Wastewater Management in Citrus Processing Industries: An Overview of Advantages and Limits

Citrus-processing industries produce large volumes of wastewater (CPWW). The large variability of these volumes coupled to physicochemical characteristics of CPWW determine severe constraints for their disposal due to both economic and environmental factors. To minimize the management costs and prevent the negative ecological impacts of CPWW, several systems have been proposed and adopted. However, all these treatment/valorization routes have many issues that are not yet thoroughly known by the scientific community and stakeholders of the citrus-processing chain. This paper reports an overview of the possible treatment/valorization opportunities for CPWW: intensive biological treatment, lagooning, direct land application, energy conversion, and biorefinery uses for the extraction of added-value compounds. Advantages and constraints are presented and discussed, and the following conclusions are achieved: (i) there is not a unique solution for CPWW treatment, since the best management system of CPWW must be chosen case by case, taking into account the quality/quantity of the effluent and the location of the transformation industry; (ii) the adoption of a biorefinery approach can increase the competitiveness and the further development of the whole citrus sector, but the cost of novel technologies (some of which have not been tested at real scale) still limits their development

Clinical and genetic characterization of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and right atrial enlargement

AIMS: Prevalence and clinical significance of right atrial enlargement (RAE) has been poorly characterized in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. METHODS: One hundred and sixty consecutive patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (35.5 ± 20 years; 64% men) were studied. They underwent clinical examination, standard ECG, M-mode, 2D and Doppler echocardiography, stress test and ECG Holter monitoring. Major adverse cardiac events were considered: cardiac death (sudden death, heart failure death); cardiac transplant; resuscitated cardiac arrest or appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator discharge. Genetic analysis of eight sarcomeric genes was performed using Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: RAE was observed in 22 patients (14%), associated with left atrial enlargement in all cases. Patients with RAE were likely to have restrictive mitral pattern (P < 0.001) and had higher New York Heart Association (P < 0.001), N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (P < 0.001), left atrial volume index (P < 0.001), lateral (P = 0.04) and septal (P = 0.002) E/e', systolic pulmonary artery pressure (P < 0.001) and lower ejection fraction (all P < 0.001). On cardiopulmonary exercise testing, peak VO2 was lower and VE/VCO2 higher in patients with RAE (P < 0.001). During a mean follow-up of 4 ± 2.1 years, 30 major adverse cardiac events in 24 patients (15%) were observed. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis identified RAE as an independent predictor of major adverse cardiac events (odds ratio = 2.6; confidence interval 1.5-4.6; P = 0.001). In patients with RAE who were genetically tested, there was a higher prevalence of sarcomeric gene mutations (68%), double mutations (16%) and troponin T mutations (21%). CONCLUSION: RAE is present in a small subset of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and largely reflects increased pulmonary pressures because of severe diastolic and/or systolic left ventricular dysfunction. Patients with RAE had a higher prevalence of sarcomeric gene mutations, troponin T mutations and complex genotypes. In conclusion, RAE may serve as a very useful marker of disease progression and adverse outcome in patients with sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Relazione tecnica sulle attività della Campagna Oceanografica “Ancheva 2014”

La campagna oceanografica Ancheva 2014, condotta dal Gruppo di Acustica applicata alla Valutazione delle Risorse dell’IAMC-CNR (UOS di Capo Granitola) ha avuto come principale obiettivo la valutazione della distribuzione ed abbondanza di piccoli pelagici (prevalentemente sardine e acciughe) nell’area dello Stretto di Sicilia con l’impiego di strumentazione elettroacustica. L’attività di ricerca, svolta nel periodo 3 Luglio - 18 Luglio 2014 a bordo della N/O “G. Dallaporta”, è parte integrante del progetto MEDIterranean Acoustic Surveys (MEDIAS), finanziato all’interno dell’European Data Collection Framework (DCF). In particolare, la campagna ha permesso di effettuare un echosurvey nello Stretto di Sicilia (GSA 16, FAO sub area 37.2.2) con lo scopo principale di stimare abbondanza e distribuzione spaziale della biomassa ittica di piccoli pelagici sulla piattaforma meridionale della Sicilia, da Marsala a oltre Capo Passero. Sempre nell’ambito del programma MEDIAS, ed in collaborazione con il Fisheries Control Directorate (FCD – Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs, MRRA) è stato effettuata una prima parte del survey acustico nelle acque Maltesi. Anche in tale area il principale obiettivo dell’investigazione è stato quello di stimare abbondanza e distribuzione di specie ittiche di piccoli pelagici con metodi acustici. A livello economico il gruppo costituito da acciughe, vongole, naselli, sardine e gamberi bianchi, rappresenta il 50% della produzione nazionale (rapporto IREPA 2011, osservatorio economico sulle strutture produttive della pesca marittima in Italia)

Advanced Robotic Therapy Integrated Centers (ARTIC): an international collaboration facilitating the application of rehabilitation technologies

Background: The application of rehabilitation robots has grown during the last decade. While meta-analyses have shown beneficial effects of robotic interventions for some patient groups, the evidence is less in others. We established the Advanced Robotic Therapy Integrated Centers (ARTIC) network with the goal of advancing the science and clinical practice of rehabilitation robotics. The investigators hope to exploit variations in practice to learn about current clinical application and outcomes. The aim of this paper is to introduce the ARTIC network to the clinical and research community, present the initial data set and its characteristics and compare the outcome data collected so far with data from prior studies. Methods: ARTIC is a pragmatic observational study of clinical care. The database includes patients with various neurological and gait deficits who used the driven gait orthosis Lokomat® as part of their treatment. Patient characteristics, diagnosis-specific information, and indicators of impairment severity are collected. Core clinical assessments include the 10-Meter Walk Test and the Goal Attainment Scaling. Data from each Lokomat® training session are automatically collected. Results: At time of analysis, the database contained data collected from 595 patients (cerebral palsy: n = 208; stroke: n = 129; spinal cord injury: n = 93; traumatic brain injury: n = 39; and various other diagnoses: n = 126). At onset, average walking speeds were slow. The training intensity increased from the first to the final therapy session and most patients achieved their goals. Conclusions: The characteristics of the patients matched epidemiological data for the target populations. When patient characteristics differed from epidemiological data, this was mainly due to the selection criteria used to assess eligibility for Lokomat® training. While patients included in randomized controlled interventional trials have to fulfill many inclusion and exclusion criteria, the only selection criteria applying to patients in the ARTIC database are those required for use of the Lokomat®. We suggest that the ARTIC network offers an opportunity to investigate the clinical application and effectiveness of rehabilitation technologies for various diagnoses. Due to the standardization of assessments and the use of a common technology, this network could serve as a basis for researchers interested in specific interventional studies expanding beyond the Lokomat®

Sviluppo di sensori MEMS di velocità delle particelle acustiche.

Sensori termici possono essere utilizzati sia per la misura diretta di quantità termiche come calore e temperatura, e sia come trasduttori indiretti per convertire attraverso un effetto termico quantità, quali pressione, velocità di fluidi, velocità di particelle acustiche, in un segnale elettrico. La loro integrazione su un chip di silicio è diventata realizzabile con lo sviluppo di tecniche di micromachining che hanno permesso la fabbricazione di strutture micrometriche termicamente isolati dal substrato. La miniaturizzazione in scala micrometrica è un punto di svolta per ottenere dispositivi che garantiscono vantaggi significativi in termini di consumo di potenza, velocità di risposta e limiti di risoluzione. Questo lavoro di tesi riguarda lo sviluppo del post-processing necessario per la fabbricazione di sensori MEMS, in particolare flussimetri termici e sensori di velocità delle particelle acustiche (microflown) presenti sul chip progettato e fabbricato secondo il processo BCD6s di STMicroelectronics. Il chip comprende oltre i sensori anche un'interfaccia elettronica configurabile in modo digitale che incorpora funzioni volte a migliorare la precisione e il limite di rilevazione del sensore, attraverso la compensazione dell’offset intrinseco dei sensori e la riduzione della sensibilità alla pressione. I test effettuati sui sensori, microflown e flussimetri, ottenuti al completamento del post-processing hanno mostrato risultati soddisfacenti. E’ stata inoltre eseguita una caratterizzazione dettagliata dell'interfaccia elettronica, ottenendo un completo accordo con le specifiche iniziali

Time discretization in the solution of parabolic PDEs with ANNs

We investigate the resolution of parabolic PDEs via Extreme Learning Machine (ELMs) Neural Networks. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is an interconnected group of nodes - where activation functions act- organized in numbered layers. From a mathematical point of view, an ANN represents a combination of activation functions that is linear if only one hidden layer is admitted. In the present paper, the ELMs setting is considered, and this gives that a single hidden layer is admitted and that the ANN can be trained at a modest computational cost as compared to Deep Learning Neural Networks. Our approach addresses the time evolution by applying classical ODEs techniques and uses ELM-based collocation for solving the resulting stationary elliptic problems. In this framework, the θmethod and Backward Differentiation Formulae (BDF) techniques are investigated on some linear parabolic PDEs that are challenging problems for the stability and accuracy properties of the methods. The results of numerical experiments confirm that ELM-based solution techniques combined with BDF methods can provide high-accuracy solutions of parabolic PDEs

Simulazione del calcolo della capacità di carico ed analisi delle risorse trofiche disponibili per la fauna del versante Irpino del Parco Regionale dei Monti Picentini

Il lavoro analizza il territorio della provincia di Avellino e del Parco Regionale dei Monti Picentini, individua le attività agro-silvo-pastorali e le aree da recuperare attraverso politiche di sviluppo rurale ed ambientale. Il carico per ettaro impresso ddalle singole specie allevate non desta particolare preoccupazione ma emerge l'importanza di valutare il carico bestiame all'interno delle aree protette, non più considerando le singole specie ma il più ampio numero di viventi attraverso la capacità portante del territori

Determinación de la orientación en vehículos no tripulados

El desarrollo de vehículos no tripulados presenta un gran número de áreas de aplicación. Una de estas áreas es el monitoreo de la calidad del agua de ecosistemas acuáticos, y dentro de ella la determinación del contenido de micro y nano plástico. Lo que se logra con la incorporación de un sistema de toma de muestras a un vehículo de superficie no tripulado. En estos dispositivos, la orientación es un factor importante, ya que en base a ella el sistema de control opera sobre los actuadores para lograr la trayectoria deseada. En el siguiente trabajo se presentan las pruebas realizadas con giróscopos y magnetómetros sobre un vehículo terrestre no tripulado, por encontrase el vehículo de superficie bajo construcción, para la determinación de la orientación. Los resultados obtenidos permiten determinar la orientación con un error aceptable, presentando el uso del magnetómetro la ventaja de la determinación estática de la orientación.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informátic