Terms Of Stress Research Articles

Evaluation of toxicological effects of chemical substances by gut microbiota: The example of adenine damage to the kidney and gut

This study explored the effects of different doses of adenine intake on mice in terms of kidney function, oxidative stress and gut content microbiota to elucidate interactions between adenine-induced kidney function impairment and gut content microbiota disorder. Mice were gavaged with low-dosage adenine suspension (NML), middle-dosage adenine suspension (NMM), high-dosage adenine suspension (NMH) and sterile water (NC). Behaviour, kidney structure and function, colonic structure, oxidative stress and gut content microbiota were detected. Mice in NML, NMM, and NMH groups had significantly lower body weight, anal temperature and food intake, increased water intake, the mice had loose and deformed feces with obvious water stains through the paper. NMM mice presented significantly structural damage to kidney and colonic tissues, considerably higher BUN and Cr, MDA and lower SOD. MDA and SOD levels in NMM and NMH groups were closely associated with Cr and BUN. Moreover, different doses of adenine intake effected the mice gut content microbiota, and enriched the different characteristic bacteria. Characteristic bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium presented significant correlations with MDA. Eventually, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium mediated oxidative stress pathway involved in the process of adenine-induced kidney injure in mice.

Structural Factors Contributing to Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Hospital-Based Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

High levels of burnout among healthcare providers (HCPs) have been a widely documented phenomenon, which have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, qualitative studies that are inclusive of HCPs in diverse professional roles have been limited. Therefore, we utilized a qualitative-quantitative design to examine professional quality of life in terms of compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among hospital-based HCPs, including social workers, hospitalists, residents, and palliative care team members during COVID-19. HCPs (n = 26) participated in virtual semi-structured focus groups or individual interviews and online surveys (n = 30) including the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) Scale. While ProQOL scores indicated low levels of compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress, thematic analysis of our qualitative data included rich descriptions of compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Safety concerns and value misalignment characterized structural stressors perceived to contribute to HCP compassion fatigue, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. The discrepancy between our qualitative and quantitative findings may be indication that modifications to current screenings are warranted. These findings also suggest a need to identify and implement structural and policy changes that increase HCPs' physical and emotional safety and promote better alignment of institutional interests with HCP values.

Tailoring of residual stress by ultrasonic vibration-assisted abrasive peening in liquid cavitation of metallic alloys

The present study proposes a novel method of ultrasonic vibration assisted-abrasive peening for the enhancement of residual stress on the surface of metals and their alloys. The system employs a vibrating sonotrode that drives the formation and collapse of bubbles within a fluid medium. The imploding bubbles produce pressure waves which transfer momentum to the abrasives which are uniformly distributed in the fluid medium. The abrasives bombard a targeted surface along with intense pressure waves. This induces compressive residual stress through local plastic deformation in a short period. The capability of the ultrasonic-assisted abrasive peening setup is analysed in terms of residual stress by altering the abrasive concentration, peening time, and stand-of-distance between the bottom of the sonotrode and the exposed surface to be treated. The process is able to induce significant residual stress at around 67 % of yield strength for hard material Ti–6Al–4V and more than 80 % of yield strength for ductile materials, Al-6061 and OFHC-Cu. A numerical method coupled with a finite element model is employed to predict the dynamics of the process from cavitation of the bubble to the plastic deformation of the work material. At first, the model estimates the magnitudes of high-pressure waves at the bubble implosion near the solid surface, micro-jet velocity, and abrasive velocity. This information is then fed to Abaqus for numerical modelling of the deformation of work material. The impact of high-speed abrasives in the range of 100 m/s, pressure waves and microjets at the material surface are simulated through the FE model. The simulated results are verified with experimental findings in terms of surface residual stress for different materials, deviating within 10 %.

Stress Path Efforts on Palm Fiber Reinforcement of Clay in Geotechnical Engineering

