Visual Literacy

A site with different ways of presenting information in a visual way that is more comprehensive than the standard bar, pie charts, and tables. The Periodic Table of Visualization Methods shows over one-hundred different examples. The page provides great interactive resources to better explain the concepts featured

Re-Thinking Visitor Experience with Ancient Manuscripts via the Holographic Showcase: The Case of the Codex4D Project and Its First Public Results from a Mixed-Method Evaluation In Situ

Ancient manuscripts are precious and fragile objects, preserved in libraries, museums, and archives. Some of them are masterpieces, made with several materials and insights, but generally they are not accessible to wide communities of users. The purpose of this study is to present the preliminary results of the Codex4D project: a holographic showcase, conceived for museums, presenting the first 4D model of an ancient manuscript to the public at the Science Festival in Genoa in 2022. The manuscript, preserved in the Angelica Library in Rome, has been represented in a multidimensional digital model, documenting both its visible and invisible aspects, on the surface and in the stratigraphic layers. We analysed the visitor experience: informal learning, the meaning-making process, interactions between visitors, and gesture-based interaction with the showcase. The methodology used for evaluation is based on four different qualitative methods (grounded theory, narrative inquiry, case study, and digital ethnography). We collected notes from observation, narratives from interviews, and answers from structured interviews. The main findings are patterns of the visitors’ experiences with a digital interactive 4D model of an ancient manuscript, supported by storytelling, and a list of design issues and possible improvements for the next version of the Codex4D holographic showcase

Heavy metals induced morphometrical alterations in earthworms granulocytes

none5Calisi A.; Pagliara P.; Leomanni A.; Lionetto M.G.; Schettino T.Calisi, Antonio; Pagliara, Patrizia; Leomanni, Alessandro; Lionetto, Maria Giulia; Schettino, Trifon

Experimental Validation of a Novel Method for Harmonic Mitigation for a Three-Phase Five-Level Cascaded H-Bridges Inverter

In modern high-power electrical drives, the efficiency of the system is a crucial constraint. Moreover, the efficiency of power converters plays a fundamental role in modern applications requiring also a limited weight, such as the electric vehicles and novel more electric aircraft. The reduction of losses pushes for systems with a dc bus and a high number of dc/ac converters, widespread in the vehicle, not burdened by a too expensive data processing system. The purpose of this article is to concur to reduce losses by proposing an innovative selective harmonic mitigation method based on the identification of the working areas where the reference harmonics present lower amplitudes. In particular, the main objective is to find a new way to calculate the control angles in real-time operation without solving nonlinear equations, whose resolution would require expensive controllers. Through a very simple approach, the polynomial equations, which drive the control angles, were detected for a three-phase five-level cascaded H-bridge inverter and implemented in a digital system to real-time operation with a low computational cost. As a result, a comparison between the simulation and experimental behavior is presented. In the last part of this article, a real electric machine is driven by considering the appropriate working areas and current harmonics are also evaluated

Experimental Investigation on the Performances of Innovative PV Vertical Structures

The sustainable development of our planet is considerably related to a relevant reduction of CO2 global emissions, with building consumption contributing more than 40%. In this scenario, new technological conceptions, such as building-integrated photovoltaic technology, emerged in order to satisfy the requirements of sustainability imposed by the European Union. Therefore, the aim of this work is to provide a technical and economical comparison of the performances of different vertical-mounted innovative photovoltaic systems, potentially integrated on a building instead of on traditional windows or glass walls. The proposed investigation was carried out by means of experimental tests on three different next-generation vertical structures. The related results are described and discussed, highlighting the advantages and the drawbacks of the proposed technologies

Glossario Digitale e Tecnologie | ICOM Italia | Commissione Tecnologie Digitali per il Patrimonio Culturale

Le tecnologie sono strumenti fondamentali per le attività del museo. La Commissione Tecnologie Digitali per il Patrimonio Culturale di ICOM Italia si occupa di analizzare e stimolare il dialogo sugli aspetti del digitale in ambito museale. Questo glossario ha lo scopo di raccogliere, in forma divulgativa, le definizioni delle tecnologie e dei termini di riferimento che riguardano digitale e museo. Le definizioni sono pensate per essere di supporto ai curatori, ai progettisti e ai direttori dei musei nella scelta delle tecnologie più adatte per il proprio contesto di riferimento e si pone come un piccolo supporto terminologico. Le voci sono la sintesi di consultazione di fonti riconosciute e di esperienza personale maturata dai componenti del gruppo di lavoro. Data la continua evoluzione tecnologica il lavoro si presenta in fieri ed in continuo aggiornamento, periodicamente il glossario verrà aggiornato, integrato ed ampliato con nuove definizioni

Dysphagia in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: prevalence and clinical findings.

Objectives: To characterize swallowing deficits in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); investigate the delay in dysphagia onset; estimate correlations between dysphagia severity and patients' functional status; identify the symptom(s) most likely to predict dysphagia. Materials and methods: A group of 49 consecutive patients with ALS, 14 with bulbar onset and 35 with spinal onset, underwent swallowing evaluation including bedside and fiberoptic endoscopic examination to detect dysphagia. Results: Patients with dysphagia were more likely than those without to have bulbar onset ALS (P = 0.02); more severely impaired chewing (P = 0.01); and tongue muscle deficits (P = 0.001). The only variable measured at first examination significantly associated with dysphagia was a more than mild tongue muscle deficit. The only variable useful in predicting dysphagia was a chewing deficit. In 10 of the 49 patients studied, swallowing evaluation disclosed an impaired cough reflex. Conclusions: Dysphagia in patients with ALS correlates significantly with bulbar onset and with oral swallowing impairment. Fiberoptic swallowing evaluation is a useful tool for detecting swallowing deficits and laryngeal sensitivity in patients with ALS. An impaired cough reflex is an unexpected finding in many patients with ALS. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd