Influence of different fibers on the change of pore pressure of self-consolidating concrete exposed to fire

The focus of this paper is given to investigate the effect of different fibers on the pore pressure of fiber reinforced self-consolidating concrete under fire. The investigation on the pore pressure-time and temperature relationships at different depths of fiber reinforced self-consolidating concrete beams was carried out. The results indicated that micro PP fiber is more effective in mitigating the pore pressure than macro PP fiber and steel fiber. The composed use of steel fiber, micro PP fiber and macro PP fiber showed clear positive hybrid effect on the pore pressure reduction near the beam bottom subjected to fire. Compared to the effect of macro PP fiber with high dosages, the effect of micro PP fiber with low fiber contents on the pore pressure reduction is much stronger. The significant factor for reduction of pore pressure depends mainly on the number of PP fibers and not only on the fiber content. An empirical formula was proposed to predict the relative maximum pore pressure of fiber reinforced self-consolidating concrete exposed to fire by considering the moisture content, compressive strength and various fibers. The suggested model corresponds well with the experimental results of other research and tends to prove that the micro PP fiber can be the vital component for reduction in pore pressure, temperature as well spalling of concrete.

Effective stiffness behaviour of sandwich beams under uncoupled bending and torsion loadings

Sandwich geometries, mainly in the form of panels and beams, are commonly applied in various transportation industries, such as aerospace, aeronautic and automotive. Sandwich geometries represent important advantages in structural applications, namely high specific stiffness, low weight, and possibility of design optimization prior to manufacturing. The aim of this paper is to uncover the influence of the number of reinforcements (ribs), and of the thickness on the mechanical behavior of all-metal sandwich panels subjected to uncoupled bending and torsion loadings. In this study, four geometries are compared. The orientation of the reinforcements and the effect of transversal ribs are also considered in this study. It is shown that the all the relations are non-linear, despite the elastic nature of the analysis in the Finite Element software ANSYS MECHANICAL APDL.

Comparative Analysis of Air Equivalent - Effective Temperature in Some Cities of Georgia and Brazil

მოყვანილია ექვივალენტურ-ეფექტური ტემპერატურის საშუალოთვიური მნიშვნელობების ფარდობითი ანალიზი საქართველოსა და ბრაზილიის (ალაგოასის შტატი) 8 ქალაქისათვის.

Contribuição ao estudo do «vermelhão» do algodoeiro (Gossipium herbaceum)

During the years 1948, 1949 and 1951 a disease occurred in the cotton crops of the state of S. Paulo Brazil (S. Am.), which caused a severe drop in yields. The abnormality was characterized by a typical reddish - purple color of the leaves, being by this reason, called "vermelhão", that is, reddening of the cotton plant. The disease was associated with a dry season. Among the several hypotheses raised to explain the causes of the disease were: insect attack, potassium deficiency - where from the name "potash hunger" was also given -, and magnesium deficiency: In order to study the problem the Department of Agricultural Chemistry of the College of Agriculture of the University of São Paulo, at Piracicaba, carried out a series of experiments as follows: 1. pot experiments in which soil of one of the affected regions was used ("terra roxa", a red-brownish soil derived from basalt); 2. pot-soil experiments varying the moisture supplied; 3. sand culture experiments omitting certain elements from the nutrient solutions; 4. field plot experiments, conducted on a sandy soil; three different varieties were employed: Texas, Express, and I.A. 817; magnesium was applied either as sulfate or dolomitic limestone. All the experiments were completed with suitable chemical analyses. The results can be summarized as follows: 1. in the first trial, the not properly manured pots (minus Mg), symptoms were registered which were similar to the symptoms observed in the field; it was possible to establish some differences among three different types of reddening: due to lack of K in the mixed fertilizers used, the characteristic cotton rust made its appearance, the red color in the leaves of the minus Mg plants was all alike that described in the current literature as a symptom of Mg-deficiency; in all the treatments ocurred a yellow-reddish color in the leaves associated with the latest stages of maturity; 2. in the second experiment it was verified that when the plants in the pots with soil were kept 75 per cent of the water holding capacity, no symptom of deficiency showed up; was true even for the plants not receiving neither K nor Mg; however, plants supplied with only 25 per cent of the water holding capacity showed, respectively, cotton rust in the minus K treatment and the red purplish color in the minus Mg series; 3. the sand culture experiment confirmed lack of Mg as the cause of "vermelhão", being potash deficiency the responsible for cotton rust; 4. in the field experiment, variety LA. 817 revealed to be the most sensitive to "vermelhão" when Mg was omitted from the fertilizers; symptoms of K deficiency appeared when no K was supplied; both magnesium sulfate and dolomitic limestone proved to be equally effective in the control of "vermelhão"; 5. the analyses of material collected both in the field as well in the pots revealed that leaf petiole in the most reliable part to indicate the K and Mg status of the plant; the variation in Mg content suffered by the plants showing different stages of "vermelhão was, quantitatively, at least as large as that in K content, however when one deals with K deficient plants, that is, plants showing the typical rust, no variation occurred in the Mg content, whereas K in the dry mater dropped from more than 1 per cent to less than half per cent. Then, the following general conclusions can be drawn: 1. Mg deficiency is the cause of "vermelhão" of cotton crops; 2. K deficiency also occurred, but in a lesser degree; 3. the climate conditions - especially the lack of rain influenced the soil dynamic of K, and especially Mg, bringing a severe reduction in their assimilability; 4. the "vermelhão" disease can be easily controlled upon additions either of magnesium sulfate or dolomitic limestone.

