Innovative Solutions for Navigation and Mission Management of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The last decades have witnessed a significant increase in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) of all shapes and sizes. UAS are finding many new applications in supporting several human activities, offering solutions to many dirty, dull, and dangerous missions, carried out by military and civilian users. However, limited access to the airspace is the principal barrier to the realization of the full potential that can be derived from UAS capabilities. The aim of this thesis is to support the safe integration of UAS operations, taking into account both the user's requirements and flight regulations. The main technical and operational issues, considered among the principal inhibitors to the integration and wide-spread acceptance of UAS, are identified and two solutions for safe UAS operations are proposed: A. Improving navigation performance of UAS by exploiting low-cost sensors. To enhance the performance of the low-cost and light-weight integrated navigation system based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) inertial sensors, an efficient calibration method for MEMS inertial sensors is required. Two solutions are proposed: 1) The innovative Thermal Compensated Zero Velocity Update (TCZUPT) filter, which embeds the compensation of thermal effect on bias in the filter itself and uses Back-Propagation Neural Networks to build the calibration function. Experimental results show that the TCZUPT filter is faster than the traditional ZUPT filter in mapping significant bias variations and presents better performance in the overall testing period. Moreover, no calibration pre-processing stage is required to keep measurement drift under control, improving the accuracy, reliability, and maintainability of the processing software; 2) A redundant configuration of consumer grade inertial sensors to obtain a self-calibration of typical inertial sensors biases. The result is a significant reduction of uncertainty in attitude determination. In conclusion, both methods improve dead-reckoning performance for handling intermittent GNSS coverage. B. Proposing novel solutions for mission management to support the Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system in monitoring and coordinating the operations of a large number of UAS. Two solutions are proposed: 1) A trajectory prediction tool for small UAS, based on Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) Neural Networks. By exploiting flight data collected when the UAS executes a pre-assigned flight path, the tool is able to predict the time taken to fly generic trajectory elements. Moreover, being self-adaptive in constructing a mathematical model, LVQ Neural Networks allow creating different models for the different UAS types in several environmental conditions; 2) A software tool aimed at supporting standardized procedures for decision-making process to identify UAS/payload configurations suitable for any type of mission that can be authorized standing flight regulations. The proposed methods improve the management and safe operation of large-scale UAS missions, speeding up the flight authorization process by the UTM system and supporting the increasing level of autonomy in UAS operations

With or Without You: Altered Plant Response to Boron-Deficiency in Hydroponically Grown Grapevines Infected by Grapevine Pinot Gris Virus Suggests a Relation Between Grapevine Leaf Mottling and Deformation Symptom Occurrence and Boron Plant Availability

Despite the increasing spread of Grapevine Leaf Mottling and Deformation (GLMD) worldwide, little is known about its etiology. After identification of grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV) as the presumptive causal agent of the disease in 2015, various publications have evaluated GPGV involvement in GLMD. Nevertheless, there are only partial clues to explain the presence of GPGV in both symptomatic and asymptomatic grapevines and the mechanisms that trigger symptom development, and so a consideration of new factors is required. Given the similarities between GLMD and boron (B)-deficiency symptoms in grapevine plants, we posited that GPGV interferes in B homeostasis. By using a hydroponic system to control B availability, we investigated the effects of different B supplies on grapevine phenotype and those of GPGV infection on B acquisition and translocation machinery, by means of microscopy, ionomic and gene expression analyses in both roots and leaves. The transcription of the genes regulating B homeostasis was unaffected by the presence of GPGV alone, but was severely altered in plants exposed to both GPGV infection and B-deficiency, allowing us to speculate that the capricious and patchy occurrence of GLMD symptoms in the field may not be related solely to GPGV, but to GPGV interference in plant responses to different B availabilities. This hypothesis found preliminary positive confirmations in analyses on field-grown plants

Compartmental tongue surgery for intermediate-advanced squamous cell carcinoma: A multicentric study

Background: A multicentric study was conducted on technical reproducibility of compartmental tongue surgery (CTS) in advanced tongue cancers (OTSCC) and comparison to standard wide margin surgery (SWMS). Methods: We studied 551 patients with OTSCC treated by CTS and 50 by SWMS. Oncological outcomes were analyzed. A propensity score was performed to compare survival endpoints for the two cohorts. Results: In the CTS group, survival and prognosis were significantly associated with positive lymph-nodes, extranodal extension, depth of invasion and involvement of the soft tissue connecting the tongue primary tumor to neck lymph nodes (T-N tract), independently from the center performing the surgery. SWMS versus CTS showed a HR Cause-Specific Survival (CSS) of 3.24 (95% CI: 1.71-6.11; p < 0.001); HR Loco-Regional Recurrence Free Survival (LRRFS) of 2.54 (95% CI: 1.47-4.40; p < 0.001); HR Overall Survival (OS) of 0.11 (95% CI: 0.01-0.77; p = 0.03). Conclusion: Performing the CTS could provide better CSS and LRRFS than SWMS regardless of the center performing the surgery, in advanced OTSSC

Quantitative Anatomic Comparison of Endoscopic Transnasal and Microsurgical Transcranial Approaches to the Anterior Cranial Fossa

BACKGROUND: Several microsurgical transcranial approaches (MTAs) and endoscopic transnasal approaches (EEAs) to the anterior cranial fossa (ACF) have been described. OBJECTIVE: To provide a preclinical, quantitative, anatomic, comparative analysis of surgical approaches to the ACF. METHODS: Five alcohol-fixed specimens underwent high-resolution computed tomography. The following approaches were performed on each specimen: EEAs (transcribriform, transtuberculum, and transplanum), anterior MTAs (transfrontal sinus interhemispheric, frontobasal interhemispheric, and subfrontal with unilateral and bilateral frontal craniotomy), and anterolateral MTAs (supraorbital, minipterional, pterional, and frontotemporal orbitozygomatic approach). An optic neuronavigation system and dedicated software (ApproachViewer, part of GTx-Eyes II-UHN) were used to quantify the working volume of each approach and extrapolate the exposure of different ACF regions. Mixed linear models with random intercepts were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: EEAs offer a large and direct route to the midline region of ACF, whose most anterior structures (ie, crista galli, cribriform plate, and ethmoidal roof) are also well exposed by anterior MTAs, whereas deeper ones (ie, planum sphenoidale and tuberculum sellae) are also well exposed by anterolateral MTAs. The orbital roof region is exposed by both anterolateral and lateral MTAs. The posterolateral region (ie, sphenoid wing and optic canal) is well exposed by anterolateral MTAs. CONCLUSION: Anterior and anterolateral MTAs play a pivotal role in the exposure of most anterior and posterolateral ACF regions, respectively, whereas midline regions are well exposed by EEAs. Furthermore, certain anterolateral approaches may be most useful when involvement of the optic canal and nerves involvement are suspected

EXPERIENCIAS DA EDUCAÇÃO EM SAÚDE COM ESCOLARES: UM OLHAR MULTIPROFISSIONAL

A Promoção da Saúde consiste em uma estratégia de articulação transversal, visando à criação de mecanismos que reduz as situações de vulnerabilidade e assim defendendo a equidade e incorporando a participação e o controle social na gestão das políticas públicas, compondo redes de compromisso que se tornem responsáveis. Desta forma, a escola torna-se um espaço social importante para o desenvolvimento interdisciplinar, por ser um local de criação de muitas possibilidades e apropriado para desenvolver educação para saúde consciente, compartilhando conhecimentos com os alunos a fim de que os mesmos possam aplicar no seu cotidiano. Sendo assim, o trabalho multiprofissional, torna-se relevante para uma boa promoção de saúde, na qual os profissionais de saúde visam o mesmo objetivo, mudando apenas o processo de trabalho de cada profissão. O objetivo é relatar experiência da educação em saúde com escolares afins de melhorar a qualidade de vida dos mesmos

EXPERIENCIAS DA EDUCAÇÃO EM SAÚDE COM ESCOLARES: UM OLHAR MULTIPROFISSIONAL

A Promoção da Saúde consiste em uma estratégia de articulação transversal, visando à criação de mecanismos que reduz as situações de vulnerabilidade e assim defendendo a equidade e incorporando a participação e o controle social na gestão das políticas públicas, compondo redes de compromisso que se tornem responsáveis. Desta forma, a escola torna-se um espaço social importante para o desenvolvimento interdisciplinar, por ser um local de criação de muitas possibilidades e apropriado para desenvolver educação para saúde consciente, compartilhando conhecimentos com os alunos a fim de que os mesmos possam aplicar no seu cotidiano. Sendo assim, o trabalho multiprofissional, torna-se relevante para uma boa promoção de saúde, na qual os profissionais de saúde visam o mesmo objetivo, mudando apenas o processo de trabalho de cada profissão. O objetivo é relatar experiência da educação em saúde com escolares afins de melhorar a qualidade de vida dos mesmos

An extensive analysis for the use of back propagation neural networks to perform the calibration of MEMS gyro bias thermal drift

In recent years, the improvement of advanced micro-fabrication techniques has allowed the development of Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) inertial sensors. These sensors have the advantages of small volume, light-weight, high reliability and low-cost, so they result as the most common sensors used to perform the flight attitude calculation for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs). Even if they are small size and light-weight sensors, they suffer more than other higher grade gyros for some types of errors such as turn-on to turn-on bias, in-run bias, bias drift, scale factor drift and other environment dependent errors. In particular, the performance of MEMS inertial sensors is greatly affected by temperature variations, due to the sensitivity of silicon's material properties and gyro's packaging and electronics to temperature. This paper investigates the calibration of temperature effects on MEMS gyroscope bias drift, proposing an innovative calibration method, based on the use of Back-Propagation (BP) Neural Networks to model the nonlinear relationship between MEMS gyroscope null-voltage and temperature. BP Neural Networks have the advantages of nonlinear fitting, regardless of the mathematical model of the sensor and various non-linear factors. First of all, the reference model for bias trend vs. temperature is reported. Subsequently, the proposed innovative calibration method is compared with the traditional polynomial fitting technique. Finally, the performance of the proposed technique is discussed