Browsing by Issue Date, starting with "2020-01"
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- Seismic fragility assessment of revised MRT buildings considering typical construction changesPublication . Dumaru, Rakesh; Rodrigues, Hugo; Varum, HumbertoThe present study investigates the vulnerability assessment of the prototype revised Mandatory Rule of Thumb (MRT) buildings initially designed and detailed for three storeys bare frame building; later modified through variable number of storeys (three, four, and five) and different arrangement of infill walls (bare frame, soft-storey, irregular infilled, and fully infilled). The application of infill walls increases the fundamental frequencies, stiffness, and maximum strength capacity, but reduces the deformation capability than the bare frame building. The vulnerability was also reduced through infill walls, where the probability of exceeding partial-collapse and collapse damage reduced by 80% and 50%, respectively. Furthermore, the increased in storeys (three to five) also increases the failure probability, such that partial-collapse and collapse for fully infilled increases by almost 55% and 80%, respectively. All obtained results and discussions concluded that the structural sections and details assigned for MRT building is not sufficient if considered as bare frame and soft-storey. And increase in number of storeys causes building highly vulnerable although the infill walls were considered.
- Separating positional noise from neutral alignment in multicomponent statistical shape modelsPublication . Audenaert, E. A.; Van den Eyndeb, J.; Almeida, D. F. de; Steenackers, G.; Vandermeulen, D.; Claes, P.Given sufficient training samples, statistical shape models can provide detailed population representations for use in anthropological and computational genetic studies, injury biomechanics, musculoskeletal disease models or implant design optimization. While the technique has become extremely popular for the description of isolated anatomical structures, it suffers from positional interference when applied to coupled or articulated input data. In the present manuscript we describe and validate a novel approach to extract positional noise from such coupled data. The technique was first validated and then implemented in a multicomponent model of the lower limb. The impact of noise on the model itself as well as on the description of sexual dimorphism was evaluated. The novelty of our methodology lies in the fact that no rigid transformations are calculated or imposed on the data by means of idealized joint definitions and by extension the models obtained from them.
- Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of a Water Supply Network: City of Aveiro Case StudyPublication . Pires, Hélder; Rodrigues, Hugo; Afonso, Armando Silva; Pimentel-Rodrigues, Carla; Rodrigues, FernandaCritical infrastructures have critical importance on societies as they rely on fundamental development and safety aspects. The inoperability of these networks can cause great damage to strategical state-related activities and may reduce the ability to address the results in the aftermath of an accident or catastrophe. Taking in mind that damages in a water supply network do not depend only on the intensity of the disaster, but also on the vulnerability of each component of the entire system, it is important to ensure the ability of these infrastructures to remain operational during and after any disruptive event to prevent the loss of availability of vital goods and services, but also due to the high level of interdependence between different networks, that can lead to a propagation of effects, increasing the level of losses. The seismic vulnerability assessment of water systems is one of the most effective mitigation strategies that will allow to estimate the serviceability of the system and evaluate the estimated direct losses in terms of replacement cost. This paper aims to revise the main seismic risk assessment methodologies available for seismic vulnerability assessment of water networks and based on the selected methodology to present an application to a real network.
- Relato não financeiro no setor das águas minerais naturais: relação ODS e métricasPublication . Lopes, Sandra; Eugénio, TeresaEste estudo pretende analisar de que forma as empresas europeias do setor de produtos alimentares e bebidas (na categoria das águas minerais) contribuem para o desenvolvimento e implementação dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) publicados pela ONU em Setembro de 2015. Pretende também identificar as métricas publicadas pelas empresas deste setor. Recorre à análise documental de diversas fontes e à técnica da análise de conteúdo de relatórios não financeiros (relatórios integrados, relatórios de sustentabilidade e outros). Pela elaboração deste estudo ficou presente que casos como a Nestlé e a Heineken podem servir como modelo a outras empresas do setor como um relato que alinha os compromissos da empresas com os ODS e que opta pela publicação de um vasto número de métricas tendo em conta os diferentes capitais: humano, natural, intelectual e social e de relacionamento. Este estudo contribui para o recente debate sobre a implementação dos ODS nomeadamente sobre o papel que as empresas podem desempenhar para a sua concretização. Palavras-chave: Relato não financeiro, Relato integrado, Setor das águas minerais, Objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável, Métricas.
- Evaluation of post-earthquake fire capacity of reinforced concrete elementsPublication . Vitorino, Hugo; Rodrigues, Hugo; Couto, CarlosLarge earthquakes may cause a chain of events, and one of which can be fire after an earthquake. The effects of fire after earthquake on urban areas can be even worse than the effects of the earthquake itself. Buildings are not adequately designed for fire after an earthquake since most standards ignore that possibility. The aim of the work is to evaluate the consequences of the damage introduced due to the seismic events on the fire resistance of reinforced concrete elements. Several numerical analyses were performed to reinforce concrete elements using the program SAFIR, considering the thermal and mechanical analysis of the structure. The main variables in the analysis were the type of damage in the elements and the type of loads. The thermal analysis was performed using the standard fire curve ISO 834. The results show that the damage imposed by earthquake on reinforced concrete structures reduces the fire resistance, especially if the cover of the elements is removed and the reinforcement is exposed to fire.
- Modelo de capacitação do cuidador informal para cuidar da pessoa com dependência.Publication . Dixe, Maria dos Anjos; Soares, Elsa; Martinho, Ricardo; Rijo, Rui; Caroço, João; Gomes, Nuno; Querido, Ana
- Assessment and mitigation of seismic risk at the urban scale: an application to the historic city center of Leiria, PortugalPublication . Blyth, Anna; Di Napoli, Beatrice; Parisse, Francesco; Namourah, Zahir; Anglade, Elsa; Giatreli, Anna-Maria; Rodrigues, Hugo; Ferreira, Tiago MiguelThe implementation of a culture of seismic risk preparedness is becoming increasingly critical in Europe as the building stock ages and the awareness about seismic risk rises. In this context, the assessment of the seismic vulnerability of existing buildings, followed by the implementation of appropriate retrofitting solutions, can help to substantially reduce the levels of physical damage and economic impact of future events. The central region of Portugal is particularly susceptible to large seismic events and is characterized by the prevalence of historic masonry buildings. This work aims to validate assessment methods for the risk of historical city centers in order to propose management strategies for municipalities and assess the economic impact of large-scale seismic retrofitting. To do this, an application of these methods was performed on the historical city center of Leiria. An in-depth inspection was performed of the entire center and the results were compiled into a database. Using an index-based seismic vulnerability assessment approach, a vulnerability assessment was made for each building. Based on vulnerability and predicted damage, estimates of human and economic losses were made for the city center before and after retrofitting to justify interventions on a broad scale.
- Plataforma interativa interdisciplinar para promoção de comportamentos saudáveis e prevenção do sedentarismo e da obesidade: TeenpowerPublication . Paulo, Rui; Honório, Samuel; Rocha, Rita Santos; Pimenta, Nuno; Morouço, Pedro; Sousa, Pedro; Frontini, Roberta
- How best to quantify home advantage in team sports: an investigation involving male senior handball leagues in Portugal and Spain. [La mejor manera de cuantificar la ventaja de jugar en casa en deportes de equipo: una investigación con ligas de Balonmano senior masculino en Portugal y España].Publication . Matos, Rui; Amaro, Nuno; Pollard, RichardHome advantage (HA), or the effect of match location, has been shown to play an important role in determining the result of a game. A method introduced over 30 years ago has enjoyed wide use. However, there is a possible problem with its interpretation. Although this can be overcome by rescaling the original value for HA, this paper introduces a somewhat different approach to quantifying HA, one that is derived by expressing home performance specifically as a function of away performance. The various methods are illustrated by analyzing HA for teams in the men’s professional handball leagues in Portugal and Spain for the 2016-17 season. Results show that the traditional and rescaled methods both ensure a maximum value of 100% for HA, while the new method can produce values well above 100%. Also, when HA is small, as in the case of goals scored and conceded, then values from the new method are about twice those from the rescaled method. However, when HA is larger, as in the case of most of the teams in the lower half of the Spanish league table, when based on points, the new method produces HA values which are much higher that the rescaled. This method provides a new dimension to consider when trying to quantify HA. It has the advantage of also being appropriate for the difference between goals scored and goals conceded. Choice of methodology will depend on the specific objective being sought when studying the effect of HA on performance.
- Effects of glycosaminoglycan supplementation in the chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow- and synovial- derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells on 3D-extruded poly (ε-caprolactone) scaffoldsPublication . Silva, João C.; Moura, Carla; Matos, António P. Alves de; Cabral, Joaquim M. S.; Linhardt, Robert J.; Ferreira, Frederico CasteloThe lack of effective and long-term treatments for articular cartilage defects has increased the interest for innovative tissue engineering strategies. Such approaches, combining cells, biomaterial matrices and external biochemical/physical cues, hold promise for generating fully functional cartilage tissue. Herein, this study aims at exploring the use of the major cartilage glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), chondroitin sulfate (CS) and hyaluronic acid (HA), as external biochemical cues to promote the chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow- and synovium-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (hBMSC/hSMSC) on custom-made 3 D porous poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds. The culture conditions, namely the chondrogenic medium and hypoxic environment (5% O2 tension), were firstly optimized by culturing hBMSCs on PCL scaffolds without GAG supplementation. For both MSC sources, GAG supplemented media, particularly with HA, promoted significantly cartilage-like extracellular matrix (ECM) production (higher sulfated GAG amounts) and chondrogenic gene expression. Remarkably, in contrast to tissues generated using hBMSCs, the hSMSC-based constructs showed decreased expression of hypertrophic marker COL X. Histological, immunohistochemical and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis confirmed the presence of typical articular cartilage ECM components (GAGs, aggrecan, collagen fibers) in all the tissue constructs produced. Overall, our results highlight the potential of integrating GAG supplementation, hSMSCs and customizable 3 D scaffolds toward the fabrication of bioengineered cartilage tissue substitutes with reduced hypertrophy.