Dynamic identification and model updating of an eight-storey CLT building

So far, few in situtests have been carried out to estimate the modal parameters of multi-storey Cross-Laminated-Timber (CLT) buildings: the understanding of their dynamic behaviour under operational conditions is still an open issue. In this paper, the results of the dynamic identification of an eight-storey CLT building are reported and interpreted in the light of a simplified shear-type analytical model. The structural model is calibrated on the experimental modal parameters, which are assessed using the Stochastic Subspace Identification (SSI). The SSI provides mode shapes, natural frequencies and damping factors of the structures in its first linear response range; The minimum of a modal-based objective function gives an estimation of the unknown parameters of the structural model. Given the results of the dynamic identification, the storey-masses are the chosen optimization parameters: the values of the experimental eigenfrequencies likely reveal a continuum-like behaviour of the building without connections. The identified storey masses are indeed realistic and confirm the negligible role of the connections in the low-amplitude dynamic response. The nonlinear effects of connections over the building response to higher displacements are discussed, providing simplified and practice-oriented correlations for the first natural frequency estimation.acceptedVersio

Characterization of thiamine uptake and utilization in Candida spp. subjected to oxidative stress

Candida species are associated with an increasing number of life-threatening infections (candidiases), mainly due to the high resistance of these yeast-like fungi to antifungal drugs and oxidative stress. Recently, thiamine (vitamin B1) was found to alleviate stress responses in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; however, thiamine influence on defense systems in pathogenic fungi has never been investigated. The current work was aimed to elucidate the role of thiamine in stress reactions of C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis and C. dubliniensis, subjected to hydrogen peroxide treatment. As compared to S. cerevisiae, Candida strains exposed to oxidative stress showed: (i) a much higher dependence on exogenous thiamine; (ii) an increased demand for thiamine diphosphate (TDP) and TDP-dependent enzyme, transketolase; (iii) no changes in gene expression of selected stress markers - superoxide dismutase and catalase - depending on thiamine availability in medium; (iv) a similar decrease of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in the presence of thiamine. Moreover, the addition of therapeutic doses of thiamine to yeast culture medium revealed differences in its accumulation between various Candida species. The current findings implicate that the protective action of thiamine observed in S. cerevisiae differs significantly form that in pathogenic Candida strains, both in terms of the cofactor functions of TDP and the effects on fungal defense systems

Buckling capacity model for timber screws loaded in compression: Experimental, analytical and FE investigations

This paper investigates the buckling of screws loaded in compression inserted into timber members. Screws are often used as a reinforcement in timber structures. However, under compression forces, they are prone to axial buckling. The current model for the screw buckling, enclosed in the EC5 proposal, is based on the general framework of EC3 for the instability of compressed steel members. The main shortcomings of the current formulation for the buckling of screws are the following. (1) The analytical expression for calculating the theoretical buckling load does not follow the observed modes. (2) Due to the need for dedicated studies, the value of the imperfection coefficient is arbitrarily chosen. This paper fills the above gaps. Firstly, a simple analytical expression for predicting the buckling of screws is proposed and validated against experimental and finite element (FE) findings. Furthermore, the formulation adopts a more accurate expression for lateral deformation based on experimental observation. Secondly, a FE model calibrated on experimental tests is used to estimate the defect coefficients of the instability curves as a function of the amplitude of the geometric defects of the screw, expressed as a fraction of its length. Finally, a Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis is carried out to simulate the capacity of screws with different sizes, assuming the uncertainty of all input parameters sampled from suitable probability distributions. The results are used to validate the proposed deterministic capacity model and estimate the uncertainty factors of the design equation

Cellular Prion Protein and Caveolin-1 Interaction in a Neuronal Cell Line Precedes Fyn/Erk 1/2 Signal Transduction

It has been reported that cellular prion protein (PrPc) is enriched in caveolae or caveolae-like domains with caveolin-1 (Cav-1) participating to signal transduction events by Fyn kinase recruitment. By using the Glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-fusion proteins assay, we observed that PrPc strongly interacts in vitro with Cav-1. Thus, we ascertained the PrPc caveolar localization in a hypothalamic neuronal cell line (GN11), by confocal microscopy analysis, flotation on density gradient, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Following the anti-PrPc antibody-mediated stimulation of live GN11 cells, we observed that PrPc clustered on plasma membrane domains rich in Cav-1 in which Fyn kinase converged to be activated. After these events, a signaling cascade through p42/44 MAP kinase (Erk 1/2) was triggered, suggesting that following translocations from rafts to caveolae or caveolaelike domains PrPc could interact with Cav-1 and induce signal transduction events

The Effect of Obesity Management on Body Image in Patients Seeking Treatment at Medical Centers

treatment- seeking patients with obesity. We aimed to investigate the effects of obesity management on body image in patients with obesity attending Italian medical centers for weight loss programs. Research Methods and Procedures: A total of 473 obese patients seeking treatment in 13 Italian medical centers (80% females; age, 45.9 standard deviation 11.0 years; BMI, 36.8 5.7 kg/m2) were evaluated at baseline and after a 6-month weight loss treatment. Body uneasiness, psychiatric distress, and binge eating were tested by Body Uneasiness Test (BUT, Part A), Symptom CheckList-90 (SCL- 90), and Binge Eating Scale (BES), respectively. Results: At 6-month follow-up, the percentage weight loss was significantly higher in men (9.0 6.3%) than in women (6.8 7.3%; p 0.010). Both men and women had a significant improvement in BUT Global Severity Index and in all of the BUT subscales with the exception of the Compulsive Self-Monitoring subscale. Linear regression analysis selected baseline psychological and behavioral measures (global score of BUT and SCL-90) and improved psychiatric distress and binge eating as independent predictors of changes in basal body dissatisfaction in females, whereas in males, changes were associated only with baseline BUT-Global Severity Index score, binge eating, and its treatment-associated improvement. Pre-treatment BMI and BMI changes did not enter the regression. Discussion: Obesity treatment, even with a modest degree of weight loss, is associated with a significant improvement of body image, in both females and males. This effect depends mainly on psychological factors, not on the amount of weight loss

Experimental investigation on the behaviour of glued-in rod joints in timber beams subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading

Glued-in rod connections for timber beams are increasingly being used, as they offer high strength and stiffness and a better appearance in comparison with traditional mechanical connections. First, a campaign of experimental tests on glued-in threaded steel rod joints subjected to monotonic bending moments was carried out checking the effect of a confining system for the bars (transversal screws), the different arrangement of the rods or varying the mechanical characteristics of the steel of the bars. A negligible effect on joint ductility was observed using transversal screws whereas with a correct design and a proper choice of rod steel grade an important ductile behaviour was achieved. The experiments were then extended to cyclic tests so to emphasize the cyclic performance of glued-in rod joints under bending moments. The aim was mainly to understand the joint structural response under cyclic loads, simulating the effects of seismic action. The test results indicate that the joint can initially develop a high dissipative capacity, but after a few cycles, the energy dissipation is considerably reduced by the occurrence of longitudinal splitting in the timber edge of the joining bars leading to lateral instability of the rods

The STRIP instrument of the Large Scale Polarization Explorer: microwave eyes to map the Galactic polarized foregrounds

In this paper we discuss the latest developments of the STRIP instrument of the "Large Scale Polarization Explorer" (LSPE) experiment. LSPE is a novel project that combines ground-based (STRIP) and balloon-borne (SWIPE) polarization measurements of the microwave sky on large angular scales to attempt a detection of the "B-modes" of the Cosmic Microwave Background polarization. STRIP will observe approximately 25% of the Northern sky from the "Observatorio del Teide" in Tenerife, using an array of forty-nine coherent polarimeters at 43 GHz, coupled to a 1.5 m fully rotating crossed-Dragone telescope. A second frequency channel with six-elements at 95 GHz will be exploited as an atmospheric monitor. At present, most of the hardware of the STRIP instrument has been developed and tested at sub-system level. System-level characterization, starting in July 2018, will lead STRIP to be shipped and installed at the observation site within the end of the year. The on-site verification and calibration of the whole instrument will prepare STRIP for a 2-years campaign for the observation of the CMB polarization.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation conference "Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy IX", on June 15th, 2018, Austin (TX

Detection chain and electronic readout of the QUBIC instrument

The Q and U Bolometric Interferometer for Cosmology (QUBIC) Technical Demonstrator (TD) aiming to shows the feasibility of the combination of interferometry and bolometric detection. The electronic readout system is based on an array of 128 NbSi Transition Edge Sensors cooled at 350mK readout with 128 SQUIDs at 1K controlled and amplified by an Application Specific Integrated Circuit at 40K. This readout design allows a 128:1 Time Domain Multiplexing. We report the design and the performance of the detection chain in this paper. The technological demonstrator unwent a campaign of test in the lab. Evaluation of the QUBIC bolometers and readout electronics includes the measurement of I-V curves, time constant and the Noise Equivalent Power. Currently the mean Noise Equivalent Power is ~ 2 x 10⁻¹⁶ W/√Hz

Rationale and design of an independent randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of aripiprazole or haloperidol in combination with clozapine for treatment-resistant schizophrenia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>One third to two thirds of people with schizophrenia have persistent psychotic symptoms despite clozapine treatment. Under real-world circumstances, the need to provide effective therapeutic interventions to patients who do not have an optimal response to clozapine has been cited as the most common reason for simultaneously prescribing a second antipsychotic drug in combination treatment strategies. In a clinical area where the pressing need of providing therapeutic answers has progressively increased the occurrence of antipsychotic polypharmacy, despite the lack of robust evidence of its efficacy, we sought to implement a pre-planned protocol where two alternative therapeutic answers are systematically provided and evaluated within the context of a pragmatic, multicentre, independent randomised study.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>The principal clinical question to be answered by the present project is the relative efficacy and tolerability of combination treatment with clozapine plus aripiprazole compared with combination treatment with clozapine plus haloperidol in patients with an incomplete response to treatment with clozapine over an appropriate period of time. This project is a prospective, multicentre, randomized, parallel-group, superiority trial that follow patients over a period of 12 months. Withdrawal from allocated treatment within 3 months is the primary outcome.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The implementation of the protocol presented here shows that it is possible to create a network of community psychiatric services that accept the idea of using their everyday clinical practice to produce randomised knowledge. The employed pragmatic attitude allowed to randomly allocate more than 100 individuals, which means that this study is the largest antipsychotic combination trial conducted so far in Western countries. We expect that the current project, by generating evidence on whether it is clinically useful to combine clozapine with aripiprazole rather than with haloperidol, provides physicians with a solid evidence base to be directly applied in the routine care of patients with schizophrenia.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p><b>Clincaltrials.gov Identifier</b>: NCT00395915</p