Modeling the Structural Response of Reinforced Glass Beams using an SLA Scheme

This paper investigates whether a novel computational sequentially linear analysis(SLA) technique, which is especially developed for modeling brittle materialresponse, is applicable for modeling the structural response of metal reinforcedglass beams. To do so, computational SLA results are compared with experimentalresults of four-point bending tests. The results show similarities in loaddisplacementcurves and to some extent also in cracking behaviour. Overall, it isconcluded that the SLA scheme is a very promising technique to model thestructural response of reinforced glass beams, which will be even further improvedin future research

Comparison of the effects of three different (-)-hydroxycitric acid preparations on food intake in rats

BACKGROUND: Studies on the effects of (-)-hydroxycitric acid (HCA) in humans are controversial. As differences in the HCA preparations may contribute to this apparent discrepancy, the aim of the current study is to compare different HCA-containing preparations in adult Wistar rats. DESIGN: The effects of 3 different HCA-containing preparations (Regulator, Citrin K, Super CitriMax HCA-600-SXS, all used at an effective HCA dose of 150 and 300 mg/kg, administered intragastrically) on food intake and body weight were studied in adult male Wistar rats. The efficacy was tested under 2 different experimental conditions: 1) after a single dose administration and 2) during repeated administration for 4 subsequent days. RESULTS: Regulator and Citrin K significantly reduced food intake in both experimental setups, while Super CitriMax HCA-600-SXS was less effective. When administered for 4 subsequent days Regulator and Citrin K diminished body weight gain. CONCLUSION: Regulator and Citrin K were shown to be potent inhibitors of food intake in rats, whereas Super CitriMax HCA-600-SXS showed only small and more inconsistent effects. The striking differences in efficacy between these 3 preparations indicate that low doses of a relatively low-effective HCA preparation may have contributed to the lack of efficacy as found in several human studies

Modeling the Structural Response of Reinforced Glass Beams using an SLA Scheme

This paper investigates whether a novel computational sequentially linear analysis (SLA) technique, which is especially developed for modeling brittle material response, is applicable for modeling the structural response of metal reinforced glass beams. To do so, computational SLA results are compared with experimental results of four-point bending tests. The results show similarities in loaddisplacement curves and to some extent also in cracking behaviour. Overall, it is concluded that the SLA scheme is a very promising technique to model the structural response of reinforced glass beams, which will be even further improved in future research

Numerical simulation of the flexural behaviour of composite glass-GFRP beams using smeared crack models

This paper presents a numerical study about the flexural behaviour of rectangular composite glass-GFRP beams, comprising annealed glass and GFRP pultruded profiles bonded with two different adhesives: (soft) polyurethane and (stiff) epoxy. The main objectives of this study were: (i) to fully characterize the non-linear behaviour of glass using the smeared crack approach; and (ii) to assess the applicability of different options to simulate adhesively bonded glass-GFRP joints. An extensive parametric study was developed to evaluate the influence of five parameters on the glass post-cracking non-linear behaviour: (i) glass fracture energy, Gf, (ii) crack band width, h, (iii) glass tensile strength, fg,t, (iv) shape of the tension-softening diagram, and (v) shear retention factor, β. The wide range of the joints’ shear stiffness was simulated by either (i) assuming a perfect bond between glass and GFRP (i.e., neglecting the presence of the adhesive), or (ii) explicitly considering the adhesive, by means of using (ii.1) plane stress elements, or (ii.2) interface elements. For the beams analysed in this paper, the following material model for glass provided a good agreement with experimental results: Gf in the range of 3 to 300 N/m, h equal to the square root of the finite element area, fg,t = 50 MPa, linear softening diagram and β according to a power law. It was also shown that the hypothesis of perfect bond at the GFRP-glass interfaces allows for an accurate simulation of joints with high levels of interaction (epoxy), while calibrated interface elements are needed for joints with low level of interaction (polyurethane).The authors wish to acknowledge FCT, ICIST/CERIS and ISISE for funding the research, and companies SIKA, Guardian and ALTO for supplying the adhesives, the glass panes and the GFRP pultruded profiles used in the experiments. The first author also wishes to thank FCT for the financial support through his PhD scholarship SFRH/BD/80234/2011

