Network Methods for Analysis and Design of Resonant Wireless Power Transfer Systems

In this chapter we illustrate networks methods for the analysis an design of Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems. We begin with an introduction which compares the alternatives available for transfering electromagnetic power. In particular, we illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of the various possibilities: transmission lines, antennas, and mid-range reactive field couplings. Then, in the introduction, we also illustrate practical applications for WPT and discuss relevant papers published so far. In the second section, after introducing a basic structure for realizing WPT (see Fig.1), we discuss the relevant theory for WPT by considering a very simple network which, nevertheless, contains all the relevant phenomenology. We derive formulas for maximizing the efficiency of power transfer and we show the necessity of introducing matching networks. Several possible realizations of matching networks are then illustrated. In the next section we introduce appropriate methods, based on the ABCD matrix, for the narrow-band analysis of WPT systems including matching networks. An example of such a network is reported in Fig. 2. A section will be devoted to the input and output coupling design where we will provide new formulas for the design of the matching networks. In particular we show that, for a given type of resonators with a given quality factor Q and a given value of the coupling between the two resonators, we can find the optimal coupling coefficients which maximize the efficiency. An example of the results achievable when optimizing the input/output coupling is reported in Fig. 3. Having derived a procedure for attaining maximum efficiency, it is also possible to establish the theoretical limits that can be achieved for a given value of coupling and for specified values of the resonators Q. A section will be also devoted to the case of multiple transmitting and multiple receiving resonators. For this arrangement, which has practical relevance and is illustrated in Fig 5, we also introduce a rigorous general network model for its analysis. Several different types of resonators will be investigated and compared. Closed form formulas relevant to the resonators' design will be introduced and also fullwave analysis of resonators well be exploited. Theoretical results will be compared with measured ones and measurement methods will be discussed. One of the problems of WPT, i.e. the frequency shift occurring when resonators are placed at different distances, will be discussed and the solution will be outlined. This is very important in practice because allows to realize systems without the need of complex sources or difficult tracking mechanisms. Finally, we will also illustrate how to analyze, both in frequency and time domain, the network representations used for WPT

A Network Approach for Wireless Resonant Energy Links Using Relay Resonators

In this paper, a network approach for the analysis of a wireless resonant energy link consisting of N inductively coupled LC resonators is proposed. By using an artificial transmission line approach, the wireless link is modeled as a transmission line described by effective parameters. It is shown that the analyzed system exhibits a passband filter behavior. More specifically, the reported results demonstrate that in the wireless link passband the effective parameters assume negative values resulting in a negative phase delay. Useful design formulas are derived and validated by comparisons with the experimental data

Elezioni politiche 2018, i paradigmi dei partiti post burocratici

Le elezioni politiche italiane del 2018 sono state le prime a tenersi in assenza di finanziamento ai partiti da parte dello Stato. Per tale ragione la Rete è da subito sembrata essere tanto lo strumento democraticamente a disposizione delle forze politiche per la costruzione del consenso, quanto il punto di osservazione privilegiato per le nuove forme comunicative e di organizzazione dei partiti post burocratici. Alla luce delle trasformazioni nel panorama politico italiano, al mutare della comunicazione politica e all’evoluzione della forma partito, la tesi affronta il tema della campagna elettorale in Rete delle sei forze politiche che hanno superato la soglia di sbarramento del 3% - Forza Italia, Fratelli d’Italia, Lega, Liberi e Uguali, Movimento 5 stelle, Partito Democratico - con l’obiettivo di individuarne i paradigmi della costruzione del consenso. Per osservare la propaganda elettorale dei partiti si è scelto di concentrare l’attenzione su Facebook, tra i social network il più generalista, analizzando tutti i post prodotti dalle rispettive pagine ufficiali nelle quattro settimane di campagna elettorale antecedenti il voto (5 febbraio 2018 – 3 marzo 2018), per un volume di 3.120 post totali. Il lavoro è articolato in due parti distinte. La prima parte si concentra sull’evoluzione della forma partito in Italia a partire dall’immediato dopoguerra indagando i modelli organizzativi delle forze politiche ed il mutare delle forme dell’organizzazione del consenso in relazione all’evoluzione delle campagne elettorali e alle fasi della comunicazione politica. Inoltre, ricostruisce il quadro storico-politico, a partire dalla cosiddetta II Repubblica fino alla vigilia delle elezioni 2018, non prescindendo nella ricostruzione dal ruolo giocato dai sistemi elettorali nelle trasformazioni occorse al sistema politico italiano. La seconda parte della tesi è dedicata all’indagine empirica della campagna che, per poter al meglio procedere all’individuazione degli assi della costruzione del consenso elettorale dei partiti, si avvale di diverse tecniche di ricerca. Tra i principali risultati del lavoro, la tesi mette in luce come ci sia una tendenza a considerare la Rete più come un canale di comunicazione in cui trasporre le attitudini comunicative tradizionali, che come il luogo della riorganizzazione della forma partito in una dimensione digitale. Ed inoltre, come non sussista un rapporto direttamente proporzionale tra la capacità di flusso comunicativo dei partiti e la risposta degli utenti in termini di engagement. In aggiunta a ciò i risultati delle analisi condotte indicano come, distinguendosi per strategie comunicative dissimili, i post partiti analizzati agiscano in uno spazio di social campaign caratterizzato da due dimensioni latenti contrapposte, definite dal contrasto tra “persuasione vs partecipazione” e “cognizione vs emozione”

