104 research outputs found
The protection of the right to health and the procedures for voluntary termination of pregnancy between European Court of Human Rights and European Committee of Social Rights
No full textSUMMARY: 1. Preliminary remarks. – 2. The relation between right to health and access to the voluntary termination of pregnancy: the Law No. 194 of 1978 and the observations of the Constitutional Court. - 3. (To follow): the jurisprudence of the ECtHR. – 4. The problems concerning the application of the Law No. 194 of 1978. - 4.1. The attempts to extend the context of application of Article 9. - 4.2. Problems of application related to the scientific development: the temporal limits of the access to the voluntary termination of pregnancy and the so-called fetus vitality. – 5. The role of Italian Regions and the effective exercise of women’s social rights. – 5.1. Voluntary termination of pregnancy and role of Regions. – 5.2. The 1981 decision of the Court of Milan. – 5.3. Regional monitoring functions and coordination mechanisms. – 5.4. Article 5 of Law no 194 of 1978 and the problem of the ‘partial’ conscientious objection. 5.5. The institutional level lacks and the effectiveness of the right to access to the procedures for voluntary termination of pregnancy. Further remarks. – 6. The Collective Complaints against Italy on the conscientious objection. - 6.1. The Collective Complaint No. 87/2012. - 6.2. The Decisions on the admissibility and the merits of the Collective Complaint No. 87/2012. - 6.3. The Collective Complaint No. 91/2013. - 7. Concluding remarks.Benedetta Liberali is the author of Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 4.1, 4.2, 6, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 7. Lisa Lanzoni is the author of Sections 5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5
Ricoprimento sottile periodico di un mezzo elastico soggetto a stress termico residuo
No full textNel presente lavoro viene studiato il problema di contatto e adesione tra uno strato di silicio parzialmente ricoperto da un film sottile di nitruro di silicio, soggetto ad uno stress termico residuo. Questo tipo di microstruttura trova rilevanti applicazioni nel processo di channeling di fasci di particelle ad alta energia. In particolare, si considera un modello periodico con film disposti ad intervalli regolari sia sulla superficie di un semispazio elastico che di uno strato di spessore finito. Utilizzando il metodo delle trasformate integrali, il problema si può formulare attraverso un sistema di equazioni integrali duali. Tale sistema può quindi ricondursi ad un'unica equazione integrale di Fredholm, che può risolversi attraverso tecniche di approssimazione basate sull'impiego dei polinomi di Chebyshev
Insight into seismic behaviour of timber shear-wall systems
No full textThis Ph.D. dissertation is the result of a three-year research activity focused on structural and seismic engineering applied to innovative timber constructive systems. The main purpose is to give a contribution to international scientific research and current design practice about the seismic behaviour of timber shear-wall systems, which still represent an innovation in the construction industry and are being developed due to their favourable characteristics.
An initial overview on the use of main timber structural systems in seismic-prone areas for low- and medium-rise buildings is provided, within the context of current European seismic code.
The theme of the seismic design of timber shear-wall systems is discussed in the first part, giving close attention to linear and non-linear modelling criteria: various strategies are proposed and main characteristics are highlighted. Basic definitions and concepts proper of the seismic analysis of timber structures are provided. A particular attention is paid to the definition and application of the capacity design approach and the close link with the concept of behaviour factor is emphasized. Finally, the definition of behaviour factor, as product between an “intrinsic” capacity of the structure and a design over-strength value is proposed. This definition allows to characterize the structural systems with their proper dissipative capacity and to evaluate separately the safety reserve introduced by design.
The second part analyses the structural behaviour of the cross-laminated timber (CLT) technology, which represents one of the most common timber structural systems. The concepts of ductility, dissipative capacity, regularity and irregularity applied to CLT system are provided. The seismic response and the dissipative capacity of this system are firstly evaluated via an experimentally based procedure. Then, the evaluation of its intrinsic dissipative capacity is determined via non-linear numerical modelling with the aim of studying the correlation with the construction variables. Results show that the construction design decisions affect the seismic response and dissipative capacity of buildings, as opposed to apply a single behaviour factor value to the whole CLT technology. A statistical analysis applied to numerical results allowed also to propose analytical formulations for the computation of the suitable behaviour factor value for regular buildings. Then, the same analyses carried out on in-elevation non-regular buildings returned a correction factor to account for the reduction in dissipative capacity due to irregularity.
The application of the CLT technology to realize high-rise buildings is presented in the third part, analysing the behaviour of slender buildings with seismic resisting core and perimeter shear walls. The major limitations and drawbacks in realizing these structures in areas characterized by high seismic intensity and their implication in the design are reported.
The final part presents three novel structural systems as alternative to more common technologies, as CLT or platform frame. These innovative systems are characterized mainly by a diffuse dissipative and deformation capacity when subjected to seismic loads, while in CLT system such capacity is concentrated in connection elements. This different response is studied via quasi-static tests and numerical simulations. In detail, two non-glued massive timber shear walls and a mixed steel-timber wall with an innovative bracing system are presented
Static and seismic performances of R.C. shear walls cast into wood chip and cement formworks - Experimental tests, theoretical interpretation and numerical validations
No full textThe purpose of this thesis is to study the behavior of the particular building system that makes use of load-bearing walls of reinforced concrete cast into mineralized wood. This construction system has been studied under the action of pseudo-static forces (experimentally and numerically) and under dynamic forces (only numerically). The activities carried out, in general, employed experimental equipment for the realization of tests on materials and on specimens that can be both portions and real scale walls. Additionally, a commercial software has been used for the numerical modeling of the elements composing the construction system in object. In particular, in the first chapters of the thesis, a complete analytical treatment based on experimental results obtained in the years before the Ph.D beginning and during the Ph.D is provided. The original aspects, from the experimental point of view, were the two experimental campaigns concerning portions of panel subjected to direct shear and real scale walls subjected to cyclic horizontal forces in a pseudo-static fashion. In addition, the experimental campaign was completed with the tests on wall-to-wall and wall-to-floor connections required by LL. GG. Min. of Public Works (2011) and aimed at the study of load-bearing walls cast within formwork blocks. The direct shear tests have shown an incongruity of the experimental results with the first analytical treatment developed in the years before 2012 and therefore it was necessary to revise it with new theoretical considerations. A new and original analytical treatment based on strut-and-tie mechanisms was developed. In the last chapters, the construction system has been treated numerically. In the numerical modeling of the structural system the analytical treatment exposed in the first chapters was employed using elements with lumped and distributed plasticity able to simulate the main failure mechanisms documented in the experimental tests. This modeling was first validated on the results of tests on full-scale walls and then used to simulate the behavior of multi-story buildings, regular and irregular, with bi-dimensional and spatial models. These buildings have been subjected to static and dynamic forces typical of seismic action. The numerical results of the simulations coupled with the capacity curves enabled the estimate of the seismic response of the building system and, finally, the behavior factor which best synthesizes it. The estimate of this parameter is of fundamental importance in seismic design, it is one of the main research results. It is worth to notice that the Italian Guidelines prescriptions regarding the behavior factor are more conservative with respect to the results of this researc
Bottom-Up Abstract Modelling of Optical Networks-on-Chip: From Physical to Architectural Layer
No full textThis work presents a bottom-up abstraction procedure based on the design-flow FDTD + SystemC suitable for the modelling of optical Networks-on-Chip. In this procedure, a complex network is decomposed into elementary switching elements whose input-output behavior is described by means of scattering parameters models. The parameters of each elementary block are then determined through 2D-FDTD simulation, and the resulting analytical models are exported within functional blocks in SystemC environment. The inherent modularity and scalability of the S-matrix formalism are preserved inside SystemC, thus allowing the incremental composition and successive characterization of complex topologies typically out of reach for full-vectorial electromagnetic simulators. The consistency of the outlined approach is verified, in the first instance, by performing a SystemC analysis of a four-input, four-output ports switch and making a comparison with the results of 2D-FDTD simulations of the same device. Finally, a further complex network encompassing 160 microrings is investigated, the losses over each routing path are calculated, and the minimum amount of power needed to guarantee an assigned BER is determined. This work is a basic step in the direction of an automatic technology-aware network-level simulation framework capable of assembling complex optical switching fabrics, while at the same time assessing the practical feasibility and effectiveness at the physical/technological level
Behavior of Rc Beams Strengthened in Shear with FRCM Composites
No full textInterventions for strengthening, repairing, and upgrading of existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures are aimed to increase/restore their structural capacity to withstand flexural, shear, torsional, and axial loads. Reasons to carry out such interventions vary from the need to upgrade the structure to current guidelines, overcome design and construction mistakes, and allow an increment in load due to a change in use. In addition, unexpected overloading events, such as earthquakes, might damage the structure, reducing its original performance. The same behavior can be expected in the case of fire or lack of adequate maintenance.
