Damage and performance evaluation of masonry churches in the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake

Since the late 1970s, nonlinear static analysis have had an increasing use in the seismic assessment of existing unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings. Different modelling strategies can be used to evaluate the global seismic response of these buildings, such as the Continuous Constitutive Laws Model (CCLM) and the Equivalent Frame Model (EFM). Despite the CCLM modelling approach seems to be the most suitable at this aim, it needs many input data, which are often quite difficult to be known, and requires a high computational effort. For this reason, the EFM, which is based on strongly simplified hypotheses, is preferred in professional practice, where a small computational burden and a time- and cost-saving structural analysis by using few mechanical parameters is needed. In this paper, a review of its uses and limits is proposed, in order to identify the most critical issues and define its proper use in professional practice when applied to existing URM buildings. As a result, it is highlighted that the EFM can be reasonably used as a first conservative approach for the seismic assessment of existing URM buildings with box behaviour and quite regular opening patterns. Thus, up to now, from this review its use is encouraged in seismic analysis of existing URM buildings after providing them a reduction of their floors and roofs deformability, an adequate wall-to-floor and wall-to-roof connections and a regularization of the opening patterns.

Uses and limits of the Equivalent Frame Model on existing unreinforced masonry buildings for assessing their seismic risk: A review

Assessment of masonry arch railway bridges using non-destructive in-situ testing methods

Seismic vulnerability of historical masonry buildings: A case study in Ferrara

https://eprints.ncl.ac.uk/file_store/production/219084/DCD50692-B915-4108-A859-0F87BE714DED.pdf

Evaluation of different computational modelling strategies for the analysis of low strength masonry structures

Modelling of historical masonry structures: comparison of different approaches through a case study

Modelling and analysis of a basilica under earthquake loading

Seismic design of concentric braced frames

Aquaporin-1 (AQP1), a six-transmembrane domain protein, belongs to a highly conserved group of proteins called aquaporins known to regulate permeability across cell membranes. Although the role of AQP1 has been extensively studied, its specific activity along the gastrointestinal tract in animals during early postnatal development is poorly known. This study investigates the expression of AQP1 mRNA and protein in the small and large intestine of water buffalo calves after colostrum ingestion using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blotting, and cellular localization of AQP1 by immunohistochemistry. Our results revealed AQP1 immunoreactivity and the presence of the corresponding mRNA in all the examined tracts of the intestine but with a different cellular localization. Western blotting confirmed the presence of AQP1, with a more intense band in colostrum-suckling animals. These findings offer insights into AQP1 expression in the small and large intestine, suggesting its involvement in osmoregulation in gastrointestinal physiology particularly during the first week after birth in relation to specific maturation of intestinal structures.

Expression and Localization of Aquaporin‐1 Along the Intestine of Colostrum Suckling Buffalo Calves

Orexins A (ox A) and B are two peptides originally discovered in neurons of rat hypothalamus, and later found in different cellular types of the gastrointestinal and genital tracts. They arise from the proteolytic cleavage of a common precursor molecule, prepro-orexin, and bind to two receptors, namely receptor 1 (ox1r) and receptor 2 for orexins, that show different binding affinity. The central role of the two peptides has been extensively studied, whereas their activity in the periphery is still poorly known. Here, we investigated the presence of ox A and ox1r in the epididymis of a South American camelid species, the alpaca, by immunohistochemistry, and we also assessed the expression of prepro-orexin and ox1r in tissue extracts by Western blotting analysis. Ox A- and ox1r-immunoreactivity was found in the cytoplasm of principal cells of the caput epididymis. A prevalent supranuclear localization of granular-shaped positive material was observed. No positivity was present in the other cytotypes of epididymis. The expression of two peptides with molecular weight corresponding to those of prepro-orexin and ox1r, respectively, was detected in the tissue extracts from the organ.

A. De Luca

Papers

Modelling of historical masonry structures: comparison of different approaches through a case study

Modelling and analysis of a basilica under earthquake loading

Seismic design of concentric braced frames

Expression and Localization of Aquaporin‐1 Along the Intestine of Colostrum Suckling Buffalo Calves

Expression of orexin A and its receptor 1 in the epididymis of the South American camelid alpaca (Vicugna pacos).