The ELSA Database and What Can Be Done Regarding SERIES Networking Activities

This document critically presents the ELSA database for experimental results and compares its data structure with the one of the NEEScentral repository established in the US for storing the experimental results of 15 laboratories. This comparison leads to some proposed modifications of the ELSA data format that could be further used as a template for the SERIES/NA1 network activities. Some implementation directions are also given.JRC.G.5-European laboratory for structural assessmen

Nonlinear sensors: an approach to the residence time detection strategy.

The monitoring of the residence time difference in bistable sensors has been recently proposed as a valid scheme for improving the detection capabilities of sensors as diverse as fluxgate magnetometers, ferroelectric sensors and mechanical sensors. In this paper we propose an approach to the residence time based detection strategy based on the measurement of the slope m of the sensor output integral. We demonstrate that such a method, far from degrading the detection performances can provide an easier way to realize fast and reliable sensors without the computationally demanding task related with the computation of the residence time difference. We introduce the receiver operating characteristic curve as a quantitative estimator for the comparison of the two methods and show that the detector performances increase with increasing the periodic bias amplitude A up to a maximum value. This condition has potentially relevant consequences in the future detectors design

Frühwarn-Monitoring System für Bauwerke aus Mauerwerk

Collapse of historical buildings under static conditions has to be considered as a risk to deal with. Several events happened in the past as the collapse of the civic tower of Pavia, the bell tower of Venice (just to mention some of them) showing that, even without a strong external event, structures can collapse. Their collapse can produce enormous cultural, social and historical losses (intangible ones), if by chance human ones there are not. Therefore these structures present, on the same time, high vulnerability (that however is not possible to quantify) and high possible tangible and intangible losses. The problem is complex above all because we refer to historical structure that very often had already suffered for a damaging process in its history. Monitoring, identifying the crack pattern is the first step to prevent an increase of the damage. The present work tries to deal with this problem, giving a tool able to indicate in real time if anomalous conditions are passing on the structure, giving an alarm that can help to prevent the final collapse or at least avoid human losses. In our application we have referred to the Brunelleschi dome in Florence, a structure with an intangible value, economical, historical and cultural. A large monitoring system has been installed there in order to verify the stability of the structure that presents several cracks completely cutting the dome. By means of a thermoelastic analysis of data logged by sensors and by the following use of mathematical tools, a signal which can check in real-time data that are far from the ones associated to a normal behavior of the structure, have been set up. Also the stability of the cracks in mechanical term has been studied, after making a simple model of the structure that is however able to reproduce the main features of the structural behavior. The study gives also examples of an useful mathematical tool to detect singularities on a signal allowing also a spatial identification of the crack. Crack identification, crack monitoring and crack stability has therefore been pursued in order to identify dangerous conditions for existing structures.Der Einsturz historischer Gebäude unter statischen Einwirkungen ist als Risiko anzusehen, mit dem es umzugehen gilt. Einige Vorfälle in der Vergangenheit, wie zum Beispiel der Einsturz des Stadtturms von Pavia oder des Kirchturms von Venedig (um nur einige zu nennen), zeigten dass Gebäude auch ohne große externe Einwirkungen einstürzen können. Zusammenbrüche dieser Art können zu enormen/signifikanten kulturell-, sozialen- und historischen Verlusten führen, von Personenschäden einmal abgesehen. Aus diesem Grund besitzen diese Bauwerke eine Vulnerabilität (die nicht direkt quantifizierbar ist) und gleichzeitig das Potential großer materieller und immaterieller Verluste. Die Problemstellung ist vor allem komplex, weil sich auf historische Gebäude bezogen wird, die in ihrer Geschichte bereits oft Schäden erlitten. Monitoring und die Identifizierung von Rissmustern stellt den ersten Schritt in der Prävention der Schadensausweitung dar. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit diesem Problem, indem sie ein Instrument bereitstellt, das es erlaubt, anormale Veränderung in der Gebäudestruktur in Echtzeit zu registrieren und somit durch rechtzeitiges Alarmschlagen mögliche menschliche Verluste zu verhindern. In der vorliegenden Untersuchung wurde sich auf den Brunelleschi Dom in Florenz bezogen, ein Gebäude mit unschätzbarem wirtschaftlich-, kulturell- und historischem Wert. Ein umfassendes Monitoring System wurde installiert, um die Stabilität der Struktur, die bereits einige durchgehende Risse in der Domkuppel aufweist, verifizieren zu können. Mit Hilfe einer thermoelastischen Analyse der Daten, aufgezeichnet durch die installierten Sensoren, sowie einer anschließenden Anwendung mathematischer Modelle wurde ein System entwickelt, das in Echtzeit anormale Entwicklungen innerhalb der Struktur registrieren kann. Außerdem wurde die Stabilität der Risse mit einem einfachen mechanisch Modell untersucht, das die strukturelle Verhaltensweise des Gebäudes angemessen widerspiegelt. Die Studie enthält auch Beispiele eines mathematischen Modells zur Identifizierung von Singularitäten innerhalb des Signals, das schließlich eine räumliche Identifizierung des Risses ermöglicht. Riss Identifizierung, Riss Monitoring und Riss Stabilität Untersuchungen wurden also ausgeführt, um kritische Zustände für bestehende Strukturen zu identifizieren

The impact of intolerance on young people"s online political participation

This article investigates the impact of intolerance on online political participation among young Europeans. Based on the theoretical insights of (in)tolerance, political participation, youth, and media studies, we explore whether and to what extent intolerant attitudes drive young people"s online political participation. In doing this, we draw on original survey data with booster samples for young people, covering nine European countries. Our results show that intolerance leads to more online political activities among young people. However, these individuals are not socially isolated and marginalised; in fact, the effect of intolerant attitudes on online political engagement is reinforced by participation in offline unconventional forms of participation and social capital. Our findings bear important consequences for the understanding of intolerant attitudes, youth politics, and (online) political participation.This project was funded by the European Commission under H2020 (grant agreement no. 727025). The Swiss part of the project was supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under contract number 16.0103

Crystal chemistry of spinels in the system MgAl2O4-MgV2O4-Mg2VO4

Eight spinel single-crystal samples belonging to the spinel sensu stricto-magnesiocoulsonite series (MgAl2O4-MgV2O4) were synthesized and crystal-chemically characterized by X‑ray diffraction, electron microprobe and optical absorption spectroscopy. Site populations show that the tetrahedrally coordinated site (T) is populated by Mg and minor Al for the spinel sensu stricto compositions, and only by Mg for the magnesiocoulsonite compositions, while the octahedrally coordinated site (M) is populated by Al, V3+, minor Mg, and very minor amounts of V4+. The latter occurs in appreciable amounts in the Al-free magnesium vanadate spinel, T(Mg)M(Mg0.26V3+1.48V4+0.26)O4, showing the presence of the inverse spinel VMg2O4. The studied samples are characterized by substitution of Al3+ for V3+ and (Mg2++V4+) for 2V3+ described in the system MgAl2O4-MgV2O4-VMg2O4. The present data in conjunction with data from the literature provide a basis for quantitative analyses of two solid-solution series MgAl2O4-MgV23+O4 and MgV23+O4-V4+Mg2O4. Unit-cell parameter increases with increasing V3+ along the series MgAl2O4-MgV2O4 (8.085–8.432 Å), but only slightly increases with increasing V3+ along the series VMg2O4-MgV2O4 (8.386–8.432 Å). Although a solid solution could be expected between the MgAl2O4 and VMg2O4 end-members, no evidence was found. Amounts of V4+ are nearly insignificant in all synthetic Al-bearing vanadate spinels, but are appreciable in Al-free vanadate spinel. An interesting observation of the present study is that despite the observed complete solid-solution along the MgAl2O4-MgV2O4 and MgV2O4-VMg2O4 series, the spinel structure seems to be unable to stabilize V4+ in any intermediate members on the MgAl2O4-Mg2VO4 join even at high oxygen fugacities. This behavior indicates that the accommodation of specific V-valences can be strongly influenced by crystal-structural constraints, and any evaluation of oxygen fugacities during mineral formation based exclusively on V cation valence distributions in spinel should be treated with caution. The present study underlines that the V valency distribution in spinels is not exclusively reflecting oxygen fugacities, but also depends on activities and solubilities of all chemical components in the crystallization environment

Cation ordering over short range and long range scales in the MgAl2O4-CuAl2O4 series

A multi-analytical approach using electron microprobe analysis, X‑ray structural refinement, and optical absorption spectroscopy was applied to characterize short-range and long-range structures of synthetic spinel single crystals along the MgAl2O4-CuAl2O4 solid-solution series. Site populations, derived from the results of site-scattering refinement and stereochemical analysis, show that the tetrahedrally coordinated site (T) is mainly populated by Mg and Cu2+, while the octahedrally coordinated site (M) is dominated by Al. Crystals also show a significant degree of inversion, i.e., occurrence of Al at T counterbalanced by occurrence of divalent cations at M, which increases slightly from 0.24 to 0.29 for the highest Cu2+ contents. Short-range information derived from optical spectra suggests that the local TCu2+-O distances remain constant at increasing Cu2+ content, whereas local MCu2+-O distances are ca. 0.02 Å shorter in Cu-poor MgAl2O4 spinels as compared to MCu2+-O distances in end-member CuAl2O4. The observed splitting of an absorption band, at ca. 7000 cm–1, caused by electron transitions in TCu2+ as well as the anomalous broadness of an absorption band, at ca. 13 500 cm–1, caused by electron transitions in MCu2+ indicates the occurrence of local Jahn-Teller distortions at T and M. Long-range information, however, shows no violation of Fd3m symmetry. From refinements of our single-crystal XRD data we could for the first time derive for a cubic spinel phase a MCu2+-O distance of 2.080 Å and a TCu2+-O of 1.960 Å. The very limited variations in the unit-cell parameter a from 8.079 to 8.087 Å are mainly related to the disordering of Al. Because of the very similar size of Cu2+ and Mg at the T and M sites, the spinel structure responds to the Cu2+ → Mg substitution by increasing cation disordering in such a manner that mean M-O distances remain constant and the mean T-O distances decrease slightly. This results in increasing length of shared octahedral edges and thereby increase of the octahedral cation-cation repulsion. In line with other studies, the importance of steric factors for controlling the cation distributions in the spinel structure is demonstrated to be valid also in the MgAl2O4-CuAl2O4 solid-solution series

The relevance of functional amino acids to support the health of growing pigs

On commercial farms, young growing pigs are frequently affected by health problems from multifactorial origins (e.g. environmental changes, biosecurity, management, and feed) that result in inflammation and activation of body defenses. Inflammation states alter animal metabolism in such a way that nutrients (particularly amino acids) are diverted from the use for growth towards the production of defense-related proteins and low-molecular-weight compounds (e.g., nitric oxide, H2S, and glutathione) for supporting the activity of rapidly dividing cells such as immune cells and enterocytes. Furthermore, amino acids may act specifically as signaling molecules to regulate metabolic pathways during inflammation. Thus, new knowledge on the specific role and metabolism of each amino acid is needed to refine nutritional recommendations for pigs of different phenotypes and genotypes, with the objective of maintaining animal health and performance under sub-optimal rearing conditions. This paper aims at summarizing recent advances in research on the functional roles of amino acids related to swine health. Specifically, the review highlights current knowledge on the impact of inflammation on the intake and metabolism of amino acids; their relevance for the physical gut mucosal barrier and antioxidant defense, as well as their roles in the syntheses of defense molecules and in the regulation of immune response. Practical implications for feeding strategies adapted to various health conditions of growing pigs are also discussed along with our general perspectives on related research

Error study of a hybrid testing system of structures through a state-space model

Experimental methods such as hybrid or pseudo-dynamic tests are always subjected to experimental errors which effect on the obtained response is important to assess. An analytical linear model formulated on state-space equations has been developed for a multi DoF hybrid testing system including the components of the control and the specimen. For an example of a single DoF steel frame, the parameters of the model have been calibrated through comparison with experimental data of the control system. The model has been used to predict in pseudo-dynamic tests on such specimen the control errors and their consequences in terms of eigenfrequency and damping distortion in the test response. These predictions match with the observed experimental data and allow understanding, for example, the effects on the response of performing the test at different testing speeds or for different parameter configurations of the control algorithm.JRC.G.5-European laboratory for structural assessmen

Charcoal Kilns in the Northern Apennines (Italy): Forest Exploitation by Past Societies in Mountain Areas

Anthracological analyses were carried out on charcoal platforms located in the Monte Cimone and Corno alle Scale mountain areas in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (Northern Italy), at high altitude. Analyses of charcoal fragments contained in these man-made structures have allowed the reconstruction of human-forest relationships over the last centuries, in particular the exploitation of forests for charcoal production. Comparison of our anthracological results with ethnobotanical and historical-social information has made possible an improvement in our knowledge of this activity that was fundamental for the past mountain economy