Mechanistic model for the compression strength prediction of masonry columns strengthened with fibre–polymer composites

A mechanistic model is presented for the strength prediction of squared columns made of masonry with a periodic arrangement and strengthened with a fibre–polymer composite jacketing. The formulation is based on an incremental plasticity theory that relies on equilibrium, compatibility, and kinematic equations. The strength domain of brick units and mortar joints is bounded by a multi-surface yield criterion: a Mohr–Coulomb strength domain with a linear cap in compression and a Rankine cut-off in tension. An elasto-plastic response with limited ductility is assumed for both masonry components. Differently, the FRP response is assumed elastic with a brittle failure governed by a limited tensile strain. Phenomenological-based assumptions are undertaken and justified. Details are also provided for the computational implementation of the procedure. The model accuracy is validated against experimental data on masonry squared columns and compared with existing standard-based formulas. Results demonstrate it provides real-time and accurate compressive strength solutions for squared masonry columns with or without a polymer-based wrapping and yet requiring few input parameters for the masonry constituents and reinforcement

Viriot: A cloud of things that offers iot infrastructures as a service

Many cloud providers offer IoT services that simplify the collection and processing of IoT information. However, the IoT infrastructure composed of sensors and actuators that produces this information remains outside the cloud; therefore, application developers must install, connect and manage the cloud. This requirement can be a market barrier, especially for small/medium software companies that cannot afford the infrastructural costs associated with it and would only prefer to focus on IoT application developments. Motivated by the wish to eliminate this barrier, this paper proposes a Cloud of Things platform, called VirIoT, which fully brings the Infrastructure as a service model typical of cloud computing to the world of Internet of Things. VirIoT provides users with virtual IoT infrastructures (Virtual Silos) composed of virtual things, with which users can interact through dedicated and standardized broker servers in which the technology can be chosen among those offered by the platform, such as oneM2M, NGSI and NGSI-LD. VirIoT allows developers to focus their efforts exclusively on IoT applications without worrying about infrastructure management and allows cloud providers to expand their IoT services portfolio. VirIoT uses external things and cloud/edge computing resources to deliver the IoT virtualization services. Its open-source architecture is microservice-based and runs on top of a distributed Kubernetes platform with nodes in central and edge data centers. The architecture is scalable, efficient and able to support the continuous integration of heterogeneous things and IoT standards, taking care of interoperability issues. Using a VirIoT deployment spanning data centers in Europe and Japan, we conducted a performance evaluation with a two-fold objective: showing the efficiency and scalability of the architecture; and leveraging VirIoT’s ability to integrate different IoT standards in order to make a fair comparison of some open-source IoT Broker implementations, namely Mobius for oneM2M, Orion for NGSIv2, Orion-LD and Scorpio for NGSI-LD

Bromatological and mineral compositions of collected pollen for africanized honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in Botucatu, São Paulo State

The bromatological and mineral compositions of pollen collected by Africanized honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in the Botucatu region, São Paulo State, Brazil, from August to November, 1966, were investigated. The pollen collections from six beehives, at weekly intervals, lasted for seven consecutive days. Mean fresh pollen composition was: 75.9% dry matter, 26.2% crude protein (CP), 5.1% ether extract (EE), 2.6% ash, 1.1% crude fiber, 3.58% nitrogen, 0.43% phosphorus, 0.67% potassium, 0.26% calcium, 0.08% magnesium, 0.21% sulfur, 114.2 ppm iron, 88.4 ppm zinc, 15.0 ppm copper, 32.4 ppm manganese, and 9.9 ppm boron. Statistical analysis showed that pollen collected in October had the highest contents of CP, and of the elements P, S and Mn compared to the other months. According to cluster and principal components analyses for bromatological composition, the variables with most and least discriminatory power were the percentages of CP and EE, respectively. As to mineral composition, the most discriminatory variables were S, Mn, and N, while the least discriminatory were Mg, B, and K

Geochemical and geophysical monitoring of hydrocarbon seepage in the Adriatic Sea

Hydrocarbon seepage is overlooked in the marine environment, mostly due to the lack of high-resolution exploration data. This contribution is about the set-up of a relocatable and cost-effective monitoring system, which was tested on two seepages in the Central Adriatic Sea. The two case studies are an oil spill at a water depth of 10 m and scattered biogenic methane seeps at a water depth of 84 m. Gas plumes in the water column were detected with a multibeam system, tightened to sub-seafloor seismic reflection data. Dissolved benthic fluxes of nutrients, metals and Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) were measured by in situ deployment of a benthic chamber, which was used also for the first time to collect water samples for hydrocarbons characterization. In addition, the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as major and trace elements were analyzed to provide an estimate of hydrocarbon contamination in the surrounding sediment and to make further inferences on the petroleum system

Real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic left ventricular systolic assessment: head-to-head comparison with cardiac computed tomography

Introduction Many authors have written about the need to treat patients closer to their beds, in order to observe them more as distinct people. The FAST HUG mnemonic, which consists of a checklist, was suggested as an idea to be employed everyday, by professionals dealing with patients who are critically ill. Minding these questions and motivated by an idea of follow patients' treatment closer, we have put into practice the instrument developed by Jean-Louis Vincent, evaluating the seven most important procedures in critically ill patients, and performed the FAST HUG.This checklist consists of seven items to be evaluated: Feeding, Analgesia, Sedation, Thromboembolic prophylaxis, Head-of-bed elevation, stress Ulcer prevention, and Glucose control. Knowing that the pressure ulcer is one of the challenges faced by ICU nurses, related to patients' need to stay at rest, to be under rigorous control or more complex therapy, it was decided to create the eighth item on the checklist: S, for skin. It stands for skin treatment, with the techniques used in the unit (Braden Scale), monitoring and evaluating closer skin integrity, and allowing nurses to calculate the scoring average of the Braden Scale, and greater incidence of ulcer in interned patients. Objective To expose the shortcomings found during the FAST HUG application, and to show results obtained with the eighth item of the FAST HUG mnemonic: S -Skin. Methods A descriptive study, based on institutional data, was carried out in the adult ICU of a private hospital. It was performed from 2 to 27 June 2008, except on weekends. Three hundred and twenty-three patients were involved. The checklist was carried out during the afternoons by the head nurse, or the assistant nurse of the unit. In order to do this job, a spreadsheet was elaborated to control data, updated every week. This spreadsheet provided graphics for a more objective control of the results obtained. The idea was exposed to the team, during a training program, and so we started the activities. Results and discussionFor 20 days of the checklist, 323 patients were evaluated for the eight items. The real shortcomings most frequently found were related to thromboembolic prophylaxis (85%) and glucose control (90%).These shortcomings were immediately evaluated and, depending on this analysis, this item would go on or not, according to the patient's clinical situation. The shortcomings found were tracked just as they were detected, and their cause would be discussed in a multidisciplinary group, and a solution was found. If the item was not observed, it would be 1.Vincent JL: Give your patient a fast hug (at least) once a day

Maroon Archaeology Beyond the Americas: A View From Kenya

Archaeological research on Maroons—that is, runaway slaves—has been largely confined to the Americas. This essay advocates a more global approach. It specifically uses two runaway slave communities in 19th-century coastal Kenya to rethink prominent interpretive themes in the field, including “Africanisms,” Maroons’ connections to indigenous groups, and Maroon group cohesion and identity. This article’s analysis demonstrates that the comparisons enabled by a more globalized perspective benefit the field. Instead of eliding historical and cultural context, these comparisons support the development of more localized and historically specific understandings of individual runaway slave communities both in Kenya and throughout the New World

Dinkelbach Approach to Solving a Class of Fractional Optimal Control Problems

We consider optimal control problems with functional given by the ratio of two integrals (fractional optimal control problems). In particular, we focus on a special case with affine integrands and linear dynamics with respect to state and control. Since the standard optimal control theory cannot be used directly to solve a problem of this kind, we apply Dinkelbach’s approach to linearize it. Indeed, the fractional optimal control problem can be transformed into an equivalent monoparametric family { P q } of linear optimal control problems. The special structure of the class of problems considered allows solving the fractional problem either explicitly or requiring straightforward classical numerical techniques to solve a single equation. An application to advertising efficiency maximization is presented

Contamination of rural surface and ground water by endosulfan in farming areas of the Western Cape, South Africa

BACKGROUND: In South Africa there is little data on environmental pollution of rural water sources by agrochemicals. METHODS: This study investigated pesticide contamination of ground and surface water in three intensive agricultural areas in the Western Cape: the Hex River Valley, Grabouw and Piketberg. Monitoring for endosulfan and chlorpyrifos at low levels was conducted as well as screening for other pesticides. RESULTS: The quantification limit for endosulfan was 0.1 μg/L. Endosulfan was found to be widespread in ground water, surface water and drinking water. The contamination was mostly at low levels, but regularly exceeded the European Drinking Water Standard of 0.1 μg/L. The two most contaminated sites were a sub-surface drain in the Hex River Valley and a dam in Grabouw, with 0.83 ± 1.0 μg/L (n = 21) and 3.16 ± 3.5 μg/L (n = 13) average endosulfan levels respectively. Other pesticides including chlorpyrifos, azinphos-methyl, fenarimol, iprodione, deltamethrin, penconazole and prothiofos were detected. Endosulfan was most frequently detected in Grabouw (69%) followed by Hex River (46%) and Piketberg (39%). Detections were more frequent in surface water (47%) than in groundwater (32%) and coincided with irrigation, and to a lesser extent, to spraying and trigger rains. Total dietary endosulfan intake calculated from levels found in drinking water did not exceed the Joint WHO/FAO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) criteria. CONCLUSION: The study has shown the need for monitoring of pesticide contamination in surface and groundwater, and the development of drinking water quality standards for specific pesticides in South Africa