Non-structural Measure

A markedly intense rain fell on southeastern Mexico during the period of 29 October–1 November 2007. As a result, the state of Tabasco recorded the gravest flood in the last 50 years. A reconstruction of the event is presented, including the identification of the factors that aggravated the sequels, and a discussion of the actions that were carried out to evaluate the flooding. The phenomenon consisted of a succession of rains in the region, including 3 days of continuous rain with over 403 mm d−1. The operation of a system of dams, the saturation of the soil, and runoff times below 16 h were the factors that generated the catastrophe, in synergy with the meteorological phenomenon. The analysis presented here will aid in understanding the development of the phenomenon in an integral way, and in establishing the minimum procedures to be followed to evaluate similar events in other regions where, as in Mexico, one does not have timely access to information. In the case of this disaster, for example, different versions of the causes of the flood continued to circulate 6 months after it took place, some lacking technical bases and some access-restricted. However, the information generated provided the academic community and state officials with a reference on which to evaluate the event. This analysis also makes a contribution by placing emphasis on the need to establish non-structural mitigation measures such as future urban growth and regulation plans and future early warning systems against flooding, monitoring the variables that were analysed and generating products useful to the decision-makers involved in civil protection systems and in carrying out preventive measures to mitigate the effects of extreme events.

Normal fetal brain maturation can be studied by in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from the 18th gestational week (GW) to term, and relies primarily on T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted (DW) sequences. These maturational changes must be interpreted with a knowledge of the histological background and the temporal course of the respective developmental steps. In addition, MR presentation of developing and transient structures must be considered. Signal changes associated with maturational processes can mainly be ascribed to the following changes in tissue composition and organization, which occur at the histological level: (1) a decrease in water content and increasing cell-density can be recognized as a shortening of T1- and T2-relaxation times, leading to increased T1-weighted and decreased T2-weighted intensity, respectively; (2) the arrangement of microanatomical structures to create a symmetrical or asymmetrical environment, leading to structural differences that may be demonstrated by DW-anisotropy; (3) changes in non-structural qualities, such as the onset of a membrane potential in premyelinating axons. The latter process also influences the appearance of a structure on DW sequences. Thus, we will review the in vivo MR appearance of different maturational states of the fetal brain and relate these maturational states to anatomical, histological, and in vitro MRI data. Then, the development of the cerebral cortex, white matter, temporal lobe, and cerebellum will be reviewed, and the MR appearance of transient structures of the fetal brain will be shown. Emphasis will be placed on the appearance of the different structures with the various sequences. In addition, the possible utility of dynamic fetal sequences in assessing spontaneous fetal movements is discussed.

Clinical, epidemiological and basic research evidence clearly supports the inclusion of regular physical activity as a tool for the prevention of chronic disease and the enhancement of overall health. In children, activities of a moderate intensity may enhance overall health, and assist in preventing chronic disease in at-risk youth. The numerous health benefits of regular exercise are dependent on the type, intensity and volume of activity pursued by the individual. These benefits include reduction of low density lipoproteins while increasing high density lipoprotein; improvement of glucose metabolism in patients with type II diabetes; improved strength, self esteem and body image; and reduction in the occurrence of back injuries. In addition, a progressive, moderate-intensity exercise program will not adversely effect the immune system and may have a beneficial effect on the interleukin-2/natural killer cell system. Furthermore, by decreasing sedentary behaviors and, thus, increasing daily physical activity, individuals may experience many stress-reducing benefits, which may enhance the immune system. Conclusion Moderate intensity exercise of a non-structured nature seems to facilitate most of the disease prevention goals and health promoting benefits. With new guidelines promoting a less intense and more time-efficient approach to regular physical activity, it is hoped that an upward trend in the physical activity patterns, and specifically children at risk for chronic disease, will develop in the near future.

Fault detection and isolation (FDI) of a class of networked control systems (NCS), applied for telerobotics system is studied in this paper. The considered NCS application is related to telerobotics system, where it is modelled with a hybrid manner, by including the continuous, discrete, uncertain, and stochastic aspects of all the system components. The main considered components of the NCS namely the network system and controlled system are completely decoupled according to their operation characteristics. The network part is taken as a discrete and stochastic system in presence of non-structured uncertainties and external faults, while the controlled part is considered as a continuous system in presence of input and output faults. Two model based fault diagnosis approaches are proposed in this paper. The first concerns a discrete and stochastic observer applied to the network system in order to detect and isolate system faults in presence of induced delay on the network part. The second is based on the analytical redundancy relations (ARR) allows detecting and isolating the input and output system' faults. Experimental results applied on telerobotics system, show the performance and the limit of the proposed fault diagnosis approach.

Although Thailand is not so prone to flooding compared to other countries in the Southeast Asia region, the country is usually faced with flooding problems every year with increasing severity attributed to climate change, including global warming. Many structural measures have been developed to overcome this problem. However, it is realized that structural measures have failed to prevent flooding completely due to unprecedented and unpredictable flooding events. Some flood protection structures, such as levees tend to increase the flood hazard levels with possible breach due to over-stressing resulting in increased damage. Under the circumstances, nonstructural measures are explored more towards sustainable mitigation. Flood hazard mapping through modelling, which helps analyse a variety of possible scenarios, has been the focus of this study. Nan municipality area in Nan province, Thailand, was selected for the study considering the severity of the past occurrences.

The disastrous flood of 1998 was a result of excessiverainfall all over the catchment areas of the major rivers of Bangladesh. Dhaka City, which is surroundedby rivers on all sides, was seriously affected despite the completion of Phase I of the Dhaka IntegratedFlood Protection Project (DIFPP). Water entered into the protected part of the city throughhydraulic leakage such as buried sewerage pipes, breached and incomplete floodwalls, ungated culverts andinoperative regulators. The drainage network and retention ponds of the city were found to be in poorconditions and capacities of the pumping stations were found inadequate. There was a serious lack of coordinationbetween the agencies responsible for flood protection and drainage of the city. These issues must beaddressed to achieve long-term flood mitigation. In addition, feedback from both the experts andgeneral public indicated that completion of Phase II of DIFPP was essential to bring the eastern part ofthe city under flood protection. Other structural measures suggested in this paper include installing andmaintaining adequate drainage and pumping capacity and timely operation of regulators. This studyalso suggests a set of non-structural measures for flood mitigation that include protectingthe retention ponds, raising public awareness on maintaining the city drains, introducing landzoning and flood proofing in the eastern part of Dhaka, and stream lining institutional bottlenecks.

We have designed synthetic peptides corresponding to two different regions of the genome of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) that are effective as (a) a vaccine or (b) a diagnostic reagent which differentiates convalescent from vaccinated animals, respectively. The peptide vaccine is based on a sequence from the prominent G-H loop of VP1, one of the four capsid proteins. The sequence was optimized by the inclusion of a cyclic constraint and adjoining sequences, and broader immunogenicity was obtained by the incorporation of consensus residues at hypervariable positions. The peptide also included a promiscuous T-helper epitope for effective immunogenicity in outbred populations of large animals. The diagnostic reagent, a peptide based on non-structural (NS) protein 3B, is used in immuno-assays for the detection of antibodies. Antibodies to this NS protein are present in the sera of infected animals but not in the sera of vaccinated animals. The VP1 peptide can be used in complementary immuno-assays for confirmation of NS test results and to monitor for vaccination. This system for differential diagnosis is important to establish the disease-free status of a country.

measures. Summary This article reviews the ground motion parameters that can be assumed as structural and non-structural damage measures. Measures of seismic damage potential based on ground motion records are first described, followed by a discussion of the damage measures relating to simple (linear) and more complex (non-linear) structural responses. The second section reviews the measures of damage phenomena which

Bumper beam absorbs the accidental kinetic energy by deflection in low-speed impact and by deformation in high-speed impact. The safety regulations ''low-, and high-speed, and pedestrian impacts'' along with new environmental restrictions ''end-of-life vehicles'' increased the complexity level of bumper system design. The new bumper design must be flexible enough to reduce the passenger and occupant injury and stay intact in low-speed impact besides being stiff enough to dissipate the kinetic energy in highspeed impact. The reinforcement beam plays a vital role in safety and it must be validated through finite-element analysis (FEA) and experimental tests before mass production. The careful design and analysis of bumper beam effective parameters can optimize the strength, reduce the weight, and increase the possibility of utilizing biodegradable and recyclable materials to reduce the environmental pollution. Developing the correct design and analysis procedures prevents design re-modification. On the other hand, analysis of the most effective parameters conducive to high bumper beam strength increases the efficiency of product development. Cross section, longitudinal curvature, fixing method, rib thickness, and strength are some of the significant design parameters in bumper beam production. This study critically reviews the related literature on bumper design to come up with the optimal bumper beam design process. It particularly focuses on the effective parameters in the design of bumper beam and their most suitable values or ranges of values. The results can help designers and researchers in performing functional analysis of the bumper beam determinant variables.

This article aims to discuss on the cooperation and associative organization, its benefits and its main hindrances for a bigger consolidation of this type of organization. It also discusses the sudden and consequent development in the beekeeping sector. Therefore, it is set out as objective, to analyze whether the associative beekeeping is relevant regarding to the articulation and development capacity of the sector. In order to reach this objective, the research has used information obtained trough a seminary, in which debates about beekeeping occurred; non structured interviews, with representatives of Confederação Brasileira de Apicultura - CBA, Federação Apícola do Rio Grande do Sul – FARGS, beekeeping associations, and with specialists of the area. It was intended to approach to the beekeeping activity relevance, its history, and its contributions to the agribusiness development, concerning not only to the external market problem in face of the embargos, but also, intern...

This paper describes a graph-theoretic complexity measure and illustrates how it can be used to manage and control program complexity. The paper first explains how the graph-theory concepts apply and gives an intuitive explanation of the graph concepts in programming terms. The control graphs of several actual Fortran programs are then presented to iUustrate the correlation between intuitive complexity and the graph-theoretic complexity. Several properties of the graphtheoretic complexity are then proved which show, for example, that complexity is independent of physical size (adding or subtracting functional statements leaves complexity unchanged) and complexity depends only on the decision structure of a program.

The aim of any early warning systems is to provide warning to people of an impending natural hazard so that those vulnerable are aware of the potential impact of the natural processes in order to respond appropriately and minimise damage. This paper looks at variables affecting the implementation of flood hazard early warning systems in a flood prone area of Zimbabwe. Documenting the experiences of the local communities, the Civil Protection Unit responsible for managing disasters, the meteorological services department responsible for weather forecasts, non nongovernmental organisations operating in the area and local authorities, the study provides an important insight for future non structural flood mitigation strategies. The current early warning communication is a one-way process, with those issuing warnings not fully aware of the needs and priorities of vulnerable communities, and therefore not responsive to their needs. Warning information is poorly disseminated to poor communities with limited capacity to respond. The absence of preparedness plans for evacuation, and overdependence on rain fed agriculture by locals hamper the implementation of early warning systems. As a recommendation, there is need for those issuing warning information to acquire more information themselves about how communities perceive risk, and the reasons that underlie their behaviour when floods threaten them. There is also a need to strengthen local communities' capacity to play a key role in information dissemination before the onset of flood disasters.

Inorganic polymers, more commonly referred to as ''geopolymers'', are alumino-silicate materials which exhibit excellent physical and chemical properties and a diverse range of potential applications, including precast structures and non-structural elements, concrete pavements and products, containment and immobilisation of toxic, hazardous and radioactive wastes, advanced structural tooling and refractory ceramics, and fire resistant composites used in buildings, aeroplanes, shipbuilding, racing cars, and the nuclear power industry.

Recently, the frequency of rain-triggered landslides in Thailand has been on the increase and has gained momentum, coincident with the effects of climate change. In this regards, the impact of landslide on roads and highways in the hilly and mountainous terrains has also increased. Non-structural landslide mitigation measures, including early warning and hazard mapping, as well as structural mitigation measures with the application of geosynthetics, have been exploited in localities where rain-triggered landslides are a potential threat to human life and property. For early warning, the use of critical Antecedent Precipitation Index (API) is proposed to be most appropriate. Furthermore, deterministic hazard mapping technique incorporating the modern day geospatial technologies can also provide a useful platform to analyze a number of scenarios including rainfall and land cover/land use variations. Finally, a parametric study on a designed and constructed reinforced soil slope with polyester polymer geogrids revealed that the stiffness of backfill is very sensitive to moisture contents or wetting due to rainfall which can influence the performance of reinforced slope structure.

The main objective of this research is to develop a better understanding of the applications of various seismic response modification technologies to protect structural and nonstructural systems and components in acute care facilities from the effects of earthquakes. A secondary objective of the research is to establish a relationship between the performance of nonstructural components and structural demands in order to optimize and harmonize performance objectives between structural and nonstructural systems and components in acute care facilities. A broad range of seismic response modification technologies are under investigation, from those close to implementation to others that require long-term investigation. Results of analytical and experimental studies are being used in fragility studies to probabilistically quantify the relative merits and potential benefits to structural and nonstructural component of implementing these technologies. Eventually, the results will be quantified and included in decision support methodologies that integrate both engineering and social science aspects.

The damage to non structural masonry infills in RC frame structures induced by earthquake ground motions represents a considerable source of economic losses and a serious threat to human lives. Although measures for the prevention of infill damage are to some extent included in modern seismic design codes, an effective design procedure has not yet been achieved. Hence, the objective of this research is to identify, through numerical investigations and a review of previous experimental findings, the performance of masonry infills in RC frame structures designed following European code provisions, with reference to different design parameters, including building height, level of design seismic loading, ductility class, masonry typology, and infill density. The introduction of possible improvements to the current design procedure is envisaged, with the aim of achieving enhanced infill damage control through the limitation of inter-story drifts. In particular, as the first part of a wider research program, the study is focused on the behavior of traditional unreinforced clay masonry infill typologies, with masonry panels constructed in complete contact with the surrounding RC frame, since such construction techniques are still being widely used in European seismic regions.

Purpose -This paper aims to develop an appropriate earthquake disaster management system for Iranian schools with a main focus on non-structural problems of schools during disasters. Design/methodology/approach -A framework is proposed for disaster management planning regarding earthquakes in three phases: before, during, and after an earthquake. A detailed description of the proposed management system is also presented with special application to schools, focusing mainly on non-structural problem.

Different crystallographic phases of shape memory alloy (SMA) materials were used in a damper in order to produce an effective behavior device capable of dissipating energy, while containing the recentering capability. Different methodologies were applied in the four proposed damper systems in order to optimize their implementation into the earthquake resistant structural systems. To compare the structural system performance by using the different devices, the idea of damage indicator was utilized with certain modifications. The structural damage, nonstructural damage, and the damage to the contents of different systems with the permanent deformations of the systems were considered at different ground acceleration histories. The comparisons were made with the buckling restrained steel bracing system. The effectiveness of the implementation of SMA dampers in reduction of the residual deformations on the structure is presented even after very high ground motions.

Coastal vulnerability in barrier island systems is extremely high. The barrier island shoreline is exposed to many threats, such as storm erosion, reductions in sediment longshore drift and sea level rise. Many of these threats to coastal areas, such as Ria Formosa, are likely to increase in the near future. The main objectives of the present study are to identify the areas in the system that are at most risk by assessing the evolution of the Ria Formosa barrier island system since the 1940s, and determine which interventions would be necessary to protect these areas.

Automated programming assessment system (APAS) is a computer aided approach in checking and grading students programming exercises, without the hassle of doing it manually. There are two common approaches in assessing programming exercise automatically; dynamic and static. Dynamic approaches are done by executing the program source-code and the execution is test with a set of test data. Meanwhile, the static approaches are done by examining the source-code without execution. Discussion will cover advantages and disadvantages of using APAS and approaches implemented in most of the APASes. The review will be focusing on the methods of analysis that are categorized in the static analysis approach; such as programming style, program error (syntax or semantic), software metrics assessment, structural and non-structural similarity analysis, keywords analysis, plagiarisme detection and diagram assessment.

Urban flooding is an increasingly important issue.Disaster statistics appear to show flood events are becoming more frequent, with medium-scale events increasing fastest. The impact of flooding is driven by a combination of natural and human-induced factors. As recent flood events in Pakistan, Brazil, SriLanka and Australia show, floods can occur in widespread locations and can sometimes overwhelm even the best prepared the fastest rate as urbanization puts more people and more assets at risk. In the longer term, however, climate scenarios are likely to be one of the most important drivers of future changes in flood risk. Due to the large uncertainties in projections of climate change, adaptation to the changing risk needs to be flexible to a wide range of future scenarios and to be able to cope with potentially large changes in sea level, rainfall intensity and snowmelt. Climate uncertainty and budgetary, institutional and practical constraints are likely to lead to a combining of ...

Urban flooding is an increasingly important issue. Disaster statistics appear to show flood events are becoming more frequent, with medium-scale events increasing fastest. The impact of flooding is driven by a combination of natural and human-induced factors. As recent flood events in Pakistan, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Australia show, floods can occur in widespread locations and can sometimes overwhelm even the best prepared countries and cities. There are known and tested measures for urban flood risk management, typically classified as structural or engineered measures, and non-structural, management techniques. A combination of measures to form an integrated management approach is most likely to be successful in reducing flood risk. In the short term and for developing countries in particular, the factors affecting exposure and vulnerability are increasing at

Recent chemical accidents precipitated by natural disasters have prompted governments in the United States, Japan, and Europe, among other countries, to re-evaluate current practices in the design and risk management of industrial facilities. This paper presents an overview of natural hazard design considerations and external events risk management requirements in the industrial sector, with particular emphasis on industrial practices in the United States, Japan, and Europe. The analysis shows that although regulations exist to ensure industrial plant structures are built to resist natural hazards (up to the design level), there are few laws to address the performance of non-structural elements and safety and emergency response measures during a natural disaster. Laws usually also refer to natural hazards only indirectly, and provisions to prevent or respond to simultaneous disasters from single or multiple sources concurrent with the natural disaster are usually not present.

The performance of cold-formed steel (CFS) strap-braced walls is evaluated by experimental tests on fullscale 2.4 m × 2.4 m specimens, and techniques to improve their behavior are presented. Different strap arrangements have been introduced, and their performance investigated by means of cyclic loading of a total of twenty full-scale walls. Several factors affecting the performance of cold-formed steel frame shear wall have been considered for each arrangement. This paper presents the failure modes of each system and the main factors contributing to the ductile response of the CFS walls to ensure that the diagonal straps yield and respond plastically with a significant drift and without any risk of brittle failure, such as connection failure or stud failure. Discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of including the non-structural gypsum board on lateral performance of the walls is also presented.

Flood control operation of reservoirs can play a major role in alleviating flood losses. Flood control management system for reservoirs, an important non-structural measure, will benefit to make full use of the flood control capacity of the existing reservoir projects. The paper is a summary of the national programming about the flood control management system for reservoirs in China. The background, objectives, main challenges, contents and key technologies of the programming are introduced. The issues of the integration method and technology of the flood control management system are addressed. Emphasis is concentrated on object-oriented design of system, integration of models and methods, as well as database development.

Keywords: flood control; integrated management; object-oriented; database; non-structural measure

In recent years, natural fibres are increasingly used as reinforcements for the production of low-cost and lightweight polymer composites: other advantages include non-abrasive nature, high specific properties, and biodegradability. However, their limitations, including moisture absorption, poor wettability and large scattering in mechanical properties, and the not sufficient understanding of mechanisms controlling their mechanical behaviour and failure modes, still confine the use of natural fibre reinforced composites in non-structural applications. Acoustic emission (AE) proved useful for its capability of real-time monitoring over the whole material volume and high sensitivity to any process generating stress waves.

Inorganic polymers, more commonly referred to as ''geopolymers'', are alumino-silicate materials which exhibit excellent physical and chemical properties and a diverse range of potential applications, including precast structures and non-structural elements, concrete pavements and products, containment and immobilisation of toxic, hazardous and radioactive wastes, advanced structural tooling and refractory ceramics, and fire resistant composites used in buildings, aeroplanes, shipbuilding, racing cars, and the nuclear power industry. The current paper presents a brief history and a review of geopolymer technology, summarises and critically analyses the most important research findings over the last 25 years, attempts to elucidate chemistry and reaction mechanisms for the most important categories of materials involved, identifies the gaps in the existing body of knowledge and underlines the reasons why this promising technology after all these years of research has not become widely accepted by the industry. Finally the paper proposes further research and development topics and suggests steps forward to improve the potential of geopolymerisation, focusing on the utilisation of mining and metallurgical wastes and by-products, the synthesis of geopolymers with advanced properties and the stabilisation of hazardous wastes. It is strongly believed that geopolymerisation, when established as a viable technology and recognised by the industry, will contribute to the sustainable development of the minerals sector.

In structural analyses, masonry infill walls are commonly considered to be non structural elements. However, the response of reinforced concrete buildings to earthquake loads can be substantially affected by the influence of infill walls. In this article, an improved numerical model for the simulation of the behavior of masonry infill walls subjected to earthquake loads is proposed and analyzed. First, the proposed model is presented. This is an upgrading of the equivalent bi-diagonal compression strut model, commonly used for the nonlinear behavior of infill masonry panels subjected to cyclic loads. Second, the main results of the calibration analyses obtained with two series of experimental tests are presented and discussed: one on a single frame with one story and one bay tested at the LNEC Laboratory; and the second, on a full-scale four story and three-bay frame tested at the ELSA laboratory.

This paper presents key outcomes of an investigation in the performance of domestic structures with cold formed steel frames. The primary objective of this research project was to assess the performance and behaviour of these structures when subjected to earthquake loading. The research involved an extensive racking and dynamic testing program on both two-and three-dimensional framing configurations. A variety of construction details was tested to identify the critical components and assess the contributions from the non-structural components, particularly the plasterboard lining. It is concluded that the steel frames perform very well under earthquake loads. Non-structural components, such as plasterboard lining, make a significant contribution to the lateral bracing of the frames. The failure mechanisms and the load sharing between the various components are also identified and discussed.

In structural analyses, masonry infill walls are commonly considered to be non structural elements. However, the response of reinforced concrete buildings to earthquake loads can be substantially affected by the influence of infill walls. In this article, an improved numerical model for the simulation of the behavior of masonry infill walls subjected to earthquake loads is proposed and analyzed. First, the proposed model is presented. This is an upgrading of the equivalent bi-diagonal compression strut model, commonly used for the nonlinear behavior of infill masonry panels subjected to cyclic loads. Second, the main results of the calibration analyses obtained with two series of experimental tests are presented and discussed: one on a single frame with one story and one bay tested at the LNEC Laboratory; and the second, on a full-scale four story and three-bay frame tested at the ELSA laboratory.

The current carbon supply status of temperate forest trees was assessed by analysing the seasonal variation of nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations in leaves, branch wood and stem sapwood of 10 tree species (six deciduous broad-leafed, one deciduous conifer and three evergreen conifer trees) in a temperate forest that is approximately 100 years old. In addition, all woody tissue was analysed for lipids (acylglycerols). The major NSC fractions were starch, sucrose, glucose and fructose, with other carbohydrates (e.g. raffinose and stachyose) and sugar alcohols (cyclitols and sorbitol) playing only a minor quantitative role. The radial distribution of NSC within entire stem cores, assessed here for the first time in a direct interspecific comparison, revealed large differences in the size of the active sapwood fraction among the species, reflecting the specific wood anatomy (ring-porous versus diffuse-porous xylem). The mean minimum NSC concentrations in branch wood during the growing season was 55% of maximum, and even high NSC concentrations were maintained during times of extensive fruit production in masting Fagus sylvestris . The NSC in stem sapwood varied very little throughout the season (cross species mean never below 67% of maximum), and the small reductions observed were not significant for any of the investigated species. Although some species contained substantial quantities of lipids in woody tissues ('fat trees'; Tilia , Pinus , Picea , Larix ), the lipid pools did not vary significantly across the growing season in any species. On average, the carbon stores of deciduous trees would permit to replace the whole leave canopy four times. These data imply that there is not a lot of leeway for a further stimulation of growth by ongoing atmospheric CO 2 enrichment. The classical view that deciduous trees rely more on C-reserves than evergreen trees, seems unwarranted or has lost its justification due to the greater than 30% increase in atmospheric CO 2 concentrations over the last 150 years.

Two kinds of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) were examined with respect to cost-effectiveness (CE) in reducing sediment, nitrates-nitrogen (NO3–N) and total phosphorus (TP) losses to surface waters of the Arachtos catchment in Western Greece. The establishment of filter strips at the edge of fields and a non-structural measure, namely fertilization reduction in alfalfa, combined with contour farming and zero-tillage in corn and reduction of animal numbers in pastureland, were evaluated. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used as the non-point-source (NPS) estimator, while a simple economic component was developed estimating BMP implementation cost as the mean annual expenses needed to undertake and operate the practice for a 5-year period. After each BMP implementation, the ratio of their CE in reducing pollution was calculated for each Hydrologic Response Unit (HRU) separately, for each agricultural land use type entirely and for the whole catchment. The results at the HRU scale are presented comprehensively on a map, demonstrating the spatial differentiation of CE ratios across the catchment that enhances the identification of locations where each BMP is most advisable for implementation. Based on the analysis, a catchment management solution of affordable total cost would include the expensive measure of filter strips in corn and only in a small number of pastureland fields, in combination with the profitable measure of reducing fertilization to alfalfa fields. When examined for its impact on river loads at the outlet, the latter measure led to a 20 tn or 8% annual decrease of TP from the baseline with savings of 15€/kg of pollutant reduction. Filter strips in corn fields reduced annual sediments by 66 Ktn or 5%, NO3–N by 71 tn or 9.5% and TP by 27 tn or 10%, with an additional cost of 3.1 €/tn, 3.3 €/kg and 8.1 €/kg of each pollutant respectively. The study concludes that considerable reductions of several pollutant types at the same time can be achieved, even at low total cost, by combining targeted BMP implementation strategies only in small parts of the catchment, also enabling policy makers to take local socio-economic constraints into consideration. The methodology and the results presented aim to facilitate decision making for a cost-effective management of diffuse pollution by enabling modelers and researchers to make rapid and reliable BMP cost estimations and thus being able to calculate their CE at the local level in order to identify the most suitable areas for their implementation.► We tested with SWAT several agricultural BMPs in reducing surface water pollution. ► A simple economic component was developed for their cost evaluation. ► The cost-effectiveness of BMPs was calculated at the local and the catchment scale. ► The most suitable areas for BMPs implementation were identified. ► The methodology assists in a cost-effective land use planning on catchment scale.

While already having at their disposal an array of advanced and task-specific tools for the gathering, dispersal and exploitation of highly structured information, the Belgian Federal Police (BFP) are now shifting attention to novel technologies for exploiting vast amounts of unstructured information sources, from which further knowledge could be obtained for analysis purposes.

In this study, experimental data, geometrical models, and FE analysis are presented for typical structurally stitched multilayer preform composed of quasi-UD carbon-fibre woven fabric. The term 'structural' presumes here that the stitching yarn does not only consolidate the plies (as the non-structural one does) but forms also a through-the-thickness reinforcement. One stitching technique -tufting -is studied, with 67 tex carbon yarn. The models account for general features of the local preform geometry and are believed to allow for a sufficient modelling on the meso-scale (textile unit cell) level. Experimental and theoretical results are presented, compared and discussed; a "road" map is proposed for the modelling of structurally stitched preforms.

Bangladesh is known to behighly vulnerable to floods. Frequent floods have put enormous constraints on its development potential. Unfortunately, the frequency of high intensity floods is on the rise. So far the country has struggled to put a sizeable infrastructure in place to prevent flooding in may parts of the country with limited success. In recent times, it was found that losses of lives and valuable assets could be significantly minimized by implementing non-structural measures including the improvement of flood forecasting and warning system. The existing flood forecasting and warning capacity of Bangladesh could be more effective if real-timedata could be acquired from upstreamareas within the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) catchment, where runoff is generated. In order to do so, Bangladesh needs to foster an effective regional cooperationwith the other GBM regional countries of India, Nepal, and Bhutan. This article examines how GBM regional cooperation could be useful towards managing floods in Bangladesh in particularand the region in general.

La investigación realizada se clasifica en una primera parte como un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal, y en una segunda como analítico retrospectivo; con el objetivo de conocer la magnitud de la discapacidad física en los adultos mayores músicos que asistieron a la consulta de geriatría del hospital de rehabilitación 'Julio Díaz', durante los años 2005 a 2008, (n = 222); su comportamiento según variables socio demográficas y biológicas, y la identificación de factores de riesgo de discapacidad física en los mismos; mediante entrevistas no estructuradas, dirigidas a obtener datos generales del paciente. Se aplicaron los siguientes instrumentos: Mini-examen del Estado Mental (MEM) para evaluar la esfera cognitiva, Índice de Lawton (IL) para evaluar la esfera física, y la Encuesta de Factores de Riesgo de Discapacidad (EFRD), para evaluar factores de riesgo. La investigación reveló una prevalencia de discapacidad física de un 32,88%; donde la edad, presencia de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles, comorbilidad, años como profesional de la música y bajo nivel escolar, aumentan la prevalencia de discapacidad física. Los músicos de instrumentos de cuerdas, teclado y vientos son los que más se discapacitan según la investigación, siendo los cantantes los de menor incapacidad. Es el primer estudio de prevalencia y factores de riesgo de discapacidad física en adultos mayores músicos en Cuba, que constituye la primera piedra para futuros estudios más ambiciosos que nos permitan encontrar nuevas evidencias científicas a este problema.