Relations between the Chow motive and the noncommutative motive of a smooth projective variety

In this note we relate the notions of Lefschetz type, decomposability, and isomorphism for Chow motives with the notions of trivial type, decomposability, and isomorphism for noncommutative motives. Some examples, counter-examples, and applications are also described

Engineering Method and Tool for the Complete Virtual Commissioning of Robotic Cells

Intelligent robotic manufacturing cells must adapt to ever-varying operating conditions, developing autonomously optimal manufacturing strategies to achieve the best quality and overall productivity. Intelligent and cognitive behaviors are realized by using distributed controllers, in which complex control logics must interact and process a wide variety of input/output signals. In particular, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and robot controllers must be coordinated and integrated. Then, there is the need to simulate the robotic cells’ behavior for performance verification and optimization by evaluating the effects of both PLC and robot control codes. In this context, this work proposes a method, and its implementation into an integrated tool, to exploit the potential of ABB RobotStudio software as a virtual prototyping platform for robotic cells, in which real robots control codes are executed on a virtual controller and integrated with Beckhoff PLC environment. For this purpose, a PLC Smart Component was conceived as an extension of RobotStudio functionalities to exchange signals with a TwinCAT instance. The new module allows the virtual commissioning of a complete robotic cell to be performed, assessing the control logics effects on the overall productivity. The solution is demonstrated on a robotic assembly cell, showing its feasibility and effectiveness in optimizing the final performance

Boosting the Performance of PC-based Software Routers with FPGA-enhanced Network Interface Cards

The research community is devoting increasing attention to software routers based on off-the-shelf hardware and open-source operating systems running on the personalcomputer (PC) architecture. Today's high-end PCs are equipped with peripheral component interconnect (PCI) shared buses enabling them to easily fit into the multi-gigabit-per-second routing segment, for a price much lower than that of commercial routers. However, commercially-available PC network interface cards (NICs) lack programmability, and require not only packets to cross the PCI bus twice, but also to be processed in software by the operating system, strongly reducing the achievable forwarding rate. It is therefore interesting to explore the performance of customizable NICs based on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) logic devices we developed and assess how well they can overcome the limitations of today's commercially-available NIC

Depressive Symptoms in Fathers during the First Postpartum Year: The Influence of Severity of Preterm Birth, Parenting Stress and Partners' Depression

Although preterm birth constitutes a risk factor for postpartum depressive symptomatology, perinatal depression (PND) has not been investigated extensively in fathers of very low (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. This study explored paternal depression levels at 3, 9, and 12 months of infant corrected age, investigating also the predictive role played by the severity of prematurity, maternal and paternal PND levels, and parenting stress. We recruited 153 fathers of 33 ELBW, 42 VLBW, and 78 full-term (FT) infants, respectively. Depression was investigated by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and distress by the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form-PSI-SF (Total and subscales: Parental Distress, Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction, and Difficult Child). ELBW fathers showed a significant decrease (improvement) in EPDS, total PSI-SF, and Parental Distress mean scores after 3 months. Paternal EPDS scores at 12 months were significantly predicted by VLBW and FT infants' birth weight categories, fathers' EPDS scores at 3 and 9 months, Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale at 3 months, and Difficult Child subscale at 9 months. This study strengthens the relevance of including early routine screening and parenting support for fathers in perinatal health services, with particular attention to fathers who might be more vulnerable to mental health difficulties due to severely preterm birth

fabrication of fluidic reactors by a customized 3d printing process

Abstract Microfluidic systems demonstrated to improve the analysis of biological and chemical processes by providing a more controlled fluid-handling environment. Typically, microfluidic systems are created in monolithic form by means of microfabrication techniques that constrain designers to work in a two-dimensional space. In this regard, Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a powerful set of technologies that can deal with the complexity of 3D structures producing flow paths with sections differing in size and direction. In this work, the use of a commercial laser-based stereolithography 3D printer has been firstly explored to fabricate transparent channels for flow reactors. A custom 3D printer, based on Digital Light Processing Stereolithography (DLP-SLA), has then been developed with the aim at gaining flexibility and overcoming typical limitations raised from standard commercial solutions. The effectiveness of the developed DLP-SLA 3D printer has been experienced by printing transparent fluidic devices with embedded channels with a specifically designed three-step printing process

PIAZZE REALI E PIAZZE VIRTUALI VISUALIZZAZIONE INTERATTIVA DELLA RICOSTRUZIONE VIRTUALE DI PIAZZE FAMOSE COME STRUMENTO DI CONOSCENZA

<p>La piazza è un luogo di incontro, di confronto e di discussione, nel quale si creano nuovi rapporti o si rafforzano i rapporti esistenti tra le persone e il luogo stesso. Muoversi dentro una piazza consente di conoscere ‘fi sicamente’ la realtà nella quale stiamo agendo. La rappresentazione digitale di una piazza obbliga, invece, a dematerializzare la realtà e ad operare in una sua traduzione virtuale che consente di vivere l’esperienza di trovarsi in un luogo pur non essendoci. Tale esperienza non può sostituirsi al rapporto individuale che ciascuno di noi instaura con i luoghi reali, ma permette di ricreare con essi relazioni diverse, in accordo con i nostri sensi o addirittura ‘potenziandoli’, attraverso sensazioni nuove, ma comunque coinvolgenti. Un siffatto approccio può offrire un elevato contributo divulgativo perché può essere arricchito da numerose informazioni, su più livelli di conoscenza, fruibili mentre 'camminiamo' dentro la piazza ricostruita, proponendo dunque una capacità conoscitiva più intuitiva e diretta. Questo articolo si propone di esporre e discutere l’utilità e la fl essibilità di uso delle tecnologie virtuali attraverso la presentazione di una serie di ricostruzioni tridimensionali interattive di famose piazze, effettuate dal Laboratorio di Robotica Percettiva (PERCRO) della Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa. Tali ricostruzioni, pur condividendo il medesimo linguaggio digitale, sono state utilizzate per un ampio ventaglio di scopi eterogenei, quali la pianifi cazione urbanistica, la comunicazione culturale, la promozione, l’informazione turistica, la fruizione artistica, nonché la divulgazione storica.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Virtual Square</strong></p><p>Squares  are  places  where  people  meet,  discuss,  confront  each other, where new relationships within the community are created or strengthened. Moving inside a square allows to physically know the reality in which we are acting. The digital representation of a square, instead, forces a dematerialization of the reality and makes us act in a virtual translation, allowing to experience a place with-out actually being there. This experience cannot replace the indi-vidual relationship established with real places, though it allows to create new and different connections with them, in agreement with our senses or even augmenting them through new involving sensa-tions. Such an approach may offer a relevant contribution for communication and dissemination, as it can provide several information on different levels of knowledge, accessible, while we ‘walk’ inside the reconstructed square, in a more direct and intuitive way. This article aims to describe and discuss the usefulness and the fl exibility of virtual technologies through the presentation of a series of 3D reconstructions of famous squares, produced by the Perceptual Ro-botics Laboratory (PERCRO) of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa. These reconstructions, although sharing the same digital language, have been used for a wide range of heterogeneous purposes, such as urban planning, cultural communication, promotion, tourist information and education.</p&gt

Growth Kinetics and Sensing Features of Colloidal Silver Nanoplates

This paper presents the growth mechanisms and the plasmon sensing features for a large class of silver nanoplates obtained in the colloidal form. The synthesis is conducted by seed-mediated growth and leads to plates with aspect ratios as large as 20, having localized surface plasmon resonances extending deeply into the infrared spectral region (1000 nm and above). We measure plasmon sensitivity by varying the colloidal local refractive index, and Δλ/Δn sensitivity values up to 500 nm/RIU are obtained. Theoretical considerations regarding the correlation between the refractive index sensitivity and the position of the main localized plasmon resonance band demonstrate that plasmon sensitivity does not depend directly on the nanoparticle shape and aspect ratio

Baseline Micronuclei Frequency in Children: Estimates from Meta- and Pooled Analyses

The number of studies evaluating the effect of environmental exposure to genotoxic agents in children has rapidly increased in the last few years. The frequency of micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood lymphocytes determined with the cytokinesis block assay is among the most popular biomarkers used for this purpose, although large inter- and intralaboratory variability of this end point has been observed in population studies. The availability of reference measures is therefore necessary for laboratories to validate protocols and analytical procedures, and for molecular epidemiologists, as well, to estimate the statistical power of studies and to assess the quality of data. In this article, we provide estimates of the baseline frequency of MN in children, conducting a meta-analysis of MN frequency reported by field studies in children and a pooled analysis of individual data [available from published studies and from the Human Micronucleus International Collaborative Study (HUMN) database]. Thirteen articles were selected for meta-analysis, and individual data included in the pooled analysis were retrieved from the databases of 12 laboratories. Overall means of 4.48 [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.35–5.98] and 5.70 (95% CI, 4.29–7.56) MN per 1,000 binucleated cells were estimated by the meta- and pooled analysis, respectively. A clear effect of age was detected, even within the restricted range of pediatric age considered, with significantly lower frequency values in newborns. No influence of sex was found. The study showed the advantage of using data from large collaborative studies and suggested a synergistic use of meta- and pooled analysis

Strategies of Increased Protein Intake in ELBW Infants Fed by Human Milk Lead to Long Term Benefits

Objective: The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the effects of two different protein intake regimes on feeding tolerance, in-hospital growth, anthropometric data and psychomotor outcome up to 24 months corrected age (CA) in extremely low birth-weight (ELBW; birth weight <1000 g) infants.Methods: During the period 2008–2013, 52 ELBW infants admitted at birth to two Neonatal Intensive Care Units of Emilia Romagna (Italy) were fed according to different protocols of protein fortification of human milk: an estimated protein intakes at maximum fortification levels of 3.5 gr/kg/day in the Standard Nutrition Population-SNP group (n = 26) and 4.8 g/kg/day in the Aggressive Nutrition Population-ANP group (n = 26). During hospitalization, infants' growth, biochemical indices of nutritional status, enteral intake, feeding tolerance, clinical history and morbidity were evaluated. After discharge, anthropometric data and psychomotor outcome, evaluated by Revised Griffiths Mental Development Scales (GMDS-R) 0–2 years, were assessed up to 24 months CA.Results: During hospitalization, the ANP group showed significantly higher weight (18.87 vs. 15.20 g/kg/day) and head circumference (0.70 vs. 0.52 cm/week) growth rates compared to SNP, less days of parenteral nutrition (7.36 ± 2.7 vs. 37.75 ± 29.6) and of hospitalization (60.0 ± 13.3 vs. 78.08 ± 21.32). After discharge, ANP infants had a greater head circumference compared to SNP (45.64 ± 0.29; 46.80 ± 0.31). Furthermore, the General Quotient of GMDS-R mean scores in the SNP group significantly decreased from 12 to 24 months CA, while no difference was seen in the ANP group.Conclusions: Increased protein intake may provide short and long term benefits in terms of growth and neurodevelopment in human milk-fed ELBW infants