The development of air traffic in Sicily

The aim of this work is to analyse the air traffic development that interested the airport system in Sicily, consisting of the airport of Palermo “Falcone –Borsellino”, the airport of Catania “Fontanarossa” and that one of Trapani-Birgi “Vincenzo Florio”. The analysis of the possible growth of air traffic volume and performance in Sicily was mainly suggested by the growing importance of the Mediterranean region like a new crossroad of the worldwide traffic on the East-West line. It gives a new chance for the development of this area that mustn’t be loosed. Globalization and the migrant flows from South and East towards the Western Europe, makes of the southern Italy a strategic knot for passengers and goods movements. So, new investments and infrastructures improvements that will be realized in this area are a value added not only for the southern Italy but also for the whole country. We have examined the potential demand attraction for passengers and goods movements in the Sicilian airports considered. For a more careful evaluation of the changes occurred into Sicilian air transport system, the research aimed to: § determine their "catchment area" through the evaluation of accessibility (isochrones); § analyse the air traffic data and the existing degree of integration, not only between the airports and the area, but also in terms of demand in the short and in the long period. Finally, we have evaluated the possibility of integration of traffic flows management among the two airports of Palermo and Trapani, in order to analyse if this two airports are complementary rather than competitors.

Mechanical performance of steel reinforcing bars in uncorroded and corroded conditions

The paper presents data coming from a wide experimental test campaign executed on different typologies of steel reinforcing bars representative of the actual European production scenario. Tensile and low-cycle fatigue tests have been executed to assess the mechanical performance of reinforcing bars under monotonic and cyclic/seismic conditions. The effects of exposure to aggressive environmental conditions have been reproduced through accelerated salt-spray chamber. Residual mechanical performance of corroded specimens has been analyzed as function of corrosion indicators such as mass loss and necking

Effects of the restoration actions to combat desertification on soils: the practice project study site in Pula (Sardinia, Italy)

Land Degradation and Desertification affect much of the world’s drylands, resulting in a significant loss of biological and economic productivity. Responding to desertification by improving the efficiency of land and resource management represents a crucial step towards social welfare in drylands. However, the evaluation of the actions to combat desertification remains limited. The PRACTICE EC-FP7 project develops and tests integrated evaluation protocols to assess the effectiveness of restoration practices in a network of study sites distributed among the most LD affected regions of the world

Dataset on the cyclic experimental behavior of Steel frames with Reinforced Concrete infill Walls

This paper presents the experimental data on the cyclic behavior of Steel frames with Reinforced Concrete infill Walls (SRCW). Two specimens, characterized by a different shear studs distribution, have been tested: the first one is provided with shear studs positioned only in the four corners of the steel frame; the second one presents shear studs all distributed along the perimeter of the steel frame except for the zone of the dissipative fuses. The overall setup, loading protocol, collapse mechanisms, force-displacement curves for both the whole system and the main single components are described for the two tested prototypes

Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility through Twitter: a topic model analysis on selected companies

[EN] Social media are fundamental in creating new opportunities for firms and they represent a relevant tool for the communication and the engagement with customers. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the communication of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities on Twitter. We consider the listed companies included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index and we implement a topic model analysis on their timelines. In order to identify the topic discussed, their correlation, and their evolution over time and sectors, we apply the Structural Topic Model algorithm, which allows estimating the model including document-level metadata. This model proves to be a powerful tool for topic detection and for estimating the effects of document-level metadata. Indeed, we find that the topics are overall well identified, and the model allows catching signals from the data. Finally, we discuss issues related to the validity of the analysis, including data quality problems.Salvatore, C.; Bianchi, A.; Biffignandi, S. (2020). Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility through Twitter: a topic model analysis on selected companies. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 269-277. https://doi.org/10.4995/CARMA2020.2020.11646OCS26927

Numerical modelling, analysis and retrofit of the historical masonry building "La Sapienza" in Pisa

The evaluation of the structural safety and seismic vulnerability of historical masonry buildings represents one of the most important problems affecting countries, like Italy, characterized by a wide cultural heritage whose original configuration shall be preserved against unexpected seismic events or insufficient maintenance. Recent earthquakes in the Italian regions (Umbria-Marche 1997, Molise 2002, L'Aquila 2009 and Emilia-Romagna 2012) evidenced the high vulnerability of historical masonry buildings, severely damaged in both their structural and not-structural components (i.e. walls, vaults, domes, arches, ornaments and others) and the following significant economic effort required for the execution of retrofit interventions. According to the actual Italian Standard for Constructions (D.M. 14/01/2008) and to the Guidelines provided by the Italian Ministry for Infrastructures for the evaluation and reduction of seismic risk on historical heritage (2010), a multi-level approach is generally adopted for the assessment of the structural safety and seismic vulnerability of ancient masonry buildings and for the design of retrofit interventions. In the present work, the above mentioned multi-level approach is applied to "La Sapienza" Palace in Pisa (Italy). The building, ancient seat of the University of Pisa, was subjected to a wide in situ structural survey and to experimental testing campaigns (including geotechnical analyses, mechanical characterization of materials, structural monitoring and other) allowing the elaboration of a reliable FEM model used for the execution of structural verifications and for the individuation of the main retrofit techniques able to preserve its original nature providing, at the same time, a sufficient margin of structural safety

Evaluation of structural safety and seismic vulnerability of historical masonry buildings: studies and applications in the Tuscany Region

Recent earthquakes in Italian regions evidenced the high vulnerability of historical masonry existing buildings: severe damages were revealed in structural and not structural elements with the following loss of lives and of significative examples of the Italian architectural tradition, often requiring a strong financial effort to be carried back to their ancient brightness. The majority of the Italian buildings' heritage is made up of masonry constructions with high architectural, historical and monumental impact, enlarged over the centuries without an organized scheme and consequently characterized by structural and not structural problems often increased by the loss of an accurate maintenance. The Italian Standards for Constructions and the guidelines provided by the Ministry for Infrastructures for the evaluation and reduction of seismic risk on historical heritage pay a lot of attention towards the vulnerability analysis of existing buildings, necessary for the elaboration of a project providing higher level of structural static and seismic safety without deleting the original nature of the building. In the present work, the structural analyses of two historical masonry buildings, Palazzo La Sapienza in Pisa and Palazzo Ducale in Massa are presented

Dynamic investigation on the Mirandola bell tower in post-earthquake scenarios

After the seismic events of the 20th and 29th of May 2012 in Emilia (Italy), most of the monumental and historic buildings of the area were severely damaged. In a few structures, partial collapse mechanisms were observed (e.g. façade tilting, out-of-plane overturning of panels…). This paper presents the case-study of the bell tower of the Santa Maria Maggiore cathedral, located in Mirandola (Italy). The dynamic response of the structure was evaluated through operational modal analysis using ambient vibrations, a consolidated non-destructive procedure that estimates the dynamic parameters of the bell-tower. The dynamic tests were carried out in pre-intervention and post-intervention conditions in order to understand the sensitivity of dynamic measurements to safety interventions. Furthermore, a comparative study is made with similar cases of undamaged masonry towers up to the 6th mode. Finally, an investigation on the state of connections and of the building itself is carried out via FE model updating