Nonlinear viscous damping and tuned mass damper design for occupant comfort in flexible tall buildings subjected to wind loading

During wind events, tall buildings may exhibit floor accelerations levels that compromise occupant comfort. The use of energy dissipating devices to reduce peak floor accelerations is a sound strategy to improve building performance. The estimation of mean peak floor accelerations of a steel-frame building subjected to random wind forces and the design procedure of supplemental nonlinear viscous dampers to improve occupant comfort in one-year recurrence wind events are described in this paper. A stochastic wind load model is developed to estimate acceleration performance; drag, lift and torsional moments at each story are defined as random stationary processes by the definition of their cross-spectral density matrix. Wind tunnel results and computational fluid dynamic analyses are used to fine-tune the stochastic load models. Reduced-order structural models of the tower are developed to estimate the frequency response function from floor loadings to floor accelerations at corners points of the buildings. Statistical linearization is used to estimate the performance of the buildings with non-linear viscous dampers installed in different configurations. Floor acceleration reductions achieved with supplemental viscous dampers and a tuned mass damper are evaluated to comply with occupant performance standards.Publicado en: Mecánica Computacional vol. XXXV, no. 12Facultad de Ingenierí

Nonlinear viscous damping and tuned mass damper design for occupant comfort in flexible tall buildings subjected to wind loading

During wind events, tall buildings may exhibit floor accelerations levels that compromise occupant comfort. The use of energy dissipating devices to reduce peak floor accelerations is a sound strategy to improve building performance. The estimation of mean peak floor accelerations of a steel-frame building subjected to random wind forces and the design procedure of supplemental nonlinear viscous dampers to improve occupant comfort in one-year recurrence wind events are described in this paper. A stochastic wind load model is developed to estimate acceleration performance; drag, lift and torsional moments at each story are defined as random stationary processes by the definition of their cross-spectral density matrix. Wind tunnel results and computational fluid dynamic analyses are used to fine-tune the stochastic load models. Reduced-order structural models of the tower are developed to estimate the frequency response function from floor loadings to floor accelerations at corners points of the buildings. Statistical linearization is used to estimate the performance of the buildings with non-linear viscous dampers installed in different configurations. Floor acceleration reductions achieved with supplemental viscous dampers and a tuned mass damper are evaluated to comply with occupant performance standards.Publicado en: Mecánica Computacional vol. XXXV, no. 12Facultad de Ingenierí

Nonlinear viscous damping and tuned mass damper design for occupant comfort in flexible tall buildings subjected to wind loading

During wind events, tall buildings may exhibit floor accelerations levels that compromise occupant comfort. The use of energy dissipating devices to reduce peak floor accelerations is a sound strategy to improve building performance. The estimation of mean peak floor accelerations of a steel-frame building subjected to random wind forces and the design procedure of supplemental nonlinear viscous dampers to improve occupant comfort in one-year recurrence wind events are described in this paper. A stochastic wind load model is developed to estimate acceleration performance; drag, lift and torsional moments at each story are defined as random stationary processes by the definition of their cross-spectral density matrix. Wind tunnel results and computational fluid dynamic analyses are used to fine-tune the stochastic load models. Reduced-order structural models of the tower are developed to estimate the frequency response function from floor loadings to floor accelerations at corners points of the buildings. Statistical linearization is used to estimate the performance of the buildings with non-linear viscous dampers installed in different configurations. Floor acceleration reductions achieved with supplemental viscous dampers and a tuned mass damper are evaluated to comply with occupant performance standards.Publicado en: Mecánica Computacional vol. XXXV, no. 12Facultad de Ingenierí

SC83288 is a clinical development candidate for the treatment of severe malaria

Severe malaria is a life-threatening complication of an infection with the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which requires immediate treatment. Safety and efficacy concerns with currently used drugs accentuate the need for new chemotherapeutic options against severe malaria. Here we describe a medicinal chemistry program starting from amicarbalide that led to two compounds with optimized pharmacological and antiparasitic properties. SC81458 and the clinical development candidate, SC83288, are fast-acting compounds that can cure a P. falciparum infection in a humanized NOD/SCID mouse model system. Detailed preclinical pharmacokinetic and toxicological studies reveal no observable drawbacks. Ultra-deep sequencing of resistant parasites identifies the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) transporting PfATP6 as a putative determinant of resistance to SC81458 and SC83288. Features, such as fast parasite killing, good safety margin, a potentially novel mode of action and a distinct chemotype support the clinical development of SC83288, as an intravenous application for the treatment of severe malaria

Reducing intrusive traumatic memories after emergency caesarean section: A proof-of-principle randomized controlled study.

UNLABELLED: Preventative psychological interventions to aid women after traumatic childbirth are needed. This proof-of-principle randomized controlled study evaluated whether the number of intrusive traumatic memories mothers experience after emergency caesarean section (ECS) could be reduced by a brief cognitive intervention. 56 women after ECS were randomized to one of two parallel groups in a 1:1 ratio: intervention (usual care plus cognitive task procedure) or control (usual care). The intervention group engaged in a visuospatial task (computer-game 'Tetris' via a handheld gaming device) for 15 min within six hours following their ECS. The primary outcome was the number of intrusive traumatic memories related to the ECS recorded in a diary for the week post-ECS. As predicted, compared with controls, the intervention group reported fewer intrusive traumatic memories (M = 4.77, SD = 10.71 vs. M = 9.22, SD = 10.69, d = 0.647 [95% CI: 0.106, 1.182]) over 1 week (intention-to-treat analyses, primary outcome). There was a trend towards reduced acute stress re-experiencing symptoms (d = 0.503 [95% CI: -0.032, 1.033]) after 1 week (intention-to-treat analyses). Times series analysis on daily intrusions data confirmed the predicted difference between groups. 72% of women rated the intervention "rather" to "extremely" acceptable. This represents a first step in the development of an early (and potentially universal) intervention to prevent postnatal posttraumatic stress symptoms that may benefit both mother and child. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02502513

Continuous selections of multivalued mappings

This survey covers in our opinion the most important results in the theory of continuous selections of multivalued mappings (approximately) from 2002 through 2012. It extends and continues our previous such survey which appeared in Recent Progress in General Topology, II, which was published in 2002. In comparison, our present survey considers more restricted and specific areas of mathematics. Note that we do not consider the theory of selectors (i.e. continuous choices of elements from subsets of topological spaces) since this topics is covered by another survey in this volume

Erratum: SC83288 is a clinical development candidate for the treatment of severe malaria

No abstract available

Datamama, bringing pregnancy research into the future: design, development, and evaluation of a citizen science pregnancy mobile application

Background: Pregnancy mobile applications (apps) have grown in popularity over the past decade, with some being used to promote study recruitment or health behaviors. However, no app serves as an all-in-one solution for collecting general data for research purposes and providing women with useful and desirable features. Aim: To create and develop a Swiss pregnancy mobile app as an innovative means to collect research data and provide users with reliable information. Methods: Determining the key features of the app involved a review of the literature and assessment of popular apps in the Swiss AppStore. A team of engineers developed the app, which includes a pregnancy timeline, questionnaires for data collection, medical and psychological articles and a checklist with appointment reminders. The content was written and reviewed by healthcare providers considered experts in the topics adressed. The questionnaires are distributed based on the user’s gestational age, by a chatbot. The project was authorized by the ethics commission in the canton of Vaud. An online survey of ten questions, advertised on Datamama’s home screen, was conducted to assess the users’ use of the app (27.11- 19.12.2022). Results: A review of 84 articles and 25 popular apps showed the need for a comprehensive pregnancy app. The development of Datamama took 2 years and included the creation of 70 medical and psychological articles and 29 questionnaires covering 300 unique variables. Six months after the launch, there were 800 users with a 73% average participation rate in the questionnaires. Sixty-five women completed the survey, with 70.8% using the app once to multiple times per week. The primary reason for using the app was to help research by answering the questionnaires, followed by access to reliable medical information. The reason most frequently ranked first for using the app was to help research by answering the questionnaires (42/65, 67% of women rated it first), followed by access to reliable medical information (34/65, 54% women rated it second). Women rated the information as clear, understandable, and interesting with a trust rating in data handling at 98.5%. The average grade for recommending the app was 8/10, with suggestions for increasing the amount of medical content and tailoring it based on gestational age. Conclusion: Datamama is the first pregnancy app to address the needs of both patients and researchers. Initial feedback from users was positive, highlighting future challenges for success. Future work will consist in improving the app, validating the data and use it to answer specific pregnancy-related research questions

Prognostic value of right ventricular dilatation on computed tomography pulmonary angiogram for predicting adverse clinical events in severe COVID-19 pneumonia

BackgroundRight ventricle dilatation (RVD) is a common complication of non-intubated COVID-19 pneumonia caused by pro-thrombotic pneumonitis, intra-pulmonary shunting, and pulmonary vascular dysfunction. In several pulmonary diseases, RVD is routinely measured on computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) by the right ventricle-to-left ventricle (LV) diameter ratio > 1 for predicting adverse events.ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to evaluate the association between RVD and the occurrence of adverse events in a cohort of critically ill non-intubated COVID-19 patients.MethodsBetween February 2020 and February 2022, non-intubated patients admitted to the Amiens University Hospital intensive care unit for COVID-19 pneumonia with CTPA performed within 48 h of admission were included. RVD was defined by an RV/LV diameter ratio greater than one measured on CTPA. The primary outcome was the occurrence of an adverse event (renal replacement therapy, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, 30-day mortality after ICU admission).ResultsAmong 181 patients, 62% (n = 112/181) presented RVD. The RV/LV ratio was 1.10 [1.05–1.18] in the RVD group and 0.88 [0.84–0.96] in the non-RVD group (p = 0.001). Adverse clinical events were 30% and identical in the two groups (p = 0.73). In Receiving operative curves (ROC) analysis, the RV/LV ratio measurement failed to identify patients with adverse events. On multivariable Cox analysis, RVD was not associated with adverse events to the contrary to chest tomography severity score > 10 (hazards ratio = 1.70, 95% CI [1.03–2.94]; p = 0.04) and cardiovascular component (> 2) of the SOFA score (HR = 2.93, 95% CI [1.44–5.95], p = 0.003).ConclusionRight ventricle (RV) dilatation assessed by RV/LV ratio was a common CTPA finding in non-intubated critical patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and was not associated with the occurrence of clinical adverse events