Antimetabolites in cataract surgery to prevent failure of a previous trabeculectomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Roger E; Crichton, Andrew; Thomas, Bennett C

2014-07-28

Patients having cataract surgery have often earlier undergone a trabeculectomy for glaucoma. However, cataract surgery may be associated with failure of the previous glaucoma surgery and antimetabolites may be used with cataract surgery to prevent such failure. There is no systematic review on whether antimetabolites with cataract surgery prevent failure of a previous trabeculectomy. To assess the effects of antimetabolites with cataract surgery on functioning of a previous trabeculectomy. We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register) (2014, Issue 5), Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid MEDLINE In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE Daily, Ovid OLDMEDLINE (January 1946 to June 2014), EMBASE (January 1980 to June 2014), Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature Database (LILACS) (January 1982 to June 2014), the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) (www.controlled-trials.com), ClinicalTrials.gov (www.clinicaltrials.gov) and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (www.who.int/ictrp/search/en). We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic searches for trials. We last searched the electronic databases on 10 June 2014. We also searched the Science Citation Index database (July 2013) and reference lists of potentially relevant studies. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of antimetabolites with cataract surgery in people with a functioning trabeculectomy. Two review authors independently reviewed the titles and abstracts from the electronic searches. Two review authors independently assessed relevant full-text articles and entered data. We identified no RCTs to test the effectiveness of antimetabolites with cataract surgery in individuals with the intention of preventing failure of a previous trabeculectomy. There are no RCTs of antimetabolites with cataract surgery in people with a functioning trabeculectomy. Appropriately powered RCTs

The elastic-plastic failure assessment diagram of surface cracked structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ning, J.; Gao, Q.

1987-01-01

The simplified NLSM is able to calculate the EPFM parameters and failure assessment curve for the surface cracked structure correctly and conveniently. The elastic-plastic failure assessment curve of surface crack is relevant to crack geometry, loading form and material deformation behaviour. It is necessary to construct the EPFM failure assessment curve of the surface crack for the failure assessment of surface cracked structure. (orig./HP)

On possibilities of using global monitoring in effective prevention of tailings storage facilities failures.

Science.gov (United States)

Stefaniak, Katarzyna; Wróżyńska, Magdalena

2018-02-01

Protection of common natural goods is one of the greatest challenges man faces every day. Extracting and processing natural resources such as mineral deposits contributes to the transformation of the natural environment. The number of activities designed to keep balance are undertaken in accordance with the concept of integrated order. One of them is the use of comprehensive systems of tailings storage facility monitoring. Despite the monitoring, system failures still occur. The quantitative aspect of the failures illustrates both the scale of the problem and the quantitative aspect of the consequences of tailings storage facility failures. The paper presents vast possibilities provided by the global monitoring in the effective prevention of these failures. Particular attention is drawn to the potential of using multidirectional monitoring, including technical and environmental monitoring by the example of one of the world's biggest hydrotechnical constructions-Żelazny Most Tailings Storage Facility (TSF), Poland. Analysis of monitoring data allows to take preventive action against construction failures of facility dams, which can have devastating effects on human life and the natural environment.

Evaluation of a cavity flooding strategy for the prevention of reactor vessel failure in a severe accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Rae Joon; Je, Moo Sung; Park, Chang Kyoo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, TaeJon (Korea, Republic of)

1994-10-01

As a part of the evaluation of accident management strategies for severe accident prevention or mitigation in a station blackout scenario for YGN 3 and 4, an external vessel cooling strategy for the prevention of reactor vessel failure has been estimated using the MAAP4 computer code. The sensitivity studies have been performed such as actuating timings and the number of spray pumps used. To explore external vessel cooling strategies, containment spray pumps were actuated by varying time spanning core uncovery, core melting and relocation of molten core material. It was shown that flooding of the reactor cavity using the containment spray system may prevent reactor vessel failure but may not prevent the failure of the relocation of molten core material during the station blackout sequence of YGN 3 and 4. Reactor vessel failure can be prevented by external vessel cooling using condensed water from the operation of two containment spray pumps at the time of core melting and using water from the operation of one containment spray pumps at the time of core melting and using water from the operation of one containment spray pump at the time of core uncovery. (Author) 46 refs., 26 figs., 5 tabs.

Bridging the gap in heart failure prevention: rationale and design of the Nurse-led Intervention for Less Chronic Heart Failure (NIL-CHF) Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carrington, Melinda J; Stewart, Simon; de Courten, Barbora

2010-01-01

AIMS: The primary objective of the Nurse-led Intervention for Less Chronic Heart Failure (NIL-CHF) Study is to develop a programme of care that cost-effectively prevents the development of chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods NIL-CHF is a randomized controlled trial of a hybrid, home- and clinic-...

Study on structural failure of RPV with geometric discontinuity under severe accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mao, J.F., E-mail: jianfeng-mao@163.com [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Engineering Research Center of Process Equipment and Re-manufacturing, Ministry of Education (China); Zhu, J.W. [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Department of Mechanical and Electrical engineering, Huzhou Vocational & Technical College Huzhou, Zhejiang 313000 (China); Bao, S.Y., E-mail: bsy@zjut.edu.cn [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Engineering Research Center of Process Equipment and Re-manufacturing, Ministry of Education (China); Luo, L.J. [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Gao, Z.L. [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Engineering Research Center of Process Equipment and Re-manufacturing, Ministry of Education (China)

2016-10-15

Highlights: • The RPV failure is investigated in depth under severe accident. • The creep and plastic damage are the major contributor to RPV failure. • A elastic core is found at the midpoint of the highly-eroded region. • Weakest location has some ‘accommodating’ quality to prevent ductile tearing. • The internal pressure is critical for the determination of structural failure. - Abstract: A severe accident management strategy known as ‘in-vessel retention (IVR)’ is widely adopted in most of advanced nuclear power plants. The IVR mitigation is assumed to be able to arrest the degraded melting core and maintain the structural integrity of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) within a prescribed period of time. This traditional concept of IVR without consideration of internal pressure effect wasn’t challenged until the occurrence of Fukushima accident on 2011, which showed that the structural behavior had not been appropriately assessed, and a certain pressure (up to 8.0 MPa) still existed inside the RPV. Accordingly, the paper tries to address the related issue on whether lower head (LH) integrity can be maintained, when the LH is subjected to the thermal-mechanical loads created during such a severe accident. Because of the presence of the high temperature melt (∼1300 °C) on the inside of RPV, some local material is melted down to create a unique RPV with geometric discontinuity, while the outside of RPV submerged in cavity water will remain in nucleate boiling (at ∼150 °C). Therefore, the failure mechanisms of RPV can span a wide range of structural behaviors, such as melt-through, creep damage, plastic yielding as well as thermal expansion. Through meticulous investigation, it is found that the RPV failure is mainly caused by creep and plasticity, especially for the inside of highly-eroded region. The elastic core (or layer) is found to exist in the proximity of mid-section of the highly-eroded wall. However, the elastic core is squeezed into

An estimation method of system failure frequency using both structure and component failure data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takaragi, Kazuo; Sasaki, Ryoichi; Shingai, Sadanori; Tominaga, Kenji

1981-01-01

In recent years, the importance of reliability analysis is appreciated for large systems such as nuclear power plants. A reliability analysis method is described for a whole system, using structure failure data for its main working subsystem and component failure data for its safety protection subsystem. The subsystem named main working system operates normally, and the subsystem named safety protection system acts as standby or protection. Thus the main and the protection systems are given mutually different failure data; then, between the subsystems, there exists common mode failure, i.e. the component failure affecting the reliability of both two. A calculation formula for sytem failure frequency is first derived. Then, a calculation method with digraphs is proposed for conditional system failure probability. Finally the results of numerical calculation are given for the purpose of explanation. (J.P.N.)

Single-stage Kanban system with deterioration failures and condition-based preventive maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xanthopoulos, A.S.; Koulouriotis, D.E.; Botsaris, P.N.

2015-01-01

Despite the fact that the fields of pull type production control policies and condition-based preventive maintenance have much in common contextually, they have evolved independently up to now. In this investigation, an attempt is made to bridge the gap between these two branches of knowledge by introducing the single-stage Kanban system with deterioration failures and condition-based preventive maintenance. The formalism of continuous time Markov chains is used to model the system and expressions for eight performance metrics are derived. Two important, from a managerial perspective, constrained optimization problems for the proposed model are defined where the objective is the simultaneous optimization of the Kanban policy, the preventive maintenance policy and the inspection schedule under conflicting performance criteria. Multiple instances of each optimization problem are solved by means of the augmented Lagrangian genetic algorithm. The results from the optimization trials coupled by the results from extensive numerical examples facilitate the thorough investigation of the system’s behaviour. - Highlights: • Kanban system with deterioration failures and preventive maintenance is introduced. • The system is modeled as a continuous time Markov chain. • Expressions for eight performance metrics are derived. • The behavior of the system is studied through numerical examples. • Optimization results for selected performance metrics are presented

Dispersed trading and the prevention of market failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Porter, David C.; Tanggaard, Carsten; Weaver, Daniel G.

2008-01-01

With augmented demands on power grids resulting in longer and larger blackouts combined with heightened concerns of terrorist attacks, trading institutions and policy makers have widened their search for systems that avoid market failure during these disturbing events. We provide insight...... into this issue by examining trading behaviour at the Copenhagen Stock Exchange during a major blackout. We find that although market quality declined, markets remained functional and some price discovery occurred during the blackout period suggesting that the NOREX structure of interlinked trading systems...... combined with widely dispersed trading locations may be a viable means of protection against market failure during massive power disruptions or terrorist attacks....

Integrated failure probability estimation based on structural integrity analysis and failure data: Natural gas pipeline case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dundulis, Gintautas; Žutautaitė, Inga; Janulionis, Remigijus; Ušpuras, Eugenijus; Rimkevičius, Sigitas; Eid, Mohamed

2016-01-01

In this paper, the authors present an approach as an overall framework for the estimation of the failure probability of pipelines based on: the results of the deterministic-probabilistic structural integrity analysis (taking into account loads, material properties, geometry, boundary conditions, crack size, and defected zone thickness), the corrosion rate, the number of defects and failure data (involved into the model via application of Bayesian method). The proposed approach is applied to estimate the failure probability of a selected part of the Lithuanian natural gas transmission network. The presented approach for the estimation of integrated failure probability is a combination of several different analyses allowing us to obtain: the critical crack's length and depth, the failure probability of the defected zone thickness, dependency of the failure probability on the age of the natural gas transmission pipeline. A model's uncertainty analysis and uncertainty propagation analysis are performed, as well. - Highlights: • Degradation mechanisms of natural gas transmission pipelines. • Fracture mechanic analysis of the pipe with crack. • Stress evaluation of the pipe with critical crack. • Deterministic-probabilistic structural integrity analysis of gas pipeline. • Integrated estimation of pipeline failure probability by Bayesian method.

Distributed collaborative probabilistic design of multi-failure structure with fluid-structure interaction using fuzzy neural network of regression

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Lu-Kai; Wen, Jie; Fei, Cheng-Wei; Bai, Guang-Chen

2018-05-01

To improve the computing efficiency and precision of probabilistic design for multi-failure structure, a distributed collaborative probabilistic design method-based fuzzy neural network of regression (FR) (called as DCFRM) is proposed with the integration of distributed collaborative response surface method and fuzzy neural network regression model. The mathematical model of DCFRM is established and the probabilistic design idea with DCFRM is introduced. The probabilistic analysis of turbine blisk involving multi-failure modes (deformation failure, stress failure and strain failure) was investigated by considering fluid-structure interaction with the proposed method. The distribution characteristics, reliability degree, and sensitivity degree of each failure mode and overall failure mode on turbine blisk are obtained, which provides a useful reference for improving the performance and reliability of aeroengine. Through the comparison of methods shows that the DCFRM reshapes the probability of probabilistic analysis for multi-failure structure and improves the computing efficiency while keeping acceptable computational precision. Moreover, the proposed method offers a useful insight for reliability-based design optimization of multi-failure structure and thereby also enriches the theory and method of mechanical reliability design.

Dynamic loads during failure risk assessment of bridge crane structures

Science.gov (United States)

Gorynin, A. D.; Antsev, V. Yu; Shaforost, A. N.

2018-03-01

The paper presents the method of failure risk assessment associated with a bridge crane metal structure at the design stage. It also justifies the necessity of taking into account dynamic loads with regard to the operational cycle of a bridge crane during failure risk assessment of its metal structure.

Electrical failure during cardiopulmonary bypass: an evaluation of incidence, causes, management and guidelines for preventative measures.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Hargrove, M

2012-02-03

The incidence of electrical failure during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been reported to occur in approximately 1 per 1000 cases. While the resultant morbidity and mortality is low, electrical failure is a life-threatening scenario. We report three major electrical failures during CPB in a patient population of 3500 over a 15-year period. These cases involved mains failure and generator shut down, mains failure and generator power surge, and failure of the uninterruptable power supply (UPS), which caused protected sockets to shut down. Protocols for preventative maintenance, necessary equipment, battery backup and guidelines for the successful management of such accidents during CPB are discussed.

Advanced composites structural concepts and materials technologies for primary aircraft structures: Structural response and failure analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Dorris, William J.; Hairr, John W.; Huang, Jui-Tien; Ingram, J. Edward; Shah, Bharat M.

1992-01-01

Non-linear analysis methods were adapted and incorporated in a finite element based DIAL code. These methods are necessary to evaluate the global response of a stiffened structure under combined in-plane and out-of-plane loading. These methods include the Arc Length method and target point analysis procedure. A new interface material model was implemented that can model elastic-plastic behavior of the bond adhesive. Direct application of this method is in skin/stiffener interface failure assessment. Addition of the AML (angle minus longitudinal or load) failure procedure and Hasin's failure criteria provides added capability in the failure predictions. Interactive Stiffened Panel Analysis modules were developed as interactive pre-and post-processors. Each module provides the means of performing self-initiated finite elements based analysis of primary structures such as a flat or curved stiffened panel; a corrugated flat sandwich panel; and a curved geodesic fuselage panel. This module brings finite element analysis into the design of composite structures without the requirement for the user to know much about the techniques and procedures needed to actually perform a finite element analysis from scratch. An interactive finite element code was developed to predict bolted joint strength considering material and geometrical non-linearity. The developed method conducts an ultimate strength failure analysis using a set of material degradation models.

A Tool for Preventing Teamwork Failure: the TFP Questionnaire

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Qvist, Palle; Rebollar, Rubeén; Lidón, Iván

2010-01-01

This paper presents the process used to devise the Teamwork Failure Prevention Questionnaire (TFP Questionnaire), a tool that allows teams with problems in functioning to be detected early. The TFP Questionnaire was formulated in a project management course at the University of Zaragoza (Spain......). In this course, teams of five or six students have to manage a project for a real client. The questionnaire was then tested on students on this course and on a similar one at Aalborg University (Denmark). This article analyses the psychometric characteristics of the TFP Questionnaire and then presents...

HIV reservoirs and immune surveillance evasion cause the failure of structured treatment interruptions: a computational study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emiliano Mancini

Full Text Available Continuous antiretroviral therapy is currently the most effective way to treat HIV infection. Unstructured interruptions are quite common due to side effects and toxicity, among others, and cannot be prevented. Several attempts to structure these interruptions failed due to an increased morbidity compared to continuous treatment. The cause of this failure is poorly understood and often attributed to drug resistance. Here we show that structured treatment interruptions would fail regardless of the emergence of drug resistance. Our computational model of the HIV infection dynamics in lymphoid tissue inside lymph nodes, demonstrates that HIV reservoirs and evasion from immune surveillance themselves are sufficient to cause the failure of structured interruptions. We validate our model with data from a clinical trial and show that it is possible to optimize the schedule of interruptions to perform as well as the continuous treatment in the absence of drug resistance. Our methodology enables studying the problem of treatment optimization without having impact on human beings. We anticipate that it is feasible to steer new clinical trials using computational models.

How change management can prevent the failure of information systems implementation among Malaysian government hospitals?

Science.gov (United States)

ChePa, Noraziah; Jasin, Noorhayati Md; Bakar, Nur Azzah Abu

2017-10-01

Fail to prevent or control challenges of Information System (IS) implementation have led to the failure of its implementation. Successful implementation of IS has been a challenging task to any organization including government hospitals. Government has invested a big amount of money on information system (IS) projects to improve service delivery in healthcare. However, several of them failed to be implemented successfully due to several factors. This article proposes a prevention model which incorporated Change Management (CM) concepts to avoid the failure of IS implementation, hence ensuring the success of it. Challenges of IS implementation in government hospitals have been discovered. Extensive literature review and deep interview approaches were employed to discover these challenges. A prevention model has been designed to cater the challenges. The model caters three main phases of implementation; pre-implementation, during implementation, and post-implementation by adopting CM practices of Lewin's, Kotter's and Prosci's CM model. Six elements of CM comprising thirteen sub-elements adopted from the three CM models have been used to handle CFFs of Human and Support issues; guiding team, resistance avoidance, IS adoption, enforcement, monitoring, and IS sustainability. Successful practice of the proposed mapping is expected to prevent CFFs to occur, hence ensuring a successful implementation of IS in the hospitals. The proposed model has been presented and successfully evaluated by the domain experts from the selected hospitals. The proposed model is believed to be beneficial for top management, IT practitioners and medical practitioners in preventing IS implementation failure among government hospitals towards ensuring the success implementation.

Scaling of structural failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bazant, Z.P. [Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (United States); Chen, Er-Ping [Sandia National Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1997-01-01

This article attempts to review the progress achieved in the understanding of scaling and size effect in the failure of structures. Particular emphasis is placed on quasibrittle materials for which the size effect is complicated. Attention is focused on three main types of size effects, namely the statistical size effect due to randomness of strength, the energy release size effect, and the possible size effect due to fractality of fracture or microcracks. Definitive conclusions on the applicability of these theories are drawn. Subsequently, the article discusses the application of the known size effect law for the measurement of material fracture properties, and the modeling of the size effect by the cohesive crack model, nonlocal finite element models and discrete element models. Extensions to compression failure and to the rate-dependent material behavior are also outlined. The damage constitutive law needed for describing a microcracked material in the fracture process zone is discussed. Various applications to quasibrittle materials, including concrete, sea ice, fiber composites, rocks and ceramics are presented.

Crack arrest concepts for failure prevention and life extension. Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiesner, C.S.

1996-01-01

These proceedings contain the thirteen papers presented at a seminar on crack arrest concepts for failure prevention and life extension. They provide a picture of the current position of crack arrest testing, models and applications, discussion of the relevance of recent research to industrial problems, and an assessment of whether the application of crack arrest models provides additional safety. Separate abstracts have been prepared for seven papers of relevance to the nuclear industry and, in particular, reactor pressure vessels. (UK)

Structural failure analysis of reactor vessels due to molten core debris

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfeiffer, P.A.

1993-01-01

Maintaining structural integrity of the reactor vessel during a postulated core melt accident is an important safety consideration in the design of the vessel. This paper addresses the failure predictions of the vessel due to thermal and pressure loadings from the molten core debris depositing on the lower head of the vessel. Different loading combinations were considered based on a wet or dry cavity and pressurization of the vessel based on operating pressure or atmospheric (pipe break). The analyses considered both short term (minutes) and long term (days) failure modes. Short term failure modes include creep at elevated temperatures and plastic instabilities of the structure. Long term failure modes are caused by creep rupture that lead to plastic instability of the structure. The analyses predict the reactor vessel will remain intact after the core melt has deposited on the lower vessel head

Failure modes of laminate structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gordon, L.B.; Druce, R.L.; Wilson, M.J.

1987-06-01

Laminate structures composed of alternating thin layers of conductor and dielectric material are commonly used in energy storage and transmission components. The failure of the dielectric layers in regions of high field stress, with applied 60 Hz ac, dc and impulse voltages, was studied. Several geometries were compared, including staggered and flush edges. Electrical trees developed between the laminated dielectric layers. The visual characteristics and growth rates of the electrical trees under ac, dc and impulse stresses were different. Partial discharge detection and analysis was used to measure the inception voltage and discharge activity at the conductor edge voids, to observe tree formation and growth, and to predict impending failure due to dielectric erosion. Electric field distributions were modeled and partial discharge inception levels were estimated from known void geometries. The staggered edge geometry appears to enhance the electric field stress at the recessed electrode.

A unified approach to failure assessment of engineering structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, R.P.

1977-01-01

A codified procedure for the failure assessment of engineering structures is presented which has as its basis the two criteria approach of Dowling and Townley (Int. J. Press. Vessels and Piping; 3:77 (1975)) and the Bilby, Cottrell and Swinden (Proc. R. Soc.; A272:304 (1963)) and Dugdale (J. Mech. Phys. Sol.; 8:100 (1960)) model of yielding ahead of a crack tip. The procedure consists of independently assessing the risk of failure (a) under linear elastic conditions only and (b) under plastic collapse conditions only. These two limiting criteria are then plotted as a co-ordinate point on a Failure Assessment Diagram. From this a measure of the degree of safety of the structure can be obtained. As examples, several of the HSST vessel tests are used to indicate the simplicity and versatility of the procedure. It is shown how maximum allowable pressures or defect sizes can be obtained and how safety factors can be readily incorporated on any of the parameters used in the assessment. It is also demonstrated how helpful the procedure is in designing not only working structures, but also structures that are to be used for testing. (author)

Accident management to prevent containment failure and reduce fission product release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehner, J.R.; Lin, C.C.; Luckas, W.J.; Pratt, W.T.

1991-01-01

Brookhaven National Laboratory, under the auspices of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is investigating accident management strategies which could help preserve containment integrity or minimize releases during a severe accident. The strategies considered make use of existing plant systems and equipment in innovative ways to reduce the likelihood of containment failure or to mitigate the release of fission products to the environment if failure cannot be prevented. Many of these strategies would be implemented during the later stages of a severe accident, i.e. after vessel breach, and sizable uncertainties exist regarding some of the phenomena involved. The identification and assessment process for containment and release strategies is described, and some insights derived from its application to specific containment types are presented. 2 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs

Modelling of Diffuse Failure and Fluidization in geo materials and Geo structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pastor, M.

2013-01-01

Failure of geo structures is caused by changes in effective stresses induced by external loads (earthquakes, for instance), change in the pore pressures (rain), in the geometry (erosion), or in materials properties (chemical attack, degradation, weathering). Landslides can by analysed as the failure of a geo structure, the slope. There exist many alternative classifications of landslides can be analyzed as the failure of a geo structure, the slope. There exist many alternative classifications of landslides, but we will consider here a simple classification into slides and flows. In the case of slides, the failure consists on the movement of a part of the slope with deformations which concentrate in a narrow zone, the failure surface. This can be idealized as localized failure, and it is typical of over consolidated or dense materials exhibiting softening. On the other hand, flows are made of fluidized materials, flowing in a fluid like manner. This mechanism of failure is known as diffuse failure, and has received much less attention by researchers. Modelling of diffuse failure of slopes is complex, because there appear difficulties in the mathematical, constitutive and numerical models, which have to account for a phase transition. This work deals with modeling, and we will present here some tools recently developed by the author and the group to which he belongs. (Author)

Structuring free form verbal descriptions in equipment failure reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huzdovich, J.

1983-01-01

Information is encoded for convenience in computer sort/search routines used to manage a large number of records. The codes in use for equipment failure reports are limited due to practical considerations, and this limitation forces the reporter to leave out information to satisfy the coding requirements. The free form verbal descriptions, as found in the Generating Availability Data System (GADS) and the Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System (NPRDS), allow for reporting of this non-codable information. A systematic approach to constructing the verbal description based on rules of grammar, especially syntax, results in a structured narrative suitable for computer data management schemes. In addition, the reporter has a full range of descriptive terminology and does not have to select subjectively from a predetermined, limited vocabulary to describe the event. This paper introduces a concept that places in perspective the integration of structured, formal reporting and free form verbal description. A second benefit of this structured narrative is the systematic development of failure mode/failure cause relationships in the event

Analyses Of Techniques On Structural Fatigue Failure Detection ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Machines and structures are subjected to variable loading conditions where the stress cycle does not remain the same during the operation of the machine. Fatigue is undoubtedly one of the most serious of all causes of breakdowns of machines and structures which results in sudden failures. The use of the time domain ...

Is age a factor in the success or failure of remote monitoring in heart failure? Telemonitoring and structured telephone support in elderly heart failure patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Inglis, Sally C; Conway, Aaron; Cleland, John Gf; Clark, Robyn A

2015-06-01

There are few data regarding the effectiveness of remote monitoring for older people with heart failure. We conducted a post-hoc sub-analysis of a previously published large Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant randomized controlled trials to determine whether structured telephone support and telemonitoring were effective in this population. A post hoc sub-analysis of a systematic review and meta-analysis that applied the Cochrane methodology was conducted. Meta-analyses of all-cause mortality, all-cause hospitalizations and heart failure-related hospitalizations were performed for studies where the mean or median age of participants was 70 or more years. The mean or median age of participants was 70 or more years in eight of the 16 (n=2659/5613; 47%) structured telephone support studies and four of the 11 (n=894/2710; 33%) telemonitoring studies. Structured telephone support (RR 0.80; 95% CI=0.63-1.00) and telemonitoring (RR 0.56; 95% CI=0.41-0.76) interventions reduced mortality. Structured telephone support interventions reduced heart failure-related hospitalizations (RR 0.81; 95% CI=0.67-0.99). Despite a systematic bias towards recruitment of individuals younger than the epidemiological average into the randomized controlled trials, older people with heart failure did benefit from structured telephone support and telemonitoring. These post-hoc sub-analysis results were similar to overall effects observed in the main meta-analysis. While further research is required to confirm these observational findings, the evidence at hand indicates that discrimination by age alone may be not be appropriate when inviting participation in a remote monitoring service for heart failure. © The European Society of Cardiology 2014.

Estimation of probability of failure for damage-tolerant aerospace structures

Science.gov (United States)

Halbert, Keith

The majority of aircraft structures are designed to be damage-tolerant such that safe operation can continue in the presence of minor damage. It is necessary to schedule inspections so that minor damage can be found and repaired. It is generally not possible to perform structural inspections prior to every flight. The scheduling is traditionally accomplished through a deterministic set of methods referred to as Damage Tolerance Analysis (DTA). DTA has proven to produce safe aircraft but does not provide estimates of the probability of failure of future flights or the probability of repair of future inspections. Without these estimates maintenance costs cannot be accurately predicted. Also, estimation of failure probabilities is now a regulatory requirement for some aircraft. The set of methods concerned with the probabilistic formulation of this problem are collectively referred to as Probabilistic Damage Tolerance Analysis (PDTA). The goal of PDTA is to control the failure probability while holding maintenance costs to a reasonable level. This work focuses specifically on PDTA for fatigue cracking of metallic aircraft structures. The growth of a crack (or cracks) must be modeled using all available data and engineering knowledge. The length of a crack can be assessed only indirectly through evidence such as non-destructive inspection results, failures or lack of failures, and the observed severity of usage of the structure. The current set of industry PDTA tools are lacking in several ways: they may in some cases yield poor estimates of failure probabilities, they cannot realistically represent the variety of possible failure and maintenance scenarios, and they do not allow for model updates which incorporate observed evidence. A PDTA modeling methodology must be flexible enough to estimate accurately the failure and repair probabilities under a variety of maintenance scenarios, and be capable of incorporating observed evidence as it becomes available. This

Structural failure modes in vertical tanks: reinforcement evaluation and solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alcantud Abellan, M.; Orden Martinez, A.

1995-01-01

Vertical storage tanks are essential components in the safety of nuclear plant systems. It has been shown that the traditional method of analysing seismic loads is not conservative, as it does not take account of the interaction between fluid and tank structure. This paper identifies different possible structural failure modes in tanks due to seismic load, and methods devised by various authors to evaluate tank structure capacity under different failure modes. These methods are based on experimental data relating to the structural behaviour of tanks during actual seismic events, tests, and theoretical analyses. The paper describes the problems of these structures under seismic loads in nuclear plants. It proposes solutions to the main structural problem, tank anchorage, for which the re-evaluation of the anchorage capacity is required, using methods (finite element) less conservative than those proposed by other authors. Also proposed is the local reinforcement of anchorages to increase their capacity. (Author) 4 refs

Melatonin and Fertoprotective Adjuvants: Prevention against Premature Ovarian Failure during Chemotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Hoon; Hong, Kwonho; Choi, Youngsok

2017-06-07

Premature ovarian failure is one of the side effects of chemotherapy in pre-menopausal cancer patients. Preservation of fertility has become increasingly important in improving the quality of life of completely recovered cancer patients. Among the possible strategies for preserving fertility such as ovarian tissue cryopreservation, co-treatment with a pharmacological adjuvant is highly effective and poses less of a burden on the human body. Melatonin is generally produced in various tissues and acts as a universally acting antioxidant in cells. Melatonin is now more widely used in various biological processes including treating insomnia and an adjuvant during chemotherapy. In this review, we summarize the information indicating that melatonin may be useful for reducing and preventing premature ovarian failure in chemotherapy-treated female patients. We also mention that many adjuvants other than melatonin are developed and used to inhibit chemotherapy-induced infertility. This information will give us novel insights on the clinical use of melatonin and other agents as fertoprotective adjuvants for female cancer patients.

Secondary prevention- an essential component of the comprehensive rehabilitation of patients with heart failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pop Dana

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Heart failure is currently a real public health problem due to the extremely high morbidity and mortality of this disease. In this context, cardiovascular prevention measures should be implemented as early as possible. In addition to classic prevention measures, a number of extremely important specific recommendations should be considered: informing patients about their underlying disease, identifying the cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular factors that have led to cardiac decompensation, reducing daily salt consumption, monitoring body weight, forbidding smoking and recreational substances, conducting a regular exercise program under supervision, and increasing adherence to treatment.

Tools for in service monitoring and testing of riser to prevent failure and extend service life

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ward, Haakon; Bondevik, Jon Olav; Skjerve, Haavard; Tveit, Oeyvind [SeaFlex AS, Asker (Norway)

2005-07-01

Exploration and development of new oil and gas fields is heavily dependant on use of flexible pipes and many field developments would not have been possible without them. The number of flexible risers in service is constantly increasing since relatively few offshore projects have reached the estimated operational life and the operational lifetime of several fields in-service has been extended due to new and improved technology. Many risers have been in service over a large number of years. Some risers have been operated under demanding conditions such as severe dynamic loads, high pressure and temperatures. One may in some cases find that risers actually have shorter service life than estimated in the design phase due to the severe operational conditions. In order to extend the use of the riser, some risers may have to be modified and re-terminated and prepared for a new and less demanding application. In order to operate risers safely, it is important to re-assess the fatigue life in order to prevent potential riser failure. The operator should implement methods and tools for in-service monitoring and testing. This paper addresses efficient and reliable methods and tools for monitoring of critical operational parameters as well as in-service riser testing. A brief description of structural failure modes will also be given in order to understand how to interpret test results in view of potential failure modes. (author)

Assessment of current structural design methodology for high-temperature reactors based on failure tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corum, J.M.; Sartory, W.K.

1985-01-01

A mature design methodology, consisting of inelastic analysis methods, provided in Department of Energy guidelines, and failure criteria, contained in ASME Code Case N-47, exists in the United States for high-temperature reactor components. The objective of this paper is to assess the adequacy of this overall methodology by comparing predicted inelastic deformations and lifetimes with observed results from structural failure tests and from an actual service failure. Comparisons are presented for three types of structural situations: (1) nozzle-to-spherical shell specimens, where stresses at structural discontinuities lead to cracking, (2) welded structures, where metallurgical discontinuities play a key role in failures, and (3) thermal shock loadings of cylinders and pipes, where thermal discontinuities can lead to failure. The comparison between predicted and measured inelastic responses are generally reasonalbly good; quantities are sometimes overpredicted somewhat, and, sometimes underpredicted. However, even seemingly small discrepancies can have a significant effect on structural life, and lifetimes are not always as closely predicted. For a few cases, the lifetimes are substantially overpredicted, which raises questions regarding the adequacy of existing design margins

Discrete Material and Thickness Optimization of laminated composite structures including failure criteria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Erik

2017-01-01

This work extends the Discrete Material and Thickness Optimization approach to structural optimization problems where strength considerations in the form of failure criteria are taken into account for laminated composite structures. It takes offset in the density approaches applied for stress...... constrained topology optimization of single-material problems and develops formulations for multi-material topology optimization problems applied for laminated composite structures. The method can be applied for both stress- and strain-based failure criteria. The large number of local constraints is reduced...

MEMS Reliability: Infrastructure, Test Structures, Experiments, and Failure Modes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

TANNER,DANELLE M.; SMITH,NORMAN F.; IRWIN,LLOYD W.; EATON,WILLIAM P.; HELGESEN,KAREN SUE; CLEMENT,J. JOSEPH; MILLER,WILLIAM M.; MILLER,SAMUEL L.; DUGGER,MICHAEL T.; WALRAVEN,JEREMY A.; PETERSON,KENNETH A.

2000-01-01

The burgeoning new technology of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) shows great promise in the weapons arena. We can now conceive of micro-gyros, micro-surety systems, and micro-navigators that are extremely small and inexpensive. Do we want to use this new technology in critical applications such as nuclear weapons? This question drove us to understand the reliability and failure mechanisms of silicon surface-micromachined MEMS. Development of a testing infrastructure was a crucial step to perform reliability experiments on MEMS devices and will be reported here. In addition, reliability test structures have been designed and characterized. Many experiments were performed to investigate failure modes and specifically those in different environments (humidity, temperature, shock, vibration, and storage). A predictive reliability model for wear of rubbing surfaces in microengines was developed. The root causes of failure for operating and non-operating MEMS are discussed. The major failure mechanism for operating MEMS was wear of the polysilicon rubbing surfaces. Reliability design rules for future MEMS devices are established.

Canadian Cardiovascular Society Consensus Conference recommendations on heart failure update 2007: Prevention, management during intercurrent illness or acute decompensation, and use of biomarkers.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, J Malcom O; Howlett, Jonathan G; Dorian, Paul; Ducharme, Anique; Giannetti, Nadia; Haddad, Haissam; Heckman, George A; Ignaszewski, Andrew; Isaac, Debra; Jong, Philip; Liu, Peter; Mann, Elizabeth; McKelvie, Robert S; Moe, Gordon W; Parker, John D; Svendsen, Anna M; Tsuyuki, Ross T; O'Halloran, Kelly; Ross, Heather J; Rao, Vivek; Sequeira, Errol J; White, Michel

2007-01-01

Heart failure is common, yet it is difficult to treat. It presents in many different guises and circumstances in which therapy needs to be individualized. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society published a comprehensive set of recommendations in January 2006 on the diagnosis and management of heart failure, and the present update builds on those core recommendations. Based on feedback obtained through a national program of heart failure workshops during 2006, several topics were identified as priorities because of the challenges they pose to health care professionals. New evidence-based recommendations were developed using the structured approach for the review and assessment of evidence adopted and previously described by the Society. Specific recommendations and practical tips were written for the prevention of heart failure, the management of heart failure during intercurrent illness, the treatment of acute heart failure, and the current and future roles of biomarkers in heart failure care. Specific clinical questions that are addressed include: which patients should be identified as being at high risk of developing heart failure and which interventions should be used? What complications can occur in heart failure patients during an intercurrent illness, how should these patients be monitored and which medications may require a dose adjustment or discontinuation? What are the best therapeutic, both drug and nondrug, strategies for patients with acute heart failure? How can new biomarkers help in the treatment of heart failure, and when and how should BNP be measured in heart failure patients? The goals of the present update are to translate best evidence into practice, to apply clinical wisdom where evidence for specific strategies is weaker, and to aid physicians and other health care providers to optimally treat heart failure patients to result in a measurable impact on patient health and clinical outcomes in Canada.

Development of glass-fiber high-efficiency particulate air filters of high structural strength on the basis of the establishment of failure mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruedinger, V.; Ricketts, C.I.; Wilhelm, J.G.; Alken, W.

1987-01-01

Practical experience from routine operation in nuclear installations as well as extensive bench and laboratory testing proved the structural limits of HEPA filters to be very low thus demonstrating the need for improvement of their structural strength. Detailed analysis of the courses and modes of filter failure under the challenge of dry air at high velocities and ambient temperature, together with additional measurements, allowed the establishment of the dominating mechanisms of filter failure. Based on this information, the following three options for effective and economical improvements in filter structural limits exist: (1) an increase in the tensile strength of the filter medium; (2) an increase in the stability of the pack to prevent the swelling of individual pleats; and (3) an increase in the area moment of inertia of the separators and a decrease in the sharpness of their edges. By using a reinforced glass fiber filter medium, the structural strength of standard size HEPA filters was increased to 31 kPa with dry air and beyond 10 kPa with air at high humidity. Prototype filters built with standard glass-fiber media and separators with inclined corrugations exhibited failure pressures of approximately 50 kPa under high velocity airflows. The combination of both types of improvements, together with other measures, will soon lead to even higher HEPA-filter structural strength

Structured telephone support or non-invasive telemonitoring for patients with heart failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Inglis, Sally C; Clark, Robyn A; Dierckx, Riet; Prieto-Merino, David; Cleland, John G F

2015-10-31

Specialised disease management programmes for heart failure aim to improve care, clinical outcomes and/or reduce healthcare utilisation. Since the last version of this review in 2010, several new trials of structured telephone support and non-invasive home telemonitoring have been published which have raised questions about their effectiveness. To review randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of structured telephone support or non-invasive home telemonitoring compared to standard practice for people with heart failure, in order to quantify the effects of these interventions over and above usual care. We updated the searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Health Technology AsseFssment Database (HTA) on the Cochrane Library; MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE (OVID), CINAHL (EBSCO), Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (CPCI-S) on Web of Science (Thomson Reuters), AMED, Proquest Theses and Dissertations, IEEE Xplore and TROVE in January 2015. We handsearched bibliographies of relevant studies and systematic reviews and abstract conference proceedings. We applied no language limits. We included only peer-reviewed, published RCTs comparing structured telephone support or non-invasive home telemonitoring to usual care of people with chronic heart failure. The intervention or usual care could not include protocol-driven home visits or more intensive than usual (typically four to six weeks) clinic follow-up. We present data as risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Primary outcomes included all-cause mortality, all-cause and heart failure-related hospitalisations, which we analysed using a fixed-effect model. Other outcomes included length of stay, health-related quality of life, heart failure knowledge and self care, acceptability and cost; we described and tabulated these. We performed meta-regression to assess homogeneity (the

An Enhanced Preventive Maintenance Optimization Model Based on a Three-Stage Failure Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruifeng Yang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nuclear power plants are highly complex systems and the issues related to their safety are of primary importance. Probabilistic safety assessment is regarded as the most widespread methodology for studying the safety of nuclear power plants. As maintenance is one of the most important factors for affecting the reliability and safety, an enhanced preventive maintenance optimization model based on a three-stage failure process is proposed. Preventive maintenance is still a dominant maintenance policy due to its easy implementation. In order to correspond to the three-color scheme commonly used in practice, the lifetime of system before failure is divided into three stages, namely, normal, minor defective, and severe defective stages. When the minor defective stage is identified, two measures are considered for comparison: one is that halving the inspection interval only when the minor defective stage is identified at the first time; the other one is that if only identifying the minor defective stage, the subsequent inspection interval is halved. Maintenance is implemented immediately once the severe defective stage is identified. Minimizing the expected cost per unit time is our objective function to optimize the inspection interval. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed models.

An overview of the crash dynamics failure behavior of metal and composite aircraft structures

Science.gov (United States)

Carden, Huey D.; Boitnott, Richard L.; Fasanella, Edwin L.; Jones, Lisa E.

1991-01-01

An overview of failure behavior results is presented from some of the crash dynamics research conducted with concepts of aircraft elements and substructure not necessarily designed or optimized for energy absorption or crash loading considerations. Experimental and analytical data are presented that indicate some general trends in the failure behavior of a class of composite structures that includes fuselage panels, individual fuselage sections, fuselage frames, skeleton subfloors with stringers and floor beams without skin covering, and subfloors with skin added to the frame stringer structure. Although the behavior is complex, a strong similarity in the static/dynamic failure behavior among these structures is illustrated through photographs of the experimental results and through analytical data of generic composite structural models.

Structure and delayed failure behaviour of 0.25C-Ni-Cr-Mo-V steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, C.H.; Maeng, S.C.

1980-01-01

Delayed failure behaviour of the different transformation structures of 0.25C-2.5Ni-2.5Cr-0.5Mo-0.1V low alloy steel has been studied. The studied microstructures are martensite, lower bainite, and mixed structure of 50% martensite and 50% lower bainite. All these structures have been tempered at 450 deg C for 40 min to have the same tensile strength level of 143 kg/mm 2 . Delayed failure testing has been carried out with cantilever bend tester, in distilled water at 25 deg C. By comparing K 1 sub(scc) values, lower bainitic structure has shown the highest value, although it is only slightly higher than that of the martensitic structure. Mixed structure has the lowest resistance to delayed failure. The fracture modes of both martensitic and mixed structures have been observed as intergranular. In the martensitic structure, however, it is noticeable that there is a larger amount of ductile tearing between intergranular facets. The fracture mode of lower bainitic structure is the mixed topography of microplastic tearing and microvoid coalescence. The above experimental results are discussed in terms of Oriani's decohesion theory of hydrogen embrittlement. The lowest resistance of the mixed structure to delayed failure may be due to the enhanced decohesion by hydrogen at the phase boundaries of martensite and lower bainite. (author)

Self-Regulation, Cooperative Learning, and Academic Self-Efficacy: Interactions to Prevent School Failure

OpenAIRE

Fernández Río, Francisco Javier; Cecchini Estrada, José Antonio; Méndez Giménez, Antonio; Prieto Saborit, José Antonio

2017-01-01

Learning to learn and learning to cooperate are two important goals for individuals. Moreover, self regulation has been identified as fundamental to prevent school failure. The goal of the present study was to assess the interactions between self-regulated learning, cooperative learning and academic self-efficacy in secondary education students experiencing cooperative learning as the main pedagogical approach for at least one school year. 2.513 secondary education students (1.308 males, 1.20...

Structure, deformation, and failure of flow-oriented semicrystalline polymers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schrauwen, B.A.G.; Breemen, van L.C.A.; Spoelstra, A.B.; Govaert, L.E.; Peters, G.W.M.; Meijer, H.E.H.

2004-01-01

This study deals with the influence of processing induced crystalline orientation on the macroscopic deformation and failure behavior of thin samples of polyethylene and polypropylene. Distribution and structure of flow-induced orientations were characterized by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction

Actions to reduce radioactive emissions: prevention of containment failure by flooding Containment and Reactor Cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fornos Herrando, J.

2013-01-01

The reactor cavity of Asco and Vandellos II is dry type, thus a severe accident leading to vessel failure might potentially end up resulting in the loss of containment integrity, depending on the viability to cool the molten core. Therefore, significant radioactive emissions could be released to outside. In the framework of Fukushima Stress Tests, ANAV has analyzed the convenience of carrying out different actions to prevent failure of the containment integrity in order to reduce radioactive emissions. The aim of this paper is to present and describe the main phenomenological aspects associated with two of these actions: containment flooding and reactor cavity flooding.

Heart Failure

Science.gov (United States)

... Other diseases. Chronic diseases — such as diabetes, HIV, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, or a buildup of iron (hemochromatosis) or ... transplantation or support with a ventricular assist device. Prevention The key to preventing heart failure is to ...

Solving Component Structural Dynamic Failures Due to Extremely High Frequency Structural Response on the Space Shuttle Program

Science.gov (United States)

Frady, Greg; Nesman, Thomas; Zoladz, Thomas; Szabo, Roland

2010-01-01

For many years, the capabilities to determine the root-cause failure of component failures have been limited to the analytical tools and the state of the art data acquisition systems. With this limited capability, many anomalies have been resolved by adding material to the design to increase robustness without the ability to determine if the design solution was satisfactory until after a series of expensive test programs were complete. The risk of failure and multiple design, test, and redesign cycles were high. During the Space Shuttle Program, many crack investigations in high energy density turbomachines, like the SSME turbopumps and high energy flows in the main propulsion system, have led to the discovery of numerous root-cause failures and anomalies due to the coexistences of acoustic forcing functions, structural natural modes, and a high energy excitation, such as an edge tone or shedding flow, leading the technical community to understand many of the primary contributors to extremely high frequency high cycle fatique fluid-structure interaction anomalies. These contributors have been identified using advanced analysis tools and verified using component and system tests during component ground tests, systems tests, and flight. The structural dynamics and fluid dynamics communities have developed a special sensitivity to the fluid-structure interaction problems and have been able to adjust and solve these problems in a time effective manner to meet budget and schedule deadlines of operational vehicle programs, such as the Space Shuttle Program over the years.

The use of lifetime functions in the optimization of interventions on existing bridges considering maintenance and failure costs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Seung-Ie [Department of Civil, Enviromental, and Architectural Enginnering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 428, Boulder, CO 80309-0428 (United States)]. E-mail: yangsione@dreamwiz.com; Frangopol, Dan M. [Department of Civil, Enviromental, and Architectural Enginnering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 428, Boulder, CO 80309-0428 (United States)]. E-mail: dan.frangopol@colorado.edu; Kawakami, Yoriko [Hanshin Expressway Public Corporation, Kobe Maintenance Department, 16-1 Shinko-cho Chuo-ku Kobe City, Hyogo, 650-0041 (Japan)]. E-mail: yoriko-kawakami@hepc.go.jp; Neves, Luis C. [Department of Civil, Enviromental, and Architectural Enginnering, University of Colorado, Campus Box 428, Boulder, CO 80309-0428 (United States)]. E-mail: lneves@civil.uminho.pt

2006-06-15

In the last decade, it became clear that life-cycle cost analysis of existing civil infrastructure must be used to optimally manage the growing number of aging and deteriorating structures. The uncertainties associated with deteriorating structures require the use of probabilistic methods to properly evaluate their lifetime performance. In this paper, the deterioration and the effect of maintenance actions are analyzed considering the performance of existing structures characterized by lifetime functions. These functions allow, in a simple manner, the consideration of the effect of aging on the decrease of the probability of survival of a structure, as well as the effect of maintenance actions. Models for the effects of proactive and reactive preventive maintenance, and essential maintenance actions are presented. Since the probability of failure is different from zero during the entire service life of a deteriorating structure and depends strongly on the maintenance strategy, the cost of failure is included in this analysis. The failure of one component in a structure does not usually lead to failure of the structure and, as a result, the safety of existing structures must be analyzed using a system reliability framework. The optimization consists of minimizing the sum of the cumulative maintenance and expected failure cost during the prescribed time horizon. Two examples of application of the proposed methodology are presented. In the first example, the sum of the maintenance and failure costs of a bridge in Colorado is minimized considering essential maintenance only and a fixed minimum acceptable probability of failure. In the second example, the expected lifetime cost, including maintenance and expected failure costs, of a multi-girder bridge is minimized considering reactive preventive maintenance actions.

The use of lifetime functions in the optimization of interventions on existing bridges considering maintenance and failure costs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Seung-Ie; Frangopol, Dan M.; Kawakami, Yoriko; Neves, Luis C.

2006-01-01

In the last decade, it became clear that life-cycle cost analysis of existing civil infrastructure must be used to optimally manage the growing number of aging and deteriorating structures. The uncertainties associated with deteriorating structures require the use of probabilistic methods to properly evaluate their lifetime performance. In this paper, the deterioration and the effect of maintenance actions are analyzed considering the performance of existing structures characterized by lifetime functions. These functions allow, in a simple manner, the consideration of the effect of aging on the decrease of the probability of survival of a structure, as well as the effect of maintenance actions. Models for the effects of proactive and reactive preventive maintenance, and essential maintenance actions are presented. Since the probability of failure is different from zero during the entire service life of a deteriorating structure and depends strongly on the maintenance strategy, the cost of failure is included in this analysis. The failure of one component in a structure does not usually lead to failure of the structure and, as a result, the safety of existing structures must be analyzed using a system reliability framework. The optimization consists of minimizing the sum of the cumulative maintenance and expected failure cost during the prescribed time horizon. Two examples of application of the proposed methodology are presented. In the first example, the sum of the maintenance and failure costs of a bridge in Colorado is minimized considering essential maintenance only and a fixed minimum acceptable probability of failure. In the second example, the expected lifetime cost, including maintenance and expected failure costs, of a multi-girder bridge is minimized considering reactive preventive maintenance actions

When things go wrong: how health care organizations deal with major failures.

Science.gov (United States)

Walshe, Kieran; Shortell, Stephen M

2004-01-01

Concern about patient safety, caused in part by high-profile major failures in which many patients have been harmed, is rising worldwide. This paper draws on examples of such failures from several countries to analyze how these events are dealt with and to identify lessons and recommendations for policy. Better systems are needed for reporting and investigating failures and for implementing the lessons learned. The culture of secrecy, professional protectionism, defensiveness, and deference to authority is central to such major failures, and preventing future failures depends on cultural as much as structural change in health care systems and organizations.

Preoperative Prevention of Heart Failure in Noncardiac Surgery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Likhvantsev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Congestive heart failure is consistently associated with adverse outcomes, and is characterized by a twofold increase in mortality in noncardiac surgery. In this regard, developing the methods aimed to prevent and treatacute heart failure (AHF in the intraoperative period remain a challenging problem.Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of preoperative levosimendan infusion in reduction both mortality and duration of treatment of elderly patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in noncardiac surgery.Material and Methods. Design: Multicenter blind randomized placebocontrolled study. Patients: 81 patients operated on abdominal organs. The main endpoint of the study: The length of stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU and at the hospital were chosen as the primary endpoints. The secondary endpoints of the study were 30 day and annual mortality, the rate of acute myocardial infarction and stroke.Results. Levosimendan infusion at a rate of 0,05 μg/kg/min — 0,1 μg/kg/min to patients with low left ven tricular ejection fraction just before the surgery reduced the length of stay in ICU for 2 days and required hospital stay for 3 days. NTproBNP showed the best ratio of sensitivity/specificity in predicting 30day mortality in cumulative group: AUC=0,86 (90,77 to 0,93, P<0,0001. From other indicators the most informative were the Inotropes scoring, no change or decrease of a left ventricular ejection fraction, and cardiac index.Conclusion. To reduce perioperative mortality, the intravenous infusion of levosimendan at a rate of 0,05—0,1 μg/kg/min in elderly patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction is recommened as a preoperative preparation the day before the alleged noncardiac surgery.

Boiler tube failure prevention in fossil fired boilers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Townsend, R.D.

1993-01-01

It is the common experience of power generating companies worldwide that the main causes of forced outages on power plant are those due to boiler tube failures on fossil units. The main reason for the large number of failures are the severe environmental conditions in fossil boilers as the effects of stress, temperature, temperature gradients, corrosion, erosion and vibration combine to produce degradation of the tube steel. Corrosion by oxidation, by combustion products and by impure boiler water can significantly reduce the tube wall thickness and result in failure of a tube many years before its designed service life. Errors can also occur in the design manufacturer, storage, operation, and maintenance of boiler tubing and the wrong material installed in a critical location can lead to premature failure. Altogether, experts in the US and UK, from many different disciplines, have identified seven broad categories of boiler tube failure mechanisms. 1 tab., 2 figs

Prevention of Fracture in Ship Structure. March 30-31, 1995, Washington, DC

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1997-01-01

.... It has been found on many occasions that failures, while unexpected, could have been prevented had currently known information been used in the design, construction, maintenance, and inspection of the ship...

