bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Learners' Differences on Variable Manipulation Behaviors in Simulation-Based Learning
Authors: Liew Tze Wei , Tan Su-Mae , Seydali Rouzbeh
Published: December 2014

The present study examined the relationship among learners' differences, behaviors in manipulating variables, and learning achievements in a simulation-based program that supports discovery learning in the subject of C-programming algorithm. Participants ( n = 66) took the Group Embedded Figures Test, Action Control Scale, and Computer Self-Efficacy Scale to determine their field dependence, action-state orientation, and computer self-efficacy before interacting with the simulation program. Results from this study have shown that reading domain information supported learners to manipulate more simulation variables systematically. In addition, manipulating simulation variables in a systematic manner positively affects learning post-test achievement. In the context of individual differences, failure-related action control and computer self-efficacy were found to affect learners' behaviors in manipulating variables, while field dependence was shown to affect learning post-test achievement. Implications for both theoretical and instructional designs are discussed in terms of how various support types can accommodate the needs of different learners in simulation programs.
Factors Affecting Preservice Teachers' Computer Use for General Purposes: Implications for Computer Training Courses
Authors: Zogheib Salah
Published: December 2014

As the majority of educational research has focused on preservice teachers' computer use for educational purposes, the question remains: Do preservice teachers use computer technology for daily life activities and encounters? And do preservice teachers' personality traits and motivational beliefs related to computer training provided at colleges of education affect preservice teachers' computer use for general purposes. This study explored the relationships between 334 primary/junior preservice teachers' demographic information, prior computer experience, motivational beliefs, personality traits, and computer use for general purposes. Prior computer experience was the most significant predictor of computer use. The study also yielded significant results about motivational beliefs, gender, and personality traits. Implications for computer training courses are also suggested.
Transana Qualitative Video and Audio Analysis Software as a Tool for Teaching Intellectual Assessment Skills to Graduate Psychology Students
Authors: Rush S. Craig
Published: December 2014

This article draws on the author's experience using qualitative video and audio analysis, most notably through use of the Transana qualitative video and audio analysis software program, as an alternative method for teaching IQ administration skills to students in a graduate psychology program. Qualitative video and audio analysis may be useful for psychology programs to more effectively and efficiently train students on IQ administration. Through use of Transana, video and audio footage and corresponding verbal and nonverbal transcripts of student-conducted IQ administrations can be coded and organized and later retrieved by any combination of codes, file or clip identifiers, or collections of clips and presented as a simultaneous, running display of video, audio, and corresponding transcripts that facilitates rich analysis and feedback.
Stigmatizing Opinions of Chinese toward Different Types of Mental Illnesses: A Qualitative Study in Hong Kong
Authors: Lam Tai Pong , Sun Kai Sing
Published: December 2014

Objective:

There is a lack of in-depth studies on the stigmatization of mental health patients in China. This study aimed to investigate the stigmatizing opinions of Chinese toward different types of mental illnesses by a qualitative approach.

Method:

Nine focus group interviews with 5 to 12 participants each were conducted in areas of different social classes in Hong Kong. Opinions on different types of mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementia, mania, bipolar disorder, and alcohol/drug abuse, were discussed by the focus group participants.

Results:

The participants tended to share very negative examples about the potential violent and annoying behaviors of patients with psychosis, including schizophrenia, mania, and bipolar disorders. However, the stigmatizing opinions did not generalize across different mental illnesses. Patients with anxiety or dementia were much better accepted than those with psychosis. The views on depression were diverse, depending on whether the patients had violent behaviors. Alcohol and drug abuse were seldom related to mental illnesses by the participants.

Conclusions:

While there are different stereotypes for different mental illnesses, the perceived risks of aggressive behaviors determine the public's acceptance. Future interventions among Chinese should aim to reduce the public's exaggeration of the aggressive image of psychotic patients.
The effects of wild-type and mutant SOD1 on smooth muscle contraction
Authors: Nikolic-Kokic Aleksandra , Orescanin-Dusic Zorana , Spasojevic Ivan , Blagojevic Dusko , Stevic Zorica , Andjus Pavle , Spasic Mihajlo
Published: December 2014

In this work we compared the mutated liver copper zinc-containing superoxide
dismutase (SOD1) protein G93A of the transgenic rat model of familial
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS), to wild-type (WT) rat SOD1. We examined
their enzymatic activities and effects on isometric contractions of uteri of
healthy virgin rats. G93A SOD1 showed a slightly higher activity than WT SOD1
and, in contrast to WT SOD1, G93A SOD1 did not induce smooth muscle
relaxation. This result indicates that effects on smooth muscles are not
related to SOD1 enzyme activity and suggest that heterodimers of G93A SOD1
form an ion-conducting pore that diminishes the relaxatory effects of SOD1.
We propose that this type of pathogenic feedback affects neurons in FALS.
Fatty acid composition of leaves of forced chicory (Cichorium intybus L.)
Authors: Sinkovic Lovro , Hribar Janez , Vidrih Rajko , Ilin Zarko , Znidarcic Dragan
Published: December 2014

The objective of the present study was to determine the composition of fatty
acids in leaves of nine chicory cultivars (Cichorium intybus L.). The growing
practice followed the traditional forcing method of developed roots in a peat
to obtain new etiolated vegetative apical buds, known as chicons. The fatty
acid content was determined by the extraction of fatty acid methyl esters and
analysis by means of gas chromatography. The analysis revealed the following
ratios of C16:0, C18:0, C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 of individual fatty acids. The
total fatty acid content in forced chicory leaves ranged from 104 to 644
mg/100 g fresh weight. The highest relative content (64%) is presented by
?-linolenic acid, followed by linoleic (44%) and palmitic (21%). An n-6/n-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids ratio of studied forced chicory is below 1.4 and
thus, in accordance with the recommended dietary ratio that is close to 1.
Hypoglycemia and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and All-Cause Mortality in Insulin-Treated People With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: A Cohort Study
Authors: Khunti Kamlesh , Davies Melanie , Majeed Azeem , Thorsted Brian Larsen , Wolden Michael Lyng , Paul Sanjoy K.
Published: December 2014

OBJECTIVE

Hypoglycemia has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events and all-cause mortality. This study assessed whether, in a nationally representative population, there is an association between hypoglycemia, the risk of CV events, and all-cause mortality among insulin-treated people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This retrospective cohort study used data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink database and included all insulin-treated patients (≥30 years of age) with a diagnosis of diabetes.

RESULTS

In patients who experienced hypoglycemia, hazard ratios (HRs) for CV events in people with type 1 diabetes were 1.51 (95% CI 0.83, 2.75; P = ns) and 1.61 (1.17, 2.22), respectively, for those with and without a history of CV disease (CVD) before the index date. In people with type 2 diabetes, the HRs for patients with and without a history of CVD were 1.60 (1.21, 2.12) and 1.49 (1.23, 1.82), respectively. For all-cause mortality, HRs in people with type 1 diabetes were 1.98 (1.25, 3.17), and 2.03 (1.66, 2.47), respectively, for those with and without a history of CVD. Among people with type 2 diabetes, HRs were 1.74 (1.39, 2.18) and 2.48 (2.21, 2.79), respectively, for those with and without a history of CVD. The median time (interquartile range) from first hypoglycemia event to first CV event was 1.5 years (0.5, 3.5 years) and 1.5 years (0.5, 3.0 years), respectively, for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Hypoglycemia is associated with an increased risk of CV events and all-cause mortality in insulin-treated patients with diabetes. The relationship between hypoglycemia and CV outcomes and mortality exists over a long period.
Principles of age-related changes in the canine and feline brain
Authors: Papaioannou Nikolaos
Published: December 2014

In the aged dog and cat, especially dog, a cognitive decline develops naturally in many different domains, but at the same time it also exhibits human-like individual variability in the aging process. In the aging dog and cat brain lesions develop spontaneously. Dogs share some morphological characteristics with those of Alzheimer’s disease in man. The canine brain with its plaques and tangles which show oxidative changes, forms a spontaneous model for understanding the early changes and their interrelationships in Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, the aged dog represents a useful model for the development of preventive or therapeutic interventions to improve aged brain function. These interventions can then be translated into human clinical trials.
Genotype and allele frequencies of polymorphisms in ABCG2, PPARGC1A and OLR1 genes in indigenous cattle breeds in Turkey
Authors: Ateş Atila , Türkay Hoştürk Gülhan , Akiş Iraz , Esen Gürsel Feraye , Yardibi Hasret , Öztabak Kemal
Published: December 2014

This study was carried out to determine polymorphisms of four genes in South Anatolian Red (SAR) and East Anatolian Red (EAR) indigenous cattle breeds in Turkey. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) monitored in this study are Y581S in ATP binding cassette sub family G member 2 (ABCG2) gene, c.1892T>C and c.3359A>C in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PPARGC1A) gene and g.8232C>A in oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (OLR1) gene. The frequency of the ancestral allele A of the ABCG2 gene Y581S polymorphism was found to be very high (SAR: 0.63; EAR: 0.64) in both cattle breeds. The CC genotypes of PPARGC1A gene c.1892T>C (SAR: 0.65; EAR: 0.80) and OLR1 gene g.8232C>A polymorphisms (SAR: 0.82; EAR: 0.86), which are associated with high milk fat percentage, had higher frequencies than those of the other genotypes. In conclusion, we might suggest that the allele distribution of the ABCG2 gene Y581S polymorphism can be the evidence indicating autosomal gene flow from zebu cattle to SAR and EAR cattle breeds.
Histological and Histochemical Properties of M. Semitendinosus in German Landrace Pigs at Birth and Market Weight/Histološke I Histohemijske Osobine M. Semitendinosus-A Svinja Rase Nemački Landras Na Rođenju I Na Završetku Tova
Authors: Ivana Adamović , Duško Vitorović , Miloš Blagojević , Ivana Nešić , Zlata Brkić
Published: December 2014

Current intensive pig meat production conditions impose the need to expand the knowledge about skeletal muscle characteristics, with the aim to improve both production of pig lean meat and meat quality. Histological and biochemical characteristics of the muscle highly infl uence the quality of meat, with muscle fi ber number, size and fi ber type distribution being important constituents. The objective of this study was to examine the structure of m. semitendinosus of piglets at birth, and slaughter pigs at the end of fattening. Total muscle fi ber number was 350 x 103 in newborn piglets and increased up to nearly 900 x 103 in slaughter pigs. At birth, the muscle consisted of 3.76% primary fi bers and 96.24% secondary fi bers. At slaughter, slow-twitch oxidative fi bers represented 21% of the total muscle fi ber number, fast-twitch oxidative fi bers represented 28 % while the majority of fi bers (52%) in m. semitendinosus were of fast twitch glycolitic type. Obtained results indicate that postnatal muscle growth is accomplished mainly by muscle fi ber hypertrophy.
Behavioral and Physiological Reactivity of Mares and Stallions Evaluated in Performance Tests/Procena Fizioloških Parametara I Reaktivnosti Kobila I Pastuva Na Osnovu Performans Testa
Authors: Monika Budzyńska , Jarosław Kamieniak , Wanda Krupa , Leszek Sołtys
Published: December 2014

In many countries completing the performance test requirements is obligatory only for stallions, but some breeders also decide for the assessment of their mares’ performance under standardized conditions. This study is aimed the evaluation of sex related effects on behavioral and physiological reactivity in fearfulness test and performance test scores in Polish warmblood horses of Małopolska breed (22 mares and 34 stallions) assessed at the training station. Equine reactivity to potentially frightening stimuli was assessed in the fearfulness test by behavior scoring and heart rate monitoring. Horses of both sexes were assessed in standardized performance tests accordingly to the rules of performance tests given in the Breeding Program for the Małopolski Horse Breed by the Polish Horse Breeders Association. The mares showed a significantly more quiet response in the fearfulness test in comparison to stallions. A relation among some reactivity and performance traits in both sexes was found. The behavior scores of the fearfulness test were positively correlated with character and temperament only in mares. However, the better the scores for temperament and character the stallions received, the lower the heart rate before testing. The present study demonstrates that temperament and character assessment, as a part of the standardized performance test, should involve not only a subjective trainer’s evaluation, but also a horse reactivity assessment based on objective behavioral tests and heart rate monitoring. The results showed that sex has an effect on behavioral reactivity of horses. Thus, it is important to consider the horses’ sex during selection for a particular type of riding, and performance assessment should be obligatory for both sexes. The assessment of the same performance traits in both, stallions and mares, significantly improves good breeding practice.
Effects of Various Meal Compositions on Production Results, Economic Performance and Fish Meat Quality/Uticaj Različitog Sastava Obroka Na Proizvodnoekonomske Rezultate I Kvalitet Mesa Ribe
Authors: Milan Tešić , Milan Baltić , Vlado Teodorović , Drago Nedić , Milorad Mirilović , Radmila Marković , Aleksandra Aleksić-Agelidis
Published: December 2014

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of various dietary meal compositions on production, economic performance and meat quality of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Experimental group (0-I) was fed with a mixture containing 30% fish meal, 35% soybean meal, 30% sardines and 5% fish oil. Experimental group 0-II was fed with a combined meal consisting of 75% of fish food pellets and 25% of sardines. The control group (C) was fed with a standard complete pelleted feed. The best result was obtained in group 0-II, while group C achieved results common for local food quality and farming conditions in Serbia. Group 0-I had less productive results compared to group C and group 0-II. Feed used in group 0-II has its own nutritional, biological and economic justification.

Use of different fish meals had no significant influence on trout meat chemical composition, except the fat content which was significantly higher in group 0-II. Considering current market prices of fish feed and fish as a final product, the best economic results were achieved by using the combined feed in group 0-II.
Erection of Catwalk Rope and Main Cable of Jeokgeum Bridge
Authors: Kim Jungin , Chung Kusang , Yoon Jahgeol , Lee Sangchul
Published: December 2014

Jeokgeum Bridge is one of the ongoing suspension bridge projects as a follow-up of Yi Sun-sin Bridge. Jeokgeum Bridge had adopted the same construction method for its main cable as the Yi Sun-sin Bridge, and the most of the equipment and the acquired techniques were applied again to Jeokgeum Bridge. Therefore, the most of the cable erection procedures were similar to Yi Sun-sin Bridge, however, there were several unique features and two of them are introduced in this paper:

the catwalk rope erection using the simplified suspender system and (2) the spread control by adjusting tension of spun wires.
Swivel Lowering Operation of the Viaduct over the River Tera
Authors: Biedma Manuel , Martínez Javier
Published: December 2014

