Nondestructive evaluation of concrete compression strength by means of Artificial Neural Network (ANN)

The evaluation of structural performance of existing concrete buildings, built according to standards and materials quite different to those available today, requires procedures and methods able to cover lack of data about mechanical material properties and reinforcement detailing. To this end detailed inspections and test on materials are required. As a consequence tests on drilled cores are required; on the other end, it is stated that non-destructive testing (NDT) cannot be used as the only mean to get structural information, but can be used in conjunction with destructive testing (DT) by a representative correlation between DT and NDT. The aim of this study is to verify the accuracy of some formulas of correlation available in literature between measured parameters, i.e. rebound index, ultrasonic pulse velocity and compressive strength (SonReb Method). To this end a relevant number of DT and NDT tests has been performed on many school buildings located in Cesena (Italy). The above relationships have been assessed on site correlating NDT results to strength of core drilled in adjacent locations. Nevertheless, concrete compressive strength assessed by means of NDT methods and evaluated with correlation formulas has the advantage of being able to be implemented and used for future applications in a much more simple way than other methods, even if its accuracy is strictly limited to the analysis of concretes having the same characteristics as those used for their calibration. This limitation warranted a search for a different evaluation method for the non-destructive parameters obtained on site. To this aim, the methodology of neural identification of compressive strength is presented. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) suitable for the specific analysis were chosen taking into account the development presented in the literature in this field. The networks were trained and tested in order to detect a more reliable strength identification methodology.

Measuring motor activity in major depression: the association between the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and actigraphy

Despite the use of actigraphy in depression research, the association of depression ratings and quantitative motor activity remains controversial. In addition, the impact of recurring episodes on motor activity is uncertain. In 76 medicated inpatients with major depression (27 with a first episode, 49 with recurrent episodes), continuous wrist actigraphy for 24h and scores on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) were obtained. In addition, 10 subjects of the sample wore the actigraph over a period of 5 days, in order to assess the reliability of a 1-day measurement. Activity levels were stable over 5 consecutive days. Actigraphic parameters did not differ between patients with a first or a recurrent episode, and quantitative motor activity failed to correlate with the HAMD total score. However, of the motor-related single items of the HAMD, the item activities was associated with motor activity parameters, while the items agitation and retardation were not. Actigraphy is consistent with clinical observation for the item activities. Expert raters may not correctly rate the motor aspects of retardation and agitation in major depression.

Mansonella perstans causing symptomatic hypereosinophilia in a missionary family

Mansonella perstans is rarely pathogenic. The rare reports of symptomatic cases, however, include severe complications. Three cases of symptomatic hypereosinophilia with multi-organ involvement are described in a missionary family returning from tropical Africa. Pathogenicity may be related to the induction of hypereosinophilia rather than direct host-parasite interactions.

Hamilton decompositions of 6-regular abelian Cayley graphs

In 1969, Lovasz asked whether every connected, vertex-transitive graph has a Hamilton path. This question has generated a considerable amount of interest, yet remains vastly open. To date, there exist no known connected, vertex-transitive graph that does not possess a Hamilton path. For the Cayley graphs, a subclass of vertex-transitive graphs, the following conjecture was made: Weak Lovász Conjecture: Every nontrivial, finite, connected Cayley graph is hamiltonian. The Chen-Quimpo Theorem proves that Cayley graphs on abelian groups flourish with Hamilton cycles, thus prompting Alspach to make the following conjecture: Alspach Conjecture: Every 2k-regular, connected Cayley graph on a finite abelian group has a Hamilton decomposition. Alspach’s conjecture is true for k = 1 and 2, but even the case k = 3 is still open. It is this case that this thesis addresses. Chapters 1–3 give introductory material and past work on the conjecture. Chapter 3 investigates the relationship between 6-regular Cayley graphs and associated quotient graphs. A proof of Alspach’s conjecture is given for the odd order case when k = 3. Chapter 4 provides a proof of the conjecture for even order graphs with 3-element connection sets that have an element generating a subgroup of index 2, and having a linear dependency among the other generators. Chapter 5 shows that if Γ = Cay(A, {s1, s2, s3}) is a connected, 6-regular, abelian Cayley graph of even order, and for some1 ≤ i ≤ 3, Δi = Cay(A/(si), {sj1 , sj2}) is 4-regular, and Δi ≄ Cay(ℤ3, {1, 1}), then Γ has a Hamilton decomposition. Alternatively stated, if Γ = Cay(A, S) is a connected, 6-regular, abelian Cayley graph of even order, then Γ has a Hamilton decomposition if S has no involutions, and for some s ∈ S, Cay(A/(s), S) is 4-regular, and of order at least 4. Finally, the Appendices give computational data resulting from C and MAGMA programs used to generate Hamilton decompositions of certain non-isomorphic Cayley graphs on low order abelian groups.

Hamilton-Waterloo problem with triangle and C9 factors

The Hamilton-Waterloo problem and its spouse-avoiding variant for uniform cycle sizes asks if Kv, where v is odd (or Kv - F, if v is even), can be decomposed into 2-factors in which each factor is made either entirely of m-cycles or entirely of n-cycles. This thesis examines the case in which r of the factors are made up of cycles of length 3 and s of the factors are made up of cycles of length 9, for any r and s. We also discuss a constructive solution to the general (m,n) case which fixes r and s.

Eine siyāḥa als Bildungsroman? Überlegungen zur Organisation des Reisetextes von Ḥannā Diyāb (1763/64)

Ḥannā Diyābs siyāḥa umfasst Reiseerfahrungen eines jungen Maroniten aus Aleppo, der den französischen Gesandten Paul Lucas im Jahre 1707 auf seiner Rückkehr an den französischen Hof begleitet, eine Zeit lang in Paris bleibt und allein zurückkehrt. Die Hinreise führt über den Libanon, Zypern, Nordafrika und Italien, die Rückkehr nach einer Schiffsreise über das Mittelmeer durch Kleinasien. Der Text versammelt viele Topoi, die aus anderen arabischen Reisetexten bekannt sind: Seesturm, Schiffbruch und Piraten, zerstörte Gebäude und wunderschöne Gärten. Ebenso enthält er Anekdoten, Legenden und Episoden, die vermutlich zum Staunen anregen sollen sowie Frömmigkeit und Tugenden vermitteln. Das Besondere an dem Text liegt in der Kraft des Erzählens, mit der unterschiedliche Textteile – informative, dokumentarische wie unterhaltsame Abschnitte – zu einer zusammenhängenden Reiseerzählung verwoben werden. Die offensichtliche Einschreibung in eine bestimmte, meist als faktual verstandene Textsorte (riḥla, safra oder siyāḥa) und der Authentizitätsanspruch des Erzählers werden mit einer Neigung zur Fiktionalität kombiniert, die sich besonders in der Hervorhebung einzigartiger (Selbst-)Erlebnisse äußert. In dem Vortrag sollen die verschiedenen Facetten von Diyābs siyāḥa als erste Ergebnisse eines close reading des Textes präsentiert werden. Es wird dabei der Arbeitshypothese des Dissertationsprojekts nachgegangen: Die siyāḥa lässt sich als eine Kompilation verschiedener Textsorten, Themen und Schreibweisen interpretieren und liefert daher einen Zugang zu Wissenshorizonten und Wissensordnungen im Aleppo des 18. Jahrhunderts. Ziel ist es allerdings auch, das Funktionieren und den Zweck dieses Textes als individuelles literarisches Ereignis zu bestimmen. In diesem Sinne soll schließlich diskutiert werden, in welcher Hinsicht diese siyāḥa als Bildungsroman verstanden werden kann.