In the previous decades the use of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites has gained worldwide popularity to carry out such interventions due to some of their properties such as high strength-to-weight ratio, ease of application, and good corrosion resistance. However, the use of organic resin matrix in FRP composites has been associated with some limitations of their use such as inability to apply onto wet surfaces, low resistance to relatively high temperatures, and difficulty to carry out post-earthquake assessment. For this reason, in recent years, an important research effort has been developed in order to study composites known as fiber reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites, in which the organic resin is replaced by an inorganic matrix. In this thesis, the behavior of RC beams strengthened in shear with externally bonded FRCM composites is studied.
The first part of this thesis summarizes the state of research on the topic of shear strengthening of RC beams using externally bonded FRCM composites with the goal of serving as a reference point for the development of future research. A detailed bibliographical review of the literature on the shear strengthening of RC beams using FRCM composites is carried out, and the major findings and main aspects that should be addressed in future research are indicated. The collected experimental evidence shows that FRCM composites are able to increase the shear strength of RC beams, modifying in some cases the type of failure from shear to a flexural mode.
Then, the results of an experimental campaign on shear strengthening of RC beams with externally bonded FRP and FRCM composites are presented. FRP and FRCM composites with two different fiber types are examined. Two different stirrup spacings were employed to investigate the internal-external shear reinforcement interaction. Considering the limited experimental evidence on the use of anchors for RC beams strengthened in shear with FRCM composites, the performance of FRCM strengthened beams with and without anchors is also compared. Results show that the effectiveness of the FRCM system depends on the spacing of theinternal shear reinforcement. In addition, internal-external shear reinforcement interaction was witnessed, but the intereaction appears to be less pronounced than in beams strengthened with FRP composites.
Design models proposed to predict the contribution of the FRCM composite to the shear strength of RC beams are assessed using the database of experimental results collected and compiled by the author and the experimental results included in this thesis. Results show that the performance of the models is highly influenced by the type of failure mode attained by the strengthened beams. In addition, the use of the FRCM composite properties instead of the bare fiber mechanical characteristics does not result in an increase in the accuracy of the models.
Strains measured by strain gauges mounted onto the internal (stirrups) and external (FRCM system) transverse reinforcement of the tested beams are used to compute the individual contributions of the concrete, steel, and fibers to the overall shear strength of the FRCM strengthened beams, and to study the possible interaction among them. It was found that the concrete contribution to the shear resistance starts to decrease after first cracking of the concrete is achieved. After this point, the stirrup and fiber contributions start to increase until the peak load is attained.
Lastly, a new analytical model based on the bond behavior of the FRCM composites applied onto concrete substrates is introduced and discussed. Although additional tests are required to calibrate the model, initial results show that the assumptions and hypothesis used during its development are appropriate
Contributions to long-term morphodynamic modelling of estuaries, lagoons, and littoral zones
No full textIn the present thesis I will resume the formulation and some applications of a two-dimensional mathematical model for the long-term representation of the morphodynamic processes which take place in tidal environments. I will refer to non-cohesive sediments, eventually with non uniform grain size.
In the conceptualization presented here the large-scale morphodynamic problem is described based on the concepts of Transport Concentration and Intertidal Dispersion, directly resulting from an appropriate time averaging operation and from an empirical approach to the uncertainties of the problem.
The results of the research activity will be presented in four chapters, each one is meant to enclose completely a conceptual unit of the work performed; these units are preceded by a general outline in which various aspects of the problem are synthesized and contextualised. First the theoretical fundamentals of the model and its multigranular extension will be presented, highlighting the role of the main exogenous forcing factors (tidal range, wind, subsidence and sea level rise) in defining morphology and grain size distribution of tidal environments. Then two applications of the model will be illustrated: the first one studies the impact of different anthropic interventions on a tidal lagoon, the second one aims to quantify the morphodynamic effect of the nodal perturbation of the tidal amplitude.
The thesis is concluded by some considerations on the validity limitations of the model as currently formulated and with some proposals aimed to extending its applicability to complex systems in which the fluvial, estuarine and coastal environment mutually interact at the historical and geological temporal and spatial scales.Nel presente lavoro si espongono la formulazione ed alcune applicazioni di un modello matematico bidimensionale per la rappresentazione a lungo termine dei processi morfodinamici che interessano un ambiente a marea, in presenza di sedimenti non coesivi eventualmente a granulometria non uniforme.
Nella concettualizzazione qui presentata il problema morfodinamico a grande scala spaziale viene descritto sulla base dei concetti di Concentrazione di Trasporto e Dispersione Intermareale, derivanti direttamente da una opportuna operazione di media temporale e da un approccio empirico alla gestione delle incertezze del problema.
I risultati dell'attività di ricerca saranno presentati in quattro capitoli, ciascuno dei quali è inteso a racchiudere compiutamente un nucleo concettuale del lavoro svolto, preceduti da un inquadramento generale in cui i vari aspetti del problema sono sintetizzati e contestualizzati. Dapprima si presenteranno i fondamenti teorici del modello e la sua estensione multigranulare, evidenziando il ruolo delle principali forzanti esogene (ampiezza di marea, vento, subsidenza e innalzamento del livello del mare) nel definire morfologia e granulometria degli ambienti a marea. Quindi si illustreranno due applicazioni del modello: la prima volta a studiare l'impatto esercitato da vari interventi antropici su una laguna a marea, la seconda finalizzata a quantificare l'effetto morfodinamico della perturbazione nodale dell'ampiezza di marea.
La trattazione si conclude con alcune considerazioni sui limiti di validità del modello così come formulato allo stato attuale, e con alcune proposte volte ad estenderne l'applicabilità a sistemi complessi, nei quali gli ambienti fluviale, estuarino e costiero interagiscono mutuamente alle scale spaziali e temporali che sono proprie dei processi storici e geologici
Biotechnological and Technical Challenges Related to Cultured Meat Production
No full textThe constant growth of the population has pushed researchers to find novel protein sources. A possible solution to this problem has been found in cellular agriculture, specifically in the production of cultured meat. In the following review, the key steps for the production of in vitro meat are identified, as well as the most important challenges. The main biological and technical approaches are taken into account and discussed, such as the choice of animal, animal-free alternatives to fetal bovine serum (FBS), cell biomaterial interactions, and the implementation of scalable and sustainable biofabrication and culturing systems. In the light of the findings, as promising as cultured meat production is, most of the discussed challenges are in an initial stage. Hence, research must overcome these challenges to ensure efficient large-scale production
Beyond the Fixed-bed Paradigm in Flood Modelling: An Analysis of the Terminal Reach of the Po River (Italy)
No full textScalloped Freehand Pulmonary Homograft for Prosthetic Tricuspid Valve Replacement
No full textTricuspid valve replacement is commonly performed using biologic or mechanical prostheses. Partial or complete valve replacement using mitral homograft tissue has also been described. Anecdotal reports exist of valve replacement using a pulmonary homograft within a cylinder. This report describes a technique for native or prosthetic valve replacement using a freehand scalloped pulmonary homograft. Late follow-up confirmed the efficacy of this surgical strategy. (C) 2021 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeon
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