In-plane behavior of tuff masonry panels strengthened with fibre-reinforced plastic cross layout

The paper is aimed at understanding the in-plane shear-compression behaviour of tuff masonry panels strengthened with FRP cross layout. Based on a previous experimental work carried out by some of the authors, a quantitative analysis of the contributions of FRP and bare masonry to reinforced panel shear capacity has been carried out. Force-displacement relationships of all the tested panels are provided, including the intermediate debonding strains. Finally, a critical comparison between the experimental masonry shear strength and the ones calculated according to analytical models suggested by the Italian code NTC 08 and the CNR-DT 200/2004 guideline is presented.- (undefined

Ecological aspects of the casque-headed frog Aparasphenodon brunoi (Anura, Hylidae) in a Restinga habitat in southeastern Brazil

We describe some aspects of the ecology of Aparasphenodon brunoi, a species associated with bromeliads. We comment on the relationships of this species with bromeliad size, microhabitat use, diet and sexual dimorphism. This study was conducted on a Restinga habitat near Presidente Kennedy, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern coast of Brazil. When the animals were found inside the bromeliads, we measure bromeliad and head size of frogs. We analyzed stomach contents and determined the sex and reproductive condition. We found 17 individuals (58.6%) in bromeliad leafs, six (20.7%) in Cactaceae, three (10.3%) in liana and three (10.3%) on trunks. The correlation between head measurements and bromeliad size were high, indicating that animals apparently use bromeliads based on their size, which could be related to the minimization of water loss. The most common prey items were beetles, ants, and insect larvae, suggesting that the species is relatively generalist in prey consumption. Aparasphenodon brunoi showed significant sexual size and shape dimorphism with females having larger bodies than males (size) and females having tibia, eye diameter and SVL larger than males (shape), but larger sample size and more detailed ecological and life history data are needed to elucidate the factors that have led to sexual size dimorphism

In-plane behavior of tuff masonry panels strengthened with FRP diagonal layout

The present paper deals with a quantitative analysis of the shear strength behavior of masonry panels strengthened with diagonal layout. The objective of the study is to progress towards understanding the shear strength contributions from masonry and FRP to the lateral resistance of strengthened panels. To this aim, relevant experimental results of monotonic shear-compression tests are analyzed. The local behavior of the reinforcement is investigated in terms of FRP strain profiles (i.e. the transferrable tension force within FRP), and its effects on the global response of the panels assessed. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the anchorage system in restraining the FRP at the anchored edges, avoiding premature failure due to FRP debonding. As a result, the specimens were allowed to develop their full lateral resistance. A truss model approach, combined with a proper masonry strength criterion for masonry is proposed and validated. A comparison between computed and experimental data confirms the validity of the procedure in view of practical applications and code recommendations

Adiabatic approximation with exponential accuracy for many-body systems and quantum computation

We derive a version of the adiabatic theorem that is especially suited for applications in adiabatic quantum computation, where it is reasonable to assume that the adiabatic interpolation between the initial and final Hamiltonians is controllable. Assuming that the Hamiltonian is analytic in a finite strip around the real time axis, that some number of its time-derivatives vanish at the initial and final times, and that the target adiabatic eigenstate is non-degenerate and separated by a gap from the rest of the spectrum, we show that one can obtain an error between the final adiabatic eigenstate and the actual time-evolved state which is exponentially small in the evolution time, where this time itself scales as the square of the norm of the time-derivative of the Hamiltonian, divided by the cube of the minimal gap.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures. Supersedes arXiv:0804.0604. v2: some corrections, new remarks, and a new subsection on the adiabatic theorem for open systems. v3: additional correction

Right Internal Thoracic Artery with an Anteroaortic Course

Coronary artery bypass graft surgery remains the procedure of choice to revascularize patients with complex multivessel coronary artery disease. The left internal thoracic artery and saphenous vein are the most commonly utilized conduits in coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The left internal thoracic artery is widely accepted as the conduit of choice for coronary artery bypass grafting. Accumulated evidence in recent years has demonstrated the superiority of bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting over single internal thoracic artery grafting in terms of event-free survival, freedom from reintervention and survival. The survival benefit seen with bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting has been associated particularly with grafting the myocardium supplied by the left coronary artery system. Many surgical strategies have been tested in order to achieve left-sided myocardial revascularization with bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting. These include directing the right internal thoracic artery through the transverse sinus in a retroaortic course, free graft connected proximally either to the left internal thoracic artery (composite grafting) or to the ascending aorta. Another technical option is in situ right internal thoracic artery to the left anterior descending and left internal thoracic artery to circumflex marginal branches; in this chapter we will comment on this technique

Discontinuous vs continuous approaches for the nonlinear dynamics of an historic masonry tower

The present paper investigates, from an advanced numerical point of view, the progressive damage of the Amatrice (Rieti, Italy) civic clock tower, after a long sequence of strong earthquakes that struck Central Italy in 2016. Two advanced numerical models are here used to provide an insight into the modalities of progressive damage and the behaviour of the structure under strong dynamic excitations, namely a Discrete Element Method (DEM), the Non-Smooth Contact Dynamics (NSCD) method, and a FE Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model. In both cases, a full 3D detailed discretization is adopted. From the numerical results, the role played by both the actual geometries and the insufficient resistance of the constituent materials are envisaged, showing a good match with actual crack patterns observed after the seismic sequence

Tailored displays to compensate for visual aberrations

We introduce tailored displays that enhance visual acuity by decomposing virtual objects and placing the resulting anisotropic pieces into the subject's focal range. The goal is to free the viewer from needing wearable optical corrections when looking at displays. Our tailoring process uses aberration and scattering maps to account for refractive errors and cataracts. It splits an object's light field into multiple instances that are each in-focus for a given eye sub-aperture. Their integration onto the retina leads to a quality improvement of perceived images when observing the display with naked eyes. The use of multiple depths to render each point of focus on the retina creates multi-focus, multi-depth displays. User evaluations and validation with modified camera optics are performed. We propose tailored displays for daily tasks where using eyeglasses are unfeasible or inconvenient (e.g., on head-mounted displays, e-readers, as well as for games); when a multi-focus function is required but undoable (e.g., driving for farsighted individuals, checking a portable device while doing physical activities); or for correcting the visual distortions produced by high-order aberrations that eyeglasses are not able to.Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas (Brazil) (CNPq-Brazil fellowship 142563/2008-0)Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas (Brazil) (CNPq-Brazil fellowship 308936/2010-8)Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas (Brazil) (CNPq-Brazil fellowship 480485/2010- 0)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF CNS 0913875)Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (fellowship)United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA Young Faculty Award)Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory (Consortium Members

Seismic analysis of the Roman Temple of Évora, Portugal

The Roman temple of Évora dates back to the 1st century AD and has undergone several changes throughout history, including various additions, which have been removed. Several archaeological studies have recently been carried out, but the structural safety of the temple is unknown. Of particular concern is the temple’s seismic resistance, as it is located in a region subjected to a moderate seismic hazard. The main purpose of this paper is to ascertain the temple’s behaviour under seismic excitation through limit analysis and discrete element analysis. Both analysis techniques will use the assumption that the structure is composed of rigid blocks connected with dry joints. Geometric information has been derived from a recent laser scanning surveying, while calibration undertaken using in-situ results from GPR and dynamic identification tests. The main results are presented and discussed in detail as well as the need for possible repair works within the framework of the ICARSAH guidelines

Analysis of intact prophages in genomes of paenibacillus larvae, an important pathogen for bees

Paenibacillus larvae is a highly contagious spore-forming bacteria, responsible for the American Foulbrood (AFB) disease, lethal to honeybee brood. Integrated in bacterial genomes, prophages are often able to provide new genes or to alter phenotypic characteristics of bacteria. The potential role of prophages in the performance of P. larvae has been studied. A total of 55 intact prophage genomes from 11 P. larvae strains were annotated and analysed. The main focus was to infer the influence of their genes with some type of virulence trait (e.g.: toxins), or functions such as antibiotic resistance, metabolic function, germination/sporulation or transporter of nutrients, which could improve bacterial fitness. We also aimed at understanding if specific traits were provided to a given genotype (ERIC I-V). A total of 67 putative genes with different functions were identified. Some were present in all genotypes, as for example, genes encoding phosphomannomutase, HicB and MazE antitoxins, while others were exclusive from a specific genotype. In ERIC I, were found genes encoding a DNA internalization protein or an enhancin-like toxin, in ERIC II, genes responsible for a SocA antitoxin or a DNA mismatch repair protein, in ERIC III, a gene for a lipid phosphatase, in ERIC IV, genes encoding proteins associated to ironsulfur uptake and nitrogen fixation and in ERIC V, genes for an aromatic acid exporter family protein, for an epsilon-toxin type B or for an epithelial and chitin-binding protein. Although several prophage-derived genes are closely linked to metabolic processes, only ERIC V strains appear to have a competitive advantage since prophages contained multiple genes that could contribute to a more aggressive infection. Despite the low representativeness on P. larvae strains diversity, we definitely contribute to leveraging studies in a subject with recent and short knowledge.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Analysis of intact prophages in genomes of Paenibacillus larvae: An important pathogen for bees

The Supplementary materials for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.903861/full#supplementary-materialPaenibacillus larvae is the etiological agent of American Foulbrood (AFB), a highly contagious and worldwide spread bacterial disease that affects honeybee brood. In this study, all complete P. larvae genomes available on the NCBI database were analyzed in order to detect presence of prophages using the PHASTER software. A total of 55 intact prophages were identified in 11 P. larvae genomes (5.0±2.3 per genome) and were further investigated for the presence of genes encoding relevant traits related to P. larvae. A closer look at the prophage genomes revealed the presence of several putative genes such as metabolic and antimicrobial resistance genes, toxins or bacteriocins, potentially influencing host performance. Some of the coding DNA sequences (CDS) were present in all ERIC-genotypes, while others were only found in a specific genotype. While CDS encoding toxins and antitoxins such as HicB and MazE were found in prophages of all bacterial genotypes, others, from the same category, were provided by prophages particularly to ERIC I (enhancin-like toxin), ERIC II (antitoxin SocA) and ERIC V strains (subunit of Panton-Valentine leukocidin system (PVL) LukF-PV). This is the first in-depth analysis of P. larvae prophages. It provides better knowledge on their impact in the evolution of virulence and fitness of P. larvae, by discovering new features assigned by the viruses.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UIDB/04469/2020 unit. HR was supported by FCT through the grant SFRH/BD/128859/2017 and COVID/BD/151856/2021.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio