Investigation of upwind, multigrid, multiblock numerical schemes for three dimensional flows. Volume 1: Runge-Kutta methods for a thin layer Navier-Stokes solver

A state-of-the-art computer code has been developed that incorporates a modified Runge-Kutta time integration scheme, upwind numerical techniques, multigrid acceleration, and multi-block capabilities (RUMM). A three-dimensional thin-layer formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations is employed. For turbulent flow cases, the Baldwin-Lomax algebraic turbulence model is used. Two different upwind techniques are available: van Leer's flux-vector splitting and Roe's flux-difference splitting. Full approximation multi-grid plus implicit residual and corrector smoothing were implemented to enhance the rate of convergence. Multi-block capabilities were developed to provide geometric flexibility. This feature allows the developed computer code to accommodate any grid topology or grid configuration with multiple topologies. The results shown in this dissertation were chosen to validate the computer code and display its geometric flexibility, which is provided by the multi-block structure

La \u2018crescita verde\u2019 della citt\ue0 e il ruolo dei parchi urbani come elemento di attrazione turistica sostenibile

Da un punto di vista della pianificazione e della progettazione, una rete di spazi verdi di alta qualit\ue0, collegata agli spazi residenziali, produttivi, commerciali e per il tempo libero, permette l\u2019aumento dell\u2019accessibilit\ue0 ai servizi locali e ai luoghi di lavoro. Se ben progetta, tale rete incoraggia le persone a spostarsi a piedi o in bicicletta sia per ricreazione che per motivi di scambio sociale, fornisce inoltre una barriera al rumore e svolge la funzione di schermo visuale. Dal punto di vista economico, uno spazio verde \ue8 in grado di fornire prodotti come legno, frutti, compost e biomassa per la produzione di energia anche in citt\ue0, inoltre, la presenza di spazi verdi urbani pu\uf2 far crescere i valori immobiliari di un\u2019area e aumentare l\u2019offerta di posti di lavoro. Dal punto di vista ecologico, il verde urbano mitiga l\u2019impatto delle attivit\ue0 umane, assorbendo inquinanti e rilasciando ossigeno, contribuendo al mantenimento della salute, migliorando la qualit\ue0 di aria, acqua e suolo del clima e ospitando biodiversit\ue0 animale e vegetale. I due casi studi riportati, Milano Expo 2015 e Bundesgarthenschau, approfondiscono gli aspetti riguardanti la capacit\ue0 di attrazione turistica, di stimolo economico e sociale della progettazione di spazi agricoli e verdi urbani. Qui si sottolinea il dato turistico degli eventi, ricordando che gli organizzatori di Milano Expo 2015 stimano l\u2019arrivo di 160 mila visitatori al giorno per un totale di circa 29 milioni di turisti nei sei mesi di durata dell\u2019evento e che l\u2019evento biennale della Bundesgarthenschau \ue8 noto per l\u2019attrattiva turistica, con la punta di 11,5 milioni di visitatori per la IGA di Monaco del 1983

Discourse Communication in Individuals with and without Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global health epidemic that has detrimental consequences for individuals who sustain the brain injury, their families, and society. As a result of TBI, many individuals experience significant cognitive-communicative impairments, including difficulties with structuring and eliciting discourse. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of these language difficulties and their possible clinical implications by comparing discourse communication samples from adults with TBI to those from adults without TBI. Audio recordings of 18 adults, consisting of narratives on different genres of discourse communication (e.g., conversational, procedural, personal narrative, and fictional narrative), were used for the purposes of this project. The discourse samples of 4 individuals with TBI were compared with the discourse samples of 14 individuals without TBI on the basis of several discourse communication measures including: (1) story length, (2) frequency of discourse errors, (3) elements, (4) story organization, (5) information content, and (6) information relevance. Overall, the differences observed between the TBI and non-TBI individuals on the discourse communication tasks reflect the typical communication impairments experienced by those living with TBI. Compared to the discourse samples of participants without TBI, the individuals with TBI produced more linguistic dysfluencies and discourse errors which indicated impairments related to pragmatic skill, information transfer and relevance, linking the events in a story, and effectively structuring discourse communication. The participants without TBI showed strengths in the quality and completeness of their spoken narratives. Ultimately, the differences observed among participants from each group provide important insight into what types of speech-language therapy might be appropriate and effective for these individuals

