Failure Analysis of a Total Damage by Hail Impact of an External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems

A hailstorm has heavily damaged a glass fibre mesh reinforced mineral render of an externally insulated composite system (ETICS) of a family house. While a neighbouring house of identical design and of the same age showed only minor defects, for the house under investigation it was a total failure of the render. Material probes were taken from the damaged façade and analysed physically and chemically. Before renovation, the hail resistance of the façade was determined with a unique artificial hail impact test method: Clear ice balls were shot against the façade with the help of a launcher, where the kinetic energy of the projectile can precisely be controlled. The type of damage due to natural hail could be reproduced. The impact energy needed to cause a damage similar to the one caused by the natural hail was determined. The hail impact damage was also identical to results from hail testing performed in the laboratory on similar systems. Since the amount of rendering material on the façade was not according to standards of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects - it was by far too thin - specific laboratory tests were performed with specimens not only made of similar materials but also with a comparable thin render layer. By systematic variation of the projectile size and its velocity, the impact parameters were studied and correlated to the type and extent of the hail impact damage. A threshold, associated with the first appearance of full circle cracks in the render, was found to be a kinetic energy of 2.5 J. The assessment of a supposed thickness effect and an effect of doubling the reinforcement on the hail impact resistance and the effect of the age of the façade however was a challenge. The methodological limitations given by the circumstances and the approach used are discussed in this paper

Bending and torsional stiffness measurements of equine radii and tibiae

This study was a re-evaluation of static mechanical testing of equine long bones as part of a larger study on impact failure modes and strength of the same bones. Supplementary to other morphological and mechanical tests, static stiffness properties of these long bones were non-destructively determined. The goal was to quantify stiffness properties of the diaphysis of equine radii and tibiae in quasi-static bending as well as when loaded in torsion and to check for possible age and gender effects on these properties. Fifty-six equine bones (tibiae and radii) from fifteen horses were first tested in a torsion machine and subsequently fifty-five of them investigated using a 3-point-bending test-setup. A maximum torque of 150 N*m and a maximum bending moment of 920 N*m were applied in steps. Loading and unloading was performed in order to check for hysteresis effects. The outcome for both type of bones (tibiae and radii) was described statistically in relation to age (young, middle aged, and old) and gender (geldings and mares). Additional information on the side (left and right), breed and use of the horse (competition versus ‘other’, such as pleasure) was excluded from statistical modelling after preliminary analysis. While the loading-unloading cycles in bending showed some hysteresis due to localized deformation, the unloading curve followed the loading curve in torsional loading. Bending stiffness of tibiae is on average 6’813 N/mm and of radii 6’130 N/mm. Torsional stiffness of tibiae is 2.36*106 N*m(rad/mm), and of radii 1.90*106 N*m(rad/mm). Tibiae were clearly stiffer than radii. A trend of higher bone stiffness for geldings compared with mares and for younger horses could be found, although not statistically significant

Гранитоиды обрамления Криворожской структуры. Проблемы корреляции геологических тел и комплексов

Current population genetic models fail to cope with genetic differentiation for species with large, contiguous and heterogeneous distribution. We show that in such a case, genetic differentiation can be predicted at equilibrium by circuit theory, where conductance corresponds to abundance in species distribution models (SDM). Circuit-SDM approach was used for the phylogeographic study of the lepidopteran cereal stemborer Busseola fusca Füller (Noctuidae) across sub-Saharan Africa. Species abundance was surveyed across its distribution range. SDM models were optimized and selected by cross validation. Relationship between observed matrices of genetic differentiation between individuals, and matrices of resistance distance was assessed through Mantel tests and redundancy discriminant analyses (RDA). A total of 628 individuals from 130 localities in 17 countries were genotyped at 7 microsatellite loci. Six population clusters were found based on a Bayesian analysis. The eastern margin of Dahomey Gap between East and West Africa was the main factor of genetic differentiation. The SDM projections at present, last interglacial and last glacial maximum periods were used for estimation of circuit resistance between locations of genotyped individuals. For all periods of time, when using either all individuals or only East-African individuals, partial Mantel r and RDA analyses conditioning on geographic distance were found significant. Under future projections (year 2080), partial r and RDA significance were different. From this study, it is concluded that analytical solutions provided by circuit theory are useful for the evolutionary management of populations and for phylogeographic analysis when coalescence times are not accessible by approximate Bayesian simulations

