Direct data-driven filter design for automotive controlled suspensions

This paper investigates the filter design problem for automotive controlled suspensions when no mathematical model of the system is available, but a set of initial experiments can be performed, where also the variable to be estimated is measured. The problem of designing suitable linear time-invariant filters is here investigated, focusing the attention on the estimation of the relative vertical speed between chassis and wheel, using the data provided by two accelerometers measuring the chassis and wheel accelerations. Disturbances and noises are supposed to be norm-bounded and optimality refers to the minimization of the induced norm from disturbances to the estimation error. A Set Membership formulation is followed and, for classes of filters with exponentially decaying impulse response, an approximating set is determined guaranteed to contain all the solutions to the optimal filtering problem. A method is proposed for designing almost-optimal filters with finite impulse response, whose worst-case estimation error is at most twice the lowest achievable one. Numerical simulations using standard "benchmark" road profiles illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed solutions

Direct data-driven filter design for automotive controlled suspensions

This paper investigates the filter design problem for automotive controlled suspensions when no mathematical model of the system is available, but a set of initial experiments can be performed, where also the variable to be estimated is measured. The problem of designing suitable linear time-invariant filters is here investigated, focusing the attention on the estimation of the relative vertical speed between chassis and wheel, using the data provided by two accelerometers measuring the chassis and wheel accelerations. Disturbances and noises are supposed to be norm-bounded and optimality refers to the minimization of the induced norm from disturbances to the estimation error. A Set Membership formulation is followed and, for classes of filters with exponentially decaying impulse response, an approximating set is determined guaranteed to contain all the solutions to the optimal filtering problem. A method is proposed for designing almost-optimal filters with finite impulse response, whose worst-case estimation error is at most twice the lowest achievable one. Numerical simulations using standard "benchmark" road profiles illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed solutions

evaluation of botulinum toxin therapy of spastic equinus in paediatric patients with cerebral palsy

Objective: To develop a clinical and instrumental protocol to assess the postural and dynamic effects following treatment with botulinum neurotoxin A in children with cerebral palsy affected by spastic equinus. Design: Open study, in which every patient served as his or her own control. Patients: Ten sequential children with cerebral palsy and spastic dynamic equinus foot. Methods: Botulinum neurotoxin A was injected in the gastrocnemius, soleus and tibialis posterior muscles. The main measures were: pedobarometry, dynamic surface electromyography, video gait analysis scale, and the modified As hworth Scale. Results: After treatment with botulinum neurotoxin A, pedobarometric evaluation revealed a significant change in all parameters, including a decrease in the modified Ashworth Scale and an increase in the range of motion. All children showed significant improvement in initial foot contact, as documented by the video gait analysis scale. The calf muscle electromyography pattern showed a decrease in co-contraction during gait in all children. These modifications were sta tistically significant for all parameters considered ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that dynamic electr

WILSON PLOT METHOD TO OBTAIN NUSSELT NUMBER FOR A PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER

Plate heat exchangers are devices commonly used in industry due to their high efficiency and ease cleaning. Although its first use was in food sector, nowadays this equipment can be found in most industrial segments, like chemistry and oil industry. Due the facility of fabrication, the corrugated gasket plate heat exchanger is amply utilized in those segments, however, its mathematical analysis present non-agreement between the authors, because of the different plate models and operation settings. Thus, the main objective of this work is to study the application of the Wilson-Plot method to analyze the thermal behavior of an elemental plate heat exchanger, and verify if the operation temperature has significant influence in the thermal behavior of the plate heat exchanger

Body composition in Karate: a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry study

Karate is a widely practiced combat sport. Karatekas' body composition has typically been obtained in small groups using skinfolds or bioelectric impedance. In this work, we assessed three-compartment body composition using the accurate dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry technique (QDR Horizon, Hologic) in a large sample (n = 58; 74% males) of black belt karatekas. Stature-adjusted body composition indices (fat mass index; fat-free mass index; bone mineral apparent density) were calculated. The Student's t-test was used for group-group analysis. Correlation was assessed using the Pearson's r. The ability of fat-free soft tissue mass to predict bone mineral content and areal bone mineral density was assessed with linear regression. Reference mean and quartile values for whole-body and regional body composition were obtained for the male athletes. The body composition indices were generally more favorable in the male than female karatekas. The bone mineral apparent density was similar in the males and females at all sites except the right leg. The fat-free soft tissue mass predicted the bone mineral content and areal bone mineral density with good accuracy (R-2 = 0.542-0.827; p &lt; 0.001 for all models). The data presented in this paper are expected to be of use for karate coaches, physical trainers, and participants interested in assessing and monitoring athletes' body composition

Patients’ reports on their delusional memories from the intensive care unit: A systematic review of qualitative studies

Objective: To critically summarise the qualitative literature to understand patients’ experiences of delusional memories during their Intensive Care Unit stay. Research methodology: A systematic review of qualitative studies with meta-synthesis and meta-summary. We searched MEDLINE (via PubMed), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, and Web of Science to July 2022. All studies that provided qualitative insights into the subjective experience of adult patients with delusional memories in the Intensive Care Unit were selected. The Critical Assessment Skills Programme checklist was used for the quality assessment. Results: Fourteen studies were included. The 33 codes that emerged from the inductive thematic analysis were grouped into three themes: ‘The sense of danger and the terrifying aspect of death’ (feeling in danger, surrounded by death, persecuted by people around, and feeling unsafe), ‘The presence of someone or something nearby’ (perceiving the loved ones, feeling overwhelmed by scary creatures, and being neglected by those around me), and ‘The reality behind the world perceived by the senses’ (travelling the world, stimulating the senses, feeling peaceful, and living in a fantasy world). The most frequent code in the studies was ‘Be with a family member’, with an intensity of 35.7%. Conclusion: The patient's experience described as delusional is considered a real event by the person experiencing it. Further research is needed to investigate the extent to which these experiences lead to poorer early and late outcomes for patients, and to test strategies to prevent this. Implications for clinical practice: A deeper understanding of the phenomenon may help healthcare professionals to recognise precursors, symptoms and consequences of delusional memories and intervene with appropriate help. One strategy would be to further humanise care and focus on family involvement and communication with patients to overcome the factual events that can potentially alter patients’ quality of life

A Two-dimensional Numerical Study of Ion-Acoustic Turbulence

We investigate the linear and nonlinear evolution of the ion-acoustic instability in a collisionless plasma via two-dimensional (2D2V) Vlasov-Poisson numerical simulations. We initialize the system in a stable state and gradually drive it towards instability with an imposed, weak external electric field, thus avoiding super-critical initial conditions that are physically unrealizable. The nonlinear evolution of ion-acoustic turbulence (IAT) is characterized in detail, including the particles' distribution functions, particle heating, (two-dimensional) wave spectrum, and the resulting anomalous resistivity. An important result is that no steady saturated nonlinear state is ever reached in our simulations: strong ion heating suppresses the instability, which implies that the anomalous resistivity associated with IAT is transient and short-lived. Electron-acoustic waves (EAWs) are triggered during the late nonlinear evolution of the system, caused by strong modifications to the particle distribution induced by IAT

‘Coming back Home’ . Il Modello Virtuale della Statua Romana di Asclepio del Museo di Siracusa (Italia)

The colossal torso of the god Asclepius, kept into the Castello Maniace during the Spanish domination of Sicily, is now one of the most significant examples of roman statuary in the Syracuse Museum. The recent restoration of the Castello Maniace has been celebrated in 2008 with an exhibition of archaeological finds obtained in the various excavations of the castle. The statue of Asclepius, which had for centuries been a part of the architecture there, should have been the most significant piece on display. However, its large size and frailty made such a temporary move inadvisable, and it was decided that a plaster cast should be made and exhibited instead. A team of archaeologists and information technicians from the Archeomatica Project of Catania University were able to contribute to this task by creating a 3D model of the statue through the use of laser scanning techniques