A unilateral nonlocal tensile damage model for masonry structures

Abstract In the present paper, a constitutive nonlocal damage model is proposed for the non-linear incremental finite element analysis of masonry structures. The mechanical model is based on the assumptions of linear elasticity under compression and softening behaviour under tension, described by the adoption of a unique strain-driven nonlocal damage variable. Specifically, non-locality of the integral type is introduced in order to prevent spurious strain localization. It can be noted that the unilateral nature of the model is suitable to contemplate both diffused macro-cracks induced by the tensile damage process and the stiffness recovery in the transition from tension to compression, considering the anisotropy induced by the damage process as well. This is performed by realizing a decomposition of the strain tensor in its positive and negative components, and accounting for stiffness degradation only along tensile direction. The assumption of a linear elastic behaviour in compression is motivated by the fact that the main interest of the model is represented by investigating the response of masonry structures under service loads, condition in which very low compressive states are usually predominant. Consequently, the number of constitutive parameters is more limited with respect to other models that include a damage criterion also in compression. Finally, the validation of the proposed damage model is carried out with reference to a plane problem, in order to check the capability of the model to treat damage in an anisotropic way as well as the almost null dependence of the results on the discretization

Light-responsive spiropyran based polymers: Synthesis and photochromic behaviour.

Photo-responsive polymers have been investigated intensively as important elements for the development of smart materials and devices. Our interest is in polymers functionalized with spiropyran (SP), a well-known photocromic molecule that has the ability to reversibly switch from an uncharged, colorless, benzospiropyran form, to a zwitterionic, planar, highly colored merocyanine (MC) form upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) or visible light. Controlled radical polymerization (CRP) is a particularly attractive method to produce spiropyran- derivitized polymers as the synthesis of polymers with photochromic units present in defined positions, either along the polymer chain or as the polymer end-group, is readily achievable. This thesis initially documents firstly the synthesis of polymers that possess a single SP terminal unit, produced by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and their light responsiveness. The second part of this work reports the synthesis and the characterization of a SP derivative with a propyne functional group and the study of its photochromism. The alkyne functionality of the BSP compound was exploited to demonstrate a BSP-based polymeric system that utilizes commercially available polymers, through copper(I) catalyzed azide/alkyne reaction (CuAAC). The third part of this work consists of synthesizing well-defined polymeric systems with complex architectures, such as star or graft copolymer, that bear a high density of SP units in the side chain. The strategy employed consists of combining ATRP and the CuAAC

LE SPONSORIZZAZIONI PER IL RESTAURO DEL PATRIMONIO CULTURALE: MODELLI E PROSPETTIVE

Nowadays the cooperation between industry and culture is a well-known practice in several countries. However, in Italy the number of initiatives is still insufficient, related to its cultural heritage dimension. Italy presents the higher number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and also over the 60% of world’s cultural heritage. This huge quantity of heritage is an element that certainly point out the national identity and it contributes to the collective daily-life quality. Also the ownership of the Italian cultural heritage is collective or public, and due to the dimension of the phenomenon it is hard to guarantee a proper and comprehensive conservation. Facing this missing the contribution of public-private partnership in cultural sector must be improved, to promote - and sometimes assure - the heritage safeguarding and conservation. This paper will explore the experiences of Mecenatismo, or cultural patronage, and Sponsor- ship as successful or questionable application cases. DOI: http://dx.medra.org/10.19254/LaborEst.12.0

Territorial Marketing Applied to Cultural Tourism: Assessment of Cultural Event Impacts

Event Marketing and Regional Studies are widely considered discipline with still uncertain and not fully defined contours. In order to highlight the extent and the relevance of developing researches into these fields, it is proposed here a study able to demonstrate the operational validity of marketing in favor territorial development. The research work has addressed the issues of territorial promotion and analysis of touristic attitude of destinations providing an innovative application of the input-output methodology, used in the economic impact analysis

Cracking of quasi-brittle structures under monotonic and cyclic loadings: A d+/d− damage model with stiffness recovery in shear

In the present paper, a new d+/d− damage model apt for quasi-brittle materials is described and its validation is carried out considering unreinforced concrete, reinforced concrete and masonry elements. Two independent scalar damage variables, d+ and d−, in combination with the split of the reversible strain tensor into its positive and negative counterparts, are adopted in order to simulate the pronounced dissimilar response under tension and compression, typical of these materials. An energy-equivalent framework is considered for representing the orthotropy induced in the material by the degradation process, with the consequence that a thermodynamically consistent constitutive operator, positive definite, symmetric and strain-driven, is derived. In addition to the degradation parameters, the permanent strain tensor is also contemplated by the model and a modification of the exponential softening modulus is proposed in order to treat the evolution of the two causes of dissipation, damage and irreversible deformations, in a coupled way. The formulation is integrated with a multidirectional damage procedure, addressed to extend the microcrack closure-reopening (MCR) capabilities of the model to shear cyclic conditions, characterized by orthogonal (or however intersecting) sets of cracks. Maintaining unaltered the dependence of the constitutive law from two scalar indeces, d+ and d−, this approach activates or deactivates a tensile(compressive) damage value on the base of the current maximum (minimum) principal strain direction. In correspondence with damage activation (crack opening) or deactivation (crack closure), a smooth transition is introduced, in order to avoid abrupt changes in stiffness and enhance the numerical performance and robustness of the multidirectional procedure. The adequacy of the proposed constitutive model in reproducing experimental results has been proven for both monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. The two examples of application involving cyclic loads, dominated by shear, constitute a validation of the multidirectional damage approach, showing how the suitable representation of unilateral effects and permanent deformations is essential to model the observed structural response in terms of maximum resistance, evolution of stiffness degradation and dissipation capacity

Diagnóstico y fortalecimiento de buenas prácticas de manufactura en la preparación y servicio de alimentos en establecimientos de turísticos del Paseo El Carmen

La competitividad en el rubro de la economía es un sinónimo de calidad, que permite a los empresarios buscar nuevas alternativas de negocio con un estándar que propicie entrar en una dinámica motivada por la demanda y oferta de productos y servicios. En esa línea este proyecto se enfoca en la búsqueda de información actualizada de las principales actividades que tienen las empresas de alimentos y bebidas del destino turístico Paseo El Carmen, de la ciudad de Santa Tecla, la cual permita hacer un análisis global de los indicadores que afectan los servicios que brindan. El trabajo realizado recopila datos importantes como la forma de administrar cada negocio, los protocolos de atención a los clientes y los procesos higiénicos en la preparación de alimentos de acuerdo con los estándares universales del rubro de alimentos y bebidas. El objetivo principal del proyecto es la búsqueda de información que genere indicadores que afectan la dinámica de la operatividad en las empresas, y sobre la base de los resultados crear jornadas de sensibilización que permita a los actores del sector participar en programas de crecimiento y desarrollo profesional, contribuir en el fortalecimiento y desarrollo económico del sector para potenciar la oferta de servicios y productos turísticos del área urbana en la ciudad de Santa Tecla

Formación en la metodología de las cinco eses en una empresa del sector químico

Màster Universitari en Psicologia del Treball, de les Organitzacions i en Recursos Humans (Pla de 2014) (A distància). Codi: SBE513. Curs acadèmic: 2021/2022.El método de las cinco eses es un proceso japonés que aplicado en las organizaciones mejora la productividad, calidad y competitividad. Las cinco eses se refieren a cinco palabras que empiezan por esta letra las cuales son, “seiri” (clasificación), “seiton” (orden), “seiso” (limpieza), “seiketsu” (estandarización) y “shitsuke” (disciplina). Mediante las 6 sesiones de formación en las 5’s para esta empresa del sector quimico, se pretende mejorar aspectos como la seguridad, el orden o la limpieza. Formando a los empleados conseguimos favorecer las condiciones de trabajo, mejorar la seguridad, la motivación y la eficiencia de los empleados, contribuyendo así a una mayor producción y una mejor calidad.The “5s” method is a Japanese process that applied in organizations improves productivity, quality and competitiveness. The 5s refers to five words that begin with this letter which are, "seiri" (classification), "seiton" (order), "seiso" (cleanliness), "seiketsu" (standardization) and "shitsuke" (discipline). Through the 6 training sessions in the 5's for this company in the chemical sector, it is intended to improve aspects such as safety, order or cleanliness. By training employees, we manage to favor working conditions, improve safety, motivation and efficiency of employees, thus contributing to greater production and better quality

Post-compulsory education in England: choices and implications

Most students do not follow the ‘academic track’ (i.e. A-levels) after leaving school and only about a third of students go to university before the age of 20. Yet progression routes for the majority that do not take this path but opt for vocational post-compulsory education are not as well-known, which partly has to do with the complexity of the vocational education system and the difficulty of deciphering available data. If we are to tackle long-standing problems of low social mobility and a long tail of underachievers, it is essential that post-16 vocational options come under proper scrutiny. This paper is a step in that direction. We use linked administrative data to track decisions made by all students in England who left compulsory education after having undertaken the national examination – the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) – at age 16 in the year 2009/10. We track them up to the age of 21, as they progress through the education system and (for some) into the labour market. We categorise the many different types of post-16 qualifications into several broad categories and we look at the probability of achieving various educational and early labour market outcomes, conditional on the path chosen at age 17. We also take into account the influence of demographics, prior attainment and the secondary school attended. Our findings illustrate the strong inequality apparently generated by routes chosen at age 17, even whilst controlling for prior attainment and schooling up to that point

TOMADA DE DECISÃO INFORMADA EM PROJETO: DA ANÁLISE DIGITAL AO DESENHO URBANO

Este artigo descreve uma nova abordagem ao desenho do espaço público aberto, baseada numa análise multidimensional orientada para a tomada de decisão e para o desenvolvimento de soluções arquitetônicas assentes em evidências. Apresenta uma visão geral das variáveis mais relevantes de projeto e suas restrições, fornecendo assim informações úteis para o desenvolvimento de um desenho urbano mais sustentável, que considera os valores sociais e culturais locais. Este trabalho propõe fornecer uma ferramenta de orientação holística para o desenvolvimento de melhores propostas de projeto em ambientes urbanos contemporâneos; mais especificamente, visa caracterizar de forma síncrona os espaços urbanos através de análises multiescala e multidimensional, quantitativas e qualitativas, incorporando as contribuições da sintaxe espacial, dos estudos de vida pública, da ciência da construção e da análise ambiental/conforto em espaços públicos abertos. Várias ferramentas digitais avançadas são utilizadas para gerir os dados, gerar e testar iterativamente as diferentes propostas do projeto. A metodologia proposta se baseia em diversos testes e análises executados no processo de desenvolvimento de um novo projeto experimental desenvolvido para o Largo da Graça, uma praça urbana localizada no centro histórico de Lisboa que permitiu o teste de diferentes tipos de propostas. Este experimento gerou uma estrutura processual digital para o desenho urbano da praça, no qual se registaram todas as etapas relativas à resolução de vários problemas de projeto, incluindo os objetivos de eficiência (centralidade, conectividade, compacidade, conforto térmico, segurança, igualdade e interação). O processo abarca uma sequência de propostas testadas e comparadas, bem como as escolhas feitas em relação às informações latentes, subjacentes às condições de mudança no uso do espaço público e à adaptabilidade programática da praça portuguesa. A estratégia de projeto adotada e os exemplos extraídos da estrutura processual digital são usados para ilustrar a abordagem prática da metodologia proposta, pretendendo assim demonstrar como o vínculo entre investigação aplicada e desenho urbano sustentável pode ser o adequado para o planejamento e o desenvolvimento de melhores soluções de espaço público.This study describes a new approach to explore the design of public open spaces based on a multidimensional analysis useful to inform decision-making and foster the development of evidence-based architectural solutions. It presents an overview of the most relevant design variables and their constraints, providing, in this way, valuable information for the elaboration of a more sustainable urban design, considerate of the local socio-cultural values. This research aims at providing holistic guidance for the development of better design proposals in contemporary urban environments. More specifically, it seeks to synchronously characterize urban spaces at a multi-scale and multidimensional level, both quantitatively and qualitatively, by collecting contributions from Space Syntax Theory, Public Life Studies, Building Science and Environmental/Comfort Analysis in public open spaces. Many advanced digital tools are used for data management purposes and to generate and test iteratively different design proposals. The proposed methodology is based on a range of tests and analyses performed in the process of developing a new experimental project for Largo da Graça, an urban square located in Lisbon’s historic centre, which allowed the testing of different design solutions. This experiment generated a digital workflow for the design of the urban square, in which are registered all the steps undertaken to solve the many design problems identified by considering the efficiency targets (centrality, connectivity, enclosure, thermal comfort, security, social equity and interaction). The process comprises a sequence of comparative design reviews and records the choices made when dealing with latent information underlying changing conditions in the use of public space and the programmatic malleability of the Portuguese plaza. The description of the adopted design strategy and the examples extracted from the workflow are used to illustrate the practical approach of the proposed methodology. Ultimately, this study seeks to show how tightening the link between applied research and sustainable urban design can effectively support the design and planning of better public open spaces