032: Thirty months outcomes after PCI of unprotected left main coronary artery according to the SYNTAX score

AimsTo assess middle term outcomes according to SYNTAX score and rates of delayed surgical/bleeding events after unprotected left main (LM) coronary artery (ULMCA) PCI in an unselected patients population.MethodsConsecutive patients treated by PCI for ULMCA were included among a single center 3508 PCI database within 36 months. Syntax scores were calculated, post discharge extracardiac surgery or hemorrhage were recorded during follow-up as clinical outcomes (Death, TVR, MACCE=cardiovascular death+MI+stroke+TLR).Results102 (3.6%) patients underwent PCI of the LM, including 21 protected LM. Among the 81 patients with PCI of ULMCA, mean age was 65±13, 27% had urgent PCI for AMI or cardiogenic shock, 61% had DES.SYNTAX score was 28±14 in mean and ≤22 in 30 (37%), 23 to 32 in 22 (27%) and ≥33 in 29 (36%) patients.At 30±11 months follow up (98% of the patients), death occurred in 24 patients (30%), TVR in 16 (20%) and MACCE in 35 (43%). Clinical events according to the SYNTAX score are shown in figure. No cardiovascular death occurred in patients with syntax ≤22. MACCE rates were significantly lower when DES were used (24% vs. 64%, p<0.05) and in case of non-urgent PCI (36% vs. 71%, p<0.05).During follow-up, 20 (25%) and 12 (15%) patients underwent unplanned extracardiac surgery and/or hemorrhage, leading to antiplatelet withdrawal in 31% of the cases.ConclusionsIn unselected patients treated by PCI of ULMCA with Syntax score ≤22, outcomes were found to be excellent with no cardiovascular death observed at 30 months. DES and non-urgent PCI were associated with a better prognosis. One patient out of three underwent unplanned extracardiac surgery or hemorrhage during follow up.Figure: 30-months outcomes according to SYNTAX scor

Cardiac procedural myocardial injury, infarction, and mortality in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention: a pooled analysis of patient-level data

AIMS: The prognostic importance of cardiac procedural myocardial injury and myocardial infarction (MI) in chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is still debated. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed individual data of 9081 patients undergoing elective PCI with normal pre-PCI baseline cardiac troponin (cTn) levels. Multivariate models evaluated the association between post-PCI elevations in cTn and 1-year mortality, while an interval analysis evaluated the impact of the size of the myocardial injury on mortality. Our analysis was performed in the overall population and also according to the type of cTn used [52.0% had high-sensitivity cTn (hs-cTn)]. Procedural myocardial injury, as defined by the Fourth Universal Definition of MI (UDMI) [post-PCI cTn elevation ≥1 × 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL)], occurred in 52.8% of patients and was not associated with 1-year mortality [adj odds ratio (OR), 1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.84-1.77), P = 0.21]. The association between post-PCI cTn elevation and 1-year mortality was significant starting ≥3 × 99th percentile URL. Major myocardial injury defined by post-PCI ≥5 × 99th percentile URL occurred in 18.2% of patients and was associated with a two-fold increase in the adjusted odds of 1-year mortality [2.29, 95% CI (1.32-3.97), P = 0.004]. In the subset of patients for whom periprocedural evidence of ischaemia was collected (n = 2316), Type 4a MI defined by the Fourth UDMI occurred in 12.7% of patients and was strongly associated with 1-year mortality [adj OR 3.21, 95% CI (1.42-7.27), P = 0.005]. We also present our results according to the type of troponin used (hs-cTn or conventional troponin). CONCLUSION: Our analysis has demonstrated that in CCS patients with normal baseline cTn levels, the post-PCI cTn elevation of ≥5 × 99th percentile URL used to define Type 4a MI is associated with 1-year mortality and could be used to detect 'major' procedural myocardial injury in the absence of procedural complications or evidence of new myocardial ischaemia