3D FEM model development from 3D optical measurement technique applied to corroded steel bars

Understanding the mechanical effects of the corrosion pits on the steel surface requires an accurate definition of their geometry and distribution along the rebar. 3D optical measurement technique is used to obtain the outer geometry of artificially corroded bars tested under cyclic or monotonic loads. 3D FEM model development from the 3D scanning results were carried out in order to investigate the failure process and local effects on the pits, which are responsible of the variation of the mechanical properties in corroded steel reinforcement. In addition, a validation of a simplified model, which allows the mechanical steel properties determination given an estimated corrosion level, is presented. 3D models were convenient to observe and measure the local effects on the pits.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Analytical modeling of reinforced concrete columns subjected to bidirectional shear

Under general seismic loading, reinforced concrete columns may be subjected to lateral loads in more than one direction. Available experimental data on columns subjected to bidirectional forces indicate that higher levels of damage and a higher loss of ductility and strength have been observed compared to similar tests under unidirectional shear forces. In this study, an experimental program was conducted in which six lightly reinforced concrete columns were subjected to unidirectional and bidirectional cyclic shear forces. This observation was used to identify the mechanisms and parameters governing the behavior of columns subjected to cyclic bidirectional lateral loads. Hence, a new conceptual model was developed to obtain the capacity of member. The shear forces were analyzed and an analytical formulation was derived to account for the effects in the concrete stress-strain relationship, the moment-curvature diagram and the plastic hinge length. These equations were used along with a structural model with concentrated plastic hinges to obtain the capacity curve of the column. The results of the formulations developed were verified using the results of the experiments performed on columns subjected to unidirectional and bidirectional cyclic lateral forces.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Notes regarding contemporary war from the thought of Tomas Hobbes and Carl Schmitt

El artículo recupera el pensamiento de Thomas Hobbes y Carl Schmitt para analizar la problemática de la guerra contemporánea. Se argumenta que la relación actual entre guerra y política puede ser desentrañada a partir de una serie de categorías provenientes de las perspectivas de dichos autores. Por consiguiente, se concluye que la modalidad de la guerra actual expresa el avance de la despolitización y la neutralización liberal en su fase última de desarrollo.The article traces the thoughts of Thomas Hobbes and Carl Schmitt to discuss the problems of contemporary warfare. In this sense, it is argued that the current relationship between war and politics can be linked from a series of categories from those authors. Accordingly, we conclude that the mode of the present war expresses the progress of depolitizisation and neutralization liberal in its last phase of development.Fil: Laleff Ilieff, Ricardo Jesús. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Schmitt reads Machiavelli. Variations around Carlo Galli’s analysis

Tal como ha destacado Carlo Galli, las menciones a Nicolás Maquiavelo en la obra de Carl Schmitt responden a un uso instrumental por parte del jurista, hecho que denota la influencia secundaria del florentino en el pensamiento schmittiano. El presente trabajo ahonda en dicho trasfondo sosteniendo que existe un desacuerdo irresoluble entre ambos autores que no debe buscarse en la diferencia entre “lo político” schmittiano y “la política” maquiaveliana —tal como señala Galli apoyándose en una supuesta influencia mayor de El Príncipe sobre Schmitt—, sino en una discusión sobre la forma política moderna que se deriva de la lectura de los DiscursosAs Carlo Galli has emphasized, references to Machiavelli in Carl Schmitt’s work respond to an instrumental use, which shows the secondary influence of the Florentine on Schmitt’s thought. This paper delves into this background, showing that there is an unsolvable disagreement between the two authors that must not be found in the difference between Schmitt’s concept of the political and Machiavelli’s concept of politics —like Galli claims relying on a supposed major influence of The Prince on Schmitt’s thought— but in a discussion about the modern political formation that comes from reading the DiscoursesFil: Laleff Ilieff, Ricardo Jesús. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentin

El desarrollo del pensamiento y lenguaje variacional y las acciones en las prácticas predictivas

Este escrito es parte de una investigación en curso que pretende dar cuenta del estatus del carácter estable del cambio ligado a sistemas con dinámicas erráticas o caóticas, donde las interacciones de científicos ante la predicción darán indicios de una forma de construir conocimiento matemático. El problema de los tres cuerpos estudiado por Poincaré, las formas de predicción climática de Lorenz y el crecimiento poblacional de May son ejemplos de este tipo de dinámicas. Las singularidades en las actuaciones de estos investigadores ante este tipo de sistemas serán caracterizadas por estrategias variacionales globales

Male Accessory Glands and Sperm Function

With the advent of the techniques of reproduction, the functions of this fluid on the sperm function became a topic of lesser interest to the embryologist, urologist and andrologist. The interaction of spermatozoa with seminal plasma often goes unnoticed, but it is very likely that many substances produced by male accessory glands have impact on the sperm physiology. Seminal fluid contains several components besides spermatozoa; many of them are produced by a specific tissue and can be useful markers of secretion of the glands. The information in the 5th Manual of World Health Organization is very limited with respect to the interpretation in several characteristics abnormally high in semen. Male accessory glands secrete several factors such as alpha-glucosidase, fructose, prostaglandins, bicarbonate and citric acid among others, which are crucial for sperm physiology. This chapter deals with the interpretation of markers of accessory glands and their relation to some pathologies such as varicocele, infections, obstructions of the seminiferous pathways and some hormonal alterations