A new macromodel for the assessment of the seismic response of infilled RC frames

Numerous research studies have proved that numerical models aiming at an accurate evaluation of the seismic response of RC framed buildings cannot ignore the inelastic behaviour of infills and the interaction between infill and frame elements. To limit the high computational burden of refined non-linear finite element models, in the latest decades, many researchers have developed simplified infill models by means of single or multiple strut-elements. These models are low time-consuming and thus adequate for static and dynamic analyses of multi-storey structures. However, their simulation of the seismic response is sometimes unsatisfying, particularly in the presence of infill walls with regular or (particularly) irregular distributions of openings. This paper presents a new 2D plane macro-element, which provides a refined simulation of the non-linear cyclic response of infilled framed structures at the expense of a limited computational cost. The macro-element consists of an articulated quadrilateral panel, a single 1D diagonal link, and eight 2D links and is able to model the shear and flexural behaviour of the infill and the non-linear flexural/sliding interaction between infill and surrounding frame. The proposed macro-element has been implemented into the open source software OpenSees and used to simulate the response of single-storey, single-span RC infilled frame prototypes tested by other authors. The above prototypes are selected as made of different masonry units and characterised by full or open geometric configuration.     

The measurement of the gravitational constant in an orbiting laboratory

We propose to measure the gravitational constantG by putting in an orbiting laboratory a known mass of very high density and by tracking the motion of a small test mass under the gravitational influence of the primary mass. We analyse the different sources of perturbation; the consideration of the Earth's gravity gradient leads us to conclude that, if the laboratory is in a low Earth orbit, we cannot get stable satellite-like orbits of the test mass, but we must study only a process of gravitational scattering. In order to maximize the time of interaction it is proposed to use the practical stability of a collinear equilibrium point of the system Earth-primary mass, by putting the test mass as close as possible to the stable manifold of an equilibrium point. This method will allow the determination of the value ofG within a few parts over 10⁵, as shown by some computer simulations of the experiment taking into account also some unknown perturbation and random noise.Two main problems are involved in this experiment: (a) refined numerical methods are needed to take into account all significant perturbations and to extract the result aboutG from the experimental data; (b) during the motion of the test mass, the primary mass must always be free-falling inside the laboratory, so that this experiment needs a drag-free satellite technique of the same type which is necessary for high-precision gravimetric measurements.     

Mantle–crust interactions during Variscan subduction in the Eastern Alps (Nonsberg–Ulten zone): geochronology and new petrological constraints

We have analyzed the Sm–Nd and Rb–Sr whole-rock and mineral isotope systematics of garnet peridotites and associated eclogites and migmatitic gneisses from the Nonsberg–Ulten zone of the Eastern Alps. The garnet peridotites include coarse-grained varieties, characterized by well-preserved to slightly modified mantle geochemical signatures, and finer-grained varieties enriched in amphibole and LILE. Hydration of some of the most strongly deformed, fine-grained peridotites by crustal fluids caused isotopic disequilibrium between the peridotite minerals, preventing accurate age determinations. The coarse-grained peridotites, the eclogites and the country migmatitic gneisses yield garnet–whole-rock and garnet–clinopyroxene Sm–Nd ages that indicate for all rock types an isotopic homogenization event at ca. 330 Ma. The similar ages suggest that all rock types shared a common history since the incorporation of the peridotites in the crust, and constrain the garnet-facies metamorphism of the peridotites, as well as partial melting of the crust, to an episode of crustal subduction at the end of the Variscan orogenic cycle.     

Probabilistic GIS-based method for delineation of urban flooding risk hotspots

Identifying urban flooding risk hotspots is one of the first steps in an integrated methodology for urban flood risk assessment and mitigation. This work employs three GIS-based frameworks for identifying urban flooding risk hotspots for residential buildings and urban corridors. This is done by overlaying a map of potentially flood-prone areas [estimated through the topographic wetness index (TWI)], a map of residential areas and urban corridors [extracted from a city-wide assessment of urban morphology types (UMT)], and a geo-spatial census dataset. A maximum likelihood method (MLE) is employed for estimating the threshold used for identifying the flood-prone areas (the TWI threshold) based on the inundation profiles calculated for various return periods within a given spatial window. Furthermore, Bayesian parameter estimation is employed in order to estimate the TWI threshold based on inundation profiles calculated for more than one spatial window. For different statistics of the TWI threshold (e.g. MLE estimate, 16th percentile, 50th percentile), the map of the potentially flood-prone areas is overlaid with the map of urban morphology units, identified as residential and urban corridors, in order to delineate the urban hotspots for both UMT. Moreover, information related to population density is integrated by overlaying geo-spatial census datasets in order to estimate the number of people affected by flooding. Differences in exposure characteristics have been assessed for a range of different residential types. As a demonstration, urban flooding risk hotspots are delineated for different percentiles of the TWI value for the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.     

Validation of Geant4 10.3 simulation of proton interaction for space radiation effects

Monte Carlo simulation of space radiation effects induced by protons is important for design of space missions. Geant4 is a well established toolkit for Monte Carlo simulation focused on high energy physics applications. In this work, a set of new validation results versus data for Geant4 electromagnetic and hadronic interaction of protons is presented and discussed. Optimal configuration of Geant4 physics for space applications is proposed.     

The disc mass of spiral galaxies

We derive the disc masses of 18 spiral galaxies of different luminosity and Hubble type, both by mass modelling their rotation curves and by fitting their spectral energy distribution with spectrophotometric models. The good agreement of the estimates obtained from these two different methods allows us to quantify the reliability of their performance and to derive very accurate stellar mass-to-light ratio versus colour (and stellar mass) relationships.     

The bias field of dark matter haloes

Accepted 1998 January 26. Received 1998 January 26; in original form 1997 August 13This paper presents a stochastic approach to the clustering evolution of dark matter haloes in the Universe. Haloes, identified by a Press–Schechter-type algorithm in Lagrangian space, are described in terms of 'counting fields', acting as non-linear operators on the underlying Gaussian density fluctuations. By ensemble-averaging these counting fields, the standard Press–Schechter mass function as well as analytic expressions for the halo correlation function and corresponding bias factors of linear theory are obtained, extending the recent results by Mo & White. The non-linear evolution of our halo population is then followed by solving the continuity equation, under the sole hypothesis that haloes move by the action of gravity. This leads to an exact and general formula for the bias field of dark matter haloes, defined as the local ratio between their number density contrast and the mass density fluctuation. Besides being a function of position and 'observation' redshift, this random field depends upon the mass and formation epoch of the objects and is both non-linear and non-local. The latter features are expected to leave a detectable imprint on the spatial clustering of galaxies, as described, for instance, by statistics like the bispectrum and the skewness. Our algorithm may have several interesting applications, among which is the possibility of generating mock halo catalogues from low-resolution N -body simulations.