New trends in the analysis of masonry structures

The modern theory of masonry structures has been set up on the hypothesis of no-tension behaviour, with the aim of offering a reference model, independent of materials and building techniques employed. This hypothesis gives rise to inequalities which have to be satisfied by the stress tensor components and, as a dual aspect, to the kinematic behaviour characteristics of media which can be classified as lying between solids and fluids: the structure of the masonry material consists of particles reacting elastically only when in contact. An examination of the plane-stress problem leads us to define, within the prescribed domain under admissible loads, three different subdomains with null, regular, or non-regular principal stress tensors, respectively. As the boundaries of such subdomains are not known a priori, the problem can be classified as a free boundary value problem. The analysis concerns mainly the subdomains where the stress tensor is non-regular; and a non-regularity condition det =0 is added to the equilibrium equations. This condition makes the stress problem isostatic and leads to a violation of Saint-Venant's compliance conditions on strains. Hence there is a need to introduce a strain tensor, not related to the stress tensor, which can be decomposed into an extensional component and a shearing component; we prove that such strains, of the class ^c, are similar to those of the theory of plastic flow. From the point of view of computational analysis the anelastic strains are considered as given distortions; they are computed by means of the Haar-Kármán principle, modified for computational purposes by an idea of Prager and Hodge.

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Sommario La moderna teoria delle strutture murarie, fondata sulla rigorosa non reagenza a trazione del materiale, ha lo scopo di fornire un modello di riferimento indipendente sia dalle caratteristiche del materiale sia dalle techniche costruttive impiegate. L'ipotesi di non reagenza a trazione si traduce in disuguaglianze che le componenti del tensore di stress devono verificare; dualmente il comportamento caratteristico cinematico può esser classificato di confine, come del resto la stessa statica, tra solidi e fluidi: la struttura ipotizzata del materiale muratura consiste di particelle che reagiscono solo se sono in contatto. L'esame del problema piano porta a definire all'interno del dominio di definizione tre differenti tipi di sub-regioni in cui lo stress è nullo, canonico, o singolare. Poiché le frontiere di queste sub-regioni non sono note a priori il problema può anche essere classificato di frontiera libera. L'analisi concerne fondamentalmente la sub-regione in cui il tensore è non regolare, perché deve verificare anche la condizione det =0. Ciò rende isostatico il problema e conduce anche alla violazione della condizione di integrabilità delle deformazioni. Questo passaggio può essere superato introducendo un tensore di deformazioni a tensioni nulle che si può decomporre in una componente estensionale ed in una componente di scorrimento; si dimostra che queste deformazioni sono equivalenti a quelle che intervengono nella Teoria del flusso plastico. Dal punto di vista computazionale le deformazioni anelastiche sono considerate come distorsioni impresse determinate attraverso il principio di Haar-Kármán modificato, per le techniche computazionali, su idee di Prager e Hodge.

     

Simple Torsion of Isotropic, Hyperelastic, Incompressible Materials with Limiting Chain Extensibility

The purpose of this research is to investigate the simple torsion problem for a solid circular cylinder composed of isotropic hyperelastic incompressible materials with limiting chain extensibility. Three popular models that account for hardening at large deformations are examined. These models involve a strain-energy density which depends only on the first invariant of the Cauchy–Green tensor. In the limit as a polymeric chain extensibility tends to infinity, all of these models reduce to the classical neo-Hookean form. The main mechanical quantities of interest in the torsion problem are obtained in closed form. In this way, it is shown that the torsional response of all three materials is similar. While the predictions of the models agree qualitatively with experimental data, the quantitative agreement is poor as is the case for the neo-Hookean material. In fact, by using a global universal relation, it is shown that the experimental data cannot be predicted quantitatively by any strain-energy density which depends solely on the first invariant. It is shown that a modification of the strain energies to include a term linear in the second invariant can be used to remedy this defect. Whether the modified strain-energies, which reflect material hardening, are a feasible alternative to the classic Mooney–Rivlin model remains an open question which can be resolved only by large strain experiments. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A Galerkin Approach for Power Spectrum Determination of Nonlinear Oscillators

A numerical method to estimate spectral properties of nonlinear oscillators with random input is presented. The stationary system response is expanded into a trigonometric Fourier series. A set of nonlinear algebraic equations, solved by Newtons method, leads to the determination of the unknown Fourier series coefficients of single samples of the response process. For cubic polynomial nonlinearities, closed-form expressions are used to find the nonlinear terms at each step of the solution scheme. Further, a simple procedure yields an approximation of an arbitrary nonlinearity by a cubic polynomial. Power spectral density estimates for the response process are constructed by averaging the square modulus of the computed Fourier coefficients over various samples or by means of well-established smoothing techniques of spectral analysis. Two applications are presented illustrating the effectiveness of the method as compared to statistical linearization and digital Monte-Carlo simulation.     

Dynamic Programming BN Structure Learning Algorithm Integrating Double Constraints under Small Sample Condition

The Bayesian Network (BN) structure learning algorithm based on dynamic programming can obtain global optimal solutions. However, when the sample cannot fully contain the information of the real structure, especially when the sample size is small, the obtained structure is inaccurate. Therefore, this paper studies the planning mode and connotation of dynamic programming, restricts its process with edge and path constraints, and proposes a dynamic programming BN structure learning algorithm with double constraints under small sample conditions. The algorithm uses double constraints to limit the planning process of dynamic programming and reduces the planning space. Then, it uses double constraints to limit the selection of the optimal parent node to ensure that the optimal structure conforms to prior knowledge. Finally, the integrating prior-knowledge method and the non-integrating prior-knowledge method are simulated and compared. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the method proposed and prove that the integrating prior knowledge can significantly improve the efficiency and accuracy of BN structure learning.     

On Fourier-Based Inequality Indices

Inequality indices are quantitative scores that take values in the unit interval, with a zero score denoting complete equality. They were originally created to measure the heterogeneity of wealth metrics. In this study, we focus on a new inequality index based on the Fourier transform that demonstrates a number of intriguing characteristics and shows great potential for applications. By extension, it is demonstrated that other inequality measures, such as the Gini and Pietra indices, can be usefully stated in terms of the Fourier transform, allowing us to illuminate characteristics in a novel and straightforward manner.     

Synthesis,Docking Studies and Pharmacological Evaluation of Serotoninergic Ligands Containing a 5-Norbornene-2-Carboxamide Nucleus

A new series of 5-norbornene-2-carboxamide derivatives was prepared and their affinities to the 5-HT_1A, 5-HT_2A, and 5-HT_2C receptors were evaluated and compared to a previously synthesized series of derivatives characterized by exo-N-hydroxy-5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboximidenucleus, in order to identify selective ligands for the above-mentioned subtype receptors. Arylpiperazines represents one of the most important classes of 5-HT_1AR ligands, and recent research concerning new derivatives has been focused on the modification of one or more portions of such pharmacophore. The combination of structural elements (heterocyclic nucleus, propyl chain and 4-substituted piperazine), known to be critical to the affinity to 5-HT_1A receptors, and the proper selection of substituents led to compounds with high specificity and affinity towards serotoninergic receptors. The most active compounds were selected for further in vivo assays to determine their functional activity. Finally, to rationalize the obtained results, molecular docking studies were performed. The results of the pharmacological studies showed that Norbo-4 and Norbo-18 were the most active and promising derivatives for the serotonin receptor considered in this study.     

Anti-Proliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Effects of Digested Aglianico Grape Pomace Extract in Human Colorectal Cancer Cells

Grape pomace (GP)—the major by-product of winemaking processes—still contains bioactive molecules with known beneficial properties for human health, such as an antiradical scavenging activity or an antiproliferative activity of tumors. In vitro studies have demonstrated that GP polyphenols specifically influence colon cancer cell proliferation. In addition to previously published work, we tested the phenolic compounds of Aglianico GP following an in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion on colorectal cancer cell lines at different degrees of differentiation. Our experiments, using HT29 and SW480 cells, confirmed the anti-proliferative effect of GP gastrointestinal digested extract and provided intriguing insights on the way it influences the cancer cell features (i.e., viability, proliferation, and apoptosis). We observed that Aglianico GP extract showed a great ability to affect cell proliferation and apoptosis. Interestingly, both HT29 and SW480 cells produced a significant increase in Bax, and a significant increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3. The gastrointestinal digested GP extract was previously characterized both for antioxidant activity and phenolic composition. As a result, the TPC and the antioxidant activity reached high values in the Aglianico GP digested extract, and the main compounds assessed by UHPLC-DAD were anthocyanins, phenolic acids, and flavonoids. This work shed light on the use of digested GP extract as a dietary ingredient, a very sustainable source of nutritional compounds with potential health benefits for colon cancer cell proliferation.     