Insulin Signaling and Heart Failure

Science.gov (United States)

Riehle, Christian; Abel, E. Dale

2016-01-01

Heart failure is associated with generalized insulin resistance. Moreover, insulin resistant states such as type 2 diabetes and obesity increases the risk of heart failure even after adjusting for traditional risk factors. Insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes alters the systemic and neurohumoral milieu leading to changes in metabolism and signaling pathways in the heart that may contribute to myocardial dysfunction. In addition, changes in insulin signaling within cardiomyocytes develop in the failing heart. The changes range from activation of proximal insulin signaling pathways that may contribute to adverse left ventricular remodeling and mitochondrial dysfunction to repression of distal elements of insulin signaling pathways such as forkhead (FOXO) transcriptional signaling or glucose transport which may also impair cardiac metabolism, structure and function. This article will review the complexities of insulin signaling within the myocardium and ways in which these pathways are altered in heart failure or in conditions associated with generalized insulin resistance. The implications of these changes for therapeutic approaches to treating or preventing heart failure will be discussed. PMID:27034277

Inhibition of N-type Ca2+ channels ameliorates an imbalance in cardiac autonomic nerve activity and prevents lethal arrhythmias in mice with heart failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Yuko; Kinoshita, Hideyuki; Kuwahara, Koichiro; Nakagawa, Yasuaki; Kuwabara, Yoshihiro; Minami, Takeya; Yamada, Chinatsu; Shibata, Junko; Nakao, Kazuhiro; Cho, Kosai; Arai, Yuji; Yasuno, Shinji; Nishikimi, Toshio; Ueshima, Kenji; Kamakura, Shiro; Nishida, Motohiro; Kiyonaka, Shigeki; Mori, Yasuo; Kimura, Takeshi; Kangawa, Kenji; Nakao, Kazuwa

2014-10-01

Dysregulation of autonomic nervous system activity can trigger ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death in patients with heart failure. N-type Ca(2+) channels (NCCs) play an important role in sympathetic nervous system activation by regulating the calcium entry that triggers release of neurotransmitters from peripheral sympathetic nerve terminals. We have investigated the ability of NCC blockade to prevent lethal arrhythmias associated with heart failure. We compared the effects of cilnidipine, a dual N- and L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker, with those of nitrendipine, a selective L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker, in transgenic mice expressing a cardiac-specific, dominant-negative form of neuron-restrictive silencer factor (dnNRSF-Tg). In this mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy leading to sudden arrhythmic death, cardiac structure and function did not significantly differ among the control, cilnidipine, and nitrendipine groups. However, cilnidipine dramatically reduced arrhythmias in dnNRSF-Tg mice, significantly improving their survival rate and correcting the imbalance between cardiac sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity. A β-blocker, bisoprolol, showed similar effects in these mice. Genetic titration of NCCs, achieved by crossing dnNRSF-Tg mice with mice lacking CACNA1B, which encodes the α1 subunit of NCCs, improved the survival rate. With restoration of cardiac autonomic balance, dnNRSF-Tg;CACNA1B(+/-) mice showed fewer malignant arrhythmias than dnNRSF-Tg;CACNA1B(+/+) mice. Both pharmacological blockade of NCCs and their genetic titration improved cardiac autonomic balance and prevented lethal arrhythmias in a mouse model of dilated cardiomyopathy and sudden arrhythmic death. Our findings suggest that NCC blockade is a potentially useful approach to preventing sudden death in patients with heart failure. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2014. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Interrelation of structure and operational states in cascading failure of overloading lines in power grids

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Fei; Bompard, Ettore; Huang, Tao; Jiang, Lin; Lu, Shaofeng; Zhu, Huaiying

2017-09-01

As the modern power system is expected to develop to a more intelligent and efficient version, i.e. the smart grid, or to be the central backbone of energy internet for free energy interactions, security concerns related to cascading failures have been raised with consideration of catastrophic results. The researches of topological analysis based on complex networks have made great contributions in revealing structural vulnerabilities of power grids including cascading failure analysis. However, existing literature with inappropriate assumptions in modeling still cannot distinguish the effects between the structure and operational state to give meaningful guidance for system operation. This paper is to reveal the interrelation between network structure and operational states in cascading failure and give quantitative evaluation by integrating both perspectives. For structure analysis, cascading paths will be identified by extended betweenness and quantitatively described by cascading drop and cascading gradient. Furthermore, the operational state for cascading paths will be described by loading level. Then, the risk of cascading failure along a specific cascading path can be quantitatively evaluated considering these two factors. The maximum cascading gradient of all possible cascading paths can be used as an overall metric to evaluate the entire power grid for its features related to cascading failure. The proposed method is tested and verified on IEEE30-bus system and IEEE118-bus system, simulation evidences presented in this paper suggests that the proposed model can identify the structural causes for cascading failure and is promising to give meaningful guidance for the protection of system operation in the future.

Structural testing for static failure, flutter and other scary things

Science.gov (United States)

Ricketts, R. H.

1983-01-01

Ground test and flight test methods are described that may be used to highlight potential structural problems that occur on aircraft. Primary interest is focused on light-weight general aviation airplanes. The structural problems described include static strength failure, aileron reversal, static divergence, and flutter. An example of each of the problems is discussed to illustrate how the data acquired during the tests may be used to predict the occurrence of the structural problem. While some rules of thumb for the prediction of structural problems are given the report is not intended to be used explicitly as a structural analysis handbook.

Improvement of the safety of a clinical process using failure mode and effects analysis: Prevention of venous thromboembolic disease in critical patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Viejo Moreno, R; Sánchez-Izquierdo Riera, J Á; Molano Álvarez, E; Barea Mendoza, J A; Temprano Vázquez, S; Díaz Castellano, L; Montejo González, J C

2016-11-01

To improve critical patient safety in the prevention of venous thromboembolic disease, using failure mode and effects analysis as safety tool. A contemporaneous cohort study covering the period January 2014-March 2015 was made in 4 phases: phase 1) prior to failure mode and effects analysis; phase 2) conduction of mode analysis and implementation of the detected improvements; phase 3) evaluation of outcomes, and phase 4) (post-checklist introduction impact. Patients admitted to the adult polyvalent ICU of a third-level hospital center. A total of 196 patients, older than 18 years, without thromboembolic disease upon admission to the ICU and with no prior anticoagulant treatment. A series of interventions were implemented following mode analysis: training, and introduction of a protocol and checklist to increase preventive measures in relation to thromboembolic disease. Indication and prescription of venous thrombosis prevention measures before and after introduction of the measures derived from the failure mode and effects analysis. A total of 59, 97 and 40 patients were included in phase 1, 3 and 4, respectively, with an analysis of the percentage of subjects who received thromboprophylaxis. The failure mode and effects analysis was used to detect potential errors associated to a lack of training and protocols referred to thromboembolic disease. An awareness-enhancing campaign was developed, with staff training and the adoption of a protocol for the prevention of venous thromboembolic disease. The prescription of preventive measures increased in the phase 3 group (91.7 vs. 71.2%, P=.001). In the post-checklist group, prophylaxis was prescribed in 97.5% of the patients, with an increase in the indication of dual prophylactic measures (4.7, 6.7 and 41%; P<.05). There were no differences in complications rate associated to the increase in prophylactic measures. The failure mode and effects analysis allowed us to identify improvements in the prevention of

Friction Stir Weld Failure Mechanisms in Aluminum-Armor Structures Under Ballistic Impact Loading Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

REPORT Friction Stir Weld Failure Mechanisms in Aluminum-Armor Structures Under Ballistic Impact Loading Conditions 14. ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY...properties and of the attendant ballistic-impact failure mechanisms in prototypical friction stir welding (FSW) joints found in armor structures made of high...mechanisms, friction stir welding M. Grujicic, B. Pandurangan, A. Arakere, C-F. Yen, B. A. Cheeseman Clemson University Office of Sponsored Programs 300

Structural Bases of Postresuscitative Heart Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. T. Dolgikh

2005-01-01

Full Text Available An experiment on 106 non-inbred male albino rats undergone 4-minute clinical death from acute blood loss has revealed that the first three days after resuscitation are marked by a concomitance of vascular disorders and cardiomyocytic dystrophic changes, the leading role being played by sludge, stasis, thrombosis, increased vascular permeability, perivascular edema, and hemorrhages. Cardiomyocytic destruction (various contractures, block-like myofibrillolysis, myocytoly-sis is a structural basis of postresuscitative heart failure. Three days later the heart displayed concomitant processes of recovery and damage. Three types of cardiac morphological changes have been identified in relation to the ratio of these processes.

rpsftm: An R package for rank preserving structural failure time models

OpenAIRE

Allison, A.; White, I. R.; Bond, S.

2017-01-01

Treatment switching in a randomised controlled trial occurs when participants change from their randomised treatment to the other trial treatment during the study. Failure to account for treatment switching in the analysis (i.e. by performing a standard intention-to-treat analysis) can lead to biased estimates of treatment efficacy. The rank preserving structural failure time model (RPSFTM) is a method used to adjust for treatment switching in trials with survival outcomes. The RPSFTM is due ...

How simulation of failure risk can improve structural reliability - application to pressurized components and pipes

OpenAIRE

Cioclov, Dimitru Dragos

2013-01-01

Probabilistic methods for failure risk assessment are introduced, with reference to load carrying structures, such as pressure vessels (PV) and components of pipes systems. The definition of the failure risk associated with structural integrity is made in the context of the general approach to structural reliability. Sources of risk are summarily outlined with emphasis on variability and uncertainties (V&U) which might be encountered in the analysis. To highlight the problem, in its practical...

No significant fuel failures (NSFF)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domaratzki, Z.

1979-01-01

It has long been recognized that no emergency core cooling system (ECCS) could be absolutely guaranteed to prevent fuel failures. In 1976 the Atomic Energy Control Board decided that the objective for an ECCS should be to prevent fuel failures, but if the objective could not be met it should be shown that the consequences are acceptable for dual failures comprising any LOCA combined with an assumed impairment of containment. Out of the review of the Bruce A plant came the definition of 'no significant fuel failures': for any postulated LOCA combined with any one mode of containment impairment the resultant dose to a person at the edge of the exclusion zone is less than the reference dose limits for dual failures

Are the effects of drugs to prevent and to treat heart failure always concordant? The statin paradox and its implications for understanding the actions of antidiabetic medications.

Science.gov (United States)

Packer, Milton

2018-03-22

Most treatments for chronic heart failure are effective both in preventing its onset and reducing its progression. However, statins prevent the development of heart failure, but they do not decrease morbidity and mortality in those with established heart failure. This apparent discordance cannot be explained by an effect to prevent interval myocardial infarctions. Instead, it seems that the disease that statins were preventing in trials of patients with a metabolic disorder was different from the disease that they were treating in trials of chronic heart failure. The most common phenotype of heart failure in patients with obesity and diabetes is heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). In this disorder, the anti-inflammatory effects of statins might ameliorate myocardial fibrosis and cardiac filling abnormalities, but these actions may have little relevance to patients with heart failure and a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), whose primary derangement is cardiomyocyte loss and stretch. These distinctions may explain why statins were ineffective in trials that focused on HFrEF, but have been reported to produce with favourable effects in observational studies of HFpEF. Similarly, selective cytokine antagonists were ineffective in HFrEF, but have been associated with benefits in HFpEF. These observations may have important implications for our understanding of the effects of antihyperglycaemic medications. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists have had neutral effects on heart failure events in people at risk for HFpEF, but have exerted deleterious actions in HFrEF. Similarly, sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, which exert anti-inflammatory effects and reduce heart failure events in patients who are prone to HFpEF, may not be effective in HFrEF. The distinctions between HFrEF and HFpEF may explain why the effects of drugs on heart failure events in diabetes trials may not be relevant to their use in patients with systolic dysfunction

Evolving Use of Natriuretic Peptides as Part of Strategies for Heart Failure Prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Ken; Wilkinson, Mark

2017-01-01

Heart failure (HF) remains one of the major cardiovascular challenges to the Western world. Once established, HF is characterized by compromised life expectancy and quality of life with considerable dependence on hospital care for episodic clinical deterioration. Much is understood about the risk factors that predispose to the development of HF. With such a broad range of factors, it is clear that there is a large population at risk, potentially in excess of 25% of the adult population. Therein lies the major challenge at the outset of our efforts to prevent HF. With such a large population at risk, how do we develop an effective prevention strategy? HF prevention requires a multimodal approach. In this review, we focus primarily on the role of natriuretic peptide (NP) as a tool in a prevention strategy. Prevention of HF is a major public health challenge, underlined by the concerning epidemiological trends, the associated costs, and the continued difficulty to find effective therapies for the growing number of patients with preserved systolic function HF. Population-based approaches focusing on lifestyle and risk factor control have made some impact but not to a satisfactory level and also tend to result in a uniform approach across a population with different risk profiles. Individualizing risk is therefore required, with emerging data indicating that NP-guided risk stratification and intervention can reduce downstream incident HF and other cardiovascular events. © 2016 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

The effect of defects on structural failure: A two-criteria approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowling, A.R.; Townley, C.H.A.

1976-01-01

The two-criteria approach to the study of defects in structures assumes that failure occurs when the applied load reaches the lower of either a load to cause brittle failure in accordance with the theories of linear elastic fracture mechanics or a collapse load dependent on the ultimate stress of the material and the structural geometry. This simple approach is described and compared with previously published experimental results for various geometries and materials. The simplicity of this method of defect analysis lies in the fact that each criterion is sufficiently well understood to permit scaling and geometry changes to be accommodated readily. It becomes apparent that a sizeable transition region exists between the two criteria but this can be described in an expression relating the criteria. This expression adequately predicts the behaviour of cracked structures of both simple and complex geometry. A design curve for defect assessment is proposed for which it is unnecessary to consider the transition region. (author)

Routine versus aggressive upstream rhythm control for prevention of early atrial fibrillation in heart failure: background, aims and design of the RACE 3 study.

Science.gov (United States)

Alings, M; Smit, M D; Moes, M L; Crijns, H J G M; Tijssen, J G P; Brügemann, J; Hillege, H L; Lane, D A; Lip, G Y H; Smeets, J R L M; Tieleman, R G; Tukkie, R; Willems, F F; Vermond, R A; Van Veldhuisen, D J; Van Gelder, I C

2013-07-01

Rhythm control for atrial fibrillation (AF) is cumbersome because of its progressive nature caused by structural remodelling. Upstream therapy refers to therapeutic interventions aiming to modify the atrial substrate, leading to prevention of AF. The Routine versus Aggressive upstream rhythm Control for prevention of Early AF in heart failure (RACE 3) study hypothesises that aggressive upstream rhythm control increases persistence of sinus rhythm compared with conventional rhythm control in patients with early AF and mild-to-moderate early systolic or diastolic heart failure undergoing electrical cardioversion. RACE 3 is a prospective, randomised, open, multinational, multicenter trial. Upstream rhythm control consists of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, statins, cardiac rehabilitation therapy, and intensive counselling on dietary restrictions, exercise maintenance, and drug adherence. Conventional rhythm control consists of routine rhythm control therapy without cardiac rehabilitation therapy and intensive counselling. In both arms, every effort is made to keep patients in the rhythm control strategy, and ion channel antiarrhythmic drugs or pulmonary vein ablation may be instituted if AF relapses. Total inclusion will be 250 patients. If upstream therapy proves to be effective in improving maintenance of sinus rhythm, it could become a new approach to rhythm control supporting conventional pharmacological and non-pharmacological rhythm control.

Damage preventing measures for wind turbines. Phase 1- Reliability data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlsson, Fredrik; Eriksson, Emil; Dahlberg, Magnus

2010-08-15

The state of existing reliability and failure data in the public sources has been investigated. The prime goal has been to evaluate the data's usefulness for developing damage preventing measures. Some publicly available databases exist, and the data has been presented in several papers in the literature. The results from the investigation can seem quite negative. Detailed data are lacking and the level of detailed reporting has even been decreasing in recent years. Information on the impact of load condition on failures, which is an important question, are lacking throughout in the statistics. Some components dominate the failure statistics. These are for example the gearboxes, where failures lead to long down times. Failures of the electrical system lead to considerably shorter down times but the failure rate is much higher. Severe rotor failures seem to be rare, but they occur and the consequences can be dramatic. Operators and insurance companies are demanding improved insight in damage collection, maintenance and overall damage preventing measures. Closer cooperation with these parties could be a fruitful way of gathering more useful data. Improvements for future databases are suggested. A structure for damage collection is proposed. Comparing experience of damage preventing measures from other industries, knowledge about the nature of the damage mechanism and current practice in the wind industry will be an important tool in the evaluation of different damage preventing measures. This will be done in the following phases of this project

Vitamin D and Heart Failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall Brinkley, D; Ali, Omair M; Zalawadiya, Sandip K; Wang, Thomas J

2017-10-01

Vitamin D is principally known for its role in calcium homeostasis, but preclinical studies implicate multiple pathways through which vitamin D may affect cardiovascular function and influence risk for heart failure. Many adults with cardiovascular disease have low vitamin D status, making it a potential therapeutic target. We review the rationale and potential role of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of chronic heart failure. Substantial observational evidence has associated low vitamin D status with the risk of heart failure, ventricular remodeling, and clinical outcomes in heart failure, including mortality. However, trials assessing the influence of vitamin D supplementation on surrogate markers and clinical outcomes in heart failure have generally been small and inconclusive. There are insufficient data to recommend routine assessment or supplementation of vitamin D for the prevention or treatment of chronic heart failure. Prospective trials powered for clinical outcomes are warranted.

Dispersed Trading and the Prevention of Market Failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Porter, David C.; Tanggaard, Carsten; G. Weaver, Daniel

With augmented demands on power grids resulting in longer and larger blackouts combined with heightened concerns of terrorist attacks, trading institutions and policy makers have widened their search for systems that avoid market failure during these disturbing events. We provide insight into thi......With augmented demands on power grids resulting in longer and larger blackouts combined with heightened concerns of terrorist attacks, trading institutions and policy makers have widened their search for systems that avoid market failure during these disturbing events. We provide insight...... combined with widely dispersed trading locations may be a viable means of protection against market failure during massive power disruptions or terrorist attacks....

Prevention of uncontrolled progressive collapse of a high-rise brick building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pakhmurin Oleg

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, there is a trend towards increasing the failure rate of buildings and structures as a result of unforeseen situations. This study is aimed at assessing the operational reliability of the structure to prevent emergencies and progressive collapse. The behavior of structures affected by various factors was analyzed. The operational condition of a building with stone walls and a rigid structural frame constructed in the middle of the 20th century was considered. By means of a detailed instrumental examination, effects of long-term operation, climatic factors and violations during construction on the serviceability of the building were analyzed. Geotechnical conditions of the site were investigated. Necessary re-calculations for load-bearing structural elements and foundations were carried out. An expected failure diagram for vertical load-bearing structures of the building is presented. Proposals for preventing progressive collapse were developed on the basis of the author's technique.

Biaxial failure criteria and stress-strain response for concrete of containment structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S. K.; Woo, S. K.; Song, Y. C.; Kweon, Y. K.; Cho, C. H.

2001-01-01

Biaxial failure criteria and stress-strain response for plain concrete of containment structure on nuclear power plants are studied under uniaxial and biaxial stress(compression-compression, compression-tension, and tension-tension combined stress). The concrete specimens of a square plate type are used for uniaxial and biaxial loading. The experimental data indicate that the strength of concrete under biaxial compression, f 2 /f 1 =-1/-1, is 17 percent larger than under uniaxial compression and the poisson's ratio of concrete is 0.1745. On the base of the results, a biaxial failure envelope for plain concrete that the uniaxial strength is 5660 psi are provided, and the biaxial failure behaviors for three biaxial loading areas are plotted respectively. And, various analytical equations having the reliability are proposed for representations of the biaxial failure criteria and stress-strain response curves of concrete

Corrosion induced failure analysis of subsea pipelines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Yongsheng; Khan, Faisal; Thodi, Premkumar; Abbassi, Rouzbeh

2017-01-01

Pipeline corrosion is one of the main causes of subsea pipeline failure. It is necessary to monitor and analyze pipeline condition to effectively predict likely failure. This paper presents an approach to analyze the observed abnormal events to assess the condition of subsea pipelines. First, it focuses on establishing a systematic corrosion failure model by Bow-Tie (BT) analysis, and subsequently the BT model is mapped into a Bayesian Network (BN) model. The BN model facilitates the modelling of interdependency of identified corrosion causes, as well as the updating of failure probabilities depending on the arrival of new information. Furthermore, an Object-Oriented Bayesian Network (OOBN) has been developed to better structure the network and to provide an efficient updating algorithm. Based on this OOBN model, probability updating and probability adaptation are performed at regular intervals to estimate the failure probabilities due to corrosion and potential consequences. This results in an interval-based condition assessment of subsea pipeline subjected to corrosion. The estimated failure probabilities would help prioritize action to prevent and control failures. Practical application of the developed model is demonstrated using a case study. - Highlights: • A Bow-Tie (BT) based corrosion failure model linking causation with the potential losses. • A novel Object-Oriented Bayesian Network (OOBN) based corrosion failure risk model. • Probability of failure updating and adaptation with respect to time using OOBN model. • Application of the proposed model to develop and test strategies to minimize failure risk.

Effect of antioxidant therapy with dl-alpha-tocopherol on cardiovascular structure in experimental renal failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Amann, Kerstin; Törnig, Johannes; Buzello, Mareike; Kuhlmann, Alexander; Gross, Marie-Luise; Adamczak, Marcin; Buzello, Moriz; Ritz, Eberhard

2002-09-01

Chronic renal failure is characterized by remodeling of the structure of the heart and the vasculature, for example, left ventricular hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, capillary/myocyte mismatch, as well as thickening of intramyocardial arteries and of peripheral arteries and veins. Furthermore, uremia is a state of increased oxygen stress. It was the purpose of this study to examine whether these findings are interrelated. To investigate whether antioxidative therapy with dl-alpha-tocopherol (Toco; vitamin E) interferes with the development of abnormal cardiovascular structure in experimental renal failure, 28 male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to partial renal ablation (subtotal nephrectomy, SNX) or to sham operation (sham). SNX were either left untreated or received the antioxidant Toco (2 x 1500 IE/kg BW/week in the pellets). Blood pressure was measured using tail plethysmography. The experiment was terminated after 12 weeks. Heart and left ventricular weight were determined and the following parameters were measured using morphometry and stereology: volume densities of cardiomyocytes, capillaries and non-vascular interstitium; length density and total length of cardiac capillaries, wall thickness of intramyocardial arterioles and of the aorta. Systolic blood pressure and body weight were comparable in all groups. Treatment with Toco led to significantly increased plasma concentrations of Toco. Left ventricular weight and wall thickness of intramyocardial arteries were significantly higher in both SNX groups compared to sham controls. Volume density of the cardiac interstitial tissue was significantly higher in untreated SNX than in Toco treated SNX and sham control rats. Length density of capillaries was significantly lower in untreated SNX than in control rats; however, the values were significantly higher, and even higher than in sham controls, when SNX were treated with Toco. Treatment with the antioxidant dl-alpha-tocopherol prevented cardiomyocyte

The failure trace archive : enabling comparative analysis of failures in diverse distributed systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kondo, D.; Javadi, B.; Iosup, A.; Epema, D.H.J.

2010-01-01

With the increasing functionality and complexity of distributed systems, resource failures are inevitable. While numerous models and algorithms for dealing with failures exist, the lack of public trace data sets and tools has prevented meaningful comparisons. To facilitate the design, validation,

Steel Fibres: Effective Way to Prevent Failure of the Concrete Bonded with FRP Sheets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Gribniak

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Although the efficiency of steel fibres for improving mechanical properties (cracking resistance and failure toughness of the concrete has been broadly discussed in the literature, the number of studies dedicated to the fibre effect on structural behaviour of the externally bonded elements is limited. This experimental study investigates the influence of steel fibres on the failure character of concrete elements strengthened with external carbon fibre reinforced polymer sheets. The elements were subjected to different loading conditions. The test data of four ties and eight beams are presented. Different materials were used for the internal bar reinforcement: in addition to the conventional steel, high-grade steel and glass fibre reinforced polymer bars were also considered. The experimental results indicated that the fibres, by significantly increasing the cracking resistance, alter the failure character from splitting of the concrete to the bond loss of the external sheets and thus noticeably increase the load bearing capacity of the elements.

Systematic analysis and prevention of human originated common cause failures in relation to maintenance activities at Finnish nuclear power plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laakso, K. [VTT Industrial Systems, Espoo (Finland)

2006-12-15

The focus in human reliability analysis of nuclear power plants has traditionally been on human performance in disturbance conditions. On the other hand, human maintenance failures and design deficiencies, remained latent in the system, have an impact on the severity of a disturbance, e.g. by disabling safety-related equipment on demand. Especially common cause failures (CCFs) of safety related systems can affect the core damage risk to a significant extent. The topic has been addressed in Finnish studies, where experiences of latent human errors have been searched and analysed systematically from the maintenance history stored in the the power plant information systems of the Loviisa and Olkiluoto NPPs. Both the single and multiple errors (CCFs) were classified in detail and documented as error and event reports. The human CCFs involved human, organisational and technical factors. The review of the analysed single and multiple errors showed that instrumentation and control and electrical equipment are more prone to human error caused failure events than the other maintenance objects. The review of the analysed experience showed that most errors stem from the refuelling and maintenance outage periods. More than half of the multiple errors from the outages remained latent to the power operating periods. The review of the analysed multiple errors showed that difficulties with small plant modifications and planning of maintenance and operability were significant sources of common cause failures. The most dependent human errors originating from small modifications could be reduced by a more tailored planning and coverage of their start-up testing programs. Improvements could also be achieved by identifying better in work planning from the operating experiences those complex or intrusive repair and preventive maintenance work tasks and actions which are prone to errors. Such uncertain cases in important equipment require a more tailored work planning of the installation

Systematic analysis and prevention of human originated common cause failures in relation to maintenance activities at Finnish nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laakso, K.

2006-12-01

The focus in human reliability analysis of nuclear power plants has traditionally been on human performance in disturbance conditions. On the other hand, human maintenance failures and design deficiencies, remained latent in the system, have an impact on the severity of a disturbance, e.g. by disabling safety-related equipment on demand. Especially common cause failures (CCFs) of safety related systems can affect the core damage risk to a significant extent. The topic has been addressed in Finnish studies, where experiences of latent human errors have been searched and analysed systematically from the maintenance history stored in the the power plant information systems of the Loviisa and Olkiluoto NPPs. Both the single and multiple errors (CCFs) were classified in detail and documented as error and event reports. The human CCFs involved human, organisational and technical factors. The review of the analysed single and multiple errors showed that instrumentation and control and electrical equipment are more prone to human error caused failure events than the other maintenance objects. The review of the analysed experience showed that most errors stem from the refuelling and maintenance outage periods. More than half of the multiple errors from the outages remained latent to the power operating periods. The review of the analysed multiple errors showed that difficulties with small plant modifications and planning of maintenance and operability were significant sources of common cause failures. The most dependent human errors originating from small modifications could be reduced by a more tailored planning and coverage of their start-up testing programs. Improvements could also be achieved by identifying better in work planning from the operating experiences those complex or intrusive repair and preventive maintenance work tasks and actions which are prone to errors. Such uncertain cases in important equipment require a more tailored work planning of the installation

Failure analysis of vise jaw holders for hacksaw machine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Essam Ali Al-Bahkali

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Failure analysis in mechanical components has been investigated in many studies in the last few years. Failure analysis and prevention are important functions in all engineering disciplines. Materials engineers are often the lead role in the analysis of failures, where a component or product fails in service or if a failure occurs during manufacturing or production processing. In any case, one must determine the cause of the failure to prevent future occurrences and/or to improve the performance of the device, component or structure. For example, the vise jaw holders of hacksaws can break due to accidental heavy loads or machine misuse. The parts that break are the stationary and movable vise jaw holders and the connecter power screw between the holders. To investigate the failure of these components, a three-dimensional finite element model for stress analysis was performed. First, the analysis identified the broken components of the hacksaw machine. In addition, the type of materials of the broken parts was identified, a CAD model was built, and the hacksaw mechanism was analyzed to determine the accurate applied loads on the broken parts. After analyzing the model using Abaqus CAE software, the results showed that the location of the high stresses was identical with the high-stress locations in the original, broken parts. Furthermore, the power screw was subjected to a high load, which deformed the power screw. Also, the stationary vise jaw holder was broken by impact because it was not touched by the power screw until the movable vise jaw holder broke. A conclusion is drawn from the failure analysis and a way to improve the design of the broken parts is suggested.

[HIV prevention program for young people--the WYSH Project as a model of "combination prevention"].

Science.gov (United States)

Ono-Kihara, Masako

2010-03-01

In face of the HIV pandemic that still grows, unsuccessful efforts of developing biomedical control measures or the failure of cognitive-behavioral approach to show sustained social level effectiveness, behavioral strategy is now expected to evolve into a structural prevention ("combination prevention") that involves multiple behavioral goals and multilevel approaches. WYSH Project is a combination prevention project for youth developed through socio-epidemiological approach that integrates epidemiology with social science such as social marketing and mixed method. WYSH Project includes mass education programs for youth in schools and programs for out-of-school youth through cyber network and peer communication. Started in 2002, it expanded nationwide with supports from related ministries and parent-teacher associations and has grown into a single largest youth prevention project in Japan.

Recent Advances In Structural Vibration And Failure Mode Control In Mainland China: Theory, Experiments And Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hui; Ou Jinping

2008-01-01

A number of researchers have been focused on structural vibration control in the past three decades over the world and fruit achievements have been made. This paper introduces the recent advances in structural vibration control including passive, active and semiactive control in mainland China. Additionally, the co-author extends the structural vibration control to failure mode control. The research on the failure mode control is also involved in this paper. For passive control, this paper introduces full scale tests of buckling-restrained braces conducted to investigate the performance of the dampers and the second-editor of the Code of Seismic Design for Buildings. For active control, this paper introduces the HMD system for wind-induced vibration control of the Guangzhou TV tower. For semiactive control, the smart damping devices, algorithms for semi-active control, design methods and applications of semi-active control for structures are introduced in this paper. The failure mode control for bridges is also introduced

Which antibiotic regimen prevents implant failure or infection after dental implant surgery? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez Sánchez, Fabio; Rodríguez Andrés, Carlos; Arteagoitia, Iciar

2018-04-01

To assess which antibiotic regimen prevents dental implant failures or postoperative infections following dental implant placement. Systematic review and meta-analysis. Pubmed, Cochrane, Science Direct, and EMBASE via OVID were searched up to August 2017. Only randomized controlled clinical trials (RCT) using antibiotics were included. Outcome measures were set on dental implant failures or postoperative infection incidence after dental implant surgery. Three reviewers independently undertook risk of bias assessment and data extraction. Stratified meta-analyses of binary data using fixed-effects models were performed using Stata 14.0. The risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated. Nine articles were included corresponding to 15 RCTs. All RCTs tested only oral amoxicillin. Implant-failure analysis: overall RR = 0.53 (P = .005, 95% CI: 0.34-0.82) and overall NNT = 55 (95% CI, 33-167). Single-dose oral amoxicillin preoperatively (SDOAP) is beneficial (RR = 0.50, CI: 0.29-0.86. P = .012), when compared to postoperative oral amoxicillin (POA): RR = 0.60, CI: 0.28-1.30. P = .197. Postoperative-infection analysis: overall RR = 0.76 (P = 0.250, 95% CI: 0.47-1.22). Neither SDOAP (RR = 0.82, CI = 0.46-1.45, P = .488) nor POA (RR = 0.64, CI = 0.27-1.51, P = .309) are beneficial. I 2  = 0.0%, chi-squared tests P ≈ 1. Only SDOAP is effective and efficacious at preventing implant failures, but it was not significant for postoperative infections following dental implant surgeries. Copyright © 2018 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Behaviour of concrete nuclear containment structures upto ultimate failure with special reference to MAPP-1 containment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appa Rao, T.V.S.R.

1975-01-01

Theoretical and experimental methods for investigating the behaviour of concrete secondary containment structures subjected to loads upto their ultimate failure have been discussed in the paper. Need for inelastic nonlinear analysis of containments has been emphasized. Different contitutive models of concrete that can be employed in the nonlinear analysis of concrete structures were briefly reviewed. Based on the experimental results obtained in a 1:12 scale model test conducted at the Structural Engineering Research (Regional) Centre, Madras, behaviour of the MAPP-1 containment to internal pressure loading upto its ultimate failure has been discussed. (author)

Method for preventing micromechanical structures from adhering to another object

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J.H.; Ricco, A.J.

1998-06-16

A method for preventing micromechanical structures from adhering to another object includes the step of immersing a micromechanical structure and its associated substrate in a chemical species that does not stick to itself. The method can be employed during the manufacture of micromechanical structures to prevent micromechanical parts from sticking or adhering to one another and their associated substrate surface. 3 figs.

Potential seismic structural failure modes associated with the Zion Nuclear Plant. Seismic safety margins research program (Phase I). Project VI. Fragilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-10-01

The Zion 1 and 2 Nuclear Power Plant consists of a number of structures. The most important of these from the viewpoint of safety are the containment buildings, the auxiliary building, the turbine building, and the crib house (or intake structure). The evaluation of the potential seismic failure modes and determination of the ultimate seismic capacity of the structures is a complex undertaking which will require a large number of detailed calculations. As the first step in this evaluation, a number of potential modes of structural failure have been determined and are discussed. The report is principally directed towards seismically induced failure of structures. To some extent, modes involving soil foundation failures are discussed in so far as they affect the buildings. However, failure modes involving soil liquefaction, surface faulting, tsunamis, etc., are considered outside the scope of this evaluation

Technical basis for the aboveground structure failure and associated represented hazardous conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GOETZ, T.G.

2003-01-01

This technical basis document describes the risk binning process and the technical basis for assigning risk bins for the aboveground structure failure representative accident and associated represented hazardous conditions. This document was developed to support the documented safety analysis

Circuit card failures and industry mitigation strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mondal, U. [Candu Owners Group, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2012-07-01

In recent years the nuclear industry has experienced an increase in circuit card failures due to ageing of components, inadequate Preventive Maintenance (PM), lack of effective circuit card health monitoring, etc. Circuit card failures have caused loss of critical equipment, e.g., electro hydraulic governors, Safety Systems, resulting in loss of function and in some cases loss of generation. INPO completed a root cause analysis of 40 Reactor Trips/Scrams in US reactors and has recommended several actions to mitigate Circuit Card failures. Obsolescence of discrete components has posed many challenges in conducting effective preventative maintenance on circuit cards. In many cases, repairs have resulted in installation of components that compromise performance of the circuit cards. Improper termination and worn edge connectors have caused intermittent contacts contributing to circuit card failures. Traditionally, little attention is paid to relay functions and preventative maintenance of relay. Relays contribute significantly to circuit card failures and have dominated loss of generation across the power industry. The INPO study recommended a number of actions to mitigate circuit card failures, such as; identification of critical components and single point vulnerabilities; strategic preventative maintenance; protection of circuit boards against electrostatic discharge; limiting power cycles; performing an effective burn-in prior to commissioning of the circuit cards; monitoring performance of DC power supplies; limiting cabinet temperatures; managing of component aging/degradation mechanism, etc. A subcommittee has been set up under INPO sponsorship to understand the causes of circuit card failure and to develop an effective mitigation strategy. (author)

Risk factors for acute renal failure: inherent and modifiable risks.

Science.gov (United States)

Leblanc, Martine; Kellum, John A; Gibney, R T Noel; Lieberthal, Wilfred; Tumlin, James; Mehta, Ravindra

2005-12-01

Our purpose is to discuss established risk factors in the development of acute renal failure and briefly overview clinical markers and preventive measures. Findings from the literature support the role of older age, diabetes, underlying renal insufficiency, and heart failure as predisposing factors for acute renal failure. Diabetics with baseline renal insufficiency represent the highest risk subgroup. An association between sepsis, hypovolemia, and acute renal failure is clear. Liver failure, rhabdomyolysis, and open-heart surgery (especially valve replacement) are clinical conditions potentially leading to acute renal failure. Increasing evidence shows that intraabdominal hypertension may contribute to the development of acute renal failure. Radiocontrast and antimicrobial agents are the most common causes of nephrotoxic acute renal failure. In terms of prevention, avoiding nephrotoxins when possible is certainly desirable; fluid therapy is an effective prevention measure in certain clinical circumstances. Supporting cardiac output, mean arterial pressure, and renal perfusion pressure are indicated to reduce the risk for acute renal failure. Nonionic, isoosmolar intravenous contrast should be used in high-risk patients. Although urine output and serum creatinine lack sensitivity and specificity in acute renal failure, they remain the most used parameters in clinical practice. There are identified risk factors of acute renal failure. Because acute renal failure is associated with a worsening outcome, particularly if occurring in critical illness and if severe enough to require renal replacement therapy, preventive measures should be part of appropriate management.

Patients Commonly Believe Their Heart Failure Hospitalizations Are Preventable and Identify Worsening Heart Failure, Nonadherence, and a Knowledge Gap as Reasons for Admission.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilotra, Nisha A; Shpigel, Adam; Okwuosa, Ike S; Tamrat, Ruth; Flowers, Deirdre; Russell, Stuart D

2017-03-01

There are few data describing patient-identified precipitants of heart failure (HF) hospitalization. We hypothesized a patient's perception of reason for or preventability of an admission may be related to 30-day readmission rates. Ninety-four patients admitted with decompensated HF from July 2014 to March 2015 completed a brief questionnaire regarding circumstances leading to admission. Thirty-day outcomes were assessed via telephone call and chart review. Mean age was 58 ± 14 years, with 60% blacks (n = 56) and 41% females (n = 39). Median left ventricular ejection fraction was 30%; 27 had preserved ejection fraction. Seventy-two patients identified their hospitalization to be due to HF (± another condition). Most common patient-identified precipitants of admission were worsening HF (n = 37) and dietary nonadherence (n = 11). Readmitted patients tended to have longer time until first follow-up appointment (21 vs 8 days). Seven of the 42 patients who identified their hospitalization as preventable were readmitted compared with 21/49 who believed their hospitalization was unpreventable (P = .012). On multivariate regression analysis, patients who thought their hospitalization was preventable were less likely to be readmitted (odds ratio 0.31; 95% confidence interval 0.10-0.91; P = .04). Almost 50% of patients believe their HF hospitalization is preventable, and these patients appear to be less likely to be readmitted within 30 days. Notably, patients cite nonadherence and lack of knowledge as reasons hospitalizations are preventable. These results lend insight into possible interventions to reduce HF readmissions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluations of Structural Failure Probabilities and Candidate Inservice Inspection Programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khaleel, Mohammad A.; Simonen, Fredric A.

2009-05-01

The work described in this report applies probabilistic structural mechanics models to predict the reliability of nuclear pressure boundary components. These same models are then applied to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative programs for inservice inspection to reduce these failure probabilities. Results of the calculations support the development and implementation of risk-informed inservice inspection of piping and vessels. Studies have specifically addressed the potential benefits of ultrasonic inspections to reduce failure probabilities associated with fatigue crack growth and stress-corrosion cracking. Parametric calculations were performed with the computer code pc-PRAISE to generate an extensive set of plots to cover a wide range of pipe wall thicknesses, cyclic operating stresses, and inspection strategies. The studies have also addressed critical inputs to fracture mechanics calculations such as the parameters that characterize the number and sizes of fabrication flaws in piping welds. Other calculations quantify uncertainties associated with the inputs calculations, the uncertainties in the fracture mechanics models, and the uncertainties in the resulting calculated failure probabilities. A final set of calculations address the effects of flaw sizing errors on the effectiveness of inservice inspection programs.

Potential of resveratrol in the treatment of heart failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Raj, Pema; Louis, Xavier Lieben; Thandapilly, Sijo Joseph; Movahed, Ali; Zieroth, Shelley; Netticadan, Thomas

2014-01-30

The concept of food has expanded beyond its traditional role of survival and hunger satisfaction, to include a role in the prevention and treatment of disease. Polyphenols are classes of compounds that are synthesized by plants to serve a wide variety of functions including growth pollination and defense. These compounds have recently received increased attention in medical research. In this group, one of the most studied has been resveratrol (3,5,4,-trihydroxystilbene), a polyphenol, which is found predominantly in grapes and berries. Over the past two decades, researchers have studied the ability of resveratrol to prevent or reverse the development of abnormalities in heart structure and function in animal models of heart disease and heart failure. The results from animal studies have been promising, and very recently, this knowledge has been translated into examining the efficacy of resveratrol in humans with heart disease/failure. In this review we will discuss the current status of resveratrol research on cardioprotection. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perioperative acute renal failure.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Mahon, Padraig

2012-02-03

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Recent biochemical evidence increasingly implicates inflammatory mechanisms as precipitants of acute renal failure. In this review, we detail some of these pathways together with potential new therapeutic targets. RECENT FINDINGS: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin appears to be a sensitive, specific and reliable biomarker of renal injury, which may be predictive of renal outcome in the perioperative setting. For estimation of glomerular filtration rate, cystatin C is superior to creatinine. No drug is definitively effective at preventing postoperative renal failure. Clinical trials of fenoldopam and atrial natriuretic peptide are, at best, equivocal. As with pharmacological preconditioning of the heart, volatile anaesthetic agents appear to offer a protective effect to the subsequently ischaemic kidney. SUMMARY: Although a greatly improved understanding of the pathophysiology of acute renal failure has offered even more therapeutic targets, the maintenance of intravascular euvolaemia and perfusion pressure is most effective at preventing new postoperative acute renal failure. In the future, strategies targeting renal regeneration after injury will use bone marrow-derived stem cells and growth factors such as insulin-like growth factor-1.

Can we reduce preventable heart failure readmissions in patients enrolled in a Disease Management Programme?

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Phelan, D

2012-02-01

BACKGROUND: Disease Management Programmes (DMPs) are successful in reducing hospital readmissions in heart failure (HF). However, there remain a number of patients enrolled in a DMP who are readmitted with HF. The primary aim of the study was to determine the proportion of preventable readmissions (PR). The secondary aim was to recognise patient characteristics which would identify certain patients at risk of having a PR. METHODS: A retrospective chart search was performed on patients readmitted over a 1-year period. RESULTS: 38.5% of readmissions were classified as PR. None of these patients made prior contact with the DMP. Admission levels of BNP, potassium, urea and creatinine were significantly lower in the PR group. CONCLUSION: DMP have proven benefits in reducing hospital readmission nonetheless a significant proportion of these readmissions are preventable. Further work is required to prospectively analyse why these patients fail to contact the DMP.

Monitoring Corrosion of Steel Bars in Reinforced Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Sanjeev Kumar; Bhadauria, Sudhir Singh; Akhtar, Saleem

2014-01-01

Corrosion of steel bars embedded in reinforced concrete (RC) structures reduces the service life and durability of structures causing early failure of structure, which costs significantly for inspection and maintenance of deteriorating structures. Hence, monitoring of reinforcement corrosion is of significant importance for preventing premature failure of structures. This paper attempts to present the importance of monitoring reinforcement corrosion and describes the different methods for evaluating the corrosion state of RC structures, especially hal-cell potential (HCP) method. This paper also presents few techniques to protect concrete from corrosion. PMID:24558346

Monitoring corrosion of steel bars in reinforced concrete structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Sanjeev Kumar; Bhadauria, Sudhir Singh; Akhtar, Saleem

2014-01-01

Corrosion of steel bars embedded in reinforced concrete (RC) structures reduces the service life and durability of structures causing early failure of structure, which costs significantly for inspection and maintenance of deteriorating structures. Hence, monitoring of reinforcement corrosion is of significant importance for preventing premature failure of structures. This paper attempts to present the importance of monitoring reinforcement corrosion and describes the different methods for evaluating the corrosion state of RC structures, especially hal-cell potential (HCP) method. This paper also presents few techniques to protect concrete from corrosion.

Monitoring Corrosion of Steel Bars in Reinforced Concrete Structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanjeev Kumar Verma

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Corrosion of steel bars embedded in reinforced concrete (RC structures reduces the service life and durability of structures causing early failure of structure, which costs significantly for inspection and maintenance of deteriorating structures. Hence, monitoring of reinforcement corrosion is of significant importance for preventing premature failure of structures. This paper attempts to present the importance of monitoring reinforcement corrosion and describes the different methods for evaluating the corrosion state of RC structures, especially hal-cell potential (HCP method. This paper also presents few techniques to protect concrete from corrosion.

Loads on EPR containment after RPV failure at high pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, G.

1995-01-01

As regards the desgin of the EPR, the general strategy is to eliminate, the vessel failure at high pressure by preventive and mitigative measures. The design proposals involved trust in the reliability of dedicated devices (relief valves) for rapid depressurization. The aim is to attain a lower pressure level at the moment of vessel failure, so that the containment is capable to cope with the blowdown impact on the pit walls and the vessel supporting structures. Nevertheless, the potential of a high-pressure failure of the vessel must be kept in mind, whatever well thought-out and reliable preventive depressurization measures might be. Therefore, the reactor pressure blowdown has been studied in order to quantify the ultimate containment load, which might support future design requirements. The calculations were performed with the LWR transient analysis thermal-hydraulics computer code REALAP5/MOD3. In previous analyses, the nodalization of the problem was based on the geometrical conditions of a typical German 1300 MW(e) NPP. In the present analysis a new input model has been used, which was based on the EPR conditions. (orig./HP)

Analysis of failures in concrete containments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreno-Gonzalez, A.

1989-09-01

The function of Containment, in an accident event, is to avoid the release of radioactive substances into the surroundings. Containment failure, therefore, is defined as the appearance of leak paths to the external environment. These leak paths may appear either as a result of loss of leaktightness due to degradation of design conditions or structural failure with containment material break. This document is a survey of the state of the art of Containment Failure Analysis. It gives a detailed description of all failure mechanisms, indicating all the possible failure modes and their causes, right from failure resulting from degradation of the materials to structural failure and linear breake failure. Following the description of failure modes, possible failure criteria are identified, with special emphasis on structural failure criteria. These criteria have been obtained not only from existing codes but also from the latest experimental results. A chapter has been dedicated exclusively to failure criteria in conventional structures, for the purpose of evaluating the possibility of application to the case of containment. As the structural behaviour of the containment building is very complex, it is not possible to define failure through a single parameter. It is therefore advisable to define a methodology for containment failure analysis which could be applied to a particular containment. This methodology should include prevailing load and material conditions together with the behaviour of complex conditions such as the liner-anchorage-cracked concrete interaction

Development of an Advanced Digital Reactor Protection System Using Diverse Dual Processors to Prevent Common-Mode Failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Hyun Kook; Nam, Sang Ku; Sohn, Se Do; Chang, Hoon Seon

2003-01-01

The advanced digital reactor protection system (ADRPS) with diverse dual processors has been developed to prevent common-mode failure (CMF). The principle of diversity is applied to both hardware design and software design. For hardware diversity, two different types of CPUs are used for the bistable processor and local coincidence logic (LCL) processor. The Versa Module Eurocard-based single board computers are used for the CPU hardware platforms. The QNX operating system and the VxWorks operating system were selected for software diversity. Functional diversity is also applied to the input and output modules, and to the algorithm in the bistable processors and LCL processors. The characteristics of the newly developed digital protection system are described together with the preventive capability against CMF. Also, system reliability analysis is discussed. The evaluation results show that the ADRPS has a good preventive capability against the CMF and is a highly reliable reactor protection system

Failure Atlas for Rolling Bearings in Wind Turbines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tallian, T. E.

2006-01-01

This Atlas is structured as a supplement to the book: T.E. Tallian: Failure Atlas for Hertz Contact Machine Elements, 2nd edition, ASME Press New York, (1999). The content of the atlas comprises plate pages from the book that contain bearing failure images, application data, and descriptions of failure mode, image, and suspected failure causes. Rolling bearings are a critical component of the mainshaft system, gearbox and generator in the rapidly developing technology of power generating wind turbines. The demands for long service life are stringent; the design load, speed and temperature regimes are demanding and the environmental conditions including weather, contamination, impediments to monitoring and maintenance are often unfavorable. As a result, experience has shown that the rolling bearings are prone to a variety of failure modes that may prevent achievement of design lives. Morphological failure diagnosis is extensively used in the failure analysis and improvement of bearing operation. Accumulated experience shows that the failure appearance and mode of failure causation in wind turbine bearings has many distinguishing features. The present Atlas is a first effort to collect an interpreted database of specifically wind turbine related rolling bearing failures and make it widely available. This Atlas is structured as a supplement to the book: T. E. Tallian: Failure Atlas for Hertz Contact Machine Elements, 2d edition, ASME Press New York, (1999). The main body of that book is a comprehensive collection of self-contained pages called Plates, containing failure images, bearing and application data, and three descriptions: failure mode, image and suspected failure causes. The Plates are sorted by main failure mode into chapters. Each chapter is preceded by a general technical discussion of the failure mode, its appearance and causes. The Plates part is supplemented by an introductory part, describing the appearance classification and failure classification

Nutrition in Heart Failure

OpenAIRE

Reci Meseri

2013-01-01

Heart failure is defined as decreased ability of heart due to various reasons. It%u2019s seen 2-3% but the prevalence increases sharply after the age of seventy. The objectives of nutrition therapy in heart failure are to prevent from water retention and edema, to avoid from hard digestion and to offer a balanced diet. In order to avoid fluid retention and edema, daily sodium and fluid intake must be monitored carefully. Main dilemma of the heart failure patients is the obesity-cachexia dilem...

Structural-Health Aware Failure-Tolerant Engineered to Respond (SAFER) Additively Manufactured Systems, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Structural degradation and failure can cause malfunctions and long-term problems aboard spacecraft, jeopardizing the crew, especially in deep space missions. On...

Submarine slope failures due to pipe structure formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Elger, Judith; Berndt, Christian; Rüpke, Lars; Krastel, Sebastian; Gross, Felix; Geissler, Wolfram H

2018-02-19

There is a strong spatial correlation between submarine slope failures and the occurrence of gas hydrates. This has been attributed to the dynamic nature of gas hydrate systems and the potential reduction of slope stability due to bottom water warming or sea level drop. However, 30 years of research into this process found no solid supporting evidence. Here we present new reflection seismic data from the Arctic Ocean and numerical modelling results supporting a different link between hydrates and slope stability. Hydrates reduce sediment permeability and cause build-up of overpressure at the base of the gas hydrate stability zone. Resulting hydro-fracturing forms pipe structures as pathways for overpressured fluids to migrate upward. Where these pipe structures reach shallow permeable beds, this overpressure transfers laterally and destabilises the slope. This process reconciles the spatial correlation of submarine landslides and gas hydrate, and it is independent of environmental change and water depth.

Self-Regulation, Cooperative Learning, and Academic Self-Efficacy: Interactions to Prevent School Failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Rio, Javier; Cecchini, Jose A; Méndez-Gimenez, Antonio; Mendez-Alonso, David; Prieto, Jose A

2017-01-01

Learning to learn and learning to cooperate are two important goals for individuals. Moreover, self regulation has been identified as fundamental to prevent school failure. The goal of the present study was to assess the interactions between self-regulated learning, cooperative learning and academic self-efficacy in secondary education students experiencing cooperative learning as the main pedagogical approach for at least one school year. 2.513 secondary education students (1.308 males, 1.205 females), 12-17 years old ( M = 13.85, SD = 1.29), enrolled in 17 different schools belonging to the National Network of Schools on Cooperative Learning in Spain agreed to participate. They all had experienced this pedagogical approach a minimum of one school year. Participants were asked to complete the cooperative learning questionnaire, the strategies to control the study questionnaire and the global academic self-efficacy questionnaire. Participants were grouped based on their perceptions on cooperative learning and self-regulated learning in their classes. A combination of hierarchical and κ -means cluster analyses was used. Results revealed a four-cluster solution: cluster one included students with low levels of cooperative learning, self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy, cluster two included students with high levels of cooperative learning, self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy, cluster three included students with high levels of cooperative learning, low levels of self-regulated learning and intermediate-low levels of academic self-efficacy, and, finally, cluster four included students with high levels of self-regulated learning, low levels of cooperative learning, and intermediate-high levels of academic self-efficacy. Self-regulated learning was found more influential than cooperative learning on students' academic self-efficacy. In cooperative learning contexts students interact through different types of regulations: self, co, and

Self-Regulation, Cooperative Learning, and Academic Self-Efficacy: Interactions to Prevent School Failure

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez-Rio, Javier; Cecchini, Jose A.; Méndez-Gimenez, Antonio; Mendez-Alonso, David; Prieto, Jose A.

