Search results for: rehabilitation of structures

Authors: Noah Brandon

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Grammatical gender can create a restrictive roadblock for the usage of gender-inclusive language. This research describes grammatical gender structures used in English, Dutch, and German and considers how these structures restrict the implementation of gender inclusivity in spoken and written discourse. This restriction is measured by the frequency with which gender-inclusive & generic masculine forms are used and by the morphosyntactic complexity of the gender-inclusive forms available in these languages. These languages form a continuum of grammatical gender structures, with English having the least articulated structures and German having the most. This leads to a comparative analysis intended to establish a correlation between the complexity of gender structure and the difficulty of using gender-inclusive forms. English, on one side of the continuum, maintains only remnants of a formal grammatical gender system and imposes the fewest restrictions on the creation of neo-pronouns and the use of gender-inclusive alternatives to gendered agentive nouns. Next, the Dutch have a functionally two-gender system with less freedom using gender-neutral forms. Lastly, German, on the other end, has a three-gender system requiring a plethora of morphosyntactic and orthographic alternatives to avoid using generic masculine. The paper argues that the complexity of grammatical gender structures correlates with hindered use of gender-inclusive forms. Going forward, efforts will focus on gathering further data on the usage of gender-inclusive and generic masculine forms within these languages. The end goal of this research is to establish a definitive objective correlation between grammatical gender complexity and impediments in expressing socially constructed gender.

Keywords: sociolinguistics, language and gender, gender, Germanic linguistics, grammatical gender, German, Dutch, English

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Authors: N. G. I. Aroshana, S. Edirisooriya

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Construction of highway is the most emerging development tendency in Sri Lanka. With these development activities, there are a lot of environmental and social issues started. Landscape fragmentation is one of the main issues that highly effect to the environment by the construction of expressways. Sri Lankan expressway system getting effort to treat fragmented landscape by using highway crossing structures. This paper designates, a highway post construction landscape study on the effectiveness of the landscape connectivity structures to restore connectivity. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), least cost path tool has been used in the selected two plots; 25km alone the expressway to identify animal crossing paths. Animal accident data use as measure for determining the most contributed plot for landscape connectivity. Number of patches, Mean patch size, Class area use as a parameter to determine the most effective land use class to reestablish the landscape connectivity. The findings of the research express scrub, grass and marsh were the most positively affected land use typologies for increase the landscape connectivity. It represents the growth increased by 8% within the 12 years of time. From the least cost analysis within the plot one, 28.5% of total animal crossing structures are within the high resistance land use classes. Southern expressway used reinforced compressed earth technologies for construction. It has been controlled the growth of the climax community. According to all findings, it could assume that involvement of the landscape crossing structures contributes to re-establish connectivity, but it is not enough to restore the majority of disturbance performed by the expressway. Connectivity measures used within the study can use as a tool for re-evaluate future involvement of highway crossing structures. Proper placement of the highway crossing structures leads to increase the rate of connectivity. The study recommends that monitoring the all stages (preconstruction, construction and post construction) of the project and preliminary design, and the involvement of the research applied connectivity assessment strategies helps to overcome the complication regarding the re-establishment of landscape connectivity using the highway crossing structures that facilitate the growth of flora and fauna.

Keywords: landscape fragmentation, least cost path, land use analysis, landscape connectivity structures

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Authors: Samantha Ramachandra, Avanthi Rupasinghe

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Demographic transition from lower to higher percentage of elderly population eventually coupled with epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases (NCD). Higher percentage of NCD overload the health system as NCD survivors claims continuous health care. The demands are challenging to a resource constrained setting but reorganizing the system may find solutions. The study focused on the facilities available and their utilization at outpatient department (OPD) setting of the public hospitals of Sri Lanka for continuous medical care. This will help in identifying steps of reorganizing the system to provide better care with the maximum utilization of available facilities. The study was conducted as a situation analysis with secondary data at hospital planning units. Variable were identified according to the world health organization (WHO) recommendation on continuous health care for elders in “age-friendly primary health care toolkit”. Data were collected from secondary and tertiary care hospitals of Sri Lanka where most of the continuous care services are available. Out of 58 secondary and tertiary care hospitals, 16 were included in the study to represent each hospital categories. Average number of patient attending for episodic treatment at OPD and Clinical follow-up of chronic conditions shows vast disparity according to the category of the hospital ranging from 3750 – 800 per day at OPD and 1250 – 200 per clinic session. Average time spent per person at OPD session is low, range from 1.54 - 2.28 minutes, the time was increasing as the hospital category goes down. 93.7% hospitals had special arrangements for providing acute care on chronic conditions such as catheter, feeding tube and wound care. 25% hospitals had special clinics for elders, 81.2% hospitals had healthy lifestyle clinics (HLC), 75% hospitals had physical rehabilitation facilities and 68.8% hospitals had facilities for counselling. Elderly clinics and HLC were mostly available at lower grade hospitals where as rehabilitation and counselling facilities were mostly available at bigger hospitals. HLC are providing health education for both patients and their family members, refer patients for screening of complication but not provide medical examinations, investigations or treatments even though they operate in the hospital setting. Physical rehabilitation is basically offered for patients with rheumatological conditions but utilization of centers for injury rehabilitation and rehabilitation of survivors following major illness such as myocardial infarctions, stroke, cancer is not satisfactory (12.5%). Human Resource distribution within hospital shows vast disparity and there are 103 physiotherapists in the biggest hospital where only 36 physiotherapists available at the next level hospital. Counselling facilities also provided mainly for the patient with psychological conditions (100%) but they were not providing counselling for newly diagnosed patients with major illnesses (0%). According to results, most of the public-sector hospitals in Sri Lanka have basic facilities required in providing continuous care but the utilization of services need more focus. Hospital administration or the government need to have initial steps in proper utilization of them in improving continuous health care incorporating team approach of rehabilitation. The author wishes to acknowledge that this paper was made possible by the support and guidance given by the “Australia Awards Fellowships Program for Sri Lanka – 2017,” which was funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia, and co-hosted by Monash University, Australia and the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration.

Keywords: continuous care, outpatient department, non communicable diseases, rehabilitation

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Authors: S. J. M. Mohd Saleh, S. Guo

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Composite materials have become an important option for the primary structure of aircraft due to their design flexibility and ability to improve the overall performance. At present, the option for composite usage in aircraft component is largely based on experience, knowledge, benchmarking and partly market driven. An inevitable iterative design during the design stage and validation process will increase the development time and cost. This paper aims at presenting the correlation between laminate and composite thin-wall beam structure, which contains the theoretical and numerical investigations on stiffness estimation of composite aerostructures with applications to aircraft wings. Classical laminate theory and thin-walled beam theory were applied to define the correlation between 1-dimensional composite laminate and 2-dimensional composite beam structure, respectively. Then FE model was created to represent the 3-dimensional structure. A detailed study on stiffness matrix of composite laminates has been carried out to understand the effects of stacking sequence on the coupling between extension, shear, bending and torsional deformation of wing box structures for 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional structures. Relationships amongst composite laminates and composite wing box structures of the same material have been developed in this study. These correlations will be guidelines for the design engineers to predict the stiffness of the wing box structure during the material selection process and laminate design stage.

Keywords: aircraft design, aircraft structures, classical lamination theory, composite structures, laminate theory, structural design, thin-walled beam theory, wing box design

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Authors: Zheng Baichuan, Li Shenghui, Li Bingqian, Zhang Ning, Chen Kai

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Entity alignment (EA) tasks in knowledge graphs often play a pivotal role in the integration of knowledge graphs, where structural differences often exist between the source and target graphs, such as the presence or absence of attribute information and the types of attribute information (text, timestamps, images, etc.). However, most current research efforts are focused on improving alignment accuracy, often along with an increased reliance on specific structures -a dependency that inevitably diminishes their practical value and causes difficulties when facing knowledge graph alignment tasks with varying structures. Therefore, we propose a universal knowledge graph alignment approach that only utilizes the common basic structures shared by knowledge graphs. We have demonstrated through experiments that our method achieves state-of-the-art performance in fair comparisons.

Keywords: knowledge graph, entity alignment, transformer, deep learning

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Authors: Sakshi Chopra, Ashima Nehra, Sumit Sinha, Harsimarpreet Kaur, Ravindra Mohan Pandey

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Background: Cognitive rehabilitation aims to retrain brain injured individuals with cognitive deficits to restore or compensate lost functions. As illiterates or people with low literacy levels represent a significant proportion of the world, specific rehabilitation modules for such populations are indispensable. Literacy is significantly associated with all neuropsychological measures and retraining programs widely use written or spoken techniques which essentially require the patient to read or write. So, the aim of the study was to develop and standardize a literacy free neuropsychological rehabilitation program for improving cognitive functioning in patients with mild and moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Several studies have pointed out to the impairments seen in memory, executive functioning, and attention and concentration post-TBI, so the rehabilitation program focussed on these domains. Visual item memorization, stick constructions, symbol cancellations, and colouring techniques were used to construct the retraining program. Methodology: The development of the program consisted of planning, preparing, analyzing, and revising the different modules. The construction focussed on areas of retraining immediate and delayed visual memory, planning ability, focused and divided attention, concentration, and response inhibition (to control irritability and aggression). A total of 98 home based retraining modules were prepared in the 4 domains (42 for memory, 42 for executive functioning, 7 for attention and concentration, and 7 for response inhibition). The standardization was done on 20 healthy controls to review, select and edit items. For each module, the time, errors made and errors per second were noted down, to establish the difficulty level of each module and were arranged in increasing level of difficulty over a period of 6 weeks. The retraining tasks were then administered on 11 brain injured individuals (5 after Mild TBI and 6 after Moderate TBI). These patients were referred from the Trauma Centre to Clinical Neuropsychology OPD, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Results: The time was taken, errors made and errors per second were analysed for all domains. Education levels were divided into illiterates, up to 10 years, 10 years to graduation and graduation and above. Mean and standard deviations were calculated. Between group and within group analysis was done using the t-test. The performance of 20 healthy controls was analyzed and only a significant difference was observed on the time taken for the attention tasks and all other domains had non-significant differences in performance between different education levels. Comparing the errors, time taken between patient and control group, there was a significant difference in all the domains at the 0.01 level except the errors made on executive functioning, indicating that the tool can successfully differentiate between healthy controls and patient groups. Conclusions: Apart from the time taken for symbol cancellations, the entire cognitive rehabilitation program is literacy free. As it taps the major areas of impairment post-TBI, it could be a useful tool to rehabilitate the patient population with low literacy levels across the world. The next step is already underway to test its efficacy in improving cognitive functioning in a randomized clinical controlled trial.

Keywords: cognitive rehabilitation, illiterates, India, traumatic brain injury

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Authors: Sigal Portnoy, Yael Kaufman-Cohen, Yafa Levanon

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Introduction: Rehabilitation following wrist fractures often includes exercising flexion-extension movements with a dynamic splint. However, during daily activities, we combine most of our wrist movements with radial and ulnar deviations. Also, the multi-plane wrist motion, named the ‘dart throw motion’ (DTM), was found to be a more stable motion in healthy individuals, in term of the motion of the proximal carpal bones, compared with sagittal wrist motion. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the pathomechanics of the wrist in a common multi-plane movement pattern (DTM) and design a novel splint for rehabilitation following distal radius fractures. Methods: First, a multi-axis electro-goniometer was used to quantify the plane angle of motion of the dominant and non-dominant wrists during various activities, e.g. drinking from a glass of water and answering a phone in 43 healthy individuals. The following protocols were then implemented with a population following distal radius fracture. Two dynamic scans were performed, one of the sagittal wrist motion and DTM, in a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device, bilaterally. The scaphoid and lunate carpal bones, as well as the surface of the distal radius, were manually-segmented in SolidWorks and the angles of motion of the scaphoid and lunate bones were calculated. Subsequently, a patient-specific splint was designed using 3D scans of the hand. The brace design comprises of a proximal attachment to the arm and a distal envelope of the palm. An axle with two wheels is attached to the proximal part. Two wires attach the proximal part with the medial-palmar and lateral-ventral aspects of the distal part: when the wrist extends, the first wire is released and the second wire is strained towards the radius. The opposite occurs when the wrist flexes. The splint was attached to the wrist using Velcro and constrained the wrist movement to the desired calculated multi-plane of motion. Results: No significant differences were found between the multi-plane angles of the dominant and non-dominant wrists. The most common daily activities occurred at a plane angle of approximately 20° to 45° from the sagittal plane and the MRI studies show individual angles of the plane of motion. The printed splint fitted the wrist of the subjects and constricted movement to the desired multi-plane of motion. Hooks were inserted on each part to allow the addition of springs or rubber bands for resistance training towards muscle strengthening in the rehabilitation setting. Conclusions: It has been hypothesized that activation of the wrist in a multi-plane movement pattern following distal radius fractures will accelerate the recovery of the patient. Our results show that this motion can be determined from either the dominant or non-dominant wrists. The design of the patient-specific dynamic splint is the first step towards assessing whether splinting to induce combined movement is beneficial to the rehabilitation process, compared to conventional treatment. The evaluation of the clinical benefits of this method, compared to conventional rehabilitation methods following wrist fracture, are a part of a PhD work, currently conducted by an occupational therapist.

Keywords: distal radius fracture, rehabilitation, dynamic magnetic resonance imaging, dart throw motion

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Authors: Hamdan Hamood Aldumaini, Amjad Hussein Meqdam, Shamsaldeen kassim Ali, Hamed Mohammed Al-Yousefi, Haron Ahmed Al-Badawi

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Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental challenge characterized by significant impairments in social interaction, communication, and behavioral patterns. Diagnosing ASD is challenging due to the lack of definitive medical tests, making early identification crucial. Therefore, increasing people's awareness about autism leads to early diagnosis and better prognosis. Objective: Our study aims to identify the initial symptoms prompting families to seek medical advice, determine the timeline between symptom onset and formal diagnosis, and explore methods for assessing the severity of ASD. Subjects and Methods: The study design employed was a descriptive cross-sectional design, which was suitable for the nature of the research. The data collection took place from March 5, 2022, to April 5, 2022, in Autism Rehabilitation Centers in Sana'a, Yemen. The study population consisted of all children who were diagnosed with autism and visited Autism rehabilitation centers in Sana'a city. The sample size was determined using Epi info version 7, and a total population of 587 autistic children attending the treatment was calculated, but only 250 children were included in this study (176 were male vs. 74 female). Result: In terms of sociability problems, it was found that a significant proportion of Yemeni children with autism experienced difficulties in this area. Specifically, 39.6% were classified as having severe sociability problems, while 28.4% were classified as having moderate issues. Sensory-cognitive awareness problems were also prevalent among the respondents, with 29.6% exhibiting severe difficulties in this domain. Health and physical problems were identified as significant concerns for Yemeni children with autism. The results indicated that 38.4% of the participants experienced severe health and physical issues. Identifying the first symptoms of autism is crucial for early detection and intervention. According to the study, speech delay was the most commonly observed first abnormality, reported by 71.3% of parents. Communication difficulties with others were the second most noticed abnormality, reported by 54.9% of parents. Repetitive movements were the third most commonly observed abnormality, reported by 18% of parents. Regarding the awareness among parents of ASD, our study showed that a significant portion (62%) of parents lack awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its causes. Surprisingly, a majority of these parents (over 80%) believe that autism is a curable condition. Additionally, more than half (51.2%) of the parents surveyed reported insufficient knowledge about medication options available to support therapy and rehabilitation for their autistic children.

Keywords: autism characteristics, rehabilitation centres, yemen, children

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Authors: Mohammad Ebrahim Kianifar, Ehsan Ahmadi

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Reinforced concrete structures experience local defects such as cracks over their lifetime under various environmental loadings. Consequently, they are repaired by mortars to avoid detrimental effects such as corrosion of reinforcement, which in long-term may lead to strength loss of a member or collapse of structures. However, repaired structures may need multiple repairs due to changes in load distribution, and thus, lack of compatibility between mortar and substrate concrete. On the other hand, waste tire rubber alkali-activated (WTRAA)-based materials have very high potential to be used as repair mortars because of their ductility and flexibility, which may delay the failure of repair mortar and thus, provide sufficient compatibility. Hence, this work presents a pioneering study on suitability of WTRAA-based materials as mortars for the repair of concrete structures through an experimental program. To this end, WTRAA mortars with 15% aggregate replacement, alkali-activated (AA) mortars, and ordinary mortars are made to repair a number of concrete beams. The WTRAA mortars are composed of slag as base material, sodium hydroxide as an alkaline activator, and different gradations of waste tire rubber (fine and coarse gradations). Flexural tests are conducted on the concrete beams repaired by the ordinary, AA, and WTRAA mortars. It is found that, despite having lower compressive strength and modulus of elasticity, the WTRAA and AA mortars increase the flexural strength of the repaired beams, give compatible failures, and provide sufficient mortar-concrete interface bondings. The ordinary mortars, however, show incompatible failure modes. This study demonstrates the promising application of WTRAA mortars in the practical repairs of concrete structures.

Keywords: alkali-activated mortars, concrete repair, mortar compatibility, flexural strength, waste tire rubber

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Authors: Hitesh Gupta, Surender Dabas

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TORS is increasingly gaining widespread use and has been explored as minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of supraglottic cancer (SGC). Being a central critical role of Supraglottis in deglutition, swallowing outcomes post TORS remain a most important factor. Available published studies show inconsistent swallowing outcomes and are deficient in standardized outcome measures, description of swallowing recovery and rehabilitation. So, the objective of this study is to find out swallowing outcomes in SGC patients after TORS provided with early dysphagia management using standardized measures. Prospectively 16 patients were recruited in the study who underwent TORS for primary tumor of Supraglottis, involving one or more sub-sites or invading to sites other than Supraglottis at the BLK Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi from March 2019 to June 2020. All patients were evaluated for dysphagia with subsequent swallowing rehabilitation on post operative day 3 in the hospital or at the time of discharge, whichever was earlier. Functional oral intake scale (FOIS) and penetration-aspiration score (PAS) were used as outcome measures to quantify swallowing recovery at one month and six month post operatively. Post TORS, patients achieved functional swallow in less than one month, where resection was limited to Supraglottis, while the recovery was delayed in patients with extended resection to tongue base or hypopharynx. Overall, out of Total 16 cases including all supraglottis sub-catagories, 13 (81%) could remove their NG tube (FOIS ≥5 and PAS=1 ) within 6 months. In which 8 cases(62%) achieved functional swallow in less than one month. Swallowing outcomes post TORS supraglottic laryngectomy are favorable if provided with early dysphagia management (or swallowing rehabilitation).

Keywords: dysphagia, supraglottic cancer, swallowing, TORS

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Authors: Akemi Nasu, Keiko Matsumoto

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Rehabilitation for cancer requires setting up individual goals for each patient and an approach that properly fits the stage of cancer when putting into practice. In order to cope with the daily changes in the patients' condition, the establishment of a good cooperative relationship between the nurses and the physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language-hearing therapists (therapists) becomes essential. This study will focus on the present situation of the cooperation between nurses and therapists, especially the speech-language-hearing therapists, and aim to elucidate what develops there. A semi-structured interview was conducted targeted at a physical therapist having practical experience in working in collaboration with nurses. The contents of the interview were transcribed and converted to data, and the data was encoded and categorized with sequentially increasing degrees of abstraction to conduct a qualitative explorative factor analysis of the data. When providing ethical explanations, particular care was taken to ensure that participants would not be subjected to any disadvantages as a result of participating in the study. In addition, they were also informed that their privacy would be ensured and that they have the right to decline to participate in the study. In addition, they were also informed that the results of the study would be announced publicly at an applicable nursing academic conference. This study has been approved following application to the ethical committee of the university with which the researchers are affiliated. The survey participant is a female speech-language-hearing therapist in her forties. As a result of the analysis, 6 categories were extracted consisting of 'measures to address appetite and aspiration pneumonia prevention', 'limitation of the care a therapist alone could provide', 'the all-inclusive patient- supportive care provided by nurses', 'expand the beneficial cooperation with nurses', 'providing education for nurses on the swallowing function utilizing videofluoroscopic examination of swallowing', 'enhancement of communication including conferences'. In order to improve the team performance, and for the teamwork competency necessary for the provision of safer care, mutual support is essential. As for the cooperation between nurses and therapists, this survey indicates that the maturing of the cooperation between professionals in order to improve nursing professionals' knowledge and enhance communication will lead to an improvement in the quality of the rehabilitation for cancer.

