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Aim: Dysglycaemia accelerates cognitive decline. Intensive glucose control may help delay or prevent cognitive function decline (CFD). We aimed to determine how patient characteristics influence the effect of intensive glucose control [glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) <6.0%] on delaying CFD in people with type 2 diabetes. Research design and methods: In this post‐hoc analysis of 2977 type 2 diabetes participants from the ACCORD MIND trial, we applied the causal forest and causal tree algorithms to identify the effect modifier of intensive glucose control in delaying CFD from 68 variables (demographics, disease history, medications, vitals and baseline biomarkers). The exposure was intensive versus standard glucose control (HbA1c <6.0% vs. 7.0%‐7.9%). The main outcome was cognitive function changes from baseline to the 40th month follow‐up, which were evaluated using the digit symbol substitution test, Rey auditory verbal learning test, mini‐mental state examination and Stroop test. We used Cohen's d, a measure of standardized difference, to quantify the effect size of intensive glucose control on delaying CFD. Results: Among all the baseline characteristics, renal function was the most significant effect modifier. Participants with urinary albumin levels <0.4 mg/dl [absolute function change (AFC): 0.51 in mini‐mental state examination, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.04, 0.98, Cohen's d: 0.25] had slower CFD with intensive glucose control. Patients with preserved renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate between 60 and 90 ml/min/1.73 m2) were associated with small benefits (AFC: 1.28 in Stroop, 95% CI: 0.28, 2.27, Cohen's d: 0.12) when undergoing intensive glucose control. Conversely, participants with an estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (AFC: −0.57 in the Rey auditory verbal learning test, 95% CI: −1.09, −0.05, Cohen's d: −0.30) exhibited faster CFD when undergoing intensive glucose control. Participants who were <60 years old showed a significant benefit from intensive glucose control in delaying CFD (AFC: 1.08 in the digit symbol substitution test, 95% CI: 0.06, 2.10, Cohen's d: 0.13). All p <.05. Conclusions: Our findings linked renal function with the benefits of intensive glucose control in delaying CFD, informing personalized HbA1c goals for those with diabetes and at risk of CFD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) for soil bio-improvement has been widely studied as an alternative to the traditional cementation by Portland cement. While multiple-phase injection techniques are commonly used for MICP treatment, they impose complexities and require a high number of injections. One of the latest developments in biocementation research area is using one-phase-low-pH MICP method as a more effective and efficient alternative to the traditional two-phase method. However, the one-phase-low-pH method has its challenges. The main challenge is delaying the start of carbonate precipitation to produce a homogenous distribution of cementation in soil matrixes. This study has tried to expand the lag phase with magnesium substitution for 20% calcium cations and decrease the initial temperature of reagents. These actions prolonged the lag phase by about five times, improved the crystal structure of carbonate precipitation and enhanced the transportability of bacteria in a 1 m length sand column. A modified injection strategy for all-in-one solution was introduced, and its capabilities were investigated in long sand columns. This new injection strategy provided a more uniform urea conversion, carbonate precipitation, and strength. It also decreased the required bacteria by 75% and minimized the necessity of pH adjustment and the initial low temperature of reagents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, jacket foundations have been increasingly employed in offshore wind farms. Their complex design comprising piles and trusses poses challenges for conducting comprehensive flow field measurements using physical experiments. Consequently, the influence of the flow field on local scour around these foundations remains unclear. Therefore, numerical simulation methods are essential to depict the surrounding flow characteristics. This study utilizes large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence models within OpenFOAM to simulate the flow field around jacket foundations on flat-bed and equilibrium scour bathymetry. A flume experiment was conducted for numerical model establishment and validation. The close agreement between experimental and numerical results indicates that the LES model accurately reflects the flow patterns around the jacket foundation. Time-averaged and instantaneous flow characteristics, average kinetic energy (AKE), turbulence structure, and bed shear stress were analyzed. The results indicate that flow intensity is reduced due to the shielding effect and energy dissipation by the truss structure of the jacket foundation. Furthermore, the AKE of the flow upstream of the rear piles decreases by 18.9% in the flat-bed state and 28.0% in the equilibrium state, indicating more energy dissipation and less scour at the rear piles in the equilibrium state. The research findings offer valuable insights into the design and scour protection strategies for jacket foundations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to limit the phenomenon that the global stability safety factor (GSF) of the diaphragm wall slurry trench calculated by the two-dimensional (2D) wedge method is too small, the 2D calculation model on global instability of trench wall is established by assuming the whole critical failure surface (CFS) is a quarter elliptic cylindrical surface, and the determination method of CFS is given too. In view of the successful application of the minimum potential energy principle in slope stability checking calculation and on the basis of the new model established, the 2D minimum potential energy method for calculating the GSF is proposed according to the minimum potential energy principle. The correctness of the 2D calculation model built and the rationality of the 2D calculation method proposed are verified based on ten engineering cases, and the sensitivity of the GSF to various parameters is analyzed on the basis of six design examples. Finally, the new calculation method is applied to the global stability checking calculation of trench wall in practical engineering, and the result shows the new calculation method given in this paper is still conservative, so the result calculated by the new calculation method is advised to be multiplied by a modification factor of 1.67 in practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclic lateral loads on monopile foundations of offshore wind turbines induce vibrations that affect the clear-water scour process around the foundations. Previous experimental studies showed that the current-induced equilibrium scour depths at vibrating monopiles may be less than those at static monopile foundations. However, this observation may not be comprehensive when applied to the cases of clear-water scour around vibrating monopile foundations subjected to different flow intensities. This paper presents an experimental study that investigated the clear-water scour mechanism at vibrating monopile foundations and obtained new findings. The experimental results indicate that the scour process is influenced by three major factors: vibration-induced sediment subsidence, vibration-induced sediment refill, and current-induced erosion. Based on the three major influencing factors and experimental data, a dimensionless equation for equilibrium clear-water scour depth at vibrating monopile foundations was derived. Furthermore, a regime transition flow intensity is defined, at which the equilibrium scour depth remains constant regardless of any changes in the vibration amplitudes. Two distinct scour trends under low and high flow intensities were identified. The two different trends were found to be induced by different dominant factors. The vibration-induced subsidence effect dominates in the low flow intensity regime, whereas the vibration-induced sediment refill effect dominates in the high flow intensity regime. The new findings of this paper help to understand the characterization of clear-water scour process around vibrating monopile foundations. Practical Applications: Monopile foundations of offshore wind turbines experience cyclic lateral vibration caused by winds and waves. The cyclic lateral vibration of monopile foundations potentially can affect the current-induced scour process around the foundations. The experimental results of this study revealed that the scour depth around vibrating monopile foundations under clear-water scour conditions is influenced by a coupling effect of flow intensities and vibration amplitudes and frequencies. The findings emphasize the influence of vibration on the scour process around monopile foundations of offshore wind turbines. These results provide valuable insights to optimize the design and manufacturing processes of monopile foundations. Moreover, the findings contribute to the development of more-effective scour protection measures in offshore wind engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]