Simplified analysis of cantilever diaphragm walls in cohesive soils

Abstract In this paper, a method is presented for a simplified analysis of cantilever diaphragm walls in cohesive soils under undrained and drained conditions. A rectilinear distribution of the net contact stresses that are not completely predetermined by the limit state is assumed at the soil-wall interface, consistently with the mechanism usually experienced by these structures. Simple equations are derived to readily calculate the contact stress distribution on the wall and the associated internal forces in the ultimate and service conditions. Moreover, these equations require few parameters as input data. Comparisons are carried out with a limit equilibrium method commonly used in design to show the usefulness of the proposed method for practical purposes

Settlements of Three Buildings Founded on Stratified Soils

This paper describes the movements experienced by three residential buildings located in Avellino (South Italy). A common feature of the buildings is the unsymmetrical superstructure that, for lack of construction joints, makes the resultant of the vertical loads on foundation to be highly eccentric. At the end of December 1983, when most of the dead loads had been applied, the buildings exhibited conspicuous settlements, so construction was stopped and the vertical displacement of several points of the foundation was measured during a period of almost one year. The subsoil was investigated by boreholes, CPT and conventional laboratory tests; it consists of a sequence of compressible layers of silty sand and clayey silt, overlying a gravel formation. The thickness of these layers was found to be very different from borehole to borehole. An analysis of the movements occurred is conducted using a finite element code. Good agreement is found between theoretical prediction and experimental measurements. The analysis has also shown that the compressibility and heterogeneity of the subsoil along with the eccentricity of loads on foundation were the main causes for the movements occurred

Prediction of Slow-Moving Landslide Mobility Due to Rainfall Using a Two-Wedges Model

In the present study, the landslides cyclically reactivated by water-table oscillations due to rainfall are dealt with. The principal kind of motion that usually characterizes such landslides is a slide with rather small velocity. As another feature, soil deformations are substantially accumulated inside a narrow shear zone situated below the landslide body so that the latter approximately slides rigidly. Within this framework, a new approach is developed in this paper to predict the mobility of this type of landslides due to rainfall. To this end, a two-wedges model is used to schematize the moving soil mass. Some analytical solutions are derived to link rain recordings with water-table fluctuations and in turn to landslide displacements. A well-documented landslide frequently activated by rainfall is studied to check the forecasting capacity of the proposed method

Kinematics of the Maierato Landslide (Calabria, Southern Italy)

Abstract On 15 February 2010, a landslide of great dimensions occurred at Maierato (Southern Italy) after a long rainy period. Although the zone was continuously affected by movements, no monitoring system was installed before the landslide. However, many photos were taken to document the occurrence of deformations and two videos were filmed during the paroxysmal phase of the event. Photos and videos are used in the present study to reconstruct the kinematics of the landslide. A geotechnical model of the slope is also defined on the basis of the results from field and laboratory tests

Bowel preparation in colorectal surgeries

O preparo de cólon constitui item muito controvertido nas cirurgias colorretais. No infcio, era constitufdo apenas pela lavagem mecbnica do intestino. Tempos depois, descobriu-se a importbncia dos antimicrobianos orais e, mais tarde, dos antimicrobianos paren- . terais na profilaxia das infecções. Paralelamente, os cirurgiões começaram a tomar uma série de cuidados antes, durante e após a cirurgia, visando à prevenção das infecções pós-operatórias. Apesar de todo desenvolvimento, ainda não há uniformidade no uso destas medidas e dos diversos tipos de preparo de cólon, tanto em relação à limpeza mecbnica, como na escolha e na via de administração dos antimicrobianos.Bowel preparation is very controversial in colorectal surgeries. In the beginning, it consisted only in mechanical cleansing of the large bowel. Afterwards, it was discovered the importance of oral antimicrobial therapy and then parenteral antimicrobial therapy to reduce postoperative infections. Simultaneously, surgeons became very careful in pre, trans and post-operative periods, observing a lot of precautions in order to decrease infections. Despite ali progresses, there is no uniformity on using these precautions, how to clean the large bowel and on choosing the appropriate antimicrobial agent and its mode of administration

Developing novel non-hydroxamate histone deacetylase inhibitors: the chelidamic warhead

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Novel Pyridine-Based Hydroxamates and 2'-Aminoanilides as Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors: Biochemical Profile and Anticancer Activity

Starting from the N-hydroxy-3-(4-(2-phenylbutanoyl)amino)phenyl)acrylamide 5b previously described by us as HDAC inhibitor, we prepared four aza-analogues of 5b (6-8, 9b) as regioisomers containing the pyridine nucleus. A preliminary screening against mHDAC1 highlighted the N-hydroxy-5-(2-(2-phenylbutanoyl)amino)pyridyl)acrylamide 9b as the most potent inhibitor. Thus, we further developed both pyridylacrylic- and nicotinic-based hydroxamates (9a, 9c-f, and 11a-f) and 2'-aminoanilides (10a-f and 12a-f), related to 9b, to be tested against HDACs. Among them, the nicotinic hydroxamate 11d displayed subnanomolar potency (IC50: 0.5 nM) and selectivity up to 34000-fold over HDAC4 and from 100- to 1300-fold over all the other tested HDAC isoforms. The 2'-aminoanilides were class I-selective HDAC inhibitors, generally more potent against HDAC3, with the nicotinic anilide 12d being the most effective (IC50HDAC3 = 0.113 μM). When tested in U937 leukemia cells, the hydroxamates 9e, 11c, and 11d blocked over 80% cells in G2/M phase, whereas the anilides did not alter the cell cycle progress. In the same cell line, the hydroxamate 11c and the anilide 10b induced about 30% apoptosis, and the anilide 12c displayed about 40% cytodifferentiation. Finally, the most potent compounds in leukemia cells 9b, 11c, 10b, 10e, and 12c were also tested in K562, HCT116, and A549 cancer cells, displaying antiproliferative IC50 values at single-digit to sub-micromolar level

Effects of Hst3p inhibition in Candida albicans: a genome-wide H3K56 acetylation analysis

Candida spp. represent the third most frequent worldwide cause of infection in Intensive Care Units with a mortality rate of almost 40%. The classes of antifungals currently available include azoles, polyenes, echinocandins, pyrimidine derivatives, and allylamines. However, the therapeutical options for the treatment of candidiasis are drastically reduced by the increasing antifungal resistance. The growing need for a more targeted antifungal therapy is limited by the concern of finding molecules that specifically recognize the microbial cell without damaging the host. Epigenetic writers and erasers have emerged as promising targets in different contexts, including the treatment of fungal infections. In C. albicans, Hst3p, a sirtuin that deacetylates H3K56ac, represents an attractive antifungal target as it is essential for the fungus viability and virulence. Although the relevance of such epigenetic regulator is documented for the development of new antifungal therapies, the molecular mechanism behind Hst3p-mediated epigenetic regulation remains unrevealed. Here, we provide the first genome-wide profiling of H3K56ac in C. albicans resulting in H3K56ac enriched regions associated with Candida sp. pathogenicity. Upon Hst3p inhibition, 447 regions gain H3K56ac. Importantly, these genomic areas contain genes encoding for adhesin proteins, degradative enzymes, and white-opaque switching. Moreover, our RNA-seq analysis revealed 1330 upregulated and 1081 downregulated transcripts upon Hst3p inhibition, and among them, we identified 87 genes whose transcriptional increase well correlates with the enrichment of H3K56 acetylation on their promoters, including some well-known regulators of phenotypic switching and virulence. Based on our evidence, Hst3p is an appealing target for the development of new potential antifungal drugs

Abdomino-perineal ressections of rectum : the Experience from Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

Neste estudo analisamos a recidiva local e a sobrevida de 92 pacientes submetidos a amputação abdômino-perineal de reto por tumores malignos, realizadas entre 1973 e 1985 no Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. A recidiva local do tumor ocorreu em 25% dos casos. Separando-se os casos segundo a classificação original de Dukes, encontramos as seguintes taxas de recidiva local: Dukes A: 9%; Dukes 8: 17%; Dukes C: 38%. A sobrevida dos pacientes em 5 anos, levando- se em conta somente os casos operados até 1982, e utilizando-se a classificação de Dukes modificada, foi a seguinte: Dukes A: 79%; Dukes 8: 70%; Dukes C: 40%; Dukes 0: zero. A sobrevida média em 5 anos foi 61%.In this study, we analyse local recurrence and survival rate of 92 patients with malignant tumors of the rectum, anal canal margin, who were submitted to abdomino-perineal ressection at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre between 1973 and 1985. Local recurrence was 25%. Separating ali cases according to Dukes classification, local recurrence was: Dukes A: 9%; Dukes 8: 17%; Dukes C: 38%. 8y limiting this analysis to those patients operated prior to 1982, there were 22 five-year survivors (61%). Separating them according to Modified Dukes classification, fiveyear survival was: Dukes A: 79%; Dukes 8: 70%; Dukes C: 40% and Dukes D: zero