Wind tunnel tests of a hexadecagonal cylinder with imperfections and ancillaries: aerodynamic characterization and technical discussion

This paper evaluates and discusses the aerodynamic properties of a 16-sided polygonal cylinder with imper- fections and ancillaries investigated by wind tunnel tests. Two sectional models with different size have been realized, reproducing the peculiarities of real structures, such as the rounded corners, local protuberance due to weld bead, cables, ducts and the external ladder. The models have been subjected to static tests to measure the mean force coefficients and the Strouhal number varying angle of attack, flow velocity, turbulence intensity focusing on the effects of the imperfections and ancillaries on the aerodynamic loads with consideration of Reynolds number effects. The results provide an estimate of the aerodynamic coefficients for this type of ele- ments, quantify the influence of geometrical and flow properties on the aerodynamic behaviour and point out the sensitivity of such polygonal cross-section to galloping instability

VIV regimes and simplified solutions by the spectral model description

The present paper discusses technical aspects of the vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs) of structures excited by the wind in the framework of the spectral model, which is applied by many codes and guidelines for civil engineering verifications. Quantitative thresholds related to Scruton number domains, where the structural response can be considered in \u201cforced vibration\u201d or \u201clock-in\u201d regime, are proposed. In this way, the type of VIV response and its evaluation can be assessed with simple calculations that use the parameters already present in codes and guidelines. An analytical solution of the original model allows straightforward evaluations inclusive of operative criteria to properly consider structural and flow conditions concerning the coefficients governing the VIV response in the spectral description, leaving out some assumptions that are commonly adopted. Extensive numerical applications, limited here to circular cylinders and including a real full-scale chimney, allow to identify the most significant parameters of the model and the criticalities connected with their choice

A mechanical method for the vulnerability assessment of masonry buildings

This paper discusses a mechanical model for the vulnerability assessment of masonry buildings that takes into account the uncertainties inherent to the structural parameters and the limit states. At first a bilinear model for the capacity spectrum for masonry buildings is derived as an analytical function of a few number of geometrical and mechanical parameters. Applying a suitable procedure for the uncertainty propagation, the statistical moments of the structural capacity is obtained as a function of the statistical moments of the input parameters, showing the role of each in the results. Using the capacity spectrum method formulated in the so called N2 procedure, vulnerability analysis is carried out with respect to a certain number of random limit states which depend, in turn, on the building parameters. Fragility curves are derived taking into account the uncertainties of each quantity involved

The Weight of Opinion - The early childhood sector's perceptions about childhood overweight and obesty

Early childhood is a critical time in a child’s development when the foundations for good or poor eating habits and self-regulation of appetite are laid. Because long day care centres and preschools structure the daily environment in which the children in their care play and learn, the early childhood sector can make an important contribution to preventing and (sometimes) dealing with childhood overweight and obesity. Whether through the direct provision of food at child care or rules/suggestions surrounding the food that children are to bring to preschool, they exert some control over what children consume while in their care. Similarly, they control the amount of active play time that is available during the day. Long day care centres and preschools may also incorporate messages about healthy eating and the benefits of active play into their curriculum, and may provide modelling of good eating habits by the teachers/workers during snack or meal times. They may also regulate the kinds of fundraising opportunities used to support their preschools/centres (e.g. no chocolates or donut fundraisers), and provide parents with information and support regarding the development of healthy habits. This report presents the findings from a series of in-depth interviews on the perceptions of early childhood staff about the issue of childhood overweight and obesity and their role in supporting healthy eating and active play.Interviews were conducted with eleven directors and staff members from four long day care centres and four preschools, located in three areas within metropolitan Sydney and one area in rural NSW. The results show that the early childhood educators recognise childhood overweight and obesity as a serious issue and appreciate the complexity of the causes of the increasing prevalence of overweight. They viewed these issues as part of their core mission as early childhood educators, and worked under a philosophy of close partnership with families (and, in some cases, with local health professionals). All of the participants also acknowledged that parents can be sensitive about their children’s weight, that there can be uncertainty surrounding definitions of overweight among young children, and that there can be emotions around the provision of food and children’s eating patterns. At the same time, interviewees recognised that the early childhood sector can only do so much by themselves and that their efforts need to be complemented by efforts to support parents and change cultural and environmental factors that make it difficult to eat healthy foods and get adequate physical activity, especially considering the fact that not all children have access to or participate in early childhood education. However, given the large proportion of children and parents who do have contact with the early childhood sector, the potential to strengthen the role of the sector in preventing childhood overweight and obesity and promoting healthy eating and active play was highlighted in the research. The interviewees gave practical suggestions for how that could occur. They wanted more early childhood-friendly games, activities, books, songs, and posters about healthy eating and physical activity, more resources they could give directly to parents, more guidance on optimal nutrition policies (for preschools), more training for themselves (including information on when to be concerned about children’s weight and what to do about it), and more access to health professionals who could come and speak to them and the parents.This research was funded by NSW Health and The Ross Family Trust. Principal Investigators: Dr Michael Booth and Lesley King. The authors would like to thank Louise Erickson for her valuable contribution to this project, as well as all the preschools and child care centres who participated in the study

