bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Co-administration of Paediatric Medicines with Food and Drinks in the Context of Their Physicochemical Properties—a Global Perspective on Practices and Recommendations
Authors: Martir Joana , Flanagan Talia , Mann James , Fotaki Nikoletta
Published: March 2020

Medicine co-administration with food or drink vehicles is a common administration practice in paediatrics. The aims of this review were (i) to describe the current recommended strategies for co-administration of paediatric medicines with food and drinks (vehicles); (ii) to compare current administration recommendations from different countries; and (iii) to obtain a global perspective on the rationale behind the choice of recommended vehicle, in the context of the physicochemical properties of the drug and formulation. This study used a defined search strategy on the practices of paediatric medicine co-administration with vehicles, recommended in a commonly used paediatric and neonatal handbook, in addition to the information previously gathered from UK formularies. Logistic regression analysis was performed to further understand the biopharmaceutical basis of the choice of recommended vehicle for medicine co-administration. Differences were identified in the type of vehicles globally recommended for medicine co-administration. Ultimately, a statistical model was developed which provided an understanding on which vehicle is recommended for use with drugs/formulations, with basis on their biopharmaceutical properties. Overall, this review highlights the areas where further information is needed to support standardised procedures and guide the recommendation of age-appropriate and acceptable vehicles for use in the co-administration of paediatric medicines. Unified requirements are needed for harmonisation of the practice of medicine co-administration with vehicles. In vitro and/or in silico tools should be developed to evaluate the potential clinical outcomes of this practice during paediatric drug development.
Endosalpingiosis of urinary bladder: report on a rare entity
Authors: Maheshwari Saurabh , Bhat Venkatraman , Gadabanahalli Karthik , Raju Nalini , Kulkarni Prashant
Published: March 2020

A case of endosalpingiosis of the urinary bladder is presented with imaging features on sonography and CT. Patient presented with right flank pain, dysuria and haematuria. She had h/o right renal calculus and abdominal hysterectomy 15 years ago. On sonography a polypoidal filling defect was noted and possibility of a bladder neoplasia was suggested. On cystoscopy and removal of the lesion and subsequent histo-pathological analysis revealed the diagnosis of endosalphingiosis. This report emphasizes the need for evaluation of all clinical inputs while considering the differential diagnosis of an intraluminal bladder lesion. Imaging appearance and aetio-pathology of the rare intra vesical lesion is highlighted.
Surveillance of neonatal herpes in the British Isles 2004-2006
Authors: Tookey Pat A , Mahdavi Saboura , Peckham Catherine S
Published: March 2020

Background: Neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is rare but potentially devastating and can result in neonatal death or serious disability. National incidence was estimated at 1.65/100,000 live births in an earlier British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) study of births 1986-1991.

Methods: A second surveillance study of neonatal HSV was undertaken through the BPSU 2004-2006, with follow-up information collected on surviving children in early childhood.

Results: Over the three-year period, 85 infants were reported with confirmed neonatal HSV, an estimated incidence of 3.58/100,000 live births (95% CI 2.86-4.42), about double that reported almost two decades earlier. Over 40% of infants were pre-term compared with 25% in the earlier period. Just over 70% had central nervous system (CNS) or disseminated infection, and among these 54% had no skin, eye or mouth lesions noted. Almost all received antivirals, but 22 (26%) neonates died, all with disseminated or CNS infection. All but six infections were typed, of which 57% involved HSV-2; the increased risk of adverse outcomes associated with HSV-2 in the earlier study was confirmed and strengthened, with twice as many deaths or long term disability in infants with HSV-2 than HSV-1. As before, a reported history or diagnosis of maternal HSV infection was rare prior to infant diagnosis. Likely timing of infant exposure to HSV could only be assigned in 43% of cases, of which just over half were probable postnatal transmissions.

Conclusions: Neonatal HSV infection remains rare although incidence doubled in the British Isles between the late 1990s and the mid-2000s. These findings suggest that future research should explore the relationship between pre-term delivery and infant susceptibility, and also the role of postnatal acquisition of infection. Healthcare professionals and new parents must continue to be aware of this rare condition in order to enable prompt investigation and instigation of treatment.
Clinical experience with Surgimend in breast reconstruction: an overview
Authors: Bassetto F , Pandis L
Published: March 2020

In the field of breast reconstruction, products and techniques are continuing to evolve to ensure good clinical and quality outcomes. This article reviews the published literature regarding the use of fetal bovine-derived acellular dermal matrix (SurgiMend, SurgiMend PRS and SurgiMend PRS meshed), focusing on safety, clinical outcomes and surgical techniques.
Management of breast cancer 50 years ago
Authors: Ellis Harold
Published: March 2020

In 1970, 50 years ago, I had headed the newly established Academic Unit of Surgery at the Westminster Medical School for 10 years. Since my appointment there in 1960, and for the next 30 years, one of my main interests as a general surgeon was the management of diseases of the breast – breast cancer in particular.
Three-dimensional laser damage positioning by a deep-learning method
Authors: Li Zhan , Han Lu , Ouyang Xiaoping , Zhang Pan , Guo Yajing , Liu Dean , Zhu Jianqiang
Published: March 2020

