Modellazione agli elementi discreti di prove di punzonamento di una rete corticale doppio torta a maglia esagonale

Le reti metalliche sono comunemente usate per la protezione su pendio e la prevenzione del rischio di crolli e distacchi. La loro progettazione \ue8 principalmente basata su considerazioni di carattere empirico, legate all\u2019esperienza del progettista; data l\u2019importanza di tali interventi, e al fine di ottimizzare il progetto, stanno entrando in uso nuovi metodi numerici. In questo lavoro verr\ue0 impiegato il metodo agli elementi discreti (DEM), particolarmente adatto per lo studio di problemi a grande deformazioni, fino alla rottura degli elementi. L\u2019obiettivo \ue8 quello di validare un modello di rete doppio torta a maglia esagonale durante una prova di punzonamento attraverso il raffronto con i risultati sperimentali. In particolare verranno analizzati tre diversi modelli costitutivi e l\u2019influenza delle curve tensione-deformazione relative al filo singolo e a quello doppio torto

Experimental Study of the Mechanical Behaviour of Double Twisted Steel Mesh Gabions

AbstractThe study of the mechanical behaviour of gabion elements is a fundamental prerequisite for an improved understanding about the overall mechanical performance of retaining structures realized using this construction technique. The paper discusses the first part of a wide experimental research program. The current article is limited to the description of the modalities to define a comprehensive experimental campaign, which involves both compression and direct shear tests. The testing matrix is designed considering several variables related to the two main components of the basic constructive element, steel cage and filling material respectively. The setup of instruments and the testing procedure are also discussed in the paper

It's not always varicocele: A strange case of Zinner syndrome

A 42-year-old man presented with a huge varicocele. The patient was completely asymptomatic and he did not complain of dysuria, perineal discomfort, or ejaculatory pain. During the visit, the mass mimicked a varicocele and during the Valsalva maneuver a reflux was documented by colour Doppler ultrasound and an abdominal ultrasound revealed an agenesis of the right kidney and a 4.5-cm diameter intra-prostatic cyst. An abdominal and pelvis magnetic resonance imaging was then performed, which confirmed the right renal agenesis, with an epididymal enlargement in the body and tail. This is a unique case of Zinner syndrome in which the patient presented with a paratesticular mass mimicking a varicocele. \ua9 2015 Canadian Urological Association

Validation of the Italian version of wisconsin stone quality of life (WISQOL): a prospective Italian multicenter study

Urolithiasis is a worldwide spread condition that affects patients' Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL), which measurement is an important tool for routine clinical and research practice. Disease-specific HRQOL measures demonstrated to perform better in assessing the effects of specific conditions. A disease-specific questionnaire for kidney stones, the WISQOL, has been validated in different languages, but an Italian version is still missing. Our aim is to produce and validate the Italian version of WISQOL (IT-WISQOL). Patients undergoing any elective treatment for upper urinary tract stones were enrolled. A multi-step process with forward- and back-translation was used to translate WISQOL into Italian. Patients were evaluated within 15 days pre-operatively and then at 30-, 90 days post-operatively and administered both IT-WISQOL and SF-36v2. Post-operative data such as 30 days postoperative complications, late stone-related events, successful status, and stone complexity were collected. Cronbach's α was used to evaluate the internal consistency of IT-WISQOL, while Spearman's rho was used for item and inter-domain correlations and IT-WISQOL with SF-36v2 correlation. We found excellent internal consistency across all domains (α ≥ 0.88), particularly when the total score is considered (α = 0.960). Test-retest reliability showed excellent results for the total questionnaire (Pearson correlation value: 0.85). The Inter-domain association ranged from 0.497 to 0.786. Convergent validity was confirmed by a good correlation with subdomains of the SF-36v2 measures. IT-WISQOL is a reliable tool to measure HRQOL in stone patients. It shows analog characteristics if compared to English WISQOL

Electromechanical and robotic devices for gait and balance rehabilitation of children with neurological disability: a systematic review

