Comportamento sismico e interventi di miglioramento del fabbricato ITC F.Carrara di Lucca

La tesi ha come oggetto lo studio del comportamento sismico del fabbricato aule dell'ITC F.Carrara di Lucca. Dopo aver analizzato il comportamento della struttura sottoposta al sisma per la zona geologica di Lucca,se ne sono studiate le criticità degli elementi esistenti.Successivamente sono state analizzate le soluzioni che garantissero il miglioramento delle prestazioni statiche e sismiche

Relationship of Schistonchus caprifici (Aphelenchoididae) with fig inflorescences, the fig pollinator Blastophaga psenes, and its cleptoparasite Philotrypesis caricae

L'association entre le nématode #Schistonchus caprifici, la guêpe pollinisatrice #Blastophaga psenes et le parasitoïde #Philotrypesis caricae a été étudiée en hiver, au printemps et en automne dans les inflorescences (sycones) du figuier (#Ficus carica var. #sylvestris) dans le sud de l'Italie. C'est la première fois qu'est signalée l'association d'un #Schistonchus sp. avec une guêpe parasitoïde. Tous les stades biologiques de #S. caprifici ont été trouvés dans l'hémocoele des femelles ailées de #B. psenes et de #P. caricae. Aucune association n'a été observée avec les mâles aptères des deux guêpes. Pour ces deux guêpes de la figue, le nombre de femelles ailées transportant des nématodes est plus élevé en juin qu'en mars. Cependant, le pourcentage de #P. caricae transportant #S. caprifici$est de 50$. Le nombre de nématodes transportés par chaque femelle ailée est de 1-3 et 1-23 pour #P. caricae et 1-14 et 1-116 pour #B. psenes en mars et juin, respectivement. Les mensurations de femelles associées aux insectes (provenant des deux guêpes) et, de celles phytoparasites, de #S. caprifici$ ne diffèrent pas. Les examens histopathologiques révèlent la présence des colonies de nématodes à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur des bouquets d'anthères et des filets. Le nématode provoque des nécroses de l'épiderme et du parenchyme cortical des filets et la formation dans les anthères de cellules épidermiques hypertrophiées, riches en cytoplasme à coloration foncée. (Résumé d'auteur

Rare Diseases: Implementation of Molecular Diagnosis, Pathogenesis Insights and Precision Medicine Treatment

: Rare Diseases (RD) do not have an exact definition since local authorities define the criteria in different ways, from fewer than 5 people in 10,000, according to the European Union, to the standard world average of 40 cases per 100,000 people [...]

Update on the Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics of Chordoma

Chordoma is a rare mesenchymal tumour of complex biology for which only histologic and immunohistochemical criteria have been defined, but no biomarkers predicting the clinical outcome and response to treatment have yet been recognised. We herein review the interdisciplinary information achieved by epidemiologists, neurosurgeons and basic scientists on chordoma, usually a sporadic tumour, which also includes a small fraction of familial cases. Main focus is on the current knowledge of the genetic alterations which might pinpoint candidate genes and molecular mechanisms shared by sporadic and familiar chordomas. Due to the scarcity of the investigated tumour specimens and the multiple chromosome abnormalities found in tumours with aberrant karyotypes, conventional cytogenetics and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization failed to detect recurrent chordoma-specific chromosomal rearrangements. Genome-wide approaches such as Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) are yet at an initial stage of application and should be implemented using BAC arrays either genome-wide or targeting selected genomic regions, disclosed by Loss of Heterozygosity (LOH) studies. An LOH region was shown by a systematic study on a consistent number of chordomas to encompass 1p36, a genomic interval where a candidate gene was suggested to reside. Despite the rarity of multiplex families with chordoma impaired linkage studies, a chordoma locus could be mapped to chromosome 7q33 by positive lod score in three independent families. The role in chordomagenesis of the Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) genes has been proved, but the extent of involvement of TSC1 and TSC2 oncosuppressors in chordoma remains to be assessed. In spite of the scarce knowledge on the genetics and molecular biology of chordoma, recent initiation of clinical trials using molecular-targeted therapy, should validate new molecular targets and predict the efficacy of a given therapy. Comparative genetic and biomolecular studies should enhance the molecular taxonomy of chordoma which might have a prognostic significance and better orient the therapeutic options

A Behaviour Monitoring System (BMS) for Ambient Assisted Living

Unusual changes in the regular daily mobility routine of an elderly person at home can be an indicator or early symptom of developing health problems. Sensor technology can be utilised to complement the traditional healthcare systems to gain a more detailed view of the daily mobility of a person at home when performing everyday tasks. We hypothesise that data collected from low-cost sensors such as presence and occupancy sensors can be analysed to provide insights on the daily mobility habits of the elderly living alone at home and to detect routine changes. We validate this hypothesis by designing a system that automatically learns the daily room-to-room transitions and permanence habits in each room at each time of the day and generates alarm notifications when deviations are detected. We present an algorithm to process the sensors' data streams and compute sensor-driven features that describe the daily mobility routine of the elderly as part of the developed Behaviour Monitoring System (BMS). We are able to achieve low detection delay with confirmation time that is high enough to convey the detection of a set of common abnormal situations. We illustrate and evaluate BMS with synthetic data, generated by a developed data generator that was designed to mimic different user's mobility profiles at home, and also with a real-life dataset collected from prior research work. Results indicate BMS detects several mobility changes that can be symptoms of common health problems. The proposed system is a useful approach for learning the mobility habits at the home environment, with the potential to detect behaviour changes that occur due to health problems, and therefore, motivating progress toward behaviour monitoring and elder's care.This work has been supported by COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2013.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS)

Review on Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS), with data on clinics, and the genes involved

Evaluasi Niat Penggunaan Sistem Informasi Dosen (SIADO) Oleh Dosen Universitas Brawijaya Dengan Menggunakan Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) Termodifikasi

Dalam penerapannya SIADO UB masih terdapat berbagai kendala terkait niat penggunaan para dosen sebagai penggunanya. Perlu dilakukan evaluasi terhadap niat penggunaan SIADO oleh dosen Universitas Brawijaya sehingga dapat menghasilkan rekomendasi untuk meningkatkan pemanfaatan SIADO UB. Penelitian ini akan mengevaluasi lima variabel berdasarkan model Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) yang telah dimodifikasi yaitu variabel perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, trust, social influence, facilitating conditions, dan usage intention. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif dengan bantuan instrumen berupa kuesioner dan data sampel yang dipilih secara bebas. Populasi dari penelitian ini sebanyak 2192 dosen aktif di Universitas Brawijaya. Untuk menentukan jumlah sampel pada penelitian ini menggunakan persamaan rumus Slovin dengan tingkat kelonggaran sebesar 10% dan didapatkan hasil sampel sebanyak 96 orang dosen dari seluruh fakultas di Universitas Brawijaya. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa variabel perceived usefulness (71,0%), perceived ease of use (73,3%), social influence (66,2%), facilitating conditions (72,3%), dan trust (73,8%) termasuk dalam kategori tinggi dan, variabel usage intention (75,2%) termasuk dalam kategori sangat tinggi. Rekomendasi yang didapatkan dari hasil penelitian ini diantaranya melalui upaya pengamanan pada SIADO UB, menambah kecepatan respon yang diberikan oleh sistem, tata letak tampilan yang lebih mudah dipahami dan sesuai kebutuhan, dan kemudahan untuk dapat diakses dimana saja dan kapan saja

I LIMITI DELLA RIQUALIFICAZIONE EDILIZIA. Contributo alla selezione di indicatori ausiliari relativi alle modalità di intervento sui fabbricati residenziali del trentennio successivo al secondo dopoguerra.

The growing awareness of the importance to limit soil sealing process is one of the reasons to definitely shift the building activity on the existent stock. Approximately a third of the European housing stock was built during the thirty years after WW-II. A huge part of these buildings presents different kind of obsolescence. This declining performance process makes necessary to take a decision about how buildings can meet actual requirements. A decision must be taken in order to choose the preferable intervention in a sustainable and lifespan conscious design perspective. Renovation and demolition are both possible for multi-storey apartment buildings that do not present historical or testimonial quality. By the analysis of some case studies the research illustrates which are the most incidental parameters in the decision-making process and selects some indicators that could be defined as the limits of renovation project. Aware that from a sustainable viewpoint diffused demolition are not preferable, these indicators represent the conditions in which demolition could nevertheless be a preferable option

Vibration Signatures of Defective Bearings: Modelling and Defect Size Estimation Methods

