Analysis of technical criticalities for GIS modelling an Urban noise map

This paper analyzes criticalities and strengthens of a procedure used to model the acoustic map of the vehicular traffic of an urban agglomeration. The research is based on a pilot project for the acoustic mapping of a portion of the city of Palermo (Italy). Simulations indicate that the acoustic climate was in line with expectations and with typical of large Italian cities. The most remarkable result was obtained by an increase in the number of reflections (from two to five), while the influence of the height of the building (from 9 to 18 meters) was negligible \u2013 on the order of a few points per thousand. Regarding the analysis conducted with the \u2018Gden Method\u2019, acoustic values do not diverge significantly from the other Italian cities, registering values that were, however, the highest in the investigated sample

Adaptive BEM for low noise propeller design

A potential-based Boundary Element Method is presented for the aerodynamic and acoustic design of propellers at on- and off-design point conditions. Using an adaptive method, a family of airfoil sections is selected to produce the required performance (thrust, torque and efficiency versus advance ratio) at different cruise flight levels. Climb conditions are also considered in order to check the off-design point performance. Once the available airfoil data have been stored in a database, the code processes the families of airfoils to generate a complete geometry for a propeller of the specified performance with an optimized noise emission. The computational scheme adjusts the blade geometry (radial distribution of chord, local sweep angle and thickness) under the control of an optimization routine. The geometric data and pressure distribution are then used in the acoustic calculation, based on the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation. Results are presented demonstrating the application of the technique and the resulting aerodynamic performance and noise output

Treatment of HIV-related primary central nervous system lymphoma with azt high dose, HAART, interleukin-2 and foscarnet in three patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Purpose</p> <p>Combined immunomodulatory and antiviral treatment was administered to three patients with newly diagnosed HIV-associated primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) in an attempt to improve outcomes.</p> <p>Patients and methods</p> <p>Three patients from our institution who were recently diagnosed with HIV-associated PCNSL received intravenous azidothymidine (AZT) 1.6 gr. bid for two weeks, followed by oral AZT 250 mg bid from day 15. In addition, complementary highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with a second nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) plus one protease inhibitor (PI) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) subcutaneously 2 million units twice daily (bid) plus foscarnet 90 mg/kg bid were administered on days 1-14. One patient received anti-EpsteinBarr virus (EBV)-maintenance therapy with ganciclovir, followed by cidofovir <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr></abbrgrp>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All patients experienced progressive disease while on induction therapy, and switched early to whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) as second linetreatment. No grade 3 or 4 toxicities were observed. Two patients died on days 50 and 166 respectively due to progressive disease. The third patient with histologically proven lymphoproliferation and only suspected PCNSL remained alive at 53 months. He was on HAART and remained clinically and neurologically stable.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although IL-2, HAART, high-dose AZT and foscarnet are used for other HIV-related conditions, they did not demonstrate benefit in lymphoma remission for 2 HIVassociated PCNSL patients. The third patient went into delayed remission after additional radiotherapy and was in good clinical and neurological health status over 53 months after diagnosis.</p

Virtual Valcamonica: collaborative exploration of prehistoric petroglyphs and their surrounding environment in multi-user virtual reality

In this paper, we present a novel, multi-user, virtual reality environment for the interactive, collaborative 3D analysis of large 3D scans and the technical advancements that were necessary to build it: a multi-view rendering system for large 3D point clouds, a suitable display infrastructure and a suite of collaborative 3D interaction techniques. The cultural heritage site of Valcamonica in Italy with its large collection of prehistoric rock-art served as an exemplary use case for evaluation. The results show that our output-sensitive level-of-detail rendering system is capable of visualizing a 3D dataset with an aggregate size of more than 14 billion points at interactive frame rates. The system design in this exemplar application results from close exchange with a small group of potential users: archaeologists with expertise in rock-art and allows them to explore the prehistoric art and its spatial context with highly realistic appearance. A set of dedicated interaction techniques was developed to facilitate collaborative visual analysis. A multi-display workspace supports the immediate comparison of geographically distributed artifacts. An expert review of the final demonstrator confirmed the potential for added value in rock-art research and the usability of our collaborative interaction techniques