Assessing Horizontal Seismic Coefficients in Earth Dams with Regards to Expected Deformation

One of the most important aspects that must be considered in design of embankment dams is to assess their stability during seismic events. When employing sophisticated approaches like finite element method for dynamic analysis of the mentioned structures against earthquake attacks, difficulties in evaluation of input parameters may exist. Hence employing simpler approaches like pseudo static method are still preferred by some designers. However, there is a problem associated with the pseudo static procedure as there is no organized technique for precise evaluation of horizontal seismic coefficient. Moreover, this method applies safety factor for the stability evaluations which is not a consistent value when different methods of analysis are employed. In this paper it is tried to suggest a method for a more organized evaluation of horizontal seismic coefficient in the range of empirical values used currently. Meanwhile “displacement” is applied as an appropriate parameter to evaluate the serviceability levels after an earthquake incident. In order to fulfill this goal, typical homogenous embankments were analyzed using shear beam approach to assess their horizontal seismic coefficients. Then Newmark sliding block model was employed to establish a relationship between assessed horizontal seismic coefficients and expected permanent displacements. Moreover, an equation was derived to assess yield acceleration on the basis of shear beam method principles

Enhancing Wildfire Propagation Model Predictions Using Aerial Swarm-Based Real-Time Wind Measurements:A Conceptual Framework

The dynamic behaviour of wildfires is mainly influenced by weather, fuel, and topography. Based on fundamental conservation laws involving numerous physical processes and large scales, atmospheric models require substantial computational resources. Therefore, coupling wildfire and atmospheric models is impractical for high resolutions. Instead, a static atmospheric wind field is typically input into the wildfire model, either as boundary conditions on the control surface or distributed over the control volume. Wildfire propagation models may be (i) data-driven; theoretical; or mechanistic surrogates. Data-driven models are beyond the scope of this paper. Theoretical models are based on conservation laws (species, energy, mass, momentum) and are, therefore, computationally intensive; e.g. the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). Mechanistic surrogate models do not closely follow fire dynamics laws, but related laws observed to make predictions more efficiently with sufficient accuracy; e.g. FARSITE, and FDS with the Level Set model (FDS-LS). Whether theoretical or mechanistic surrogate, these wildfire models may be coupled with or decoupled from wind models (e.g. Navier-Stokes equations). Only coupled models account for the effect of the fire on the wind field. In this paper, a series of simulations of wildfire propagation on grassland are performed using FDS-LS to study the impact of the fire-induced wind on the fire propagation dynamics. Results show that coupling leads to higher Rates of Spread (RoS), closer to those reported from field experiments, with increasing wind speeds and higher terrain slopes strengthening this trend. Aiming to capture the fire–wind interaction without the hefty cost of solving Navier-Stokes equations, a conceptual framework is proposed: 1) a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles measure wind velocities at flight height; 2) the wind field is constructed with the acquired data; 3) the high-altitude wind field is mapped to near-surface, and 4) the near-surface wind field is fed into the wildfire model periodically. A series of simulations are performed using an in-house decoupled physics-based reduced-order fire propagation model (FireProM-F) enhanced by wind field “measurements”. In this proof of concept, wind velocities are not measured but extracted from physics-based Large Eddy Simulations taken as ground truth. Unsurprisingly, higher measurement frequencies lead to more accurate and realistic predictions of the propagating fire front. An initial attempt is made to study the effect of wind measurement uncertainty on the model predictions by adding Gaussian noise. Preliminary results show that higher noise leads to the fire front displaying more irregular shapes and slower propagation

Empathy in Iranian medical students: A preliminary psychometric analysis and differences by gender and year of medical school

Background: It has been well documented that effective empathic communication in the context of patient care is associated with improved health care outcomes. However, the emphasis given to empathy in medical education in Iran is limited, and the state of such teaching is unknown in many countries. Aims: To determine the psychometric properties of an Iranian translation of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) among medical students, and to examine the differences on mean empathy scores by gender and the different years of medical school. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students. Data analysis was based on 181 questionnaires. Principal component analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation was used to identify the number and composition of components constituting the developed constructs. Results: The PCA yielded three factors: Compassionate care, perspective-taking, and the ability to walk in the patient's shoes. No statistically significant differences in the empathy means scores were found by gender and the different years of medical school. Conclusions: The Persian version of JSPE is a psychometrically sound instrument to measure empathy. Cultural backgrounds and pedagogical practice may influence medical students' attitudes towards empathy. Some recommendations are made, and the study limitations are discussed

The involvement of clinicians in medical education research

Background Medical education, like other forms of professional preparation, is a complex and demanding process, which can benefit enormously from careful research. Although such research can be conducted by researchers from outside medical education, there is also a clear need for clinicians to participate in such research and conduct studies that can draw upon their experience and insights. However, despite recent endeavours to involve clinical educators in such research, there are very few published articles reporting research conducted by such individuals. Objective To explore the factors that impact upon clinicians’ engagement in medical education research. Method Interview data, concerning potential involvement in medical education research, were gathered directly from 20 clinicians. A detailed systematic analysis was conducted on the interview transcripts. Results Three general themes emerged from the interviews, all of which relate to clinicians’ engagement in medical education research. They are: (a) effective leadership, (b) promoting professional growth, and (c) all-encompassing support. Conclusion The study shows that there is a need for clinical leaders with inspirational qualities to drive research in medical education. Also, clinicians need better training in educational research methods and more funding is needed to support this type of researc

Efficacy of Antimicrobial Agents in Orthodontic Adhesive Systems and Brackets: A Narrative Review

Objectives: Development of white spot lesions (WSLs) in the course of orthodontic treatment would compromise the satisfaction of patients and clinicians. One suggested preventive strategy is to incorporate antimicrobial agents into orthodontic adhesive systems or to coat brackets with them. Several clinical and experimental studies have evaluated the effect of antimicrobial agents, but no consensus has been reached on the best preventive approach. Thus, the aim of this narrative review was to assess the clinical and experimental studies on the effect of incorporation of antimicrobial agents in orthodontic adhesives and brackets. Methods: PubMed (Medline), Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for related articles published from 1990 to 2020. Both clinical and experimental studies were included in this review. Results: Different antimicrobial agents can be added to adhesive systems to control the formation of WSLs, and also preserve the bond strength of adhesives. Same as adhesive systems, coating of brackets with antibacterial agents can be performed to control bacterial proliferation and demineralization of enamel. Conclusion: Antimicrobial agents incorporated in bonding systems or used for coating of brackets can confer antimicrobial properties with no significant negative effect on bonding properties. However, clinical and long-term studies are required to confirm their effectiveness and absence of side effects

Socio-Economic Status Inequity in Self Rated Health in Patients with Breast Cancer

AIM: We investigate the evaluation of socio-economic status (SES) inequality on self-rated health (SRH) at women with breast cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study METHODS: The current study conducted on all 270 breast cancer patients that were admitted to one of the hospitals of Arak University Medical Sciences (Arak, Iran from April to July 2018) by census (using non-random sampling (accessible sampling). SES was calculated by asset-based questionnaire and Principle Component Analysis (PCA) was performed to estimate the families' SES. Concentration Index (C) and Curve (CC) was used to measure SES inequality in SRH. The data were analysed with Stata software. RESULTS: The number of persons with good SRH by the level of SES was 165 (61.1%) and with poor SRH was 105 (38.9%). The number of persons with good SRH in comparison to same-aged people by level of SES was 135 (50%) and with poor SRH was 135 (50%). Concentration index of SRH in all level of SES was 0.061 (SE = 0.03). Also, Concentration index for SRH in comparison to same-aged people at different levels of SES was -0.044 (SE = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that there is inequality in SRH in a patient with breast cancer of the richest level of SES