Experimental evaluation of environmental effects on a polymer-coated aluminium structure: a time-series analysis and pattern recognition approach

Temperature variation is an important issue that needs to be considered when trying to develop a reliable Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) strategy. In the case that a data-based approach is chosen for damage detection, environmental fluctuations could be erroneously regarded as an abnormal condition of the structure and could mask the presence of damage. One of the objectives of the current work is to examine a statistical pattern recognition approach for novelty detection under different temperature conditions. A second important issue that could hinder the reliability of a SHM strategy is any kind of nonlinear behaviour, not associated with damage, in a system. For the purposes of this paper, the dynamic behaviour of a polymer-coated aluminium structure with ribs fixed with bolts is examined. The autoregressive parameters are the damage sensitive features and later, it is performed Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for robust novelty detection that takes into account the temperature variation

ORGANIC OR INORGANC SYNTHETC FIBER, TEXTILE STRUCTURE COMPRISNG SAID FIBER AND AIR TREATING AND FILTERING SYSTEM

The present invention refers to an organic or inorganic synthetic fiber, said fiber being coated: (a) by a first nickel metal layer, (b) by a second layer comprising silver and TiO2, a textile structure comprising said fiber and an air treatment and filtration system, said system comprising said textile structure, system in which the fiber of the textile structure is irradiated by ultraviolet rays

Organic or inorganic synthetic fibre, textile structure comprising said fibre and air treating and filtering system

The present invention refers to an organic or inorganic synthetic fiber, said fiber being coated: (a) by a first nickel metal layer, (b) by a second layer comprising silver and TiO2, a textile structure comprising said fiber and an air treatment and filtration system, said system comprising said textile structure, system in which the fiber of the textile structure is irradiated by ultraviolet rays

Treatment of retinal angiomatous proliferation in age-related macular degeneration : a series of 104 cases of retinal angiomatous proliferation

Objective: To report the management of retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP), a recently described intraretinal neovascular lesion occurring in age-related macular degeneration. Methods: This was a retrospective review of consecutive patients with age-related macular degeneration who underwent treatment of RAP from January 1, 2000, through January 31, 2003. Inclusion criteria were age 55 years or older, signs of age-related macular degeneration, and diagnosis of RAP based on dynamic indocyanine green angiography. Baseline angiograms were reviewed and RAP was classified into the following 3 stages: stage 1, intraretinal neovascularization, early stage; stage 2, subretinal neovascularization, middle stage; and stage 3, choroidal neovascularization, late stage. Treatment and concomitant treatment results were assessed separately for each RAP stage. The clinical data were statistically analyzed ((chi)2 test and analysis of variance) for 2 main out come measures-complete obliteration of the lesion and final visual acuity. Results: Eighty-one patients (99 eyes) with 104 RAPs were identified. Forty-two lesions were at stage 1, 42 at stage 2, and 20 at stage 3. The following 5 treatments were performed: direct laser photocoagulation of the vascular lesion, laser photocoagulation of the feeder retinal arteriole, scatter "gridlike" laser photocoagulation, photodynamictherapy, and transpupillary thermotherapy. Complete obliteration of RAP was achieved in about 24 (57.1%) of the stage 1 lesions (direct laser photocoagulation of the vascular lesion, 73% success rate; photodynamic therapy, 45%), 11 (26.2%) of the stage 2 lesions (scatter gridlike laser photocoagulation, 38% success rate; direct laser photocoagulation of the vascular lesion, 17%), and only 3 (15.0%) of stage 3 lesions (P=.001). Predictive factors with a significant effect on final visual acuity were initial visual acuity (P=.003) and early lesion stage (P=.04). Best final visual acuity was 0.41 (mean, direct laser photocoagulation of the vascular lesion in stage 1) and 0.39 (mean, photodynamic therapy in stage 1), with a mean decrease of 2.5 and 3 lines from baseline, respectively. Conclusions: Treatment of RAP remains difficult. Early detection of the lesion and subsequent direct conventional laser photocoagulation seems to be associated with better anatomical and functional outcome. Once the vascular complex is well established, anatomical closure is rarely achieved. Further study is warranted to assess the long-term efficacy and the need for re-treatment

Analisi di differenti configurazioni per turbine eoliche offshore

L’eolico offshore sta catturando l’attenzione del mondo scientifico e industriale per la sua potenziale capacità di sfruttare l’ampia disponibilità di vento presente al largo delle coste. Lo studio di turbine eoliche offshore è però un compito estremante complesso in quanto deve includere la deformabilità delle struttura, le caratteristiche aerodinamiche della turbina e la sua interazione con il campo di forze idrodinamico. Questo articolo presenta una analisi di differenti tipologie di ormeggio e configurazione per turbine eoliche flottanti effettuata con un modello multibody flessibile della struttura in grado di interagire con il campo di forze aerodinamico e idrodinamico

Antibacterial Activity of Nano-Structured TiO2 Surfaces: a Preliminary in Vitro Study

We report on preliminary results of bactericidal activity of anostructured titanium dioxide surfaces, obtained via two different techniques on titanium substrate: anodic oxidation and sol-gel film deposition. Anodic oxidation was performed in phosphoric acid in galvanostatic mode: obtained films showed typical interferometric colours, depending on the final applied voltage, and were amorphous (up to 40 V). Sols were obtained by hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide in acidic environment and deposited via cold spray: films showed anatase crystallographic structure, without any further thermal treatment and did not show any evident alteration of the morphology and substrate colour. An appropriate testing chamber was then designed to perform bactericidal tests, by controlling UVA irradiation: bactericidal activity was assessed on two different bacteria strains (S. aureus and E. coli) and demonstrated to be photo-induced. These preliminary results show the ability of nano-structured surfaces in photoactivated biocidal activity of titanium dioxide surfaces