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

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

Performance-based approach for the retrofit of URM wall structures by RC walls

In several countries of moderated seismicity, with the re-evaluation of the seismic hazard most unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings with reinforced concrete slabs failed to satisfy the seismic design check. A possible seismically retrofit solution consists of adding RC walls to the existing structure or replacing selected critical URM walls with RC ones. Experimental and numerical studies have shown that this retrofit technique can be very effective since it modifies the global deformed shape of the structure, leading to an increase in the system’s displacement capacity. The paper proposes a Displacement-Based Design methodology for the retrofit of URM structures by replacing selected URM walls by RC walls. The methodology follows the Direct Displacement-Based Design (DBD) approach by Priestley et al. (2007) and is based in particular on the DBD procedure for frame-wall buildings (Sullivan et al., 2005 and 2006). The design procedure consists of three main phases: (i) A preliminary design check of the URM building by means of the DBD approach. (ii) If the structure does not fulfil the design check and exhibits at the same time a dominant shear behaviour, replacing the critical URM wall or walls with RC ones leads to an improved system’s behaviour. (iii) In the final phase, the DBD design of the mixed RC-URM wall structure, in which both the URM and the RC walls are taken into account, is carried out. The design methodology is then investigated through non-linear dynamic analyses of one case study

Quantifying the out-of-plane response of unreinforced masonry walls subjected to relative support motion

TThe supports of out-of-plane loaded unreinforced masonry walls in buildings are subjected to a motion that is filtered and amplified by the building structure and, in some cases, can be significantly different from the ground motion. Moreover, because these walls span one or several storeys, their top and bottom supports are subjected to motions that differ in phase and amplitude. In state-of-the-art assessment procedures for the out-of-plane stability of masonry walls any effect of a relative support motion is neglected. The objective of this paper is to study the effect of the relative support motion on the response of out-of-plane loaded vertically-spanning unreinforced masonry walls. The acceleration capacity of the walls is investigated by means of a discrete element model representative of different wall configurations. A set of ground motions covering a wide range of peak ground acceleration and peak ground displacement is used as input to the simulations. The relative motion between the wall supports is included in the model in a systematic way: firstly, through a motion that is non-synchronous but of equal amplitude; secondly, through a motion that is synchronous but of different amplitude. The effect of the relative support motion is studied on different wall configurations where the elastic modulus of masonry, the wall height-to-thickness ratio, the wall effective thickness and the overburden at the top wall are varied. The study shows that, because of the relative support motion, the acceleration capacity of the walls can drop by 20% and, in the cases where the overburden is high, by more than 50%