A randomised trial comparing three Delphi feedback strategies found no evidence of a difference in a setting with high initial agreement

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Risk-driven proactive fault-tolerant operation of IaaS providers

In order to improve service execution in Clouds, the management of Cloud Infrastructure has to take measures to adhere to Service Level Agreements and Business Level Objectives, from the application layer through to how services are supported at the lowest hardware levels. In this paper a risk model methodology and holistic management approach is developed specific to the operation of the Cloud Infrastructure Provider and is applied through improvements to SLA fault tolerance in Cloud Infrastructure. Risk assessments are used to analyse execution specific data from the Cloud Infrastructure and linked to a business driven holistic management component that is part of a Cloud Manager. Initial results show improved eco-efficiency, virtual machine availability and reductions in SLA failure across the whole Cloud infrastructure by applying our combined risk-based fault tolerance approach.Postprint (author’s final draft

Effects of Roof Pitch and Gypsum Ceilings on the Behavior of Wood Roof Diaphragms

Ten full size (3.7 x 4.9 m) plywood roof diaphragms were constructed using metal plate connected (MPC) common and hip wood trusses or joists, typical of single-family dwelling (SFD) construction. The specimens included three gable roof slopes of 33, 67 and 100%, a hip roof of 33% slope, and a flat roof, with a horizontal bottom chord. These roofs were constructed and tested in duplicate to make the total of ten roofs. Gable and hip roofs were tested with plywood sheathing applied to the eaves, with plywood sheathing removed from the eaves, and with a gypsum ceiling attached to the bottom chord of the trusses. Roofs were tested following the ASTM E455 standard procedures and analysis. Results showed eave plywood had negligible effect on diaphragm apparent stiffness; pitch affected gable roof apparent stiffness significantly but did not affect gable roof strength; hip roofs had almost the same apparent stiffness as flat roofs, and had the same strength as flat roofs; gable roofs had apparent stiffnesses which were about 50% that of the flat roofs; and gypsum provided more than 1/3 of the total roof apparent stiffness at slopes of less than 33%. There was no effect of pitch on roof strength in any configuration; all roofs exhibited approximately the same shear strength. Failure modes of roofs included nail withdrawal, nail tear-through, metal plate tear-out on trusses and chord tensile failure.Keywords: Structural strength, Diaphragms, Roofs, Static tests, Seismic, Full-scale tests, Residential building

Practical Analysis for Horizontal Diaphragm Design of Wood-Frame Single-Family Dwellings

Seismic design of wood-frame single-family dwellings’ (WFSFD) lateral force–resisting systems requires determination of the stiffness of horizontal diaphragms and shearwalls. During design, sizes and locations of shearwall openings are often changed, altering shearwall stiffness and loads and requiring a significant redesign effort. Rigid and tributary area method analyses are examined for different geometries of L-shaped WFSFD and include stiffness reductions for roof geometry and pitch. These methods are applied to historic earthquake damage reports and compared using rigid, semirigid, or flexible horizontal diaphragm analyses useful in design practice. Most WFSFD should be designed using an envelope method because they contain a mix of horizontal diaphragm types owing to the effects of roof pitch and geometry on diaphragm stiffness. Cases occur where determination of semirigid or flexible diaphragm behavior is difficult because the analysis results are contradictory or unclear. This suggests that semirigid modeling or an envelope method is prudent. The use of simple rigid plate, flexible plate or semirigid plate methods can be practical for analyzing WFSFD with a reasonable level of detail and effort

Effects of Roof Pitch and Gypsum Ceilings on the Behavior of Wood Roof Diaphragms

Ten full-size (3.7×4.9m) plywood roof diaphragms were constructed using metal-plate-connected (MPC) common and hip wood trusses or joists, typical of single-family dwelling (SFD) construction. The specimens included three gable roof slopes of 33, 67, and 100%, a hip roof of 33% slope, and a flat roof, with a horizontal bottom chord. These roofs were constructed and tested in duplicate to make the total of 10 roofs. Gable and hip roofs were tested with plywood sheathing applied to the eaves, with plywood sheathing removed from the eaves, and with a gypsum ceiling attached to the bottom chord of the trusses. Roofs were tested following standard procedures and analysis. Results showed eave plywood had a negligible effect on diaphragm apparent stiffness; pitch affected gable roof apparent stiffness significantly but did not affect gable roof strength; hip roofs had almost the same apparent stiffness as flat roofs and had the same strength as flat roofs; gable roofs had apparent stiffnesses that were about 50% that of the flat roofs; and gypsum provided more than one-third of the total roof apparent stiffness at slopes of less than 33%. There was no effect of pitch on roof strength in any configuration; all roofs exhibited approximately the same shear strength. Failure modes of roofs included nail withdrawal, nail tear-through, metal plate tear-out on trusses, and chord tensile failure

State of the Art: Seismic Behavior of Wood-Frame Residential Structures

There are about 80 million single-family dwellings (SFD) in the United States, predominantly of wood-frame construction. Of these, 68% are owner occupied. A home is typically the largest single investment of a family, and is often not covered by earthquake insurance, even where it is available. Of all the houses in America, 50% were built before 1974, and 76% built before 1990. Most wood frame SFD (WFSFD) were built to prescriptive code provisions before seismic requirements were introduced. After the introduction of seismic design requirements, the importance of examining structures as an assembly of connected elements became more common. Much of the seismic design information on SFD construction is based on educated opinion or limited research. This review examines research that can be applied to WFSFD seismic analysis and the design and retrofit of existing WFSFD. The review is intended to cover most readily available papers published in major U.S. journals and at major conferences in the area of seismic modeling, testing and evaluation. We review the “state-of-the-art” of seismic experimentation and seismic evaluation, and provide our observations and recommendations for future research.Keywords: Seismic, Roofs, Wood, Diaphragms, Wood Structures, Bibliographies, Shear wall

Use of artificial intelligence in the detection of primary prostate cancer in multiparametric MRI with its clinical outcomes: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) has transformed the prostate cancer diagnostic pathway, allowing for improved risk stratification and more targeted subsequent management. However, concerns exist over the interobserver variability of images and the applicability of this model long term, especially considering the current shortage of radiologists and the growing ageing population. Artificial intelligence (AI) is being integrated into clinical practice to support diagnostic and therapeutic imaging analysis to overcome these concerns. The following report details a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the accuracy of AI in predicting primary prostate cancer on mpMRI. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A systematic search will be performed using PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane databases. All relevant articles published between January 2016 and February 2023 will be eligible for inclusion. To be included, articles must use AI to study MRI prostate images to detect prostate cancer. All included articles will be in full-text, reporting original data and written in English. The protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015 checklist. The QUADAS-2 score will assess the quality and risk of bias across selected studies. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval will not be required for this systematic review. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at both national and international conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021293745

Cannabis sativa and the endogenous cannabinoid system: therapeutic potential for appetite regulation

The herb Cannabis sativa (C. sativa) has been used in China and on the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years as a medicine. However, since it was brought to the UK and then the rest of the western world in the late 19th century, its use has been a source of controversy. Indeed, its psychotropic side effects are well reported but only relatively recently has scientific endeavour begun to find valuable uses for either the whole plant or its individual components. Here, we discuss evidence describing the endocannabinoid system, its endogenous and exogenous ligands and their varied effects on feeding cycles and meal patterns. Furthermore we also critically consider the mounting evidence which suggests non‐tetrahydrocannabinol phytocannabinoids play a vital role in C. sativa‐induced feeding pattern changes. Indeed, given the wide range of phytocannabinoids present in C. sativa and their equally wide range of intra‐, inter‐ and extra‐cellular mechanisms of action, we demonstrate that non‐Δ9tetrahydrocannabinol phytocannabinoids retain an important and, as yet, untapped clinical potential