Search

This paper contains a summary of the experience obtained by researchers at the Instituto Universitario de Ciencia y Tecnología del Hormigón (ICITECH) at Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), in the last 30 years of investigating reinforced concrete building structures under construction. During this period, ambitious experimental campaigns and advanced computational simulations have been carried out, and new analytical methods have been formulated to assess slab–falsework load transmissions in buildings under construction. From all these campaigns the following main conclusions can be derived. First, it is important to consider construction processes when planning building projects. Second, the use of analytical methods to evaluate construction processes need to be adapted to the current requirements of efficiency and sustainability. Third, there is a need to improve the robustness of temporary shoring or propping structures. Improving the construction sector necessarily involves the implementation of the above measures in buildings under construction and the use of new monitoring and inspection technologies for the construction processes applied.

Children with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) are at an increased risk of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and renal scarring. Gut microbiota are associated with disease phenotypes, but there has been no study that associates urinary microbiota (uMB) and metabolic profiles with VUR pathology. To identify dominant uMB genera and metabolites associated with UTIs in VUR, urine samples collected under sterile conditions underwent 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing (n = 49) and metabolomic analysis by mass spectrometry (n = 96). Alterations in uMB and metabolomic profiles in VUR patients suggest remodeling of urinary bacterial communities after UTIs: Dorea- and Escherichia-dominant uMB profiles were more frequently identified in participants with VUR. Prevotella- and Lactobacillus-dominant uMB profiles were more prevalent in controls (p 0.001). Microbial composition varied based on recurrent febrile UTI status (p = 0.001). A total of 243 urinary metabolites involved in energy, amino acid, nucleotide, and lipid metabolism were altered in VUR patients with UTIs (p 0.05). Importantly, VUR specimens revealed changes in the bacteria-associated metabolic pathways such as glutamate degradation, methyl-citrate cycle, and bile acid metabolism. PATIENT SUMMARY: Differences in urinary commensal bacteria and metabolites exist between children with and without vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). These changes may be utilized to identify patients at risk of VUR-associated kidney damage.

This project work aims the study of productivity improvement methods in AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY’s Cathodic Electro Deposition painting line by optimizing jig density. In AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY’s PTCED line, SM parts lifted using dedicated jigs on continuously moving OH conveyor. Present production capacity of CED line is 110 units/shift at 90% efficiency with consumption of 5.8 jigs/tractor. Objective of the project work is to improve the existing productivity by increasing jig density. Usual methods of productivity improvements mainly focusses on increasing the conveyor speed and automation introductions. Alternative method of increasing the loading capacity per jig and exploring the feasibilities of changing the existing loading patterns being adopted in this project work. The modified loading jigs and patterns observed for 2 months resulted an increase in productivity from 105 units to 141 units/shift operations.

Objectives Syndromic surveillance can be used to enhance notifiable disease case-based surveillance. We analyzed features of varicella reported in Georgia to evaluate case detection through syndromic surveillance and to compare varicella reported through syndromic surveillance with varicella reported from all other sources. Methods Syndromic surveillance was incorporated into case-based varicella surveillance by the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH) in May 2016. A cross-sectional study design evaluated syndromic and nonsyndromic varicella reported to GDPH from May 1, 2016, through December 31, 2019. Varicella was reported by nonsyndromic sources including health care providers, schools, and laboratories. We identified syndromic varicella cases from urgent care and emergency department visit data with discharge diagnoses containing the terms “varicella” or “chickenpox.” Results Syndromic notifications accounted for 589 of 2665 (22.1%) suspected varicella reports investigated by GDPH. The positive predictive value was 33.1% for syndromic notifications and 31.3% for nonsyndromic notifications. Mean days from rash onset to GDPH notification was 3.2 days fewer ( P < .001) among patients identified through syndromic notification than among patients identified through nonsyndromic notification. The odds of varicella identified by syndromic notification being outbreak-associated were 0.18 (95% CI, 0.09-0.36) times those of varicella identified through nonsyndromic notification. Practice Implications Syndromic notifications were an effective, timely means for varicella case detection. Syndromic patients were significantly less likely than nonsyndromic patients to be outbreak-associated, possibly because of early detection. Syndromic surveillance enhanced case-based reporting for varicella in Georgia and was a useful tool to improve notifiable disease surveillance.

Today’s school leaders need to prioritize the development of leadership capacity in classroom teachers. Leadership development commonly involves either teachers expressing an interest in leadership or school leaders finding talent in those teachers whom they believe have the capacity to grow into formal leadership roles. School leaders must be able to recognize teachers who overflow with terrific ideas and leadership potential and those who are less likely to self-identify as leadership candidates. However, as a school administrator desires to cultivate leadership capacity in teachers, he or she must devise a plan. To accomplish this task effectively, best practices and theory must be utilized. Therefore, this essay addresses the use of best practices as identified in the literature to promote a positive school climate, collaboration, motivation, reflective practice, and teacher leadership development.

