Simulation of surfactant transport during the rheological relaxation of two-dimensional dry foams

We describe a numerical model to predict the rheology of two-dimensional dry foams. The model accurately describes soap film curvature, viscous friction with the walls, and includes the transport of surfactant within the films and across the vertices where films meet. It accommodates the changes in foam topology that occur when a foam flows and, in particular, accurately represents the relaxation of the foam following a topological change. The model is validated against experimental data, allowing the prediction of elastic and viscous parameters associated with different surfactant solutions

A multisource approach for coastline mapping and identification of shoreline changes

Coastal dynamics are driven by phenomena of exogenous and endogenous nature. Characterizing factors that influence their equilibrium and continuous monitoring are fundamental for effective environmental planning and management of coastal areas. In order to monitor shoreline changes, we developed a methodology based on a multisource and multitemporal approach. A database, related to the Ionian coast of Basilicata region (about 50 km), was implemented by using cartographic data (IGMI data), satellite imagery (SPOT-PX/XS, Landsat-TM, Corona) and aerial data covering the period form 1949 to 2001. In particular, airborne data (1 m spatial resolution) were acquired during a specific campaign we performed in 2000 and 2001. To obtain the best performance from the available data, we applied a data fusion procedure on visible and thermal information. Different algorithms were tested, such as band ratios and clustering for extracting the coastline. The best results from multispectral data were obtained using a threshold algorithm we devised by exploiting the green, red and NIR bands, whereas for panchromatic data we selected clustering as the more suitable method. Moreover, a GPS survey was performed to evaluate the influence of tidal effects

Time-stability of a Single-crystal Diamond Detector for fast neutron beam diagnostic under alpha and neutron irradiation

Single-crystal Diamond Detectors (SDDs), due to their good charge carrier transport properties, low leakage and therefore good energy resolution, are good candidates for fast neutron measurement on pulsed spallation sources and fusion plasma experiments. Moreover, diamonds are known to be resistant to neutron irradiation. Nevertheless, measurements show transient effects during irradiation with ionizing particles, as the alpha particle calibration sources. The decrease of the detector counting rate of a counting chain and the pulse height are interpreted as due to a charge trapping inside the detector, which modifies the drift electric field. These instabilities are strongly dependent on the specific type of the interaction. Measurements have been carried out with both alpha particles in the laboratory and neutrons at the ISIS neutron spallation source. We show that these polarization effects are not permanent: the detector performances can be restored by simply inverting the detector bias high voltage. Prime Novelty Statement The measurements described in the paper were performed in order to study the polarization effect in Single-crystal Diamond Detector. This effect was observed under alpha particle and neutron irradiation. With the Transient Current Technique an interpretation of the effect is given

Andre Maurois, Exponent of Romanticism: Biography

Abstract not availabl

Tarlov Cysts Mimicking Adnexal Masses: Two Case Reports

Tarlov cysts are cystic structures of neurogenic origin that arise most commonly in the roots of the sacrococcygeal nerves. Prompt and correct identification can prevent unnecessary biopsy of the cysts, a procedure which can cause significant pain because they contain nerve fibers and ganglion cells. We report two cases of Tarlov cysts mimicking adnexal masses on ultrasound evaluation. The first case was misidentified on an ultrasound before being diagnosed as a Tarlov cyst during follow-up magnetic resonance imaging. The second case was initially identified by the sonographer as an ovarian cyst but was properly identified through correlation with prior computed tomography imaging. In this case series, we discuss the pathologic and radiographic features, etiology, clinical considerations, and treatment of Tarlov cysts

An automatic mechanism to provide privacy awareness and control over unwittingly dissemination of online private information

Given the increasing popularity of social media and other Internet-related technologies, individuals spend a lot of time across different online activities, such as doing Google searches or credit card purchases, enjoying social networks interactions, performing job finding or travel plannings activities. Unfortunately, very often, individuals unwittingly disseminate a huge amount of personal and sensitive information that fundamentally represents an essential part of their private life. A large part of this information is embedded into text messages typed during online activities. Therefore, there is an increasing need for mechanisms to assist individuals during such activities, raising their awareness about potential violation of privacy at the time of disclosure; however, it is also essential to give them full control on whether and how to manage their data, thereby empowering them to make heedful decisions. The awareness can be realized through simple alert/highlight mechanisms, while the full control can be ensured by allowing users to make the final choice, that is, ignore warnings, or conversely accept them and thus (a) think twice before disseminating data (to avoid future regrets), or (b) anyway send data, but only after their anonymization. In this paper, we propose a novel approach based on machine learning and sentence embedding techniques with the primary goal of providing privacy awareness to users and, as a consequence, full control over their data during online activities. Our approach relies on the definition of four modules: (i) the Keyword module, which identifies personal and sensitive data in a text (from the syntactic point of view); (ii) the Topic module, which is devoted to understand the topic treated in text messages; (iii) the Sensitiveness module, which identifies sensitive information (from the semantic point of view) into text messages; lastly, (iv) the Personalization module, which goal is to learn the personal attitude of a user towards his/her own privacy (through opportune feedback) and therefore report the correct alert messages. We provided an implementation of such an approach, named Knoxly, as a prototype of a Google Chrome extension. The tool has undergone a preliminary experimental study to assess its effectiveness in terms of sensitive information identification accuracy, and its efficiency in terms of impact on user experience

Classification of the instrument of assessment of children between 0 and 3 years of age

One of the difficulties described in epidemiological studies about psychopathology in children 0-3 years of age appears during the assessment phase. In fact, the assessment of indicators of particular difficulties in children is hampered by the rapid processes of transformation of behavior that cross all areas of child development. The aim of this article was to provide an overview as complete as possible of all instruments used in the assessment phase of children 0-3 years. The literature shows a number of tools for evaluation and diagnosis of psychopathology that have been divided into four categories: mental development tests, interviews with parents, questionnaires and rating scales, evaluation of the parent-child assessment of specific diagnostic entities. The main features of each instrument are described