Dynamic additional loads influencing the fatigue life of gears in an electric vehicle transmission

In recent years the implementation of the electric engine in the automotive industries has been increasingly marked. The speed of the electric motors is much higher than the combustion engine ones, bringing transmission gears to be subjected to high dynamic loads. For this reason the dynamic effects on fatigue life of these components have be taken into account in a more careful way respect to what is done with the usual gears. In the present work the overload effects due to both speed and meshing in a gear couple of an electric vehicle transmission have been analyzed. The electric vehicle is designed for urban people mobility and presents all the requirements to be certified as M1 vehicle (a weight less than 600 kg and a maximum speed more than 90 Km/h). To investigate the overload effects of teeth in contact, the reference gear design Standards (ISO 6336) introduce a specific multiplicative factor to the applied load called Internal Dynamic Factor (K v ). Aim of this work is to evaluate how dynamic overloads may influence the fatigue life of the above quoted gears in term of durability. To this goal, Kv values have been calculated by means of the analytical equations (ISO 6336 Methods B and C) and then they have been compared with the results coming from multibody simulations, involving full rigid and rigid-flexible models

The tectonic puzzle of the Messina area (Southern Italy): Insights from new seismic reflection data

The Messina Strait, that separates peninsular Italy from Sicily, is one of the most seismically active areas of the Mediterranean. The structure and seismotectonic setting of the region are poorly understood, although the area is highly populated and important infrastructures are planned there. New seismic reflection data have identified a number of faults, as well as a crustal scale NE-trending anticline few km north of the strait. These features are interpreted as due to active right-lateral transpression along the north-eastern Sicilian offshore, coexisting with extensional and right-lateral transtensional tectonics in the southern Messina Strait. This complex tectonic network appears to be controlled by independent and overlapping tectonic settings, due to the presence of a diffuse transfer zone between the SE-ward retreating Calabria subduction zone relative to slab advance in the western Sicilian side

Behavioral and psychological effects of coronavirus disease-19 quarantine in patients with dementia

Background: In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic due to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and several governments planned a national quarantine in order to control the virus spread. Acute psychological effects of quarantine in frail elderly subjects with special needs, such as patients with dementia, have been poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to assess modifications of neuropsychiatric symptoms during quarantine in patients with dementia and their caregivers. Methods: This is a sub-study of a multicenter nation-wide survey. A structured telephone interview was delivered to family caregivers of patients with diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and vascular dementia (VD), followed regularly at 87 Italian memory clinics. Variations in behavioral and psychological symptoms (BPSD) were collected after 1 month since quarantine declaration and associations with disease type, severity, gender, and caregiver\u2019s stress burden were analyzed. Results: A total of 4,913 caregivers participated in the survey. Increased BPSD was reported in 59.6% of patients as worsening of preexisting symptoms (51.9%) or as new onset (26%), and requested drug modifications in 27.6% of these cases. Irritability, apathy, agitation, and anxiety were the most frequently reported worsening symptoms and sleep disorder and irritability the most frequent new symptoms. Profile of BPSD varied according to dementia type, disease severity, and patients\u2019 gender. Anxiety and depression were associated with a diagnosis of AD (OR 1.35, CI: 1.12\u20131.62), mild to moderate disease severity and female gender. DLB was significantly associated with a higher risk of worsening hallucinations (OR 5.29, CI 3.66\u20137.64) and sleep disorder (OR 1.69, CI 1.25\u20132.29), FTD with wandering (OR 1.62, CI 1.12\u20132.35), and change of appetite (OR 1.52, CI 1.03\u20132.25). Stress-related symptoms were experienced by two-thirds of caregivers and were associated with increased patients\u2019 neuropsychiatric burden (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Quarantine induces a rapid increase of BPSD in approximately 60% of patients and stress-related symptoms in two-thirds of caregivers. Health services need to plan a post-pandemic strategy in order to address these emerging needs

Persone, famiglia e successioni nella giurisprudenza costituzionale

I saggi contenuti nel volume testimoniano al lettore l'ampiezza e la portat degli interventi che la Corte costituzionale ha dedicato agli istituti delle persone, della famiglia e delle successioni durante i cinquanta anni della sua attività