@article{WeldenPoghossianVahidpouretal.2022, author = {Welden, Melanie and Poghossian, Arshak and Vahidpour, Farnoosh and Wendlandt, Tim and Keusgen, Michael and Wege, Christina and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Towards multi-analyte detection with field-effect capacitors modified with tobacco mosaic virus bioparticles as enzyme nanocarriers}, series = {Biosensors}, volume = {12}, journal = {Biosensors}, number = {1}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2079-6374}, doi = {10.3390/bios12010043}, pages = {Artikel 43}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Utilizing an appropriate enzyme immobilization strategy is crucial for designing enzyme-based biosensors. Plant virus-like particles represent ideal nanoscaffolds for an extremely dense and precise immobilization of enzymes, due to their regular shape, high surface-to-volume ratio and high density of surface binding sites. In the present work, tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles were applied for the co-immobilization of penicillinase and urease onto the gate surface of a field-effect electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitor (EISCAP) with a p-Si-SiO₂-Ta₂O₅ layer structure for the sequential detection of penicillin and urea. The TMV-assisted bi-enzyme EISCAP biosensor exhibited a high urea and penicillin sensitivity of 54 and 85 mV/dec, respectively, in the concentration range of 0.1-3 mM. For comparison, the characteristics of single-enzyme EISCAP biosensors modified with TMV particles immobilized with either penicillinase or urease were also investigated. The surface morphology of the TMV-modified Ta₂O₅-gate was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the bi-enzyme EISCAP was applied to mimic an XOR (Exclusive OR) enzyme logic gate.}, language = {en} } @article{ZhantlessovaSavitskayaKistaubayevaetal.2022, author = {Zhantlessova, Sirina and Savitskaya, Irina and Kistaubayeva, Aida and Ignatova, Ludmila and Talipova, Aizhan and Pogrebnjak, Alexander and Digel, Ilya}, title = {Advanced "Green" prebiotic composite of bacterial cellulose/pullulan based on synthetic biology-powered microbial coculture strategy}, series = {Polymers}, volume = {14}, journal = {Polymers}, number = {15}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2073-4360}, doi = {10.3390/polym14153224}, pages = {Artikel 3224}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a biopolymer produced by different microorganisms, but in biotechnological practice, Komagataeibacter xylinus is used. The micro- and nanofibrillar structure of BC, which forms many different-sized pores, creates prerequisites for the introduction of other polymers into it, including those synthesized by other microorganisms. The study aims to develop a cocultivation system of BC and prebiotic producers to obtain BC-based composite material with prebiotic activity. In this study, pullulan (PUL) was found to stimulate the growth of the probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG better than the other microbial polysaccharides gellan and xanthan. BC/PUL biocomposite with prebiotic properties was obtained by cocultivation of Komagataeibacter xylinus and Aureobasidium pullulans, BC and PUL producers respectively, on molasses medium. The inclusion of PUL in BC is proved gravimetrically by scanning electron microscopy and by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. Cocultivation demonstrated a composite effect on the aggregation and binding of BC fibers, which led to a significant improvement in mechanical properties. The developed approach for "grafting" of prebiotic activity on BC allows preparation of environmentally friendly composites of better quality.}, language = {en} } @article{OjovanSteinmetz2022, author = {Ojovan, Michael I. and Steinmetz, Hans-J{\"u}rgen}, title = {Approaches to Disposal of Nuclear Waste}, series = {Energies}, volume = {15}, journal = {Energies}, number = {20}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1996-1073}, doi = {10.3390/en15207804}, pages = {Artikel 7804}, year = {2022}, abstract = {We present a concise mini overview on the approaches to the disposal of nuclear waste currently used or deployed. The disposal of nuclear waste is the end point of nuclear waste management (NWM) activities and is the emplacement of waste in an appropriate facility without the intention to retrieve it. The IAEA has developed an internationally accepted classification scheme based on the end points of NWM, which is used as guidance. Retention times needed for safe isolation of waste radionuclides are estimated based on the radiotoxicity of nuclear waste. Disposal facilities usually rely on a multi-barrier defence system to isolate the waste from the biosphere, which comprises the natural geological barrier and the engineered barrier system. Disposal facilities could be of a trench type, vaults, tunnels, shafts, boreholes, or mined repositories. A graded approach relates the depth of the disposal facilities' location with the level of hazard. Disposal practices demonstrate the reliability of nuclear waste disposal with minimal expected impacts on the environment and humans.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{WeldenSeverinsPoghossianetal.2022, author = {Welden, Melanie and Severins, Robin and Poghossian, Arshak and Wege, Christina and Siegert, Petra and Keusgen, Michael and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Studying the immobilization of acetoin reductase with Tobacco mosaic virus particles on capacitive field-effect sensors}, series = {2022 IEEE International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN)}, booktitle = {2022 IEEE International Symposium on Olfaction and Electronic Nose (ISOEN)}, publisher = {IEEE}, isbn = {978-1-6654-5860-3 (Online)}, doi = {10.1109/ISOEN54820.2022.9789657}, pages = {4 Seiten}, year = {2022}, abstract = {A capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EISCAP) biosensor modified with Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles for the detection of acetoin is presented. The enzyme acetoin reductase (AR) was immobilized on the surface of the EISCAP using TMV particles as nanoscaffolds. The study focused on the optimization of the TMV-assisted AR immobilization on the Ta 2 O 5 -gate EISCAP surface. The TMV-assisted acetoin EISCAPs were electrochemically characterized by means of leakage-current, capacitance-voltage, and constant-capacitance measurements. The TMV-modified transducer surface was studied via scanning electron microscopy.}, language = {en} } @article{WeldenSeverinsPoghossianetal.2022, author = {Welden, Melanie and Severins, Robin and Poghossian, Arshak and Wege, Christina and Bongaerts, Johannes and Siegert, Petra and Keusgen, Michael and Sch{\"o}ning, Michael Josef}, title = {Detection of acetoin and diacetyl by a tobacco mosaic virus-assisted field-effect biosensor}, series = {Chemosensors}, volume = {10}, journal = {Chemosensors}, number = {6}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2227-9040}, doi = {10.3390/chemosensors10060218}, pages = {Artikel 218}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Acetoin and diacetyl have a major impact on the flavor of alcoholic beverages such as wine or beer. Therefore, their measurement is important during the fermentation process. Until now, gas chromatographic techniques have typically been applied; however, these require expensive laboratory equipment and trained staff, and do not allow for online monitoring. In this work, a capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor sensor modified with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) particles as enzyme nanocarriers for the detection of acetoin and diacetyl is presented. The enzyme acetoin reductase from Alkalihalobacillus clausii DSM 8716ᵀ is immobilized via biotin-streptavidin affinity, binding to the surface of the TMV particles. The TMV-assisted biosensor is electrochemically characterized by means of leakage-current, capacitance-voltage, and constant capacitance measurements. In this paper, the novel biosensor is studied regarding its sensitivity and long-term stability in buffer solution. Moreover, the TMV-assisted capacitive field-effect sensor is applied for the detection of diacetyl for the first time. The measurement of acetoin and diacetyl with the same sensor setup is demonstrated. Finally, the successive detection of acetoin and diacetyl in buffer and in diluted beer is studied by tuning the sensitivity of the biosensor using the pH value of the measurement solution.}, language = {en} } @article{HaegerBongaertsSiegert2022, author = {Haeger, Gerrit and Bongaerts, Johannes and Siegert, Petra}, title = {A convenient ninhydrin assay in 96-well format for amino acid-releasing enzymes using an air-stable reagent}, series = {Analytical Biochemistry}, journal = {Analytical Biochemistry}, number = {624}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {1096-0309}, doi = {10.1016/j.ab.2022.114819}, pages = {Artikel 114819}, year = {2022}, abstract = {An improved and convenient ninhydrin assay for aminoacylase activity measurements was developed using the commercial EZ Nin™ reagent. Alternative reagents from literature were also evaluated and compared. The addition of DMSO to the reagent enhanced the solubility of Ruhemann's purple (RP). Furthermore, we found that the use of a basic, aqueous buffer enhances stability of RP. An acidic protocol for the quantification of lysine was developed by addition of glacial acetic acid. The assay allows for parallel processing in a 96-well format with measurements microtiter plates.}, language = {en} } @article{FalkenbergBottBongaertsetal.2022, author = {Falkenberg, Fabian and Bott, Michael and Bongaerts, Johannes and Siegert, Petra}, title = {Phylogenetic survey of the subtilase family and a data-mining-based search for new subtilisins from Bacillaceae}, series = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {2022}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, number = {13}, publisher = {Frontiers}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-302X}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2022.1017978}, pages = {Artikel 13:1017978}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The subtilase family (S8), a member of the clan SB of serine proteases are ubiquitous in all kingdoms of life and fulfil different physiological functions. Subtilases are divided in several groups and especially subtilisins are of interest as they are used in various industrial sectors. Therefore, we searched for new subtilisin sequences of the family Bacillaceae using a data mining approach. The obtained 1,400 sequences were phylogenetically classified in the context of the subtilase family. This required an updated comprehensive overview of the different groups within this family. To fill this gap, we conducted a phylogenetic survey of the S8 family with characterised holotypes derived from the MEROPS database. The analysis revealed the presence of eight previously uncharacterised groups and 13 subgroups within the S8 family. The sequences that emerged from the data mining with the set filter parameters were mainly assigned to the subtilisin subgroups of true subtilisins, high-alkaline subtilisins, and phylogenetically intermediate subtilisins and represent an excellent source for new subtilisin candidates.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{AltayButenwegKlinkel2014, author = {Altay, Okyay and Butenweg, Christoph and Klinkel, Sven}, title = {Vibration mitigation of wind turbine towers by a new semiactive Tuned Liquid Column Damper}, series = {6. Word Congress on Structural Control and Monitoring, 15 - 17 July, 2014 Barcelona,Spain}, booktitle = {6. Word Congress on Structural Control and Monitoring, 15 - 17 July, 2014 Barcelona,Spain}, year = {2014}, language = {en} } @masterthesis{Dorn2023, type = {Bachelor Thesis}, author = {Dorn, Aileen Sakura}, title = {Effizienz und Gesundheitsf{\"o}rderung im Krankenhaus : Dienstplanung im Krankenhaus unter Ber{\"u}cksichtigung der berufsbedingten psychischen und physischen Gesundheit des Klinikpersonals}, publisher = {FH Aachen}, address = {Aachen}, school = {Fachhochschule Aachen}, pages = {133 Seiten}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Dass der Stress im Krankenhaus eine Belastung f{\"u}r das Klinikpersonal darstellt, ist eine allseits bekannte Tatsache. Das liegt an dem anstrengenden Klinikalltag, welcher die Mitarbeiter:innen auf Belastungsprobe stellt. Lange Dienste und {\"U}berstunden, wenig Pausen und hohe Arbeitsverdichtung, Nacht- und Schichtdienst, zudem auch die aufwendige Dokumentation und ̈B{\"u}rokratie. Timewise behandelt die Thematik der Dienstplanerstellung im Krankenhaus unter der Ber{\"u}cksichtigung der psychischen und physischen Gesundheit des Klinikpersonals im Nacht- und Schichtdienst. Essenzielle Funktionen sind k{\"u}rzere Kommunikationswege und eine gute {\"U}bersicht {\"u}ber den Soll-Ist-Abgleich inklusive {\"U}berstunden, Minusstunden, Abwesenheiten und den monatlichen Lohn. Der einfache Schichttausch und die Option der Ber{\"u}cksichtigung individueller Präferenzen und W{\"u}nsche ermöglicht es dem Personal, die Arbeit und das private Leben besser miteinander vereinen zu können, was sich positiv auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit auswirkt.}, language = {de} } @inproceedings{AltayButenwegKlinkel2013, author = {Altay, Okyay and Butenweg, Christoph and Klinkel, Sven}, title = {Vibration control of slender structures by semi-active tuned liquid column dampers}, series = {Conference of the ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute , Evanston, IL , USA , EMI 2013 , 2013-08-04 - 2013-08-07}, booktitle = {Conference of the ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute , Evanston, IL , USA , EMI 2013 , 2013-08-04 - 2013-08-07}, pages = {1 Seite}, year = {2013}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{ButenwegNorda2013, author = {Butenweg, Christoph and Norda, Hannah}, title = {Nonlinear analysis of masonry structures according to Eurocode 8}, series = {Proceedings - Vienna Congress on Recent Advances in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics 2013 (VEESD 2013)}, booktitle = {Proceedings - Vienna Congress on Recent Advances in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics 2013 (VEESD 2013)}, editor = {Adam, Christoph and Heuer, Rudolf and Lenhardt, Wolfgang and Schranz, Christian}, isbn = {978-3-902749-04-8}, year = {2013}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{ChurilovDumovaJovanoskaButenweg2013, author = {Churilov, Sergej and Dumova-Jovanoska, Elena and Butenweg, Christoph}, title = {Seismic verification of existing masonry buildings and strengthening with reinforced concrete jackets}, series = {Proceedings - Vienna Congress on Recent Advances in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics 2013 (VEESD 2013)}, booktitle = {Proceedings - Vienna Congress on Recent Advances in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics 2013 (VEESD 2013)}, editor = {Adam, Christoph and Heuer, Rudolf and Lenhardt, Wolfgang and Schranz, Christian}, isbn = {978-3-902749-04-8}, year = {2013}, abstract = {A methodology for assessment, seismic verification and strengthening of existing masonry buildings is presented in this paper. The verification is performed using a calculation model calibrated with the results from ambient vibration measurements. The calibrated model serves as an input for a deformation-based verification procedure based on the Capacity Spectrum Method (CSM). The bearing capacity of the building is calculated from experimental capacity curves of the individual walls idealized with bilinear elastic-perfectly plastic curves. The experimental capacity curves were obtained from in-plane cyclic loading tests on unreinforced and strengthened masonry walls with reinforced concrete jackets. The seismic action is compared with the load-bearing capacity of the building considering non-linear material behavior with its post-peak capacity. The application of the CSM to masonry buildings and the influence of a traditional strengthening method are demonstrated on the example of a public school building in Skopje, Macedonia.}, language = {en} } @masterthesis{Donath2023, type = {Bachelor Thesis}, author = {Donath, Paula}, title = {Die Hebamme : Portrait eines der {\"a}ltesten Berufe unserer Zeit}, publisher = {FH Aachen}, address = {Aachen}, school = {Fachhochschule Aachen}, pages = {229 Seiten}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Seit Jahrhunderten tragen Hebammen die Verantwortung f{\"u}r neues Leben und geben ihre Erfahrungen und ihr K{\"o}nnen weiter. Trotz dieser ehrw{\"u}rdigen Aufgabe geh{\"o}ren sie zu einer kleinen Berufsgruppe, die viel zu oft untersch{\"a}tzt, {\"u}berlastet und unterbezahlt wird. Sie sind Begleiter*innen in einer der sensibelsten und emotionalsten Zeiten des Lebens. Die Unterst{\"u}tzung einer Hebamme gew{\"a}hrleistet Aufkl{\"a}rung und Beistand w{\"a}hrend der Schwangerschaft, der Geburt und der Zeit im Wochenbett. Das Projekt »Die Hebamme« ist ein Berufsportrait. Die Arbeit gibt Einblicke in die T{\"a}tigkeit und seine verschiedenen Bereiche und erz{\"a}hlt dabei haupts{\"a}chlich in Bildern. Zus{\"a}tzlich berichten Hebammen aus unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln {\"u}ber ihre Arbeit. Dieses Portrait stellt die Realtit{\"a}t der Arbeit dar und soll die Bedeutung der T{\"a}tigkeit n{\"a}her bringen.}, language = {de} } @masterthesis{Alef2023, type = {Bachelor Thesis}, author = {Alef, Sabrina}, title = {Miela : digitale Wissensvermittlung f{\"u}r Vorschulkinder}, publisher = {FH Aachen}, address = {Aachen}, school = {Fachhochschule Aachen}, pages = {141 Seiten}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Kinder sind bei der Suche nach Antworten auf ihre Fragen in unserer medialen Gesellschaft stark mit dem digitalen Raum konfrontiert. Diese Medien k{\"o}nnen bei einer nicht kindergerechten Benutzung wichtige Entwicklungsprozesse hindern. Im Gegensatz dazu geben diese aber auch die M{\"o}glichkeit, Kindern wichtige Denkgewohnheiten beizubringen und sie besser auf die Zukunft vorzubereiten. Ziel der Arbeit ist es, eine Verbindung zwischen der analogen und digitalen Welt herzustellen und ein vielf{\"a}ltiges Lernen zu erm{\"o}glichen. Die App „miela" schafft eine neue Ebene der Wissensvermittlung durch die Kombination von digitaler und analoger Welt. Das Userinterface ist altersentsprechend gestaltet und bietet unterschiedliche Themenfelder an, wobei die Wissensvermittlung und die Kreativit{\"a}t im Fokus stehen. Eine Zusammenarbeit mit der Toniebox als digitale Erweiterung kann weitere Themenfelder anbieten.}, language = {de} } @article{BialonskiGrieger2023, author = {Bialonski, Stephan and Grieger, Niklas}, title = {Der KI-Chatbot ChatGPT: Eine Herausforderung f{\"u}r die Hochschulen}, series = {Die neue Hochschule}, volume = {2023}, journal = {Die neue Hochschule}, number = {1}, publisher = {HLB}, address = {Bonn}, issn = {0340-448X}, doi = {10.5281/zenodo.7533758}, pages = {24 -- 27}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Essays, Gedichte, Programmcode: ChatGPT generiert automatisch Texte auf bisher unerreicht hohem Niveau. Dieses und nachfolgende Systeme werden nicht nur die akademische Welt nachhaltig ver{\"a}ndern.}, language = {de} } @inproceedings{PuetzBaierBrauneretal.2022, author = {P{\"u}tz, Sebastian and Baier, Ralph and Brauner, Philipp and Brillowski, Florian and Dammers, Hannah and Liehner, Luca and Mertens, Alexander and Rodemann, Niklas and Schneider, Sebastian and Schollemann, Alexander and Steuer-Dankert, Linda and Vervier, Luisa and Gries, Thomas and Leicht-Scholten, Carmen and Nagel, Saskia K. and Piller, Frank T. and Schuh, G{\"u}nther and Ziefle, Martina and Nitsch, Verena}, title = {An interdisciplinary view on humane interfaces for digital shadows in the internet of production}, series = {2022 15th International Conference on Human System Interaction (HSI)}, booktitle = {2022 15th International Conference on Human System Interaction (HSI)}, publisher = {IEEE}, isbn = {978-1-6654-6823-7 (Print)}, issn = {2158-2246 (Print)}, doi = {10.1109/HSI55341.2022.9869467}, pages = {8 Seiten}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Digital shadows play a central role for the next generation industrial internet, also known as Internet of Production (IoP). However, prior research has not considered systematically how human actors interact with digital shadows, shaping their potential for success. To address this research gap, we assembled an interdisciplinary team of authors from diverse areas of human-centered research to propose and discuss design and research recommendations for the implementation of industrial user interfaces for digital shadows, as they are currently conceptualized for the IoP. Based on the four use cases of decision support systems, knowledge sharing in global production networks, human-robot collaboration, and monitoring employee workload, we derive recommendations for interface design and enhancing workers' capabilities. This analysis is extended by introducing requirements from the higher-level perspectives of governance and organization.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{RigaPitilakisButenwegetal.2022, author = {Riga, Evi and Pitilakis, Kyriazis and Butenweg, Christoph and Apostolaki, Stefania and Karatzetzou, Anna}, title = {Investigating the impact of the new European Seismic Hazard Model ESHM20 on the seismic design and safety control of industrial facilities}, series = {The Third European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology}, booktitle = {The Third European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology}, editor = {Arion, Cristian and Scupin, Alexandra and Ţigănescu, Alexandru}, isbn = {978-973-100-533-1}, pages = {3261 -- 3270}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The seismic performance and safety of major European industrial facilities has a global interest for Europe, its citizens and economy. A potential major disaster at an industrial site could affect several countries, probably far beyond the country where it is located. However, the seismic design and safety assessment of these facilities is practically based on national, often outdated seismic hazard assessment studies, due to many reasons, including the absence of a reliable, commonly developed seismic hazard model for whole Europe. This important gap is no more existing, as the 2020 European Seismic Hazard Model ESHM20 was released in December 2021. In this paper we investigate the expected impact of the adoption of ESHM20 on the seismic demand for industrial facilities, through the comparison of the ESHM20 probabilistic hazard at the sites where industrial facilities are located with the respective national and European regulations. The goal of this preliminary work in the framework of Working Group 13 of the European Association for Earthquake Engineering (EAEE), is to identify potential inadequacies in the design and safety control of existing industrial facilities and to highlight the expected impact of the adoption of the new European Seismic Hazard Model on the design of new industrial facilities and the safety assessment of existing ones.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{MilijašŠakićMarinkovićetal.2022, author = {Milijaš, Aleksa and Šakić, Bogdan and Marinković, Marko and Butenweg, Christoph and Gams, Matija and Klinkel, Sven}, title = {Effects of prior in-plane damage on out-of-plane response of masonry infills with openings}, series = {The Third European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology}, booktitle = {The Third European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology}, editor = {Arion, Cristian and Scupin, Alexandra and Ţigănescu, Alexandru}, isbn = {978-973-100-533-1}, pages = {2747 -- 2756}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Masonry infill walls are the most traditional enclosure system that is still widely used in RC frame buildings all over the world, particularly in seismic active regions. Although infill walls are usually neglected in seismic design, during an earthquake event they are subjected to in-plane and out-of-plane forces that can act separately or simultaneously. Since observations of damage to buildings after recent earthquakes showed detrimental effects of in-plane and out-of-plane load interaction on infill walls, the number of studies that focus on influence of in-plane damage on out-of-plane response has significantly increased. However, most of the xperimental campaigns have considered only solid infills and there is a lack of combined in-plane and out-of-plane experimental tests on masonry infills with openings, although windows and doors strongly affect seismic performance. In this paper, two types of experimental tests on infills with window openings are presented. The first is a pure out-of-plane test and the second one is a sequential in-plane and out-of-plane test aimed at investigating the effects of existing in-plane damage on outof-plane response. Additionally, findings from two tests with similar load procedure that were carried out on fully infilled RC frames in the scope of the same project are used for comparison. Test results clearly show that window opening increased vulnerability of infills to combined seismic actions and that prevention of damage in infills with openings is of the utmost importance for seismic safety.