Numerical modelling of the punching behaviour of steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete flat slabs

Punching shear failure on flat reinforced concrete slabs of residential and commercial buildings is generally avoided by using transversal reinforcement and/or chapiters. The first option requires intense labour, mainly when densely flexural reinforcement exists in the potential punching failure region, with detrimental consequences in terms of costs of this construction solution. The second option has also extra costs due to the necessity of special arrangements of moulds for casting the chapiters. The interference of a chapiter on the flatness of the slab can also be a negative aspect from the architectonic point of view. The use of steel fibre reinforcement can be a solution to avoid both the conventional punching reinforcement and chapiters. Therefore, an experimental program was carried out to assess the potentialities of steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC) for the punching resistance of flat slabs centrically loaded. This experimental program is described, and the main results are presented and analysed. To assess the potentialities of the Reissner-Mindlin FEM-based theory for modelling the behaviour of flat SFRSCC slabs submitted to punching loading configuration, new features were introduced in the out-ofplane shear constitutive law of the SFRSCC. These features are briefly described and the main focus was given on the modelling strategy adopted for simulating the punching tests.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Numerical simulation of the punching shear behaviour of self-compacting fibre reinforced flat slabs

This paper presents the numerical simulations of the punching behaviour of centrally loaded steel fibre reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC) flat slabs. Eight half scaled slabs reinforced with different content of hooked-end steel fibres (0, 60, 75 and 90 kg/m3) and concrete strengths of 50 and 70 MPa were tested and numerically modelled. Moreover, a total of 54 three-point bending tests were carried out to assess the post-cracking flexural tensile strength. All the slabs had a relatively high conventional flexural reinforcement in order to promote the occurrence of punching failure mode. Neither of the slabs had any type of specific shear reinforcement rather than the contribution of the steel fibres. The numerical simulations were performed according to the Reissner-Mindlin theory under the finite element method framework. Regarding the classic formulation of the Reissner-Mindlin theory, in order to simulate the progressive damage induced by cracking, the shell element is discretized into layers, being assumed a plane stress state in each layer. The numerical results are, then, compared with the experimental ones and it is possible to notice that they accurately predict the experimental force-deflection relationship. The type of failure observed experimentally was also predicted in the numerical simulations.This work is supported by FEDER funds through the Operational Program for Competitiveness Factors - COMPETE and National Funds through FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project “SlabSys – HFRC – Flat slabs for multi-storey buildings using hybrid reinforced self-compacting concrete: an innovative structural system” PTDC/ECM/120394/2010

Qualidade de frutos de laranjeira 'pêra' em combinação com diferentes porta-enxertos em Capitão Poço - PA.

O fruto da laranjeira (Citrus sinensis) é reconhecido atualmente como uma das principais frutas de exportação do agronegócio brasileiro. Por se tratar de uma planta de fácil adaptabilidade às condições variadas de solo e clima, e por conta disso, acham-se pomares citrícolas em várias regiões do Brasil. Diante disso, objetivou-se avaliar os atributos físicos e físico-químicos de frutos de laranja cultivar ?Pêra? combinada com diferentes porta-enxertos em Capitão Poço-PA. O delineamento foi Inteiramente Casualizado (DIC) organizados em seis tratamentos com quatro repetições, sendo dez plantas por repetição. Os tratamentos compostos por seis variedades de porta-enxerto sob copa de laranjeira ?Pêra? foram coletados, de forma aleatória, 20 frutos por repetição, totalizando 80 frutos de cada tratamento. Os parâmetros analisados foram: Diâmetros (longitudinais e equatoriais), Rendimento do suco, pH, Sólidos Solúveis Totais (ºBrix), Acidez Total Titulável e Ratio. Os dados obtidos não apresentaram diferença significativa quanto ao teste de média Tukey a 5% de probabilidade

Aspectos de manejo de solos frágeis em perímetros irrigados da região Nordeste: ênfase em Neossolo Quartzarênico.

Os solos arenosos apresentam fragilidade estrutural e textural. Atualmente, esses solos vêm sendo amplamente cultivados, com destaque para as culturas de mangueira e videira, em perímetros irrigados da região Nordeste. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar alguns atributos físicos e químicos de um Neossolo Quartzarênico em área cultivada com a cultura da mangueira sob irrigação de longo prazo e uma área de referência (vegetação de caatinga). O estudo foi realizado, em área comercial em Petrolina-PE, Brasil. Foram coletadas amostras de solo em: 1) sob caatinga; 2) sob cultivo de mangueira (Mangifera indica L.), dispostas de forma pareada, em transecto contendo 10 pontos distanciados de 30 m entre si. Amostras compostas foram coletadas nas profundidades (m): 0,00-0,10; 0,10-0,20; 0,20-0,40; 0,40-0,60; 1,00-1,20; 1,60-1,80, no início do período chuvoso, em novembro de 2011. Em laboratório, determinaram-se a reação do solo pH-H2O, cátions trocáveis (K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Al3+), fósforo disponível (P-disp.) e o teor de carbono orgânico total. A CTC a pH 7,0 (T) e a saturação por bases (V%) foram calculadas. Para determinação dos atributos físicos foram coletadas amostras indeformadas, em anéis volumétricos (100 cm3), nas camadas de 0,00- 0,10 m e 0,10-0,20 m. Determinaram-se o teor de água volumétrica na capacidade de campo (? cc), no ponto de murcha permanente (? pmp), densidade do solo, densidade de partículas, o volume de macro e de microporos e poros totais. A água disponível foi calculada pela diferença entre (? cc) e (? pmp). Os resultados indicam elevação do pH-H2O, K+, P-disp, Ca2+ e V% em área de fruticultura irrigada, em especial, na camada de 0,00-0,10 m do solo e menores teores de Al3+. A adubação com potássio e fósforo, em sistemas irrigados de produção de manga incrementa a translocação desses nutrientes para camadas profundas do solo. O cultivo de mangueira irrigada após 20 anos promoveu redução do volume de macroporos na camada de 0,0-0,10 m do solo. No entanto, não foi suficiente para indicar um grau acentuado de compactação. Os atributos químicos e físicos se correlacionaram de forma linear e positiva com os teores de carbono orgânico. Isso demonstra a importância de estratégias de manejo que visem o incremento de matéria orgânica do solo, em clima semiárido.bitstream/item/143573/1/BPD-246-Perimetros-irrigados.pd

Desenvolvimento radicular de famílias F5:8 de feijão do cruzamento 'BRS Pérola' X BAT 477 com e sem deficiência hídrica.

A reação das plantas ao serem submetidas à deficiência hídrica (DH) é evitar a redução do seu potencial hídrico, pelo aumento da absorção de água, de tal maneira que o balanço de água na planta é preservado. Sistema radicular com maior densidade de comprimento, principalmente nas camadas mais profundas, e que oferecem menor resistência ao fluxo de água podem suprir melhor à planta com água. Raízes com maior diâmetro podem apresentar vasos do xilema mais grossos, que oferecem menor resistência ao fluxo de água. O objetivo foi avaliar o sistema radicular de uma população de mapeamento de feijão, do cruzamento ?BRS Pérola?, susceptível à DH, com a linhagem BAT 477, tolerante

Avaliação e caracterização de sistemas de produção de açaizeiros apropriados para o agronegócio (projeto de pesquisa).

Projeto

Fusing multi-season UAS images with convolutional neural networks to map tree species in Amazonian forests.

Remote sensing images obtained by unoccupied aircraft systems (UAS) across different seasons enabled capturing of species-specific phenological patterns of tropical trees. The application of UAS multi-season images to classify tropical tree species is still poorly understood. In this study, we used RGB images from different seasons obtained by a low-cost UAS and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to map tree species in an Amazonian forest. Individual tree crowns (ITC) were outlined in the UAS images and identified to the species level using forest inventory data. The CNN model was trained with images obtained in February, May, August, and November. The classification accuracy in the rainy season (November and February) was higher than in the dry season (May and August). Fusing images from multiple seasons improved the average accuracy of tree species classification by up to 21.1 percentage points, reaching 90.5%. The CNN model can learn species-specific phenological characteristics that impact the classification accuracy, such as leaf fall in the dry season, which highlights its potential to discriminate species in various conditions. We produced high-quality individual tree crown maps of the species using a post-processing procedure. The combination of multi-season UAS images and CNNs has the potential to map tree species in the Amazon, providing valuable insights for forest management and conservation initiatives

Cymbopogon winterianus essential oil attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in a murine model

The essential oil of Cymbopogon winterianus (EOCW) is a natural product with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic properties. We studied the effect of EOCW in the progression of histological changes of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in a rodent model. The oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and characterized using gas chromatographymass spectrometry. Intratracheal instillation of bleomycin was performed in 30 rats to induce PF, while Sham animals were subjected to instillation of saline solution. The treatment was performed using daily oral administration of distilled water, EOCW at 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, and deflazacort (DFC). After 28 days, hemogram and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), tissue levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were assayed. Histological grading of PF, immunohistochemical expression of -smooth muscle actin (-SMA), and transforming growth factor- (TGF-) were also analyzed. The EOCW major compounds were found to be citronellal, geraniol, and citronellol. EOCW significantly reduced inflammation in BALF, reduced MDA levels, and increased SOD activity. EOCW attenuated histological grading of PF and reduced immunohistochemical expression of -SMA and TGF- in a dose-dependent way, likely due to the reduction of oxidative stress, inflammation, and TGF--induced myofibroblast differentiation.This research was financed by the Coordenação Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Sergipe (FAPITEC), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). EBS wishes to acknowledge the sponsorship of the project UIDB/04469/2020 (strategic fund) from the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation, Ministry of Science and Education (FCT/MEC) through national funds, and was co-financed by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement PT2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Effects of Resistance Training Volume on Skeletal Muscle Proteome

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(7): 1051-1066, 2017. Studies are conflicting to whether low volume resistance training (RT) is as effective as high-volume RT protocols with respect to promoting morphological and molecular adaptations. Thus, the aim of the present study was to compare, using a climbing a vertical ladder, the effects of 8 weeks, 3 times per week, resistance training with 4 sets (RT4), resistance training with 8 sets (RT8) and without resistance training control (CON) on gastrocnemius muscle proteome using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and cross sectional area (CSA) of rats. Fifty-two proteins were identified by LC-MS/MS, with 39 in common between the three groups, two in common between RT8 and CON, one in common between RT8 and RT4, four exclusive in the CON, one in the RT8, and four in the RT4. The RT8 group had a reduced abundance of 12 proteins, mostly involved in muscle protein synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, anti-oxidant defense, and oxygen transport. Otherwise one protein involved with energy transduction as compared with CON group showed high abundance. There was no qualitative protein abundance difference between RT4 and CON groups. These results revealed that high volume RT induced undesirable disturbances on skeletal muscle proteins, while lower volume RT resulted in similar gains in skeletal muscle hypertrophy without impairment of proteome. The CSA was significantly higher in RT8 group when compared to RT4 group, which was significantly higher than CON group. However, no differences were found between trained groups when the gastrocnemius CSA were normalized by the total body weight