Fiber Reinfoced Polymer Used for Flooding Protection of Engineering Structures Made of RC and Brick Masonry

Urban and rural floods are becoming nowadays a frequent problem to be dealt with, by both the population and the authorities. Floods and flood related natural disasters act against the civil, industrial and agricultural structures by the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressures of water. A set of protective solutions based on Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite materials, for structural elements of buildings subjected to flood loadings, is proposed and analysed. These solutions are achieved by using the hand lay-up forming technique utilizing glass, carbon or aramid fibers fabrics pre-impregnated with thermosetting epoxy, polyester or vynilester resins. The application of these FRP composites is carried out on reinforced concrete columns and beams as well as on brick masonry works aiming to increase in the overall load bearing capacity, especially against horizontal loads. An improved protection against excessive humidity is also envisaged. The Finite Elements Method based LUSAS software was used to simulate a partially flooded structure. The numerical modeling was carried out in both the un-strengthened and strengthened conditions of the structure in order to assess the increasing in load and deformation capacities of the structural elements. Volumetric finite elements were used for modeling the concrete and masonry members

Experimental Model for Pollutants Monitoring into the Coke-Chemical Plant

The Coke-Chemical plants contribute heavily to producing and emitting in the atmosphere a big amount of polluting agents. Polluting emissions diminution and situating them within the international specific standards, can be realized by introducing a monitoring model with automate prominence of atmospheric noxa concentrations and with the possibility of connecting it to an open communication system. In the paper is conceived an experimental model for noxa and pollutants monitoring and in a frame of a polluting field existing in the coke-chemical sector from an integrated iron and steel complex

Application of Modern Polymeric Composite Materials in Industrial Construction

The large variety of modern composite materials and products existing nowadays in the construction market provides multiple and convenient possibilities to use them in both structural and nonstructural industrial construction elements. The main advantages of modern composite materials such as: corrosion resistance, high strength and modulus values compared to their density, acceptable deformability, tailored design and excellent formability enable the fabrication of new elements and the structural rehabilitation of the existing parts made of traditional materials. The high potential of the applicability of polymeric composites in new industrial construction correlated with fabrication procedures as well as the use of composites in modern strengthening solutions are presented in the paper

Differential diagnostic problems in elderly chronic subdural hematoma patients

Chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH) are recognized as common in older people (over 70 years). They are produced in minor injuries (falls on the same level). These CSDH have minor symptoms (headache, memory disorders, balance disorders, cognitive disorders, etc. and are classified as signs for the onset of dementia, circulatory failure - basilar vertebra, Alzheimer, etc. A simple brain CT scan can highlight these hematomas and a neurosurgical intervention will achieve extremely favorable prognosis. There are many pitfalls in the differential diagnosis of CSH especially with strokes being so common at this age

Overview of the diagnostic value of biochemical markers of liver fibrosis (FibroTest, HCV FibroSure) and necrosis (ActiTest) in patients with chronic hepatitis C

BACKGROUND: Recent studies strongly suggest that due to the limitations and risks of biopsy, as well as the improvement of the diagnostic accuracy of biochemical markers, liver biopsy should no longer be considered mandatory in patients with chronic hepatitis C. In 2001, FibroTest ActiTest (FT-AT), a panel of biochemical markers, was found to have high diagnostic value for fibrosis (FT range 0.00–1.00) and necroinflammatory histological activity (AT range 0.00–1.00). The aim was to summarize the diagnostic value of these tests from the scientific literature; to respond to frequently asked questions by performing original new analyses (including the range of diagnostic values, a comparison with other markers, the impact of genotype and viral load, and the diagnostic value in intermediate levels of injury); and to develop a system of conversion between the biochemical and biopsy estimates of liver injury. RESULTS: A total of 16 publications were identified. An integrated database was constructed using 1,570 individual data, to which applied analytical recommendations. The control group consisted of 300 prospectively studied blood donors. For the diagnosis of significant fibrosis by the METAVIR scoring system, the areas under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUROC) ranged from 0.73 to 0.87. For the diagnosis of significant histological activity, the AUROCs ranged from 0.75 to 0.86. At a cut off of 0.31, the FT negative predictive value for excluding significant fibrosis (prevalence 0.31) was 91%. At a cut off of 0.36, the ActiTest negative predictive value for excluding significant necrosis (prevalence 0.41) was 85%. In three studies there was a direct comparison in the same patients of FT versus other biochemical markers, including hyaluronic acid, the Forns index, and the APRI index. All the comparisons favored FT (P < 0.05). There were no differences between the AUROCs of FT-AT according to genotype or viral load. The AUROCs of FT-AT for consecutive stages of fibrosis and grades of necrosis were the same for both moderate and extreme stages and grades. A conversion table was constructed between the continuous FT-AT values (0.00 to 1.00) and the expected semi-quantitative fibrosis stages (F0 to F4) and necrosis grades (A0 to A3). CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, the use of the biochemical markers of liver fibrosis (FibroTest) and necrosis (ActiTest) can be recommended as an alternative to liver biopsy for the assessment of liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis C. In clinical practice, liver biopsy should be recommended only as a second line test, i.e., in case of high risk of error of biochemical tests

Intra-individual fasting versus postprandial variation of biochemical markers of liver fibrosis (FibroTest) and activity (ActiTest)

BACKGROUND: Biochemical marker combinations, including α(2)-macroglobulin, haptoglobin, apolipoprotein A1, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, and total bilirubin (all part of FibroTest) plus alanine aminotransferase (all part of ActiTest), are being developed as alternatives to liver biopsy in patients with chronic hepatitis C and other various chronic liver diseases. Considering this premise, the primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of meal intake on FibroTest and ActiTest results. Such studies are very important for patients, as many clinical errors have been related to the absence of baseline evidence. RESULTS: Intra-individual variation was assessed for the 6 above components and for FibroTest and ActiTest, by measuring time dependent variations before and one hour after a standard meal in 64 subjects. These consisted of 29 healthy volunteers and 35 patients with chronic liver diseases. Meal intake had no significant impact on any of the six components, or on FibroTest or ActiTest, as assessed by repeated measure variance analyses (ANOVA all p > 0.90); the Spearman correlation coefficient ranged from 0.87 (total bilirubin) to 0.995 (γ-glutamyl transpeptidase). The coefficients of variation (CV) between fasting and postprandial measurements fluctuated for the six components from 0.09 (apolipoprotein A1) to 0.14 (α(2)-macroglobulin), and from 0.09 for FibroTest to 0.13 for ActiTest. In contrast, meal intake had a significant impact on triglycerides (ANOVA p = 0.01, CV = 0.65) and glucose (ANOVA p = 0.04, CV = 0.31). As for the prediction of liver injury, the concordance between fasting and postprandial predicted histological stages and grades was almost perfect, both for FibroTest (kappa = 0.91, p < 0.001) and ActiTest (kappa = 0.80, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The intra-individual variation of biochemical markers was low, and it was shown that measurements of FibroTest, ActiTest and their components are not significantly modified by meal intake. This fact makes the screening of patients at risk of chronic liver diseases more convenient

Modelling and simulation of a remote controlled mechatronic device

The paper introduces the design, modelling and simulation of an electromechanical actuator device able to produce periodical translation movement. The parameters characterizing this movement (stroke length, force, speed profile) are considered to be remotely programmable via a wireless interface

Concordance in a World without a Gold Standard: A New Non-Invasive Methodology for Improving Accuracy of Fibrosis Markers

BACKGROUND: Assessing liver fibrosis is traditionally performed by biopsy, an imperfect gold standard. Non-invasive techniques, liver stiffness measurements (LSM) and biomarkers [FibroTest(R) (FT)], are widely used in countries where they are available. The aim was to identify factors associated with LSM accuracy using FT as a non-invasive endpoint and vice versa. METHODS: The proof of concept was taken using the manufacturers recommendations for excluding patients at high risk of false negative/positive. The hypothesis was that the concordance between LSM and FT, would be improved by excluding high-risk patients. Thereafter, the impact of potential variability factors was assessed by the same methods. Liver biopsy and independent endpoints were used to validate the results. RESULTS: Applying manufacturers' recommendations in 2,004 patients increased the strength of concordance between LSM and FT (P<0.00001). Among the 1,338 patients satisfying recommendations, the methodology identified a significant LSM operator effect (P = 0.001) and the following variability factors (all P<0.01), related to LSM: male gender, older age, and NAFLD as a cause of liver disease. Biopsy confirmed in 391 patients these results. CONCLUSION: This study has validated the concept of using the strength of concordance between non-invasive estimates of liver fibrosis for the identification of factors associated with variability and precautions of use

Adaptive neural network fuzzy inference system for HFC processes

The paper presents the design and implementation of a fuzzy inference system (FIS) trained with adaptive neural networks for the generation of specification references in high frequency current (HFC) hardening processes. The specification references are then further used for the control of the process in obtaining the desired outcomes in terms of material hardening and resistance. The FIS is trained using data obtained from experimentation on an industrial HFC device. The trained FIS is then compared to a manually tuned FIS, resulting from expert and operator designs. The results led to the development of intelligent control interfaces in real time through the ANFIS method