Wavelet-based feature extraction for automatic defect classification in strands by ultrasonic structural monitoring

Francesco Lanza di Scalea,Piervincenzo Rizzo 국제구조공학회 2006 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.2 No.3

The structural monitoring of multi-wire strands is of importance to prestressed concrete structures and cable-stayed or suspension bridges. This paper addresses the monitoring of strands by ultrasonic guided waves with emphasis on the signal processing and automatic defect classification. The detection of notch-like defects in the strands is based on the reflections of guided waves that are excited and detected by magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducers. The Discrete Wavelet Transform was used to extract damage-sensitive features from the detected signals and to construct a multi-dimensional Damage Index vector. The Damage Index vector was then fed to an Artificial Neural Network to provide the automatic classification of (a) the size of the notch and (b) the location of the notch from the receiving sensor. Following an optimization study of the network, it was determined that five damage-sensitive features provided the best defect classification performance with an overall success rate of 90.8%. It was thus demonstrated that the wavelet-based multi-dimensional analysis can provide excellent classification performance for notch-type defects in strands.

European Social Agriculture present condition and related policy

Francesco Di Iacovo 인간식물환경학회 2018 인간식물환경학회 학술대회 Vol.2018 No.추계

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy in Peyronie’s Disease: Clinical Efficacy and Safety from a Single-Arm Observational Study

Marina di Mauro,Giorgio Ivan Russo,Pier Andrea Della Camera,Fabrizio di Maida,Gianmartin Cito,Nicola Mondaini,Marco Capece,Marco Falcone,Francesco Sessa,Andrea Mari,Riccardo Campi,Carlotta Sabini,Serg 대한남성과학회 2019 The World Journal of Men's Health Vol.37 No.3

ItalyPurpose: In this study, we aimed to determine the role of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in the management of Peyronie’s disease (PD). Materials and Methods: A total of 325 patients suffering from PD were enrolled in this single-arm clinical study. All patients were received ESWT using a schedule of 1 treatment/wk. Penile curvature was measured by a goniometer after intracavernosal drug-induced erection using Alprostadil. Plaque size was measured with a ruler and sexual function assessed by the international index of erectile function (IIEF)-15 score. Severity of erectile dysfunction was classified as severe (IIEF-15 ≤10), moderate (IIEF-15 between 11 and 16), or mild (IIEF-15 between 17 and 25). Results were evaluated at baseline and 3 months after the treatment.Results: All the patients completed the study protocol. Median age was 59.0 years (55.0–64.0 years). After treatment, the median (interquartile range, IQR) plaque size reduced from 1.78 cm2 (1.43–2.17 cm2) to 1.53 cm2 (1.31–1.96 cm2) (p<0.001); the median (IQR) penile length in erection increased from 13.0 cm (12.0–14.0 cm) to 14 cm (13.0–15.0 cm) (p<0.001) and the median (IQR) penile curvature from 30.4° (22.2°–35.4°) to 25.0° (20.2°–30.4°) (p<0.001). We also observed a decrease in pain assessed by visual analogue scale (7 vs. 3; p<0.001), an improvement in each of the IIEF sub-domains (p<0.001) and an improvement in all three PD questionnaire domains (p<0.001). Conclusions: Based on our findings, ESWT could be considered a safe and efficient minimally invasive option for the management of the patients suffering from PD.

Towards defi ning a simplifi ed procedure for COTS system-on-chip TID testing

Stefano Di Mascio,Alessandra Menicucci,Gianluca Furano,Tomasz Szewczyk,Luigi Campajola,Francesco Di Capua,Andrea Lucaroni,Marco Ottavi 한국원자력학회 2018 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.50 No.8

The use of System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions in the design of on-board data handling systems is animportant step towards further miniaturization in space. However, the Total Ionizing Dose (TID) andSingle Event Effects (SEE) characterization of these complex devices present new challenges that areeither not fully addressed by current testing guidelines or may result in expensive, cumbersome testconfigurations. In this paper we report the test setups, procedures and results for TID testing of a SoCmicrocontroller both using standard 60Co and low-energy protons beams. This paper specifically pointsout the differences in the test methodology and in the challenges between TID testing with proton beamand with the conventional gamma ray irradiation. New test setup and procedures are proposed whichare capable of emulating typical mission conditions (clock, bias, software, reprogramming, etc.) whilekeeping the test setup as simple as possible at the same time.

Multi-Agent Quality of Experience Control

Francesco Delli Priscoli,Alessandro Di Giorgio,Federico Lisi,Salvatore Monaco,Antonio Pietrabissa,Vincenzo Suraci,Lorenzo Ricciardi Celsi 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2017 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.15 No.2

In the framework of the Future Internet, the aim of the Quality of Experience (QoE) Control functionalitiesis to track the personalized desired QoE level of the applications. The paper proposes to perform such a taskby dynamically selecting the most appropriate Classes of Service (among the ones supported by the network), thisselection being driven by a novel heuristic Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) algorithm. The papershows that such an approach offers the opportunity to cope with some practical implementation problems: in particular,it allows to face the so-called “curse of dimensionality” of MARL algorithms, thus achieving satisfactoryperformance results even in the presence of several hundreds of Agents.

Comparison Between Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and Intra-articular Hyaluronic Acid Injections in the Treatment of First Carpometacarpal Joint Osteoarthritis

Francesco Ioppolo,Fabiana Saracino,Rosaria Sabrina Rizzo,Giampaolo Monacelli,Danilo Lanni,Luca Di Sante,Angelo Cacchio,Valter Santilli,Teresa Venditto 대한재활의학회 2018 Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine Vol.42 No.1

Objective To compare extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) with hyaluronic acid (HA) intra-articular injections in terms of pain relief, improvement in hand function, and strength in subjects with first carpometacarpal (CMC) joint osteoarthritis. Methods Fifty-eight patients received either focused ESWT or HA injection once a week for 3 consecutive weeks. In the ESWT group, 2,400 consecutive pulses were performed during each treatment session using a frequency of 4 Hz and an an energy flux density of 0.09 mJ/mm2. The HA group underwent one cycle of three injections of 0.5 cm3 HA. The main outcome measures were pain and hand function as measured by the visual analogue scale (VAS) and Duruoz Hand Index (DHI), respectively. The secondary outcomes were grip and pinch strength. Each assessment was performed at baseline, at the end of treatment, and at 3- and 6-month follow-up visits. Results According to VAS and DHI scores, a significant change in test performance was observed over time in both groups (p<0.001), with a greater average improvement in painful symptomatology at the 6-month follow-up in the ESWT group. A significant improvement in strength was observed in both groups, but the ESWT group showed better results on the pinch test starting immediately at the end of treatment. Conclusion The use of ESWT in patients with first CMC joint osteoarthritis leads to a reduction in pain, an improvement in pinch test performance that persists for at least 6 months, and a decrease in hand disability up to the 6-month follow-up visit.

Fertility-sparing surgery for women with stage I cervical cancer of 4 cm or larger: a systematic review

Violante Di Donato,Giuseppe Caruso,Carolina Maria Sassu,Giusi Santangelo,Giorgio Bogani,Francesco Plotti,Flavia Sorbi,Giorgia Perniola,Innocenza Palaia,Gianluca Terrin,Roberto Angioli,Pierluigi Benede 대한부인종양학회 2021 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.32 No.6

Objective: To investigate current evidence on oncological, fertility and obstetric outcomes of patients with stage I cervical cancer of 4 cm or larger undergoing fertility-sparing surgery (FSS). Methods: Systematic review of studies including women affected by stage I cervical cancer ≥4 cm who underwent FSS. Main outcome measures: disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), pregnancy rate, live birth rate, premature delivery rate. Results: Fifteen studies met all eligibility criteria for this systematic review, involving48 patients affected by cervical cancer ≥4 cm who completed FSS. Three patients (6.3%) experienced a recurrence and one of them (2.1%) died of disease. The 5-year DFS rate was 92.4%. The 5-year OS rate was 97.6%. A significantly shorter 5-year DFS was reported for high-risk patients (G3, non-squamous histotype, diameter ≥5 cm) compared with low-risk (74.7% vs. 100%; log-rank test, p=0.024). Data about fertility outcomes were available for 12 patients. Five patients out of 12 (41.7%) attempted to conceive with an estimated pregnancy rate of 80%, a live birth rate of 83.3% and a premature delivery rate of 20%. Conclusion: Women with high tumor grade, aggressive histology and tumor size ≥5 cm have a higher risk of recurrence. Oncologic outcomes are encouraging among low-risk patients; however, the lack of high-quality studies makes it difficult to draw any firm conclusions. Prospective multicentric clinical trials with a proper selection of inclusion/exclusion criteria should be conducted in women with low-risk factors, strong desire to preserve their fertility and high likelihood to conceive.

Pyridostigmine in Pediatric Intestinal Pseudo-obstruction: Case Report of a 2-year Old Girl and Literature Review

( Giovanni Di Nardo ),( Federica Viscogliosi ),( Francesco Esposito ),( Vincenzo Stanghellini ),( Maria Pia Villa ),( Pasquale Parisi ),( Alessia Morlando ),( Girolamo Cal ),( Roberto De Giorgio ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회(구 대한소화관운동학회) 2019 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.25 No.4

Pediatric chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a rare disorder characterized by a severe impairment of gastrointestinal motility leading to intestinal obstruction symptoms in the absence of mechanical causes. The diagnosis is usually clinical and diagnostic work is usually aimed to rule out mechanical obstruction and to identify any underlying diseases. Treatment is challenging and requires a multidisciplinary effort. In this manuscript we describe the youngest child successfully treated with the orally administrable, longacting, reversible anti-cholinesterase drug, pyridostigmine. Like other drugs belonging to cholinesterase inhibitors, pyridostigmine enhances gut motility by increasing acetylcholine availability in the enteric nervous system and neuro-muscular junctions. Based on the direct evidence from the reported case, we reviewed the current literature on the use of pyridostigmine in severe pediatric dysmotility focusing on intestinal pseudo-obstruction. The overall data emerged from the few published studies suggest that pyridostigmine is an effective and usually well tolerated therapeutic options for patients with intestinal pseudo-obstruction. More specifically, the main results obtained by pyridostigmine included marked reduction of abdominal distension, reduced need of parenteral nutrition, and improvement of oral feeding. The present case and review on pyridostigmine pave the way for eagerly awaited future randomized controlled studies testing the efficacy of cholinesterase inhibitors in pediatric severe gut dysmotility. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2019;25:508-514)

Structural analysis and health monitoring of twentieth-century cultural heritage: the Flaminio Stadium in Rome

Paolo Di Re,Egidio Lofrano,Jacopo Ciambella,Francesco Romeo 국제구조공학회 2021 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.27 No.2

This work deals with structural analysis and health monitoring (SHM) of a valuable structure of the twentiethcentury cultural heritage: the Flaminio Stadium in Rome. The Flaminio is one of the iconic reinforced concrete sport facilities designed and built by Pier Luigi Nervi for the 1960 Olympic Games of Rome. In view of the foreseen SHM activity, the structural analysis of the Flaminio Stadium is firstly reported by presenting either preliminary analyses, aimed at studying the stadium response under different modeling hypotheses, and a three-dimensional Finite Element (FE) model of the entire structure. It turns out that the main grandstand canopy plays a pivotal role in the Flaminio's structural response to seismic excitation; in addition, its state of conservation raises some concern. Therefore, the structural modeling and dynamic characterization of the canopy is deepened in the paper. Its unusual features, such as geometry, material characteristics and dynamic interplay with the hosting main reinforced concrete frames are thoroughly assessed. To validate the FE results, characterized by a high modal density, and investigate the response of the structure, dynamic tests carried out under operating conditions are presented. The output-only collected data are used to calibrate the initial FE model. The predicted static and dynamic responses of the canopy are eventually exploited to guide the design of a tailored monitoring system. The relevant data management is framed in a heritage building information modeling (HBIM) context. This study draws a viable process for a proactive structural conservation strategy of twentieth-century heritage buildings and infrastructures.

Robotized inspection and health monitoring in the Gran Sasso National Laboratory

Rinaldi, Cecilia,Di Sabatino, Umberto,Potenza, Francesco,Gattulli, Vincenzo Techno-Press 2021 Structural monitoring and maintenance Vol.8 No.1

The Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS) is the largest underground research center in the world devoted to neutrino and astroparticle physics. It is located in galleries below about 1400 meters of rock mass. In this environment, inspection and monitoring actions are challenging for the maintenance and the safety of the infrastructures and they require a combined use of different strategies. The paper address issues related to the structural safety of the whole environment by proposing solutions for inspection and monitoring of different areas and elements, such as the gallery vaults, the structures of the experimental prototypes, the plants and the machinery. A generic framework is discussed to evidence the features of each specific solution and the interaction between different systems. Tunnel structural healthy is the most difficult to evaluate because the vaults are coated by not removable panels which waterproof and insulate the environment. Therefore, specific solutions are proposed for the inspection and monitoring of the vaults which are visible only in the interspace realized from such cladding panels. In this respect, different methodologies based on the use of robotic systems are presented and discussed in order to implement a suitable inspection and monitoring program. The complementary requirements to perform a mechatronic survey are defined also as basis of ongoing activities currently performed in LNGS.