Multimedia in mobile networks: Streaming techniques, optimization and User Experience

1.UMTS overview and User Experience 2.Streaming Service & Streaming Platform 3.Quality of Service 4.Mpeg-4 5.Test Methodology & testing architecture 6.Conclusion

Manufacturing and characterization of similar to foam steel components processed through selective laser melting

The growing interest from the industry for lightweight metal components has driven the development of processes that would allow creating lightweight high melting point metals as steels, able to guarantee mechanical characteristics superior to existing foam (typically aluminium), without penalizing one of the characteristics that cell structures have: lightness. Conventional manufacturing methods, such as casting, however, face difficulty in making complex periodic steel structures with designed shape and size and volume fraction. This study evaluates the manufacturability and performance of lightweight 17–4 PH steel components with spherical porosity fabricated via selective laser melting (SLM). Samples were designed and fabricated with the purpose to produce a structure similar to foam. Built samples were characterized in terms of dimensional accuracy, mechanical strength under compression and energy absorbed per unit mass. The designed structures have a designed relative density or volume fraction ranging between 31.1 and 32.8%

A monitoring framework based on exergetic analysis for sustainability assessment of direct laser metal deposition process

With the constant increase of energy costs and environmental impacts, improving the process efficiency is considered a priority issue for the manufacturing field. A wide knowledge about materials, energy, machinery, and auxiliary equipment is required in order to optimize the overall performance of manufacturing processes. Sustainability needs to be assessed in order to find an optimal compromise between technical quality of products and environmental compatibility of processes. In this new Industry 4.0 era, innovative manufacturing technologies, as the additive manufacturing, are taking a predominant role. The aim of this work is to give an insight into how thermodynamic laws contribute at the same time to improve energy efficiency of manufacturing resources and to provide a methodological support to move towards a smart and sustainable additive process. In this context, a fundamental step is the proper design of a sensing and real-time monitoring framework of an additive manufacturing process. This framework should be based on an accurate modelling of the physical phenomena and technological aspects of the considered process, taking into account all the sustainability requirements. To this end, a thermodynamic model for the direct laser metal deposition (DLMD) process was proposed as a test case. Finally, an exergetic analysis was conducted on a prototype DLMD system to validate the effectiveness of an ad-hoc monitoring system and highlight the limitations of this process. What emerged is that the proposed framework provided significant advantages, since it represents a valuable approach for finding suitable process management strategies to identify sustainable solutions for innovative manufacturing procedures

FIRST CASE OF LAPAROSCOPIC PARTIAL SPLENECTOMY IN A CHILD WITH HAMARTOMA: CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

INTRODUCTION To date, laparoscopic surgery has played a key role in the treatment of not only splenic hematologic pathologies but also solid ones. Hamartoma is a rare disease; only twenty percent of them are of pediatric relevance; it is a benign tumor, but radiological features never allow proper differentiation from malignant neoplasms. In children, hamartoma may be associated with other morbid conditions, such as sickle cell disease or other hematological alterations. PRESENTATION OF THE CASE We report a case of hamartoma in a 7-year-old child treated with partial laparoscopic splenectomy After a multidisciplinary evaluation, the indication of laparoscopic splenectomy was decided; upon evaluating the age of the patient and the affected spleen portion, a partial splenectomy was proposed. The histological examination during surgery was performed to exclude any form of malignancy. The intraoperative frozen section of the specimen was negative for malignancies, and a partial splenectomy was performed. DISCUSSION Surgery remains the first choice in the definitive treatment of solid lesions of the spleen; minimally invasive technique, namely, laparoscopy, has set itself as the technique of choice for surgical treatment. In this case, the possibility of obtaining an intraoperative pathological diagnosis by frozen section of the specimen, confirming the benign nature of the lesion, allowed the surgeon to decide in favor of a laparoscopic partial splenectomy. CONCLUSION Partial laparoscopic splenectomy can be considered a safe, effective and reproducible alternative in patients suffering from benign solid diseases, safeguarding the hematological functions of the organ itself in pediatric age

Lower extremity overuse conditions affecting figure skaters during daily training

Background: Most ice figure skaters train and compete with ongoing issues in the lower extremities, which are often overlooked by the skaters and considered injuries only when they prevent the athletes from skating. Although not severe, these conditions impair the quality of daily training and compromise the skaters’ state of mind and performances.Purpose (1): To determine the point prevalence of the ongoing lower extremity overuse conditions in a population of ice figure skaters of all ages and levels and (2) to identify the risk factors contributing to the development of the most common ongoing conditions.Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods: A total of 95 skaters of all ages and skating levels were evaluated in a single examination in the middle of the competitive season. Data collection consisted of a questionnaire, clinical examination, and measurement of the skaters’ characteristics and the equipment used.Results: Retrocalcaneal bursitis was the most common problem, affecting at least 1 foot in 34% of the skaters evaluated, followed by posterior heel skin calluses and superficial calcaneal bursitis, which affected 29% and 28% of skaters, respectively. The prevalence of the majority of these conditions was 10% to 32% higher in elite skaters than in nonelite skaters. Higher boot–foot length difference was associated with greater risk of superficial calcaneal bursitis in the landing foot of elite skaters, while higher body weight and greater in-skate ankle flexibility were associated with the development of retrocalcaneal bursitis in nonelite skaters. Only 30 skaters (32%) wore the appropriate boot size, while 57 skaters (51%) could not dorsiflex their ankles properly while wearing skates.Conclusion: The heel represents a major area of concern for the high prevalence of calcaneal bursitis and calluses in proximity of the Achilles tendon, suggesting that improvements on the boot heel cup design should take priority. The association of bursitis with higher in-skate ankle flexibility suggests that these conditions may be the results of a process developing when the ankle is bending within the boot. Also, since wearing oversized boots is a major risk factor for the development of subcutaneous bursitis and skin abrasions, boot retailers should be better educated to sell the appropriate boot size to the skaters

Multi-Parental Advances Generation Inter-CrossPopulation, to Develop Organic Tomato Genotypes by Participatory Plant Breeding

A Multi-parent Advanced Generation Intercross (MAGIC) tomato population was developed by crossing eight founder lines chosen to include a wide range of variability. The lines were previously genotyped by a genotyping by sequencing approach. The MAGIC population was used to develop genotypes with important agronomic traits and to perform the Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB). Among the 400 plants of generation 4 (G4) of the MAGIC population cultivated in an organic field experiment, 22 individuals were phenotypically selected and a molecular analysis was done for both presence of resistance genes and fruit shape (marker assisted selection) on G5 seedlings. Three selected plants showed both the pyramiding gene of resistance to the main diseases and the ovate gene for pear shape typology. The 400 G10 stable lines that obtained from single seed descent will represent an important genetic resource for the tomato scientific community. The MAGIC population G4 was also cultivated in three organic farms located in North, Central and South Italy to carry out the PPB. The plants showed significant phenotypic differences in development, productivity and fruit color. This variability was used to select families of tomato adapted to low input crop management, different environments, agricultural practices and market condition

Therapeutic Induction of Energy Metabolism Reduces Neural Tissue Damage and Increases Microglia Activation in Severe Spinal Cord Injury

: Neural tissue has high metabolic requirements. Following spinal cord injury (SCI), the damaged, tissue suffers from a severe metabolic impairment, which aggravates axonal degeneration and, neuronal loss. Impaired cellular energetic, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and oxidative, phosphorylation metabolism in neuronal cells has been demonstrated to be a major cause of neural tissue death and regeneration failure following SCI. Therefore, rewiring the spinal cord cell metabolism may be an innovative therapeutic strategy for the treatment of SCI. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of the recovery of oxidative metabolism in a mouse model of severe contusive SCI. Oral administration of TCA cycle intermediates, co-factors, essential amino acids, and branched-chain amino acids was started 3 days post-injury and continued until the end of the experimental procedures. Metabolomic, immunohistological, and biochemical analyses were performed on the injured spinal cord sections. Administration of metabolic precursors enhanced spinal cord oxidative metabolism. In line with this metabolic shift, we observed the activation of the mTORC1 anabolic pathway, the increase in mitochondrial mass, and ROS defense which effectively prevented the injury-induced neural cell apoptosis in treated animals. Consistently, we found more choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-expressing motor neurons and increased neurofilament positive corticospinal axons in the spinal cord parenchyma of the treated mice. Interestingly, oral administration of the metabolic precursors increased the number of activated microglia expressing the CD206 marker suggestive of a, pro-resolutive, M2-like phenotype. These molecular and histological modifications observed in treated animals ultimately led to a significant, although partial, improvement of the motor functions. Our data demonstrate that rewiring the cellular metabolism can represent an effective strategy to treat SCI

Anastomosis configuration and technique following ileocaecal resection for Crohn's disease: a multicentre study

A limited ileocaecal resection is the most frequently performed procedure for ileocaecal CD and different anastomotic configurations and techniques have been described. This manuscript audited the different anastomotic techniques used in a national study and evaluated their influence on postoperative outcomes following ileocaecal resection for primary CD. This is a retrospective, multicentre, observational study promoted by the Italian Society of Colorectal Surgery (SICCR), including all adults undergoing elective ileocaecal resection for primary CD from June 2018 May 2019. Postoperative morbidity within 30 days of surgery was the primary endpoint. Postoperative length of hospital stay (LOS) and anastomotic leak rate were the secondary outcomes. 427 patients were included. The side to side anastomosis was the chosen configuration in 380 patients (89%). The stapled anastomotic (n = 286; 67%), techniques were preferred to hand-sewn (n = 141; 33%). Postoperative morbidity was 20.3% and anastomotic leak 3.7%. Anastomotic leak was independent of the type of anastomosis performed, while was associated with an ASA grade ≥ 3, presence of perianal disease and ileocolonic localization of disease. Four predictors of LOS were identified after multivariate analysis. The laparoscopic approach was the only associated with a reduced LOS (p = 0.017), while age, ASA grade ≥ 3 or administration of preoperative TPN were associated with increased LOS. The side to side was the most commonly used anastomotic configuration for ileocolic reconstruction following primary CD resection. There was no difference in postoperative morbidity according to anastomotic technique and configuration. Anastomotic leak was associated with ASA grade ≥ 3, a penetrating phenotype of disease and ileo-colonic distribution of CD