Group schema therapy for cluster-C personality disorders:A multicentre open pilot study

BackgroundGroup schema therapy (GST) is increasingly popular as a treatment for personality disorders (PDs), including Cluster-C PDs. Individual ST has proven to be effective for Cluster-C PD patients, while the evidence for GST is limited. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of GST for Cluster-C PD. Moreover, differ- ences between the specific Cluster-C PDs (avoidant PD, dependent PD and obsessive-compulsive PD) were explored.MethodsA multicentre open trial was conducted, including 137 patients with a Cluster-C PD (avoidant PD: n = 107, dependent PD: n = 11 and obsessive- compulsive PD: n = 19). Patients received 30 weekly GST sessions with a maximum of 180 min of individual ST and five optional monthly booster sessions. Outcome measures including Cluster-C PD severity, general psychopathological symptoms, quality of life, functional impairment, happiness, PD-related beliefs, self-esteem, self- ideal discrepancy, schemas and schema modes were assessed at baseline until 2-year follow-up with semi-structured interviews and self-report measures. Change over time and differences between the specific Cluster-C PDs were analysed with mixed regression analyses.ResultsThe outcome measures showed significant improvements for all Cluster-C PDs, with medium to large effect sizes after 2 years. A treatment dropout rate of 11.7% was found. There were some indications for differences between the Cluster-C PDs in severity at baseline, change trajectories and effectiveness of GST. ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that GST is a promising treatment for Cluster-C PDs. The following step is a randomized controlled trial to further document the (cost-)effectiveness of GST. <br/

Public transport policy in the Netherlands

Dutch public transport as a part of transport policy.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Multiple hypotheses explain variation in extra-pair paternity at different levels in a single bird family

Extra‐pair paternity (EPP), where offspring are sired by a male other than the social male, varies enormously both within and among species. Trying to explain this variation has proved difficult because the majority of the interspecific variation is phylogenetically based. Ideally, variation in EPP should be investigated in closely related species, but clades with sufficient variation are rare. We present a comprehensive multifactorial test to explain variation in EPP among individuals in 20 populations of nine species over 89 years from a single bird family (Maluridae). Females had higher EPP in the presence of more helpers, more neighbours or if paired incestuously. Furthermore, higher EPP occurred in years with many incestuous pairs, populations with many helpers and species with high male density or in which males provide less care. Altogether, these variables accounted for 48% of the total and 89% of the interspecific and interpopulation variation in EPP. These findings indicate why consistent patterns in EPP have been so challenging to detect and suggest that a single predictor is unlikely to account for the enormous variation in EPP across levels of analysis. Nevertheless, it also shows that existing hypotheses can explain the variation in EPP well and that the density of males in particular is a good predictor to explain variation in EPP among species when a large part of the confounding effect of phylogeny is excluded

Recognition and diagnosis of sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease

Contains fulltext : 109296.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Sleep disturbances are among the most frequent and incapacitating non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), and are increasingly recognized as an important determinant of impaired quality of life. Here we review several recent developments regarding the recognition and diagnosis of sleep disorders in PD. In addition, we provide a practical and easily applicable approach to the diagnostic process as a basis for tailored therapeutic interventions. This includes a stepwise scheme that guides the clinical interview and subsequent ancillary investigations. In this scheme, the various possible sleep disorders are arranged not in order of prevalence, but in a 'differential diagnostic' order. We also provide recommendations for the use of sleep registrations such as polysomnography. Furthermore, we point out when a sleep specialist could be consulted to provide additional diagnostic and therapeutic input. This structured approach facilitates early detection of sleep disturbances in PD, so treatment can be initiated promptly