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ABSTRACT The introduction of polymers in ordinary cement concrete in order to reduce the Portland cement consumption is gaining more attraction in the field of civil engineering. However, in order [...]

ABSTRACT In this research, the compressive behavior of concrete mixtures incorporating epoxy resin with and without hardener and ground rubber (tyre powder) as cement replacement was investigated. Various experimental mixes [...]

ABSTRACT The estimation of the residual capacity of concrete structures after the commencement of corrosion of steel reinforcement is becoming a goal for repair and rehabilitation work. This paper presents [...]

ABSTRACT Results of tests of plastered straw bale wall assemblies under in-plane shear and axial load are used together with proposed refinements to compression field theories for reinforced concrete members [...]

Evaluation of the fetal heart is an integral part of prenatal care. Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most common major congenital anomalies, affecting approximately 0.8–1% of live births. Screening for CHDs has shown to improve perinatal outcomes. The performance of screening programs lies, among others, in the systematization of the sonographic evaluation. This review aims to outline the technique for conducting a basic fetal cardiac examination as well as to report the main indications for referral for advanced echocardiography and succinctly describe the technique for advanced echocardiography and first-trimester evaluation of the fetal heart.

The deterioration of built heritage is a major concern for many countries. In the specific case of brick heritage buildings, degradation depends on several factors such as the chemical and mineralogical composition and the porosity of the bricks, floor insulation and exposure to environmental conditions. This paper applies a probabilistic Bayesian approach to identifying the pattern of recession of the brick walls using digital photogrammetry data. Two cases studies are presented corresponding to two buildings classified as Assets of Cultural Interest by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. The analysis of physico-chemical factors and photogrammetric descriptions allow a holistic understanding of the deterioration process to be developed. The degradation patterns and degradation velocities obtained are used for the structural assessment of the buildings. The comparison of the degradation patterns of both buildings considering their individual features allows the most critical factors in the degradation process of brick walls to be identified.

Second trimester ultrasound is a standardised examination in pregnancy that should be routinely offered to all pregnant women, both for monitoring foetal growth and for screening for malformations. It should be performed between 18 and 24 weeks (in Spain from 18+0 to 22+0 weeks of gestation), by trained personnel and with appropriate equipment. The report should reflect foetal position and movements, biometry, amount of amniotic fluid, placental location and appearance, and foetal morphology. The foetal anatomy should include the study of the head (ossification and neurosonography), neck (discarding masses), thoracic cavity and its contents, abdomen and pelvis (studying stomach, umbilical vein, entrance of umbilical cord, kidneys, bladder), spine (in sagittal, coronal and axial planes), extremities (three segments, movement), and genitalia. Special attention should be paid to foetal heart examination (situs, four chamber view, left ventricular and right ventricular outflow-tracts, three-vessel and three-vessel-and trachea views). Neurosonography is also important with the transventricular, transcerebellar and transthalamic plane.

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ABSTRACTThe use of organic soil amendments to sustain crop production provides a feasible option for low-income farmers. In La Montaña, in southern Mexico, farmers grow organic hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) as their main source of income, but yields are low. The aim of this study was to evaluate the decomposition and nutrient release of different species traditionally used by farmers and to make recommendations for their use as soil amendments. The decomposition of Mucuna pruriens, Calliandra houstonianaand stover of hibiscus (separately and as 1:1 mixtures) was evaluated using litterbags in the field, analysing dry weight and chemical components of the remaining litter at monthly intervals. Mucuna on its own and mixtures containing this species, decomposed on average 50% faster than the other amendments. Mucuna on its own released the highest amount of nitrogen (155 kg ha−1year−1), which was in excess of that required by the hibiscus crop (45 kg nitrogen ha−1year−1). To complement crop nutrition whilst minimising nitrogen losses and improving soil quality, the calliandra-mucuna mixture was proposed as the most promising amendment, because: (i) the nitrogen demand of the hibiscus crop was met (75.7 kg ha−1year−1), (ii) the asynchrony of available nutrients was minimised as half of the mass of the amendment had decomposed by the time of the flowering stage of the hibiscus, and (iii) it contributed carbon and nutrients to the soil organic matter. This information can be used to promote agroforestry systems that include mucuna and calliandra trees in hibiscus plantations.