Night-time shift work and related stress responses: A study on security guards

Work-related stress can induce a break in homeostasis by placing demands on the body that are met by the activation of two different systems, the hypothalamic\u2013pituitary\u2013adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. Night-shift work alters the body\u2019s exposure to the natural light\u2013 dark schedule and disrupts circadian (daily) rhythms. The greatest effect of night-shift work is the disruption of circadian rhythms. The impact that these disruptions may have on the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer, is unknown. This study aims to discover the relationship among three different job activities of security guards and their stress-related responses by evaluating salivary cortisol levels and blood pressure. Methods: Ninety security guards, including night-time workers and night-time and daily-shift workers, were recruited for this study. Each security guard provided two saliva samples before and after three scheduled time points: (i) at 22:00, (ii) at 06:30, and (iii) at 14:00. Results: The results of the study showed a significant alteration in cortisol levels. Night-time shift cortisol levels significantly increased before and after the work shifts. A physiological prevalence of the vagal tone on the cardiocirculatory activity was found during night-shift work. Conclusions: This study indicates that cortisol levels and blood pressure are sensitive markers of biological responses to severe work stress. Shift-change consequences may occur at the end of the night shift when there is a significant increase in the cortisol level and a significant variation in cardiovascular parameters

Dark photon superradiance quenched by dark matter

Black-hole superradiance has been used to place very strong bounds on avariety of models of ultralight bosons such as axions, new light scalars, anddark photons. It is common lore to believe that superradiance bounds arebroadly model independent and therefore pretty robust. In this work we showhowever that superradiance bounds on dark photons can be challenged by simple,compelling extensions of the minimal model. In particular, if the dark photonpopulates a larger dark sector and couples to dark fermions playing the role ofdark matter, then superradiance bounds can easily be circumvented, depending onthe mass and (dark) charge of the dark matter.<br

Growth and reproduction of the deep-water rose shrimp, Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas, 1846) (Decapoda, Penaeidae), in the southern Tyrrhenian sea.

From June 2006 to May 2007, monthly samples of Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas, 1846) were collected on land from the landings of two different, although contiguous, fishing grounds exploited by the bottom trawl fisheries of the two fishing harbours of Terrasini and Porticello, located on the north-western coast of Sicily. Carapace length (CL) of the female and male deep-water rose shrimp in Terrasini ranged from 9 to 32 mm and 13 to 26 mm, respectively, whereas in Porticello the length ranged from 8 to 31 mm and 13 to 26 mm, respectively. The Von Bertalanffy Growth Function parameters for Terrasini females and males were CLoo = 38.5 mm, K = 0.65 year(-1) and CL infinity = 32.5 mm, K = 0.85 year(-1), respectively. For Porticello females and males, the parameters were CLoo = 40 mm, K = 0.60 year(-1) and CL infinity = 30 mm, K = 0.76 year(-1), respectively. Analysis of maturity stages indicates that the deep-water rose shrimp is an asynchronous batch of almost continuous spawners, although one to two peaks of activity can be detected. In both fishing areas, the reproductive phase peaked twice, once in January and again from August to September. The sizes at first maturity (CL50%) were 27.8 and 26.6 mm CL for Terrasini and Porticello, respectively

Promoting Awareness about Psychological Consequences of Living in a Community Oppressed by the Mafia: A Group-Analytic Intervention

The effects of the Mafia have been extensively studied from sociological, economic, and historical points of view. However, little research has investigated the influence of the Mafia on individuals and communities in terms of its psychological and social impact. In order to contribute to the advancement of our understanding of the psychological effects of the Mafia on individuals and communities and to promote a participative process of social change, a group analytic intervention was conducted within a Community Based Participatory Research carried out in Corleone, a small Sicilian town with a historically recognized role in the evolution of the Mafia, as well as in the fight against its control. Qualitative findings from the group intervention revealed the development of an awareness process that allowed participants to become aware of their social unconscious anxieties and defenses and to recognize and manage the strong emotional impact related to the Mafia\u2019s presence in their lives. Highlighting how psychological processes can have negative impacts on individual and collective capacity to pursuit transformation and resilience, this article provides important insight on how clinical psychology may operate in socio-cultural contexts to promote the reconstruction of the traumatic social dimensions in the community