Effect of tornadoes on residential masonry structures

Pinelli, J.P.,O'Neill, S. Techno-Press 2000 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.3 No.1

In the early morning hours of February 23rd, 1998, seven large tornadoes ravaged central Florida. A total of 42 people were killed and millions of dollars of damage was done. A strip mall and other commercial structures sustained considerable damage and several residential areas were completely destroyed. Based on field observations, the paper examines the causes and sequence of structural failure for the masonry single family homes. Wind speeds are estimated based on the observed damage, and compared to the meteorological data. Finally, recommendations are given that could help to eliminate or reduce similar failures in the future. It was found that with simple, cost effective measures, most if not all of the damage could have been prevented.

Application of a wireless pressure sensing system to coastal wind monitoring

Pinelli, J.P.,Subramanian, C.S.,Lapilli, C.,Buist, L. Techno-Press 2005 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.8 No.3

This paper describes the application of a wireless data acquisition system to monitor wind pressures and velocities with absolute pressure sensors and an anemometer. The system was developed for future deployment, as part of a research effort currently underway to instrument coastal homes in Florida to monitor roof wind pressures during hurricanes. The proposed wireless system will replace the current system that involves a large amount of hardwired connections from the sensors to the data processing unit that requires labor intensive wiring and preparation of the home. The paper describes comparison studies and field tests to assess the performance of the system. The new system offers the advantages of light hardware, ease of installation, capacity for 48 hours of continuous data acquisition, good frequency and amplitude responses, and a relatively simple maintenance. However, the tests also show that the shape of the shell that has been previously used to protect the sensors might interfere with the proper measurement of the pressures.

Second-Line Tests in the Diagnosis of Adrenocorticotropic Hormone-Dependent Hypercortisolism

Pinelli Silvia,Barbot Mattia,Scaroni Carla,Ceccato Filippo 대한진단검사의학회 2021 Annals of Laboratory Medicine Vol.41 No.6

Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is a rare disease caused by chronic and excessive cortisol secretion. When adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) is measurable, autonomous adrenal cortisol secretion could be reasonably ruled out in a differential diagnosis of CS. ACTH-dependent CS accounts for 80%–85% of cases and involves cortisol production stimulated by uncontrolled pituitary or ectopic ACTH secretion. Pituitary adenoma is not detected in up to one-third of cases with pituitary ACTH secretion, whereas cases of CS due to ectopic ACTH secretion may be associated with either malignant neoplasia (such as small cell lung carcinoma) or less aggressive neuroendocrine tumors, exhibiting only the typical symptoms and signs of CS. Since the differential diagnosis of ACTH-dependent CS may be a challenge, many strategies have been proposed. Since none of the available tests show 100% diagnostic accuracy, a step-by-step approach combining several diagnostic tools and a multidisciplinary evaluation in a referral center is suggested. In this review, we present a clinical case to demonstrate the diagnostic work-up of ACTH-dependent CS. We describe the most commonly used dynamic tests, as well as the applications of conventional or nuclear imaging and invasive procedures.

Political representation and democracy

Cesare Pinelli(체사레 피넬리) 국제헌법학회 한국학회 2010 世界憲法硏究 Vol.16 No.1

18 세기까지도 민주주의는 일반적으로 시민들을 의회와 공공장소에 모으는 것과 같은 직접민주주의와 관련지어 논의되었다. 예컨대 루소는 이러한 맥락에서 제네바 정도의 작은 지역이 민주주의의 구현에 이상적인 장소라고 보았다. 이러한 경향에 일대 반전이 일어난것은 근대사회의 일대 발견으로도 평가받는 대의민주주의의 발명에서 비롯한다. 대의민주주의는 각 지역과 각 지역민의 이익을 넘어 공동체의 전체이익을 우선적으로 고려하는 대표가 가능하다고 본다. 발명 초기부터 이러한 대의민주주의에 대한 낙관적인 견해는 입헌민주주의의 발전과 더불어 논쟁을 불러오게 되었다. 한편으론 대의제가 민주주의의 유일한 모델로 정당화되는 동안 직접민주주의는 배제되었다. 이러한 과정에서 대의민주주의에 대한 비판은, 제도의 많은 장점에도 불구하고 국민으로 하여금 공적인 영역에 개입하는 기회를 단지 우회적으로만 제공한다는 것에 모아졌다. 정치적 대의제는 선출된 권력이 특정집단 혹은 특정지역만의 부분이익에 구속되지 않는다는 점을 중요한 내용으로 한다. 대의민주주의와 직접민주주의와의 분명한 차이는 선출된 기관이 자신을 선출해준 선거구민의 명령에 기속되는지 여부에 있다. 각국의 헌법은 이러한 무기속위임의 원칙을 의회의 의원은 국가를 대표한다는 표현으로 규정하고 있다. 그러나 오늘날 고전적 대의민주주제도는 그 자체만으로는 동력을 잃고 있는 것이 사실이다. 이러한 위기상황에 대한 대응으로 보통 직접민주주의 또는 참여민주주의의 일부 제도가 순수한 대의민주주의의 부족한 점을 보완하려는 목적에서 규정되고 있다. 연방제나 지방자치제 또한 대의민주주의의 보완이란 측면에서 중요한 역할을 한다. 한편으론 그동안 대의민주주의의 보완에 더 효과적이었지만 여전히 제도화의 정도는 미비한 메커니즘으로서, 공공정책에 대한 이익집단 간 또는 정당 간의 관습적 합의로 이뤄져온 입법절차가 발전되어왔다. 더불어 오늘날 민주주의의 발전에 따라 공공의 영역에 있어서 과거 선출된 권력에 의해 이전에 행해졌던 기능을 사기업이 대신하고 있는 현상도 언급될 수 있다. 이와는 별개로, 오늘날 새로운 정치적 소통의 장치는 보다 급진적으로 선출된 권력들로 하여금 그들이 선택한 정책에 따라 평가받는 책임에서 해방시키는 문제를 안고 있다. 예컨대 오늘날에는 매일 매일의 여론 조사에 얽매여, 선출된 권력으로서 대표는 자신의 선거구민의 현재의 선호를 그대로 반영하려 한다. 이러한 경향은 선출된 권력의 정치적 책임을 과거와는 달리 의미가 없는 것으로 만들고 있다. 정치적 책임보다는 오늘날 정치인들은 대신 재선을 위해 자신들의 선거구민 앞에서 성공적인 이미지의 구축에만 집중한다. 정치적 책임의 감소와 포퓰리즘의 발흥은 서로 연관된 현상이다. 그리고 이것은 오늘날 우리가 서로 다른 민주주의를 강조하는 이유가 된다. 그러나 여전히 이러한 현상이 민주주의에 있어 직접적이고 배타적인 정치적 소통의 새로운 형식이라고 주장될 수는 없다. 도리어 이것은 과거 냉전시대의 공산주의에 의한 위협과는 성질을 달리하는 민주주의 국가들 내부로부터의 민주주의에 대한 위협이라 할 수 있다. 이들 위협은 물론 포퓰리스트 정치가들의 발흥과 미디어 재벌에 의한 정치적 영향력의 증가로부터 기인한다. 더욱 걱정스러운 것은 이러한 현상들이 헌법의 제원칙에 의해 오히려 정당화되는 경향이 있다는 점이다. 미디어 권력의 강화는 경제적 자유라는 관점에서 정당화된다. 포퓰리스트 정치가들은 의회나 사법부의 절차를 무시하며 자신들이 민주적 정당성이 있다는 이유에서 다른 권력의 상위에 있다고 주장한다. 오늘날 입헌적 민주주의의 핵심에 놓인 원칙들, 말하자면 민주적 정당성과 입헌적 정당성 간의 균형은 이러한 방식으로 전복되고 있다. 그러므로 오늘날 민주주의에서 이러한 균형을 회복하는 것은 무엇보다 중차대한 일이다. 이러한 작업은 포퓰리즘이나 언론권력의 집중에 의한 위험을 경고하는 것으로는 충분하지 않다. 여기에는 독점이 아닌 경쟁과 다원주의에 기초한 미디어 시스템의 장점과 논거를 명료하게 밝히는 것, 정치권력과 언론권력 간의 분립의 필요성을 명료하게 밝히는 것, 그리고 공적 의사결정 절차에서 정치적 책임을 강화하는데 목적을 둔 새로운 제도의 필요성을 밝히는 것과 같은 적극적인 실행이 요구된다. 여러 국가의 학자들 간의 상호 학습은 이러한 면에서 매우 의미 있는 일이며 이러한 방식으로 우리 시대의 비교헌법학은 중대한 역할을 맡을 수 있을 것이다.

Age-specific predictors of cervical dysplasia recurrence after primary conization: analysis of 3,212 women

Giorgio Bogani,Ciro Pinelli,Valentina Chiappa,Fabio Martinelli,Salvatore Lopez,Antonino Ditto,Francesco Raspagliesi 대한부인종양학회 2020 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.31 No.5

Objective: This study aimed to identify predictors of recurrence/persistence of cervicalintraepithelial neoplasia grade 2+ (CIN2+) lesion (r-CIN2+) after primary conization. Methods: Retrospective analysis involving all consecutive women having conization for CIN2+between 1998 and 2018. The risk of r-CIN2+ was assessed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox models. Results: Data of 3,212 women were retrospectively identified. After a mean follow-up of 47(±22.2) months, 112 (3.5%) patients developed r-CIN2+. Mean time interval between priorconization and diagnosis of r-CIN2+ was 26.2 (±13.2) months. Via multivariate analysis,presence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types at the time of CIN2+ diagnosis,hazard ratio (HR)=3.40 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.66–6.95) for HPV16/18 and HR=2.59(95% CI=1.21–5.55) for HPV types other than 16/18, positive margins at primary conization,HR=4.11 (95% CI=2.04–8.26) and HPV persistence after conization, HR=16.69 (95%CI=8.20–33.9), correlated with r-CIN2+, independently. Considering age-specific HPV typesdistribution, we observed that HPV16/18 infection correlated to an increased risk of r-CIN2+only in young women (aged ≤25 years; p=0.031, log-rank test); while in the older population(>25 years) HPV type(s) involved had not impact on r-CIN2+ risk (p>0.200, log-rank test). Conclusion: HPV persistence is the main factor predicting r-CIN2+. Infection from HPV16/18has a detrimental effect in young women, thus highlighting the need of implementingvaccination against HPV in this population. Further prospective studies are warranted fortailoring clinical decision-making for post-conization follow-up on the basis of risk factors.

Dietary inclusion effects of phytochemicals as growth promoters in animal production

Valenzuela-Grijalva, Nidia Vanessa,Pinelli-Saavedra, Araceli,Muhlia-Almazan, Adriana,Dominguez-Diaz, David,Gonzalez-Rios, Humberto Korean Society of Animal Sciences and Technology 2017 한국축산학회지 Vol.59 No.4

Growth promoters have been widely used as a strategy to improve productivity, and great benefits have been observed throughout the meat production chain. However, the prohibition of growth promoters in several countries, as well as consumer rejection, has led industry and the academy to search for alternatives. For decades, the inclusion of phytochemicals in animal feed has been proposed as a replacement for traditional growth promoters. However, there are many concerns about the application of phytochemicals and their impact on the various links in the meat production chain (productive performance, carcass and meat quality). Therefore, the effects of these feed additives are reviewed in this article, along with their potential safety and consumer benefits, to understand the current state of their use. In summary, the replacement of traditional growth promoters in experiments with broilers yielded benefits in all aspects of the meat production chain, such as improvements in productive performance and carcass and meat quality. Although the effects in pigs have been similar to those observed in broilers, fewer studies have been carried out in pigs, and there is a need to define the types of phytochemicals to be used and the appropriate stages for adding such compounds. In regard to ruminant diets, few studies have been conducted, and their results have been inconclusive. Therefore, it is necessary to propose more in vivo studies to determine other strategies for phytochemical inclusion in the production phases and to select the appropriate types of compounds. It is also necessary to define the variables that will best elucidate the mechanism(s) of action that will enable the future replacement of synthetic growth promoters with phytochemical feed additives.

