7,674 research outputs found
Constraints on Extragalactic Point Source Flux from Diffuse Neutrino Limits
We constrain the maximum flux from extragalactic neutrino point sources by
using diffuse neutrino flux limits. We show that the maximum flux from
extragalactic point sources is E^2(dN/dE) < 1.4 x 10^-9 (L_nu/2x10^43
erg/s)^1/3 GeV cm-^2 s^-1 from individual point sources with average neutrino
luminosity per decade, L_nu. It depends only slightly on factors such as the
inhomogeneous matter density distribution in the local universe, the luminosity
distribution, and the assumed spectral index. The derived constraints are at
least one order of magnitude below the current experimental limits from direct
searches. Significant constraints are also derived on the number density of
neutrino sources and on the total neutrino power density.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, and 2 table
Push & Pull: autonomous deployment of mobile sensors for a complete coverage
Mobile sensor networks are important for several strategic applications
devoted to monitoring critical areas. In such hostile scenarios, sensors cannot
be deployed manually and are either sent from a safe location or dropped from
an aircraft. Mobile devices permit a dynamic deployment reconfiguration that
improves the coverage in terms of completeness and uniformity.
In this paper we propose a distributed algorithm for the autonomous
deployment of mobile sensors called Push&Pull. According to our proposal,
movement decisions are made by each sensor on the basis of locally available
information and do not require any prior knowledge of the operating conditions
or any manual tuning of key parameters.
We formally prove that, when a sufficient number of sensors are available,
our approach guarantees a complete and uniform coverage. Furthermore, we
demonstrate that the algorithm execution always terminates preventing movement
oscillations.
Numerous simulations show that our algorithm reaches a complete coverage
within reasonable time with moderate energy consumption, even when the target
area has irregular shapes. Performance comparisons between Push&Pull and one of
the most acknowledged algorithms show how the former one can efficiently reach
a more uniform and complete coverage under a wide range of working scenarios.Comment: Technical Report. This paper has been published on Wireless Networks,
Springer. Animations and the complete code of the proposed algorithm are
available for download at the address:
http://www.dsi.uniroma1.it/~novella/mobile_sensors
Recommended from our members
A holistic approach to care for women struggling after mastectomy: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer among women worldwide today. Although the number of diagnosed cases continues to increase, the efficacy of treatment has also been improving, allowing survival rates to rise. Breast cancer treatment and surgery often involve a variety of changes in womenâs appearance, altered sense of identity and relational challenges. A limited amount of research has been found in connection to the subjective embodied experience of women after mastectomy and during rehabilitation.
Purpose: The aim of the present study was to conduct an idiographic exploration of the participantsâ perceptions of physical and psychological struggles after mastectomy relating to identity change, self-image and sexual intimacy and how these were embodied in the context of overall wellbeing after illness.
Method: This research sought to explore in depth participantsâ subjective experiences of femininity and sexuality after mastectomy using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) through semi-structured individual interviews.
Results: Three major themes emerged from the data: (1) the âIll Selfâ, (2) the âVulnerable Selfâ and (3) the âCoping Selfâ. Nine sub-themes emerged from the data: (1) âshockâ, âpainâ, âbody-changesâ, (2) âcontrolâ, âuncertaintyâ, âotherâs gazeâ, (3) âwarriorâ, âcomparing lossesâ and ârecoveringâ. The themes illustrate a linear but complex experience of women losing their healthy status and functioning to becoming breast cancer patients, and through to recovery. The first major theme â âIll Selfâ â includes participantsâ responses to physical and psychological experiences in the context of illness. Participants expressed the difficulties faced in this first stage of diagnosis and how that seemed to have shifted their position from being healthy to becoming a patient. This major theme reflects participantsâ views on interactions with their bodies and how these are expressed through self-image as they lose/gain body parts (mastectomy and/or reconstruction). The second major theme â âVulnerable Selfâ â was identified through participantsâ exposed vulnerability in relational dynamics but also vulnerability to the challenges presented by illness. Participants revealed conflicts with others and themselves in surrendering and taking power. The âVulnerable Selfâ also illustrates womenâs concerns about the uncertainties regarding the recovery process and their feelings of exposure to the otherâs gaze during rehabilitation. The third major theme - âCoping Selfâ â is the final identity recognised in the data. I identified the participantsâ need to gather their remaining emotional resources following a phase of high vulnerability and to continue their journey into recovery and the reestablishment of wellbeing.
My findings explicitly show the need to create a strong professional network of support between counselling psychologists and other relevant healthcare professionals. This network of support relies on the close involvement of clients during assessment and formulation. Designing a holistic treatment plan which is based on individual client needs (identity, relationships, sexual recovery, body image, etc.) but which also accounts for the physical and psychological needs of service users is paramount for the recovery of quality of life after breast cancer.
Conclusion: The findings of this study add to the body of research regarding womenâs struggles after mastectomy and the embodiment of illness. Participants reported their perceptions and reactions regarding identity change, self-image and sexual intimacy after mastectomy. The participantsâ desire for a holistic approach to care from specialised services during treatment and recovery was noted. A shortcoming in terms of the provision of psychotherapeutic services to facilitate sensitive communication and follow up on the recovery of breast cancer patients was identified within medical teams, at times of extreme physical and psychological struggle for participants
Enabling technology for maintenance in a smart factory: A literature review
Industry 4.0 technologies are transforming the factory in an "intelligent" or "smart" factory. In a such context, a greater efficiency and innovative relationship is basically demanded within the whole production chain, including suppliers, producers, and customers. To be more competitive, companies are becoming increasingly aware that maintenance plays a key role during the digital transformation from the perspective of both technology and management. In this work, we perform a literature review of published cases to investigate how maintenance is changing through technologies of Industry 4.0 currently used in maintenance. We found 34 papers in literature involved in analyzing relations between maintenance and Industry 4.0 technology. The analysis of such studies let us to establish the current technology state-of-art and identify the most suited technology that today is employed in maintenance tasks. In particular Industrial Internet of Things and Cloud Computing are more common in the analyzed studies, confirming how these concepts and technologies are at the basis of Industry 4.0
Determinants of travel mode choice in Europe: Results from a survey on routine mobility
Understanding the differences in travel behaviour across different countries underlined by
trip and individual characteristics are paramount to develop effective policies to nudge a shift
towards sustainable mobility. In this study we present a descriptive analysis of the results of
a mobility household survey, collecting information on citizen travel behaviour, travel mode
choices and the factors influencing them. The study involves five European countries: Hungary,
Italy, Norway, Poland and Spain. Results describe how travel mode choice fluctuates with usersâ
heterogeneity and that different mobility transition policies receive different support from
citizens. Instruments implying a direct financial cost are much less accepted than technology-
and infrastructure-based policies. Support to policies such as road expansion is also observed.
The transition in mobility should then have to deal with householdsâ beliefs to make them
revise their travel behaviours. But the mobility transition is also closely linked to the city
development and the distribution of workplace and grocery shopping in the cit
Changing alignments in the Greek of southern Italy
Abstract
This article investigates a peculiar pattern of subject case-marking in the Greek of southern Italy. Recent fieldwork with native speakers, coupled with the consultation of some written sources, reveals that, alongside prototypical nominative subjects, Italo-Greek also licenses accusative subjects, despite displaying a predominantly nominative-accusative alignment. Far from being random replacements within a highly attrited grammar, the distribution of these accusative subjects obeys specific structural principles, revealing similarities with historical attestations of the so-called âextended accusativeâ in early Indo-European. On the basis of these data, Italo-Greek is argued to be undergoing a progressive shift towards an active-stative alignment, a claim supported by additional evidence from auxiliary selection, adverb agreement and sentential word order.Leverhulme Trus
Analisi dinamiche in tensioni efficaci con il codice "SCOSSA"
Lâincremento di pressioni interstiziali indotto da azioni sismiche in depositi sabbio-limosi determina la progressiva riduzione delle tensioni efficaci e di conseguenza della rigidezza e della resistenza dei terreni, fino a condurre alla completa liquefazione. Un metodo sviluppato per la stima di tale incremento si basa su un parametro semi-empirico, detto âparametro di dannoâ, che consente di applicare direttamente i risultati di prove cicliche di laboratorio per predire lâincremento di pressione interstiziale generato in sito dallâazione sismica. Tale procedura, implementata allâinterno di un codice di calcolo non lineare, consente di effettuare analisi
monodimensionali in tensioni efficaci senza adottare sofisticati modelli costitutivi del terreno. Lâapplicazione ad un argine danneggiato dal terremoto emiliano del 2012 ha consentito di evidenziare fenomeni di degradazione ciclica degli strati sabbiosi profondi che non sarebbe stato possibile osservare con le tradizionali analisi in tensioni totali
Chiral Anomalies via Classical and Quantum Functional Methods
In the quantum path integral formulation of a field theory model an anomaly
arises when the functional measure is not invariant under a symmetry
transformation of the Lagrangian. In this paper, generalizing previous work
done on the point particle, we show that even at the classical level we can
give a path integral formulation for any field theory model. Since classical
mechanics cannot be affected by anomalies, the measure of the classical path
integral of a field theory must be invariant under the symmetry. The classical
path integral measure contains the fields of the quantum one plus some extra
auxiliary ones. So, at the classical level, there must be a sort of
"cancellation" of the quantum anomaly between the original fields and the
auxiliary ones. In this paper we prove in detail how this occurs for the chiral
anomaly.Comment: 26 pages, Latex, misprint fixed, a dedication include
- âŠ