Structural Behaviour of Glass Panels Under Soft-body Impact

Glass is a commonly used material in modern architecture not only for building enclosures but also for glazed barriers preventing building occupants from falling out of balconies or different levels inside buildings. The paper reports some results of an on-going research project involving testing of glass balustrades and infill panels mounted with different fixing methods, such as linear clamps, local clamp fixings, and point fixings through holes in glass. A reduced numerical model for prediction of strength of glass under soft body impact is also presented. In the experimental study toughened and heat-strengthened glass, as well as two interlayer materials of different stiffness, were used

The disappearance of three archaeophyte species in Hungary can be explained by their marked sensitivity to fertilizers

The archaeophytes are the component of segetal plant communities, and ensure biodiversity in arable field margins. Unfortunately, the number of these species decreased in the last decades because of the changing structure of agricultural production and increasing chemical application. In this study, the fertilizer sensitivity of three archaeophyte species was characterized using germination test, outdoor observation and proline content measurement. Papaver rhoeas had the most favourable germination parameters with promptness indices (1.5-14.0) and germination rates (0.39-0.81) decreasing with the concentration of fertilizer. On the other hand, mean germination time (7.32-10.03 days) decreased with elevated fertilizer concentration. Consolida regalis was characterized by the weakest development in laboratory. Slow early development was detected in case of Cyanus segetum (promptness index: 0.25-1.75; mean germination time: 12-13 days). Co. regalis responded to fertilization with higher blooming intensity. The proline accumulation indicated pronounced salt sensitivity of Cy. segetum (0.49-0.54 mg/100 mg), which could be one reason of the disappearance of this species from fields under cultivation. Our results suggest that at least Co. regalis and Cy. segetum are highly sensitive to mineral fertilizers and hence natural protection techniques for example arable weed margins must be widely used to block the disappearance of those species

Structural performance of GFRP connectors in composite sandwich façade elements

To take structural aspects into consideration in the SESBE research project, focusing on the development of “smart” façade elements a systematic testing and modelling program has been developed for the verification of the structural performance of the façade sandwich elements. The present paper mainly focuses on the verification of the mechanical performance of the glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) connectors of the novel type of façade element composed of reactive powder concrete (RPC) panels with foam concrete insulation between them. Because of the reduced thickness of the large façade elements, the performance of the connectors is critical for the entire structural concept. The first series of the testing programme concerning connector performance are presented here. The results suggest that sufficient strength and ductility of the connectors can be ensured using GFRP in the proposed thin light-weight façade elements

Comparison of Homologous and Heterologous Booster SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Autoimmune Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Patients

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 to prevent COVID-19 is highly recommended for immunocompromised patients with autoimmune rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (aiRMDs). Little is known about the effect of booster vaccination or infection followed by previously completed two-dose vaccination in aiRMDs. We determined neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels and applied flow cytometric immunophenotyping to quantify the SARS-CoV-2 reactive B- and T-cell mediated immunity in aiRMDs receiving homologous or heterologous boosters or acquired infection following vaccination. Patients receiving a heterologous booster had a higher proportion of IgM+ SARS-CoV-2 S+ CD19+CD27+ peripheral memory B-cells in comparison to those who acquired infection. Biologic therapy decreased the number of S+CD19+; S+CD19+CD27+IgG+; and S+CD19+CD27+IgM+ B-cells. The response rate to a booster event in cellular immunity was the highest in the S-, M-, and N-reactive CD4+CD40L+ T-cell subset. Patients with a disease duration of more than 10 years had higher proportions of CD8+TNF-α+ and CD8+IFN-γ+ T-cells in comparison to patients who were diagnosed less than 10 years ago. We detected neutralizing antibodies, S+ reactive peripheral memory B-cells, and five S-, M-, and N-reactive T-cells subsets in our patient cohort showing the importance of booster events. Biologic therapy and <10 years disease duration may confound anti-SARS-CoV-2 specific immunity in aiRMDs

Comparison of Homologous and Heterologous Booster SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Autoimmune Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Patients

Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 to prevent COVID-19 is highly recommended for immunocompromised patients with autoimmune rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (aiRMDs). Little is known about the effect of booster vaccination or infection followed by previously completed two-dose vaccination in aiRMDs. We determined neutralizing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels and applied flow cytometric immunophenotyping to quantify the SARS-CoV-2 reactive B- and T-cell mediated immunity in aiRMDs receiving homologous or heterologous boosters or acquired infection following vaccination. Patients receiving a heterologous booster had a higher proportion of IgM+ SARS-CoV-2 S+ CD19+CD27+ peripheral memory B-cells in comparison to those who acquired infection. Biologic therapy decreased the number of S+CD19+; S+CD19+CD27+IgG+; and S+CD19+CD27+IgM+ B-cells. The response rate to a booster event in cellular immunity was the highest in the S-, M-, and N-reactive CD4+CD40L+ T-cell subset. Patients with a disease duration of more than 10 years had higher proportions of CD8+TNF-α+ and CD8+IFN-γ+ T-cells in comparison to patients who were diagnosed less than 10 years ago. We detected neutralizing antibodies, S+ reactive peripheral memory B-cells, and five S-, M-, and N-reactive T-cells subsets in our patient cohort showing the importance of booster events. Biologic therapy and <10 years disease duration may confound anti-SARS-CoV-2 specific immunity in aiRMDs

Novel techniques and approaches for risk based application of resilience concepts to critical infrastructure: an introduction to the IMPROVER project

Large scale crises are affecting critical infrastructures with a growing frequency. This is a result of both basic exposure and dependencies between infrastructures. Because of prohibitive costs, the paradigm of protection against extreme events is expanding and now also encompasses the paradigm of resilience. In addition to strengthening and securing systems; system design objectives are now being set, and response planning is being carried out, to facilitate a fast recovery of infrastructure following a large scale incident. The IMPROVER project is funded under the Horizon 2020 Secure Societies work program and aims to improve European critical infrastructure resilience to crises and disasters through the implementation of combinations of societal, organisational and technological resilience concepts to real life examples of pan-European significance, including cross-border examples.The project comprises three phases: an international survey to identify methods for implementing resilience concepts to critical infrastructure; an evaluation of these methods; and the further development of promising methods for application to European critical infrastructure. At the time of writing, the project is approaching the end of the first stage and looking towards the challenges of the second and third stages. This paper provides a brief discussion of some of the novel methods which we are employing in order to achieve the projects objectives and overcome some of the challenges inherent in the field. These methods include crowdsourcing as a source of information and to promote engagement of the population during recovery; as well as structured expert elicitation of expert judgement for hazard identification and ranking and fragility curve definition. These are combined with more traditional systems analysis and engineering analysis techniques to develop a toolkit to evaluate and promote the resilience of critical infrastructure. Within the project these will be exemplified by application to four living labs which represent critical infrastructure of pan-European significance

Numerical Analysis and 1D/2D Sensitivity Study for Monolithic and Laminated Structural Glass Elements under Thermal Exposure

Glass is largely used in architectural and engineering applications (i.e., buildings and vehicles) as a structural material, especially in the form of laminated glass (LG) sections. To achieve adequate and controlled safety levels in these applications, the well-known temperature-dependent behavior of viscoelastic interlayers for LG sections should be properly accounted for during the design process. Furthermore, the materials&rsquo; thermomechanical degradation with increases of temperature could severely affect the load-bearing performance of glass assemblies. In this context, uncoupled thermomechanical finite element (FE) numerical models could represent a robust tool and support for design engineers. Key input parameters and possible limits of the FE method, however, should be properly calibrated and assessed, so as to enable reliable estimations for the real behavior of glazing systems. In this paper, FE simulations are proposed for monolithic (MG) and LG specimens under radiant heating, based on one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) models. A special attention is focused on thermal effects, being representative of the first step for conventional uncoupled, thermomechanical analyses. Based on experimental results available in the literature, FE parametric studies are discussed, giving evidence of limits and issues due to several modeling assumptions. In particular, careful consideration is paid for various thermal material properties (conductivity, specific heat) and thermal boundaries (conductivity, emissivity), but also for other influencing parameters like the geometrical features of samples (thickness tolerances, cross-sectional properties, etc.), the composition of LG sections (interlayer type, thickness), the loading pattern (heat transfer distribution) and the presence of additional mechanical restraints (i.e., supports of different materials). Comparative FE results are hence critically discussed, highlighting the major effects of such influencing parameters