to increase the safety of structures against strong ground motions and their life due to environmental issues on the earth and saving in terms of materials, it is necessary to expand and upgrade seismic resistant systems. however, more cost-effective systems which have sufficient influence on the seismic performance of structures and also more compatibility with the regional conditions, will be...

PURPOSE In a retrospective study, we evaluated the complications in using the motility peg system (nonsleeved and sleeved) for hydroxyapatite orbital implants in an anophthalmic socket. METHODS Drilling for motility peg placement was performed in 265 patients with hydroxyapatite implantation: nonsleeved peg system (n = 191), sleeved peg system (n = 74). A statistical analysis was performed us...

BACKGROUND Governmental agencies in the United Kingdom and Scotland have recently instituted guidelines banning physicians' white coats and the wearing of long-sleeved garments to decrease nosocomial transmission of bacteria. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to compare the degree of bacterial and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contamination of physicians' white coats with that of newly laun...

The loading of needles for loose seed implantation of the prostate gland results requires a significant amount of effort and some radiation exposure to members of the medical staff. This study was performed to quantify the time spent and exposure levels associated with implant preparation, as well as to investigate any improvement in the time or exposure burden due to the introduction of a new ...

BACKGROUND The measurement of blood pressure is a common clinical exam with important health consequences. We sought to determine whether the measurement of blood pressure over a sleeved arm varies from that taken on a bare arm. METHODS We recruited 376 patients between 18 and 85 years of age from a family medicine clinic between September 2004 and November 2006. They all had their blood pres...

In this paper, numerical analysis of a pile-soil interaction problem is presented considering the parameters influencing the axial load-deformation behavior of the pile embedded in a layered soil medium. The analysis is demonstrated with parametric solutions of a pile with underlain model soil strata under the axial force. An attempt is made to ascertain the extent of influence of elastic prope...

Using a series of model tests, this study investigated the effect of a passive pile on 3D ground deformation around a laterally loaded pile and on that laterally loaded pile's response in sand. The active pile head was subjected to lateral loads, and the passive pile was arranged in front of the active pile. In the model tests, the distance between the two pile centers was set to zero (i.e., a ...

BACKGROUND Outdoor workers are at risk of high ultraviolet radiation exposure, and may have difficulty using sun protection. The objectives were to determine the prevalence of sun protection behaviors in a sample of outdoor construction workers, and to assess which factors predict better sun protection practices. METHODS Participants were recruited via construction unions. Workers answered a ...

Compared with conventional piles such as the circle pile, the cast-in-place large-diameter pile (PCC pile) has many advantages: the lateral area of PCC pile is larger and the bearing capacity of PCC pile is higher. It is more cost-effective than other piles such as square pile under the same condition. The deformation of the PCC pile is very important for its application. In order to obtain the...