Analysis of a scaled stone masonry facade subjected to differential settlements

Historical masonry structures are vulnerable to differential settlements of the ground. This vulnerability is potentially higher for historic buildings on wooden pile foundations, which can have their bearing capacity reduced by material deterioration. In order to protect such buildings from the effect of soil subsidence it is therefore essential assessing their response to settlements. The aim of this paper is to investigate the settlement-induced damage on a stone masonry façade. For the first time, experimental testing and computational analyses were performed on a scaled model of a specific existing historic structure, the Loggia palace in Brescia, Italy. Differential settlements were applied to dry blocks and mortar joints models of the façade. Experimental results showed the capability of the façade to reach a new equilibrium configuration following the subsidence of two adjacent columns. This approach can be used to assess the behaviour of similar structures. The validated numerical model confirms the interpretation of the failure mechanism and has the potential to allow extending the approach to a wider range of settlement and structural scenarios, as well as to different buildings

La realidad virtual como entorno fortalecedor para el cambio personal: la contribución del laboratorio de tecnología aplicada a la neuropsicología

When we exercise real choice, we gain increased control over our lives and are able to change ourselves. However for many subjects it is not easy to exercise effective choices: patients often don’t have the knowledge, skills, assertiveness, or self esteem needed. In this situation Virtual Reality (VR), an artificial reality that projects the user into a 3D space generated by the computer, may offer a critical advantage to the therapist. The enriched experience and the total level of control on its features, transform VR in an “empowering environment”, where patients can start to explore and act without feeling actually threatened. The attempt of defining, developing and testing VR tools supporting personal empowerment is the main goal of the Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Laboratory –ATN-P Lab– at the Istituto Auxologico Italiano. The paper describes the actual work done by the ATN-P Lab. in this area. Specifically, the open source "NeuroVR" system and its potential clinical applications –anxiety disorders, obesity and eating disorders– are presented and discussed.La capacidad de elección nos proporciona control sobre nuestras vidas y nos ofrece posibilidades de cambio. Sin embargo, para muchas personas no es fácil realizar elecciones efectivas; por ejemplo, los pacientes carecen muchas veces del conocimiento, la habilidad, la asertividad o autoestima necesarias. En esas situaciones, la realidad virtual (RV), una realidad artificial que coloca al sujeto en un espacio generado por el ordenador, puede ser para el terapeuta un recurso decisivo. La experiencia enriquecida y el control total sobre todos sus aspectos transforman la RV en un “entorno fortalecedor”, en el que los pacientes pueden comenzar a explorar y actuar sin sentirse amenazados. El principal objetivo del “Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Laboratory” (ATN-P Lab), perteneciente al Instituto Auxologico Italiano, es intentar definir, desarrollar y probar aplicaciones basadas en RV que faciliten el fortalecimiento personal. En este artículo se describe el trabajo que se viene realizando sobre este tema en ese laboratorio. Se presenta y discute, específicamente, el sistema de código abierto denominado “NeuroVR”, así como sus aplicaciones clínicas potenciales sobre los trastornos de ansiedad, la obesidad y los trastornos alimentarios

Technology options for earthquake resistant, eco-efficient buildings in Europe: Research needs

The built environment corresponds to the largest industrial sector not only in economic terms, but also in terms of resource flow. Moreover, European citizens spend most of their lives inside buildings, therefore buildings turn out to be at the centre of social and economic activity. In that light, Europe is involved in several initiatives and strategies aimed to make this sector one of the most competitive and innovative, focusing on the achievement of the environmental and energy targets in line with 2020 Europe Strategy and EU 2050 Roadmap, but also ensuring safety both in ordinary conditions and in presence of exceptional events, such as earthquakes. While new buildings can be constructed with high performance levels, the older buildings which are predominantly characterized by low energy performance and seismic vulnerability, typically need renovation measures. This report has the aim to define the research needs for exploiting old buildings potential to deliver energy and CO2-emission savings, as well as societal and economic benefits, so that energy efficient and earthquake resistant buildings can have a pivotal role in a sustainable future. In the first part of the report, a detailed analysis of the main characteristics of European buildings in terms of age, size, ownership, location, structural typology is presented in order to define the predominant typology of the European existing building stock. Secondly, the seismic hazard in Europe and the earthquake vulnerability of European buildings are analysed. Finally, energy consumptions and environmental impacts in terms of use of resources, construction and demolition (C&D) wastes and CO2 emissions are described. The analysis of the present situation turns out to be essential in order to define the starting point to assess the current and new technology options, examined in the second part of the report and necessary to obtain eco-efficient and seismic resistant buildings. In addition, the benefits that a renovation project could bring against a demolition and reconstruction programme have been underlined. Once these inputs have been defined, the requalification needs and the importance to improve renovation strategies, considered as outputs of the analysis, are examined for each of the two above-mentioned parts of this study. Finally, a critical discussion on the importance of considering research needs for this topic, with a focus on barriers and challenges which a renovation programme has to face, has been carried out.JRC.G.5-European laboratory for structural assessmen

Analyzing stochastic transcription to elucidate the nucleoid's organization.

International audienceABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The processes of gene transcription, translation, as well as the reactions taking place between gene products, are subject to stochastic fluctuations. These stochastic events are being increasingly examined as it emerges that they can be crucial in the cell's survival. In a previous study we had examined the transcription patterns of two bacterial species (Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis) to elucidate the nucleoid's organization. The basic idea is that genes that share transcription patterns, must share some sort of spatial relationship, even if they are not close to each other on the chromosome. We had found that picking any gene at random, its transcription will be correlated with genes at well-defined short- as well as long-range distances, leaving the explanation of the latter an open question. In this paper we study the transcription correlations when the only transcription taking place is stochastic, in other words, no active or "deterministic" transcription takes place. To this purpose we use transcription data of Sinorhizobium meliloti. RESULTS: Even when only stochastic transcription takes place, the co-expression of genes varies as a function of the distance between genes: we observe again the short-range as well as the regular, long-range correlation patterns. CONCLUSION: We explain these latter with a model based on the physical constraints acting on the DNA, forcing it into a conformation of groups of a few successive large and transcribed loops, which are evenly spaced along the chromosome and separated by small, non-transcribed loops. We discuss the question about the link between shared transcription patterns and physiological relationship and come to the conclusion that when genes are distantly placed along the chromosome, the transcription correlation does not imply a physiological relationship

The use of Biofeedback in Clinical Virtual Reality: The INTREPID Project

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by a constant and unspecific anxiety that interferes with daily-life activities. Its high prevalence in general population and the severe limitations it causes, point out the necessity to find new efficient strategies to treat it. Together with the cognitive-behavioral treatments, relaxation represents a useful approach for the treatment of GAD, but it has the limitation that it is hard to be learned. The INTREPID project is aimed to implement a new instrument to treat anxiety-related disorders and to test its clinical efficacy in reducing anxiety-related symptoms. The innovation of this approach is the combination of virtual reality and biofeedback, so that the first one is directly modified by the output of the second one. In this way, the patient is made aware of his or her reactions through the modification of some features of the VR environment in real time. Using mental exercises the patient learns to control these physiological parameters and using the feedback provided by the virtual environment is able to gauge his or her success. The supplemental use of portable devices, such as PDA or smart-phones, allows the patient to perform at home, individually and autonomously, the same exercises experienced in therapist's office. The goal is to anchor the learned protocol in a real life context, so enhancing the patients' ability to deal with their symptoms. The expected result is a better and faster learning of relaxation techniques, and thus an increased effectiveness of the treatment if compared with traditional clinical protocols

