Failure Analysis in Biocomposites, Fibre-Reinforced Composites and Hybrid Composites covers key aspects of fracture and failure in natural/synthetic fiber reinforced polymer based composite materials, ranging from crack propagation, to crack growth, and from notch-size effect, to damage-tolerant design. The book describes a broad range of techniques and strategies for the compositional and failure analysis of polymeric materials and products. It also illustrates the application of analytical methods for solving commonly encountered problems. Topics of interest include failure analysis, mechanical and physical properties, structural health monitoring, durability and life prediction, modelling of damage processes of natural fiber, synthetic fibers, and more. Written by leading experts in the field, and covering composite materials developed from different natural fibers and their hybridization with synthetic fibers, the book's chapters provide cutting-edge, up-to-date research on the characterization, analysis and modelling of composite materials. - Contains contributions from leading experts in the field - Discusses recent progress on failure analysis, SHM, durability, life prediction and the modelling of damage in natural fiber-based composite materials - Covers experimental, analytical and numerical analysis - Provides detailed and comprehensive information on mechanical properties, testing methods and modelling techniques

Heart failure is a condition that often results in chronic tiredness and shortness of breath. It also requires complex nursing and medical treatment, especially after a hospital admission, which is all too frequent for persons with heart failure. This book describes and discusses the latest research concerning the benefits of having specially trained nurses manage the care of patients with heart failure after they have been discharged from hospital to their own home. Leading nurses and doctors from around the world discuss their experiences with this type of innovative and effective care program. Building upon these experiences, the book also contains a practical guide to developing this type of care program into a fully functional service that provides quality care to those patients admitted to hospital with heart failure.

If you understand heart failure, you understand cardiology This book applies practical clinical concepts to the latest four-stage model of heart failure from preclinical risk and early asymptomatic disease to classic symptomatic heart failure and finally advanced heart failure. This framework emphasizes a tailored approach to ongoing heart failure assessment to guide therapy and improve outcomes. Features: Illustrated with over 250 full-color figuresSpecific recommendations backed by clinical trial dataPractical algorithms for diagnosis and therapy Topics include: Prevention of heart failureIdentification and treatment of structural heart disease prior to heart failureHow to combine lifestyle changes, medications, and devices to improve outcomesReversing decompensated heart failureKey indicators of advanced heart failure and appropriate treatment optionsEmerging new therapies “This book will be valuable to all training and practicing clinicians. He writes as if you and he are both completing patient rounds together. Brian E. Jaski is to be commended for capturing the essence of treating this formidable clinical challenge and demystifying the stages of heart failure.” --From the foreword by Sidney C. Smith, Jr. MD FACC, FAHA, FESC, FACP Professor of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Past President, American Heart Association Past President, World Heart Federation “The culmination of Dr. Jaski’s 25 years of teaching experience and clinical acumen is now available in one highly readable text designed to highlight key information and stimulate the learning process.” --Dylan E. Wessman, MD, FACC, FACP Program Director, Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Naval Medical Center San Diego San Diego, California

Heart failure is the only cardiovascular disease that is increasing. The impact on the critical care environment and the health care system, as a whole, is significant from both a cost and burden to the system perspective. There are 6.5 million hospital days a year and nearly $40 billion dollars in yearly health care costs attributed to heart failure in the United States. There are more Medicare monies spent for diagnosing and treating heart failure than any other Diagnosis Related Group. There is a 24% hospital re-admission rate for this diagnosis which leads to financial implications for health care systems.The human cost is also significant. Less than half of Americans diagnosed with heart failure survive greater than 5 years. The ongoing health care needs and cost of this chronic disease takes a significant toll on patients’ finances, time and quality of life. Over $2.9 billion dollars is spent annually on the pharmaceutical management of heart failure in the United States. This diagnosis is the leading cause of hospitalization for patients who are 65 years of age and older. Few health care providers in the critical care environment are not affected by heart failure on a routine basis. Caring for these patients and their families is both a challenging and yet a rewarding experience. This edition will provide critical care nurses with a comprehensive heart failure review which is essential in caring for this challenging population given the dynamic health and critical care environments.

Dr. Pyrsopoulos has assembled the top authors in the field to provide current reviews on acute liver failure, to be the first time this topic is addressed in one volume. Topics are devoted to Classification and Epidemiologic Aspects of Acute Liver Failure; Acute Liver Failure: Mechanisms of disease and multi-systemic involvement; The Pathology of Acute Liver Failure; Liver Regeneration in the Acute Liver Failure Patient; Viral Hepatitis and Acute Liver Failure: Still a Problem; Drug- induced Liver Injury and Acute Liver Failure; Acetaminophen and Acute Liver Failure; Non-Viral Or Drug-Induced Etiologies of Acute Liver Failure; The Clinical Spectrum and Manifestations of Acute Liver Failure; Non ICU Management of Acute Liver Failure; Management of Acute Liver Failure in the ICU Setting; Prognostic Models of Acute Liver Failure; The Role of Liver Transplantation in Acute Liver Failure; and Future Approaches and Therapeutic Modalities for Acute Liver Failure. Readers will come away with a current point of view about how to approach and manage the patient with acute liver failure.

Progressive failure has been a classical problem in the field of geotechnical engineering and has attracted considerable attention in connection with slope stability and foundation problems. It is associated with strain localization or shear banding and is also related to damage in material structures. As knowledge of the progressive failure mechanism increases, it is now necessary to establish effective communications between researchers and engineers. The International Symposium on Deformation and Progressive Failure in Geomechanics provided an opportunity for discussing recent advances in this area. A total of 136 papers were contributed from 22 countries. As well as these, the symposium proceedings also contain 8 interim technical reports on the subject by the members of the Asian Technical Committee of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering and the Japanese Geotechnical Society National Committee on Progressive Failure in Geo-structures.

A better understanding of the mechanisms and pathophysiological pathways of heart failure (HF), improved management of associated comorbidities, and advances in identifying genetic cardiac disease have led to a near-revolution in the management of patients in terms of pharmacological treatments, surgery and devices. These developments have transformed outcomes and HF-associated mortality, and gene therapies further promise a brighter future for patients who experience the debilitating effects of HF. This new edition of 'Fast Facts: Heart Failure' starts with the definitions of HF (different types of HF require different treatments), then provides the latest thinking on mechanisms and clinical stages, underlying causes and the assessment and management of comorbidities. This is followed by simple diagnostic criteria and a comprehensive overview of investigations. The management chapters focus on the importance of self-care education and healthy lifestyle choices, together with the latest recommendations for pharmacological treatment, device therapy and cardiac surgery from international guidelines. The final chapter on developments is an indication of the ongoing innovation in this rapidly moving field. Table of Contents: • Definitions, classification and epidemiology • Pathophysiology and clinical stages • Causes • Comorbidities • Diagnosis • General management and lifestyle considerations • Pharmacological treatment • Non-pharmacological management • Advanced HF therapies • Prognosis • Developments and future directions

Failure often presents a valuable learning opportunity, however, students may need motivational scaffolds to protect them from the negative psychological ramifications of failure. This work explored the effectiveness of a motivation-based intervention called an ego-protective buffer (EPB), that was designed to enhance persistence after failure. An ego-protective buffer (EPB) maintains a stable sense of competence by lessening the impact of failure on one's psyche. The specific instantiation of an EPB tested here was designed to elicit a combination of internal and external attributions for failure. External attributions protect one's sense of competence by averting the blame for failure away from the self, while internal attributions encourage students to take some responsibility for remedying the failure situation. Based on this theory, we embedded an EPB into the rule structure of a computer-based genetics game and unleashed it on 143 seventh graders. In the EPB condition, students were told that winning in the game was a probabilistic outcome, dependent on a combination of chance and skill on the part of the students. In the Control condition, students were told that winning in the game was a deterministic outcome, dependent on students' skill only. Students played the game during two class periods. Measures include pre- and posttests, motivational survey measures, and in-game behaviors. The EPB did have an effect on learning, but only amongst high-failing students. High-failing EPB students learned just as much as their low-failing counterparts. This was not so in the Control condition, where high-failing students learned far less than their low-failing counterparts. So the high-failing EPB group was behaving as if they were "buffered" from the effects of failure. We also found evidence of a possible mechanism behind this learning effect. In the high-failing EPB condition, students were equally likely to persist after success and failure, while in the Control condition, students were far more likely to persist after success, exhibiting risk averse behaviors. This difference was more exaggerated in a within-subjects comparison, contrasting the same individuals in situations of high and low failure. Finally, persistence after failure was associated with learning across the full sample of subjects. Regardless of condition or failure rate, students who persisted more after failure also learned more. This study, together with the author's related body of work, provides compelling evidence that an EPB is a viable intervention for encouraging persistence in the face of failure.

This issue of the Heart Failure Clinics, edited by Drs. James Fang and Michael Givertz, is entitled "Advanced Heart Failure" and covers a wide array of topics relating to the subject. The issue will delve into the prevalence, history and prognosis of advanced heart failure; cardiorenal interactions; cardiohepatic interactions; the role of temporary mechanical circulatory support; guided therapy; the role of heart transplantation; palliative care; frailty; and novel biological techniques, among other topics.

A practical guide to adopting an accurate risk analysis methodology The Failure of Risk Management provides effective solutionstosignificantfaults in current risk analysis methods. Conventional approaches to managing risk lack accurate quantitative analysis methods, yielding strategies that can actually make things worse. Many widely used methods have no systems to measure performance, resulting in inaccurate selection and ineffective application of risk management strategies. These fundamental flaws propagate unrealistic perceptions of risk in business, government, and the general public. This book provides expert examination of essential areas of risk management, including risk assessment and evaluation methods, risk mitigation strategies, common errors in quantitative models, and more. Guidance on topics such as probability modelling and empirical inputs emphasizes the efficacy of appropriate risk methodology in practical applications. Recognized as a leader in the field of risk management, author Douglas W. Hubbard combines science-based analysis with real-world examples to present a detailed investigation of risk management practices. This revised and updated second edition includes updated data sets and checklists, expanded coverage of innovative statistical methods, and new cases of current risk management issues such as data breaches and natural disasters. Identify deficiencies in your current risk management strategy and take appropriate corrective measures Adopt a calibrated approach to risk analysis using up-to-date statistical tools Employ accurate quantitative risk analysis and modelling methods Keep pace with new developments in the rapidly expanding risk analysis industry Risk analysis is a vital component of government policy, public safety, banking and finance, and many other public and private institutions. The Failure of Risk Management: Why It's Broken and How to Fix It is a valuable resource for business leaders, policy makers, managers, consultants, and practitioners across industries.