Keywords: cancer rehabilitation, nurses, speech-language-hearing therapists, interprofessional work

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Authors: Ali Khoshraftar, S. A. Hashemi

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This paper is focused on the advantages of Viscoelastic Dampers (VED) to be used as energy-absorbing devices in buildings. The properties of VED are briefly described. The analytical studies of the model structures exhibiting the structural response reduction due to these viscoelastic devices are presented. Computer simulation of the damped response of a multi-storey steel frame structure shows significant reduction in floor displacement levels.

Keywords: dampers, seismic evaluation, steel frames, viscoelastic

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Authors: Haleh Hamidpour

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Since the seismic damageability of structures is controlled by the inelastic deformation capacities of structural elements, seismic design of structure based on force analogy methods is not appropriate. In recent year, the basic approach of design codes have been changed from force-based approach to displacement-based. In this regard, a Direct Displacement-Based Design (DDBD) and a Performance-Based Plastic Design (PBPD) method are proposed. In this study, the efficiency of these two methods on seismic performance of structures is evaluated through a sample 12-story reinforced concrete moment frame. The building is designed separately based on the DDBD and the PBPD methods. Once again the structure is designed by the traditional force analogy method according to the FEMA P695 regulation. Different design method results in different structural elements. Seismic performance of these three structures is evaluated through nonlinear static and nonlinear dynamic analysis. The results show that the displacement-based design methods accommodate the intended performance objectives better than the traditional force analogy method.

Keywords: direct performance-based design, ductility demands, inelastic seismic performance, yield mechanism

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Authors: Abdullah Al-Mamun, Md. Nuruzzaman, Md. Noor Salleh, Muhammad Abu Eusuf, Ahmad Jalal Khan Chowdhury, Mohd. Zaki M. Amin, Norlida Mohd. Dom

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Identification of pollution sources and determination of pollution loads from all areas are very important for sustainable rehabilitation of any contaminated river. Pusu is a small river which, flows through the main campus of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) at Gombak. Poor aesthetics of the river, which is flowing through the entrance of the campus, gives negative impression to the local and international visitors. As such, this study is being conducted to find ways to rehabilitate the river in a sustainable manner. The point and non-point pollution sources of the river basin are identified. Upper part of the 12.6 km2 river basin is covered with secondary forest. However, it is the lower-middle reaches of the river basin which is being cleared for residential development and source of high sediment load. Flow and concentrations of the common pollutants, important for a healthy river, such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Suspended Solids (SS), Turbidity, pH, Ammoniacal Nitrogen (AN), Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) are determined. Annual pollution loading to the river was calculated based on the primary and secondary data. Concentrations of SS were high during the rainy day due to contribution from the non-point sources. There are 7 ponds along the river system within the campus, which are severely affected by high sediment load from the land clearing activities. On the other hand, concentrations of other pollutants were high during the non-rainy days. The main sources of point pollution are the hostels, cafeterias, sewage treatment plants located in the campus. Therefore, both pollution sources need to be controlled in order to rehabilitate the river in a sustainable manner.

Keywords: river pollution, rehabilitation, point pollution source, non-point pollution sources, pollution loading

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Authors: Seung-Min Ko, Seung-Jai Choi, Gun Jung, Jang-Ho Jay Kim

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Although extensive explosion-related research has been performed in the past several decades, almost no research has focused on internal blasts. However, internal blast research is needed to understand about the behavior of a containment structure or building under internal blast loading, as in the case of the Chornobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents. Therefore, the internal blast study concentrated on RC and PSC structures is performed. The test data obtained from reinforced concrete (RC) and prestressed concrete (PSC) tubular structures applied with an internal explosion using ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) charge are used to assess their deformation resistance and ultimate failure load based on the structural stiffness change under various charge weight. For the internal blast charge weight, ANFO explosive charge weights of 15.88, 20.41, 22.68 and 24.95 kg were selected for the RC tubular structures, and 22.68, 24.95, 27.22, 29.48, and 31.75 kg were selected for PSC tubular structures, which were detonated at the center of cross section at the mid-span with a standoff distance of 1,000mm to the inner wall surface. Then, the test data were used to predict the internal charge weight required to fail a real scale reinforced concrete containment vessels (RCCV) and prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV). Then, the analytical results based on the experimental data were derived using the simple assumptions of the models, and another approach using the stiffness, deformation and explosion weight relationship was used to formulate a general method for analyzing internal blasted tubular structures. A model of the internal explosion of a steel tube was used as an example for validation. The proposed method can be used generically, using factors according to the material characteristics of the target structures. The results of the study are discussed in detail in the paper.