Italian general election 2018: digital campaign strategies. Three case studies: Movimento 5 Stelle, PD and Lega

[EN] The advent of the Network Society has brought substantial transformations also in the politics, which, like other areas of society, is affected by important changes. The network, which regulates social relations, has become the place of political discussion and that is where the most substantial part of the electoral campaign for the 2018 general election took place. The object of our research is the observation of the political propaganda of the Movimento 5 Stelle, the Partito Democratico and the Lega (the three most voted parties in the Italian elections) through the institutional accounts of the political parties on Facebook. Once collected a research sample of 1,397 posts officially published online on the three monitored accounts, the aim of our analysis is to investigate the communication strategies of the parties in a phase of hybrid democracy crossed by a deep crisis of political representation. From our analysis it emerges how the three political forces, that refer to different electorates, organize their electoral propaganda, each according to their own strategyCalò, E.; Faggiano, MP.; Gallo, R.; Mongiardo, M. (2018). Italian general election 2018: digital campaign strategies. Three case studies: Movimento 5 Stelle, PD and Lega. En 2nd International Conference on Advanced Reserach Methods and Analytics (CARMA 2018). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 185-192. https://doi.org/10.4995/CARMA2018.2018.8343OCS18519

Mediterranean jellyfish sting-induced Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy.

We report a case of a 53-year-old woman swimming in the southern Mediterranean Sea on the Calabrian coast that was suddenly stung on her right forearm by a mauve-pink jellyfish. She got extremely scared and while swimming back to the shore, she accused fatigue and an intense itch sensation. She lost consciousness on the beach as a consequence of a condition of pulseless electrical activity

Description and validation of TAVIApp: A novel mobile application for support of physicians in the management of aortic stenosis - Management of aortic stenosis with TAVIApp

Background. Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common heart valve disease in developed countries. The advent of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) significantly improved patients' outcome but made clinical management more complex. The aim of the present study was to describe TAVIApp, a mobile app we developed to guide the management of AS, and test its efficacy. Methods and Results. Clinical cases comprising 42 patients with AS were blindly evaluated by (A) an interventional cardiologist, assisted by the Heart Team (EXPERT), (B) young residents in cardiology, and (C) a young resident supported by TAVIApp. There was poor concordance between Group A and Group B with low performance by young residents (k=0.52; p<0.001). However, concordance increased to an optimal value when young residents were supported by TAVIApp (k=1.0; p<0.001) for the diagnosis of severe AS and eligibility assessment. Furthermore, regarding the selection of the most appropriate prosthesis size, concordance to Group A was poor without TAVIApp support (Group B) (k=0.78; p=0.430), but excellent with TAVIApp (k=1.0; p<0.001). Conclusions. This study is the first describing and validating a new mobile application to support the management of AS. TAVIApp supports cardiologists in the evaluation of stenosis severity, eligibility for TAVI or AVR, and selection of the most appropriate prosthesis size in individual patients

Migration of a stent from left main and its retrieval from femoral artery: A case report

Rationale:Embolization of a deployed stent is a rare complication and its mechanism remains unclear in most cases.Patient concerns:A 52-year-old man underwent coronary angiography for effort angina, revealing an 80% stenosis of the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) involving the distal left main (LM). After luminal sizing with intravascular ultrasound two drug-eluting stents were deployed (5.0 × 12 mm and 3.5 × 15 mm) to cover the LM-LAD lesion. After postdilatation, the proximal stent had disappeared from the LM.Diagnoses:The missing stent was found in the right deep femoral artery.Interventions:A new 5.0 × 15 mm stent was deployed onto the LM-LAD ostium, in overlapping with the previously implanted. Then, the stent migrated to the deep femoral artery was successfully retieved through the contralateral femoral artery.Outcomes:The patient was discharged 2 days later, after an uneventful hospital stay.Lessons:Stent deformation after postdilation is a possible causes of stent migration

Le ragioni dell’ostilità verso l’immigrazione. Quale ruolo per il framing politico?

Eugenio Levi, Rama Dasi Mariani e Melissa Mongiardo, basandosi sul loro recente saggio, esaminano il problema dell’ostilità verso l’immigrazione e puntano l’attenzione sul modo in cui i politici hanno raccontato il fenomeno migratorio, influenzandone la percezione. I risultati che presentano, suggeriscono che nella scena pubblica attuale ha assunto particolare rilevanza una narrativa basata sulla contrapposizione “noi vs loro”, alimentata dalla mancata integrazione degli immigrati, dalla generale sfiducia verso i politici e dal senso di insicurezza delle persone