EFFECT OF WIND LOADS ON NON REGULARLY SHAPED HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

Wind loads have historically been recognized as one of the most important issue in high-rise buildings analysis and design. In particular, in regions of low seismic intensity, a high-rise building lateral design is controlled by wind loads. In wind analysis, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and/or wind tunnel testing are required to calculate the external pressures acting on a building. In this paper, two case studies are presented to show how the wind loads are calculated and applied in design. The first case study is based on the CFD results for the New Marina Casablanca Tower in Casablanca, Morocco. The second case study considers the results from the wind tunnel test studies conducted for the Al- Hamra tower, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. The New Marina Casablanca tower is a 167m tall concrete building, with a unique twisting shape generated from the relative rotation of two adjacent floors. Sloped columns are introduced in the perimeter to follow the tower outer geometry and to support the concrete slabs spanning between the central core and the perimeter frame. The effects of wind loads on the twisted geometry has been studied in details since the pressure coefficients are not easily identified for such a complex form. In addition, the effect of the wind loads on the structure presented unique challenges that required innovative structural solutions. The Al-Hamra tower is a 412m tall concrete building with a sculpted twisting form which optimizes the views to the Arabian Gulf while minimizing the solar heat gain. The complex form is realized using sloped walls and vertical columns on the perimeter and a central concrete core. The unique shape of the tower presented several design challenges related to the wind loads on the structure. This paper will discuss the unique challenges and solutions associated with wind loads effect on buildings of unique form

mtDNA analysis of the human remains buried in the sarcophagus of Federico II

The sarcophagus containing the remains of Federico II, located in the Cathedral of Palermo (Sicily, Italy), was opened on 1998 to perform a multidisciplinary survey [1]. Next to the remains of Federico II and in close contact with them were laying two other skeletons belonging, according to historical records, to Pietro II di Aragona and to an anonymous person (“The Third Individual”), probably a woman. The bones appeared severely deteriorated. Chemical analysis performed on bone samples excluded that the bodies underwent some kind of embalming process. The analysis of mtDNA from bone samples taken from the three skeletons was successful in only one of the two labs involved. The HVR1-mtDNA sequence (region: from nt 16,035 to nt 16,395), obtained from the bone samples of Federico II and “The Third Individual” appear identical but bear double peaks at the same nucleotide positions, suggesting mixing (i.e. contamination) of different mtDNA types. The HVR1 sequence obtained from the bone sample of Pietro II di Aragona does not present double peaks and differ from the Cambridge Reference Sequence (CRS) at six nucleotide positions. Cloning experiment of the Federico II amplicon demonstrated that the mixed mtDNA types are only two: one identical to CRS, the other identical to the sequence of Pietro II di Aragona. A reconstruction of these data are proposed in the Discussion. Due to the problematic context in which this study was carried out (mixed and deteriorated biological material, failure to replicate results in two different labs), our results and reconstruction can only be offered on a tentative basis. It is hoped that the data presented in this study will reveal useful, for future comparison, if further molecular genetics research will be carried out on the royal dynasties that ruled Sicily in the early centuries of the past millennium

La novella del buon pastore: continuare a raccontarla per non rischiare di dimenticarla

Viene descritta una paziente affetta da insufficienza renale rapidamente progressiva. Il caso appare interessante soprattutto perché mette in evidenza come una condizione patologica potenzialmente letale possa manifestarsi nel paziente per lungo tempo in forma oligo-asintomatica, e quindi più facilmente aggredibile se riconosciuta precocemente, prima di manifestarsi in tutta la sua esplosività

Longitudinal investigation of the parietal lobe anatomy in bipolar disorder and its association with general functioning