Bearings are widely used in rotating machinery to allow relative rotary movement, and the failure of bearings are a common reason for machine breakdowns. Machine breakdowns caused by bearings can be catastrophic, resulting in costly downtime or the loss of human life. An example of the severity of this problem is when a bearing in an axle assembly of a train seizes, it can cause the train to derail, destroying infrastructure and possible loss of life. The implementation of condition monitoring systems that use a vast array of methods to determine the condition of a bearing is used to reduce the risk of bearing failures. The focus of this research is on modelling defective bearings to predict the vibration response and estimating the size of a defect in a bearing. The latter is achieved by using the vibration response of an operational bearing and does not require the bearing assembly to be dismantled. Classical bearing condition monitoring trends the vibration amplitudes and the amplitudes of the vibration at bearing fault frequencies to determine if a bearing is damaged and needs replacing. In some industries defect size limits have been introduced that specify when a bearing must be condemned. Hence, it is advantageous to be able to determine the size of a defect in an operational bearing without removing the machine from service and disassembling it to inspect the bearing. Current defect size estimation methods include assumptions about the defect which are not necessarily representative of the real bearing faults, as well as not being able to determine if the size of a defect is greater than the separation angle of the rolling elements. This research aims to use the vibration or acoustic emission signature from a damaged bearing to determine the size and location of bearing defects. The research conducted and discussed in this thesis, used both experimental and analytical methods to examine the vibration response of a defective bearing with a spall defect on the inner and outer raceways, and dent defects caused by contaminants in the lubricant. An improved hybrid analytical and finite element model is presented that removes limitations of models developed by previous researchers. This is achieved by using a finite element method to determine the contact force and contact area of the rolling element to raceway contact interfaces, even when a rough surface is present. It was demonstrated that previous models that use Hertzian contact theory cannot model the change in the contact area as the rolling element approaches and exits the defect, as Hertzian contact theory assumes the surfaces are smooth and there are no changes in the curvature of the surface, which is not the case for a typical bearing fault. The improved model was validated using experimental data, and an actual defect profile that was measured. The improved model has been made publicly available. The research presents multiple methods to determine the size of a defect, and determine if the size of the defect is greater than the separation angle of the rolling elements. The first method involves band-pass filtering the time-series vibration response of a defective bearing to highlight the transition of a rolling element passing into and out of the defect. Next a spectrogram of the filtered response is used to determine when the rolling element begins to enter the defect and when it has finally exited the defect. The method was tested using ball bearings and cylindrical roller bearings under various constant applied loads and shaft speeds, in addition to having defects with various angles of sloped entry and exit edges. The method can accurately estimate the defect size under various applied loads and shaft speeds without requiring assumptions about the depth and shape of the defect. The second method was developed to remove a limitation of the previous defect size estimation methods, that cannot distinguish between a line spall defect and an extended spall defect that is caused by an apparent aliasing issue. The aliasing issue occurs because the time-series acceleration response is similar for both defects and is not because of poor data acquisition practices. The presented method uses the variation in the stiffness of the bearing assembly to determine if a line spall or an extended spall defect is present. It was analytically and experimentally proven that the characteristic frequency of the shaft-housing translation could be used to identify an extended spall defect, as the characteristic frequency is much lower for an extended spall defect when compared to the frequency of a bearing with a line spall defect. This difference in the characteristic frequency is caused by the fact that for an extended spall defect multiple rollers will occupy the defect area, so that a race is unsupported in that region, in turn making the bearing assembly less stiff. However, when the applied load is greater than a critical load, the characteristic frequency of the bearing assembly with an extended spall defect sharply increases to that of a bearing with a line spall defect, as the rolling elements in the defective area are now in contact with both raceways. Therefore, when using this method, the applied load on the bearing needs to be known to determine if the applied load is greater than the critical load. The final method that was developed to determine the size of a defect in an operational bearing is a modified technique that is used in structural health monitoring to locate defects in plates and shells. The proposed method uses the time difference a shear wave takes to reach multiple sensors positioned on the bearing housing and uses these time delays to determine where the wave originated. This method removes the limitation requiring the knowledge of the applied load and critical load, as required in the method that uses the varying stiffness of the bearing assembly, and can determine the location of the defect on a stationary component. This proposed method provides more information about the defect, such as the size and location of the defect, instead of only the estimated defect size available from other methods. The results of this study contribute to improving vibration condition monitoring of bearings by enabling the diagnosis and estimation of defect size in an operational bearing for line spall or extended spall defect, on either inner or outer raceways. All the experimental data and the modelling scripts are publicly available, which provides future researchers with an ability to confirm these results and data for future research.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Mechanical Engineering, 202