Energy recovery of the biomass from livestock farms in italy: The case of Modena province

The overall energy conversion efficiency of the waste-to-energy technologies is strongly affected by the distance of the biomass supply and the rate available during the year. Therefore, a simulation tool for the evaluation of the main outputs of a power plant for the wastes exploitation is a useful instrument for investigating the best trade-off between the plant size and the biomass supply. Nevertheless, it usually involves a large number of data and an extensive training and expertise. This paper focuses on the development of a numerical tool for the comparison of different waste-to-energy technologies and thus supporting the selection of the best exploitation strategy based on the data usually accessible to administrations. The numerical approach employs validated numerical models for the considered biomass exploitation technologies and its capabilities are demonstrated by simulating a reference case: the energy recovery from manure of different livestock farms in the province of Modena (Italy). The electric and thermal power production from the manure available in the considered territory is estimated and the produced electric energy is balanced with the energy requirements of the local animal farms. The remaining amount of wastes that has to be disposed is also calculated and compared with the initial input to the systems. Finally, different strategies for distributed and centralized exploitation of the manure are investigated and the related plant size and production of electric and thermal energy are evaluated. The proposed approach and the developed numerical tool prove to be useful instruments for decision makers and can help the efficient exploitation of the biomasses available in a region

An Innovative Approach to Kinematic Analysis of Multibody Hydraulic Actuation Systems

The paper focuses on the development of an innovative methodology for the direct measurement of the main kinematic variables in multi-body hydraulic actuation systems. The analysis investigates how the motion capture technique has been applied to the experimental determination of position, velocity and acceleration of hydraulically controlled actuation systems for off-highway machineries. A number of earth-moving machines has been taken into account, in particular a mini-excavator articulated harm has been equipped with both a standard mechanical system for position and acceleration measurement (including different accelerometers, linear and angular transducers), and a set of IR markers for motion capture application. First, the hydraulically controlled boom-arm-bucket system has been operated using a control routine reproducing a reference operating condition, in order to define the accuracy of the motion capture system in detecting the kinematic quantities\u2019 variations. At the same time, the hydraulic variables have been also acquired to monitor the behavior during the machine working routine. Thus, the results obtained by the different experimental techniques have been compared, in order to state the reliability of the motion capture technique to predict the fast dynamics of pressure variations through the accurate measurement of mechanical devices\u2019 oscillation. Finally, the paper reports the main results obtained using the data from the motion capture characterization of the dynamic performance of the mini-excavator, with particular attention devoted to the dynamic analysis through lumped and distributed parameter numerical co-simulation

A Multicenter, Randomized, Parallel-Group Trial Assessing Compliance, Tolerability, Safety, and Efficacy to Treatment with Grass Allergy Tablets in 261 Patients with Grass Pollen Rhinoconjunctivitis

Background. Allergen-specific sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is considered a causal treatment of respiratory allergies. Compliance to the SLIT is an important aspect for a positive clinical outcome. Study Aim. To evaluate if compliance with grass Allergy Immunotherapy Tablet (AIT) can be increased by providing an electronic compliance device (CED) (Memozax; a tablet-container with a programmable daily acoustic alarm). Patients and Methods. 261 patients with grass allergy were enrolled and randomized (1 : 1) to 1-year treatment with AIT (Grazax) using a CED (group A; n = 122) or without (Group B, n = 139). Compliance was measured through tablet count at each visit. Results. The 12-month compliance, mean (SD), in group A was 83% (21) and 83% (24) in group B. A total of 81% of patients reported a significant clinical improvement of symptoms after treatment in comparison with the previous year. No severe adverse reactions were observed in the study. Conclusion. Compliance to the treatment with AIT administered for 12 consecutive months is in general good. The use of CED is not associated with a greater compliance. AIT treatment was associated with a significant clinical improvement in >80% of patients with a good tolerability and safety profile

Imaging Modalities for the Noninvasive Assessment of Fibrosis in Crohn's Disease

The development of strictures in Crohn's disease is a main cause of hospitalization and often represent an indication for surgery. The differentiation between inflammatory and fibrotic strictures is useful to determine the optimal treatment. Today, the availability of noninvasive methods to assess the presence and extension of strictures offers new tools for the diagnosis and follow-up of the disease. Bowel ultrasound, power doppler ultrasound, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging offer the additional advantage that they do not expose patients to ionizing radiation. In this paper we provide an update on the accuracy of these noninvasive methods for the diagnosis of Crohn's disease

Multidimensional Design of Hydraulic Components and Systems

In this chapter, the above mentioned critical aspects in the application of multidimensional numerical analysis for the design of mechanical devices and components for hydraulic systems are addressed. The objective of the chapter is to provide a roadmap for the multidimensional numerical analysis of the hydraulic components to be used effectively in the design process. In particular, two examples of hydraulic systems are accounted for in the application of the CFD analysis: a proportional control valve and a fuel accumulator for multi-fuel injection systems. These test cases have been selected due to their representativeness in the field of hydraulic applications and to the complexity and variety ofthe physical phenomena involved

Efficacy of lidocaine 7 %, tetracaine 7 % self-occlusive cream in reducing MAL-cPDT-associated pain in subjects with actinic keratosis: A randomized, single-blind, vehicle-controlled trial (The "3P-Trial")

n/

Dynamic Analysis of the Lubrication in a Wet Clutch of a Hydromechanical Variable Transmission

The paper investigates the oil flow through a multi plate clutch for a hydro-mechanical variable transmission under actual operating conditions. The analysis focuses on the numerical approach for the accurate prediction of the transient behavior of the lubrication in the gear region: the trade-off between prediction capabilities of the numerical model and computational effort is addressed. The numerical simulation includes the full 3D geometry of the clutch and the VOF multi-phase approach is used to calculate the oil distribution in the clutch region under different relative rotating velocities. Furthermore, the lubrication of the friction disks is calculated for different clutch actuation conditions, i.e. not-engaged and engaged positions. The influence of different geometrical features of the clutch lubricating circuit on the oil distribution is also determined. The results show the areas where poor lubrication occurs and extend the experiments where measurements are difficult to carry out. The simulation highlights the regions where high thermal stresses are observed during tests