Sports anthropological and somatotypical investigation of male and female Latin dancers

The present study examines anthropometric and somatotypical differences of German Latin dancers in Usingen (n=19 women, n=16 men, age span 16–30 years, district and regional league) and gym visitors (30 females, 32 males, age span 16–40 years). Each proband participated voluntarily. Anthropometric data and and somatotypical parameters in this work correspond to international standards.In both sexes the mean body weight and mean the BMI of gym visitors are higher than the corresponding parameters of Latin dancers (Females: Weight (kg) Fitness Sports vs. Latin dance: 61.6 vs. 58.9 kg, BMI: 21.8 vs. 21.1 kg/m²; Males: 77.0 vs. 76.5 kg, 23.7 vs. 23.1 kg/m²).The female (male) dancers are generally in the hypoplastic – leptomorphic (metroplastic – hypoplastic – leptomorphic) region of Conrad’s chessboard graphic.In the somatochart after Parnell the focus of the distribution of the female (male) dancers is the endomorphic (mesomorphic) area.In the somatochart after Heath and Carter a significant accumulation of the female dancers in the endomorphic area is noticeable, at low scattering in comparison to the female gym visitors. For men, both collectives accumulate in the mesomorphic sector with less scattering of the dancers.In conjunction with the also measured higher body fat percentage of the dancers of both sexes compared to the control fitness group here, there is a clear signal to optimize the nutritional status and the body composition of the investigated German Latin dancers in Usingen.On the other hand, the results support the earlier postulate of Kretschmer (1921), who stated that pyknic physique types in dance sport are more common than others somatotypes

Review of strength models for masonry spandrels

Many older unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings feature timber floors and solid brick masonry. Simple equivalent frame models can help predicting the expected failure mechanism and estimating the strength of a URM wall. When modelling a URM wall with an equivalent frame model rather than, for example, a more detailed simplified micro-model, the strengths of the piers and spandrels need to be estimated from mechanical or empirical models. Such models are readily available for URM piers, which have been tested in many different configurations. On the contrary, only few models for spandrel strength have been developed. This paper reviews these models, discusses their merits, faults and compares the predicted strength values to the results of recent experimental tests on masonry spandrels. Based on this assessment, the paper outlines recommendations for a new set of strength equations for masonry spandrel

Future directions for reinforced concrete wall buildings in Eurocode 8

The current Eurocode 8 belongs to one of the most advanced international seismic design codes. This leading edge should be maintained in future revisions of the code while the code should become as user friendly as possible. This article makes several proposals in which way the reinforced concrete wall sections in future versions of the Eurocode can be extended in its scope but simplified in its application. The topics raised concern: (i) Capacity design rules including shear amplification factors, (ii) the reduction of the number of ductility classes, (iii) the out-of-plane failure of reinforced concrete walls, (iv) engineering demand parameters for displacement-based approaches, (v) displacement-capacity estimates for new and existing reinforced concrete members, (vi) the design of mixed structural system, (vii) the design of new structural solutions with reinforced concrete members such as rocking walls

Caracterización genética de la enfermedad de Alzheimer : estudio poblacional /

Consultable des del TDXTítol obtingut de la portada digitalitzadaVegeu tesi doctora

Performance limits of brick masonry spandrels

Spandrel elements in unreinforced brick masonry buildings with timber floors consist of a masonry spandrel supported by either a timber lintel or a masonry arch. When subjected to seismic loading, the force-deformation relationship of such spandrel elements can be described by a piecewise linear relationship which distinguishes two principal regimes: The first regime describes the behaviour up to peak strength of a largely uncracked spandrel. The second regime is associated with a residual strength mechanism after the formation of major cracks in the spandrel. The residual strength of brick masonry spandrels is often less than 80% of their peak strength. Hence, according to established rules in seismic engineering for estimating the ultimate drift capacity of structural members, the residual strength would typically be neglected when assessing the seismic behaviour of existing buildings. However, the residual strength mechanism is typically associated with a rather large deformation capacity and it is therefore argued that it should be considered. Moreover, small cracks due to, for example, previous earthquakes or differential foundation settlements might reduce the peak strength of the spandrel but will have little influence on its residual strength. This paper discusses on the basis of experimental and numerical results the different limit states of brick masonry spandrels subjected to seismic loading, which characterise the two regimes and the ultimate rotation capacity of the spandrel

Peak and residual strengths of brick masonry spandrels

Unreinforced masonry (URM) walls comprise vertical piers and horizontal spandrels, which together form the lateral load resisting system. Whereas past research yielded significant advances in the understanding of the force-deformation characteristics of masonry piers, knowledge of the behaviour of masonry spandrels is lacking. This paper makes a contribution to our understanding of the seismic behaviour of brick masonry spandrel elements by describing typical behaviour modes and analysing the boundary condition of spandrel elements in URM walls. The main part of the paper concerns the development of simple mechanical models for estimating the peak and residual strength of brick masonry spandrels, which are supported either by a timber lintel or a shallow masonry arch. The proposed models are compared against results from experimental tests on four masonry spandrels. It is found that predicted and experimental values agree well

Spherical Cap Harmonic Analysis (SCHA) for Characterising the Morphology of Rough Surface Patches

We use spherical cap harmonic (SCH) basis functions to analyse and reconstruct the morphology of scanned genus-0 rough surface patches with open edges. We first develop a novel one-to-one conformal mapping algorithm with minimal area distortion for parameterising a surface onto a polar spherical cap with a prescribed half angle. We then show that as a generalisation of the hemispherical harmonic analysis, the SCH analysis provides the most added value for small half angles, i.e., for nominally flat surfaces where the distortion introduced by the parameterisation algorithm is smaller when the surface is projected onto a spherical cap with a small half angle than onto a hemisphere. From the power spectral analysis of the expanded SCH coefficients, we estimate a direction-independent Hurst exponent. We also estimate the wavelengths associated with the orders of the SCH basis functions from the dimensions of the first degree ellipsoidal cap. By windowing the spectral domain, we limit the bandwidth of wavelengths included in a reconstructed surface geometry. This bandlimiting can be used for modifying surfaces, such as for generating finite or discrete element meshes for contact problems. The codes and data developed in this paper are made available under the GNU LGPLv2.1 license.Comment: Preprint accepted for publication in Powder Technolog

Bibliotheken im Buch: Die Erschließung von privaten Büchersammlungen der Frühneuzeit über Auktionskataloge

Der Beitrag demonstriert anhand eines Auktionskatalogs von 1670 unser Vorgehen, frühneuzeitliche Gelehrtenbibliotheken bibliographisch nachhaltig zu erschließen. In einem ersten Schritt beschreiben wir die Erfassung der im Katalog verzeichneten Titel. Das Instrument für diesen Arbeitsgang ist eine Excel-Tabelle, die bibliographische Ermittlung erfolgt mit Hilfe nationaler und internationaler Online-Kataloge. Im zweiten Schritt geht es um die Entwicklung der digitalen Infrastruktur für die Onlinepräsentation der Daten. Hierzu wurde ein frei nachnutzbares Programm entwickelt, das für die Rekonstruktion frühneuzeitlicher Privatbibliotheken optimiert ist. Vorgestellt werden die verschiedenen textlichen und graphischen Visualisierungsformen sowie die weitergehenden Einsatzmöglichkeiten als Darstellungs- und Normierungstool für bibliographische Daten. Im dritten Schritt skizzieren wir den absolvierten Workflow und zeigen, wie traditionelle Methoden der Altbestandserschließung mit Verfahren der Digital Humanities kombiniert werden können. Dabei rückt auch die digitale Edition eines Briefwechsels in den Blick, der den Auktionskatalog als Sekundärquelle flankiert

Alternative platelet activation pathways and their role in neurodegenerative diseases

Purpose of the review: The study of platelets in the context of neurodegenerative diseases is intensifying, and increasing evidence suggests that platelets may play an important role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of platelets and their diverse activation pathways in the development of these diseases. Recent findings: Platelets participate in synaptic plasticity, learning, memory, and platelets activated by exercise promote neuronal differentiation in several brain regions. Platelets also contribute to the immune response by modulating their surface protein profile and releasing pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators. In Alzheimer's disease, increased levels of platelet amyloid precursor protein raise the production of amyloid-beta peptides promoting platelet activation, triggering at the same time amyloid-beta fibrillation. In Parkinson's disease, increased platelet α-synuclein is associated with elevated ROS production and mitochondrial dysfunction. In this review, we revise different platelet activation pathways, those classically involved in hemostasis and wound healing, and alternative activation pathways recently described in the context of neurodegenerative diseases, especially in Alzheimer's disease