Rice-Husk Shredding as a Means of Increasing the Long-Term Mechanical Properties of Earthen Mixtures for 3D Printing.

This paper is part of a study on earthen mixtures for the 3D printing of buildings. To meet the ever increasing environmental needs, the focus of the paper is on a particular type of biocomposite for the stabilization of earthen mixtures-the rice-husk-lime biocomposite-and on how to enhance its effect on the long-term mechanical properties of the hardened product. Assuming that the shredding of the vegetable fiber is precisely one of the possible ways to improve the mechanical properties, we compared the results of uniaxial compression tests performed on cubic specimens, made with both shredded and unaltered vegetable fiber, for three curing periods.

Mechanical Properties of a 3D-Printed Wall Segment Made with an Earthen Mixture.

This study provides a contribution to the research field of 3D-printed earthen buildings, focusing, for the first time, on the load-bearing capacity of these structures. The study involves the entire production and testing process of the earthen elements, from the design, to the preparation of the mixture and the 3D printing, up to the uniaxial compression test on a wall segment. The results indicate that 3D-printed earthen elements have a compressive strength of 2.

Uptake of Vaccinations among Children with Chronic Diseases Is Affected by Knowledge Gaps and Implementation Challenges in Italy.

(1) Background: Children with chronic medical conditions may be at increased risk for severe complications related to vaccine-preventable infections. Therefore, additional booster doses or supplementary vaccines are recommended, over and above the routine immunization schedule for healthy children. The aim of this study was to investigate attitude, knowledge, and practices toward additional vaccinations for children affected by chronic conditions among pediatricians and parents.

DECM: A Discrete Element for Multiscale Modeling of Composite Materials Using the Cell Method.

This paper presents a new numerical method for multiscale modeling of composite materials. The new numerical model, called DECM, consists of a DEM (Discrete Element Method) approach of the Cell Method (CM) and combines the main features of both the DEM and the CM. In particular, it offers the same degree of detail as the CM, on the microscale, and manages the discrete elements individually such as the DEM-allowing finite displacements and rotations-on the macroscale.

Wire Ropes and CFRP Strips to Provide Masonry Walls with Out-Of-Plane Strengthening.

The present paper deals with an improvement of the strengthening technique consisting in the combined use of straps-made of stainless steel ribbons-and CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) strips, to increase the out-of-plane ultimate load of masonry walls. The straps of both the previous and the new combined technique pass from one face to the opposite face of the masonry wall through some holes made along the thickness, giving rise to a three-dimensional net of loop-shaped straps, closed on themselves. The new technique replaces the stainless steel ribbons with steel wire ropes, which form closed loops around the masonry units and the CFRP strips as in the previous technique.

Combined Strengthening Techniques to Improve the Out-of-Plane Performance of Masonry Walls.

The purpose of this study is to improve the performance of walls under out-of-plane loads especially when subjected to the hammering action of the floors. The idea behind the paper is to provide the masonry walls with a device that behaves like a buttress, without having to build a traditional buttress. The solution presented in this paper consists of a mechanical coupling between the three-dimensional net of steel ribbons of the CAM (Active Confinement of Masonry) system and the CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) strips.

Some of the Latest Active Strengthening Techniques for Masonry Buildings: A Critical Analysis.

The present paper deals with the retrofitting of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, subjected to in-plane shear and out of-plane loading when struck by an earthquake. After an introductive comparison between some of the latest punctual and continuous active retrofitting methods, the authors focused on the two most effective active continuous techniques, the CAM (Active Confinement of Masonry) system and the Φ system, which also improve the box-type behavior of buildings. These two retrofitting systems allow increasing both the static and dynamic load-bearing capacity of masonry buildings.

Significant Improvement of Clinical Symptoms, Bone Lesions, and Bone Turnover after Long-Term Zoledronic Acid Treatment in Patients with a Severe Form of Camurati-Engelmann Disease.

Camurati-Engelmann disease (CED) is an ultrarare autosomal dominant bone dysplasia. Cortical thickening of the diaphyses of the long bones with narrowing of the medullary cavity are associated with bone pain, waddling gait, muscular weakness, easy fatigability, and a marfanoid body habitus. There is no specific treatment for CED.

Accuracy of serum procalcitonin for the diagnosis of sepsis in neonates and children with systemic inflammatory syndrome: a meta-analysis.

Background: A number of biomarkers have been studied for the diagnosis of sepsis in paediatrics, but no gold standard has been identified. Procalcitonin (PCT) was demonstrated to be an accurate biomarker for the diagnosis of sepsis in adults and showed to be promising in paediatrics. Our study reviewed the diagnostic accuracy of PCT as an early biomarker of sepsis in neonates and children with suspected sepsis.

Diagnostic value of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells in paediatric sepsis: a systematic review.

Background: Differential diagnosis between sepsis and non-infectious inflammatory disorders demands improved biomarkers. Soluble Triggering Receptor Expression on Myeloid cells (sTREM-1) is an activating receptor whose role has been studied throughout the last decade. We performed a systematic review to evaluate the accuracy of plasma sTREM-1 levels in the diagnosis of sepsis in children with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS).