Search results

This study focused on identifying critical factors governing the fire response of prestressed hollow-core slabs. The hollow-core slabs used as flooring units can be subjected to elevated temperatures during a fire. The fire response of prestressed hollow-core slabs is required to develop slabs with greater fire endurance. The present study aims to determine the extent to which the hollow-core slab can sustain load during a fire without undergoing progressive collapse under extreme fire and heating scenarios.

A finite element model was generated to predict the fire response of prestressed hollow core slabs under elevated temperatures. The accuracy of the model was predicted by examining thermal and structural responses through coupled temperature displacement analysis. A sensitivity analysis was performed to study the effects of concrete properties on prediction of system response. A parametric study was conducted by varying the thickness of the slab, fire and heating scenarios.

Thermal conductivity and specific heat of concrete were determined as sensitive parameters. The thickness of the slab was identified as a critical factor at a higher load level. Asymmetric heating of the slab resulted in higher fire resistance compared with symmetric heating.

This is the first study focused on studying the effect of modeling uncertainties on the system response by sensitivity analysis under elevated temperatures. The developed model with a parametric study helps in identifying critical factors for design purposes.

This study aimed to overcome the challenging issues involved in providing high-precision eigensolutions. The accurate prediction of the buckling load bearing capacity under different crack damage locations, sizes and numbers, and analysing the influence mechanism of crack damage on buckling instability have become the needs of theoretical research and engineering practice. Accordingly, a finite element method was developed and applied to solve the elastic buckling load and buckling mode of curved beams with crack damage. However, the accuracy of the solution depends on the quality of mesh, and the solution inevitably introduces errors due to mesh. Therefore, the adaptive mesh refinement method can effectively optimise the mesh distribution and obtain high-precision solutions.

For the elastic buckling of circular curved beams with cracks, the section damage defect analogy scheme of a circular arc curved beam crack was established to simulate the crack size (depth), position and number. The h-version finite element mesh adaptive analysis method of the variable section Euler–Bernoulli beam was introduced to solve the elastic buckling problem of circular arc curved beams with crack damage. The optimised mesh and high-precision buckling load and buckling mode solutions satisfying the preset error tolerance were obtained.

The results of testing typical examples show that (1) the established section damage defect analogy scheme of circular arc curved beam crack can effectively realise the simulation of crack size (depth), position and number. The solution strictly satisfies the preset error tolerance; (2) the non-uniform mesh refinement in the algorithm can be adapted to solve the arbitrary order frequencies and modes of cracked cylindrical shells under the conditions of different ring wave numbers, crack positions and crack depths; and (3) the change in the buckling mode caused by crack damage is applicable to the study of elastic buckling under various curved beam angles and crack damage distribution conditions.

This study can provide a novel strategy for the adaptive mesh refinement for finite element analysis of elastic buckling of circular arc curved beams with crack damage. The adaptive mesh refinement method established in this study is fundamentally different from the conventional finite element method which employs the user experience to densify the meshes near the crack. It can automatically and flexibly generate a set of optimised local meshes by iteratively dividing the fine mesh near the crack, which can ensure the high accuracy of the buckling loads and modes. The micro-crack in curved beams is also characterised by weakening the cross-sectional stiffness to realise the characterisation of locations, depths and distributions of multiple crack damage, which can effectively analyse the disturbance behaviour of different forms of micro-cracks on the dynamic behaviour of beams.

There is a paucity of comparative literature on pathway to care among patients with co-occurring disorders and those with only substance use disorders. This paper aims to compare the pathways to care among patients with co-occurring disorder and those with only substance use disorders.

A cross-sectional observational study was carried out on male treatment seekers at a tertiary care substance use disorder treatment center in India. Participants were recruited in two groups, those with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders and those with only substance use disorders. The two groups were matched for age and socio-economic status.

A total of 189 subjects with co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders and 197 subjects with substance use disorders only were recruited. Psychiatric services were the most common first point of care. However, a larger proportion of the subjects in the co-occurring disorder group received the first care from faith healers, while a greater proportion received first care from the therapeutic communities in substance use disorder only group. Initial care was sought mostly following suggestion from the family members in both the groups. The time to treatment for substance use disorders did not differ between the two groups, though the treatment seeking for substance use disorder was more delayed than that of psychiatric disorder in the co-occurring disorder group.

The findings shed light on the pathway of care followed in India and is a matter of further research.

Expansion of services and dissemination of information about psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders can provide timely care to patients with substance use disorders and co-occurring disorders.

The findings have a social implication as well. More awareness is needed currently in India for timely treatment of dual disorders.

The paper is an original research by the authors. The data were collected from the participants who reported to the dual diagnosis clinic. The findings are important as they tell us about the current understanding of dual diagnosis by the general public.

Although India has a number of health issues, the healthcare facilities in India are insufficient due to poor quality of care. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors affecting the structural quality of healthcare facilities in India.

This study used the medical facility data from the India Human Development Survey-II, 2011–2012 (ICPSR 36151) (n=4,218). Logistic regression was conducted to predict structural quality of healthcare facilities.

The results suggest that it is difficult to have all standard resources available at health care facilities in India. Surprisingly, having a drinking water source inside the health facility appears to be an indicator of poor structural quality of health care facilities. Having a water source inside a health care facility is associated with not having a separate exam room and not having a sink to wash hands. A higher registration fee was associated with good structural quality and with having a separate exam room and having a sink to wash hands.

This study shows the complexity of providing quality health care to the poor, particularly in developing countries. Research on quality of healthcare facilities in India is needed to improve the health of the population. Little research has been done on the factors influencing the structural quality of the healthcare facilities in India. This study is an important contribution to the current knowledge of structural healthcare facility standards and its influences in India.