Finite volume analysis of reinforced concrete structure cracking using a thermo-plastic-damage model

This paper proposes modifications to the phenomenological model formulation called CDPM2, developed by Grassl et al. [1]. The proposed modifications are designed to enhance model performance with coupling to temperature effects. A very strong coupling between nonlinear elasticity, plasticity, nonlocal damage evolution and temperature gradient is used to simulate arbitrary crack propagation. The use of FVM to model solid damage is a numerical challenge. This approach presents some advantages such as: ensuring that discretization is conservative even when the geometry is changing; providing a simple formulation that can be obtained directly from a difference method; and employing unstructured meshes. Most authors have neglected the nonlinearity of concrete in the elastic domain from the start of loading to the plastic domain. In this paper we confirm that concrete rheology is not linear even under low loading. Also, since the so-called fracture energy is a key parameter needed to determine the size of cracks and how they propagate in space, we consider that the fracture energy is both material and geometrical parameter dependent. For this reason, we developed a new approach which includes adaptive mesh, nonlinear rheology and thermal effects to re-calculate fracture energy at each time step. Many authors use a constant value obtained from experiments to calculate fracture energy; others use a numerical correlation. In this study, the fracture energy parameter is not constant and can vary with temperature or/and with a change in geometry due to concrete failure. As is well known, the mesh quality of complex geometries is very important for making accurate predictions. A new meshing tool was developed using the C++ programming language. This tool is faster, more accurate and produces a high-quality structured mesh. The predictions obtained were compared to a wide variety of experimental data and showed good agreement

Immune Dysregulation in MDS: The Role of Cytokines and Immune Cells

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a hematopoietic stem cell disorder affecting individuals over the age of 60 years. It is characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and extensive apoptosis of hematopoietic cells. MDS patients are at a high risk of transforming in to acute myeloid leukemia. The main cause of apoptosis and escape from immune surveillance in MDS is immune dysregulation caused by a number of factors such as aberrant cytokine production and influence of various immune cells. In the past decade various pro-inflammatory cytokines and a number of immune cells such as Natural Killer cells, regulatory T cells, cytotoxic T cells, mesenchymal stem cells, myeloid derived suppressor cells and dendritic cells have been implicated in immune dysregulation leading to MDS pathogenesis. In this review we focus on the current data available on the role of these immune factors

Spatial and Temporal Variability Regarding Forest: From Tree to the Landscape

Spatial and temporal variability in forest has become a topic attracting great attention regarding the role of the forest ecosystems in biogeochemical cycles, climate change and biological diversity and in human society. Advances in the natural sciences have brought insights into and a better understanding about the patterns and processes at different spatial and temporal scales. At the same time, this supports a better management of the forest ecosystems and landscapes. Variability from the tree level to the landscape is addressed. Tree characteristics and functions, forest stand dynamics and ecological succession to forest landscape ecology are put together, considering their interrelations and dependencies. Managing forest stands and variability at different scales is described and discussed, including the scope of sustainability. An evaluation of forest and landscape characteristics in Portugal is performed with propositions considering these different elementsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Beberapa Faktor Risiko Yang Berhubungan Dengan Kematian Pasien Pneumonia Komunitas Di Rsup Dr. Kariadi Semarang

Background : Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is both an infectious disease with a substantial prevalence in Indonesia and one of the 10 leading causes of death worldwide. Therefore, researches about risk factors influencing death in CAP patients are required.Aim : To analyze risk factors associated with death among patients with CAP in RSUP Dr. Kariadi Semarang.Methods : This is an analytic observational research with a cross-sectional design. The sample was 96 adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia who were registered in RSUP Dr. Kariadi Semarang from July 2013 to July 2014. The data for risk factors were taken from secondary source which was their medical records. The risk factors studied here were sex, age, history of smoking, diabetes mellitus, asthma, serum natrium concentration, respiratory rate, blood pressure, body temperature, neoplasms, and death, each of which were categorized binomial categorically. The association between risk factors and death was statistically analyzed using Chi-square followed by logistic regression.Results : Risk factors associated with death in CAP patients in this research are diabetes mellitus with prevalence ratio (PR) 4,7 (95% CI: 1,2 – 18,3), respiratory rate (>30x/minute) with PR 10,9 (95% CI: 3,0 – 39,6), blood pressure systolic <90 mmHg or diastolic ≤60 mmHg) with RP 8,8 (95% CI: 2,4 – 32,0), temperature (<35°C atau ≥40°C) with PR 25,0 (95% CI: 2,7 – 245,9), and neoplasm with PR 10,2 (95% CI: 2,2 – 47,0).Conclusion : Risk factors associated with death among community-acquired pneumonia patients are respiratory rate, blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and neoplasm

The Portuguese National Ecological Reserve – A Mapping Tool for Landscape Planning

In Portugal, one of the legal frameworks which directly protect the fundamental systems of landscape is the National Ecological Reserve (REN). This instrument was created by the landscape architect Ribeiro Telles in 1983 and at that time its inclusion in the legislative system was considered a pioneering concept in the field of environmental protection. Alongside, it was created the National Agricultural Reserve (1982) that aims agricultural land protection which together with the Natura 2000, other classified areas, and National Ecological Reserve assembles the Fundamental Network of Nature Conservation (2008). The National Ecological Reserve safeguards fundamental natural cycles and also a wide range of interfaces with high ecological value and sensitivity (beaches, marshes, dunes, cliffs, banks and flood threatened area by floods and sea). This legal framework includes the landscape systems which are critical to ecological stability assurance. Therefore, it constitutes a basic and diversified biophysical structure that guarantees the ecosystems protection which is essential to human activities. At the municipal land use plan the Ecological Reserve delimitation is mandatory and forbids urban construction on those areas. It has been understood by local administration and private promoters as a blockage for local development by preventing built up areas. Until now, it has been pointed some difficulties regarding the clarity of the delimitation criteria that led to discontinuities between adjacent municipalities and created some obstacles to its implementation. However, this legal framework has allowed landscape protection and prevented some serious environmental problems. Currently, National Ecological Reserve is undergoing through profound regulation changes that are leading to its dissolution. This fact has become inconsistent with the current European guidelines which strengthen the necessity of biodiversity protection - European biodiversity strategy (2011) - and nature conservation through the implementation of green infrastructures. These infrastructures are a support network of biodiversity and ecosystems that integrate the National Ecological Reserve. Since the beginning of the 90’s, the Research Centre for Landscape Architecture “Prof. Caldeira Cabral” (CEAP / TUL) has been developing methodologies to improve the delineation of National Ecological Reserve criteria as part of the Ecological Network. This research is based on a positive vision of landscape as a resource of life-support services enlarging the current restrictive view of land use to a multifunctional approach

Ready to use therapeutical beverages: focus on functional beverages containing probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics

The growing global interest in functional foods containing nutrients capable of adding possible beneficial health effects is rapidly increasing both interest and consumer demand. In particular, functionalized beverages for their potential positive effect on health e.g., decreasing cholesterol level, lowering sugar, high fiber content, ability to enhance the immune system, and help digestion, have recently received special attention. Among the different beverages available on the market, probiotic dairy and non-dairy products have attracted much attention because of their affordable cost and their numerous therapeutic activities. Fermented milk and yogurt are currently worth €46 billion, with 77% of the market reported in Europe, North America, and Asia. Consumption of dairy beverages has some limitations due for example to lactose intolerance and allergy to milk proteins, thereby leading consumers to use non-dairy beverages such as fruit, grains, and vegetable juices to add probiotics to diet as well as driving the manufacturers to food matrices-based beverages containing probiotic cultures. The purpose of this review article is to evaluate the therapeutic performance and properties of dairy and non-dairy beverages in terms of probiotic, prebiotic, and synbiotic activities.This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the framework of the Strategic Funding UID/FIS/04650/2020, UID/BIO/04469/2020 and UID/QUI/00686/2020, and projects PTDC/BTM-MAT/28237/2017 and PTDC/EMD-EMD/28159/2017 and Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry—LAQV, financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UIDB/50006/2020). The authors also thank the FCT for the SFRH/BPD/121526/2016 (DMC) grant. The authors acknowledge funding by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) and from the Basque Government Industry and Education Departments under the ELKARTEK, HAZITEK and PIBA (PIBA-2018-06) programs, respectively.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

FIRELAN - An ecologically based planning model towards a fire resilient and sustainable landscape. A case study in Center Region of Portugal

This paper explores the role of landscape planning as a tool for rural fire prevention. It presents a methodology for a fire resilient and sustainable landscape model (FIRELAN) that articulates the ecological and cultural components in a suitable and multifunction land-use plan. FIRELAN is a conceptual and ecologically based model that recognizes river basin’ land morphology, microclimate and species combustibility as the fundamental factors that determine fire behavior and landscape resilience, along with the ecological network (EN) for achieving ecological sustainability of the landscape. The model is constituted by the FIRELAN Network and the Complementary Areas. This network ensures the effectiveness of discontinuities in the landscape with less combustible landuses. It also functions as a fire-retardant technique and protection of wildland-urban interface (WUI). This model is applied to municipalities from Portugal’s center region, a simplified landscape severely damaged by recurrent rural fires. The results show that land-use and tree species composition should change drastically, whereas about 72% of the case study needs transformation actions. This requires a significant increase of native or archaeophytes species, agricultural areas, landscape discontinuities and the restoration of biodiversity in Natura 2000 areas. The EN components are 79% of the FIRELAN N area, whose implementation ensures soil and water conservation, biodiversity and habitats. This paper contributes to the discussion of the Portuguese rural fires planning frameworkinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sequence variability in p27 gene of Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV) revealed by SSCP analysis

Citrus tristeza closterovirus (CTV), is a phloem-limited virus transmitted by aphids in a semipersistent manner. The genome of CTV is composed of a ssRNA with two capsid proteins: CP, covering about 95% of the particle length, and a diverged coat protein (dCP), present only in one end of the particle, forming a rattlesnake structure. dCP is the product of p27 gene for which it is also postulated a function in the transmissibility by aphid vectors. Hybridization analysis showed a p27 gene region, which exhibits different patterns with two probes derived from two biological distinct CTV isolates. In an attempt to screen whether that gene region differs in mild and severe strains, six CTV isolates belonging to different biogroups were compared for variations in their p27 gene by analysis of single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). The p27 gene was reverse transcribed and amplified by PCR and thirty clones of each isolate were obtained. From each clone, two fragments of the gene were amplified by PCR: fragment (a), 459 bp long, and fragment (b), 281 bp long. Sequence variations in both gene fragments were studied by SSCP analysis. A variety of SSCP patterns was obtained from each isolate, being isolates belonging to the groups II-IV and III those with the higher and lower number of them. Moreover, SSCP analysis provided a rapid procedure to screen the genetic heterogeneity of the viral isolates reducing considerably the amount of nucleic acid sequenciation necessary to gain that knowledge.Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecula