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Editorial: Innovative Technologies and Clinical Applications for Invasive and Non-invasive Neuromodulation: From the Workbench to the Bedside.
Luigi Santarella: Reinforced concrete design culture through the technical literature
Luigi Santarella is considered to have been one of the most important Italian theorists in the field of reinforced concrete yet his professional activity is still completely ignored by the critical literature. The structures designed by Santarella – concrete frames, bridges, canopies for stadiums and roofing systems with innovative trusses – and built by contractors specializing in reinforced concrete construction represent the pragmatic experimental field of application of the building principles set out in his widespread theoretical books. The relationship between the building principles and the structural solutions analysed in his texts with his designed and realized structures, in the wider context of the design and construction culture of the time, will shed light on the interaction between the design process and construction instances as well as on the mechanics related to their dissemination through the technical literature
Mathematical Model of Easter Island Society Collapse
In this paper we consider a mathematical model for the evolution and collapse
of the Easter Island society, starting from the fifth century until the last
period of the society collapse (fifteen century). Based on historical reports,
the available primary sources consisted almost exclusively on the trees. We
describe the inhabitants and the resources as an isolated system and both
considered as dynamic variables. A mathematical analysis about why the
structure of the Easter Island community collapse is performed. In particular,
we analyze the critical values of the fundamental parameters driving the
interaction humans-environment and consequently leading to the collapse. The
technological parameter, quantifying the exploitation of the resources, is
calculated and applied to the case of other extinguished civilization (Cop\'an
Maya) confirming, with a sufficiently precise estimation, the consistency of
the adopted model.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, final version published on EuroPhysics Letter
Cognitive behavioral group therapy versus psychoeducational intervention in Parkinson's disease
Objective: The aim of the current study was to evaluate whether cognitive behavioral group therapy has a positive impact on psychiatric, and motor and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Methods: We assigned 20 PD patients with a diagnosis of psychiatric disorder to either a 12-week cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) group or a psychoeducational protocol. For the neurological examination, we administered the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale and
the non-motor symptoms scale. The severity of psychiatric symptoms was assessed by means of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and the Clinical Global Impressions. Results: Cognitive behavioral group therapy was effective in treating depression and anxiety symptoms as well as reducing the severity of non-motor symptoms in PD patients; whereas, no changes were observed in PD patients treated with the psychoeducational protocol. Conclusion: CBT offered in a group format should be considered in addition to standard drug therapy in PD patient
Primary cosmic ray spectrum in the 10 to the 12th power - 10 to the 16th power eV energy range from the NUSEX experiment
A primary cosmic ray spectrum was derived which fits both experimental multiple muon rates and the all-nucleon flux derived from the single muon intensities underground. In the frame of the interaction model developed by Gaisser, Elbert and Stanev, it is possible to reproduce NUSEX muon data with a primary composition in which the iron spectrum is only slightly flatter than the proton one. This result rules out the popular idea that the primary composition varies drastically with increasing energy, leading to the dominance of heavier nuclei at energies 10 to the 15th power to 10 to the 16th power eV
Integrating Dynamics and Wear Modelling to Predict Railway Wheel Profile Evolution
The aim of the work described was to predict wheel
profile evolution by integrating multi-body dynamics
simulations of a wheelset with a wear model.
The wear modelling approach is based on a wear
index commonly used in rail wear predictions. This
assumes wear is proportional to Tγ, where T is tractive
force and γ is slip at the wheel/rail interface. Twin disc
testing of rail and wheel materials was carried out to
generate wear coefficients for use in the model.
The modelling code is interfaced with
ADAMS/Rail, which produces multi-body dynamics
simulations of a railway wheelset and contact conditions
at the wheel/rail interface. Simplified theory of rolling
contact is used to discretise the contact patches
produced by ADAMS/Rail and calculate traction and
slip within each.
The wear model combines the simplified theory of
rolling contact, ADAMS/Rail output and the wear
coefficients to predict the wear and hence the change of
wheel profile for given track layouts
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