Seismic assessment of St. James church by means of pushover analysis : before and after the New Zealand earthquake

The paper presents a numerical study for the seismic assessment of the St James Church in Christchurch, New Zealand affected by the recent 2011 earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. The structural behaviour of the Church has been evaluated using the finite element modelling technique, in which the nonlinear behaviour of masonry has been taken into account by proper constitutive assumptions. Two numerical models were constructed, one incorporating the existing structural damage and the other considering the intact structure. The validation of the numerical models was achieved by the calibration of the damaged model according to dynamic identification tests carried out in situ after the earthquake. Non-linear pushover analyses were carried out on both principal directions demonstrating that, as a result of the seismic action, the Church can no longer be considered safe. Pushover analysis results of the undamaged model show reasonable agreement with the visual inspection performed in situ, which further validates the model used. Finally, limit analysis using macro-block analysis was also carried out to validate the main local collapse mechanisms of the Church.(undefined

Post-earthquake numerical assessment and reinforcement of St James Church, New Zealand

This paper presents a numerical study on the seismic assessment and reinforcement of St James Church, affected by the 2011 New Zealand Earthquake. Numerical analyses were performed using a finite element model including the structural damage of the Church. The numerical model was calibrated against experimental results obtained from the dynamic identification tests carried out in situ. Nonlinear pushover analyses were performed in order to understand the structural behaviour of the damaged Church. The analysis of the results suggests that the damaged structure is not safe according to the new national specifications. Therefore, some reinforcement measures are needed to improve the seismic behaviour of the structure. A reinforcement solution is proposed taking into account the historical heritage value of the building, trying to maintain as much as possible the original aspect of the Church. Pushover analyses were also performed in the reinforced numerical model, proving its effectiveness

Simplified indexes for the seismic assessment of masonry buildings : international database and validation

Heritage masonry buildings are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because they are deteriorated and damaged, they were built with materials with low resistance, they are heavy and the connections between the various structural components are often insufficient. The present work details a simplified method of seismic assessment of large span masonry structures that was applied to a database of forty-four monuments in Italy, Portugal and Spain, providing lower bound formulas for different simplified geometrical indexes. Subsequently, the proposed thresholds are validated with data from the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes, which includes forty-eight stone and clay brick masonry churches. Finally, fragility curves that can be used to estimate the damage as a function of the peak ground acceleration (PGA) are also provided

Constituents from Maytenus ilicifolia leaves and bioguided fractionation for gastroprotective activity

Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek is traditionally used in Brazil for treatment of gastric ulcers. Here we report the phytochemical investigation of an ethanol extract of M. ilicifolia leaves (EEMIL) aiming at the isolation of constituents which were used as chemical markers to monitor an activity-guided fractionation of a lyophilized aqueous extract of M. ilicifolia leaves (LAEMIL). From EEMIL, four flavonoids were isolated, namely the tri-flavonoid glycosides mauritianin (1), trifolin, (2) hyperin (4), and epi-catechin (5). Fractionation of LAEMIL led to 5 fractions which afforded the tetra-glycoside kaempferol derivative (3), and galactitol (6). LAEMIL and its fractions were evaluated in rats for their effects on gastric secretion volume and pH. HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) analysis revealed that only fractions containing the tri- and tetra-flavonoid glycosides 1 and 3 caused significant increase of gastric volume and pH, thus indicating that these glycosides play an important role on the gastroprotective effect of M.ilicifolia leaves.Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek é tradicionalmente usada no Brasil para o tratamento de úlcera gástrica. O presente trabalho relata a investigação fitoquímica de um extrato etanólico de folhas de M. ilicifolia (EEMIL) visando o isolamento de constituintes que foram usados como marcadores químicos para monitorar o fracionamento de um extrato aquoso liofilizado de folhas de M. ilicifolia (LAEMIL). De EEMIL, quatro flavonóides foram isolados, compreendendo o triglicosídeo flavônico mauritianina (1), trifolina (2), hyperina (4), e epi-catequina (5). O fracionamento de LAEMIL levou a 5 frações, fornecendo um derivado tetraglicosilado de canferol (3), além do galactitol (6). LAEMIL e suas frações foram avaliadas quanto aos efeitos sobre o volume e pH da secreção gástrica em ratos. Análise por CLAE (Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência) revelou que somente frações contendo o tri- e tetra-glicosídeos flavônicos 1 e 3 causaram aumento significativo de volume gástrico e pH, indicando que esses glicosídeos têm importante papel sob o efeito gastroprotetor de folhas de M. ilicifolia

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries