Design criteria of tubular linear induction motors and generators: A prototype realization and its characterization

In this paper a mathematical model of tubular linear induction machines (TLIM) with hollowed induced part is recalled. Moreover the design criteria of a TLIM with hollowed iron induced part are presented as well as the technological processes to be adopted and the choice of materials to construct the various parts. The methodologies for mechanical assembling and electric wiring are considered too. A prototype with bimetallic induced part has been designed and built. Finally some experimental results on electrical and mechanical variables, when the machines are used as motors, are shown.

A novel approach for parameters determination in four lumped PV parametric model with operative range evaluations

The paper presents a novel numerical approach for the parameters determination of crystalline silicon PV models four lumped parameters equivalent circuit. The novel approach basically deals with a new method, alternative to the iterative one known in literature, to calculate the series resistance. Particularly, it allows the evaluation of the lumped parameters on the basis of the manufacturer’s datasheet. The new approach has been validated both in the Maximum Power Point (MPP) and close to it by comparing values and curves obtained by means of the model implementation in Matlab/Simulink environment with those related to some five parameters models and manufacturer curves. Results show that…

Technical-economical evaluation for distributed storage applications. An Italian case study for a medium-scale public facility

Time-of-use energy cost management involves the use of storage by customers to reduce their electricity bills. This can be accomplished by charging the storage during off-peak time periods, when electricity energy prices are low, and discharging it during times when on-peak energy prices are applied. This article addresses the question whether it is economically viable to install medium-scale distributed storage devices in the power system designed to lower the electricity cost for a customer-side application, assuming flexible electricity tariffs. The technical/economical evaluation is carried out referring to Lithium ion (Li-ion), Sodium Sulphur (NaS) and Vanadium Redox Battery (VRB) tech…

Context-Aware Visual Exploration of Molecular Databases

Facilitating the visual exploration of scientific data has\ud received increasing attention in the past decade or so. Especially\ud in life science related application areas the amount\ud of available data has grown at a breath taking pace. In this\ud paper we describe an approach that allows for visual inspection\ud of large collections of molecular compounds. In\ud contrast to classical visualizations of such spaces we incorporate\ud a specific focus of analysis, for example the outcome\ud of a biological experiment such as high throughout\ud screening results. The presented method uses this experimental\ud data to select molecular fragments of the underlying\ud molecules that have intere…

PLANT FOR WASTE DISPOSAL AND ASSOCIATED METHOD

Described herein is a plant for the disposal of wastes including: a supercritical water oxidation reactor (SCWO), a supercritical water gassification reactor (SCWG), a feeding system configured for feeding at least two organic currents of wastes to said SCWO and SCWG and configured for feeding at least one aqueous flow within said plant, wherein said feeding system is configured for feeding said at least one aqueous current with a series flow throw said SCWO and SCWG and wherein said feeding system is furthermore configured for feeding said at least two organic currents of wastes with a parallel flow through said SCWO and SCWG and so as to selectively feed each of said organic currents of w…

A genome based vision of multi-agent systems

A set of software agents can be programmed to provide a large but finite set of services, often defined during design phase. After an evolution of the external environment, the pre-defined services could be unable to satisfy the requested quality. In this work it is proposed an agent framework capable to adapt the agents in order to improve the quality of services provided by an agent society in correspondence with a modification of the external environment. These agents are based on a biologically inspired structure (genome), that de- fines all their behaviors and knowledges. The effectiveness of the approach is proved by a set of successful experimental results

An Intelligent System for Decision Support in Bioinformatics

The enormous array of computational techniques and data available due to today's use of high-throughput technologies can be quite overwhelming for researchers investigating biological problems. For any problem, there are many possible models and algorithms giving different results. We present a new Intelligent System that supports the selection, configuration and operation of strategies and tools in the bioinformatics domain. The Institute for High Performance Computing and Networking (ICAR-CNR) and the University of Palermo are developing an intelligent system that supports bioinformatics research. The system guides the researcher in building a data analysis workflow and acts as an interfa…

High quality extra virgin olive oil from olives attacked by the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera Tephritidae): which is the tolerable limit? Data from experimental ‘Nocellara del Belice’ and ‘Cerasuola’ olive groves in Sicily

The infestation due to the olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), the key pest in most of world olive groves, has been monitored in six years, from 2004 to 2008 and in 2014, in eight coastal Sicilian olive groves consisting of ‘Cerasuola’ and ‘Nocellara del Belice’ cultivars. Infestation was recorded following the classical sampling method based on olive collection and dissection, in order to count live olive fruit fly instars (eggs, larvae and pupae) and exit holes. Four different infestation indexes, all of them calculated using data recorded at harvest, have been used to assess their relationship with the main three quality parameters of the olive oil obtained from the same olive sam…

Testing wearable IoT applications through sensor virtualization

The development of distributed IoT applications requires the integration of data provided by different sensors embedded in multiple devices. As an example, an application for health monitoring in an assisted living scenario may include several wearable and fixed nodes each carrying different sensors and running specific code. Verifying that the application is properly working according to the specifications requires assessing that the code of each node behaves consistently in all the possible use cases. Tests involving sensor data may be difficult or costly to replicate realistically and this could also slow down the development of the application in its early stages. In this paper we intro…

Effectiveness of spinosad and mineral oil for control of Grapholita funebrana Treitschke in organic plum orchards

An experiment was conducted in an organic plum orchard in Sicily to evaluate the damage caused by the plum moth Grapholita funebrana (Treitschke) to three plum cultivars (Angeleno, Friar, and Stanley) and to evaluate plum moth control provided by mineral oil applied every 20 days (Moil), spinosad applied every 10 days (S10), or spinosad and mineral oil applied alternately (S/Moil). Treatment application began when eggs were first observed on fruits. S10 and S/Moil effectively reduced plum moth damage on all cultivars but Moil did not. Plum moth infestation was significantly lower on Stanley than on Friar and Angeleno.

FACTORS AFFECTING THE INFESTATION DUE TO BACTROCERA OLEAE (ROSSI) IN SEVERAL SICILIAN OLIVE CULTIVARS

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18–49, 50–69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results NNVs were more favourable in su…

Fuzzy Clustering of Histopathological Images Using Deep Learning Embeddings

Metric learning is a machine learning approach that aims to learn a new distance metric by increas- ing (reducing) the similarity of examples belonging to the same (different) classes. The output of these approaches are embeddings, where the input data are mapped to improve a crisp or fuzzy classifica- tion process. The deep metric learning approaches regard metric learning, implemented by using deep neural networks. Such models have the advantage to discover very representative nonlinear embed- dings. In this work, we propose a triplet network deep metric learning approach, based on ResNet50, to find a representative embedding for the unsupervised fuzzy classification of benign and maligna…

Achieving maximum power transfer in a multi-source renewable system

Fuel cell analytical modeling: Solving the trade-off between accuracy and complexity

In this paper, a 5.5 kW Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell is modeled. The proposed analytical model is described and the parameters identification procedure is further discussed. Simulation results of all three sub-models are compared to test the accuracy of each one. A comparison between simulation and experimental results is provided as well validating the modeling approach.

Virtual reality environments to rehabilitation attention deficits in schizophrenic patients

Abstract. Cognitive dysfunction is a core feature of schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia shown perform poorly on tasks that require vigilance or sustained attention. Patients with more pronounced attention deficits are least likely to acquire skills in psychosocial programs as the attention problems makes it difficult for them to process the information given in groups, and they may not be able to sustain attention for the session duration. The study aimed to develop a Virtual Reality cognitive training to improve the selective, divide and sustained attention. Specifically, we developed, via the NeuroVr 2.0 software, three different virtual environments with the hierarchical sequence…

Prevalence and correlates of QTc prolongation in Italian psychiatric care: cross-sectional multicentre study.

Aims.In recent years several warnings have been issued by regulatory authorities on the risk of electrocardiogram abnormalities in individuals exposed to psychotropic drugs. As a consequence of these warnings, monitoring of the QT interval corrected for heart rate (QTc) has become increasingly common. This study was conducted to measure the frequency of QTc prolongation in unselected psychiatric patients, and to document the associated factors using a cross-sectional approach.Method.The study was carried out in 35 Italian psychiatric services that are part of the STAR (Servizi Territoriali Associati per la Ricerca) Network, a research group established to produce scientific knowledge by col…

Numerical and experimental validation of a LiFePO4 battery model at steady state and transient operations

In the paper some of the battery models proposed in literature are analysed in order to predict the battery performance and, then, make sure that the Battery Management System (BMS) that is a key component to check and control the status of the batteries within their specified safe operating conditions, works in best conditions.

Cognitive assessment of OCD patients: Neuro VR vs neuropsychological test

This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Neuro- Virtual Reality as tool for the neuropsychological assessment in OCD patients. We used the neuropsychological battery and a virtual version of the Multiple Errand Test (V-MET), developed using the NeuroVR software, in order to evaluate the executive functions, the ability to plan ahead on complex problem solving tasks in daily life in 30 obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients and 30 healthy controls. The results showed the presence of difficulties of OCD patients: lower levels of divided attention and higher levels of errors; higher mean rank of inefficiencies, interpretation failures and rule breaks and longer ti…

Quality of life, alexithymia, and defence mechanisms in patients affected by breast cancer across different stages of illness

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of alexithymia and defence mechanisms on the quality of life of patients affected by breast cancer at different stages of the disease. Methods A convenience sample of 110 patients with breast cancer was involved in the study: 41 were receiving adjuvant chemotherapyafter surgery, 29 had disease-free survival in follow-up and 40 were receiving chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Quality of life, alexithymia and defence mechanisms were assessed using the following instruments: EORTC QLQ-C30-BR23, Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and Defense Mechanism Inventory (DMI). Results Compared to the other groups, patients receiving chemoth…

Dynamic thermal rating for overhead lines: Self-adaptive protection device

The increase in the consumption of electricity, the stringent environmental restrictions and the need to keep costs, make ever more meaningful the need for a flexible operation of existing overhead lines. This paper studies the possibility to use a dynamic thermal rating for overhead line starting from the analysis of the mathematical model and the ability of the latter to reflect the temperature of an overhead conductor in different ambient condition; then it simulates the thermal behaviour of a conductor both in steady state and dynamic one. Finally the paper shows a method for a self-adaptive thermal protection system.

Cognitive rehabilitation of schizophrenia through NeuroVr training.

Cognitive difficulties are prevalent in people with diagnosis of schizophrenia and are associated with poor long-term functioning. In particular, memory, selective, divided and sustained attention and executive functions are altered by this disease. We used a Virtual Reality environment (developed via the NeuroVr2.0 software) for the rehabilitation of shifting, sustained attention and action planning functions using tasks reminiscent of daily life tasks. Test and retest showed significant differences in the assessed cognitive dimensions.

Eleonora Chiavetta (a cura di), The Language of Autobiography. Discourses of Gender,Class and Ethnicity, XL edizioni, Roma, 2007

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