Prospective randomized study to evaluate and compare the post-procedural sexual function in patients undergoing semi-rigid ureterorenoscopy for distal ureteric stones in three different operating room settings

Objective:To evaluate and compare the effect of semi-rigid ureterorenoscopy on post-procedural sexual function with three different operating room settings.Methods:In this prospective randomized study,consecutive sexually active patients with normal pre-operative sexual function undergoing uncomplicated semi-rigid ureterorenoscopy for distal ureteric stones were randomized into three groups,with three different operating room settings.Procedure-related anxiety and sexual function were assessed pre-operatively using Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale and Brief Sexual Function Inventory(in males)and Female Sexual Function Index-6(in females),respectively.All the participants were stented following the procedure,and the stent was removed after 3 weeks.Post-procedural sexual function and general discomfort were assessed and compared between three groups at 1 week,3 weeks,and 12 weeks.The effect of surgery-related anxiety,preoperative sexual function,age,and general discomfort(including stent-related discomfort)on post-procedural sexual function were analyzed using multiple regression analysis.A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:Totally,327 eligible patients were randomized into three groups.The group of patients who underwent the procedural with a screen separating the operating area from the patient vision,while the patient could watch the endoscopy through a separate monitor,had better post-procedural sexual function compared to those who had total vision of the operating area as well as to those whose eyes were blocked.This difference was statistically significant.This post-procedural reduction in sexual function could not be attributed to in situ stent alone.Conclusions:Our study showed that semi-rigid ureterorenoscopy can have significant negative effect on sexual function,which can be reduced with proper preoperative counseling and an ideal operating room settings.

Numerical analysis of reflective cracking and fatigue lives of semi-rigid pavement structures using ABAQUS and FE-SAFE

In order to compare the impact of thickness of different layers on fatigue lives of different semi-rigid asphalt pavement structures, the mechanical results from finite element models in ABAQUS are incorporated with the fatigue results from fatigue models in FE-SAFE to calculate the mechanical response and fatigue lives of semi-rigid pavement structures under heavy traffic loads. Then the influences on fatigue lives caused by the changes in the thickness of layers in pavement structures are also evaluated. The numerical simulation results show that the aggregated base and the large stone porous mixture （LSPM） base have better anti-cracking performance than the conventional semi-rigid base. The appropriate thickness range for the aggregated layer in the aggregated base is 15 to 18 cm. The thickness of the LSPM layer in the LSPM base is recommended to be less than 15 cm.

Effects of interface slip and semi-rigid joint on elastic seismic response of steel-concrete composite frames

The stiffness matrix of semi-rigidly connected composite beams considering interface slip was established and the calculation method for elastic seismic response of composite frame was derived.The corresponding calculation programs were developed.Introducing the dimensionless quantities that were related to the connector shearing stiffness and the joint rotation stiffness,the influences of interface slip and semi-rigid joint on composite frame were transferred to quantitative parameter analysis,taking account of cross sectional properties,materials and linear stiffness of composite beam synthetically.Based on the calculation programs,free vibration frequencies and seismic responses of semi-rigid joint steel-concrete composite frame considering interface slip were calculated.The influences of interface slip and semi rigid joint on dynamic characteristics and seismic response were analyzed and the seismic design advices were presented.The results show that the interface slip decreases the free vibration frequencies and increase the seismic responses of composite frame.The semi-rigid joint reduces the free vibration frequencies and increases seismic responses of composite frame compared with rigid joint.With the increase of joint rotational stiffness,the elastic seismic responses of composite frame increase firstly and then decrease.The effects are related to the ratio of joint rotation stiffness to linear stiffness of composite beam.

