scholarly journals Optimizing Seismic Capacity of Existing Masonry Buildings by Retrofitting Timber Floors: Wood-Based Solutions as a Dissipative Alternative to Rigid Concrete Diaphragms

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 604
Author(s):  
Michele Mirra ◽  
Geert Ravenshorst
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Performance ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Seismic Retrofitting ◽  
Concrete Slabs ◽  
Masonry Buildings ◽  
Seismic Capacity

The inadequate seismic performance of existing masonry buildings is often linked to the excessively low in-plane stiffness of timber diaphragms and the poor quality of their connections to the walls. However, relevant past studies and seismic events have also shown that rigid diaphragms could be detrimental for existing buildings and do not necessarily lead to an increase in their seismic performance. Therefore, this work explores the opportunity of optimizing the retrofitting of existing timber floors by means of a dissipative strengthening option, consisting of a plywood panel overlay. On the basis of past experimental tests and previously formulated analytical and numerical models for simulating the in-plane response of these retrofitted diaphragms, in this work nonlinear incremental dynamic analyses were performed on three case–study buildings. For each structure three configurations were analyzed: an as-built one, one having floors retrofitted with concrete slabs and one having dissipative diaphragms strengthened with plywood panels. The results showed that the additional beneficial hysteretic energy dissipation of the optimized diaphragms is relevant and can largely increase the seismic performance of the analyzed buildings, while rigid floors only localize the dissipation in the walls. These outcomes can contribute to an efficient seismic retrofitting of existing masonry buildings, demonstrating once more the great potential of wood-based techniques in comparison to the use of reinforced concrete for creating rigid diaphragms.

scholarly journals Mind the Gap: Why the Landscape Planning System in Sardinia Does Not Work

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7300
Author(s):  
Anna Maria Colavitti ◽  
Alessio Floris ◽  
Sergio Serra
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Planning ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Local Planning ◽  
The Common ◽  
Regional Landscape ◽  
Landscape Protection

In Italy, after the introduction of the Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape in 2004, the Regional Landscape Plan (RLP) has acquired a coordination role in the urban planning system, for the implementation of policies for landscape protection and valorisation. The case study of the RLP of Sardinia is a paradigmatic application to the coastal area of the island, which is considered most vulnerable and subject to settlement pressure. The objectives of preservation and valorisation of the territorial resources should be transferred into local planning instruments by adopting strategies aimed at the preservation of the consolidated urban fabric, at the requalification and completion of the existing built-up areas according to the principles of land take limitation and increase in urban quality. The paper investigates the state of implementation and the level of integration of landscape contents in the local plans that have been adapted to the RLP, using a qualitative comparative method. In addition, the results of the plan coherence checks, elaborated by the regional monitoring bodies after the adaptation process, have been analysed to identify the common criticalities and weaknesses. The results highlight the lack of effectiveness of the RLP, after more than a decade since its approval, considering the limited number of adequate local plans and the poor quality of their analytical and regulative contents in terms of landscape protection and valorisation. Conclusions suggest some possible ways to revise the RLP, focusing on the participation of local communities and the development of a new landscape culture.

scholarly journals Kontribusi Muhasabah dalam Mengembangkan Resiliensi Pada Orang Tua Anak Berkebutuhan Khusus

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 244-262
Author(s):  
Fatma Laili Khoirun Nida
Keyword(s):  
Special Needs ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Children With Special Needs ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Resilience Factors ◽  
Depth Interviews

The phenomenon of the poor quality of parental care for children with disabilities makes resilience one of the psychological capital that contributes to improving the quality of care. This study describes how through a muhasabah intervention in Blimbingrejo Village, Nalumsari District, Jepara Regency. The purpose of this study was to provide information for parents of children with special needs about muhasabah interventions in developing the resilience abilities of parents when carrying out their care. The urgency of this research is to reduce parenting stress experienced by parents because of the developmental barriers of their children. This research is qualitative with a case study approach through in-depth interviews and observation techniques. The study results explain that the condition of children with special needs is often a stressor for their parents. However, parents can live with complete steadfastness as a form of their resilience. The pattern of resilience formed is supported mainly by thinking about what they are trying to do. There are indications of the meaning of resilience factors in the practice of muhasabah in the form of the ability to regulate emotions, develop optimism and empathy, control impulses and causal analysis, good self-efficacy and take wisdom as an indication of aspects of the reaching out process. The results of this study are helpful information in developing the concept and practice of caring for children with special needs.

Planted Roofs Over Buildings

2022 ◽  
pp. 338-349
Author(s):  
Theodoros Galanis ◽  
Ploutarhos Kerpelis
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
School Building ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Original Design ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Financial Benefits

Humans in addition with other factors have increased the environmental pollution of the planet. Many highly populated cities like Athens have problems with air quality due to the poor quality of construction, high temperatures in summer, noise, no existence of city plans, etc. The scope of this study is the investigation of urban towns' benefits using planted roofs. All types of planted roofs have many environmental, constructional, social, and financial benefits. The research suggests a method from the design, the study until the construction, using decision making, informing the citizens, and taking into account their opinion. The original design of buildings must have adopted an integrated energy strategy such as the solution of planted roofs so as to maximize the benefits to the environment and human beings. The research is specialized using a case study about a planted roof of an existing school building in Athens. The advantages and disadvantages of the usage are shown focusing on environmental, social, and construction aspects.

DECONSTRUCTING THE ARGUMENT FOR FREE TRADE: A CASE STUDY OF THE ROLE OF ECONOMISTS IN POLICY DEBATES

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Driskill
Keyword(s):  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Standard Argument ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
The World ◽  
Value Judgements

This paper argues that, in light of the apparent settled nature of economists’ judgement on the issue of trade liberalization, the profession has stopped thinking critically about the question and, as a consequence, makes poor-quality arguments justifying their consensus. To develop support for this claim, the paper first recounts what economic analysis can say about trade liberalization. Then it analyses the quality of the arguments that economists make in support of free trade. The paper argues that the standard argument made by economists in favour of free trade is either incoherent or implicitly imposes philosophical value judgements about what is good for a nation or society, or it makes leaps of empirical faith about how the world works. The paper concludes with suggestions for better arguments.

“The Last Laugh?” A Multimodal Analysis of Captions in Photojournalism

Pólemos ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara Logaldo
Keyword(s):  
Poor Quality ◽  
Pop Art ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Multimodal Analysis ◽  
Multimodal Discourse ◽  
Low Culture ◽  
Verbal Discourse ◽  
Selective Process

Abstract It is generally agreed that in photojournalism pictures come first. However, also the short verbal texts that accompany them play a crucial role, as they lead readers among the different signifieds of the image. A multimodal discourse analysis of captions will aptly consider both the linguistic elements that appear within the verbal discourse and the image-text relation. The interconnectedness of captions and pictures has lately been defined as a “loop,” a view which blurs the traditional distinction between anchoring and relaying processes theorized by Barthes. The association of the relaying function with comics, however, seems to establish an interesting point of contact between photojournalism and pop art. Captions actually show the tension between “high” and “low” culture, the former being traditionally identified with the word and the latter with the image. While in the heyday of photojournalism captions were made necessary by the poor quality of the photographs, they soon began to provide an abstractive summary of the story told by the picture. This selective process involves interpretation. For this reason, captions can be ethically misleading and even legally controversial forms of discourse, for instance when they are used instrumentally to convey a specific point of view. In photojournalism dealing with crime cases, in particular, captions may display a sensationalist and populist view of justice, thus articulating the thoughts of public opinion supported by the newspaper’s stand. My case study focuses on the caption that accompanied the photo portraying Perry Smith and Richard Hickock while leaving the courtroom on March 29, 1960. The two murderers – who have become famous after the publication of the documentary novel

scholarly journals Investigations of masonry churches seismic performance with numerical models: application to a case study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele D’Amato ◽  
Roselena Sulla
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Seismic Performance ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Response Mechanism ◽  
Longitudinal Response ◽  
Minimization Procedure ◽  
Macro Element ◽  
Masonry Churches

AbstractRecovering and preserving ancient churches is necessary to ensure the transmission of this cultural heritage to the future generations. To this scope, it is necessary to evaluate their performance in seismic prone areas, to design interventions capable of reducing their vulnerability ensuring also their safety use for the faithful. In this paper, investigations on seismic performance of masonry churches are illustrated by applying two different numerical methods on a case study, an existing brick masonry church. The seismic assessment is conducted by applying two simplified methods proposed by the current Italian Directive containing the Guidelines for assessment and reduction of cultural heritage seismic risk. Moreover, linear kinematic analysis is used also for investigating the influence of main parameters governing to the main façade simple overturning and narthex longitudinal response. The investigations performed highlight that the activation multiplier of macro-element response mechanism may significantly vary according to the assumptions made and that also, as narthex longitudinal response, a minimization procedure of the activation multiplier is required.

CORNEA CASE STUDY: LESSONS FORTHE FUTURE

2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.M. Ingram ◽  
S. Eaton ◽  
J.M.M. Regtien
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Reservoir Engineering ◽  
Hydrocarbon Migration ◽  
Field Assessment ◽  
Exploration Drilling ◽  
Oil Rim ◽  
Learning Points

The Cornea Field was discovered in January 1997. The Cornea structure represents a relatively simple trap configuration comprising a large, elongated, four-way dip closure, formed by the drape of Albian age sediments over a northeast to southwest trending positive basement feature. It is located on an active hydrocarbon migration fairway with proven charge and is capped by a regionally extensive Albian seal. An associated Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator extends over an area of 50 km2 and this feature coincides with gas-fluid contacts throughout the field.Subsequent to the initial Cornea discovery wells in permit WA–241-P, further exploration drilling took place within WA–241-P, and also within two, newly-acquired, adjacent permits, WA–265-P and WA–266-P, during 1998 and 1999. Detailed field assessment during and subsequent to these wells, involving geological, geophysical and reservoir engineering disciplines, indicated that the field consisted of an extensive gas cap over a thin, laterally discontinuous oil rim. The poor quality of the Lower Cretaceous marine reservoir succession and the extremely low expected oil recovery indicated that recoverable volumes would be low.This paper contains a review of the data and studies that led to a full understanding of the field. Key learning points from the case study are introduced here and may help future exploration campaigns in other areas.

Implantação da Ferramenta Gage R&R em uma Indústria de Embalagens

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Jéssica Naihara Nunes Bueno
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Measurement System ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Measurement Systems ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Subject

A proposta deste artigo é avaliar o sistema de medição em um estudo de caso utilizando a ferramenta Gage R&R, com o objetivo de descobrir a variação das medições, podendo ser por Repetibilidade e/ou Reprodutibilidade. Na ferramenta DMAIC utilizada no Seis Sigma, a etapa Medir é usualmente a mais complicada e demorada pela baixa qualidade dos sistemas de medições da maioria das empresas. Pretende-se uma revisão literária para melhor conhecimento do assunto, assim, a primeira etapa foi a criação de um procedimento para a empresa em estudo. Após a elaboração do procedimento, os colaboradores foram treinados e a gerência definiu as principais inspeções que afetam o produto para a realização do estudo. Em seguida, a ferramenta foi aplicada e cada saída foi analisada comprovando a presença de variações que poderiam não ser consideradas. Palavras-chave: Sistema de medição. DMAIC. Gage R&R. Abstract The proposal is to evaluate the measurement system in a case study using the tool Gage R & R in order to find the variation of the measurements may be for repeatability and / or reproducibility. The tool used in Six Sigma DMAIC, the Measure step is usually the most complicated and delayed by the poor quality of measurement systems of most companies. We performed a literature review to better knowledge of the subject, so the first step was to create a procedure for the company under study. Following completion of the procedure were trained employees and management identified key inspections that affect the product for the study. Then the tool was applied and each output was analyzed demonstrating the presence of variations that could not be considered. Keywords: Measurement System. DMAIC. Gage R&R.

scholarly journals Quality Assessment of Milling Pavement Surface Using 3D Line Laser Technology

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Bing Hui ◽  
Mu Guo ◽  
Xiaofang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Premature Failure ◽  
Quality Work ◽  
Milled Surface ◽  
Surface Assessment

To ensure that a regular milled surface texture provides good bonding without residual distress, a new specification of milling surface assessment has been established for quantitatively evaluating the milled surface quality. This research explores the possibility of using three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning technology to develop an algorithm to obtain a milled surface model that can measure evaluating indicators, milling depth and texture depth, and identify poorly milled areas. A case study was conducted by using a laser scanning vehicular system to collect 3D continuous pavement transverse profiles data in a 500 m long segment of Highway S107. The results show that the proposed method is very promising and can measure the milling depth and texture depth to effectively and quantitatively differentiate between good- (milling depth between 47 mm and 53 mm and texture depth exceeding 2 mm) and poor-quality work. Moreover, the poorly milled areas such as those with residual distress and unmilled areas that will lead to premature failure can also be identified using the proposed method. The proposed method can effectively support remilling work and ensure the quality of the overlay pavement.

scholarly journals A Decision Support Tool for Supplier Evaluation and Selection

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12387
Author(s):  
Ana Paula Lopes ◽  
Nuria Rodriguez-Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Supplier Selection ◽  
Selection Process ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Preference Ranking ◽  
Supplier Evaluation ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Strong Point

The supplier selection process is considered one of the most relevant decisions in supply chain management due to its effect on the product quality and on buyer performance. Supplier selection is often unstructured, and is generally based on the lowest-price proposal. However, this type of selection involves a high risk, sometimes resulting in project delays, poor quality of acquired goods, and large financial losses. Price is undoubtedly an important criterion when choosing a supplier; however, other equally important criteria must be considered. Therefore, supplier selection should be formulated as a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem. This study uses the PROMETHEE-GAIA (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment of Evaluations—Geometrical Analysis for Interactive Assistance) method to classify and select suppliers in an agrifood company. One of the advantages of this method is that it allows decision-makers to set their preferences considering all the relevant criteria simultaneously, and their relative importance. The case study demonstrates that PROMETHEE constitutes a flexible MCDM tool for supplier evaluation and selection, rank the different alternatives, and provide valuable insights. The results show that the supplier selection process has a strong point related to the existence of two groups of suppliers, one focused on economic criteria and other related to the innovative capacity. However, a flaw emerges, as little relevance is associated to the environmental criterion.

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