2017-01-01

Learning to learn and learning to cooperate are two important goals for individuals. Moreover, self regulation has been identified as fundamental to prevent school failure. The goal of the present study was to assess the interactions between self-regulated learning, cooperative learning and academic self-efficacy in secondary education students experiencing cooperative learning as the main pedagogical approach for at least one school year. 2.513 secondary education students (1.308 males, 1.205 females), 12–17 years old (M = 13.85, SD = 1.29), enrolled in 17 different schools belonging to the National Network of Schools on Cooperative Learning in Spain agreed to participate. They all had experienced this pedagogical approach a minimum of one school year. Participants were asked to complete the cooperative learning questionnaire, the strategies to control the study questionnaire and the global academic self-efficacy questionnaire. Participants were grouped based on their perceptions on cooperative learning and self-regulated learning in their classes. A combination of hierarchical and κ-means cluster analyses was used. Results revealed a four-cluster solution: cluster one included students with low levels of cooperative learning, self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy, cluster two included students with high levels of cooperative learning, self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy, cluster three included students with high levels of cooperative learning, low levels of self-regulated learning and intermediate-low levels of academic self-efficacy, and, finally, cluster four included students with high levels of self-regulated learning, low levels of cooperative learning, and intermediate-high levels of academic self-efficacy. Self-regulated learning was found more influential than cooperative learning on students’ academic self-efficacy. In cooperative learning contexts students interact through different types of regulations: self, co, and

Optimizing production and imperfect preventive maintenance planning's integration in failure-prone manufacturing systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aghezzaf, El-Houssaine; Khatab, Abdelhakim; Tam, Phuoc Le

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the issue of integrating production and maintenance planning in a failure-prone manufacturing system. It is assumed that the system's operating state is stochastically predictable, in terms of its operating age, and that it can accordingly be preventively maintained during preplanned periods. Preventive maintenance is assumed to be imperfect, that is when performed, it brings the manufacturing system to an operating state that lies between ‘as bad as old’ and ‘as good as new’. Only an overhauling of the system brings it to a ‘as good as new’ operating state again. A practical integrated production and preventive maintenance planning model, that takes into account the system's manufacturing capacity and its operational reliability state, is developed. The model is naturally formulated as a mixed-integer non-linear optimization problem, for which an extended mixed-integer linear reformulation is proposed. This reformulation, while it solves the proposed integrated planning problem to optimality, remains quite demanding in terms of computational time. A fix-and-optimize procedure, that takes advantage of some properties of the original model, is then proposed. The reformulation and the fix-and-optimize procedure are tested on some test instances adapted from those available in the literature. The results show that the proposed fix-and-optimize procedure performs quite well and opens new research direction for future improvements. - Highlights: • Integration of production planning and imperfect preventive maintenance is explored. • Imperfect maintenance is modeled using a fitting age reduction hybrid hazard rate. • A practical approximate optimization model for this integration is proposed. • The resulting naturally MINL optimization model is reformulated and solved as a MILP. • An effective fix-and-optimize procedure is proposed for large instances of this MILP.

Academic Failure and Child-to-Parent Violence: Family Protective Factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibabe, Izaskun

2016-01-01

A reduction in academic achievement over the course of adolescence has been observed. School failure is characterized by difficulties to teaching school goals. A variety of other behavioral problems are often associated with school failure. Child-to-parent violence has been associated with different school problems. The main objective of current study was to examine the contribution of family variables (parental education level, family cohesion, and positive family discipline) on academic failure and child-to-parent violence of adolescents from a community sample. Moreover, a goal was to explore if academic failure was a valid predictor of child-to-parent violence. To this end, it has been developed a comprehensive statistical model through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Participants were 584 children from eight secondary schools in the Basque Country (Spain) and aged between 12 and 18. Among other scales Conflict Tactics Scale and Family Environment Scale were administrated for measuring child-to-parent violence and family cohesion environment, respectively. The structural model revealed that parental education level is a relevant protective factor against academic failure. Positive family discipline (inductive discipline, supervision, and penalty) show a significant association with child-to-parent violence and academic failure. Disciplinary practices could be more efficient to prevent child-to-parent violence or school failure if children perceive a positive environment in their home. However, these findings could be explained by inverse causality, because some parents respond to child-to-parent violence or academic failure with disciplinary strategies. School failure had indirect effects on child-to-parent violence through family cohesion. For all that, education policies should focus on parental education courses for disadvantaged families in order to generate appropriate learning environments at home and to foster improvement of parent

The influence of the crust layer on RPV structural failure under severe accident condition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mao, Jianfeng, E-mail: jianfeng-mao@163.com [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Engineering Research Center of Process Equipment and Re-manufacturing, Ministry of Education (China); Li, Xiangqing [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Bao, Shiyi [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Engineering Research Center of Process Equipment and Re-manufacturing, Ministry of Education (China); Luo, Lijia [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Gao, Zengliang [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Engineering Research Center of Process Equipment and Re-manufacturing, Ministry of Education (China)

2017-05-15

Highlights: • The crust layer greatly affects the RPV structural behavior. • The RPV failure is investigated in depth under severe accident. • The creep and plastic damage mainly contribute to RPV failure. • An elastic core in RPV wall is essential for ensuring RPV integrity. • The multiaxial state of stress accelerates the total damage evolution. - Abstract: The so called ‘in-vessel retention (IVR)’ is regarded as a severe accident (SA) mitigation strategy, which is widely used in most of advanced nuclear power plants. The effectiveness of IVR strategy is to employ the external water flooding to cool the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The RPV integrity has to be maintained within a required period during the IVR period. The degraded melting core is assumed to be arrested in the lower head (LH) to form the melting pool that is bounded by upper, side and lower crusts. Consequently, the existence of the crust layer greatly affects the RPV structural behavior as well as failure process. In order to disclose this influence caused by the crust layer, a detailed investigation is conducted by using numerical simulation on the two RPVs with and without crust layer respectively. Taking the RPV without crust layer as a basis for the comparison, the present study assesses the likelihood and potential failure location, time and mode of the LH under the loadings of the critical heat flux (CHF) and slight internal pressure. Due to the high temperature melt on the inside and nucleate boiling on the outside, the RPV integrity is found to be compromised by melt-through, creep, elasticity, plasticity as well as thermal expansion. Through in-depth investigation, it is found that the creep and plasticity are of vital importance to the final structural failure, and the introduction of crust layer results in a significant change on field parameters in terms of temperature, deformation, stress(strain), triaxiality factor and total damage.

The influence of the crust layer on RPV structural failure under severe accident condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mao, Jianfeng; Li, Xiangqing; Bao, Shiyi; Luo, Lijia; Gao, Zengliang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The crust layer greatly affects the RPV structural behavior. • The RPV failure is investigated in depth under severe accident. • The creep and plastic damage mainly contribute to RPV failure. • An elastic core in RPV wall is essential for ensuring RPV integrity. • The multiaxial state of stress accelerates the total damage evolution. - Abstract: The so called ‘in-vessel retention (IVR)’ is regarded as a severe accident (SA) mitigation strategy, which is widely used in most of advanced nuclear power plants. The effectiveness of IVR strategy is to employ the external water flooding to cool the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). The RPV integrity has to be maintained within a required period during the IVR period. The degraded melting core is assumed to be arrested in the lower head (LH) to form the melting pool that is bounded by upper, side and lower crusts. Consequently, the existence of the crust layer greatly affects the RPV structural behavior as well as failure process. In order to disclose this influence caused by the crust layer, a detailed investigation is conducted by using numerical simulation on the two RPVs with and without crust layer respectively. Taking the RPV without crust layer as a basis for the comparison, the present study assesses the likelihood and potential failure location, time and mode of the LH under the loadings of the critical heat flux (CHF) and slight internal pressure. Due to the high temperature melt on the inside and nucleate boiling on the outside, the RPV integrity is found to be compromised by melt-through, creep, elasticity, plasticity as well as thermal expansion. Through in-depth investigation, it is found that the creep and plasticity are of vital importance to the final structural failure, and the introduction of crust layer results in a significant change on field parameters in terms of temperature, deformation, stress(strain), triaxiality factor and total damage.

Predictability of steel containment response near failure track 3 - structural integrity, dynamic behavior, and seismic design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costello, J.F.; Ludwigsen, J.S.; Luk, V.K.; Hessheimer, M.F.

2000-01-01

The Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation of Japan and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, are co-sponsoring and jointly funding a Cooperative Containment Research Program at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. As a part of this program, a steel containment vessel model and contact structure assembly was tested to failure with over pressurization at Sandia on December 11--12, 1996. The steel containment vessel model was a mixed-scale model (1:10 in geometry and 1:4 in shell thickness) of a steel containment for an improved Mark-II Boiling Water Reactor plant in Japan. The contact structure, which is a thick, bell-shaped steel shell separated at a nominally uniform distance from the model, provides a simplified representation of features of the concrete reactor shield building in the actual plant. The objective of the internal pressurization test was to provide measurement data of the structural response of the model up to its failure in order to validate analytical modeling, to find its pressure capacity, and to observe the failure model and mechanisms

High-Resolution Mapping of Chromatin Conformation in Cardiac Myocytes Reveals Structural Remodeling of the Epigenome in Heart Failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa-Garrido, Manuel; Chapski, Douglas J; Schmitt, Anthony D; Kimball, Todd H; Karbassi, Elaheh; Monte, Emma; Balderas, Enrique; Pellegrini, Matteo; Shih, Tsai-Ting; Soehalim, Elizabeth; Liem, David; Ping, Peipei; Galjart, Niels J; Ren, Shuxun; Wang, Yibin; Ren, Bing; Vondriska, Thomas M

2017-10-24

Cardiovascular disease is associated with epigenomic changes in the heart; however, the endogenous structure of cardiac myocyte chromatin has never been determined. To investigate the mechanisms of epigenomic function in the heart, genome-wide chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C) and DNA sequencing were performed in adult cardiac myocytes following development of pressure overload-induced hypertrophy. Mice with cardiac-specific deletion of CTCF (a ubiquitous chromatin structural protein) were generated to explore the role of this protein in chromatin structure and cardiac phenotype. Transcriptome analyses by RNA-seq were conducted as a functional readout of the epigenomic structural changes. Depletion of CTCF was sufficient to induce heart failure in mice, and human patients with heart failure receiving mechanical unloading via left ventricular assist devices show increased CTCF abundance. Chromatin structural analyses revealed interactions within the cardiac myocyte genome at 5-kb resolution, enabling examination of intra- and interchromosomal events, and providing a resource for future cardiac epigenomic investigations. Pressure overload or CTCF depletion selectively altered boundary strength between topologically associating domains and A/B compartmentalization, measurements of genome accessibility. Heart failure involved decreased stability of chromatin interactions around disease-causing genes. In addition, pressure overload or CTCF depletion remodeled long-range interactions of cardiac enhancers, resulting in a significant decrease in local chromatin interactions around these functional elements. These findings provide a high-resolution chromatin architecture resource for cardiac epigenomic investigations and demonstrate that global structural remodeling of chromatin underpins heart failure. The newly identified principles of endogenous chromatin structure have key implications for epigenetic therapy. © 2017 The Authors.

Effect of Discontinuities and Uncertainties on the Response and Failure of Composite Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Noor, Ahmed K.; Perry, Ferman W.; Poteat, Marcia M. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The overall goal of this research was to assess the effect of discontinuities and uncertainties on the nonlinear response and failure of composite structures subjected to combined mechanical and thermal loads. The four key elements of the study were: (1) development of simple and efficient procedures for the accurate determination of transverse shear and transverse normal stresses in structural sandwiches as well as in unstiffened and stiffened composite panels and shells; (2) study the effects of transverse stresses on the response, damage initiation and propagation in composite and sandwich structures; (3) use of hierarchical sensitivity coefficients to identify the major parameters that affect the response and damage in each of the different levels in the hierarchy (micro-mechanical, layer, panel, subcomponent and component levels); and (4) application of fuzzy set techniques to identify the range and variation of possible responses. The computational models developed were used in conjunction with experiments, to understand the physical phenomena associated with the nonlinear response and failure of composite and sandwich structures. A toolkit was developed for use in conjunction with deterministic analysis programs to help the designer in assessing the effect of uncertainties in the different computational model parameters on the variability of the response quantities.

New Therapeutic Approaches to Prevent or Delay Beta-Cell Failure in Diabetes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ionica Floriana Elvira

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background and aims: The most recent estimates of International Diabetes Federation indicate that 382 million people have diabetes, and the incidence of this disease is increasing. While in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM beta-cell death is autoimmunemediated, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM results from an interaction between genetic and environmental factors that impair beta-cell function and insulin action. Many people with T2DM remain unaware of their illness for a long time because symptoms may take years to appear or be recognized, while the body is affected by excess blood glucose. These patients are often diagnosed only when diabetes complications have already developed. The aim of this article was to perform a review based on literature data on therapeutic modalities to prevent/delay beta cell function decline. Material and Methods: We searched MEDLINE from 2000 to the present to identify the therapeutic approaches to prevent or delay beta-cell failure in patients with T2DM. Results and conclusions: Several common polymorphisms in genes linked to monogenic forms of diabetes appear to influence the response to T2DM pharmacotherapy. Recent studies report the role of the G protein coupled receptor 40 (GPR40, also known as Free Fatty Acids Receptor 1 (FFAR1 in the regulation of beta-cell function- CNX-011-67 (a GPR40 agonist has the potential to provide good and durable glycemic control in T2DM patients.

Combinatorial analysis of systems with competing failures subject to failure isolation and propagation effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xing Liudong; Levitin, Gregory

2010-01-01

This paper considers the reliability analysis of binary-state systems, subject to propagated failures with global effect, and failure isolation phenomena. Propagated failures with global effect are common-cause failures originated from a component of a system/subsystem causing the failure of the entire system/subsystem. Failure isolation occurs when the failure of one component (referred to as a trigger component) causes other components (referred to as dependent components) within the same system to become isolated from the system. On the one hand, failure isolation makes the isolated dependent components unusable; on the other hand, it prevents the propagation of failures originated from those dependent components. However, the failure isolation effect does not exist if failures originated in the dependent components already propagate globally before the trigger component fails. In other words, there exists a competition in the time domain between the failure of the trigger component that causes failure isolation and propagated failures originated from the dependent components. This paper presents a combinatorial method for the reliability analysis of systems subject to such competing propagated failures and failure isolation effect. Based on the total probability theorem, the proposed method is analytical, exact, and has no limitation on the type of time-to-failure distributions for the system components. An illustrative example is given to demonstrate the basics and advantages of the proposed method.

The pathophysiological basis of the protective effects of metformin in heart failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Dziubak, Aleksandra; Wójcicka, Grażyna

2017-08-24

Metformin, currently recommended as the drug of first choice in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is one of the few antihiperglycemic drugs to reduce cardiovascular risk. Nonetheless, due to the risk of lactic acidosis during metformin therapy, its usage in patients with diabetes and heart failure (HF) is still a matter of debate. The aim of this review is to present data supporting the possibility of using metformin in the treatment of diabetic patients with concomitant heart failure. In the failing heart, metformin through the mechanism related to AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity, improves free fatty acids (FFA) and glucose metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis, as well as nitric oxide (NO)-NO synthase pathway. Metformin can also inhibit the generation and accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and thereby prevents the development of the adverse structural and functional changes in myocardium.In summary, experimental and clinical data indicate the ability of metformin to prevent the development of the structural and functional changes in myocardium, although further basic research and clinical studies assessing benefits and safety of metformin therapy in patients with HF are required.

Analysis of Service Recovery Failure: From Minority Perspective

OpenAIRE

Yasemin Öcal Atınç

2016-01-01

We investigate the service failures towards diverse customer groups for the purpose to bring insightful proposals to the managers to recover from these failures. Previous literature provided insights regarding the perception of service failures by minorities and the challenge of recovery due to racial implications driven from the failure, however lacked to propose suggestions for the managers so that they can take either corrective steps toward service failure recovery or prevent service fail...

Determination of a tissue-level failure evaluation standard for rat femoral cortical bone utilizing a hybrid computational-experimental method.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Ruoxun; Liu, Jie; Jia, Zhengbin; Deng, Ying; Liu, Jun

2018-01-01

Macro-level failure in bone structure could be diagnosed by pain or physical examination. However, diagnosing tissue-level failure in a timely manner is challenging due to the difficulty in observing the interior mechanical environment of bone tissue. Because most fractures begin with tissue-level failure in bone tissue caused by continually applied loading, people attempt to monitor the tissue-level failure of bone and provide corresponding measures to prevent fracture. Many tissue-level mechanical parameters of bone could be predicted or measured; however, the value of the parameter may vary among different specimens belonging to a kind of bone structure even at the same age and anatomical site. These variations cause difficulty in representing tissue-level bone failure. Therefore, determining an appropriate tissue-level failure evaluation standard is necessary to represent tissue-level bone failure. In this study, the yield and failure processes of rat femoral cortical bones were primarily simulated through a hybrid computational-experimental method. Subsequently, the tissue-level strains and the ratio between tissue-level failure and yield strains in cortical bones were predicted. The results indicated that certain differences existed in tissue-level strains; however, slight variations in the ratio were observed among different cortical bones. Therefore, the ratio between tissue-level failure and yield strains for a kind of bone structure could be determined. This ratio may then be regarded as an appropriate tissue-level failure evaluation standard to represent the mechanical status of bone tissue.

American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7: Avoiding Heart Failure and Preserving Cardiac Structure and Function.

Science.gov (United States)

Folsom, Aaron R; Shah, Amil M; Lutsey, Pamela L; Roetker, Nicholas S; Alonso, Alvaro; Avery, Christy L; Miedema, Michael D; Konety, Suma; Chang, Patricia P; Solomon, Scott D

2015-09-01

Many people may underappreciate the role of lifestyle in avoiding heart failure. We estimated whether greater adherence in middle age to American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 guidelines—on smoking, body mass, physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose—is associated with lower lifetime risk of heart failure and greater preservation of cardiac structure and function in old age. We studied the population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort of 13,462 adults ages 45-64 years in 1987-1989. From the 1987-1989 risk factor measurements, we created a Life's Simple 7 score (range 0-14, giving 2 points for ideal, 1 point for intermediate, and 0 points for poor components). We identified 2218 incident heart failure events using surveillance of hospital discharge and death codes through 2011. In addition, in 4855 participants free of clinical cardiovascular disease in 2011-2013, we performed echocardiography from which we quantified left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. One in four participants (25.5%) developed heart failure through age 85 years. Yet, this lifetime heart failure risk was 14.4% for those with a middle-age Life's Simple 7 score of 10-14 (optimal), 26.8% for a score of 5-9 (average), and 48.6% for a score of 0-4 (inadequate). Among those with no clinical cardiovascular event, the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in late life was approximately 40% as common, and diastolic dysfunction was approximately 60% as common, among those with an optimal middle-age Life's Simple 7 score, compared with an inadequate score. Greater achievement of American Heart Association's Life's Simple 7 in middle age is associated with a lower lifetime occurrence of heart failure and greater preservation of cardiac structure and function. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Failure Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iorio, A.F.; Crespi, J.C.

1987-01-01

After ten years of operation at the Atucha I Nuclear Power Station a gear belonging to a pressurized heavy water reactor refuelling machine, failed. The gear box was used to operate the inlet-outlet heavy-water valve of the machine. Visual examination of the gear device showed an absence of lubricant and that several gear teeth were broken at the root. Motion was transmitted with a speed-reducing device with controlled adjustable times in order to produce a proper fitness of the valve closure. The aim of this paper is to discuss the results of the gear failure analysis in order to recommend the proper solution to prevent further failures. (Author)

ACE inhibitors and calcium antagonists in the treatment of congestive heart failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, J F

1995-01-01

heart failure in the SOLVD trials. In post-myocardial infarction patients, the calcium antagonist nifedipine did not affect mortality or morbidity; diltiazem improved prognosis in patients without congestive heart failure and in patients with non-Q-wave infarction; and verapamil improved prognosis...... by prevention of reinfarction and sudden death. Combination treatment with both verapamil, which has pronounced antiischemic properties and prevents sudden death and reinfarction, and an ACE inhibitor, which prevents the progression of heart failure, is a possibility for future cardiovascular therapy...

A Biochemical Approach to Understanding the Fanconi Anemia Pathway-Regulated Nucleases in Genome Maintenance for Preventing Bone Marrow Failure and Cancer

Science.gov (United States)

2014-04-01

the Fanconi Anemia Pathway- Regulated Nucleases in Genome Maintenance for Preventing Bone Marrow Failure and Cancer PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR...GRANT NUMBER 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE A Biochemical Approach to Understanding the Fanconi Anemia Pathway-Regulated Nucleases in Genome Maintenance for...Unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Fanconi anemia is the most prevalent inherited BMF syndromes, caused by mutations in

Electrical failure analysis for root-cause determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riddle, J.

1990-01-01

This paper outlines a practical failure analysis sequence. Several technical definitions are required. A failure is defined as a component that was operating in a system where the system malfunctioned and the replacement of the device restored system functionality. The failure mode is the malfunctioning behavior of the device. The failure mechanism is the underlying cause or source of the failure mode. The failure mechanism is the root cause of the failure mode. The failure analysis procedure needs to be adequately refined to result in the determination of the cause of failure to the degree that corrective action or design changes will prevent recurrence of the failure mode or mechanism. An example of a root-cause determination analysis performed for a nuclear power industry customer serves to illustrate the analysis methodology

Modelling of Diffuse Failure and Fluidization in geo materials and Geo structures; Modelizacion de la rotura y fluidificacion en geomateriales y geoestructuras

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pastor, M.

2013-06-01

Failure of geo structures is caused by changes in effective stresses induced by external loads (earthquakes, for instance), change in the pore pressures (rain), in the geometry (erosion), or in materials properties (chemical attack, degradation, weathering). Landslides can by analysed as the failure of a geo structure, the slope. There exist many alternative classifications of landslides can be analyzed as the failure of a geo structure, the slope. There exist many alternative classifications of landslides, but we will consider here a simple classification into slides and flows. In the case of slides, the failure consists on the movement of a part of the slope with deformations which concentrate in a narrow zone, the failure surface. This can be idealized as localized failure, and it is typical of over consolidated or dense materials exhibiting softening. On the other hand, flows are made of fluidized materials, flowing in a fluid like manner. This mechanism of failure is known as diffuse failure, and has received much less attention by researchers. Modelling of diffuse failure of slopes is complex, because there appear difficulties in the mathematical, constitutive and numerical models, which have to account for a phase transition. This work deals with modeling, and we will present here some tools recently developed by the author and the group to which he belongs. (Author)

Evaluation of the adequacy of maintenance tasks using the failure consequences of railroad vehicles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jaehoon; Jeong, Hyun- Yong

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to improve the efficiency, reliability and safety related to railroad maintenance tasks through an evaluation of the consequences of failures. The brake system was selected based on the failure data obtained from railroad vehicles in operation as one of the safety systems in railroad vehicles. The failure causes, failure effects, and the criticality of the failure mode were drawn for 62 failure modes of the braking system through the use of an FMECA for the 30 sub-devices having primary functions. The various maintenance tasks for the braking system were categorized into the 62 failure modes and failure consequences using the FMECA and the logic of maintenance decisions. Braking systems manufactured by the same manufacturer and operated by two different operators were studied in an effort to analyze preventive maintenance and to evaluate the adequacy of preventive maintenance tasks for the 62 failure modes. Based on results of the evaluation of these preventive maintenance tasks, new maintenance tasks were proposed, and concrete cost-cutting effects were determined from the calculation of the maintenance time and expected costs, using a preventive maintenance template developed specifically for railroad vehicles

Staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Patricia W; Dick, Andrew; Pogorzelska, Monika; Horan, Teresa C; Furuya, E Yoko; Larson, Elaine

2009-06-01

The nature of infection prevention and control is changing; however, little is known about current staffing and structure of infection prevention and control programs. Our objectives were to provide a snapshot of the staffing and structure of hospital-based infection prevention and control programs in the United States. A Web-based survey was sent to 441 hospitals that participate in the National Healthcare Safety Network. The response rate was 66% (n = 289); data were examined on 821 professionals. Infection preventionist (IP) staffing was significantly negatively related to bed size, with higher staffing in smaller hospitals (P hospital epidemiologists were reported to have authority to close beds for outbreaks always or most of the time (n = 225, 78%). Only 32% (n = 92) reported using an electronic surveillance system to track infections. This study is the first to provide a comprehensive description of current infection prevention and control staffing, organization, and support in a select group of hospitals across the nation. Further research is needed to identify effective staffing levels for various hospital types as well as examine how the IP role is changing over time.

Preventing failure in distance learning: the use of Spector tool

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maciej Słomczyński

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In 2011 and 2012, University of Warsaw conducted a two-stage research which goals were: (1 to verify whether students’ access to information showing the characteristics of their learning organization is connected with a sense of efficacy, level of motivation, preferred learning forms and perceived teacher presence; (2 to examine the relations between organizational learning styles and the usage of Spector module. One of the means used in the project was introduction of a mechanism for teaching and learning management in an e-learning setting – Spector. This way, a support for prevention, diagnosis and learning failure therapy was introduced. The mechanism was implemented as a Moodle LMS extension. Its goal was to process activity reports gathered by Moodle and present them in an user-friendly way to both students and teachers. The first-stage research results did not confirm the correlation between mentioned variables, although the majority of students taking part in the research pointed out Spector’s importance to improving their motivation and planning their learning activities. Resolving of all the doubts set in the project required a further, more complex study (including organizational learning styles. The second stage of the research proved that students’ opinion about the usage of Spector is related to their current studies programme (Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctoral.

On the importance of analyzing flood defense failures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Özer Işıl Ece

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Flood defense failures are rare events but when they do occur lead to significant amounts of damage. The defenses are usually designed for rather low-frequency hydraulic loading and as such typically at least high enough to prevent overflow. When they fail, flood defenses like levees built with modern design codes usually either fail due to wave overtopping or geotechnical failure mechanisms such as instability or internal erosion. Subsequently geotechnical failures could trigger an overflow leading for the breach to grow in size Not only the conditions relevant for these failure mechanisms are highly uncertain, also the model uncertainty in geomechanical, internal erosion models, or breach models are high compared to other structural models. Hence, there is a need for better validation and calibration of models or, in other words, better insight in model uncertainty. As scale effects typically play an important role and full-scale testing is challenging and costly, historic flood defense failures can be used to provide insights into the real failure processes and conditions. The recently initiated SAFElevee project at Delft University of Technology aims to exploit this source of information by performing back analysis of levee failures at different level of detail. Besides detailed process based analyses, the project aims to investigate spatial and temporal patterns in deformation as a function of the hydrodynamic loading using satellite radar interferometry (i.e. PS-InSAR in order to examine its relation with levee failure mechanisms. The project aims to combine probabilistic approaches with the mechanics of the various relevant failure mechanisms to reduce model uncertainty and propose improvements to assessment and design models. This paper describes the approach of the study to levee breach analysis and the use of satellites for breach initiation analysis, both adopted within the SAFElevee project.

Effect of thermo-mechanical loading histories on fatigue crack growth behavior and the threshold in SUS 316 and SCM 440 steels. For prevention of high cycle thermal fatigue failures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okazaki, Masakazu; Muzvidziwa, Milton; Iwasaki, Akira; Kasahara, Naoto

2014-01-01

High cycle thermal fatigue failure of pipes induced by fluid temperature change is one of the interdisciplinary issues to be concerned for long term structural reliability of high temperature components in energy systems. In order to explore advanced life assessment methods to prevent the failure, fatigue crack propagation tests were carried out in a low alloy steel and an austenitic stainless steel under typical thermal and thermo-mechanical histories. Special attention was paid to both the effect of thermo-mechanical loading history on the fatigue crack threshold, as well as to the applicability of continuum fracture mechanics treatment to small or short cracks. It was shown experimentally that the crack-based remaining fatigue life evaluation provided more reasonable assessment than the traditional method based on the semi-empirical law in terms of 'usage factor' for high cycle thermal fatigue failure that is employed in JSME Standard, S017. The crack propagation analysis based on continuum fracture mechanics was almost successfully applied to the small fatigue cracks of which size was comparable to a few times of material grain size. It was also shown the thermo-mechanical histories introduced unique effects to the prior fatigue crack wake, resulting in occasional change in the fatigue crack threshold. (author)

Presentation of common cause failures in fault tree structure of Krsko PSA : an historical overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vrbanic, I.; Kosutic, I.; Vukovic, I.; Simic, Z.

2003-01-01

Failure of multiple components due to a common cause represents one of the most important issues in evaluation of system reliability or unavailability. The frequency of such events has relatively low expectancy, when compared to random failures, which affect individual components. However, in many cases the consequence is a direct loss of safety system or mitigative safety function. For this reason, the modeling of a common cause failure (CCF) and its presentation in fault tree structure is of the uttermost importance in probabilistic safety analyses (PSA). During the past decade, PSA model of Krsko NPP has undergone many small changes and a couple of major ones in fulfilling its basic purpose, which was serving as a tool for providing an appropriate information on the risk associated with actual plant design and operation. All changes to Krsko PSA model were undertaken in order to make it a better tool and / or to make it represent the plant in more accurate manner. The paper provides an overview of changes in CCF modeling in the fault tree structure from the initial PSA model development till present. (author)

An approach to integrating surveillance and maintenance tasks to prevent the dominant failure causes of critical components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martorell, S.; Munoz, A.; Serradell, V.

1995-01-01

Surveillance requirements and maintenance activities in a nuclear power plant aim to preserve components' inherent reliability. Up to now, predictive and preventive maintenance mainly concerned plant staff, but the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Maintenance Rule released in July 1991 will have significant impact on how nuclear power plants perform and document this maintenance. Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) is a systematic methodology to establish maintenance tasks for critical components in plant with a high degree of compliance with the goals of the Rule. RCM pursues the identification of applicable and efficient tasks to prevent these components from developing their dominant failure causes, and, in turn, towards achieving proper levels of components availability with low cost. In this paper, we present an approach for identifying the most suitable set of tasks to achieve this goal, which involves the integration of maintenance activities and surveillance requirements for each critical component based on the unavailability and cost associated with each individual task which is performed on it

A Zebrafish Heart Failure Model for Assessing Therapeutic Agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Xiao-Yu; Wu, Si-Qi; Guo, Sheng-Ya; Yang, Hua; Xia, Bo; Li, Ping; Li, Chun-Qi

2018-03-20

Heart failure is a leading cause of death and the development of effective and safe therapeutic agents for heart failure has been proven challenging. In this study, taking advantage of larval zebrafish, we developed a zebrafish heart failure model for drug screening and efficacy assessment. Zebrafish at 2 dpf (days postfertilization) were treated with verapamil at a concentration of 200 μM for 30 min, which were determined as optimum conditions for model development. Tested drugs were administered into zebrafish either by direct soaking or circulation microinjection. After treatment, zebrafish were randomly selected and subjected to either visual observation and image acquisition or record videos under a Zebralab Blood Flow System. The therapeutic effects of drugs on zebrafish heart failure were quantified by calculating the efficiency of heart dilatation, venous congestion, cardiac output, and blood flow dynamics. All 8 human heart failure therapeutic drugs (LCZ696, digoxin, irbesartan, metoprolol, qiliqiangxin capsule, enalapril, shenmai injection, and hydrochlorothiazide) showed significant preventive and therapeutic effects on zebrafish heart failure (p failure model developed and validated in this study could be used for in vivo heart failure studies and for rapid screening and efficacy assessment of preventive and therapeutic drugs.

Psychosocial risk factors and heart failure hospitalization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rod, Naja Hulvej; Andersen, Ingelise; Prescott, Eva

2011-01-01

Prospective studies on the role of psychosocial factors in heart failure development are virtually nonexistent. The authors aimed to address the effect of psychosocial factors on the risk of heart failure hospitalization in men and women free of cardiovascular disease. In 1991-1993, the 8......-fourth of the population reported some degree of vital exhaustion. The vital exhaustion score was associated with a higher risk of heart failure in a dose-response manner (P risk of heart failure in both men (hazard ratio = 1.93, 95% confidence...... in the population, even a modestly higher risk of heart failure associated with vital exhaustion may be of importance in the planning of future preventive strategies for heart failure....

Common-Cause Failure Analysis in Event Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rasmuson, D.M.; Kelly, D.L.

2008-01-01

This paper reviews the basic concepts of modeling common-cause failures (CCFs) in reliability and risk studies and then applies these concepts to the treatment of CCF in event assessment. The cases of a failed component (with and without shared CCF potential) and a component being unavailable due to preventive maintenance or testing are addressed. The treatment of two related failure modes (e.g. failure to start and failure to run) is a new feature of this paper, as is the treatment of asymmetry within a common-cause component group

Fatigue degradation and failure of rotating composite structures - Materials characterisation and underlying mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gamstedt, Kristofer; Andersen, Svend Ib Smidt

2001-01-01

The present review concerns rotating composite structures, in which fatigue degradation is of key concern for in-service failure. Such applications are for instance rotor blades in wind turbines, helicopter rotor blades, flywheels for energy storage,marine and aeronautical propellers, and rolls...... for paper machines. The purpose is to identify areas where impending efforts should be made to make better use of composite materials in these applications. In order to obtain better design methodologies,which would allow more reliable and slender structures, improved test methods are necessary. Furthermore...

Thermal changes of the environment and their influence on reinforced concrete structures

Science.gov (United States)

Fojtik, R.; Cajka, R.

2018-04-01

The thermal expansion of concrete elements concerns both monolithic and prefabricated structures. Inappropriate design of dilation segments may cause minor but even larger failures. Critical environment factors are temperature-changing operations, such as unheated underground garages, where temperature fluctuations may occur depending on the exterior conditions. This paper numerically and experimentally analyses the thermal deformation of selected girders in the underground garages and the consequent structure failures, their causes, possible prevention and appropriate remediation.

Cardiac resynchronization induces major structural and functional reverse remodeling in patients with New York Heart Association class I/II heart failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

St John Sutton, Martin; Ghio, Stefano; Plappert, Ted

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) improves LV structure, function, and clinical outcomes in New York Heart Association class III/IV heart failure with prolonged QRS. It is not known whether patients with New York Heart Association class I/II systolic heart failure exhibit left...... ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling with CRT or whether reverse remodeling is modified by the cause of heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: Six hundred ten patients with New York Heart Association class I/II heart failure, QRS duration > or =120 ms, LV end-diastolic dimension > or =55 mm, and LV ejection...... reduction in LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volume indexes and a 3-fold greater increase in LV ejection fraction in patients with nonischemic causes of heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: CRT in patients with New York Heart Association I/II resulted in major structural and functional reverse remodeling at 1 year...

Failure Analysis and Prevention for the Air Logistics Center Engineer: CAStLE Course Development Summary

Science.gov (United States)

2006-09-01

1992. Witherell, Charles E., Mechanical Failure Avoidance - Strategies & Techniques. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1994. - A3 - USAF Academy Center for...58 feet high * 90 feet wide * Contents: 2.3 million gallons of molasses--Density: -12 lbs/gallon j Quincy Market -Boston (TSAF~cademiJ Center for...Critical LocationNO LS., 4P lAcadlemy jCeniter for Airci-aft Snetw-tiyal Lift Exten~vion (CAýVtLE,) " Structural location that is more prone to developing

Plasma membrane disruption: repair, prevention, adaptation

Science.gov (United States)

McNeil, Paul L.; Steinhardt, Richard A.

2003-01-01

Many metazoan cells inhabit mechanically stressful environments and, consequently, their plasma membranes are frequently disrupted. Survival requires that the cell rapidly repair or reseal the disruption. Rapid resealing is an active and complex structural modification that employs endomembrane as its primary building block, and cytoskeletal and membrane fusion proteins as its catalysts. Endomembrane is delivered to the damaged plasma membrane through exocytosis, a ubiquitous Ca2+-triggered response to disruption. Tissue and cell level architecture prevent disruptions from occurring, either by shielding cells from damaging levels of force, or, when this is not possible, by promoting safe force transmission through the plasma membrane via protein-based cables and linkages. Prevention of disruption also can be a dynamic cell or tissue level adaptation triggered when a damaging level of mechanical stress is imposed. Disease results from failure of either the preventive or resealing mechanisms.

Rationale and design of a multicenter echocardiographic study to assess the relationship between cardiac structure and function and heart failure risk in a biracial cohort of community-dwelling elderly persons: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Amil M; Cheng, Susan; Skali, Hicham; Wu, Justina; Mangion, Judy R; Kitzman, Dalane; Matsushita, Kunihiro; Konety, Suma; Butler, Kenneth R; Fox, Ervin R; Cook, Nakela; Ni, Hanyu; Coresh, Josef; Mosley, Thomas H; Heiss, Gerardo; Folsom, Aaron R; Solomon, Scott D

2014-01-01

Heart failure is an important public health concern, particularly among persons>65 years of age. Women and blacks are critically understudied populations that carry a sizeable portion of the heart failure burden. Limited normative and prognostic data exist on measures of cardiac structure, diastolic function, and novel measures of systolic deformation in older adults living in the community. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study is a large, predominantly biracial, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored epidemiological cohort study. Between 2011 and 2013, ≈6000 surviving participants, now in their seventh to ninth decade of life, are expected to return for a fifth study visit during which comprehensive 2-dimensional, Doppler, tissue Doppler, and speckle-tracking echocardiography will be performed uniformly in all cohort clinic visit participants. The following objectives will be addressed: (1) to characterize cardiac structural and functional abnormalities among the elderly and to determine how they differ by sex and race/ethnicity, (2) to determine the relationship between ventricular and vascular abnormalities, and (3) to prospectively examine the extent to which these noninvasive measures associate with incident heart failure. We describe the design, imaging acquisition and analysis methods, and quality assurance metrics for echocardiography in visit 5 of the ARIC cohort. A better understanding of the differences in cardiac structure and function through the spectrum of heart failure stages in elderly persons generally, and between sexes and racial/ethnic groups specifically, will deepen our understanding of the pathophysiology driving heart failure progression in these at-risk populations and may inform novel prevention or therapeutic strategies.

Organizational structure for chronic heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Rinne, Seppo T; Liu, Chuan-Fen; Wong, Edwin S; Hebert, Paul L; Heidenreich, Paul; Bastian, Lori A; Au, David H

2016-03-01

In contrast to chronic heart failure (CHF), measures of quality of care for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are poor. Our objective was to examine differences in organizational structure available to support quality of care for patients with CHF and COPD. We performed 2 nationwide surveys exploring organizational structure for the management of CHF and COPD. We surveyed the chief of medicine and the chief of cardiology and pulmonary medicine at 120 Veterans Affairs facilities in the United States. Analogous questions about organizational structure that enhanced adherence to guideline-based care were compared between CHF and COPD surveys. We found large and notable differences in the organizational structure for disease management, with systematically less attention given to COPD than CHF. These differences were evident in multiple processes of care. Key differences included fewer facilities: having COPD clinics than CHF clinics (12.7% vs 50.8%; P organizational structure existed for COPD than CHF. Lack of organizational structure for COPD likely impedes an organization's abilities to encourage high-quality care and avoid recently implemented hospital readmission penalties. Our results suggest the need to develop a systematic approach for healthcare systems to provide essential organizational structure based on the burden of disease in the population.

Effective communication network structures for hospital infection prevention: a study protocol.

Science.gov (United States)

Rangachari, Pavani

2013-01-01

Many hospitals are unable to successfully implement "evidence-based practices" at the unit level. For example, consistent implementation of the central line bundle (CLB), proven to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) is often difficult. This problem has been broadly characterized as "change implementation failure" in health care organizations. Several studies have used retrospective designs to examine the problem; however, there are few prospective studies examining communication dynamics underlying successful implementation of change (eg, evidence-based practices). This prospective study will be set in 2 intensive care units at an academic medical center. At baseline, both units have low compliance with CLB and higher-than-expected CRBSIs. Periodic quality improvement (QI) interventions will be conducted over a 52-week period to promote implementation of CLB in both units. Simultaneously, the following parameters will be examined: (1) Structure and content of communication related to CLB in both units through "communication logs" completed weekly by nurses, physicians, and managers; and (2) outcomes, that is, CLB adherence in both units through weekly chart review. Catheter utilization and CRBSI (infection) rates will serve as additional unit-level outcome measures. The aim is 2-fold: (1) to examine associations between QI interventions and structure and content of communication at the unit level; and (2) to examine associations between structure and content of communication and outcomes at the unit level. The periodic QI interventions are expected to increase CLB adherence and reduce CRBSIs through their influence on structure and content of communication. The prospective design would help examine dynamics in unit-level communication structure and content related to CLB, as well as unit-level outcomes. The study has potential to make significant contributions to theory and practice, particularly if interventions are found to be effective in

PPARγ agonist pioglitazone reverses pulmonary hypertension and prevents right heart failure via fatty acid oxidation.

Science.gov (United States)

Legchenko, Ekaterina; Chouvarine, Philippe; Borchert, Paul; Fernandez-Gonzalez, Angeles; Snay, Erin; Meier, Martin; Maegel, Lavinia; Mitsialis, S Alex; Rog-Zielinska, Eva A; Kourembanas, Stella; Jonigk, Danny; Hansmann, Georg

2018-04-25

Right ventricular (RV) heart failure is the leading cause of death in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) acts as a vasoprotective metabolic regulator in smooth muscle and endothelial cells; however, its role in the heart is unclear. We report that deletion of PPARγ in cardiomyocytes leads to biventricular systolic dysfunction and intramyocellular lipid accumulation in mice. In the SU5416/hypoxia (SuHx) rat model, oral treatment with the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone completely reverses severe PAH and vascular remodeling and prevents RV failure. Failing RV cardiomyocytes exhibited mitochondrial disarray and increased intramyocellular lipids (lipotoxicity) in the SuHx heart, which was prevented by pioglitazone. Unbiased ventricular microRNA (miRNA) arrays, mRNA sequencing, and lipid metabolism studies revealed dysregulation of cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, myocardial contractility, fatty acid transport/oxidation (FAO), and transforming growth factor-β signaling in the failing RV. These epigenetic, transcriptional, and metabolic alterations were modulated by pioglitazone through miRNA/mRNA networks previously not associated with PAH/RV dysfunction. Consistently, pre-miR-197 and pre-miR-146b repressed genes that drive FAO ( Cpt1b and Fabp4 ) in primary cardiomyocytes. We recapitulated our major pathogenic findings in human end-stage PAH: (i) in the pressure-overloaded failing RV (miR-197 and miR-146b up-regulated), (ii) in peripheral pulmonary arteries (miR-146b up-regulated, miR-133b down-regulated), and (iii) in plexiform vasculopathy (miR-133b up-regulated, miR-146b down-regulated). Together, PPARγ activation can normalize epigenetic and transcriptional regulation primarily related to disturbed lipid metabolism and mitochondrial morphology/function in the failing RV and the hypertensive pulmonary vasculature, representing a therapeutic approach for PAH and other cardiovascular/pulmonary diseases. Copyright

Failure analysis for WWER-fuel elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehmert, J.; Huettig, W.

1986-10-01

If the fuel defect rate proves significantly high, failure analysis has to be performed in order to trace down the defect causes, to implement corrective actions, and to take measures of failure prevention. Such analyses are work-consuming and very skill-demanding technical tasks, which require examination methods and devices excellently developed and a rich stock of experience in evaluation of features of damage. For that this work specifies the procedure of failure analyses in detail. Moreover prerequisites and experimental equipment for the investigation of WWER-type fuel elements are described. (author)

Role of core support material in veneer failure of brittle layer structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Hermann, Ilja; Bhowmick, Sanjit; Lawn, Brian R

2007-07-01

A study is made of veneer failure by cracking in all-ceramic crown-like layer structures. Model trilayers consisting of a 1 mm thick external glass layer (veneer) joined to a 0.5 mm thick inner stiff and hard ceramic support layer (core) by epoxy bonding or by fusion are fabricated for testing. The resulting bilayers are then glued to a thick compliant polycarbonate slab to simulate a dentin base. The specimens are subjected to cyclic contact (occlusal) loading with spherical indenters in an aqueous environment. Video cameras are used to record the fracture evolution in the transparent glass layer in situ during testing. The dominant failure mode is cone cracking in the glass veneer by traditional outer (Hertzian) cone cracks at higher contact loads and by inner (hydraulically pumped) cone cracks at lower loads. Failure is deemed to occur when one of these cracks reaches the veneer/core interface. The advantages and disadvantages of the alumina and zirconia core materials are discussed in terms of mechanical properties-strength and toughness, as well as stiffness. Consideration is also given to the roles of interface strength and residual thermal expansion mismatch stresses in relation to the different joining methods. Copyright 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigation on multilayer failure mechanism of RPV with a high temperature gradient from core meltdown scenario

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jianfeng, Mao, E-mail: jianfeng-mao@163.com [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Engineering Research Center of Process Equipment and Remanufacturing, Ministry of Education (China); Xiangqing, Li [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Shiyi, Bao, E-mail: bsy@zjut.edu.cn [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Engineering Research Center of Process Equipment and Remanufacturing, Ministry of Education (China); Lijia, Luo [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Zengliang, Gao [Institute of Process Equipment and Control Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310032 (China); Engineering Research Center of Process Equipment and Remanufacturing, Ministry of Education (China)

2016-12-15

Highlights: • The multilayer failure mechanism is investigated for RPV under CHF. • Failure time and location of RPV are predicted under various SA scenarios. • The structural behaviors are analyzed in depth for creep and plasticity. • The effect of internal pressure and temperature gradient is considered. • The structural integrity of RPV is secured within the required 72 creep hours. - Abstract: The Fukushima accident shows that in-vessel retention (IVR) of molten core debris has not been appropriately assessed, and a certain pressure (up to 8.0 MPa) still exists inside the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). In the traditional concept of IVR, the pressure is supposed to successfully be released, and the temperature distributed among the wall thickness is assumed to be uniform. However, this concept is seriously challenged by reality of Fukushima accident with regard to the existence of both internal pressure and high temperature gradient. Therefore, in order to make the IVR mitigation strategy succeed, the numerical investigation of the lower head behavior and its failure has been performed for several internal pressures under high temperature gradient. According to some requirements in severe accident (SA) management of RPV, it should be ensured that the IVR mitigation takes effect in preventing the failure of the structure within a period of 72 h. Subsequently, the failure time and location have to be predicted under the critical heat flux (CHF) loading condition for lower head, since the CHF is limit thermal boundary before the melt-through of RPV. In illustrating the so called ‘multilayer failure mechanism’, the structural behaviors of RPV are analyzed in terms of the stress, creep strain, deformation, damage on selected paths.

Investigation on multilayer failure mechanism of RPV with a high temperature gradient from core meltdown scenario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jianfeng, Mao; Xiangqing, Li; Shiyi, Bao; Lijia, Luo; Zengliang, Gao

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The multilayer failure mechanism is investigated for RPV under CHF. • Failure time and location of RPV are predicted under various SA scenarios. • The structural behaviors are analyzed in depth for creep and plasticity. • The effect of internal pressure and temperature gradient is considered. • The structural integrity of RPV is secured within the required 72 creep hours. - Abstract: The Fukushima accident shows that in-vessel retention (IVR) of molten core debris has not been appropriately assessed, and a certain pressure (up to 8.0 MPa) still exists inside the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). In the traditional concept of IVR, the pressure is supposed to successfully be released, and the temperature distributed among the wall thickness is assumed to be uniform. However, this concept is seriously challenged by reality of Fukushima accident with regard to the existence of both internal pressure and high temperature gradient. Therefore, in order to make the IVR mitigation strategy succeed, the numerical investigation of the lower head behavior and its failure has been performed for several internal pressures under high temperature gradient. According to some requirements in severe accident (SA) management of RPV, it should be ensured that the IVR mitigation takes effect in preventing the failure of the structure within a period of 72 h. Subsequently, the failure time and location have to be predicted under the critical heat flux (CHF) loading condition for lower head, since the CHF is limit thermal boundary before the melt-through of RPV. In illustrating the so called ‘multilayer failure mechanism’, the structural behaviors of RPV are analyzed in terms of the stress, creep strain, deformation, damage on selected paths.

Strategies of learning from failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Edmondson, Amy C

2011-04-01

Many executives believe that all failure is bad (although it usually provides Lessons) and that Learning from it is pretty straightforward. The author, a professor at Harvard Business School, thinks both beliefs are misguided. In organizational life, she says, some failures are inevitable and some are even good. And successful learning from failure is not simple: It requires context-specific strategies. But first leaders must understand how the blame game gets in the way and work to create an organizational culture in which employees feel safe admitting or reporting on failure. Failures fall into three categories: preventable ones in predictable operations, which usually involve deviations from spec; unavoidable ones in complex systems, which may arise from unique combinations of needs, people, and problems; and intelligent ones at the frontier, where "good" failures occur quickly and on a small scale, providing the most valuable information. Strong leadership can build a learning culture-one in which failures large and small are consistently reported and deeply analyzed, and opportunities to experiment are proactively sought. Executives commonly and understandably worry that taking a sympathetic stance toward failure will create an "anything goes" work environment. They should instead recognize that failure is inevitable in today's complex work organizations.

Market failure, policy failure and other distortions in chronic disease markets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Segal Leonie

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The increasing prevalence of chronic disease represents a significant burden on most health systems. This paper explores the market failures and policy failures that exist in the management of chronic diseases. Discussion There are many sources of market failure in health care that undermine the efficiency of chronic disease management. These include incomplete information as well as information asymmetry between providers and consumers, the effect of externalities on consumer behaviour, and the divergence between social and private time preference rates. This has seen government and policy interventions to address both market failures and distributional issues resulting from the inability of private markets to reach an efficient and equitable distribution of resources. However, these have introduced a series of policy failures such as distorted re-imbursement arrangements across modalities and delivery settings. Summary The paper concludes that market failure resulting from a preference of individuals for 'immediate gratification' in the form of health care and disease management, rather than preventative services, where the benefits are delayed, has a major impact on achieving an efficient allocation of resources in markets for the management of chronic diseases. This distortion is compounded by government health policy that tends to favour medical and pharmaceutical interventions further contributing to distortions in the allocation of resources and inefficiencies in the management of chronic disease.

Predictors of Prevention Failure in College Students Participating in Two Indicated Depression Prevention Programs

Science.gov (United States)

Blanco, Vanessa; Rohde, Paul; Vázquez, Fernando L.; Otero, Patricia

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify subgroups of university students with the highest likelihood of remaining at elevated levels of depressive symptoms six months following the receipt of a depressive prevention intervention on the basis of known risk factors and participation in one of two depression prevention programs. Data from a randomized controlled trial evaluating depression prevention among 133 college students with elevated depressive symptoms were analyzed. Participants were randomized to a cognitive-behavioral or relaxation training group preventive intervention. Classification tree analysis showed that older age was the strongest risk factor for persistently elevated depression. Additional risk factors were: (1) for younger students, fewer daily pleasant activities; (2) for those with higher level of pleasant activities, higher level of stressful events; and (3) for those with higher level of stressful events, lower assertiveness. Results offer directions for prevention foci, identify specific subgroups of college students to target for depression prevention efforts, and suggest that research aim to help older, non-traditional students or graduating students manage the transition from college to the work force. PMID:24714056

Topology optimization of reinforced concrete structures considering control of shrinkage and strength failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luo, Yangjun; Wang, Michael Yu; Zhou, Mingdong

2015-01-01

To take into account the shrinkage effect in the early stage of Reinforced Concrete (RC) design, an effective continuum topology optimization method is presented in this paper. Based on the power-law interpolation, shrinkage of concrete is numerically simulated by introducing an additional design......-dependent force. Under multi-axial stress conditions, the concrete failure surface is well fitted by two Drucker-Prager yield functions. The optimization problem aims at minimizing the cost function under yield strength constraints on concrete elements and a structural shrinkage volume constraint. In conjunction...... to ensure the structural safety under the combined action of external loads and shrinkage....

Reassessing guidelines for heart failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helmut Drexler

2004-03-01

Full Text Available Significant progress has been made in the last few years in the management of heart failure. In particular several trials have given significant results. It has become apparent that heart failure may be prevented in some patients by treatment of risk factors such as coronary artery disease. Experience with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE inhibitors has shown that the survival and symptomatic benefits do last in the long term, and confirm that they are the first-line treatment in heart failure. The results of a number of trials using the angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs candesartan, valsartan and losartan are presented and discussed. There is also some experience now in the use of candesartan for patients with heart failure and preserved left ventricular systolic function. The COMET trial compared the β-blockers carvedilol and metoprolol tartrate, and suggests that there may be differences in clinical effect between β-blockers. The selective aldosterone receptor blocker eplerenone was evaluated in the EPHESUS trial in post-MI patients with signs of heart failure. Based on these clinical trials, heart failure guidelines are now being updated.

Review of constitutive models and failure criteria for concrete

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seo, Jeong Moon; Choun, Young Sun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejeon (Korea)

2000-03-01

The general behavior, constitutive models, and failure criteria of concrete are reviewed. The current constitutive models for concrete cannot satisfy all of mechanical behavior of concrete. Among several constitutive models, damage models are recommended to describe properly the structural behavior of concrete containment buildings, because failure modes and post-failure behavior are important in containment buildings. A constitutive model which can describe the concrete behavior in tension is required because the containment buildings will reach failure state due to ultimate internal pressure. Therefore, a thorough study on the behavior and models under tension stress state in concrete and reinforced concrete has to be performed. There are two types of failure criteria in containment buildings: structural failure criteria and leakage failure criteria. For reinforced or prestressed concrete containment buildings, concrete cracking does not mean the structural failure of containment building because the reinforcement or post-tensioning system is able to resist tensile stress up to yield stress. Therefore leakage failure criteria will be prior to structural failure criteria, and a strain failure criterion for concrete has to be established. 120 refs., 59 figs., 1 tabs. (Author)

Identification of the human factors contributing to maintenance failures in a petroleum operation.

Science.gov (United States)

Antonovsky, Ari; Pollock, Clare; Straker, Leon

2014-03-01

This research aimed to identify the most frequently occurring human factors contributing to maintenance-related failures within a petroleum industry organization. Commonality between failures will assist in understanding reliability in maintenance processes, thereby preventing accidents in high-hazard domains. Methods exist for understanding the human factors contributing to accidents. Their application in a maintenance context mainly has been advanced in aviation and nuclear power. Maintenance in the petroleum industry provides a different context for investigating the role that human factors play in influencing outcomes. It is therefore worth investigating the contributing human factors to improve our understanding of both human factors in reliability and the factors specific to this domain. Detailed analyses were conducted of maintenance-related failures (N = 38) in a petroleum company using structured interviews with maintenance technicians. The interview structure was based on the Human Factor Investigation Tool (HFIT), which in turn was based on Rasmussen's model of human malfunction. A mean of 9.5 factors per incident was identified across the cases investigated.The three most frequent human factors contributing to the maintenance failures were found to be assumption (79% of cases), design and maintenance (71%), and communication (66%). HFIT proved to be a useful instrument for identifying the pattern of human factors that recurred most frequently in maintenance-related failures. The high frequency of failures attributed to assumptions and communication demonstrated the importance of problem-solving abilities and organizational communication in a domain where maintenance personnel have a high degree of autonomy and a wide geographical distribution.

[A Structural Equation Model of Pressure Ulcer Prevention Action in Clinical Nurses].

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sook Ja; Park, Ok Kyoung; Park, Mi Yeon

2016-08-01

The purpose of this study was to construct and test a structural equation model for pressure ulcer prevention action by clinical nurses. The Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior were used as the basis for the study. A structured questionnaire was completed by 251 clinical nurses to analyze the relationships between concepts of perceived benefits, perceived barriers, attitude, subjective norm, perceived control, intention to perform action and behavior. SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 22.0 programs were used to analyze the efficiency of the hypothesized model and calculate the direct and indirect effects of factors affecting pressure ulcer prevention action among clinical nurses. The model fitness statistics of the hypothetical model fitted to the recommended levels. Attitude, subjective norm and perceived control on pressure ulcer prevention action explained 64.2% for intention to perform prevention action. The major findings of this study indicate that it is essential to recognize improvement in positive attitude for pressure ulcer prevention action and a need for systematic education programs to increase perceived control for prevention action.

American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7: Avoiding Heart Failure and Preserving Cardiac Structure and Function

Science.gov (United States)

Folsom, Aaron R.; Shah, Amil M.; Lutsey, Pamela L.; Roetker, Nicholas S.; Alonso, Alvaro; Avery, Christy L.; Miedema, Michael D.; Konety, Suma; Chang, Patricia P.; Solomon, Scott D.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Many people may underappreciate the role of lifestyle in avoiding heart failure. We estimated whether greater adherence in middle age to American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 guidelines -- on smoking, body mass, physical activity, diet, cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose -- is associated with lower lifetime risk of heart failure and greater preservation of cardiac structure and function in old age. METHODS We studied the population-based Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study cohort of 13,462 adults aged 45-64 years in 1987-89. From the 1987-89 risk factor measurements, we created a Life’s Simple 7 score (range 0-14, giving 2 points for ideal, 1 point for intermediate, and 0 points for poor components). We identified 2,218 incident heart failure events using surveillance of hospital discharge and death codes through 2011. In addition, in 4,855 participants free of clinical cardiovascular disease in 2011-13, we performed echocardiography from which we quantified left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. RESULTS One in four participants (25.5%) developed heart failure through age 85. Yet, this lifetime heart failure risk was 14.4% for those with a middle-age Life’s Simple 7 score of 10-14 (optimal), 26.8% for a score of 5-9 (average), and 48.6% for a score of 0-4 (inadequate). Among those with no clinical cardiovascular event, the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy in late life was approximately 40% as common, and diastolic dysfunction was approximately 60% as common, among those with an optimal middle-age Life’s Simple 7 score compared with an inadequate score. CONCLUSIONS Greater achievement of American Heart Association’s Life’s Simple 7 in middle-age is associated with a lower lifetime occurrence of heart failure and greater preservation of cardiac structure and function. PMID:25908393

Low-rise shear wall failure modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farrar, C.R.; Hashimoto, P.S.; Reed, J.W.

1991-01-01

A summary of the data that are available concerning the structural response of low-rise shear walls is presented. This data will be used to address two failure modes associated with the shear wall structures. First, data concerning the seismic capacity of the shear walls with emphasis on excessive deformations that can cause equipment failure are examined. Second, data concerning the dynamic properties of shear walls (stiffness and damping) that are necessary to compute the seismic inputs to attached equipment are summarized. This case addresses the failure of equipment when the structure remains functional. 23 refs

[Individuals, structures, and risks: an overview of primary HIV prevention in Portugal].

Science.gov (United States)

Sacramento, Octávio

2016-06-20

This article debates the principal guidelines and procedures that shape HIV/AIDS prevention in Portugal, focusing on risk reduction in the two major scenarios for spread of the epidemic: sexuality and injection drug use. The analysis views the risks of infection as expressions of practices that are densely interwoven into social structures and cultural frameworks. Based on this conception, the article seeks to evaluate and understand the extent to which preventive strategies take a broad and integrative underlying approach by including individuals and their circumstances. Meanwhile, the study identifies some of the main structural constraints impeding the achievement of more favorable conditions for minimizing risks and adopting safe behaviors. These analytical exercises include not only policy and program guidelines, but also processes in daily reality, showing how the non-implementation of measures already guaranteed by law poses powerful structural barriers to HIV prevention.

Preventing abusive head trauma resulting from a failure of normal interaction between infants and their caregivers.

Science.gov (United States)

Barr, Ronald G

2012-10-16

Head trauma from abuse, including shaken baby syndrome, is a devastating and potentially lethal form of infant physical abuse first recognized in the early 1970s. What has been less recognized is the role of the early increase in crying in otherwise normal infants in the first few months of life as a trigger for the abuse. In part, this is because infant crying, especially prolonged unsoothable crying, has been interpreted clinically as something wrong with the infant, the infant's caregiver, or the interactions between them. Here, we review an alternative developmental interpretation, namely, that the early increase in crying is a typical behavioral development in normal infants and usually does not reflect anything wrong or abnormal. We also review evidence indicating that this normal crying pattern is the most common trigger for abusive head trauma (AHT). Together, these findings point to a conceptualization of AHT as the consequence of a failure in an otherwise common, iterative, and developmentally normal infant-caregiver interaction. They also imply that there is a window of opportunity for prevention of AHT, and potentially other forms of infant abuse, through a public health primary universal prevention strategy aimed at changing knowledge and behaviors of caregivers and society in general concerning normal development of infants and the significance of early increased infant crying. If effective, there may be important implications for prevention of infant abuse nationally and internationally.

Damage and failure processes in structural materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Embury, J.D.

1993-01-01

At large plastic strains consideration must be given not only to the descriptions of work hardening and texture evolution but also to the process of damage accumulation and the documentation of the various modes of failure which may terminate the plastic history. In this presentation consideration is given first to documenting the various modes of failure and their dependence on stress state. It is then shown that damage accumulation can be studied in a quantitative manner by using model systems in conjunction with FEM calculations. Finally consideration is given to complex forming processes such as ironing to show how studies of damage initiation and accumulation relate to practical engineering problems. (orig.)

Intelligent failure-proof control system for structural vibration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Kazuo [Keio Univ., Yokohama (Japan). Faculty of Science and Technology; Oba, Takahiro [Keio Univ., Tokyo (Japan)

2000-11-01

With progress of technology in recent years, gigantism and complication such as high-rise buildings, nuclear reactors and so on have brought about new problems. Particularly, the safety and the reliability for damages in abnormal situations have become more important. Intelligent control systems which can judge whether the situation is normal or abnormal at real time and cope with these situations suitably are demanded. In this study, Cubic Neural Network (CNN) is adopted, which consists of the controllers possessing cubically some levels of information abstracting. In addition to the usual quantitative control, the qualitative control is used for the abnormal situations. And, by selecting a suitable controller, CNN can cope with the abnormal situation. In order to confirm the effectiveness of this system, the structural vibration control problems with sensory failure and elasto-plastic response are dealt with. As a result of simulations, it was demonstrated that CNN can cope with unexpected abnormal situations which are not considered in learning. (author)

Intelligent failure-proof control system for structural vibration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Kazuo

2000-01-01

With progress of technology in recent years, gigantism and complication such as high-rise buildings, nuclear reactors and so on have brought about new problems. Particularly, the safety and the reliability for damages in abnormal situations have become more important. Intelligent control systems which can judge whether the situation is normal or abnormal at real time and cope with these situations suitably are demanded. In this study, Cubic Neural Network (CNN) is adopted, which consists of the controllers possessing cubically some levels of information abstracting. In addition to the usual quantitative control, the qualitative control is used for the abnormal situations. And, by selecting a suitable controller, CNN can cope with the abnormal situation. In order to confirm the effectiveness of this system, the structural vibration control problems with sensory failure and elasto-plastic response are dealt with. As a result of simulations, it was demonstrated that CNN can cope with unexpected abnormal situations which are not considered in learning. (author)

Failure rate of no-scalpel vasectomy in prevention of pregnancy in Shiraz, Southern Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Shakeri

2006-07-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Bilateral vasectomy is the most effective method of male contraception but there are still some reports on its failure. This study was undertaken to determine the failure rate of the no-scalpel vasectomy in Shiraz Vasectomy Center, Southern Iran. METHODS: From 2001 to 2003, 3900 no-scalpel vasectomies were done in Nader Kazemi Health Center. The records were studied for any failure in the method. Presence of any live sperm 6 months after surgery or any report of pregnancy post-vasectomy were considered as vasectomy failure. RESULTS:Among 3900 cases, 2928 patients had a complete follow up file while failure in the method was visible among 109 (3.72% cases. CONCLUSION: The low failure rate of no-scalpel method indicated its high efficacy to control the fertility in males but there is still need of performance by expert surgeons in well organized centers. KEYWORDS: Iran, no-scalpel vasectomy, failure rate.

Process Equipment Failure Mode Analysis in a Chemical Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Nasl Seraji

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Background and aims   Prevention of potential accidents and safety promotion in chemical processes requires systematic safety management in them. The main objective of this study was analysis of important process equipment components failure modes and effects in H2S and CO2  isolation from extracted natural gas process.   Methods   This study was done in sweetening unit of an Iranian gas refinery. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA used for identification of process equipments failures.   Results   Totally 30 failures identified and evaluated using FMEA. P-1 blower's blade breaking and sour gas pressure control valve bearing tight moving had maximum risk Priority number (RPN, P-1 body corrosion and increasing plug lower side angle of reach DEAlevel control valve  in tower - 1 were minimum calculated RPN.   Conclusion   By providing a reliable documentation system for equipment failures and  incidents recording, maintaining of basic information for later safety assessments would be  possible. Also, the probability of failures and effects could be minimized by conducting preventive maintenance.

A quantitative method for Failure Mode and Effects Analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Braaksma, Anne Johannes Jan; Meesters, A.J.; Klingenberg, W.; Hicks, C.

2012-01-01

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is commonly used for designing maintenance routines by analysing potential failures, predicting their effect and facilitating preventive action. It is used to make decisions on operational and capital expenditure. The literature has reported that despite its

Definition of containment failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cybulskis, P.

1982-01-01

Core meltdown accidents of the types considered in probabilistic risk assessments (PRA's) have been predicted to lead to pressures that will challenge the integrity of containment structures. Review of a number of PRA's indicates considerable variation in the predicted probability of containment failure as a function of pressure. Since the results of PRA's are sensitive to the prediction of the occurrence and the timing of containment failure, better understanding of realistic containment capabilities and a more consistent approach to the definition of containment failure pressures are required. Additionally, since the size and location of the failure can also significantly influence the prediction of reactor accident risk, further understanding of likely failure modes is required. The thresholds and modes of containment failure may not be independent

Robustness analysis of complex networks with power decentralization strategy via flow-sensitive centrality against cascading failures

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Wenzhang; Wang, Hao; Wu, Zhengping

2018-03-01

Most existing cascading failure mitigation strategy of power grids based on complex network ignores the impact of electrical characteristics on dynamic performance. In this paper, the robustness of the power grid under a power decentralization strategy is analysed through cascading failure simulation based on AC flow theory. The flow-sensitive (FS) centrality is introduced by integrating topological features and electrical properties to help determine the siting of the generation nodes. The simulation results of the IEEE-bus systems show that the flow-sensitive centrality method is a more stable and accurate approach and can enhance the robustness of the network remarkably. Through the study of the optimal flow-sensitive centrality selection for different networks, we find that the robustness of the network with obvious small-world effect depends more on contribution of the generation nodes detected by community structure, otherwise, contribution of the generation nodes with important influence on power flow is more critical. In addition, community structure plays a significant role in balancing the power flow distribution and further slowing the propagation of failures. These results are useful in power grid planning and cascading failure prevention.

An observational study of the frequency, severity, and etiology of failures in postoperative care after major elective general surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Symons, Nicholas R A; Almoudaris, Alex M; Nagpal, Kamal; Vincent, Charles A; Moorthy, Krishna

2013-01-01

To investigate the nature of process failures in postoperative care, to assess their frequency and preventability, and to explore their relationship to adverse events. Adverse events are common and are frequently caused by failures in the process of care. These processes are often evaluated independently using clinical audit. There is little understanding of process failures in terms of their overall frequency, relative risk, and cumulative effect on the surgical patient. Patients were observed daily from the first postoperative day until discharge by an independent surgeon. Field notes on the circumstances surrounding any nonroutine or atypical event were recorded. Field notes were assessed by 2 surgeons to identify failures in the process of care. Preventability, the degree of harm caused to the patient, and the underlying etiology of process failures were evaluated by 2 independent surgeons. Fifty patients undergoing major elective general surgery were observed for a total of 659 days of postoperative care. A total of 256 process failures were identified, of which 85% were preventable and 51% directly led to patient harm. Process failures occurred in all aspects of care, the most frequent being medication prescribing and administration, management of lines, tubes, and drains, and pain control interventions. Process failures accounted for 57% of all preventable adverse events. Communication failures and delays were the main etiologies, leading to 54% of process failures. Process failures are common in postoperative care, are highly preventable, and frequently cause harm to patients. Interventions to prevent process failures will improve the reliability of surgical postoperative care and have the potential to reduce hospital stay.

Importance of beta-blocker dose in prevention of ventricular tachyarrhythmias, heart failure hospitalizations, and death in primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator recipients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruwald, A C; Gislason, G H; Vinther, M

2018-01-01

Aims: There is a paucity of studies investigating a dose-dependent association between beta-blocker therapy and risk of outcome. In a nationwide cohort of primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients, we aimed to investigate the dose-dependent association between beta-blocker...... therapy and risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT/VF), heart failure (HF) hospitalizations, and death. Methods and results: Information on ICD implantation, endpoints, comorbidities, beta-blocker usage, type, and dose were obtained through Danish nationwide registers. The two major beta-blockers...... carvedilol and metoprolol were examined in three dose levels; low (metoprolol ≤ 25 mg; carvedilol ≤ 12.5 mg), intermediate (metoprolol 26-199 mg; carvedilol 12.6-49.9 mg), and high (metoprolol ≥ 200 mg; carvedilol ≥ 50 mg). Time to events was investigated utilizing multivariate Cox models with beta-blocker...

Considerable reduction of loads in piping systems after pump failure by coupled fluid/structure-calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoenfelder, C.; Kellner, A.

1985-01-01

An approximated representative part of a PWR-feed-water-line was modelled and used to calculate the displacements of the piping system and the loads on it, caused by pressure pulse due to pump failure and subsequent check valve closure. The computation was performed with the code SAPHYR which contains the fluid code ROLAST and the structure code SAPIENS, calculating simultaneously and interactively. The results were compared with an uncoupled calculation without fluid/structure interaction. It was shown that neglecting the fluid/structure interaction can lead to considerable overestimations - in some cases up to a factor of 3 - of the loads on the structures. (orig.)

A seismic monitoring system for response and failure of structures with intentionally reduced seismic strength

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takanashi, Koichi; Ohi, Kenichi

1988-01-01

A group of steel and reinforced concrete scaled structures with intentionally reduced seismic strength to 1/3 to 1/2 were constructed in 1983 for long term observation in order to collect precise data of earthquake response and grasp failure mechanisms during earthquakes. A monitoring system was installed in the structures as well as in the surrounding soil. Some reliable data have been successfully recorded since then, which can be available for verification of analytical models. (author)

Circuit breaker operation and potential failure modes during an earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambert, H.E.; Budnitz, R.J.

1987-01-01

This study addresses the effect of a strong-motion earthquake on circuit breaker operation. It focuses on the loss of offsite power (LOSP) transient caused by a strong-motion earthquake at the Zion Nuclear Power Plant. This paper also describes the operator action necessary to prevent core melt if the above circuit breaker failure modes occur simultaneously on three 4.16 KV buses. Numerous circuit breakers important to plant safety, such as circuit breakers to diesel generators and engineered safety systems (ESS), must open and/or close during this transient while strong motion is occurring. Potential seismically-induced circuit-breaker failures modes were uncovered while the study was conducted. These failure modes include: circuit breaker fails to close; circuit breaker trips inadvertently; circuit breaker fails to reclose after trip. The causes of these failure modes include: Relay chatter causes the circuit breaker to trip; Relay chatter causes anti-pumping relays to seal-in which prevents automatic closure of circuit breakers; Load sequencer failures. The incorporation of these failure modes as well as other instrumentation and control failures into a limited scope seismic probabilistic risk assessment is also discussed in this paper

Compressive failure modes and parameter optimization of the trabecular structure of biomimetic fully integrated honeycomb plates.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jinxiang; Tuo, Wanyong; Zhang, Xiaoming; He, Chenglin; Xie, Juan; Liu, Chang

2016-12-01

To develop lightweight biomimetic composite structures, the compressive failure and mechanical properties of fully integrated honeycomb plates were investigated experimentally and through the finite element method. The results indicated that: fracturing of the fully integrated honeycomb plates primarily occurred in the core layer, including the sealing edge structure. The morphological failures can be classified into two types, namely dislocations and compactions, and were caused primarily by the stress concentrations at the interfaces between the core layer and the upper and lower laminations and secondarily by the disordered short-fiber distribution in the material; although the fully integrated honeycomb plates manufactured in this experiment were imperfect, their mass-specific compressive strength was superior to that of similar biomimetic samples. Therefore, the proposed bio-inspired structure possesses good overall mechanical properties, and a range of parameters, such as the diameter of the transition arc, was defined for enhancing the design of fully integrated honeycomb plates and improving their compressive mechanical properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

L-arginine fails to prevent ventricular remodeling and heart failure in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Wesley W; Conrad, Chester H; Robinson, Kathleen G; Colucci, Wilson S; Bing, Oscar H L

2009-02-01

The effects of long-term oral administration of L-arginine, a substrate for nitric oxide (NO) production, on left ventricular (LV) remodeling, myocardial function and the prevention of heart failure (HF) was compared to the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor captopril in a rat model of hypertensive HF (aged spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR)). SHRs and age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were assigned to either no treatment, treatment with L-arginine (7.5 g/l in drinking water) or captopril (1 g/l in drinking water) beginning at 14 months of age, a time when SHRs exhibit stable compensated hypertrophy with no hemodynamic impairment; animals were studied at 23 months of age or at the time of HF. In untreated SHR, relative to WKY, there was significant LV hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, and isolated LV muscle performance and response to isoproterenol (ISO) were depressed; and, 7 of 10 SHRs developed HF. Captopril administration to six SHRs attenuated hypertrophy and prevented impaired inotropic responsiveness to ISO, contractile dysfunction, fibrosis, increased passive stiffness, and HF. In contrast, L-arginine administration to SHR increased LV hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis while cardiac performance was depressed; and 7 of 9 SHRs developed HF. In WKY, L-arginine treatment but not captopril resulted in increased LV weight and the contractile response to ISO was blunted. Neither L-arginine nor captopril treatment of WKY changed fibrosis and HF did not occur. These data demonstrate that in contrast to captopril, long-term treatment with L-arginine exacerbates age-related cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and did not prevent contractile dysfunction or the development of HF in aging SHR.

Common cause failures of reactor pressure components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mankamo, T.

1978-01-01

The common cause failure is defined as a multiple failure event due to a common cause. The existence of common failure causes may ruin the potential advantages of applying redundancy for reliability improvement. Examples relevant to large mechanical components are presented. Preventive measures against common cause failures, such as physical separation, equipment diversity, quality assurance, and feedback from experience are discussed. Despite the large number of potential interdependencies, the analysis of common cause failures can be done within the framework of conventional reliability analysis, utilizing, for example, the method of deriving minimal cut sets from a system fault tree. Tools for the description and evaluation of dependencies between components are discussed: these include the model of conditional failure causes that are common to many components, and evaluation of the reliability of redundant components subjected to a common load. (author)

Strain limit criteria to predict failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flanders, H.E.

1995-01-01

In recent years extensive effort has been expended to qualify existing structures for conditions that are beyond the original design basis. Determination of the component failure load is useful for this type of evaluation. This paper presents criteria based upon strain limits to predict the load at failure. The failure modes addressed are excessive plastic deformations, localized plastic strains, and structural instability. The effects of analytical method sophistication, as built configurations, material properties degradation, and stress state are addressed by the criteria

Evaluation Aspects of Building Structures Reconstructed After a Failure or Catastrophe

Science.gov (United States)

Krentowski, Janusz R.; Knyziak, Piotr

2017-10-01

The article presents the characteristics of several steel structures, among others modernized industrial dye house, school sports hall, truck repair workshop, that have been rebuilt after a disaster or a catastrophe. The structures were analyzed in detail, and the evaluation and reconstruction processes were described. The emergencies that occurred during exploitation of the buildings were the result of multiple mistakes: incorrectly defined intervals between inspections, errors during periodic inspections, incorrect repair work recommendations. The concepts of reinforcement work implemented by the authors, enabling the long-term future failure-free operation of the objects, were presented. Recommendations for monitoring of the facilities, applied after reinforcement or reconstruction, have been formulated. The methodology for the implementation of specialized investigations, such as geodetic, optical, geological, chemical strength tests, both destructive and non-destructive, has been defined. The need to determine the limit values of deformations, deflections, damage or other faults of structural elements and the entire rebuilt facilities, as well as defining conditions for objects’ withdrawal from operation in subsequent exceptional situations was indicated.

ATTIRE: Albumin To prevenT Infection in chronic liveR failurE: study protocol for a single-arm feasibility trial.

Science.gov (United States)

China, Louise; Muirhead, Nicola; Skene, Simon S; Shabir, Zainib; De Maeyer, Roel P H; Maini, Alexander A N; Gilroy, Derek W; O'Brien, Alastair J

2016-01-25

Circulating prostaglandin E2 levels are elevated in acutely decompensated cirrhosis and have been shown to contribute to immune suppression. Albumin binds and inactivates this hormone. Human albumin solution could thus be repurposed as an immune restorative drug in these patients.This feasibility study aims to determine whether it is possible and safe to restore serum albumin to >30 g/L and maintain it at this level in patients admitted with acute decompensated cirrhosis using repeated 20% human albumin infusions according to daily serum albumin levels. Albumin To prevenT Infection in chronic liveR failurE (ATTIRE) stage 1 is a multicentre, open label dose feasibility trial. Patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis admitted to hospital with a serum albumin of albumin solution will be infused, according to serum albumin levels, for up to 14 days or discharge in all patients. The primary end point is daily serum albumin levels for the duration of the treatment period and the secondary end point is plasma-induced macrophage dysfunction. The trial will recruit 80 patients. Outcomes will be used to assist with study design for an 866 patient randomised controlled trial at more than 30 sites across the UK. Research ethics approval was given by the London-Brent research ethics committee (ref: 15/LO/0104). The clinical trials authorisation was issued by the medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency (ref: 20363/0350/001-0001). Will be disseminated through peer reviewed journals and international conferences. Recruitment of the first participant occurred on 26/05/2015. The trial is registered with the European Medicines Agency (EudraCT 2014-002300-24) and has been adopted by the NIHR (ISRCTN 14174793). This manuscript refers to V.4.0 of the protocol; Pre-results. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

rpsftm: An R Package for Rank Preserving Structural Failure Time Models.

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, Annabel; White, Ian R; Bond, Simon

2017-12-04

Treatment switching in a randomised controlled trial occurs when participants change from their randomised treatment to the other trial treatment during the study. Failure to account for treatment switching in the analysis (i.e. by performing a standard intention-to-treat analysis) can lead to biased estimates of treatment efficacy. The rank preserving structural failure time model (RPSFTM) is a method used to adjust for treatment switching in trials with survival outcomes. The RPSFTM is due to Robins and Tsiatis (1991) and has been developed by White et al. (1997, 1999). The method is randomisation based and uses only the randomised treatment group, observed event times, and treatment history in order to estimate a causal treatment effect. The treatment effect, ψ , is estimated by balancing counter-factual event times (that would be observed if no treatment were received) between treatment groups. G-estimation is used to find the value of ψ such that a test statistic Z ( ψ ) = 0. This is usually the test statistic used in the intention-to-treat analysis, for example, the log rank test statistic. We present an R package that implements the method of rpsftm.

Reliability technology principles and practice of failure prevention in electronic systems

CERN Document Server

Pascoe, Norman

2011-01-01

A unique book that describes the practical processes necessary to achieve failure free equipment performance, for quality and reliability engineers, design, manufacturing process and environmental test engineers. This book studies the essential requirements for successful product life cycle management. It identifies key contributors to failure in product life cycle management and particular emphasis is placed upon the importance of thorough Manufacturing Process Capability reviews for both in-house and outsourced manufacturing strategies. The readers? attention is also drawn to the ma

Anisotropic damage and dynamic behavior of reinforced concrete structures until failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chambart, M.

2009-09-01

Dynamic loadings such as impact on reinforced concrete structures lead to degradations and structural failures significantly different to the ones observed for quasi-static loadings. Local effects (spalling, compaction...) and global mechanisms (bending, shear, perforation...) are experimentally observed. Wave propagation due to dynamics loadings can lead to failure in tension in a part of a structure or a component previously in compression. Induced damage anisotropy in concrete is partly responsible for the dissymmetry of behavior between tension and compression. Concrete anisotropy can be modelled by means of a second order damage tensor. In the damage model considered, damage growth is governed by the positive extensions. The model, written in the thermodynamics framework, is robust and is able to compute efficiently Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures. The initial anisotropic model is here extended to dynamics by introducing a viscosity law to govern dynamic damage evolution. The strain rate effect observed experimentally in tension (strength increases with strain rate) is reproduced. In compression no strain rate is introduced since inertial forces seem sufficient to reproduce the strength enhancement in dynamics. One also focuses on regularization issues. For high strain rates the solution is regularized since the characteristic time introduced indirectly defines an internal length and since the damage rate is bounded by a maximum damage rate parameter (visco/delay damage law). This visco/delay regularization is efficient at large strain rates, otherwise, the delay in damage evolution is too small to let damage grow in a wide enough zone. For quasi-static or low speed dynamic cases, the regularization is gained by means of classical non-local damage. For intermediary loading rates where both the strain rate effect and the non-local regularization are needed, a non-local delay-damage model is written (and used in 3D computations). The example of a dynamic

Failure modes of low-rise shear walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farrar, C.R.; Reed, J.W.; Salmon, M.W.

1993-01-01

A summary of available data concerning the structural response of low-rise shear walls is presented. These data will be used to address two failure modes associated with shear wall structures. First, the data concerning the seismic capacity of the shear walls are examined, with emphasis on excessive deformations that can cause equipment failure. Second, the data concerning the dynamic properties of shear walls (stiffness and damping) that are necessary for computing the seismic inputs to attached equipment are summarized. This case addresses the failure of equipment when the structure remains functional

Core Competencies and the Prevention of School Failure and Early School Leaving

Science.gov (United States)

Bradshaw, Catherine P.; O'Brennan, Lindsey M.; McNeely, Clea A.

2008-01-01

There is an increasing awareness that school failure and early school leaving are processes, rather than discrete events, that often co-occur and can have lasting negative effects on children's development. Most of the literature has focused on risk factors for failure and dropout rather than on the promotion of competencies that can increase…

Elastin overexpression by cell-based gene therapy preserves matrix and prevents cardiac dilation

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shu-Hong; Sun, Zhuo; Guo, Lily; Han, Mihan; Wood, Michael F G; Ghosh, Nirmalya; Alex Vitkin, I; Weisel, Richard D; Li, Ren-Ke

2012-01-01

After a myocardial infarction, thinning and expansion of the fibrotic scar contribute to progressive heart failure. The loss of elastin is a major contributor to adverse extracellular matrix remodelling of the infarcted heart, and restoration of the elastic properties of the infarct region can prevent ventricular dysfunction. We implanted cells genetically modified to overexpress elastin to re-establish the elastic properties of the infarcted myocardium and prevent cardiac failure. A full-length human elastin cDNA was cloned, subcloned into an adenoviral vector and then transduced into rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). In vitro studies showed that BMSCs expressed the elastin protein, which was deposited into the extracellular matrix. Transduced BMSCs were injected into the infarcted myocardium of adult rats. Control groups received either BMSCs transduced with the green fluorescent protein gene or medium alone. Elastin deposition in the infarcted myocardium was associated with preservation of myocardial tissue structural integrity (by birefringence of polarized light; P elastin showed the greatest functional improvement (P elastin in the infarcted heart preserved the elastic structure of the extracellular matrix, which, in turn, preserved diastolic function, prevented ventricular dilation and preserved cardiac function. This cell-based gene therapy provides a new approach to cardiac regeneration. PMID:22435995

DAST in Flight just after Structural Failure of Right Wing

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

conducting in-flight experiments from a remote ground site. DAST explored the technology required to build wing structures with less than normal stiffness. This was done because stiffness requires structural weight but ensures freedom from flutter-an uncontrolled, divergent oscillation of the structure, driven by aerodynamic forces and resulting in structural failure. The program used refined theoretical tools to predict at what speed flutter would occur. It then designed a high-response control system to counteract the motion and permit a much lighter wing structure. The wing had, in effect, 'electronic stiffness.' Flight research with this concept was extremely hazardous because an error in either the flutter prediction or control system implementation would result in wing structural failure and the loss of the vehicle. Because of this, flight demonstration of a sub-scale vehicle made sense from the standpoint of both safety and cost. The program anticipated structural failure during the course of the flight research. The Firebee II was a supersonic drone selected as the DAST testbed because its wing could be easily replaced, it used only tail-mounted control surfaces, and it was available as surplus from the U. S. Air Force. It was capable of 5-g turns (that is, turns producing acceleration equal to 5 times that of gravity). Langley outfitted a drone with an aeroelastic, supercritical research wing suitable for a Mach 0.98 cruise transport with a predicted flutter speed of Mach 0.95 at an altitude of 25,000 feet. Dryden and Langley, in conjunction with Boeing, designed and fabricated a digital flutter suppression system (FSS). Dryden developed an RPRV (remotely piloted research vehicle) flight control system; integrated the wing, FSS, and vehicle systems; and conducted the flight program. In addition to a digital flight control system and aeroelastic wings, each DAST drone had research equipment mounted in its nose and a mid-air retrieval system in its tail. The drones

Assessment of the causes of failures of roto-dynamic equipment in Cirus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rao, K.N.; Singh, S.; Ganeshan, P.

1994-01-01

As a part of Cirus reactor life extension program study, a service life evaluation of critical roto-dynamic equipment in Cirus such as primary coolant pumps, and their concrete foundation structures, pressurised water loop pumps, main air compressors and supply and exhaust fans, was performed. An assessment of the causes of failures of roto-dynamic equipment in Cirus was done. Based on assessment of the degradation mitigating features and comparison to similar roto-dynamic equipment and their concrete foundation structures, it was concluded that life extension of these roto-dynamic equipment and their structures is feasible. To support this conclusion a program involving: a) non-destructive testing, b) surveillance and monitoring and, c) preventive maintenance is recommended. (author). 4 refs

Pediatric Heart Failure, Lagging, and Sagging of Care in Low Income Settings: A Hospital Based Review of Cases in Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Solmon Gebremariam

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Causes of acute heart failure in children range from simple myocarditis complicating chest infection to complex structural heart diseases. Objective. To describe patterns, predictors of mortality, and management outcomes of acute heart failure in children. Methods. In retrospective review, between February 2012 and October 2015 at a tertiary center, 106 admitted cases were selected consecutively from discharge records. Data were extracted from patients chart and analyzed using SPSS software package. t-test and statistical significance at P value < 0.05 with 95% CI were used. Result. Acute heart failure accounted for 2.9% of the total pediatric admissions. The age ranged from 2 months up to 14 years with mean age of 8 years. Male to female ratio is 1 : 2.1. Rheumatic heart disease accounted for 53.7%; pneumonia, anemia, infective endocarditis, and recurrence of acute rheumatic fever were the main precipitating causes. Death occurred in 19% of cases. Younger age at presentation, low hemoglobin concentration, and undernutrition were associated with death with P value of 0.00, 0.01, and 0.02, respectively. Conclusions and Recommendation. Pediatric heart failure in our settings is diagnosed mainly in older age groups and mostly precipitated due to preventable causes. Significant mortality is observed in relation to factors that can be preventable in children with underlying structural heart disease. Early suspicion and diagnosis of cases may reduce the observed high mortality.

Failure cause and failure rate evaluation on pumps of BWR plants in PSA. Hypothesis testing for typical or plant specific failure rate of pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanada, Takahiro; Nakamura, Makoto

2009-01-01

In support of domestic nuclear industry effort to gather and analyze failure data of components concerning nuclear power plants, Nuclear Information Archives (NUCIA) are published for useful information to help PSA. This report focuses on NUCIA pertaining to pumps in domestic nuclear power plants, and provides the reliable estimation on failure rate of pumps resulting from failure cause analysis and hypothesis testing of classified and plant specific failure rate of pumps for improving quality in PSA. The classified and plant specific failure rate of pumps are estimated by analyzing individual domestic nuclear power plant's data of 26 Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) concerning functionally structurally classified pump failures reported from beginning of commercial operation to March 31, 2007. (author)

Structure for prevention of health care-associated infections in Brazilian hospitals: A countrywide study.

Science.gov (United States)

Padoveze, Maria Clara; Fortaleza, Carlos Magno Castelo Branco; Kiffer, Carlos; Barth, Afonso Luís; Carneiro, Irna Carla do Rosário Souza; Giamberardino, Heloisa Ilhe Garcia; Rodrigues, Jorge Luiz Nobre; Santos Filho, Lauro; de Mello, Maria Júlia Gonçalves; Pereira, Milca Severino; Gontijo Filho, Paulo; Rocha, Mirza; de Medeiros, Eduardo Alexandrino Servolo; Pignatari, Antonio Carlos Campos

2016-01-01

Minimal structure is required for effective prevention of health care-associated infection (HAI). The objective of this study was to evaluate the structure for prevention of HAI in a sample of Brazilian hospitals. This was a cross-sectional study from hospitals in 5 Brazilian regions (n = 153; total beds: 13,983) classified according to the number of beds; 11 university hospitals were used as reference for comparison. Trained nurses carried out the evaluation by using structured forms previously validated. The evaluation of conformity index (CI) included elements of structure of the Health Care-Associated Prevention and Control Committee (HAIPCC), hand hygiene, sterilization, and laboratory of microbiology. The median CI for the HAIPCC varied from 0.55-0.94 among hospital categories. Hospitals with >200 beds had the worst ratio of beds to sinks (3.9; P hospitals with hospitals (3.3; P hospitals were more likely to have their own laboratory of microbiology than other hospitals. This study highlights the need for public health strategies aiming to improve the structure for HAI prevention in Brazilian hospitals. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Failure Rate Prediction of Active Component Using PM Basis Database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J. S.; Kim, H. W.; Park, J. S.; Jung, S. G.

2011-01-01

The safety security and efficient management of NPPs (Nuclear Power Plants) have been increased after the accident of TEPCO's Fukushima nuclear power stations. The needs for the safety and efficiency are becoming more important because about 90 percent of the NPPs all over the world are more than 20 operation years old. The preventive maintenance criteria need to be flexible, considering long-term development of the equipment performance and preventive maintenance. The PMBD (Preventive Maintenance Basis Database) program was widely used for optimization of the preventive maintenance criteria. PMBD program contains all kinds of failure mechanisms for each equipment that may occur in the power plant based on RCM(Reliability-Centered Maintenance) and numerically calculate the variation of reliability and failure rate based on PM interval changes. In this study, propriety evaluation of preventive maintenance task, cycle, technical basis for cost effective preventive maintenance strategy and an appropriate evaluation were suggested by the case application of PMBD for major components in the NPPs

Semiparametric Bayesian analysis of accelerated failure time models with cluster structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhaonan; Xu, Xinyi; Shen, Junshan

2017-11-10

In this paper, we develop a Bayesian semiparametric accelerated failure time model for survival data with cluster structures. Our model allows distributional heterogeneity across clusters and accommodates their relationships through a density ratio approach. Moreover, a nonparametric mixture of Dirichlet processes prior is placed on the baseline distribution to yield full distributional flexibility. We illustrate through simulations that our model can greatly improve estimation accuracy by effectively pooling information from multiple clusters, while taking into account the heterogeneity in their random error distributions. We also demonstrate the implementation of our method using analysis of Mayo Clinic Trial in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Technology integration box beam failure study

Science.gov (United States)

Shuart, M. J.; Ambur, Damodar R.; Davis, D. D., Jr.; Davis, R. C.; Farley, G. L.; Lotts, C. G.; Wang, J. T.

1993-01-01

Composite structures have the potential to be cost-effective, structurally efficient primary aircraft structures. The Advanced Composites Technology (ACT) Program has the goal to develop the technology to exploit this potential for heavily loaded aircraft structures. As part of the ACT Program, Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company completed the design and fabrication of the Technology Integration Box Beam (TIBB). The TIBB is an advanced composite prototype structure for the center wing section of the C-130 aircraft. Lockheed subjected the TIBB to downbending, upbending, torsion and combined upbending and torsion load conditions to verify the design. The TIBB failed at 83 percent of design ultimate load for the combined upbending and torsion load condition. The objective of this paper is to describe the mechanisms that led to the failure of the TIBB. The results of a comprehensive analytical and experimental study are presented. Analytical results include strain and deflection results from both a global analysis of the TIBB and a local analysis of the failure region. These analytical results are validated by experimental results from the TIBB tests. The analytical and experimental results from the TIBB tests are used to determine a sequence of events that resulted in failure of the TIBB. A potential cause of failure is high stresses in a stiffener runout region. Analytical and experimental results are also presented for a stiffener runout specimen that was used to simulate the TIBB failure mechanisms.

Hydriding failure in water reactor fuel elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sah, D.N.; Ramadasan, E.; Unnikrishnan, K.

1980-01-01

Hydriding of the zircaloy cladding has been one of the important causes of failure in water reactor fuel elements. This report reviews the causes, the mechanisms and the methods for prevention of hydriding failure in zircaloy clad water reactor fuel elements. The different types of hydriding of zircaloy cladding have been classified. Various factors influencing zircaloy hydriding from internal and external sources in an operating fuel element have been brought out. The findings of post-irradiation examination of fuel elements from Indian reactors, with respect to clad hydriding and features of hydriding failure are included. (author)

Valve system incorporating single failure protection logic

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Rodger; Timmerman, Walter J. H.

1980-01-01

A valve system incorporating single failure protective logic. The system consists of a valve combination or composite valve which allows actuation or de-actuation of a device such as a hydraulic cylinder or other mechanism, integral with or separate from the valve assembly, by means of three independent input signals combined in a function commonly known as two-out-of-three logic. Using the input signals as independent and redundant actuation/de-actuation signals, a single signal failure, or failure of the corresponding valve or valve set, will neither prevent the desired action, nor cause the undesired action of the mechanism.

Nutrition in Heart Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reci Meseri

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Heart failure is defined as decreased ability of heart due to various reasons. It%u2019s seen 2-3% but the prevalence increases sharply after the age of seventy. The objectives of nutrition therapy in heart failure are to prevent from water retention and edema, to avoid from hard digestion and to offer a balanced diet. In order to avoid fluid retention and edema, daily sodium and fluid intake must be monitored carefully. Main dilemma of the heart failure patients is the obesity-cachexia dilemma. Since one of the main reasons of heart failure is cardiovascular diseases, in first phase, the patient may be obese. In the later phases, cachexia may show up. It was shown that cachexia is associated with mortality. Within this period, patients should not be over-fed and the patient should pass from catabolic state to anabolic state slowly. If the gastrointestinal track is functional oral/enteral feeding must be preferred. Multi vitamin and mineral supportsmay be beneficial, which may replace the increased loss, increase anti-inflammatory response and be anti-oxidants. Large, controlled and well-designed studies must be conducted in order to evaluate the benefits of nutritional practices such as nutritional assessment, enteral feeding and nutrient supports in heart failure patients.

Remote patient monitoring in chronic heart failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Palaniswamy, Chandrasekar; Mishkin, Aaron; Aronow, Wilbert S; Kalra, Ankur; Frishman, William H

2013-01-01

Heart failure (HF) poses a significant economic burden on our health-care resources with very high readmission rates. Remote monitoring has a substantial potential to improve the management and outcome of patients with HF. Readmission for decompensated HF is often preceded by a stage of subclinical hemodynamic decompensation, where therapeutic interventions would prevent subsequent clinical decompensation and hospitalization. Various methods of remote patient monitoring include structured telephone support, advanced telemonitoring technologies, remote monitoring of patients with implanted cardiac devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators, and implantable hemodynamic monitors. Current data examining the efficacy of remote monitoring technologies in improving outcomes have shown inconsistent results. Various medicolegal and financial issues need to be addressed before widespread implementation of this exciting technology can take place.

Application of Machine Learning for Dragline Failure Prediction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taghizadeh Amir

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Overburden stripping in open cast coal mines is extensively carried out by walking draglines. Draglines’ unavailability and unexpected failures result in delayed productions and increased maintenance and operating costs. Therefore, achieving high availability of draglines plays a crucial role for increasing economic feasibility of mining projects. Applications of methodologies which can forecast the failure type of dragline based on the available failure data not only help to reduce the maintenance and operating costs but also increase the availability and the production rate. In this study, Machine Learning approaches have been applied for data which has been gathered from an operating coal mine in Turkey. The study methodology consists of three algorithms as: i implementation of K-Nearest Neighbors, ii implementation of Multi-Layer Perceptron, and iii implementation of Radial Basis Function. The algorithms have been utilized for predicting the draglines’ failure types. In this sense, the input data, which are mean time-to-failure, and the output data, failure types, have been fed to the algorithms. The regression analysis of methodologies have been compared and showed the K- Nearest Neighbors has a higher rate of regression which is around 70 percent. Thus, the K-Nearest Neighbor algorithm can be applied in order to preventive components replacement which causes to minimized preventive and corrective cost parameters. The accurate prediction of failure type, indeed, causes to optimized number of inspections. The novelty of this study is application of machine learning approaches in draglines’ reliability subject for first time.

Electrophysiological and structural remodeling in heart failure modulate arrhythmogenesis. 2D simulation study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan F Gomez

Full Text Available Heart failure is operationally defined as the inability of the heart to maintain blood flow to meet the needs of the body and it is the final common pathway of various cardiac pathologies. Electrophysiological remodeling, intercellular uncoupling and a pro-fibrotic response have been identified as major arrhythmogenic factors in heart failure.In this study we investigate vulnerability to reentry under heart failure conditions by incorporating established electrophysiological and anatomical remodeling using computer simulations.The electrical activity of human transmural ventricular tissue (5 cm × 5 cm was simulated using the human ventricular action potential model Grandi et al. under control and heart failure conditions. The MacCannell et al. model was used to model fibroblast electrical activity, and their electrotonic interactions with myocytes. Selected degrees of diffuse fibrosis and variations in intercellular coupling were considered and the vulnerable window (VW for reentry was evaluated following cross-field stimulation.No reentry was observed in normal conditions or in the presence of HF ionic remodeling. However, defined amount of fibrosis and/or cellular uncoupling were sufficient to elicit reentrant activity. Under conditions where reentry was generated, HF electrophysiological remodeling did not alter the width of the VW. However, intermediate fibrosis and cellular uncoupling significantly widened the VW. In addition, biphasic behavior was observed, as very high fibrotic content or very low tissue conductivity hampered the development of reentry. Detailed phase analysis of reentry dynamics revealed an increase of phase singularities with progressive fibrotic components.Structural remodeling is a key factor in the genesis of vulnerability to reentry. A range of intermediate levels of fibrosis and intercellular uncoupling can combine to favor reentrant activity.

Investigating students’ failure in fractional concept construction

Science.gov (United States)

Kurniawan, Henry; Sutawidjaja, Akbar; Rahman As’ari, Abdur; Muksar, Makbul; Setiawan, Iwan

2018-04-01

Failure is a failure to achieve goals. This failure occurs because a larger scheme integrates the schemes in mind that are related to the problem at hand. These schemes are integrated so that they are interconnected to form new structures. This new scheme structure is used to interpret the problems at hand. This research is a qualitative research done to trace student’s failure which happened in fractional concept construction. Subjects in this study as many as 2 students selected from 15 students with the consideration of these students meet the criteria that have been set into two groups that fail in solving the problem. Both groups, namely group 1 is a search group for the failure of students of S1 subject and group 2 is a search group for the failure of students of S2 subject.

Software verification and validation methodology for advanced digital reactor protection system using diverse dual processors to prevent common mode failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, Ki Chang; Shin, Hyun Kook; Lee, Nam Hoon; Baek, Seung Min; Kim, Hang Bae

2001-01-01

The Advanced Digital Reactor Protection System (ADRPS) with diverse dual processors is being developed by the National Research Lab of KOPEC for ADRPS development. One of the ADRPS goals is to develop digital Plant Protection System (PPS) free of Common Mode Failure (CMF). To prevent CMF, the principle of diversity is applied to both hardware design and software design. For the hardware diversity, two different types of CPUs are used for Bistable Processor and Local Coincidence Logic Processor. The VME based Single Board Computers (SBC) are used for the CPU hardware platforms. The QNX Operating System (OS) and the VxWorks OS are used for software diversity. Rigorous Software Verification and Validation (V and V) is also required to prevent CMF. In this paper, software V and V methodology for the ADRPS is described to enhance the ADRPS software reliability and to assure high quality of the ADRPS software

Node vulnerability of water distribution networks under cascading failures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shuang, Qing; Zhang, Mingyuan; Yuan, Yongbo

2014-01-01

Water distribution networks (WDNs) are important in modern lifeline system. Its stability and reliability are critical for guaranteeing high living quality and continuous operation of urban functions. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the nodal vulnerability of WDNs under cascading failures. Vulnerability is defined to analyze the effects of the consequent failures. A cascading failure is a step-by-step process which is quantitatively investigated by numerical simulation with intentional attack. Monitored pressures in different nodes and flows in different pipes have been used to estimate the network topological structure and the consequences of nodal failure. Based on the connectivity loss of topological structure, the nodal vulnerability has been evaluated. A load variation function is established to record the nodal failure reason and describe the relative differences between the load and the capacity. The proposed method is validated by an illustrative example. The results revealed that the network vulnerability should be evaluated with the consideration of hydraulic analysis and network topology. In the case study, 70.59% of the node failures trigger the cascading failures with different failure processes. It is shown that the cascading failures result in severe consequences in WDNs. - Highlights: • The aim of this paper is to evaluate the nodal vulnerability of water distribution networks under cascading failures. • Monitored pressures and flows have been used to estimate the network topological structure and the consequences of nodal failure. • Based on the connectivity loss of topological structure, the nodal vulnerability has been evaluated. • A load variation function is established to record the failure reason and describe the relative differences between load and capacity. • The results show that 70.59% of the node failures trigger the cascading failures with different failure processes

Promoting success or preventing failure: cultural differences in motivation by positive and negative role models.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockwood, Penelope; Marshall, Tara C; Sadler, Pamela

2005-03-01

In two studies, cross-cultural differences in reactions to positive and negative role models were examined. The authors predicted that individuals from collectivistic cultures, who have a stronger prevention orientation, would be most motivated by negative role models, who highlight a strategy of avoiding failure; individuals from individualistic cultures, who have a stronger promotion focus, would be most motivated by positive role models, who highlight a strategy of pursuing success. In Study 1, the authors examined participants' reported preferences for positive and negative role models. Asian Canadian participants reported finding negative models more motivating than did European Canadians; self-construals and regulatory focus mediated cultural differences in reactions to role models. In Study 2, the authors examined the impact of role models on the academic motivation of Asian Canadian and European Canadian participants. Asian Canadians were motivated only by a negative model, and European Canadians were motivated only by a positive model.

Federal structures and associated behavioural interventions in prevention of cigarette smoking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Willich, Stefan N.

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The recently published HTA-report “Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of behavioural strategies in the prevention of cigarette smoking” detects a lack of high-quality publications considering the national prevention structures. Included publications do not give any information regarding current interventions in Germany. The goal of this addendum is to give an overview of the federal prevention system and associated measures for behavioural smoking prevention. Methods: Firstly, relevant tobacco prevention structures with associated tasks and activities were identified. Further, a survey of available project information was conducted in December 2007. This procedure based on systematic analysis in PrevNet-network as well as on manual search on the web sites of primary network centres (PrevNet-Knotenpunkte or other relevant federal state organisations. A written, postal questionnaire was conducted among network centres, federal state organisations and selected health insurance funds. Results: Interventions regarding primary prevention of smoking cover a variety of activities and campaigns issued by the Federal Government, several national organisations, federal and local authorities as well as health insurance funds. Institutions such as the German Ministry of Health, the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZGA, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ contribute to smoking prevention on national level. Diverse professional associations, workshops or authorities set up the organisational framework for coordination and planning of tobacco prevention on federal state level. Even on communal level institutional structures in terms of local professional departments and committees are established. The health insurance companies and their associations also play a major role in prevention of smoking uptake. “Rauchfrei”, “Be smart, don´ t start”, “Klasse 2000”, “ALF” or “Just be smokefree” are among the most well

Prediction of failure modes for concrete nuclear-containment buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butler, T.A.

1982-01-01

The failure modes and associated failure pressures for two common generic types of PWR containments are predicted. One building type is a lightly reinforced, posttensioned structure represented by the Zion nuclear reactor containment. The other is the normally reinforced Indian Point containment. Two-dimensional models of the buildings developed using the finite element method are used to predict the failure modes and failure pressures. Predicted failure modes for both containments involve loss of structural integrity at the intersection of the cylindrical sidewall with the base slab

Rebar corrosion due to carbonation in structural reinforced concretes for near-surface LLW repositories: A critical failure mechanism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Torok, J

1995-03-01

The concrete roof of a near-surface radioactive waste repository is the principle protection against water infiltration and intrusion. The following potential roof failure mechanism is examined: carbon dioxide generated by the biodegradation of organic materials in the repository initiates corrosion of reinforcing steel embedded in the concrete roof. Because the bottom surface of the roof is mostly under tension, it is susceptible to cracking. The migration path for carbon dioxide is through cracks in the concrete between the bottom of the roof and the reinforcing bars. Carbonate corrosion of the reinforcing bars may result in concrete spalling, more extensive rebar corrosion and ultimately structural failure. Attention is brought to this failure mechanism because it has generally been overlooked in repository performance assessments. Literature relevant to the above failure is reviewed. Prerequisites for rebar corrosion are the presence of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the repository gas, high relative humidity and through-cracks in the concrete. High carbon dioxide concentrations and relative humidity are expected in the repository. The oxygen concentration in the repository is expected to be very low, and that is expected to minimize rebar corrosion rates. Cracks are likely to form in locations with high tensile stresses. Healing of the cracks could be a mitigating factor, but based on our analysis, it can not be relied on. To minimize the potential of this failure mechanism occurring with the Intrusion Resistant Underground Structure (IRUS), Canada`s proposed near-surface repository, carbon dioxide from the repository gas will be absorbed by the reactive, porous concrete placed between the waste and the roof. (author). 4 refs.

Rebar corrosion due to carbonation in structural reinforced concretes for near-surface LLW repositories: A critical failure mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torok, J.

1995-03-01

The concrete roof of a near-surface radioactive waste repository is the principle protection against water infiltration and intrusion. The following potential roof failure mechanism is examined: carbon dioxide generated by the biodegradation of organic materials in the repository initiates corrosion of reinforcing steel embedded in the concrete roof. Because the bottom surface of the roof is mostly under tension, it is susceptible to cracking. The migration path for carbon dioxide is through cracks in the concrete between the bottom of the roof and the reinforcing bars. Carbonate corrosion of the reinforcing bars may result in concrete spalling, more extensive rebar corrosion and ultimately structural failure. Attention is brought to this failure mechanism because it has generally been overlooked in repository performance assessments. Literature relevant to the above failure is reviewed. Prerequisites for rebar corrosion are the presence of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the repository gas, high relative humidity and through-cracks in the concrete. High carbon dioxide concentrations and relative humidity are expected in the repository. The oxygen concentration in the repository is expected to be very low, and that is expected to minimize rebar corrosion rates. Cracks are likely to form in locations with high tensile stresses. Healing of the cracks could be a mitigating factor, but based on our analysis, it can not be relied on. To minimize the potential of this failure mechanism occurring with the Intrusion Resistant Underground Structure (IRUS), Canada's proposed near-surface repository, carbon dioxide from the repository gas will be absorbed by the reactive, porous concrete placed between the waste and the roof. (author). 4 refs

3D Printing of Materials with Tunable Failure via Bioinspired Mechanical Gradients.

Science.gov (United States)

Kokkinis, Dimitri; Bouville, Florian; Studart, André R

2018-05-01

Mechanical gradients are useful to reduce strain mismatches in heterogeneous materials and thus prevent premature failure of devices in a wide range of applications. While complex graded designs are a hallmark of biological materials, gradients in manmade materials are often limited to 1D profiles due to the lack of adequate fabrication tools. Here, a multimaterial 3D-printing platform is developed to fabricate elastomer gradients spanning three orders of magnitude in elastic modulus and used to investigate the role of various bioinspired gradient designs on the local and global mechanical behavior of synthetic materials. The digital image correlation data and finite element modeling indicate that gradients can be effectively used to manipulate the stress state and thus circumvent the weakening effect of defect-rich interfaces or program the failure behavior of heterogeneous materials. Implementing this concept in materials with bioinspired designs can potentially lead to defect-tolerant structures and to materials whose tunable failure facilitates repair of biomedical implants, stretchable electronics, or soft robotics. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Empagliflozin Prevents Worsening of Cardiac Function in an Experimental Model of Pressure Overload-Induced Heart Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikole J. Byrne, BSc

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study sought to determine whether the sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin improved heart failure (HF outcomes in nondiabetic mice. The EMPA-REG OUTCOME (Empagliflozin, Cardiovascular Outcome Event Trial in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients trial demonstrated that empagliflozin markedly prevented HF and cardiovascular death in subjects with diabetes. However, despite ongoing clinical trials in HF patients without type 2 diabetes, there are no objective and translational data to support an effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiac structure and function, particularly in the absence of diabetes and in the setting of established HF. Male C57Bl/6 mice were subjected to either sham or transverse aortic constriction surgery to induce HF. Following surgery, mice that progressed to HF received either vehicle or empagliflozin for 2 weeks. Cardiac function was then assessed in vivo using echocardiography and ex vivo using isolated working hearts. Although vehicle-treated HF mice experienced a progressive worsening of cardiac function over the 2-week treatment period, this decline was blunted in empagliflozin-treated HF mice. Treatment allocation to empagliflozin resulted in an improvement in cardiac systolic function, with no significant changes in cardiac remodeling or diastolic dysfunction. Moreover, isolated hearts from HF mice treated with empagliflozin displayed significantly improved ex vivo cardiac function compared to those in vehicle-treated controls. Empagliflozin treatment of nondiabetic mice with established HF blunts the decline in cardiac function both in vivo and ex vivo, independent of diabetes. These data provide important basic and translational clues to support the evaluation of SGLT2 inhibitors as a treatment strategy in a broad range of patients with established HF.

Failure Modes of thin supported Membranes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hendriksen, Peter Vang; Høgsberg, J.R.; Kjeldsen, Ane Mette

2007-01-01

Four different failure modes relevant to tubular supported membranes (thin dense films on a thick porous support) were analyzed. The failure modes were: 1) Structural collapse due to external pressure 2) burst of locally unsupported areas, 3) formation of surface cracks in the membrane due to TEC......-mismatches, and finally 4) delamination between membrane and support due to expansion of the membrane on use. Design criteria to minimize risk of failure by the four different modes are discussed. The theoretical analysis of the two last failure modes is compared to failures observed on actual components....

Mediterranean Diet and Other Dietary Patterns in Primary Prevention of Heart Failure and Changes in Cardiac Function Markers: A Systematic Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karina Sanches Machado d’Almeida

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Heart failure (HF is a complex syndrome and is recognized as the ultimate pathway of cardiovascular disease (CVD. Studies using nutritional strategies based on dietary patterns have proved to be effective for the prevention and treatment of CVD. Although there are studies that support the protective effect of these diets, their effects on the prevention of HF are not clear yet. Methods: We searched the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases for studies that examined dietary patterns, such as dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH diet, paleolithic, vegetarian, low-carb and low-fat diets and prevention of HF. No limitations were used during the search in the databases. Results: A total of 1119 studies were identified, 14 met the inclusion criteria. Studies regarding the Mediterranean, DASH, vegetarian, and Paleolithic diets were found. The Mediterranean and DASH diets showed a protective effect on the incidence of HF and/or worsening of cardiac function parameters, with a significant difference in relation to patients who did not adhere to these dietary patterns. Conclusions: It is observed that the adoption of Mediterranean or DASH-type dietary patterns may contribute to the prevention of HF, but these results need to be analyzed with caution due to the low quality of evidence.

Heart failure as a general pandemic in Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimokawa, Hiroaki; Miura, Masanobu; Nochioka, Kotaro; Sakata, Yasuhiko

2015-09-01

Heart failure (HF) is an epidemic in healthcare worldwide, including Asia. It appears that HF will become more serious in the near future, with the epidemiological transition and ageing of the population. However, in contrast to Western countries, information on HF epidemiology is still limited in Asia, particularly in South Asia. In this review, we will briefly summarize available information regarding the current and future burden of HF in Asia, which indicates the importance of both primary prevention of underlying diseases of HF and secondary prevention, including management of ischaemic HF, HF with preserved EF, and HF in the elderly. © 2015 The Authors European Journal of Heart Failure © 2015 European Society of Cardiology.

Coordinated experimental/analytical program for investigating margins to failure of Category I reinforced concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endebrock, E.; Dove, R.; Anderson, C.A.

1981-01-01

The material presented in this paper deals with a coordinated experimental/analytical program designed to provide information needed for making margins to failure assessments of seismic Category I reinforced concrete structures. The experimental program is emphasized and background information that lead to this particular experimental approach is presented. Analytical tools being developed to supplement the experimental program are discussed. 16 figures

High-Temperature Graphitization Failure of Primary Superheater Tube

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, D.; Ray, S.; Roy, H.; Mandal, N.; Shukla, A. K.

2015-12-01

Failure of boiler tubes is the main cause of unit outages of the plant, which further affects the reliability, availability and safety of the unit. So failure analysis of boiler tubes is absolutely essential to predict the root cause of the failure and the steps are taken for future remedial action to prevent the failure in near future. This paper investigates the probable cause/causes of failure of the primary superheater tube in a thermal power plant boiler. Visual inspection, dimensional measurement, chemical analysis, metallographic examination and hardness measurement are conducted as the part of the investigative studies. Apart from these tests, mechanical testing and fractographic analysis are also conducted as supplements. Finally, it is concluded that the superheater tube is failed due to graphitization for prolonged exposure of the tube at higher temperature.

Numerical modeling of liquefaction-induced failure of geo-structures subjected to earthquakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapti, Ioanna

2016-01-01

The increasing importance of performance-based earthquake engineering analysis points out the necessity to assess quantitatively the risk of liquefaction. In this extreme scenario of soil liquefaction, devastating consequences are observed, e.g. excessive settlements, lateral spreading and slope instability. The present PhD thesis discusses the global dynamic response and interaction of an earth structure-foundation system, so as to determine quantitatively the collapse mechanism due to foundation's soil liquefaction. As shear band generation is a potential earthquake-induced failure mode in such structures, the FE mesh dependency of results of dynamic analyses is thoroughly investigated and an existing regularization method is evaluated. The open-source FE software developed by EDF R and D, called Code-Aster, is used for the numerical simulations, while soil behavior is represented by the ECP constitutive model, developed at Centrale-Supelec. Starting from a simplified model of 1D SH wave propagation in a soil column with coupled hydro-mechanical nonlinear behavior, the effect of seismic hazard and soil's permeability on liquefaction is assessed. Input ground motion is a key component for soil liquefaction apparition, as long duration of main shock can lead to important nonlinearity and extended soil liquefaction. Moreover, when a variation of permeability as function of liquefaction state is considered, changes in the dissipation phase of excess pore water pressure and material behavior are observed, which do not follow a single trend. The effect of a regularization method with enhanced kinematics approach, called first gradient of dilation model, on 1D SH wave propagation is studied through an analytical solution. Deficiencies of the use of this regularization method are observed and discussed, e.g. spurious waves apparition in the soil's seismic response. Next, a 2D embankment-type model is simulated and its dynamic response is evaluated in dry, fully drained

Sodium Channel β2 Subunits Prevent Action Potential Propagation Failures at Axonal Branch Points.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, In Ha; Panzera, Lauren C; Chin, Morven; Hoppa, Michael B

2017-09-27

Neurotransmitter release depends on voltage-gated Na + channels (Na v s) to propagate an action potential (AP) successfully from the axon hillock to a synaptic terminal. Unmyelinated sections of axon are very diverse structures encompassing branch points and numerous presynaptic terminals with undefined molecular partners of Na + channels. Using optical recordings of Ca 2+ and membrane voltage, we demonstrate here that Na + channel β2 subunits (Na v β2s) are required to prevent AP propagation failures across the axonal arborization of cultured rat hippocampal neurons (mixed male and female). When Na v β2 expression was reduced, we identified two specific phenotypes: (1) membrane excitability and AP-evoked Ca 2+ entry were impaired at synapses and (2) AP propagation was severely compromised with >40% of axonal branches no longer responding to AP-stimulation. We went on to show that a great deal of electrical signaling heterogeneity exists in AP waveforms across the axonal arborization independent of axon morphology. Therefore, Na v β2 is a critical regulator of axonal excitability and synaptic function in unmyelinated axons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Voltage-gated Ca 2+ channels are fulcrums of neurotransmission that convert electrical inputs into chemical outputs in the form of vesicle fusion at synaptic terminals. However, the role of the electrical signal, the presynaptic action potential (AP), in modulating synaptic transmission is less clear. What is the fidelity of a propagating AP waveform in the axon and what molecules shape it throughout the axonal arborization? Our work identifies several new features of AP propagation in unmyelinated axons: (1) branches of a single axonal arborization have variable AP waveforms independent of morphology, (2) Na + channel β2 subunits modulate AP-evoked Ca 2+ -influx, and (3) β2 subunits maintain successful AP propagation across the axonal arbor. These findings are relevant to understanding the flow of excitation in the

Failure and preventive costs of mastitis on Dutch dairy farms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Soest, Felix J S; Santman-Berends, Inge M G A; Lam, Theo J G M|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/14686820X; Hogeveen, Henk

2016-01-01

Mastitis is an important disease from an economic perspective, but most cost assessments of mastitis include only the direct costs associated with the disease (e.g., production losses, culling, and treatment), which we call failure costs (FC). However, farmers also invest time and money in

Failure mode, effect and criticality analysis (FMECA) on mechanical subsystems of diesel generator at NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Tae Woon; Singh, Brijendra; Sung, Tae Yong; Park, Jin Hee; Lee, Yoon Hwan

1996-06-01

Largely, the RCM approach can be divided in three phases; (1) Functional failure analysis (FFA) on the selected system or subsystem, (2) Failure mode, effect and criticality analysis (FMECA) to identify the impact of failure to plant safety or economics, (3) Logical tree analysis (LTA) to select appropriate preventive maintenance and surveillance tasks. This report presents FMECA results for six mechanical subsystems of the diesel generators of nuclear power plants. The six mechanical subsystems are Starting air, Lub oil, Governor, Jacket water cooling, Fuel, and Engine subsystems. Generic and plant-specific failure and maintenance records are reviewed to identify critical components/failure modes. FMECA was performed for these critical component/failure modes. After reviewing current preventive maintenance activities of Wolsung unit 1, draft RCM recommendations are developed. 6 tabs., 16 refs. (Author)

Failure mode, effect and criticality analysis (FMECA) on mechanical subsystems of diesel generator at NPP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Tae Woon; Singh, Brijendra; Sung, Tae Yong; Park, Jin Hee; Lee, Yoon Hwan [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1996-06-01

Largely, the RCM approach can be divided in three phases; (1) Functional failure analysis (FFA) on the selected system or subsystem, (2) Failure mode, effect and criticality analysis (FMECA) to identify the impact of failure to plant safety or economics, (3) Logical tree analysis (LTA) to select appropriate preventive maintenance and surveillance tasks. This report presents FMECA results for six mechanical subsystems of the diesel generators of nuclear power plants. The six mechanical subsystems are Starting air, Lub oil, Governor, Jacket water cooling, Fuel, and Engine subsystems. Generic and plant-specific failure and maintenance records are reviewed to identify critical components/failure modes. FMECA was performed for these critical component/failure modes. After reviewing current preventive maintenance activities of Wolsung unit 1, draft RCM recommendations are developed. 6 tabs., 16 refs. (Author).

Prevention of shrinkage cracking in tight concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvaredo, A.M.; Wittmann, F.H.

1995-01-01

It is shown that crack formation and propagation in concrete members subjected to restrained shrinkage can be realistically predicted by means of a comprehensive approach including a diffusion analysis and fracture mechanics considerations. The conditions for stable crack propagation regarding dimensions of the concrete member, degree of restraint to the imposed deformation and material properties are discussed. Guidelines on the prevention of shrinkage cracking of concrete structures are given. (author). 10 refs., 5 figs

Valvular Heart Disease in Heart Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe MC Rosano

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Structural valvular heart disease may be the cause of heart failure or may worsen the clinical status of patients with heart failure. Heart failure may also develop in patients treated with valve surgery. Patients with heart failure with valvular heart disease are at increased risk of events including sudden cardiac death. Before considering intervention (surgical or percutaneous all patients should receive appropriate medical and device therapy taking into account that vasodilators must be used with caution in patients with severe aortic stenosis. Numerous percutaneous and/or hybrid procedures have been introduced in the past few years and they are changing the management of valvular heart disease. In patients with heart failure and valvular heart disease, either primary or functional, the whole process of decision-making should be staged through a comprehensive evaluation of the risk– benefit ratio of different treatment strategies and should be made by a multidisciplinary ‘heart team’ with a particular expertise in valvular heart disease. The heart team should include heart failure cardiologists, cardiac surgeons/structural valve interventionists, imaging specialists, anaesthetists, geriatricians and intensive care specialists. This article will review recent developments and distill practical guidance in the management of this important heart failure co-morbidity.

Failure and preventive costs of mastitis on Dutch dairy farms

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soest, van Felix J.S.; Santman-Berends, Inge M.G.A.; Lam, Theo J.G.M.; Hogeveen, Henk

2016-01-01

Mastitis is an important disease from an economic perspective, but most cost assessments of mastitis include only the direct costs associated with the disease (e.g., production losses, culling, and treatment), which we call failure costs (FC). However, farmers also invest time and money in

Failure rates in piping manufactured to different standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnes, R.W.; Cooper, G.D.

1995-11-01

Most non-nuclear process piping systems in Canada and the United States are constructed to the requirements of the piping codes of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME B31.1 and B31.3). Section III of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, has additional requirements for piping that are expected to provide further assurance of pressure boundary integrity. This project attempted to determine if the additional requirements of Section III were beneficial in preventing failure of the pressure boundary. The approach taken in the study was to determine the causes of failure of non-nuclear piping subjected to service similar to that experienced by piping in CANDU nuclear power plants. The study examined information on carbon steel piping systems filled with water/steam which operate up to a maximum temperature of 600 F and a maximum pressure of 1600 psi. The failure mechanisms were identified and analysed to determine whether application of the requirements of Section III would have prevented the failure. Through a process of interviews and literature search, 186 failures were identified and assembled into a reference database. Many of the records were incomplete; therefore, the reference database was trimmed to include a subset of 65 failure points supported by complete data. This subset formed the basis for this study. The results from the study of other databases assembled for similar purposes were reviewed and compared to the conclusions reached in this study. These reviews confirmed the conclusions reached in this study. (author). 48 refs., 20 tabs

Fatigue degradation and failure of rotating composite structures - Materials characterisation and underlying mechanisms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gamstedt, E K; Andersen, S I

2001-03-01

The present review concerns rotating composite structures, in which fatigue degradation is of key concern for in-service failure. Such applications are for instance rotor blades in wind turbines, helicopter rotor blades, flywheels for energy storage, marine and aeronautical propellers, and rolls for paper machines. The purpose is to identify areas where impending efforts should be made to make better use of composite materials in these applications. In order to obtain better design methodologies, which would allow more reliable and slender structures, improved test methods are necessary. Furthermore, the relation between structural, component and specimen test results should be better understood than what is presently the case. Improved predictive methods rely on a better understanding of the underlying damage mechanisms. With mechanism-based models, the component substructure or even the material microstructure could be optimised for best possible fatigue resistance. These issues are addressed in the present report, with special emphasis on test methods, and scaling from damage mechanisms to relevant material properties. (au)

Cascading failure in the wireless sensor scale-free networks

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Hao-Ran; Dong, Ming-Ru; Yin, Rong-Rong; Han, Li

2015-05-01

In the practical wireless sensor networks (WSNs), the cascading failure caused by a failure node has serious impact on the network performance. In this paper, we deeply research the cascading failure of scale-free topology in WSNs. Firstly, a cascading failure model for scale-free topology in WSNs is studied. Through analyzing the influence of the node load on cascading failure, the critical load triggering large-scale cascading failure is obtained. Then based on the critical load, a control method for cascading failure is presented. In addition, the simulation experiments are performed to validate the effectiveness of the control method. The results show that the control method can effectively prevent cascading failure. Project supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province, China (Grant No. F2014203239), the Autonomous Research Fund of Young Teacher in Yanshan University (Grant No. 14LGB017) and Yanshan University Doctoral Foundation, China (Grant No. B867).

An investment plan for preventing child injuries using risk priority number of failure mode and effects analysis methodology and a multi-objective, multi-dimensional mixed 0-1 knapsack model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bas, Esra

2011-01-01

In this paper, a general framework for child injury prevention and a multi-objective, multi-dimensional mixed 0-1 knapsack model were developed to determine the optimal time to introduce preventive measures against child injuries. Furthermore, the model maximises the prevention of injuries with the highest risks for each age period by combining preventive measures and supervision as well as satisfying budget limits and supervision time constraints. The risk factors for each injury, variable, and time period were based on risk priority numbers (RPNs) obtained from failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) methodology, and these risk factors were incorporated into the model as objective function parameters. A numerical experiment based on several different situations was conducted, revealing that the model provided optimal timing of preventive measures for child injuries based on variables considered.

Failure of preventive measures against radon penetration from the ground in a new-built family house - a case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neznal, M.; Neznal, M.; Jiranek, M.; Fronka, A.

2006-01-01

structure in contact with soil, i.e. even under walls. Special attention should be devoted to the sealing of joints and pipe penetrations through the insulation. The high-quality insulation may be replaced by a common damp-proofing if some special conditions are met: the house is built with a cellar under the complete house area; no residential rooms are found in the cellar; all year reliable natural ventilation of the cellar is provided; the cellar entrance from the floors above is provided with an automatic closing door system and with door sealing. The above mentioned approach is considered to be sufficient even in cases when the building site is classified close to the lower limit of the high radon index (the radon concentration in soil does not exceed twice the concentration that separates the medium and high radon index). In all other cases, the radon-proof insulation in all structures in direct contact with soil must be completed with either a a sub-slab ventilation system or an air gap ventilation under the insulation. The sub-slab ventilation system should reduce the radon concentration under the foundation plate, or create negative pressure in subsoil compared to indoor air pressure. It is a system of perforated drainage pipes that are inserted into a gravel layer under the foundation plate. To ensure effective operation of sub-slab ventilation, it is recommended to extract the soil air from the sub-slab region by the vertical exhaust pipes. The ventilation system can operate in two ways: a passive ventilation, i.e. the ventilation system is controlled by temperature and pressure indoor/sub-floor differences, or an active one, using a fan. Because the fan is usually installed on the vertical exhaust pipes, each passive system may be easily transformed into an active one. A failure of preventive protective measures in a new-built family house will be described and analysed in the paper. Detailed measurements of sub-slab parameters, continual monitoring of indoor

Transitions of Care Between Acute and Chronic Heart Failure: Critical Steps in the Design of a Multidisciplinary Care Model for the Prevention of Rehospitalization.

Science.gov (United States)

Comín-Colet, Josep; Enjuanes, Cristina; Lupón, Josep; Cainzos-Achirica, Miguel; Badosa, Neus; Verdú, José María

2016-10-01

Despite advances in the treatment of heart failure, mortality, the number of readmissions, and their associated health care costs are very high. Heart failure care models inspired by the chronic care model, also known as heart failure programs or heart failure units, have shown clinical benefits in high-risk patients. However, while traditional heart failure units have focused on patients detected in the outpatient phase, the increasing pressure from hospital admissions is shifting the focus of interest toward multidisciplinary programs that concentrate on transitions of care, particularly between the acute phase and the postdischarge phase. These new integrated care models for heart failure revolve around interventions at the time of transitions of care. They are multidisciplinary and patient-centered, designed to ensure continuity of care, and have been demonstrated to reduce potentially avoidable hospital admissions. Key components of these models are early intervention during the inpatient phase, discharge planning, early postdischarge review and structured follow-up, advanced transition planning, and the involvement of physicians and nurses specialized in heart failure. It is hoped that such models will be progressively implemented across the country. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

A simple approach to modeling ductile failure.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wellman, Gerald William

2012-06-01

Sandia National Laboratories has the need to predict the behavior of structures after the occurrence of an initial failure. In some cases determining the extent of failure, beyond initiation, is required, while in a few cases the initial failure is a design feature used to tailor the subsequent load paths. In either case, the ability to numerically simulate the initiation and propagation of failures is a highly desired capability. This document describes one approach to the simulation of failure initiation and propagation.

Failure assessment techniques to ensure shipping container integrity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McConnell, P.

1986-02-01

This report discusses several methodologies which may be used to ensure the structural integrity of containment systems to be used for the transport and storage of high-level radioactive substances. For economic reasons, shipping containers constructed of ferritic materials are being considered for manufacture by vendors in the US and Europe. Ferritic show an inherent transition from a ductile, high energy failure mode to a brittle, low energy fracture mode with decreasing temperature. Therefore, formal consideration of means by which to avoid unstable brittle fracture is necessary prior to the licensing of ferritic casks. It is suggested that failure of a shipping container wall be defined as occurring when a flaw extends through the outer wall of the containment system. Crack initiation which may lead to unstable brittle crack growth should therefore be prevented. It is suggested that a fundamental linear elastic fracture mechanics (lefm) approach be adopted on a case-by-case basis, applied perhaps by means of appropriate modifications to ASMA Section III or Section XI. A lefm analysis requires information concerning service temperatures, loading rates, flaw sizes, and applied stresses. Tentative judgments regarding these parameters for typical shipping containers have been made

Structural Response and Failure of a Full-Scale Stitched Graphite-Epoxy Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Jegley, Dawn C.; Lovejoy, Andrew E.; Bush, Harold G.

2001-01-01

Analytical and experimental results of the test for an all-composite full-scale wing box are presented. The wing box is representative of a section of a 220-passenger commercial transport aircraft wing box and was designed and constructed by The Boeing Company as part of the NASA Advanced Subsonics Technology (AST) program. The semi-span wing was fabricated from a graphite-epoxy material system with cover panels and spars held together using Kevlar stitches through the thickness. No mechanical fasteners were used to hold the stiffeners to the skin of the cover panels. Tests were conducted with and without low-speed impact damage, discrete source damage and repairs. Up-bending down-bending and brake roll loading conditions were applied. The structure with nonvisible impact damage carried 97% of Design Ultimate Load prior to failure through a lower cover panel access hole. Finite element and experimental results agree for the global response of the structure.

Looking good, but behaving badly: leader accountability and ethics failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruhn, John G

2005-01-01

Making the bottom line is a fact of life in the business and corporate world. However, when organizations and their leaders become fixated on the bottom line and ignore values, an environment conducive to ethics failure is nurtured. Ethics failure has focused almost exclusively on the behavior of organizational leaders. However, it is the interaction of the culture of organizations and the character of their leaders that create the environment and social situations conducive to ethics failure. Although ethics failure is not totally preventable, there are usually warning signs early in the recruitment process of prospective CEOs that predict ethics failure. The author suggests that specific up-front questions be asked to ascertain the ethical fitness of prospective CEOs.

Effect of organizational structures and types of construction on perceptions of factors contributing to project failure in pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gazder, U.; Khan, R.A.

2018-01-01

The construction industry is viewed as the regulator of national economy globally. Its importance in Pakistan has increased greatly because of the involvement of international funding agencies in infrastructure projects. The feasibility of such projects is largely dependent upon the satisfaction of multiple stakeholders. Hence, it is important to explore the factors considered by different construction organizations in evaluating the failure of their projects. This study focuses on providing a rating of factors affecting construction project failures in the construction industry of Karachi. In addition to that, difference in perception between professionals belonging to different construction projects and organizational structures has also been evaluated. The results of this study show that factors related to project planning and management are rated higher by professionals in general. Secondly, it was also observed that client satisfaction and its related factors were rated higher by organizations with project based management structures. (author)

The effects of pressure dependent constitutive model to simulate concrete structures failure under impact loads

Science.gov (United States)

Mokhatar, S. N.; Sonoda, Y.; Kamarudin, A. F.; Noh, M. S. Md; Tokumaru, S.

2018-04-01

The main objective of this paper is to explore the effect of confining pressure in the compression and tension zone by simulating the behaviour of reinforced concrete/mortar structures subjected to the impact load. The analysis comprises the numerical simulation of the influences of high mass low speed impact weight dropping on concrete structures, where the analyses are incorporated with meshless method namely as Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The derivation of the plastic stiffness matrix of Drucker-Prager (DP) that extended from Von-Mises (VM) yield criteria to simulate the concrete behaviour were presented in this paper. In which, the displacements for concrete/mortar structures are assumed to be infinitesimal. Furthermore, the influence of the different material model of DP and VM that used numerically for concrete and mortar structures are also discussed. Validation upon existing experimental test results is carried out to investigate the effect of confining pressure, it is found that VM criterion causes unreal impact failure (flexural cracking) of concrete structures.

Aerobic exercise training prevents heart failure-induced skeletal muscle atrophy by anti-catabolic, but not anabolic actions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodrigo W A Souza

Full Text Available Heart failure (HF is associated with cachexia and consequent exercise intolerance. Given the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise training (ET in HF, the aim of this study was to determine if the ET performed during the transition from cardiac dysfunction to HF would alter the expression of anabolic and catabolic factors, thus preventing skeletal muscle wasting.We employed ascending aortic stenosis (AS inducing HF in Wistar male rats. Controls were sham-operated animals. At 18 weeks after surgery, rats with cardiac dysfunction were randomized to 10 weeks of aerobic ET (AS-ET or to an untrained group (AS-UN. At 28 weeks, the AS-UN group presented HF signs in conjunction with high TNF-α serum levels; soleus and plantaris muscle atrophy; and an increase in the expression of TNF-α, NFκB (p65, MAFbx, MuRF1, FoxO1, and myostatin catabolic factors. However, in the AS-ET group, the deterioration of cardiac function was prevented, as well as muscle wasting, and the atrophy promoters were decreased. Interestingly, changes in anabolic factor expression (IGF-I, AKT, and mTOR were not observed. Nevertheless, in the plantaris muscle, ET maintained high PGC1α levels.Thus, the ET capability to attenuate cardiac function during the transition from cardiac dysfunction to HF was accompanied by a prevention of skeletal muscle atrophy that did not occur via an increase in anabolic factors, but through anti-catabolic activity, presumably caused by PGC1α action. These findings indicate the therapeutic potential of aerobic ET to block HF-induced muscle atrophy by counteracting the increased catabolic state.

Advanced Materials and Process Technology for Mechanical Failure Prevention (Proceedings of the Meeting of the Mechanical Failures Prevention Group (48th) Held in Wakefield, Massachusetts on 19-21 April 1994,

Science.gov (United States)

1994-04-21

stress rupture fractured specimens (a) as- ROC’ed, (b) beat treated by schedule 2. (a) (b) (c) (d) Figure 6: SEM fractographs of super-a, tensile... beat 195 - - . -i The microstructure in the weld region and at the fatigue failures was studied and related o the observed failures.Fati ue data are...inspector also can use one or two audio output channels for either mono or stereo ( binaural ) presentation of the aural information. Auralkatlon of

Knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of older women in HIV/AIDS prevention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milena Silva Costa

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the knowledge, religious beliefs and the adoption of preventive measures against HIV/AIDS of non-Catholic elderly women. Method: A qualitative study, carried out in religious institutions of a municipality in the state of Ceará, Northeast Brazil, with 78 elderly women. Of these, 64 were evangelicals, seven spiritualists and seven Jehovah's Witnesses. A semi-structured interview script was used followed by thematic content analysis of participants' responses. Results: After analyzing the empirical data, three categories were elaborated: the first presented the knowledge they had about AIDS; the second, highlighted the beliefs attributed to people with HIV/AIDS; and the third, presented the preventive measures to HIV/AIDS adopted by them. Final considerations: There were participants with knowledge gaps and failure to use preventive measures against HIV/AIDS. They suggested that religious institutions can be venues for lectures on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Strength and failure analysis of composite-to-composite adhesive bonds with different surface treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Paranjpe, Nikhil; Alamir, Mohammed; Alonayni, Abdullah; Asmatulu, Eylem; Rahman, Muhammad M.; Asmatulu, Ramazan

2018-03-01

Adhesives are widely utilized materials in aviation, automotive, energy, defense, and marine industries. Adhesive joints are gradually supplanting mechanical fasteners because they are lightweight structures, thus making the assembly lighter and easier. They also act as a sealant to prevent a structural joint from galvanic corrosion and leakages. Adhesive bonds provide high joint strength because of the fact that the load is distributed uniformly on the joint surface, while in mechanical joints, the load is concentrated at one point, thus leading to stress at that point and in turn causing joint failures. This research concentrated on the analysis of bond strength and failure loads in adhesive joint of composite-to-composite surfaces. Different durations of plasma along with the detergent cleaning were conducted on the composite surfaces prior to the adhesive applications and curing processes. The joint strength of the composites increased about 34% when the surface was plasma treated for 12 minutes. It is concluded that the combination of different surface preparations, rather than only one type of surface treatment, provides an ideal joint quality for the composites.

Dynamics of functional failures and recovery in complex road networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhan, Xianyuan; Ukkusuri, Satish V.; Rao, P. Suresh C.

2017-11-01

We propose a new framework for modeling the evolution of functional failures and recoveries in complex networks, with traffic congestion on road networks as the case study. Differently from conventional approaches, we transform the evolution of functional states into an equivalent dynamic structural process: dual-vertex splitting and coalescing embedded within the original network structure. The proposed model successfully explains traffic congestion and recovery patterns at the city scale based on high-resolution data from two megacities. Numerical analysis shows that certain network structural attributes can amplify or suppress cascading functional failures. Our approach represents a new general framework to model functional failures and recoveries in flow-based networks and allows understanding of the interplay between structure and function for flow-induced failure propagation and recovery.

Failure strength and elastic limit for concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robutti, G.; Ronzoni, E.; Ottosen, N.S.

1979-01-01

Due to increased demand for realistic analysis of structures such as prestressed concrete reactor vessels and reactor containments, the formulation of general constitutive equations for concrete is of considerable importance. In the field of constitutive equations the correct definition of the limit state represented by the concrete failure surface is a fundamental need. In this paper carried out by a Danish-Italian cooperation, several failure criteria obtained by different authors are compared with failure experimental data obtained with triaxial tests on concrete specimens. Such comparison allow to carry out conclusive considerations on the characteristics of the concrete failure surface and on the advantages and disadvantages of the different criteria. Considerations are also reported on the definition of a limit elastic surface, whose knowledge is of fundamental importance for designers of complex structures in concrete. (orig.)

To prevent, react, and rebuild: health research and the prevention of genocide.

Science.gov (United States)

Adler, Reva N; Smith, James; Fishman, Paul; Larson, Eric B

2004-12-01

To develop an approach to the primary prevention of genocide, based on established public health-based violence prevention methods derived from a variety of high-risk settings. (1) Peer-reviewed literature in the fields of public health, violence/injury prevention, medicine, economics, sociology, psychology, history, and genocide studies, (2) demographic and health data bases made available by governments and international organizations, (3) reports on recent episodes of genocide published by international and nongovernmental organizations, (4) newspaper and journalistic accounts of recent and past genocides, (5) archival testimonies of genocide victims and perpetrators, and (6) court transcripts of international genocide prosecutions. The research was conducted as a medical-historical policy analysis synthesizing data within the following framework: (1) Assessment of current violence and injury prevention models for suitability in the prevention of extreme, population-wide violence, (2) analysis of morbidity and mortality data to quantify the impact of genocide on the health of populations, (3) making an inventory of the known societal risk factors for genocidal violence, (4) identification of the theorized, modifiable attitudinal risk factors for genocidal behavior within a population health model, and (5) assessment of existing projects targeting primary violence and injury prevention in high risk jurisdictions, for future adaptation within a structured, public health approach. Mortality rates due to genocidal violence are far in excess of other public health emergencies including malaria and HIV/AIDS. The immediate and long-range health consequences of genocide include the sequelae of infectious diseases, organ system failure, and psychiatric disorders, conferring an increased burden of disease on affected populations for multiple subsequent generations. The impact of genocide on local health economies is catastrophic, and the opportunity costs of diverting

The maintenance optimization of structural components in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bryla, P.; Ardorino, F.; Aufort, P.; Jacquot, J.P.; Magne, L.; Pitner, P.; Verite, B.; Villain, B.; Monnier, B.

1997-10-01

An optimization process, called 'OMF-Structures', is developed by Electricite de France (EDF) in order to extend the current 'OMF' Reliability Centered Maintenance to piping structural components. The Auxiliary Feedwater System of a 900 MW French nuclear plant has been studied in order to lay the foundations of the method. This paper presents the currently proposed principles of the process. The principles of the OMF-Structures process include 'Risk-Based Inspection' concepts within an RCM process. Two main phases are identified: The purpose of the first phase is to select the risk-significant failure modes and associated elements. This phase consists of two major steps: potential consequences evaluation and reliability performance evaluation. The second phase consists of the definition of preventive maintenance programs for piping elements that are associated with risk-significant failure modes. (author)

Disease prevention policy under Medicare: a historical and political analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schauffler, H H

1993-01-01

I review the history and politics of Medicare disease prevention policy and identify factors associated with the success or failure of legislative initiatives to add preventive services benefits to Medicare. Between 1965 and 1990, 453 bills for Medicare preventive services were introduced in the U.S. Congress, but not until 1980, after 350 bills had failed, was the first preventive service added to the Medicare program. Medicare currently pays for only four of the 44 preventive services recommended for the elderly by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (pneumococcal and hepatitis B vaccinations, Pap smears, and mammography). In addition, Congress has funded demonstration programs for the influenza vaccine and comprehensive preventive services. The preventive services added to Medicare reflect the bias of the biomedical model toward screening and immunizations. Counseling services have received the least legislative attention. Factors associated with successful enactment include single-benefit bills, incorporation into budget-deficit reduction legislation, documented evidence of cost-effectiveness, public hearings, sponsorship by chairs of key congressional committees, and persistent congressional leadership. Factors associated with failure include lack of support from Medicare beneficiaries, lack of professional support, impact on total Medicare expenditures, disagreement over or failure to address payment and financing mechanisms, and competing congressional priorities.

A streamlined failure mode and effects analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, Eric C.; Smith, Koren; Terezakis, Stephanie; Croog, Victoria; Gollamudi, Smitha; Gage, Irene; Keck, Jordie; DeWeese, Theodore; Sibley, Greg

2014-01-01

Purpose: Explore the feasibility and impact of a streamlined failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) using a structured process that is designed to minimize staff effort. Methods: FMEA for the external beam process was conducted at an affiliate radiation oncology center that treats approximately 60 patients per day. A structured FMEA process was developed which included clearly defined roles and goals for each phase. A core group of seven people was identified and a facilitator was chosen to lead the effort. Failure modes were identified and scored according to the FMEA formalism. A risk priority number,RPN, was calculated and used to rank failure modes. Failure modes with RPN > 150 received safety improvement interventions. Staff effort was carefully tracked throughout the project. Results: Fifty-two failure modes were identified, 22 collected during meetings, and 30 from take-home worksheets. The four top-ranked failure modes were: delay in film check, missing pacemaker protocol/consent, critical structures not contoured, and pregnant patient simulated without the team's knowledge of the pregnancy. These four failure modes hadRPN > 150 and received safety interventions. The FMEA was completed in one month in four 1-h meetings. A total of 55 staff hours were required and, additionally, 20 h by the facilitator. Conclusions: Streamlined FMEA provides a means of accomplishing a relatively large-scale analysis with modest effort. One potential value of FMEA is that it potentially provides a means of measuring the impact of quality improvement efforts through a reduction in risk scores. Future study of this possibility is needed

A streamlined failure mode and effects analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, Eric C; Smith, Koren; Terezakis, Stephanie; Croog, Victoria; Gollamudi, Smitha; Gage, Irene; Keck, Jordie; DeWeese, Theodore; Sibley, Greg

2014-06-01

Explore the feasibility and impact of a streamlined failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) using a structured process that is designed to minimize staff effort. FMEA for the external beam process was conducted at an affiliate radiation oncology center that treats approximately 60 patients per day. A structured FMEA process was developed which included clearly defined roles and goals for each phase. A core group of seven people was identified and a facilitator was chosen to lead the effort. Failure modes were identified and scored according to the FMEA formalism. A risk priority number,RPN, was calculated and used to rank failure modes. Failure modes with RPN > 150 received safety improvement interventions. Staff effort was carefully tracked throughout the project. Fifty-two failure modes were identified, 22 collected during meetings, and 30 from take-home worksheets. The four top-ranked failure modes were: delay in film check, missing pacemaker protocol/consent, critical structures not contoured, and pregnant patient simulated without the team's knowledge of the pregnancy. These four failure modes had RPN > 150 and received safety interventions. The FMEA was completed in one month in four 1-h meetings. A total of 55 staff hours were required and, additionally, 20 h by the facilitator. Streamlined FMEA provides a means of accomplishing a relatively large-scale analysis with modest effort. One potential value of FMEA is that it potentially provides a means of measuring the impact of quality improvement efforts through a reduction in risk scores. Future study of this possibility is needed.

A streamlined failure mode and effects analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ford, Eric C., E-mail: eford@uw.edu; Smith, Koren; Terezakis, Stephanie; Croog, Victoria; Gollamudi, Smitha; Gage, Irene; Keck, Jordie; DeWeese, Theodore; Sibley, Greg [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21287 (United States)

2014-06-15

Purpose: Explore the feasibility and impact of a streamlined failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) using a structured process that is designed to minimize staff effort. Methods: FMEA for the external beam process was conducted at an affiliate radiation oncology center that treats approximately 60 patients per day. A structured FMEA process was developed which included clearly defined roles and goals for each phase. A core group of seven people was identified and a facilitator was chosen to lead the effort. Failure modes were identified and scored according to the FMEA formalism. A risk priority number,RPN, was calculated and used to rank failure modes. Failure modes with RPN > 150 received safety improvement interventions. Staff effort was carefully tracked throughout the project. Results: Fifty-two failure modes were identified, 22 collected during meetings, and 30 from take-home worksheets. The four top-ranked failure modes were: delay in film check, missing pacemaker protocol/consent, critical structures not contoured, and pregnant patient simulated without the team's knowledge of the pregnancy. These four failure modes hadRPN > 150 and received safety interventions. The FMEA was completed in one month in four 1-h meetings. A total of 55 staff hours were required and, additionally, 20 h by the facilitator. Conclusions: Streamlined FMEA provides a means of accomplishing a relatively large-scale analysis with modest effort. One potential value of FMEA is that it potentially provides a means of measuring the impact of quality improvement efforts through a reduction in risk scores. Future study of this possibility is needed.

Theoretical Calculation and Analysis on the Composite Rock-Bolt Bearing Structure in Burst-Prone Ground

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Cheng

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Given the increase in mining depth and intensity, tunnel failure as a result of rock burst has become an important issue in the field of mining engineering in China. Based on the Composite Rock-Bolt Bearing Structure, which is formed due to the interaction of the bolts driven into the surrounding rock, this paper analyzes a rock burst prevention mechanism, establishes a mechanical model in burst-prone ground, deduces the strength calculation formula of the Composite Rock-Bolt Bearing Structure in burst-prone ground, and confirms the rock burst prevention criterion of the Composite Rock-Bolt Bearing Structure. According to the rock burst prevention criterion, the amount of the influence on rock burst prevention ability from the surrounding rock parameters and bolt support parameters is discussed.

Optimizing preventive maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DiCola, F.E.

1988-01-01

The traditional approach to preventive maintenance (PM) is based on adherence to manufacturers's requirements and recommended frequencies. When equipment fails, either new procedures are established or the frequency is increased. This leads to an increase in the number of PM activities, overloading not only maintenance resources, but support as well. There is no correlation between more PM and an increase in equipment reliability. More PM may actually induce failures. Reliability-centered maintenance, a new concept in utility maintenance, is based on identifying system/subsystem functions, failures, and dominant failure modes to develop or revise PM tasks. The activities described in this paper are based on actual implementation of this concept on an ongoing project to upgrade the PM program at one of the largest electric utilities in the country. Optimum PM activities are those that, when implemented, will minimize factors that c cause equipment to fail. One technique described illustrates how equipment performance, failure modes, and causes can be related to minimize the occurrence of failures. Operating history and service life of a component are key factors in determining the most effective PM activities, provided that the factors are related to failure modes and causes

Dopamine in heart failure and critical care

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, AJ

Dopamine is widely used in critical care to prevent renal function loss. Nevertheless sufficient evidence is still lacking of reduction in end points like mortality or renal replacement therapy. Dopaminergic treatment in chronic heart failure (CHF) has provided an example of unexpected adverse

Electric motor predictive and preventive maintenance guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliver, J.A.

1992-07-01

Electric motor performance is vital to the reliable and efficient operation of power plants. The failure of one or more critical motors could cause lost capacity and excessive repair and maintenance cost. However, existing maintenance recommendations proposed by vendors for electric motors have sometimes encouraged many overly conservative maintenance practices. These practices have lead to excessive maintenance activities and costs which have provided no extra margin of operability. EPRI has sponsored RP2814-35 to develop a guide which provides power plants with information and guidance for establishing an effective maintenance program which will aid in preventing unexpected motor failures and assist in planning motor maintenance efforts. The guide includes a technical description which summarizes technical data relative to the four basic types of motors and their components in general use in power plants. The significant causes of motor failures are investigated and described in detail and methods to optimize service life and minimize maintenance cost through appropriate preventive maintenance and conditioning program are presented. This guide provides a foundation for an effective electric motor maintenance program and simplifies the selection of predictive and preventive maintenance tasks. Its use will enable maintenance personnel in nuclear and fossil plants to plan motor repairs during scheduled outages and avoid costly unexpected failures

The Effect of Education on Preventive Behaviors of Failure to Thrive in Mothers with Children Aged One to Five Years: Applied Health Belief Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahtab Navabi

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background: One of the common and important health problems is failure to thrive in childhood. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of education on preventive behaviors of failure to thrive in mothers with children based on health belief model. Materials and Methods: This study is an interventional one in which 100 mothers with children one to five years involved (samples divided into two case and control groups, each of 50 sampling was done by a simple random method. For collecting information, a researcher-made questionnaire based on the health belief model and performance check list were used. Then, case group was trained for one month. 3 months after training, data were gathered and analyzed by Spss20 software. In addition to descriptive statistics, tests such as Chi-square, paired t-test and independent T-test were used. Results: The mean age of case and control was 29.98±5.51 and 25.35±5.30 years old, respectively. The average age of children was 23.31 ± 13.14 and 27.55 ± 14.01months, respectively. Before the intervention, no significant difference was seen between groups. The average score in case group before intervention was as: knowledge(31.87±14.24, perceived susceptibility(64.23±5.86, perceived severity(64.41±9.34, perceived benefits(61.75±6.79, perceived barriers(67.91±8.14, self-efficacy(68.00±7.87, cues to action(44.53±6.82 and action(70.00±9.77. However, after the intervention, significant differences between groups in all variables were obserred. Conclusion: According to the results, education based on health belief model is recommended for promoting preventive behaviors of failure to thrive.

[Sodium hydrosulfide improves cardiac functions and structures in rats with chronic heart failure].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiao-hui; Zhang, Chao-ying; Zhang, Ting

2011-11-22

To explore the effects of sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), a hydrogen sulphide (H(2)S) donor, on cardiac functions and structures in rats with chronic heart failure induced by volume overload and examine its influence on cardiac remodelling. A total of 47 SD rats (120 - 140 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups:shunt group (n = 11), sham group (n = 8), shunt + NaHS group (n = 10), sham + NaHS group (n = 8) and shunt + phentolamine group (n = 10). The rat model of chronic heart failure was induced by abdominal aorta-inferior vena cava puncture. At Week 8 post-operation, hemodynamic parameters, microstructures and ultrastructures of myocardial tissues were analyzed. Extracellular collagen content in myocardial tissues was analyzed after Sirius red staining. Right ventricular hydroxyproline concentration was determined and compared. At Week 8 post-operation, compared with the sham operation and shunt + NaHS groups, the shunt group showed significantly increased right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) and right ventricular end diastolic pressure (RVEDP) (mm Hg: 35.2 ± 3.9 vs 21.4 ± 3.7 and 28.1 ± 2.7, 32 ± 5 vs 21 ± 4 and 26 ± 4, all P vs 2336 ± 185 and 1835 ± 132, 1331 ± 107 vs 2213 ± 212 and 1768 ± 116, all P non-uniformly in the shunt group, some fiber mitochondria were highly swollen and contained vacuoles. And sarcoplasmic reticulum appeared slightly dilated. Polarized microscopy indicated that, collagen content (particularly type-I collagen) increased in the shunt group compared with the sham operation group. Additionally, compared with the shunt group, the shunt and NaHS treatment groups showed an amelioration of myocardial damage, an alleviation of myocardial fiber changes and a decrease in myocardial collagen content (particularly type-I collagen). Compared with the sham operation and shunt + NaHS groups, the shunt group displayed increased right ventricular hydroxyproline (mg×g(-1)·pro: 1.32 ± 0.25 vs 0.89 ± 0.18 and 0.83 ± 0.19, all P < 0

75 FR 40845 - Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Using Risk Management Principles at Structure Fires

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-14

... NIOSH 141-A] Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Using Risk Management Principles at... publication entitled ``Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Using Risk Management Principles at... fires in unoccupied structures to using established risk management principles at all structure fires...

Constitutive and failure behaviour in selective laser melted stainless steel for microlattice structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Peifeng

2015-01-01

The emerging selective laser melting (SLM) technology makes possible the manufacturing of metallic microlattice structures with better tailorability of properties. This work investigated the constitutive formulation of the parent material and the failure mechanism in the SLM stainless steel microlattice structure. The constitutive behaviour of SLM stainless steel was quantitatively formulated using the Johnson–Cook hardening model. A finite element model incorporating the constitutive formula was developed and experimentally validated to predict the localised stress evolution in an SLM stainless steel microlattice structure subjected to uniaxial compression. The predicted stresses were then linked to the fracture process in the SLM steel observed by scanning electron microscope. It was found that the tensile and compressive stress state is localised in the strut members of the microlattice, and determines the macroscopic cracking mode. The tensile opening and shear cracking dominate the tension and compression zones, respectively. However, the microscopic examination on the fracture surfaces reveals the formation of substantial slip bands in both the tension and compression zones, implying that the ductile fracture in the SLM stainless steel is transgranular

Reliability-based failure cause assessment of collapsed bridge during construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Hyun-Ho; Lee, Sang-Yoon; Choi, Il-Yoon; Cho, Hyo-Nam; Mahadevan, Sankaran

2006-01-01

Until now, in many forensic reports, the failure cause assessments are usually carried out by a deterministic approach so far. However, it may be possible for the forensic investigation to lead to unreasonable results far from the real collapse scenario, because the deterministic approach does not systematically take into account any information on the uncertainties involved in the failures of structures. Reliability-based failure cause assessment (reliability-based forensic engineering) methodology is developed which can incorporate the uncertainties involved in structural failures and structures, and to apply them to the collapsed bridge in order to identify the most critical failure scenario and find the cause that triggered the bridge collapse. Moreover, to save the time and cost of evaluation, an algorithm of automated event tree analysis (ETA) is proposed and possible to automatically calculate the failure probabilities of the failure events and the occurrence probabilities of failure scenarios. Also, for reliability analysis, uncertainties are estimated more reasonably by using the Bayesian approach based on the experimental laboratory testing data in the forensic report. For the applicability, the proposed approach is applied to the Hang-ju Grand Bridge, which collapsed during construction, and compared with deterministic approach

The less familiar side of heart failure: symptomatic diastolic dysfunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Morris, Spencer A; Van Swol, Mark; Udani, Bela

2005-06-01

Arrange for echocardiography or radionuclide angiography within 72 hours of a heart failure exacerbation. An ejection fraction >50% in the presence of signs and symptoms of heart failure makes the diagnosis of diastolic heart failure probable. To treat associated hypertension, use angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, or diuretics to achieve a blood pressure goal of <130/80 mm Hg. When using beta-blockers to control heart rate, titrate doses more aggressively than would be done for systolic failure, to reach a goal of 60 to 70 bpm. Use ACE inhibitors/ARBs to decrease hospitalizations, decrease symptoms, and prevent left ventricular remodeling.

An engineering approach to common mode failure analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gangloff, W.C.; Franke, T.H.

1975-01-01

Safety systems for nuclear reactors can be designed using standard reliability engineering techniques such that system failure due to random component faults is extremely unlikely. However, the common-mode failure where several components fail together from a common cause is not susceptible to prevention by the usual tactics. In systems where a high degree of redundancy has been employed, the actual reliability of the system in service may be limited by common-mode failures. A methodical and thorough procedure for evaluation of system vulnerability to common-mode failures is presented. This procedure was developed for use in nuclear reactor safety systems and has been applied specifically to reactor protection. The method offers a qualitative assessment of a system whereby weak points can be identified and the resistance to common-mode failure can be judged. It takes into account all factors influencing system performance including design, manufacturing, installation, operation, testing, and maintenance. It is not a guarantee or sure solution, but rather a practical tool which can provide good assurance that the probability of common-mode protection failure has been made acceptably low. (author)

Cardiac Cachexia: Perspectives for Prevention and Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Okoshi, Marina Politi; Capalbo, Rafael Verardino; Romeiro, Fernando G; Okoshi, Katashi

2017-01-01

Cachexia is a prevalent pathological condition associated with chronic heart failure. Its occurrence predicts increased morbidity and mortality independent of important clinical variables such as age, ventricular function, or heart failure functional class. The clinical consequences of cachexia are dependent on both weight loss and systemic inflammation, which accompany cachexia development. Skeletal muscle wasting is an important component of cachexia; it often precedes cachexia development and predicts poor outcome in heart failure. Cachexia clinically affects several organs and systems. It is a multifactorial condition where underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are not completely understood making it difficult to develop specific prevention and treatment therapies. Preventive strategies have largely focused on muscle mass preservation. Different treatment options have been described, mostly in small clinical studies or experimental settings. These include nutritional support, neurohormonal blockade, reducing intestinal bacterial translocation, anemia and iron deficiency treatment, appetite stimulants, immunomodulatory agents, anabolic hormones, and physical exercise regimens. Currently, nonpharmacological therapy such as nutritional support and physical exercise are considered central to cachexia prevention and treatment.

Rate Dependent Multicontinuum Progressive Failure Analysis of Woven Fabric Composite Structures under Dynamic Impact

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Lua

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Marine composite materials typically exhibit significant rate dependent response characteristics when subjected to extreme dynamic loading conditions. In this work, a strain-rate dependent continuum damage model is incorporated with multicontinuum technology (MCT to predict damage and failure progression for composite material structures. MCT treats the constituents of a woven fabric composite as separate but linked continua, thereby allowing a designer to extract constituent stress/strain information in a structural analysis. The MCT algorithm and material damage model are numerically implemented with the explicit finite element code LS-DYNA3D via a user-defined material model (umat. The effects of the strain-rate hardening model are demonstrated through both simple single element analyses for woven fabric composites and also structural level impact simulations of a composite panel subjected to various impact conditions. Progressive damage at the constituent level is monitored throughout the loading. The results qualitatively illustrate the value of rate dependent material models for marine composite materials under extreme dynamic loading conditions.

Device for preventing coolant in a reactor from being lost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruyama, Hiromi; Matsumoto, Tomoyuki.

1975-01-01

Object: To prevent all of coolant from being lost from the core at the time of failure in rupture of pipe in a recirculation system to cool the core with the coolant remained within the reactor. Structure: A valve, which will be closed when a water level of the coolant within the core is in a level less than a predetermined level, is provided on a recirculating water outlet nozzle in a pressure vessel to thereby prevent the coolant from being lost when the pipe is broken, thus cooling the core by means of reduced-pressure boiling of coolant remained within the core and boiling due to heat, and restraining core reactivity by means of void produced at that time. (Kamimura, M.)

Conflict transformation, stigma, and HIV-preventive structural change.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Robin Lin; Reed, Sarah J; Francisco, Vincent T; Ellen, Jonathan M

2012-06-01

Over the prior decade, structural change efforts have become an important component of community-based HIV prevention initiatives. However, these efforts may not succeed when structural change initiatives encounter political resistance or invoke conflicting values, which may be likely when changes are intended to benefit a stigmatized population. The current study sought to examine the impact of target population stigma on the ability of 13 community coalitions to achieve structural change objectives. Results indicated that coalitions working on behalf of highly stigmatized populations had to abandon objectives more often than did coalitions working for less stigmatized populations because of external opposition to coalition objectives and resultant internal conflict over goals. Those coalitions that were most successful in meeting external challenges used opposition and conflict as transformative occasions by targeting conflicts directly and attempting to neutralize oppositional groups or turn them into strategic allies; less successful coalitions working on behalf of stigmatized groups struggled to determine an appropriate response to opposition. The role of conflict transformation as a success strategy for working on behalf of stigmatized groups is discussed.

Observations on analysis, testing and failure of prestressed concrete containments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, D.W.

1984-01-01

The paper reviews the mechanics which indicate that a bursting failure with large energy release is the failure mechanism to be expected from ductile lined containment structures pressurized to failure. It reviews a study which shows that, because of leakage, this is not the case for unlined prestressed containments. It argues that current practice, since it does not specifically address the bursting failure problem for lined prestressed containments, is inadequate to ensure that this type of failure could not occur. It concludes that, in view of the inadequacy of the current state-of-the-art to predict leakage from lined structures, the logical remedy is to eliminate all possibility of bursting failure by making provision for venting of containments. (orig.)

Paraoxonase 2 prevents the development of heart failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wei; Kennedy, David; Shao, Zhili; Wang, Xi; Kamdar, Andre Klaassen; Weber, Malory; Mislick, Kayla; Kiefer, Kathryn; Morales, Rommel; Agatisa-Boyle, Brendan; Shih, Diana M; Reddy, Srinivasa T; Moravec, Christine S; Tang, W H Wilson

2018-05-02

Mitochondrial oxidation is a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in development of heart failure (HF). Paraoxonase 2 deficient (PON2-def) mitochondria are impaired in function. In this study, we tested whether PON2-def aggravates HF progression. Using qPCR, immunoblotting and lactonase activity assay, we demonstrate that PON2 activity was significantly decreased in failing hearts despite increased PON2 expression. To determine the cardiac-specific function of PON2, we performed heart transplantations in which PON2-def and wild type (WT) donor hearts were implanted into WT recipient mice. Beating scores of the donor hearts, assessed at 4 weeks post-transplantation, were significantly decreased in PON2-def hearts when compared to WT donor hearts. By using a transverse aortic constriction (TAC) model, we found PON2 deficiency significantly exacerbated left ventricular remodeling and cardiac fibrosis post-TAC. We further demonstrated PON2 deficiency significantly enhanced ROS generation in heart tissues post-TAC. ROS generation was measured through dihydroethidium (DHE) using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fluorescent detector. By using neonatal cardiomyocytes treated with CoCl 2 to mimic hypoxia, we found PON2 deficiency dramatically increased ROS generation in the cardiomyocytes upon CoCl 2 treatment. In response to a short CoCl 2 exposure, cell viability and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity assessed by MTT assay were significantly diminished in PON2-def cardiomyocytes compared to those in WT cardiomyocytes. PON2-def cardiomyocytes also had lower baseline SDH activity. By using adult mouse cardiomyocytes and mitochondrial ToxGlo assay, we found impaired cellular ATP generation in PON2-def cells compared to that in WT cells, suggesting that PON2 is necessary for proper mitochondrial function. Our study suggests a cardioprotective role for PON2 in both experimental and human heart

Importance analysis for the systems with common cause failures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Zhijie; Nonaka, Yasuo

1995-01-01

This paper extends the importance analysis technique to the research field of common cause failures to evaluate the structure importance, probability importance, and β-importance for the systems with common cause failures. These importance measures would help reliability analysts to limit the common cause failure analysis framework and find efficient defence strategies against common cause failures

Review Article Heart failure - an inflammatory paradigm

African Journals Online (AJOL)

1999-02-01

Feb 1, 1999 ... Together with the growing clinical problem of heart failure, new information at a .... nificantly raised in the prevention as well as the treatment arms when .... tricular dysfunction and pulmonary oedema in humans; experimentally ... adenine dinucleotide (reduced) and the rate-limiting amino acid (L-arginine).

Prevention of iodine deficiency in the Tyumen region: success or failure?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ludmila Aleksandrovna Suplotova

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Aim. To evaluate the effectiveness of regional programs for the prevention of iodine deficiency in the Tyumen region and explore the awareness and behaviors of different groups of the population in matters of iodine prophylaxis in the conditions absence of federal law on universal salt iodization. Materials and methods. The results are presented of the realization of regional programs for the prevention of iodine deficiency in the Tyumen region for the period 1994–2014 years. As part of the medical monitoring examined 18,906 prepubertal children 8–12 years with the use of a unified system of identification of iodine deficiency. The results of sociological research are presented, as part of a public health monitoring conducted by surveying students (n = 744 and their parents (n = 677 on a representative sample. Results. Iodine nutrition use was normalization through 3 years against the background of the realization regional program of iodine prophylaxis since 1997 in the Tyumen region, as evidenced by normalization of urinary iodine excretion in prepubertal children. The median urinary iodine in prepubertal children significantly increased from baseline 71.4 mg/l to 142 mg/l in 2009, and as a result decreased the frequency of goiter in children 8–10 years from 87% to 8%, which corresponds to mild endemic goiter region. It noted a lack of awareness of parents of iodine deficiency in the area of residence (54.8% informed their parents of schoolchildren; indicator is linked to gender, age (p < 0.01, education (p < 0.001, and where do you live respondents (p < 0.001. Knowledge of the existence and availability of prevention of iodine deficiency showed 75% of parents and 46.6% of students. Regular use of iodized salt in the home diet (“always used” and “often iodized salt than non-iodised” 57.4% of parents say. To identify various models of preventive behaviors of parents of schoolchildren in the prevention of iodine deficiency

The antioxidant acetylcysteine reduces cardiovascular events in patients with end-stage renal failure: a randomized, controlled trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tepel, Martin; van der Giet, Markus; Statz, Mario

2003-01-01

Patients with end-stage renal failure have increased oxidative stress and show elevated cardiovascular mortality. Whether increased cardiovascular events can be prevented by the administration of antioxidants is unknown.......Patients with end-stage renal failure have increased oxidative stress and show elevated cardiovascular mortality. Whether increased cardiovascular events can be prevented by the administration of antioxidants is unknown....

The influence of “buffering” variables on clients’ willingness to engage in dysfunctional behavior after a service failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christo Boshoff

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Much of the current service failure and recovery literature centres on reactive, post hoc measures that managers can take to address service failure. More importantly, much of the reported research has focused on managerial mechanisms under the direct control of service managers. This study shows that by viewing their responsibilities more broadly than only their narrow service-related goals, service managers can do much to prevent disgruntled clients from switching to competing service providers.A thousand clients of a commercial bank who complained about a service failure completed an online questionnaire. Following a thorough assessment of the construct validity of the measurement model, the mediating role of brand superiority and corporate reputation was assessed by means of structural equation modeling. The results reveal that both brand superiority and reputation mediate the relationship between negative word-of-mouth and intentions to switch to a competing service provider, following a service failure.The results show that by enhancing the firm’s brand superiority and corporate reputation, service firms can build a ‘buffer’ that can deter clients who have suffered a service failure from switching to a competing service provider. In other words, service managers should broaden their organisational involvement by participating in activities such as strategic planning, corporate reputation management, and the planning of brand strategies and positioning strategies, as these variables can prevent complaining clients from ending their relationship with the offending service provider. The results, by implication, caution service managers against a myopic view of their role in the service organisation.

Failure of cargo aileron’s actuator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Zucca

2014-10-01

Full Text Available During a ferry flight, in a standard operation condition and at cruising level, a military cargo experienced a double hydraulic system failure due to a structural damage of the dual booster actuator. The booster actuator is the main component in mechanism of aileron’s deflection. The crew was able to arrange an emergency landing thanks to the spare oil onboard: load specialists refilled the hydraulic reservoirs. Due to safety concerns and in order to prevent the possibility of other similar incidents, a technical investigation took place. The study aimed to carry out the analysis of root causes of the actuator failure. The Booster actuator is composed mainly by the piston rod and its aluminum external case (AA7049. The assembly has two bronze caps on both ends. These are fixed in position by means of two retainers. At one end of the actuator case is placed a trunnion: a cylindrical protrusion used as a pivoting point on the aircraft. The fracture was located at one end of the case, on the trunnion side, in correspondence to the cap and over the retainer. One of the two fracture surfaces was found separated to the case and with the cap entangled inside. The fracture surfaces of the external case indicated fatigue crack growth followed by ductile separation. The failure analysis was performed by means of optical, metallographic, digital and electronic microscopy. The collected evidences showed a multiple initiation fracture mechanism. Moreover, 3D scanner reconstruction and numerical simulation demonstrated that dimensional non conformances and thermal loads caused an abnormal stress concentration. Stress concentration was located along the case assy outer surface where the fatigue crack originated. The progressive rupture mechanism grew under cyclical axial load due to the normal operations. Recommendations were issued in order to improve dimensional controls and assembly procedures during production and overhaul activities.

Landslide Frequency and Failure Mechanisms at NE Gela Basin (Strait of Sicily)

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhlmann, J.; Asioli, A.; Trincardi, F.; Klügel, A.; Huhn, K.

2017-11-01

Despite intense research by both academia and industry, the parameters controlling slope stability at continental margins are often speculated upon. Lack of core recovery and age control on failed sediments prevent the assessment of failure timing/frequency and the role of prefailure architecture as shaped by paleoenvironmental changes. This study uses an integrated chronological framework from two boreholes and complementary ultrahigh-resolution acoustic profiling in order to assess (1) the frequency of submarine landsliding at the continental margin of NE Gela Basin and (2) the associated mechanisms of failure. Accurate age control was achieved through absolute radiocarbon dating and indirect dating relying on isotope stratigraphic and micropaleontological reconstructions. A total of nine major slope failure events have been recognized that occurred within the last 87 kyr ( 10 kyr return frequency), though there is evidence for additional syndepositional, small-scaled transport processes of lower volume. Preferential failure involves translational movement of mudflows along subhorizontal surfaces that are induced by sedimentological changes relating to prefailure stratal architecture. Along with sequence-stratigraphic boundaries reflecting paleoenvironmental fluctuations, recovered core material suggests that intercalated volcaniclastic layers are key to the basal confinement and lateral movement of these events in the study area. Another major predisposing factor is given by rapid loading of fine-grained homogenous strata and successive generation of excess pore pressure, as expressed by several fluid escape structures. Recurrent failure, however, requires repeated generation of favorable conditions, and seismic activity, though low if compared to many other Mediterranean settings, is shown to represent a legitimate trigger mechanism.

The use of failure mode and effects analysis to construct an effective disposal and prevention mechanism for infectious hospital waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, Chao Chung; Liao, Ching-Jong

2011-01-01

Highlights: → This study is based on a real case in a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan. → We use Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) as the evaluation method. → We successfully identify the risk factors of infectious waste disposal. → We propose plans for the detection of exceptional cases of infectious waste. - Abstract: In recent times, the quality of medical care has been continuously improving in medical institutions wherein patient-centred care has been emphasized. Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) has also been promoted as a method of basic risk management and as part of total quality management (TQM) for improving the quality of medical care and preventing mistakes. Therefore, a study was conducted using FMEA to evaluate the potential risk causes in the process of infectious medical waste disposal, devise standard procedures concerning the waste, and propose feasible plans for facilitating the detection of exceptional cases of infectious waste. The analysis revealed the following results regarding medical institutions: (a) FMEA can be used to identify the risk factors of infectious waste disposal. (b) During the infectious waste disposal process, six items were scored over 100 in the assessment of uncontrolled risks: erroneous discarding of infectious waste by patients and their families, erroneous discarding by nursing staff, erroneous discarding by medical staff, cleaning drivers pierced by sharp articles, cleaning staff pierced by sharp articles, and unmarked output units. Therefore, the study concluded that it was necessary to (1) provide education and training about waste classification to the medical staff, patients and their families, nursing staff, and cleaning staff; (2) clarify the signs of caution; and (3) evaluate the failure mode and strengthen the effects.

Failure Prediction And Detection In Cloud Datacenters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Purvil Bambharolia

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Cloud computing is a novel technology in the field of distributed computing. Usage of Cloud computing is increasing rapidly day by day. In order to serve the customers and businesses satisfactorily fault occurring in datacenters and servers must be detected and predicted efficiently in order to launch mechanisms to tolerate the failures occurred. Failure in one of the hosted datacenters may propagate to other datacenters and make the situation worse. In order to prevent such situations one can predict a failure proliferating throughout the cloud computing system and launch mechanisms to deal with it proactively. One of the ways to predict failures is to train a machine to predict failure on the basis of messages or logs passed between various components of the cloud. In the training session the machine can identify certain message patterns relating to failure of data centers. Later on the machine can be used to check whether a certain group of message logs follow such patterns or not. Moreover each cloud server can be defined by a state which indicates whether the cloud is running properly or is facing some failure. Parameters such as CPU usage memory usage etc. can be maintained for each of the servers. Using this parameters we can add a layer of detection where in we develop a decision tree based on these parameters which can classify whether the passed in parameters to the decision tree indicate failure state or proper state.

The Sacubitril/Valsartan, a First-in-Class, Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin Inhibitor (ARNI): Potential Uses in Hypertension, Heart Failure, and Beyond.

Science.gov (United States)

Kario, Kazuomi

2018-01-27

Sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696) is a first-in-class, novel-acting, angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) that provides inhibition of neprilysin and the angiotensin (AT 1 ) receptor. A recent clinical trial PRARDIGM-HF demonstrated that this drug is superior to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for improving the prognosis in the patients with heart failure, and this has resulted in the drug being included in clinical practice guidelines for the management of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF). In addition, sacubitril/valsartan has been developed for the management of hypertension, because it has unique anti-aging properties. However, the clinical evidence of mechanism has not been well validated. A recent mechanistic study PARAMETER demonstrated that sacubitril/valsartan (LCZ696) is superior to angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) monotherapy for reducing central aortic systolic pressure (primary endpoint) as well as for central aortic pulse pressure (secondary endpoint) and nocturnal BP preferentially. Considering these results, sacubitril/valsartan may be an attractive therapeutic agent to treat the elderly with age-related hypertension phenotypes, such as drug-uncontrolled (resistant) hypertension characterized as systolic (central) hypertension (structural hypertension) and/or nocturnal hypertension (salt-sensitive hypertension). These are the high-risk hypertension phenotypes which are prone to develop heart failure with preserved EF and chronic kidney disease. Sacubitril/valsartan may be effective to suppress the age-related continuum from hypertension to heart failure, and it could be clinically useful not only for secondary prevention, but also as primary prevention of heart failure in uncontrolled elderly hypertensive patients.

Standard guide for corrosion-related failure analysis

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2000-01-01

1.1 This guide covers key issues to be considered when examining metallic failures when corrosion is suspected as either a major or minor causative factor. 1.2 Corrosion-related failures could include one or more of the following: change in surface appearance (for example, tarnish, rust, color change), pin hole leak, catastrophic structural failure (for example, collapse, explosive rupture, implosive rupture, cracking), weld failure, loss of electrical continuity, and loss of functionality (for example, seizure, galling, spalling, swelling). 1.3 Issues covered include overall failure site conditions, operating conditions at the time of failure, history of equipment and its operation, corrosion product sampling, environmental sampling, metallurgical and electrochemical factors, morphology (mode) or failure, and by considering the preceding, deducing the cause(s) of corrosion failure. This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibili...

Ductile failure modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Benzerga, Ahmed Amine; Leblond, Jean Baptiste; Needleman, Alan

2016-01-01

Ductile fracture of structural metals occurs mainly by the nucleation, growth and coalescence of voids. Here an overview of continuum models for this type of failure is given. The most widely used current framework is described and its limitations discussed. Much work has focused on extending void...... growth models to account for non-spherical initial void shapes and for shape changes during growth. This includes cases of very low stress triaxiality, where the voids can close up to micro-cracks during the failure process. The void growth models have also been extended to consider the effect of plastic...... anisotropy, or the influence of nonlocal effects that bring a material size scale into the models. Often the voids are not present in the material from the beginning, and realistic nucleation models are important. The final failure process by coalescence of neighboring voids is an issue that has been given...

Fragility estimation for seismically isolated nuclear structures by high confidence low probability of failure values and bi-linear regression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carausu, A.

1996-01-01

A method for the fragility estimation of seismically isolated nuclear power plant structure is proposed. The relationship between the ground motion intensity parameter (e.g. peak ground velocity or peak ground acceleration) and the response of isolated structures is expressed in terms of a bi-linear regression line, whose coefficients are estimated by the least-square method in terms of available data on seismic input and structural response. The notion of high confidence low probability of failure (HCLPF) value is also used for deriving compound fragility curves for coupled subsystems. (orig.)

Nuclear cardiology and heart failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giubbini, Raffaele; Bertagna, Francesco; Milan, Elisa; Mut, Fernando; Dondi, Maurizio; Metra, Marco; Rodella, Carlo

2009-01-01

The prevalence of heart failure in the adult population is increasing. It varies between 1% and 2%, although it mainly affects elderly people (6-10% of people over the age of 65 years will develop heart failure). The syndrome of heart failure arises as a consequence of an abnormality in cardiac structure, function, rhythm, or conduction. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of heart failure and it accounts for this disorder in 60-70% of all patients affected. Nuclear techniques provide unique information on left ventricular function and perfusion by gated-single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Myocardial viability can be assessed by both SPECT and PET imaging. Finally, autonomic dysfunction has been shown to increase the risk of death in patients with heart disease and this may be applicable to all patients with cardiac disease regardless of aetiology. MIBG scanning has a very promising prognostic value in patients with heart failure. (orig.)

Nuclear cardiology and heart failure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giubbini, Raffaele; Bertagna, Francesco [University of Brescia, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Brescia (Italy); Milan, Elisa [Ospedale Di Castelfranco Veneto, Nuclear Medicine Unit, Castelfranco Veneto (Italy); Mut, Fernando; Dondi, Maurizio [International Atomic Energy Agency, Nuclear Medicine Section, Division of Human Health, Vienna (Austria); Metra, Marco [University of Brescia, Department of Cardiology, Brescia (Italy); Rodella, Carlo [Health Physics Department, Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia (Italy)

2009-12-15

The prevalence of heart failure in the adult population is increasing. It varies between 1% and 2%, although it mainly affects elderly people (6-10% of people over the age of 65 years will develop heart failure). The syndrome of heart failure arises as a consequence of an abnormality in cardiac structure, function, rhythm, or conduction. Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of heart failure and it accounts for this disorder in 60-70% of all patients affected. Nuclear techniques provide unique information on left ventricular function and perfusion by gated-single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Myocardial viability can be assessed by both SPECT and PET imaging. Finally, autonomic dysfunction has been shown to increase the risk of death in patients with heart disease and this may be applicable to all patients with cardiac disease regardless of aetiology. MIBG scanning has a very promising prognostic value in patients with heart failure. (orig.)

Failure mode and effects analysis applied to the administration of liquid medication by oral syringes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva María Guerra-Alia

2017-11-01

Full Text Available To carry out a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA to the use of oral syringes. Methods: A multidisciplinary team was assembled within the Safety Committee. The stages of oral administration process of liquid medication were analysed, identifying the most critical and establishing the potential modes of failure that can cause errors. The impact associated with each mode of failure was calculated using the Risk Priority Number (RPN. Preventive actions were proposed. Results: Five failure modes were identified, all classified as high risk (RPN> 100. Seven of the eight preventive actions were implemented. Conclusions: The FMEA methodology was a useful tool. It has allowed to know the risks, analyse the causes that cause them, their effects on patient safety and the measures to reduce them

Loads on EPR containment after RPV failure at high pressure; Belastungen des EPR-Containments in Falle eines RDB-Versagens bei hohem Druck

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacobs, G.

1995-08-01

As regards the desgin of the EPR, the general strategy is to eliminate, the vessel failure at high pressure by preventive and mitigative measures. The design proposals involved trust in the reliability of dedicated devices (relief valves) for rapid depressurization. The aim is to attain a lower pressure level at the moment of vessel failure, so that the containment is capable to cope with the blowdown impact on the pit walls and the vessel supporting structures. Nevertheless, the potential of a high-pressure failure of the vessel must be kept in mind, whatever well thought-out and reliable preventive depressurization measures might be. Therefore, the reactor pressure blowdown has been studied in order to quantify the ultimate containment load, which might support future design requirements. The calculations were performed with the LWR transient analysis thermal-hydraulics computer code REALAP5/MOD3. In previous analyses, the nodalization of the problem was based on the geometrical conditions of a typical German 1300 MW(e) NPP. In the present analysis a new input model has been used, which was based on the EPR conditions. (orig./HP)

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Surgery Failures: A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Harroud, Adil; Bouthillier, Alain; Weil, Alexander G.; Nguyen, Dang Khoa

2012-01-01

Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are refractory to antiepileptic drugs in about 30% of cases. Surgical treatment has been shown to be beneficial for the selected patients but fails to provide a seizure-free outcome in 20–30% of TLE patients. Several reasons have been identified to explain these surgical failures. This paper will address the five most common causes of TLE surgery failure (a) insufficient resection of epileptogenic mesial temporal structures, (b) relapse on the contralateral mesial temporal lobe, (c) lateral temporal neocortical epilepsy, (d) coexistence of mesial temporal sclerosis and a neocortical lesion (dual pathology); and (e) extratemporal lobe epilepsy mimicking TLE or temporal plus epilepsy. Persistence of epileptogenic mesial structures in the posterior temporal region and failure to distinguish mesial and lateral temporal epilepsy are possible causes of seizure persistence after TLE surgery. In cases of dual pathology, failure to identify a subtle mesial temporal sclerosis or regions of cortical microdysgenesis is a likely explanation for some surgical failures. Extratemporal epilepsy syndromes masquerading as or coexistent with TLE result in incomplete resection of the epileptogenic zone and seizure relapse after surgery. In particular, the insula may be an important cause of surgical failure in patients with TLE. PMID:22934162

Optimizing preventive maintenance with maintenance templates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dozier, I.J.

1996-01-01

Rising operating costs has caused maintenance professionals to rethink their strategy for preventive maintenance (PM) programs. Maintenance Templates are pre-engineered PM task recommendations for a component type based on application of the component. Development of the maintenance template considers the dominant failure cause of the component and the type of preventive maintenance that can predict or prevent the failure from occurring. Maintenance template development also attempts to replace fixed frequency tasks with condition monitoring tasks such as vibration analysis or thermography. For those components that have fixed frequency PM intervals, consideration is given to the maintenance drivers such as criticality, environment and usage. This helps to maximize the PM frequency intervals and maximize the component availability. Maintenance Templates have been used at PECO Energy's Limerick Generating Station during the Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Process to optimize their PM program. This paper describes the development and uses of the maintenance templates

Acoustic Emission Analysis of Prestressed Concrete Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Elfergani, H. A.; Pullin, R.; Holford, K. M.

2011-07-01

Corrosion is a substantial problem in numerous structures and in particular corrosion is very serious in reinforced and prestressed concrete and must, in certain applications, be given special consideration because failure may result in loss of life and high financial cost. Furthermore corrosion cannot only be considered a long term problem with many studies reporting failure of bridges and concrete pipes due to corrosion within a short period after they were constructed. The concrete pipes which transport water are examples of structures that have suffered from corrosion; for example, the pipes of The Great Man-Made River Project of Libya. Five pipe failures due to corrosion have occurred since their installation. The main reason for the damage is corrosion of prestressed wires in the pipes due to the attack of chloride ions from the surrounding soil. Detection of the corrosion in initial stages has been very important to avoid other failures and the interruption of water flow. Even though most non-destructive methods which are used in the project are able to detect wire breaks, they cannot detect the presence of corrosion. Hence in areas where no excavation has been completed, areas of serious damage can go undetected. Therefore, the major problem which faces engineers is to find the best way to detect the corrosion and prevent the pipes from deteriorating. This paper reports on the use of the Acoustic Emission (AE) technique to detect the early stages of corrosion prior to deterioration of concrete structures.

Acoustic Emission Analysis of Prestressed Concrete Structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elfergani, H A; Pullin, R; Holford, K M

2011-01-01

Corrosion is a substantial problem in numerous structures and in particular corrosion is very serious in reinforced and prestressed concrete and must, in certain applications, be given special consideration because failure may result in loss of life and high financial cost. Furthermore corrosion cannot only be considered a long term problem with many studies reporting failure of bridges and concrete pipes due to corrosion within a short period after they were constructed. The concrete pipes which transport water are examples of structures that have suffered from corrosion; for example, the pipes of The Great Man-Made River Project of Libya. Five pipe failures due to corrosion have occurred since their installation. The main reason for the damage is corrosion of prestressed wires in the pipes due to the attack of chloride ions from the surrounding soil. Detection of the corrosion in initial stages has been very important to avoid other failures and the interruption of water flow. Even though most non-destructive methods which are used in the project are able to detect wire breaks, they cannot detect the presence of corrosion. Hence in areas where no excavation has been completed, areas of serious damage can go undetected. Therefore, the major problem which faces engineers is to find the best way to detect the corrosion and prevent the pipes from deteriorating. This paper reports on the use of the Acoustic Emission (AE) technique to detect the early stages of corrosion prior to deterioration of concrete structures.

Structural phase transition and failure of nanographite sheets under high pressure: a molecular dynamics study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Bin; Liang Yongcheng; Sun Huiyu

2007-01-01

Nanographite sheets under high compressive stresses at ambient temperature have been investigated through molecular dynamics simulations using the Tersoff-Brenner potential. Nanographite undergoes a soft to hard phase transition at a certain compressive stress, about 15 GPa. With increasing compressions, the bonding structures of nanographite are changed, interlayer sp 3 -bonds are formed, and nanographite transforms into a superhard carbon phase (SCP). Further compressions lead to the instabilities of the SCP. Although the detailed lattice structure of the SCP remains elusive, its compressive strength can approach 150 GPa, comparable to that of diamond. The maximum failure stresses of nanographite sheets are sensitive to the inter-and intra-layer interstices. Our results may explain paradoxical experimental results in the available literature

To Prevent, React, and Rebuild: Health Research and the Prevention of Genocide

Science.gov (United States)

Adler, Reva N; Smith, James; Fishman, Paul; Larson, Eric B

2004-01-01

Objective To develop an approach to the primary prevention of genocide, based on established public health-based violence prevention methods derived from a variety of high-risk settings. Data Sources (1) Peer-reviewed literature in the fields of public health, violence/injury prevention, medicine, economics, sociology, psychology, history, and genocide studies, (2) demographic and health data bases made available by governments and international organizations, (3) reports on recent episodes of genocide published by international and nongovernmental organizations, (4) newspaper and journalistic accounts of recent and past genocides, (5) archival testimonies of genocide victims and perpetrators, and (6) court transcripts of international genocide prosecutions. Study Design The research was conducted as a medical-historical policy analysis synthesizing data within the following framework: (1) Assessment of current violence and injury prevention models for suitability in the prevention of extreme, population-wide violence, (2) analysis of morbidity and mortality data to quantify the impact of genocide on the health of populations, (3) making an inventory of the known societal risk factors for genocidal violence, (4) identification of the theorized, modifiable attitudinal risk factors for genocidal behavior within a population health model, and (5) assessment of existing projects targeting primary violence and injury prevention in high risk jurisdictions, for future adaptation within a structured, public health approach. Principal Findings Mortality rates due to genocidal violence are far in excess of other public health emergencies including malaria and HIV/AIDS. The immediate and long-range health consequences of genocide include the sequelae of infectious diseases, organ system failure, and psychiatric disorders, conferring an increased burden of disease on affected populations for multiple subsequent generations. The impact of genocide on local health economies is

Shale Failure Mechanics and Intervention Measures in Underground Coal Mines: Results From 50 Years of Ground Control Safety Research

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Ground control research in underground coal mines has been ongoing for over 50 years. One of the most problematic issues in underground coal mines is roof failures associated with weak shale. This paper will present a historical narrative on the research the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has conducted in relation to rock mechanics and shale. This paper begins by first discussing how shale is classified in relation to coal mining. Characterizing and planning for weak roof sequences is an important step in developing an engineering solution to prevent roof failures. Next, the failure mechanics associated with the weak characteristics of shale will be discussed. Understanding these failure mechanics also aids in applying the correct engineering solutions. The various solutions that have been implemented in the underground coal mining industry to control the different modes of failure will be summarized. Finally, a discussion on current and future research relating to rock mechanics and shale is presented. The overall goal of the paper is to share the collective ground control experience of controlling roof structures dominated by shale rock in underground coal mining. PMID:26549926

Severe accident analysis to prevent high pressure scenarios in the EPR TM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azarian, G.; Gandrille, P.; Gasperini, M.; Klein, R.

2010-01-01

The EPR TM has incorporated several design features in order to specifically address major severe accident safety issues. In particular, it was designed with the objective to transfer high pressure core melt scenarios into a low pressure scenario with high reliability so that a high pressure vessel failure can be practically eliminated. It is the key issue in the defense-in-depth approach, for a postulated severe accident with core melting, to prevent any risk of containment failure due to possible Direct Containment Heating or due to reactor vessel rocketing which results from vessel failure at high pressure. Temperature-induced steam generator tube rupture, which could lead to a radiological containment bypass, has also to be prevented. On the basis of the analysis of the main high pressure core melt scenarios which are calculated with the MAAP4.07 code which was developed to support the EPR TM, this paper explores the benefits of primary depressurization by dedicated valves on transient evolutions. It specifically addresses the thermal response of the structures by sensitivity studies involving the timing of valve actuation. It outlines that a grace period of at least one hour is available for a delayed valve actuation without inducing excessive loads and without increasing the risk of a temperature-induced steam generator tube rupture. (authors)

Communication failure: basic components, contributing factors, and the call for structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Dayton, Elizabeth; Henriksen, Kerm

2007-01-01

Communication is a taken-for-granted human activity that is recognized as important once it has failed. Communication failures are a major contributor to adverse events in health care. The components and processes of communication converge in an intricate manner, creating opportunities for misunderstanding along the way. When a patient's safety is at risk, providers should speak up (that is, initiate a message) to draw attention to the situation before harm is caused. They should also clearly explain (encode) and understand (decode) each other's diagnosis and recommendations to ensure well coordinated delivery of care. Beyond basic dyadic communication exchanges, an intricate web of individual, group, and organizational factors--more specifically, cognitive workload, implicit assumptions, authority gradients, diffusion of responsibility, and transitions of care--complicate communication. More structured and explicitly designed forms of communication have been recommended to reduce ambiguity, enhance clarity, and send an unequivocal signal, when needed, that a different action is required. Read-backs, Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation, critical assertions, briefings, and debriefings are seeing increasing use in health care. CODA: Although structured forms of communication have good potential to enhance clarity, they are not fail-safe. Providers need to be sensitive to unexpected consequences regarding their use.

Future Perspectives for Management of Stage A Heart Failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Hidekazu

2018-05-07

Patients with Stage A heart failure (HF) show no HF symptoms but have related comorbid diseases with a high risk of progressing to HF. Screening for comorbid diseases warrants closer attention because of the growing interest in addressing Stage A HF as the best means of preventing eventual progression to overt HF such as Stages C and D. The identification of individuals of Stage A HF is potentially useful for the implementation of HF-prevention strategies; however, not all Stage A HF patients develop left ventricular (LV) structural heart disease or symptomatic HF, which lead to advanced HF stages. Therefore, Stage A HF requires management with the long-term goal of avoiding HF development; likewise, Stage B HF patients are ideal targets for HF prevention. Although the early detection of subclinical LV dysfunction is, thus, essential for delaying the progression to HF, the assessment of subclinical LV dysfunction can be challenging. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) as assessed by speckle-tracking echocardiography has recently been reported to be a sensitive marker of early subtle LV myocardial abnormalities, helpful for the prediction of the outcomes for various cardiac diseases, and superior to conventional echocardiographic indices. GLS reflects LV longitudinal myocardial systolic function, and can be assessed usually by means of two-dimensional speckle-tracking. This article reviews the importance of the assessment of subclinical LV dysfunction in Stage A HF patients by means of GLS, and its current potential to prevent progression to later stage HF.

Worsening renal function in heart failure: the need for a consensus definition.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheerin, Noella J; Newton, Phillip J; Macdonald, Peter S; Leung, Dominic Y C; Sibbritt, David; Spicer, Stephen Timothy; Johnson, Kay; Krum, Henry; Davidson, Patricia M

2014-07-01

Acute decompensated heart failure is a common cause of hospitalisation. This is a period of vulnerability both in altered pathophysiology and also the potential for iatrogenesis due to therapeutic interventions. Renal dysfunction is often associated with heart failure and portends adverse outcomes. Identifying heart failure patients at risk of renal dysfunction is important in preventing progression to chronic kidney disease or worsening renal function, informing adjustment to medication management and potentially preventing adverse events. However, there is no working or consensus definition in international heart failure management guidelines for worsening renal function. In addition, there appears to be no concordance or adaptation of chronic kidney disease guidelines by heart failure guideline development groups for the monitoring of chronic kidney disease in heart failure. Our aim is to encourage the debate for an agreed definition given the prognostic impact of worsening renal function in heart failure. We present the case for the uptake of the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria for acute kidney injury with some minor alterations. This has the potential to inform study design and meta-analysis thereby building the knowledgebase for guideline development. Definition consensus supports data element, clinical registry and electronic algorithm innovation as instruments for quality improvement and clinical research for better patient outcomes. In addition, we recommend all community managed heart failure patients have their baseline renal function classified and routinely monitored in accordance with established renal guidelines to help identify those at increased risk for worsening renal function or progression to chronic kidney disease. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Financial Benefits of Various Catastrophic Failure Prevention Strategies in a Wind Farm: Two market studies (UK-Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

Yürüşen, N. Y.; Tautz-Weinert, J.; Watson, S. J.; Melero, J. J.

2017-11-01

Operation of wind farms is driven by the overall aim of minimising costs while maximising energy sales. However, in certain circumstances investments are required to guarantee safe operation and survival of an asset. In this paper, we discuss the merits of various catastrophic failure prevention strategies in a Spanish wind farm. The wind farm operator was required to replace blades in two phases: temporary and final repair. We analyse the power performance of the turbine in the different states and investigate four scenarios with different timing of temporary and final repair during one year. The financial consequences of the scenarios are compared with a baseline by using a discounted cash flow analysis that considers the wholesale electricity market selling prices and interest rates. A comparison with the UK electricity market is conducted to highlight differences in the rate of return in the two countries.

Structural Health Monitoring with Fiber Bragg Grating and Piezo Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Black, Richard J.; Faridian, Ferey; Moslehi, Behzad; Sotoudeh, Vahid

2012-01-01

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is one of the most important tools available for the maintenance, safety, and integrity of aerospace structural systems. Lightweight, electromagnetic-interference- immune, fiber-optic sensor-based SHM will play an increasing role in more secure air transportation systems. Manufacturers and maintenance personnel have pressing needs for significantly improving safety and reliability while providing for lower inspection and maintenance costs. Undetected or untreated damage may grow and lead to catastrophic structural failure. Damage can originate from the strain/stress history of the material, imperfections of domain boundaries in metals, delamination in multi-layer materials, or the impact of machine tools in the manufacturing process. Damage can likewise develop during service life from wear and tear, or under extraordinary circumstances such as with unusual forces, temperature cycling, or impact of flying objects. Monitoring and early detection are key to preventing a catastrophic failure of structures, especially when these are expected to perform near their limit conditions.

Multi-physics damage sensing in nano-engineered structural composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Villoria, Roberto Guzman; Yamamoto, Namiko; Miravete, Antonio; Wardle, Brian L

2011-01-01

Non-destructive evaluation techniques can offer viable diagnostic and prognostic routes to mitigating failures in engineered structures such as bridges, buildings and vehicles. However, existing techniques have significant drawbacks, including poor spatial resolution and limited in situ capabilities. We report here a novel approach where structural advanced composites containing electrically conductive aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are ohmically heated via simple electrical contacts, and damage is visualized via thermographic imaging. Damage, in the form of cracks and other discontinuities, usefully increases resistance to both electrical and thermal transport in these materials, which enables tomographic full-field damage assessment in many cases. Characteristics of the technique include the ability for real-time measurement of the damage state during loading, low-power operation (e.g. 15 deg. C rise at 1 W), and beyond state-of-the-art spatial resolution for sensing damage in composites. The enhanced thermographic technique is a novel and practical approach for in situ monitoring to ascertain structural health and to prevent structural failures in engineered structures such as aerospace and automotive vehicles and wind turbine blades, among others.

Organ failure avoidance and mitigation strategies in surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

McConnell, Kevin W; Coopersmith, Craig M

2012-04-01

Postoperative organ failure is a challenging disease process that is better prevented than treated. Providers should use close observation and clinical judgment, and checklists of best practices to minimize the risk of organ failure in their patients. The treatment of multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) generally remains supportive, outside of rapid initiation of source control (when appropriate) and targeted antibiotic therapy. More specific treatments may be developed as the complex pathophysiology of MODS is better understood and more homogenous patient populations are selected for study. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toulouse dykes: reducing failure hazard combining structural reinforcement works and organization measures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Savatier Jérémy

2016-01-01

Temporary mitigation measures have already been included in the flood management plan, and consist in preventive evacuation of exposed population for flood levels lower than the 1875 reference flood level, as long as the reinforcement works are not completed. Several additional mitigation measures have been proposed such as: structural reinforcement of a few dykes section, a vegetation management plan, and improvement measures of the flood management plan and the need to continue regular training emergency exercises.

[Orthognathic surgery: surgical failures and complications].

Science.gov (United States)

Guyot, Laurent

2016-03-01

Orthognathic surgery procedures mark the endpoint of lengthy orthodontic-surgical preparations and herald the completion of treatment for patients and their families. The main types of procedure are full maxillary Le Fort I osteotomies, mandibular osteotomies and chin surgery. To ensure a successful outcome, all require a favorable environment and extreme technical skill. But, like all surgical operations, they are also subject to peri- and post-operative complications resulting from treatment hazards or errors. Whatever the cause, surgical complications can entail failures in the management of the malformation. By seeking to understand and analyzing these complications, we can already help to prevent and reduce the contingent risks of failure. © EDP Sciences, SFODF, 2016.

Efficacy and predictors of success of noninvasive ventilation for prevention of extubation failure in critically ill children with heart disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Punkaj; Kuperstock, Jacob E; Hashmi, Sana; Arnolde, Vickie; Gossett, Jeffrey M; Prodhan, Parthak; Venkataraman, Shekhar; Roth, Stephen J

2013-04-01

The study aimed primarily to evaluate the efficacy of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and to identify possible predictors for success of NIV therapy in preventing extubation failure in critically ill children with heart disease. The secondary objectives of this study were to assess the efficacy of prophylactic NIV therapy initiated immediately after tracheal extubation and to determine the characteristics, outcomes, and complications associated with NIV therapy in pediatric cardiac patients. A retrospective review examined the medical records of all children between the ages 1 day and 18 years who sustained acute respiratory failure (ARF) that required NIV in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital between January 2008 and June 2010. Patients were assigned to a prophylactic group if NIV was started directly after extubation and to a nonprophylactic group if NIV was started after signs and symptoms of ARF developed. Patients were designated as responders if they received NIV and did not require reintubation during their CVICU stay and nonresponders if they failed NIV and reintubation was performed. The data collected included demographic data, preexisting conditions, pre-event characteristics, event characteristics, and outcome data. The outcome data evaluated included success or failure of NIV, duration of NIV, CVICU length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, and hospital mortality. The two complications of NIV assessed in the study included nasal bridge or forehead skin necrosis and pneumothorax. The 221 eligible events during the study period involved 172 responders (77.8 %) and 49 nonresponders (22.2 %). A total of 201 events experienced by the study cohort received continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), with 156 responders (78 %), whereas 20 events received bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP), with 16 responders (80 %). In the study, 58 events (26.3 %) were assigned to the prophylactic group and 163 events (73

A preventive maintenance model with a two-level inspection policy based on a three-stage failure process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Wenbin; Zhao, Fei; Peng, Rui

2014-01-01

Inspection is always an important preventive maintenance (PM) activity and can have different depths and cover all or part of plant systems. This paper introduces a two-level inspection policy model for a single component plant system based on a three-stage failure process. Such a failure process divides the system′s life into three stages: good, minor defective and severe defective stages. The first level of inspection, the minor inspection, can only identify the minor defective stage with a certain probability, but can always reveal the severe defective stage. The major inspection can however identify both defective stages perfectly. Once the system is found to be in the minor defective stage, a shortened inspection interval is adopted. If however the system is found to be in the severe defective stage, we may delay the maintenance action if the time to the next planned PM window is less than a threshold level, but otherwise, replace immediately. This corresponds to the well adopted maintenance policy in practice such as periodic inspections with planned PMs. A numerical example is presented to demonstrate the proposed model by comparing with other models. - Highlights: • The system′s deterioration goes through a three-stage process, namely, normal, minor defective and severe defective. • Two levels of inspections are proposed, e.g., minor and major inspections. • Once the minor defective stage is found, instead of taking a maintenance action, a shortened inspection interval is recommended. • When the severe defective stage is found, we delay the maintenance according to the threshold to the next PM. • The decision variables are the inspection intervals and the threshold to PM

The role of intestinal endotoxemia in liver failure and its complications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GAO Fangyuan

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Recent studies have found that endotoxin not only activates immune response, exacerbates liver injury, and induces liver failure, but also plays an important role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, and other fatal complications. The recent progress in research on the pathogenesis of intestinal endotoxemia (IETM and its impact on the development and progression of liver failure is reviewed and summarized. It is suggested that seeking effective methods to prevent and control IETM holds promise as the key to treating severe liver disease and liver failure successfully.

The interaction of NDE and failure analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nichols, R.W.

1988-01-01

This paper deals with the use of Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) and failure analysis for the assessment of the structural integrity. It appears that failure analysis enables to know whether NDE is required or not, and can help to direct NDE into the most useful directions by identifying the areas where it is most important that defects are absent. It also appears that failure analysis can help the operator to decide which NDE method is best suited to the component studied and provides detailed specifications for this NDE method. The interaction between failure analysis and NDE is then described. (TEC)

The interaction of NDE and failure analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nichols, R W

1988-12-31

This paper deals with the use of Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) and failure analysis for the assessment of the structural integrity. It appears that failure analysis enables to know whether NDE is required or not, and can help to direct NDE into the most useful directions by identifying the areas where it is most important that defects are absent. It also appears that failure analysis can help the operator to decide which NDE method is best suited to the component studied and provides detailed specifications for this NDE method. The interaction between failure analysis and NDE is then described. (TEC).

Seismic Failure Mechanism of Reinforced Cold-Formed Steel Shear Wall System Based on Structural Vulnerability Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jihong Ye

2017-02-01

Full Text Available A series of structural vulnerability analyses are conducted on a reinforced cold-formed steel (RCFS shear wall system and a traditional cold-formed steel (CFS shear wall system subjected to earthquake hazard based on forms in order to investigate their failure mechanisms. The RCFS shear wall adopts rigid beam-column joints and continuous concrete-filled CFS tube end studs rather than coupled-C section end studs that are used in traditional CFS shear walls, to achieve the rigid connections in both beam-column joints and column bases. The results show that: the RCFS and traditional CFS shear wall systems both exhibit the maximum vulnerability index associated with the failure mode in the first story. Therefore, the first story is likely to be a weakness of the CFS shear wall system. Once the wall is damaged, the traditional CFS shear wall system would collapse because the shear wall is the only lateral-resisting component. However, the collapse resistance of the RCFS shear wall system is effectively enhanced by the second defense, which is provided by a framework integrated by rigid beam-column joints and fixed column bases. The predicted collapse mode with maximum vulnerability index that was obtained by structural vulnerability analysis agrees well with the experimental result, and the structural vulnerability method is thereby verified to be reasonable to identify the weaknesses of framed structures and predict their collapse modes. Additionally, the quantitative vulnerability index indicates that the RCFS shear wall system exhibits better robustness compared to the traditional one. Furthermore, the “strong frame weak wallboard” and the “strong column weak beam” are proposed in this study as conceptional designations for the RCFS shear wall systems.

Failure analysis of buried tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, R.K.

1994-01-01

Failure of a buried tank can be hazardous. Failure may be a leak through which product is lost from the tank; but also through which contamination can occur. Failures are epidemic -- because buried tanks are out of sight, but also because designers of buried tanks have adopted analyses developed for pressure tanks. So why do pressure tanks fail when they are buried? Most failures of buried tanks are really soil failures. Soil compresses, or slips, or liquefies. Soil is not only a load, it is a support without which the tank deforms. A high water table adds to the load on the tank. It also reduces the strength of the soil. Based on tests, structural analyses are proposed for empty tanks buried in soils of various quality, with the water table at various levels, and with internal vacuum. Failure may be collapse tank. Such collapse is a sudden, audible inversion of the cylinder when the sidefill soil slips. Failure may be flotation. Failure may be a leak. Most leaks are fractures in the welds in overlap seams at flat spots. Flat spots are caused by a hard bedding or a heavy surface wheel load. Because the tank wall is double thick at the overlap, shearing stress in the weld is increased. Other weld failures occur when an end plate shears down past a cylinder; or when the tank is supported only at its ends like a beam. These, and other, failures can be analyzed with justifiable accuracy using basic principles of mechanics of materials. 10 figs

Infection and microleakage the caused of endodontic failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kurniasri Amas Achiar

2008-03-01

Full Text Available The success of endodontic treatment depends on the quality of endodontic treatment and the final restoration. The mean reason for endodontic treatment failure is usually microleakage. That is why it becomes one of the priorities for dental research to prevent microleakage. Infection during the root canal treatment can be prevented. First, by employing strict aseptic clinical techniques follows by cleaning all bacteria and preoperative necrotic pulp-tissue remnants from the root canal. Irrigants are essential in this phase. The shaping of the canal is also an important prerequisite for endodontic success. Removal of the smear layer can enhance seal ability. Second, obturation of the root canal should leave the tooth in the most biological inert condition possible, and it must prevent reinfection as well as the growth of any microorganisms remaining in the canal. The application of an antibacterial dressing between appointments is absolutely necessary or the root canal has to be obturated at the first appointment in order to deprive the microorganisms of nutrients and space to multiply. The temporary filling must be at least 3.5 mm thick. Failure occurs because of missed canals, iatrogenic events and radicular fractures have to be avoided. At the end, clinicians have to confirm that the root canal is cleaned and hermetically obturated because hermetic root canal filling will prevent the leakage of an irritant to the apical area.

A comparative study of failure criteria in probabilistic fields and stochastic failure envelopes of composite materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakayasu, Hidetoshi; Maekawa, Zen'ichiro

1997-01-01

One of the major objectives of this paper is to offer a practical tool for materials design of unidirectional composite laminates under in-plane multiaxial load. Design-oriented failure criteria of composite materials are applied to construct the evaluation model of probabilistic safety based on the extended structural reliability theory. Typical failure criteria such as maximum stress, maximum strain and quadratic polynomial failure criteria are compared from the viewpoint of reliability-oriented materials design of composite materials. The new design diagram which shows the feasible region on in-plane strain space and corresponds to safety index or failure probability is also proposed. These stochastic failure envelope diagrams which are drawn in in-plane strain space enable one to evaluate the stochastic behavior of a composite laminate with any lamination angle under multi-axial stress or strain condition. Numerical analysis for a graphite/epoxy laminate of T300/5208 is shown for the comparative verification of failure criteria under the various combinations of multi-axial load conditions and lamination angles. The stochastic failure envelopes of T300/5208 were also described in in-plane strain space

Heart failure in sub-Saharan Africa: A literature review with emphasis on individuals with diabetes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andre Pascal Kengne

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Andre Pascal Kengne1, Anastase Dzudie2, Eugene Sobngwi31The George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, Australia; 2Heart failure and transplantation Unit, Louis Pradel’s Cardiovascular Hospital, Lyon, France; 3National Obesity Centre, Yaounde Central Hospital, CameroonPurpose: Heart failure is the ultimate complication of cardiac involvements in diabetes. The purpose of this review was to summarize current literature on heart failure among people with diabetes mellitus in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA.Method: Bibliographic search of published data on heart failure and diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa over the past 26 years.Results: Heart failure remains largely unexplored in general population and among people with diabetes in Africa. Heart failure accounts for over 30% of hospital admission in specialized cardiovascular units and 3%–7% in general internal medicine. Over 11% of adults with heart failure have diabetes. Risk factors for heart failure among those with diabetes include classical cardiovascular risk factors, without evidence of diabetes distinctiveness for other predictors common in Africa. Prevention, management, and outcomes of heart failure are less well known; recent data suggest improvement in the management of risk factors in clinical settings.Conclusions: Diabetes mellitus is growing in SSA. Related cardiovascular diseases are emerging as potential health problem. Heart failure as cardiovascular complication remains largely unexplored. Efforts are needed through research to improve our knowledge of heart failure at large in Africa. Multilevel preventive measures, building on evidences from other parts of the world must go along side.Keywords: diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, heart failure, sub-Saharan Africa

Comparative Effectiveness of Disease Management With Information Communication Technology for Preventing Hospitalization and Readmission in Adults With Chronic Congestive Heart Failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Aronow, Wilbert S; Shamliyan, Tatyana A

2018-06-01

Critical appraisal of all available evidence regarding the role of noninvasive communication technology for improving patient survival and reducing hospital admissions in adults with chronic heart failure (HF). Systematic literature review and grading of the quality of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group approach. Four databases were searched in March 2018 to find 2 high-quality meta-analyses and published and unpublished data from 58 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared noninvasive communication technology with usual care in community-dwelling adults with HF. Direct meta-analysis of aggregate data with random effects models. Moderate-quality evidence suggests that there are no differences in all-cause mortality between telemonitoring and usual care, whereas complex telemonitoring that includes transmission of patient parameters and analysis by health care professionals decreases all-cause mortality (relative risk [RR] 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62, 0.99; 2885 people in 12 RCTs). Moderate-quality evidence suggests that telemonitoring prevents HF-related hospitalizations (RR 0.74; 95% CI 0.62, 0.88; 4001 people in 11 RCTs). Moderate-quality evidence suggests that structured telephone support decreases all-cause mortality (RR 0.86; 95% CI 0.77, 0.97; 9535 people in 24 RCTs) and HF-related hospitalizations (RR 0.83; 95% CI 0.73, 0.94; 7030 people in 16 RCTs). Use of a mobile personal digital assistant prevents HF-related hospitalizations (RR 0.58; 95% CI 0.44, 0.77; 674 people in 3 RCTs). The evidence regarding the comparative effectiveness of specific telecommunication devices is insufficient. The results from many completed studies are not available. Clinicians should offer noninvasive monitoring with communication technology applications to all HF patients. Future research should examine comparative effectiveness of technology applications in patient subpopulations

Mitochondrial Dysfunction and β-Cell Failure in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongmin Alex Ma

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM is the most common human endocrine disease and is characterized by peripheral insulin resistance and pancreatic islet β-cell failure. Accumulating evidence indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction is a central contributor to β-cell failure in the evolution of T2DM. As reviewed elsewhere, reactive oxygen species (ROS produced by β-cell mitochondria as a result of metabolic stress activate several stress-response pathways. This paper focuses on mechanisms whereby ROS affect mitochondrial structure and function and lead to β-cell failure. ROS activate UCP2, which results in proton leak across the mitochondrial inner membrane, and this leads to reduced β-cell ATP synthesis and content, which is a critical parameter in regulating glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. In addition, ROS oxidize polyunsaturated fatty acids in mitochondrial cardiolipin and other phospholipids, and this impairs membrane integrity and leads to cytochrome c release into cytosol and apoptosis. Group VIA phospholipase A2 (iPLA2β appears to be a component of a mechanism for repairing mitochondrial phospholipids that contain oxidized fatty acid substituents, and genetic or acquired iPLA2β-deficiency increases β-cell mitochondrial susceptibility to injury from ROS and predisposes to developing T2DM. Interventions that attenuate ROS effects on β-cell mitochondrial phospholipids might prevent or retard development of T2DM.

