Methodologies and Challenges for Optimal Sensor Placement in Historical Masonry Buildings.

As ageing structures and infrastructures become a global concern, structural health monitoring (SHM) is seen as a crucial tool for their cost-effective maintenance. Promising results obtained for modern and conventional constructions suggested the application of SHM to historical masonry buildings as well. However, this presents peculiar shortcomings and open challenges. One of the most relevant aspects that deserve more research is the optimisation of the sensor placement to tackle well-known issues in ambient vibration testing for such buildings. The present paper focuses on the application of optimal sensor placement (OSP) strategies for dynamic identification in historical masonry buildings. While OSP techniques have been extensively studied in various structural contexts, their application in historical masonry buildings remains relatively limited. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of OSP in this specific context, analysing and discussing real-world examples, as well as a numerical benchmark application to illustrate its complexities. This article aims to shed light on the progress and issues associated with OSP in masonry historical buildings, providing a detailed problem formulation, identifying ongoing challenges and presenting promising solutions for future improvements.

Design of Strain-Hardening Natural TRM Composites: Current Challenges and Future Research Paths.

This paper discusses the challenges in using natural fibers for the development of textile-reinforced mortar (TRM) composites with pseudo-strain-hardening and multiple cracking behavior. The particular characteristics of natural vegetal fibers are analyzed with reference to data from the literature. It is concluded that the efficient use of these fibers as composite reinforcement requires the development of treatment or impregnation protocols for overcoming durability issues, eliminating crimping effects in tensile response and imparting dimensional stability. Relevant experimental research on the synthesis and performance of natural TRMs is reviewed, showing that the fabrication of such systems is, at present, largely based on empirical rather than engineering design. In order to set a framework regarding the properties that the constituents of natural TRM must meet, a comparative analysis is performed against inorganic matrix composites comprising synthetic, mineral and metallic reinforcement. This highlights the need for selecting matrix materials compatible with natural fibers in terms of stiffness and strength. Furthermore, a rational methodology for the theoretical design of natural TRM composites is proposed. First-order analysis tools based on rule-of-mixtures and fracture mechanics concepts are considered. Based on the findings of this study, paths for future research are discussed.

Extended Tromograph Surveys for a Full Experimental Characterisation of the San Giorgio Cathedral in Ragusa (Italy).

Geophysical surveys are widely used to reconstruct subsoil seismo-stratigraphic structures with a non-invasive approach. In this study the geophysical surveys were carried out with the aim to characterise the San Giorgio Cathedral in Ragusa (Italy) and the area on which it is built from a dynamic point of view. A 3D subsoil model was realised through the integration of two active (i.e., seismic tomography and multichannel analysis of surface waves) and one passive seismic technique (horizontal to vertical spatial ratio). The instrumentation used for the latter method consists of a tromograph (Tromino®), which is also employed for the characterisation of the building, focusing on the façade and the dome, by means of an ambient vibration test, processed through the standard spectral ratio and frequency domain decomposition methods. Integration of the 3D model, showing the distribution of areas with different physicomechanical characteristics, enables identifying anomalies that are likely attributable to the remains of the ancient Byzantine church of San Nicola. Four lower modes mainly involving the two investigated macroelements are identified. The experimental results outline the advantages of the use of the tromograph both for soil and structural characterisation, especially for massive masonry buildings located in areas with high seismic hazard.

Genetic prediction of ICU hospitalization and mortality in COVID-19 patients using artificial neural networks.

There is an unmet need of models for early prediction of morbidity and mortality of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). We aimed to a) identify complement-related genetic variants associated with the clinical outcomes of ICU hospitalization and death, b) develop an artificial neural network (ANN) predicting these outcomes and c) validate whether complement-related variants are associated with an impaired complement phenotype. We prospectively recruited consecutive adult patients of Caucasian origin, hospitalized due to COVID-19. Through targeted next-generation sequencing, we identified variants in complement factor H/CFH, CFB, CFH-related, CFD, CD55, C3, C5, CFI, CD46, thrombomodulin/THBD, and A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS13). Among 381 variants in 133 patients, we identified 5 critical variants associated with severe COVID-19: rs2547438 (C3), rs2250656 (C3), rs1042580 (THBD), rs800292 (CFH) and rs414628 (CFHR1). Using age, gender and presence or absence of each variant, we developed an ANN predicting morbidity and mortality in 89.47% of the examined population. Furthermore, THBD and C3a levels were significantly increased in severe COVID-19 patients and those harbouring relevant variants. Thus, we reveal for the first time an ANN accurately predicting ICU hospitalization and death in COVID-19 patients, based on genetic variants in complement genes, age and gender. Importantly, we confirm that genetic dysregulation is associated with impaired complement phenotype.

Reducing the Training Samples for Damage Detection of Existing Buildings through Self-Space Approximation Techniques.

Data-driven methodologies are among the most effective tools for damage detection of complex existing buildings, such as heritage structures. Indeed, the historical evolution and actual behaviour of these assets are often unknown, no physical models are available, and the assessment must be performed only based on the tracking of a set of damage-sensitive features. Selecting the most representative state indicators to monitor and sampling them with an adequate number of records are therefore essential tasks to guarantee the successful performance of the damage detection strategy. Despite their relevance, these aspects have been frequently taken for granted and little attention has been paid to them by the scientific community working in the field of Structural Health Monitoring. The present paper aims to fill this gap by proposing a multistep strategy to drive the selection of meaningful pairs of correlated features in order to support the damage detection as a one-class classification problem. Numerical methods to reduce the number of necessary acquisitions and estimate the performance of approximation techniques are also provided. The analyses carried out to test and validate the proposed strategy exploit a dense dataset collected during the long-term monitoring of an outstanding heritage structure, i.e., the Church of 'Santa Maria de Belém' in Lisbon.