Dynamic Identification of Damage in Brick Masonry Walls

This paper shows the experimental and numerical analysis developed on a brick masonry wall of 3x2.5x0.2 m to understand the changes on its dynamic behaviour with different stiffness situations: (i) original, (ii) loaded with different load levels, (iii) damaged by horizontal in plane loads, (iv) retrofitted with Textile Reinforced Mortars (TRM) and (v) retrofitted and damaged by horizontal in plane loads. This analysis has been developed at the Civil Engineering Lab at the University of Alicante. On this masonry wall a matrix of 8 seismic accelerometers have been installed to evaluate, in plane and out of plane, changes in the main frequencies, modal damping ratios and modal shapes. By the use of Operational Modal Analysis techniques the results shows that the changes on the stiffness have important influence on the main frequencies and in the modal damping ratios. Very low influence have been detected on the modal shapes due to the low level of external vibrations generated during the tests. Due to the low level of vibrations inside the lab,the classical application of ambient vibrations for OMA has been not possible and an external white noise force has been introduced on the top the wall by the use of a shaker to generate a general level of vibrations on the specimen

Biofilm oxygen profiling using an array of microelectrodes on a microfabricated needle

A novel microelectrode array (DO-MEA) sensor was designed and fabricated using microelectromechanical systems technology on a needle for real time measurement of dissolved oxygen (DO). The sensor consisted of eleven gold disk microelectrodes and a rectangular auxiliary electrode along them. The sensor can also be operated with an integrated reference system. Three different sensor designs were fabricated, and their responses were fully characterized and evaluated. The DO-MEA sensor presented a linear response in the 0-8 mg DO·L-1 concentration range in water, displaying high sensitivity and repeatability. Knowledge of bacterial activity inside biofilms is key to the optimization of applied biotechnologies. The developed sensor was validated against a commercial Clark-type microelectrode overcoming its drawbacks, by profiling a heterotrophic biofilm cultivated in a flat-plate bioreactor. The DO-MEA sensor provided a multipoint, simultaneous dissolved oxygen snapshot profile inside a biofilm with high spatial resolution due to its micrometric dimensions, thus becoming a powerful tool for the research of many similar biological-based processes and applications.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author’s final draft

Acoustic modelling of exhaust devices with nonconforming finite element meshes and transfer matrices

[EN] Transfer matrices are commonly considered in the numerical modelling of the acoustic behaviour associated with exhaust devices in the breathing system of internal combustion engines, such as catalytic converters, particulate filters, perforated mufflers and charge air coolers. In a multidimensional finite element approach, a transfer matrix provides a relationship between the acoustic fields of the nodes located at both sides of a particular region. This approach can be useful, for example, when one-dimensional propagation takes place within the region substituted by the transfer matrix. As shown in recent investigations, the sound attenuation of catalytic converters can be properly predicted if the monolith is replaced by a plane wave four-pole matrix. The finite element discretization is retained for the inlet/outlet and tapered ducts, where multidimensional acoustic fields can exist. In this case, only plane waves are present within the capillary ducts, and three-dimensional propagation is possible in the rest of the catalyst subcomponents. Also, in the acoustic modelling of perforated mufflers using the finite element method, the central passage can be replaced by a transfer matrix relating the pressure difference between both sides of the perforated surface with the acoustic velocity through the perforations. The approaches in the literature that accommodate transfer matrices and finite element models consider conforming meshes at connecting interfaces, therefore leading to a straightforward evaluation of the coupling integrals. With a view to gaining flexibility during the mesh generation process, it is worth developing a more general procedure. This has to be valid for the connection of acoustic subdomains by transfer matrices when the discretizations are nonconforming at the connecting interfaces. In this work, an integration algorithm similar to those considered in the mortar finite element method, is implemented for nonmatching grids in combination with acoustic transfer matrices. A number of numerical test problems related to some relevant exhaust devices are then presented to assess the accuracy and convergence performance of the proposed procedure.Authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion and the European Regional Development Fund by means of the Projects DPI2007-62635 and DPI2010-15412.Denia, F.; Martínez-Casas, J.; Baeza, L.; Fuenmayor, F. (2012). Acoustic modelling of exhaust devices with nonconforming finite element meshes and transfer matrices. Applied Acoustics. 73(8):713-722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2012.02.003S71372273

A 3D absolute nodal coordinate finite element model to compute the initial configuration of a railway catenary

In this paper we propose a method of finding the initial equilibrium configuration of cable structures discretized by finite elements applied to the shape-finding of the railway overhead system. Absolute nodal coordinate formulation finite elements, which allow for axial and bending deformation, are used for the contact and messenger wires. The other parts of the overhead system are discretized with non-linear bars or equivalent springs. The proposed method considers the constraints introduced during the assembly of the catenary, such as the position of droppers, cable tension, and height of the contact wire. The formulation is general and can be applied to different catenary configurations or transitions both in 2D and 3D with straight or curved track paths. A comparison of the results obtained for reference catenaries in the bibliography is also included.The authors wish to thank Generatitat Valenciana for the financial support received in the framework of the Programme PROME-TEO 2012/023.Tur Valiente, M.; García, E.; Baeza González, LM.; Fuenmayor Fernández, FJ. (2014). A 3D absolute nodal coordinate finite element model to compute the initial configuration of a railway catenary. Engineering Structures. 71:234-243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2014.04.015S2342437

Radio frequency and DC high voltage breakdown of high pressure helium, argon, and xenon

Motivated by the possibility of guiding daughter ions from double beta decay events to single-ion sensors for barium tagging, the NEXT collaboration is developing a program of R&D to test radio frequency (RF) carpets for ion transport in high pressure xenon gas. This would require carpet functionality in regimes at higher pressures than have been previously reported, implying correspondingly larger electrode voltages than in existing systems. This mode of operation appears plausible for contemporary RF-carpet geometries due to the higher predicted breakdown strength of high pressure xenon relative to low pressure helium, the working medium in most existing RF carpet devices. In this paper we present the first measurements of the high voltage dielectric strength of xenon gas at high pressure and at the relevant RF frequencies for ion transport (in the 10 MHz range), as well as new DC and RF measurements of the dielectric strengths of high pressure argon and helium gases at small gap sizes. We find breakdown voltages that are compatible with stable RF carpet operation given the gas, pressure, voltage, materials and geometry of interest

A Compact Dication Source for Ba2+^{2+} Tagging and Heavy Metal Ion Sensor Development

We present a tunable metal ion beam that delivers controllable ion currents in the picoamp range for testing of dry-phase ion sensors. Ion beams are formed by sequential atomic evaporation and single or multiple electron impact ionization, followed by acceleration into a sensing region. Controllability of the ionic charge state is achieved through tuning of electrode potentials that influence the retention time in the ionization region. Barium, lead, and cobalt samples have been used to test the system, with ion currents identified and quantified using a quadrupole mass analyzer. Realization of a clean $\mathrm{Ba^{2+}}$ ion beam within a bench-top system represents an important technical advance toward the development and characterization of barium tagging systems for neutrinoless double beta decay searches in xenon gas. This system also provides a testbed for investigation of novel ion sensing methodologies for environmental assay applications, with dication beams of Pb$^{2+}$ and Cd$^{2+}$ also demonstrated for this purpose

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

Seguimiento de las guías españolas para el manejo del asma por el médico de atención primaria: un estudio observacional ambispectivo

Objetivo Evaluar el grado de seguimiento de las recomendaciones de las versiones de la Guía española para el manejo del asma (GEMA 2009 y 2015) y su repercusión en el control de la enfermedad. Material y métodos Estudio observacional y ambispectivo realizado entre septiembre del 2015 y abril del 2016, en el que participaron 314 médicos de atención primaria y 2.864 pacientes. Resultados Utilizando datos retrospectivos, 81 de los 314 médicos (25, 8% [IC del 95%, 21, 3 a 30, 9]) comunicaron seguir las recomendaciones de la GEMA 2009. Al inicio del estudio, 88 de los 314 médicos (28, 0% [IC del 95%, 23, 4 a 33, 2]) seguían las recomendaciones de la GEMA 2015. El tener un asma mal controlada (OR 0, 19, IC del 95%, 0, 13 a 0, 28) y presentar un asma persistente grave al inicio del estudio (OR 0, 20, IC del 95%, 0, 12 a 0, 34) se asociaron negativamente con tener un asma bien controlada al final del seguimiento. Por el contrario, el seguimiento de las recomendaciones de la GEMA 2015 se asoció de manera positiva con una mayor posibilidad de que el paciente tuviera un asma bien controlada al final del periodo de seguimiento (OR 1, 70, IC del 95%, 1, 40 a 2, 06). Conclusiones El escaso seguimiento de las guías clínicas para el manejo del asma constituye un problema común entre los médicos de atención primaria. Un seguimiento de estas guías se asocia con un control mejor del asma. Existe la necesidad de actuaciones que puedan mejorar el seguimiento por parte de los médicos de atención primaria de las guías para el manejo del asma. Objective: To assess the degree of compliance with the recommendations of the 2009 and 2015 versions of the Spanish guidelines for managing asthma (Guía Española para el Manejo del Asma [GEMA]) and the effect of this compliance on controlling the disease. Material and methods: We conducted an observational ambispective study between September 2015 and April 2016 in which 314 primary care physicians and 2864 patients participated. Results: Using retrospective data, we found that 81 of the 314 physicians (25.8%; 95% CI 21.3–30.9) stated that they complied with the GEMA2009 recommendations. At the start of the study, 88 of the 314 physicians (28.0%; 95% CI 23.4–33.2) complied with the GEMA2015 recommendations. Poorly controlled asthma (OR, 0.19; 95% CI 0.13–0.28) and persistent severe asthma at the start of the study (OR, 0.20; 95% CI 0.12–0.34) were negatively associated with having well-controlled asthma by the end of the follow-up. In contrast, compliance with the GEMA2015 recommendations was positively associated with a greater likelihood that the patient would have well-controlled asthma by the end of the follow-up (OR, 1.70; 95% CI 1.40–2.06). Conclusions: Low compliance with the clinical guidelines for managing asthma is a common problem among primary care physicians. Compliance with these guidelines is associated with better asthma control. Actions need to be taken to improve primary care physician compliance with the asthma management guidelines