Finite element study of hyperstructure systems with modular light‐frame construction in high‐rise buildings

To answer both the growth of the world's urban population and the climate changes, new structural systems with high prefabrication levels and renewable materials need to be developed. A novel structural system that could enable the use of modular light‐frame construction in high‐rise buildings was modeled and analyzed. This system was achieved by having a hyperstructure carrying the loads of four‐story light‐frame superposed substructures. Two 20‐story hyperstructures, one using glulam and another one using reinforced concrete, were designed according to the 2015 National Building Code of Canada and compared. A simplified model for the light‐frame modules according to the CSA O86‐19 was proposed. The interaction between both systems and the impact on the substructures were analyzed. The results of the response spectrum analysis and dynamic wind analysis show that, with a glulam hyperstructure, modules could be connected to the columns and the floors or only to the floors. With a concrete hyperstructure, the modules must be connected to the columns and the cores. For both systems, the design of shearwalls on the short side of the modules is governed by the lateral deformation imposed by seismic forces, while the design of shearwalls on the long side of the modules is governed by the vertical deformation of the primary beams under gravity loads. Standard shearwall assemblies are sufficient to resist the shear induced by gravitational, wind and seismic loads. The analysis indicates that the system could be viable, but more research should be especially performed on the connections between the substructures and the hyperstructure

The Benefits Conferred by Radial Access for Cardiac Catheterization Are Offset by a Paradoxical Increase in the Rate of Vascular Access Site Complications With Femoral Access The Campeau Radial Paradox

AbstractObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to assess whether the benefits conferred by radial access (RA) at an individual level are offset by a proportionally greater incidence of vascular access site complications (VASC) at a population level when femoral access (FA) is performed.BackgroundThe recent widespread adoption of RA for cardiac catheterization has been associated with increased rates of VASCs when FA is attempted.MethodsLogistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted VASC rate in a contemporary cohort of consecutive patients (2006 to 2008) where both RA and FA were used, and compared it with the adjusted VASC rate observed in a historical control cohort (1996 to 1998) where only FA was used. We calculated the adjusted attributable risk to estimate the proportion of VASC attributable to the introduction of RA in FA patients of the contemporary cohort.ResultsA total of 17,059 patients were included. At a population level, the VASC rate was higher in the overall contemporary cohort compared with the historical cohort (adjusted rates: 2.91% vs. 1.98%; odds ratio [OR]: 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17 to 1.89; p = 0.001). In the contemporary cohort, RA patients experienced fewer VASC than FA patients (adjusted rates: 1.44% vs. 4.19%; OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.48; p < 0.001). We observed a higher VASC rate in FA patients in the contemporary cohort compared with the historical cohort (adjusted rates: 4.19% vs. 1.98%; OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.67 to 2.81; p < 0.001). This finding was consistent for both diagnostic and therapeutic catheterizations separately. The proportion of VASCs attributable to RA in the contemporary FA patients was estimated at 52.7%.ConclusionsIn a contemporary population where both RA and FA were used, the safety benefit associated with RA is offset by a paradoxical increase in VASCs among FA patients. The existence of this radial paradox should be taken into consideration, especially among trainees and default radial operators

The RIP140 Gene Is a Transcriptional Target of E2F1

RIP140 is a transcriptional coregulator involved in energy homeostasis and ovulation which is controlled at the transcriptional level by several nuclear receptors. We demonstrate here that RIP140 is a novel target gene of the E2F1 transcription factor. Bioinformatics analysis, gel shift assay, and chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrate that the RIP140 promoter contains bona fide E2F response elements. In transiently transfected MCF-7 breast cancer cells, the RIP140 promoter is transactivated by overexpression of E2F1/DP1. Interestingly, RIP140 mRNA is finely regulated during cell cycle progression (5-fold increase at the G1/S and G2/M transitions). The positive regulation by E2F1 requires sequences located in the proximal region of the promoter (−73/+167), involves Sp1 transcription factors, and undergoes a negative feedback control by RIP140. Finally, we show that E2F1 participates in the induction of RIP140 expression during adipocyte differentiation. Altogether, this work identifies the RIP140 gene as a new transcriptional target of E2F1 which may explain some of the effect of E2F1 in both cancer and metabolic diseases

Behavioural Thermoregulatory Tactics in Lacustrine Brook Charr, Salvelinus fontinalis

The need to vary body temperature to optimize physiological processes can lead to thermoregulatory behaviours, particularly in ectotherms. Despite some evidence of within-population phenotypic variation in thermal behaviour, the occurrence of alternative tactics of this behaviour is rarely explicitly considered when studying natural populations. The main objective of this study was to determine whether different thermal tactics exist among individuals of the same population. We studied the behavioural thermoregulation of 33 adult brook charr in a stratified lake using thermo-sensitive radio transmitters that measured hourly individual temperature over one month. The observed behavioural thermoregulatory patterns were consistent between years and suggest the existence of four tactics: two “warm” tactics with both crepuscular and finer periodicities, with or without a diel periodicity, and two “cool” tactics, with or without a diel periodicity. Telemetry data support the above findings by showing that the different tactics are associated with different patterns of diel horizontal movements. Taken together, our results show a clear spatio-temporal segregation of individuals displaying different tactics, suggesting a reduction of niche overlap. To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the presence of behavioural thermoregulatory tactics in a vertebrate

A review of innovation-based methods to jointly estimate model and observation error covariance matrices in ensemble data assimilation

Data assimilation combines forecasts from a numerical model with observations. Most of the current data assimilation algorithms consider the model and observation error terms as additive Gaussian noise, specified by their covariance matrices Q and R, respectively. These error covariances, and specifically their respective amplitudes, determine the weights given to the background (i.e., the model forecasts) and to the observations in the solution of data assimilation algorithms (i.e., the analysis). Consequently, Q and R matrices significantly impact the accuracy of the analysis. This review aims to present and to discuss, with a unified framework, different methods to jointly estimate the Q and R matrices using ensemble-based data assimilation techniques. Most of the methodologies developed to date use the innovations, defined as differences between the observations and the projection of the forecasts onto the observation space. These methodologies are based on two main statistical criteria: (i) the method of moments, in which the theoretical and empirical moments of the innovations are assumed to be equal, and (ii) methods that use the likelihood of the observations, themselves contained in the innovations. The reviewed methods assume that innovations are Gaussian random variables, although extension to other distributions is possible for likelihood-based methods. The methods also show some differences in terms of levels of complexity and applicability to high-dimensional systems. The conclusion of the review discusses the key challenges to further develop estimation methods for Q and R. These challenges include taking into account time-varying error covariances, using limited observational coverage, estimating additional deterministic error terms, or accounting for correlated noise

Inferring processes from spatial patterns: the role of directional and non-directional forces in shaping fish larvae distribution in a freshwater lake system.

Larval dispersal is a crucial factor for fish recruitment. For fishes with relatively small-bodied larvae, drift has the potential to play a more important role than active habitat selection in determining larval dispersal; therefore, we expect small-bodied fish larvae to be poorly associated with habitat characteristics. To test this hypothesis, we used as model yellow perch (Perca flavescens), whose larvae are among the smallest among freshwater temperate fishes. Thus, we analysed the habitat association of yellow perch larvae at multiple spatial scales in a large shallow fluvial lake by explicitly modelling directional (e.g. due to water currents) and non-directional (e.g. due to aggregation) spatial patterns. This allowed us to indirectly assess the relative roles of drift (directional process) and potential habitat choice on larval dispersal. Our results give weak support to the drift hypothesis, whereas yellow perch show a strong habitat association at unexpectedly small sizes, when compared to other systems. We found consistent non-directional patterns in larvae distributions at both broad and medium spatial scales but only few significant directional components. The environmental variables alone (e.g. vegetation) generally explained a significant and biologically relevant fraction of the variation in fish larvae distribution data. These results suggest that (i) drift plays a minor role in this shallow system, (ii) larvae display spatial patterns that only partially covary with environmental variables, and (iii) larvae are associated to specific habitats. By suggesting that habitat association potentially includes an active choice component for yellow perch larvae, our results shed new light on the ecology of freshwater fish larvae and should help in building more realistic recruitment models

Determination of in situ esterification parameters of citric acid-glycerol based polymers for wood impregnation

The development of wood treatments is of increasing industrial importance. A novel technique for improving the properties of lodgepole pine and white pine through modification of the microstructure is described. The present investigation is devoted to the synthesis and determination of in situ parameters of citric acid and glycerol based polymers for wood impregnation. This solvent free approach is environmentally friendly and achieved through an esterification condensation reaction under acidic conditions. Crude glycerol and citric acid reactants were cross-linked via a curing process at 160 °C creating a polymer with only water as the byproduct. The ester bonds and crosslinking levels were controlled using different catalysts and citric acid contents and related to the reaction time and temperature. The nature of bonding within the polymers and at the wood cell walls was determined by FT-IR analysis. The thermal properties such as glass transition temperature (Tg) were studied using TGA/DSC and the effect of citric acid content and catalyst type determined. Dimensional stability of impregnated wood samples improved above 50% for each sample with HCl and p-TSA catalysts compared to control samples. FTIR spectra were studied to show the presence of the ester linkages of the polymer in situ at the wood cell walls. Bonding between the polymer and wood macromolecules were observed by scanning electron microscopy and interpreted as evidence of chemical bonds at the wood cells. When prepared using a catalyst, the polymer was intimately incorporated into wood structure significantly improving the substrate dimensional stability. Enhanced stability makes this approach of particular interest for exterior wood products especially as a green renewable option for the wood industry

The Impact of a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Event-Related Potentials in Patients with Tic Disorders or Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Context: Tic disorders (TD) are characterized by the presence of non-voluntary contractions of functionally related groups of skeletal muscles in one or multiple body parts. Patients with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB) present frequent and repetitive behaviors, such as nail biting or hair pulling. TD and BFRB can be treated with a cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) that regulates the excessive amount of sensorimotor activation and muscular tension. Our CBT, which is called the cognitive-psychophysiological therapy (CoPs), targets motor execution and inhibition, and it was reported to modify brain activity in TD. However, psychophysiological effects of therapy are still poorly understood in TD and BFRB patients. Our goals were to compare the event-related potentials (ERP) of TD and BFRB patients to control participants, and to investigate the effects of the CoPs therapy on the P200, N200 and P300 components during a motor and non-motor oddball task.Method: ERP components were compared in 26 TD patients, 27 BFRB patients and 27 control participants. ERP were obtained from 63 EEG electrodes during two oddball tasks. In the non-motor task, participants had to count rare stimuli. In the motor task, participants had to respond with a left or right button press for rare and frequent stimuli, respectively. ERP measures were recorded before and after therapy in both patients groups.Results: CoPs therapy improved symptoms similarly in both clinical groups. Before therapy, TD and BFRB patients had lower P300 oddball effect during the non-motor task, in comparison with controls participants. An increase in the P300 oddball effect was observed post therapy. This increase was distributed over the whole cortex in BFRB patients, but localized in the parietal area in TD patients.Discussion: These results suggest a modification of neural processes following CoPs therapy in TD and BFRB patients. CoPs therapy seems to impact patients’ attentional processes and context updating capacities in working memory (i.e. P300 component). Our results are consistent with a possible role of the prefrontal cortex and corpus callosum in mediating inter-hemispheric interference in TD

Relative importance of environmental and spatial variables.

<p>Venn diagrams illustrating the results of variation partitioning on the log-transformed abundance of yellow perch larvae per square meter in the three study years among environmental and spatial variables. The variation explained by environmental and non-directional spatial variables (i.e. MEM and TREND) is represented by circles (grey and open, respectively), whereas plectrum-shaped objects represent the variation explained by directional spatial variables (AEM). Percentage of unexplained variation is given at the bottom right of each panel (Residuals). The sizes of the objects are not proportional to their importance in terms of explained variation.</p

Study system and sampling sites.

<p>Lake St. Pierre, St. Lawrence River, Québec, Canada. Filled and open circles represent the locations of the sampling sites in 2005 at the 60–80 cm isobath and at the 80–120 cm isobath, respectively. The inset shows for a subset of sampling sites the general structure of the connection diagram used to build the AEM eigenfunctions. In 2006 and 2007, the sampling sites were located close to the 2005 sites, but adjusted for the water level so that they were located at the pre-determined isobaths. The connection diagram was in some cases adapted to take account of missing data. Arrows indicate the approximate locations of the main known spawning grounds. The main channel of the St. Lawrence River (>10 m deep; dark grey) flows from S-W to N-E. Depth contours are based on averaged water levels in June.</p