Sixteen Reduced Triaxial Compression (RTC) triaxial tests were conducted to investigate the reinforcement effect of fibered clay in this paper. Palm fiber with four different fiber lengths (5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm, and 20 mm) and four different fiber contents (0.3%, 0.5%, 0.7%, and 0.9% in mass) were utilized. Accordingly, three additional groups of triaxial tests were performed to analyze the stress path effects with four different stress paths, including RTC, Conventional Triaxial Compression (CTC), Reduced Triaxial Extension (RTE), and isotropic Triaxial Compression (TC). Three samples were tested, including fibered clay with a fiber length of 10 mm and a fiber content of 0.7% (referred to as 10 mm 0.7%), fibered clay with a fiber length of 20 mm and a fiber content of 0.5% (referred to as 20 mm 0.5%), and bare clay, which was used to reveal the fiber reinforcement of clay. All samples were tested under consolidated undrained conditions. The test results showed that in RTC conditions, the deviator stress increased to a greater extent with 0.3% mass content of fibers according to the same higher confining pressures of bare clay. Fibers primarily increased the cohesion of fibered clay, a shear strength parameter, in terms of total stress, whereas they also increased the friction angle of fibered clay in terms of effective stress. For short fibers, the coefficient of strength reinforcement of the fibered clay increased with fiber content. However, for long fibers, this reinforcement may lead to a weakening of the clay’s strength, as the long fibers may cluster or weaken along their longitude. Among the four stress paths (CTC, TC, RTC, and RTE) examined, the reinforcement took effort mainly in the CTC condition. In contrast, in unloading conditions, the fibers had little contribution to reinforcement. Consequently, in unloading conditions, such as deep excavating and slope cutting, the stress path should be considered to obtain a reliable parameter for geotechnical engineering applications.

Analytical Solutions of Partial Differential Equations Modeling the Mechanical Behavior of Non-Prismatic Slender Continua

Non-prismatic slender continua are the prototypical models of many structural elements used in engineering applications, such as wind turbine blades and towers. Unfortunately, closed-form expressions for stresses and strains in such continua are much more difficult to find than in prismatic ones, e.g., the de Saint-Venant’s cylinder, for which some analytical solutions are known. Starting from a suitable mechanical model of a tapered slender continuum with one dimension much larger than the other tapered two, a variational principle is exploited to derive the field equations, i.e., the set of partial differential equations and boundary conditions that govern its state of stress and strain. The obtained equations can be solved in closed form only in a few cases. Paradigmatic examples in which analytical solutions are obtainable in terms of stresses, strains, or related mechanical quantities of interest in engineering applications are presented and discussed.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress associated with lead (Pb)-induced olfactory epithelium toxicity in an olfactory dark basal cell line.

Lead (Pb) can damage organs and also have undesirable effects on neural development. To explore the effects of Pb on olfactory cells, we investigated Pb-induced cell toxicity in the DBC1.2 olfactory cell line, with a focus on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, apoptosis, and necroptosis. Representative markers of ER stress, apoptosis, and necroptosis were analyzed by quantitative PCR. The mRNA expression levels of GRP94, GRP78, spliced XBP1, PERK, and ATF6 increased significantly after Pb exposure in a dose-dependent manner. The expression of Caspase 3 and Caspase 12 did not increase after Pb exposure, which suggested that apoptosis-induced cell death was not activated after Pb exposure. However, the mRNA of RIPK3 and MLKL showed increases in expression, which indicated that necroptosis-induced cell death was activated after Pb exposure. These results indicate that Pb exposure induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity through ER stress and necroptosis pathways in DBC1.2 cells, whereas the apoptosis pathway was not significantly stimulated. HEPES buffer showed a partial protective effect in terms of ER stress, apoptosis, and necroptosis. In summary, the necroptosis pathway plays a crucial rule in Pb exposure-induced cytotoxicity in olfactory cells.

Study on dynamic deformation-damage-ignition mechanism of GAP/RDX/TEGDN propellant

ABSTRACT Investigations on high-energy and low-vulnerability propellants can provide a better understanding for improving the operational effectiveness and survivability of strategic and tactical missiles. In the present study, the dynamic compressive mechanical properties and damage-ignition response mechanism of the GAP/RDX/TEGDN (GRT) propellant under high strain rates have been studied using a split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus and a high-performance high-speed camera. The experimental results suggested that the mechanical properties of the GRT propellant, in terms of yield stress, initial compressive modulus, and ultimate stress, were greatly affected by the loaded strain rate. The true stress-strain curves exhibited an initial linear elasticity region followed by yielding a subsequent strain hardening and strain softening region stage. It has been found that the yield stress and ultimate stress increased with the strain rates. Moreover, at higher strain rates, the impulse increases significantly, leading to earlier and more intense ignition. The critical strain rate and the critical impulse of the GRT propellant are 5000 s−1 and 13.28 N · s, respectively. A judgment basis for GRT propellant ignition is established. Finally, according to the high-speed images and the posttest SEM images, it has been concluded that the dominant ignition mechanism of GRT propellant is flow at the macroscopic level and internal frictional heating at the mesoscopic level.

On the post-impact fatigue behavior and theoretical life prediction of CF/PEEK-titanium hybrid laminates using an energy dissipation approach

This paper aims to illustrate the effect of the impact damage on fatigue behavior of CF/PEEK-titanium hybrid laminates. To achieve this end, a fatigue life model was proposed to predict the S–N curves of the laminates at various initial impact energy levels and stress ratios based on the energy dissipation approach. The energy dissipation behavior of the laminates during fatigue loading under different experimental conditions was analyzed through a large amount of post-impact fatigue tests, and the correlation between the initial impact damage and the total fatigue dissipation energy was determined. The full-field axial strain distribution of the titanium layer on the impacted side of the laminate was characterized in terms of initial impact energy level and maximum stress using digital image correlation, and then the post-impact fatigue failure mechanism of CF/PEEK-Ti hybrid laminates was summarized. Finally, the validity of the proposed model was verified by fatigue tests under other conditions of stress ratio and impact energy level. It is worth mentioning that the proposed model is also applicable to other types of FMLs, and can accurately predict the residual fatigue life of laminates after impact with only one set of S–N curve data.

Impact of COVID-19 on Psychological Wellbeing of University Employees: The Mediating Role of Coping Mechanism

Background: The study aims to analyse the employees’ well-being in the COVID-19 pandemic scenario, by studying the mediating impact of coping behaviour in terms of stresses and negative experiences. The study scope is university teaching and staff personnel, constantly using online methods to deliver teaching-learning-evaluation processes. Methods: Empirical data was collected from 571 university employees through an online survey. The survey instruments were standard scales to assess the impact of events; distress, anxiety & stress, coping strategies, and personal well-being. The data was collected over a week after a month-long lockdown and analysed through CFA and SEM tools. Results: The role of coping strategies remains central to pandemic or emergency conditions. Statistical analysis shows that distress, anxiety and stress have adversely impacted the coping strategies and well-being of the respondents. The members were identified based on their responses and suitable measures being instituted to strengthen their coping strategies and abilities to deal with adverse situations. Conclusion: This study contributes to the literature by presenting and validating a theory-driven setting that highlights the degree of negative consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and lock-down conditions. This research establishes the usefulness of tested personal wellness theories in a non-clinical setting.

Induction of tetraploids in Paper Mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Hér. ex Vent.) by colchicine

BackgroundBroussonetia papyrifera (L.) L’Hér. ex Vent. has the characteristics of strong stress resistance, high crude protein content, and pruning tolerance. It is an ecological, economic, and medicinal plant. Polyploid plants usually perform better than their corresponding diploid plants in terms of nutrients, active substances, and stress resistance.ResultsIn this study, the leaves, calli, and seeds of diploid B. papyrifera were used for tetraploid induction by colchicine. The induction effect of colchicine on B. papyrifera was summarized through the early morphology, chromosome count and flow cytometry. It was concluded that the best induction effect (18.6%) was obtained when the leaves of B. papyrifera were treated in liquid MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium containing 450 mg·L-1 colchicine for 3 d. The comparative analysis of the growth characteristics of diploid and tetraploid B. papyrifera showed that tetraploid B. papyrifera has larger ground diameter, larger stomata, thicker palisade tissue and thicker sponge tissue than diploid B. papyrifera. In addition, the measurement of photosynthetic features also showed that tetraploids had higher chlorophyll content and higher photosynthetic rates.ConclusionThis study showed that tetraploid B. papyrifera could be obtained by treating leaves, callus and seeds with liquid and solid colchicine, but the induction efficiency was different. Moreover, there were differences in stomata, leaf cell structure and photosynthetic features between tetraploid B. papyrifera and its corresponding diploid. The induced tetraploid B. papyrifera can provide a technical basis and breeding material for the creation of B. papyrifera germplasm resources in the future.

Sediment incipient motion on sandy seabed considering relative density effect: Laboratory experiments and mathematical analysis

The threshold of the sediment initial movement is closely related to marine structure scour. In complex marine environment, the relative density of seabed is usually changed by liquefaction and scour that is caused by currents and waves. It affects the scour depth and scour time scale which have been noted recently. However, the effect of relative density on sediment movement was mostly ignored in previous studies. In this paper, a series of tests were conducted to investigate the incipient motion under different relative density conditions on different seabeds. Subsequently, the internal friction force was introduced to describe the relative density effect, and an incipient motion model was built. Accordingly, a unified sediment incipient motion velocity function that considers relative density is proposed. Based on this function, the critical bed shear stress was assessed. A new theory was then evaluated in terms of the critical bed shear stress. Finally, the percentage of internal friction force to the whole resistance was discussed. Results indicated the significance of considering the relative density effect in predicting small-sized sediment movement. The new function provides better prediction accuracy with an acceptable error of 20%. Additionally, the discussion of the internal friction force gives a potential avenue to quantify interparticle force.

Modelling Flash Floods Driven by Rain-on-Snow Events Using Rain-on-Grid Technique in the Hydrodynamic Model TELEMAC-2D

Due to the changing climate, flash floods have been increasing recently and are expected to further increase in the future. Flash floods caused by heavy rainfall with snowmelt contribution due to sudden rises in temperature or rain-on-snow events have become common in autumn and winter in Norway. These events have caused widespread damage, closure of roads and bridges, and landslides, leading to evacuations in the affected areas. Hence, it is important to analyze such events. In this study, the rain-on-grid technique in the TELEMAC-2D hydrodynamic model was used for runoff modelling and routing using input of snowmelt, and precipitation partitioned on snow and rain was calculated via the hydrological model HBV. The results show the importance of including snowmelt for distributed runoff generation and how the rain-on-grid technique enables extracting flow hydrographs anywhere in the catchment. It is also possible to extract the flow velocities and water depth at each time step, revealing the critical locations in the catchment in terms of flooding and shear stresses. The rain-on-grid model works particularly well for single peak events, but the results indicate the need for a time-varying curve number for multiple peak flood events or the implementation of another infiltration model.

Are Flexible Metaphyseal Femoral Cones Stable and Effective? A Biomechanical Study on Hinged Total Knee Arthroplasty

BackgroundCones currently available in the market are rigid, and unless they are custom-specific designed, are unable to correctly adapt to the shape of the patient’s bone. Therefore, flexible metaphyseal cones have been recently introduced to reduce potential bone trauma during implantation. Even if a preliminary clinical study on their use has shown promising results, no biomechanical study evaluates and quantifies their mechanical efficacy and safety. MethodsTwo commercial versions of flexible cones were analyzed in this study using finite element analysis, based on a previously validated model. Each cone geometry was modeled both as flexible and as rigid, and implanted following surgical guidelines. Three activities were simulated in this study and compared among configurations: surgical impaction, walking, and chair rise. ResultsDuring impaction, results showed considerably reduced stress in the flexible cones in comparison with rigid ones; the stress resulted was also better distributed and more homogeneous all over the cortical bone, with lower bone peaks. Considering the 2 different activities, the analysis did not show any remarkable differences between flexible and rigid cones both in terms of bone stress and implant micromotion. ConclusionsThe findings demonstrate that metaphyseal flexible cones allow macrodeformation during impaction due to their flexibility, and therefore, are safer in comparison with rigid cones. However, for the daily tasks investigated, results showed no major differences between rigid and flexible cones in terms of bone stress, implant stability, and micromotion. Therefore, their mechanical performances can be considered similar to the rigid cone.

Effectiveness and experiences of integrating Mindfulness into Peer-assisted Learning (PAL) in clinical education for nursing students: A mixed method study

IntroductionNursing students can find clinical learning to be challenging, unpredictable and stressful. To address this problem, this study integrated Mindfulness into Peer-assisted Learning (PAL) for nursing clinical education and investigated the feasibility and effectiveness on improving student participants' emotional reactions, and explored the perception and experience towards the programme. MethodThis quasi-experimental, repeated-measure, mixed methods study was conducted in a convenience sample of 126 Year 2 and Year 3 university nursing students. The participants engaged in an online mindfulness peer-assisted learning (PAL) programme that consisted of mindfulness practice, senior students sharing their experiences, and peer-assisted group learning. Emotional status (in terms of depression, anxiety and stress), burnout and self-efficacy were measured at baseline, 8 weeks after programme commencement and immediately after programme completion. Linear mixed-effects models and an intention-to-treat analysis were used to investigate changes in the dependent variables over time. Thirty-nine participants were also invited to engage in semi-structured interviews to explore their learning experiences in the programme. ResultsThe programme significantly improved the participants' self-reported self-efficacy (β = 1.44, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.58 to 2.30, p = 0.001) and decreased their level of burnout (β = −2.31, 95 % CI: −3.24 to −1.38, p < 0. 001) but did not significantly alleviate their depression, anxiety or stress across time (p > 0.05). Three themes emerged from the qualitative data, namely 1) nurturing self-care capacity through mindfulness; (2) empowering essential skills for clinical placement; (3) maintaining momentum alongside various challenges and enablers. ConclusionThe mindfulness PAL programme may facilitate nursing students' clinical preparedness. Further trials are recommended to investigate its applicability and use in clinical nursing education.

