Ultrasound in Olive Oil Extraction

Each olive oil extraction system should combine the best product quality and the highest efficiency. At the same time, the innovative technologies can develop only if they provide sustainable processes. To reach these goals, academic and industrial researchers need to understand the key elements that allow to modulate the events that occur during oil extraction. In the past years, many emerging technologies, that is techniques perceived as capable of changing the present situation, have been developed. Among these, ultrasounds applications seem to be the most promising for their mechanical and slightly thermal effects, without affecting sustainability. In order to explain the maturity of this emerging technology, the main effects of the ultrasounds application in the olive oil extraction process are discussed, the developed plants are presented, and the patents are reported

MEMS Gyroscopes for Consumers and Industrial Applications

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High Precision Dual-Stage Pointing Mechanism for Miniature Satellite Laser Communication Terminals

This paper presents an innovative mechatronic design of a high-accuracy pointing mechanism for orbital laser communication terminals. The system is based on a dual-stage architecture and is miniaturized to fit nanosatellite-class spacecraft, aiming to enable optical communication on small-size space platforms. The focus is on control design aspects and on the performance assessment of an experimental prototype under emulated external environmental disturbances

Study and micro-Raman characterization of pigments present on majolicas of historical and artistic interest from Gerace, Italy

AbstractIn this work, pigments of majolicas made between the sixteenth century and eighteenth century from Gerace have been characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy. Majolica, known also as pottery, was originally used to identify all objects made from clay materials. In this work, ten samples were analyzed: two vases, six majolica fragments made in Gerace, one vase of uncertain origin (probably Gerace or Caltagirone) and one vase of Venetian origin. The Raman spectroscopic analysis allowed to identify most of the pigments present on the studied cultural heritage pottery above described. Pigments white, yellow, orange, red, blue, and green have been characterized and their attribution allowed to divide the artwork made in Gerace with those made wherever. Graphical Abstrac

PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF MOTOR EVOKED POTENTIALS IN MOTOR FUNCTION RECOVERY OF UPPER LIMB AFTER STROKE

Objective: To determine the prognostic value of clinical assessment and motor evoked potentials for upper limb strength and functional recovery after acute stroke, and to establish the possible use of motor evoked potentials in rehabilitation. Design: A prospective study. Subjects: Fifty-two patients with hemiparesis were enrolled one month post-stroke; 38 patients concluded the study at 12 months. Methods: Motor evoked potentials were recorded at baseline and after one month. Upper limb muscular strength (Medical Research Council Scale, MRC) and functional tests (Frenchay Arm Test, Barthel Index) were used as dependent outcome variables 12 months later. Motor evoked potentials were classified as present or absent. Predictive values of motor evoked potentials and MRC were evaluated. Results: At 12 months, patients with baseline recordable motor evoked potentials showed a good functional recovery (positive predictive value 94%). The absence of motor evoked potentials did not exclude muscular strength recovery (negative predictive value 95%). Motor evoked potentials had a higher positive predictive value than MRC only in patients with MRC < 2. Conclusion: Motor evoked potentials could be a supportive tool to increase the prognostic accuracy of upper limb motor and functional outcome in hemiparetic patients, especially those with severe initial paresis (MRC < 2) and/or with motor evoked potentials absent in the post-stroke acute phase

Optical imaging of Tc-99m-based tracers: in vitro and in vivo results.

It has been recently shown that optical imaging (OI) methods can be used to image the in vivo biodistribution of several radiopharmaceuticals labeled with beta or alpha emitters. In this work particular attention has been focused on investigating the weaker optical signal induced by an almost pure gamma emitter like Tc-99m. Visible light emission measurements of a water solution containing Tc-99m were performed using a small animal OI system. A sequence of images was acquired for 24 h in order to study the decay of the luminescence signal. The difference between the luminescence decay half life and well-known Tc-99m half life was equal to 1%. in vivo imaging was performed by injecting one control nude mice with Tc-99m-MDP. Optical images obtained with equipment designed for bioluminescence imaging showed that a visible light emission was distinguishable and correctly localized in the bladder region where a higher concentration of Tc-99m-MDP was expected. The bladder to background ratio was always greater than 1. We conclude that the experimental data presented in this paper show that it is possible to detect in vivo luminescence optical photons induced by Tc-99m. This is important especially considering the large number of Tc-99m-based radiopharmaceutical currently available

Model-Based Policy Search Using Monte Carlo Gradient Estimation with Real Systems Application

In this paper, we present a Model-Based Reinforcement Learning algorithm named Monte Carlo Probabilistic Inference for Learning COntrol (MC-PILCO). The algorithm relies on Gaussian Processes (GPs) to model the system dynamics and on a Monte Carlo approach to estimate the policy gradient. This defines a framework in which we ablate the choice of the following components: (i) the selection of the cost function, (ii) the optimization of policies using dropout, (iii) an improved data efficiency through the use of structured kernels in the GP models. The combination of the aforementioned aspects affects dramatically the performance of MC-PILCO. Numerical comparisons in a simulated cart-pole environment show that MC-PILCO exhibits better data-efficiency and control performance w.r.t. state-of-the-art GP-based MBRL algorithms. Finally, we apply MC-PILCO to real systems, considering in particular systems with partially measurable states. We discuss the importance of modeling both the measurement system and the state estimators during policy optimization. The effectiveness of the proposed solutions has been tested in simulation and in two real systems, a Furuta pendulum and a ball-and-plate.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Robotic

LaserCube optical communication terminal for nano and micro satellites

This paper presents the design and testing of LaserCube, a miniature optical communication terminal conceived for nano and microsatellites. The system architecture has been designed for both the downlink and intersatellite link version of the system. Then, a complete engineering model of LaserCube in its intersatellite link configuration has been developed and tested. It features (1) a dual stage pointing and tracking system based on a coarse pointing mechanism patented by Stellar Project, (2) an optical head with a full-duplex telecom channel with transmission and reception on the same wavelength for two-way links, (3) a transceiver section with telecom laser source and optical receiver and (4) the terminal control unit with onboard computer, actuator drivers and data interface. Experimental validation of the system is achieved through a laboratory simulation of an intersatellite link scenario with realistic dynamic disturbance coming from the host satellite attitude jitter

The Role of a Multidisciplinary Approach in Gender Affirmation Surgery: What to Expect and Where Are We Currently?

Gender Affirmation Surgeries (GASs), erstwhile called Sex Reassignment Surgeries (SRSs), may be necessary for transgender individuals to change their bodily sexual characteristics and thereby affirm their gender identity. GASs encompass all medically necessary interventions to relieve gender dysphoria and should be available to patients who wish to, and who meet the surgical criteria of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and Standards of Care (SOC). The comprehensive clinical assessment involves many health specialists, including general practitioners, psychologists, psychiatrists, speech therapists, endocrinologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. To define the patients’ complex care needs and their objectives, high-volume specialized centers, accredited training programs, skilled surgeons and health professionals specializing in transgender care within a multidisciplinary team are essential. Currently, the most prominent challenges are related to ethical issues such as the treatment of underage individuals, fertility, parenting and the potential for regret after GAS. Finally, although GAS has been practiced for more than half a century, data on long-term follow-up represents a further topic for investigation