To address the weight, cost, and sustainability associated with fibreglass application in structural composites, plant fibres serve as an alternative to reduce and replace the usage of glass fibres. ...However, there remains a gap in the comprehensive research on plant fibre composites, particularly in their durability for viable structural applications. This research investigates the fatigue and impact properties of pultruded kenaf/glass-reinforced hybrid polyester composites tailored for structural applications. Utilising kenaf fibres in mat form, unidirectional E-glass fibre direct roving yarns, and unsaturated polyester resin as key constituents, pultruded kenaf/glass hybrid profiles were fabricated. The study reveals that pultruded WK/UG alternate specimens exhibit commendable fatigue properties (18,630 cycles at 60% ultimate tensile strength, UTS) and fracture energy (261.3 kJ/m
), showcasing promise for moderate load structural applications. Notably, the pultruded 3 WK/UG/3WK variant emerges as a viable contender for low-load structural tasks recorded satisfactory fatigue properties (10,730 cycles at 60% UTS) and fracture energy (167.09 kJ/m
). Fatigue failure modes indicate that the stress applied is evenly distributed. Ductile failures and delaminations during impact test can be attributed to damping and energy absorbing properties of kenaf fibres. Moreover, incorporating kenaf as a hybrid alternative demonstrates substantial reductions in cost (35.7-50%) and weight (9.6-19.1%). This research establishes a foundation for advancing sustainable and efficient structural materials and highlights the significant role of materials design in shaping the future of engineering applications.
Purpose
Nissen fundoplication (NF) is commonly performed in children with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Patients undergoing NF often have co-morbidities. Reported outcomes of NF vary ...considerably. This study investigated which factors might predict multiple readmissions or death in the first year following NF at our institution.
Methods
A retrospective chart review of 187 children who underwent NF at our institution between January 2004 and December 2015 was undertaken. Underlying medical conditions, age, weight, presence of malnutrition, length of hospital stay prior to surgery and type of surgery were recorded. Patients who had more than one admission in the first post-operative year were compared to those who had one or none, and patients who died within the first post-operative year were compared to those who did not.
Results
Risk factors for multiple readmissions were underlying cardiac disease (
p
= 0.011), esophageal atresia (EA) (
p
= 0.011), and esophageal stricture (
p
= 0.0002). Risk factors for death included younger age (
p
= 0.028), need for gastrostomy tube (GT) (
p
= 0.01) and prolonged pre-operative hospital admission (
p
= 0.0003).
Conclusion
This study identified multiple factors associated with readmission and death in the first year after NF. These findings will help with the counseling patients and caregivers regarding expectations following NF.
The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of reinforcements on the strength of natural fiber composites. Recent advancements in natural fiber composites have minimized the usage of ...man-made fibers, especially in the field of structural applications such as aircraft stiffeners and rotor blades. However, large variations in the strength and modulus of natural fiber degrade the properties of the composites and lower the safety level of the structures under dynamic load. Without compromising the safety of the composite structure, it is significant to enrich the strength and modulus of natural fiber reinforcement for real-time applications. The strength and durability of natural fiber can be enriched by reinforcing natural fiber. The reinforcement effect on natural fiber in their woven, braided, and knit forms enhances their structural properties. It improves the properties of natural fiber composites related to reinforcement with short and random-orientation fibers. The article also reviews the effect of the hybridization of natural fiber with cellulosic fiber, synthetic fiber, and intra-ply hybridization on its mechanical properties, dynamic mechanical properties, and free vibration characteristics, which are important for predicting the life and performance of natural fiber composites for weight-sensitive applications under dynamic load.
Background
Pneumonia is one of the most common diseases with a high hospitalization rate. Many studies have suggested that there is a correlation between pre-existing diabetes and the alterations in ...serum glucose levels in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and high death rate.
Aim
To study the impact of admission blood glucose level on patients’ outcomes with CAP.
Patients and methods
Sixty (30 nondiabetic and 30 diabetic patients) consecutive hospitalized adult patients with CAP were recruited over a 1-year period. Data on patients’ outcomes including duration of hospital stay, duration of antibiotic treatment, increase in oxygen requirements, increase in antibiotics coverage, ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and in-hospital mortality were collected.
