1,720,998 research outputs found
On the application of the yield-line method to masonry infills subjected to combined in-plane and out-of-plane loads
Get PDFThe influence of infills on the seismic response of frame structures has been long recognised. On the one hand, the presence of infills may be beneficial, due to their contribution to dissipate energy. On the other hand, irregular infill distributions in plan or elevation can lead to concentration of the displacement demand in localised parts of the building. It is noted that the lack of one or more panels may depend on the original building layout or may be generated by the infill collapse during a seismic event. It is therefore of interest the assessment of their capacity to resist out-of-plane loads. In this paper, the use of the yield-line theory for the estimation of the out-of-plane infill strength is investigated. The method is described in detail and an example of derivation of the related equations is presented. Afterward, a modification of such equations is suggested to account for different contact conditions at the infill-frame interface. Moreover, specific attention is paid to the assessment of the masonry flexural strength, which is a basic parameter for the application of the method. Finally, a reduction factor is calibrated to extend the method to those cases in which previous in-plane damage is present. Experimental tests available in the literature are used to verify and calibrate the proposed equations and coefficients
Marking tadpoles with Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) tags: methods for improving readability and decreasing mortality.
Get PDFAnalisi non lineari su modelli semplificati per la valutazione della risposta sismica di edifici misti muratura-c.a.
No full textAn overview on Short Food Supply Chain System
No full textDirect food sales and, in general, the short food supply chain system, is a growing business. In the actual
system, where conditions of farm profitability are poor, this type of distribution channel can be used as a tool
to support especially small and medium producers. The lack of robust data on the economic impact of the
short food chain system in Europe and the difficulty in collecting comparable data, especially for small
enterprises, emerge as a limit in the scientific literature. This paper provides a general SWOT analysis of the
short food chain through an extensive examination of scientific literature. The short food supply chain
emerges to be an important system to promote a new culture on agri-food and sensitize citizens to the theme
of local food. Some other main benefits are the possibility of promoting rural development by redistributing
value along the food supply chain and the sales of designation of origin, geographical indication and organic
products, an important heritage in particularly in Europe. Excessive bureaucracy and inconsistent legislation
are limitations that create difficulties for farmers’ competitiveness
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Consumers’ food safety perceptions in three Mediterranean countries
Get PDFThe purpose of the study is to investigate and compare consumers’ food safety perceptions in three Mediterranean countries (Greece, Italy, and Spain). A survey was carried out based on a structured questionnaire focusing on food safety-related issues concerning food characteristics, the labeling of systems implemented by food companies such as the Quality Management System and the Food Safety Management System, consumer trust in the food supply chain, and consumer illusion of food control.
Information was collected from individuals located in those three countries (2,664 respondents), which share common characteristics. The results indicate that there is a significant heterogeneity in consumers’ food safety perceptions in the three countries. The Spanish sample has the greatest level of trust in the supply chain in terms of food safety and the highest level of illusion of food control. The Italians evaluate the food
characteristics and the QMS-FSMS’s labeling higher than the Spanish and the Greeks.
This multinational study brings to light the different types of food safety concerns of consumers from three Mediterranean countries
Direct synthesis of adipic acid by mono-persulfate oxidation of cyclohexane, cyclohexanone or cyclohexanol catalyzed by water-soluble transition-metal complexes
No full textA catalytic system consisting of water-soluble metal sulfophthalocyanines (MPcS) or various ruthenium complexes and mono-persulfate as the oxidant was effective in the oxidation of cyclohexanone, cyclohexanol and cyclohexane to adipic acid with different yields and selectivity. Oxidations were conducted at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure in aqueous media (or, in the case of cyclohexane, in a water-neat substrate double phase). The oxidation of cyclohexanol involved step-by-step formation of cyclohexanone, epsilon -caprolactone and 6-hydroxyhexanoic acid, all of which have been identified in the reaction mixtures; in selected cases moderate over-oxidation of adipic acid to glutaric and succinic acid was also observed. Various MPcS catalysts were examined (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Ru), and the ruthenium derivative exhibited the best performances in terms of rate and selectivity. Mono-persulfate was found to be a more convenient oxidizing reagent than hydrogen peroxide; related patterns were observed when H2O2 was used, however extended dismutation of the oxidant limited the overall yields. Cyclohexane underwent slow oxidation when reacted with persulfate (water-substrate double phase) in the presence of the water-soluble metal catalysts; adipic acid was selectively produced (95%) in the presence of RuPcS catalyst with yields as high as 21% (48 h). The catalytic performance of simpler ruthenium derivatives, such as [RuCl2(DMSO)(4)] (RuDMS) and K-5[Ru(H2O)P11O39] (RuPW), was also examined for comparison purposes. A kinetic scheme for cyclohexane oxidation is proposed
Food habits and attitudes towards food quality among young students
No full textPurpose - The food consumption has always received a lot of attention in the marketing literature as it tends to reflect and sometimes to determine the overall consumer behavior, being a faithful expression of the individual lifestyle. Nevertheless, less attention has been devoted to the young, whose food patterns have been mainly explored from a medical/nutritional perspective. This paper aims at analyzing how university students, that are a segment of young people, perceive and evaluate the quality of food and which attributes most influence their food choice and consumption
Digital technologies and circularity: trade-offs in the development of life cycle assessment
No full textPurpose This research aims to develop a critical understanding of the employment of digital technologies (DTs) for LCA studies, outlining both the opportunities and challenges associated with circular strategies. Two research questions are thus addressed: (1) What circular loops and aspects are addressed when digital technologies are integrated in the development of a Life Cycle Inventory? (2) Which trade-offs are revealed in the integration of digital technologies in Life Cycle Inventory development addressing circularity along a life cycle? Methods This study is based on the problematisation approach, which critically examines existing assumptions in the LCA literature, structured into six principles: defining a domain of investigation, articulating and evaluating assumptions, developing alternative perspectives, involving the audience through qualitative interviews, and assessing the alternative assumptions. A systematic literature review (SLR) and semi-structured interviews with experts were conducted to explore these issues and suggest future research directions. Results and discussion It emerges that the DTs are mainly integrated in the Life Cycle Inventory phase capturing closing and narrowing loops, whereas a limited number of cases investigate slowing loops with different aspects investigated. However, even if DTs can facilitate and improve the trustworthiness of the inventory, they can also lead to an increase in complexity because more competencies are needed, it is more difficult to control data collection and elaboration, and more social interactions along the supply chain are needed. At the same time, DTs can reduce flexibility because further improvements are blocked, interfaces can be rigid to connect, and technical and normative updates can be more difficult to implement. Conclusions DTs improve the development of the Life Cycle Inventory phase, particularly in the context of the circular economy. However, they also introduce new complexities and challenges. The use of blockchain, digital twins, and IoT sensors, for instance, has significantly improved data transparency and traceability, which are critical for circular economy practices, but complexity and training requirements can limit their benefits, so careful consideration must be given to their implementation to maximise benefits and minimise drawbacks
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