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Determination of Dynamic Properties of Fine-Grained Soils at High Cyclic Strains.
Get PDFShear modulus (SM) and damping ratio (DR) are significant in seismic design and the performance of geotechnical systems. The evaluation of soil reactions to dynamic loads, such as earthquakes, blasts, train, and traffic vibrations, necessitates the estimation of dynamic SM and DR. The aim of this research is to determine the cyclic parameters of unsaturated soils in and around Peshawar, and how these properties depend upon the varied confining pressures and shear strains. Undisturbed samples were collected using Shelby tubes from five boreholes at different locations along Jamrud Road, Peshawar. The index properties (grain size distribution, plasticity index, and specific gravity) and dynamic properties of these samples were determined. Three samples of 100 mm in height and 50 mm in diameter were obtained from each Shelby tube. After preparing and mounting the sample in the triaxial cell, the sample is first saturated by increasing the cell and back pressures in increments of 50 kPa until the value of Skempton’s pore pressure parameter (B) reaches ≥ 0.96. Samples were consolidated at confining pressures of 150, 200, and 300 kPa, then subjected to cyclic shear strains of 0.2, 1, 2, 2.5, and 5%. Shear stress–strain hysteresis loops were plotted, and the values of SM and DR were calculated for each cycle. Generally, at shear strains of 0.2 and 1%, the slope of the loops is steep, and gradually becomes gentler at higher strains of 2, 2.5, and 5%. It is found that, with an increasing number of cycles, the SM and DR decrease. The SM decreases with increasing shear strain, whereas the DR increases at shear strains of 0.2–1%, then decreases for strains of 2, 2.5, and 5%. The confining pressure has more influence at a shear strain of 0.2–1%, while little effect has been observed at a shear strain of 2.2–5%. The values of SM are higher at higher confining pressures at a given shear strain. The results show higher stress values during the initial cycles because of the greater effective stress that developed in response to shear strain while, with an increase in the number of cycles, the pore water pressure gradually increases, thereby reducing the effective stress and weakening the bonds between soil particles. In dynamics, when the confining pressure increases, particles are closer to contact, so the travel paths of waves increase. The energy loss will increase, so DR will decrease
Predicting Energy Consumption in Residential Buildings Using Advanced Machine Learning Algorithms
Get PDFThe share of residential building energy consumption in global energy consumption has rapidly increased after the COVID-19 crisis. The accurate prediction of energy consumption under different indoor and outdoor conditions is an essential step towards improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon footprints in the residential building sector. In this paper, a PSO-optimized random forest classification algorithm is proposed to identify the most important factors contributing to residential heating energy consumption. A self-organizing map (SOM) approach is applied for feature dimensionality reduction, and an ensemble classification model based on the stacking method is trained on the dimensionality-reduced data. The results show that the stacking model outperforms the other models with an accuracy of 95.4% in energy consumption prediction. Finally, a causal inference method is introduced in addition to Shapley Additive Explanation (SHAP) to explore and analyze the factors influencing energy consumption. A clear causal relationship between water pipe temperature changes, air temperature, and building energy consumption is found, compensating for the neglect of temperature in the SHAP analysis. The findings of this research can help residential building owners/managers make more informed decisions around the selection of efficient heating management systems to save on energy bills
“There Was An Old Lady, She’s Dead”: Reflections on Britishness, Englishness, and What We Do Well
Get PDFDisturbed and distanced by the media’s entrenched narrative that a funeral and pageantry is what we do well (in the United Kingdom), this performance uses the framing of the children’s rhyme, I know an old lady who swallowed a fly to interrogate social identities through aspects of culture that cements a vision of Britain that is archaic, hegemonic, elitist, and upholds a class system alongside lesser well-known values that tell a different story
Associations of frailty with partial and absolute sedentary behaviours among older adults: A STROBE-compliant analysis of modifiability by gender and age
Get PDFBackground
Research shows that frailty is associated with higher sedentary behaviour, but the evidence to date regarding this association is inconclusive. This study assessed whether the above association is moderated or modified by gender and age, with sedentary behaviour measured with a more inclusive method.
Methods
This study adopted a STROBE-compliant cross-sectional design with sensitivity analyses and measures against common methods bias. The participants were community-dwelling older adults (mean age = 66 years) in two Ghanaian towns. A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect data from 1005 participants after the minimum sample size necessary was calculated. The hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to analyse the data.
Results
After adjusting for the ultimate confounders, frailty was associated with higher sedentary behaviour (β = 0.14; t = 2.93; p <0.05) as well as partial and absolute sedentary behaviour. Gender modified the above associations in the sense that frailty was more strongly associated with sedentary behaviour among women, compared with men. Age also modified the association between frailty and sedentary behaviour, which suggests that frailty was more strongly associated with higher sedentary behaviour at a higher age.
Conclusion
Sedentary behaviour could be higher at higher frailty among older adults. Frailty is more strongly associated with sedentary behaviour at a higher age and among women, compared with men
Spinal cord injury: global burden from 1990 to 2019 and projections up to 2030 using Bayesian age-period-cohort analysis.
Get PDFBackground: Spinal cord injuries, often resulting from spine fractures, can lead to severe lifelong symptoms such as paraplegia and even mortality. Over the past few decades, there has been a concerning increase in the annual incidence and mortality rates of spinal cord injuries, which has also placed a growing financial strain on healthcare systems. This review aims to offer a comprehensive overview of spinal cord injuries by estimating their global incidence, prevalence, and the impact in terms of years lived with disability, using data obtained from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study.
Method: In this study, we utilized data from the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study, a widely recognized source for global health data. Our methodology involved estimating the global incidence and prevalence of spinal cord injuries while also assessing the impact on years lived with a disability. We analyzed this data comprehensively to identify patterns and trends and made predictions.
Finding: This research delved into the evolving trends in the global burden of spinal cord injuries, identified key risk factors, and examined variations in incidence and disability across different Socio-demographic Index (SDI) levels and age groups. Briefly, in 2019, the global incidence and burden of YLDs of SCI significantly increased compared to 1990. While males had higher incidence rates compared to females. Falls were identified as the primary cause of SCI. Trend projections up to 2030 revealed a slight decrease in ASIR for males, an upward trend in age specific incidence rates for both sexes and a similar pattern in age standardized YLD rates. Additionally, our findings provided crucial groundwork for shaping future policies and healthcare initiatives, with the goal of mitigating the burden of spinal cord injuries, enhancing patient outcomes, and fortifying prevention efforts.
Interpretation: Understanding the global burden of spinal cord injuries is essential for designing effective healthcare policies and prevention strategies. With the alarming increase in prevalence rates and their significant impact on individuals and healthcare systems, this research contributes vital insights to guide future efforts in reducing the incidence of spinal cord injuries, improving the quality of life for affected individuals, and reducing the economic burden on healthcare systems worldwide
The systematic literature review process: a simple guide for public health and allied health students
Get PDFA literature review is a key part of all academic research that informs researchers of the existing body of knowledge. Reviews conducted systematically are becoming more appealing to the researcher about two reasons. Firstly, they are robust, strong, comprehensive and reproducible and can appropriately serve the background review of any primary research. Secondly, they are qualified to be a stand-alone piece of academic work that contributes to the scientific body of knowledge. Although researchers and students in higher education who wish to write their dissertations are informed about the need for generating a literature review for primary research, when it comes to conducting a full systematic review, they may have some confusion and doubt on the distinction between a traditional literature review and a systematic review. This paper aims to clarify what a systematic review entails and take the readers' attention through the practical steps in conducting a systematic review. So, more of a practical step-by-step guide, rather than theoretical discussion of content, has been included. This paper would benefit early-career researchers, undergraduate students and many post-graduate students who wish to write their papers or dissertations based on a systematic review
Risk assessment for people living with dementia: a systematic review.
