Design of a modular Autonomous Underwater Vehicle for archaeological investigations

MARTA (MARine Tool for Archaeology) is a modular AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) designed and developed by the University of Florence in the framework of the ARROWS (ARchaeological RObot systems for the World's Seas) FP7 European project. The ARROWS project challenge is to provide the underwater archaeologists with technological tools for cost affordable campaigns: i.e. ARROWS adapts and develops low cost AUV technologies to significantly reduce the cost of archaeological operations, covering the full extent of an archaeological campaign (underwater mapping, diagnosis and cleaning tasks). The tools and methodologies developed within ARROWS comply with the "Annex" of the 2001 UNESCO Convention for the protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH). The system effectiveness and MARTA performance will be demonstrated in two scenarios, different as regards the environment and the historical context, the Mediterranean Sea (Egadi Islands) and the Baltic Sea

The ARROWS project: Adapting and developing robotics technologies for underwater archaeology

ARchaeological RObot systems for the World's Seas (ARROWS) EU Project proposes to adapt and develop low-cost Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) technologies to significantly reduce the cost of archaeological operations, covering the full extent of archaeological campaign. ARROWS methodology is to identify the archaeologists requirements in all phases of the campaign and to propose related technological solutions. Starting from the necessities identified by archaeological project partners in collaboration with the Archaeology Advisory Group, a board composed of European archaeologists from outside ARROWS, the aim is the development of a heterogeneous team of cooperating AUVs capable of comply with a complete archaeological autonomous mission. Three new different AUVs have been designed in the framework of the project according to the archaeologists' indications: MARTA, characterized by a strong hardware modularity for ease of payload and propulsion systems configuration change; U-C AT, a turtle inspired bio-mimetic robot devoted to shipwreck penetration and A-Size AUV, a vehicle of small dimensions and weight easily deployable even by a single person. These three vehicles will cooperate within the project with AUVs already owned by ARROWS partners exploiting a distributed high-level control software based on the World Model Service (WMS), a storage system for the environment knowledge, updated in real-time through online payload data process, in the form of an ontology. The project includes also the development of a cleaning tool for well-known artifacts maintenance operations. The paper presents the current stage of the project that will lead to overall system final demonstrations, during Summer 2015, in two different scenarios, Sicily (Italy) and Baltic Sea (Estonia

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE

The microsurgical anatomy of the jugular foramen was studied in 12 formalin preserved cadavers (24 foramina) and 40 dry-skulls (80 foramina). The jugular foramen was exposed by microsurgical dissection with drilling from a superior to inferior direction. Observations regarding dural architecture of the jugular foramen and relationships between neurovascular structures passing through the foramen were noted in cadavers. Normal bony construction of the foramen and its variational anatomy were examined in dry-skull specimens. Using photographs and drawings, the anatomy of the jugular foramen is presented and related terminology is discussed in the light of a literature review. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd

CLINICAL RADIOLOGY

AIM: A comparative radiologico-anatomical study of the cochlear aqueduct (CA) was performed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight cadavers and 23 dry temporal bones were studied. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) was carried out on each cadaver before microdissection. Microdissection was carried out in a plane parallel to the HRCT sections. RESULTS: The CA was found to be located an average of 7 mm inferior to the internal acoustic meatus and at the superior edge of the jugular foramen. The external aperture of the CA was triangular in shape in 18 bones (78.3%). The petrosal fossa was located just inferior to the external aperture and housed the glossopharyngeal nerve, which had an incomplete bony canal in four bones (17.4%) and a complete bony canal in three bones (13%). It was possible to demonstrate the petrosal portion of the CA on both coronal and axial HRCT. The otic capsule segment of the CA was impossible to demonstrate on coronal sections. CONCLUSION: The CA cannot be visualized in only one section of the plane in HRCT. Both the otic capsule and petrosal segments can be demonstrated on axial HRCT. (C) 2000 The Royal College of Radiologists

Bone dehiscences of medial orbital wall on CT and assessment of terminological errors in literature

Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the position and frequency of dehiscences in the medial orbital wall and to reveal that dehiscences and orbital adipose tissue hernias are distinct entities. Materials and methods: Two hundred-thirty medial orbital walls of 115 patients with a preliminary diagnosis of headache and sinusitis but without active ethmoidal sinusitis were examined by computer tomography in the axial plane.  Two separate radiologists assessed continuity of the medial orbital  wall and orbital fat tissue herniation in ethmoid cells. The medial orbital wall was divided into four quadrants and the dehiscence distribution was evaluated. Results: Bone defects  were detected in 71 patients (30.9%) in 230 orbital medial wall reviews of 115 patients (59 males, 56 females).  Eight of these cases (4 male, 4 female) (3.5%) had herniation of the orbital adipose tissue into the ethmoid sinus. Of the 108 dehiscences, 47 were localized in the posterior upper quadrant. A statistically significant difference was found in the dehiscence distribution according to the quadrants. No significant relationship was found among age, gender, side of dehiscence and frequency of dehiscence. Conclusions: Dehiscences in the posterior upper quadrant are more common  in the medial orbital wall. Although bone dehiscences in the medial  orbital wall and the herniation of the orbital fat tissue are two different entities, they are used interchangeably in most of the literature and in radiological reporting

Anatomical landmarks regarding sacrospinous colpopexy operations performed for vaginal vault prolapse

WOS: 000173830200017PubMed: 11803104Aim: To investigate the anatomical relationships of the structures and the topographic anatomy or the sacrospinous ligament and validate Current anatomic knowledge of this area. Materials: Nine embalmed half female cadaver pelvises were dissected to reveal the anatomy of the sacrospinous ligament. Results: The average length of the sacrospinous ligament was measured to be 43.04 +/- 6.58 mm. The inferior gluteal complex emerges from the infrapiriform foramen at a distance of 17.02 +/- 3.08 mm from the ischial spine and courses to inferior laterally with a slight curve. During this course, it passes close to the upper-lateral half of the sacrospinous ligament. The pudendal complex passes above the spine in six of the nine cases (66.6%) and lies maximum of 5.5 mm medial to the spine. Oil average the sciatic nerve is measured to he 25.14 +/- 3.94 mm lateral to the ischial spine. Conclusion: Placing the suture inferomedially and close to sacrum, the risk of complication will be minimal. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Surface landmarks and anatomic relationships of sciatic nerve for anaesthetic blockade: cadaveric study

WOS: 000459215900400

Muscle variations and abnormal branching and course of the ulnar nerve in the forearm and hand

WOS: 000187803700013PubMed: 14695591During dissection of the right forearm of a 27-year-old female cadaver, variations in the form and insertion of the palmaris longus muscle were observed. The tendon of the palmaris longus muscle, which demonstrated a centrally placed belly, split into two tendons: one inserted into the palmar aponeurosis and the other into the proximal part of the flexor retinaculum. Additionally, we found an accessory muscle extending between the flexor retinaculum and the tendon of the abductor digiti minimi muscle. This accessory muscle was located deep to the ulnar artery but superficial to the superficial and deep branches of the ulnar nerve at the wrist. Finally, an aberrant branch of the ulnar nerve was identified in the forearm; it travelled distally alongside the ulnar artery and in the palm demonstrated communications with common palmar digital nerves from the ulnar and the median nerves. No variations were observed in the contralateral upper limb