Hurricane vulnerability model for mid/high-rise residential buildings

Pita, Gonzalo L.,Pinelli, Jean-Paul,Gurley, Kurt,Weekes, Johann,Cocke, Steve,Hamid, Shahid Techno-Press 2016 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.23 No.5

Catastrophe models appraise the natural risk of the built-infrastructure simulating the interaction of its exposure and vulnerability with a hazard. Because of unique configurations and reduced number, mid/high-rise buildings present singular challenges to the assessment of their damage vulnerability. This paper presents a novel approach to estimate the vulnerability of mid/high-rise buildings (MHB) which is used in the Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model, a catastrophe model developed for the state of Florida. The MHB vulnerability approach considers the wind pressure hazard exerted over the building's height as well as accompanying rain. The approach assesses separately the damages caused by wind, debris impact, and water intrusion on building models discretized into typical apartment units. Hurricane-induced water intrusion is predicted combining the estimates of impinging rain with breach and pre-existing building defect size estimates. Damage is aggregated apartment-by-apartment and story-by-story, and accounts for vertical water propagation. The approach enables the vulnerability modeling of regular and complex building geometries in the Florida exposure and elsewhere.

Application of a wireless pressure sensing system to coastal wind monitoring

C. S. Subramanian,J. -P. Pinelli,C. Lapilli,L. Buist 한국풍공학회 2005 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.8 No.3

Hurricane vulnerability model for mid/high-rise residential buildings

Gonzalo L. Pita,Jean-Paul Pinelli,Kurt Gurley,Johann Weekes,Steve Cocke,Shahid Hamid 한국풍공학회 2016 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.23 No.5

Catastrophe models appraise the natural risk of the built-infrastructure simulating the interaction of its exposure and vulnerability with a hazard. Because of unique configurations and reduced number, mid/high-rise buildings present singular challenges to the assessment of their damage vulnerability. This paper presents a novel approach to estimate the vulnerability of mid/high-rise buildings (MHB) which is used in the Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model, a catastrophe model developed for the state of Florida. The MHB vulnerability approach considers the wind pressure hazard exerted over the building's height as well as accompanying rain. The approach assesses separately the damages caused by wind, debris impact, and water intrusion on building models discretized into typical apartment units. Hurricane-induced water intrusion is predicted combining the estimates of impinging rain with breach and pre-existing building defect size estimates. Damage is aggregated apartment-by-apartment and story-by-story, and accounts for vertical water propagation. The approach enables the vulnerability modeling of regular and complex building geometries in the Florida exposure and elsewhere.

Dose-dependent physiological responses of <i>Triticum aestivum</i> L. to soil applied TiO₂ nanoparticles: Alterations in chlorophyll content, H₂O₂ production, and genotoxicity

Rafique, Rafia,Zahra, Zahra,Virk, Nasar,Shahid, Muhammad,Pinelli, Eric,Park, Tae Jung,Kallerhoff, Jean,Arshad, Muhammad Elsevier 2018 Agriculture, ecosystems & environment Vol.255 No.-

<P>Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are used widely in commercial products. These high production levels have led to their increased release into natural ecosystems, where they may interact with plants and affect their physiological functions. The aim of this study was to assess the physiological responses of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to increasing concentrations of TiO2 NPs. TiO2 NPs with a particle size less than 20 nm were administered as soil spiked with 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mg TiO2 NPs kg(-1), and their physiological parameters, including root and shoot lengths, biomass, phytoavailability of phosphorus (P), chlorophyll content, H2O2 production, and micronuclei (MN) formation in the plants grown from seeds in NPs-spiked soils, were subsequently recorded. All experiments were repeated twice with four replicates per treatment. After 60 days exposure to the NPs, root and shoot lengths, and P uptake by plants was significantly (p < 0.05) higher between 20 and 60 mg kg(-1) compared to the control (0 mg kg(-1) TiO2 NPs), but was then lower at 80 and 100 mg kg(-1) compared to 60 mg kg(-1) TiO2 NPs. The application of TiO2 NPs led to chlorophyll content being higher by 32.3% at 60 mg kg(-1) than in the control, but 11.1% lower content was observed at 100 mg kg(-1). The results suggested that wheat could not tolerate concentrations of TiO2 NPs higher than 60 mg kg(-1) owing to over-production of H2O2 (84.4%) and MN formation (53.6%).</P>