Get PDFAbstract
Objective:
This systematic review identified key components of risk assessment for people with dementia, examined attitudes towards risk identification and risk assessment, and appraised existing risk assessment tools.
Methods:
Systematic searches of five databases on two platforms (EBSCO, OVID) and grey literature
databases (Open Grey, Base) were conducted. Studies were screened for inclusion based on predetermined eligibility criteria and quality assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Findings were tabulated and synthesised using thematic synthesis.
Results:
Our review found people with dementia, their family carers, and healthcare professionals differed in how risk is conceptualised, with views being shaped by media perceptions, personal experiences, sociocultural influences, dementia knowledge and dementia severity. We found that mobilisation (causing falls inside and getting lost outside) is the most frequently identified risk factor. Our findings show people with dementia are generally risk-tolerant, while healthcare professionals may adopt risk-averse approaches because of organisational requirements. We found factors that disrupt daily routines, living and caring arrangements, medication management, and unclear care pathways contribute towards adverse risk events. We discovered that most studies about risk and risk assessment scales did not consider insight of the person with dementia into risks although this is important for the impact of a risk. No risk instrument identified had sufficient evidence that it was useful.
Conclusion:
Accurate risk assessment and effective communication strategies that include the perspectives of people with dementia are needed to enable risk-tolerant practice. No risk instrument to date was shown to be widely acceptable and useful in practice
Indoor Environmental Quality Study for Higher Education Buildings
Get PDFIndoor environmental quality (IEQ) in school buildings has been concerned widely for many years, whilst research into the IEQ issues in higher education (HE) buildings has been overlooked to some extent. This chapter presents an experimental study of the IEQ issues in two typical HE buildings in London using the post-occupancy evaluation (POE) methods. Various aspects of the IEQ have been considered in terms of human comfort in buildings, including indoor air quality, noise level, lighting, occupants’ perception, and so on. IEQ data have been collected using various IEQ meters and data loggers, as well as questionnaire surveys taken by the respondents. The results of the study reveal important findings. In terms of thermal comfort, several spaces were found to exceed the recommended temperature limit of 25°C. The data on indoor air quality indicated that rooms, particularly those with natural ventilation, such as the architectural studio, significantly exceeded the recommended CO2 limit of 1500 ppm. Moreover, the survey feedback collected from the building occupants aligned with the IEQ data, particularly in the area of thermal comfort. The respondents’ feedback provided valuable insights into their experiences and perceptions of the indoor environment, further reinforcing the findings obtained from the objective IEQ measurements. The work also discusses recommendations and possible actions to improve the IEQ in HE buildings
The Application of Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease on the Motor Pathway: A Bibliometric Analysis across 10 Years
Get PDFBackground and Objective
Since its initial report by James Parkinson in 1817, Parkinson’s disease (PD) has remained a central subject of research and clinical advancement. The disease is estimated to affect approximately 1% of adults aged 60 and above. Deep brain stimulation, emerging as an alternative therapy for end-stage cases, has offered a lifeline to numerous patients. This review aimed to analyze publications pertaining to the impact of deep brain stimulation on the motor pathway in patients with PD over the last decade.
Methods
Data were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection through the library of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China). The search strategy encompassed the following keywords: “deep brain stimulation”, “Parkinson’s disease”, “motor pathway”, and “human”, from January 1, 2012, to December 1, 2022. Additionally, this review visualized the findings using the Citespace software.
Results
The results indicated that the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and China were the primary contributors to this research field. University College London, Capital Medical University, and Maastricht University were the top 3 research institutions in the research area. Tom Foltynie ranked first with 6 publications, and the journals of Brain and Brain Stimulation published the greatest number of relevant articles. The prevailing research focal points in this domain, as determined by keywords “burst analysis”, “encompassed neuronal activity”, “nucleus”, “hyper direct pathway”, etc.
Conclusion
This study has provided a new perspective through bibliometric analysis of the deep brain stimulation therapy for treating patients with PD, which can shed light on future research to advance our comprehension of this particular field of study