The parietal lobe (PL) supports cognitive domains, including attention and memory, which are impaired in bipolar disorder (BD). Although cross-sectional voxel-based morphometry studies found reduced PL grey matter (GM) in BD, none has longitudinally focused on PL anatomy in BD, relating it to patients? functioning. Thirty-eight right-handed BD patients and 42 matched healthy subjects (HS) underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan at baseline. Seventeen BD patients and 16 matched HS underwent a follow-up MRI. PL white matter (WM) and GM volumes were measured. The trajectory of parietal volumes over time and the possible relation with the global functioning were investigated in both BD patients and HS. At baseline, BD patients showed significant reduced PL WM and GM and different WM laterality compared with HS. Furthermore, smaller PL WM volumes predicted lower global functioning in BD, but not in HS. At follow-up, although BD patients reported reduced PL WM compared with HS, no different pattern of volume changes over time was detected between groups. This study suggests the involvement of the PL in the pathophysiology of BD. In particular, PL WM reductions seem to predict an impairment in general functioning in BD and might represent a marker of functional outcome

Quasibrittle fracture scaling and size effect

The report attempts a broad review of the problem of size effect or scaling of failure, which has recently come to the forefront of attention because of its importance for concrete and geotechnical engineering, geomechanics, arctic ice engineering, as well as in designing large loadbearing parts made of advanced ceramics and composites, e.g. for aircraft or ships. First the main results of Weibull statistical theory of random strength are briefly summarized and its applicability and limitations described. In this theory as well as plasticity, elasticity with a strength limit, and linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), the size effect is a simple power law because no characteristic size or length is present. Attention is then focused on the deterministic size effect in quasibrittle materials which, because of the existence of a non-negligible material length characterizing the size of the fracture process zone, represents the bridging between the simple powerlaw size effects of plasticity and of LEFM. The energetic theory of quasibrittle size effect in the bridging region is explained and then a host of recent refinements, extensions and ramifications are discussed. Comments on other types of size effect, including that which might be associated with the fractal geometry of fracture, are also made. The historical development of the size effect theories is outlined and the recent trends of research are emphasized

Quasibrittle fracture scaling and size effect

The report attempts a broad review of the problem of size effect or scaling of failure, which has recently come to the forefront of attention because of its importance for concrete and geotechnical engineering, geomechanics, arctic ice engineering, as well as in designing large loadbearing parts made of advanced ceramics and composites, e.g. for aircraft or ships. First the main results of Weibull statistical theory of random strength are briefly summarized and its applicability and limitations described. In this theory as well as plasticity, elasticity with a strength limit, and linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), the size effect is a simple power law because no characteristic size or length is present. Attention is then focused on the deterministic size effect in quasibrittle materials which, because of the existence of a non-negligible material length characterizing the size of the fracture process zone, represents the bridging between the simple powerlaw size effects of plasticity and of LEFM. The energetic theory of quasibrittle size effect in the bridging region is explained and then a host of recent refinements, extensions and ramifications are discussed. Comments on other types of size effect, including that which might be associated with the fractal geometry of fracture, are also made. The historical development of the size effect theories is outlined and the recent trends of research are emphasized

Sexual Dimorphism in the Brain Correlates of Adult-Onset Depression: A Pilot Structural and Functional 3T MRI Study

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a disabling illness affecting more than 5% of the elderly population. Higher female prevalence and sex-specific symptomatology have been observed, suggesting that biologically-determined dimensions might affect the disease onset and outcome. Rumination and executive dysfunction characterize adult-onset MDD, but sex differences in these domains and in the related brain mechanisms are still largely unexplored. The present pilot study aimed to explore any interactions between adult-onset MDD and sex on brain morphology and brain function during a Go/No-Go paradigm. We hypothesized to detect diagnosis by sex effects on brain regions involved in self-referential processes and cognitive control. Twenty-four subjects, 12 healthy (HC) (mean age 68.7 y, 7 females and 5 males) and 12 affected by adult-onset MDD (mean age 66.5 y, 5 females and 7 males), underwent clinical evaluations and a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) session. Diagnosis and diagnosis by sex effects were assessed on regional gray matter (GM) volumes and task-related functional MRI (fMRI) activations. The GM volume analyses showed diagnosis effects in left mid frontal cortex (p < 0.01), and diagnosis by sex effects in orbitofrontal, olfactory, and calcarine regions (p < 0.05). The Go/No-Go fMRI analyses showed MDD effects on fMRI activations in left precuneus and right lingual gyrus, and diagnosis by sex effects on fMRI activations in right parahippocampal gyrus and right calcarine cortex (p < 0.001, ≥ 40 voxels). Our exploratory results suggest the presence of sex-specific brain correlates of adult-onset MDD-especially in regions involved in attention processing and in the brain default mode-potentially supporting cognitive and symptom differences between sexes

The emerging landscape of tumor marker panels for the identification of aggressive prostate cancer: the perspective through bibliometric analysis of an Italian translational working group in uro-oncology

Molecular heterogeneity and availability of different therapeutic strategies are relevant clinical features of prostate cancer. On this basis, there is an urgent need to identify prognostic and predictive biomarkers for an individualized therapeutic approach. In this context, researchers focused their attention on biomarkers able to discriminate potential life-threatening from organ-confined disease identify high-grade tumors. Such biomarker could provide aid in clinical decision making, helping in order to choose the treatment which ensures the best results in terms of patient survival and quality of life. To address this need, many new laboratory tests have been proposed, witha clear tendency to use panels of combined biomarkers. In this review we evaluate current data on the application in clinical practice for of the most promising laboratory tests: Phi, 4Kscore and Stockholm 3 as circulating biomarkers, and Mi-prostate score, Exo DX Prostate and Select MD-X as urinary biomarkers, Confirm MDx, Oncotype Dx, Prolaris and Decipher as tissue biomarkers. In particular, the ability of these tests in the identification of clinically significant PCa and their potential use for precision medicine have been explored in this review

Sequence similarity is more relevant than species specificity in probabilistic backtranslation

BACKGROUND: Backtranslation is the process of decoding a sequence of amino acids into the corresponding codons. All synthetic gene design systems include a backtranslation module. The degeneracy of the genetic code makes backtranslation potentially ambiguous since most amino acids are encoded by multiple codons. The common approach to overcome this difficulty is based on imitation of codon usage within the target species. RESULTS: This paper describes EasyBack, a new parameter-free, fully-automated software for backtranslation using Hidden Markov Models. EasyBack is not based on imitation of codon usage within the target species, but instead uses a sequence-similarity criterion. The model is trained with a set of proteins with known cDNA coding sequences, constructed from the input protein by querying the NCBI databases with BLAST. Unlike existing software, the proposed method allows the quality of prediction to be estimated. When tested on a group of proteins that show different degrees of sequence conservation, EasyBack outperforms other published methods in terms of precision. CONCLUSION: The prediction quality of a protein backtranslation methis markedly increased by replacing the criterion of most used codon in the same species with a Hidden Markov Model trained with a set of most similar sequences from all species. Moreover, the proposed method allows the quality of prediction to be estimated probabilistically

Evidence for non-exponential elastic proton-proton differential cross-section at low |t| and sqrt(s) = 8 TeV by TOTEM

The TOTEM experiment has made a precise measurement of the elastic proton-proton differential cross-section at the centre-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 8 TeV based on a high-statistics data sample obtained with the beta* = 90 optics. Both the statistical and systematic uncertainties remain below 1%, except for the t-independent contribution from the overall normalisation. This unprecedented precision allows to exclude a purely exponential differential cross-section in the range of four-momentum transfer squared 0.027 < |t| < 0.2 GeV^2 with a significance greater than 7 sigma. Two extended parametrisations, with quadratic and cubic polynomials in the exponent, are shown to be well compatible with the data. Using them for the differential cross-section extrapolation to t = 0, and further applying the optical theorem, yields total cross-section estimates of (101.5 +- 2.1) mb and (101.9 +- 2.1) mb, respectively, in agreement with previous TOTEM measurements.Comment: Final version published in Nuclear Physics