Selective mass scaling for distorted solid-shell elements in explicit dynamics: optimal scaling factor and stable time step estimate

The use of solid-shell elements in explicit dynamics has been so far limited by the small critical time step resulting from the small thickness of these elements in comparison with the in-plane dimensions. To reduce the element highest eigenfrequency in inertia dominated problems, the selective mass scaling approach previously proposed in [G. Cocchetti, M. Pagani and U. Perego, Comp. \& Struct. 2013; 127:39-52.] for parallelepiped elements is here reformulated for distorted solid-shell elements. The two following objectives are achieved: the critical time step is governed by the smallest element in-plane dimension and not anymore by the thickness; the mass matrix remains diagonal after the selective mass scaling. The proposed approach makes reference to one Gauss point, trilinear brick element, for which the maximum eigenfrequency can be computed analytically. For this element, it is shown that the proposed mass scaling can be interpreted as a geometric thickness scaling, obtaining in this way a simple criterion for the definition of the optimal mass scaling factor. A strategy for the effective computation of the element maximum eigenfrequency is also proposed. The considered mass scaling preserves the element translational inertia, while it modifies the rotational one, leading to errors in the kinetic energy when the motion rotational component is dominant. The error has been rigorously assessed for an individual element, and a simple formula for its estimate has been derived. Numerical tests, both in small and large displacements and rotations, using a state-of-the-art solid-shell element taken from the literature, confirm the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed approach. Copyright {\copyright} 2014 John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd

Prevalence and Correlates of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Transgender People: An Italian Multicentric Cross-Sectional Study

The burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the transgender population remains an underestimated issue. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the prevalence of either self-reported and serological STIs and to describe socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of transgender individuals with STIs. A consecutive series of 705 transgender individuals (assigned-male at birth, AMAB n = 377; assigned-female at birth, AFAB n = 328) referring to six Italian gender clinics were included. Sociodemographic and clinical information was collected during the first visit. In a subsample of 126 individuals prevalence of STIs (human immunodeficiency virus, HIV; hepatitis C, HCV; hepatitis B, HBV; syphilis) were evaluated through serology tests. The self-reported prevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis infection in the total sample were 3.4%, 1.6%, 2.6% and 2.0%, respectively. In the subsample who underwent serological tests, higher rates of serological prevalence were found (9.5%, 4.0%, 5.6% and 7.9% for HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis, respectively). When comparing transgender people with or without selfreported STIs, unemployment, previous incarceration, justice problems and sex work resulted more frequent in the first group (p< 0.03 for all). Regarding health status, we observed higher rates of lifetime substance abuse and psychiatric morbidities in trans people with at least one reported STI (p < 0.05). The prevalence of STIs exceeded that reported in general population and STIs correlates underline the importance of stigma and discrimination as determinants of transgender health

On a case of crack path bifurcation in cohesive materials

Experimental, theoretical and numerical investigations show that crack kinking and crack branching can be observed and simulated in brittle solids and in the fast dynamical propagation of quasi-brittle fractures. The present study shows that kinking and branching may also occur in the quasi-static regime when an isotrophic or equi-biaxial tensile state of stress arises at the tip of a cohesive crack, and may represent alternative itineraries (i.e. path bifurcation) of the fracture process. Specific reference is made to the common but meaningful case of the three-point-bending test. Various numerical techniques apt to capture the above occurrence are comparatively presented, and the in influence of path bifurcation on the overall behaviour of the specimen is discussed

Elastic-plastic and limit-state analyses of frames with softening plastic-hinge models by mathematical programming

Frames (and more general beam systems) subjected to monotonic loading are modelled by conventional finite elements with the traditional assumption of possible plastic deformations concentrated in pre-selected “critical sections”. The inelastic behaviour of these beam sections, i.e. the development of “plastic hinges”, is described by piece-wise-linear constitutive models allowing for hardening and/or softening, in terms of generalized stresses and conjugate kinematic variables. The following topics are discussed: step-by-step analysis methods, both “exact” and stepwise holonomic; path bifurcations and overall stability; limit and deformation analyses combined, as an optimization problem under complementarity constraints apt to compute the safety factor (with respect to global or local failures); numerical tests of non-conventional algorithms by means of simple representative applications. The objective of the paper is to provide a unified methodology and to propose novel procedures for inelastic analyses of frames up to failure, in the light of recent results in mathematical programming, particularly on complementarity theory

Upper bounds on post-shakedown quantities in poroplasticity

In this paper various inequalities are established in coupled poroplasticity. These provide upper bounds that can be computed directly for various history-dependent post-shakedown quantities. The main features of the constitutive and computational models considered are as follows: two-phase material; full saturation; piecewise linearization of yield surfaces and hardening; associativity; linear Darcy law; finite element space-discretization in Prager’s generalized variables. The results achieved are illustrated by comparative numerical tests