosimetrične analize metodom konačnih elemenata kako bi se predvidjela ukupna trajna deformacija koja se javlja na površini kolnika nakon određenog broja ciklusa opterećenja. Nevezani slojevi za prvi modelirani tip kolničke konstrukcije sastoje se od prirodnog agregata. Nevezani nosivi sloj i/ili tamponski sloj preostalih triju kolničkih konstrukcija sastoji se od otpadnog materijala čelične zgure. Odnos trajnih deformacija i broja ciklusa opterećenja za sva četiri tipa kolničkih konstrukcija prikazan je na polulogaritamskim dijagramima. Za svaki je analizirani tip kolničke konstrukcije prikazana jednadžba trajnih deformacija.The unbound granular material used in flexible road pavements exhibits an elastoplastic behaviour under repetitive traffic loads. Permanent deformation occurring on pavement surface under traffic load is one of the main road pavement problems affecting road performance. Therefore, many permanent deformation models for calculating road pavement rutting have recently been developed by researchers. Most of these studies involve performance of dynamic triaxial tests. In this study, deformation characteristics of unbound granular materials are determined using the resonant column test. Then, instead of determining the total permanent deformation by summing up the calculated permanent deformations obtained in each pavement layer, dynamic 2D axisymmetric finite element analyses are performed for four different pavement cross sections to predict the total permanent deformation occurring on pavement surface under certain load cycles. The first modelled cross section of unbound granular material consists of natural aggregate. The base and/or subbase of remaining three cross sections consists of steel slag waste material. The permanent deformation versus load cycle is presented for four multi-layer road cross sections using semi logarithmic graphs. Finally, the permanent deformation model equation is developed for each pavement cross section using their fitting curves

Effect of curing time on selected properties of soil stabilized with fly ash, marble dust and waste sand for road sub-base materials

The properties of sub-base filling materials in highway construction are essential, as they can determine the performance of the road in service. Normally, the existing materials are removed and replaced with new materials that have adequate load-bearing capacity. Rising environmental concern and new environmental legislations have made construction professionals consider other methods. These methods include stabilizing the existing materials with other additives to improve their performance. Additives can be waste materials generated by different industries. In this work, the existing excavated soil is stabilized with waste materials. The wastes consisted of fly ash, marble dust and waste sand. The percentage addition of waste materials was 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% (by mass) of the existing soil. The soil/waste specimens were cured for 1, 7, 28, 56, 90 and 112 days before testing. Testing included the dry unit weight and unconfined compressive strength ( qu) as well as X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy observation. Also, the California Bearing Ratio values were obtained and are reported in this investigation. The results showed that the qu values increased with the increase in waste materials content. Also, there is tendency for the dry unit weight to increase with the increase in waste materials

Pharmacogenomics perspective for forensic toxicology: A mini review

Pharmacogenetic and Pharmacogenomics are the study of the association between an individual's genotype and their response to xenobiotics Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics variations can appear at the level of drug-metabolizing enzymes, drug transporters, drug targets or other biomarker genes. Pharmacogenomics can, therefore, be relevant in forensic toxicology. This review presents relevant aspects together with some examples from daily routines. Use of pharmacogenomics in forensic toxicology may add to the understanding of drug toxicity due to genetically predisposed impaired drug metabolism and may provide findings which may be back-extrapolated for the benefits of optimization of antemortem drug therapy. [Med-Science 2022; 11(4.000): 1738-44

Central serous chorioretinopathy due to low dose exogenous corticosteroid administered for a bee sting: a complication or coincidence?

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a posterior segment disorders characterized by localized and limited serous retinal detachment and/or retinal pigment epithelium detachment. The etiopathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Local or systemic steroid administration through various routes and endogenous steroid increase are known to cause CSCR. It is believed that steroids cause CSCR development by delaying the healing of retinal pigment epithelium or increase choriocapillaris permeability through various mechanisms. The role of an allergic reaction in CSCR development is controversial. We evaluated a case that developed CSCR following a single intramuscular injection of 8 mg dexamethasone (Dekort, Deva) for a bee sting in this study. The systemic steroid dose used in our case was much lower than other doses reported to cause CSCR in the literature. This suggests that some molecules in the bee venom may have contributed to CSCR development in our case. [Med-Science 2018; 7(2.000): 423-5

The association of outer retinal tubulation with vitreomacular adhesion and epiretinal membrane in eyes with age-related macular degeneration

Aim of this study to investigate the relationship between outer retinal tubulation (ORT) and vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) or epiretinal membrane (ERM) in eyes with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). 251 eyes of 138 (46 female, 92 male) patients were included in the study. Of those, 84 eyes were with dry type ARMD, 167 eyes were with wet type ARMD. Medical records of the cases were evaluated retrospectively. Evaluation of the vitreomacular interface (including VMA and ERM), and ORT was checked by using optical coherence tomography. VMA was observed in 26 eyes of 251 eyes and ERM in 46 of 251 eyes. In eyes with VMA, while ORT was not found in dry type ARMD, ORT was found in 5 (29.4%) of 17 eyes with wet type ARMD. In eyes with ERM, while ORT was found in one of 13 eyes (7.7%) with dry type ARMD, ORT was found in 6 (18.2%) of 33 eyes with wet type ARMD. No statistically significant difference was found between ORT presence and ERM or VMA presence in dry or wet type ARMD patients (p≥0.05). Our study results suggest that, although there is no correlation between VMA and ERM with development of ORT in ARMD, further large-scale studies are required to confirm these findings and to establish a definite conclusion. [Med-Science 2020; 9(2.000): 423-6