Micromechanical Modeling for Predicting Residual Stress–Strain State around Nodules in Ductile Cast Irons

In this paper, a micromechanical model was developed to predict the residual stress–strain state that is generated around nodules of a ferritic ductile cast iron during solidification. A finite element analysis was performed on a reference volume element of the material to analyze the local strain development, having modeled both matrix and nodule as deformable bodies in contact. The behavior of the nodule was assumed linear–elastic because of the low stresses to which it is subjected during cooling. On the other hand, elasto-plastic viscous behavior was considered for the matrix, considering both the primary and secondary creep regimes. To make up for the lack of information on the physical–thermomechanical properties of the constituents, the available literature data were integrated with the results obtained from the CALPHAD methodology applied to both cast iron and the steel that constitutes its matrix. The micromechanical model was validated by comparing the resulting residual strains with experimental data available in the literature for a ferritic ductile cast iron. Then, it was used for analyzing the correlation between the solidification history and the mechanical response of cast iron in terms of the uniaxial stress–strain curve.

Compressive constitutive behavior of steel fiber reinforced geopolymeric recycled aggregate concrete: Experimental investigation and analytical model

With the incorporation of industrial wastes and recycled concrete aggregate (RA), steel fiber reinforced geopolymeric recycled aggregate concrete (SFR-GRAC) can ensure both high performance and environmental benefits simultaneously. As a green concrete, SFR-GRAC is promising for practical engineering applications and its constitutive behavior needs a systematical study. This paper presented an experimental investigation on the stress–strain behavior of SFR-GRAC under uniaxial compression, focusing on the effect of RA substitute rates (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) and steel fiber (SF) volume fractions (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%). The failure pattern, compressive strengths, stress–strain curve and corresponding characteristics, as well as energy absorption capacity were studied. The results show that the addition of SF improves the failure pattern and specimen integrity, as well as the mechanical properties in terms of peak stress, peak strain, elastic modulus and toughness due to the fiber crack-bridging action. The compressive strength and elastic modulus of GRAC are deteriorated with the use of RA, except that the decreases are less pronounced when the RA contents are below 50%. Moreover, the negative impact induced by the inclusion of RA can be alleviated by the addition of SF and the activation of alkali-activator as the rehydration of cement particles in old pastes in RA. Finally, based on a comprehensive analysis of the test results in current study and literature, empirical constitutive relations are established to model the stress–strain responses of SFR-GRAC with various RA and SF contents under axial compression, and model predictions show close agreements with test results.

Biomechanical evaluation of three implants for treating unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures: finite element analysis in axial, bending and torsion loads.

Purpose: How to effectively enhance the mechanical stability of intramedullary implants for unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures (UFIFs) is challenging. The authors developed a new implant for managing such patients. Our aim was to enhance the whole mechanical stability of internal devices through increasing antirotation and medial support. We expected to reduce stress concentration in implants. Each implant was compared to proximal femoral nail antirotation (PFNA) via finite element method. Methods: Adult AO/OTA 31-A2.3 fracture models were constructed, and then the new intramedullary system (NIS), PFNA, InterTan nail models were assembled. We simulated three different kinds of load cases, including axial, bending, and torsion loads. For further comparison of PFNA and the NIS, finite element analysis (FEA) was repeated for five times under axial loads of 2100N. Two types of displacement and stress distribution were assessed. Results: Findings showed that the NIS had the best mechanical stability under axial, bending, and torsion load conditions compared to PFNA and InterTan. It could be seen that the NIS displayed the best properties with respect to maximal displacement while PFNA showed the worst properties for the same parameter in axial loads of 2100N. In terms of maximal stress, also the NIS exhibited the best properties while PFNA showed the worst properties in axial loads of 2100N. For bending and torsion load cases, it displayed a similar trend with that of axial loads. Moreover, under axial loads of 2100N, the difference between the PFNA group and the NIS group was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The new intramedullary system exhibited more uniform stress distribution and better biomechanical properties compared to the PFNA and InterTan. This might provide a new and efficacious device for managing unstable femoral intertrochanteric fractures.

Utility of early, short psychological care for women who experience early miscarriage: protocol for the randomized, controlled MisTher trial

Background Around one in ten women will have a miscarriage in their lifetime. Miscarriage is often considered a trivial event by caregivers, but it is associated with a high burden of psychological morbidity, especially during the first 6 months. There is no validated psychological management strategy for women who have had a miscarriage. The MisTher study aims to evaluate the utility of early, short psychological care for women who have had early miscarriage, in terms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.MethodsThis is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled, superiority study. In total, 932 women who have experienced early miscarriage (spontaneous interruption of pregnancy prior to 14 weeks of gestation) will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group. The intervention consists of 4 teleconsultations of 45 min with a psychologist. All women, regardless of their allocated group, will be encouraged to seek an early consultation with a general practitioner or midwife. The primary endpoint will be anxiety at 3 months after randomization evaluated using State Trait Anxiety Inventory. The secondary endpoints will be anxiety at 6 months evaluated using State Trait Anxiety Inventory, depression at 3 and 6 months evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory, and post-traumatic stress disorder at 3 and 6 months, evaluated using the Posttraumatic stress disorder Checklist Scale.DiscussionThis project will validate the importance of early psychological management, based on primary care and accessible to most women, via teleconsultation, in reducing the frequency of psychological disorders after early miscarriage. Our results should provide a basis for new recommendations for the management of women who have experienced miscarriage, notably by recommending the involvement of trained psychologists in the management pathway for these women.Trial registrationThe trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05653414. December 15th, 2022.

Parametric and numerical Finite Element simulation of wind turbine blades subjected to thermal residual stresses

This study aims to contribute to the ongoing efforts to enhance the reliability and durability of wind turbine blades, a critical component in wind energy generation. Specifically, this research addresses the issue of tunneling cracking and severe damage that can occur in wind turbine blades due to cohesive failure of the trailing edge. To achieve this objective, the study employs a rigorous approach, utilizing a full three-dimensional (3D) modeling strategy with finite element analysis (FEA) to simulate the behavior of wind turbine blades. The effect of cohesive materials and layered simulation methods on the thermal residual stress and crack propagation is thoroughly investigated. In particular, the study assesses the influence of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) materials on the phenomenon under consideration. In addition, the study undertakes a comprehensive parametric analysis to identify the independent effects of material properties and numerical simulation on thermal residual stress. Moreover, the research explores the behavior of the cohesive zone model in terms of thermal residual stress and crack propagation. The findings of this study have significant implications for researchers and practitioners in the wind energy industry. The study’s outcomes can aid in the development of improved materials and simulation techniques to mitigate thermal residual stress and prevent the occurrence of tunneling cracking and other types of damage in wind turbine blades. As such, this research contributes to the broader efforts to advance the reliability, efficiency, and sustainability of wind energy generation.

Self-Control as a Mediator between Caregiver Burden and Quality of Life in Cancer Patient Primary Caregivers

This study was conducted to identify the influence of the burden of care on the quality-of-life dimensions and examine the role of self-control as a mediator on the burden of care and the quality-of-life dimensions among primary caregivers of cancer patients who are in the terminal phase. This cross-sectional study involves 97 primary caregivers of terminal-phase cancer patients who were selected using purposeful sampling. The Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire (AC-QoL), Zarit Burden Interview (J-ZBI-8), and Pearlin’s Sense of Mastery questionnaires were used in this study. Based on data analysis using Smart-PLS-Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) the direct analysis showed that subscale in care load, that is role strain had a significant negative influence on the quality of life in terms of support for caring, caring stress, personal growth, and the ability to care. Meanwhile, the subscale under the burden of care, that is personal strain, had a significant negative influence on the quality of life in terms of caring stress. Additionally, the analysis of indirect relationships revealed that self-control was found not to act as a mediator in the relationship between burden, caring stress and quality of life of the primary caregiver. This study has implications for the family of caregivers who experience the burden of care, especially in terms of role strain and personal strain, thus affecting several dimensions of their quality of life. Thus, in order to improve the quality of life among the primary caregivers of those cancer patients at the terminal stage, social workers in the helping profession field need to implement some appropriate approaches, methods, and techniques that will help to give sufficient mental, emotional, social and family support among the caregivers.