EL LEVANTAMIENTO, LA REPRESENTACIÓN Y EL MODELADO ESTRUCTURAL DE UN PUENTE ANTICUADO

[EN] The in opera concrete bridges characterize often the landscapes crossed by old roads and railways. In particular the arch bridges represent a product of human genius and, in some cases, of his art. In the last few years, at the SmartLab laboratory of the University of Calabria, there were developed activities in the field of surveying, monitoring and representation of structures. In the framework of these activities, Geomatics techniques for the surveying of bridges are widely used since 2014. The results of the measurements are used for documentation and representation purposes, as well as for the reconstruction of the constructive procedures. The finite element modeling of the structures has been obtained to simulate their behavior in case of earthquake. This article describes the activities relating to a bridge dated back to the 50s of the twentieth century: it is an arch bridge made of reinforced concrete. The surveying is aimed to determine the exact reconstruction of the geometry, the identification of the foundation settlement as well as the Finite Element Modeling (FEM) in order to allow structural identification and reverse engineering process. The instruments and techniques used for surveying and modeling operations, along with the deviations between models and "as built" are described.[ES] Los puentes de hormigón in opera caracterizan a menudo los paisajes atravesados por los antiguos caminos y las vías férreas. En particular, los puentes de arco, representan un producto del ingenio humano y, en algunos casos, de su arte. En los últimos años, en el laboratorio SmartLab de la Universidad de Calabria, se desarrollaron actividades en el campo de la topografia, el monitoreo y la representación de estructuras. En el marco de estas actividades, las técnicas geomáticas relativas al levantamiento de puentes se utilizan ampliamente desde 2014. Se utilizan los resultados de las mediciones con fines de documentación y de representación, así como para la reconstrucción de los procedimientos constructivos. La modelización mediante elementos finitos de la estructura se ha obtenido para simular su comportamiento en caso de terremoto. El artículo describe las actividades relativas a un puente que data de los años 50 del siglo XX: es un puente en arco de hormigón armado. El levantamiento está dirigido a la reconstrucción exacta de la geometría, la identificación de asentamiento de la cimentación y el modelado de elementos finitos que permiten la identificación de estructuras y el proceso de ingeniería inversa. Se describen las herramientas y las técnicas utilizadas durante el levantamiento con escéner làser y las operaciones de modelado, junto con las desviaciones entre los modelos y el como fue construido "as built"Artese, S.; Lerma García, JL.; Zagari, G.; Zinno, R. (2016). THE SURVEY, THE REPRESENTATION AND THE STRUCTURAL MODELING OF A DATED BRIDGE. En 8th International congress on archaeology, computer graphics, cultural heritage and innovation. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 162-168. https://doi.org/10.4995/arqueologica8.2016.3559OCS16216

Attending Training Courses on Barrett’s Esophagus Improves Adherence to Guidelines: A Survey from the Italian Society of Digestive Endoscopy

Background: Little is known on practice patterns of endoscopists for the management of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) over the last decade. Aims: Our aim was to assess practice patterns of endoscopists for the diagnosis, surveillance and treatment of BE. Methods: All members of the Italian Society of Digestive Endoscopy (SIED) were invited to participate to a questionnaire-based survey. The questionnaire included questions on demographic and professional characteristics, and on diagnosis and management strategies for BE. Results: Of the 883 SIED members, 259 (31.1%) completed the questionnaire. Of these, 73% were males, 42.9% had > 50 years of age and 68.7% practiced in community hospitals. The majority (82.9%) of participants stated to use the Prague classification; however 34.5% did not use the top of gastric folds to identify the gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ); only 51.4% used advanced endoscopy imaging routinely. Almost all respondents practiced endoscopic surveillance for non-dysplastic BE, but 43.7% performed eradication in selected cases and 30% practiced surveillance every 1–2 years. The majority of endoscopists managed low-grade dysplasia with surveillance (79.1%) and high-grade dysplasia with ablation (77.1%). Attending a training course on BE in the previous 5 years was significantly associated with the use of the Prague classification (OR 4.8, 95% CI 1.9–12.1), the top of gastric folds as landmark for the GEJ (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.27–4.74) and advanced imaging endoscopic techniques (OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.53–7.29). Conclusions: Practice patterns for management of BE among endoscopists are variable. Attending training courses on BE improves adherence to guideline

Standard Bismuth Quadruple Therapy versus Concomitant Therapy for the First-Line Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

(1) Background: Whether standard bismuth quadruple therapy (BQT) is superior to concomitant therapy for the first-line treatment of Helicobacter (H.) pylori infection is unclear. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the efficacy of standard BQT versus concomitant therapy for H. pylori eradication in subjects naive to treatment. (2) Methods: Online databases were searched for randomized controlled trials. We pooled risk ratio (RR) of individual studies for dichotomous outcomes using a random-effect model. (3) Results: Six studies with 1810 adults were included. Overall intention-to-treat (ITT) eradication rate was 87.4% with BQT and 85.2% with concomitant therapy (RR 1.01, 95%CI:0.94-1.07). Subgroup analysis of five Asian studies showed a small but significant superiority of BQT over concomitant therapy (87.5% vs. 84.5%; RR 1.04, 95%CI:1.01-1.08). Pooling four studies at low risk of bias yielded a similar result (88.2% vs. 84.5%; RR 1.05, 95%CI:1.01-1.09). There was no difference between the regimens in the frequency of adverse events (RR = 0.97, 95%CI:0.79-1.2). (4) Conclusions: The efficacy of BQT seems to be similar to concomitant therapy, with similar side effect profile. However, BQT showed a small but significant benefit over concomitant therapy in Asian populations and in studies at low risk of bias

Koiter asymptotic analysis of thin-walled cold-formed steel members

Abstract An imperfection sensitivity analysis of cold-formed steel members in compression is presented. The analysis is based on Koiter's approach and Monte Carlo simulation. If the modes interaction is correctly accounted, than the limit load and the erosion of critical buckling load can be easily evaluated. Thousands of imperfection can be analysed with very low computational cost and an effective statistical evaluation of limit performance can be carried out. The analysis is done on pallet rack uprights in compression, based on an intensive experimental study carried out at the Politehnica University of Timisoara

Home-based palliative approach for people with severe multiple sclerosis and their carers: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Preliminary evidence suggests that palliative care may be useful for people with severe multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a home-based palliative approach (HPA) for people with severe MS and their carers. Methods/design: This is a single-blind randomized controlled trial with a nested qualitative study. Seventy-five severe MS-carer dyads are being randomized (at three centers, one in each area of Italy) to HPA or usual care (UC) in a 2:1 ratio. Each center has a specially trained team consisting of four professionals (physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker). The team makes a comprehensive assessment of the needs of the dyads. HPA content is then agreed on, discussed with the patient's caring physician, and delivered over six months. The intervention is not intended to replace existing services. At later visits, the team checks the HPA delivery and reviews/modifies it as necessary. Discussion: The results of our study will show whether the HPA is feasible and beneficial to people with severe MS and their carers living in the three Italian geographic areas. The nested qualitative study will add to the understanding of the strengths and limitations of the intervention