Comparación de modelos sísmicos para un edificio histórico en mampostería

En este proyecto se ha considerado como caso de estudio un edificio histórico de mampostería en Cerdeña, Italia, cuyo modelado, análisis estático y sísmico han sido desarrollados. En este estudio se han empleado dos programas informáticos con distintos enfoques de modelización con el propósito de comparar y discutir los resultados. Como primer simulador del comportamiento de la estructura en mampostería se ha elegido SismiCad12, que es una suite de Elementos Finitos (FEM, por sus siglas en inglés) que permite modelar y analizar la mayoría de los tipos de estructuras 3D y es adecuado para estructuras de mampostería. Por otro lado, se ha aplicado un método de modelado diferente e innovador denominado Frame Macro Elements (FME) con el software 3Muri, diseñado específicamente para evaluar el comportamiento lineal, no lineal y sísmico de las estructuras en mampostería.  Suponiendo la misma hipótesis para construir el modelo 3D de la estructura en cada código, los resultados de los análisis estáticos muestran una diferente repartición de las cargas verticales en la estructura, las que son más realísticas en el modelado FEM. Este diferente criterio de evaluación de las cargas verticales lleva un mecanismo de “piso suave”   In this project, a historic masonry building in Sardinia, Italy has been considered as a case study for the comparison of two approaches for modeling, static and seismic analysis. Two software with different modeling approaches were employed with the purpose of comparing and discussing the results. SismiCad12 was used to simulate the structural behavior of the historic masonry building. SismiCad12 uses the Finite Element Method (FEM) that allows to model and analyze most types of 3D structures, and it is suitable for masonry structures. On the other hand, a different and innovative modeling approach called Frame Macro Elements (FME) was also applied using the 3Muri software, specially designed for assessing the linear, nonlinear, and seismic behavior of masonry structures.  Assuming the same hypothesis to construct the 3D model of the structure in each code, the results of the static analysis show a different distribution of the vertical loads in the structure, which are more realistic in the FEM modeling. This different criterion of evaluation of the vertical loads carries a mechanism of "soft floor" in the pushover analysis in the FEM modeling, and therefore, a lower ultimate displacement corresponding to the collapse of the structure. On the other hand, in dynamic analyzes, FME modeling is more receptive to reality, involving a massive percentage of masses participating in the first vibration modes

3-D printed UWB microwave bodyscope for biomedical measurements

© 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes,creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.In this letter, a three-dimensional (3-D) printed compact ultrawideband (UWB) extended gap ridge horn (EGRH) antenna designed to be used for biological measurements of the human body is described. The operational frequency covers the microwave band of interest from 0.5 to 3.0 GHz (for an S 11 under -7 dB). The 3-D printed EGRH antenna is dielectrically matched to the permittivity of the human body, and because of its compactness, it can be visualized as a general-purpose microwave probe among the RF biomedical community. The probe has proven its capability as a pass-through propagation sensor for different parts of the human body and as a sensor detecting a 1 cm diameter object placed inside an artificial head phantom.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Sistema IoT para el monitoreo de variables climatológicas en cultivos de agricultura urbana

Based on the growing trend of urban agriculture, this work aims to build an IoT system for the monitoring and analysis of climatological variables of interest in urban agriculture crops. The methodology considered for conducting this research comprises four phases: selection of tools and technologies, design of the IoT system architecture, construction of the system’s prototype, and a case study in the context of lettuce crops. As a result of this research, an IoT system based on open hardware and software tools was built, which is articulated within the conventional 4-layer IoT architecture (capture, storage, analysis, and visualization). With respect to the existing solutions, the advantage of this system is the use of portable SBC platforms, as well as the inclusion of machine learning models within the analysis layer. From the case study, conducted on a home lettuce crop, it is concluded that the selected tools allow capturing, monitoring, and analyzing climatological variables of interest in urban agriculture crops. Likewise, it is concluded that the studied analysis models can be customized by considering the agroclimatic characteristics of each crop and that they are useful for decision-making related to crop physiology.A partir de la creciente tendencia de la agricultura urbana, este trabajo tiene por objetivo la construcción de un sistema IoT para la monitorización y el análisis de variables climatológicas de interés en cultivos de agricultura urbana. La metodología considerada para el desarrollo de la presente investigación está constituida por cuatro fases: selección de herramientas y tecnologías, diseño de arquitectura del sistema IoT, construcción de prototipo del sistema y estudio de caso en el contexto del cultivo de lechuga. Como resultado de la presente investigación, se construyó un sistema IoT basado en herramientas de hardware y software libre, el cual está articulado dentro de la arquitectura convencional de cuatro capas de IoT (captura, almacenamiento, análisis y visualización). Con respecto a las soluciones existentes, la ventaja del sistema es el uso de plataformas portables SBC, así como la inclusión de modelos de aprendizaje automático dentro de la capa de análisis. A partir del estudio de caso, desarrollado sobre un cultivo de lechuga casero, se concluye que las herramientas escogidas permiten realizar de manera adecuada la captura, la monitorización y el análisis de variables climatológicas de interés en cultivos de agricultura urbana. Del mismo modo, se concluye que los modelos de análisis considerados pueden ser personalizados teniendo en cuenta las características agroclimáticas de cada cultivo y que resultan útiles para la toma de decisiones relacionadas con la fisiología de los cultivos