Discretizations of the spectral fractional Laplacian on general domains with Dirichlet, Neumann, and Robin boundary conditions

In this work, we propose novel discretisations of the spectral fractional Laplacian on bounded domains based on the integral formulation of the operator via the heat-semigroup formalism. Specifically, we combine suitable quadrature formulas of the integral with a finite element method for the approximation of the solution of the corresponding heat equation. We derive two families of discretisations with order of convergence depending on the regularity of the domain and the function on which the fractional Laplacian is acting. Unlike other existing approaches in literature, our method does not require the computation of the eigenpairs of the Laplacian on the considered domain, can be implemented on possibly irregular bounded domains, and can naturally handle different types of boundary constraints. Various numerical simulations are provided to illustrate performance of the proposed method and support our theoretical results.FdT acknowledges support of Toppforsk project Waves and Nonlinear Phenomena (WaNP), grant no. 250070 from the Research Council of Norway. ERCIM ``Alain Benoussan" Fellowship programm

Comparison of fluorescence polarization assay with Rose Bengal (RB) test and complement fixation tests for the diagnosis of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) brucellosis in a high-prevalence area

The fluorescence polarisation assay (FPA) was evaluated for the serological diagnosis of bovine brucellosis in buffalo (Bubalus Bubalis) in southern Italy. This assay uses O-polysaccharide prepared from Brucella Abortus lipopolysaccharide conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate as a tracer. It has many methodological advantages over older, more established tests and can be performed in short time. To measure the fluorescence polarization, a Tecan GENios Pro (Prionics) fluorescence-polarization analyzer was used with the procedure described by Nielsen et al. 1996. A cut-off value of 117 millipolarization (mP) units was used for testing 912 buffalo sera from Campania Region (526 positive sera and 386 negative sera according to the complement fixation test; CFT). All samples were tested with the Rose Bengal plate (RB). Sensitivity and specificity (Sn) for RB were 84.0% and 87.8% and for FPA were 92.6% and 88.9 percent. The FPA gave a kappa coefficient of agreement with respect to CFT of 0.755, while RB (relative to the CFT) gave coefficients of 0,715. Finally, ROC analysis suggested a cut-off value which did not agree with the one recommended in the test procedure for cow

Occurrence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles of Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus Strains Isolated from Mares with Fertility Problems

Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus), is a β-hemolytic Streptococcus belonging to the Lancefield group C; it is a rare human pathogen, but in horses, it is frequently associated with endometritis. This study aimed to isolate S. zooepidemicus strains, associated with bacterial endometritis in mares, and to define their antimicrobial resistance profile. Twenty-three isolates were recovered from one hundred ninety-six equine uterine swabs (11.7%). Bacterial identification was carried out by Api 20 Strep and confirmed by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), while antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion method on Muller Hinton agar plates. The antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolates revealed a high percentage of resistance to amikacin (95.6%), ampicillin (73.9%) and tetracycline (69.6%), while ceftiofur and ceftriaxone were highly effective with 82.6% and 78.3% of the isolates inhibited, respectively. An intriguing value of resistance to penicillin (34.8%), which represents the first-choice antibiotic in equine S. zooepidemicus infections, was observed. Furthermore, a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains (82.6%) was recorded. Continuous surveillance of this potential zoonotic pathogen and an appropriate antimicrobial stewardship program with the promotion of correct use of antimicrobials, after a proper diagnosis, are needed to allow an effective therapy

Simultaneous detection of enteropathogenic viruses in buffalos faeces using multiplex reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR)

A multiplex reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR) assay that detects Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus, Bovine Coronavirus, and Group A Rotaviruses in infected cell-culture fluids and clinical faecal samples is described. One hundred twenty faecal samples from buffalo calves with acute gastroenteritis were tested. The mRT-PCR was validated against simplex RT-PCR with published primers for Pestivirus, Coronavirus and Rotavirus. The multiplex RT-PCR was equally sensitive and specific in detecting viral infections compared with simplex RT-PCR. The mRT-PCR readily identified viruses by discriminating the size of their amplified gene products. This mRT-PCR may be a sensitive and rapid assay for surveillance of buffalo enteric viruses in field specimens. This novel multiplex RT-PCR is an attractive technique for the rapid, specific, and cost-effective laboratory diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis