Influence of infill panels on the seismic behaviour of a r/c frame designed according to modern buildings codes

It has been broadly shown that presence of infill panels as closing elements of R/C frame buildings has a significant influence on global structural behaviour. Nevertheless, infill elements are not usually considered in the modelling process during the design phase. The present work investigates the effect of infill masonry walls on the dynamic characteristics of a R/C MRF building, designed according to a modern seismic building code, and on its seismic performance at different levels of seismic intensity. An analytical investigation is carried out through eigenvalue analysis on both bare and infilled structure, in order to calibrate the elastic properties of the concrete and infills according to in situ tests; nonlinear static analyses are also performed to characterize the inelastic behaviour. The infill system considerably affects the behaviour of the examined structure, in agreement with earlier studies related to very simple and usually ¿unrealistic¿ structures. This result becomes more reliable due to the consistency between the results of the eigenvalue analysis and the experimental dynamic data

Investigation of pepsin in tears of children with laryngopharyngeal reflux disease

Objectives: Numerous investigations postulated that Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is implicated in the pathogenesis of various upper airway inflammatory diseases as sinusitis or dacryostenosis. The presence of pepsin in tears might be confirmed the presuntive hypothesis of the arrival in the nasolacrimal ducts and precorneal tears film through the laryngopharyngeal reflux of either gastric acid or stomach secretions (pepsin) with inflammatory potentialities. The aim of this preliminary study was to identify the presence or absence of pepsin in the tears collected from children with a high suspicion of LPR who underwent 24-h pH (MII-pH) monitoring to confirm the disease. Methods: This study enrolled twenty patients suffering from symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux that underwent 24-h multichannel intraluminal impedance (MII)-pH monitoring to confirm the disease. The findings of the study group were compared with those of a control group of patients with negative pH monitoring. The quantitative analysis of human pepsin concentration in the tear samples was performed by ELISA method in both groups. Results: Four children (20%) of the study group showed pepsin in the tears. All of the subjects belonging to the control group were negative for its presence. No difference differences in the total number of reflux episodes and the number of weakly basic reflux in the pepsin positive patients vs pepsin negative children were present. Conclusions: 20% of the children with diagnosed LPR showed pepsin in the tears. Our specific investigation might provide information regarding sinusitis or dacryostenosis

Behavioral aspects in children's brothers affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders

Introduction: Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a permanent and complex disability arising within the first three years of life characterized by a socio-communicative disorder and by fixed interests and repetitive behaviors. The present pilot study aims to evaluate behavioral aspects in a small population of siblings of ASD children. Material and methods: Population: 5 school-aged children (2 males, 3 females) (mean age 9.235 ± 2.041) were enrolled, as siblings of ASD children, and for comparison, 12 healthy (7 males, 5 females) children (average age 9,528 ± 3,351). All subjects underwent evaluation of the behavioral with Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scale. Results: The two groups were statistically comparable by age (p = 0.86) and gender distribution (p = 0.87). From the behavioral point of view evaluated with the CBCL scale, siblings of ASD have a higher degree of overall problem (Total problems) compared to control children (p=0.003), in addition they have significantly higher scores in the subscales of behavior examined (Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn, Somatic Complaints, Social, Thought, Attention, Delinquent, Aggressive) as well as a greater share of disturbances both internalizing (p=0.004) and externalizing (p = 0.007) (Table 1). Conclusions: The present preliminary data confirm the need for a global management of the entire family structure for the correct management of Autistic Disorders

ADDICTIONS SUBSTANCE FREE DURING LIFESPAN

The addictions substance free is an umbrella definition comprises internet addiction, sexual addiction, gambling pathological, workholism, videogames and computer addiction. Actually, the technological addictions is frequent in young adolescents. The term Digital Natives indicates the children born in an information system of learning and communication different from that of the generations previous. This temporal range was strongly characterized by growing presence of technological communication toolsin daily life. The effects of hyper-exposition to technological tools tend to create a relational virtuality without a body is born,therefore, already within the family ties and during adolescence he moved to the digital socialization network. The technological object it interacts between the adolescent and the world of peers and adults, becoming the facilitator object that as the psychotropic substance, it conveys new modes of communicatio

Channel Width Variation Phases of the Major Rivers of the Campania Region (Southern Italy) over 150 Years: Preliminary Results

In recent decades, rivers in Southern Italy experienced remarkable channel changes. Studies on this topic are relatively recent, and yet, far from defining a morpho-evolutionary trend that is common to all rivers of this area. The types and roles of the different controlling factors are still debated. In this study, we present preliminary results about the width channel changes of major rivers in the Campania region (Southern Italy) in the last 150 years. The aim is to provide new insights that are useful to define morpho-evolutionary trajectories at a regional scale and shed light on the roles played by controlling factors. To this aim, we carried out a GIS-aided geomorphological analysis of topographic maps and orthophotos. The results showed the existence of at least three main phases of channel width variations. Between the 1870s and 1930s (Phase 1), most of the rivers experienced widening. Between the 1930s and late 1990s (Phase 2), all of the rivers underwent dramatic narrowing at high rates. Finally, from the 1990s onwards, no dominant trend was found and variations were negligible. Land-use changes at the basin scale and rainfall changes at a decadal scale are likely the main controlling factors, while variations in human disturbances and local factors seem responsible for changes in general trends

Land-Use Changes in the Sele River Basin Landscape (Southern Italy) between 1960 and 2012: Comparisons and Implications for Soil Erosion Assessment

In river basins, the deep interrelationships between land-use changes, soil erosion and rivers and shoreline dynamics are clearer than at a national or regional scale. Southern Italy is an ecologically fragile, desertification-prone territory where land-use changes in the last decades were significant. Notwithstanding this, studies dealing with multidecadal land-use changes in large-sized river basins of Southern Italy and their implications on soil erosion are missing. In this study, we assessed the land-use changes that occurred between 1960 and 2012 in the 3245 km2-wide Sele River basin. We carried out GIS-aided comparisons and analysis of two land-use maps and interpreted the results in terms of soil erosion intensity based on a detailed review of the scientific literature. The results confirmed the trend of the inner areas of Italy and, in particular, of the Campania region moving towards more pristine conditions, with an increase in forest cover, mainly at the expense of grasslands. Agricultural areas remained substantially unchanged, while the area of urban settlements increased. The diffuse afforestation of slopes suggested an overall decrease in soil erosion intensity, which was fully coherent with the geomorphological evolution of both the Sele River and local shoreline reported in literature

Geomorphology of the Lower Calore River alluvial plain (Southern Italy)

<p>A 1:18,000-scale geomorphological map of the Lower Calore River alluvial plain (Southern Italy) is here presented. The area strongly suffered the dramatic effects of a destructive flood on 15 October 2015. The presented Map was produced in a GIS using topographic maps dating from 1870, 1909, 1936 and 1955 and 1:10,000-scaled colour orthophotos from 1998. All the maps and aerial photos were georeferenced in the UTM33 WGS84 coordinate system. The detected landforms were manually digitized and checked in the field. A geodatabase containing attributes such as type, age and surface area of each landform was created and progressively updated. The areal and unconventional map legend was designed to provide maximum readability. In the alluvial plain, five orders of river terraces were recognized. They are separated by strongly reshaped, gently sloping, inactive fluvial scarps (FS), less than 1.5 m high. Former channels, now abandoned, were also mapped. The confluence migrated eastward/east-northeastward between 1870 and 1955, followed by a north-northwestward migration between 1955 and 1998. Finally, numerous riverbank failures were observed and mapped along the active FS. A secondary map showing the age of the alluvial plain was also produced and showed that most of the investigated alluvial plain formed between 1909 and 1936. The study also shows the results of channel adjustments experienced by the river in ∼130 years.</p