Near field shielding of a wireless power transfer (WPT) current coil

The configuration of an infinite planar conductive shield is examined when it is excited by an electromagnetic near field generated by a coil current source as that of a wireless power transfer (WPT) system. The analytical expressions of the electromagnetic field based on the transmission theory of shielding are given for different frequencies and different incidence angles of the near field generated by the coil current, assuming the conductive planar shield placed in the close proximity of the coil. The obtained results are discussed and compared with other traditional analytical and numerical solutions

Evapotranspiration simulated by CRITERIA and AquaCrop models in stony soils

The performance of a water balance model is also based on the ability to correctly perform simulations in heterogeneous soils. The objective of this paper is to test CRITERIA and AquaCrop models in order to evaluate their suitability in estimating evapotranspiration at the field scale in two types of soil in the Mediterranean region: non-stony and stony soil. The first step of the work was to calibrate both models under the non-stony conditions. The models were calibrated by using observations on wheat crop (leaf area index or canopy cover, and phenological stages as a function of degree days) and pedo-climatic measurements. The second step consisted in the analysing the impact of the soil type on the models performances by comparing simulated and measured values. The outputs retained in the analysis were soil water content (at the daily scale) and crop evapotranspiration (at two time scales: daily and crop season). The model performances were evaluated through four statistical tests: normalised difference (D%) at the seasonal time scale; and relative root mean square error (RRMSE), efficiency index (EF), coefficient of determination (r2) at the daily scale. At the seasonal scale, values of D% were less than 15% in stony and on-stony soils, indicating a good performance attained by both models. At the daily scale, the RRMSE values (2) indicate the inadequacy of AquaCrop to simulate correctly daily evapotranspiration. The higher performance of CRITERIA model to simulate daily evapotranspiration in stony soils, is due to the soil submodel, which requires the percentage skeleton as an input, while AquaCrop model takes into account the presence of skeleton by reducing the soil volume

Identification and characterization of learning weakness from drawing analysis at the pre-literacy stage

: Handwriting learning delays should be addressed early to prevent their exacerbation and long-lasting consequences on whole children's lives. Ideally, proper training should start even before learning how to write. This work presents a novel method to disclose potential handwriting problems, from a pre-literacy stage, based on drawings instead of words production analysis. Two hundred forty-one kindergartners drew on a tablet, and we computed features known to be distinctive of poor handwriting from symbols drawings. We verified that abnormal features patterns reflected abnormal drawings, and found correspondence in experts' evaluation of the potential risk of developing a learning delay in the graphical sphere. A machine learning model was able to discriminate with 0.75 sensitivity and 0.76 specificity children at risk. Finally, we explained why children were considered at risk by the algorithms to inform teachers on the specific weaknesses that need training. Thanks to this system, early intervention to train specific learning delays will be finally possible

Blockchain in radiology research and clinical practice: current trends and future directions

Blockchain usage in healthcare, in radiology, in particular, is at its very early infancy. Only a few research applications have been tested, however, blockchain technology is widely known outside healthcare and widely adopted, especially in Finance, since 2009 at least. Learning by history, radiology is a potential ideal scenario to apply this technology. Blockchain could have the potential to increase radiological data value in both clinical and research settings for the patient digital record, radiological reports, privacy control, quantitative image analysis, cybersecurity, radiomics and artificial intelligence. Up-to-date experiences using blockchain in radiology are still limited, but radiologists should be aware of the emergence of this technology and follow its next developments. We present here the potentials of some applications of blockchain in radiology

evapotranspiration of tomato simulated with the criteria model

The CRITERIA model simulates crop development and water dynamics in agricultural soils at different spatial scales. The objective of this paper was to test CRITERIA in order to evaluate the suitability of the model as a tool for scheduling irrigation at field scale. The first step of the work was to validate this hypothesis, by means of calibration and validation of CRITERIA on processing tomato in two experimental sites in Southern Italy (Rutigliano and Foggia) for the years 2007 and 2008 under different irrigation regimes. The irrigation treatments were: i) absence of plant water stress (the control treatments set up for both years and sites), ii) moderately stressed (applied in Rutigliano for 2007), and iii) severely stressed (applied in Foggia for 2008). The second step consisted in the evaluation of the expected impact of different irrigation regimes on daily actual evapotranspiration. For model calibration, the 2007 data of the control treatment was used, whereas in the validation process of actual evapotranspiration, the other part of the dataset was used. The observed data were crop evapotranspiration, agrometeorological data, leaf area index, physical-chemical and hydrological characteristics of soil, phenological stages and irrigation management. In order to evaluate model performance we used three statistical indicators to compare simulated and measured values of actual evapotranspiration: the normalized differences of seasonal values are less than 10% for all treatments; the model efficiency index on the typical period between two irrigations (4 days) was positive for all treatments, with the best values in the Foggia site, for both the irrigated and the severely stressed experiments; the relative root mean square error (RRMSE) was smaller than 20% in both the control treatments, but higher than 30% for the stressed treatments. The increase in RRMSE for the stressed experiments is due to CRITERIA simulating a crop in good soil water conditions and, as a consequence, with a larger evapotranspiration demand with respect to water stressed crop. Therefore, we can consider CRITERIA as a suitable tool to manage irrigations of processed tomato, especially for the full irrigation regime; an improvement can be reached by simulating the impact of water stress conditions on the eco-physiological parameters of the crop, in order to use the model also under deficit irrigation regimes

Spondylarthritis presenting with an allergic immediate systemic reaction to adalimumab in a woman: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The efficacy of adalimumab, a fully human anti-tumor necrosis factor α recombinant antibody, has dramatically improved the quality of life of patients with rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis and Crohn's disease. Because it is fully human, one should not expect immune reactions to this molecule. Adverse reactions to adalimumab are limited mainly to injection site reactions and are very common. Immediate systemic reactions are rarely reported.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 61-year-old Caucasian woman who was treated with adalimumab for spondylarthritis and developed injection site reactions after the sixth dose. After a two-month suspension, she recommenced therapy and experienced two systemic reactions. The first occurred after one hour with itching of the palms and soles and angioedema of the tongue and lips. Thirty minutes after the next dose the patient had itching of the palms and soles with diffusion to her whole body, angioedema of the lips, dizziness and visual disturbances. A skin-prick test and intra-dermal tests with adalimumab gave strong positive results at the immediate reading. However, serum-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) to adalimumab were not detectable by using Phadia solid phase, especially harvested for this case, in collaboration with our Immunology and Allergy Laboratory Unit. Her total IgE concentration was 6.4 kU/L.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We describe what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first reported case of immediate systemic reaction to adalimumab studied with a skin test giving positive results and a serum-specific IgE assay giving negative results. The mechanism of the reaction must be immunologic but not IgE-mediated.</p

Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Seropositive Men in Serodiscordant Couples: Effects on the Assisted Reproductive Outcomes

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Predictive Value of MRI in Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Treated with Therapeutic Hypothermia

Background: Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a severe pathology, and no unique predictive biomarker has been identified. Our aims are to identify associations of perinatal and outcome parameters with morphological anomalies and ADC values from MRI. The secondary aims are to define a predictive ADC threshold value and detect ADC value fluctuations between MRIs acquired within 7 days (MR0) and at 1 year (MR1) of birth in relation to perinatal and outcome parameters. Methods: Fifty-one term children affected by moderate HIE treated with hypothermia and undergoing MRI0 and MRI1 were recruited. Brain MRIs were evaluated through the van Rooij score, while ADC maps were co-registered on a standardized cerebral surface, on which 29 ROIs were drawn. Statistical analysis was performed in Matlab, with the statistical significance value at 0.05. Results: ADC0 &lt; ADC1 in the left and right thalami, left and right frontal white matter, right visual cortex, and the left dentate nucleus of children showing abnormal perinatal and neurodevelopmental parameters. At ROC analysis, the best prognostic ADC cut-off value was 1.535 mm2/s × 10-6 (sensitivity 80%, specificity 86%) in the right frontal white matter. ADC1 &gt; ADC0 in the right visual cortex and left dentate nucleus, positively correlated with multiple abnormal perinatal and neurodevelopmental parameters. The van Rooij score was significantly higher in children presenting with sleep disorders. Conclusions: ADC values could be used as prognostic biomarkers to predict children's neurodevelopmental outcomes. Further studies are needed to address these crucial topics and validate our results. Early and multidisciplinary perinatal evaluation and the subsequent re-assessment of children are pivotal to identify physical and neuropsychological disorders to guarantee early and tailored therapy