Keywords: internal blast, reinforced concrete, RCCV, PCCV, stiffness, blast safety

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Authors: Rebecca E. Dalli Gonzi, Joseph Falzon

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Background: Islands in the Mediterranean region offer opportunities for various industries to take advantage of the facilitation and use of versatile floating structures in coastal areas. In the context of dense land use, marine structures can contribute to ensure both terrestrial and marine resource sustainability. Objective: The aim of this paper is to present and critically discuss an array of issues that characterize the design process of a floating structure for coastal areas and to present the challenges and opportunities of providing such multifunctional and versatile structures around the Maltese coastline. Research Design: A three-tier research design commenced with a systematic literature review. Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders including a naval architect, a marine engineer and civil designers were conducted. A second stage preceded a focus group with stakeholders in design and construction of marine lightweight structures. The three tier research design ensured triangulation of issues. All phases of the study were governed by research ethics. Findings: Findings were grouped into three main themes: excellence, impact and implementation. These included design considerations, applications and potential impacts on local industry. Literature for the design and construction of marine structures in the Maltese Islands presented multiple gaps in the application of marine structures for local industries. Weather conditions, depth of sea bed and wave actions presented limitations on the design capabilities of the structure. Conclusion: Water structures offer great potential and conclusions demonstrate the applicability of such designs for Maltese waters. There is still no such provision within Maltese coastal areas for multi-purpose use. The introduction of such facilities presents a range of benefits for visiting tourists and locals thereby offering wide range of services to tourism and marine industry. Costs for construction and adverse weather conditions were amongst the main limitations that shaped design capacities of the water structures.

Keywords: coastal areas, lightweight, marine structure, multi purpose, versatile, floating device

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Authors: Sifeddine Abderrahmani, Sonia Bouafia

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The finite element method is the most practical tool for the analysis of structures, whatever the geometrical shape and behavior. It is extensively used in many high-tech industries, such as civil or military engineering, for the modeling of bridges, motor bodies, fuselages, and airplane wings. Additionally, experience demonstrates that engineers like modeling their structures using the most basic finite elements. Numerous models of finite elements may be utilized in the numerical analysis depending on the interpolation field that is selected, and it is generally known that convergence to the proper value will occur considerably more quickly with a good displacement pattern than with a poor pattern, saving computation time. The method for creating finite elements using the strain approach (S.B.A.) is presented in this presentation. When the results are compared with those provided by equivalent displacement-based elements, having the same total number of degrees of freedom, an excellent convergence can be obtained through some application and validation tests using recently developed membrane elements, plate bending elements, and flat shell elements. The effectiveness and performance of the strain-based finite elements in modeling structures are proven by the findings for deflections and stresses.

Keywords: finite elements, plate bending, strain approach, displacement formulation, shell element

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Authors: Rozi Laskaraki, Argyris Karapetsas, Aikaterini Karapetsa

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This paper is focused on the efficacy of a rehabilitation program based on musical activities, implied to a group of school-aged dyslexic children. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of auditory training including musical exercises in children with developmental dyslexia (DD). Participants and Methods: 45 third-, and fourth-grade students with DD and a matched control group (n=45) were involved in this study. In the beginning, students participated in a clinical assessment, including both electrophysiological (i.e., event related potentials (ERPs) esp.P300 waveform) and neuropsychological tests, being conducted in Laboratory of Neuropsychology, at University of Thessaly, in Volos, Greece. Initial assessment’s results confirmed statistically significant lower performance for children with DD, compared to that of the typical readers. After clinical assessment, a subgroup of children with dyslexia was submitted to a music auditory training program, conducted in 45-minute training sessions, once a week, for twenty weeks. The program included structured and digitized musical activities involving pitch, rhythm, melody and tempo perception and discrimination as well as auditory sequencing. After the intervention period, children underwent a new recording of ERPs. Results: The electrophysiological results revealed that children had similar P300 latency values to that of the controls, after the remediation program; thus children overcame their deficits. Conclusion: The outcomes of the current study suggest that ERPs is a valid clinical tool in neuropsychological assessment settings and dyslexia can be ameliorated through music auditory training.

Keywords: dyslexia, event related potentials, learning disabilities, music, rehabilitation

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Authors: Fayçal Benyahia, Abdelmohsen Albedah, Bel Abbes Bachir Bouiadjra

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In this study the Finite element method is used to analyse the effect of the thermal residual stresses resulting from adhesive curing on the performances of the bonded composite repair in aircraft structures. The stress intensity factor at the crack tip is chosen as fracture criterion in order to estimate the repair performances. The obtained results show that the presence of the thermal residual stresses reduces considerably the repair performances and consequently decreases the fatigue life of cracked structures. The effects of the curing temperature, the adhesive properties and the adhesive thickness on the Stress Intensity Factor (SIF) variation with thermal stresses are also analysed.

Keywords: bonded composite repair, residual stress, adhesion, stress transfer, finite element analysis

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Authors: Amir Abbas Kamanbedast, Masood Mohammad Shafipor, Amir Ghotboddin

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Fish way is a structure that in generally using to migrate to the place where they are spawned and is made near the spillway. Preventing fish spawning or migrating to their original place by fishway structures can affect their lives in the river or even erase one access to intended environment. The main objective of these structures is establishing a safe path for fish migration. In the present study first the hydraulic specifications of Hamidieh diversion dam were assessed and then it is problems were evaluated. In this study the dimensions of the fish way, including velocity of pools, were evaluated by CCHE2D software. Then by change slope in this structure streamlines like velocity in the pools were measured. For calibration can be use measuring local velocities in some pools. The information can be seen the fishway width of 0.3 m has minimum rate of descent in the total number of structures (pools and overflow).

Keywords: fishway, velocity, Hamidieh-Diversion Dam, CCHE2D model

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Authors: M. N. Zelenin, V. S. Mikhailov, R. P. Zhivotovsky

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It is known that residual welding deformations give negative effect to processability and operational quality of welded structures, complicating their assembly and reducing strength. Therefore, selection of optimal technology, ensuring minimum welding deformations, is one of the main goals in developing a technology for manufacturing of welded structures. Through years, JSC SSTC has been developing a theory for estimation of welding deformations and practical activities for reducing and compensating such deformations during welding process. During long time a methodology was used, based on analytic dependence. This methodology allowed defining volumetric changes of metal due to welding heating and subsequent cooling. However, dependences for definition of structures deformations, arising as a result of volumetric changes of metal in the weld area, allowed performing calculations only for simple structures, such as units, flat sections and sections with small curvature. In case of complex 3D structures, estimations on the base of analytic dependences gave significant errors. To eliminate this shortage, it was suggested to use finite elements method for resolving of deformation problem. Here, one shall first calculate volumes of longitudinal and transversal shortenings of welding joints using method of analytic dependences and further, with obtained shortenings, calculate forces, which action is equivalent to the action of active welding stresses. Further, a finite-elements model of the structure is developed and equivalent forces are added to this model. Having results of calculations, an optimal sequence of assembly and welding is selected and special measures to reduce and compensate welding deformations are developed and taken.

Keywords: residual welding deformations, longitudinal and transverse shortenings of welding joints, method of analytic dependences, finite elements method

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Authors: O. B. Imoukhuede, M. O. Ale

Abstract:

The periodic scarcity of onion requires an urgent solution in Nigerian agro- economy. The high percentage of onion losses incurred after the harvesting period is due to non-availability of appropriate facility for its storage. Therefore, some storage structures were constructed with different roofing materials. The response of the materials to the weather parameters like temperature and relative humidity were evaluated to know their effects on the performance of the storage structures. The temperature and relative humidity were taken three times daily alongside with the weight of the onion in each of the structures; the losses as indicated by loss indices like shrinkage, rottenness, sprouting, and colour were identified and percentage loss per week determined. The highest mean percentage loss (22%) was observed in the structure with iron roofing materials while structure with thatched materials had the lowest (9.4%); The highest temperature was observed in the structure with Asbestos roofing materials and no significant difference in the temperature value in the structure with thatched and Iron materials; highest relatively humidity was found in Asbestos roofing material while the lowest in the structure with iron matetrials. It was conclusively found that the storage structure with thatched roof had the best performance in terms of losses.

Keywords: Nigeria, onion, storage structures, weather parameters, roof materials, losses

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Authors: E. M. Hassan, A. L. Kalamkarov

Abstract:

Two micromechanical models for 3D smart composite with embedded periodic or nearly periodic network of generally orthotropic reinforcements and actuators are developed and applied to cubic structures with unidirectional orientation of constituents. Analytical formulas for the effective piezothermoelastic coefficients are derived using the Asymptotic Homogenization Method (AHM). Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is subsequently developed and used to examine the aforementioned periodic 3D network reinforced smart structures. The deformation responses from the FE simulations are used to extract effective coefficients. The results from both techniques are compared. This work considers piezoelectric materials that respond linearly to changes in electric field, electric displacement, mechanical stress and strain and thermal effects. This combination of electric fields and thermo-mechanical response in smart composite structures is characterized by piezoelectric and thermal expansion coefficients. The problem is represented by unit-cell and the models are developed using the AHM and the FEA to determine the effective piezoelectric and thermal expansion coefficients. Each unit cell contains a number of orthotropic inclusions in the form of structural reinforcements and actuators. Using matrix representation of the coupled response of the unit cell, the effective piezoelectric and thermal expansion coefficients are calculated and compared with results of the asymptotic homogenization method. A very good agreement is shown between these two approaches.

Keywords: asymptotic homogenization method, finite element analysis, effective piezothermoelastic coefficients, 3D smart network composite structures

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Authors: Caroline A. Mathieu, Steve Geoffrion, Alexandre Dumais, Denis Lafortune

Abstract:

In Quebec, troubled youths stay in a rehabilitation Center (RC), and educators in RC’S are particularly at risk of exposure to workplace violence. In order to manage youth violence and protect youth safety or their own, educators can resort to restraint and seclusion (R&S) strategies. To our best knowledge, in the literature, no study was found on the topic of R&S super users either in psychiatry or in a rehabilitation center. The objective of this study is to explore the differences between R&S super users and normal users among educators in terms of individual and environmental characteristics, over an eight weeks period. The 278 participants were volunteers recruited from 36 units that foster around 8 to 12 youths per unit, in a suburb of Montreal; Quebec, Canada. The results indicate that among the variables that were studied, only fear of violence and past exposure to violence at work characterized the R&S super users. These results suggest that exposure to violence in the workplace might increase the anticipation and fear of violence from a youth; this is concordant with the results indicating that these variables are the ones separating normal users from super users.

Keywords: seclusion and restraint, violence, youth, educators

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Authors: Hesamaddin Khoshnoodi, Ahmad Rahbar Ranji

Abstract:

Corrosion in steel structures is one of the most important issues that should be considered in designing and constructing. Corrosion reduces the cross section and load capacity of element and leads to costly damage of structures. In this paper, the corrosion has been modeled for moment stresses. Moreover, the steel beam has been modeled using ABAQUS advanced finite element software. The conclusions of this study demonstrated that the displacement of the analyzed composite steel girder bridge might increase.

Keywords: Abaqus, Corrosion, deformation, Steel Beam

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Authors: Hazem Abuorf

Abstract:

From the perspective of viewing urban design as the architecture of public spaces, the latter has many advantages; for example, in achieving attractive and vibrant public spaces, ensuring safety and amenity, supporting a strong sense of place and local character. Besides all advantages, such spaces nevertheless trigger numerous dilemmas, how to design urban spaces preserving the quality of life in the long term while equally achieving cohesion between new urban developments and the already existing urban structure without causing a split in history through the cause of functional and aesthetic degradation. Analysis of this article seeks to propose a methodology deemed essential for assessing and stimulating design criteria of the public spaces when rehabilitating urban sites. The method’s utility is shown by analyzing rehabilitation projects in Gaza Strip, whose design of the public spaces has mainly focused on the physical aspect ignoring the place’s local identity, users’ needs, and history. The proposed methodology serves as a guide for municipal authorities and technical teams to deal with interventions that would rework the role of urban design towards making sense of place.

Keywords: urban design, public realm, rehabilitation projects, quality of life

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Authors: Matthaios Katsanikas

Abstract:

We study the structure of the invariant manifolds of complex unstable periodic orbits of a family of periodic orbits, in a 3D autonomous Hamiltonian system of galactic type, after a transition of this family from stability to complex instability (Hamiltonian Hopf bifurcation). We consider the case of a supercritical Hamiltonian Hopf bifurcation. The invariant manifolds of complex unstable periodic orbits have two kinds of structures. The first kind is represented by a disk confined structure on the 4D space of section. The second kind is represented by a complicated central tube structure that is associated with an extended network of tube structures, strips and flat structures of sheet type on the 4D space of section.

Keywords: dynamical systems, galactic dynamics, chaos, phase space

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Authors: D. D. Nguyen, H. S. Park, S. W. Yang, B. Thusa, Y. M. Kim, T. H. Lee

Abstract:

Currently, the design response spectrum (i.e., Nuclear Regulatory Commission - NRC 1.60 spectrum) with the peak ground acceleration (PGA) 0.3g (for Safe Shutdown Earthquake level) is specified for designing the new nuclear power plant (NPP) structures in Korea. However, the recent earthquakes in the region such as the 2016 Gyeongju and the 2017 Pohang earthquake showed that the possible PGA of ground motions can be larger than 0.3g. Therefore, there is a need to analyze the seismic performance of the existing NPP structures under these earthquakes. An NPP model, APR-1400, which is designed and built in Korea was selected for a case study. The NPP structure is numerically modeled in terms of lumped-mass stick elements using OpenSees framework. The floor acceleration and displacement of components are measured to quantify the responses of components. The numerical results show that the floor spectral accelerations are significantly amplified in the components subjected to Korean earthquakes. A comparison between floor response spectra of Korean earthquakes and the NRC design motion highlights that the seismic design level of NPP components under an earthquake should be thoroughly reconsidered. Additionally, a seismic safety assessment of the equipment and relays attached to main structures is also required.

Keywords: nuclear power plant, floor response spectra, Korean earthquake, NRC spectrum

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Authors: M. Irannezhad, E. H. N. Gashti, U. Moback, B. Kløve

Abstract:

Climate change because of increases in concentration level of greenhouse gases emissions to the atmosphere will result in mean sea level rise about +1 m by 2100. To prevent coastal floods resulted from the sea level rising, different flood control structures have been built, e.g. the Thames barrier on the Thames River in London (UK), with acceptable protection levels at least so far. Gothenburg located on the southwest coast of Sweden, with the River Göta älv running through it, is one of vulnerable cities to the accelerated rises in mean sea level. Developing a water level model by MATLAB, we evaluated using a sea barrage in the Göta älv River as the flood control structure for protecting the Gothenburg city during this century. Considering three operational scenarios for two barriers in upstream and downstream, the highest sea level was estimated to + 2.95 m above the current mean sea level by 2100. To verify flood protection against such high sea levels, both barriers have to be closed. To prevent high water level in the River Göta älv reservoir, the barriers would be open when the sea level is low. The suggested flood control structures would successfully protect the city from flooding events during this century.

Keywords: climate change, flood control structures, gothenburg, sea level rising, water level mode

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Authors: Mehmet Ekici

Abstract:

The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of pouring temperature on the microstructure of the cast iron. The pattern was designed with 300 mm of width, and the thickness variations are 1.25 mm and poured at five different temperatures; 1300, 1325, 1350, 1375 and 1400°C. Several cast irons, prepared with different chemical compositions and microstructures (three lamellar and three spheroidal structures) have been examined by extensive mechanical testing and optical microscopy. The fluidity of spheroidal and lamellar graphite in cast iron increases with the pouring temperature. The numbers of nodules were decreased by increasing pouring temperature for spheroidal structures. Whereas, the numbers of flakes of lamellar structures changed by both pouring temperature and chemical composition. In general, with increasing pouring temperature, the amount of pearlite in the internal structure of both lamellar and spheroidal graphite cast iron materials were increased.

Keywords: spheroidal graphite cast iron, lamellar graphite in cast iron, pouring temperature, tensile test and impact test

Procedia PDF Downloads 312