Using experimental data to reduce the single-building sigma of fragility curves:case study of the BRD tower in Bucharest,Romania

The lack of knowledge concerning modelling existing buildings leads to significant variability in fragility curves for single or grouped existing buildings. This study aims to investigate the uncertainties of fragility curves, with special consideration of the single-building sigma. Experimental data and simplified models are applied to the BRD tower in Bucharest, Romania, a RC building with permanent instrumentation. A three-step methodology is applied： （1） adjustment of a linear MDOF model for experimental modal analysis using a Timoshenko beam model and based on Anderson＇s criteria, （2） computation of the structure＇s response to a large set of accelerograms simulated by SIMQKE software, considering twelve ground motion parameters as intensity measurements （IM）, and （3） construction of the fragility curves by comparing numerical interstory drift with the threshold criteria provided by the Hazus methodology for the slight damage state. By introducing experimental data into the model, uncertainty is reduced to 0.02 considering Sd ） as seismic intensity IM and uncertainty related to the model is assessed at 0.03. These values must be compared with the total uncertainty value of around 0.7 provided by the Hazus methodology.

Microscopic enteritis:Bucharest consensus

Microscopic enteritis(ME) is an inflammatory condition of the small bowel that leads to gastrointestinal symptoms,nutrient and micronutrient deficiency.It is characterised by microscopic or sub-microscopic abnormalities such as microvillus changes and enterocytic alterations in the absence of definite macroscopic changes using standard modern endoscopy.This work recognises a need to characterize disorders with microscopic and submicroscopic features,currently regarded as functional or non-specific entities,to obtain further understanding of their clinical relevance.The consensus working party reviewed statements about the aetiology,diagnosis and symptoms associated with ME and proposes an algorithm for its investigation and treatment.Following the 5th International Course in Digestive Pathology in Bucharest in November 2012,an international group of 21 interested pathologists and gastroenterologists formed a working party with a view to formulating a consensus statement on ME.A five-step agreement scale(from strong agreement to strong disagreement) was used to score 21 statements,independently.There was strong agreement on all statements about ME histology(95%-100%).Statements concerning diagnosis achieved 85% to 100% agreement.A statement on the management of ME elicited agreement from the lowest rate(60%) up to 100%.The remaining two categories showed general agreement between experts on clinical presentation(75%-95%) and pathogenesis(80%-90%) of ME.There was strong agreement on the histological definition of ME.Weaker agreement on management indicates a need for further investigations,better definitions and clinical trials to produce quality guidelines for management.This ME consensus is a step toward greater recognition of a significant entity affecting symptomatic patients previously labelled as non-specific or functional enteropathy.

Violation of the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution,Bucharest’s Convention of 1992 and the Sofia Protocol of 2018 by Turkish Government’s Sinop Nuclear Power Complex Project

On September 12th,2020,the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning issued a final approved version of an EIA(Environmental Impact Assessment)report for the Sinop(4,800 MWe)nuclear power plant and nuclear fuel fabrication complex project,located on Turkey’s Southern Black Sea coastline,in the Sinop Providence,which will be built on a BOO(Build-Own-Operate)basis by an offshore company known as General Directorate of Electricity Generation Inc.(EUAS)International ICC,along with unknown shadowy partners and investors.This project violates the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea against Pollution,namely,Bucharest’s Convention of 1992,and the Sofia Protocol of 2018 which are established to preserve the uniqueness of the Black Sea,sustain the fisheries,and protect marine life.The Black Sea is the largest anoxic water basin in the world with oxygen rich surface waters supporting marine life which constitute only about 13% of the Black Sea volume.For the rest of the entire Black Sea at a depth greater than 150-200 m,there is a permanent hydrogen sulphide zone devoid of life,the oxygen is completely absent after this level.This unique bio-hydrological characteristic has been regulating the preconditions of its following distinctive biodiversity for thousands of years.The biologically rich regions are only limited to only oxygen rich shelf zones,with depths of up to 50-100 m in the southern coast line,and in the northern Black Sea shallow-water areas with depths of up to 5-10 m.This water body,bordering the hydrogen sulphide zone,is approximately 200-300 m wide and averages 5-50 m deep,in which high concentrations of fish eggs and larvae strive,and circulate counterclockwise along 4340 km coastline of the Black Sea.

Vulnerability to Earthquake Hazard:Bucharest Case Study,Romania

Recent seismic events show that urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to seismic damage,which leads to unprecedented levels of risk.Cities are complex systems and as such their analysis requires a good understanding of the interactions between space and the socioeconomic variables characteristic of the inhabitants of urban space.There is a clear need to develop and test detailed models that describe the behavior of these interactions under seismic impact.This article develops an overall vulnerability index to seismic hazard based on a spatial approach applied to Bucharest,Romania,the most earthquake-prone capital in the European Union.The methodology relies on:(1) spatial post-processed socioeconomic data from the2011 Romanian census through multicriteria analysis;and(2) analytical methods(the Improved Displacement Coefficient Method and custom-defined vulnerability functions)for estimating damage patterns,incorporated in a GIS environment.We computed vulnerability indices for the128 census tracts of the city.Model sensitivity assessment tested the robustness of spatially identified patterns of building vulnerability in the face of uncertainty in model inputs.The results show that useful seismic vulnerability indices can be obtained through interdisciplinaryapproaches that enhance less detailed datasets,which leads lead to better targeted mitigation efforts.

Urbanization effects on the river systems in the Bucharest City region(Romania)

This article identifies and analyzes the effects of human pressures on the river systems,landscape,flow regime,and water quality in the Bucharest region,the largest urbanized area in Romania.The analyses focused on four streams crossing the Bucharest region,namely the Dâmboviţa,Colentina,Argeş,and Sabar rivers.Our approach relied especially on three types of information:(1)spatial data;(2)hydrological data sets;and(3)water quality data.We made a diachronic analysis of the available maps and ran classic statistical analysis of the data sets,as well as trend analysis.At the same time,we compared the flows in natural(reconstituted)and modified(current)regimes.The results showed that the stream system and its associated landscapes have considerably changed due to several engineering works(reservoirs,dams,channelization works,diversion canals,water intakes,etc.).Under these circumstances,the flow regime suffered changes that differed among the rivers.Thus,the multiannual discharges of the Argeşand Dâmboviţa rivers did not exhibit significant changes,but only mitigated the monthly discharge variability.In the case of Sabar and Colentina,a significant increase of the annual and monthly discharges was identified,due to the water transferred from the neighboring rivers.Water quality worsened,especially on the lower courses of the Dâmboviţa and Argeşrivers,degrading the states and health of the aquatic ecosystems in the study region.

Life-Cycle and Seismic Fragility Assessment of Code-Conforming Reinforced Concrete and Steel Structures in Bucharest, Romania

In this article, the fragility of reinforced concrete and steel structures in Bucharest, a city of high seismic hazard, designed using the recent building codes in Romania, is assessed. A total of 24 reinforced concrete and steel structures with heights varying from five stories to 13 stories were analyzed. Their seismic fragility was evaluated using two procedures from the literature. In the first procedure(SPO2 FRAG), the fragility was derived based on the pushover curves using the SPO2 IDA algorithm, while in the second procedure(FRACAS), the fragility was derived from nonlinear time-history analyses. The analyzed structures were designed for three levels of peak ground accelerations, corresponding to mean return periods of 100,225, and 475 years. Subsequently, the damage assessment of the analyzed structures was performed using ground motions generated from a Monte-Carlo simulated earthquake catalogue for the Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic source. The damage degrees that were estimated using the SPO2 FRAG approach are higher than those estimated using the FRACAS approach. The life-cycle analysis of the structures shows that a further increase of the design peak ground acceleration for Bucharest is feasible from an economic point of view using the SPO2 FRAG results.However, based on the FRACAS results, the opposite conclusion can be drawn. Finally, generic lognormal fragility functions are proposed as a function of building height and structural system.

西方信息共享的理念及其法律保障体系

符合当代社会需求的信息数据共享的动因与较完善的法律保障体系,是保证信息数据共享得以顺利开展的首要前提。欧洲《布加勒斯特宣言》突出了信息共享对社会发展的重要作用,强调了信息共享符合信息社会的要求,有利于发展民主制度,有利于维护公民获得信息和知识的权利。美国和欧盟已经建立了较完善的信息共享法律保障体系。我国需要加强信息数据共享法律保障体系的建设,而保障信息共享的法规体系应涉及到多领域相关法规体系的建设与完善。

《关于欧洲高等教育伦理价值和原则的布加勒斯特宣言》的解读与思考

《关于欧洲高等教育伦理价值和原则的布加勒斯特宣言》既是学者共同体的心声,也体现了全体学者的自我约束。值此《宣言》发表之时,我们应当思考大学的使命、学者的职业道德、学术诚信等严肃问题,防止教育腐败,促进大学治理。

Numerical Modelling of Seismic Site Effects Incorporating Non-linearity and Groundwater Level Changes

In the past decades, the necessity for detailed earthquake microzonation studies was recognized worldwide. Therefore, different approaches were established and applied. Unfortunately, the majority of these approaches are not based on pre-existing field data but require extensive seismic measurements and investigations. Furthermore, these approaches incorporate non-linearity inadequately and cannot take groundwater level changes into account. For this purpose, notably numerical models are most suitable. These models require a good knowledge of the local geological conditions （especially of the uppermost unconsolidated units）, information about the geotechnical parameters of these units, and a hydrogeological model of the investigated area. Most of this information can be obtained from geotechnical investigations and surveys that have already been carried out in most densely populated areas. In a case study for Bucharest City, non-linear analyses were performed using software that is based on the visco-hypoplastic constitutive law. The results indicate that groundwater level changes have an important influence on duration and amplitude of ground response and thus should be considered for seismic microzonation studies. This approach ean be used to display site effects and to identify different microzones taking different earthquake magnitudes and groundwater levels into account.

“海间联邦”构想与波兰外交思想溯源

2022年俄罗斯对乌克兰发起的特别军事行动再一次唤起人们对欧陆战事的记忆。随着俄乌冲突加剧,作为冲突前沿的中东欧地区,其地缘政治格局进一步复杂化。作为中东欧地区的大国,波兰利用俄波中间地带国家制衡俄国的外交政策取向,即海间联邦构想,重新成为波兰当前外交战略的底色。“海间联邦”是波兰外交史上重要的自主战略构想,作为波兰雅盖隆文化传统的组成部分,在两次世界大战期间成为波兰重要的外交战略规划。尽管几乎没有在政策上成为现实,但“海间联邦”构想对波兰的外交思想和战略文化产生了极为深远的影响。“海间联邦”被广泛认为是对波兰-立陶宛大公国历史记忆的延续,是对波兰雅盖隆文化传统的继承和当下波兰外交政策中“三海倡议”的先声。从具体政策上看,东部伙伴关系、“三海倡议”、布加勒斯特九国机制和卢布林三角,继承了波兰“海间联邦”构建的传统外交思想。但“海间联邦”构想能够继续为波兰外交政策提供指引的程度,仍然取决于波兰的国家综合实力、欧洲的整体安全形势和欧俄美在中东欧地区的博弈态势。