Alkali release from aggregates in long-service concrete structures. Laboratory test evaluation and ASR prediction

Il lavoro propone un semplice modello per la previsione dello sviluppo di espansione deleteria da reazione alcali-silice (ASR) in strutture di calcestruzzo progettate per lunga vita di servizio. Il modello è basato su parametri di composizione e di reattività legati alla ASR, compreso il contributo in alcali a lungo termine da parte degli aggregati. Questo contributo è stato stimato attraverso una prova di estrazione di laboratorio, appositamente sviluppata con lo scopo di massimizzare il rilascio in tempi di prova relativamente brevi e con basso rapporto soluzione lisciviante/aggregato. Il metodo di prova proposto è basato sullo standard italiano riportato nella norma UNI 11417-2 e consiste nel sottoporre l'aggregato a lisciviazione con una soluzione satura di idrossido di calcio a 105°C, in autoclave. Sono stati sottoposti a prova nove aggregati (sette sabbie e due aggregati grossi), il rapporto in peso lisciviante/aggregato era pari a 0,6, il rapporto Ca(OH)2 solida/aggregato era pari a 0,05 ed il tempo di prova 120 ore. I risultati delle prove sono stati utilizzati nel modello di previsione dell'espansione deleteria a lungo termine, ottenendo delle previsioni del tutto congruenti con le informazioni sul comportamento reale dei materiali, nonché con le raccomandazioni riportate nel CEN/TR 16349:2012.This paper proposes a simple model for predicting the development of deleterious expansion from alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in long-service concrete structures. This model is based on some composition and reactivity parameters related to ASR, including the long-term alkali contribution by aggregates to concrete structures. This alkali contribution was estimated by means of a laboratory extraction test, appositely developed in this study in order to maximize the alkali extraction within relatively short testing times and with low leaching solution/aggregate ratios. The proposed test is a modification of the Italian Standard test method UNI 11417-2 (Ente Nazionale Italiano di Normazione) and it consists of subjecting an aggregate sample to leaching with saturated calcium hydroxide solution in a laboratory autoclave at 105 degrees C. Nine natural ASR-susceptible aggregates (seven sands and two coarse aggregates) were tested and the following optimized test conditions were found: leaching solution/aggregate weight ratio = 0.6; solid calcium hydroxide/aggregate weight ratio = 0.05; test duration = 120 h. The results of the optimized alkali extraction tests were used in the proposed model for predicting the potential development of long-term ASR expansion in concrete dams. ASR predictions congruent with both the field experience and the ASR prevention criteria recommended by European Committee for Standardization Technical Report CEN/TR 16349: 2012 were found, thus indicating the suitability of the proposed model

Residual capability of alkali binding by hydrated pozzolanic cements in long-service concrete structures

An experimental procedure was developed and applied to cement pastes made with two different pozzolanic cements (CEM IV/B (P) and CEM IV/B (V)) in order to ascertain the existence of a residual capability of alkali binding by long-term hydrated pozzolanic cements and, at the same time, to evaluate the alkali retention capability and the concentration of OH- ions in the pore solution of such cementitious matrices. The developed procedure consisted of accelerated curing of cement paste specimens (150 days at 60°C and 100% RH), subsequent leaching tests at 60°C for 30 days by using deionized water or basic solutions (NaOH or KOH at different concentrations) as leaching media, and correlation of the leaching test results with a simple mass balance equation for sodium and potassium ions. The developed procedure was found to be appropriate for evaluating both the pore liquid alkalinity and the alkali retention capability by long-term hydrated pozzolanic cement pastes. A residual capability of alkali binding was also identified for both tested pozzolanic cements, thus indicating their potential ability to prevent (CEM IV/B (V)) or minimize (CEM IV/B (P)) the risk of deleterious expansion associated to alkali-aggregate reaction in long-service concrete structures, like concrete dams

