In this study, the free and forced vibrations of a bi-directional functionally graded porous beam are investigated. The governing equations of motion are derived by Hamilton’s principle, and the ...reduced temporal equation of motion with cubic and quintic nonlinear terms is obtained using the Galerkin approach. Analytical solutions for the nonlinear natural frequencies in addition to the primary resonance response curves are established by the method of multiple scales. The effects of the axial and transverse functionally graded indexes, initial amplitude, porosity parameter, and the elastic and mass density ratios on the nonlinear frequencies and the forced responses are examined.
Based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, the natural vibration behavior of functionally graded nonuniform multiple beams has been investigated. It is assumed that the beams are joined by elastic ...translational springs, and the properties of the beams vary along the axial direction. The Chebyshev spectral collocation method has been used to convert the governing differential equations of transverse motion into a system of algebraic equations that are put in the matrix–vector form. Then, the dimensionless transverse frequencies are obtained by solving the eigenvalue problem. The influence of several factors, such as the stiffness parameters of the coupling translational springs, the properties of the cross section of the beams, and the boundary conditions on the frequencies, has been carried out. The results generated from the Chebyshev spectral collocation method have been verified by comparing them with those reported in other studies and references from the literature. Several numerical examples have been presented and discussed to analyze the system under consideration. The authors hope that the findings of the current study are helpful in designing and characterizing multiple nonuniform thin engineering structures.
The free vibration analysis of non-local orthotropic Kirchhoff plates has been investigated. Kirchhoff plates at the micro/nanoscale are modeled using Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory, where the ...small scale effect is taken into consideration. The governing equations are derived using the nonlocal differential constitutive relations of Eringen. For this purpose, the resulted eigenvalue problem is solved numerically by applying the Chebyshev collocation method. The effects of the the Winkler modulus parameter, the shear modulus parameter, the aspect ratio, the taper, the nonlocal scale coefficient, and the boundary conditions on the natural frequencies have been studied.
•Free vibration of non-uniform, non-local orthotropic Kirchhoff plates resting on elastic foundation is analyzed.•Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory is utilized.•The Chebyshev collocation method is applied to discretize the governing equation of motion.•Convergence analysis is carried out by numerical studies and demonstrated well.•Plots of the natural frequencies versus different parameters are obtained.
The world is becoming more reliant on renewable energy sources to satisfy its growing energy demand. The primary disadvantage of such sources is their significant uncertainty in power production. As ...appropriate energy production planning and scheduling necessitate a solid and confident assessment of renewable power production, the necessity for developing reliable prediction models grows by the day. This paper proposes an adaptive approach-based ensemble for 1-day ahead production prediction of solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems. Different ensembles of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) prediction models are established, whose architectures (number of the ANNs that comprise the ensembles) and configurations (number of hidden nodes required by the ANNs models of the ensembles) change adaptively at each hour h, h∈ 1, 24 of a day, for accommodating the hour seasonality in the solar PV data and, thus, enhancing the 1 day-ahead predictions accuracy. The suggested approach is tested on a 264 kW solar PV system installed at Applied Science Private University, Jordan. Its prediction performance is evaluated, particularly for different weather conditions (seasons) experienced by the concerned PV system, using standard performance metrics. Results show the effectiveness of the suggested approach in predicting solar PV power production and its superiority compared to another prediction approach of the literature that uses single ANNs at each hour h of the day. Specifically, for 1-day ahead prediction, the obtained enhanced accuracy, on average, was around 8%–10% on the test “unseen” datasets.
The stability and free vibration analyses of single and double composite Timoshenko beams have been investigated. The closed-section beams are subjected to constant axially compressive or tensile ...forces. The double beams are assumed to be connected by a layer of elastic translational and rotational springs. The coupled governing partial differential equations of motion are discretized, and the resulted eigenvalue problem is solved numerically by applying the Chebyshev spectral collocation method. The effects of the elastic layer parameters, the axial forces, the slenderness ratio, the bending–torsional coupling, and the boundary conditions on the critical buckling loads, mode shapes, and natural transverse frequencies have been studied. A parametric study was performed, and the obtained results revealed different features, which hopefully can be useful for single- and double-beam-like engineering structures.
The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of school nurses and physical education teachers (SN and PE teachers) about the emergency management of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) in schools ...and to measure the impact of education on their knowledge. A longitudinal prospective study based on a questionnaire survey completed by 68 SN and PE teachers at three time periods (prior to, immediately after, and 3 months-post-educational intervention). Pre- and post t-test and repeated measures (analysis of variance) were used to compare the three group means for the same participants (p < .05 was considered significant). Significant improvement in the knowledge score among participants was observed between the initial survey to immediately after the educational session and to 3 months after (p = .047). Significant improvement in the choice of immediately seeking attention after tooth avulsion was observed (p = .001). The initial knowledge deficiency about the emergency management of TDIs among SN and PE teachers was improved and sustained.
In this research, free vibration behavior of thick functionally graded nanoplates is carried out using the Chebyshev spectral collocation method. It is assumed that the plates are resting on variable ...elastic foundations. Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity theory is used to capture the size effect, and Mindlin’s first-order shear deformation plate theory is employed to model the thick nanoplates. Hamilton’s principle along with the differential form of Eringen’s constitutive relations are utilized to obtain the governing partial differential equations of motion for the functionally graded nanoplates under consideration. A numerical solution is presented by applying the spectral collocation method and the natural frequencies are obtained. A parametric study is conducted to study the effects of several factors on the natural frequencies of the functionally graded nanoplates. It is found that the parameters of the variable elastic foundation (Winkler and shear moduli), thickness to length ratio, length to width ratio (aspect ratio), the nonlocal scale coefficient, the gradient index, the foundation type, and the boundary conditions have a remarkable influence on the free vibration characteristics of the functionally graded nanoplates.
The natural vibration behavior of axially functionally graded (AFG) double nanobeams is studied based on the Euler–Bernoulli beam and Eringen’s non-local elasticity theory. The double nanobeams are ...continuously connected by a layer of linear springs. The oscillatory differential equation of motion is established using the Hamilton’s principle and the constitutive relations. The Chebyshev spectral collocation method (CSCM) is used to transform the coupled governing differential equations of motion into algebraic equations. The discretized boundary conditions are used to modify the Chebyshev differentiation matrices, and the system of equations is put in the matrix-vector form. Then, the dimensionless transverse frequencies and the mode shapes are obtained by solving the standard eigenvalue problem. The effects of the coupling springs, Winkler stiffness, the shear stiffness parameter, the breadth and taper ratios, the small-scale parameter, and the boundary conditions on the natural transverse frequencies are carried out. Several numerical examples were conducted, and the authors believe that the results may be interesting in designing and analyzing double and multiple one-dimensional nano structures.
Literature on the frequency, response to treatment, and outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to intracranial atherostenosis (ICAS)-related intracranial large artery occlusion (ILAO) from Saudi ...Arabia is scarce. The aim of this study was to identify the percentage, describe the characteristics, and observe the treatment response in patients with AIS attributed to ICAS-related ILAO.
This cross-sectional study included all adult patients from 2017-2021 who fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the diagnosis of ICAS-related AIS. Patients were dichotomized based on ILAO. Mortality and functional outcomes (FOCs) based on 90 days' dependence level were compared between the two groups. The association between ILAO and other variables was assessed using the Chi-squared test, odds ratios (OR), and 95% confidence interval (CI).
ILAO was found in 38.7% of patients with ICAS-related AIS. Men comprised three-fourths of the cohort and were more frequent in the ILAO group. Smoking was associated with increased (
= 0.04) likelihood of ILAO. Patients with ILAO had more severe strokes (
≤ 0.001) than patients without. Middle cerebral artery was the most common occluded vessel (52%). Functional dependence (
= 0.003, OR = 2.87, CI = 1.42-5.77), malignant transformation (
= 0.001, OR = 8.0, CI = 1.82-35.9), and mortality (
≤ 0.001, OR = 7.67, CI = 2.40-24.5) were significantly higher among ILAO group. Patients with ILAO with unfavorable FOC were older than those who achieved better FOC (
≤ 0.001). Thrombolysis (
= 0.02, OR = 2.50, CI = 1.15-5.41) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) improved FOC in patients with ILAO (
= 0.04, OR = 2.33, CI = 1.10-4.92).
ILAO is common in patients with ICAS-related AIS. Timely hyperacute stroke treatment can help improve the FOC of otherwise disabling stroke due to ILAO. Raising awareness of the community about stroke is needed, so that a higher number of patients can arrive at hospital within the golden hours. Further data from the region are required to recognize the efficacy of MT in ICAS-related ILAO.
Objectives: To assess the incidence of infection following various cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt procedures among patients with hydrocephalus and related conditions, based on the age of the ...patient, and to determine the types of pathogens responsible for shunt infections. Methods: This retrospective single center study reviewed the records of patients with culture-confirmed CSF shunt infection diagnosed between January 2012 and December 2017. Cases without central nervous system imaging investigations were excluded. Results: The incidence rate of shunt-related infections was 32.2%. Among the 189 patients whose records were included, Staphylococcus epidermidis (47.5%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (18%) were the most common causative organisms. The incidence of postoperative infection was higher among those who underwent external ventricular drain procedures (65%) than among those who underwent ventriculoperitoneal shunt procedures (24%). There were no intraoperative deaths. However, the postoperative death rate was 12.2% during hospital stay (mean duration = 9 days); 2% of these deaths occurred after shunt removal. Conclusion: The incidence of infections after CSF shunt procedures was high in our tertiary academic hospital during the study period, compared to those reported in similar clinical settings and before developing a detailed standardized protocol for infection control. Although gram-negative organisms were the most prevalent cause of CSF infections, S. epidermidis (a gram-positive organism) was the most commonly encountered causative agent. Shunt protocols should be implemented to address perioperative shortcomings and to reduce overall mortality and morbidity.