Design of electronic systems for automotive sensor conditioning

This thesis deals with the development of sensor systems for automotive, mainly targeting the exploitation of the new generation of Micro Electro-Mechanical Sensors (MEMS), which achieve a dramatic reduction of area and power consumption but at the same time require more complexity in the sensor conditioning interface. Several issues concerning the development of automotive ASICs are presented, together with an overview of automotive electronics market and its main sensor applications. The state of the art for sensor interfaces design (the generic sensor interface concept), consists in sharing the same electronics among similar sensor applications, thus saving cost and time-to-market but also implementing a sub-optimal system with area and power overheads. A Platform Based Design methodology is proposed to overcome the limitations of generic sensor interfaces, by keeping the platform generality at the highest design layers and pursuing the maximum optimization and performances in the platform customization for a specific sensor. A complete design flow is presented (up to the ASIC implementation for gyro sensor conditioning), together with examples regarding IP development for reuse and low power optimization of third party designs. A further evolution of Platform Based Design has been achieved by means of implementation into silicon of the ISIF (Intelligent Sensor InterFace) platform. ISIF is a highly programmable mixed-signal chip which allows a substantial reduction of design space exploration time, as it can implement in a short time a wide class of sensor conditioning architectures. Thus it lets the designers evaluate directly on silicon the impact of different architectural choices, as well as perform feasibility studies, sensor evaluations and accurate estimation of the resulting dedicated ASIC performances. Several case studies regarding fast prototyping possibilities with ISIF are presented: a magneto-resistive position sensor, a biosensor (which produces pA currents in presence of surface chemical reactions) and two capacitive inertial sensors, a gyro and a low-g YZ accelerometer. The accelerometer interface has also been implemented in miniboards of about 3 cm2 (with ISIF and sensor dies bonded together) and a series of automatic trimming and characterization procedures have been developed in order to evaluate sensor and interface behaviour over the automotive temperature range, providing a valuable feedback for the implementation of a dedicated accelerometer interface

The management of acute venous thromboembolism in clinical practice. Results from the European PREFER in VTE Registry

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe. Data from real-world registries are necessary, as clinical trials do not represent the full spectrum of VTE patients seen in clinical practice. We aimed to document the epidemiology, management and outcomes of VTE using data from a large, observational database. PREFER in VTE was an international, non-interventional disease registry conducted between January 2013 and July 2015 in primary and secondary care across seven European countries. Consecutive patients with acute VTE were documented and followed up over 12 months. PREFER in VTE included 3,455 patients with a mean age of 60.8 ± 17.0 years. Overall, 53.0 % were male. The majority of patients were assessed in the hospital setting as inpatients or outpatients (78.5 %). The diagnosis was deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in 59.5 % and pulmonary embolism (PE) in 40.5 %. The most common comorbidities were the various types of cardiovascular disease (excluding hypertension; 45.5 %), hypertension (42.3 %) and dyslipidaemia (21.1 %). Following the index VTE, a large proportion of patients received initial therapy with heparin (73.2 %), almost half received a vitamin K antagonist (48.7 %) and nearly a quarter received a DOAC (24.5 %). Almost a quarter of all presentations were for recurrent VTE, with >80 % of previous episodes having occurred more than 12 months prior to baseline. In conclusion, PREFER in VTE has provided contemporary insights into VTE patients and their real-world management, including their baseline characteristics, risk factors, disease history, symptoms and signs, initial therapy and outcomes

Valutazione dei ponti in calcestruzzo armato precompresso a cavi post-tesi ai sensi delle Linee Guida

Il lavoro di tesi, riguarda lo studio della sicurezza di ponti, viadotti e cavalcavia esistenti. In particolare, è incentrato sulla valutazione del comportamento strutturale delle travi in cemento armato precompresso a cavi post-tesi resi aderenti. La tesi si colloca nell’ambito delle “Linee Guida per la classificazione e gestione del rischio, la valutazione della sicurezza ed il monitoraggio dei ponti esistenti”, all’interno delle quali si prescrivono delle valutazioni particolari sui ponti in c.a.p. a cavi scorrevoli, le c.d. ispezioni speciali. Tali opere costituiscono la maggioranza dei ponti costruiti negli anni ’60 e ’70 in Italia e presentano delle vulnerabilità intrinseche dovute principalmente alla corrosione dei cavi di precompressione. Infatti, a causa spesso di difetti di iniezione, i cavi possono trovarsi a contatto con aria e acqua e possono così subire fenomeni di corrosione con riduzione delle sezioni resistenti e/o fenomeni di infragilimento, con conseguente perdita della precompressione del calcestruzzo. Il lavoro di tesi, condotto in collaborazione con la società SINA del gruppo ASTM, si colloca all’interno di una più ampia ricerca del dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Industriale dell'Università di Pisa che consiste nello sviluppo di una metodologia sperimentale per l’esecuzione delle ispezioni speciali. Essa prevede sia l’esecuzione di prove in situ su alcuni viadotti autostradali della rete gestita dal gruppo ASTM per testare l'applicabilità della metodologia proposta, sia prove in laboratorio per calibrare e valutare l'affidabilità di diverse tecniche d'indagine come la tomografia ultrasonica, per la localizzazione e quantificazione dei difetti, e il metodo del rilascio tensionale sul calcestruzzo e la tecnica diffrattometrica a raggi X per l'acciaio, per la misura delle tensioni residue. Un particolare approfondimento è rivolto alla valutazione accurata di Livello 4 previsto dalle Linee Guida, definendo quei parametri decisionali per cui essa si rende necessaria e proponendo un procedimento statistico per la valutazione del Fattore di Confidenza. Il lavoro di tesi si concentra anche sugli ulteriori sviluppi richiesti per l’applicazione di tale metodologia sperimentale. In particolare, il primo obiettivo è quello di confrontare i risultati sperimentali delle misurazioni delle tensioni residue con i relativi risultati ottenuti tramite modelli numerici predittivi delle perdite di tensione nelle travi in c.a.p. a cavi post-tesi. Il secondo obiettivo è quello di valutare le conseguenze di tali perdite di tensione sulla sicurezza strutturale delle opere indagate, per mezzo della simulazione numerica del comportamento strutturale nei confronti dei diversi stati limite da verificare

Barreiras culturais da modernidade precoce à pós-modernidade tardia

Focaliza-se aqui, em primeiro lugar, a natureza lógico-lingüística das dificuldades de comunicação entre diferentes culturas da primeira modernidade tipográfica. Em segundo lugar, observam-se as conseqüências da revolução eletrônica no âmbito da comunicação. Finalmente descrevem-se alguns aspectos da comunicação icônica emergente nos dias de hoje. Na dimensão metalinguística do ícone é possível reconhecer um caráter globalizante, característico da cultura contemporânea, que permite superar barreiras culturais muito resistentes e antigas.modernita` modernity Typographic Modernity Modernita` tipografica McLuhan Marshall McLuhan Modern Age Eta` Moderna Postmodernita` Postmodernism Postmodernity Post modernity Postmodern Postmoderno Typographic Modernity Modernita` Tipografica Galassia Gutenberg Gutenberg Galaxy Typographic Culture Cultura tipografica Electronic Culture Cultura elettronica Contemporary culture Cultura contemporanea Contemporary criticism Critica contemporanea Teoria della letteratura Theory of literature Theory of culture Teoria della cultur

Beneficial Effects of an Online Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Sleep Quality in Italian Poor Sleepers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomized Trial

: Sleep of inadequate quantity and quality is increasing in the present 24 h society, with a negative impact on physical and mental health. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) generate a state of calm behavior that can reduce hyperactivity and improve sleep. We hypothesized that our specific MBI, administered online, may improve sleep quality and foster emotion regulation and mindfulness. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Sleep Condition Indicator (SCI), Arousal Predisposition Scale (APS), Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test (FIRST), Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were used to measure sleep quality and stability. Emotion regulation and mindfulness were measured via the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Our MBI included 12 biweekly integral meditation (IM) classes, recorded IM training for individual practice, and dietary advice to promote sleep regulation. Fifty-six voluntary poor sleepers with a PSQI score of >5 were randomly allocated to treated (n = 28) and control (n = 28) groups. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the effectiveness of the intervention. Statistically significant results were observed in the FFMQ sub-domain non-reactivity to inner experience (β = 0.29 [0.06; -0.52], p = 0.01), PSQI (β = -1.93 [-3.43; -0.43], p = 0.01), SCI (β = 3.39 [0.66; 6.13], p = 0.02) and ISI (β = -3.50 [-5.86; -1.14], p = 0.004). These results confirm our hypothesis regarding the beneficial effects of our intervention on sleep quality

Improving stress management, anxiety, and mental well-being in medical students through an online Mindfulness-Based Intervention: a randomized study

Abstract Pressures and responsibilities of medical school put a strain on medical student's personal wellbeing, leading among all to high rates of anxiety, emotional discomfort and stress. In this work we evaluated the effectiveness of a comprehensive Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) in reducing this load. The intervention comprised 10 twice-a-week Integral Meditation classes, dietary advice, and brief yoga sessions. We performed a randomized trial on two cohort of medical students from Italian universities: 239 in cohort 1 (106 treated and 133 controls), and 123 in cohort 2 (68 treated and 55 control) for a total sample of 362 students. Nine questionnaires for evaluating the effectiveness of our intervention on stress (PSS), state anxiety (STAIX-1), well-being (WEMWBS), mind-wandering (MW-S), overall distress (PANAS), emotion regulation (DERS), resilience (RS-14), and attentional control (ACS-C and ACS-D) were collected both pre and post intervention. Linear mixed effect models were run on the whole sample showing that, after multiple testing correction, our intervention was effective in reducing perceived stress (β = − 2.57 [− 4.02; − 1.12], p = 0.004), improving mental well-being (β = 2.82 [1.02; 4.63], p = 0.008) and emotional regulation (β = − 8.24 [− 12.98; − 3.51], p = 0.004), resilience (β = 3.79 [1.32; 6.26], p = 0.008), reducing the tendency to wander with the mind (β = − 0.70 [− 0.99; − 0.39], p = 0.0001), ameliorating the ability to maintain attention (AC-S (β = − 0.23 [− 0.44; − 0.02], p = 0.04) and AC-D (β = − 0.19 [− 0.36; − 0.01], p = 0.04)), and the overall distress (β = 1.84 [0.45; 3.23], p = 0.02)