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In inspections of buildings, it is common to find structures that, well before reaching its useful life longer require repairs and reinforcements. This study examined the bond strength between concrete of different ages and between steel and concrete, focusing on the recovery of reinforced concrete structures. To analyze the bond between concrete of different ages, trials with specimens receiving three different types of treatments at the interface between the concrete were performed: brushing; brushing and mortar equal to concrete of substrate and brushing and epoxy layer. Indirect tensile tests and oblique and vertical shear tests at the interface were made . The bond stress between steel and concrete was evaluated by pull out test under the conditions of the bar inserted in the still fresh concrete and when inserted in the hardened concrete with epoxy. Results showed increased bond strength by indirect tensile stress of 15% and 37%; 4% and 12% for the adherence test by oblique shear, and 108% and 178%, for the testing of vertical shear, respectively, for the specimens whose interfaces have received, in addition to brushing, layer of mortar and epoxy bridge, compared to those who received only brushing. Insignificant loss (about 0.52%) of bond stress was noticed for pull out test of steel bar when compared with test results of the specimens that had steel bar inserted in the concrete in the hardened state with epoxy adhesion bridge, with those who had inserted steel bar in fresh concrete. RESUMOEm inspeções de construções, é comum encontrar estruturas que, muito antes de atingirem sua vida útil, já necessitam de reparos e reforços. O presente trabalho analisou a resistência de aderência entre concretos de diferentes idades e entre aço e concreto, visando à recuperação de estruturas de concreto armado. Para análise da aderência entre concretos de diferentes idades, foram realizados ensaios com corpos de prova que receberam três tipos de tratamentos distintos na interface entre os concretos: escovação; escovação e camada de argamassa igual à do concreto de substrato e escovação e camada de epóxi. Foram feitos ensaios de tração indireta e cisalhamento oblíquo e vertical na interface. Foi avaliada a aderência entre aço e concreto, por ensaio de arrancamento, nas condições da barra inserida no concreto ainda fresco e quando inserida no concreto endurecido, com ponte de aderência de epóxi. Os resultados dos ensaios de aderência dos corpos de prova de concreto mostraram aumento na resistência de aderência por tração indireta de 15% e 37%; de 4% e 12%, para o ensaio de aderência por cisalhamento oblíquo, e de 108% e 178%, para o ensaio de cisalhamento vertical, respectivamente, para os corpos de prova cujas interfaces receberam, além de escovação, camada de argamassa e ponte de epóxi, em relação àqueles que somente receberam escovação. Percebeu-se, no ensaio de arrancamento de barra de aço, perda insignificante (cerca de 0,52%) na aderência, quando compararam-se os resultados dos ensaios dos corpos de prova que tiveram a barra de aço inserida no concreto no estado endurecido com ponte de aderência epóxi, com os que tiveram a barra inserida no concreto no estado fresco.

This paper reports on the acceptability, reliability and validity of the Structured Clinical Interview for the Spectrum of Substance Use (SCI‐SUBS), a new instrument exploring the interactive pathway between substance abuse and psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric outpatients with (n = 21) and without (n = 32) substance abuse comorbidity according to the DSM‐IV, non‐psychiatric subjects with opioid dependence (OD, n = 14) and normal controls (n = 33) were assessed with the SCI‐SUBS. The presence or absence of psychiatric disorders was determined with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV (SCID). The SCI‐SUBS was well accepted by participants. The internal consistency of the domains was satisfactory (between 0.64 and 0.93). Domain scores of OD subjects were significantly higher than those of controls and of psychiatric patients without substance abuse. The cut‐off point on the SCI‐SUBS total score at which there was optimal discrimination between the presence and the absence of a DSM‐IV diagnosis of substance abuse was 45. The pilot version of the SCI‐SUBS has satisfactory internal consistency and construct validity. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Objectives: To examine the spectrum of alcohol and substance abuse, including reasons for use, in patients with bipolar I disorder, compared with patients with substance use disorder and healthy controls, with a specific focus on the relationship between substance use, substance sensitivity, other comorbid psychiatric symptoms and traits related to sensation seeking. Methods: This study included 104 patients with bipolar I disorder (BPD I), of whom 57 (54.8%) met DSM-IV criteria for lifetime alcohol or substance use disorder (BPD + SUD), 35 patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and no psychiatric disorder and 50 healthy controls. Assessments included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID) and the Structured Clinical Interview for the Spectrum of Substance Use (SCI-SUBS). Results: Patients with BPD + SUD and SUD had significantly higher scores on the SCI-SUBS domains of self-medication, substance sensitivity and sensation seeking compared with patients with BPD and healthy controls. Reasons for substance use did not differ between patients with BPD + SUD and patients with SUD. Those most frequently cited were: improving mood; relieving tension; alleviating boredom; achieving/maintaining euphoria; and increasing energy. Conclusions: Recourse to substances is associated with increased mood and anxiety symptoms, substance sensitivity, and sensation seeking among patients with BPD + SUD and SUD. Substance sensitivity and sensation seeking traits should be investigated in all patients with BPD as possible factors associated with a development of SUD, in order to warn patients of the specific risks related to improper use of medications and substances.

This study evaluates the prevalence of threshold and subthreshold use of substances among patients with psychiatric disorders and 2 comparison groups. Participants were outpatients and inpatients with mood and anxiety disorders, subjects with opiate dependence, and a comparison group of individuals not undergoing treatment for psychiatric disorders. Assessments included the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition , Axis I Disorders, an interview exploring the spectrum of substance use (Structured Clinical Interview for the Spectrum of Substance Use), and a self-report instrument exploring the spectrum of 5 psychiatric disorders (General 5-Spectrum Measure). The overall frequency of substance use disorder (SUD) and that of subthreshold use were 46% and 8% in patients with bipolar disorder, 4% and 26% in those with panic disorder, 8% and 26% in those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and 6% and 10% in the control group, respectively ( Idouble dagger 2 = 51.6, P < .001). Inspection of standardized residuals indicated that alcohol use disorder and SUD were significantly ( P < .05) more frequent in subjects with bipolar disorder than among those with obsessive-compulsive disorder or panic disorder. The latter showed a significantly higher subthreshold use of substances than control subjects. The pattern of motivations for use varied according to the psychiatric disorder. Our results suggest that the well-established relationship between SUDs and psychiatric disorders might be the end point of a process that starts from increased proneness to substance use, which first leads to self-medication and then may eventually develop into substance abuse or dependence, among subjects with psychiatric symptoms.

This study evaluates the validity and the reliability of a new instrument developed to assess the psychotic spectrum: the Structured Clinical Interview for the Psychotic Spectrum (SCI-PSY). The instrument is based on a spectrum model that emphasizes soft signs, low-grade symptoms, subthreshold syndromes, as well as temperamental and personality traits comprising the clinical and subsyndromal psychotic manifestations. The items of the interview include, in addition to a subset of the DSM-IV criteria for psychotic syndromes, a number of features derived from clinical experience and from a review of the phenomenological descriptions of psychoses. Study participants were enrolled at 11 Italian Departments of Psychiatry located at 9 sites and included 77 consecutive patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, 66 with borderline personality disorder, 59 with psychotic mood disorders, 98 with non-psychotic mood disorders and 57 with panic disorder. A comparison group of 102 unselected controls was enrolled at the same sites. The SCI-PSY significantly discriminated subjects with any psychiatric diagnosis from controls and subjects with from those without psychotic disorders. The hypothesized structure of the instrument was confirmed empirically.