A Voltage Calibration Chain for Meters Used in Measurements of EV Inductive Power Charging

The inductive charging of electric vehicles requires specific measurement and calibration systems. In fact, the measurement of power on board involves DC signals, which are superimposed to a significant AC ripple up to or over 150 kHz, depending on the type of charging system. A calibration method that makes use of a phantom power, based on two independent but synchronized circuits, is considered, simulating the charging voltage and current. This paper describes in detail a solution in the realization of the voltage calibration chain, based on the use of a DC voltage calibrator, an injector and a voltage divider.Comment: 2 pages, Conference on Precision Electromagnetic Measurements (CPEM 2018), Paris

Short Lingual Frenulum as a Risk Factor for Cerebral Vasculopathies

Introduction: Tongue is the first functioning organ in the embryonic era. Its developmental alterations can result in malfunctions with damage in distant districts. Craniocervical anatomy suggests that tongue dysfunction may be involved in the damage to the arteriovenous encephalic flow. Objective: To evaluate the possible relationship between short frenulum and cerebral vasal problems. Method: We conducted an epidemiological research comparing the presence of vascular problems in families where the visited subject had short frenulum (which is a genetically transmitted pathology) and families where the visited subject did not have abnormality of the frenulum. Results: The presence of short tongue frenulum was correlated with the presence of episodes of vascular damage in about 80% of cases, while in families not affected by this tongue alteration the percentage of damage was between 10 and 13%. Conclusions: The enormous influence that the presence of an altered tongue frenulum seems to have on the future possibility of developing vascular problems should induce a more careful assessment of the presence of an incorrect-sized frenulum

A Method for the Measurement of Digitizers’ Absolute Phase Error

A lot of engineering applications, from telecommunications to power systems, require accurate measurement of phase angles. Some of them, like synchrophasor measurement and calibration of instrument transformers with digital output, in order to reach high phase measurement accuracy, require the knowledge of phase error of digitizers. Therefore, in this paper a method for the measurement of digitizers’ absolute phase errors is proposed. It adopts a sinewave and two square waves, that are the digitizer sample clock and a phase reference signal. Combining the measurements of the relative phase differences between the adopted signals it is possible to accurately evaluate the absolute phase error of a digitize

Caffeine Intake in College Students

Caffeine is a widely consumed substance that is readily available through many sources that may influence consumption in the college setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between caffeine intake and sleep behavior and the effect of campus dining frequency on caffeine intake in college students. Three hundred and fifty students (212 males and 138 females) participated in a 72-hour dietary analysis that provided the students’ age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity level. The students were asked to record dining frequency as well. Ninety-six of the 350 students completed a 7-day sleep diary to complete the sleep analysis. Chi-square tests, regression analysis, and t-tests were performed to analyze relationships and differences between variables. Results showed that there were no significant relationships between caffeine intake and age, gender, BMI, physical activity, sleep time, or frequency of dining and caffeine intake in college students

Cascina Roccafranca a Torino

Pubblicazione del progetto della Cascina Roccafranca nell'articolo di Michele Bonino, "Nothing special: a different and long-term model of sustainability" nel numero di World Architecture dedicato ai recenti progetti della Città di Torino

Città della Conciliazione, Grugliasco, Torino, Italy, 2005-2009

Pubblicazione del progetto Città Universitaria della Conciliazione a Grugliasco (TO) nel numero della rivista World Architecture dedicato ai progetti della Città di Torino

Città Universitaria della Conciliazione a Grugliasco (TO)

Pubblicazione e testo critico del progetto della Città Universitaria della Conciliazione contenuto nell'articolo di Davide Tommaso Ferrando," A welcoming space. Sustainability as conciliation between work and family life" nel numero della rivista World Architecture dedicato ai progetti della Città di Torino

Recent Advances in Understanding the Protein Corona of Nanoparticles and in the Formulation of “Stealthy” Nanomaterials

In the last decades, the staggering progress in nanotechnology brought around a wide and heterogeneous range of nanoparticle-based platforms for the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Most of these systems are designed to be administered intravenously. This administration route allows the nanoparticles (NPs) to widely distribute in the body and reach deep organs without invasive techniques. When these nanovectors encounter the biological environment of systemic circulation, a dynamic interplay occurs between the circulating proteins and the NPs, themselves. The set of proteins that bind to the NP surface is referred to as the protein corona (PC). PC has a critical role in making the particles easily recognized by the innate immune system, causing their quick clearance by phagocytic cells located in organs such as the lungs, liver, and spleen. For the same reason, PC defines the immunogenicity of NPs by priming the immune response to them and, ultimately, their immunological toxicity. Furthermore, the protein corona can cause the physical destabilization and agglomeration of particles. These problems induced to consider the PC only as a biological barrier to overcome in order to achieve efficient NP-based targeting. This review will discuss the latest advances in the characterization of PC, development of stealthy NP formulations, as well as the manipulation and employment of PC as an alternative resource for prolonging NP half-life, as well as its use in diagnostic applications

Physical education pedagogies and physical activity in primary school children

Abstract Many children do not engage in adequate levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) to benefit their health and development. Physical education (PE) is a key opportunity for children to learn movement skills that could foster their engagement in physical activity (PA). The development of movement competence is a core aim of early primary PE as foundational movement skills help to foster lifelong PA behaviours. There is a lack of evidence about how PE pedagogical approaches targeting movement skill outcomes might affect PA in children. Therefore, this PhD thesis aimed to examine how different PE pedagogies (Linear and Nonlinear pedagogies), underpinned by movement learning theories, influence 5-6-year-old children’s PA levels during PE and their overall habitual PA. Study 1 and Study 2 within this PhD thesis validated assessment methods that were needed to assess PA and teaching practices associated with MVPA. Study 3 and Study 4 investigated how PE interventions guided by Linear and Nonlinear pedagogies affect children’s MVPA and teaching practices during PE, as well as habitual PA in primary school children. The data used in Study 2, Study 3 and Study 4 were collected within the SAMPLE-PE project clustered randomised controlled trial where 360 children (age: 5.9 ± 0.3 years, 55% girls) from 12 primary schools were randomly allocated to a 15-week Linear Pedagogy (LP: n = 3) or Nonlinear Pedagogy (NP: n = 3) PE interventions delivered by trained coaches, or to a control group (n = 6), where schools followed usual practice. Study 1 involved a sample of participants from a primary school that was not included in the SAMPLE-PE project. Study 1 validated sedentary behaviour (SB), MVPA and vigorous PA (VPA) raw accelerometer cut-points in 5–7-year-old children as valid and reliable cut-points for ActiGraph GT9X devices were not published in the literature. Forty-nine participants (age: 6.5 ± 0.8 years, 55% girls) wore an ActiGraph GT9X accelerometer on both wrists and the right hip during a standardised calibration protocol and recess. Cut-points were generated using ROC analysis with direct observation as the criterion. Cut-points were optimised using confidence intervals equivalency analysis and then cross-validated in a cross-validation group. All monitor placements demonstrated adequate levels of accuracy for SB and PA assessment. Study 2 included a subsample of the SAMPLE-PE project participants represented by 162 children (age: 6.0 ± 0.3 years, 53% girls) from 9 primary schools and the study aimed to validate the modified System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT+) to measure teacher practices related to PA promotion in PE amongst 5-6-year-old-children. Video-recordings of 45 PE lessons from nine teachers/coaches were coded using a modified version of the SOFIT+ while accelerometers were used to measure children’s MVPA. It was found that SOFIT+ was a valid and reliable assessment of teaching practices related to MVPA promotion in PE amongst 5-6-year-old-children. Using the same participants and dataset as Study 2, Study 3 aimed to assess and compare children’s PA and teaching practices related to PA promotion during PE lessons following Linear and Nonlinear pedagogical approaches. Linear pedagogy and Nonlinear pedagogy interventions were not associated with children engaging in higher MVPA during PE compared to participants in the control group and compared to each other. Despite this, Linear and Nonlinear interventions generally presented higher percentages of PA promoting teaching practices and lower MVPA reducing teaching practices compared to the control group. In particular, Linear and Nonlinear pedagogy involved increased Motor Content time (MVPA promoting practice) during PE compared to the control group. Additionally, the teaching practices observed in Linear and Nonlinear Interventions were in line with the respective pedagogical principles guiding PE delivery. Study 4 included all the children participating in the sample PE project represented by 360 children (age: 5.9 ± 0.3 years, 55% girls) from 12 primary schools. Study 4 aimed to assess how PE interventions guided by Linear pedagogy and Nonlinear pedagogy intervention affected children’s habitual PA over the whole week and different segments of the week compared to the control group. ActiGraph GT9X accelerometers were used to assess PA metrics (MVPA, mean raw acceleration and lowest acceleration over the most active hour and half hour) over the whole week and week segments at baseline, immediately post-intervention and in a follow-up measurement 6 months after the end of the intervention. Intention to treat analysis employing multilevel modelling was used to assess intervention effects. Linear pedagogy and Nonlinear pedagogy interventions did not significantly affect children’s PA levels compared to the control group. It was concluded that PE interventions based on Linear pedagogy and Nonlinear pedagogy alone might not be effective in improving habitual PA in children. Based on the finding from this thesis 1) the accelerometers cut-points used in this thesis could be used by other researchers to assess PA in 5-7 years old children, 2) the methods used to validate accelerometer cut-points in this thesis could inform future calibration studies, 3) SOFIT+ could be used by both researchers and practitioners to assess teaching practices to achieve different aims (e.g. process evaluation of interventions, improving own teaching practices), 4) future Linear and Nonlinear interventions aiming at improving MVPA in PE should specifically target teaching practices aiming at increasing MVPA in PE (e.g. decreasing instruction time, improving verbal PA promotion), and 5) future PE interventions should be accompanied by other intervention components (e.g. increasing PA opportunities during school time, involving parents in PA promotion strategies) to successfully improve habitual PA levels in children