Deck-tower interaction in the transverse seismic response of cable-stayed bridges and optimum con figurations

Modern design solutions in cable-stayed bridges give a significant importance to the seismic response in the transverse direction. This work is focused on the dynamic interaction between the deck and the towers, exploring the key role of different vibration modes. An extensive parametric analysis is proposed to address the influence of the main span length, the tower geometry, the cable-system arrangement, the width and height of the deck and the soil conditions. It is demonstrated that the vibration modes that govern the seismic response of cable-stayed bridges in the transverse direction involve the interaction between the tower and the deck, but the order of these modes and the parts of the deck that are affected change with the main span length. It is also observed that the interaction between the deck and the towers during the earthquake is maximised if their isolated vibration frequencies are close to each other, leading to a significantly large seismic demand. Analytical expressions are proposed to obtain the critical frequencies of the towers for which these interactions arise, and recommendations are given to define the tower geometry in order to avoid such problematic scenarios

Effect of spatial variability of earthquakes on cable-stayed bridges

This paper focuses on the effect of spatially variable ground motions on the towers of cable-stayed bridges with 200, 400 and 600m main spans. Seismic analysis of the bridges is performed, taking account of different sources of the spatial variability, namely; incoherence and wave passage effects. To address these effects, the response of the towers is assessed under the effect of different propagation velocities of the seismic waves and different assumptions on the coherency of the ground motion, to conclude that the effect of spatially variable motions on the seismic response of cable-stayed bridges is dependent on the assumed wave propagation velocity and rate of coherency

Life after care: psychological adjustment to bereavement in family carers of people with dementia

BACKGROUND: Despite well-documented evidence of the psychological effects of caring for a relative with dementia, little is known about the bereavement experiences of family carers. The aim of this study was to explore the key psychological changes associated with carers' adjustment to bereavement and "life after care." METHODS: All carers taking part were recruited from a day care center, providing specialist services to people with dementia. We asked carers to describe the key changes associated with psychological adjustment to bereavement through semi-structured qualitative in-depth interviews. Strategies carers used to cope with and adapt to their new role were also explored. All data were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Thirty-one carers were interviewed. The most frequent emotional reactions to bereavement were feelings of loneliness, loss, void, sadness, anger, and relief. Most carers were able to adapt to their new role, and engaging in pleasant activities was the most frequent strategy used to cope with loss and "life after care." CONCLUSIONS: Feelings of loneliness and loss are amongst the key emotional reactions shaping carers' adjustment to bereavement. Most carers are able to adapt to loss; however, a minority experience increased psychological distress after the death of their loved one. A small percentage of carers continues caring for other dependants. Further research is required to identify how carers of people with dementia adapt to bereavement and how this increasing number of individuals can be best supported

Application of multiple-wireless to a visual localisation system for emergency services

Abstract—In this paper we discuss the application of multiplewireless technology to a practical context-enhanced service system called ViewNet. ViewNet develops technologies to support enhanced coordination and cooperation between operation teams in the emergency services and the police. Distributed localisation of users and mapping of environments implemented over a secure wireless network enables teams of operatives to search and map an incident area rapidly and in full coordination with each other and with a control centre. Sensing is based on fusing absolute positioning systems (UWB and GPS) with relative localisation and mapping from on-body or handheld vision and inertial sensors. This paper focuses on the case for multiple-wireless capabilities in such a system and the benefits it can provide. We describe our work of developing a software API to support both WLAN and TETRA in ViewNet. It also provides a basis for incorporating future wireless technologies into ViewNet. I

SemTab 2019: Resources to Benchmark Tabular Data to Knowledge Graph Matching Systems

Tabular data to Knowledge Graph matching is the process of assigning semantic tags from knowledge graphs (e.g., Wikidata or DBpedia) to the elements of a table. This task is a challenging problem for various reasons, including the lack of metadata (e.g., table and column names), the noisiness, heterogeneity, incompleteness and ambiguity in the data. The results of this task provide significant insights about potentially highly valuable tabular data, as recent works have shown, enabling a new family of data analytics and data science applications. Despite significant amount of work on various flavors of this problem, there is a lack of a common framework to conduct a systematic evaluation of state-of-the-art systems. The creation of the Semantic Web Challenge on Tabular Data to Knowledge Graph Matching (SemTab) aims at filling this gap. In this paper, we report about the datasets, infrastructure and lessons learned from the first edition of the SemTab challenge