In the last two decades, a growing interest has been focused on gait and balance robot-assisted rehabilitation in children with neurological disabilities. Robotic devices allow the implementation of intensive, task-specific training fostering functional recovery and neuroplasticity phenomena. However, limited attention has been paid to the protocols used in this research framework. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on robotic systems for the rehabilitation of gait and balance in children with neurological disabilities and their rehabilitation applications. The literature search was carried out independently and synchronously by three authors on the following databases: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PeDro, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The data collected included three subsections referring to clinical, technical, and regulatory aspects. Thirty-one articles out of 81 found on the primary literature search were included in the systematic review. Most studies involved children with cerebral palsy. Only one-third of the studies were randomized controlled trials. Overall, 17 devices (nine end-effector systems and eight exoskeletons) were investigated, among which only 4 (24%) were bore the CE mark. Studies differ on rehabilitation protocols duration, intensity, and outcome measures. Future research should improve both rehabilitation protocols\u2019 and devices\u2019 descriptions

First report in italy of the exotic mosquito species Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus, a potential vector of arboviruses and filariae

BACKGROUND: In the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy) an entomological surveillance system has been implemented since the introduction of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in 1991. During the routine monitoring activity in a tiger mosquito-free area, an unexpected mosquito was noticed, which clearly did not belong to the recorded Italian fauna. FINDINGS: At the end of May 2011, twelve larvae and pupae were collected in a small village in Belluno province (Veneto region) from a single manhole. Ten adults reared in the laboratory were morphologically and genetically identified as Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus (Edwards, 1917), a species native to Southeast Asia. The subsequent investigations carried out in the following months in the same village provided evidence that this species had become established locally. Entomological and epidemiological investigations are currently ongoing in the surrounding area, to verify the eventual extension of the species outside the village and to trace back the route of entry into Italy. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report in Italy of the introduction of the exotic mosquito Ae. koreicus. This species has been shown experimentally to be competent in the transmission of the Japanese encephalitis virus and of the dog heartworm Dirofilaria immitis and is considered a potential vector of other arboviruses. Thus, the establishment of this species may increase the current risk or pose new potential threats, for human and animal health. This finding considerably complicates the entomological monitoring of the Asian tiger mosquito Ae. albopictus in Italy and stresses the importance of implementing the entomological surveillance for the early detection of and the rapid response against invasive mosquito species

Climate and landscape composition explain agronomic practices, pesticide use and grape yield in vineyards across Italy

Context Worldwide, organic farming is being promoted as one of the main alternatives to intensive conventional farming. However, the benefits of organic agriculture are still controversial and need to be tested across wide environmental gradients. Objective Here, we carried out an observational study to test how agronomic practices, pest management, environmental impact and yield of conventional and organic vineyards changed along wide climatic and landscape gradients across Italy. Methods We used a block design with 38 pairs of conventional and organic vineyards across Italy. Results and conclusions Most agronomic practices did not differ between conventional and organic vineyards. By contrast, landscape composition and climate were strong predictors of management in both systems. First, increasing semi-natural areas around the vineyards reduced pesticide pressure and related environmental impacts, but was also associated with lower yield. Second, irrespective of the farming system, a warm and dry climate was associated with reduced fungicide pressure. Conventional farming had a yield gain of 40% in cold and wet climate compared to organic but the yield gap disappeared in the warmest regions. Significance In both farming systems, we observed a large variability in management practices that was mainly explained by climate and landscape composition. This large variability should be considered when evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of different farming systems under contrasting environmental contexts

Infuence of Grout Injection on the Dynamic Behaviour of Stone Masonry Buildings

The Italian and European regions are characterized by a wide diffusion of structures in the minor historical centres. The decay condition, in which part these buildings are, makes often necessary structural interventions to preserve they integrity. This way, during last decades several new intervention methodologies were developed, employing both innovative and traditional materials, with the aim to avoid further damages, particularly those induced by seismic events. However, these new materials and techniques are often commercialized and employed without any preliminary exhaustive study to verify their applicability and their effectiveness. The present research joins in this contest considering the multi-leaf stone masonries, one of the most diffuse structural systems widely employed on minor historical buildings. This masonry typology is constituted by more approached leaves and it is characterized by a high percentage of internal voids. Furthermore, the employment of hydraulic lime-based grout injection is also considered as strengthening technique suitable for this masonry typology. This study aims to validate the application of this intervention methodology, widely applied since many years employing materials different for chemical composition, trough an extensive experimental campaign and a subsequent numerical modelling. First experimental phase involves a series of dynamic tests on whole building models, considering a reducing scale factor, realized with multi-leaf stone masonry, subsequently strengthened trough injection of grout. The execution of these shaking table tests allowed to evaluate the influence of the considered strengthening technique on the overall dynamic behaviour of the injected structure. Furthermore, also the increasing of strength and the seismic response of the building models could be evaluated. A complementary experimental phase involved several further quasi-static laboratory tests tests on single structural elements. Compression tests allowed to study the strength increasing of this elements as well as their failure mechanisms after the grout injection. Further shear compression tests provided important informations about the mechanical behaviour of single structural elements subjected to in-plane cyclic forces. Finally, a numerical modelling of the mechanical behaviour of specimens subjected to compression load was developed. This analysis allowed to deepen the study of the stress distribution and of the failure mechanisms of single structural elements subjected to strengthening trough grout injection.Il territorio italiano, così come quello europeo, è caratterizzato da un’ampia diffusione di strutture appartenenti all’edilizia storica minore. Lo stato di degrado, in cui talvolta si trovano tali edifici, rende spesso necessari interventi strutturali volti a garantirne l’integrità. In tale senso, negli ultimi decenni sono state sviluppate nuove metodologie d’intervento, sfruttando sia di materiali tradizionali che innovativi, per preservare tali strutture da ulteriori danni, in particolare quelli indotti da eventi sismici. Tuttavia, nuovi materiali e tecniche d’intervento vengono spesso commercializzati ed applicati senza l’esecuzione di un esaustivo studio preliminare che ne verifichi l’applicabilità e l’efficacia. La presente ricerca si inserisce in questo contesto prendendo in considerazione le murature multi-strato in pietra, una delle tipologie costruttive maggiormente impiegate nell’edilizia storica minore. Tale muratura è costituita da più paramenti accostati ed è caratterizzata da un’alta percentuale di vuoti interni. Inoltre, si considera l’impiego dell’iniezione di miscela, a base di calce idraulica naturale, come tecnica di consolidamento applicabile a tale tipologia muraria. Lo studio si propone di validare l’impiego di questa metodologia d’intervento, già da tempo ampiamente utilizzata sfruttando materiali di diversa composizione chimica, mediante la realizzazione di un’ampia campagna sperimentale e di una successiva modellazione numerica. La prima fase sperimentale comprende una serie di prove dinamiche su modelli di edificio, in scala ridotta, realizzati in muratura multi-strato di pietra, successivamente sottoposta ad iniezione di miscela. L’esecuzione di tali prove su tavola vibrante ha permesso di valutare l’influenza della tecnica di consolidamento considerata sul comportamento dinamico globale della struttura su cui si interviene. Inoltre, si è potuto valutare l’incremento di resistenza oltre che la variazione della risposta sismica dei modelli di edificio. Una complementare fase sperimentale ha coinvolto numerose ed ulteriori prove di laboratorio, realizzate in ambito quasi-statico, su singoli elementi strutturali.L’esecuzione di prove di compressione ha permesso di verificare sia l’incremento di resistenza di tali elementi strutturali che la variazione delle loro modalità di rottura a seguito dell’iniezione di miscela legante. Ulteriori prove di taglio e compressione hanno fornito importanti indicazioni riguardo al comportamento meccanico di singoli elementi strutturali soggetti a forze cicliche nel piano. Infine, si è sviluppata una modellazione numerica del comportamento meccanico di campioni sottoposti a carico di compressione monoassiale. Quest'analisi ha dunque permesso di approfondire lo studio della distribuzione delle tensioni e delle modalità di rottura di singoli elementi strutturali, soggetti ad intervento di consolidamento mediante iniezioni di miscela legante

Strengthening of RC beams with an innovative timber-FRP composite system

The results of a theoretical and experimental research project on the use of an innovative technique for strengthening concrete beams are presented. A spacer element is inserted between the tension side of a beam and the composite material to increase its lever arm and to enhance the over all stiffness of the strengthened beam. The main aim of this exploratory project was to increase the ultimate failure load of strengthened beam specimens, whilst guaranteeing acceptable over all deflections at the serviceability limit states. This resulted into a significant reduction in the amount of FPR required and in a better utilization of the materials employed. A preliminary theoretical study was carried out to investigate the effect of Young's modulus, failure strain, and thickness of the element to be used as a spacer in order to determine the best possible candidate material. Three tests on 2.5-m-long beams were carried out, and different anchorage techniques were used to try and prevent the debonding of the strengthening system. The results from this pilot study are very promising, as the strengthening system ensures an adequate initial stiffness along with an improved ultimate flexural capacity