Insights into Two Novel Orthopalladated Chromophores with Antimicrobial Activity against Escherichia coli

Advanced chromophoric tools, besides being biologically active, need to meet the expectations of the technological demands including stability, colour retention, and proper solubility for their target. Many coordination compounds of conjugated ligands are antibacterial dyes, able to combine a strong dyeing performance with a useful biological activity. Specifically, palladium (II) complexes of Schiff base ligands are known for their relevant activity against common bacteria. In this article, we report the synthesis and comprehensive experimental and theoretical characterization of two novel Pd(II) chromophore complexes obtained from a cyclopalladated Schiff base as two different chelating azo dyes. The antibacterial response of these two novel complexes was tested against the ubiquitous Escherichia coli bacterium in an aqueous medium and revealed a noteworthy antimicrobial activity, higher than when compared with their uncoordinated biologically active ligands.     

Utilization of Agro-Industrial Residues in the Rearing and Nutritional Enrichment of Zophobas atratus Larvae: New Food Raw Materials

Edible insects are a potential alternative food source of high feed conversion efficiency and protein content. Zophobas atratus is an edible insect that adapts to different diets, enabling sustainable rearing by adding value to by-products and agro-industrial residues. This study aimed to evaluate the performance and nutritional characterization of Zophobas atratus larvae fed with different proportions of grape residue. Physicochemical analysis of the diets and larvae (AOAC procedures), fatty acid profile (chromatographic techniques), metals and non-metals (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry), larval mass gain, feed conversion efficiency, and mortality rate were assessed. The replacement of 25% of the conventional diet with grape residue increased lipid, ash, and fiber contents and reduced protein, carbohydrates, and energy. It promoted greater mass gain, lower mortality rate, and reduced larval growth time by 51%. Among the replacements, 25% resulted in the second-highest content of calcium, sodium, magnesium, and zinc, and the lowest content of potassium and phosphorus in the larvae. The 100% replacement resulted in the highest amounts of C18:2n6 (27.8%), C18:3n3 (2.2%), and PUFA (30.0%). Replacing 25% of the conventional diet with grape residue is equivalent to the conventional diet in many aspects and improves several larvae performance indices and nutritional values.     

Organic/Inorganic Species Synergistically Supported Unprecedented Vanadomolybdates

Vanadomolybdates (VMos), comprised of Mo and V in high valences with O bridges, are one of the most important types of polyoxometalates (POMs), which have high activity due to their strong capabilities of gaining/losing electrons. Compared with other POMs, the preparation of VMos is difficult due to their relatively low structural stability, especially those with unclassical architectures. To overcome this shortcoming, in this study, triol ligands were applied to synthesize VMos through a beaker reaction in the presence of V₂O₅, Na₂MoO₄, and organic species in the aqueous solution. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction results indicate that two VMo clusters, Na₄{V₅Mo₂O₁₉[CH₃C(CH₂O)₃]}∙13H₂O and Na₄{V₅Mo₂O₁₉[CH₃CH₂C(CH₂O)₃]}∙13H₂O, with a similar architecture, were synthesized, which were both stabilized by triol ligand and {MoO₆} polyhedron. Both clusters are composed of five V ions and one Mo ion in a classical Lindqvist arrangement with an additional Mo ion, showing an unprecedented hepta-nuclear VMo structure. The counter Na⁺ cations assemble into one-dimensional channels, which facilitates the transport of protons and was further confirmed by proton conductivity experiments. The present results provide a new strategy to prepare and stabilize VMos, which is applicable for developing other compounds, especially those with untraditional architectures.