Non-linear analysis of RC masonry-infilled frames using the SLaMA method: part 1—mechanical interpretation of the infill/frame interaction and formulation of the procedure

The simple lateral mechanism analysis (SLaMA) is an analytical method to assess the force–displacement capacity curve of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures composed of frames, cantilever walls or dual wall/frame systems. The current version of the method was proposed in the 2017 New Zealand guidelines for the seismic assessment (NZSEE in New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, the seismic assessment of existing buildings—technical guidelines for engineering assessments, Wellington, 2017). Regarding frame structures, the possible influence of infill walls is currently considered locally with checks on the RC members. However, it is universally known that infills have a major effect on the global capacity curve of the frame. In this paper, a comprehensive SLaMA method for infilled frames is proposed, which allows considering the influence of the infills on the global force–displacement curve without any numerical algorithm. The extended SLaMA method is herein formalised and it is validated in a companion paper (part 2) through an extensive parametric analysis. The extended SLaMA is based on the possibility to separately calculate the base shear contributions of the frame and the infills, in turn based on global equilibrium considerations. Such considerations also allow defining a novel procedure to post-process the results of pushover or time-history analyses where infills are modelled as diagonal struts, or to interpret experimental tests. This allows, within a single numerical analysis, to decouple the frame and infills contributions to the base-shear capacity. The decoupling procedure is herein demonstrated for an ideal two-storey, one-bay masonry-infilled frame with different infills configurations

Cloud Capacity Spectrum Method: Accounting for record-to-record variability in fragility analysis using nonlinear static procedures

This paper investigates a number of computational issues related to the use of nonlinear static procedures in fragility analysis of structures. Such approaches can be used to complement nonlinear dynamic procedures, reducing the computational and modelling effort. Specifically, this study assesses the performance of the Capacity Spectrum Method (CSM) with real (i.e. recorded) ground motions (as opposed to code-based conventional spectra) to explicitly account for record-to-record variability in fragility analysis. The study focuses on single-degree-of-freedom systems, providing a basis for future multi-degree-of-freedom system applications. A case-study database of 2160 inelastic oscillators is defined through parametric backbones with different elastic periods, (yield) base shear coefficients, values of the ductility capacity, hardening ratios, residual strength values and hysteresis rules. These case studies are analysed using 100 real ground motions. An efficient algorithm to perform the CSM with real spectra is proposed, combined with a cloud-based approach (Cloud-CSM) to derive fragility relationships. Simple criteria to solve the issue of multiple CSM solutions (i.e. two or more points on the backbone satisfying the CSM procedure) are proposed and tested. It is demonstrated that the performance point selection can be carried out based on a particularly efficient intensity measure detected via optimal intensity measure analysis. The effectiveness of the proposed Cloud-CSM in fragility analysis is discussed through extensive comparisons with nonlinear time-history analyses, the code-based N2 method, and a simple method involving an intensity measure as a direct proxy for the performance displacement. The Cloud-CSM provides errors lower than ±20% in predicting the median of the fragility curves in most of the analysed cases and outperforms the other considered methodologies in calculating the fragility dispersion

Simplified polynomial formulation for the calculation of the Moment-Curvature diagram of RC rectangular sections

The seismic response of multi-span RC bridges is often based on the response of the piers, provided that deck, bearings and foundations remain elastic. The seismic response of a RC bridge pier is influenced, in general, by different mechanisms (i.e. flexure, shear, lap-splice or buckling of the longitudinal reinforcement bars, second order effects). For mechanisms different from the flexural one, simplified formulations are available in literature. On the other hand, the flexural behaviour of the pier can be characterised by means of equivalent plastic hinge length and Moment-Curvature diagram of the base section, usually carried out with a computer software. In this paper, it is proposed a simplified analytical solution to obtain the Moment-Curvature relationship for rectangular RC sections, in both principal axes. The solution is based on adjusted polynomials, fitted against a database of 800 numerical Moment-Curvature analyses of rectangular RC sections. The proposed polynomials allow to define the cross-section capacity curve through the position of 6 characteristic points and they are based on 4 input parameters: depth-towidth ratio of the cross-section, axial force ratio, longitudinal reinforcement ratio, transversal reinforcement ratio. The solution is tested through the application to a RC rectangular section case study and comparison of the resulting capacity curves to the outcome of refined numerical Moment-Curvature analyses. The results show that the proposed analytical solution is a reliable method to characterise the flexural response of RC rectangular cross-sections

Decision Support System for Vulnerability Assessment of Masonry Churches Including Architectural and Artistic Assets

The heritage building stock represents a significant element at risk from earthquakes, as recent seismic events have shown, especially in the Mediterranean area. In fact, in the last few years, the issue of assessing its seismic vulnerability has been widely discussed by the scientific community. The vulnerability assessment procedures involve many critical points related to the complexity and uncertainty of the parameters involved. If a detailed analysis of the individual buildings is to be performed this of course requires a great effort in both the data retrieval, modelling and analysis phases. In particular, historical masonry churches have been studied in detail in Italy and empirical approaches have been proposed in which a vulnerability index based on the classification of recurrent failure mechanisms is defined, exploiting a macro-elements approach to identify the parameters that influence the index. On the other hand, intangible aspects related to the architectural, historical and artistic value are not included in the Index, either in the structural parts themselves or in additional non-structural elements or contents. This paper proposes a procedure that combines the well-known vulnerability analysis based on the macro-elements approach and classification of recurrent failure mechanisms with an evaluation of the church’s architectural and artistic assets, such as frescoes, statues and paintings, by applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process. The novel procedure is integrated in a useful Decision Support System to provide a complete overview of a church’s structural condition, including its artworks, in order to create a priority scale for the assessment, retrofitting and protection of existing masonry churches

Operacionalização do heart team em Portugal

© 2013 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.Whenever several therapeutic options exist, multidisciplinary decision-making is beneficial for the patient and for society at large. The main obstacles to the establishment of heart teams in Portugal are organizational and logistical. Implementing a heart team approach entails definition of the situations requiring multidisciplinary discussion, creation of clear lines of communication, written protocols and obtaining patient informed consent. The European Society of Cardiology guidelines define the clinical scenarios where intervention of the heart team is recommended.A decisão médica tomada em equipas multidisciplinares é uma mais-valia indiscutível para o doente e para a sociedade, particularmente quando existem várias opções terapêuticas. A falta de disponibilidade dos intervenientes, problemas logísticos e barreiras interdisciplinares são alguns dos obstáculos à operacionalização do Heart Team em Portugal. A operacionalização passa pela definição das situações que necessitam discussão multidisciplinar, a elaboração de protocolos escritos, a criação de vias de comunicação claras, a consignação das decisões tomadas e a informação fornecida ao doente. As situações, na doença coronária e na doença valvular, que requerem a intervenção do Heart Team estão definidas nas recomendações da Sociedade Europeia de Cardiologia.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contextual adaptative interfaces for Industry 4.0

[EN] Information technologies are intrinsically connected to the manufacturing processes, with more data generated each second. To efficiently operate machines, users must sort out information that is relevant to them in specific moments and contexts. In this paper, we propose an architecture that combines context – e.g. location, type of order, available assets, previous actions – with information established through user stereotypes

Ions and water transmembrane transport in nervous and testicular cultured cells in low gravity conditions

Aim of the present study was to investigate on the possible alter- ations induced by on ground modeled microgravity on ion-water transport proteins at cellular level. For the purpose we used astrocytes, C6 line, neurons (NT2 line from human teratocarci- noma) and testicular cells (germ cells, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells; primary cultures from trypsinised prepuberal pig testes). Modeled microgravity was achieved by a desktop 3D Random Positioning Machine, cultures were kept rotating for 30’, 1h and 24h. After 30’, immunopositivity for the antibodies to Na+/K+ATPase and Na+/K+/Cl- co-transporters was greatly diminished, the plasma membrane appeared to be altered, and the mitochondria inner cristae were disrupted. Immunostaining to the antibody to the water channel aquaporin 4 was very bright. After 1h at random rotation immunostaining for the heat shock protein Hsp27 was visible, After 24h, immunostaining for the ion transport proteins was again like that of the controls,plasma membrane and the mitochondria were again normal. Immunostaining for aquaporin 4 become again similar to that of the controls. We conclude that low gravity induces only tran- sient alterations in the cell’s transmembrane ion-water trans- port: the cells are able to adapt to the gravity vector changes in few hours

An Evaluation of Therapeutic Noninferiority of 0.005% Latanoprost Ophthalmic Solution and Xalatan in Patients With Glaucoma or Ocular Hypertension.

PURPOSE: To assess the therapeutic noninferiority of 0.005% latanoprost ophthalmic solution versus Xalatan in the treatment of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a double-masked, randomized, multicenter study. A total of 184 patients with a diagnosis of unilateral or bilateral primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension were randomly assigned to either 0.005% latanoprost ophthalmic solution or Xalatan for 12 weeks. The primary end-point was the change in intraocular pressure (IOP) at 12 weeks in the 2 groups. Noninferiority was reached if the 2-sided 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the difference between adjusted treatment means were entirely within the interval from -1.5 to +1.5 mm Hg. RESULTS: The difference between treatments in the change of IOP from baseline to the end of treatment was 0.12 mm Hg (95% CI: -0.47, 0.71) in the intention-to-treat population and 0 mm Hg (95% CI: -0.58, 0.57) in the per protocol population. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of drug-related adverse events. The most commonly reported drug-related local adverse events were: ocular hyperemia, eyelashes growth, and eye irritation. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that 0.005% latanoprost ophthalmic solution is noninferior to Xalatan in lowering IOP and is generally well tolerate

Non-linear analysis of RC masonry-infilled frames using the SLaMA method: part 1—mechanical interpretation of the infill/frame interaction and formulation of the procedure

The simple lateral mechanism analysis (SLaMA) is an analytical method to assess the force–displacement capacity curve of Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures composed of frames, cantilever walls or dual wall/frame systems. The current version of the method was proposed in the 2017 New Zealand guidelines for the seismic assessment (NZSEE in New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering, the seismic assessment of existing buildings—technical guidelines for engineering assessments, Wellington, 2017). Regarding frame structures, the possible influence of infill walls is currently considered locally with checks on the RC members. However, it is universally known that infills have a major effect on the global capacity curve of the frame. In this paper, a comprehensive SLaMA method for infilled frames is proposed, which allows considering the influence of the infills on the global force–displacement curve without any numerical algorithm. The extended SLaMA method is herein formalised and it is validated in a companion paper (part 2) through an extensive parametric analysis. The extended SLaMA is based on the possibility to separately calculate the base shear contributions of the frame and the infills, in turn based on global equilibrium considerations. Such considerations also allow defining a novel procedure to post-process the results of pushover or time-history analyses where infills are modelled as diagonal struts, or to interpret experimental tests. This allows, within a single numerical analysis, to decouple the frame and infills contributions to the base-shear capacity. The decoupling procedure is herein demonstrated for an ideal two-storey, one-bay masonry-infilled frame with different infills configurations

Simplified moment-curvature relationship in analytical form for circular RC sections

The behaviour of regular multi-span simply-supported bridges is strongly dependent on the behaviour of its piers. The response of a pier is governed, in general, by different mechanisms: flexure, shear, second order effects, lap-splice of longitudinal bars or their buckling. The flexural behaviour is an important part of the problem, and it can be characterised through the equivalent plastic hinge length and the Moment-Curvature law of the fixed end. In this paper, a procedure to calculate the Moment-Curvature relationship of circular RC sections is proposed which is based on defining the position of few characteristic points. The analytical formulation is based on adjusted polynomial functions fitted on a database of fibre-based analyses. The proposed solution is based on three parameters: dimensionless axial force, mechanical ratio of longitudinal reinforcement, geometrical ratio of transverse reinforcement. A benchmark case is presented to compare the solution to a FEM non-linear analysis. Even if it is based on few input data, this solution allows to have good indicators on the material performances (e.g. yielding, spalling, etc). For these reasons, the proposed approach is deemed to be particularly effective in performing quick yet accurate mechanics-based regional-scale assessment of bridges