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{MorandiButenwegBreisetal.2022, author = {Morandi, Paolo and Butenweg, Christoph and Breis, Khaled and Beyer, Katrin and Magenes, Guido}, title = {Behaviour factor q for the seismic design of URM buildings}, series = {The Third European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology}, booktitle = {The Third European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology}, editor = {Arion, Christian and Scupin, Alexandra and Ţigănescu, Alexandru}, isbn = {978-973-100-533-1}, pages = {1184 -- 1194}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Recent earthquakes showed that low-rise URM buildings following codecompliant seismic design and details behaved in general very well without substantial damages. Although advances in simulation tools make nonlinear calculation methods more readily accessible to designers, linear analyses will still be the standard design method for years to come. The present paper aims to improve the linear seismic design method by providing a proper definition of the q-factor of URM buildings. Values of q-factors are derived for low-rise URM buildings with rigid diaphragms, with reference to modern structural configurations realized in low to moderate seismic areas of Italy and Germany. The behaviour factor components for deformation and energy dissipation capacity and for overstrength due to the redistribution of forces are derived by means of pushover analyses. As a result of the investigations, rationally based values of the behaviour factor q to be used in linear analyses in the range of 2.0 to 3.0 are proposed.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{TomićPennaDeJongetal.2020, author = {Tomić, Igor and Penna, Andrea and DeJong, Matthew and Butenweg, Christoph and Correia, Ant{\´o}nio A. and Candeias, Paulo X. and Senaldi, Ilaria and Guerrini, Gabriele and Malomo, Daniele and Beyer, Katrin}, title = {Seismic testing of adjacent interacting masonry structures}, series = {12th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions (SAHC 2020)}, booktitle = {12th International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions (SAHC 2020)}, doi = {10.23967/sahc.2021.234}, pages = {1 -- 12}, year = {2020}, abstract = {In many historical centres in Europe, stone masonry buildings are part of building aggregates, which developed when the layout of the city or village was densified. In these aggregates, adjacent buildings share structural walls to support floors and roofs. Meanwhile, the masonry walls of the fa{\c{c}}ades of adjacent buildings are often connected by dry joints since adjacent buildings were constructed at different times. Observations after for example the recent Central Italy earthquakes showed that the dry joints between the building units were often the first elements to be damaged. As a result, the joints opened up leading to pounding between the building units and a complicated interaction at floor and roof beam supports. The analysis of such building aggregates is very challenging and modelling guidelines do not exist. Advances in the development of analysis methods have been impeded by the lack of experimental data on the seismic response of such aggregates. The objective of the project AIMS (Seismic Testing of Adjacent Interacting Masonry Structures), included in the H2020 project SERA, is to provide such experimental data by testing an aggregate of two buildings under two horizontal components of dynamic excitation. The test unit is built at half-scale, with a two-storey building and a one-storey building. The buildings share one common wall while the fa{\c{c}}ade walls are connected by dry joints. The floors are at different heights leading to a complex dynamic response of this smallest possible building aggregate. The shake table test is conducted at the LNEC seismic testing facility. The testing sequence comprises four levels of shaking: 25\%, 50\%, 75\% and 100\% of nominal shaking table capacity. Extensive instrumentation, including accelerometers, displacement transducers and optical measurement systems, provides detailed information on the building aggregate response. Special attention is paid to the interface opening, the globa}, language = {en} }