bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Major risk factors of maternal adverse outcome in women with two or more previous cesarean sections
Authors: Egic Amira , Karadzov-Orlic Natasa , Mojovic Donka , Milovanovic Zaga , Vuceljic Jovana , Krsmanovic Suzana
Published: March 2016

Background/Aim. Maternal morbidity is defined as any condition that is attributed to or aggravated by pregnancy and childbirth that has a negative impact on the woman's wellbeing. In recent years, a growing trend of cesarean section rates can be seen throughout the world. The aim of this study was to assess factors that might have major impact on maternal adverse outcome in women with two or more previous cesarean sections. Methods. This retrospective study included women with single term pregnancy after two or more cesarean deliveries in a 10-year period (2004?2013) in the University Clinic ?Narodni front? in Belgrade, Serbia. Medical records were reviewed for clinical data for maternal intraoperative and early postoperative complications regarding gestational age at delivery, the number of previous cesarean sections and mode of surgery (elective or emergency). Results. A total of 551 patients were included in the study. At 37 completed weeks delivered 14.1%, at 38 delivered 45.2% and at 39 completed weeks 40.7% patients. Women younger than 35 years more often delivered after 39 completed weeks compared with those over 35 years (69.2% vs 30.8%, p < 0.05). The overall rate of maternal complications in the study group was 16.5% with no statistical difference by gestational age at delivery. The overall rate of maternal adverse outcome was significantly less in the patients with three as compared with those with four or more cesareans (10.4% vs 66.7%, p < 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between these groups of women regarding complications: scar dehiscence, the presence of adhesions, blood transfusion and admission in intensive care unit. Elective cesarean delivery was with less maternal complications compared with emergency cesarean deliveries (12.9% vs 27.3%, p < 0.05). Conclusion. Termination of pregnancy before completed 39 weeks does not decrease maternal morbidity. The major impact on maternal complications has the number of previous cesarean deliveries (? 3), as well as emergency cesarean section. Patients should be informed about potential risks for maternal health with increasing number of cesarean deliveries, especially after the first cesarean section when counseling in elective repeat cesarean vs trial of labor.
The historical methodology of Anna Komnene: A case study of book XII chapter 3 of the Alexias
Authors: Inoue Koichi
Published: March 2016

In this paper we examine Anna Komnene?s editorial procedure in Book XII
chapter 3 of the Alexias and reappraise her historical methodology. We
investigate the two dates at the end of XII.3.1, which are incompatible: the
indiction does not correspond to the regnal year. Our investigations come to
the following conclusions: Anna composes XII.3 using reliable sources,
Alexios I?s official letters and court logbook; both of the dates originate
in the trustworthy imperial documents that she consulted; the discrepancy
between the two, commonly regarded as a mistake made by Anna, was caused by
editorial work on the text after her death. As far as we can tell from XII.3,
her method of historical composition is entirely clear and this suggests that
the Alexias is a reliable historical source.
Deconstructing the narrative, constructing a meaning: Why was the Alexiad written?
Authors: Vilimonovic Larisa
Published: March 2016

In the present article I offer a narratological approach to Byzantine
historiography and an aim to elucidate the key elements of narrative theory
that would be useful for investigating medieval Byzantine histories and their
complex narrative structures. The focus is put on the key narratological
aspects - genre, author, text and the audience - as those elements represent
the core of literary criticism and contemporary studies of Byzantine
literature. Through useful examples from the Alexiad, I intend to show how
this theoretical vehicle functions and I hope to open a new field of
scholarly communication on the matter of approach towards Byzantine
historiography.
Sava, Stefan Radoslav and Demetrios Chomatenos
Authors: Miljkovic Bojan
Published: March 2016

The paper analyses once again, based on written sources, the relationship
between the uncle - the first Serbian archbishop, and his nephew - the second
Serbian king of the Nemanjic dynasty. It also explores their relations with
the Ohrid Archbishopric, i.e. its then archpastor Demetrios Chomatenos.
Chronologically, the paper spans two decades between the foiled attempt at
marrying Nemanja?s heirs with the Angeloi of Epiros by the middle of the
second decade of the 13th century and Radoslav?s withdrawal from the
historical stage by the middle of the fourth decade of the same century.
Charisma and authority: Toward a hagiographic portrait of St. Sava
Authors: Marjanovic-Dusanic Smilja
Published: March 2016

The paper analyses hagiographical strategies used by the writers of St.
Sava?s vitae, the purpose of which was to delineate clearly the principal
features of the saint?s portrait. Their main concern was to confirm Sava?s
personal charisma and to convey a sense of his saintly authority. The focus
of the paper is on the hagiographical techniques of imitation such as
comparing the hero to biblical models and telling stories of his miracles
that repeat the miracles of Christ himself and the most important saints. The
paper devotes particular attention to those sections of the vitae that
describe Sava?s wielding institutional authority, and it is precisely here
that there are notable similarities between Teodosije?s vita and his
hagiographical model, the vita of St. Sava of Jerusalem by Cyril of
Skythopolis.
‘Imagining’ Babylon - geography and hagiography in St Sava of Serbia’s middle eastern itinerary
Authors: Savic Aleksandar
Published: March 2016

Of all the places St Sava of Serbia had allegedly visited during his second
voyage to the East, the attention of scholars was particularly drawn to those
which the author of his first vita, Domentijan, designated as ?Great Babylon?
and ?Great Egypt?. The article presents a new hypothesis on how this segment
of Sava?s itinerary was (re)constructed on the literary plane, i. e. how the
perspective of his hagiographer, a hieromonk of the Hilandar monastery, was
influenced and shaped by geographical knowledge, personal experience, and
finally, by the general conventions of the vita genre.
A cracked mirror? - forming the ideal ruler in Epirus and Nicaea in the first half of the 13th century
Authors: Vukasinovic Milan
Published: March 2016

During the first half of the 13th century both Byzantine Empire and the image
of its ideal ruler had to undergo a transformation. By applying mostly the
narratological analysis to the parenetic texts written in the two successor
states of the Empire, the paper sheds light on the dynamic ?negotiations?
within the Roman elites of the place that the Emperor should have inside the
symbolic order, and suggests a possible model of approach to other Byzantine
texts and periods.
Secular life's behaviours and debauchery among nuns: An unedited homily by the patriarch of Constantinople Kallistos I.
Authors: Paidas Constantine
Published: March 2016

In the present study, the homily 'O????? ???? ??????????? ??? ?? p???? ???
????? ??????, ??, ?????????? ??????????? by the patriarch of Constantinople
Kallistos I, given by two mss. codices of Mt. Athos, the codex 8 of Hilandar
monastery (ff. 324r-329r) and the codex 1074 of Panteleemon monastery (ff.
206v-210v), is edited for the first time. In the edited homily patriarch
Kallistos addresses to the nuns of a particular monastery (probably in
Constantinople). The content of the homily makes it clear that the patriarch
had received specific accusations, according to which these nuns had given
up the basic principles of monastic life and had been seized with passions
totally opposite to the monastic oaths they had taken.
The Effect of Networked Clients' Economic Importance on Audit Quality
Authors: Hossain Sarowar , Monroe Gary S. , Wilson Mark , Jubb Christine
Published: March 2016

In this study, we examine the association between audit quality and networked clients' economic importance. We consider networks of clients that result from audit committee member-audit partner interlocks. These interlocks occur when an audit committee member of a company is also an audit committee member of other companies that are audited by a common audit firm and audit partner. The audit partner may perceive that future fee income from the network of interlocked companies may be affected by disputes with the management of an interlocked client company. These economic ties have the potential to erode auditor independence and, as a consequence, reduce audit quality. The test variables include measures of network fee dependence based on the audit partner's fees generated from the networked clients created by audit committee member-audit partner interlocks. Audit quality is proxied by the likelihood of issuing a first-time going-concern modified audit report and the absolute value of discretionary accruals. Regressions on unrestricted and propensity score matched samples provide consistent evidence that audit partner dependence on fees from other companies in the network reduce audit quality.

JEL Classifications: G34; M41; M42.

Data Availability: All data used in this paper are publicly available.
Evaluating the Intentionality of Identified Misstatements: How Perspective Can Help Auditors in Distinguishing Errors from Fraud
Authors: Hamilton Erin L.
Published: March 2016

Although auditors are responsible for detecting misstatements arising from either error or fraud, the auditing standards require very different audit responses when a misstatement is believed to be the result of an intentional act (AS No. 14, PCAOB 2010a). Specifically, if auditors suspect intentional misstatement, then they should perform additional audit procedures, reassess overall fraud risk and the integrity of management, and communicate potential concerns to the audit committee. Thus, if auditors fail to recognize and respond to information indicating a misstatement was caused intentionally, then audit quality may be impaired. The objective of this study is to investigate whether auditors who consider the perspective of the manager responsible for a misstatement's occurrence are more sensitive to circumstances indicating the misstatement was intentional. Using an experiment with audit managers and senior managers, I find that auditors who consider the client manager's perspective assess the misstatement as significantly more likely to be intentional when circumstances surrounding it indicate high, as opposed to low, fraud risk. In contrast, auditors who do not consider the client manager's perspective do not assess intentionality any differently, regardless of the level of fraud risk.
Understanding the Relation between Financial Reporting Quality and Audit Quality
Authors: Gaynor Lisa Milici , Kelton Andrea Seaton , Mercer Molly , Yohn Teri Lombardi
Published: March 2016

A primary goal of both financial reporting research and audit research is to understand the determinants of quality, and researchers in both areas have identified a wide set of variables that enhance or impair quality. In this paper, we define financial reporting quality and audit quality and use a person/task/environment framework to summarize prior findings on the determinants of each. We use this framework to discuss the links between the financial reporting and audit academic literatures and highlight the recursive relation between financial reporting quality and audit quality. Our discussion provides insights and suggestions on how financial reporting and audit researchers can learn from each other to improve our collective understanding of financial reporting and audit quality. Using this framework, we also identify opportunities for future research.
Comments by the Auditing Standards Committee of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association on FASB Exposure Draft of Proposed Accounting Standard Update: Notes to Financial Statements (Topic 235): Assessing Whether Disclosures Are Material
Authors: Anderson Urton L. , Doxey Marcus M. , Geiger Marshall A. , Gist Willie E. , Janvrin Diane J. , Polinski Paul W.
Published: March 2016

On September 24, 2015 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) solicited public comments on a proposed Accounting Standards Update of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification. The stated objective is to improve the effectiveness of footnote disclosures to financial statement users. The focus of the Update is to clarify the way materiality should be considered when assessing requirements for providing information in the notes. The comment period ended on December 8, 2015. This commentary summarizes the contributors' views on these amendments.

Data Availability: The exposure draft of Proposed Accounting Standard Update: Notes to Financial Statements (Topic 235): Assessing Whether Disclosures Are Material is available at: http://www.fasb.org/cs/ContentServer?c= Document_C&pagename=FASB%2FDocument_C%2FDocumentPage&cid=1176166402325
Viewpoint: Stochastic research, management implications, and the Journal of Range Management
Authors: Scarnecchia David L. ,   Society for Range Management
Published: March 2016

This viewpoint paper examines criteria for preparing and evaluating manuscripts that involve stochastic approaches. Increasing use of stochastic mathematics to address inherent uncertainty in natural systems has meant increasing challenges to write and evaluate the manuscripts reporting such research. The paper provides a set of criteria directed at aiding authors, referees and associate editors in writing and evaluating this research. The paper asserts that for research papers to be acceptable to a management science journal such as the Journal of Range Management, they should at least be mathematically appropriate, functionally valid, pragmatically justified, technically comprehensible, and generally readable. It then examines the relationship of the concept of synthesis to the management implications sections of journal articles. The paper advocates increased attention to the concept of synthesis in making papers that report stochastic research in particular, and technical research in general, more understandable to readers, and more useful in range management science.
Patient Perspectives on Participation in Cognitive Functional Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain
Authors: Bunzli Samantha , McEvoy Sarah , Dankaerts Wim , O'Sullivan Peter , O'Sullivan Kieran
Published: March 2016

Background

Cognitive functional therapy (CFT) has been shown to reduce pain and disability in people with chronic low back pain.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate participants' experience of CFT by comparing participants who reported differing levels of improvement after participation in CFT, potentially yielding insight into the implementation of this approach.

Design

This was a noninterventional, cross-sectional, qualitative study with an interpretive description framework.

Methods

Individuals who had participated in CFT in 2 physical therapy settings (in Ireland and Australia) were recruited through purposive sampling based on disability outcomes postintervention (n=9), and theoretical sampling (n=5). This sampling strategy was used to capture a range of participant experiences but was not used to define the final qualitative groupings. Semistructured interviews were conducted 3 to 6 months postintervention.

Results

Three groups emerged from the qualitative analysis: large improvers, small improvers, and unchanged. Two themes encapsulating the key requirements in achieving a successful outcome through CFT were identified: (1) changing pain beliefs and (2) achieving independence. Changing pain beliefs to a more biopsychosocial perspective required a strong therapeutic alliance, development of body awareness, and the experience of control over pain. Independence was achieved by large improvers through newly cultivated problem-solving skills, self-efficacy, decreased fear of pain, and improved stress coping. Residual fear and poor stress coping meant that small improvers were easily distressed and lacked independence. Those who were unchanged continued to feel defined by their pain and retained a biomedical perspective.

Conclusions

A successful outcome after CFT is dependent on instilling biopsychosocial pain beliefs and developing independence among participants. Small improvers may require ongoing support to maintain results. Further study is needed to elucidate the optimal approach for those who were unchanged.
Major sustainability drives on a large project, the Queen Elizabeth Park.
Authors: Kirk Martin
Published: March 2016

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park was the main venue for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The vision for the site included its transformation into a legacy park with additional housing and other significant societal benefits.

The engineers within the client, designer and contractor organisations have ensured that sustainability in all its different aspects have been seriously considered and positively addressed. This has led to a project which has received various awards for sustainability.
Material quantities and embodied carbon of footbridges
Authors: De Wolf Catherine , Bianquis Rosalie , Ochsendorf John , Verbeeck Kenny
Published: March 2016

The current sustainability assessment methods in the building sector comprise two shortcomings, especially for the environmental impact of bridges, special structures and artworks: they focus mainly on operational energy and they cannot be extrapolated to all infrastructure projects. This paper looks at the environmental impact of footbridges in order to develop a first step toward a methodology to calculate the embodied carbon of infrastructure projects.

Life cycle energy in buildings includes operational energy for heating, cooling, hot water, ventilation, lighting on one hand and embodied energy for material supply, production, transport, construction and disassembly on the other. When looking at infrastructure projects, the embodied carbon becomes the main part of the environmental impact. A methodology is established to calculate the embodied carbon of such structures and is applied to a survey of footbridges.
Build with weathering steel: environmental and economic impacts – Tramway Bridge in Paris suburbs
Authors: Michel Loïc , Gogny Eric
Published: March 2016

The new tramway line T7 is located in Paris South suburbs; the line is 11 km in length. Many new bridges were built; the main one is a composite bridge crossing the A86 motorway. The deck is a composite box-girder made of weathering steel and reinforced concrete slab. High constraints for road operation have been imposed by the A86 motorway administrator. A multi-criteria analysis of different bridge solutions, including a life cycle cost analysis, demonstrated the economic and environmental interest of using weathering steel for the deck.
Innovative construction system for sustainable buildings
Authors: Loss Cristiano , Piazza Maurizio , Zandonini Riccardo
Published: March 2016

This paper deals with a contemporary integrated and sustainable construction technology for new residential buildings. Specifically, this research aims at developing innovative steel-timber hybrid structures which allow a rapid assembly of the individual prefabricated components, minimizing the construction times and limiting the costs of the work. The numerical analyses performed on a multi-storey building for social housing will be presented and discussed. The in-plane behaviour of the floors and shear walls will be analysed, considering in particular the types and arrangement of the different timber- and steel-timber joints. The connections to be used among the construction elements will be selected in order to develop a sufficient stiffness, ductility and bearing capacity according to the design criteria for seismic-resistant structures. These connections allow to enhance the on-site assembly operations, therefore working effectively also under harsh climatic conditions.
Integrated Embodied Carbon Optimal Design of Super Tall Building Structures with Viscous Dampers
Authors: Zhao Xin , Shi Tao
Published: March 2016

The past decade has witnessed the great development of super tall buildings in China. On the one hand super tall buildings can occupy more people in limited habitable lands, but on the other large number of super tall buildings also consume huge resources and cause high carbon emission intensity. Viscous dampers can effectively improve the energy dissipation capacity of super tall building structures under earthquakes. The quantity of carbon emission in a super tall building can be reduced by the introduction of viscous dampers due to the two facts. One is that the material consumption of the main structures can be reduced by the reduction of earthquake action, and the other is that the seismic rehabilitation efforts can be less due to the alleviation of structural damage during earthquakes. This paper addresses the integrated optimal design of super tall building structures with viscous dampers aiming to minimize the embodied carbon consumed in the construction stage. This paper proposed an integrated optimal design method to minimize the embodied carbon of main structure with viscous dampers under the condition that the seismic performance of the main structure will remain the same level. A super tall building located in high seismicity area was applied in the last part of the paper to illustrate the proposed integrated embodied carbon optimal design method. Numerical analysis results show that the proposed method is reasonable and can effectively reduce the overall embodied carbon of super tall building structures.
Numerical modelling of UHPC and TRC sandwich elements for building envelopes
Authors: Miccoli Lorenzo , Fontana Patrick , Johansson Gabriel , Zandi Kamyab , Williams Portal Natalie , Müller Urs
Published: March 2016

In this paper a modelling approach is presented to reproduce the mechanical behaviour of sandwich panels via finite element analysis. Two types of panels were investigated in this scope of work. The first sandwich element was a textile reinforced concrete (TRC) panel with cellular lightweight concrete insulation and the second configuration was an ultra-high performances concrete (UHPC) panel with aerated autoclaved concrete insulation. The goal was to obtain a reliable numerical strategy that represents a reasonable compromise in terms of sufficient accuracy of the element characteristics and the computational costs. The results show the possibility of describing the composite action in a full sandwich panel. The achieved modelling approach will later be used for the optimization of TRC and UHPC panels in terms of minimizing the thickness, identifying the number and location of connectors, as well as evaluating varying anchorage systems.
Effect of Statistical Uncertainties in Ground Snow Load on Structural Reliability
Authors: Rózsás Árpád , Sýkora Miroslav
Published: March 2016

This paper studies the effect of commonly neglected statistical uncertainties on structural reliability. The failure probability of a generic structural member, subjected to snow load is analysed using frequentist and Bayesian techniques to quantify parameter estimation and model selection uncertainties in ground snow load. Various variable to dead load ratios are considered to cover a wide range of real structures. The analysis reveals that statistical uncertainties may have a substantial effect on reliability. By accounting for parameter estimation uncertainty, the failure probability can increase by more than an order of magnitude. Bayesian posterior predictive distribution is recommended to incorporate parameter estimation uncertainty in reliability studies.
Geometry and Parametric modeling in the Conceptual Design of Bridges
Authors: Romo José , Boegle Annette , Meyboom Annalisa
Published: March 2016

Parametric techniques are developing as an agile tool in both civil engineering and architectural design. What is especially powerful is the ability of these softwares to relate and iterate through multiple options with minimal effort. The tools that combine a parametric definition of the bridge with a 3D graphic and a FEM model gives the designer the opportunity to analyse instantaneously, the effect in the variation of the variable parameters in terms of visual appearance as well as structural behaviour simultaneously. Therefore parametric design is a valuable tool in the conceptual design phase where the geometric decisions made are the most structurally and architecturally impactful.
Curved shell-supported footbridges
Authors: Fenu Luigi , Briseghella Bruno , Zordan Tobia
Published: March 2016

After Maillart’s curved bridges, the improved building technologies in structural concrete and steel work led designers to realize different typologies of curved bridges. Jörg Schlaich’s contribution in the design of curved bridges has been fundamental, through developing different typologies of suspended and cable-stayed curved bridges. In the ‘60s of the past century, Sergio Musmeci gave another innovative contribution to bridge design, by shaping shell supported bridges with minimal shell surface, and finally realizing the Basento Bridge in Potenza, Italy, a concrete shell bridge considered as his masterpiece. Accounting for Schlaich’s and Musmeci’s work on, respectively, curved and shell bridges, a curved footbridge supported by an anticlastic concrete shell with minimal surface is herein studied. The influence of the boundary conditions on bridge shape, and the advantages of prestressing the ring girder supporting the cantilevered deck are studied.
Potential for an adaptive reuse of a national cultural property building- Case study of a former sugar factory in Sofia, Bulgaria
Authors: Traykova Marina , Metalkova-Markova Milena
Published: March 2016

This paper addresses a possibility for an adaptive reuse of the historic compound known as the “Sugar Factory” (“Zaharna Fabrika”) in Sofia city, the capital of Bulgaria. The compound consists of several buildings and it is a national cultural property of Bulgaria. The main buildings are “Big Factory Building” and “Small Factory Building”. Both buildings are typical representative of an industrial construction system and architecture from the end of the 19th century.

This paper will try to draw a possible positive future scenario of this national cultural treasure (at present a private property) where an adaptive reuse of the existing buildings would take into account the actual conditions of its structural elements, reconsider a large palette of new type of mixed use functions in order to transform the historic compound into a new “cultural heart” of the city of Sofia.
Three Case Studies of Construction History Applied to the Assessment of Engineering Heritage Structures
Authors: Espion B. , Rammer Y. , Hellebois A. , Provost M.
Published: March 2016

The paper will illustrate the contribution of research into Construction History in condition assessment or residual carrying capacity situations for three old types of concrete constructions. We will address:

the problem of assessing the actual carrying capacity of "Hennebique" reinforced concrete type beams with their characteristic reinforcement system, widespread in many countries before the First World War.

the replacement of the external post-tensioning tendons within a hollow box girder railway bridge built in the early 1960s with the "Blaton-Magnel" anchorage system developed in Belgium from 1941 onwards, and used until the early 1960s, in Belgium and abroad.

the structural assessment of thin concrete hyperbolic paraboloid shells, which were highly popular with architects and engineers in 1950s-1960s.
Frost damage and restoration of limestone domes and spheres of heritage buildings
Authors: Van Bogaert Philippe
Published: March 2016

Recent inspections of the limestone ornaments and especially the domes of the southern pressure house in Antwerp have revealed heavy deteriorations and cracking. Before deciding on refurbishment actions, the question rose whether the damage can be due to water ingress and subsequent cracking. A theoretical model of ice growth in cracks has been applied to a numerical simulation of crack growth of the domes. The results of this numerical model definitely show that, since limestone has sufficient porosity, frost is unable to initiate a progressive process of crack growth and consequent failure, since both tensile stress at the crack tip and compression at the crack surface are too small to start such a mechanism. In addition, the crack width, caused by frost is rather small compared to the observed patterns. Deteriorations of the limestone parts are due to the effect of carbonite solution, accelerated by acid rain. The maximum pressure for repair by injections can be easily derived from the numerical results.
Cable Supported Pedestrian Bridges in Remote Locations of the Swiss Alps
Authors: Bechtold Martin , Eicher Manuel , Schmocker Niklaus , Dietrich Martin
Published: March 2016

Steel cable supported pedestrian bridges are light weight structures. This makes them suitable for

landmark structures,

sustainable, material saving “green” structures and

transparent structures which blend into an existing environment without dominating it too much.

In remote areas the aspect of light weight does not only play a role within the finished structure but also during transport and installation. Experience in operating in mountainous areas as for aerial ropeways helps to take on these challenges with the right partners. The paper describes three pedestrian bridges in remote locations of the Swiss Alps which were realized by the same designer, contractor and rope manufacturer. It shows the challenges and solutions in design, manufacture, transport and installation in the context of functionality, economics and the surrounding landscape.
Conceptual Bridge Design beyond Signature Structures
Authors: Kaufmann Walter , Meier Beat
Published: March 2016

The present paper outlines important aspects of the collaboration in interdisciplinary bridge de- sign teams, using some of the authors’ recent successful projects as illustrative examples. It is em- phasized that design competitions have significantly contributed to the fact that in Switzerland – contrary to international tendencies – hardly any sculptural, inefficient and excessively expensive bridges were built over the past decades, while aesthetic criteria and innovative approaches are appreciated even in the design of minor bridges and civil engineering structures.
Developing Cost-Effective Rib-to-Deck Plate Connections for Steel Orthotropic Bridge Decks
Authors: Mukherjee Soham , Roy Sougata
Published: March 2016

Cost-effective rib-to-deck plate connections is the key to economic fabrication of steel orthotropic bridge decks. A partial joint penetration (PJP) groove weld with a 70~80% penetration and a tight fit-up gap (≤0,02 in.) are often specified for this connection. Efforts for optimizing fabrication parameters and destructive or non-destructive inspections for adequate penetration often increase the cost of fabrication. Recently, a research was conducted at Lehigh University, where the effect of different fabrication parameters were investigated, and the efficacy of modern Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) for inspecting the weld penetrations was evaluated. The research provided valuable insight into the critical fabrication parameters for developing cost- effective rib-to-deck plate connections and identified the limits of PAUT in consistent measurement of weld penetration.
Time-Dependent Bending Moment Analysis for Pile-Raft Foundation of Super Tall Buildings
Authors: Liu Shehong , Yuan Juyun , Zhao Xin
Published: March 2016

In the interaction process of superstructure and foundation for super tall buildings, materials, structures and loads all are time-dependent. With the substantially increasing of super tall buildings and the rapid development of computer technology, the time-dependent interaction study also has made great progress, and this issue has received more and more attention in the engineering filed. By considering the time-dependent features of settlement and superstructure, the interaction of super tall buildings and foundation is analyzed through using time-slicing approach in this paper. Comprehensively taking into account the coupling effects of time- dependent actions, this paper discussed the time-dependent effect for raft bending moment considering construction process in super tall buildings. The analysis results show that the bending moment differences in super tall buildings raft caused by the time-dependent effect are within permissible range of engineering practice. That is to say, the traditional lumped analysis method can be able to meet the calculation accuracy requirements of the raft bending moment.
Sensitivity analysis of wind-induced acceleration on design variables for super tall buildings
Authors: Zhao Xin , Jiang Xiang
Published: March 2016

With the increase of height and flexibility of modern super tall buildings, the structural wind- induced vibrations become significant due to strong wind loads. The wind-induced dynamic effects may adversely cause occupant discomfort with excessive peak acceleration. It is common practice to specify a structural acceleration limit as occupant comfort criteria in super tall building design. There are two measures to reduce the wind-induced acceleration responses when they exceed the comfort criteria. One measure is to obsorb dynamic energy by installing supplementary damping systems, and the other measure is to fine-tune design variables of structural members according to structural optimization principles. When the acceleration responses exceed the comfort criteria with large margins, it is cost-effective to use dampers to mitigate peak acceleration. There are however many cases in engineering practices that the margins over the comfort criteria are small. Structural optimization method can be more convenient for small over-criteria margin cases. This paper addresses the sensitivities of wind-induced acceleration on design variables of typical structural members for super tall buildings. The relations between wind-induced acceleration and design variables of typical structural members, say the mega columns, outrigger trusses, belt trusses and core walls are derived, and the senstivities can then be obtained for critical members. A real super tall building project is taken as an example in the last part of this paper to show the sensitivities of wind-induced acceleration on the design variables. The sensitivity analysis results obtained in this study can be further applied in the structural optimization of super tall buildings under acceleration constraint.
The Recent Cable and Deck Erection Methods Applied in Various Types of Suspension Bridges in Korea
Authors: Kim Jaehong , Lee Minjae , Kim Jungin , Choi Jinhyuk
Published: March 2016

As the designs for the modern structures are given attention to both function and aesthetics, various types of suspension bridges have begun to emerge recently in the world. Although the fundamental concept of cable and deck erection of suspension bridges have not gone through noticeable changes since the 1800s, sustainable developments for detailed erection methods were witnessed throughout the last century such as improved wire tension adjustment scheme, pre- fabricated PWS(PPWS) method, site-fabricated PWS method, high strength wire and high capacity equipment with improved functions.

As a part of this global trend, almost all types of suspension bridges were built simultaneously in Korea for the past decade. Consequently, the corresponding erection methods have been developed in terms of the theories, materials and related equipment. This paper focuses on the introduction of the main features of the erection methods for five types of suspension bridges in Korea: ①self-anchored(by PPWS) with mono cable, ②conventional type with long span(by Air- Spinning, AS), ③long single-span(by AS), ④three-dimensional cables with single pylon(by AS), and

⑤multi-span with three pylons(by PPWS). The cost-effective solutions to overcome the technical challenges are established and most of the projects have finally come to a successful completion. These cable and deck erection cases described here are expected to be helpful information to find the optimal construction methods, and more generally, to plan the new types of suspension bridges such as causeway or strait crossing projects.
Temperature Effect on Continuous Modal Parameter Identification of Cable Stayed Bridge
Authors: Khan Inamullah , Shan Deshan , Li Qiao , Nan Feilong
Published: March 2016

In order to carry out the continuous modal parameter identification, temperature plays a vital role to effect the modal parameters identification process, therefore to investigate the temperature effect on modal frequencies is of extreme importance. For this purpose Sutong bridge a long span cable stayed bridge, having a main span of 1088m was selected as a case study, then the temperature effect was investigated on the real life data obtained from Sutong bridge. Furthermore continuous modal parameter identification was carried out using covariance driven recursive stochastic subspace identification (CO-RSSI), specially keeping in view the temperature effect on the natural frequency of cable stayed bridge and it was revealed form the analysis that there exist a positive correlation between the identified frequency and temperature. The results obtained provides very useful information and will prove to be very effective in bridge health monitoring specially for dealing with the temperature effect on continuous long term operational monitoring.
Simulation of the time-dependent phenomena effects in staggered erected cable-stayed bridges
Authors: Lozano Galant Jose Antonio , Dong Xu , Turmo José
Published: March 2016

In a staggered erected cable-stayed bridge made of concrete, time-dependent phenomena effects might play an important role in both its geometry and its stress state. To guarantee that allowable stresses and deflections are not exceeded during erection, a number of simulation methods are presented in the literature. Some of these methods, concretely those based on a backward simulation approach, fail addressing the effects of the time-dependent phenomena. To simulate these effects, methods based on the forward simulation approach are traditionally followed. Nevertheless, the main trade-off of these algorithms is that their computation is based on complex iterative processes that make simulation more time consuming. To fill this gap, a new simulation algorithm, the Forward-Direct Algorithm (FDA), is formally presented in this paper to simulate the construction process of cable-stayed bridges including the time-dependent phenomena effects.
Evaluation of a minimum flexural reinforcement ratio using fracture-based modelling
Authors: Fayyad Tahreer M. , Lees Janet M.
Published: March 2016

Minimum reinforcement ratios are specified for reinforced concrete structures to provide enough ductility. The aims are to control cracking in the serviceability limit state and to prevent sudden failure by ensuring sufficient ductility after the loss of tensile stress in concrete due to cracking. This can provide a warning before collapse and time to take preventive or remedial measures. A review of past research reveals that there are large variations, and sometimes contradictions, in proposed minimum reinforcement requirements for flexural members. In this paper, a fracture mechanics-based model is used to study different local phenomena such as tensile and compressive concrete softening to more precisely describe the behaviour of reinforced concrete beams. The findings show a decrease in the minimum reinforcement ratio with increasing beam size. This contradicts the provisions of prevailing codes and standards which suggest no change in the minimum reinforcement ratio with size. Therefore, there is a need to review the minimum reinforcement provisions.
Objectivity, Bias, and Advocacy in Expert Forensic Testimony Concerning the Standard of Care
Authors: Kardon Joshua
Published: March 2016

Expert witnesses are allowed to provide opinion testimony for the purpose of aiding judges or juries in answering questions the domains of which are outside the areas of knowledge of normally competent lay people. The arena within which expert witnesses act is often one of dispute, argument, and adversity. An expert may be asked to express an opinion concerning another professional’s performance relative to the “standard of care,” which can be thought of as the boundary between negligence and non-negligence. An expert witness’s testimony may be favorable to one side over another, and expert witnesses may testify for either side, yet the expert is expected to be objective and unbiased. There are some who contend the expert witness must not be an “advocate” for one side of a matter at trial. This paper first presents a definition of the standard of care, then describes the role and limits of objectivity, bias, and advocacy on the part of the expert witness.
Lessons from Confidential Reporting on Structural Safety
Authors: Soane Alastair
Published: March 2016

The UK CROSS system collects information on the concerns of civil and structural engineers which have led to near misses, or failures including collapses. Reports to CROSS are stripped of identifying features and reviewed by a panel of experts who give comments and advice as to how similar situations may be avoided in the future. Reports and comments are published quarterly in on-line Newsletters and are added to a web site data base. This free resource is used by practitioners, educators, regulators and others. Trends have included problems with; structural fixings, tension systems, anomalous documentation and imported products, building control, equipment failure, competency, items falling from buildings, contractors changing designs on site, and more. The aims are to encourage change in the way that engineers approach issues that are safety critical.
The Practice of Forensic Structural Engineering in IABSE Member Countries: Review of a Survey
Authors: Palmisano Fabrizio , Ratay Robert T.
Published: March 2016

The IABSE Working Group on Forensic Structural Engineering aims to examine and mitigate failures, improve the professional practice of forensic structural engineering, and facilitate the dissemination and application of failure information to structural design and construction throughout the world.

This article is the second progress report on the evaluation of the Working Group’s completed, and recently revitalized, survey of the forensic engineering practices in the IABSE member countries. The intent of the article is to familiarize the reader with the state of forensic engineering practices in the IABSE member countries, and urge the adoption of good practices by following the successful models of some of the countries.
Risk-based models and requirements for building structures with high failure consequences
Authors: Tanner Peter , Hingorani Ramón
Published: March 2016

The present study explores methods and tools for the practical application of explicit risk analysis methods. Structure-related risks to persons are established on the grounds of the probability of structural failure and its consequences in terms of loss of human life. The procedure adopted is applied to a representative set of structures for densely occupied buildings, for which explicit risk- analysis is of particular interest in light of the potentially high consequences to personal integrity. Acceptance criteria for risks to persons associated with such structures are deduced from the findings. These criteria provide a rational basis for decision-making in structural engineering. They may be used in explicit risk analysis or as a basis for the consistent calibration of simplified models and partial factors for structural design and assessment of existing structures.
Fire Risk Management for Highway Bridges in Korea
Authors: Gil Heungbae , Seo Sanggil , Park Cheolwoo
Published: March 2016

A number of bridges on Korean highways have been damaged by fires in recent years. Most of these fires were caused by tanker trucks. In 2010, a gasoline tanker truck parked under a steel box girder bridge caught fire and caused partial collapse of the bridge. To protect bridges against fires, a bridge fire risk assessment procedure and fire-resistant design guidelines were developed in this study. The fire risk assessment procedure is composed of three main steps: Preliminary Risk Analysis (PRA), Simplified Risk Analysis (SRA), and Detailed Risk Analysis (DRA). The fire occurrence probability, vulnerability, and importance of bridges are considered in the risk assessment procedure. For high-risk bridges, fire-resistant designs must be implemented. Two important design considerations are bridge clearance height and under-bridge conditions.
Enhancing Fire Resistance Performance of Precast Concrete Load- Bearing Walls by Using Polypropylene Fibers and Wire Mesh
Authors: Pothisiri Thanyawat
Published: March 2016

The use of polypropylene (PP) fibers and wire mesh is investigated in this study to enhance the spalling resistance of precast concrete load-bearing walls exposed to fire. A series of fire tests are carried out on precast concrete load-bearing walls with varying proportions of PP fibers in the concrete mixture in conjunction with the installation of wire mesh using 15 mm concrete cover. The walls are exposed to ISO 834-1 standard fire on one side for the target heating duration of 180 min. Based on the experimental results, it can be concluded that the use of PP fibers of 0.05-0.2% by volume in the concrete mixture can effectively increase the spalling resistance of precast concrete load-bearing walls, while the installation of wire mesh has a negative impact on the walls’ fire-resisting performance. Furthermore, the use of wire mesh in conjunction with PP fiber does not enhance the spalling resistance of the concrete walls, compared with using PP fiber alone.
An implementation of expected utility theory in a civil engineering decision problem
Authors: Cappello Carlo , Zandonini Riccardo , Zonta Daniele
Published: March 2016

Decisions concerning bridge management often rely on experience, engineering judgement and heuristics. In this contribution, with the aid of a real-life case study, we show how a bridge management strategy can be optimized scientifically by applying expected utility theory, a framework already used in econometrics and medicine in order to identify optimal actions in agreement with a risk profile. We show how the engineering decision problem is modelled and how expected utility theory is implemented in order to obtain a set of decision rules that enables the decision maker to identify the optimal action based on structural reliability and costs. The results show that the implementation of expected utility theory in ordinary civil engineering problems is feasible and provides results based on the the risk profile taken into account during the calibration of the model.