The Specialisation of EU Regions in Fast Growing and Key Enabling Technologies

In the context of the Europe 2020 objective of establishing in the EU a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy, European regions have been called to design and implement national and regional 'Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation' (RIS3). The rationale behind the concept of smart specialisation is that, in a context of global competition for talent and resources, most regions can only acquire a real competitive edge by finding niches or by mainstreaming new technologies into traditional industries and exploiting their ‘smart’ regional potential. Although the most promising way for a region to promote its knowledge-based growth is to diversify into technologies, products and services that are closely related to existing dominant technologies and the regional skills base, the European Commission puts special emphasis on a set of technologies labelled as 'Key Enabling Technologies' (KETs). Despite the great emphasis on KETs, there is only very limited evidence on the capability of EU regions to specialise in these fields and there are no studies directly investigating the actual impact of these technologies on regional innovation and economic growth. This report aims at filling these gaps by: i) looking at the relationship between KETs and 'Fast Growing Technologies' (FGTs); ii) providing empirical evidence on the EU regional specialisation in KETs and FGTs; iii) relating technological specialisation to regional innovation and economic growth. In particular, the report aims at answering these questions: 1) Which technologies have emerged as the fastest growing ones in the recent decades? 2) Is there a relationship between fast growing technologies and KETs? 3) Which regions are specialised in FGTs and KETs? 4) Are there convergence and polarization phenomena observable in the evolution of EU regions’ innovative activities in fast growing technologies and KETs? 5) Do EU regions specialized in fastest growing technological fields and key enabling technologies exhibit higher innovation and economic performances? The main results of the report can be summarised as follows. First, only a small share of KETs are also fast growing technologies, although the degree of overlapping between KETs and FGTs varies substantially across different KETs fields. Second, while KETs are concentrated in Central Europe, FGTs prevail in Scandinavian countries and the UK. Third, while there is evidence of some regional convergence in KETs and, to a less extent, in FGTs, spatial correlation increases over time, showing that diffusion often occurs across contiguous regions. Finally, the results of the estimations of the effects of FGTs and KETs on innovation (patents) and economic (GDP per capita) growth show that only specialisation in KETs directly affects economic growth, while specialisation in FGTs has an impact on growth only indirectly, that is through its impact on regions’ innovation performances. Overall, these results confirm the pervasive and enabling role of KETs pointing to the importance for European regions to target these technologies as part of their RIS3 strategies.JRC.J.2-Knowledge for Growt

Chapter Profiling visitors of a national park in Italy through unsupervised classification of mixed data

Cluster analysis has for long been an effective tool for analysing data. Thus, several disciplines, such as marketing, psychology and computer sciences, just to mention a few, did take advantage from its contribution over time. Traditionally, this kind of algorithm concentrates only on numerical or categorical data at a time. In this work, instead, we analyse a dataset composed of mixed data, namely both numerical than categorical ones. More precisely, we focus on profiling visitors of the National Park of Majella in the Abruzzo region of Italy, which observations are characterized by variables such as gender, age, profession, expectations and satisfaction rate on park services. Applying a standard clustering procedure would be wholly inappropriate in this case. Therefore, we hereby propose an unsupervised classification of mixed data, a specific procedure capable of processing both numerical than categorical variables simultaneously, releasing truly precious information. In conclusion, our application therefore emphasizes how cluster analysis for mixed data can lead to discover particularly informative patterns, allowing to lay the groundwork for an accurate customers profiling, starting point for a detailed marketing analysis

The Kinetics of Sorption–Desorption Phenomena: Local and Non-Local Kinetic Equations

The kinetics of adsorption phenomena are investigated in terms of local and non-local kinetic equations of the Langmuir type. The sample is assumed in the shape of a slab, limited by two homogeneous planar-parallel surfaces, in such a manner that the problem can be considered one-dimensional. The local kinetic equations in time are analyzed when both saturation and nonsaturation regimes are considered. These effects result from an extra dependence of the adsorption coefficient on the density of adsorbed particles, which implies the consideration of nonlinear balance equations. Non-local kinetic equations, arising from the existence of a time delay characterizing a type of reaction occurring between a bulk particle and the surface, are analyzed and show the existence of adsorption effects accompanied by temporal oscillations

Implementación de mejora en la solución APM módulo de estándares para agregar versionamiento de estándares y uso de estrategias de mantenimiento de la empresa Ternium

El presente informe de Suficiencia Profesional describe la actividad profesional que quien suscribe desempeñó como Centers Senior Developer en la empresa EVERIS PERÚ SAC, en el proyecto denominado “TERNIUM - APM”. TERNIUM es una empresa líder en el rubro del acero que elabora un amplio rango de productos en las Américas. Con 17 centros productivos en Argentina, Brasil, Colombia, Estados Unidos, Guatemala y México, fabrica aceros de alta complejidad para proveer a las principales industrias y mercados de la región. Sus plantas abarcan el proceso completo de fabricación del acero, desde la extracción del mineral de hierro hasta la elaboración de productos de alto valor agregado para las industrias. Por ello, dentro del plan de control de activos de la empresa, se planteó como iniciativa la elaboración de una aplicación WEB que permita la identificación de estándares a seguir para el mantenimiento de las maquinarias usadas durante el proceso de elaboración de acero. De esta manera, TERNIUM desea que sus activos cumplan con un estándar de mantenimiento establecido, descartando la elaboración de planes de mantenimiento incompletos o innecesarios. La creación de estándares adecuados aumenta el tiempo de vida de sus maquinarias, lo que en fin repercute en el producto final aumentando la calidad de estos. En la actualidad, se cuenta con una aplicación web en producción, que cubre parcialmente los requisitos; sin embargo, TERNIUM, desea que el manejo de los estándares sea versionado y no único, pues estos pueden cambiar con el tiempo y se requiere saber el estándar original y las versiones que existen. Además, se desea agregar estrategias a cada actividad ligada a la estrategia final. Cabe mencionar que este producto en la actualidad se encuentra cursando una nueva fase, en la cual se encuentran implementando el módulo de planes y mejorando algunas falencias.Tesi

Nivel de atención de la sede de internado médico y percepción de competencias quirúrgicas adquiridas por los internos de medicina de las Facultades de Medicina de Trujillo durante la pandemia COVID 19

Introducción: Uno de los aspectos más urgentes de la pandemia del COVID 19 es que irrumpió en el escenario de la salud a nivel nacional y mundial copando todos los niveles de atención y trayendo diversas consecuencias, una de ellas fueron los cambios introducidos para la formación de estudiantes y profesionales de la salud; debido a las diferentes barreras educativas encontradas una de las poblaciones más afectadas con esta coyuntura fueron los internos de medicina en su rotación de cirugía. Objetivo: Determinar si el nivel de atención de la sede de internado médico está asociado a la mejor percepción de competencias quirúrgicas adquiridas durante la pandemia COVID-19. Materiales y métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional, de tipo trasversal analítico. La población de estudio estuvo conformada por 97 personas que realizaron su internado médico y pasaron por la rotación de cirugía durante la pandemia COVID 19 en el 2020 de las 3 facultades de medicina de Trujillo: UPAO, UCV y UNT. Resultados: Existe una mayor proporción de varones que estuvieron en un nivel de atención de sede de internado Nivel III (57.8%) comparado con los varones que estuvieron en un Nivel I de atención del internado (50%), con un valor de (p=0.444). El puntaje de percepción de competencias quirúrgicas entre los internos del nivel de sede de internado I y III son muy similares con medianas de 4.34 y 4.37 respectivamente y con un valor de (p=0.364). Conclusiones: En nuestro estudio pudimos concluir que el nivel de atención de sede de internado médico no está asociado a una mejor percepción de las competencias quirúrgicas adquiridas durante la pandemia COVID 19Introduction: One of the most urgent aspects of the COVID 19 pandemic is that it burst onto the health scene at a national and global level, taking over all levels of healthcare and bringing various consequences, one of them being the changes introduced for the training of students and healthcare professionals; due to different educational barriers encountered one of the most affected populations by this situation were medical interns in their surgery rotation. Objective: To determine whether the level of care at the medical internship site is associated with improved perception of surgical competencies acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: An observational, cross-sectional analytical study was carried out. The study population consisted of 97 people who completed their medical internship and surgery rotation during the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 from the 3 faculties of medicine of Trujillo: UPAO, UCV and UNT. Results: There is a higher proportion of males who were in a Level III internship site level of care (57.8%) compared to males who were in a Level I internship site level of care (50%), with a value of (p=0.444), with no statistical significance of association. The score of perception of surgical competencies among interns of medicine from medical internship hospital of levels of care I and III are very similar with medians of 4.34 and 4.37 respectively and a with a value of (p=0.364). Conclusions: In our study we conclude that the level of care at the medical internship hospitals is not associated with a better perception of the surgical skills acquired during the COVID 19 pandemicTesi

Projecting current and future scenarios of sugarcane productivity in the Cerrado's environment

Orientadores: Jurandir Zullo Junior, Fábio Ricardo MarinTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia AgrícolaResumo: No Brasil, a produção de cana-de-açúcar voltou a se destacar a partir do ano 2000 como opção economicamente viável para a produção de bioenergia em larga escala, devido às demandas da sociedade pela redução nas emissões dos gases de efeito estufa e por produção de energia renovável e barata. O país pode ocupar e manter-se na posição de liderança estratégica, sendo, para isso, necessário ampliar o conhecimento nas diversas áreas envolvidas na produção do etanol. Talvez um dos setores mais carentes de estudos seja o setor agrícola, especialmente no que concerne à maximização do potencial produtivo das terras sem comprometimento ambiental. Por outro lado, as previsões de mudanças climáticas globais, indicando a alteração do regime pluviométrico e a elevação das temperaturas, podem alterar a geografia da produção agrícola brasileira. Como alternativa a este desafio, apresentam-se os modelos agroclimatológicos, desenvolvidos para interpretar resultados experimentais, promover a agricultura e apoiar o agronegócio de forma operacional. Uma das hipóteses do trabalho é que a aplicação de modelos agroclimáticos e de geoprocessamento permite expressar em escala espacial regional, em condições atuais e em cenários de mudanças climáticas globais, a produtividade e o risco climático relativos à produção da cana-de-açúcar em ambientes do bioma Cerrado. Para isso, foram utilizados dois modelos: (i) DSSAT/CANEGRO, modelo baseado em processos para estimar crescimento e produtividade; (ii) SARRA/SARRAZON, modelo empírico largamente utilizado para estimar oferta hídrica e risco climático. Ainda, a partir do modelo DSSAT/CANEGRO, construir um modelo simples para estimar produtividade a partir dos índices hídricos, obtidos pela SARRA/SARRAZON (PrISNA). Aos modelos foram incorporados dados e informações de solo, planta e clima e, como resultado, foram simulados rendimento e índices de oferta hídrica para 39 localidades que dispunham de postos meteorológicos. Os resultados foram georreferenciados e espacializados em sistemas de informações geográficas e apresentados na forma de mapas. Com base em análise espacial, foi possível delimitar áreas homogêneas em função de rendimento, risco, e melhores épocas de plantio da cana-de-açúcar em ambientes de Cerrado. Observou-se que os maiores rendimento e os menores riscos climáticos ocorreram em plantios nos meses de outubro e novembro. Também, a partir dos resultados de simulação dos dois modelos, foi possível ajustar e propor um modelo simples, de regressão múltipla, que permite estimar a produtividade da cana-de-açúcar, em escala regional, a partir de dados de índices de satisfação das necessidades hídricas da cultura, utilizando uma quantidade reduzida de variáveis agroclimatológicas. Com isso, pretende-se aprimorar as técnicas de zoneamento agrícola de riscos climáticos nas áreas de Cerrado que apresentam potencial de expansão da cana-de-açúcar, visando à implantação de sistemas produtivos com rendimento elevado e risco climático baixoAbstract: Since the beginning of the year 2000, sugarcane in Brazil became again an economically viable option to produce bioenergy in large scale to attend two strong demands from society: reduction of emission of greenhouse gases and production of renewable energy at low costs. It is estimated that, in 2012-2013, there will be market for about 685 million of tons of sugarcane. The country is able to take strategic leadership in the world's sugarcane production. In this case, it is necessary to stretch the knowledge in several fields related to ethanol production. The agricultural sector, especially the one concerning the optimization of production without environmental damage, is one of the fields that have high demand for more research. On the other hand, it seems that the geography of agricultural production in Brazil will change as result of global climate changes that indicate alterations in current precipitation and temperature regimes. This study presents an agroclimatological model that was developed to interpret experiment results, to promote agriculture and to support agribusiness operationally. The goal is to apply agroclimatological models and geographic information system tools to forecast potential productivity and climatic risks of sugarcane production in the Cerrado biome, under regional scale, current conditions and scenery of global climate change. We selected two models: (i) DSSAT/CANEGRO, which is based on processes to estimate crop growing and productivity; and (ii) SARRA/SARRAZON, an empirical approach widely used to estimate water availability and climate risk. Another goal was to develop, based on DSSAT/CANEGRO, a simple model to estimate productivity from water indices obtained from SARRA/SARRAZON. The input parameters were soil, plant and climate data. We estimated yield and indices of water availability from 39 sites having meteorological data. The results were georeferenced and interpolated in geographical information systems and presented as maps. It was possible to classify Cerrado in terms of yield, risk and best planting dates. Results of simulation of two models also allowed to derive a simpler and more adjusted multiple regression equation that provide estimation of sugarcane productivity, on a regional scale, from indices of satisfaction of water necessity, using a reduced amount of agroclimatic variables. Ultimately, we intended to improve the techniques of agricultural zoning of climatic risks in the Cerrado's landscapes having potential for sugarcane expansion, aiming the introduction of production systems with high income and low climatic riskDoutoradoPlanejamento e Desenvolvimento Rural SustentávelDoutor em Engenharia Agrícol

Qualidade das informações contábeis, governança corporativa e desempenho financeiro: uma análise comparativa de empresas brasileiras e francesas

The Quality of Accounting Information and Corporate Governance influence the perception of investors about publicly traded companies. In view of this, this research explores the relationships among Quality of Accounting Information, Corporate Governance and Financial Performance of Brazilian and French companies. Thus, to demonstrate the existence of relationships among Quality of Accounting Information and Financial Performance of companies, governance structures and Financial Performance, and Quality of Accounting Information, governance structures and also Financial Performance of companies, a quantitative study of correlation among these dimensions was carried out. The relationships between quality and performance were statistically significant and have been proved. On the other hand, the relationships between governance and performance were strong, in view of the correlations found. Among the Financial Performance indicators, it is noteworthy that the profitability indicators are correlated with quality and governance more frequently than those of profitability. The result proved the initial assumptions about the existence of such relationships and showed that the French market reflected more evolution than the Brazilian market, that is, the relationships between Corporate Governance and Financial Performance were more evident in the case of French companies.A Qualidade das Informações Contábeis e a Governança Corporativa exercem influência sobre a percepção de investidores acerca das empresas de capital aberto. Diante disso, esta pesquisa explora as relações entre a Qualidade das Informações Contábeis, Governança Corporativa e Desempenho Financeiro de empresas brasileiras e francesas. Assim, para demonstrar a existência de relações entre Qualidade das Informações Contábeis e Desempenho Financeiro das empresas, estruturas de governança e Desempenho Financeiro, e Qualidade das Informações Contábeis, estruturas de governança e, ainda, o Desempenho Financeiro das empresas realizou-se um estudo quantitativo de correlação entre essas dimensões. As relações entre qualidade e desempenho foram estatisticamente significantes e comprovadas. As relações entre governança e desempenho se mostraram fortes diante das correlações encontradas. Dentre os indicadores de Desempenho Financeiro, ressalta-se que os de lucratividade estão correlacionados com qualidade e governança com mais frequência do que aqueles de rentabilidade. O resultado comprovou os pressupostos iniciais sobre a existência de tais relações e mostrou que o mercado francês refletiu mais evolução do que o mercado brasileiro, ou seja, as relações entre a Governança Corporativa e o Desempenho Financeiro foram mais evidentes no caso das empresas francesas