On-line failure prediction in safety-critical systems

In safety-critical systems such as Air Traffic Control system, SCADA systems, Railways Control Systems, there has been a rapid transition from monolithic systems to highly modular ones, using off-the-shelf hardware and software applications possibly developed by different manufactures. This shift increased the probability that a fault occurring in an application propagates to others with the risk of a failure of the entire safety-critical system. This calls for new tools for the on-line detection of anomalous behaviors of the system, predicting thus a system failure before it happens, allowing the deployment of appropriate mitigation policies. The paper proposes a novel architecture, namely CASPER, for online failure prediction that has the distinctive features to be (i) black-box: no knowledge of applications internals and logic of the system is required (ii) non-intrusive: no status information of the components is used such as CPU or memory usage; The architecture has been implemented to predict failures in a real Air Traffic Control System. CASPER exhibits high degree of accuracy in predicting failures with low false positive rate. The experimental validation shows how operators are provided with predictions issued a few hundred of seconds before the occurrence of the failure

Evaluation of effectiveness of photobiostimulation in alleviating side effects after dental implant surgery. A randomized clinical trial

To assess if photobiostimulation (PBS) alleviates pain intensity/duration and swelling after implant surgery. Sixty subjects (27 male and 33 female, with a mean age of 47,13 8.05 years) were included and randomly assigned to experimental group (implant surgery and photobiostimulation), placebo group (implant surgery and simulated photobiostimulation) and control group (implant surgery only). Inclusion criteria: subjects older than 20 years, with a healthy oral mucosa and requiring implant surgery. Exclusion criteria: pregnancy, history of implant failure, light sensitivity, metabolic deseases, consumption of antibiotics or corticosteroids in the last two weeks, smokers and alcohol drinkers. Patients reported the pain experienced by using a numeric rating scale (NRS) at 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours and from day 2 to 7. Swelling score was assessed by linear measurements and type and number of analgesic drugs within each time-point were recorded on a spreadsheet. Data of pain and amount of swelling were compared among the three groups by using the Kruskal-Wallis H Test and post-hoc comparisons tests. Pain in the experimental group was less compared to controls and placebo group, at each time intervals (p < 0.001) as well as the maximum pain score (experimental group: median = 2, interquartile range 2-3; control group: median = 8, interquartile range 3,75-9; placebo group: median = 8, interquartile range 6,25-9). Swelling was almost insignificant in the experimental group (maximum value = 1, interquartile range 0-2,75, at 24 hours) compared with control (maximum value = 6, interquartile range 5-8,75, at 24 hours) and placebo (maximum value = 6, interquartile range 5-8, at 24 hours). Subjects in the experimental group assumed less analgesics compared to both controls and placebo groups. Photobiostimulation is an effective method to reduce pain intensity/duration and swelling after implant surgery

Probability of Potential Collision for Aircraft Encounters in High Density Airspaces

Failure Management consists of a set of functions that enable the detection, isolation, and correction of anomalous behavior in a monitored system trying to prevent system failures. An effective failure management should monitor the system looking for errors and faults that could end up in a failure and overcome such issues when they arise

Maxillary orthodontic expansion assisted by unilateral alveolar corticotomy and low-level laser therapy: a novel approach for correction of posterior unilateral cross-bite in adults

Introduction: The treatment of a true unilateral posterior crossbite often requires asymmetric maxillary expansion; however, this is challenging to achieve with conventional expansion methods because of several biomechanical limitations. In this paper, we introduce a new protocol for the treatment of a unilateral posterior crossbite in adults based on maxillary orthodontic expansion assisted by corticotomy and low-level laser therapy (LLLT) performed on the crossbite side. Methods: The study sample included 15 adults (8 females, 7 males) affected by a true unilateral posterior crossbite, with a mean age of 21.6 ± 3.1 years at the at the beginning of treatment. After the application of orthodontic appliances (palatal expander and self-ligating brackets), corticomy was performed at the buccal aspect of the crossbite side while LLLT was monthly administered up to the correction of the crossbite. The efficacy of the technique was evaluated through measurements performed on maxillary digital models. Results: All subjects reported successful correction of the posterior unilateral crossbite, and functional occlusion was achieved as well. The average expansion was greater at the crossbite side compared to the unaffected side and such difference was significant at the levels of first premolars (P &lt; 0.05), second premolars (P &lt; 0.05) and first molars (P &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: Orthodontic maxillary expansion assisted by unilateral corticotomy and LLLT was effective in the treatment of the true unilateral crossbite

The role of economic and policy variables in energy-efficient retrofitting assessment. A stochastic Life Cycle Costing methodology

Abstract Energy saving is a major policy objective worldwide and in the EU in particular. Evaluating the convenience of energy-efficient investments, however, is complex. This paper aims to apply stochastic Life Cycle Costing to assess the economic value of energy-efficient building retrofitting investments. The proposed approach investigates how macroeconomic variables affect such an evaluation by explicitly taking into account their interdependent stochastic nature. Consequently, the economic evaluation of an investment is itself stochastic thus expressing both its expected value and its inherent uncertainty and risk. On this basis, an illustrative case-study is presented, where alternative designs of the energy-saving intervention are compared and a sensitivity analysis performed to identify the determinants of the LCC outcome and of its variability. In terms of policy implications, a tool providing a sounder evaluation of the convenience of such investments can suggest when and to what extent incentives may be appropriate to facilitate these investments and what possible financial instruments could be put forward in order to reduce the associated risk

A novel hand exoskeleton with series elastic actuation for modulated torque transfer

Abstract Among wearable robotic devices, hand exoskeletons present an important and persistent challenge due to the compact dimensions and kinematic complexity of the human hand. To address these challenges, this paper introduces HandeXos-Beta (HX-β), a novel index finger-thumb exoskeleton for hand rehabilitation. The HX-β system features an innovative kinematic architecture that allows independent actuation of thumb flexion/extension and circumduction (opposition), thus enabling a variety of naturalistic and functional grip configurations. Furthermore, HX-β features a novel series-elastic actuators (SEA) architecture that directly measures externally transferred torque in real-time, and thus enables both position- and torque-controlled modes of operation, allowing implementation of both robot-in-charge and user-in-charge exercise paradigms. Finally, HX-β's adjustable orthosis, passive degrees of freedom, and under-actuated control scheme allow for optimal comfort, robot-user joint alignment, and flexible actuation for users of various hand sizes. In addition to the mechatronic design and resulting functional capabilities of HX-β, this work presents a series of physical performance characterizations, including the position- and torque-control system performance, frequency response, end effector force, and output impedance. By each measure, the HX-β exhibited performance comparable or superior to previously reported hand exoskeletons, including position and torque step response times on the order of 0.3 s, −3 dB cut-off frequencies ranging from approximately 2.5 to 4 Hz, and fingertip output forces on the order of 4 N. During use by a healthy subject in torque-controlled transparent mode, the HX-β orthosis joints exhibited appropriately low output impedance, ranging from 0.42 to −0.042 Nm/rad at 1 Hz, over a range of functional grasps performed at real-life speeds. This combination of lab bench characterizations and functional evaluation provides a comprehensive verification of the design and performance of the HandeXos Beta exoskeleton, and its suitability for clinical application in hand rehabilitation

TELEMEDICINE IN ORTHODONTICS: THE REMOTIZATION OF ORTHODONTIC RECORDS FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY

Objective: Aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Dental Centers connected to each other managing orthodontic records. The secondary aim was to carry out epidemiological studies and to evaluate their compliance with local health policies.Methods: Cloud Computing Technology and Video chat systems were used. Epidemiologic data from four orthodontic Centers were collected. Prevalence of the skeletal class and the IOTN (Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need) were determined.Results: Tele epidemiology provided a sample of 1501 patients. 7% presented skeletal class III and 36 % skeletal class II. The IOTN Index was grater in Clinic of Monza and Bergamo than the other Centers.Conclusions: Cloud and Video chat systems are fundamental tools for improving efficiency in Tele Orthodontics. Epidemiological studies are useful for manage the Dental Centers and for planning health policies regarding prevention, education and economic support