The deck is a concrete box girder which shall be launched from one the abutments and has a total length of 645 m. It is simply supported on concrete piers spaced 75 m. However, because of the wide riverbed, one of the theoretical piers has been replaced by a pair of inclined steel semi-arches. These semi-arches are joined at their upper end so they provide the support that the deck needs. At their lower end they are fixed to the foundation of that adjacent concrete piers. A distinct feature of this viaduct lies in the special construction method used for the erection of the inclined semi-arches: they have been lifted into a vertical position and, by means of a swivel lowering operation and external cables, erected and joined at their upper end. This method involved the provision of pins at the base of the semi-arches. In addition, the hinges were designed to be able to allow the adjustment of the semi-arches during the final phase of the erection.
Viaduct of Archidona: a 3150 m long continuous composite deck on a High Speed Railway bridge
Authors: Millanes Mato Francisco , Bordó Bujalance Enrique , Mansilla Domínguez Juan Luis , Martín Suárez Jesús
Published: December 2014

The Viaduct of Archidona is included in the High Speed Railway Line between Antequera and Granada, in the province of Málaga (South of Spain). This Railway Bridge [1] [2] has a deck with a total length of 3.150 m, having expansion joints just at the abutments. It’s, as far as we know, the continuous deck with the highest length between joints built up to this moment. It’s also placed in an area of relevant seismic actions and difficult geotechnical conditions.

The deck has been designed with a composite cross section (twin-girder solution), with constant depth and typical span length of 50 m, with a similar typology to “Arroyo de las Piedras” Viaduct, the first composite High Speed Railway Bridge in Spain. This typology has been chosen to reduce longitudinal movements of the structure due to thermal-rheological actions, and to minimize seismic support forces, as the composite deck has less mass than a concrete one.

The design of the substructure has been conditioned by the seismic resistant strategy and the need of allowing the important relative longitudinal displacements of the deck due to thermal and rheological actions on piers and at abutments. During design and construction, special care was taken to ease and speed up construction of repetitive elements, which is a key factor in a very long structure. It was made full use of precast construction and high quality steel fabrication.

Some interesting issues regarding construction (control of geometry for the placing of bearings; follow-up control measures during assembling of the steel segments; not very usual precast solutions; etc.) are also explained in the presentation.
Viaduct over river Ulla: A Composite truss in the Spanish Atlantic High Speed Railway Line
Authors: Millanes Mato Francisco , Ortega Cornejo Miguel , Matute Rubio Luis
Published: December 2014

The Viaduct over River Ulla is located in the Atlantic High Speed Railway Line between A Coruña and Pontevedra, in the north west of Spain. Its location, close to the firth of Ulla, in a landscape of outstanding natural beauty and strong environmental constraints, was the object of a tender among the most renowned Spanish structural specialists.

The solution that was finally chosen is a viaduct 1620 m long, with three main spans of 225+240+ 225 m and several approaching spans 120 m long each, which mean a main span about 20% longer than the Nantenbach bridge in Germany, current world record in H.S.R. composite steel and concrete truss girder beam bridges.

The main spans are designed with a double composite steel and concrete truss deck, with double composite action in hogging zones, and a total depth ranging from 9,15 m at the midspan section to 17,90 m at the section over the piers. The adjacent spans that give access to the depth-varying main ones, have been designed with constant depth.

The article describes the structural conception of the bridge and the three different constructive process, that had to be used due to the access and the environmental restrictions.
Panama Canal expansion project – design and fabrication of lock gates
Authors: Spengler Rüdiger , Pérez Valencia Rafael
Published: December 2014

For the construction of the third set of lock complexes of the Panama Canal, a total number of 16 rolling gates were required in order to regulate water levels between chambers. Given that actions on gates differ between Atlantic and Pacific site, three different gate types were designed for each complex, resulting gate weights between 2060t and 3770t of structural steel.

Lock gates are constituted by an external skin plates at upstream and downstream, horizontal skin plate stiffeners, vertical column beams, horizontal and diagonal bracings, a buoyancy chamber in their lower part, which move during operation on an upper and lower wagon.

Governing analyses for structural lock gate design are fatigue, dry outage and seismic analysis.
Experiments on pocket-type rockfall protective nets at a real slope
Authors: Namba Masakazu , Maegawa Koji , Tajima Tomonori , Yokota Tetsuya
Published: December 2014

Although pocket-type rockfall protective nets are more economical and easier to install, the amount of rockfall energy they can absorb and the locations where they can be used are limited. Because of this, in recent years, a new rockfall protective net, which has built-in shock absorbers to prevent anchor rods from breaking and to absorb considerable rockfall energy due to their function, has been designed. This study was conducted to determine the effective range of implementation for a new pocket-type rockfall protective net, and to confirm the net's reaction and energy absorption capacity upon the introduction of rotational energy approximating the actual behavior of a rockfall.
Large culverts made with precast concrete arch-shape elements connected with cast in place concrete.
Authors: El Debs Mounir K. , Texeira Pedro W. G. N. , El Debs Ana Lucia
Published: December 2014

This paper deals with a new constructive system for large culverts using precast concrete elements. The proposed system includes arch-shaped elements for the main structure and wall elements to retain the earth over this main structure, being all those precast elements connected by cast-in-place concrete. The region of arch crowning receives a layer of cast-in-place concrete to provide transversal distribution of the vehicles concentrated loads and also to increase the cross section height. This paper presents the application of the constructive system for a single span of about 11 meters. It is a crossing over the railway line, with a total length of 25 meters, in the city of Teresina, North-eastern part of Brazil. The thickness of the precast arch is 180mm, reaching 300mm in the region of the arch crowning. The main features and hypotheses used in the structural design are presented. The procedures used for the manufacture of the precast elements and onsite construction are also described.
Construction of an additional parking basement with jet-grouting
Authors: Galindo Rubén
Published: December 2014

This paper shows a case in which superjet grouting has been used to improve soil strength and passive earth pressure at the toe of a diaphragm wall. This treatment had made it possible to excavate deeper than planned, i.e., from -14,00m to -17,35m, in order to enlarge the car park of a building in Seville from four to six floors, when the diaphragm walls were already constructed.
Electrochemical behaviour of high-strength corrugated steel in aerated alkaline mediums
Authors: Lee Siaw Foon , Fullea García José , Andrade Carmen , Sánchez Javier
Published: December 2014

In this study, the high-strength corrugated steel wire with a diameter of 7.6 mm was subjected to different aerated alkaline mediums (pH8.2, 12.3 and 13.4) with different concentration of Cl-. The electrochemical cell was consisted of a working electrode, an auxiliary electrode and a reference electrode, which was the steel wire, the graphite rod and the Ag/AgCl in KCl saturated, respectively. The open circuit potential measurement that lasted for 8 hours and the potentiodynamic polarization measurement from -900 mV to +500 mV were performed on the steel in each different medium and Cl- concentration. After the measurement, the steel surface was examined under the light microscope to find out the types of corrosions that occurred on the steel. Regardless of the Cl- concentration, it is found that at the medium of pH8.2 general corrosions are seen on the steel surface, at pH12.3 pitting corrosions, while at pH13.4 no corrosion is observed on the steel.
Co-operation and Development Projects: An African Perspective HA Mofutho Footbridge at Quasha's Nek, Lesotho
Authors: Visser Gerrit Armoni
Published: December 2014

The Kingdom of Lesotho is faced with high levels of unemployment and poverty, especially in the rural areas. The local community at HA Mofutho near Quasha’s Nek (Lesotho, Africa) was separated from health clinics, markets and employment by the Senqu River. Royal HaskoningDHV was appointed by the Kingdom of Lesotho’s Ministry of Public Works and Transport and tasked with the design, and construction supervision of a footbridge to improve the lives of approximately 2,000 people affected by the costs and risks of crossing the Senqu River [1].

Sustainability was to be considered a high priority during the design, construction and maintenance phases, with the emphasis on the people component. In close co-operation with the client the following sustainable development opportunities were identified and realised through this project:

Construction management skills were transferred to the Roads Directorate’s personnel,

Road Directorate staff were trained in service on site supervision,

Enterprise development: assisting the local contractor companies to improve their commercial and technical skill sets

Employment and training of local labour.

The education, development and skills transfer that took place, together with co-operation and relationship-building with all major stakeholders will serve to equip the stakeholders and community to contribute significantly in future projects within the greater Lesotho area.

In recognition of this project’s contribution to co-operation and development, this footbridge was awarded the Walter Barnett Trophy (Overall Winner) and the Infrastructural and Community Development Category winner at the South African Hot Dip Galvanizing Awards 2013.
Footbridges for Kenya
Authors: Sonnbichler Didier , Ludin Matthias , Kreis Benjamin
Published: December 2014

Seasonal riverbeds in the south of Kenya swell up to torrential rivers during the rainy season and make them impassable. The Masai communities get cut off from important facilities, denying them access to schools, markets, hospitals and fresh water for several weeks.

As a sustainable solution to this problem, a universal bridge system was developed in a bachelor thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich (ETHZ) in 2011. The variation analysis led to a wooden truss construction, where preassembled elements can be erected piece by piece over the river without the need of a crane.

This specific system has been successfully built twice with the help of the local community, allowing an active interaction and knowledge transfer. Due to the need of more footbridges in this region several bridges are being planned to improve the quality of life of the Masai communities.
Open data transfer for bridge information modeling
Authors: Karjalainen Antti
Published: December 2014

The target set to the research was to develop open data transfer for bridge information modeling. Open data transfer was studied and tested to find software-independent solution to produce contents of bridge design data from initial data to engineering design.