A holographic and deep learning-based method is presented for three-dimensional laser damage location. The axial damage position is obtained by numerically focusing the diffraction ring into the conjugate position. A neural network Diffraction-Net is proposed to distinguish the diffraction ring from different surfaces and positions and obtain the lateral position. Diffraction-Net, which is completely trained by simulative data, can distinguish the diffraction rings with an overlap rate greater than 61% which is the best of results reported. In experiments, the proposed method first achieves the damage pointing on each surface of cascade slabs using diffraction rings, and the smallest inspect damage size is 8µm. A high precision result with the lateral positioning error less than 38.5µm and axial positioning error less than 2.85mm illustrates the practicability for locating the damage sites at online damage inspection.
Rashba spin-orbit coupling enhanced two-photon absorption and its polarization dependence in monolayer black phosphorus
Authors: Luo Xueqin , Feng Xiaobo , Liu Yingkai , Guo Jie
Published: March 2020

We investigate theoretically the impact of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) effect to two-photon absorption (TPA) and its dependence on the polarization direction of the incident light in monolayer black phosphorus (BP) starting from an anisotropic two band k·p model. It is found that the TPA is enhanced several times by RSOC effect which is tuned by the external electric field. And the TPA response shows highly anisotropic, changing periodically with the polarization direction of incident linearly polarized light as the function of cos4θ approximatively. The TPA coefficient reaches its maximum when the polarization direction is aligned along the armchair direction (x-direction), while falls into its minimum along the zigzag direction (y-direction).
Gbit/s ultraviolet-C diffuse-line-of-sight communication based on probabilistically shaped DMT and diversity reception
Authors: Alkhazragi Omar , Hu Fangchen , Zou Peng , Ha Yinaer , Kang Chun Hong , Mao Yuan , Ng Tien Khee , Chi Nan , Ooi Boon S.
Published: March 2020

We demonstrated a high-speed 1×2 single-input and multiple-output (SIMO) diffuse-line-of-sight (diffuse-LOS) ultraviolet-C (UVC) solar-blind communication link over a distance of 5 meters. To approach the Shannon limit and improve the spectral efficiency, we implemented probabilistically shaped discrete multitone modulation. As compared to a single-input and single-output (SISO) counterpart, we observed significant improvement in the SIMO link in terms of the angle of view of the receiver and the immunity to emulated weather condition. A wide angle of view of ± 9° is achieved in the SIMO system, with up to a 1.09-Gbit/s achievable information rate (AIR) and a minimum value of 0.24 Gbit/s. Moreover, the bit error rate of the SIMO link in emulated foggy conditions is lowered significantly when compared to that of the SISO link. This work highlights the practicality of UVC communication over realistic distances and in turbulent environments to fill the research gap in high-speed, solar-blind communication.
Dispersion measurement assisted by a stimulated parametric process
Authors: Riazi Arash , Chen Changjia , Zhu Eric Y. , Gladyshev Alexey V. , Kazansky Peter G. , Sipe J. E. , Qian Li
Published: March 2020

Dispersion plays a major role in the behavior of light inside photonic devices. Current state-of-the-art dispersion measurement techniques utilize linear interferometers that can be applied to devices with small dispersion-length products. However, linear interferometry often requires beam alignment and phase stabilization. Recently, common-path nonlinear interferometers in the spontaneous regime have been used to demonstrate alignment-free and phase-stable dispersion measurements. However, they require single-photon detectors, resulting in high system cost and long integration times. We overcome these issues by utilizing a nonlinear interferometer in the stimulated regime and demonstrate the ability to measure the dispersion of a device with a dispersion-length product as small as 0.009 ps/nm at a precision of 0.0002 ps/nm. Moreover, this regime allows us to measure dispersion with shorter integration times (in comparison to the spontaneous regime) and conventional optical components and detectors.
Observation on temperature and strain dependency of Brillouin dynamic grating in a few-mode fiber with a ring-cavity configuration
Authors: Liu Yinping , Yang Guangyao , Wang Ning , Ma Lin , Alvarado-Zacarias J. C. , Antonio-Lopez J. E. , Sillard Pierre , Amezcua-Correa A. , Amezcua-Correa R. , Fan Xinyu , He Zuyuan , Li Guifang
Published: March 2020

We experimentally conduct Brillouin dynamic grating (BDG) operation using a 1-km-long four-mode fiber. By employing a simplified ring-cavity configuration with single-end pumping, the BDG is effectively generated inLP01mode within a range of 250 m, and three higher-order modes, namely,LP11b,LP21a, andLP02, are chosen as probes to analyze the BDG with a spatial resolution of 1 m. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to characterize the responses of BDG frequency to temperature and strain for different modes in a conventional few-mode fiber. By employing the pump–probe pair ofLP01−LP02mode, the highest temperature and strain sensitivities of 3.21 MHz/°C and−0.0384MHz/µεhave been achieved. Also, the performance of simultaneously distributed temperature and strain sensing based on BDG is evaluated.
IR femtosecond laser micro-filaments in diamond visualized by inter-band UV photoluminescence
Authors: Kudryashov S. I. , Levchenko A. O. , Danilov P. A. , Smirnov N. A. , Ionin A. A.
Published: March 2020

Single microscale filaments were produced in monocrystalline Ia-type diamond by 1030 nm, 300 fs laser pulses tightly focused at NA = 0.3 and different peak powers, visualized by transverse imaging and spectrally characterized by longitudinal micro-spectroscopy, using intrinsic UV A-band photoluminescence (PL) with its peak at about 430 nm. Power-dependent scaling relationships for the local PL yield and diameters of the accompanying luminous micro-channels of recombining electron-hole plasma indicate a transition from three-photon absorption to free-carrier plasma absorption, as the consequent energy deposition mechanisms at increasing peak laser power. Power-dependent elongation of the luminous micro-channels versus peak laser power fitted by a Marburger formula yields, on average a diffraction-based estimate of 0.6 MW critical power for self-focusing within the diamond at the pump laser wavelength of 1030 nm.
Most én beszélek! Iuvenalis 1. szatírájának fordítása
Authors: Gellérfi Gergő
Published: March 2020

Iuvenalis 1. szatírájának fordítása
Themistoklés praetorsága és a korkyrai háború (Nepos, Them. 2, 1–3)
Authors: Szabó Ferenc Krisztián
Published: March 2020

It is unquestionable that there are several historical inaccuracies in Nepos’ Book on Foreign Generals, but this fact does not give enough basis for rejecting those data as well, which can be found only in the vitae of the author. Some examples of this kind of data can be found in a troublesome-looking section of the Life of Themistocles (2, 1–3); here Nepos writes that the first step of the career of the Athenian was the „praetorship” in a war against Corcyra. By examining the text we raise the followingquestion: is it evidently an error or it can be reconciliated with other sources and our present knowledge? On the basis of the hypothesis that Nepos was the first biographer, who tried to co-ordinate the well-known contradictory sources concerning the deeds of Themistocles, we may get an inside view of Nepos’ principles of sourcecriticism as well. As a result it will be argued that the authenticity of the Corcyrean war cannot be refuted by any of the extant sources, and it can be assumed that in this war – datable to the late 490s – Themistocles was one of the strategoi.
Evaluation of Translations
Authors: Esqueda Marileide Dias , Echeverri Álvaro
Published: March 2020

Foreword.
Interview with Professor Dorothy Kelly
Authors: Esqueda Marileide Dias
Published: March 2020

This interview was carried out in December 2019, via e-mail, with Dorothy Kelly, Professor of Translation at the University of Granada, Spain, where she is also Vice-President for International Relations and Development Cooperation. She obtained her B.A. in Translating and Interpreting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh (Scotland), and her doctoral degree from the University of Granada. Her main research interests are translator training, directionality in translation and intercultural competence. She is the founding editor of Interpreter and Translator Trainer (Taylor & Francis publishing house), the only indexed journal devoted specifically to translator education, and consultant editor of the Translation Practices Explained series (Taylor & Francis).  She was a member of the European Group of Translation Experts appointed by the European Commission. Among her main works is A Handbook for Translator Trainers (2005), a book specially dedicated to translation teaching, with special emphasis on translation teachers. Professor Dorothy Kelly provides several important contributions in the following interview on the topic "evaluation of translations".
3D PRINTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: Ozturk Ibrahim Engin , Ozturk Gozde Basak
Published: March 2020

New technological developments determine the course of the construction industry. Three-dimensional (3D) printer technology has become one of the technologies that determine the production logic of the 21st century. The concept of Industry 4.0 gained importance in the construction industry with a 3D printer. In this study, a systematic literature review was performed. The publications related to the 3D printer have been examined within the scope of civil engineering implementations. The 3D printer researches associated with BIM, Industry 4.0, NASA, additive manufacturing, and point cloud technology subjects was reviewed through an intensive systematic literature review. As a result of the study, it has been understood that the studies in the field of civil engineering were insufficient compared to manufacturing industry. For this reason, the number of researches on 3D printer applications should increase in construction industry.
ADOPTING NON-CONVENTIONAL MATERIALS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING DELIVERY
Authors: Omuh Ignatius , Tunji-Olayeni Patience , Ojelabi Rapheal , Afolabi Adedeji , Erinle Yimika
Published: March 2020

The second greatest human need is shelter and this indicates the necessity for everyone to be housed. Adequate housing provision reduces a host of other risk that the sustainable development goals are expected to reduce or even eliminate. However, due to policies, rapid population growth, rural-urban migration, housing provision for the homeless populace fall short. This paper highlights the prospects and problems of using non-conventional materials for low cost or affordable housing provision. The non-conventional materials investigated included earthworm cast as partial replacement of cement, stabilized earth bricks, bamboo, ash from waste incineration. A survey research was designed, and 200 questionnaires were distributed to both professionals and end users of housing. The findings showed that funding was a major obstacle to affordable housing provision, but this could be improved by employing non-conventional sustainable materials. The findings also showed that thought there was inadequate funding, lack of awareness of some of these materials were critical to the utilization of these materials. It was recommended that the potential users be sensitized to promote sustainable construction practices.
MACROMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF SPHERICALLY VOIDED BIAXIAL CONCRETE SLABS
Authors: Urgessa Girum , Ali Wondwosen , Esfandiari Javad
Published: March 2020

The use of spherically voided biaxial concrete slab (SVBS) system, which uses hollow plastic balls as infill material, has increased widely because of its reduced weight-to-strength and weight-to-stiffness ratios when compared to solid concrete slabs. However, SVBS is a heterogeneous composite structure in which building a representative continuum model poses a significant challenge. To mitigate this challenge, the feasibility of determining the macromechanical structural behavior of spherically voided biaxial concrete slabs is studied using plate theories, aided by mechanical properties that were determined from a homogenization process of the representative volume element (RVE). This paper presents numerical analysis results of SVBS using both Mindlin-Reissner (thick) and Kirchhoff-Love (thin) plate theories. The results from both theories predicted the slab behavior reasonably well and they were within 10% of each other with the exception of the prediction of the twisting moment. Possible explanation of this deviation is provided in the paper.
MECHANICAL AND DURABILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF GGBS DOLOMITE GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE
Authors: Shashikala Aikot Pallikkara , Nagarajan Praveen , Parathi Saranya
Published: March 2020

Production of Portland cement causes global warming due to the emission of greenhouse gases to the environment. The need for reducing the amount of cement is necessary from sustainability point of view. Alkali activated and geopolymeric binders are used as alternative to cement. Industrial by-products such as fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), silica fume, rice husk ash etc. are commonly used for the production of geopolymer concrete. This paper focuses on the development of geopolymer concrete from slag (100% GGBS). Effect of different cementitious materials such as lime, fly ash, metakaolin, rice husk ash, silica fume and dolomite on strength properties of slag (GGBS) based geopolymer concrete are also discussed. It is observed that the addition of dolomite (by-products from rock crushing plants) into slag based geopolymer concrete reduces the setting time, enhances durability and improves rapidly the early age strength of geopolymer concrete. Development of geopolymer concrete with industrial by-products is a solution to the disposal of the industrial wastes. The quick setting concrete thus produced can reduce the cost of construction making it sustainable also.
MECHANICAL AND MICRO-STRUCTURE CHARACTERIZATION OF STEEL FIBER-REINFORCED GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE
Authors: Elkholy Said , El-Hassan Hilal
Published: March 2020

This paper aims to investigate the mechanical performance of steel fiber-reinforced geopolymer concrete made with fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag as blended aluminosilicate source material. To activate the binding phase, combinations of sodium silicate (SS) and sodium hydroxide (SH) solutions with three different molarities (8M, 10M, and 14M) were used. Steel fibers were added to the geopolymer concrete mix in varying proportions up to 3%, by volume. Constant binder, activator solution, and aggregate contents were adopted for all 13 mixes. Samples were cast and cured at ambient conditions for measuring the rheological and mechanical properties, including slump, modulus of elasticity, compressive strength, tensile splitting strength, and flexural strength. Experimental test results show that geopolymers made with higher molarity of SH were less workable but had improved mechanical performance. The effect of adding steel fibers on the mechanical performance was more apparent at an early age and in weaker geopolymer concretes. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy highlighted the co-existence of calcium aluminosilicate hydrate and sodium aluminosilicate hydrate gels.
MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION MAKING IN EARLY STAGE DESIGN: CAPTURING THE DYNAMICS USING UTILITY THEORY
Authors: Serugga Joas , Kagioglou Michail
Published: March 2020

This paper introduces a conceptual framework that captures the key processes in early stage design (ESD) processes mapping out Decision Making (DM) to support value delivery using utility theory. A lot of construction waste in downstream processes can be traced back to the design stage according to research. Yet there's currently little research into interdependences key to value generation in this most dynamic of construction processes. This research identifies the role of the end-user as a key element in the process of value generation in ESD. Understanding the user requirements is just as important a step as it is for the design process to engage in requirement forecasting. This paper explores new ground in understanding of DM processes in ESD in defining and understanding value. The research first explores the theoretical concepts in multi-criteria DM, UT and value generation in ESD. Design science research methodology is used to review literature to inform the framework that's validated with case studies in two design firms.
OPTIMIZATION PARAMETER SETS FOR SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE IN TUNNELS
Authors: Strömberg Larissa , Löfsjögård Malin , Ansell Anders , Hintze Staffan
Published: March 2020

Public and private clients are beginning to set complex optimization requirements, taking into consideration environmental and cost-efficiency parameters over the built construction's lifetime. The early design process is currently irreversible, and this makes it difficult to change a concrete structure in the later detailed design stage, when more accurate information is available regarding environmental impact and life-cycle costs. There is a dilemma in complying with existing standards to achieve technical requirements while optimizing a concrete structure in order to reduce the climate impact. The long-term goal of the project is to develop a new theoretical concept for dynamic optimization strategies which can be applicable to the early design, the client-requirement preparation, the detailed design, the production and the follow-up stages. This paper presents the results of the up-start phase of the project. The work has focused on the identification of current practice regarding clients' requirements for technical, environmental and cost-efficiency parameters. An analysis of these requirements with sprayed concrete (shotcrete) in a number of ongoing projects has led to the identification of optimization parameter sets. The project has also shown how the physical values of those parameters can be collected from existing statistics, experience recovery databases and previous project requirements, or calculated according to standardized methods and tools. The concept developed will be used in a demonstrative modeling in the next project step.
SEISMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF PILOTI-TYPE BUILDINGS AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
Authors: Shin Hye-min , Shin Kyung-jae , Lee Su-woong , Kim Dae-geun , Lee Min-ki , Lee Jun-seop
Published: March 2020

On November 15, 2017, the second strongest earthquake occurred in Korea, which was 5.4 in size on the Richter Scale. The duration of the earthquake was short, but the damage was serious. Two recent earthquakes have shown that our country is no longer safe from earthquakes. However, to date, Korean structures are showing a low earthquake resistance, and seismic retrofitting is necessary in preparation for a large-scale earthquake. In this study, reinforcing effect of steel slit damper was analyzed based on the dynamic test results of the previously studied reinforced concrete frame. After that, push over analysis and nonlinear time history analysis using OpenSees were selected for the residential piloti-type building as the target building. In the above Korean earthquake, the damage to the piloti-type building was conspicuous. Through analysis, the vulnerable part of the piloti-type building was identified and the seismic strengthening with the steel slit damper was carried out.
SHEAR STRENGTH OF DETERIORATED STEEL GIRDERS IN MULTI-GIRDER BRIDGES
Authors: Bao Amanda , Guillaume Caleb , Moraes Alana
Published: March 2020

Bridge deterioration is mainly caused by repeated traffic loads and adverse environmental exposure. According to the 2017 American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card, more than 9% of the bridges in the United States were labeled structurally deficient. For steel bridges, the most dominant deterioration form is corrosion, which is characterized by the metal area loss resulting in structural capacity reduction. Corrosion is very common in steel multi-girder bridges because of moisture exposure, leakage through bridge joints as well as the frequent use of deicing detergents during the winter season in cold regions. Over the years, the rust can be serious enough to disconnect the web from the flanges of the girder, which poses significant concerns for load capacity especially at girder ends. This research studies shear strength loss in deteriorated steel multi-girder bridges by 3-D finite element models built in ABAQUS. Our analysis is focused on web area loss and web thinning due to corrosion, and their consequences for shear and web buckling capacity reduction. Area loss will be modeled by removing materials from the web, and web thinning will be simulated by reducing the web thickness. The numerical models resemble real steel corrosion forms by changing the shape, size and location of the area loss. A load rating method will be proposed based on the analyses.
SLOPE STABILIZATION USING LOW DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
Authors: Varma Harshit , Shah Darshan , Sharma Deepak , Wadhwani Saahil
Published: March 2020

Landslides still concern transportation agencies. In 2017, the Big Sur coastline roadway in Monterey, California was buried under a landslide that displaced over 6 million cubic yards of mud. Though slope stabilization techniques have been successfully used in the past, the Big Sur landslide has highlighted the necessity for innovation. Through this paper, a new slope stabilization technique is proposed using Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) pins, used tires and vetiver grass. The paper includes a comparison of a retaining wall (a traditional slope stability alternative) with the proposed new technique. This includes stability analyses considering traditional and the proposed method. The analysis includes checking for overturning, sliding and bearing capacity failure for retaining wall and slope stability analysis for the proposed slope stabilization. The paper also includes cost comparison between the two alternatives. The results indicate that the proposed technique is stable and very comparable to traditional methods. Because the method uses waste material the proposed method costs significantly less than traditional approaches.
STRUCTURAL OPTIMIZATION USING AN ADAPTIVE RBF APPROACH
Authors: Jarosch Erica , Wang Qian , Schmotzer Lucas , Kim Yongwook
Published: March 2020

This paper presents an adaptive radial basis functions (RBFs) metamodeling method for design optimization of structures. Various numerical techniques have been developed and adopted in structural and multidisciplinary optimization. To evaluate responses of a structural or mechanical engineering system, finite element (FE) analyses are routinely used. An FE code shall be integrated with an optimization algorithm in a nested analysis and design of structures. Therefore, software input/output programming is required. A metamodeling method, on the contrary, expresses structural responses using an approximate function, so that the FE software is not directly coupled in the numerical optimization loop. Any optimization algorithm can be applied to find the optimal design, based on the explicit response functions. In this study, numerical examples were created and FE analyses were first performed at sample points. Subsequently, metamodels were constructed and a gradient-based optimization algorithm was applied. At the optimal point of one adaptive iteration, accuracy of the RBF metamodel was checked, and additional sample points were added to the sample pool to improve the model accuracy. The adaptive iterations continued, until the convergence of the objective function was achieved. The proposed optimization method worked well for a numerical example, and the optimal result was found within a few adaptive iterations.
THE APPLICATION OF WELD-BASED ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING STEEL TO STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Authors: Laghi Vittoria , Palermo Michele , Gasparini Giada , Silvestri Stefano , Trombetti Tomaso
Published: March 2020

The present work aims at providing the first considerations upon the application of innovative manufacturing technology for civil engineering purposes. In particular, among the 3D printing processes currently available, Weld-Based Additive Manufacturing (WAM) results to be the most suitable technique for the realization of innovative structural forms in metal material. The great potential of taking the printing head "out of the box" allows for the construction of innovative shapes by adding layer upon layer of welded steel. In particular, the study is focused on the realization of the first 3D-printed steel footbridge by a Dutch company held in Amsterdam, called MX3D, and its Additive manufacturing process, which results in specific constraints and limitations to be taken into account for design purposes. First, the design issues are described, by considering the printing parameters to be adopted for the realization of large-dimensions structures, and then the implications in terms of specific geometrical and mechanical characteristics are studied. These first engineering evaluations are intended to pave the way towards the development of a ground-breaking technology for the fully-automated design and construction of novel 3D-printed building structures through innovative robotic manufacturing processes whose parameters are still not fully known
THE FOUNDATIONS OF CONTINUUM DAMAGE MECHANICS
Authors: Yazdani Siamak , Borgersen Sevenn , Gurgun Asli Pelin , Nazari Hossein
Published: March 2020

Damage Mechanics has become a useful theory in describing the nonlinear behavior of solids driven by the nucleation and growth of cracks and microcracks. This approach, based on the first principles of mechanics and thermodynamics, has also been combined with classical theories of plasticity to address a wide range of loading applications. In spite of the many different damage mechanics models and representations that are proposed, the foundation of damage mechanics is not well understood or at least not thoroughly published giving rise to the many inaccurate definitions and formulations. The intent of this paper is to provide the background of the continuum damage mechanics outlining the fundamentals on which this field theory is set up. The internal variable theory of continuum thermodynamics is reviewed and is shown that with Legendre transformation technique, various potential functions can be developed for damage mechanics formulation in either stress or strain space. The concept of constrained or neighboring equilibrium state is also introduced and is explained. The paper will conclude with the derivation of the general damage potential and a suggestion is given for the isotropic damage formulation with the resulting uniaxial stress-strain relation.
THE POTENTIAL OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ON CONSTRUCTION SITES
Authors: Ninaus Cornelia , Knapp David
Published: March 2020

Knowledge management is the process of creating, sharing, using, and managing knowledge, one of the most valuable organizational resources. This approach is well-known in Austria's industrial sector, but applied only in major construction companies. It is mainly used to share knowledge between different departments, but it is not commonly found on construction sites. During the construction phase a variety of separate firms build a temporary multidisciplinary organization, to produce investment goods. To show the potential of knowledge management on building sites in Austria, 78 interviews were conducted. Construction sites of different types (new construction and refurbishment of buildings) were taken into account in order to guarantee a representative outcome. The highest cost-benefit ratio for knowledge management can be seen in knowledge intensive processes. The execution phase is characterized by craftwork which often includes many routine steps. But the survey shows that almost a quarter of the daily business is about knowledge intensive processes while the amount doesn't correlate with the working experience. Furthermore, on construction sites with many trades the lack of information and knowledge transfer is the cause of nearly a quarter of the problems faced. The findings indicate the need for knowledge management on construction sites and the potential grows with the number of trades. The teambuilding process can be seen as the most important step for an efficient knowledge management during the execution phase.
THE PROJECT BOUNDARY AND OCCUPATIONAL STRESS
Authors: Farnes Ken
Published: March 2020

Despite advances in project management practices and profession, projects continue to have an unacceptably high failure rate, which may be influenced by project manager being highly stressed and their decision-making capabilities becoming narrowed. The project manager's role necessitates that they occupy the boundary between sponsoring organisation, clients, and other actors involved in the project environment, where they are often subjected to time pressures, project uncertainties, conflicting demands, complex and often dynamic social structure involved in the project environment. In this social constructionist study thirty six senior executives participants were interviewed. It was observed that when discussing the person-environment fit and competencies of a project manager, occupational stress and stress management were overlooked by executive project sponsors as a possible contributing factor for poor project manager performance and poor project outcomes. Despite the growing body of research evidence that has identified occupational stress across many different professions as having an adverse impact on an individual's performance and health, there has been little recognition within project management literature of the impacts of stress or coping strategies for managing stressors within the project environment. This strongly suggests that additional research on stress focused on the project environment is warranted, and that both project sponsors and project managers need to be made aware of the antecedents to stress and consequences of stress both in the personal and business sense.
THEORETICAL VALUATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY ON LOW-COST HOUSING
Authors: Makgobi Gladness , Mashwama Nokulunga , Thwala Wellington , Aigbavboa Clinton
Published: March 2020

The paper delivers a theoretical analysis of corporate governance and sustainability on low-cost housing. One of the constraints faced by low-cost housing projects is poor governance, which should be the development prospective of a company whose directive is to refine the economic potential of the countries in the process of transformation. Literature is the main method to investigate the research problem. Published, unpublished papers and journals were accurately reviewed to find solutions to the subject matter. The study revealed that it is a prerequisite in terms of the National Environmental Management Act for National and provincial department to formulate an Environmental Implementation Plan for any building construction activities that will have an impact on the environment. Green and sustainable are terms filled on company yearly reports, but the question is whether the Corporate Social Responsibility is valued or well thought of or highly regarded. The paper will assist the industry to realise that the achievement of the company does not only rely on the compliance of legislation and standards, but also by a broad series of economic, environment and social problems in a manner that is useful to global society. Organizational sustainability is an established requirement with many obligatory conditions enforcing ISO 14001 and environmental standards to be adhered to. Refining environmental performance through efficient use of energy and resources intensifies the success of companies.
THIN-WALLED STEEL TUBULAR COLUMNS WITH UNIFORM AND GRADED THICKNESS UNDER CYCLIC LOADING
Authors: Al-Kaseasebh Qusay , Mamaghani Iraj H.P
Published: March 2020

Thin-walled steel tubular circular columns are widely used as cantilever bridge piers due to their geometric efficiency, aesthetic appearance, and high earthquake resistance. However, local buckling, global buckling, or interaction between both is usually the main reason of significant strength and ductility loss in these columns, which eventually leads to their collapse. This paper investigates the behavior of uniform circular (C) and graded-thickness circular (GC) thin-walled steel tubular columns under constant axial and cyclic lateral loading. The GC column with size and volume of material equivalent to the C column is introduced and analyzed under constant axial and cyclic lateral loading. The analysis carried out using a finite-element model (FEM), which considers both material and geometric nonlinearities. The accuracy of the employed FEM is validated based on the experimental results available in the literature. The results revealed that, significant improvements in strength, ductility, and post-buckling behavior of thin-walled steel columns obtained using the GC column.
AUTOMATING BACKHOE OPERATION USING FUZZY LOGIC
Authors: Sharma Deepak K.
Published: March 2020

During the past decade, automation has significantly increased in all forms of engineering. With the fast-paced research and development in automation, it is expected that automation will be commonplace and many operations will be performed using robots. Automation of heavy construction equipment is in its early stages. Attempts are persistently made to push the frontiers of science and technology to automate heavy equipment but, limited progress has been made. This research presents a fuzzy logic modeling approach for moving a back-hoe bucket from a fill point to a dump point. The fuzzy logic model is designed to accept all feasible points formed by boom and stick movements in 3D space. Inputs to the model are coordinates of fill and dump spots, as well as stick and boom dimensions. The model provides output signals to automate the bucket movement by swinging the bucket, lowering (or raising) boom, and stretching (or retracting) stick. The paper also includes three site scenarios to demonstrate the performance of the model. The three scenarios are varied from a very basic to a very complex maneuver. All three scenarios are tested for error, and the errors are within acceptable limits.
BEHAVIOR OF CONTINUOUS CONCRETE BEAMS REINFORCED WITH BASALT BARS
Authors: Aragao Almeida Junior Salvio , Parvin Azadeh
Published: March 2020

The use of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) for reinforcement and retrofit of structures has become common in recent years. Although considerable research exists on carbon, glass, and aramid fibers, new materials continue to emerge, requiring new knowledge to optimize their use and safe design. This study analyzed the behavior of continuous beams reinforced with FRP bars. The parameters studied were concrete type (normal-strength concrete (NSC) and ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC)), fiber material (carbon, glass, and basalt), and environmental exposure (acid, alkaline, and saline environments). Finite element (FE) beam models were developed and validated with published experimental data. The validated models were used to study the aforementioned parameters. Although the basalt fibers provoked higher displacements when compared to carbon and glass fibers, they also provided better bond with the concrete and higher tensile strength, allowing the beams to reach higher load capacity. Exposure to aggressive environments diminished the adhesion between GFRP and BFRP bars and the concrete, but the reduction was not sufficient to initiate the debonding and the failure was governed by FRP bars rupture. However, it was concluded that the load-displacement response was not affected much by the environmental exposure. The UHPFRC provided superior bond strength between concrete and the reinforcement bars, which assured rupture of the fibers in these beams as well. The use of UHPFRC also resulted in an increase in the beams’ load carrying capacity.
BURIED TRANSPORTATION STRUCTURES: FUZZY-MARKOV COMPUTATION CASE STUDY
Authors: Gharehbaghi Koorosh , Farnes Ken
Published: March 2020

This paper will focus on how to improve buried structures' resilience and sustainability so that they hold up over time, withstand extreme weather events, and minimize the use of natural and financial resources. Generally, buried Transportation structures are those which have some portion of their elements and configuration dormant, such as culverts, bridges, and their foundation systems. These structures are a significant part of transportation networks and their related systems. These structures can be disrupted by extreme weather events such as seismic activities, extreme wind gusts, tornado, and tropical cyclones. Repairing the damage after such events can challenge resources and negatively impact the area's economy by disrupting traffic. Moreover, a common problem with buried structures is the lack of understanding about each individual structural element. Accordingly, as a part of this paper's focus, careful attention is given to such important structural integrity. Nevertheless, a number of Australian case studies were undertaken to further improve the buried structures' resilience and sustainability. To support this paper's aim a Fuzzy-Markov computation using a modified FuzzyStatProb for buried assets were also explored. The Fuzzy-Markov computation accurately identified the appropriate treatment regimes for selected bridges; which ultimately reduced the natural and financial resources usage.
CHALLENGES OF USING NON-DEGRADABLE WASTE MATERIAL POLYSTYRENE PACKING IN REINFORCED CONCRETE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Authors: Ngene Ben , Bamigboye Gideon , Asemota Osato
Published: March 2020

Weight and Environmental concerns are two elements that have made the search for alternative materials of construction critical in today’s construction industry. The importance of finding a solution to the problem has given rise to the use of non-degradable materials. This study examines the challenges of making such material as polystyrene used in product packaging a part of the structural element in construction. Such adventure it is envisaged reduced the volume and number of landfill sites in Nigeria where air pollution arising from dump sites affects the health of citizens. To achieve this aim, Styrofoam was used as a partial replacement for coarse aggregate (granite) by volume. The replacement was carried out in varying percentages of 10, 20 and 30% Styrofoam concretes respectively with a concrete mix ratio of 1:1:2. The result obtained showed that concrete produced using Styrofoam as the alternative aggregate possess lesser values of compressive strength when compared with the control of conventional concrete without Styrofoam. The optimal percentage of a replacement for Styrofoam concrete was 10% with a compressive strength of 21.33 N/mm2 while the control concrete had a compressive strength of 33.26 N/mm2. The loss of strength of Styrofoam concrete is compensated by the reduction of the requirement for landfill sites and the attendant pollution generated while the concrete can be used for non-structural elements in construction.
CLAYEY SOIL TREATED BY CEMENT AND QUICKLIME BY MICROSTRUCTURE: A MINERALOGICAL ANALYSIS
Authors: Baqir Husam Hikmat , Al-Adili Aqeel , Al-Soudany Kawther , Shareef Ali
Published: March 2020

Soft clayey soil was treated by a combination of cement (PC) and Quicklime (LQ) in order to modify and stability. This study shows an improvement of clay soil brought from Garma Ali site in the Al Basra governorate, Iraq. The PC was added in percentages of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10%, and LQ was added to 2 and 4%, of dry weight. Also, this research used Microstructure Analysis by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) testing and Mineralogical Analysis by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) testing on the examination soil treated with mix between cement (PC) and Quicklime (LQ) for the purpose of knowing the reasons for the increase in the shear strength and decrease maximum dry density. Through the micrographs that result from the scanning electron microscoping and the curves of X-ray that demonstrate presentence, the formation of the hydration reaction product (CSH gel) shows tiny bristle (rod) crystals. The CSH gel and the tiny bristle (rod) crystals worked on coating and contact the particles together. The micrographs for soils treated with (2% LQ + 10% PC) show an increase in the amount hydrated gel (CSH) compared to the soil treated with 6% PC and 2% LQ and 8% PC and 4% LQ, but the number of bristle-like crystals decreases compared to soil treated by 8% PC and 4% LQ.
A STRUT AND TIE MODEL FOR FRCM-STRENGTHENED REINFORCED CONCRETE DEEP BEAMS
Authors: Wakjira Tadesse , Ebead Usama
Published: March 2020

Exiting literature revealed that fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) is a promising material for the strengthening of shear deficient reinforced concrete (RC) beams. However, most of the available experimental studies are devoted to the use of FRCM system for the strengthening of slender beams and limited literature is available on the strengthening of deep beams using FRCM system. Moreover, there is no available literature on the analytical modelling of FRCM-strengthened deep beams. In this paper, a simple strut and tie model (STM) has been used to predict the ultimate load carrying capacity of RC deep beams strengthened in shear using FRCM system. The model accounts for the internal transverse reinforcement ratio and axial rigidity of the FRCM system. The proposed model is validated against an experimental results of RC deep beams strengthened with different types of FRCM system available in the literature.