177,892 research outputs found
Condition assessment, monitoring and preservation of some iconic concrete structures of the 20th century
No full textGreat architects and structural engineers such as Berg (1870-1947), Maillart (1872-1940), Freyssinet (1879-1962), Torroja (1899 -1961), Nervi (1891-1979), Candela (1910-1997), Isler (1926-2009) and many others have designed recognized works of art in their discipline. They conceived extraordinary concrete spatial structures, that are located mostly in Europe and represent a unique legacy. It is important to raise awareness of this heritage, define the criteria for preserving it and begin the process of its renovation and rehabilitation. While concrete has become a 20th century emblem, much of the world’s heritage from this period is unrecognized or undervalued, and therefore it is at risk and in need of analysis and protection. Innovative technologies and solutions are needed that contribute to the successful reuse of modern concrete built heritage. Indeed, such structures are plagued by significant deterioration and most of them are in urgent need of retrofitting and/or radical refurbishment. In other words, there is a need to bring some of these buildings back to life, while respecting the spirit of their original characters, through new technologies for long-term conservation that can maintain an adequate level of structural performance. Achieving this goal would produce substantial economic impacts through activities such as restoration, maintenance, and cultural industry. The keynote lecture, more specifically, focuses on the condition assessment, monitoring and preservation of 20th century architectural heritage characterized by a complex spatial structural design. The service life of civil and cultural heritage concrete spatial structures is typically thought to range from 10 to 200 years, but in practice the service environment plays a pivotal role in sustained durability. Indeed, the collapse of Polcevera Viaduct in Genoa has raised strong concerns on the durability of concrete structures conceived at that time.
The scientific community has once again underlined the important role played by maintenance and continuous structural health monitoring in avoiding these disastrous events. In order to demonstrate a correct approach to condition monitoring of concrete spatial buildings and bridges, some important experiences are described that were recently obtained at the Polytechnic of Turin on the structural analysis, seismic vulnerability and condition assessment for iconic 20th century heritage buildings
TIME-FREQUENCY DSP TO IDENTIFY MODAL PARAMETERS UNDER NON-STATIONARY AMBIENT EXCITATION. APPLICATION TO REAL STRUCTURES
No full textThe Molecular Neuroimaging of Tremor
No full textPurpose of Review: Tremor is a hyperkinetic movement disorder most commonly encountered in essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). The purpose of this review is to summarize molecular neuroimaging studies with major implications on pathophysiological and clinical features of tremor. Recent Findings: Oscillatory brain activity responsible for tremor manifestation is thought to originate in a cerebello-thalamo-cortical network. Molecular neuroimaging has helped clarify metabolic aspects and neurotransmitter influences on the main tremor network. In ET, recent positron emission tomography (PET) studies are built on previous knowledge and highlighted the possibility of investigating metabolic brain changes after treatments, in the attempt to establish therapeutic biomarkers. In PD, molecular neuroimaging has advanced the knowledge of non-dopaminergic determinants of tremor, providing insights into serotonergic and noradrenergic contributions. Summary: Recent advances have greatly extended the knowledge of tremor pathophysiology and it is now necessary to translate such knowledge in more efficacious treatments for this symptom
Sons of a minor god. Immigrant children victims of violence and exploitation
No full textThe current migration crisis in Europe represents a huge challenge for European governments nowadays. Particularly the Mediterranean countries, and mainly Italy, receive significant flows of migrants. The rate of migrant minors (children and adolescents) included in these migratory waves has grown sensitively during the last years and Unaccompanied Migrant Minors (UMMs) represent a vulnerable target at higher risk of loss, trauma, disappearance, child traffic, PSTD, emotional disorders, deviant behaviors. In this field, SOS II Telefono Azzurro Onlus (no-profit organization) runs the 116 000 hotline for missing children in Italy, promote an advocate and integrative mental-health child- centered approach for counteracting the typical risks to which UMMs' are exposed to. The main aim is to promote a full integration of those children in the hosting countries thanks to a life-project approach
Doctor - how quickly will my Parkinson's progress?
No full textEditorial to volume 22, issue 3 of the European Journal of Neurology
Managing identities via interactions between ontologies
No full textIn this paper we describe how an identity management system can be based on user ontologies in order to deal with complex attributes that are needed to model user interests or relationships. The problem of computing efficient bindings between ontology based metadata and XML based standards like SAML is also discussed
Non-linear parameter identification of rigid bodies on nonlinear support based on Volterra series representation
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