Understanding consumer demand for new transport technologies and services, and implications for the future of mobility

The transport sector is witnessing unprecedented levels of disruption. Privately owned cars that operate on internal combustion engines have been the dominant modes of passenger transport for much of the last century. However, recent advances in transport technologies and services, such as the development of autonomous vehicles, the emergence of shared mobility services, and the commercialization of alternative fuel vehicle technologies, promise to revolutionise how humans travel. The implications are profound: some have predicted the end of private car dependent Western societies, others have portended greater suburbanization than has ever been observed before. If transport systems are to fulfil current and future needs of different subpopulations, and satisfy short and long-term societal objectives, it is imperative that we comprehend the many factors that shape individual behaviour. This chapter introduces the technologies and services most likely to disrupt prevailing practices in the transport sector. We review past studies that have examined current and future demand for these new technologies and services, and their likely short and long-term impacts on extant mobility patterns. We conclude with a summary of what these new technologies and services might mean for the future of mobility.Comment: 15 pages, 0 figures, book chapte

Canonicalizing Knowledge Base Literals

Ontology-based knowledge bases (KBs) like DBpedia are very valuable resources, but their usefulness and usability is limited by various quality issues. One such issue is the use of string literals instead of semantically typed entities. In this paper we study the automated canonicalization of such literals, i.e., replacing the literal with an existing entity from the KB or with a new entity that is typed using classes from the KB. We propose a framework that combines both reasoning and machine learning in order to predict the relevant entities and types, and we evaluate this framework against state-of-the-art baselines for both semantic typing and entity matching

Bi-allelic JAM2 Variants Lead to Early-Onset Recessive Primary Familial Brain Calcification.

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a combination of neurological, psychiatric, and cognitive decline associated with calcium deposition on brain imaging. To date, mutations in five genes have been linked to PFBC. However, more than 50% of individuals affected by PFBC have no molecular diagnosis. We report four unrelated families presenting with initial learning difficulties and seizures and later psychiatric symptoms, cerebellar ataxia, extrapyramidal signs, and extensive calcifications on brain imaging. Through a combination of homozygosity mapping and exome sequencing, we mapped this phenotype to chromosome 21q21.3 and identified bi-allelic variants in JAM2. JAM2 encodes for the junctional-adhesion-molecule-2, a key tight-junction protein in blood-brain-barrier permeability. We show that JAM2 variants lead to reduction of JAM2 mRNA expression and absence of JAM2 protein in patient's fibroblasts, consistent with a loss-of-function mechanism. We show that the human phenotype is replicated in the jam2 complete knockout mouse (jam2 KO). Furthermore, neuropathology of jam2 KO mouse showed prominent vacuolation in the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and cerebellum and particularly widespread vacuolation in the midbrain with reactive astrogliosis and neuronal density reduction. The regions of the human brain affected on neuroimaging are similar to the affected brain areas in the myorg PFBC null mouse. Along with JAM3 and OCLN, JAM2 is the third tight-junction gene in which bi-allelic variants are associated with brain calcification, suggesting that defective cell-to-cell adhesion and dysfunction of the movement of solutes through the paracellular spaces in the neurovascular unit is a key mechanism in CNS calcification

A loss-of-function homozygous mutation in DDX59 implicates a conserved DEAD-box RNA helicase in nervous system development and function.

We report on a homozygous frameshift deletion in DDX59 (c.185del: p.Phe62fs*13) in a family presenting with orofaciodigital syndrome phenotype associated with a broad neurological involvement characterized by microcephaly, intellectual disability, epilepsy, and white matter signal abnormalities associated with cortical and subcortical ischemic events. DDX59 encodes a DEAD-box RNA helicase and its role in brain function and neurological diseases is unclear. We showed a reduction of mutant cDNA and perturbation of SHH signaling from patient-derived cell lines; furthermore, analysis of human brain gene expression provides evidence that DDX59 is enriched in oligodendrocytes and might act within pathways of leukoencephalopathies-associated genes. We also characterized the neuronal phenotype of the Drosophila model using mutant mahe, the homolog of human DDX59, and showed that mahe loss-of-function mutant embryos exhibit impaired development of peripheral and central nervous system. Taken together, our results support a conserved role of this DEAD-box RNA helicase in neurological function