A INOVAÇÃO NO PROCESSO JUDICIAL ELETRÔNICO DA BAHIA PARA ADMINISTRAÇÃO DA JUSTIÇA BRASILEIRA

Resumo: A tecnologia vem determinando uma mudança de rumo na área cultural, econômica e social na sociedade contemporânea. As mudanças ocorridas têm provocado grandes alterações em diversas áreas e organizações. O Poder Judiciário é uma instituição que sofre influência dessas mudanças e precisa se aprimorar administrativamente para atuar de uma forma eficaz perante a sociedade brasileira. Nesse passo, foi criado o Conselho Nacional de Justiça, uma instituição de caráter nacional, incumbido de aperfeiçoar o sistema judiciário brasileiro. Criou-se uma nova perspectiva para a Justiça com a criação de diretrizes e atuação em nível nacional. Diante de diversas atuações desse órgão, o presente trabalho retrata o processo judicial eletrônico e as mudanças oriundas da nova forma eletrônica de se administrar a Justiça. Procura-se demonstrar as diversas modificações advindas dessa ferramenta tecnológica no aspecto físico, funcional, operações de rotina, dentre outros. O trabalho vai mais além e demonstra como ferramentas tecnológicas, em especial data mining e business intelligence, podem, em trabalho conjunto com o PJe, aprimorar o trabalho da Justiça e fornecer subsídios para a tomada de decisão pelo gestor administrativo judicial através de indicadores de desempenho. Palavras-chave: Administração da Justiça. Conselho Nacional de Justiça. Processo Judicial Eletrônico. Abstract: The technology has indicated a change of course in cultural, economic, and social sectors in contemporary society. The changes occurred have caused major transformations in various areas and organizations. The judiciary is an institution that has been influenced by these changes and it needs to enhance administratively to act in an effective manner before the Brazilian society. In accordance with this purpose, the National Council of Justice was created, a national character institution mandated to improve the Brazilian judicial system. As result of this breakthrough, a new perspective emerged for Justice with the creation of guidelines and operates at national level. Therefore, this work depicts the electronic judicial process and the changes being arisen from the new electronic way of administrating justice. Yet it seeks to reveal the various changes arising from this technological tool to the physical, functional aspect, routine operations, amongst others. The work goes further and demonstrates how technological tools, especially data mining and business intelligence might work together with PJe, to enhance the work of the Justice and provide information required for decision making by the judicial administrative manager through key performance indicators.Keywords: Administration of Justice. National Council of Justice. Electronic Judicial Process

A Comprehensive Pediatric Asthma Management Program Reduces Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations

We evaluated the impact of a comprehensive pediatric asthma management program (the Children's Asthma Wellness Program, CAWP) on the frequency of emergency department (ED) visits and hospital admissions. The CAWP generally consisted of 4 clinic sessions over a 1-year period, but some patients attended fewer clinic sessions, and some required additional clinic sessions due to incomplete asthma control. Patients were evaluated and treated by pediatric pulmonologists, nurse asthma care coordinator/educator, and social worker. We retrospectively reviewed program results over an 8-year period (2005?2013). We compared ED visits and hospital admissions before and after participation in the CAWP. There were 254 children referred to the CAWP; 172 children were enrolled. Fifty-four children (31%) received >6 sessions due to incomplete asthma control. On average, children requiring additional clinic sessions were older and more likely to be African American, hold Medicaid insurance, and have severe asthma. We obtained a minimum of 1-year preprogram and 1-year postprogram administrative data for 86 children (50%). Using each participating child as his/her own control, we found that taking part in the program decreased the risk of ED visits to 0.26 times the preprogram rate (P?Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140178/1/ped.2015.0561.pd

Environmental and Health Benefits Assessment of Reducing PM2.5 Concentrations in Urban Areas in Developing Countries: Case Study Cartagena de Indias

High concentrations of particulate matter (PM) could significantly reduce the quality of useful life and human life expectancy. The origin, control, and management of the problem has made great steps in recent decades. However, the problem is still prominent in developing countries. In fact, often the number and spatial distribution of the air quality monitoring stations does not have an appropriate design, misleading decision makers. In the present research, an innovative assessment is proposed of the environmental, health and economic benefits corresponding to a 20% reduction in the PM2.5 concentration in the urban area of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Cases of mortality and morbidity attributable to fine particles (PM2.5) were estimated, with particular emphasis on mortality, emergency room visits and hospitalizations from respiratory diseases, in addition to their economic assessment using BenMAP-CE®. The novelty of using BenMAP-CE® in studying respiratory diseases and PM2.5 exposure in developing countries lies in its ability to provide a comprehensive assessment of the health impacts of air pollution in these regions. This approach can aid in the development of evidence-based policy and intervention strategies to mitigate the impact of air pollution on respiratory health. Several concentration-response (C-R) functions were implemented to find PM2.5 attributable mortality cases of ischemic heart and cardiopulmonary disease, lung cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as cases of morbidity episodes related to asthma exacerbation and emergency room/hospitalization care for respiratory disease. A 20% reduction would have avoided 104 cases of premature death among the population older than 30 in Cartagena, and around 65 cases of premature mortality without external causes

Catálogo de Ações da Agência UNEB de Inovação Durante o Ano de 2018 com Base na Estratégia Nacional de CT&I do Brasil 2016-2022

This research gathers participatory propositions of intervention in the UNEB Innovation Agency, UNEB's Center for Technological Innovation, through a catalog, aiming at strengthening the sector in an adverse scenario within the Bahia Local Innovation System, as well as serving as a reference for taking action. decisions in other similar environments. To do so, the methodology adopted was action research in line with the National Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2016-2022 of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications. The work then brought together six intervention proposals during the year 2018 that were scrutinized and cataloged. At the end, the research discusses the benefits of the UNEB Innovation Agency's Action Catalog during 2018 as a tool for dialogue not only with Brazil's National ST&I Strategy 2016-2022, but also with the new legislation and its proposed guise for the NIT.A presente pesquisa reúne proposições participativas de intervenção na Agência UNEB de Inovação, Núcleo de Inovação Tecnológica da UNEB, através de um catálogo, visando ao fortalecimento do setor num cenário adverso dentro do Sistema Local de Inovação da Bahia, bem como servir de referência para tomada de decisões em outros ambientes semelhantes. Para o feito, a metodologia adotada foi a pesquisa-ação em consonância com a Estratégia Nacional de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação 2016-2022 do Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovações e Comunicações do Brasil. O trabalho, então, reuniu seis propostas de intervenção durante o ano de 2018 esmiuçadas e catalogadas. Ao final, a pesquisa discute os benefícios do Catálogo de Ações da Agência UNEB de Inovação durante o ano de 2018 como uma ferramenta de diálogo não só com a Estratégia Nacional de CT&I do Brasil 2016-2022, mas também com a nova legislação e sua roupagem proposta para os NIT

Spatiotemporal Analysis of PM2.5 Concentrations on the Incidence of Childhood Asthma in Developing Countries: Case Study of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

The increase in airborne pollution in large cities since the mid-20th century has had a physiologically proven impact on respiratory health, resulting in the irritation and corrosion of the alveolar wall. One of the demographics of the population most affected by this problem is children. This study focuses on the relationship between particulate matter of 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and childhood asthma, which is one of the main respiratory diseases identified in developing countries. The city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, is taken as a case study. A relevant correlation between childhood asthma and PM2.5 is found. Incidence series of paediatric asthma on a monthly scale and PM2.5 records in the city of Cartagena are considered. As is common in developing countries, the series was incomplete due to a lack of experts and insufficient economical resources. Therefore, several statistical and analytical processes were applied to provide sufficient quality to the series. An improvement of the time scale of the records was carried out, as well as the completion (statistical imputation) of missing data due to low statistical significance, by applying Rstudio®, PAST® and SPSS®. The last phases consisted of the determination of the main factors that cause childhood asthma incidence, the estimation of the correlation between asthma incidence and PM2.5, as well as the estimation of health impact. A reduction in PM2.5 concentration was simulated using BenMap-CE software to reach safe levels according to the WHO guidelines on air quality to identify preventable cases of childhood asthma, as air pollution has been found to be related to this disease. In addition, a log-linear model was applied to determine the number of hospital visits avoided after reducing the levels of PM2.5 concentration to the maximum levels recommended by WHO. The results showed a good agreement between childhood asthma incidence and PM2.5 pollutants in the spectral analysis (75% coincidence) and Chi2 (85.5% of coincidence) assessments, while visual correlation, mean and linear regression showed lower relations (61.0%, 55.5% and 0.48%, respectively). A reduction to a safe level of 5 μg/m3 would lead to a reduction of 240 annual cases of childhood asthma (95% CI: 137–330)

Analysis of PM2.5 and Meteorological Variables Using Enhanced Geospatial Techniques in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Cartagena de Indias City (Colombia)

The dispersion of air pollutants and the spatial representation of meteorological variables are subject to complex atmospheric local parameters. To reduce the impact of particulate matter (PM2.5) on human health, it is of great significance to know its concentration at high spatial resolution. In order to monitor its effects on an exposed population, geostatistical analysis offers great potential to obtain high-quality spatial representation mapping of PM2.5 and meteorological variables. The purpose of this study was to define the optimal spatial representation of PM2.5, relative humidity, temperature and wind speed in the urban district in Cartagena, Colombia. The lack of data due to the scarcity of stations called for an ad hoc methodology, which included the interpolation implementing an ordinary kriging (OK) model, which was fed by data obtained through the inverse distance weighting (IDW) model. To consider wind effects, empirical Bayesian kriging regression prediction (EBK) was implemented. The application of these interpolation methods clarified the areas across the city that exceed the recommended limits of PM2.5 concentrations (Zona Franca, Base Naval and Centro district), and described in a continuous way, on the surface, three main weather variables. Positive correlations were obtained for relative humidity (R2 of 0.47), wind speed (R2 of 0.59) and temperature (R2 of 0.64)