Towards effective research-paper recommender systems and user modeling based on mind maps

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Informatik, Diss., 2015

Robot trajectory optimization for relaxed effective tasks

Magdeburg, Univ., Fak. für Informatik, Diss., 2015

Research work in Tokyo Institute of Technology

Research carried out in Tokyo Institute of Technology. The objective is to determine the influence of Interfacial Transition Zone (ITZ) around Lightweight aggregate in concrete on Chloride ion diffusivity. The ITZ of conventional concretes is the weakest point of concrete. The accumulating water on ITZ zone forms the most permeable area inside the concrete. Hence ITZ paves the way for chloride ion diffusion. The quality of ITZ depends on type and quality of aggregates used, water-cement ratio and also the method used for the production of concrete. It has been used two types of lightweight aggregates will be used, Chinese and Japanese, with different absorption capacities. The idea is to produce concrete with same effective water - cement ratio, using the same aggregates in two different conditions, dry and saturated, and compare the chloride ion diffusivity in these concretes (by diffusion test). A comparison of ITZ thickness of these concretes by SEM and EDAX-maps is also proposed. The chloride ion diffusion of concretes produced with the same effective water – cement ratio and same aggregates (dry and ssd) will depend, mainly, on ITZ.

Latex of "Coroa de Cristo" (Euphorbia Splendens): an effective molluscicide

An aqueous solution of the latex of "coroa de cristo" (Euphorbia splendens var. hislopii) showed molluscicide action (LD90) at a concentration lower than 0.5 ppm on Biomphalaria glabrata and B. tenagophila reared in laboratory and at a concentration lower than 4.0 ppm for field B. tenagophila.

How Effective are Unemployment Benefit Sanctions? Looking Beyond Unemployment Exit

This paper provides a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of benefit sanctions on post-unemployment outcomes such as post-unemployment employment stability and earnings. We use rich register data which allow us to distinguish between a warning that a benefit reduction may take place in the near future and the actual withdrawal of unemployment benefits. Adopting a multivariate mixed proportional hazard approach to address selectivity, we find that warnings do not affect subsequent employment stability but do reduce post-unemployment earnings. Actual benefit reductions lower the quality of post-unemployment jobs both in terms of job duration as well as in terms of earnings. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Which screening strategy using BMD measurements would be most cost effective for hip fracture prevention in elderly women? A decision analysis based on a Markov model.

INTRODUCTION: Hip fractures are responsible for excessive mortality, decreasing the 5-year survival rate by about 20%. From an economic perspective, they represent a major source of expense, with direct costs in hospitalization, rehabilitation, and institutionalization. The incidence rate sharply increases after the age of 70, but it can be reduced in women aged 70-80 years by therapeutic interventions. Recent analyses suggest that the most efficient strategy is to implement such interventions in women at the age of 70 years. As several guidelines recommend bone mineral density (BMD) screening of postmenopausal women with clinical risk factors, our objective was to assess the cost-effectiveness of two screening strategies applied to elderly women aged 70 years and older. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed using decision-tree analysis and a Markov model. Two alternative strategies, one measuring BMD of all women, and one measuring BMD only of those having at least one risk factor, were compared with the reference strategy "no screening". Cost-effectiveness ratios were measured as cost per year gained without hip fracture. Most probabilities were based on data observed in EPIDOS, SEMOF and OFELY cohorts. RESULTS: In this model, which is mostly based on observed data, the strategy "screen all" was more cost effective than "screen women at risk." For one woman screened at the age of 70 and followed for 10 years, the incremental (additional) cost-effectiveness ratio of these two strategies compared with the reference was 4,235 euros and 8,290 euros, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this model, under the assumptions described in the paper, suggest that in women aged 70-80 years, screening all women with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) would be more effective than no screening or screening only women with at least one risk factor. Cost-effectiveness studies based on decision-analysis trees maybe useful tools for helping decision makers, and further models based on different assumptions should be performed to improve the level of evidence on cost-effectiveness ratios of the usual screening strategies for osteoporosis.

Can a targeted psychological intervention be effective for young people following a first manic episode? Results from an 18-month pilot study.

Aim: There is a scarce literature describing psychological interventions for a young, first-episode cohort who have experienced psychotic mania. This study aimed to assess whether a manualized psychological intervention could be effective in reducing symptomatology and relapse, and improve functional outcome in this population. Methods: The study was an open-label design, drawn from a larger pharmacotherapy trial. All participants in the pharmacotherapy trial were offered a manualized psychological intervention in addition to case management. Inclusion in the psychotherapy group was based on participant's choice, and on completion of four or more of the eight modules offered. All clinical files were audited to ensure accuracy of group allocation. Forty young people aged 15 to 25 years old who had experienced a manic episode with psychotic features were recruited into the study, with 20 people in the combined treatment as usual plus psychotherapy group (P+TAU), and an equal number of matched control participants who received treatment as usual (TAU) within the same service. All participants were prescribed antipsychotic and mood-stabilizing medication. Symptomatic, functional and relapse measures were taken both at baseline and at 18-month follow-up. Results: Manic symptoms improved significantly for both groups, with no differences between groups. Depression scores and overall symptom severity were significantly lower in the P + TAU group. No differences were evident between groups with regard to numbers or type of relapse. The P + TAU group had significantly better social and occupational functioning after 18 months. Conclusion: This study suggests that a manualized psychological intervention targeted to a first-episode population can be effective in reducing depression and overall symptom severity, and can improve functional outcome following a first episode of psychotic mania.

Co-movements in Real Effective Exchange Rates: Evidence from the Dynamic Hierarchical Factor Model

We analyze and quantify co-movements in real effective exchange rates while considering the regional location of countries. More specifically, using the dynamic hierarchical factor model (Moench et al. (2011)), we decompose exchange rate movements into several latent components; worldwide and two regional factors as well as country-specific elements. Then, we provide evidence that the worldwide common factor is closely related to monetary policies in large advanced countries while regional common factors tend to be captured by those in the rest of the countries in a region. However, a substantial proportion of the variation in the real exchange rates is reported to be country-specific; even in Europe country-specific movements exceed worldwide and regional common factors.

Polyfunctional HCV-specific T-cell responses are associated with effective control of HCV replication.

HCV infection has a severe course of disease in HIV/HCV co-infection and in liver transplant recipients. However, the mechanisms involved remain unclear. Here, we evaluated functional profiles of HCV-specific T-cell responses in 86 HCV mono-infected patients, 48 HIV/HCV co-infected patients and 42 liver transplant recipients. IFN-gamma and IL-2 production and ability of CD4 and CD8 T cells to proliferate were assessed after stimulation with HCV-derived peptides. We observed that HCV-specific T-cell responses were polyfunctional in HCV mono-infected patients, with presence of proliferating single IL-2-, dual IL-2/IFN-gamma and single IFN-gamma-producing CD4+ and dual IL-2/IFN-gamma and single IFN-gamma-producing CD8+ cells. In contrast, HCV-specific T-cell responses had an effector profile in HIV/HCV co-infected individuals and liver transplant recipients with absence of single IL-2-producing HCV-specific CD4+ and dual IL-2/IFN-gamma-producing CD8+ T cells. In addition, HCV-specific proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells was severely impaired in HIV/HCV co-infected patients and liver transplant recipients. Importantly, "only effector" T-cell responses were associated with significantly higher HCV viral load and more severe liver fibrosis scores. Therefore, the present results suggest that immune-based mechanisms may contribute to explain the accelerated course of HCV infection in conditions of HIV-1 co-infection and liver transplantation.