O-sode no furiawase : the touching of sleeves : an original story based on the early life of a Japanese-American dancer for ages nine to eleven

Based on a true story, this fictionalized memoir is about a second generation Japanese-American girl growing up in a large family in California during the 1930\u27s and 1940\u27s. Set against the backdrop of the Depression and the internment of West Coast persons of Japanese ancestry during World War II, the story follows the protagonist\u27s childhood interest in dance as it blossoms into a true calling

Solid wastes wastewater and remediation costs in an urban slum: The case study of A Gypsy Camp in Napoli (S Italy)

Slums represent a sort of black box within the urban environment, generating multiple impacts, that are often acknowledged, but forgotten by urban planners and policy-makers when envisioning the future of cities, due to the dimension of social exclusion in which slum dwellers live. These criticalities pose a further threat to urban sustainability. The first problem is revealed by the lack of quantifications about many environmental and socio-economic factors, as well as by a general lack of understanding about slums as systems. This study is aimed at overcoming the present knowledge weakness, developing a preliminary site-specific system representation of a slum as a system. In particular, a case study of a Gypsy camp in Napoli (S Italy) was chosen for such a purpose. Focusing on solid waste, an approximate evaluation of informal waste picking activity was performed. Basic parameters of generated wastewater, which is dispersed in the environment due to the absence of any sewerage infrastructure, are accounted according to environmental engineering standards. In addition, considering a second abandoned camp (Brecce Sant'Erasmo, Napoli, Italy), specific-site remediation costs were calculated. Results evidence the necessity of a better understanding of resources flows within slums. A first planning action for the studied area would be to separate the areas for waste processing with respect to living areas. Basic infrastructures for solid waste and wastewater management are also necessary to improve the life quality of slum dwellers, while reducing the existing impacts. Finally, also a study to detail atmospheric emissions characteristics would be desirable. Specific upgrading solutions are indicated on the basis of the existing literature. They include planning and monitoring actions, together with the development of engineered solutions for waste and wastewater management

Return to school in the COVID-19 era: considerations for temperature measurement

COVID-19 pandemics required a reorganisation of social spaces to prevent the spread of the virus. Due to the common presence of fever in the symptomatic patients, temperature measurement is one of the most common screening protocols. Indeed, regulations in many countries require temperature measurements before entering shops, workplaces, and public buildings. Due to the necessity of providing rapid non-contact and non-invasive protocols to measure body temperature, infra-red thermometry is mostly used. Many countries are now facing the need to organise the return to school and universities in the COVID-19 era, which require solutions to prevent the risk of contagion between students and/or teachers and technical/administrative staff. This paper highlights and discusses some of the strengths and limitations of infra-red cameras, including the site of measurements and the influence of the environment, and recommends to be careful to consider such measurements as a single \u201csafety rule\u201d for a good return to normality

Experimental acoustic modal analysis of an automotive cabin: Challenges and solutions

In this paper, a full Acoustic Modal Analysis (AMA) procedure to improve the CAE predictions of the car interior noise level is proposed. Some of the challenges that can be experienced during such an analysis are described and new solutions to face them are proposed. Particular AMA challenges range from the arrangement of the experimental setup to the post-processing analysis. Since a large number of microphones are needed, a smart localization procedure, which automatically determines the microphone three dimensional (3-D) positions and dramatically reduces the setup time, is presented herein. Furthermore, the need for a large number of sound sources spread across the cavity to assure a homogeneous sound field makes modal parameter estimation a nontrivial task. Traditional modal parameter estimators have indeed proven not to be effective in cases where many input excitation locations have to be used. Hence, a more suitable estimator, the Maximum Likelihood Modal Model-based (ML-MM) method, will be employed for such an analysis

Toward cognitive digital twins using a BIM-GIS asset management system for a diffused university

The integrated use of building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information system (GIS) is promising for the development of asset management systems (AMSs) for operation and maintenance (O & M) in smart university campuses. The combination of BIM-GIS with cognitive digital twins (CDTs) can further facilitate the management of complex systems such as university building stock. CDTs enable buildings to behave as autonomous entities, dynamically reacting to environmental changes. Timely decisions based on the actual conditions of buildings and surroundings can be provided, both in emergency scenarios or when optimized and adaptive performances are required. The research aims to develop a BIM-GIS-based AMS for improving user experience and enabling the optimal use of resources in the O & M phase of an Italian university. Campuses are complex assets, mainly diffused with buildings spread across the territory, managed with still document-based and fragmented databases handled by several subjects. This results in incomplete and asymmetrical information, often leading to ineffective and untimely decisions. The paper presents a methodology for the development of a BIM-GIS web-based platform (i.e., AMS-app) providing the real-time visualization of the asset in an interactive 3D map connected to analytical dashboards for management support. Two buildings of the University of Turin are adopted as demonstrators, illustrating the development of an easily accessible, centralized database by integrating spatial and functional data, useful also to develop future CDTs. As a first attempt to show the AMS app potential, crowd simulations have been conducted to understand the buildings' actual level of safety in case of fire emergency and demonstrate how CDTs could improve it. The identification of data needed, also gathered through the future implementation of suitable sensors and Internet of Things networks, is the core issue together with the definition of effective asset visualization and monitoring methods. Future developments will explore the integration of artificial intelligence and immersive technologies to enable space use optimization and real-time wayfinding during evacuation, exploiting digital tools to alert and drive users or authorities for safety improvement. The ability to easily optimize the paths with respect to the actual occupancy and conditions of both the asset and surroundings will be enabled

Actuators based on intrinsic conductive polymers/carbon nanoparticles nanocompositesElectroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2013

New polyaniline (PANi) synthesis was performed starting from non-toxic N-phenil-p-phenylenediamine (aniline dimer) using reverse addition of monomer to oxidizing agent, the synthesis allows to produce highly soluble PANi. Several types of doped PANi were prepared to be used on electromechanical active actuators. Different techniques were used to include carbon nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes and graphene. Bimorph solid state ionic actuators were prepared with these novel nanocomposites using a variety of supporting polymer

e-Health solution for home patient telemonitoring in early post-acute TIA/Minor stroke during COVID-19 pandemic

Background: When it comes to critical early post-acute TIA/stroke phase, there is a lack of a comprehensive multi-parametric telemonitoring system. The COVID-19 emergency, its related global mobility restrictions and fear of hospitalization further highlighted the need of a comprehensive solution. Objective: We aimed to design and test a pragmatic e-Health system based on multiparametric telemonitoring to support of TIA/stroke patients in sub-acute phase during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We proposed a telemonitoring system and protocol for TIA/minor stroke patients during COVID-19 pandemic for patients at risk of stroke recurrence. This system involves the use of portable devices for BP/HR/SpO2/temperature sensing, panic-button, gateway, and a dedicated ICT platform. The protocol is a 14-day multiparametric telemonitoring, therapy, and emergency intervention based on vital sign alteration notifications. We conducted a proof-of-concept validation test on 8 TIA/minor stroke patients in the early post-acute phase (< 14 days from ischemic event). Results: The proposed solution allowed to promptly and remotely identify vital sign alterations at home during the early post-acute phase, allowing therapy and behavioral intervention adjustments. Also, we observed a significant improvement of quality of life, as well as a significant reduction of anxiety and depression status. TUQ showed ease of use, good interface quality and high user satisfaction of the proposed solution. The 3-month follow-up showed total adherence of prescribed therapy and no stroke/TIA recurrence or other emergency department admissions. Conclusion: The proposed e-Health solution and telemonitoring protocol may be highly useful for early post-acute remote patient management, thus supporting constant monitoring and patient adherence to the treatment pathway, especially during the COVID-19 emergency

Self-supporting hydrogels based on fmoc-derivatized cationic hexapeptides for potential biomedical applications

Peptide-based hydrogels (PHGs) are biocompatible materials suitable for biological, biomedical, and biotechnological applications, such as drug delivery and diagnostic tools for imaging. Recently, a novel class of synthetic hydrogel-forming amphiphilic cationic peptides (referred to as series K), containing an aliphatic region and a Lys residue, was proposed as a scaffold for bioprinting applications. Here, we report the synthesis of six analogues of the series K, in which the acetyl group at the N-terminus is replaced by aromatic portions, such as the Fmoc protecting group or the Fmoc-FF hydrogelator. The tendency of all peptides to self-assemble and to gel in aqueous solution was investigated using a set of biophysical techniques. The structural characterization pointed out that only the Fmoc-derivatives of series K keep their capability to gel. Among them, Fmoc-K3 hydrogel, which is the more rigid one (G’ = 2526 Pa), acts as potential material for tissue engineering, fully supporting cell adhesion, survival, and duplication. These results describe a gelification process, allowed only by the correct balancing among aggregation forces within the peptide sequences (e.g., van der Waals, hydrogen bonding, and π–π stacking)

Navigation Facility for High Accuracy Offline Trajectory and Attitude Estimation in Airborne Applications

The paper focuses on a navigation facility, relying on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology, developed to generate high-accuracy attitude and trajectory measurements in postprocessing. Target performance is cm-level positioning with tenth of degree attitude accuracy. The facility is based on the concept of GPS-aided inertial navigation but comprises carrier-phase differential GPS (CDGPS) processing and attitude estimation based on multiantenna GPS configurations. Expected applications of the system include: (a) performance assessment of integrated navigation systems, developed for general aviation aircraft and medium size unmanned aircraft systems (UAS); (b) generation of reference measurements to evaluate the flight performance of airborne sensors (e.g., radar or laser); and (c) generation of reference trajectory and attitude for improving imaging quality of airborne remote sensing data. The paper describes system architecture, selected algorithms for data processing and integration, and theoretical performance evaluation. Experimental results are also presented confirming the effectiveness of the implemented approach

Wake-up Stroke Outcome Prediction by Interpretable Decision Tree Model

Outcome prediction in wake-up ischemic stroke (WUS) is important for guiding treatment strategies, in order to improve recovery and minimize disability. We aimed at producing an interpretable model to predict a good outcome (NIHSS 7-day<5) in thrombolysis treated WUS patients by using Classification and Regression Tree (CART) method. The study encompassed 104 WUS patients and we used a dataset consisting of demographic, clinical and neuroimaging features. The model was produced by CART with Gini split criterion and evaluated by using 5-fold cross-validation. The produced decision tree model was based on NIHSS at admission, ischemic core volume and age features. The predictive accuracy of model was 86.5% and the AUC-ROC was 0.88. In conclusion, in this preliminary study we identified interpretable model based on clinical and neuroimaging features to predict clinical outcome in thrombolysis treated wake-up stroke patients