Composite Solutions for Construction Sector

FRP composite materials have been successfully used for several decades in the aerospace industry, while their use in Civil Engineering is relatively recent and generally in the form of sheets and strips employed to strengthen existing reinforced concrete structures. Since the construction of the first all‐FRP‐composite bridge in 1982, in Miyun, China, FRP composites have been gradually gaining acceptance as a new construction material for bridges and footbridges with some notable applications in Spain. Their use offers a number of advantages with respect to traditional materials:Since FRP composite members are lighter than those built using concrete and steel, they need less powerful equipment for their transport and installation;Their lightweight fosters prefabrication, speeding up construction processes, thus helping in the reduction of the impact of worksites on their surrounding areas;FRP composites can curb maintenance cost of infrastructures since they do not suffer from galvanic corrosion

A Wind Turbine Tower Design Based on the Use of Fibre-Reinforced Composites.

Abstract not availableJRC.G-Institute for the Protection and the Security of the Citizen (Ispra

The efficacy of a web-based gambling intervention program for high school students: A preliminary randomized study

Early onset in adolescent gambling involvement can be a precipitator of later gambling problems. The aim of the present study was to test the preliminary efficacy of a web-based gambling intervention program for students within a high school-based setting. Students attending a high school in Italy (N=168) participated in the present study (58% male–age, M=15.01; SD=0.60). Twelve classes were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: intervention ( N=6; 95 students) and control group (N=6; 73 students). Both groups received personalized feedback and then the intervention group received online training (interactive activities) for three weeks. At a two-month follow-up, students in the intervention group reported a reduction in gambling problems relative to those in the control group. However, there were no differences in gambling frequency, gambling expenditure, and attitudes toward the profitability of gambling between the two groups. In addition, frequent gamblers (i.e., those that gambled at least once a week at baseline) showed reductions in gambling problems and gambling frequency post- intervention. Frequent gamblers that only received personalized feedback showed significantly less realistic attitudes toward the profitability of gambling post-intervention. The present study is the first controlled study to test the preliminary efficacy of a web-based gambling intervention program for students within a high school-based setting. The results indicate that a brief web-based intervention delivered in the school setting may be a potentially promising strategy for a low-threshold, low-cost, preventive tool for at-risk gambling high school students

Structural Testing of a Vehicular Carbon Fiber Bridge: Quasi-static and Short Term Behaviour

This paper deals with the use of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers as the primary load-bearing material in new (as opposed to retrofit) bridge designs. After describing the experimental methods, results from the laboratory quasi-static tests conducted on a full-scale section of a 46 metre-long, fully vehicular, composite bridge are presented. The salient findings from this study are that (i) the bridge design amply met the prescribed serviceability and safety criteria, (ii) under increasing loading, the distribution of the shear and bending moment profiles along the length of the beam progress from the hyperstatic to the isostatic cases, (iii) the prevailing failure mechanisms at the support points and joint sections are shear-dominated, and may result in more than one failure mechanism, including joint-separation, support diaphragm buckling and delamination of the reinforced concrete slab from the main load-bearing beam.JRC.G.5-European laboratory for structural assessmen

OPTICAL 3 DIMENSIONAL MEASUREMENTS ON A FRP BEAM TESTED AT SERVICEABILITY LIMIT

Optical stereoscopic measurements were performed on a real size 14 metre long fibre-reinforced polymer composite vehicular beam bridge submitted to four-point bending. The field of view was 6 metres, with a pixel resolution of ~4 mm. The 3-D displacements were monitored by targets and texture tracking. Optical measurements show good correlation with traditional sensors. They allowed measuring 3-D displacement and strains fields, evidencing the out-of-plane buckling displacement of the beam web, sensing unforeseen displacements and giving insight in the boundary conditions of the experiment.JRC.G.5-European laboratory for structural assessmen

Italian version and normative data of Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III

Objectives: Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III) is a brief cognitive screening tool to assess five cognitive domains: attention/orientation, verbal fluency, memory, language, and visuospatial abilities. This study aimed to provide normative data (for total score and subscale scores) of the Italian version of ACE-III for gender, age, and education. Methods: A total of 574 healthy Italian participants (mean age 68.70 \ub1 9.65; mean education 9.15 \ub1 4.04) were recruited from the community and included in the study. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of age, gender, and education on the ACE-III total performance score. Results:Age and education exerted a significant effect on total and subscale ACE-III scores, whereas gender was on attention/orientation, language, and visuospatial subscale scores. From the derived linear equation, correction grids to adjust raw scores and equivalent scores (ESs) with cut-off values were provided. Conclusions:The present study provided normative data, correction grids, and ESs for ACE-III in an Italian population

Impacts of Changing Livestock Farming Practices on the Biocultural Heritage and Landscape Configuration of Italian Anti-Apennine

This research article focuses on the evolution of a Mediterranean landscapes and the intricate interplay between natural and human-induced processes in the context of the Italian Anti-Apennine mountains. The study employs a multi-temporal approach to analyze changes in land use and landscape ecology, livestock activities, and agro-pastoral practices over seven decades. We noted a 18% decrease in animal units, particularly in goat and pig farming, accompanied by a 10% reduction in horse populations. Farmers’ adaptation strategies involve increasing animals per farm, aligning with broader agricultural trends toward intensification and specialization. In parallel, we observed a 22% reduction in grassland surfaces juxtaposed with an overall 15% increase in woodlands and shrublands, a 13% decreasing trend in habitat edge, and an overall 18% increase in patches aggregation at the landscape scale. The decline in anthropogenic pressures linked to depopulation triggered secondary successions, resulting in a 25% increase in homogeneous closed woodlands. These landscape alterations contribute to a 19% decrease in ecosystem heterogeneity and complexity, favoring ecological connectivity for forest-linked species but posing challenges for open meadow species. This, coupled with the loss of biocultural heritage, including traditional settlements dating back to the Bronze Age and Roman times, as well as pastoral traditions and knowledge, underscores the need to rethink future development strategies with a focus on retaining younger generations and preventing the loss of crucial ecosystem services

Normative data for the ACE-R in an Italian population sample

The Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination Revised (ACE-R) is a brief cognitive screening instrument also proposed to detect mild cognitive impairment, a high-risk condition for Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. In this study, we report normative data on the ACE-R-Italian version, collected on a sample of 264 Italian healthy subjects aging between 60 and 93 years, and with a formal education from 1 to 19 years. The global normal cognition was established in accordance with the Italian version of the Mini-Mental State Examination score and with exclusion criteria derived by a consensus process. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of age, gender, and education on the ACE-R total performance score. We provide correction grids to adjust raw scores and equivalent scores with cut-off value to allow comparison between ACE-R performance and others neuropsychological test scores that can be administered to the same subject.6 page(s