[EN] This study aimed to experimentally analyse the robustness of riveted steel bridges based on truss-type structures and to define practical recommendations for early detection of local failures before they cause progressive structural collapse. Although there are many experimental studies on robustness and progressive collapse on buildings, those on bridges are either theoretical or deal with actual collapses. This paper describes a unique case of a 21m full-scale bridge span tested under laboratory conditions with an extensive monitoring system, together with an experimental study to evaluate structural behaviour and robustness as damage or failure progressed in its elements. A linear-static finite-element analysis was also included to examine other possible causes not included in the experiment. The results proved the structural redundancy of this type of truss structure based on the joints¿ resistance to bending moments and gave rise to a series of practical structural health recommendations to identify early failures and avoid progressive or sudden bridge collapse. The study carried out and the recommendations it produced are now being applied in three similar bridge case studies., We would like to express our gratitude to the FGV (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana) and FCC Construcción S.A., CHM Obras e Infraestructuras S.A., Contratas y Ventas S.A. and CALSENS S.L. for giving us the opportunity to test a bridge at the ICITECH facilities, also to Juan Antonio García Cerezo, of FGV, for his invaluable cooperation and recommendations. We also wish to show our gratitude for the magnificent work on the bridge by Jesús Martínez, Eduardo Luengo and Daniel Tasquer. The tests on the bridge meant that much of the Structures Laboratory was out of service for other work, for which we owe a debt of gratitude to our ICITECH colleagues for their infinite patience and understanding.

Environmental sustainability has received much attention in recent times by world leaders. This is largely due to the rate at which the natural environment is deteriorating and thus, presenting an urgent need for action to ensure the continuity of the earth ecosystem to sustain life. Consequently, the world has witnessed heightened pressure on firms to engage in environmental accountability practices. This is partly because firms have been implicated as major contributors to environmental degradation, particularly in low-income settings. Extensive research has, therefore, been directed by the academic community to understand the nature and extent to which institutional factors and the firm’s initiatives may predict firm environmental accountability practice. This paper, therefore, aimed at providing a review and synthesis of institutional isomorphism, environmental management accounting and environmental accountability, and to propose a theoretical framework to investigate the nexus among these concepts. We observed that the relationship between the institutional isomorphic factors and environmental accountability practices defies consistency. Based on the findings, we advance a theoretical framework to help focus and understand the complex relationships among institutional isomorphic factors, environmental management accounting implementation and environmental accountability which are paramount to protecting the earth’s ecosystem and sustenance of human life.

In this present scenario, most materials and manufacturing processes were affected by the environment. Due to this reason industries need eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes. The present experimental studies are thermal and automated conduct of hybrid natural fiber-strengthened aggregates. 7.5 wt% and 10 wt% alkali-treated Agave Americana fibres are used. A small amount of carbon fiber is added to the purpose of hybridization. The hybrid composites are fabricated by means of a Compression casting device. After that, by means of Universal testing machine (UTM), the experiment is performed to discover the flexural strength and Tensile strength respectively. The TGA, DTA, and thermal conductivity (thermal insulation) of the composites were analyzed. The results are compared between 7.5% and 10% alkali-treated Agave Americana fiber-reinforced composite. In order to save energy by reducing the rate of heat transfer for industrial applications, insulation materials, building and automotive industry, it is presumed that Agave Americana fiber treatments will aid the improvement of synthetic fibre reinforced sandwich polymer composites.

As per the survey of the World Energy monitor issue 2019 portrait that since 1975, there was a rapid growth in the energy demand around the world till now and it is mainly satisfied by fossil fuels and centralized power generation. In the future, there should be varied energy transition need to happen to decrease the usage of fossil fuel. In this regard, much research work had been going on to ensure proper energy consumption without wasting much energy. Nowadays research on coating techniques was evolved to control the waste heat emission and to reduce corrosion reduction in pipes to conserve the most energy-releasing as an unused. In that, the usage of nanoparticles as a coating material in the area of heat transfer applications were evolved to enhance its working capacity. This review paper depicts the results obtained by various researchers with the usage of nanoparticles as coating materials over the other materials to enhance the thermal and corrosion properties by exploring with diverse nanoparticle size, coating thickness, morphological characteristic detecting instruments and usage of nanoparticles in diverse applications were studied. This paper may give the researchers a basic idea to pick the valid coating materials with their properties and applications for their study in heat transfer equipment.

This review paper aims to portray the work done by various researchers in the domain of thermal barrier coatings. Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are provided to minimize the temperature of components in the field of aviation and power generation sector to increase the components performance and efficiency. The review was made in the aspects of methodology adapted for the coating process, thickness of various coatings, materials chosen for coating, anatomy of TBC and mechanism of thermally grown oxides (TGO). Based on the survey, majority of the articles are found employed the process of spray coating for TBC. On the hand, literatures depicts that the preferred materials for TBS is ceramics due to lack of thermal conductivity and high corrosion and wear resistance. The review expose that the TBCs are more resistant to oxidation, corrosion, erosion and it act as a good thermal insulator to protect the material high temperature environment.

In current scenario, the engineering materials are profound their application towards Bio-Medical field. The human implants caught the eye of researchers in the field of materials and metallurgy. After meeting the accidents, aged people’s bone crack and other factors for replacing bones is a major problem faced by the medical society. Considering the fact, researchers have found some viable alternative for the bone material which is positive towards biocompatibility. The alternative implant materials are manufacturing without compensate biocompatibility. This paper covers the trends happening in the machining of implant material through the non traditional approaches such as EDM, WEDM and some other advance technologies.

Recently, manufacturing sectors are undergoing several sustainable transformations in their production process. These transformation in the production is majorly due to the competitiveness between industries to reduce cost and wages incurred during the production process. In order to achieve mass production in reduced time, provide customer satisfaction, for dynamic management of customer orders and to cope with limited time to market the product, manufacturing industries use cloud based technologies. Cloud manufacturing offers leasing and utilizing manufacturing possessions, whenever the needed resources are based on demand to promote elasticity. This investigation addresses scheduling issues in cloud manufacturing, because when manufacturing tasks and resources in an enterprise is not properly scheduled, the cost and time of utilizing those resources override business profit. In this investigation, scheduling is done by considering workflow analysis on ceiling fan SMEs as case study and the performance of workflow was experimented. The major idea of this work is to optimize the workflow and integrate SMEs related to ceiling fan sectors in manufacturing lines. Scheduling and mapping tasks and resources is carried through Particle Swam Optimization (PSO) and the results were analyzed at different levels. The results show that, PSO is well suited because of its advantage on global convergence in the solution space.

The performance characteristics of solar tunnel dryer used to dry mango product (mango slice) has been analysed under forced convection. A DC blower is used and it is run by a photovoltaic panel (200w). Solar drier and experimental setup has been designed and fabricated. Performance analysis of solar drier has been performed during summer season and the system is operated at 28 °C−70 °C. The experimental set up fabricated by locally available materials with simple construction which reduces the cost. The variation of thermal efficiency for different solar intensity, moisture content and moisture removal rate have been explained through experiments. Response surface methodology tool has been used for optimization and acceptability using desirability for mango slices.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is highly effective in alleviating movement disability in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, its therapeutic mechanism of action is unknown. The healthy striatum exhibits rich dynamics resulting from an interaction of beta, gamma and theta oscillations. These rhythms are at the heart of selection, initiation and execution of motor programs, and their loss or exaggeration due to dopamine (DA) depletion in PD is a major source of the behavioral deficits observed in PD patients. Interrupting abnormal rhythms and restoring the interaction of rhythms as observed in the healthy striatum may then be instrumental in the therapeutic action of DBS. We develop a biophysical networked model of a BG pathway to study how abnormal beta oscillations can emerge throughout the BG in PD, and how DBS can restore normal beta, gamma and theta striatal rhythms. Our model incorporates STN projections to the striatum, long known but understudied, that were recently shown to preferentially target fast spiking interneurons (FSI) in the striatum. We find that DBS in STN is able to normalize striatal medium spiny neuron (MSN) activity by recruiting FSI dynamics, and restoring the inhibitory potency of FSIs observed in normal condition. We also find that DBS allows the re-expression of gamma and theta rhythms, thought to be dependent on high DA levels and thus lost in PD, through cortical noise control. Our study shows how BG connectivity can amplify beta oscillations, and delineates the role of DBS in disrupting beta oscillations and providing corrective input to STN efferents to restore healthy striatal dynamics. It also suggests how gamma oscillations can be leveraged to enhance or supplement DBS treatment and improve its effectiveness.

The article examines critical success factors in high technology projects by comparing the Square Kilometre Array, the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor and the Reactor Conversion Project in the context o...

We quantify the strength and the directionality of information transfer between the Ghana stock market index and its component stocks as well as observe the same among the individual stocks on the market using transfer entropy. The information flow between the market index and its components and among individual stocks is measured by the effective transfer entropy of the daily logarithm returns generated from the daily market index and stock prices of 32 stocks ranging from 2nd January 2009 to 16th February 2018. We find a bidirectional and unidirectional flow of information between the GSE index and its component stocks, and the stocks dominate the information exchange. Among the individual stocks, SCB is the most active stock in the information exchange as it is the stock that receives the highest amount of information, but the most informative source is EGL (an insurance company) that has the highest net information outflow while the most information sink is PBC that has the highest net information inflow. We further categorize the stocks into 9 stock market sectors and find the insurance sector to be the largest source of information which confirms our earlier findings. Surprisingly, the oil and gas sector is the information sink. Our results confirm the fact that other sectors including oil and gas mitigate their risk exposures through insurance companies and are always expectant of information originating from the insurance sector in relation to regulatory compliance issues. It is our firm conviction that this study would allow stakeholders of the market to make informed buy, sell, or hold decisions.

For many older people, loneliness represents a common source of impaired quality of life particularly in the context of poor access to financial services. This article examines the association between financial inclusion and loneliness in older adults and explores the moderating effects of gender and physical activity in this association.One thousand two-hundred participants completed the Short Form Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale assessing loneliness during 2016-2017 Aging, Health, Psychological Well-being and Health-seeking Behavior (AgeHeaPsyWel-HeaSeeB) Study. Financial inclusion was assessed using an 8-item Financial Instrument Scale.Multiple ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions showed that increases in financial inclusion were associated with decreases in loneliness in the total sample (Findings underscore the importance of financial inclusion for loneliness in later life particularly among older women and those who engage in physical activity. Encouraging and strengthening financial inclusion may crucially improve psychological health and emotional well-being among aging adults.

Obtaining a representative sample size remains critical to survey researchers because of its implication for cost, time and precision of the sample estimate. However, the difficulty of obtaining a good estimate of population variance coupled with insufficient skills in sampling theory impede the researchers’ ability to obtain an optimum sample in survey research. This paper proposes an adjustment to the margin of error in Yamane’s (1967) formula to make it applicable for use in determining optimum sample size for both continuous and categorical variables at all levels of confidence. A minimum sample size determination table is developed for use by researchers based on the adjusted formula developed in this paper.

Objectives This study evaluated the use of Healthy Conversation Skills (a client-centered communication approach to behaviour change) in supporting women to achieve optimal gestational-weight-gain and health behaviours. Methods Seventy pregnant women were randomised to the control or intervention group. Study visits and phone calls were delivered by Registered Dietitians (RDs) to women in the intervention and control groups. The intervention RD was trained in Healthy Conversation Skills while the control RD was not. Diet, physical activity and gestational-weight-gain were assessed at baseline and again at follow-up in the intervention and control groups. Results Women in the intervention group improved their diet score between baseline and visit 2, while the control group did not. At 34 weeks, women in the control group reported being sedentary for longer than women in the intervention group. There were no differences in total gestational-weight-gain between the groups. Conclusions Pregnant women who interacted with an RD using Healthy Conversation Skills reported positive outcomes in health behaviours. Practice implications: Healthy Conversation Skills shows promise as an approach to initiate, and maintain discussions promoting health behaviour change in pregnancy.

The signaling pathways and effectors that drive the response of the bladder to nonmalignant insults or injury are incompletely defined. Interrogation of biological systems has been revolutionized by the ability to generate high-content data sets that capture information on a variety of biomolecules in cells and tissues, from DNA to RNA to proteins. In oncology, such an approach has led to the identification of cancer subtypes, improved prognostic capability, and has provided a basis for precision treatment of patients. In contrast, systematic molecular characterization of benign bladder disorders has lagged behind, such that our ability to uncover novel therapeutic interventions or increase our mechanistic understanding of such conditions is limited. Here, we discuss existing literature on the application of omics approaches, including transcriptomics and proteomics, to urinary tract conditions characterized by pathological tissue remodeling. We discuss molecular pathways implicated in remodeling, challenges in the field, and aspirations for omics-based research in the future.

Telemedicine has recently garnered more attention from healthcare professionals because it provides access to health services to patients in rural areas while making patient healthcare information more vulnerable to security breaches. The objective of this research is to identify factors that play a critical role in possible adoption of telemedicine in the United States and Brazil. A model with eight hypotheses was used to establish a research framework. A survey was conducted involving healthcare professionals in the aforementioned countries. The results show that telemedicine adoption is influenced by policies and culture in both countries and influenced by security and privacy in the United States. It can be inferred from the research that perceptions of the American and Brazilian healthcare professionals are similar in telemedicine issues covered in this research. These healthcare professionals, however, disagree on how patients’ privacy should be preserved in the two countries.

Paper presents Internet research into culture relationships between Serbia and Japan. The research has been conducted within the framework of available digital tools that allow for insights into culture relationships between Japan and geographical area of Republic of Serbia, but not between Japan and integral Serbian culture area, and in this regards the paper is specific call for action for such tools to be produced in the future that will provide for possibilities for scientific research and insights into complete sphere of relationships between Serbian culture area and other cultures and peoples. Paper presents the research into historic newspapers based on keyword searchable digital library pretraziva.rs, newspaper archives Ebart and Google services of Advanced search and Google Trends. All the results point into the direction of establishing the fact that strong culture relations exist between Japan and Serbia from the end of 19th century until today. Paper shows that these relationships follow the path of development of technological basis that grounds communication among two peoples and two cultures, and comparative analysis of relationships with other nations and states show that relationships between Japan and Serbia have unusual high level considering geographical distance and traditional gap between these two cultures in the centuries before the period of globalization allowed for their meeting, mixing and mutual influences.

[EN] Column strengthening is a very common practice for improving the seismic performance of reinforced concrete frame structures or repairing damage after a seismic event. Several methods are employed for column strengthening, which can improve column strength by preventing its shear, bending or compression failure. However, not all methods allow column strengthening connections between adjacent floors, thus the beam-column joint strength could be limited by the column-joint interface capacity. This work aimed to analyse two joint strengthening designs, for which an experimental campaign of eight full-scale beam-column joints strengthened with steel caging, and subjected to cyclic and gravity loads, was carried out. As access to joint panels is very complex in existing structures, joint strengthening consists of external solutions: vertical or diagonal bars and capitals connecting columns. The results showed that these techniques significantly increased beam-column joint strength and highlighted that failure can be undesirably transferred to the joint. Vertical bars prevented the bending failure of the column-joint interface, but failure occurred at the joint in this study. Diagonal bars can also prevent joint failure., The authors wish to thank the financial support provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness with Research Projects BIA 2008-06268 and RTI2018-099091-B-C22.

[EN] This paper contains a numerical study based on tests carried out at the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) on a U-shaped unreinforced and TRM-reinforced masonry building structure subjected to horizontal loads. The masonry was composed of clay bricks with 10 mm thick mortar joints arranged in an English bond manner. The prototype was tested by applying pseudo-dynamic displacement-driven cycles and varying cyclic amplitudes and frequencies in two different stages: (i) on the as-built structure and (ii) after the repair and the application of Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) material. A series of non-linear numerical simulations were performed adopting the ABAQUS/Explicit FE software. The FE calibration was carried out using the results obtained during ambient vibration tests. Simulations were then used to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed TRM technique to increasing the strength of low-rise old masonry building structures., The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness for the funding provided (BIA 2014-59036-R-AR), and also to the Grupo Mapei and Grupo Puma for their invaluable assistance during the experimental tests.

[EN] Masonry churches represent a significant construction typology at risk from earthquakes, as clearly shown by recent seismic events. For a quick assessment of the vulnerability of historical churches, a very effective method is the well-known form for the evaluation of damage and vulnerability based the macro-element approach. Anyway, in the calculation of the vulnerability index of the method intangible aspects related to architectural, historical and artistic value are not included. This paper proposes a procedure that combines the above-mentioned vulnerability analysis with the evaluation of architectural and artistic assets such as frescoes, statues and paintings, by applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process. A site test, involving eight churches in Valencia (Spain) and Tuscany (Italy) regions, shows how important it is to provide a complete overview of a church's structural condition that includes its artworks in order to create a priority scale for the assessment, retrofitting and protection of existing masonry churches.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Neurogenic and idiopathic detrusor overactivity (DO) is currently treated with onabotulinumtoxin A (BoNT/A) as third line therapy. In cases of treatment failure, alternat...

Introduction: Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) is a transmembrane receptor present in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) that mediates the inhibition of Rho signaling by binding the Class 3 Semaphorin (SEMA) ligand SEMA3A. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that loss of NRP1 in VSMC mitigates SEMA3A-induced Rho inhibition, thereby increasing vascular tone and blood pressure in vivo . Methods: Male and female adult mice (8-12 weeks) with inducible, smooth muscle cell-specific deletion of NRP1 (SM22a-Cre ERT2 X Nrp1 flox/flox ) were examined. Following recombination using 4-hydroxy tamoxifen (SM- NRP1 KO), systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured using a tail cuff and compared to age- and sex-matched mice that did not receive tamoxifen (control). Aortic vascular reactivity and expression of key proteins in the Rho signaling cascade were measured using ex vivo tension myography and western blotting, respectively. Results: SBP was significantly increased in SM- NRP1 KO mice following recombination compared to control mice (SBP: 136.5 ± 10.9 vs 112.9 ± 5.6 mmHg; p=0.0006). Contractile responses in aortas of SM- NRP1 KO mice to phenylephrine (p=0.025), KCl (p=0.012), and the thromboxane agonist U44619 (p=0.019) were significantly enhanced compared to controls. Expression of total myosin light chain and LIMK-2 proteins were increased in SM- NRP1 KO compared to control aortas. In vitro , treatment of murine primary VSMC expressing NRP1 with SEMA3A decreased angiotensin II-induced Rho-GTP activation. Additionally, control and SM- NRP1 KO mice (starting at 2 weeks post-recombination) were administered angiotensin II (490 ng/kg/day) for 4 weeks. While there was no significant difference in SBP at weeks 1 and 2, SM- NRP1 KO mice had significantly lower SBP at weeks 3 and 4 following angiotensin II infusion compared to controls (Week 4 SBP: 150 ± 1.4 vs 130.5 ± 2.5 mmHg; p=0.02), suggesting a low ejection fraction and cardiac dysfunction in these mice. In support of this observation, mRNA expression of atrial natriuretic peptide was increased in hearts of angiotensin II-infused SM- NRP1 KO mice. Conclusion: Our data suggest that VSMC NRP1 regulates basal tone and blood pressure, and that loss of NRP1 causes hypertension and exacerbates cardiac dysfunction.

Operational activities of firms accumulate over time and adversely impact the environment, which, in turn, threaten the earth’s ecosystem and sustainable development agendas. Both internal- and external-specific pressures may play a crucial part in a firm’s decision to conform to environmental accountability practices (EAP). This paper examines the associations between institutional isomorphic forces and EAP among environmentally sensitive firms in Ghana. A representative sample of 166 environmentally sensitive firms were randomly selected and included in this study. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain relevant data for the analysis. Multiple regression models estimated the hypothesized crude and adjusted associations between EAP and isomorphic factors (mimetic, normative and coercive pressures). Initial adjustment with the isomorphic factors revealed significant associations of mimetic pressure which arises when companies engage in competition seeking superior performance and normative force with EAP but not coercive. A further control for the firm’s characteristics found a strong association of normative pressure with EAP. The findings suggest that mimetic and normative pressures may be essential in an attempt to stimulate EAP among environmentally sensitive firms in Ghana. Our results are broadly consistent with the predictions of institutional theory as it applies to EAP. Efforts to ensure environmental reporting among firms should strengthen normative and mimetic forces, particularly in the low- and middle-income settings.

This paper describes a double experimental and analytical study of the fatigue behaviour of the Quisi and Ferrandet Bridges, twin 170 m long steel railway bridges constructed between 1913 and 1915 with typical Pratt truss structures and riveted connections. These bridges are part of the Spanish national railway network connecting the towns of Alicante and Denia, one of the key networks in the Valencia Region (Spain). The experimental laboratory investigation involved fatigue testing in one of the ICITECH laboratories at the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia of: (i) a full-scale bridge span and (ii) an upper cross beam from the Ferrandet Bridge. During the tests, Linear Variable Displacement Transducers (LVDTs) and Strain Gauge (SG) sensors were used to capture the possible nucleation and propagation of fatigue cracks. Fatigue test carried out on the cross beam identified: (i) fatigue life of the critical detail, (ii) fatigue hot-spots along the cross beam and (iii) strain redistribution along the riveted element during crack growth. The experimental results from the full-scale bridge were adopted to calibrate an elastic numerical model of the whole structure, which was in turn used to estimate the Quisi Bridge's remaining fatigue life. The definition of the class of detail and remaining fatigue life were calculated by the S–N curves method, according to Eurocode 3, considering the available information on the bridges' loading histories.

This study aims to obtain empirical evidence in detecting fraudulent financial statements from the perspective of 'fraud diamond theory'. The proxy variables used in this study are the influence of pressure, opportunity, rationalization, and ability. This study uses a sample of transportation sub-sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) with the 2015-2017 research period. This research is expected to contribute to the development of accounting science, especially in the field of forensic accounting regarding factors that can affect companies to conduct fraudulent financial statements by implementing indicators of diamond fraud. Hypothesis testing used multiple linear regression analysis with the help of application eviews software, to help process research data in the form of panel data. The results of this study indicate that pressure, opportunity, rationalization, and ability together were not significantly influence the tendency of fraudulent financial statements.

[EN] Masonry cross vaults are among the most attractive structures ever created by the human race. Although cross vaults have been the subject of various numerical and experimental studies, they are still in need of further investigation. In the research described here, carried out at the ICITECH laboratories of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (Spain), a full-scale timbrel cross vault was constructed and tested under the vertical settlement of one of its supports. The geometry and construction technique of the vault resembled those in a church on the outskirts of Valencia, one of which had collapsed due to a soil settlement. The timbrel vault's behaviour was monitored by 23 sensors placed on its inner and outer surfaces and subsequently analysed from the results obtained in the tests. As expected, the vault experienced a fairly ductile response during the test, while peculiar crack patterns were observed in the form of bending cracks in the lateral arches, which were mostly found to follow the mortar joints in the upper surface of one of the diagonal elliptic arches., The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness for the funding provided through Project BIA 2014-59036-R, and also to LIC-Levantina Ingenieria y Constructiin and Grupo Puma for their invaluable assistance.

[EN] Although a large number of papers have been published to date on failures in wind turbines, most of them have focused on blade failures and less attention has been paid to the tower failures. This paper analyses the causes that led to the failure of one element that finally caused the whole tower to collapse. A diagnosis of the cause of the failure was carried out after an initial on-site inspection, when the origin of the failure appeared to be in the flange that joined the tower to its base. An experimental program was carried out to analyze the characteristics of the steel in the area nearest to the flange. A non-linear simulation was then performed by the finite element method (FEM) of the flange area where the failure had occurred, including the bolts, their pre-stressing forces and the contact between the joined surfaces. In order to study the influence of different variables on the flange's structural response, a method based on the Design of Experiments (DOE) was used on the FEM model. Finally, the main lessons learnt from the experience are given with the aim of contributing to improving the design and construction of wind turbine towers., The authors are grateful for the collaboration of the GICONSIME Research Group at the University of Oviedo and COMONOR Ltd. for providing useful information on the tower failure. The authors also acknowledge funding source of the Research Projects FC-15-GRUPIN14-004 and GRUPIN18 IDI/2018/000221, both partial funding from European Founds (FEDER). Finally, the authors would also like to thank Swanson Analysis Inc. for the use of ANSYS University Research programs as well as the Workbench simulation environment.

The study aims to determine the Effect of growth opportunity, corporate tax, and profitability on the value of firm through the capital structure as an intervening variable at manufacturing companies in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The sample consists of 32 manufacturing sector companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange within 2013–2017. The study results show that growth opportunity and corporate tax have a positive effect on the structure of capital, in contrast to profitability, which affects negatively. Meanwhile, capital structure and profitability have a positive Effect on firm value. On the other hand, growth opportunity and corporate tax have no bearing on company value. Yet, capital structure does not mediate between growth opportunity and corporate tax to the value of firm. Nevertheless capital structure mediates the Effect of profitability on the value of firm.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in patients with left-sided heart disease, including valvular heart disease. In this context, elevated left atrial pressure primarily leads to the development of post-capillary PH. Despite the fact that repair of left-sided valvular heart disease by surgical or interventional approaches will improve PH, recent studies have highlighted that PH (pre- or post-interventional) remains an important predictor of long-term outcome. Here, we review the current knowledge on PH in valvular heart disease taking into account new hemodynamic PH definitions, and the distinction between post- and pre-capillary components of PH. A specific focus is on the precise characterization of hemodynamics and cardiopulmonary interaction, and on potential strategies for the management of residual PH after mitral or aortic valve interventions. In addition, we highlight the clinical significance of tricuspid regurgitation, which may occur as a primary condition or as a consequence of PH and right heart dilatation (functional). In this context, proper patient selection for potential tricuspid valve interventions is crucial. Finally, the article highlights gaps in evidence, and points toward future perspectives.

Parents especially mothers view the internet as a source to obtain information about their children’s health care. This study was designed to assess mother’s antibiotics information by comparing the Internet and healthcare professionals as sources of informatics. A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed in the outpatient pediatrics clinics at the Children Hospital and Benghazi Medical Centre, from February 2018 to June 2018. The sample size was 308 mothers attending the outpatient pediatrics clinic during the period of data collection. Knowledge/beliefs, behaviors, adherence, and awareness of antibiotic resistance were determined through the analysis of data obtained from the questionnaires. Eighty-two percent of mothers had a poor level of knowledge and beliefs regarding antibiotic use; however, about half of the mothers had good behaviors toward the antibiotic and a good level of awareness of antibiotics resistance. Despite this poor knowledge, 61.7% of the mothers had an overall good Adherence to antibiotic use. Furthermore, half of the mothers obtained their information about the antibiotic from the internet. A good knowledge level and good awareness of antibiotics resistance levels were attained from the Internet source. Meanwhile a good behavior and good adherence regarding antibiotic usage were gained from a healthcare professional. In conclusion, mother’s good information showed a significant difference existed between the Internet and the healthcare professional sources. Therefore, this study recommends that healthcare professionals should educate mothers concerning online information. Moreover, there is a need to improve mother’s knowledge about antibiotics uses.

[EN] Up-and-down cyclical displacement of supports-foundations, due for example to the presence of expansive soils, can affect the integrity of a structure and may even lead to its collapse. A recent study carried out at the ICITECH laboratories of the Universitat Politècnica de València analysed the effects of earth settlements on the behaviour of masonry cross vaults. One of the tests involved the construction and testing of a full-scale timbrel cross vault, one of whose supports was subjected to up-and-down vertical displacement cycles. The 4×4 m2 vault was composed of four 3.6 m diameter arches supporting a masonry web. Vertical displacements were applied to one of the supports by means of two synchronised mechanical jacks. The results of the tests provide valuable information to the scientific community, architects and engineers on the behaviour of timbrel cross vaults when one of their supports is subjected to cyclical movements., The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness for the funding provided through Project BIA 2014-59036-R, and also to LIC-Levantina Ingenieria y Construction and the Grupo Puma for their invaluable assistance. The second author (Elisa Bertolesi) would like to thank the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia for funding received for her postdoctoral grant (PAID-10-17).

BackgroundIn contrast with the setting of acute myocardial infarction, there are limited data regarding the impact of diabetes mellitus on clinical outcomes in contemporary cohorts of patients with chronic coronary syndromes. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and prognostic impact of diabetes according to geographical regions and ethnicity.Methods and resultsCLARIFY is an observational registry of patients with chronic coronary syndromes, enrolled across 45 countries in Europe, Asia, America, Middle East, Australia, and Africa in 2009–2010, and followed up yearly for 5 years. Chronic coronary syndromes were defined by ≥1 of the following criteria: prior myocardial infarction, evidence of coronary stenosis >50%, proven symptomatic myocardial ischaemia, or prior revascularization procedure.Among 32 694 patients, 9502 (29%) had diabetes, with a regional prevalence ranging from below 20% in Northern Europe to ∼60% in the Gulf countries. In a multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, diabetes was associated with increased risks for the primary outcome (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.28 (95% confidence interval 1.18, 1.39) and for all secondary outcomes (all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and coronary revascularization). Differences on outcomes according to geography and ethnicity were modest.ConclusionIn patients with chronic coronary syndromes, diabetes is independently associated with mortality and cardiovascular events, including heart failure, which is not accounted by demographics, prior medical history, left ventricular ejection fraction, or use of secondary prevention medication. This is observed across multiple geographic regions and ethnicities, despite marked disparities in the prevalence of diabetes.ClinicalTrials identifierISRCTN43070564

This study provides an analysis of chaotic information transmission from the COVID-19 pandemic to global equity markets in a novel denoised frequency domain entropy framework. The current length of the pandemic data offers the opportunity to examine its role in the asymmetric behaviour patterns of investors according to time horizons and the diversification potentials available to them. We employ the total daily global confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 27 equity indices from December 31, 2019, to April 18, 2021. Our results corroborate the idea that diversification potentials are stronger in the short to medium term. The Global Index (higher risk) and Canada and New Zealand (lower risk) remain at both ends to pair some other equities to offer diversification prospects because of the transmission of information from COVID-19 to the selected equity markets. In addition, we provide the source of these diversification prospects as information flow rather than transmission of shocks, which is common in the literature. Furthermore, our results suggest detailed levels of risk (lower vis-a-vis higher) in the situation where they have been stripped of the noise in the market. The findings allow both investors and policymakers to make informed decisions based on the time horizons since the pandemic communicates different chaotic information with the lapse of time. This is imperative to avoid the negative consequences of the increasing infection rate on global stock markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Mathematical Problems in Engineering is the property of Hindawi Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[EN] Temporary shoring structures are used in the construction of reinforced concrete buildings to transmit the loads of newly poured slabs onto the lower floors. The main problems involved in the use of shores/props are: a) the possibility of having higher loads than those initially foreseen, and b) the structural efficiency and cost of the system, which is normally over-sized due to being designed to bear the maximum load of the most demanding building operation. This paper describes a test carried out on a full-scale one-story building to analyze the behaviour of load limiters (LLs) installed on shores under actual construction loading conditions. The theoretical approach and development of this new LL concept were described in previous papers. As these LLs still had not been tested in actual buildings, this paper covers the existing need for a test in the form of a "proof of concept". It also includes computer simulations and recommendations for the use of LLs., The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport for funding received under the FPU Program [FPU13/02466], to the Generalitat Valenciana [GV/2015/063] and also to the Levantina, Ingenieria y Construcción S.L. and Encofrados J. Alsina S.A. business companies for their invaluable cooperation.

[EN] The structural health monitoring (SHM) of existing buildings, structures, and infrastructures has become increasingly important in recent years, while the interest of the scientific community is focused on the use of new high-performance technologies. Fiber optic sensors have become particularly attractive, thanks to their potential for monitoring strain in smart structures. The performance of this new technology depends to a large extent on the bonding technique used for its manufacture. Although the related literature has identified a correlation between some efficiency issues and the geometrical parameters of the bonding and mechanical properties of the materials adopted, the phenomenon is still not completely understood. This paper describes an in-depth study of the geometrical and mechanical parameters that influence the efficiency of optical fiber point sensors' surface bonding by synergistically related techniques such as computational simulation, experimental tests, sensor manufacturing, and data analysis. The paper's novelty is fourfold: (1) the investigation of the strain transfer mechanism of surface-bonded fiber optic sensors by considering, for the first time, all the parameters influencing the phenomenon through a considerable number of finite element (FE) analyses (117 three-dimensional FE models); (2) the development of a series of bonding efficiency predictive models; (3) the design of a specific laboratory test to validate the computational outcomes; and (4) the definition of useful guidelines for effective bonding manufacturing in order to maximize the performance of these sensors when acquiring monitoring data., Project Manufacturing Education and Training Governance Model; Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Grant/Award Number: PAID-01-18; Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Grant/Award Number: DIMENSION TEC2017-88029-R; H2020 Marie SklodowskaCurie Actions, Grant/Award Number: 722509

[EN] A dynamic punching shear model is presented for general sudden column removal cases which was validated against data from a purpose-built full-scale two-storey reinforced concrete building subjected to a sudden corner column removal. Such analyses are generally performed in structural robustness or integrity design against progressive collapse and several simplifications are generally adopted to avoid complex dynamic nonlinear analyses. These simplifications are generally on the conservative side and punching can be predicted incorrectly. The test results presented showed that Vierendeel action at small deformations was predominant after column removal. The dynamic amplification of the deformations and shear was significant although punching did not occur as predicted by the model. It was found that in general cases punching around edge columns after sudden corner column removal was not critical using design accidental load combinations, although a dynamic punching check is still needed especially for higher live loads and low flexural and punching reinforcement ratios., This work is part of the project funded by the Engineering Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) of the UK as part of an Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) hold at University of Surrey (EP/K008153/1), and a continuation of two research projects also funded by EPSRC (grant ref:EP/K503939 and EP/K008153/1). The authors would like to acknowledge collaborators at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (Europe) LLP (D. Jajich and K. Micallef) and also express their gratitude to the Generalitat Valenciana/Fons Social Europeu [APOSTD/2019/101] for the funding received. The experiment was funded by a 2017 Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators from the BBVA Foundation