Synchro-push: A new production control paradigm

The paper aims at proposing a new production control paradigm, the Synchro-push, that offers a step forward with respect to the traditional push and pull production paradigms as for plant re-configurability power and quick reaction to demand changes: in fact, theoretically, it offers the advantages of the two traditional approaches without suffering their drawbacks. This could be of advantage for any manufacturing company and especially for SMEs (Small-Medium Enterprises), acting as a support against worldwide competition. The paper presents a brief history of the evolution of the push and pull approaches, the comparison between them and among the different alternatives that have been proposed in literature for their implementation. It presents the new approach, its theory and the subsequent industrial implications. The new approach is now made possible by the development of innovative smart technologies that allow the close-to-real-time decision making in scheduling and a higher level of modularity in the plant

Egas Moniz: 90 years (1927-2017) from cerebral angiography

In June 2017 we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the pioneer discovery of cerebral angiography, the seminal imaging technique used for visualizing cerebral blood vessels and vascular alterations as well as other intracranial disorders. Egas Moniz (1874-1955) was the first to describe the use of this revolutionary technique which, until 1975 (when computed tomography, CT, scan was introduced in the clinical practice), was the sole diagnostic tool to provide an imaging of cerebral vessels and therefore alterations due to intracranial pathology. Moniz introduced in the clinical practice this fundamental and important diagnostic tool. The present contribution wishes to pay a tribute to the Portuguese neurosurgeon, who was also a distinguished neurologist and statesman. Despite his tremendous contribution in modern brain imaging, Egas Moniz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1949 for prefrontal leucotomy, the neurosurgical intervention nowadays unacceptable, but should rather be remembered for his key contribution to modern brain imaging. KEYWORDS

ABC-IS Forest Flux Station - Report on Instrumentation, Operational Testing and First Months of Measurements

The Air and Climate Unit of the Institute for Environment and Sustainability is developing a forest flux station on the JRC Ispra site and in 2012 this project has advanced significantly. After the erection of a 36 m high self-standing tower in November 2011, the infrastructure, notably electricity, IT services and air conditioning in the adjacent container have been set up. Thereafter, the installation and testing of scientific instrumentation both on the tower and at the ground has started in view of the two projects the station participates in, i.e. the ESFRI initiative ICOS (International Carbon Observation System) and the FP7 project ECLAIRE (Effects of Climate Change on Air Pollution and Response Strategies for European Ecosystems). Measurements have started in late spring and are going on very well. The timelines of data look generally very good with few missing data points due to instrument failure or maintenance. The equipping of the station to comply with ICOS ES Level 2 requirements is proceeding well and should be finalized in 2013.JRC.H.2 - Air and Climat

Real-time simulation and testing of AFE stage for On Board Charger application

LAUREA MAGISTRALEQuesta tesi si concentra sulla simulazione e il test in tempo reale dello stadio di correzione del fattore di potenza (PFC) Active Front End (AFE) di un caricabatterie di bordo (OBC) per veicoli elettrici (EV). Con l’aumento dell’impegno per ridurre le emissioni di gas serra, l’industria automobilistica si sta orientando sempre più verso i veicoli elettrici. Particolare importanza assume quindi l’OBC che svolge un ruolo cruciale nella gestione del trasferimento di energia dalla rete elettrica alla batteria del veicolo. Il lavoro presentato adotta un approccio di simulazione in tempo reale a due fasi, utilizzando tecniche Model-In-the-Loop (MIL) e Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL). Questo approccio permette di replicare le condizioni operative reali senza la necessità di un prototipo fisico per la fase iniziale, riducendo così i costi, il tempo e i rischi associati ad alte tensioni e correnti. La tesi sottolinea l’uso della Macchina Target di Speedgoat e la tecnologia FPGA per raggiungere le alte frequenze di commutazione e l’elevata risoluzione richieste nelle applicazioni di elettronica di potenza. In particolare, l’attenzione delle simulazioni si concentra sullo stadio PFC della scheda di potenza STDES-BCBIDIR prodotta da STMicroelectronics, capace di conversione bidirezionale AC/DC con una potenza nominale di 11kW. Un elemento chiave di questa ricerca è il design del sistema di controllo e la sua implementazione sul microcontrollore (μC) SR5E1 di STMicroelectronics. L’algoritmo scelto utilizza una strategia di controllo orientata alla tensione (VOC), che ottimizza la regolazione della tensione del bus DC e garantisce un fattore di potenza quasi unitario. Le simulazioni MIL e HIL dimostrano la capacità del sistema di mantenere un’elevata fedeltà nelle prestazioni di controllo, ottenendo una bassa distorsione armonica totale (THD) nelle forme d’onda della corrente e un fattore di potenza quasi unitario in diverse condizioni operative. I risultati confermano che la combinazione di simulazione in tempo reale e hardware basato su FPGA rappresenta una soluzione potente ed efficace per lo sviluppo e la validazione di sistemi di elettronica di potenza complessi.This thesis focuses on the real-time simulation and testing of the Av tive Front End (AFE) Power Factor Correction (PFC) stage of an onboard charger (OBC) for electric vehicles (EVs). With the growing push towards reducing green house gas emissions, the automotive industry is shifting towards EVs, but chal lenges persist in terms of charger complexity, high costs, and limited infrastruc ture. The OBC plays a crucial role in managing power transfer from the grid to the vehicle’s battery, ensuring both efficiency and the longevity of the battery. The work presented adopts a two-stage real-time simulation approach, using Model In-the-Loop (MIL) and Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) techniques. This approach allows for the replication of real-world operating conditions without the need for a physical prototype in the initial stages, thus reducing costs, time, and risks associ ated with high voltages and currents. The thesis emphasizes the use of advanced hardware such as Speedgoat Real-Time Target Machines and FPGAs to achieve the high switching frequencies and high resolution required for power electronics applications. In particular the focus of the simulations is the PFC stage of the STDES-BCBIDIR power board from STMicroelectronics, capable of bidirectional AC/DC conversion with an 11kW power rating. A key element of this research is the control system design implemented for the AFE converter. The control al gorithm, deployed on the SR5E1 microcontroller (μC) from STMicroelectronics, uses a Voltage-Oriented Control (VOC) strategy, which optimizes the regulation of DC bus voltage and ensures a near-unity power factor. The MIL and HIL sim ulations demonstrate the system’s capability to maintain high fidelity in control performance, achieving low total harmonic distortion (THD) in current waveforms and near unity power factor (PF) under various operating conditions. The results confirm that the combination of real-time simulation with FPGA-based hardware provides a powerful and efficient solution for developing and validating complex power electronics systems

Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium deposition to the Prunus laurus cerasus leaf surface as an indicator of the vehicular traffic pollution in the city of Varese area. An easy and reliable method to detect PGEs released from automobile catalytic converters

Background, aim, and scope The widespread use of some Platinum Group Elements (PGE) as catalysts to minimize emission of pollutants from combustion engines produced a constantly growing increase of the concentration of these elements in the environment; their potential toxicological properties explain the increasing interest in routine easy monitoring. We have found that leaves of Prunus laurus cerasus are efficient collectors of particulate with a dimension < 60-80 \u3bcm, and a simple and reliable procedure was developed to reveal traces of platinum, palladium and rhodium released from automotive catalysts. The analysis of the dust deposited on the foliage is a direct indicator of traffic pollution. Materials and methods Leaves of prunus laurus cerasus were washed by sonication in a mixture of water and 2 propanol and the washings, to be discarded, were separated by centrifugation to yield typically 0.05-1.2 g of dust that, after mineralization, were directly submitted to Atomic Absorption analysis. Results Comparison of the 2007 and 2004-5 results showed a dramatic reduction of the platinum levels and revealed that palladium is now the main component of this traffic related pollution. Discussion The results are consistent with the increasing diffusion of cars with a diesel engine whose catalysts are made up of Pt and/or Pd alone, and gives a significant insight into the recent evolution in catalyst design that replaces platinum for palladium. Conclusion The proposed analytical procedure is simple, with short preparation times, and greatly reduces matrix effects so that atomic absorption spectroscopy can easily detect the three noble metals at the ng/g level in the dust. Recommendation and perspectives The results clearly show that Pd concentrations have increased over time, and must be cause of concern

Molecular hydrogen deficiency in HI-poor galaxies and its implications for star formation

We use a sample of 47 homogeneous and high sensitivity CO images taken from the Nobeyama and BIMA surveys to demonstrate that, contrary to common belief, a significant number (~40%) of HI-deficient nearby spiral galaxies are also depleted in molecular hydrogen. While HI-deficiency by itself is not a sufficient condition for molecular gas depletion, we find that H2 reduction is associated with the removal of HI inside the galaxy optical disk. Those HI-deficient galaxies with normal H2 content have lost HI mainly from outside their optical disks, where the H2 content is low in all galaxies. This finding is consistent with theoretical models in which the molecular fraction in a galaxy is determined primarily by its gas column density. Our result is supported by indirect evidence that molecular deficient galaxies form stars at a lower rate or have dimmer far infrared fluxes than gas rich galaxies, as expected if the star formation rate is determined by the molecular hydrogen content. Our result is consistent with a scenario in which, when the atomic gas column density is lowered inside the optical disk below the critical value required to form molecular hydrogen and stars, spirals become quiescent and passive evolving systems. We speculate that this process would act on the time-scale set by the gas depletion rate and might be a first step for the transition between the blue and red sequence observed in the color-magnitude diagram.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Electron transfer and CO addition to polynitrido cobalt carbonyl clusters: Parallel pathways for conversion of the [Co10N2(CO)(19)](4-) anion to the novel [Co11N2(CO)(21)](3-) anion

The redox aptitude of the dinitrido anion [Co10N2(CO)19]4- has been tested from both chemical and electrochemical points of view, together with its reactivity toward CO that induces disproportionation. In any case, through a remarkable overlapping of intermediate steps, the new anion [Co11N2(CO)21]3- (4) is eventually obtained. A detailed study of the pathways to 4 allowed the identification of three labile intermediates by their characteristic IR spectra as well as their electrochemical and paramagnetic properties. The unprecedented structure of trianion 4 has been studied in details in two different crystalline salts

Urban greenways planning. A vision plan for Milan (Italy)

Greenways are “green infrastructure” to link people and places (Fabos, 1995) and can be planned at different scales (from national to municipal) and for multiple purposes, “including ecological, recreational, cultural, aesthetic” (Ahern, 1995), “to provide people with access to open spaces close to where they live” (President\u27s Commission on Americans Outdoors, 1987), in order to “enhance both the environment and quality of life” (European Greenways Association, 2000). At the municipal scale, the urban greenways network can help to reshape the city, making it more livable; urban greenways represent “at once the parks for the 21st century and a part of the transportation infrastructure, providing for pleasant, efficient, healthful and environmentally-sound travel by foot, bicycle or skates” (New York City Department of City Planning, 1993). Turner (2006) reported the results of a research conducted in 2001 among the British local authorities, in which come out the different purpose of urban greenway planning: creating a coherent (green) network of public open spaces, creating a green transport network that confers a vital new use on public open spaces, contributing to the reintegration of planning for ‘town’ and ‘country’ in order to serve the needs of a new urban population seeking active recreation in the countryside. The most important benefits of greenways in urban areas are environmental protection, recreation, and alternative transportation. These benefits cannot be realized unless the greenway planners take a systematic approach to the delineation of greenway paths (Conine et al., 2004). Various methodologies for greenways planning that take into account the many factors in a cohesive manner have been developed for and successfully applied, such as those described in Flink and Searns (1993), Smith and Hellmund (1993), Fabos (1995), Tzolova (1995), Xiang (1996), Toccolini et al. (2004), Ribeiro and Barao (2006) and Toccolini et al. (2006). In the present study three significant experiences were analyzed more in depth: New York City (New York City Department of City Planning, 1993), Vancouver (City of Vancouver, 1995) and Brussels (Institut Bruxellois pour la Gestion de l’Environnement, 2001). There has always been a strong link between the city of New York and the Greenways; as a matter of fact it is right here where it was first conceived the first plan of the modern age concerning a network of urban greenways (in 1866, with the Parkways designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux). Over the years, the great metropolis has preserved this link and recently this link has led to a plan of Greenways for the city. The plan was proposed in 1993 by NYC Department of City Planning. The plan states that “greenways would be a system of bicycle-pedestrian pathways along natural and manmade linear spaces such as rail and highway rightsof- way, river corridors, waterfront spaces, parklands and, where necessary, city streets. They are at once the parks for the 21st century and a part of the transportation infrastructure, providing for pleasant, efficient, healthful and environmentally-sound travel by foot, bicycle or skates”. The plan concerns a system of about 570 km of greenways designed to create new opportunities from a recreational point of view, increase the mobility of cyclists and pedestrians and generally speaking was created to enhance the quality of life of NY citizens. The network of greenways brings advantages in many fields, such as citizens health, transportation, socializing development and recreational aspects. As a matter of fact, the plan for NY wants greenways to accomplish different tasks: ⎯ build new spaces that are easily reachable from home and work, through which it is possible to explore and appreciate the different metropolitan environments; ⎯ offer recreational advantages (sunbathing, staying outdoors, admiring the landscape, relax, getting in touch with nature, etc.); ⎯ improve people health (physical activities, outdoor sports); ⎯ provide an alternative, completion and integration with traditional means of transportation; ⎯ provide the possibility to decrease traffic and urban pollution; ⎯ build natural “buffer zones” to separate areas with different functions (residential areas, commercial areas, etc.); ⎯ represent a meeting place to socialize with other people

Hajar bin Ḥumeid , l'ultima capitale di Qataban

Hajar bin Humeid Indice 1. Hajar bin Humeid 1.1. Lo Wadi Beihan 1.2. Il tell 1.3. Le vie commerciali 2. Ricostruzione della storia del sito di D-Gylum 3. La missione americana nel Beihan 3.1. Storia della spedizione 3.1.1. La spedizione 3.1.2. Lo scavo di Hajar bin Humeid 3.2. Metodologia 3.2.1. Stratigrafia 3.2.2. Ceramica 4. 1969, pubblicazione dei risultati di Hajar bin Humeid 4.1. La cronologia in discussione 4.2. L’impatto accademico 4.2.1. I dubbi di J.Pirenne 4.2.2. Le recensioni specialistiche 5. Bibliografi