Use of a modified ureteral access sheath in semi-rigid ureteroscopy to treat large upper ureteral stones is associated with high stone free rates

Objective:To examine differences in outcomes of semi-rigid ureteroscopy(URS)with or without a modified-ureteral-access-sheath(mUAS)to treat large upper ureteral stones.Methods:Patients with single,radio-opaque large upper ureteral stone(≥10 mm)treated using semi-rigid URS between August 2013 and October 2016 were retrospectively evaluated.The stone-free status was determined from Kidney-ureter-bladder(KUB)X-ray films taken on postoperative Day 1 and after 1 month.Results:Of 103 patients meeting inclusion criteria,43(41.75%)and 60(58.25%)were treated with semi-rigid URS with and without mUAS,respectively.The immediate stone-free rate(SFR)for the mUAS group was significantly higher than the non-mUAS group(40[93.0%]vs.46[76.7%];p=0.033).The SFR at 1 month was also high for patients treated using mUAS,but not statistically different from patients not treated with mUAS(41[95.3%]mUAS vs.51[85.0%]non-mUAS;p=0.115).Auxiliary procedure rates were significantly lower for mUAS patients compared to non-mUAS patients(2[4.7%]vs.14[23.3%];p=0.01).There were no significant differences in surgical duration and hospital stays,and the overall complication rates were statistically similar for mUAS patients compared to non-mUAS patients(1[2.3%]vs.3[5.0%];p=0.638).

Compressive strength and frost heave resistance of different types of semi-rigid base materials after freeze-thaw cycles

Freeze-thaw damage is the most common disease of semi-rigid bases in cold regions, which may greatly affect the dura- bility of roadways. In this study, the compressive strength and frost resistance of four different types of semi-rigid bases （lime-fly ash-stabilized sand, cement-stabilized sand, lime-fly ash-stabilized gravel, and cement-stabilized gravel） are assessed by varying the materials content. Based on freeze-thaw and compressive strength tests, this paper presents the performance of the different materials, each having different physical properties, and the optimal amounts of materials contents are proposed.

Effects of temperature change on elastic behavior of steel beams with semi-rigid connections

Based on the nonlinear displacement-strain relationship,the virtual work principle method was used to establish the nonlinear equilibrium equations of steel beams with semi-rigid connections under vertical uniform loads and temperature change.Considering the non-uniform temperature distribution across the thickness of beams,the formulas for stresses and vertical displacements were presented.On the basis of a flowchart for analysis of the numerical example,the effect of temperature change on the elastic behavior of steel beams was investigated.It is found that the maximal stress is mainly influenced by axial temperature change,and the maximal vertical displacement is principally affected by temperature gradients.And the effect of temperature gradients on the maximal vertical displacement decreases with the increase of rotational stiffness of joints.Both the maximal stress and vertical displacement decrease with the increase of rotational stiffness of joints.It can be concluded that the effects of temperature changes and rotational stiffness of joints on the elastic behavior of steel beams are significant.However,the influence of rotational stiffness becomes smaller when the rotational stiffness is larger.

Design of the Composite Steel-Glass Beams with Semi-Rigid Polymer Adhesive Joint

New and high transparent structural element, steel-glass composite beam was developed in respect to fabrication, static-structural and architectural criteria and consists of steel flanges and glass web assembled together by semi-rigid polymer adhesive, which is the key element of whole composite system. These beams can be used mainly as members of high transparent roof or floor structure as well as stiffening fins for large area glass facades. This paper deals with experimental research performed at CTU （Czech Technical University） Prague, which started by adhesive selection and initial material tests by ISO527, continued via small-scale steel-glass connection tests and graduated by full-scale tests of hybrid beams with the span of 4 m. Generalized results of these experiments, analytical and numerical studies serve as device, how to accurately predict the behavior of the beam, describe the stress distribution along the cross section and safely and economically design such a kind of structure with semi-rigid shear connection, made by polymer adhesive.

STATISTICAL MODELS FOR SEMI-RIGID NEMATIC POLYMERS

Semi-rigid liquid crystal polymer is a class of liquid crystal polymers different from long rigid rod liquid crystal polymer to which the well-known Onsager and Flory theories are applied. In this paper, three statistical models for the semi-rigid nematic polymer were addressed. They are the elastically jointed rod model, worm-like chain model, and non-homogeneous chain model. The nematic-isotropic transition temperature was examined. The pseudo-second transition temperature is expressed analytically. Comparisons with the experiments were made and the agreements were found.

Static behavior of semi-rigid thin-walled steel-concrete composite beam-to-column joints with bolted partial-depth flush end plate:experimental study

A new type of semi-rigid thin-walled steel-concrete composite beam-to-column joint has been proposed in this paper.Five semi-rigid composite beam-to-column joint specimens subjected to hogging moments under monotonic loading were tested to study the static behavior of this new type of joint.The main variable parameters for the five joint specimens were the longitudinal reinforcement ratio and the joint type.The experimental results designated that the magnitude of extension of the longitudinal reinforcement is the most important factor that influenced the moment-rotation characteristic of the new type of joint.The concrete slabs could resist 3.8%-19.1% of the total shear load applied to the cross-sections near the beam-to-column connection.The edge stiffened elements,such as the flange of the lipped I-section thin-walled steel beam,were capable of having considerable inelastic deformation capacity although they had comparatively large width-to-thickness ratios.The shear failure of the concrete cantilever edge strip must be taken into account in practical design because it has significant influence on the anchorage of the longitudinal reinforcement in the new type of external joints.

Progressive Collapse Analysis of Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Frames with Semi-rigid Connections

A 9-story concrete-filled steel tubular frame model is used to analyze the response of joints due to sudden column loss. Three different models are developed and compared to study the efficiency and feasibility of simulation, which include substructure model, beam element model and solid element model. The comparison results show that the substructure model has a satisfying capability, calculation efficiency and accuracy to predict the concerned joints as well as the overall framework. Based on the substructure model and a kind of semi-rigid connection for concretefilled square hollow section steel column proposed in this paper, the nonlinear dynamic analyses are conducted by the alternate path method. It is found that the removal of the ground inner column brings high-level joint moments and comparatively low-level axial tension forces. The initial stiffness and transmitted ultimate moment of the semi-rigid connection are the main factors that influence the frame behavior, and their lower limit should be guaranteed to resist collapse. Reduced ultimate moment results in drastic displacement and axial force development, which may bring progressive collapse. The higher initial stiffness ensures that the structure has a stronger capacity to resist progressive collapse.

Infrapubic versus Penoscrotal Approaches for Implantation of Semi-Rigid Penile Prosthesis

Background: Modification of surgical techniques to minimize wound infections in penile implant surgery using malleable prosthesis which is easy to use, of very low risk of mechanical failure and is financially suitable to improve outcome and ensures less complications. The aim of the study is to compare infrapubic approach and Penoscrotal approach in penile semi-rigid prosthesis implantation surgery. Patients and methods: Fifty patients were randomly divided into two groups and each group underwent one approach. Results: No statically significant differences were found between both groups in terms of operative time. Corporeal cross over was the most common intraoperative complications, 3 cases in IP approach and 6 cases in PS but not statistically significant. Peyronie’s disease patients underwent penile implant through infrapubic approach in 3 cases and PS in 4 cases with one recorded complication of keloid formations with IP. Urethral false passage reported only in one case with PS approach without affecting the procedure. Only minor complications including superficial wound infection which was significantly more with PS, 6/25 (24%) and IP 1/25 (4%), p value = 0.041. Penile and scrotal edema was common with IP approach (92%) in comparison with PS approach (60%). The urethral catheter can be abandoned with IP to avoid the risk of catheterizations. No significant relation between diabetes and infections and no erosions were encountered. Conclusion: Through this research work, infrapubic approach is better than Penoscrotal approach even if it is not commonly used by surgeon.

Study on Test Methods for Mechanical Properties of Semi-rigid Base Cores of In-service Pavements

Compressive strength and compressive resilience modulus are two important parameters to measure the mechanical properties of semi-rigid base.The test methods of semi-rigid base cores are different from those of the laboratory samples in terms of sample acquisition,sample selection and humidity requirements.Core-drilling location,size of core sample,smoothness and humidity conditions were analyzed.The test methods of compressive strength and compressive resilience modulus were proposed.The research results show that compressive strength of lime fly-ash stabilized gravels base has a tendency of increasing during a long period.The compressive resilience modulus increases significantly with compressive strength of semi-rigid base.The compressive resilience modulus generally is 3-4 times than the recommended range of asphalt pavement design specifications.The fluctuation range of compressive resilience modulus is obviously higher than the compressive strength.The compressive resilience modulus is more sensitive to the construction variability.The overall trend between the compressive resilience modulus and the back-calculation modulus is consistent.FWD(falling weight deflectometer)back-calculation modulus can reflect the stiffness and bearing capacity of asphalt pavement.

Semi-Rigid Registration of 3D Points

In this paper, we proposed a method for semi-rigid changed 3D point clouds registration. We first segment the point clouds into individual segments and then the alignment energy costs of each segment are calculated. The rough initial transformation is estimated by minimizing the energy cost using integer programming. The final registration results are obtained by rigid alignments of separated corresponded segments. Experimental result with simulated point clouds demonstrate that the concept of semi-rigid registration works well.

Analytical Model of Nonlinear Semi-rigid Frames Using Finite Element Method

Performance-based design for a constructional steel frame in nonlinear-plastic region requires an improvement in order to achieve a reliable structural analysis.The need to explicitly consider the nonlinear behaviour of structures makes the numerical modelling approach much more favourable than expensive and potentially dangerous experimental work.The parameters considered in the analysis are not limited to the linear change of geometry and material yielding,but also include the effect of large deformations,geometrical imperfections,load eccentricities,residual stresses,strain-unloading,and the nonlinear boundary conditions.Such analysis requires the use of accurate mathematical modelling and effective numerical procedures for solving equations of equilibrium.With that in mind,this paper presents the mathematical formulations and finite element procedures of nonlinear inelastic steel frame analysis with quasi-static semi-rigid connections.Verification and validation of the developed analytical procedures are conducted and good agreements are obtained.It is an approach that enables the structural behaviour of constructional steel frames to be traced throughout the entire range of loading until failure.It also provides information on the derivation of the structural analysis by using finite element method.

Semi-rigid腰椎后路动态钉棒固定系统治疗单节段腰椎不稳的疗效观察

目的探讨Semi-rigid腰椎后路动态钉棒固定系统治疗单节段腰椎不稳的临床疗效。方法对该院2009年6月—2011年1月间采用Semi-rigid腰椎后路动态钉棒固定系统手术治疗34例单节段腰椎不稳症病例进行回顾性分析。结果随访10～24个月,优31例(91.2%),良2例(5.9%),差1例(2.9%),优良率97.1%。结论 Semi-rigid腰椎后路动态钉棒固定系统可有效治疗单节段腰椎不稳,值得临床推广。

Semi-rigid动态系统治疗腰椎滑脱症的疗效分析

目的观察腰椎后路semi-rigid动态内固定系统治疗腰椎滑脱症的疗效。方法回顾性分析32例腰椎退行性变患者的临床资料。按Newman分型:峡部滑脱18例,退行性滑脱14例,所有患者均行手术减压、腰椎后路semi-rigid动态内固定系统固定。分析术后Oswestry功能障碍指数评分(ODI)和日本骨科学会评分(JOA)改善情况,随访临床疗效及影像学观察结果。结果术后1年,ODI分值较术前下降[(12.15±5.27)分vs.(61.82±10.79)分](P<0.05),JOA分值较术前提高[(27.89±1.99)分vs.(9.28±1.86)分](P<0.05)。术后1年动态固定邻近节段退变椎间盘有逆退变过程演变的趋势。结论腰椎后路semi-rigid动态内固定系统是治疗腰椎滑脱症的有效方法,可预防和减少融合相邻节段的椎间盘退变。

移动荷载下道路病害的弯沉盆特性

移动荷载作用下道路弯沉盆蕴含路基、路面的病害信息,充分利用移动弯沉盆信息开展道路病害快速无损检测受到行业重要关注。该文通过分析道路病害的弯沉盆特性,为移动弯沉车开发道路病害检测方法提供技术参考。首先建立半刚性基层沥青路面有限元模型,通过设置不同类型和程度的病害有限元模型,分析在移动荷载作用下路表弯沉盆的连续变化情况。结果表明:荷载移动到病害区域时,各病害模型中路表弯沉盆的中心弯沉值均会变大;路面结构层出现横向裂缝时,弯沉盆的形状会发生明显变化,贯通性横向裂缝对弯沉盆形状的影响最明显;基层与底基层局部松散对弯沉盆形状的影响比面层松散对弯沉盆的影响更明显;土基顶部出现空洞时,弯沉盆形状变化不明显;路基唧泥病害会严重影响路表弯沉盆形状与大小。

单边螺栓连接中心支撑钢框架抗震性能分析

目的为研究支撑-半刚接钢框架结构体系的抗震性能,方法设计了一榀由嵌套式单边螺栓与T型钢构成的半刚性梁柱节点的中心支撑钢框架,并进行了拟静力试验与有限元数值模拟,通过观测整个试验现象,分析了其滞回、承载力、刚度退化、耗能等抗震指标。结果结果表明:试件破坏过程明显经历了弹性段、塑性段、破坏段三个阶段,试件破坏模式主要为支撑受压失稳破坏,塑性变形主要累积在支撑体系上,整体呈现延性破坏特征;支撑断裂后,梁柱及T型钢节点无明显塑性变形,钢框架仍具有较高的安全储备,符合“强节点、弱构件”设计原则,表明了结构具有两道抗震防线;结论支撑与半刚接钢框架协同工作使得试件具有较高的抗侧刚度抵抗水平变形,且承载力较高、滞回性能稳定、耗能能力优良;单边螺栓在试验过程中的受力性能较普通高强螺栓并无较大差别,未出现严重的预紧力松弛现象,并能高效的保持螺栓预紧力。通过有限元数值模拟分析可知,减小支撑长细比,虽能有效提高结构的抗震性能,但长细比较小会导致支撑刚度增大,加速其余构件的损坏。故应以考虑结构的延性为前提,降低支撑的长细比,才能有效提高结构的抗震性能。

一例U-Ag杂金属半刚性羧酸配体配合物的制备及性质研究

为了深入研究锕系元素的配位行为,基于半刚性羧酸配体3-(羧基甲氧基)苯甲酸(H_(2)L),合成了一个三维结构的U-Ag杂金属配合物[(L)(HL)Ag(UO_(2))](简称UAgL)。通过X-射线单晶衍射、红外光谱、紫外光谱及X-射线粉末衍射对其晶体结构进行了表征,结果显示,配合物UAgL中铀原子处于稍变形的五角双锥配位环境中,银原子则处于五配位的四方锥配位环境中。铀酰离子中的氧原子参与配位且处于轴向位置,完全脱质子的配体L和部分脱质子的配体HL则采取两种配位模式将铀中心与银中心连接成二维层状结构,层状结构之间又通过铀酰氧原子连接成三维的网络结构。进一步探讨了配合物UAgL的热稳定性和在室温下的固态荧光性质,认为其可作为潜在的光致发光材料。

装配式冷弯厚壁型钢半刚性梁-柱节点抗震性能试验研究

冷弯型钢在装配式结构中应用具有天然的优势,为了扩展冷弯厚壁型钢结构的使用范围,克服冷弯厚壁钢的缺点,设计6个新型分层装配式“十字型”梁-柱节点,进行循环加载试验,对梁-柱节点的破坏模式、初始刚度、骨架曲线、等效黏滞阻尼系数、能量耗散系数、割线刚度、滞回曲线和关键部位应变分布进行研究,主要得到以下结论:通过螺栓和节点板的滑移,半刚性节点具有一定的耗能能力。增设高强螺栓可以提高梁柱节点的承载力,初始刚度和耗能能力也得到提高,避免梁端与连接板孔壁承压。增加可更换节点翼缘板,对梁-柱节点的破坏模式没有明显影响,承载能力、耗能能力、初始刚度分别得到较大提高。