Comparative assessment of strut models for the modelling of in-plane seismic response of infill walls

The influence of infills on the seismic response of frame structures has long been recognised. Typically, stiffness and strength of the infill and connections between infill and frame are such that the infill affects the global seismic behaviour of the structure. Hence, the presence of infills should be considered in the analysis and design of new buildings and in the seismic assessment of existing ones. To this aim, simple models for infill walls, such as the equivalent diagonal no-tension strut model, have been developed in the last decades. The objective of the present study is to assess the validity of different strut models. To this aim, 162 experimental tests available in the literature are considered. The data set includes both reinforced concrete and steel frames, as well as confined masonry structures. The mechanical characteristics of masonry and the boundary conditions between frames and infills of the test specimens take into account a large set of situations, reflecting the great variability in the materials and in the construction techniques adopted in different countries. Moreover, the type of tests and the related results are not uniform; in some cases monotonic experiments are performed, whereas in other cases cyclic tests are carried out. As expected, the presence of different types of infill-frame systems results in a large scatter of the data. However, the comparison between experimental results and predictions show that, on the average, the infill strength can be adequately estimated by resorting to the strut model whereas major uncertainties are found for the stiffness prediction

Reliability‐based partial factors for seismic design and assessment consistent with second‐generation Eurocode 8

Second-generation Eurocode 8 introduces displacement-based design alongside the traditional force-based one with reduced equivalent forces; it provides resistance models needed to apply the approach to reinforced concrete, steel and composite frame or wall-frame structures: chord rotation for members, and shear strength for members and joints; finally, it declares a target reliability level for near collapse. This paper discusses the formulation of partial factors to achieve a target reliability when using the displacement-based approach. The factors are derived following a traditional, time-invariant way of performing code-calibration for other non-seismic design situations, starting from the probability distributions for the seismic action effect and the resistance. It is shown that the problem can be simplified to one with two Lognormal variables, a uniform reliability can be achieved over the calibration space when both a load-side and a resistance-side factor are used, and constant sensitivity coefficients can be used, with values different from the original König and Hosser ones and reflecting the larger weight of the action-related uncertainty in the seismic case. The problem with this otherwise good result is that a partial factor on the load side must be used and, further, that its value is site dependent. This approach is not in line with current European practice, thus a corrected site-independent resistance-side partial factor is proposed, which is compatible with the framework of Eurocode 8. As a further advantage, the proposed format coincides with that proposed in the second-generation EN1990/EN1992 for the assessment of existing structures under non-seismic design situations

Seismic Vulnerability of the Italian Roadway Bridge Stock

This study focuses on the seismic vulnerability evaluation of the Italian roadway bridge stock, within the framework of a Civil Protection sponsored project. A comprehensive database of existing bridges (17,000 bridges with different level of knowledge) was implemented. At the core of the study stands a procedure for automatically carrying out state-of-the-art analytical evaluation of fragility curves for two performance levels – damage and collapse – on an individual bridge basis. A webGIS was developed to handle data and results. The main outputs are maps of bridge seismic risk (from the fragilities and the hazard maps) at the national level and real-time scenario damage-probability maps (from the fragilities and the scenario shake maps). In the latter case the webGIS also performs network analysis to identify routes to be followed by rescue teams. Consistency of the fragility derivation over the entire bridge stock is regarded as a major advantage of the adopted approach

«Una necessità strettamente professionale». Gli annuari come oggetto e fonte per lo studio del cinema italiano del dopoguerra

The yearbooks and almanacs printed between the beginning of the Second World War andthe end of the Fifties collect rare and hardly accessible data on the Italian film industry andthe professionals involved in it. As such, they are both sources, whose use can be extremelyprofitable in production studies, and objects of investigation that might reveal the rhetoric and the discursive strategies through which different social actors have promoted an image of that production system as a fully-fledged and rationally organized industry. The article describes these yearbooks and interprets such discourses, in order to better understand the tensions that characterize this phase of important changes for the Italian film production

The Standard Exhibition Contracts in Italian Film Industry: A Neo-corporatist History

The distribution of films, in the Italian industry, was regulated from the 1930s by a contratto-tipo di noleggio, a standard exhibition contract that was stipulated by the trade associations and supervised, in different ways, by the state. Based on primary sources, this article reconstructs the evolution of the exhibition contracts signed in a particularly heated period that was the years 1946-1953. Further, it uses the discussions of the contracts published in trade magazines to conceptualize, through the political and economic category of neo corporativism, the interaction between public and private actors, as well as the co-optation of business interests within the policy-making process, that characterizes Italian film industry

Metabolomic analysis of plasma from GABAB(1) knock-out mice reveals decreased levels of elaidic trans-fatty acid

Mice lacking the GABAB(1) subunit of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) type B receptors exhibit spontaneous seizures, hyperalgesia, hyperlocomotor activity, and memory impairment. Although mice lacking the GABAB(1) subunit are viable, they are sterile, and to generate knockout (KO) mice, it is necessary to cross heterozygous (HZ) mice. The aim of our study was to detect the metabolic differences between the three genotypes of GABAB(1) KO mice in order to further characterize this experimental animal model. Plasma samples were collected from wild-type (WT), HZ, and KO mice. Samples were analyzed by means of a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) platform. Univariate t-test, and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were performed to compare the metabolic pattern of different genotypes. The metabolomic analysis highlighted differences between the three genotypes and identified some metabolites less abundant in KO mice, namely elaidic acid and other fatty acids, and chiro-inositol

The Establishment of an Organic Farmers’ Market as a Training Case Study and Research for Graduate Students of Organic Agriculture at the University of Palermo

 Despite the modest regional consumption of organic products, Sicily is one of the most important European regions in surface area per number of companies active in organic farming. The University of Palermo, as early as 2000, to promote the development and success in this industry, the Faculty of Agriculture, introduced two major degree programs in "Organic Farming". The objective of these courses is to train graduates who are technically capable of supporting the organic farmers market, to promote and facilitate the expansion of the consumption of organic products, and to create employment opportunities for young graduates. At the end of 2009, in the area of these activities, a training and research program involved numerous students in the creation of an "joint consumption" association whose purpose is the expansion of the consumption of organic products through the enhancement of a direct relationship with small organic farms who would be unlikely to penetrate large markets, or have relationships with large distribution networks.The project aims to assess the ability of the students of the Faculty to transmit the knowledge acquired in the program, and to investigate the relative issues regarding the new phenomenon emerging in recent years in Italy, represented by the spread of various forms of ethically-conscious consumption groups called "Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale (GAS)" or Solidarity Purchase Groups

Exploiting Exosomes for Differential Diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by a clonal plasma cell proliferation. Usually, all MM are preceded by an asymptomatic premalignant stage termed monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). Differential diagnosis requires the evidence of end-organ damage, but recently new biomarkers are emerging to help clinicians to distinguish MM from the premalignant phase. Circulating exosomes in serum seem to be a powerful tool to be analyzed for liquid biopsy, and in this chapter, we show that MM and MGUS exosomes are different in concentration, biological activity, and biochemical markers. These differences seem to be related to the free light chains (FLCs) associated with exosomes and their propathogenic properties. The cellular processing FLC-decorated exosomes and their ability to activate proinflammatory mechanisms are different in MM and MGUS patients. These elements can be evaluated to create an innovative multiparameter panel to monitor MGUS to MM switching

I padroni del cinema italiano: il rapporto tra critica e produzione nella stampa cinematografica degli anni Cinquanta

L\u2019obiettivo generale di questo intervento \ue8 quello di mettere in discussione l\u2019assunto, storiograficamente dominante, che vuole la critica italiana disinteressata alle questioni relative all\u2019economia e alla tecnica cinematografica. Per comprendere quale sia stato il ruolo della stampa e della critica nel complesso gioco di interessi, posizioni, idee che danno forma al dibattito sullo statuto industriale del cinema italiano abbiamo preso in esame un campione di 111 articoli dedicati a questioni tecniche, legislative e industriali e apparsi, nel periodo 1950-1959, su cinque testate diverse per collocazione ideologica ed editoriale (\uabCinema\ubb, \uabCinema Nuovo\ubb, \uabFilmcritica\ubb, \uabL\u2019Eco del Cinema\ubb, la \uabRivista del cinema italiano\ubb). Attraverso lo spoglio di questi articoli proviamo a capire qual \ue8 la posizione della critica cinematografica circa l\u2019assetto industriale e produttivo del cinema italiano, qual \ue8 il progetto culturale che anima l\u2019intervento della critica in questo dibattito, quanto \ue8 centrale tale questione all\u2019interno dell\u2019agenda critica degli anni Cinquanta