Seismic vulnerability of churches in Faial and Pico islands, Azores

Earthquakes represent one of the main cause of serious damage and loss of historic and architectural heritage. Interventions to preserve these building should start with a careful knowledge and assessment of their seismic vulnerability, in order to support any needed retrofitting and strengthening measures. This paper proposes a procedure to register and diagnose of the level of damage on churches after the occurrence of an earthquake, and also to assess the seismic vulnerability of this type of construction. This procedure was applied to sixteen churches in the Azores islands which were hit by the July 9th 1998 earthquake. Belfries of church towers are elements with a particular seismic vulnerability. For this reason, and based on the Italian methodology proposed by the Linee Guida (2006), it is applied to belfries of two churches from Pico (Azores), a simplified mechanical model for assessment of seismic vulnerability of this type of structures

Improved magnetic charged system search optimization algorithm with application to satellite formation flying

This paper is devoted to the implementation and application of an improved version of the metaheuristic algorithm called magnetic charged system search. Some modifications and novelties are introduced and tested. Firstly, the authors’ attempt is to develop a self-adaptive and user-friendly algorithm which can automatically set all the preliminary parameters (such as the numbers of particles, the maximum iterations number) and the internal coefficients. Indeed, some mathematical laws are proposed to set the parameters and many coefficients can dynamically change during the optimization process based on the verification of internal conditions. Secondly, some strategies are suggested to enhance the performances of the proposed algorithm. A chaotic local search is introduced to improve the global best particle of each iteration by exploiting the features of ergodicity and randomness. Moreover, a novel technique is proposed to handle bad-defined boundaries; in fact, the possibility to self-enlarge the boundaries of the optimization variables is considered, allowing to achieve the global optimum even if it is located on the boundaries or outside. The algorithm is tested through some benchmark functions and engineering design problems, showing good results, followed by an application regarding the problem of time-suboptimal manoeuvres for satellite formation flying, where the inverse dynamics technique, together with the B-splines, is employed. This analysis proves the ability of the proposed algorithm to optimize control problems related to space engineering, obtaining better results with respect to more common and used algorithms in literature

Current formulation approaches in design and development of solid oral dosage forms through three-dimensional printing

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies are continuously applied to novel fields, laying the foundations for a new industrial revolution. With regard to pharmaceutical sciences, 3D printed drug products are emerging as attractive and innovative tools in personalised medicine. For example, solid oral dosage forms (e.g. tablets) can be printed in a wide range of dosages, release profiles, geometries and sizes by simply modifying a digital model, thus providing patients with tailored therapies. Various 3D printing technologies have been applied to pharmaceutical manufacture in recent years, and different materials have been investigated to fabricate solid oral dosage forms in a broad range of properties. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe the state of the art of 3D printing oral pharmaceuticals, with the view to provide formulation scientists with essential information to approach the development of 3D printed drug products, from digital design to final product quality control. Short- to long-term potential areas of application of 3D printed drug products and their relative regulatory pathway challenges are also presented

CLASS ACTION WAIVER CLAUSE

This paper deals with arbitration clauses and class action waiver clauses inserted in consumer contract forms. Both clauses are deemed to be valid and enforceable in the Italian law system, although the decisions of the Corte di Cassazione consider the arbitration clause an unfair term, therefore null and void. Arbitration clause, indeed, is not an unfair term since it does not prevent the exercise of the jurisdiction according to article 33, section 2, letter t) of the Italian Consumer Code. Further, arbitration clause does not lead to a material unbalance of the contract according to article 33, section 1 of the Italian Consumer Code: as a matter of fact, arbitration clause does not restrict the rights of action of consumers, as they can recur to a class-wide suit, anyhow. In particular, consumer may recur to class arbitration suits. Similarly, neither class action waiver clause could be considered an unfair term according to article 33 of the Italian Consumer Code, since it does not refrain consumers from recurring to individual suits in order to enforce their rights. Furthermore, class action waiver clause does not lead to a material unbalance of the agreement, since Italian class action system is largely underexploited, yet. Comparative method has been crucial for the scope of work: on one hand, the study of the American model has inspired the work, since Federal Supreme Court already settled arbitration clause issue and class action waiver clause issue by four decisions issued within years 2009/2015. Indeed, the Supreme Court ruled for the validity and enforceability of these clauses, therefore, barring consumers from recurring to class action suits or class arbitration suits as well as to any kind of individual suit, since cost-benefit ratio is totally inefficient. On the other hand, the in-depth analysis of origins of class action in the common law systems revealed the real nature of Italian class action regulations adopted in 2009 and 2019. American class action provision currently in force, i.e. Rule 23 FRCP, is the outcome of principles of representative suit arising from centuries of case law. Indeed, procedural provisions disclaimed by Rule 23 FRCP, especially those regarding the certification phase, are provided in order to grant the plaintiff with a standing to sue in representation of the absent class members: class members which will be actually bound by the decision issued in the class action suit. In other words, procedural prescriptions become the source of the power of the plaintiff to sue in representation of the class. On the contrary, Italian class action regulations do not provide any representative power of the plaintiff, although American rules were the blueprint for the Italian legislator. Therefore, unlike Rule 23 FRCP, Italian class action reg-ulations, instead of being the source of power of the plaintiff to introduce a class action, are just procedural provisions adding to ordinary ones. Thus, the consumer has the right to freely use these special procedural devices and, therefore, consumers are free (i) to renounce to class action suit; or (ii) to adopt class action provisions in a class arbitration regulation

Comment on ‘The latency period of mesothelioma among a cohort of British asbestos workers (1978–2005)': the effect of left censoring

none4noWe read with extreme interest the article by Frost on mesothelioma latency period among asbestos workers (Frost, 2013). Despite the main aim of the study being to investigate ‘the determinants of mesothelioma latency among a cohort of asbestos workers, paying particular attention to indicators of intensity of asbestos exposure’ (Frost, 2013), the reported lack of evidence of an association between duration of exposure and latency attracted some attention. Commenters argued that right censoring occurring in the underlying cohort could have biased an analysis restricted to cases (Consonni et al, 2014; Mirabelli and Zugna, 2014).openFarioli, A; Mattioli, S; Curti, S; Violante, F SFarioli, A; Mattioli, S; Curti, S; Violante, F

337 Determinants of back-pain in the European Countries. A cross-sectional analysis of data from the fifth European Working Conditions Survey

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Emerging bone marrow microenvironment‐driven mechanisms of drug resistance in acute myeloid leukemia: Tangle or chance?

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been considered for a long time exclusively driven by critical mutations in hematopoietic stem cells. Recently, the contribution of further players, such as stromal and immune bone marrow (BM) microenvironment components, to AML onset and progression has been pointed out. In particular, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) steadily remodel the leukemic niche, not only favoring leukemic cell growth and development but also tuning their responsiveness to treatments. The list of mechanisms driven by MSCs to promote a leukemia drug-resistant phenotype has progressively expanded. Moreover, the relative proportion and the activation status of immune cells in the BM leukemic microenvironment may vary by influencing their reactivity against leukemic cells. In that, the capacity of the stroma to re‐program immune cells, thus promoting and/or hampering therapeutic efficacy, is emerging as a crucial aspect in AML biology, adding an extra layer of complexity. Current treatments for AML have mainly focused on eradicating leukemia cells, with little consideration for the leukemia‐damaged BM niche. Increasing evidence on the contribution of stromal and immune cells in response to therapy underscores the need to hold the mutual interplay, which takes place in the BM. A careful dissection of these interactions will help provide novel applications for drugs already under experimentation and open a wide array of opportunities for new drug discovery