The role of heritage in revalorization politicos of urban space

Certain areas of the city of Sao Paulo, as many others around the world, including in Lisbon, Barcelona and Buenos Aires, have been going through a process of requalification, in special the ones commonly known as old and/or traditional city. Regarding Sao Paulo, some exceptional actions have been taken downtown with investments in rehabilitation/requalification of areas that concentrated the historical, urbanistic and cultural heritages, such as Praca da S and its cathedral, as well as the revaluation/rehabilitation projects of other squares like Praca da Republica, other areas as the previously called Cracolandia (due to high consumption/deal of crack), known today as Nova Luz, besides propositions to reevaluate areas already modified, such as Vale do Anhangabau. In all propositions to modify sites, it is firstly underlined its deterioration, litter and the presence of low-income populations (passer-bys, street vendors or residents), generally stigmatized as ""potential suspects"", emphasizing danger and lack of security in those places. This belief, which has become consensual, results in that: public as well as private companies promote the rehabilitation of the areas basing their reasoning in the necessity of adding value to the existing urban heritage, although, as it will be discussed in this paper, part of this heritage might be destroyed in this very process, under the allegation that upon completion, the action would allow the social, cultural and economical revaluation/requalification of the area. This paper is intended to provide a contribution to this discussion.

Cold Nuclear Matter Effects on J/psi Yields as a Function of Rapidity and Nuclear Geometry in d plus A Collisions at root S(NN)=200 GeV

We present measurements of J/psi yields in d + Au collisions at root S(NN) = 200 GeV recorded by the PHENIX experiment and compare them with yields in p + p collisions at the same energy per nucleon-nucleon collision. The measurements cover a large kinematic range in J/psi rapidity (-2.2 < y < 2.4) with high statistical precision and are compared with two theoretical models: one with nuclear shadowing combined with final state breakup and one with coherent gluon saturation effects. In order to remove model dependent systematic uncertainties we also compare the data to a simple geometric model. The forward rapidity data are inconsistent with nuclear modifications that are linear or exponential in the density weighted longitudinal thickness, such as those from the final state breakup of the bound state.

High-p(T) pi(0) production with respect to the reaction plane in Au plus Au collisions at s(NN)=200 GeV

Measurements of the azimuthal anisotropy of high-p(T) neutral pion (pi(0)) production in Au+Au collisions at s(NN)=200 GeV by the PHENIX experiment are presented. The data included in this article were collected during the 2004 Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider running period and represent approximately an order of magnitude increase in the number of analyzed events relative to previously published results. Azimuthal angle distributions of pi(0) mesons detected in the PHENIX electromagnetic calorimeters are measured relative to the reaction plane determined event-by-event using the forward and backward beam-beam counters. Amplitudes of the second Fourier component (v(2)) of the angular distributions are presented as a function of pi(0) transverse momentum (p(T)) for different bins in collision centrality. Measured reaction plane dependent pi(0) yields are used to determine the azimuthal dependence of the pi(0) suppression as a function of p(T), R(AA)(Delta phi,p(T)). A jet-quenching motivated geometric analysis is presented that attempts to simultaneously describe the centrality dependence and reaction plane angle dependence of the pi(0) suppression in terms of the path lengths of hypothetical parent partons in the medium. This set of results allows for a detailed examination of the influence of geometry in the collision region and of the interplay between collective flow and jet-quenching effects along the azimuthal axis.

Nonadiabatic Coherent Evolution of Two-Level Systems under Spontaneous Decay

In this Letter we extend current perspectives in engineering reservoirs by producing a time-dependent master equation leading to a nonstationary superposition equilibrium state that can be nonadiabatically controlled by the system-reservoir parameters. Working with an ion trapped inside a nonideal cavity, we first engineer effective interactions, which allow us to achieve two classes of decoherence-free evolution of superpositions of the ground and excited ionic levels: those with a time-dependent azimuthal or polar angle. As an application, we generalize the purpose of an earlier study [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 150403 (2006)], showing how to observe the geometric phases acquired by the protected nonstationary states even under nonadiabatic evolution.

1-Furoyl-3-methyl-3-phenylthiourea

The title compound, C13H12N2O2S, crystallizes with two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. The two molecules differ in the conformation of the thiocarbonyl and carbonyl groups, and show the typical geometric parameters of substituted thiourea derivatives. The crystal structure is mainly stabilized by intermolecular N-H center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonding.

Hydrogen bonding in 2-(2-oxothiazolidin-3-yl)-4,5-dihydrothiazolium hydrogen sulfate monohydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(6)H(9)N(2)OS(2)(+)center dot-HSO(4)(-)center dot H(2)O, contains a heterocyclic cation, a hydrogen sulfate anion and a water molecule. There are strong hydrogen bonds between the hydrogen sulfate anions and water molecules, forming an infinite chain along the [010] direction, from which the cations are pendent. The steric, electronic and geometric features are compared with those of similar compounds. In this way, structural relationships are stated in terms of the influence of the sulfate group on the protonation of the heterocycle and on the tautomeric equilibrium in the solid state.

Inverse analysis FOR two-dimensional structures using the boundary element method

Inverse analysis is currently an important subject of study in several fields of science and engineering. The identification of physical and geometric parameters using experimental measurements is required in many applications. In this work a boundary element formulation to identify boundary and interface values as well as material properties is proposed. In particular the proposed formulation is dedicated to identifying material parameters when a cohesive crack model is assumed for 2D problems. A computer code is developed and implemented using the BEM multi-region technique and regularisation methods to perform the inverse analysis. Several examples are shown to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed model. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved,

Improved finite element for 3D laminate frame analysis including warping for any cross-section

The most ordinary finite element formulations for 3D frame analysis do not consider the warping of cross-sections as part of their kinematics. So the stiffness, regarding torsion, should be directly introduced by the user into the computational software and the bar is treated as it is working under no warping hypothesis. This approach does not give good results for general structural elements applied in engineering. Both displacement and stress calculation reveal sensible deficiencies for both linear and non-linear applications. For linear analysis, displacements can be corrected by assuming a stiffness that results in acceptable global displacements of the analyzed structure. However, the stress calculation will be far from reality. For nonlinear analysis the deficiencies are even worse. In the past forty years, some special structural matrix analysis and finite element formulations have been proposed in literature to include warping and the bending-torsion effects for 3D general frame analysis considering both linear and non-linear situations. In this work, using a kinematics improvement technique, the degree of freedom ""warping intensity"" is introduced following a new approach for 3D frame elements. This degree of freedom is associated with the warping basic mode, a geometric characteristic of the cross-section, It does not have a direct relation with the rate of twist rotation along the longitudinal axis, as in existent formulations. Moreover, a linear strain variation mode is provided for the geometric non-linear approach, for which complete 3D constitutive relation (Saint-Venant Kirchhoff) is adopted. The proposed technique allows the consideration of inhomogeneous cross-sections with any geometry. Various examples are shown to demonstrate the accuracy and applicability of the proposed formulation. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BEM formulation for von Karman plates

This work deals with nonlinear geometric plates in the context of von Karman`s theory. The formulation is written such that only the boundary in-plane displacement and deflection integral equations for boundary collocations are required. At internal points, only out-of-plane rotation, curvature and in-plane internal force representations are used. Thus, only integral representations of these values are derived. The nonlinear system of equations is derived by approximating all densities in the domain integrals as single values, which therefore reduces the computational effort needed to evaluate the domain value influences. Hyper-singular equations are avoided by approximating the domain values using only internal nodes. The solution is obtained using a Newton scheme for which a consistent tangent operator was derived. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A solid-like FEM for geometrically non-linear 3D frames

This study presents a solid-like finite element formulation to solve geometric non-linear three-dimensional inhomogeneous frames. To achieve the desired representation, unconstrained vectors are used instead of the classic rigid director triad; as a consequence, the resulting formulation does not use finite rotation schemes. High order curved elements with any cross section are developed using a full three-dimensional constitutive elastic relation. Warping and variable thickness strain modes are introduced to avoid locking. The warping mode is solved numerically in FEM pre-processing computational code, which is coupled to the main program. The extra calculations are relatively small when the number of finite elements. with the same cross section, increases. The warping mode is based on a 2D free torsion (Saint-Venant) problem that considers inhomogeneous material. A scheme that automatically generates shape functions and its derivatives allow the use of any degree of approximation for the developed frame element. General examples are solved to check the objectivity, path independence, locking free behavior, generality and accuracy of the proposed formulation. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A FEM procedure based on positions and unconstrained vectors applied to non-linear dynamic of 3D frames

This study presents an alternative three-dimensional geometric non-linear frame formulation based on generalized unconstrained vector and positions to solve structures and mechanisms subjected to dynamic loading. The formulation is classified as total Lagrangian with exact kinematics description. The resulting element presents warping and non-constant transverse strain modes, which guarantees locking-free behavior for the adopted three-dimensional constitutive relation, Saint-Venant-Kirchhoff, for instance. The application of generalized vectors is an alternative to the use of finite rotations and rigid triad`s formulae. Spherical and revolute joints are considered and selected dynamic and static examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and generality of the proposed technique. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of physical and geometrical parameters on three-dimensional load transfer mechanism at tunnel face

Three-dimensional discretizations used in numerical analyses of tunnel construction normally include excavation step lengths much shorter than tunnel cross-section dimensions. Simulations have usually worked around this problem by using excavation steps that are much larger than the actual physical steps used in a real tunnel excavation. In contrast, the analyses performed in this study were based on finely discretized meshes capable of reproducing the excavation lengths actually used in tunnels, and the results obtained for internal forces are up to 100% greater than those found in other analyses available in the literature. Whereas most reports conclude that internal forces depend on support delay length alone, this study shows that geometric path dependency (reflected by excavation round length) is very strong, even considering linear elasticity. Moreover, many other solutions found in the literature have also neglected the importance of the relative stiffness between the ground mass and support structure, probably owing to the relatively coarse meshes used in these studies. The analyses presented here show that relative stiffness may account for internal force discrepancies in the order of 60%. A dimensionless expression that takes all these parameters into account is presented as a good approximation for the load transfer mechanism at the tunnel face.

Digital versus Conventional Radiography for Imaging Fatigue Cracks in Riveted Lap Joints of Hybrid Glass Reinforced Fiber/Metal Laminate

A round robin program zoos conducted to assess the ability of three different X-radiographic systems for imaging internal fatigue cracks in riveted lap joints of composite glass reinforced fiber/metal laminate. From an engineering perspective, conventional film radiography and direct radiography have produced the best results, identifying and characterizing in detail internal damage on metallic faying surfaces of fastened glass reinforced fiber/metal laminate joints. On the other hand, computed radiographic images presented large projected geometric distortions and feature shifts due to the angular incident radiation beam, disclosing only partial internal cracking patterns.

Expert system for the assessment of power transformer insulation condition based on type-2 fuzzy logic systems

An efficient expert system for the power transformer condition assessment is presented in this paper. Through the application of Duval`s triangle and the method of the gas ratios a first assessment of the transformer condition is obtained in the form of a dissolved gas analysis (DGA) diagnosis according IEC 60599. As a second step, a knowledge mining procedure is performed, by conducting surveys whose results are fed into a first Type-2 Fuzzy Logic System (T2-FLS), in order to initially evaluate the condition of the equipment taking only the results of dissolved gas analysis into account. The output of this first T2-FLS is used as the input of a second T2-FLS, which additionally weighs up the condition of the paper-oil system. The output of this last T2-FLS is given in terms of words easily understandable by the maintenance personnel. The proposed assessing methodology has been validated for several cases of transformers in service. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental investigation on the dynamic behaviour of a railway vehicle travelling through a turnout

Track critical locations with respect to the railway vehicle safety are the passages through the turnouts. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the safety of a railway vehicle crossing a turnout. In this study, the topography of a track turnout lay-out has been experimentally measured, and its geometric properties were synthesised. Results show that a constant wavelength vehicle oscillation occurs on the switches in the turnout and that the maximum lateral force at 65 km/h is almost 65% greater than those at low speeds (under 30 km/h).