•The radial impact test is simulated, for a number of different aluminium wheels, by means of a finite element model. The model includes tyre, wheel, striker and supporting structure. The actual ...structure of the tyre is modelled.•A wheel instrumented with strain gauges has been used to validate the finite element model. An additional set of four families of different wheel types, equipped with different tyres, has been considered to enlarge the validation activity.•The modelling approach has proved to be effective in reproducing the final plastic deformation of the wheel and thus to predict the compliance of the wheel design with the requirements coming from standards.
Safety is a crucial issue for automotive wheels, normally subject to severe dynamic working conditions. Severe indoor tests have been conceived and standardised to guarantee the required safety standards of vehicle wheels. This paper is devoted to the analysis and virtual simulation of the radial impact test of aluminium wheels, one of the most severe tests the wheel has to pass before production.
The radial impact test is simulated, for a number of different aluminium wheels, by means of a finite element model. The model includes tyre, wheel, striker and supporting structure. The actual structure of the tyre is modelled. Tyre damping is included through a Rayleigh model, whose parameters are experimentally identified. The wheel material inhomogeneity is taken into account by assigning different stress/strain curves to wheel rim and spokes.
A wheel instrumented with strain gauges has been used to validate the finite element model. An additional set of four families of different wheel types, equipped with different tyres, has been considered to asses the experimental variability and to compare the outputs of the corresponding impact models realized by the same procedure. The finite element model of the radial impact test has proven to be effective in reproducing the final plastic deformation of the wheel and thus to predict the compliance of the wheel design with the requirements coming from standards.
After prolonged hospitalization, the assessment of nutritional status and the identification of adequate nutritional support is of paramount importance. In this observational study, we aimed at ...assessing the presence of a malnutrition condition in SARS-Cov2 patients after the acute phase and the effects of a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program on nutritional and functional status.
We recruited 48 patients (26 males/22 females) admitted to our Rehabilitation Unit after discharge from acute Covid Hospitals in northern Italy with negative swab for SARS-Cov2. We used the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria to identify patients with different degrees of malnutrition. Patients underwent a 3 to 4-week individual multidisciplinary rehabilitation program consisting of nutritional intervention (energy intake 27to30 kcal/die/kg and protein intake 1–1.3 g/die/kg), exercise for total body conditioning and progressive aerobic exercise with cycle- and arm-ergometer (45 min, 5 days/week). At admission and discharge from our Rehabilitation Unit, body composition and phase angle (PhA) (BIA101 Akern), muscle strength (handgrip, HG) and physical performance (Timed-Up-and-Go, TUG) were assessed.
At admission in all patients the mean weight loss, as compared to the habitual weight, was −12.1 (7.6)%, mean BMI was 25.9 (7.9) kg/m2, mean Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Index (ASMI) was 6.6 (1.7) kg/m2 for males and 5.4 (1.4) kg/m2 for females, mean phase angle was 2.9 (0.9)°, mean muscle strength (HG) was 21.1 (7.8) kg for males and 16.4 (5.9) kg for females, mean TUG value was 23.7 (19.2) s. Based on GLIM criteria 29 patients (60% of the total) showed a malnutrition condition. 7 out of those 29 patients (24%) presented a mild/moderate grade and 22 patients (76%) a severe grade. After a rehabilitation program of an average duration of 25 days (range 13–46) ASMI increased, with statistically significant differences only in females (p = 0.001) and HG improved only in males (p = 0.0014). In all of the patients, body weight did not change, CRP/albumin (p < 0.05) and TUG (p < 0.001) were reduced and PhA increased (p < 0.01).
We diagnosed a malnutrition condition in 60% of our post SARS-Cov2 patients. An individualized nutritional intervention with adequate energy and protein intake combined with tailored aerobic and strengthening exercise improved nutritional and functional status.
•Majority of Post-Covid-19 patients are malnourished based on GLIM criteria.•Nutritional and exercise intervention improved outcome of Post-Covid-19 patients.•Post-Covid-19 patients need nutritional surveillance or nutritional care plan.
The paper proposes an optimization procedure to be adopted by wheels design engineers for the identification of preliminary solutions to design lightweight and safe wheels. In particular, decisions ...related to the sizing of the wheel rim, to the number and type of spokes and to the spokes structural layout are addressed. The process relies on the combination of a simplified finite element model of the tire/wheel assembly and artificial neural networks used for global approximation, within a multi-objective optimization framework. Mass and compliance of the wheel are minimized at the same time, with constraints on structural safety and manufacturing. The method is applied to the preliminary design of the wheel of a lightweight electric vehicle specifically designed for energy efficiency competitions and allows to derive simple and general design guidelines for developing efficient products.
In recent years an increasing interest has been focused on the contribution of wildlife in ecology and evolution of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The aim of this study was to molecularly ...investigate the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in organ samples from a golden jackal (
Canis aureus
) found dead in the Marche region (Central Italy). Samples from lung, liver, spleen, kidney, and intestine were investigated by PCRs targeting the following genes:
tet
(A),
tet
(B),
tet
(C),
tet
(D),
tet
(E),
tet
(G),
tet
(K),
tet
(L),
tet
(M),
tet
(O),
tet
(S),
tet
(P),
tet
(Q),
tet
(X),
sul1
,
sul2
,
sul3
,
bla
CTX−M
,
bla
SHV
,
bla
TEM
, and
mcr
-1 to
mcr
-10. One or more ARGs were detected in all organs tested, except the spleen. Specifically, the lung and liver were positive for
tet
(M) and
tet
(P), the kidney for
mcr
-1 and the intestine for
tet
(A),
tet
(L),
tet
(M),
tet
(O),
tet
(P),
sul3
and
bla
TEM−1
. These results, according to the opportunistic foraging strategy of the jackal, confirm its potential role as a good bioindicator of AMR environmental contamination.
Background
Job satisfaction is important for increasing nurse retention rates. However, there is little research examining whether there is an association between nationality and job satisfaction ...among nurses.
Aim
To examine whether there is an association between nationality and nurse job satisfaction.
Methods/design
A cross‐sectional survey design was utilized, and 743 nurses from three major government hospitals in Saudi Arabia participated in the survey. Job satisfaction was measured using McCloskey/Mueller Satisfaction Scale. Data were collected between May 2014 and February 2015.
Results
Compared with Saudi nurses, expatriate nurses had overall lower job satisfaction after controlling for other predictors. While expatriates were less satisfied than Saudi nurses about extrinsic rewards and family–work balance, however, Saudi nurses were less satisfied than expatriate nurses about their professional opportunities, praise and recognition, and co‐worker relationships.
Conclusion
For some subscales, Saudi nurses were more satisfied than expatriate nurses, while for other subscales, the opposite was true. Nationality should be included in job satisfaction studies in countries with migrant workforces, as nationality‐based differences may have been present but masked in earlier international studies by aggregating satisfaction across national groups.
Implications for nursing & health policy
Policy makers in Saudi Arabia and other countries with migrant nursing workforces should have effective induction programmes that help newly employed nurses – migrant and local – clearly understand their jobs, roles and responsibilities. Policy makers must have sufficient evidence to modify the reward system to ensure fairness and equality for all.
The aim of this study was to molecularly investigate the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in organ samples from 11 Apennine wolves (
Canis lupus italicus
) collected in Central ...Italy. Samples from lung, liver, spleen, kidney, tongue and intestine were investigated by PCRs targeting the following genes:
tet
(A),
tet
(B),
tet
(C),
tet
(D),
tet
(E),
tet
(G),
tet
(K),
tet
(L),
tet
(M),
tet
(O),
tetA
(P),
tet
(Q),
tet
(S),
tet
(X),
sul1
,
sul2
,
sul3
,
bla
CTX−M
,
bla
SHV
,
bla
TEM
and
mcr
-1. A PCR positivity was highlighted for 13 out of the 21 tested genes; no positive results were obtained for
tet
(C),
tet
(D),
tet
(E),
tet
(G),
sul3
,
bla
CTX
,
bla
SHV
and
mcr
-1 genes. All 11 animals sampled showed positivity for one or more resistance genes. The results confirm the potential role of the wolf as an indicator and/or vector of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria or ARGs.
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