3,403 research outputs found
Scan to BIM for 3D reconstruction of the papal basilica of saint Francis in Assisi In Italy
The historical building heritage, present in the most of Italian cities centres, is, as part of the construction sector, a working potential,
but unfortunately it requires planning of more complex and problematic interventions. However, policies to support on the existing
interventions, together with a growing sensitivity for the recovery of assets, determine the need to implement specific studies and to
analyse the specific problems of each site. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the methodology and the results obtained from
integrated laser scanning activity in order to have precious architectural information useful not only from the cultural heritage point
of view but also to construct more operative and powerful tools, such as BIM (Building Information Modelling) aimed to the
management of this cultural heritage. The Papal Basilica and the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis in Assisi in Italy are, in fact,
characterized by unique and complex peculiarities, which require a detailed knowledge of the sites themselves to ensure visitor’s
security and safety. For such a project, we have to take in account all the people and personnel normally present in the site, visitors
with disabilities and finally the needs for cultural heritage preservation and protection. This aim can be reached using integrated
systems and new technologies, such as Internet of Everything (IoE), capable of connecting people, things (smart sensors, devices and
actuators; mobile terminals; wearable devices; etc.), data/information/knowledge and processes to reach the desired goals. The IoE
system must implement and support an Integrated Multidisciplinary Model for Security and Safety Management (IMMSSM) for the
specific context, using a multidisciplinary approach
Harnessing entropy to enhance toughness in reversibly crosslinked polymer networks
Reversible crosslinking is a design paradigm for polymeric materials, wherein
they are microscopically reinforced with chemical species that form transient
crosslinks between the polymer chains. Besides the potential for self-healing,
recent experimental work suggests that freely diffusing reversible crosslinks
in polymer networks, such as gels, can enhance the toughness of the material
without substantial change in elasticity. This presents the opportunity for
making highly elastic materials that can be strained to a large extent before
rupturing. Here, we employ Gaussian chain theory, molecular simulation, and
polymer self-consistent field theory for networks to construct an equilibrium
picture for how reversible crosslinks can toughen a polymer network without
affecting its linear elasticity. Maximisation of polymer entropy drives the
reversible crosslinks to bind preferentially near the permanent crosslinks in
the network, leading to local molecular reinforcement without significant
alteration of the network topology. In equilibrium conditions, permanent
crosslinks share effectively the load with neighbouring reversible crosslinks,
forming multi-functional crosslink points. The network is thereby globally
toughened, while the linear elasticity is left largely unaltered. Practical
guidelines are proposed to optimise this design in experiment, along with a
discussion of key kinetic and timescale considerations
Fellow-craftsmen : a study of the personal and professional relationship between Mary Johnston and Ellen Glasgow
Biographers and critics tend to vary widely on the attention given to the personal, intellectual, and literary significance of the friendship between Ellen Glasgow and Mary Johnston. In this thesis, the author argues that the two women, obviously drawn together because of personal and professional similarities, shared intellectual interests, a passion for writing, and certainly nurtured each other\u27s creativity. By providing extensive evidence from Mary Johnston\u27s unpublished diaries, notebooks, and journals, as well evidence from the abundance of published and unpublished correspondence between the two women, this thesis refutes past critical assessments and establishes that the relationship between Glasgow and Johnston was indeed intellectual and significant rather than superficially social. This thesis makes the argument that Mary Johnston\u27s own life and ideas, as well as the life engendered in her fiction, affected the life and literary career of Ellen Glagow, much as Glasgow\u27s real and fictional lives influenced Johnston\u27s
QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF THE LUMINANCE OF LASER SCANNER RADIATION FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS
The main aim of this experimentation is the evaluation of potentialities of terrestrial laser scanner technology to carry-out, beyond topographic and morphological detection, non-invasive materic analysis of the scanned objects, with the prospective to evaluate the conservation of historical landmarks and cultural heritage of which Italy is the world leading country. Coherent lasers in the visible light range may lead to optical diffraction phenomena thus allowing for structural investigation and chemical analysis of the scanned objects. Application of LST in the visible range (λ = 585 nm) to a set of solid samples commonly applied in the construction (building) industry, differing in the crystallinity of their respective lattice, led to the following conclusions: a linear correlation has been established between degree of crystallization of solids and returning luminance of lasers after diffraction onto the solids surface; Gauss distribution of luminance data from diffraction onto less crystalline (plastics, glass) materials has been much narrow than more crystalline ones (metals, alloys, plasters). Both findings confirm that laser diffraction methods may be applied for fast materic determinations after simple LST scanning of solid samples. Bragg modeling of data, extensively applied for Xray diffraction methods (XRD), may be truly co-opted to Laser Scanning
Impact of communicative and informative strategies on influenza vaccination adherence and absenteeism from work of health care professionals working at the university hospital of palermo, Italy: A quasi-experimental field trial on twelve influenza seasons
Every year, about 20% of health care workers (HCWs) acquire influenza, continuing to work and encouraging virus spreading. Influenza vaccination coverage rates and absenteeism from work among HCWs of the University Hospital (UH) of Palermo were analyzed before and after the implementation of several initiatives in order to increase HCWs’ awareness about influenza vaccination. Vaccines administration within hospital units, dedicated web pages on social media and on the UH of Palermo institutional web site, and mandatory compilation of a dissent form for those HCWs who refused vaccination were carried out during the last four influenza seasons. After the introduction of these strategies, influenza vaccination coverage went up from 5.2% (2014/2015 season) to 37.2% (2018/2019 season) (p<0.001), and mean age of vaccinated HCWs significantly decreased from 48.1 years (95% CI: 45.7–50.5) to 35.9 years (95% CI: 35.0–36.8). A reduction of working days lost due to acute sickness among HCWs of the UH of Palermo was observed. Fear of adverse reactions and not considering themselves as a high-risk group for contracting influenza were the main reasons reported by HCWs that refused vaccination. Strategies undertaken at the UH of Palermo allowed a significant increase in vaccination adherence and a significant reduction of absenteeism from work
Ge-Doped microstructured multicorefiber for customizable supercontinuum generation
Supercontinuum generation in a multicore fiber in which several uncoupled cores
were doped with dissimilar concentrations of germanium was studied experimentally.
Germanium doping provided control over the separation between the zero-dispersion
wavelength and the 1064-nm wavelength of a Q-switched Nd:YAG pump laser. Supercontinua
generated independently in each core of the same piece of fiber displayed clear
and repeatable differences due to the influence of germanium doping on refractive index and
four-wave mixing. The spectral evolution of the subnanosecond pump pulses injected into
the different cores was accurately reproduced by numerical simulations
Shear-promoted drug encapsulation into red blood cells: a CFD model and ÎĽ-PIV analysis
The present work focuses on the main parameters that influence shear-promoted encapsulation of drugs into erythrocytes. A CFD model was built to investigate the fluid dynamics of a suspension of particles flowing in a commercial micro channel. Micro Particle Image Velocimetry (ÎĽ-PIV) allowed to take into account for the real properties of the red blood cell (RBC), thus having a deeper understanding of the process. Coupling these results with an analytical diffusion model, suitable working conditions were defined for different values of haematocrit
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Quantum Computing Using Liquid Crystal Solvents
Liquid crystals offer several advantages as solvents for molecules used for
nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computing (NMRQC). The dipolar coupling
between nuclear spins manifest in the NMR spectra of molecules oriented by a
liquid crystal permits a significant increase in clock frequency, while short
spin-lattice relaxation times permit fast recycling of algorithms, and save
time in calibration and signal-enhancement experiments. Furthermore, the use of
liquid crystal solvents offers scalability in the form of an expanded library
of spin-bearing molecules suitable for NMRQC. These ideas are demonstrated with
the successful execution of a 2-qubit Grover search using a molecule
(CHCl) oriented in a liquid crystal and a clock speed eight
times greater than in an isotropic solvent. Perhaps more importantly, five
times as many logic operations can be executed within the coherence time using
the liquid crystal solvent.Comment: Minor changes. Published in Appl. Phys. Lett. v.75, no.22, 29 Nov
1999, p.3563-356
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