Coupling excavator hydraulic system and internal combustion engine models for the real-time simulation

Rising energy costs and emissions restrictions force manufacturers to exploit new techniques to reduce fuel consumption and pollutant production. Many solutions have been proposed for off-road vehicles, mainly based on reduction of hydraulic losses, better control strategies and introduction of hybrid architectures. In these applications the optimization of the matching between hydraulic system and thermal engine is a major concern to improve system overall efficiency. The work presented in the paper is focused on the development of a method for the simulation of typical mobile machinery where hydraulic systems are powered by internal combustion engines; the proposed co-simulation approach can be useful in the development cycle of this machinery

External instrument SVAR analysis for noninvertible shocks

Does imagining what life could have been in the absence of a shock change current satisfaction? To answer this we collect field data through a survey that covers the period before, during and after the COVID-19 lockdown, exploiting the features of a natural experiment combined with induced variation stemming from a randomized control trial (RCT). Our data covers first year students studying before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the full COVID-19 lockdown period, and during the partial COVID-19 lockdown period. The RCT directs a subset of students to imagine how satisfied they could have been in the absence of COVID-19. The control group are instead asked about their current satisfaction. We find that imagining life in the absence of a shock (COVID-19) can impact current satisfaction: the higher individuals think their satisfaction would have been in the absence of the shock, the lower their current satisfaction. However, the natural experiment component of our study suggests that counter- factual reasoning may mislead. By comparing the satisfaction of COVID-19 students asked to imagine university life without COVID-19, with the reported satisfaction of equivalent students just before the arrival of COVID-19, we show students typically over-exaggerate how satisfied they would have been if a negative shock had not happened

Articulated motion discovery using pairs of trajectories

We propose an unsupervised approach for discovering characteristic motion patterns in videos of highly artic-ulated objects performing natural, unscripted behaviors, such as tigers in the wild. We discover consistent patterns in a bottom-up manner by analyzing the relative displace-ments of large numbers of ordered trajectory pairs through time, such that each trajectory is attached to a different moving part on the object. The pairs of trajectories de-scriptor relies entirely on motion and is more discriminative than state-of-the-art features that employ single trajecto-ries. Our method generates temporal video intervals, each automatically trimmed to one instance of the discovered behavior, and clusters them by type (e.g., running, turn-ing head, drinking water). We present experiments on two datasets: dogs from YouTube-Objects and a new dataset of National Geographic tiger videos. Results confirm that our proposed descriptor outperforms existing appearance- and trajectory-based descriptors (e.g., HOG and DTFs) on both datasets and enables us to segment unconstrained animal video into intervals containing single behaviors. 1

Cognitive Based Design of a HMI for Telenavigation of A Space Rover

Human Machine Interface (HMI) design is a critical field of work because no general guidelines or rules have been assessed. In order to aid practitioners to design effective HMIs, different methodologies have been studied. To understand task objectives and plan goal-oriented actions, human operators exploit specific cognitive processes that have to be supported with advanced interfaces. Including cognitive aspects in HMI design allows generating an information flow that reduces user mental workload, increasing his/her situation awareness. This paper focuses on design and test of aGraphical User Interface (GUI) for the telenavigation of a space rover that makes the cognitive process of the user a priority in relation to the other development guidelines. To achieve this, a Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) techinque, known as Applied Cognitive Work Analysis (ACWA), is combined with a multi-agent empirical test to ensure the GUI effectiveness. The ACWA allows evaluating mission scenarios, i.e. piloting the rover on the Mars surface, in order to obtain a model of the human cognitive demands that arise in these complex work domains. These demands can be used to obtain an effective information flow between the GUI and the operator. The multi-agent empirical test, on the other hand, allows an early feedback on the user mental workload aiming to validate the GUI. The result of the methodology is a GUI that eases the information flow through the interface, enhancing operator's performanc

Retrieving the Stress Field Within the Campi Flegrei Caldera (Southern Italy) Through an Integrated Geodetical and Seismological Approach

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New insights for using self-assembly materials to improve the detection stability in label-free DNA-chip and immuno-sensors

This paper examines reliable advancements in low-cost DNA- and immuno-chips. Capacitance detection was successfully chosen to develop label-free bio-chips. Probe immobilization was rigorously investigated in order to obtain reliable capacitance measurements. Protein probes immobilized by using usual alkanethiols or thiolated ssDNA probes directly immobilized on gold do not allow sufficient stable capacitance measurements. New alkanethiols improved with ethylene-glycol function are shown in this paper to be more suitable materials for capacitive bio-chip development. Atomic Force Microscopy, Quartz Crystal Microbalance, and Capacitance Measurements were used to demonstrate that ethylene-glycol alkanethiols allow high time stability, smaller errors in detection, and improved ideal behaviour of the sensing surfaces. Measured capacitance is in the range of 8-11 nF/mm(2) for antibody layers and close to 6 nF/mm(2) for DNA probes. It is in the range of 10-12 nF/mm(2) and of 4-6 nF/mm(2) for antigen and DNA detection, respectively. The percentage error in detection is highly improved and it is in the range of 11-37% and of 0,23-0,82% for antigen and DNA, respectively. The reproducibility is also improved and it is close to 0,44% for single spot measurements on ethylene-glycol alkanethiols. A molecular theory attributing these improvements to water molecules strongly coordinated by ethylene-glycol functional groups and to solution ions not entering into probe films is finally proposed. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Role of colchicine treatment in Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome (TRAPS): real-life data from the AIDA Network

Objective: To analyze the potential role of colchicine monotherapy in patients with tumor necrosis factor receptor associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) in terms of control of clinical and laboratory manifestations. Methods: Patients with TRAPS treated with colchicine monotherapy were retrospectively enrolled; demographic, clinical and therapeutic data were collected and statistically analysed after having clustered patients according to different times at disease onset, penetrance of mutations, dosage of colchicine, and different disease manifestations. Results: 24 patients (14 males; 15 with pediatric disease onset) treated with colchicine monotherapy were enrolled. Colchicine resulted in a complete response in 3 (12.5%) cases, partial response in 14 (58.3%) patients, and lack of response in 7 (29.2%) patients. There were not significant differences in colchicine response between pediatric and adult disease onset (p = 0.42), between low- and high-penetrance mutations (p = 0.62), and according to different dosages (p = 0.66). No significant differences were identified in the frequency of specific disease manifestations between patients experiencing any response to colchicine and patients with lack of response. Conclusions: Colchicine monotherapy is useful in a low percentage of TRAPS patients; nevertheless, it could be attempted in patients with milder phenotypes and at a lower risk of developing reactive amyloidosis

Optimal management of asymptomatic carotid stenosis in 2021: the jury is still out. An International, multispecialty, expert review and position statement

Objectives: The recommendations of international guidelines for the management of asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS) often vary considerably and extend from a conservative approach with risk factor modification and best medical treatment (BMT) alone, to a more aggressive approach with a carotid intervention plus BMT. The aim of the current multispecialty position statement is to reconcile the conflicting views on the topic. Materials and methods: A literature review was performed with a focus on data from recent studies. Results: Several clinical and imaging high-risk features have been identified that are associated with an increased long-term ipsilateral ischemic stroke risk in patients with ACS. Such high-risk clinical/imaging features include intraplaque hemorrhage, impaired cerebrovascular reserve, carotid plaque echolucency/ulceration/ neovascularization, a lipid-rich necrotic core, a thin or ruptured fibrous cap, silent brain infarction, a contralateral transient ischemic attack/stroke episode, male patients <75 years and microembolic signals on transcranial Doppler. There is growing evidence that 80-99% ACS indicate a higher stroke risk than 50-79% stenoses. Conclusions: Although aggressive risk factor control and BMT should be implemented in all ACS patients, several high-risk features that may increase the risk of a future cerebrovascular event are now documented. Consequently, some guidelines recommend a prophylactic carotid intervention in high-risk patients to prevent future cerebrovascular events. Until the results of the much-anticipated randomized controlled trials emerge, the jury is still out regarding the optimal management of ACS patients