Search results for "Porti"

A New High-Efficiency Procedure for Aggregate Gradation Determination of the Railway Ballast by Means Image Recognition Method

2013

Abstract The mechanical characteristics of the railway superstructure are related to the properties of the ballast, and especially to the particle size distribution of its grains. Under the constant stress-strain of carriages, the ballast can deteriorate over time, and consequently it should properly be monitored for safety reasons. The equipment which currently monitors the railway superstructure (like the Italian diagnostic train Archimede) do not make any “quantitative” evaluation of the ballast. The aim of this paper is therefore to propose a new methodology for extracting railway ballast particle size distribution by means of the image processing technique. The procedure has been teste…

Digital image analysis technique for measuring railway track defects and ballast gradation

2018

Abstract In order to guarantee safety and driving comfort and to maintain an efficient railway infrastructure, the first step is to carefully monitor the track geometry and wear level of the materials constituting the superstructure. To that end diagnostic trains are widely used on main lines, in that they can detect several geometric track parameters and rail wear, but under no circumstances they can yet detect ballast gradation. Due to the practical implications for the planning of maintenance operations on the railway network, this article presents a “DIP” digital image processing technique for measuring the transverse profile and corrugations of the rails as well as ballast gradation. T…

Effect of temperature and traffic on mix-design of bituminous asphalt for railway sub-ballast layer

2017

A wide integrated research has been carried out to assess the suitability of bituminous mixtures as the sub-ballast layer in railways. The influence of temperature on the mechanical characteristics and thermal susceptibility of the bituminous conglomerate—which forms sub-ballast layer of railway lines—has provided the motivation for carrying out a measurement of the thermal cycles in this layer. The evaluation of the average seasonal temperatures has proven to be well interpolated by sinusoidal functions, of which characteristic parameters are determined. To expand the validity of the study in different weather situations apart from Sicily, where the experiment was held, we proceeded to app…

Federalism, Proportionality, and Popular Will in US Presidential Elections: Did Colorado Have the Right Idea?

2015

As is well known, the United States is a federal country composed of 50 states plus the District of Columbia, where the individual states and the country as a whole are each sovereign jurisdictions. This is reflected everywhere in its political-administrative structure, including the election of the US President, who is elected by the Electoral College and not directly by the people; an issue that provokes a confrontation between abolishers of the Electoral College and supporters of the current system each time a candidate not winning the most popular votes is elected President (last time in 2000 elections). Between both extremes, there are intermediate solutions that, while continuing to r…

E-sports kā profesija

2019

20. gs. beigās un 21. gs. sākuma straujā tehnoloģiju attīstība radīja vidi elektroniskā sporta (e-sporta) izveidei. E-sports ir videospēļu spēļu spēlēšana profesionālā līmenī, kas apvieno dažādu žanru videospēles. E-sportam ir izveidojusies vērā ņemama fanu kultūra, kura skaita ziņa spēj konkurēt ar tradicionāliem sporta veidiem, un spēj piepildīt lielākās tradicionālā sporta arēnas. 2018. gadā tika izveidota Baltijas e-sporta līga. Baltijas e-sporta līgā e-sportisti no Latvijas, Lietuvas un Igaunijas var individuāli vai ar komandu piedalīties dažādās pamatdisciplīnās kā Counter-Strike, PUBG, Rocket League, League of Legends ar nodrošinātu balvas fondu. Ņemot vērā, ka Latvijā līdz šim netie…

Essays on Risk Disclosure: Evidence from the Banking Industry

2021

Asphalt mixtures modified with basalt fibres for surface courses

2018

Abstract This paper shows the results of an experimental study concerning the effect of introduction of basalt fibres in asphalt mixtures for surface course, mainly with regard to those to be used in urban areas, for dedicated bus lanes. Surface layers, where tire-pavement interactions occur, have to provide different properties such as high friction (very important for users’ safety), stability, resistance to meteorological agents, and contribution to the overall pavement performances. Considering that basalt fibres provide considerable physical and mechanical properties and above all high abrasion resistance, scope of the study is to evaluate the effects of these fibres on mixtures proper…

Evaluación del efecto rejuvenecedor de bio-materiales sobre ligantes para mezclas con alto contenido de asfalto recuperado

2017

The interest in using bio-materials in pavement engineering has grown significantly over the last decades due to environmental concerns about the use of non-recoverable natural resources. In this paper, bio-materials are used together with Reclaimed Asphalt (RA) to restore some of the properties of the aged bitumen present in mixtures with high RA content. For this purpose, two bio-materials are studied and compared to conventional and polymer modified bitumens. Blends of these materials with RA bitumen were produced and studied to simulate a 50% RA mixture. The rejuvenating effect of the two bio-materials on RA has been assessed and compared with the effect of the conventional binders. App…

Smart transportation as a driver of transition: Big data management, behavioral change and the shift to automated vehicles

2017

Background: Smart mobility can contribute to the design of “Smart cities” to answer users’ requests in terms of transport network efficiency, environmental and social sustainability. Focusing on urban smart mobility issues, the most important aspects are the presence of a connected transportation system, the availability of its information in the arrangement of digital data and the possibility to rapidly communicate it in an effective way to the citizens, urban transportation stakeholders andlocal authorities. Therefore, the challenges for the new era of mobility behavior would range from the effort of big data management and the need to shape the innovation of traveler demand to the change…

Impact of preoperative risk on metastatic progression and cancer-specific mortality in patients with adverse pathology at radical prostatectomy.

2017

Objective To evaluate the impact of preoperative risk category on metastatic disease and prostate cancer-specific mortality (CSM) in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) with adverse pathology at radical prostatectomy (RP). Patients and Methods The records of 6 943 patients who underwent RP at a European tertiary centre were analysed. Biochemical recurrence (BCR), metastatic disease and CSM were assessed for patients with adverse pathology at RP, and stratified according to preoperative low- vs intermediate-/high-risk PCa groups. Kaplan–Meier, cumulative incidence, Cox regression and competing risk regression analyses were performed. Results In patients with extracapsular extension, the meta…