Background/Objectives:: High intakes of unprocessed red or processed meat may increase the risk of stroke. We aimed to examine the association between unprocessed red meat, processed meat and total red meat consumption and risk of total stroke and ischaemic stroke. Subjects/Methods:: Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted based on the data for 41 020 men and women aged 29–69 years at baseline. Results:: During a mean follow-up of 13.8 years, 674 incident cases of stroke (531 ischaemic strokes, 79 haemorrhagic strokes, 42 subarachnoid haemorrhages and 22 mixed or unspecified events) were identified. After multiple adjustment, unprocessed red meat, processed meat and total red meat consumption were not correlated with incidence of total stroke or ischaemic stroke in either men or women. The hazard ratios (HRs) for unprocessed red meat and processed meat and risk of total stroke comparing the highest with the lowest quintiles were, respectively, 0.81 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.54–1.21; P-trend=0.15) and 0.92 (95% CI 0.64–1.32; P-trend=0.82) in men and 1.21 (95% CI 0.79–1.85; P-trend=0.10) and 0.81 (95% CI 0.51–1.27; P-trend=0.17) in women. The HRs for unprocessed red meat and processed meat and risk of ischaemic stroke were, respectively, 0.80 (95% CI 0.51–1.25; P-trend=0.51) and 0.86 (95% CI 0.57–1.29; P-trend=0.77) in men and 1.24 (95% CI 0.74–2.05; P-trend=0.13) and 0.82 (95% CI 0.47–1.42; P-trend=0.31) in women. Conclusions:: In the Spanish European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, unprocessed red meat and processed meat consumption were not associated with risk of stroke in men or women.

Basaltic soils have an extremely reduced capacity to accumulate water in Uruguay where they occupy 3.5m ha (25% of the area of Uruguay) and are mainly exploited by extensive cattle production systems. Drought can have a negative effect on forage growth and cattle production and can have a devastating impact on the economy of livestock producers, and damage the entire beef-supply chain. To improve the livestock producers ability to adapt to climate variability, the past effects of droughts were modelled to understand the dynamics of droughts at the level of the production unit through the development of an interactive agent-based simulation model. The simulator was constructed in four steps by simulating: (i) forage growth using a logistic growth equation calibrated with data originated from the Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite, (ii) the life cycle of livestock, (iii) the interaction between forage and livestock, and (iv) different strategies of management. Outputs of simulations were explored in five workshops with 82 livestock farmers and development actors. In these workshops, both biophysical models and those related to farm management were recognised as valid, and the typologies used were identified as realistic. Through the workshops and discussions about the models, the producers’ understanding of droughts was investigated. It was found that two types of information were important in encouraging better adaptation: (i) information that allowed a better understanding of the complex system and (ii) information that supported action. The workshops were found to valuable in generating a motivation to analyse and discuss climate variability.

This work proposes routes to produce dairy‐based multi‐component powders that meet nutritional and dissolution performance requirements. The effects of processing and composition on the physical properties of dairy powders were investigated and the relationship between such powder properties and dissolution performance was established. A spray‐dried milk‐based formulation was used as base powder, into which a carbohydrate, either starch or maltodextrin, was incorporated in varying proportions by dry mixing or fluid‐bed agglomeration. Physical properties such as particle size, density and flowability of the resulting powders were analyzed and particular attention was given to their dissolution behavior. Incorporation of either maltodextrin or starch in the final powder composition, without compromising the dissolution performance, was achieved by fluid‐bed agglomeration, provided that the amount of maltodextrin was less than 25 % or the amount of starch did not exceed 15 % and that the final agglomerate size was in the range of 250–300 μm.

Conventional EEG and quantitative EEG visual stimuli (close-open eyes) reactivity analysis have shown their usefulness in clinical practice; however studies at the level of EEG generators are limited. The focus of the study was visual reactivity of cortical resources in healthy subjects and in a stroke patient.The 64 channel EEG and T1 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies were obtained from 32 healthy subjects and a middle cerebral artery stroke patient. Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA) was used to estimate EEG sources for both close eyes (CE) vs. open eyes (OE) conditions using individual MRI. The t-test was performed between source spectra of the two conditions. Thresholds for statistically significant t values were estimated by the local false discovery rate (lfdr) method. The Z transform was used to quantify the differences in cortical reactivity between the patient and healthy subjects.Closed-open eyes alpha reactivity sources were found mainly in posterior regions (occipito-parietal zones), extended in some cases to anterior and thalamic regions. Significant cortical reactivity sources were found in frequencies different from alpha (lower t-values). Significant changes at EEG reactivity sources were evident in the damaged brain hemisphere. Reactivity changes were also found in the “healthy” hemisphere when compared with the normal population.In conclusion, our study of brain sources of EEG alpha reactivity provides information that is not evident in the usual topographic analysis.

The irradiance distribution along the optical axis, or the Strehl ratio versus defocus, of a rotationally symmetric system is described in terms of a phase-space representation: Woodward’s ambiguity function. We show that the Fourier spectrum of the Strehl ratio versus defocus for variable spherical aberration can be analyzed from a single picture. This result is applied to analyze the use of shade pupils for reducing the influence of spherical aberration.

Lithium tetraborate (LTB) was doped with copper (0.1%) to enhance the LTB thermoluminescent (TL) properties. A graphene reducing atmosphere was used to increase the vacancies of oxygen in the crystalline structure. LTB:Cu +PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) pellets were prepared by mixing the Li2B4O7:Cu with PTFE in a 4:1 ratio. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Crystals of Li2B4O7with the average size of 134nm were obtained. The presence of copper was confirmed by SEM. The TL response of LTB:Cu PTFE pellets was studied with γradiation by using a 60Co source. TTL response shows a linear behavior depending on the radiation dose. The effect of annealing time on TL glow curve was analyzed from 2h to 10h by irradiating with X-rays. The effect of mass on the TL response was studied varying the mass of the sample from 10mg to 50mg. From various heating rate studies, it was observed that the TL intensity increased when heating rate was gradually increased. The kinetic parameters were calculated by using computer deconvolution methods. The dosimetric property results showed that this material could have good potential application in a radiation dosimeter for radiation therapy treatment in the medical field.

A new approach for obtaining line-spread functions (LSF’s), which vary slowly in out-of-focus planes, is described. Based on this approach, we report a LSF that shows relatively less sensitivity to focus errors than that shown by both the diffraction-limited LSF and a LSF previously reported.

Apodizers with relatively high transmittance over an annular region of the exit pupil can reduce the sensitivity to defocusing and to spherical aberration [ Opt. Lett.11, 487 ( 1986)]. Here, we analyze the imaging properties (pupil functions, point spread functions, optical transfer functions, and Strehl ratios) of the Bessel type of annular apodizers. We also show some computer-simulated images, obtained with and without this kind of annular apodizer.

The Strehl ratio, in the form of McCutchen’s theorem, is employed to design a spatial filter that increases the depth of focus. Computer-simulated images show the increment in focal depth.

In this paper, the photo and cathodoluminescent properties of HfO2films optically activated with different atomic concentrations of Tb3+and Eu3+ions, deposited by the Pyrosol technique, are reported. These films were deposited at temperatures from 400 to 600 °C, using chlorides as raw materials. The surface morphologies of all deposited films were rough and dense. X‐ray diffraction analysis showed that the films deposited at 600 °C were polycrystalline exhibiting the HfO2monoclinic phase. The tuning by the means of the excitation wavelength generates photoluminescence spectra, for co‐doped films, in several emissions from blue to yellow (including white light) due to the characteristic electronic transitions of Tb3+(green), Eu3+(red) ions and the violet‐blue emission associated to the host lattice (HfO2). According to the chromaticity diagram, the best white light is reached for the sample S2 excited with 382 nm (x= 0.3343, y= 0.3406). The cathodoluminescence emission spectra for co‐doped films showed emissions from green to red (including yellow, orange and other intermediate emissions). The averaged quantum efficiency values of the sample labeled as S2 resulted between 47 and 78% depending on the excitation wavelength. In addition, XPS, TEM, SEM and decay times were performed to characterize these films.