An Investigation of Digital Instrumentation and Control System Failure Modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korsah, Kofi; Cetiner, Mustafa Sacit; Muhlheim, Michael David; Poore, Willis P. III

2010-01-01

A study sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission study was conducted to investigate digital instrumentation and control (DI and C) systems and module-level failure modes using a number of databases both in the nuclear and non-nuclear industries. The objectives of the study were to obtain relevant operational experience data to identify generic DI and C system failure modes and failure mechanisms, and to obtain generic insights, with the intent of using results to establish a unified framework for categorizing failure modes and mechanisms. Of the seven databases studied, the Equipment Performance Information Exchange database was found to contain the most useful data relevant to the study. Even so, the general lack of quality relative to the objectives of the study did not allow the development of a unified framework for failure modes and mechanisms of nuclear I and C systems. However, an attempt was made to characterize all the failure modes observed (i.e., without regard to the type of I and C equipment under consideration) into common categories. It was found that all the failure modes identified could be characterized as (a) detectable/preventable before failures, (b) age-related failures, (c) random failures, (d) random/sudden failures, or (e) intermittent failures. The percentage of failure modes characterized as (a) was significant, implying that a significant reduction in system failures could be achieved through improved online monitoring, exhaustive testing prior to installation, adequate configuration control or verification and validation, etc.

Antioxidative vitamines for prevention of cardiovascular disease for patients after renal transplantation and patients with chronic renal failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wasem, Jürgen

2006-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The mortality from cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic renal failure is much higher than in the general population. In particular, patients with chronic renal failure with replacement therapies (dialysis patients and patients with renal transplantation show both increased traditional risk factors and risk factors due to the dysfunction of the renal system. In combination with necessary medication for renal insufficiency oxidative stress is elevated. Progression of atherosclerosis is promoted due to increased oxidation of lipids and endothelium damage. This link between lipid oxidation and artherogenesis provides the rationale for the supposed beneficial effect of supplementation with antioxidative vitamins (vitamin A, C and E. Such an effect could not be demonstrated for patients with a history of cardiovascular disease and without kidney diseases. However, in high risk patients with chronic renal failure and renal replacement therapies this could be different. Objectives: The objective of this systematic literature review was to assess the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of supplementation with antioxidative vitamins A, C or E to reduce cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney diseases, dialysis-requiring patients and patients after a renal transplantation with or without cardiovascular diseases. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted with documented search and selection of the literature, using a priori defined inclusion and exclusion criteria as well as a documented extraction and assessment of the literature according to the methods of evidence-based medicine. Results: 21 publications met the inclusion criteria for the evaluation of clinical effectiveness. No study could be identified for the economic evaluation. Two studies (four publications analysed the effect of oral supplementation on the secondary prevention of clinical cardiovascular endpoints. Studies analysing the

Project configured supply networks: Governance of delivery and failures in operations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koch, Christian

2008-01-01

of delivery types; parts, components and subsystems. The project configuration and orchestrated governance forms are not always successful, and failures emerge. The paper aims at studying governance forms in delivery networks using operational failures as litmus. Operation management approaches is used...... failures occurred during three month observation. The costs were 8 pct. of the production budget. None of the mobilised governance forms fully prevented failures, especially subsystem delivery and internal integration was underperforming.......  Supply networks in complex B2B- construction deliver knowledge, materials, components, subsystems, competences, workforce and management. The delivery network and its governance forms are partly permanent, partly project specific. Integration upstream varies by project, constituting a range...

Relief and Recurrence of Congestion During and After Hospitalization for Acute Heart Failure: Insights From Diuretic Optimization Strategy Evaluation in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (DOSE-AHF) and Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (CARESS-HF).

Science.gov (United States)

Lala, Anuradha; McNulty, Steven E; Mentz, Robert J; Dunlay, Shannon M; Vader, Justin M; AbouEzzeddine, Omar F; DeVore, Adam D; Khazanie, Prateeti; Redfield, Margaret M; Goldsmith, Steven R; Bart, Bradley A; Anstrom, Kevin J; Felker, G Michael; Hernandez, Adrian F; Stevenson, Lynne W

2015-07-01

Congestion is the most frequent cause for hospitalization in acute decompensated heart failure. Although decongestion is a major goal of acute therapy, it is unclear how the clinical components of congestion (eg, peripheral edema, orthopnea) contribute to outcomes after discharge or how well decongestion is maintained. A post hoc analysis was performed of 496 patients enrolled in the Diuretic Optimization Strategy Evaluation in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (DOSE-AHF) and Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (CARRESS-HF) trials during hospitalization with acute decompensated heart failure and clinical congestion. A simple orthodema congestion score was generated based on symptoms of orthopnea (≥2 pillows=2 points, fails to relieve orthodema during hospitalization or to prevent recurrence after discharge. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifiers: NCT00608491, NCT00577135. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

Imperfect Preventive Maintenance Model Study Based On Reliability Limitation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhou Qian

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Effective maintenance is crucial for equipment performance in industry. Imperfect maintenance conform to actual failure process. Taking the dynamic preventive maintenance cost into account, the preventive maintenance model was constructed by using age reduction factor. The model regards the minimization of repair cost rate as final target. It use allowed smallest reliability as the replacement condition. Equipment life was assumed to follow two parameters Weibull distribution since it was one of the most commonly adopted distributions to fit cumulative failure problems. Eventually the example verifies the rationality and benefits of the model.

Antiviral Resistance and Correlates of Virologic Failure in the first Cohort of HIV-Infected Children Gaining Access to Structured Antiretroviral Therapy in Lima, Peru: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rath Barbara A

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The impact of extended use of ART in developing countries has been enormous. A thorough understanding of all factors contributing to the success of antiretroviral therapy is required. The current study aims to investigate the value of cross-sectional drug resistance monitoring using DNA and RNA oligonucleotide ligation assays (OLA in treatment cohorts in low-resource settings. The study was conducted in the first cohort of children gaining access to structured ART in Peru. Methods Between 2002–5, 46 eligible children started the standard regimen of AZT, 3TC and NFV Patients had a median age of 5.6 years (range: 0.7-14y, a median viral load of 1.7·105 RNA/ml (range: 2.1·103 – 1.2·106, and a median CD4-count of 232 cells/μL (range: 1–1591. Of these, 20 patients were classified as CDC clinical category C and 31/46 as CDC immune category 3. At the time of cross-sectional analysis in 2005, adherence questionnaires were administered. DNA OLAs and RNA OLAs were performed from frozen PBMC and plasma, RNA genotyping from dried blood spots. Results During the first year of ART, 44% of children experienced virologic failure, with an additional 9% failing by the end of the second year. Virologic failure was significantly associated with the number of resistance mutations detected by DNA-OLA (p Conclusions Advanced immunosuppression at baseline and previous exposures to unsupervised brief cycles of ART significantly impaired treatment outcomes at a time when structured ART was finally introduced in his cohort. Brief maternal exposures to with AZT +/− NVP for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission did not affect treatment outcomes in this group of children. DNA-OLA from frozen PBMC provided a highly specific tool to detect archived drug resistance. RNA consensus genotyping from dried blood spots and RNA-OLA from plasma consistently detected drug resistance mutations, but merely in association with virologic failure.

Left atrial function in heart failure with impaired and preserved ejection fraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Fang; Lee, Alex Pui-Wai; Yu, Cheuk-Man

2014-09-01

Left atrial structural and functional changes in heart failure are relatively ignored parts of cardiac assessment. This review illustrates the pathophysiological and functional changes in left atrium in heart failure as well as their prognostic value. Heart failure can be divided into those with systolic dysfunction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). Left atrial enlargement and dysfunction commonly occur in systolic heart failure, in particular, in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Atrial enlargement and dysfunction also carry important prognostic value in systolic heart failure, independently of known parameters such as left ventricular ejection fraction. In HFPEF, there is evidence of left atrial enlargement, impaired atrial compliance, and reduction of atrial pump function. This occurs not only at rest but also during exercise, indicating significant impairment of atrial contractile reserve. Furthermore, atrial dyssynchrony is common in HFPEF. These factors further contribute to the development of new onset or progression of atrial arrhythmias, in particular, atrial fibrillation. Left atrial function is an integral part of cardiac function and its structural and functional changes in heart failure are common. As changes of left atrial structure and function have different clinical implications in systolic heart failure and HFPEF, routine assessment is warranted.

Long-term secondary prevention of acute myocardial infarction (SEPAT) - guidelines adherence and outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Ergatoudes, Constantinos; Thunström, Erik; Rosengren, Annika; Björck, Lena; Bengtsson Boström, Kristina; Falk, Kristin; Fu, Michael

2016-11-17

A number of registry studies have reported suboptimal adherence to guidelines for cardiovascular prevention during the first year after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, only a few studies have addressed long-term secondary prevention after AMI. This study evaluates prevention guideline adherence and outcome of guideline-directed secondary prevention in patients surviving 2 years after AMI. Patients aged 18-85 years at the time of their index AMI were consecutively identified from hospital discharge records between July 2010 and December 2011 in Gothenburg, Sweden. All patients who agreed to participate in the study (16.2%) were invited for a structured interview, physical examinations and laboratory analysis 2 years after AMI. Guideline-directed secondary preventive goals were defined as optimally controlled blood pressure, serum cholesterol, glucose, regular physical activity, smoking cessation and pharmacological treatment. The mean age of the study cohort (n = 200) at the index AMI was 63.0 ± 9.7 years, 79% were men. Only 3.5% of the cohort achieved all six guideline-directed secondary preventive goals 2 years after infarction. LDL therapy was used by 97% of the patients, beta-blockers by 83.0%, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers by 76.5% and statins by 88.5%. During follow-up, non-fatal adverse cardiovascular events (cardiac hospitalization, recurrent acute coronary syndrome, angina pectoris, new percutaneous coronary intervention, new onset of atrial fibrillation, post-infarct heart failure, pacemaker implantation, stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA), cardiac surgery and cardiac arrest) occurred in 47% of the cohort and readmission due to cardiac causes in 30%. Our data showed the failure of secondary prevention in our daily clinical practice and high rate of non-fatal adverse cardiovascular events 2 years after AMI.

A comparison of predictive algorithms for failure prevention in smart environment applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Warriach, E.U.; Ozcelebi, T.; Lukkien, J.J.

2015-01-01

The functional correctness and the performance of smart environment applications can be hampered by faults. Fault tolerance solutions aim to achieve graceful performance degradation in the presence of faults, ideally without leading to application failures. This is a reactive approach and, by

Structural myocardial changes in chronic heart failure of II functional class based on overweight and abdominal obesity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Z. Netyazhenko

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract. 153 patients with CHF of II functional class, with normal weight, overweight and abdominal obesity I-III degrees Examined. Studied structural myocardial changes at CHF depending on the degree of excess weight. Structural changes of the heart, the extent and type of myocardial hypertrophy of left ventricle depending on the availability of overweight and obesity were revealed. Actuality. Chronic heart failure (CHF is characterized by a high mortality rate and frequency of hospitalization of patients, a significant decline in their quality of life and significant financial burden. CHF is a medical and social problem that a certain dominant in the near future all over the world, because the average life expectancy of patients with the diagnosis ranges from 1,7 to 7 years and the long-term observation is evidence of the increased risk of death, that 5 year more than four times the initial value. The main etiological factors of occurrence, progression and adverse exit of CHF are age, coronary heart disease (CHD, arterial hypertension, valvular heart disease, diabetes and obesity. In general, structural changes of heart in obesity can be divided into the following main components: left ventricle hypertrophy, changes in the structural composition of cardiac tissue, heart obesity, change of the sizes of the right ventricle and left atrium (PL, valvular heart disease. Research objective: to establish the structural changes of CHF of II functional class depending on the availability of overweight and abdominal type of obesity various degrees. Material and methods: 153 patients with CHF of II functional class were examined. Etiological factors of development CHF were hypertensive disease, chronic forms of CAD and the combination of these pathologies. The diagnosis of CHF installed according to WHO criteria, the European society of cardiology and the Association of cardiologists of Ukraine, and classified according to functional classification of

Failure criterion of concrete type material and punching failure analysis of thick mortar plate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohno, T.; Kuroiwa, M.; Irobe, M.

1979-01-01

In this paper falure surface of concrete type material is proposed and its validity to structural analysis is examined. The study is an introductory part of evaluation for ultimate strength of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures in reactor technology. The failure surface is expressed in a linear form in terms of octahedral normal and shear stresses. Coefficient of the latter stress is given by a trigonometric series in threefold angle of similarity. Hence, its meridians are multilinear and traces of its deviatoric sections are smooth curves having periodicity of 2π/3 around space diagonal in principal stress space. The mathematical expression of the surface has an arbitraty number of parameters so that material test results are well reflected. To confirm the effectiveness of proposed failure criterion, experiment and numerical analysis by the finite element method on punching failure of thick mortar plate in axial symmetry are compared. In the numerical procedure yield surface of the material is assumed to exist mainly in compression region, since a brittle cleavage or elastic fracture occurs in the concrete type material under stress state with tension, while a ductile or plastic fracture occurs under compressive stress state. (orig.)

Failure assessment of pressure vessels under yielding conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harrison, R.P.; Darlaston, B.J.L.; Townley, C.H.A.

1977-01-01

The paper summarizes the work carried out to establish the behavior of structures containing defects and outlines a failure assessment route which can be used to assess the integrity of a structure containing a defect. The basis for this failure assessment route is the two-criteria approach of Dowling and Townley, which can be applied to structures containing defects irrespective of whether they are in the linear elastic fracture mechanics regime, the fully plastic regime, or in an intermediate regime. The extension of this concept to include crack growth by stable tearing is dealt with in the paper

Nonfasting Triglycerides, Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, and Heart Failure Risk

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Varbo, Anette; Nordestgaard, Børge G

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of heart failure is increasing in the aging population, and heart failure is a disease with large morbidity and mortality. There is, therefore, a need for identifying modifiable risk factors for prevention. We tested the hypothesis that high concentrations of nonfasting...... triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are associated with higher risk of heart failure in the general population. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We included 103 860 individuals from the Copenhagen General Population Study and 9694 from the Copenhagen City Heart Study in 2 prospective observational...... association studies. Nonfasting triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured at baseline. Individuals were followed for ≤23 years, during which time 3593 were diagnosed with heart failure. Hazard ratios were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regression models. In the Copenhagen...

Parameters governing the failure of steel components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitt, W.

1977-01-01

The most important feature of any component is the ability to carry safely the load it is designed for. The strength of the component is influenced mainly by three groups of parameters: 1. The loading of the structure; Here the possible loading cases are: normal operation, testing, emergency and faulted conditions; the kinds of loading can be divided into: internal pressure, external forces and moments, temperature loading. 2. The defects in the structure: cavities and inclusions, pores, flaws or cracks. 3. The material properties: Young's modulus, Yield - and ultimate strength, absorbed charpy energy, fracture toughness, etc. For different failure modes one has to take into account different material properties, the loading and the defects are assumed to be within certain deterministic bounds, from which deterministic safety factors can be determined with respect to any failure mode and failure criterion. However, since all parameters have a certain scatter about a mean value, there is a probability to exceed the given bounds. From the extrapolation of the distribution a value for the failure probability can be estimated. (orig.) [de

Asymptotic failure rate of a continuously monitored system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grall, A.; Dieulle, L.; Berenguer, C.; Roussignol, M.

2006-01-01

This paper deals with a perfectly continuously monitored system which gradually and stochastically deteriorates. The system is renewed by a delayed maintenance operation, which is triggered when the measured deterioration level exceeds an alarm threshold. A mathematical model is developed to study the asymptotic behavior of the reliability function. A procedure is proposed which allows us to identify the asymptotic failure rate of the maintained system. Numerical experiments illustrate the efficiency of the proposed procedure and emphasize the relevance of the asymptotic failure rate as an interesting indicator for the evaluation of the control-limit preventive replacement policy

Asymptotic failure rate of a continuously monitored system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grall, A. [Institut des Sciences et Technologies de l' Information de Troyes (CNRS-FRE 2732), Equipe de Modelisation et de Surete des Systemes, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France)]. E-mail: antoine.grall@utt.fr; Dieulle, L. [Institut des Sciences et Technologies de l' Information de Troyes (CNRS-FRE 2732), Equipe de Modelisation et de Surete des Systemes, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France)]. E-mail: laurence.dieulle@utt.fr; Berenguer, C. [Institut des Sciences et Technologies de l' Information de Troyes (CNRS-FRE 2732), Equipe de Modelisation et de Surete des Systemes, Universite de Technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes Cedex (France)]. E-mail: christophe.berenguer@utt.fr; Roussignol, M. [Laboratoire d' Analyse et de Mathematiques Appliquees, Universite de Marne la Vallee, 5 bd Descartes, Champs sur Marne, 77454 Marne la Vallee, Cedex 2 (France)]. E-mail: michel.roussignol@univ-mlv.fr

2006-02-01

This paper deals with a perfectly continuously monitored system which gradually and stochastically deteriorates. The system is renewed by a delayed maintenance operation, which is triggered when the measured deterioration level exceeds an alarm threshold. A mathematical model is developed to study the asymptotic behavior of the reliability function. A procedure is proposed which allows us to identify the asymptotic failure rate of the maintained system. Numerical experiments illustrate the efficiency of the proposed procedure and emphasize the relevance of the asymptotic failure rate as an interesting indicator for the evaluation of the control-limit preventive replacement policy.

Endochronic theory for inelasticity and failure analysis of concrete structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bazant, Z.P.; Bhat, P.D.; Shieh, C.L.

1976-12-01

A gradual accumulation of inelastic strain can be most conveniently described in terms of the so-called intrinsic time, whose increment depends on the time increment as well as the strain increments. This approach, which gives a particularly simple description of irreversibility of strain at unloading and cyclic loading, was previously developed for metals and is extended herein to concrete by introducing the hydrostatic pressure sensitivity of inelastic strain, the inelastic dilatancy produced by deviator strains, and the strain-softening tendency at high stress. Failure envelopes are obtained as a collection of the peaks of stress-strain diagrams. By comparison with experimental data from the literature, it is demonstrated that the proposed model predicts quite closely: stress-strain diagrams for concretes of different strength; uniaxial, biaxial and triaxial stress-strain diagrams and failure envelopes; failure envelopes for combined torsion and compression, lateral strains and volume expansion in uniaxial and biaxial tests; the behavior of spirally confined concrete; hysteresis loops or repeated high compression; cyclic creep up to 10/sup 6/ cycles; the strain rate effect; the decrease of long time strength; and the increase of short-time strength due to low stress creep.

Endochronic theory for inelasticity and failure analysis of concrete structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bazant, Z.P.; Bhat, P.D.; Shieh, C.L.

1976-12-01

A gradual accumulation of inelastic strain can be most conveniently described in terms of the so-called intrinsic time, whose increment depends on the time increment as well as the strain increments. This approach, which gives a particularly simple description of irreversibility of strain at unloading and cyclic loading, was previously developed for metals and is extended herein to concrete by introducing the hydrostatic pressure sensitivity of inelastic strain, the inelastic dilatancy produced by deviator strains, and the strain-softening tendency at high stress. Failure envelopes are obtained as a collection of the peaks of stress-strain diagrams. By comparison with experimental data from the literature, it is demonstrated that the proposed model predicts quite closely: stress-strain diagrams for concretes of different strength; uniaxial, biaxial and triaxial stress-strain diagrams and failure envelopes; failure envelopes for combined torsion and compression, lateral strains and volume expansion in uniaxial and biaxial tests; the behavior of spirally confined concrete; hysteresis loops or repeated high compression; cyclic creep up to 10 6 cycles; the strain rate effect; the decrease of long time strength; and the increase of short-time strength due to low stress creep

Contrast-induced nephropathy: risks, pathogenetic, prevention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paskalev, D.; Balev, B.

2006-01-01

Full text: The aim of the presentation is to review the contrast induced nephropathy ? nature, mechanisms of development, risk factors. Summary of the most important ways of prevention, diagnostics and treatment. The definition of CIN according the European Association of Urogenital Radiology is: 'A condition, in which renal function is impaired (elevation of serum creatinine with more than 25% or 44 μmol/l above the initial level) due to intravasal application of contrast media (CM) within 3 days following the application and when no other etiology factors are present'. We summarize the main risk factors of developing CIN - renal failure, diabetic nephropathy, dehydration, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, age above 70 yrs, nephrotoxic medicines. The most effective ways of preventing CIN are the good hydratation of the patients and the usage of low-osmolar or iso-osmolar CM. Therapeutic treatment is with no proven preventive effect and currently is not routinely recommended. An early hem dialysis does not decrease the risk level of CIN development in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). In such patients complete elimination of CM is achieved only after several hem dialyses. Hem filtration reliably decreases the risk of CIN in CRF patients, but is expensive and not widely available. We present a case from our hospital of a patient with diabetic nephropathy, who developed CIN following a coronary angiography

Adoption of Smart Structures for Prevention of Health Hazards in Buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Oke, Ayodeji; Aigbavboa, Clinton; Ngema, Wiseman

2017-11-01

The importance of building quality to the health and well-being of occupants and surrounding neighbors cannot be overemphasized. Smart structures were construed to proffer solution to various issues of sustainable development including social factors that is concerned with health and safety of people. Based on existing literature materials on building quality, smart structures and general aspect of sustainable developments, this study examined the benefits of smart structures in the prevention of various health issues in infrastructural buildings, which has been a concern for stakeholders in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. The criterion for indoor environmental quality was adopted and various health and bodily issues related to building quality were explained. The adoption of smart structure concept will help to manage physical, chemical, biological and psychological factors of building with a view to enhancing better quality of life of occupants.

Atomistic explanation of brittle failure of thermoelectric skutterudite CoSb3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Guodong; An, Qi; Goddard, William A.; Hanus, Riley; Zhai, Pengcheng; Zhang, Qingjie; Snyder, G. Jeffrey

2016-01-01

CoSb 3 based skutterudite thermoelectric material has superior thermoelectric properties, but the low fracture toughness prevents its widespread commercial application. To determine the origin of its brittle failure, we examined the response of shear deformation in CoSb 3 along the most plausible slip system (010)/<100>, using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the brittle failure of CoSb 3 arises from the formation of shear bands due to the destruction of Sb4-rings and the slippage of Co-octahedraes. This leads to the breakage of Co-octahedraes and cavitation, resulting in the crack opening and mechanical failure.

Home visitation programs: An untapped opportunity for the delivery of early childhood obesity prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Salvy, Sarah-Jeanne; de la Haye, Kayla; Galama, Titus; Goran, Michael I.

2016-01-01

Background Extant obesity efforts have had limited impact among low-income underserved children, in part because of limitations inherent to existing programs: 1) short duration and low intensity; 2) late timing of implementation, when children are already overweight or obese; 3) intervention delivery limiting their accessibility and sustainability; and 4) failure to address barriers such as a lack of culturally competent services, poverty and housing instability, which interfere with healthy lifestyle changes. Objective This concept paper proposes an innovative model of obesity prevention implemented in infancy and sustained throughout early childhood to address the limitations of current obesity prevention efforts. Specifically, we propose to integrate sustained, weekly, in-home obesity prevention as part of the services already delivered by ongoing Home Visitation Programs, which currently do not target obesity prevention. Conclusion The home visiting structure represents an ideal model for impactful obesity prevention as home visitation programs: (1) already provide comprehensive services to diverse low-income infants and families who are most at risk for obesity and poor health due to socio-economic and structural conditions; (2) services are initiated in infancy and sustained throughout critical developmental periods for the formation of healthy/unhealthy behaviors; and (3) have been in place for more than 40 years, with a widespread presence across the United States and nationwide, which is critical for the scalability and sustainability of obesity prevention. PMID:27911984

Home visitation programs: an untapped opportunity for the delivery of early childhood obesity prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Salvy, S-J; de la Haye, K; Galama, T; Goran, M I

2017-02-01

Extant obesity efforts have had limited impact among low-income underserved children, in part because of limitations inherent to existing programs: (i) short duration and low intensity; (ii) late timing of implementation, when children are already overweight or obese; (iii) intervention delivery limiting their accessibility and sustainability; and (iv) failure to address barriers such as a lack of culturally competent services, poverty and housing instability, which interfere with healthy lifestyle changes. This concept paper proposes an innovative model of obesity prevention implemented in infancy and sustained throughout early childhood to address the limitations of current obesity prevention efforts. Specifically, we propose to integrate sustained, weekly, in-home obesity prevention as part of the services already delivered by ongoing Home Visitation Programs, which currently do not target obesity prevention. The home visiting structure represents an ideal model for impactful obesity prevention as home visitation programs: (i) already provide comprehensive services to diverse low-income infants and families who are most at risk for obesity and poor health because of socio-economic and structural conditions; (ii) services are initiated in infancy and sustained throughout critical developmental periods for the formation of healthy/unhealthy behaviors; and (iii) have been in place for more than 40 years, with a widespread presence across the United States and nationwide, which is critical for the scalability and sustainability of obesity prevention. © 2016 World Obesity Federation.

Least-cost failure diagnosis in uncertain reliability systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cox, Louis Anthony; Chiu, Steve Y.; Sun Xiaorong

1996-01-01

In many textbook solutions, for systems failure diagnosis problems studied using reliability theory and artificial intelligence, the prior probabilities of different failure states can be estimated and used to guide the sequential search for failed components after the whole system fails. In practice, however, both the component failure probabilities and the structure function of the system being examined--i.e., the mapping between the states of its components and the state of the system--may not be known with certainty. At best:, the probabilities of different hypothesized system descriptions, each specifying the component failure probabilities and the system's structure function, may be known to a useful approximation, perhaps based on sample data and previous experience. Cost-effective diagnosis of the system's failure state is then a challenging problem. Although the probabilities of component failures are aleatory, uncertainties about these probabilities and about the system structure function are epistemic. This paper examines how to make best use of both epistemic prior probabilities for system descriptions and the information gleaned from costly inspections of component states after the system fails, to minimize the average cost of identifying the failure state. Two approaches are introduced for systems dominated by aleatory uncertainties, one motivated by information theory and the other based on the idea of trying to prove a hypothesis about the identity of the failure state as efficiently as possible. While the general problem of cost-effective failure diagnosis is computationally intractable (NP-hard), both heuristics provide useful approximations on small to moderate sized problems and optimal results for certain common types of reliability systems, including series, parallel, parallel-series, and k-out-of-n systems. A hybrid heuristic that adaptively chooses which heuristic to apply next after any sequence of observations (component test results

Prevention and management of brain edema in patients with acute liver failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wendon, J.; Larsen, Finn Stolze

2008-01-01

1. Intracranial pressure is the pressure exerted by the cranial contents on the dural envelope and consists of the partial pressures of the brain, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid. 2. Severe cases of acute liver failure are frequently complicated by brain edema (due to cytotoxic edema...

Light water reactor lower head failure analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rempe, J.L.; Chavez, S.A.; Thinnes, G.L.

1993-10-01

This document presents the results from a US Nuclear Regulatory Commission-sponsored research program to investigate the mode and timing of vessel lower head failure. Major objectives of the analysis were to identify plausible failure mechanisms and to develop a method for determining which failure mode would occur first in different light water reactor designs and accident conditions. Failure mechanisms, such as tube ejection, tube rupture, global vessel failure, and localized vessel creep rupture, were studied. Newly developed models and existing models were applied to predict which failure mechanism would occur first in various severe accident scenarios. So that a broader range of conditions could be considered simultaneously, calculations relied heavily on models with closed-form or simplified numerical solution techniques. Finite element techniques-were employed for analytical model verification and examining more detailed phenomena. High-temperature creep and tensile data were obtained for predicting vessel and penetration structural response

Light water reactor lower head failure analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rempe, J.L.; Chavez, S.A.; Thinnes, G.L. [EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)] [and others

1993-10-01

This document presents the results from a US Nuclear Regulatory Commission-sponsored research program to investigate the mode and timing of vessel lower head failure. Major objectives of the analysis were to identify plausible failure mechanisms and to develop a method for determining which failure mode would occur first in different light water reactor designs and accident conditions. Failure mechanisms, such as tube ejection, tube rupture, global vessel failure, and localized vessel creep rupture, were studied. Newly developed models and existing models were applied to predict which failure mechanism would occur first in various severe accident scenarios. So that a broader range of conditions could be considered simultaneously, calculations relied heavily on models with closed-form or simplified numerical solution techniques. Finite element techniques-were employed for analytical model verification and examining more detailed phenomena. High-temperature creep and tensile data were obtained for predicting vessel and penetration structural response.

The case for statin therapy in chronic heart failure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Harst, Pim; Boehm, Michael; van Gilst, Wiek H.; van Veldhuisen, Dirk J.

Both primary and secondary prevention studies have provided a wealth of evidence that statin therapy effectively reduces cardiovascular events. However, this general statement on the efficacy and safety of statin treatment has not been validated in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Influence of crosshead speed on failure load and failure mode of restored maxillary premolars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas Zago NAVES

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We analyzed the effect of the crosshead speed of an applied load on failure load and failure mode of restored human premolars. Fifty intact, noncarious human premolars were selected. Class II mesio-occlusodistal preparations were made with a water-cooled high-speed preparation machine, and the teeth were restored with composite resin. The specimens were divided into five groups (n = 10 each and tested individually in a mechanical testing machine, in which a 6.0-mm-diameter steel cylinder was mounted to vary the crosshead speed: v0.5: 0.5 mm/min; v1: 1.0 mm/min; v2.5: 2.5 mm/min; v5: 5.0 mm/min; and v10: 10.0 mm/min. The cylinder contacted the facial and lingual ridges beyond the margins of the restorations. Peak load to fracture was measured for each specimen (N. The means were calculated and analyzed with one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's test (a = 0.05. The mean load at failure values were (N as follows: v0.5, 769.4 ± 174.8; v1, 645.2 ± 115.7; v5, 614.3 ± 126.0; v2.5, 609.2 ± 208.1; and v10, 432.5 ± 136.9. The fracture modes were recorded on the basis of the degree of the tooth structural and restorative damage: (I fracture of the restoration involving a small portion of the tooth; (II fractures involving the coronal portion of the tooth with cohesive failure of the composite resin; (III oblique tooth and restoration fracture with periodontal involvement; and (IV vertical root and coronal fracture. Varying crosshead speeds of 0.5–5.0 mm/min did not influence the failure load of restored maxillary premolars; however, increasing the crosshead speed to 10 mm/min decreased the failure load values and the degree of tooth structural damage.

Structural Continuum Modeling of Space Shuttle External Tank Foam Insulation

Science.gov (United States)

Steeve, Brian; Ayala, Sam; Purlee, T. Eric; Shaw, Phillip

2006-01-01

This document is a viewgraph presentation reporting on work in modeling the foam insulation of the Space Shuttle External Tank. An analytical understanding of foam mechanics is required to design against structural failure. The Space Shuttle External Tank is covered primarily with closed cell foam to: Prevent ice, Protect structure from ascent aerodynamic and engine plume heating, and Delay break-up during re-entry. It is important that the foam does not shed unacceptable debris during ascent environment. Therefore a modeling of the foam insulation was undertaken.

A Case Study of Environmental Injustice: The Failure in Flint

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carla Campbell

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The failure by the city of Flint, Michigan to properly treat its municipal water system after a change in the source of water, has resulted in elevated lead levels in the city’s water and an increase in city children’s blood lead levels. Lead exposure in young children can lead to decrements in intelligence, development, behavior, attention and other neurological functions. This lack of ability to provide safe drinking water represents a failure to protect the public’s health at various governmental levels. This article describes how the tragedy happened, how low-income and minority populations are at particularly high risk for lead exposure and environmental injustice, and ways that we can move forward to prevent childhood lead exposure and lead poisoning, as well as prevent future Flint-like exposure events from occurring. Control of the manufacture and use of toxic chemicals to prevent adverse exposure to these substances is also discussed. Environmental injustice occurred throughout the Flint water contamination incident and there are lessons we can all learn from this debacle to move forward in promoting environmental justice.

Influenza infection and heart failure-vaccination may change heart failure prognosis?

Science.gov (United States)

Kadoglou, Nikolaos P E; Bracke, Frank; Simmers, Tim; Tsiodras, Sotirios; Parissis, John

2017-05-01

The interaction of influenza infection with the pathogenesis of acute heart failure (AHF) and the worsening of chronic heart failure (CHF) is rather complex. The deleterious effects of influenza infection on AHF/CHF can be attenuated by specific immunization. Our review aimed to summarize the efficacy, effectiveness, safety, and dosage of anti-influenza vaccination in HF. In this literature review, we searched MEDLINE and EMBASE from January 1st 1966 to December 31st, 2016, for studies examining the association between AHF/CHF, influenza infections, and anti-influenza immunizations. We used broad criteria to increase the sensitivity of the search. HF was a prerequisite for our search. The search fields used included "heart failure," "vaccination," "influenza," "immunization" along with variants of these terms. No restrictions on the type of study design were applied. The most common clinical scenario is exacerbation of pre-existing CHF by influenza infection. Scarce evidence supports a potential positive association of influenza infection with AHF. Vaccinated patients with pre-existing CHF have reduced all-cause morbidity and mortality, but effects are not consistently documented. Immunization with higher antigen quantity may confer additional protection, but such aggressive approach has not been generally advocated. Further studies are needed to delineate the role of influenza infection on AHF/CHF pathogenesis and maintenance. Annual anti-influenza vaccination appears to be an effective measure for secondary prevention in HF. Better immunization strategies and more efficacious vaccines are urgently necessary.

Newly discovered failure mode in high energy density, energy storage capacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boicourt, G.P.; Kemp, E.L.

1978-07-01

High energy density pulse capacitors, typified by the 10-kV, 170-μF unit, have become widely used in recent years. These units primarily were designed for lower cost and higher energy per unit volume. The life characteristics of these units have never been determined fully, but they have already been shown capable of lives much longer than originally expected. The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory is now conducting an extended program to determine the long-term capabilities of these capacitors. This program is aimed not only at finding the statistical parameters of the failure distribution but also at determining the physical failure modes characteristic of such units. Recently, a new failure mode was found. This failure mode has prevented test samples of polypropylene-paper-dioctyl phthalate units from actually reaching the true potential life of the insulation. In this report, the new failure mechanism is examined and suggestions are made that could eliminate the failure mode

Stratification of the Risk of Sudden Death in Nonischemic Heart Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurício Pimentel

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Despite significant therapeutic advancements, heart failure remains a highly prevalent clinical condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In 30%-40% patients, the etiology of heart failure is nonischemic. The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD is capable of preventing sudden death and decreasing total mortality in patients with nonischemic heart failure. However, a significant number of patients receiving ICD do not receive any kind of therapy during follow-up. Moreover, considering the situation in Brazil and several other countries, ICD cannot be implanted in all patients with nonischemic heart failure. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify patients at an increased risk of sudden death because these would benefit more than patients at a lower risk, despite the presence of heart failure in both risk groups. In this study, the authors review the primary available methods for the stratification of the risk of sudden death in patients with nonischemic heart failure.

Boiler and HRSG tube failures. Lesson 4: Hydrogen damage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dooley, R. Barry; Bursik, Albert

2010-02-15

University 101 courses are typically designed to help incoming first-year undergraduate students to adjust to the university, develop a better understanding of the college environment, and acquire essential academic success skills. Why are we offering a special Boiler and HRSG Tube Failures PPChem 101? The answer is simple, yet very conclusive: There is a lack of knowledge on the identification of tube failure mechanisms and for the implementation of adequate counteractions in many power plants, particularly at industrial power and steam generators. There is a lack of knowledge to prevent repeat tube failures. The vast majority of BTF/HTF have been, and continue to be, repeat failures. It is hoped that the information about the failure mechanisms of BTF supplied in this course will help to put plant engineers and chemists on the right track. The major goal of this course is the avoidance of repeat BTF. This fourth lesson is focused on hydrogen damage of water-touched tubes in conventional boilers and in the high-pressure evaporators of heat recovery steam generators. (orig.)

Boiler and HRSG tube failures. Lesson 5. Caustic gouging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dooley, Barry R.; Bursik, Albert

2010-03-15

University 101 courses are typically designed to help incoming first-year undergraduate students to adjust to the university, develop a better understanding of the college environment, and acquire essential academic success skills. Why are we offering a special Boiler and HRSG Tube Failures PPChem 101? The answer is simple, yet very conclusive: - There is a lack of knowledge on the identification of tube failure mechanisms and for the implementation of adequate counteractions in many power plants, particularly at industrial power and steam generators. - There is a lack of knowledge to prevent repeat tube failures. The vast majority of BTF/HTF have been, and continue to be, repeat failures. It is hoped that the information about the failure mechanisms of BTF supplied in this course will help to put plant engineers and chemists on the right track. The major goal of this course is the avoidance of repeat BTF. This fifth lesson is focused on caustic gouging of water-touched tubes in conventional boilers and in the high-pressure evaporators of heat recovery steam generators. (orig.)

Comparison of mode of failure between primary and revision total knee arthroplasties.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, H; Bae, J K; Park, C H; Kim, K I; Bae, D K; Song, S J

2018-04-01

Cognizance of common reasons for failure in primary and revision TKA, together with their time course, facilitates prevention. However, there have been few reports specifically comparing modes of failure for primary vs. revision TKA using a single prosthesis. The goal of the study was to compare the survival rates, modes of failure, and time periods associated with each mode of failure, of primary vs. revision TKA. The survival rates, modes of failure, time period for each mode of failure, and risk factors would differ between primary and revision TKA. Data from a consecutive cohort comprising 1606 knees (1174 patients) of primary TKA patients, and 258 knees (224 patients) of revision TKA patients, in all of whom surgery involved a P.F.C ® prosthesis (Depuy, Johnson & Johnson, Warsaw, IN), was retrospectively reviewed. The mean follow-up periods of primary and revision TKAs were 9.2 and 9.8 years, respectively. The average 10- and 15-year survival rates for primary TKA were 96.7% (CI 95%,±0.7%) and 85.4% (CI 95%,±2.0%), and for revision TKA 91.4% (CI 95%,±2.5%) and 80.5% (CI 95%,±4.5%). Common modes of failure included polyethylene wear, loosening, and infection. The most common mode of failure was polyethylene wear in primary TKA, and infection in revision TKA. The mean periods (i.e., latencies) of polyethylene wear and loosening did not differ between primary and revision TKAs, but the mean period of infection was significantly longer for revision TKA (1.2 vs. 4.8 years, P=0.003). Survival rates decreased with time, particularly more than 10 years post-surgery, for both primary and revision TKAs. Continuous efforts are required to prevent and detect the various modes of failure during long-term follow-up. Greater attention is necessary to detect late infection-induced failure following revision TKA. Case-control study, Level III. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Linguistic Evidence for the Failure Mindset as a Predictor of Life Span Longevity.

Science.gov (United States)

Penzel, Ian B; Persich, Michelle R; Boyd, Ryan L; Robinson, Michael D

2017-06-01

When people think that their efforts will fail to achieve positive outcomes, they sometimes give up their efforts after control, which can have negative health consequences. Problematic orientations of this type, such as pessimism, helplessness, or fatalism, seem likely to be associated with a cognitive mindset marked by higher levels of accessibility for failure words or concepts. Thus, the purpose of the present research was to determine whether there are individual differences in the frequency with which people think about failure, which in turn are likely to impact health across large spans of time. Following self-regulatory theories of health and the learned helplessness tradition, two archival studies (total n = 197) scored texts (books or speeches) for their use of failure words, a category within the Harvard IV dictionary of the General Inquirer. People who used failure words more frequently exhibited shorter subsequent life spans, and this relationship remained significant when controlling for birth year. Furthermore, study 2 implicated behavioral factors. For example, the failure/longevity relationship was numerically stronger among people whose causes of death appeared to be preventable rather than non-preventable. These results significantly extend our knowledge of the personality/longevity relationship while highlighting the value of individual differences in word usage as predictors of health and mortality.

End face seals in high pressure water - learning from those failures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metcalfe, R.

1976-08-01

End face seals are complex devices which are used widely in shaft sealing of rotating equipment. In the nuclear industry, working at the limits of present sealing technlogy with a massive economic dependence on reliability, the importance of scrutinizing seal failures and thereby attempting to prevent premature failures from recurring was fully realized. This paper describes Canadian nuclear sealing experience. Failed seal data is presented; practical examples are categorized as to cause and type. (author)

Synthetic Sling Failure - Evaluations and Recommendations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henderson, C. S. [Washington River Protection Solutions, Richland, WA (United States); Mackey, Thomas C. [Washington River Protection Solutions, Richland, WA (United States)

2009-10-26

The information and evaluations provided in this report were compiled to address the recurring problem of synthetic sling failure. As safety is the number one priority in all work aspects, a solution must be devised to prevent accidents from occurring. A total of thirteen cases regarding synthetic sling failure were evaluated in order to determine their causes, effects, and preventative measures. From the collected data, it was found that all cases in which the synthetic sling contacted the edge of its load resulted in sling failure. It is required that adequate synthetic sling protection devices be used to protect slings in any lift where the sling comes in direct contact with the edge or corner of its load. However, there are no consensus codes or standards stating the type, material, or purpose of the type of protective device used to protect the sling from being cut. Numerous industry standards and codes provide vague descriptions on how to protect synthetic slings. Without a clear, concise statement of how to protect synthetic slings, it is common for inadequate materials and sling protection devices to be used in an attempt to meet the intent of these requirements. The use of an inadequate sling protection device is the main cause of synthetic sling failure in all researched cases. Commercial sling protection devices come in many shapes and sizes, and have a variety of names, as well as advertised uses. 'Abrasion pads' and 'wear protectors' are two different names for products with the same intended purpose. There is no distinguishable way to determine the extent of sling protection which these devices will provide, or what specific scenarios they are made for. This creates room for error in a field where error is unacceptable. This report provides a recommended action for hoisting and rigging activities which require synthetic slings to contact a load, as well as recommended changes to industry standards which will benefit overall

OBSTETRIC RENAL FAILURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajeshwari

2015-11-01

common reasons were pregnancy induced hypertension, HELLP syndrome and obstetric haemorrhage and resulted in high risk condition for fetal and maternal mortality. The most effective measures still remain the careful prevention and the aggressive management of the obstetric complications. Ideal care for women with acute renal failure in pregnancy or post-partum requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes maternal-fetal medicine, critical care medicine, nephrology and neonatology specialties.

System reliability analysis using dominant failure modes identified by selective searching technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dong-Seok; Ok, Seung-Yong; Song, Junho; Koh, Hyun-Moo

2013-01-01

The failure of a redundant structural system is often described by innumerable system failure modes such as combinations or sequences of local failures. An efficient approach is proposed to identify dominant failure modes in the space of random variables, and then perform system reliability analysis to compute the system failure probability. To identify dominant failure modes in the decreasing order of their contributions to the system failure probability, a new simulation-based selective searching technique is developed using a genetic algorithm. The system failure probability is computed by a multi-scale matrix-based system reliability (MSR) method. Lower-scale MSR analyses evaluate the probabilities of the identified failure modes and their statistical dependence. A higher-scale MSR analysis evaluates the system failure probability based on the results of the lower-scale analyses. Three illustrative examples demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the approach through comparison with existing methods and Monte Carlo simulations. The results show that the proposed method skillfully identifies the dominant failure modes, including those neglected by existing approaches. The multi-scale MSR method accurately evaluates the system failure probability with statistical dependence fully considered. The decoupling between the failure mode identification and the system reliability evaluation allows for effective applications to larger structural systems

Work stress prevention needs of employees and supervisors.

Science.gov (United States)

Havermans, Bo M; Brouwers, Evelien P M; Hoek, Rianne J A; Anema, Johannes R; van der Beek, Allard J; Boot, Cécile R L

2018-05-21

Work stress prevention can reduce health risks for individuals, as well as organisational and societal costs. The success of work stress interventions depends on proper implementation. Failure to take into account the needs of employees and supervisors can hinder intervention implementation. This study aimed to explore employee and supervisor needs regarding organisational work stress prevention. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with employees (n = 7) and supervisors (n = 8) from different sectors, such as the finance, health care, and services industry. The interviews focused on respondents' needs regarding the prevention of work stress within an organisational setting. Performing thematic analysis, topics and themes were extracted from the verbatim transcribed interviews using Atlas.ti. Both employees and supervisors reported a need for: 1) communication about work stress, 2) attention for determinants of work stress, 3) supportive circumstances (prerequisites) for work stress prevention, 4) involvement of various stakeholders in work stress prevention, and 5) availability of work stress prevention measures. Both employees and supervisors expressed the need for supervisors to communicate about work stress. Employees and supervisors reported similar psychosocial work factors that should be targeted for prevention (e.g., social support and autonomy). There was greater variety in the sub-themes within communication about work stress and supportive circumstances for work stress prevention in supervisor responses, and greater variety in the sub-themes within availability of work stress prevention measures in employee responses. Both employees and supervisors were explicit about who should take part in communication about work stress, what prerequisites for work stress prevention should exist, and which stakeholders should be involved. These results can inform work stress prevention practice, supporting selection and implementation of

Structural interventions to prevent HIV/sexually transmitted disease: are they cost-effective for women in the southern United States?

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Deborah A; Wu, Shin-Yi; Farley, Thomas A

2006-07-01

Structural interventions are theoretically promising for populations with a low prevalence of HIV, because they can reach large numbers of people to influence their social norms and collective risky behaviors for a relatively low cost per person. Because HIV transmission is continuing to increase among women in the southern United States, interventions to stem this epidemic are particularly warranted. This study explores whether structural interventions may be a cost-effective way to prevent HIV in this population. We used the cost-effectiveness estimator, "Maximizing the Benefit" to determine the relative cost-effectiveness of 6 structural HIV prevention interventions. "Maximizing the Benefit" is a spreadsheet tool using mathematical models to estimate the cost per HIV infection prevented taking into account the epidemiologic contexts, behavioral change as a result of an intervention, and the costs of intervention. We applied estimates of HIV prevalence related to blacks in the southern United States. All the structural interventions were cost-effective compared with average lifetime treatment costs of HIV, but mass media, condom availability, and alcohol taxes theoretically prevented the largest numbers of HIV infections. Although the assumptions used in cost-effectiveness estimates have many limitations, they do allow for a relative comparison of different interventions and help to inform policy decisions related to the allocation of HIV prevention resources. Structural interventions hold the greatest promise in reducing HIV transmission among low-prevalence populations.

On the failure behaviour to striking bow penetration of impacted marine-steel structures

Science.gov (United States)

Prabowo, Aditya Rio; Muttaqie, Teguh; Sohn, Jung Min; Bae, Dong Myung; Setiyawan, Agus

2018-04-01

Demands for water transportation modes are continuously increasing as rapid economic and industrial growths in the recent decade. Ship as representative of the water transportation is generally needed to carry various products from one location to another. Besides as product carrier, ship also acts as public facility to transport human across islands for number of reasons, such as tourism and vehicle. Considering its importance, structural damage due to accidental loads or so-called impact can cause unacceptable casualties which threat ship passenger, shipping industry and maritime environment in same time. The most frequent impact phenomena occur in forms of collision and grounding, which are targeting side structure and double bottom consecutively. However, since responses of the impacts on structure are highly nonlinear and vary due to development of ship structures, sustainable analysis as an update of pioneer calculation can be beneficial as rational reference for improving safety and navigational instruments. This work aims to assess failures of the side structures subjected to penetration of striking bow in ship-ship collision scenario. Locations of impact are idealized to happen on after-end, midsection and fore-end to provide complete assessment. Striking bow is to be deployed by varying input velocity to observe significance of the fractures on the side structure. This configuration is implemented on the designed collision scenario, and later calculated using nonlinear finite element method (NLFEM). Summary of the solution indicated that the midsection produced the highest resistance against side collision. Breaching of the inner shell was successfully avoided on the fore-end, but the critical damage to the cargo was observed during bow penetration to the after-end region. This location was recommended to be added by longitudinal framing to increase its resistance against ship collision.

On the failure behaviour to striking bow penetration of impacted marine-steel structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prabowo Aditya Rio

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Demands for water transportation modes are continuously increasing as rapid economic and industrial growths in the recent decade. Ship as representative of the water transportation is generally needed to carry various products from one location to another. Besides as product carrier, ship also acts as public facility to transport human across islands for number of reasons, such as tourism and vehicle. Considering its importance, structural damage due to accidental loads or so-called impact can cause unacceptable casualties which threat ship passenger, shipping industry and maritime environment in same time. The most frequent impact phenomena occur in forms of collision and grounding, which are targeting side structure and double bottom consecutively. However, since responses of the impacts on structure are highly nonlinear and vary due to development of ship structures, sustainable analysis as an update of pioneer calculation can be beneficial as rational reference for improving safety and navigational instruments. This work aims to assess failures of the side structures subjected to penetration of striking bow in ship-ship collision scenario. Locations of impact are idealized to happen on after-end, midsection and fore-end to provide complete assessment. Striking bow is to be deployed by varying input velocity to observe significance of the fractures on the side structure. This configuration is implemented on the designed collision scenario, and later calculated using nonlinear finite element method (NLFEM. Summary of the solution indicated that the midsection produced the highest resistance against side collision. Breaching of the inner shell was successfully avoided on the fore-end, but the critical damage to the cargo was observed during bow penetration to the after-end region. This location was recommended to be added by longitudinal framing to increase its resistance against ship collision.

Hydrogen permeation preventive structural materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukushima, Kimichika; Nakahigashi, Shigeo; Imura, Masashi; Terasawa, Michitaka; Ebisawa, Katsuyuki.

1986-01-01

Purpose: To provide highly practical wall materials for use in thermonuclear reactors capable of effectively preventing the permeation of hydrogen isotopes such as tritium thereby preventing the contamination of coolants. Constitution: Helium gas is injected into or at the surface of base materials comprising stainless steel plates to form a helium gas region. Alternatively, boron, nitrogen or the compound thereof having a greater helium forming nuclear reaction cross section than that of the base materials is mixed or injected into the base material to form the helium gas region through (n,α) reaction under neutron irradiation. Since the helium gas region constitutes a diffusion barrier for the tritium as the hydrogen isotope, the permeation amount of tritium is significantly suppressed. Helium gas bubbles or lattice defects are formed in the helium gas region under the neutron irradiation, by which the hydrogen isotope capturing effect can also be effected. In this way, permeation of the hydrogen isotope, contamination of the coolants, etc. can be prevented to provide great practical effectives. (Kawakami, Y.)

Infection prevention and control in outpatient settings in China-structure, resources, and basic practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Fu; Huang, Wenzhi; Zong, Zhiyong; Yin, Weijia

2018-01-25

More than 7 billion visits are made by patients to ambulatory services every year in mainland China. Healthcare-associated infections are becoming a new source of illness for outpatients. Little is known about infection prevention, control structure, resources available, and basic practices in outpatient settings. In 2014, we conducted a multisite survey. Five provinces were invited to participate based on geographic dispersion. Self-assessment questionnaires regarding the structure, infrastructure, apparatus and materials, and basic activities of infection prevention and control were issued to 25 hospitals and 5 community health centers in each province. A weight was assigned to each question according to its importance. Overall, 146 of 150 facilities (97.3%) participated in this study. The average survey score was 77.6 (95% confidence interval 75.7-79.5) and varied significantly between the different gross domestic product areas (P infection prevention and control was practiced consistently, although there were lapses in some areas. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development and testing of an algorithm to detect implantable cardioverter-defibrillator lead failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunderson, Bruce D; Gillberg, Jeffrey M; Wood, Mark A; Vijayaraman, Pugazhendhi; Shepard, Richard K; Ellenbogen, Kenneth A

2006-02-01

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) lead failures often present as inappropriate shock therapy. An algorithm that can reliably discriminate between ventricular tachyarrhythmias and noise due to lead failure may prevent patient discomfort and anxiety and avoid device-induced proarrhythmia by preventing inappropriate ICD shocks. The goal of this analysis was to test an ICD tachycardia detection algorithm that differentiates noise due to lead failure from ventricular tachyarrhythmias. We tested an algorithm that uses a measure of the ventricular intracardiac electrogram baseline to discriminate the sinus rhythm isoelectric line from the right ventricular coil-can (i.e., far-field) electrogram during oversensing of noise caused by a lead failure. The baseline measure was defined as the product of the sum (mV) and standard deviation (mV) of the voltage samples for a 188-ms window centered on each sensed electrogram. If the minimum baseline measure of the last 12 beats was algorithm to detect lead failures. The minimum baseline measure for the 24 lead failure episodes (0.28 +/- 0.34 mV-mV) was smaller than the 135 ventricular tachycardia (40.8 +/- 43.0 mV-mV, P <.0001) and 55 ventricular fibrillation episodes (19.1 +/- 22.8 mV-mV, P <.05). A minimum baseline <0.35 mV-mV threshold had a sensitivity of 83% (20/24) with a 100% (190/190) specificity. A baseline measure of the far-field electrogram had a high sensitivity and specificity to detect lead failure noise compared with ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation.

What Is New in Heart Failure Management in 2017? Update on ACC/AHA Heart Failure Guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Bozkurt, Biykem

2018-04-17

The goal of this paper is to provide a summary of the new recommendations in the most recent 2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Failure Society of America. The intent is to provide the background and the supporting evidence for the recommendations and to provide practical guidance for management strategies in treatment of heart failure patients. In the 2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of HF guidelines, important additions include new information on biomarkers, specifically on the topics of the diagnostic, prognostic role of natriuretic peptides in heart failure, and the role of natriuretic peptides in screening in patients high risk for HF and prevention of HF. There are important recommendations for treatment of patients with HF with reduced EF (HFrEF), including the beneficial role of angiotensin receptor blocker and neprilysin inhibition (ARNI) treatment in reducing outcomes including mortality, ivabradine in reducing heart failure hospitalizations in stable HFrEF patients with sinus rhythm and heart rate ≥ 70 bpm despite β-blockers. In patients with HF with preserved EF (HFpEF), though there are no studies demonstrating survival benefit, potential benefit with aldosterone antagonism in reducing HF hospitalizations is noted. In treatment of comorbidities, optimization of blood pressure control to less than 130 mmHg is recommended in hypertensive patients to prevent HF or in patients with hypertension and HFrEF or HFpEF. In addition to recognition on the potential role of treatment of iron deficiency anemia to improve symptoms and functional capacity, caution against use of adaptive servo-ventilation in patients with HFrEF and central sleep apnea and against use of erythropoietin stimulating agents in patients with HFrEF is provided. There are new treatment

Failure rate and reliability of the KOMATSU hydraulic excavator in surface limestone mine

Science.gov (United States)

Harish Kumar N., S.; Choudhary, R. P.; Murthy, Ch. S. N.

2018-04-01

The model with failure rate function of bathtub-shaped is helpful in reliability analysis of any system and particularly in reliability associated privative maintenance. The usual Weibull distribution is, however, not capable to model the complete lifecycle of the any with a bathtub-shaped failure rate function. In this paper, failure rate and reliability analysis of the KOMATSU hydraulic excavator/shovel in surface mine is presented and also to improve the reliability and decrease the failure rate of each subsystem of the shovel based on the preventive maintenance. The model of the bathtub-shaped for shovel can also be seen as a simplification of the Weibull distribution.

Decision analysis for deteriorating structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Val, Dimitri V.; Stewart, Mark G.

2005-01-01

Measures that improve durability of a structure usually increase its initial cost. Thus, in order to make a decision about a cost-effective solution the life-cycle cost of a structure including cost of structural failure needs to be considered. Due to uncertainties associated with structural properties, loads and environmental conditions the cost of structural failure is a random variable. The paper derives probability distributions of the cost of failure of a single structure and a group of identical structures when single or multiple failures are possible during the service life of a structure. The probability distributions are based on cumulative probabilities of failure of a single structure over its service life. It is assumed that failures occur at discrete points in time, the cost of failure set at the time of decision making remains constant for a particular design solution and the discount rate is a deterministic parameter not changing with time. The probability distributions can be employed to evaluate the expected life-cycle cost or the expected utility, which is then used in decision making. An example, which considers the selection of durability specifications for a reinforced concrete structure built on the coast, illustrates the use of the derived probability distributions

Between individual agency and structure in HIV prevention: understanding the middle ground of social practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kippax, Susan; Stephenson, Niamh; Parker, Richard G; Aggleton, Peter

2013-08-01

When HIV prevention targets risk and vulnerability, it focuses on individual agency and social structures, ignoring the centrality of community in effective HIV prevention. The neoliberal concept of risk assumes individuals are rational agents who act on information provided to them regarding HIV transmission. This individualistic framework does not recognize the communities in which people act and connect. The concept of vulnerability on the other hand acknowledges the social world, but mainly as social barriers that make it difficult for individuals to act. Neither approach to HIV prevention offers understanding of community practices or collective agency, both central to success in HIV prevention to date. Drawing on examples of the social transformation achieved by community action in Australia and Brazil, this article focuses on this middle ground and its role in effective HIV prevention.

Some Aspects of the Failure Mechanisms in BaTiO3-Based Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, David Donhang; Sampson, Michael J.

2012-01-01

The objective of this presentation is to gain insight into possible failure mechanisms in BaTiO3-based ceramic capacitors that may be associated with the reliability degradation that accompanies a reduction in dielectric thickness, as reported by Intel Corporation in 2010. The volumetric efficiency (microF/cm3) of a multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) has been shown to not increase limitlessly due to the grain size effect on the dielectric constant of ferroelectric ceramic BaTiO3 material. The reliability of an MLCC has been discussed with respect to its structure. The MLCCs with higher numbers of dielectric layers will pose more challenges for the reliability of dielectric material, which is the case for most base-metal-electrode (BME) capacitors. A number of MLCCs manufactured using both precious-metal-electrode (PME) and BME technology, with 25 V rating and various chip sizes and capacitances, were tested at accelerated stress levels. Most of these MLCCs had a failure behavior with two mixed failure modes: the well-known rapid dielectric wearout, and so-called 'early failures." The two failure modes can be distinguished when the testing data were presented and normalized at use-level using a 2-parameter Weibull plot. The early failures had a slope parameter of Beta >1, indicating that the early failures are not infant mortalities. Early failures are triggered due to external electrical overstress and become dominant as dielectric layer thickness decreases, accompanied by a dramatic reduction in reliability. This indicates that early failures are the main cause of the reliability degradation in MLCCs as dielectric layer thickness decreases. All of the early failures are characterized by an avalanche-like breakdown leakage current. The failures have been attributed to the extrinsic minor construction defects introduced during fabrication of the capacitors. A reliability model including dielectric thickness and extrinsic defect feature size is proposed in this

Analysis of events with common cause failures (CCF) from the international common cause failure date exchange (ICDE); Analyse von Ereignissen mit gemeinsam verursachten Ausfaellen (GVA) aus dem internationalen GVA-Datenaustauschprojekt ICDE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brueck, Benjamin; Kreuser, Albert; Simon, Julia; Stiller, Jan

2014-08-15

Common-cause-failure (CCF) events can significantly impact the availability of safety systems of nuclear power plants. In recognition of this, CCF data are systematically being collected and analyzed in several countries. A comprehensive evaluation of CCF events derived only from the operating experience in German nuclear power plants is not sufficient due to the low probability of occurrence of such events. Therefore it is necessary to make use of the operating experience of other countries using similar technology. In order to be able to use the CCF operating experience from other countries in the aim to carry on the development of the bases for evaluation of CCF GRS decisively co-initiated the setting up of an international common-cause failure working group. This working group has elaborated the project ''International Common-Cause Failure Data Exchange'' (ICDE). The project's objective is to organize a broad exchange of information concerning observed events with relevance to common-cause failures. The tasks for preparation and evaluation of information of the ICDE working group serve for confirmation and extension of the common-cause failure knowledge with regards to probabilistic safety analyses, the better understanding of causes and mechanisms of common-cause failures and the evaluation of preventive measures against the occurrence of common-cause failures. The objectives of the exchange on a long term basis are to - improve the comprehension of CCF events and their causes and their prevention, - generate qualitative insights into the root causes of CCF events which can then be used to derive and assess preventive measures against the occurrence of such events or their consequences, - establish an efficient feedback of experience gained in connection with observed common-cause failure phenomena which could be used e.g. for the development of indicators for risk based inspections, - provide quantitative information regarding the

Evaluation of the Structural Response and Failure of a Full-Scale Stitched Graphite-Epoxy Wing

Science.gov (United States)

Jegley, Dawn C.; Bush, Harold G.; Lovejoy, Andrew E.

2001-01-01

Analytical and experimental results for an all-composite full-scale wing box are presented. The wing box is representative of a section of a 220-passenger commercial transport aircraft wing box and was designed and constructed by The Boeing Company as part of the NASA Advanced Subsonics Technology (AST) program. The semi-span wing was fabricated from a graphite-epoxy material system with cover panels and spars held together using Kevlar stitches through the thickness. No mechanical fasteners were used to hold the stiffeners to the skin of the cover panels. Tests were conducted with and without low-speed impact damage, discrete source damage and repairs. Upbending, down-bending and brake roll loading conditions were applied. The structure with nonvisible impact damage carried 97% of Design Ultimate Load prior to failure through a lower cover panel access hole. Finite element and experimental results agree for the global response of the structure.

Performance Based Failure Criteria of the Base Isolation System for Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jung Han; Kim, Min Kyu; Choi, In Kil

2013-01-01

The realistic approach to evaluate the failure state of the base isolation system is necessary. From this point of view, several concerns are reviewed and discussed in this study. This is the preliminary study for the performance based risk assessment of a base isolated nuclear power plant. The items to evaluate the capacity and response of an individual base isolator and a base isolation system were briefly outlined. However, the methodology to evaluate the realistic fragility of a base isolation system still needs to be specified. For the quantification of the seismic risk for a nuclear power plant structure, the failure probabilities of the structural component for the various seismic intensity levels need to be calculated. The failure probability is evaluated as the probability when the seismic response of a structure exceeds the failure criteria. Accordingly, the failure mode of the structural system caused by an earthquake vibration should be defined first. The type of a base isolator appropriate for a nuclear power plant structure is regarded as an elastometric rubber bearing with a lead core. The failure limit of the lead-rubber bearing (LRB) is not easy to be predicted because of its high nonlinearity and a complex loading condition by an earthquake excitation. Furthermore, the failure mode of the LRB system installed below the nuclear island cannot be simply determined because the basemat can be sufficiently supported if the number of damaged isolator is not much

Renal function monitoring in heart failure - what is the optimal frequency? A narrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Naher, Ahmed; Wright, David; Devonald, Mark Alexander John; Pirmohamed, Munir

2018-01-01

The second most common cause of hospitalization due to adverse drug reactions in the UK is renal dysfunction due to diuretics, particularly in patients with heart failure, where diuretic therapy is a mainstay of treatment regimens. Therefore, the optimal frequency for monitoring renal function in these patients is an important consideration for preventing renal failure and hospitalization. This review looks at the current evidence for optimal monitoring practices of renal function in patients with heart failure according to national and international guidelines on the management of heart failure (AHA/NICE/ESC/SIGN). Current guidance of renal function monitoring is in large part based on expert opinion, with a lack of clinical studies that have specifically evaluated the optimal frequency of renal function monitoring in patients with heart failure. Furthermore, there is variability between guidelines, and recommendations are typically nonspecific. Safer prescribing of diuretics in combination with other antiheart failure treatments requires better evidence for frequency of renal function monitoring. We suggest developing more personalized monitoring rather than from the current medication-based guidance. Such flexible clinical guidelines could be implemented using intelligent clinical decision support systems. Personalized renal function monitoring would be more effective in preventing renal decline, rather than reacting to it. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Pharmacological Society.

Development of evaluation methods for impact of earthquake-induced slope failure on nearby critical structures. Analysis of behavior of collapsed rock masses using 3-D distinct element method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishimaru, Makoto; Tochigi, Hitoshi; Nakajima, Masato; Shirai, Koji

2012-01-01

Recently, importance of evaluation for impact of earthquake-induced slope failure on nearby critical structures is increasing in order to evaluate seismic stability of the slope, in addition to evaluating the possibilities of slope failure. In this study, we presented an examination flow chart to evaluate the impact on structures after slope failure. In the examination flow chart, we assumed the following four considerations; (1) evaluation of the collapse region of the slope, (2) evaluation of behavior of the collapsed rock masses, (3) evaluation of the impact on the structures, (4) examination of the countermeasures. And, for the purpose of using three dimensional distinct element method (DEM) for evaluation of behavior of the collapsed rock masses, we firstly confirmed applicability of DEM to behavior of a mass hurtling down the slope by means of comparing with the model test results. Moreover, we clarified influence of initial position or restitution coefficient of rock masses on final traveling distance of collapsed rock masses. (author)

Sequentially linear analysis for simulating brittle failure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van de Graaf, A.V.

2017-01-01

The numerical simulation of brittle failure at structural level with nonlinear finite
element analysis (NLFEA) remains a challenge due to robustness issues. We attribute these problems to the dimensions of real-world structures combined with softening behavior and negative tangent stiffness at

Experimental Assessment of Tensile Failure Characteristic for Advanced Composite Laminates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Myoung Keon [Agency for Defense Development, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jeong Won; Yoon, Dong Hyun; Kim, Jae Hoon [Chungnam Nat’l Univ., Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2017-10-15

In recent years, major airplane manufacturers have been using the laminate failure theory to estimate the strain of composite structures for airplanes. The laminate failure theory uses the failure strain of the laminate to analyze composite structures. This paper describes a procedure for the experimental assessment of laminate tensile failure characteristics. Regression analysis was used as the experimental assessment method. The regression analysis was performed with the response variable being the laminate failure strain and with the regressor variables being two-ply orientation (0° and ±45°) variables. The composite material in this study is a carbon/epoxy unidirectional (UD) tape that was cured as a pre-preg at 177°C(350°F). A total of 149 tension tests were conducted on specimens from 14 distinct laminates that were laid up at standard angle layers (0°, 45°, -45°, and 90°). The ASTM-D-3039 standard was used as the test method.

Experimental Assessment of Tensile Failure Characteristic for Advanced Composite Laminates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Myoung Keon; Lee, Jeong Won; Yoon, Dong Hyun; Kim, Jae Hoon

2017-01-01

In recent years, major airplane manufacturers have been using the laminate failure theory to estimate the strain of composite structures for airplanes. The laminate failure theory uses the failure strain of the laminate to analyze composite structures. This paper describes a procedure for the experimental assessment of laminate tensile failure characteristics. Regression analysis was used as the experimental assessment method. The regression analysis was performed with the response variable being the laminate failure strain and with the regressor variables being two-ply orientation (0° and ±45°) variables. The composite material in this study is a carbon/epoxy unidirectional (UD) tape that was cured as a pre-preg at 177°C(350°F). A total of 149 tension tests were conducted on specimens from 14 distinct laminates that were laid up at standard angle layers (0°, 45°, -45°, and 90°). The ASTM-D-3039 standard was used as the test method.

Alzheimer's disease prevention: A way forward.

Science.gov (United States)

Bermejo-Pareja, F; Llamas-Velasco, S; Villarejo-Galende, A

2016-12-01

This review proposes a more optimistic view of Alzheimer's disease (AD), in contrast to that contributed by the ageing of the population and the failure of potentially curative therapies (vaccines and others). Treatment failure is likely due to the fact that AD gestates in the brain for decades but manifests in old age. This review updates the concept of AD and presents the results of recent studies that show that primary prevention can reduce the incidence and delay the onset of the disease. Half of all cases of AD are potentially preventable through education, the control of cardiovascular risk factors, the promotion of healthy lifestyles and specific drug treatments. These approaches could substantially reduce the future incidence rate of this disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI). All rights reserved.

A Critical Review of Landslide Failure Mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Stead, D.; Wolter, A.; Clague, J. J.

2011-12-01

During the last ten years several comprehensive geotechnical studies have been completed on major historic landslides including Randa in Switzerland, Frank in Canada, Aknes in Norway, La Clapiere in France and Vaiont in Italy. In addition, numerous researchers have documented deep-seated gravitational deformations and a wide variety of large prehistoric rock slope failures. The information provided by these studies is evidence of the significant advances made in our ability to map, monitor and model landslides. Over the same period, the mining industry has developed large open pits with slope heights exceeding 1000 m that provide important analogues to high mountain slopes. In this paper we analyse data from the literature to illustrate the importance of brittle fracture, 3D controls, anisotropy, overburden stress, geomorphic processes, groundwater and temperature in major landslides and provide some indicators as to the research required to further understand the complexity of rock slope failure mechanisms. The nature of the landslide failure surface has received inadequate attention in the past, with failure surfaces typically considered in 2D and simulated as discrete, smooth and often planar features. Current work shows that failure surfaces are inherently three-dimensional and have much structural variability across the area of the landslide scarp, reflecting complex structural histories. Such anisotropy and variations may result in multiple events or distinct blocks that move at different rates. Just as most failure surfaces vary spatially, they may also change with depth and thus should more realistically be considered failure zones rather than discrete surfaces. The increasing recognition of the importance of step-path failures, internal dilation and brittle fracture are indicative of the complexity in slope failure surfaces. Related to the variation in failure surface characteristics is the importance of 3D rotational displacements and both the

Analytical method for optimization of maintenance policy based on available system failure data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coria, V.H.; Maximov, S.; Rivas-Dávalos, F.; Melchor, C.L.; Guardado, J.L.

2015-01-01

An analytical optimization method for preventive maintenance (PM) policy with minimal repair at failure, periodic maintenance, and replacement is proposed for systems with historical failure time data influenced by a current PM policy. The method includes a new imperfect PM model based on Weibull distribution and incorporates the current maintenance interval T 0 and the optimal maintenance interval T to be found. The Weibull parameters are analytically estimated using maximum likelihood estimation. Based on this model, the optimal number of PM and the optimal maintenance interval for minimizing the expected cost over an infinite time horizon are also analytically determined. A number of examples are presented involving different failure time data and current maintenance intervals to analyze how the proposed analytical optimization method for periodic PM policy performances in response to changes in the distribution of the failure data and the current maintenance interval. - Highlights: • An analytical optimization method for preventive maintenance (PM) policy is proposed. • A new imperfect PM model is developed. • The Weibull parameters are analytically estimated using maximum likelihood. • The optimal maintenance interval and number of PM are also analytically determined. • The model is validated by several numerical examples

The Roles of Corporate Governance in Bank Failures During the Recent Financial Crisis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berger, Allen N.; Imbierowicz, Björn; Rauch, Christian

2016-01-01

We analyze the roles of bank ownership, management, and compensation structures in bank failures during the recent financial crisis. Our results suggest that failures are strongly influenced by ownership structure: high shareholdings of lower-level management and non-chief executive officer (non......-CEO) higher-level management increase failure risk significantly. In contrast, shareholdings of banks’ CEOs do not have a direct impact on bank failure. These findings suggest that high stakes in the bank induce non-CEO managers to take high risks due to moral hazard incentives, which may result in bank...... failure. We identify tail risk in noninterest income as a primary risk-taking channel of lower-level managers....

Main factors for fatigue failure probability of pipes subjected to fluid thermal fluctuation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machida, Hideo; Suzuki, Masaaki; Kasahara, Naoto

2015-01-01

It is very important to grasp failure probability and failure mode appropriately to carry out risk reduction measures of nuclear power plants. To clarify the important factors for failure probability and failure mode of pipes subjected to fluid thermal fluctuation, failure probability analyses were performed by changing the values of a stress range, stress ratio, stress components and threshold of stress intensity factor range. The important factors for the failure probability are range, stress ratio (mean stress condition) and threshold of stress intensity factor range. The important factor for the failure mode is a circumferential angle range of fluid thermal fluctuation. When a large fluid thermal fluctuation acts on the entire circumferential surface of the pipe, the probability of pipe breakage increases, calling for measures to prevent such a failure and reduce the risk to the plant. When the circumferential angle subjected to fluid thermal fluctuation is small, the failure mode of piping is leakage and the corrective maintenance might be applicable from the viewpoint of risk to the plant. (author)

Albania’s Transformation since 1997: Successes and Failures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jusufi Islam

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In 1997 Albania experienced a collapse of order and widespread violence, which resulted in a situation where the government was overthrown and some 2,000 people were killed. The 1997 disorder came as a result of the collapse of fraudulent financial pyramid schemes that had all the features of a war-like economic structure. During the 1997 events, large-scale confiscation and stealing of state assets occurred. Albania’s transitional period from communism to democracy, which began in 1990, led to the establishment of new structures for profiting from the country’s resources. Some of these political and economic structures, in the aftermath of the 1997 events, disappeared and others, including their structural effects, persist and have had an impact on the country’s political stability and economic progress. Today, both the successes and failures of the country are assessed based on the progress that the country has made since the 1997 events. The paper analyses the 1997 events and the transformation of Albania’s political and economic structures between 1997 and 2016, considering both achievements and failures. It looks at how the country has dealt with the post-1997 peace-building and development agenda from the perspective of it being a success. It looks at the factors that led to state failure in 1997 and at the factors that continue and have generated a path dependency to the current political context of the country. Although a lot has been written concerning the 1997 events, very little analysis has been conducted concerning what it means from the perspective of research on state failure. In this context, the proposed paper seeks to offer Albania as a case study example of a transformation process, from the uprising to the current situation, which is characterized as a mixture of successes and failures. The belief is that the proposed paper will point to some lessons learned for the strategies directed at the transformation processes.

Con Edison power failure of July 13 and 14, 1977. Final staff report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1978-06-01

On July 13, 1977 the entire electric load of the Con Edison system was lost, plunging New York City and Westchester County into darkness. The collapse resulted from a combination of natural events, equipment malfunctions, questionable system-design features, and operating errors. An attempt is made in this report to answer the following: what were the specific causes of the failure; if equipment malfunctions and operator errors contributed, could they have been prevented; to what extent was Con Edison prepared to handle such an emergency; and did Con Edison plan prudently reserve generation, for reserve transmission capability, for automatic equipment to protect its system, and for proper operator response to a critical situation. Following the introductory and summary section, additional sections include: the Consolidated Edison system; prevention of bulk power-supply interruptions; the sequence of failure and restoration; analysis of the July 1977 power failure; restoration sequence and equipment damage assessment; and other investigations of the blackout. (MCW)

Actions of female sex workers who experience male condom failure during penetrative sexual encounters with clients in Cape Town: Implications for HIV prevention strategies

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

Background Condom failure has always been found to coexist with condom usage, especially among sex workers. Objective To describe the actions of female sex workers when they are faced with situations of condom failure. Methods Using the survey design, the participants were selected through the snowball sampling method. Their responses were obtained using a structured questionnaire. A total of 100 questionnaires were analysed. Results With respect to the immediate actions of sex workers after condom failure, 36% of the respondents continued with the sexual encounter after noticing that the condom was broken. Another 36% stopped immediately when they noticed that the condom had failed, but replaced the condom; 13% of the participants stopped the sexual encounter completely; 3% applied vaginal spermicidal foam; and 5% of the respondents stopped immediately and took a douche when they had the chance. For the actions within the next 24 hours of experiencing condom failure with a client, 53% of the participants did nothing; 4% sought counsel from a professional; 3% of the respondents took alcohol or drugs to forget the incident, 25% went to the clinic for assistance and 8% offered other responses. Conclusion While continuing the sexual encounter without replacing the condom, taking alcohol and drugs or doing nothing could increase the risk of contracting HIV; however, actions like stopping the sexual encounter completely and visiting a clinic or a professional could make a difference between staying HIV negative or seroconverting. There is a need for targeted intervention to address issues of inappropriate behaviours after experiencing condom failure. PMID:29568633

3D printed, bio-inspired prototypes and analytical models for structured suture interfaces with geometrically-tuned deformation and failure behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Erica; Li, Yaning; Ortiz, Christine; Boyce, Mary C.

2014-12-01

Geometrically structured interfaces in nature possess enhanced, and often surprising, mechanical properties, and provide inspiration for materials design. This paper investigates the mechanics of deformation and failure mechanisms of suture interface designs through analytical models and experiments on 3D printed polymer physical prototypes. Suture waveforms with generalized trapezoidal geometries (trapezoidal, rectangular, anti-trapezoidal, and triangular) are studied and characterized by several important geometric parameters: the presence or absence of a bonded tip region, the tip angle, and the geometry. It is shown that a wide range (in some cases as great as an order of magnitude) in stiffness, strength, and toughness is achievable dependent on tip bonding, tip angle, and geometry. Suture interfaces with a bonded tip region exhibit a higher initial stiffness due to the greater load bearing by the skeletal teeth, a double peak in the stress-strain curve corresponding to the failure of the bonded tip and the failure of the slanted interface region or tooth, respectively, and an additional failure and toughening mechanism due to the failure of the bonded tip. Anti-trapezoidal geometries promote the greatest amplification of properties for suture interfaces with a bonded tip due the large tip interface area. The tip angle and geometry govern the stress distributions in the teeth and the ratio of normal to shear stresses in the interfacial layers, which together determine the failure mechanism of the interface and/or the teeth. Rectangular suture interfaces fail by simple shearing of the interfaces. Trapezoidal and triangular suture interfaces fail by a combination of shear and tensile normal stresses in the interface, leading to plastic deformation, cavitation events, and subsequent stretching of interface ligaments with mostly elastic deformation in the teeth. Anti-trapezoidal suture interfaces with small tip angles have high stress concentrations in the teeth

Genetic determinants of heart failure: facts and numbers.

Science.gov (United States)

Czepluch, Frauke S; Wollnik, Bernd; Hasenfuß, Gerd

2018-06-01

The relevance of gene mutations leading to heart diseases and hence heart failure has become evident. The risk for and the course of heart failure depends on genomic variants and mutations underlying the so-called genetic predisposition. Genetic contribution to heart failure is highly heterogenous and complex. For any patient with a likely inherited heart failure syndrome, genetic counselling is recommended and important. In the last few years, novel sequencing technologies (named next-generation sequencing - NGS) have dramatically improved the availability of molecular testing, the efficiency of genetic analyses, and moreover reduced the cost for genetic testing. Due to this development, genetic testing has become increasingly accessible and NGS-based sequencing is now applied in clinical routine diagnostics. One of the most common reasons of heart failure are cardiomyopathies such as the dilated or the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Nearly 100 disease-associated genes have been identified for cardiomyopathies. The knowledge of a pathogenic mutation can be used for genetic counselling, risk and prognosis determination, therapy guidance and hence for a more effective treatment. Besides, family cascade screening for a known familial, pathogenic mutation can lead to an early diagnosis in affected individuals. At that timepoint, a preventative intervention could be used to avoid or delay disease onset or delay disease progression. Understanding the cellular basis of genetic heart failure syndromes in more detail may provide new insights into the molecular biology of physiological and impaired cardiac (cell) function. As our understanding of the molecular and genetic pathophysiology of heart failure will increase, this might help to identify novel therapeutic targets and may lead to the development of new and specific treatment options in patients with heart failure. © 2018 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European

Concepts for measuring maintenance performance and methods for analysing competing failure modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooke, Roger; Paulsen, Jette

1997-01-01

Measurement of maintenance performance is done on the basis of component history data in which service sojourns are distinguished according to whether they terminate in corrective or preventive maintenance. From the viewpoint of data analysis, corrective and preventive maintenance constitute competing failure nudes. This article examines ways to assess maintenance performance without introducing statistical assumptions, then introduces a plausible statistical model for describing the interaction of preventive and corrective maintenance, and finally illustrates these with examples from the Nordic TUD data system

Hypertension as a risk factor for heart failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Kannan, Arun; Janardhanan, Rajesh

2014-07-01

Hypertension remains a significant risk factor for development of congestive heart failure CHF), with various mechanisms contributing to both systolic and diastolic dysfunction. The pathogenesis of myocardial changes includes structural remodeling, left ventricular hypertrophy, and fibrosis. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system and renin-angiotensin system is a key contributing factor of hypertension, and thus interventions that antagonize these systems promote regression of hypertrophy and heart failure. Control of blood pressure is of paramount importance in improving the prognosis of patients with heart failure.

Hippo pathway deficiency reverses systolic heart failure after infarction.

Science.gov (United States)

Leach, John P; Heallen, Todd; Zhang, Min; Rahmani, Mahdis; Morikawa, Yuka; Hill, Matthew C; Segura, Ana; Willerson, James T; Martin, James F

2017-10-12

Mammalian organs vary widely in regenerative capacity. Poorly regenerative organs, such as the heart are particularly vulnerable to organ failure. Once established, heart failure commonly results in mortality. The Hippo pathway, a kinase cascade that prevents adult cardiomyocyte proliferation and regeneration, is upregulated in human heart failure. Here we show that deletion of the Hippo pathway component Salvador (Salv) in mouse hearts with established ischaemic heart failure after myocardial infarction induces a reparative genetic program with increased scar border vascularity, reduced fibrosis, and recovery of pumping function compared with controls. Using translating ribosomal affinity purification, we isolate cardiomyocyte-specific translating messenger RNA. Hippo-deficient cardiomyocytes have increased expression of proliferative genes and stress response genes, such as the mitochondrial quality control gene, Park2. Genetic studies indicate that Park2 is essential for heart repair, suggesting a requirement for mitochondrial quality control in regenerating myocardium. Gene therapy with a virus encoding Salv short hairpin RNA improves heart function when delivered at the time of infarct or after ischaemic heart failure following myocardial infarction was established. Our findings indicate that the failing heart has a previously unrecognized reparative capacity involving more than cardiomyocyte renewal.

Snow fracture: From micro-cracking to global failure

Science.gov (United States)

Capelli, Achille; Reiweger, Ingrid; Schweizer, Jürg

2017-04-01

stresses at a small scale. The healing process may then have prevented the self-organization of this small scale damage and, therefore, the total failure of the sample.

Failure Forecasting in Triaxially Stressed Sandstones

Science.gov (United States)

Crippen, A.; Bell, A. F.; Curtis, A.; Main, I. G.

2017-12-01

Precursory signals to fracturing events have been observed to follow power-law accelerations in spatial, temporal, and size distributions leading up to catastrophic failure. In previous studies this behavior was modeled using Voight's relation of a geophysical precursor in order to perform `hindcasts' by solving for failure onset time. However, performing this analysis in retrospect creates a bias, as we know an event happened, when it happened, and we can search data for precursors accordingly. We aim to remove this retrospective bias, thereby allowing us to make failure forecasts in real-time in a rock deformation laboratory. We triaxially compressed water-saturated 100 mm sandstone cores (Pc= 25MPa, Pp = 5MPa, σ = 1.0E-5 s-1) to the point of failure while monitoring strain rate, differential stress, AEs, and continuous waveform data. Here we compare the current `hindcast` methods on synthetic and our real laboratory data. We then apply these techniques to increasing fractions of the data sets to observe the evolution of the failure forecast time with precursory data. We discuss these results as well as our plan to mitigate false positives and minimize errors for real-time application. Real-time failure forecasting could revolutionize the field of hazard mitigation of brittle failure processes by allowing non-invasive monitoring of civil structures, volcanoes, and possibly fault zones.

Update on Simulating Ice-Cliff Failure

Science.gov (United States)

Parizek, B. R.; Christianson, K. A.; Alley, R. B.; Voytenko, D.; Vankova, I.; Dixon, T. H.; Walker, R. T.; Holland, D.

2017-12-01

Using a 2D full-Stokes diagnostic ice-flow model and engineering and glaciological failure criteria, we simulate the limiting physical conditions for rapid structural failure of subaerial ice cliffs. Previously, using a higher-order flowline model, we reported that the threshold height, in crevassed ice and/or under favorable conditions for hydrofracture or crack lubrication, may be only slightly above the 100-m maximum observed today and that under well-drained or low-melt conditions, mechanically-competent ice supports cliff heights up to 220 m (with a likely range of 180-275 m) before ultimately succumbing to tensional and compressive failure along a listric surface. However, proximal to calving fronts, bridging effects lead to variations in vertical normal stress from the background glaciostatic stress state that give rise to the along-flow gradients in vertical shear stress that are included within a full-Stokes momentum balance. When including all flowline stresses within the physics core, diagnostic solutions continue to support our earlier findings that slumping failure ultimately limits the upper bound for cliff heights. Shear failure still requires low cohesive strength, tensile failure leads to deeper dry-crevasse propagation (albeit, less than halfway through the cliff), and compressive failure drops the threshold height for triggering rapid ice-front retreat via slumping to 200 m (145-280 m).

Effects of intravenous home dobutamine in palliative end-stage heart failure on quality of life, heart failure hospitalization, and cost expenditure.

Science.gov (United States)

Martens, Pieter; Vercammen, Jan; Ceyssens, Wendy; Jacobs, Linda; Luwel, Evert; Van Aerde, Herwig; Potargent, Peter; Renaers, Monique; Dupont, Matthias; Mullens, Wilfried

2018-01-17

In patients with palliative end-stage heart failure, interventions that could provide symptomatic relief and prevent hospital admissions are important. Ambulatory continuous intravenous inotropes have been advocated by guidelines for such a purpose. We sought to determine the effect of intravenous dobutamine on symptomatic status, hospital stay, mortality, and cost expenditure. All consecutive end-stage heart failure patients not amenable for advanced therapies and discharged with continuous intravenous home dobutamine from a single tertiary centre between April 2011 and January 2017 were retrospectively analysed. Dobutamine (fixed dose) was infused through a single-lumen central venous catheter with a small pump that was refilled by a nurse on a daily basis. Symptomatic status was longitudinally assessed as the change in New York Heart Association class and patient global assessment scale. Antecedent and incident heart failure hospitalizations were determined in a paired fashion, and cost impact was assessed. A total of 21 patients (age 77 ± 9 years) were followed up for 869 ± 647 days. At first follow-up (6 ± 1 weeks) after the initiation of dobutamine, patients had a significant improvement in New York Heart Association class (-1.29 ± 0.64; P heart failure hospitalizations assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months were significantly reduced (P heart failure hospitalizations over the same time period. Cost expenditure was significantly lower at 3 (P heart failure is feasible and associated with improved symptomatic status, heart failure hospitalizations, and health-care-related costs. Nevertheless, results should be interpreted in the context of the small and retrospective design. Larger studies are necessary to evaluate the effect of dobutamine in palliative end-stage heart failure. © 2018 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.

Study of simple CFRP-metal joint failure

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Jingquan; Rodriguez, Antonio; Emerson, Nicolas; Symmes, Arthur

2008-07-01

In millimeter wavelength telescope design and construction, there have been a number of mysterious failures of simple CFRF-metal joints. Telescope designers have not had satisfactory interpretations of these failures. In this paper, factors which may influence the failure of joints are discussed. These include stress concentration, material creep, joint fatigue, reasons related to chemical process and manufacture process. Extrapolation formulas for material creep, joint fatigue, and differential thermal stresses are derived in this paper. Detailed chemical and manufacturing factors are also discussed. All these issues are the causes of a number of early failures under a loading which is significantly lower than the strength of adhesives used. For ensuring reliability of a precision instrument structure joint, the designer should have a thorough understanding of all these factors.

Automated derivation of failure symptoms for diagnosis of nuclear plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Washio, T.; Kitamura, M.; Kotajima, K.; Sugiyama, K.

1986-01-01

A method of automated derivation of failure symptoms was developed as an approach to computer-aided failure diagnosis in a nuclear power plant. The automated derivation is realized using a knowledge representation called the semantic network (S-net). The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the applicability of the S-net representation as a basic tool for deriving failure symptoms. If one can generate symptoms automatically, the computer-aided plant safety analysis and diagnosis can be performed easily by evaluating the influence of the failures on the whole plant. A specific description format called a 'network list' was introduced to implement the knowledge of the structure of the plant. The failure symptoms are derived automatically, based on the knowledge of the structure of the plant, using a PROLOG-based database handling system. This approach allows us to derive the failure symptoms of the plant without using conventional event-chain models (e.g. a cause-consequence tree) which are subject to human errors in their design and implementation. Applicability of this method was evaluated with a simulation model of the dynamics of the secondary system of a PWR. (author)

The Failure Envelope Concept Applied To The Bone-Dental Implant System.

Science.gov (United States)

Korabi, R; Shemtov-Yona, K; Dorogoy, A; Rittel, D

2017-05-17

Dental implants interact with the jawbone through their common interface. While the implant is an inert structure, the jawbone is a living one that reacts to mechanical stimuli. Setting aside mechanical failure considerations of the implant, the bone is the main component to be addressed. With most failure criteria being expressed in terms of stress or strain values, their fulfillment can mean structural flow or fracture. However, in addition to those effects, the bony structure is likely to react biologically to the applied loads by dissolution or remodeling, so that additional (strain-based) criteria must be taken into account. While the literature abounds in studies of particular loading configurations, e.g. angle and value of the applied load to the implant, a general study of the admissible implant loads is still missing. This paper introduces the concept of failure envelopes for the dental implant-jawbone system, thereby defining admissible combinations of vertical and lateral loads for various failure criteria of the jawbone. Those envelopes are compared in terms of conservatism, thereby providing a systematic comparison of the various failure criteria and their determination of the admissible loads.

Structural and process factors affecting the implementation of antimicrobial resistance prevention and control strategies in U.S. hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Ann F; Yano, Elizabeth M; McCoy, Kimberly D; Willis, Deanna R; Doebbeling, Bradley N

2008-01-01

To address increases in the incidence of infection with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proposed two sets of strategies to (a) optimize antibiotic use and (b) prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance and control transmission. However, little is known about the implementation of these strategies. Our objective is to explore organizational structural and process factors that facilitate the implementation of National Foundation for Infectious Diseases/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strategies in U.S. hospitals. We surveyed 448 infection control professionals from a national sample of hospitals. Clinically anchored in the Donabedian model that defines quality in terms of structural and process factors, with the structural domain further informed by a contingency approach, we modeled the degree to which National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strategies were implemented as a function of formalization and standardization of protocols, centralization of decision-making hierarchy, information technology capabilities, culture, communication mechanisms, and interdepartmental coordination, controlling for hospital characteristics. Formalization, standardization, centralization, institutional culture, provider-management communication, and information technology use were associated with optimal antibiotic use and enhanced implementation of strategies that prevent and control antimicrobial resistance spread (all p prevention and control (p support these organizational processes. These findings suggest concrete strategies for evaluating current capabilities to implement effective practices and foster and sustain a culture of patient safety.

The Roles of Corporate Governance in Bank Failures During the Recent Financial Crisis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berger, Allen N.; Imbierowicz, Björn; Rauch, Christian

2016-01-01

We analyze the roles of bank ownership, management, and compensation structures in bank failures during the recent financial crisis. Our results suggest that failures are strongly influenced by ownership structure: high shareholdings of lower-level management and non-chief executive officer (non-...

Improving medication titration in heart failure by embedding a structured medication titration plan.

Science.gov (United States)

Hickey, Annabel; Suna, Jessica; Marquart, Louise; Denaro, Charles; Javorsky, George; Munns, Andrew; Mudge, Alison; Atherton, John J

2016-12-01

To improve up-titration of medications to target dose in heart failure patients by improving communication from hospital to primary care. This quality improvement project was undertaken within three heart failure disease management (HFDM) services in Queensland, Australia. A structured medication plan was collaboratively designed and implemented in an iterative manner, using methods including awareness raising and education, audit and feedback, integration into existing work practice, and incentive payments. Evaluation was undertaken using sequential audits, and included process measures (use of the titration plan, assignment of responsibility) and outcome measures (proportion of patients achieving target dose) in HFDM service patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Comparison of the three patient cohorts (pre-intervention cohort A n=96, intervention cohort B n=95, intervention cohort C n=89) showed increase use of the titration plan, a shift to greater primary care responsibility for titration, and an increase in the proportion of patients achieving target doses of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEI/ARB) (A 37% vs B 48% vs C 55%, p=0.051) and beta-blockers (A 38% vs B 33% vs C 51%, p=0.045). Combining all three cohorts, patients not on target doses when discharged from hospital were more likely to achieve target doses of ACEI/ARB (pplan. A medication titration plan was successfully implemented in three HFDM services and improved transitional communication and achievement of target doses of evidence-based therapies within six months of hospital discharge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Statistical evaluation of failures and repairs of the V-1 measuring and control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laurinec, R.; Korec, J.; Mitosinka, J.; Zarnovican, V.

1984-01-01

A failure record card system was introduced for evaluating the reliability of the measurement and control equipment of the V-1 nuclear power plant. The SPU-800 microcomputer system is used for recording data on magnetic tape and their transmission to the central data processing department. The data are used for evaluating the reliability of components and circuits and a selection is made of the most failure-prone components, and the causes of failures are evaluated as are failure identification, repair and causes of outages. The system provides monthly, annual and total assessment data since the system was commissioned. The results of the statistical evaluation of failures are used for planning preventive maintenance and for determining optimal repair intervals. (E.S.)

McDonald Generalized Linear Failure Rate Distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibrahim Elbatal

2014-10-01

Full Text Available We introduce in this paper a new six-parameters generalized version of the generalized linear failure rate (GLFR distribution which is called McDonald Generalized Linear failure rate (McGLFR distribution. The new distribution is quite flexible and can be used effectively in modeling survival data and reliability problems. It can have a constant, decreasing, increasing, and upside down bathtub-and bathtub shaped failure rate function depending on its parameters. It includes some well-known lifetime distributions as special sub-models. Some structural properties of the new distribution are studied. Moreover we discuss maximum likelihood estimation of the unknown parameters of the new model.

Basic concepts in metal work failure after metastatic spine tumour surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Naresh; Patel, Ravish; Wadhwa, Anshuja Charvi; Kumar, Aravind; Milavec, Helena Maria; Sonawane, Dhiraj; Singh, Gurpal; Benneker, Lorin Michael

2018-04-01

The development of spinal implants marks a watershed in the evolution of metastatic spine tumour surgery (MSTS), which has evolved from standalone decompressive laminectomy to instrumented stabilization and decompression with reconstruction when necessary. Fusion may not be feasible after MSTS due to poor quality of graft host bed along with adjunct chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy postoperatively. With an increase in the survival of patients with spinal tumours, there is a probability of an increase in the rate of implant failure. This review aims to help establish a clear understanding of implants/constructs used in MSTS and to highlight the fundamental biomechanics of implant/construct failures. Published literature on implant failure after spine surgery and MSTS has been reviewed. The evolution of spinal implants and their role in MSTS has been briefly described. The review defines implant/construct failures using radiological parameters that are practical, feasible, and derived from historical descriptions. We have discussed common modes of implant/construct failure after MSTS to allow further understanding, interception, and prevention of catastrophic failure. Implant failure rates in MSTS are in the range of 2-8%. Variability in patterns of failure has been observed based on anatomical region and the type of constructs used. Patients with construct/implant failures may or may not be symptomatic and present either as early (failures (> 3months). It has been noted that not all the implant failures after MSTS result in revisions. Based on the observed radiological criteria and clinical presentations, we have proposed a clinico-radiological classification for implant/construct failure after MSTS.

Vitamin B1 analog benfotiamine prevents diabetes-induced diastolic dysfunction and heart failure through Akt/Pim-1-mediated survival pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Katare, Rajesh G; Caporali, Andrea; Oikawa, Atsuhiko; Meloni, Marco; Emanueli, Costanza; Madeddu, Paolo

2010-03-01

The increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus will result in a new epidemic of heart failure unless novel treatments able to halt diabetic cardiomyopathy early in its course are introduced. This study aimed to determine whether the activity of the Akt/Pim-1 signaling pathway is altered at critical stages of diabetic cardiomyopathy and whether supplementation with vitamin B1 analog benfotiamine (BFT) helps to sustain the above prosurvival mechanism, thereby preserving cardiomyocyte viability and function. Untreated streptozotocin-induced type 1 or leptin-receptor mutant type 2 diabetic mice showed diastolic dysfunction evolving to contractile impairment and cardiac dilatation and failure. BFT (70 mg/kg(-1)/d(-1)) improved diastolic and systolic function and prevented left ventricular end-diastolic pressure increase and chamber dilatation in both diabetic models. Moreover, BFT improved cardiac perfusion and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and interstitial fibrosis. In hearts of untreated diabetic mice, the expression and activity of Akt/Pim-1 signaling declined along with O-N-acetylglucosamine modification of Akt, inhibition of pentose phosphate pathway, activation of oxidative stress, and accumulation of glycation end products. Furthermore, diabetes reduced pSTAT3 independently of Akt. BFT inhibited these effects of diabetes mellitus, thereby conferring cardiomyocytes with improved resistance to high glucose-induced damage. The phosphoinositide-3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 and dominant-negative Akt inhibited antiapoptotic action of BFT-induced and Pim-1 upregulation in high glucose-challenged cardiomyocytes. These results show that BFT protects from diabetes mellitus-induced cardiac dysfunction through pleiotropic mechanisms, culminating in the activation of prosurvival signaling pathway. Thus, BFT merits attention for application in clinical practice.

Flipping the Mindset: Reframing Fear and Failure to Catalyze Development

Science.gov (United States)

Boyd, Diane E.; Baudier, Josie; Stromie, Traci

2015-01-01

Despite the attempts to target success and predisposition to taking risks to promote innovation, sometimes educational developers encounter moments where they fail to meet expectations set forth--by their institutions, colleagues, or themselves. Attempts to avoid potential failures can stymie the creative process, preventing them from meeting…

Framing Failures in Wood-Frame Hip Roofs under Extreme Wind Loads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah A. Stevenson

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Wood-frame residential roof failures are among the most common and expensive types of wind damage. Hip roofs are commonly understood to be more resilient during extreme wind in relation to gable roofs. However, inspection of damage survey data from recent tornadoes has revealed a previously unstudied failure mode in which hip roofs suffer partial failure of the framing structure. In the current study, evidence of partial framing failures and statistics of their occurrence are explored and discussed, while the common roof design and construction practice are reviewed. Two-dimensional finite element models are developed to estimate the element-level load effects on hip roof trusses and stick-frame components. The likelihood of failure in each member is defined based on relative demand-to-capacity ratios. Trussed and stick-frame structures are compared to assess the relative performance of the two types of construction. The present analyses verify the common understanding that toenailed roof-to-wall connections are likely to be the most vulnerable elements in the structure of a wood-frame hip roof. However, the results also indicate that certain framing members and connections display significant vulnerability under the same wind uplift, and the possibility of framing failure is not to be discounted. Furthermore, in the case where the roof-to-wall connection uses hurricane straps, certain framing members and joints become the likely points of failure initiation. The analysis results and damage survey observations are used to expand the understanding of wood-frame residential roof failures, as they relate to the Enhanced Fujita Scale and provide assessment of potential gaps in residential design codes.

X-framework: Space system failure analysis framework

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, John Steven

failures, and generating better and more consistent reports. Through this approach failures can be more fully understood, existing programs can be evaluated and future failures avoided. The x-fw development involved a review of the historical failure analysis and prevention literature, coupled with examination of numerous failure case studies. Analytical approaches included use of a relational failure "knowledge base" for classification and sorting of x-fw elements and attributes for each case. In addition a novel "management mapping" technique was developed as a means of displaying an integrated snapshot of indirect causes within the management chain. Further research opportunities will extend the depth of knowledge available for many of the component level cases. In addition, the x-fw has the potential to expand the scope of space sector lessons learned, and contribute to knowledge management and organizational learning.

Strength and Failure Mechanism of Composite-Steel Adhesive Bond Single Lap Joints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Wei

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics- (CFRP- steel single lap joints with regard to tensile loading with two levels of adhesives and four levels of overlap lengths were experimentally analyzed and numerically simulated. Both joint strength and failure mechanism were found to be highly dependent on adhesive type and overlap length. Joints with 7779 structural adhesive were more ductile and produced about 2-3 kN higher failure load than MA830 structural adhesive. Failure load with the two adhesives increased about 147 N and 176 N, respectively, with increasing 1 mm of the overlap length. Cohesion failure was observed in both types of adhesive joints. As the overlap length increased, interface failure appeared solely on the edge of the overlap in 7779 adhesive joints. Finite element analysis (FEA results revealed that peel and shear stress distributions were nonuniform, which were less severe as overlap length increased. Severe stress concentration was observed on the overlap edge, and shear failure of the adhesive was the main reason for the adhesive failure.

Definition of ACLF and inclusion criteria for extra-hepatic organ failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaojing; Sarin, Shiv Kumar; Ning, Qin

2015-07-01

A prominent characteristic of ACLF is rapid hepatic disease progression with subsequent extra-hepatic organ failure, manifesting as either hepatic coma or hepatorenal syndrome, which is associated with a high mortality rate in a short time. The APASL definition mainly emphasizes recognizing patients with hepatic failure. These patients may subsequently develop extra-hepatic multisystem organ failure leading to high mortality. It is therefore worthwhile to identify the short interim period between the development of liver failure and the onset of extra-hepatic organ failure, the potential therapeutic 'golden window.' Interventions during this period may prevent the development of complications and eventually change the course of the illness. Organ failure is suggested to be a central component of ACLF and may behave differently from chronic decompensated liver disease. Clear and practical criteria for the inclusion of organ failure are urgently needed so that patients with these life-threatening complications can be treated in a timely and appropriate manner. Recent studies suggested that the scoring systems evaluating organ failure [acute physiology, age and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores] work better than those addressing the severity of liver disease [Child-Pugh and model of end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores] in ACLF. However, a key problem remains that the former scoring systems are reflective of organ failure and not predictive, thus limiting their value as an early indication for intervention.

Assessing the impact of heart failure specialist services on patient populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lyratzopoulos Georgios

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The assessment of the impact of healthcare interventions may help commissioners of healthcare services to make optimal decisions. This can be particularly the case if the impact assessment relates to specific patient populations and uses timely local data. We examined the potential impact on readmissions and mortality of specialist heart failure services capable of delivering treatments such as b-blockers and Nurse-Led Educational Intervention (N-LEI. Methods Statistical modelling of prevented or postponed events among previously hospitalised patients, using estimates of: treatment uptake and contraindications (based on local audit data; treatment effectiveness and intolerance (based on literature; and annual number of hospitalization per patient and annual risk of death (based on routine data. Results Optimal treatment uptake among eligible but untreated patients would over one year prevent or postpone 11% of all expected readmissions and 18% of all expected deaths for spironolactone, 13% of all expected readmisisons and 22% of all expected deaths for b-blockers (carvedilol and 20% of all expected readmissions and an uncertain number of deaths for N-LEI. Optimal combined treatment uptake for all three interventions during one year among all eligible but untreated patients would prevent or postpone 37% of all expected readmissions and a minimum of 36% of all expected deaths. Conclusion In a population of previously hospitalised patients with low previous uptake of b-blockers and no uptake of N-LEI, optimal combined uptake of interventions through specialist heart failure services can potentially help prevent or postpone approximately four times as many readmissions and a minimum of twice as many deaths compared with simply optimising uptake of spironolactone (not necessarily requiring specialist services. Examination of the impact of different heart failure interventions can inform rational planning of relevant healthcare

Assessing the impact of heart failure specialist services on patient populations.