Search results for "structural"
showing 10 items of 5047 documents
Untangling knowledge fields and knowledge dynamics within the decision-making process
2020
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the influences of different types of knowledge and their inherent dynamics on the effectiveness of the decision-making (DM) process. Knowledge dynamics (KD) is envisioned through the lens of the knowledge fields theory while effective DM process is objectivised via organisational appreciation and reward, higher business performance, sustainable partnerships and managerial satisfaction with previous achievements.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire-based survey was conducted with 275 middle managers from companies operating in the business consulting field. The conceptual and structural model was tested using the partial least squares stru…
Assessing individual differences in driving inattention: Adaptation and validation of the Attention-Related Driving Errors Scale to Spain
2013
The Attention-Related Driving Errors Scale (ARDES) is a self-reported questionnaire to assess individual differences in the proneness to make attentional errors while driving. The aims of the current work are to adapt the original Argentinean version of the ARDES to the culture, language, traffic regulations and driving habits of Spain and provide new validity evidence of the cross-cultural equivalence of the scale. In the first step of the validation process, five external independent experts reviewed the original ARDES-Argentina and proposed modifications, adapted to the culture, language, traffic regulations and driving habits in Spain. Secondly, a sample of 320 drivers completed the ada…
Influence of design mistakes and material degradation on the collapse of a long-span RC roof in South Italy
2020
Abstract In 2004, during ordinary maintenance work, consisting in the waterproofing of a building located in the South of Italy, the long-span (14.50 m) in situ cast reinforced concrete (RC) roof partially collapsed. The building, constructed in 1950, was in service as a cinema up to 1967 and utilized as a school up to 1985. Finally, it was a hotel up to 2000. In 2004, when the building was not in service and underwent maintenance work, it partially collapsed under the dead load. After the collapse, which involved a large portion of the roof, several beams and two columns, the Court nominated a first Official Technical Consultant in order to investigate on the causes of failure and related …
Solutions for the Design and Increasing of Efficiency of Viscous Dampers
2016
In last decades many strategies for seismic vulnerability mitigation of structures have been studied and experimented; in particular energy dissipation by external devices assumes a great importance for the relative simplicity and efficacy. Among all possible approaches the use of fluid viscous dampers are very interesting, because of their velocity-dependent behaviour and relatively low costs. Application on buildings requires a specific study under seismic excitation and a particular attention on structural details. Nevertheless seismic codes give only general information and in most case the design of a such protection systems results difficult; this problem is relevant also in Italy whe…
Extracerebral biopsies in neurodegenerative diseases of childhood
1999
Abstract Among the numerous neurodegenerative diseases in children few may allow morphological diagnosis by extracerebral biopsy. These encompass neurometabolic conditions, foremost lysosomal disorders, but also peroxisomal and mitochondrial diseases marked by disease- or group-specific organelles. Largely, these neurometabolic conditions can also be diagnosed by biochemical and increasingly by molecular genetic techniques. However, there are a few neurodegenerative diseases which do not allow either biochemical or molecular genetic diagnosis and, thus, rely on biopsy of extracerebral tissues, so-called ‘essential’ biopsies to achieve a diagnosis during the patient's life. Among these few d…
Expression and purification of polyhistidine-tagged rotavirus NSP4 proteins in insect cells
2003
The rotavirus nonstructural NSP4 protein, a transmembrane endoplasmic reticulum-specific glycoprotein, has been described as the first viral enterotoxin. Purified NSP4 or a peptide corresponding to NSP4 residues 114-135 induces diarrhea in young mice. NSP4 has a membrane-destabilizing activity and causes an increase in intracellular calcium levels and chloride secretion by a calcium-dependent signalling pathway in eucaryotic cells. In this study, four recombinant baculoviruses were generated expressing the rotavirus NSP4 glycoprotein from the human strains Wa and Ito, the porcine strain OSU, and the simian strain SA11, which belong to two different NSP4 genotypes, A and B. The recombinant g…
Homotypic Protection Against Rotavirus-Induced Diarrhea in Infant Mice Breast-Fed by Dams Immunized with the Recombinant VP8* Subunit of the VP4 Caps…
2000
The outer capsid proteins VP4 and VP7 induce neutralizing antibody against rotavirus. We have investigated in a mouse model the protection mediated by immunization with VP8*, the amino-terminal tryptic fragment of VP4. BALB/c female mice immunized with simian rotavirus SA11 VP6 and VP8* proteins expressed in Escherichia coli were mated with seronegative males. Litters were orally challenged with the SA11 strain (P5B[2], G3) or with the murine rotavirus strain EDIM (P10[16], G3) to verify the degree of protection against diarrhea induced in the newborns. Only those pups born to dams immunized with VP8* did not develop diarrhea after having been orally challenged with the SA11 strain. Pups bo…
Identification of a novel VP4 genotype carried by a serotype G5 porcine rotavirus strain
2006
AbstractRotavirus genome segment 4, encoding the spike outer capsid VP4 protein, of a porcine rotavirus (PoRV) strain, 134/04-15, identified in Italy was sequenced, and the predicted amino acid (aa) sequence was compared to those of all known VP4 (P) genotypes. The aa sequence of the full-length VP4 protein of the PoRV strain 134/04-15 showed aa identity values ranging from 59.7% (bovine strain KK3, P8[11]) to 86.09% (porcine strain A46, P[13]) with those of the remaining 25 P genotypes. Moreover, aa sequence analysis of the corresponding VP8* trypsin cleavage fragment revealed that the PoRV strain 134/04-15 shared low identity, ranging from 37.52% (bovine strain 993/83, P[17]) to 73.6% (po…
INDIVIDUAL FUTURE ORIENTATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS PREDICTING LIFE SATISFACTION
2017
This study explored a model of prediction of life satisfaction by individual future orientation (FO) and demographic factors. Individual views of the future and goals are closely associated with well-being. Theories of FO represent different approaches to its conceptualization. Following Seginer (2009), this study presents a combination of motivational, cognitive, and behavioral components of FO. Participants were 130 females and 75 males from 18 to 49. A new measure of individual FO (the Individual Future Orientation Scale, IFOS) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) were used for the assessment. The results of structural equation modeling demon…
Shear capacity in concrete beams reinforced by stirrups with two different inclinations
2014
Abstract A model for the estimation of shear capacity in Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams with web reinforcement is provided by introducing a generalization of classical plastic Nielsen’s model, which is based on the variable-inclination stress-field approach. The proposed model is able to predict the shear capacity in RC beams reinforced by means of stirrups having two different inclinations and longitudinal web bars. A numerical comparison with the results of experimental tests and those provided by a Finite Element Model (FEM) based on the well known theory of Modified Compression Field Theory (MCFT) is carried out for validating the robustness of the proposed model. Finally, a set of para…