Un ambiente estensibile per annotare citazioni e riferimenti bibliografici

L'impatto di un articolo di ricerca viene misurato principalmente contando quante volte è stato citato. Tuttavia, trattare tutte le citazioni con lo stesso peso ignora l'ampia varietà di funzioni che svolgono. È importante conoscere i diversi motivi per cui un articolo viene citato perché ciò ci permette di comprendere meglio le dinamiche della comunicazione scientifica e di valutare l'impatto di un'opera su un dato campo di ricerca. La ricerca sull'analisi della funzioni citazionali è in continuo sviluppo, sono stati fatti diversi studi e proposti diversi modelli per l'apprendimento automatico e la classificazione di tali funzioni. Questa tesi nasce dalla necessità di dare un contributo alla ricerca, tenendo conto dell'eterogeneità dell'ambito di studio, fornendo un ambiente per l'annotazione manuale che permetta di raccogliere dei dati validi per lo sviluppo della annotazione automatica. A tale scopo presentiamo il Citation Intent Trove (CIT), una applicazione web per raccogliere annotazioni su citazioni e riferimenti bibliografici

Recurring retrieval needs in diverse and dynamic dataspaces: Issues and reference framework

Processing information requests over heterogeneous data spaces is very challenging because aimed at guaranteeing user satisfaction with respect to conflicting requirements on result quality and response time. In [3], it has been argued that, in dynamic contexts pre-venting substantial user involvement in interpreting requests, information on similar requests recurring overtime can be exploited during query processing. In this paper, referring to a graph-based modeling of dataspaces and requests, we propose a preliminary approach in this direction centered on the enabling concept of Profiled Graph Query Pattern (PGQP) as an aggregation of information on past evaluations of a set of previously executed queries. The information maintained in PGQP is not query results, as in materialized queries, but can include different kinds of data and metadata

Experimental and numerical characterization of fireproofing materials based on ASTM E162 standard

Fires may affect process and storage equipment causing severe damages and potential accident escalation. Passive protections, based on the application of fireproofing coatings, are usually implemented in order to prevent or mitigate such events. The design and testing of this type of barriers is a critical task due to the extreme heat exposure conditions. For this purpose, several standard tests, based on the use of large scale furnaces and experimental facilities, are adopted. In the present study, a methodology for the assessment of fireproofing materials performance was presented. The methodology was aimed at reducing the costs of fire tests by the combined use of small scale experiments and modeling activities. A novel inorganic formulation based on basalt fibers and silica aerogel was tested and compared with commercial fireproofing materials. A specific Key Performance Indicator (KPI) was evaluated in order to support the effective design of passive fire protections

Full‐scale shake‐table tests on two unreinforced masonry cavity‐wall buildings: effect of an innovative timber retrofit

AbstractTwo full-scale building specimens were tested on the shake-table at the EUCENTRE Foundation laboratories in Pavia (Italy), to assess the effectiveness of an innovative timber retrofit solution, within a comprehensive research campaign on the seismic vulnerability of existing Dutch unreinforced masonry structures. The buildings represented the end-unit of a two-storey terraced house typical of the North-Eastern Netherlands, a region affected by induced seismicity over the last few decades. This building typology is particularly vulnerable to earthquake excitation due to lack of seismic details and irregular distribution of large openings in masonry walls. Both specimens were built with the same geometry. Their structural system consisted of cavity walls, with interior load-bearing calcium-silicate leaf and exterior clay veneer, and included a first-floor reinforced concrete slab, a second-floor timber framing, and a roof timber structure supported by masonry gables. A timber retrofit was designed and installed inside the second specimen, providing an innovative sustainable, light-weight, reversible, and cost-effective technique, which could be extensively applied to actual buildings. Timber frames were connected to the interior surface of the masonry walls and completed by oriented strands boards nailed to them. The second-floor timber diaphragm was stiffened and strengthened by a layer of oriented-strand boards, nailed to the existing joists and to additional blocking elements through the existing planks. These interventions resulted also in improved wall-to-diaphragm connections with the inner leaf at both floors, while steel ties were added between the cavity-wall leaves. The application of the retrofit system favored a global response of the building with increased lateral capacities of the masonry walls. This paper describes in detail the bare and retrofitted specimens, compares the experimental results obtained through similar incremental dynamic shake-table test protocols up to near-collapse conditions, and identifies damage states and damage limits associated with displacements and deformations

Displacement Demand for Nonlinear Static Analyses of Masonry Structures: Critical Review and Improved Formulations

This paper discusses different formulations for calculating earthquake-induced displacement demands to be associated with nonlinear static analysis procedures for the assessment of masonry structures. Focus is placed on systems with fundamental periods between 0.1 and 0.5 s, for which the inelastic displacement amplification is usually more pronounced. The accuracy of the predictive equations is assessed based on the results from nonlinear time-history analyses, carried out on single-degree-of-freedom oscillators with hysteretic force–displacement relationships representative of masonry structures. First, the study demonstrates some limitations of two established approaches based on the equivalent linearization concept: the capacity spectrum method of the Dutch guidelines NPR 9998-18, and its version outlined in FEMA 440, both of which overpredict maximum displacements. Two codified formulations relying on inelastic displacement spectra are also evaluated, namely the N2 method of Eurocode 8 and the displacement coefficient method of ASCE 41-17: the former proves to be significantly unconservative, while the latter is affected by excessive dispersion. A non-iterative procedure, using an equivalent linear system with calibrated optimal stiffness and equivalent viscous damping, is then proposed to overcome some of the problems identified earlier. A recently developed modified N2 formulation is shown to improve accuracy while limiting the dispersion of the predictions

Chemical shift imaging at 4.7 tesla of brown adipose tissue.

