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In this paper, an original analytical formulation to evaluate the natural frequencies and mode shapes of high-rise buildings is proposed. The methodology is intended to be used by engineers in the preliminary design phases as it allows the evaluation of the dynamic response of high-rise buildings consisting of thin-walled closed- or open-section shear walls, frames, framed tubes, and dia-grid systems. If thin-walled open-section shear walls are present, the stiffness matrix of the element is evaluated considering Vlasov’s theory. Using the procedure called General Algorithm, which allows to assemble the stiffness matrices of the individual vertical bracing elements, it is possible to model the structure as a single equivalent cantilever beam. Furthermore, the degrees of freedom of the structural system are reduced to only three per floor: two translations in the x and y directions and a rigid rotation of the floor around the vertical axis of the building. This results in a drastic reduction in calculation times compared to those necessary to carry out the same analysis using commercial software that implements Finite Element models. The potential of the proposed method is confirmed by a numerical example, which demonstrates the benefits of this procedure.

The analysis of conformational transitions using limited proteolysis was carried out on a hyperthermophilic aspartate aminotransferase isolated from the archaebacterium Sulfolobus solfataricus, in comparison with pig cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase, a thoroughly studied mesophilic aminotransferase which shares about 15% similarity with the archaebacterial protein. Aspartate aminotransferase from S. solfataricus is cleaved at residue 28 by thermolysin and residues 32 and 33 by trypsin; analogously, pig heart cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase is cleaved at residues 19 and 25 [Iriarte. A., Hubert, E., Kraft, K. & Martinez-Carrion, M. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 723-728] by trypsin. In the case of aspartate aminotransferase from S. solfataricus, proteotytic cleavages also result in transaminase inactivation thus indicating that both enzymes, although evolutionarily distinct, possess a region involved in catalysis and well exposed to proteases which is similarly positioned in their primary structure. It has been reported that the binding of substrates induces a conformational transition in aspartate aminotransferases and protects the enzymes against proteolysis [Gehring, H. (1985) in Transaminases (Christen, P. & Metzler, D. E., eds) pp. 323-326. John Wiley & Sons, New York]. Aspartate aminotransferase from S. solfataricus is protected against proteolysis by substrates, but only at high temperatures (>60 °C). To explain this behaviour, the kinetics of inactivation caused by thermolysin were measured in the temperature range 25-75 °C. The Arrhenius plot of the proteolytic kinetic constants measured in the absence of substrates is not rectilinear, while the same plot of the constants measured in the presence of substrates is a straight line. Limited proteolysis experiments suggest that aspartate aminotransferase from S. solfataricus undergoes a conformational transition induced by the binding of substrates. Another conformational transition which depends on temperature and occurs in the absence of substrates could explain the non-linear Arrhenius plot of the proteolytic kinetic constants. The latter conformational transition might also be related to the functioning of the archaebacterial aminotransferase since the Arrhenius plot of kcat is non-linear as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, a General Algorithm is applied to the analysis of high-rise structures. This algorithm is to be used as a calculation tool in preliminary design; it allows to define the interaction between closed and open, straight or curved shear-walls, and the forces exchanged in structures subject to mainly horizontal loads. The analysis can be performed in both static and dynamic regimes, the mode shapes and the natural frequencies being assessed. This general formulation allows analyses of high-rise structures by taking into account the torsional rigidity and the warping deformations of the elements composing the building without gross simplifications. In thisway it is possible to model the structure as a single equivalent cantilever, thus minimising the degrees of freedom of the system, and consequently the calculation time. Finally, potentials of the method proposed are demonstrated by a numerical example which emphasizes the link between global displacements and stresses in the elements composing the structure.