Search results for "passage"

Epistaxis and systemic disease

2008

Abstract We report the case of a 77-year-old man who presented nasal obstruction sensation and epistaxis. Otorhinolaryngologic examination revealed occupation of the left nasal passage and the left maxillary sinus by an inflammatory tumour, the biopsy results of which were inconclusive. While diagnostic tests were being carried out, the patient presented a severe systemic condition consisting mainly of anemia, acute renal failure, and cavitated diffuse bilateral lung infiltrates. In the light of the results of anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies and renal biopsy, Wegener's granulomatosis was diagnosed and treatment for the disease was instituted, with a favourable response. Finally, cl…

First-passage problem for nonlinear systems under Lévy white noise through path integral method

2016

In this paper, the first-passage problem for nonlinear systems driven by $$\alpha $$ -stable Levy white noises is considered. The path integral solution (PIS) is adopted for determining the reliability function and first-passage time probability density function of nonlinear oscillators. Specifically, based on the properties of $$\alpha $$ -stable random variables and processes, PIS is extended to deal with Levy white noises with any value of the stability index $$\alpha $$ . Application to linear and nonlinear systems considering different values of $$\alpha $$ is reported. Comparisons with pertinent Monte Carlo simulation data demonstrate the accuracy of the results.

Efficient solution of the first passage problem by Path Integration for normal and Poissonian white noise

2015

Abstract In this paper the first passage problem is examined for linear and nonlinear systems driven by Poissonian and normal white noise input. The problem is handled step-by-step accounting for the Markov properties of the response process and then by Chapman–Kolmogorov equation. The final formulation consists just of a sequence of matrix–vector multiplications giving the reliability density function at any time instant. Comparison with Monte Carlo simulation reveals the excellent accuracy of the proposed method.

“Changing Landscapes, Transforming Histories: A Reading of Caryl Phillips’ A Distant Shore”, in Englishes, vol. 12, n. 34, 2008

2008

The epistemological structure of mobilities

2021

Purpose This paper aims to revolve around two problems which, though imagined as different, can be addressed altogether. On one hand, the advance of terrorism as a major threat to the tourism industry, while – on the other – we discuss the ontological nature of tourism as a rite of passage, which is vital to keep the political legitimacy of officialdom. At the time, paradoxically, social scientists shrug off tourism as a naïve commercial activity, while the main tourist destinations are being attacked by jihadism. This suggests the disinterest of ones associates to the interests of others. Design/methodology/approach The author holds the thesis that tourism derives from ancient institution…

Path integral method for first-passage probability determination of nonlinear systems under levy white noise

2015

In this paper the problem of the first-passage probabilities determination of nonlinear systems under alpha-stable Lévy white noises is addressed. Based on the properties of alpha-stable random variables and processes, the Path Integral method is extended to deal with nonlinear systems driven by Lévy white noises with a generic value of the stability index alpha. Furthermore, the determination of reliability functions and first-passage time probability density functions is handled step-by-step through a modification of the Path Integral technique. Comparison with pertinent Monte Carlo simulation reveals the excellent accuracy of the proposed method.

Emergence and Phylodynamics of Citrus tristeza virus in Sicily, Italy

2013

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) outbreaks were detected in Sicily island, Italy for the first time in 2002. To gain insight into the evolutionary forces driving the emergence and phylogeography of these CTV populations, we determined and analyzed the nucleotide sequences of the p20 gene from 108 CTV isolates collected from 2002 to 2009. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis revealed that mild and severe CTV isolates belonging to five different clades (lineages) were introduced in Sicily in 2002. Phylogeographic analysis showed that four lineages co-circulated in the main citrus growing area located in Eastern Sicily. However, only one lineage (composed of mild isolates) spread to distant areas of Sici…

Galerkin Scheme-Based Determination of Survival Probability of Oscillators With Fractional Derivative Elements

2016

In this paper, an approximate semi-analytical approach is developed for determining the first-passage probability of randomly excited linear and lightly nonlinear oscillators endowed with fractional derivative elements. The amplitude of the system response is modeled as one-dimensional Markovian process by employing a combination of the stochastic averaging and the statistical linearization techniques. This leads to a backward Kolmogorov equation which governs the evolution of the survival probability of the oscillator. Next, an approximate solution of this equation is sought by resorting to a Galerkin scheme. Specifically, a convenient set of confluent hypergeometric functions, related to …

How not to give up on train travel when you are deaf ?

2015

TRANSED 2015 - 14th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons, LISBONNE, PORTUGAL, 28-/07/2015 - 31/07/2015; The SUrDyn project aims at the design of an innovative visual information system, dedicated to travelers who cannot hear or understand audio disrupted announcements (e.g. cancellation, delay...) when they are in train stations. It is based on two previously developed systems: the Jade signer avatar, which informs travelers in French Signs Language, and an animated graphics translation. The objective is to combine these two approaches, in an optimal manner. We proposed a comprehension task to 159 participants divided in three groups: 53 deaf p…

Quel format visuel adopter pour informer les sourds et malentendants dans les transports collectifs ?

2013

Some information is not accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing in public transportation because it is diffused in an auditory mode with loud speakers. The present study aims to transcribe graphically five messages of disruption and test their understanding by an audience of people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Four graphic formats, more or less involving animation techniques have been developed. Messages have been tested experimentally to determine what format is the most adapted, i.e. the most understandable (understanding task), and to find out the favorite among the four proposed (judgment task). Three groups of subjects were involved in the experimentation: 36 born deaf people, 3…