Results
Admission blood glucose level was elevated in diabetic patients (the mean plasma glucose level was 258.86 ±116.15 mg/dl in diabetics and 151.13±51.23 mg/dl in nondiabetics). There were statistically significant increases in the duration of hospital stay (7.633±3.567 nondiabetic vs. 11.267±4.291 diabetic patients in days), duration of antibiotic treatment (7.633±3.567 nondiabetic vs. 11.267±4.291 diabetic patients in days), increase in O
2
requirements (33.33 vs.70%), increase in antibiotics coverage (16.67 vs. 63.33%), and ICU admission (30 vs. 63.33%) in the diabetic group on comparing nondiabetic versus diabetic patients with CAP. Also, the previously mentioned outcomes increased significantly with increasing blood glucose levels among the entire study population.
Conclusion
On admission, CAP patients with increased blood glucose level, either diabetic or nondiabetic, are expected to have poor outcomes.
Application of synthetic fibres in composites has been raising environmental issues due to carbon emissions from the production site and reliability on non-renewable resources upon production. Hence, ...this research sets as a preliminary study to select suitable natural fibres to be hybridized with glass fibres for the development of sustainable and high-performance hybrid composites as potential alternative to conventional pultruded fibreglass composites in structural profile applications. In this study, analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was conducted to select the ideal natural fibre as reinforcement in the hybrid pultruded FRP composites suitable for structural applications. Hence, 13 natural fibre candidates were selected as alternatives and six criteria were chosen and analysed to select the best candidate for pultruded hybrid FRP. Criteria such as tensile strength, tensile modulus, density, cellulose content, elongation, and availability of fibres were assigned as the standard of selecting natural fibres for the application intended in this study. Among the 13 alternatives, kenaf was found to be the most suitable reinforcement for the application as it yielded the highest priority vector at 0.1. The results were then validated by carrying out sensitivity analysis to ensure kenaf is the most suitable material for the research.
ABSTRACTRecent developments of green technology promote the rising attraction toward developing high-performance and environmentally friendly pultruded products from naturally derived resources. Some ...factors that attract attention to developing pultruded biocomposites are their lightweight properties, recyclability, and economical and environmentally superior alternatives to synthetic fibers in commercial applications. Researchers have studied that the environmental crisis caused by conventional synthetic materials can be reduced significantly by using sustainable materials instead. This paper aims to review the potential of plant fibers to be used in pultruded composite manufacturing to reduce and replace the use of synthetic materials in pultruded structures. It was found that kenaf and jute fibers have been extensively studied in pultruded plant fiber reinforced composites and pultruded glass/plant fiber reinforced hybrid composites for their mechanical and physical properties under various test parameters. Overall, pultruded PFCs have recorded good mechanical properties but have limitations in water absorption properties for outdoor applications. An overview of the optimum process parameters, limitations, and potential applications of pultruded PFCs are also outlined. Finally, this review summarizes the future scopes and expectations, providing researchers and industrialists with a vision for deeper investigation in developing pultruded PFCs.
The accessibility of a rapid method for detection and identification of food‐borne pathogens is crucial for food industry worldwide. Antibiotic resistance bacteria (eg, E. coli) that can enter the ...food chain in different ways, can indeed survive on foods causing disease to humans. Hence, the introduction of a rapid detection technology becomes necessary for the food industry to ensure consumer safety, especially for products with short shelf lives. Bacteriophages can be used to detect and identify bacteria. In this study, a novel biosensor is proposed to detect pathogens by means of phage‐based baroreceptor. The biosensing technique is based on millimeter‐waves technology in the 30 to 60 GHz frequency range. The proposed biosensor can detect the pathogenic bacteria in different food samples by using a diamond‐shape microstrip slot antenna. The bacteriophage‐bacterium interaction is detected through the dynamic changes in transmission lines and antennas responses. The correctness of the antenna to detect E. coli in real food sample (tomato) is also investigated. The results indicate that, through the designed sensing elements, the transient interaction between bacteria and phage can effectively be detected. This sensing mechanism allows for a faster, more accurate, and low‐cost detection of pathogenic bacteria than traditional assays. Finally, the results are compared with previously reported sensing techniques.
Children, and in particular young children under the age of three, are the most vulnerable for aspiration and ingestion of foreign bodies (FBs). The Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape ...Town is the only children's hospital in South Africa and is unique in having a dedicated trauma unit for children under the age of 13 as part of its institution. Core activities of Childsafe South Africa (CSA), located at the hospital, are data accumulation and interpretation, development of educational programmes, health inculcation and advising in legislation involving child health. To achieve this task, CSA works in close co-operation with government, industry, non-governmental and community predicated organisations, community groups and individuals. A database of all children treated for trauma at CSA has been maintained since 1991; it currently contains detailed information of over 170,000 injuries in children under the age of 13. This review consists of a literature review combined with data from our database and aims to provide information on our experiences with tracheobronchial aspiration of FBs in children.
Abstract This is a study on the mechanical properties of kenaf/glass-reinforced polyester composites intended for use in structural profiles with a wall thickness by max. 6 mm. Mechanical properties ...such as tensile, compression, bending and interlaminar shear stress were investigated by comparing the hybrid variants with the pure fibreglass variant. According to the study, woven kenaf/unidirectional glass roving (WK/UG) alternate recorded the highest tensile properties among hybrid samples. It demonstrated a decrement of about 8.2% of the tensile strength (404.54 MPa) and 10.7% of tensile modulus (24.54 GPa) compared to conventional fibreglass samples. Alternating WK/UG samples demonstrated higher compressive strength (417.15 MPa) compared to other hybrid specimens, recording a slight decrease at 6.09% compared to pure fibreglass composites. The highest bending properties were also observed in hybrid alternate WK/UG samples among other hybrid laminates with only a decrement of 4.13% in modulus of rupture (456.33 MPa) and 1.9% in modulus of elasticity (14.49 GPa) when compared to the control specimen. The ILSS of hybrid composites 2WK/3UG/2WK (30.97 MPa) and WK/UG alternate (34.90 MPa) showed good agreement with the pure fibreglass (42.33 MPa) composites. Using SEM images, tensile fractured specimens were examined to comprehend composites’ failure mechanism and interfacial adhesion. Overall, woven kenaf/unidirectional glass roving alternate sequence is chosen as a potential alternative in developing structural profiles for moderate load-bearing structural applications. In contrast, 3WK/UG/3WK with a higher kenaf to glass ratio demonstrate potential in low load-bearing structural profile applications. Graphical abstract
Retrospective comparative study of the efficacy of extravesical non-dismembered common sheath ureteral reimplantation (ECSR) versus intravesical common sheath ureteral reimplantation (ICSR) ...techniques for the correction of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in complete duplex systems.
Between 2010 and 2019, ECSR was performed in 38 children (8 bilaterally), and the mean ages at presentation and at surgery were 31 and 57 months, respectively. The ICSR technique was performed in 25 units (25 patients). Voiding cystography and ultrasound of the kidney and bladder were performed 3 and 12 months postoperatively. We analyzed the surgical outcomes for both groups.
The mean follow-up times for the ECSR and ICSR groups were 15 and 18 months, respectively. The success rate of the ECSR group was 93.5% at 3 months, improving to 95.7% at an average of one year; the rate of the ICSR group was 96% at 3 months and was the same after one year, with no significant difference between the two groups (p = .66). Postoperative complications were compared in the ECSR and ICSR groups: transient contralateral VUR was seen in 5 renal units versus 4, de novo hydronephrosis was seen in 3 units versus 2, and UTIs were observed in 3 patients versus 4.
Both (ECSR) and (ICSR) surgeries are highly successful for the correction of VUR in uncomplicated complete duplex systems. The results of the extravesical approach are comparable with those of the intravesical technique with less morbidity and a shorter hospital stay. Thus, ECSR is our preferred technique when open surgical repair is indicated. ICSR should be reserved for complicated duplex systems necessitating concomitant reconstructive surgery.
PDF