In vivo distinction between small deposits of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and surrounding tissues may be difficult. In this article, we propose an experiment paradigm, based on techniques of chemical shift magnetic resonance imaging (CSI), which can improve the methods presently available for the study of BAT. Male rats were examined in an imager-spectrometer equipped with a 4.7 T magnet. Proton spectra of isolated BAT deposits showed that both fat and water protons contributed significantly to the genesis of the magnetic resonance signal. An equivocal definition of BAT deposits was obtained by three (respectively, spin-echo, water-selective, and fat-selective) images. The spin-echo (SE), T1-weighted image provided the best anatomical description of the structures. The images selective for fat-protons displayed the degree of lipid accumulation in each area. The images selective for water-protons provided an internal control of adipose tissue localization. The proposed paradigm allows an unequivocal definition of BAT deposits and appears particularly useful in studies where experimental manipulation (i.e., cold acclimation or drug treatment) produces changes in this issue

Incidental extravascular findings in computed tomographic angiography for planning or monitoring endovascular aortic aneurysm repair: Smoker patients, increased lung cancer prevalence?

AIMTo validate the feasibility of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the lung prior to computed tomography angiography (CTA) in assessing incidental thoracic findings during endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) planning or follow-up.METHODSWe conducted a retrospective study among 181 patients (143 men, mean age 71 years, range 50-94) referred to our centre for CTA EVAR planning or follow-up. HRCT and CTA were performed before or after 1 or 12 mo respectively to EVAR in all patients. All HRCT examinations were reviewed by two radiologists with 15 and 8 years' experience in thoracic imaging. The results were compared with histology, bronchoscopy or follow-up HRCT in 12, 8 and 82 nodules respectively.RESULTSThere were a total of 102 suspected nodules in 92 HRCT examinations, with a mean of 1.79 nodules per patient and an average diameter of 9.2 mm (range 4-56 mm). Eighty-nine out of 181 HRCTs resulted negative for the presence of suspected nodules with a mean smoking history of 10 pack-years (p-y, range 5-18 p-y). Eighty-two out of 102 (76.4%) of the nodules met criteria for computed tomography follow-up, to exclude the malignant evolution. Of the remaining 20 nodules, 10 out of 20 (50%) nodules, suspected for malignancy, underwent biopsy and then surgical intervention that confirmed the neoplastic nature: 4 (20%) adenocarcinomas, 4 (20%) squamous cell carcinomas, 1 (5%) small cell lung cancer and 1 (5%) breast cancer metastasis); 8 out of 20 (40%) underwent bronchoscopy (8 pneumonia) and 2 out of 20 (10%) underwent biopsy with the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.CONCLUSIONHRCT in EVAR planning and follow-up allows to correctly identify patients requiring additional treatments, especially in case of lung cancer

Molecular detection and characterization of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae strains in backyard poultry in Italy

ABSTRACT Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) represent the most important avian Mycoplasma species in the poultry industry, causing considerable economic losses. In Italy, the presence of MG or MS has been investigated especially in commercial poultry farms. To our knowledge, no systematic investigations on MG or MS presence using highly specific diagnostic assays have been performed in backyard poultry. The aim of this study was to detect and molecularly characterize MG and MS strains in 11 backyard poultry flocks located in different regions of Italy. Tracheal swabs were collected and DNA was extracted. For MS, a PCR targeting a vlhA gene fragment was performed, and typing and subtyping was attempted. The presence of MG was investigated by a screening PCR, then MG typing by gene-targeted sequencing (GTS). All the amplicons were sequenced, then MG and MS dendrograms were constructed. All the flocks examined resulted Mycoplasma positive: 5 out of 11 (45.45%) were MG and MS positive, 3 (27.27%) were MG positive, and the remaining 3 (27.27%) were MS positive. The MS detections were assigned to types C, D, and F. All strains of type D belonged to subtype D1 and 2 unknown subtypes were identified. A MS sequence showed peculiar characteristics, which did not allow assignment to a known MS type or subtype. MG GTS analysis identified 6 MG strains belonging to 5 subclusters circulating in Italian backyards chicken flocks. The results of this study provide evidence of a risk for commercial poultry farms, especially in areas where backyard and commercial farms are close, suggesting the implementation of biosecurity measures