As a result of the research it was found that information of the technical bridge structures and other infrastructure refer to the bridge is able to produce using open data formats, which are IFC and Inframodel. In information modeling based design the model includes almost all of the information set in requirements by bridge design manuals and guidelines. However for software used in bridge and infra engineering design there are still limited possibilities to execute data transfer using open data formats between different technical design areas.
Forensic investigation in the age of the internet of things'
Authors: Vumbaca Viviana , Brando Francesca , Pinto Marguerite J. , Duffy Thomas , Malsch Elisabeth Anna , Panariello Gary F.
Published: December 2014

 Time is of the essence during the data acquisition phase of a forensic structural investigation; the preservation of post-failure site conditions may be limited and access to the site may be restricted. The acquisition of accurate and timely information from the field is a vital component of every forensic structural investigation and often occurs during limited time frames. Laser scanners and vibration sensors are becoming ubiquitous on construction sites. Collection and processing of laser scan data, correlated with vibration and other sensors, can be effective for assessing the condition of an existing building or for collecting forensic information after a failure or collapse. The automatic collection of data creates new challenges: how to effectively sift through the wealth of information provided by the scanning and sensing devices. A good engineer in the field can accurately describe a structure with only hundreds of measurements. A laser scanner on the other hand takes thousands of points of information. Case studies of forensic investigations that have used laser scan technology and vibration sensors will be presented along with ideas for how to enrich our forensic tools with the growing wealth of available devices.
The “Standard of Care” and Negligence of the Forensic Engineer
Authors: Kardon Joshua B.
Published: December 2014

In the US, engineers serving as expert witnesses may be asked by any side in a dispute to provide opinion testimony concerning the performance of an engineer defendant. The expert witness may be asked what the “standard of care” of the profession was, and whether the defendant met or failed to meet that level of performance. The expert witness may also be the subject of such an inquiry, if the expert’s services are themselves questioned. This paper presents the concept of the standard of care, and describes how the services of a forensic engineer are measured relative to the standard of care. It also discusses the concept of immunity from negligence afforded to expert witnesses, and the current trend of erosion of that immunity.
Learning from incidents during bridge erection
Authors: Tanner Peter , Hingorani Ramón , Bellod Juan Luis , Sanz David
Published: December 2014

Bridge building is a highly uncertain endeavour that entails considerable risk, as attested to by the succession of construction-related incidents and accidents recently reported in Spain and elsewhere. While efforts are being made to improve on-site safety, many issues are still outstanding, such as the establishment of reliability requirements for the ancillary systems used. The problems that must be dealt with in everyday practice, however, are more elementary and often attributable to human error. The overall organisation of the use of bridge construction equipment is in need of improvement. Close cooperation between the bridge engineers responsible for construction planning and ancillary element suppliers is imperative, for flawed interaction between building equipment and the bridge under construction may generate structural vulnerability. External quality assurance should likewise be mandatory.
Diagnosis of a large steel bridge close to collapse during a fire‌
Authors: Godart Bruno , Berthellemy Jacques , Lucas Jean-Pierre
Published: December 2014

The Mathilde Bridge is one of the six bridges over the Seine River in the city of Rouen and supports heavy traffic. It was built in 1976-79 and is composed of a single metal span 115 m long, consisting of an orthotropic steel deck resting on two girders. On October 29th, 2012, the Mathilde bridge was subjected to a heavy fire and was immediately closed to traffic. After recalling the events, the article describes the decisions that had to be taken in an emergency, then the extended diagnosis which was conducted in order to be able to take a rapid decision on repair or reconstruction.

The diagnosis consisted of a detailed inspection including the examination of cracks and the condition of the paint, extensive investigations carried out on samples of metal, an accurate measurement of the global deformations of the entire span, a recalculation of the stability of the burned areas, and an expertise of damaged support bearings.
Cracks analysis in onshore wind turbine foundations
Authors: Alonso Tomás Ripa , González Dueñas Enrique
Published: December 2014

Wind turbine foundations are load extremely eccentrically and the loading is usually highly dynamic. Over the last years, an observable fact is arising in some wind farms: a set of discrete and clearly visible radial and circumferential cracks appear at regular intervals around the embedded steel tower. Fortunately, if these cracks are detected at an early stage they do not reduce the structural integrity of the foundation. However, if water makes its way through the cracks it can reach the reinforcement, which in addition to dynamic loads and fatigue, can make the matters worse and compromise the serviceability of the structure.

Based on the crack patterns recorded in the field and with the aid of a simulated finite element model using contact elements, the origin and nature of the cracks were identified. Furthermore, stresses in the foundation have been obtained in order to be controlled. These stresses do not exceed the ultimate strength of concrete but cracks finally appear due to cycle loading.

In this paper, the structural behaviour of the foundation is analyzed based on the cracks observed at the site and interpreting a FE model.
Study of the Aurora Bridge with a FRP-deck instead of concrete
Authors: Van Ijselmuijden Kees , Mikkonen Atte
Published: December 2014

Exceptional and innovative Aurora Bridge originates from a bridge design competition in Helsinki. In competition the area footpath crossed a busy city junction diagonally, where the land area for bridge structures was strictly limited. The winning entry was a curved slender concrete deck pedestrian fly-over, which is suspended by sculptural “half arch”. The design is built in 2012.

In this paper it is studied if FRP could provide a real alternative solution for the relative heavy concrete deck in this specific case with its strengths and weaknesses is studied for practical application. First the original design and execution is described followed by an alternative FRP- deck solution. Both designs results are compared together with the costs. Because of the lighter deck the dynamic behaviour is checked followed by our conclusion.
Architectural Engineering of FRP bridges
Authors: Smits Joris
Published: December 2014

This paper deals with the use of Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP's) in architectural and structural bridge design. The challenges and opportunities that come with this relatively new material are discussed. An inventory is made of recent engineers' solutions in FRP, followed by a discussion on architectural application of FRP's derived from the author's architectural practice.
New Findings on Bamboo-concrete Composite Slabs
Authors: Morgenthal Guido , Olney Peter
Published: December 2014

Bamboo is a natural material that is highly sustainable and has very favourable material properties, specifically high longitudinal strength and low density. This paper revisits a concept for the use of bamboo that specifically exploits its high tensile strength. Half-shells of bamboo rods are covered by concrete to form a composite beam or slab where the bamboo is used in tension and the concrete in compression. A numerical model assuming a rigid shear connection between concrete and bamboo is used for analysis. The applicability of the numerical model is shown by comparison with nonlinear laboratory tests performed on a similar specimen with a 4m span. In addition, new techniques are proposed for achieving proper bond between the bamboo and concrete in a more sustainable way. The paper discusses the main concepts of these novel elements providing an overview of the development and outlook.
Innovation in the Sustainable Design Process of Earthquake Resistant Buildings: From Topology Optimization to Staged Construction Analysis
Authors: Sarkisian Mark , Long Eric , Krebs Andrew , Beghini Alessandro , Shook David , Diaz Abel
Published: December 2014

Prescriptive design in seismic regions requires the adherence to stringent criteria and detailing requirements in order to achieve sufficient ductility, redundancy and life-safety performance. In this environment, structural engineers have to rely on innovative solutions to satisfy the increasing expectations on sustainability and aesthetics while maintaining the target budget and schedule.

In this paper, innovative concepts are applied to the design of a courthouse facility. Consisting of a reinforced concrete shear wall system, the building has perimeter columns suspended from a 5 meter deep roof truss. The site presented severe seismic demands, and buckling restrained braces were utilized at the top story to control seismic drifts. Optimization algorithms and staged construction analysis were applied to achieve the most efficient and practical gravity design of the truss.
Butterfly Wings. An innovative bowstring concept to span the Ebro River in Logroño (Spain)
Authors: Beade Hector , Capellán Guillermo , Alfonso Pablo , Ruiz Juan , Sobrino Raquel
Published: December 2014

Las Norias footbridge design is the result of a competition (25 proposals) to solve the connection of two existing neighbourhoods of the city of Logroño separated by the Ebro River. The bridge is an innovative type of bowstring arch that, looking for the minimum environmental impact, clears the river with a single 102-m span. Its deck width varies between 5,0 m and 10,0 m, looking for a suitable adaptation to the landings, and its arches rise 11,0 m over the deck, which is suspended from them by spiral-strand cables. These cables are contained in cylindrical surfaces due to the lean of the arches and the curved edges of the deck. The deck, with an innovative design, is made up of a post-tensioned timber slab, lying over a double-Y-shaped steel spine with variable depth. The cross section of the arches is also variable, with maximum depth and minimum width at their springings and the inverse proportions at the centre, in order to avoid out-of-plane buckling.
Mega-structural concepts applied to special buildings
Authors: de Guevara Méndez Ginés Ladrón , Rodríguez Muñoz David
Published: December 2014

Architectural design has experienced a radical change over the last years. The free and organic new forms have buried the geometrical and regular old ones. Because of that, the structural challenges have been greatly improved, being impossible to be achieved through conventional techniques. As an answer to this demand, the concept of “mega-structure” arises. Instead of trying to insert a structure inside the architectural shape, the structural engineer takes advantage of the potentiality that the shape provides to generate a structure that works as a whole.

The concept of “mega-structure” has been successfully applied in a large number of special buildings in recent times. In this paper, some of them are briefly reviewed and the newest one, the Orona Zero building, is more extensively developed.
Project design and construction of the Trapagaran Viaduct in Bilbao (Spain)
Authors: Revoltós Jordi , Llombart José Antonio , Fernández Juliana
Published: December 2014

The Trapagaran viaduct was divided into 3: main viaduct, access viaduct and transition area. The main viaduct is 670 m long with 125 m spans. It is formed by a 35.60 m wide, 5.90 m deep prestressed concrete box cross section. The access viaduct is formed by four separate structures with spans reaching 86 m. Each of the decks is made up of a mixed 3.50 m deep box girder. The four branches converge in the transition area displaying complex geometry. The transition area is a prestressed concrete structure of approximately 60 m in span executed on falsework.
Structural Shaping of Bridges – A Forgotten Task of Engineers
Authors: Kleiser Michael
Published: December 2014

The design of bridges within the highway infrastructure is mostly driven by very cost-optimized and function-based concepts. To raise public acceptance an architectural revision is often undertaken in the design process resulting in very surface-orientated and wrapped-over design ideas using for example colours, haptic effects and cladding. Many solutions remind on historic examples where technics and art were separately treated and displayed causing not only higher expenses but also maintenance problems. In order to adequately combine aesthetics with economical and technical requirements when operating publicly financed highway infrastructure a merged approach is pursued. The aim of this paper is to challenge engineers to be more involved into the creative process of finding suitable aesthetical forms in addition to its structural duties. He is invited to take advantage of the ingenious process of “Structural Shaping” which involves the engineer-technical thinking combined with a sense of evolving aesthetical structures based on structural approaches.

In 2010 the Austrian motorway and expressway operator, ASFINAG, launched a design initiative to improve the appearance of its highway and expressway network. With a design guideline for bridges the ASFINAG focuses on the aforesaid targets.
Railway Arch Bridge over the Tajo River in the Alcántara Reservoir
Authors: Manterola Javier , Martínez Antonio , Martín Borja , Gil Miguel Ángel , Fuente Silvia , Blanco Lucía
Published: December 2014

Placed in the High-Speed Railway Line Madrid-Extremadura, the bridge has a total length of 1488m. The span distribution is influenced by the crossing of the Tajo River, which takes place with an arch, 324m long, and dividing the deck over it in six spans of 54m each one. The approach spans are 60m long, inserting two transition spans of 57m. The emblematic element of the bridge is aforementioned arch. With curve directrix, it is formed by a hollow variable section between (4.00m

– 3.50m wide; 12.00m – 6.00m high). With its man span length of 324m, it will surpass the bridge over the Contreras Reservoir, currently the largest railway arch bridge executed in Spain.
Structural Design of High-Rise Modular Building Systems
Authors: Hong Sung-Gul , Lee Ji-Hyung , Cho Bong-Ho , Ha Tae-Hyu
Published: December 2014

This study presents the development process of high-rise modular systems for residential buildings. The vertical stacking construction methods of unit modular frame systems for low-rise buildings by simple column connections in the vertical load transfer should be modified for consideration of lateral loading due to wind and earthquake as the height of the buildings increases. Mega-bracing systems and floor diaphragm truss systems are adopted to meet the design criteria for the high-rise modular systems subjected to such lateral loads. This study investigates feasibility of possible lateral resisting subsystems including core wall systems and plane lateral bracing systems. The subsystems involve concrete core systems, steel bracing systems, and mega truss systems to connect with unit modular systems. The comparison study shows that mega-truss systems compatible with unit modular systems from the view point of construction sequence show structural efficiency. The assembly sequence of various modular units of frames and bracings critical to the minimization of field works depend on the connection design satisfying for different requirements. The proposed connection for these requirements must be satisfied with the structural performance and the ease of fabrication. To increase the integrity of whole modular systems a unique connection system of four blocks is proposed for structural performance with four parts of unit frames against lateral loading.
Guyed Towers for Wind Turbines – The taller the better
Authors: Stottrup-Andersen Ulrik , Nielsen Mogens Gunhard , Jespersen Martin
Published: December 2014

Guyed towers for wind turbines make it possible to construct cost effective towers for wind turbines with large hub heights. In many areas as for instance the inlands of Norway, Sweden and Finland there is plenty of space for wind power parks. However these locations often have forest and undulating terrain which creates turbulence in the wind which again will reduce the power production from wind turbines and increase fluctuating loads. Therefore tall towers are desirable as the wind speed is both higher and less turbulent the higher from the terrain.
Exploration of Structural Form of Hybrid Cable-Supported Structures
Authors: Hong Namhee-Kim , Koh Hyun-Moo , Hong Sung-Gul
Published: December 2014

Structural forms of cable structures are broadly grouped into three categories depending on load- resisting system: (1) suspension system; (2) cable-stayed system; and (3) hybrid cable system. In this study, the term ‘hybrid’ refers to the combination of both suspension and cable-stayed systems. Nowadays the hybrid system has been attempted targeting on various purposes including loner span of cable-supported and unique structural shape. In early design stages, when the relationships between structural form and structural behavior can be predictable to some degree, it can be easier to develop structural forms that are both visually and structurally sound. However, when a structure is designed adopting the hybrid cable system, its structural behavior seems more complicated than that of the structure adopting only one system. This study has focused on the development of structural forms of the hybrid cable-supported structures considering load path. The main objectives of this paper are to address two issues: (1) the understanding of the relationship between structural form and structural behavior of the hybrid cable system and (2) the parametric simulation for the exploration of structural forms of the hybrid cable system considering the load path of cable stays and hangers. Some non-scale models were tested to help understand some important aspects including the relationship between structural form and behavior of the hybrid cable system; the constructability; and the relationship between geometric form and visual appealing.