Rock Hill History - Accession 42 - M17 (27)

The Rock Hill History is a handwritten history covering the period from the founding of the city of Rock Hill, SC in 1852 to 1890 and describes the city’s founders, merchants, industries, schools and churches, teachers, newspapers, libraries, and banking and railroad facilities.

Portraits of Protestant Teens: A Report on Teenagers in Major U.S. Denominations

This report examines the religious beliefs and practices of American Protestant teenagers using new, nationally representative survey data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). The NSYR is a major study of the religious and spiritual lives of contemporary American teens, which recently produced a book on its major findings entitled, Soul Searching: the Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (by Christian Smith with Melinda Lundquist Denton, Oxford University Press, 2005). In addition to broadly describing the religious outlook of Protestant teenagers today — and as a more detailed, descriptive follow-up to that book — this report highlights several positive and negative experiences and evaluations of teenagers in different Protestant denominations and groupings of denominations. In brief, this report presents the following findings in these areas of interest: ♦ Religious Participation: Protestant teenagers are relatively active in religious organizations and activities, both within and beyond their churches. About one-half of all Protestant teens attend church weekly, participate in Sunday school or in a religious youth group, pray and attend a religious summer camp or retreat, though less than one-third read the Bible each week. This also means, however, that substantial numbers of Protestant teens are not actively participating in their religious traditions. Teens from conservative denominations such as Southern Baptist Convention and Assemblies of God are especially likely to regularly attend church and participate in other religious activities. ♦ Theological Beliefs: Protestant teenagers are likely to hold many traditional Christian religious beliefs. The majority of Protestant teens say they believe in God, the afterlife, angels, demons, miracles, judgment day and they view God as a personal being involved in the lives of people today. Sizable numbers of Protestant teens, on the other hand, do not hold these traditional Christian religious beliefs. Teens from conservative and black Protestant denominations are more likely than mainline Protestant teens to hold these religious beliefs. ♦ Importance of Faith: The majority of Protestant teenagers report that their religious faith is very important in their lives. Most of them also say that their families talk about religion together, that they have shared their faith with someone not of their faith and that they have had a powerful worship experience. A large minority of all Protestant teenagers, and in the case of some denominations a majority of teenagers, do not report that religious faith is very important in their lives. Teens from conservative and black Protestant denominations are particularly likely to report that faith is important in their lives. ♦ Evaluations of Churches: The majority of Protestant teenagers express relatively positive views of their churches and fellow church members. They typically report that they would continue to attend church if it were totally up to them, that they would attend a similar church if given the choice and that their current church is generally warm and welcoming. Protestant adolescents, however, do have some reservations about and problems with their churches and fellow church attendees, as spelled out in the following pages, particularly with other teenage attendees.

Tokamak TCABR: Acquisition system, data analysis, and remote participation using MDSplus

Each plasma physics laboratory has a proprietary scheme to control and data acquisition system. Usually, it is different from one laboratory to another. It means that each laboratory has its own way to control the experiment and retrieving data from the database. Fusion research relies to a great extent on international collaboration and this private system makes it difficult to follow the work remotely. The TCABR data analysis and acquisition system has been upgraded to support a joint research programme using remote participation technologies. The choice of MDSplus (Model Driven System plus) is proved by the fact that it is widely utilized, and the scientists from different institutions may use the same system in different experiments in different tokamaks without the need to know how each system treats its acquisition system and data analysis. Another important point is the fact that the MDSplus has a library system that allows communication between different types of language (JAVA, Fortran, C, C++, Python) and programs such as MATLAB, IDL, OCTAVE. In the case of tokamak TCABR interfaces (object of this paper) between the system already in use and MDSplus were developed, instead of using the MDSplus at all stages, from the control, and data acquisition to the data analysis. This was done in the way to preserve a complex system already in operation and otherwise it would take a long time to migrate. This implementation also allows add new components using the MDSplus fully at all stages. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spiritual support for people living with HIV/AIDS: A Brazilian explorative, descriptive study

y In this exploratory and descriptive research, we identified the meaning of religion and spirituality in the experience of patients at a public health service for treatment of HIV/AIDS in a Brazilian upcountry town. Eight participants were selected through theoretical sampling. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, and analyzed by means of qualitative content analysis. The emerging themes were religion: a path to support, and God is everything. Religion, as a path that leads patients to different sources of support, included exploration of different churches, acknowledgment of guilt, and finding strength to cope with the disease, rationalization of the disease process, meeting other churchgoers, and finding God and faith. God, an important source of support, was present in prayers, in the belief in healing through faith, and in the feeling of comfort and relief. Because spirituality and religion were seen as important sources of support, in this study we that health professionals include these aspects in care planning.

Optic Disc Margin Anatomy in Patients with Glaucoma and Normal Controls with Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

Objective: To characterize optic nerve head (ONH) anatomy related to the clinical optic disc margin with spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Design: Cross-sectional study. Participants: Patients with open-angle glaucoma with focal, diffuse, and sclerotic optic disc damage, and age-matched normal controls. Methods: High-resolution radial SD-OCT B-scans centered on the ONH were analyzed at each clock hour. For each scan, the border tissue of Elschnig was classified for obliqueness (internally oblique, externally oblique, or nonoblique) and the presence of Bruch's membrane overhanging the border tissue. Optic disc stereophotographs were co-localized to SD-OCT data with customized software. The frequency with which the disc margin identified in stereophotographs coincided with (1) Bruch's membrane opening (BMO), defined as the innermost edge of Bruch's membrane; (2) Bruch's membrane/border tissue, defined as any aspect of either outside BMO or border tissue; or (3) border tissue, defined as any aspect of border tissue alone, in the B-scans was computed at each clock hour. Main Outcome Measures: The SD-OCT structures coinciding with the disc margin in stereophotographs. Results: There were 30 patients (10 with each type of disc damage) and 10 controls, with a median (range) age of 68.1 (42-86) years and 63.5 (42-77) years, respectively. Although 28 patients (93%) had 2 or more border tissue configurations, the most predominant one was internally oblique, primarily superiorly and nasally, frequently with Bruch's membrane overhang. Externally oblique border tissue was less frequent, observed mostly inferiorly and temporally. In controls, there was predominantly internally oblique configuration around the disc. Although the configurations were not statistically different between patients and controls, they were among the 3 glaucoma groups. At most locations, the SD-OCT structure most frequently identified as the disc margin was some aspect of Bruch's membrane and border tissue external to BMO. Bruch's membrane overhang was regionally present in the majority of patients with glaucoma and controls; however, in most cases it was not visible as the disc margin. Conclusions: The clinically perceived disc margin is most likely not the innermost edge of Bruch's membrane detected by SD-OCT. These findings have important implications for the automated detection of the disc margin and estimates of the neuroretinal rim. Financial Disclosure(s): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references. Ophthalmology 2012;119:738-747 (C) 2012 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Multiple Radial Midpupil Lid Distances: A Simple Method for Lid Contour Analysis

Purpose: To describe a new computerized method for the analysis of lid contour based on the measurement of multiple radial midpupil lid distances. Design: Evaluation of diagnostic technology. Participants and Controls: Monocular palpebral fissure images of 35 patients with Graves' upper eyelid retraction and of 30 normal subjects. Methods: Custom software was used to measure the conventional midpupil upper lid distance (MPLD) and 12 oblique MPLDs on each 15 degrees across the temporal (105 degrees, 120 degrees, 135 degrees, 150 degrees, 165 degrees, and 180 degrees) and nasal (75 degrees, 60 degrees, 45 degrees, 30 degrees, 15 degrees, and 0 degrees) sectors of the lid fissure. Main Outcome Measures: Mean, standard deviation, 5th and 95th percentiles of the oblique MPLDs obtained for patients and controls. Temporal/nasal MPLD ratios of the same angles with respect to the midline. Results: The MPLDs increased from the vertical midline in both nasal and temporal sectors of the fissure. In the control group the differences between the mean central MPLD (90 degrees) and those up to 30 degrees in the nasal (75 degrees and 60 degrees) and temporal sectors (105 degrees and 120 degrees) were not significant. For greater eccentricities, all temporal and nasal mean MPLDs increased significantly. When the MPLDs of the same angles were compared between groups, the mean values of the Graves' patients differed from control at all angles (F = 4192; P<0.0001). The greatest temporal/nasal asymmetry occurred 60 degrees from the vertical midline. Conclusions: The measurement of radial MPLD is a simple and effective way to characterize lid contour abnormalities. In patients with Graves' upper eyelid retraction, the method demonstrated that the maximum amplitude of the lateral lid flare sign occurred at 60 degrees from the vertical midline. Financial Disclosure(s): The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any of the materials discussed in this article. Ophthalmology 2012; 119: 625-628 (C) 2012 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Rates of Change in the Visual Field and Optic Disc in Patients with Distinct Patterns of Glaucomatous Optic Disc Damage

Purpose: To investigate the rate of visual field and optic disc change in patients with distinct patterns of glaucomatous optic disc damage. Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Participants: A total of 131 patients with open-angle glaucoma with focal (n = 45), diffuse (n = 42), and sclerotic (n = 44) optic disc damage. Methods: Patients were examined every 4 months with standard automated perimetry (SAP, SITA Standard, 24-2 test, Humphrey Field Analyzer, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) and confocal scanning laser tomography (CSLT, Heidelberg Retina Tomograph, Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany) for a period of 4 years. During this time, patients were treated according to a predefined protocol to achieve a target intraocular pressure (IOP). Rates of change were estimated by robust linear regression of visual field mean deviation (MD) and global optic disc neuroretinal rim area with follow-up time. Main Outcome Measures: Rates of change in MD and rim area. Results: Rates of visual field change in patients with focal optic disc damage (mean -0.34, standard deviation [SD] 0.69 dB/year) were faster than in patients with sclerotic (mean - 0.14, SD 0.77 dB/year) and diffuse (mean + 0.01, SD 0.37 dB/year) optic disc damage (P = 0.003, Kruskal-Wallis). Rates of optic disc change in patients with focal optic disc damage (mean - 11.70, SD 25.5 x 10(-3) mm(2)/year) were faster than in patients with diffuse (mean -9.16, SD 14.9 x 10(-3) mm(2)/year) and sclerotic (mean -0.45, SD 20.6 x 10(-3) mm(2)/year) optic disc damage, although the differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.11). Absolute IOP reduction from untreated levels was similar among the groups (P = 0.59). Conclusions: Patients with focal optic disc damage had faster rates of visual field change and a tendency toward faster rates of optic disc deterioration when compared with patients with diffuse and sclerotic optic disc damage, despite similar IOP reductions during follow-up. Financial Disclosure(s): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references. Ophthalmology 2012; 119: 294-303 (C) 2012 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Grandparents Left with AIDS-orphans; Challenges and Strategies Handling Poverty and Stigma

By 2010 it is estimated that one third of the African children will be orphans as an effect of HIV/AIDS. The crisis is already a fact and most orphans are absorbed by the extended family where the grandparents become the primary caretakers. This qualitative study was carried out in Kenya to explore the situation of these grandparents and to define their current resources and needs. Eight grandparents living in rural village or urban slum caring for their orphaned grandchildren were interviewed. The results showed that these families live under extremely poor conditions lacking food, other vital neccesities and a basic social network. Local churches and support groups emerged as the grandparents main sources to enhance strength and support. Key factors causing the acute poverty is HIV-related stigma and lack of access to land.

SweetRunner : juego de plataforma estilo runner para Android

[ES] El primordial objetivo del presente Trabajo de Final de Título (TFT) es realizar un juego de plataforma estilo runner para dispositivos móviles con sistema Android, y por medio de este, realizar un análisis de las diferentes herramientas que se pueden emplear para el desarrollo juegos para móvil estilo runner.  El resultado que se obtuvo fue SweetRuner, una aplicación móvil que permite jugar en dispositivos móviles que posean sistema Android en una versión igual o superior a Honeycomb. Las características que posee SweetRunner son: creación aleatoria de los elementos del juego; obstáculos y bonificaciones; aumento de dificultad conforme aumenta la puntuación; cálculo de puntuación y puntuación máxima; finalmente, comunicación con la red social Facebook. El desarrollo de SweetRunner se realizó en el motor de videojuegos Unity3D, ya que es considerado la mejor opción para este tipo de juegos, por las facilidades que brinda y por su sencillez y amigabilidad. La mayoría de las herramientas empleadas en el desarrollo de la app son de software libre, pero también se ha trabajado con software privativo. Es por esta razón que el presente trabajo se distribuye bajo la licencia GNU LGPL versión3, ya que con esta licencia se pueden enlazar a un programa no GPL, que puede ser software libre o no. El presente trabajo tiene el potencial necesario para convertirse en una guía para desarrollar juegos para móviles estilo runner. Esta guía facilitará el proceso de desarrollo y optimización, además de ayudar a entender el funcionamiento y la potencialidad de las diferentes herramientas y componentes que se usaron.  

Modellazione numerica del comportamento di una struttura in muratura

In questi ultimi anni il tema della sicurezza sismica degli edifici storici in muratura ha assunto particolare rilievo in quanto a partire soprattutto dall’ordinanza 3274 del 2003, emanata in seguito al sisma che colpì il Molise nel 2002, la normativa ha imposto un monitoraggio ed una classificazione degli edifici storici sotto tutela per quanto riguarda la vulnerabilità sismica (nel 2008, quest’anno, scade il termine per attuare quest’opera di classificazione). Si è posto per questo in modo più urgente il problema dello studio del comportamento degli edifici storici (non solo quelli che costituiscono monumento, ma anche e soprattutto quelli minori) e della loro sicurezza. Le Linee Guida di applicazione dell’Ordinanza 3274 nascono con l’intento di fornire strumenti e metodologie semplici ed efficaci per affrontare questo studio nei tempi previsti. Il problema si pone in modo particolare per le chiese, presenti in grande quantità sul territorio italiano e di cui costituiscono gran parte del patrimonio culturale; questi edifici, composti di solito da grandi elementi murari, non presentano comportamento scatolare, mancando orizzontamenti, elementi di collegamento efficace e muri di spina interni e sono particolarmente vulnerabili ad azioni sismiche; presentano inoltre un comportamento strutturale a sollecitazioni orizzontali che non può essere colto con un approccio globale basato, ad esempio, su un’analisi modale lineare: non ci sono modi di vibrare che coinvolgano una sufficiente parte di massa della struttura; si hanno valori dei coefficienti di partecipazione dei varii modi di vibrare minori del 10% (in generale molto più bassi). Per questo motivo l’esperienza e l’osservazione di casi reali suggeriscono un approccio di studio degli edifici storici sacri in muratura attraverso l’analisi della sicurezza sismica dei cosiddetti “macroelementi” in cui si può suddividere un edificio murario, i quali sono elementi che presentano un comportamento strutturale autonomo. Questo lavoro si inserisce in uno studio più ampio iniziato con una tesi di laurea dal titolo “Analisi Limite di Strutture in Muratura. Teoria e Applicazione all'Arco Trionfale” (M. Temprati), che ha studiato il comportamento dell’arco trionfale della chiesa collegiata di Santa Maria del Borgo a San Nicandro Garganico (FG). Suddividere un edificio in muratura in più elementi è il metodo proposto nelle Linee Guida, di cui si parla nel primo capitolo del presente lavoro: la vulnerabilità delle strutture può essere studiata tramite il moltiplicatore di collasso quale parametro in grado di esprimere il livello di sicurezza sismica. Nel secondo capitolo si illustra il calcolo degli indici di vulnerabilità e delle accelerazioni di danno per la chiesa di Santa Maria del Borgo, attraverso la compilazione delle schede dette “di II livello”, secondo quanto indicato nelle Linee Guida. Nel terzo capitolo viene riportato il calcolo del moltiplicatore di collasso a ribaltamento della facciata della chiesa. Su questo elemento si è incentrata l’attenzione nel presente lavoro. A causa della complessità dello schema strutturale della facciata connessa ad altri elementi dell’edificio, si è fatto uso del codice di calcolo agli elementi finiti ABAQUS. Della modellazione del materiale e del settaggio dei parametri del software si è discusso nel quarto capitolo. Nel quinto capitolo si illustra l’analisi condotta tramite ABAQUS sullo stesso schema della facciata utilizzato per il calcolo manuale nel capitolo tre: l’utilizzo combinato dell’analisi cinematica e del metodo agli elementi finiti permette per esempi semplici di convalidare i risultati ottenibili con un’analisi non-lineare agli elementi finiti e di estenderne la validità a schemi più completi e più complessi. Nel sesto capitolo infatti si riportano i risultati delle analisi condotte con ABAQUS su schemi strutturali in cui si considerano anche gli elementi connessi alla facciata. Si riesce in questo modo ad individuare con chiarezza il meccanismo di collasso di più facile attivazione per la facciata e a trarre importanti informazioni sul comportamento strutturale delle varie parti, anche in vista di un intervento di ristrutturazione e miglioramento sismico.

Sobre Fernando Estévez y algunas esculturas del Niño Jesús. Nuevas atribuciones

[ES] La conmemoración del ccxxv aniversario del nacimiento de Fernando Estévez (1788-1854) en 2013 propició una aproximación diferente a la trayectoria de dicho artista. Este artículo recuerda las actividades organizadas entonces en La Orotava, especialmente una exposición de esculturas y documentos que tuvo varias sedes o lugares de exhibición durante el mes de marzo. Partiendo de obras contempladas entonces, se estudian otras representaciones del Niño Jesús que conservan templos del norte de Tenerife y pueden atribuírsele por cuestiones de estilo. [EN] The commemoration of 225th birth anniversary of Fernando Estévez (1788-1854) in 2013 allowed a new approach to his artistic caree. This paper recalls the activities organised in La Orotava back then, especially an exhibition of sculptures and documents in several spaces during the month of March. Based on the sculptures seen there, we can attribute to him other representations of the Infant Jesus that are preserved in churches in northern Tenerife.

Design and Performance Evaluation of Network-on-Chip Communication Protocols and Architectures

The scale down of transistor technology allows microelectronics manufacturers such as Intel and IBM to build always more sophisticated systems on a single microchip. The classical interconnection solutions based on shared buses or direct connections between the modules of the chip are becoming obsolete as they struggle to sustain the increasing tight bandwidth and latency constraints that these systems demand. The most promising solution for the future chip interconnects are the Networks on Chip (NoC). NoCs are network composed by routers and channels used to inter- connect the different components installed on the single microchip. Examples of advanced processors based on NoC interconnects are the IBM Cell processor, composed by eight CPUs that is installed on the Sony Playstation III and the Intel Teraflops pro ject composed by 80 independent (simple) microprocessors. On chip integration is becoming popular not only in the Chip Multi Processor (CMP) research area but also in the wider and more heterogeneous world of Systems on Chip (SoC). SoC comprehend all the electronic devices that surround us such as cell-phones, smart-phones, house embedded systems, automotive systems, set-top boxes etc... SoC manufacturers such as ST Microelectronics , Samsung, Philips and also Universities such as Bologna University, M.I.T., Berkeley and more are all proposing proprietary frameworks based on NoC interconnects. These frameworks help engineers in the switch of design methodology and speed up the development of new NoC-based systems on chip. In this Thesis we propose an introduction of CMP and SoC interconnection networks. Then focusing on SoC systems we propose: • a detailed analysis based on simulation of the Spidergon NoC, a ST Microelectronics solution for SoC interconnects. The Spidergon NoC differs from many classical solutions inherited from the parallel computing world. Here we propose a detailed analysis of this NoC topology and routing algorithms. Furthermore we propose aEqualized a new routing algorithm designed to optimize the use of the resources of the network while also increasing its performance; • a methodology flow based on modified publicly available tools that combined can be used to design, model and analyze any kind of System on Chip; • a detailed analysis of a ST Microelectronics-proprietary transport-level protocol that the author of this Thesis helped developing; • a simulation-based comprehensive comparison of different network interface designs proposed by the author and the researchers at AST lab, in order to integrate shared-memory and message-passing based components on a single System on Chip; • a powerful and flexible solution to address the time closure exception issue in the design of synchronous Networks on Chip. Our solution is based on relay stations repeaters and allows to reduce the power and area demands of NoC interconnects while also reducing its buffer needs; • a solution to simplify the design of the NoC by also increasing their performance and reducing their power and area consumption. We propose to replace complex and slow virtual channel-based routers with multiple and flexible small Multi Plane ones. This solution allows us to reduce the area and power dissipation of any NoC while also increasing its performance especially when the resources are reduced. This Thesis has been written in collaboration with the Advanced System Technology laboratory in Grenoble France, and the Computer Science Department at Columbia University in the city of New York.

Body ares networks for human motor assessment

Healthcare, Human Computer Interfaces (HCI), Security and Biometry are the most promising application scenario directly involved in the Body Area Networks (BANs) evolution. Both wearable devices and sensors directly integrated in garments envision a word in which each of us is supervised by an invisible assistant monitoring our health and daily-life activities. New opportunities are enabled because improvements in sensors miniaturization and transmission efficiency of the wireless protocols, that achieved the integration of high computational power aboard independent, energy-autonomous, small form factor devices. Application’s purposes are various: (I) data collection to achieve off-line knowledge discovery; (II) user notification of his/her activities or in case a danger occurs; (III) biofeedback rehabilitation; (IV) remote alarm activation in case the subject need assistance; (V) introduction of a more natural interaction with the surrounding computerized environment; (VI) users identification by physiological or behavioral characteristics. Telemedicine and mHealth [1] are two of the leading concepts directly related to healthcare. The capability to borne unobtrusiveness objects supports users’ autonomy. A new sense of freedom is shown to the user, not only supported by a psychological help but a real safety improvement. Furthermore, medical community aims the introduction of new devices to innovate patient treatments. In particular, the extension of the ambulatory analysis in the real life scenario by proving continuous acquisition. The wide diffusion of emerging wellness portable equipment extended the usability of wearable devices also for fitness and training by monitoring user performance on the working task. The learning of the right execution techniques related to work, sport, music can be supported by an electronic trainer furnishing the adequate aid. HCIs made real the concept of Ubiquitous, Pervasive Computing and Calm Technology introduced in the 1988 by Marc Weiser and John Seeley Brown. They promotes the creation of pervasive environments, enhancing the human experience. Context aware, adaptive and proactive environments serve and help people by becoming sensitive and reactive to their presence, since electronics is ubiquitous and deployed everywhere. In this thesis we pay attention to the integration of all the aspects involved in a BAN development. Starting from the choice of sensors we design the node, configure the radio network, implement real-time data analysis and provide a feedback to the user. We present algorithms to be implemented in wearable assistant for posture and gait analysis and to provide assistance on different walking conditions, preventing falls. Our aim, expressed by the idea to contribute at the development of a non proprietary solutions, driven us to integrate commercial and standard solutions in our devices. We use sensors available on the market and avoided to design specialized sensors in ASIC technologies. We employ standard radio protocol and open source projects when it was achieved. The specific contributions of the PhD research activities are presented and discussed in the following. • We have designed and build several wireless sensor node providing both sensing and actuator capability making the focus on the flexibility, small form factor and low power consumption. The key idea was to develop a simple and general purpose architecture for rapid analysis, prototyping and deployment of BAN solutions. Two different sensing units are integrated: kinematic (3D accelerometer and 3D gyroscopes) and kinetic (foot-floor contact pressure forces). Two kind of feedbacks were implemented: audio and vibrotactile. • Since the system built is a suitable platform for testing and measuring the features and the constraints of a sensor network (radio communication, network protocols, power consumption and autonomy), we made a comparison between Bluetooth and ZigBee performance in terms of throughput and energy efficiency. Test in the field evaluate the usability in the fall detection scenario. • To prove the flexibility of the architecture designed, we have implemented a wearable system for human posture rehabilitation. The application was developed in conjunction with biomedical engineers who provided the audio-algorithms to furnish a biofeedback to the user about his/her stability. • We explored off-line gait analysis of collected data, developing an algorithm to detect foot inclination in the sagittal plane, during walk. • In collaboration with the Wearable Lab – ETH, Zurich, we developed an algorithm to monitor the user during several walking condition where the user carry a load. The remainder of the thesis is organized as follows. Chapter I gives an overview about Body Area Networks (BANs), illustrating the relevant features of this technology and the key challenges still open. It concludes with a short list of the real solutions and prototypes proposed by academic research and manufacturers. The domain of the posture and gait analysis, the methodologies, and the technologies used to provide real-time feedback on detected events, are illustrated in Chapter II. The Chapter III and IV, respectively, shown BANs developed with the purpose to detect fall and monitor the gait taking advantage by two inertial measurement unit and baropodometric insoles. Chapter V reports an audio-biofeedback system to improve balance on the information provided by the use centre of mass. A walking assistant based on the KNN classifier to detect walking alteration on load carriage, is described in Chapter VI.

Quality of experience in skype video calls

Skype is one of the well-known applications that has guided the evolution of real-time video streaming and has become one of the most used software in everyday life. It provides VoIP audio/video calls as well as messaging chat and file transfer. Many versions are available covering all the principal operating systems like Windows, Macintosh and Linux but also mobile systems. Voice quality decreed Skype success since its birth in 2003 and peer-to-peer architecture has allowed worldwide diffusion. After video call introduction in 2006 Skype became a complete solution to communicate between two or more people. As a primarily video conferencing application, Skype assumes certain characteristics of the delivered video to optimize its perceived quality. However in the last years, and with the recent release of SkypeKit1, many new Skype video-enabled devices came out especially in the mobile world. This forced a change to the traditional recording, streaming and receiving settings allowing for a wide range of network and content dynamics. Video calls are not anymore based on static ‘chatting’ but mobile devices have opened new possibilities and can be used in several scenarios. For instance, lecture streaming or one-to-one mobile video conferences exhibit more dynamics as both caller and callee might be on move. Most of these cases are different from “head&shoulder” only content. Therefore, Skype needs to optimize its video streaming engine to cover more video types. Heterogeneous connections require different behaviors and solutions and Skype must face with this variety to maintain a certain quality independently from connection used. Part of the present work will be focused on analyzing Skype behavior depending on video content. Since Skype protocol is proprietary most of the studies so far have tried to characterize its traffic and to reverse engineer its protocol. However, questions related to the behavior of Skype, especially on quality as perceived by users, remain unanswered. We will study Skype video codecs capabilities and video quality assessment. Another motivation of our work is the design of a mechanism that estimates the perceived cost of network conditions on Skype video delivery. To this extent we will try to assess in an objective way the impact of network impairments on the perceived quality of a Skype video call. Traditional video streaming schemes lack the necessary flexibility and adaptivity that Skype tries to achieve at the edge of a network. Our contribution will lye on a testbed and consequent objective video quality analysis that we will carry out on input videos. We will stream raw video files with Skype via an impaired channel and then we will record it at the receiver side to analyze with objective quality of experience metrics.

Pretrattamenti termo-meccanici ed enzimatici su scarti dell'industria enologica per la produzione di Biogas

A fundamental assumption for by-product from winery industy waste-management is their economic and commercial increase in value. High energetic value recovery from winery industry is an attractive economic solution to stimulate new sustainable process. Approach of this work is based about physic and biological treatment with grape stalks and grape marc to increase polysaccharides components of cell wall and energetic availability of this by-products. Grape stalks for example have a high percentage of lignin and cellulose and can’t be used, whitout pretreatment, for an anaerobic digestion process. Our findings show enzymatic and thermo-mechanical pre-treatments in combined application for optimise hydrolytic mechanism on winemaking wastes which represents 0,9 milion ton/year in Italy and on straw, cereal by-products with high lignin content. A screening of specifically industrial enzymatic complex for the hydrolysis lignocellulosic biomass were tested using the principal polysaccharides component of the vegetal cells. Combined thermo-mechanical and enzymatic pretreatment improve substrates conversion in batch test fermentation experiment. The conservation of the grape stalks, at temperature above 0°C, allow the growth of spontaneus fermentation that reduce their polysaccharides content so had investigated anarobic condition of conservation. The other objective of this study was to investigate the capability of a proprietary strain of L.buchneri LN 40177 to enhance the accessibility of fermentable forage constituents during the anaerobic conservation process by releasing the enzyme ferulate esterase. The time sequence study by batch tests showed that the L. buchneri LN-40177 inoculated grape stalk substrate was more readily available in the fermenter. In batch tests with grape stalk, after mechanical treatment, the L. buchneri LN41077 treated substrate yielded on average 70% more biogas per kg/DM. Thermo-mechanical, enzymatic and biological treatment with L. buchneri LN-40177 can increase the biogas production from low fermented biomasses and the consequent their useful in anaerobic biodigesters for agro-bioenergy production.