Conversion of rutin, a prevalent dietary flavonol, by the human gut microbiota

The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in the conversion of dietary flavonoids, which can affect their bioavailability and bioactivity and thereby their health-promoting properties. The ability of flavonoids to stimulate the activity of the microbiota has, however, not been systematically evaluated. In the present study, we used a fluorescence-based single-cell activity measure [biorthogonal non-canonical ammino acid-tagging (BONCAT)] combined with fluorescence-activated cell-sorting (FACS) to determine which microorganisms are stimulated by the flavonoid rutin. We performed anaerobic incubations of human fecal microbiota amended with rutin and in the presence of the cellular activity marker L-Azidohomoalanine (AHA) to detect rutin-stimulated cells. We found that 7% of cells in the gut microbiota were active after a 6 h incubation and 23% after 24 h. We then sorted BONCAT-positive cells and observed an enrichment of Lachnospiraceae (Lachnoclostridium, and Eisenbergiella), Enterobacteriaceae, Tannerellaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae species in the rutin-responsive fraction of the microbiota. There was marked inter-individual variability in the appearance of rutin conversion products after incubation with rutin. Consistent with this, there was substantial variability in the abundance of rutin-responsive microbiota among different individuals. Specifically, we observed that Enterobacteriaceae were associated with conversion of rutin into quercetin-3-glucoside and Lachnospiraceae were associated with quercetin production. This suggests that individual microbiotas differ in their ability to metabolize rutin and utilize different conversion pathways

Characterization of the GATC regulatory network in E. coli

BACKGROUND: The tetranucleotide GATC is methylated in Escherichia. coli by the DNA methyltransferase (Dam) and is known to be implicated in numerous cellular processes. Mutants lacking Dam are characterized by a pleiotropic phenotype. The existence of a GATC regulated network, thought to be involved in cold and oxygen shift, had been proposed and its existence has recently been confirmed. The aim of this article is to describe the components of the GATC regulated network of E. coli in detail and propose a role of this network in the light of an evolutionary advantage for the organism. RESULTS: We have classified the genes of the GATC network according to the EcoCyc functional classes. Comparisons with all of E. coli's genes and the genes involved in the SOS and stress response show that the GATC network forms a group apart. The functional classes that characterize the network are the Energy metabolism (in particular respiration), Fatty acid/ Phospholipid metabolism and Nucleotide metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: The network is thought to come into play when the cell undergoes coldshock and is likely to enter stationary phase. The respiration is almost completely under GATC control and according to our hypothesis it will be blocked at the moment of coldshock; this might give the cell a selective advantage as it increases its chances for survival when entering stationary phase under coldshock. We predict the accumulation of formate and possibly succinate, which might increase the cell's resistance, in this case to antimicrobial agents, when entering stationary phase

La realidad virtual como entorno fortalecedor para el cambio personal: la contribución del laboratorio de tecnología aplicada a la neuropsicología

When we exercise real choice, we gain increased control over our lives and are able to change ourselves. However for many subjects it is not easy to exercise effective choices: patients often don’t have the knowledge, skills, assertiveness, or self esteem needed. In this situation Virtual Reality (VR), an artificial reality that projects the user into a 3D space generated by the computer, may offer a critical advantage to the therapist. The enriched experience and the total level of control on its features, transform VR in an “empowering environment”, where patients can start to explore and act without feeling actually threatened. The attempt of defining, developing and testing VR tools supporting personal empowerment is the main goal of the Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Laboratory –ATN-P Lab– at the Istituto Auxologico Italiano. The paper describes the actual work done by the ATN-P Lab. in this area. Specifically, the open source "NeuroVR" system and its potential clinical applications –anxiety disorders, obesity and eating disorders– are presented and discussed.La capacidad de elección nos proporciona control sobre nuestras vidas y nos ofrece posibilidades de cambio. Sin embargo, para muchas personas no es fácil realizar elecciones efectivas; por ejemplo, los pacientes carecen muchas veces del conocimiento, la habilidad, la asertividad o autoestima necesarias. En esas situaciones, la realidad virtual (RV), una realidad artificial que coloca al sujeto en un espacio generado por el ordenador, puede ser para el terapeuta un recurso decisivo. La experiencia enriquecida y el control total sobre todos sus aspectos transforman la RV en un “entorno fortalecedor”, en el que los pacientes pueden comenzar a explorar y actuar sin sentirse amenazados. El principal objetivo del “Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Laboratory” (ATN-P Lab), perteneciente al Instituto Auxologico Italiano, es intentar definir, desarrollar y probar aplicaciones basadas en RV que faciliten el fortalecimiento personal. En este artículo se describe el trabajo que se viene realizando sobre este tema en ese laboratorio. Se presenta y discute, específicamente, el sistema de código abierto denominado “NeuroVR”, así como sus aplicaciones clínicas potenciales sobre los trastornos de ansiedad, la obesidad y los trastornos alimentarios