Acoustic digital twin for passive structural health monitoring.

This study presents simulation results on passive structural health monitoring of a vibrating elastic structure for defect localization. The object considered in this study consists of a shell equipped with vibration sensors surrounding a vibrating structure such that they are coupled at a finite number of points. An acoustic digital twin (ADT) is used to model the non-defective state of the external shell.

Inferring the characteristics of marine sediments from the acoustic response of a known, partially buried object.

We investigate the feasibility of using a known elastic target located near the seabed for the purpose of inferring characteristics of marine sediment. In the problem considered the object position and its burial depth are not known with precision. First, the admittance matrix of the elastic object is determined (numerically or experimentally) over a wide frequency range in the structural acoustic regime.

Did the 2018 megadrought change the partitioning of growth between tree sizes and species? A Swiss case-study.

By killing or weakening trees, drought could change the partitioning of growth between tree sizes or species, thereby altering stand structure. Growth partitioning, often quantified using the growth dominance coefficient (DC) or the shape of tree size versus growth relationships (SGR), indicates the relative contribution of differently sized trees to the total stand growth. Changes in growth partitioning due to droughts are rarely examined but provide valuable information that links tree- and stand-level responses to droughts.

Growth resistance and resilience of mixed silver fir and Norway spruce forests in central Europe: Contrasting responses to mild and severe droughts.

Extreme droughts are expected to increase in frequency and severity in many regions of the world, threatening multiple ecosystem services provided by forests. Effective strategies to adapt forests to such droughts require comprehensive information on the effects and importance of the factors influencing forest resistance and resilience. We used a unique combination of inventory and dendrochronological data from a long-term (>30 years) silvicultural experiment in mixed silver fir and Norway spruce mountain forests along a temperature and precipitation gradient in southwestern Germany.

Effects of drought on nitrogen uptake and carbon dynamics in trees.

Research on drought impact on tree functioning is focussed primarily on water and carbon (C) dynamics. Changes in nutrient uptake might also affect tree performance under drought and there is a need to explore underlying mechanisms. We investigated effects of drought on (a) in situ nitrogen (N) uptake, accounting for both, N availability to fine roots in soil and actual N uptake, (b) physiological N uptake capacity of roots and (c) the availability of new assimilates to fine roots influencing the N uptake capacity using 15N and 13C labelling.

Bistatic scattering of an elastic object using the structural admittance and noise-based holographic measurements.

This paper presents a method to calculate the bistatic response of an elastic object immersed in a fluid using its structural Green's function (in vacuo structural admittance matrix), calculated by placing the object in a spatially random noise field in air. The field separation technique and equivalent source method are used to reconstruct pressure and velocity fields at the object's surface from pressure measurements recorded on two conformal holographic surfaces surrounding the object. Accurate reconstruction of the surface velocity requires subtraction of the rigid body response computed using a finite element approach.

Growth and resilience responses of Scots pine to extreme droughts across Europe depend on predrought growth conditions.

Global climate change is expected to further raise the frequency and severity of extreme events, such as droughts. The effects of extreme droughts on trees are difficult to disentangle given the inherent complexity of drought events (frequency, severity, duration, and timing during the growing season). Besides, drought effects might be modulated by trees' phenotypic variability, which is, in turn, affected by long-term local selective pressures and management legacies.

Contrasting resistance and resilience to extreme drought and late spring frost in five major European tree species.

Extreme climate events (ECEs) such as severe droughts, heat waves, and late spring frosts are rare but exert a paramount role in shaping tree species distributions. The frequency of such ECEs is expected to increase with climate warming, threatening the sustainability of temperate forests. Here, we analyzed 2,844 tree-ring width series of five dominant European tree species from 104 Swiss sites ranging from 400 to 2,200 m a.

One Century of Forest Monitoring Data in Switzerland Reveals Species- and Site-Specific Trends of Climate-Induced Tree Mortality.

Climate-induced tree mortality became a global phenomenon during the last century and it is expected to increase in many regions in the future along with a further increase in the frequency of drought and heat events. However, tree mortality at the ecosystem level remains challenging to quantify since long-term, tree-individual, reliable observations are scarce. Here, we present a unique data set of monitoring records from 276 permanent plots located in 95 forest stands across Switzerland, which include five major European tree species (Norway spruce, Scots pine, silver fir, European beech, and sessile and common oak) and cover a time span of over one century (1898-2013), with inventory periods of 5-10 years.

Broadband transmission losses and time dispersion maps from time-domain numerical simulations in ocean acoustics.

In this letter, a procedure for the calculation of transmission loss maps from numerical simulations in the time domain is presented. It can be generalized to arbitrary time sequences and to elastic media and provides an insight into how energy spreads into a complex configuration. In addition, time dispersion maps can be generated.

WNT10A gene is the second molecular candidate in a cohort of young Italian subjects with ectodermal derivative impairment (EDI).

Ectodermal dysplasias are a group of genetic disorders defined by ectodermal derivative impairment (EDI). To test the impact of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in the genetic screening of EDI, we performed a molecular gene study of WNT10A in 60 subjects from a population of 133 young Italian patients referred for the impairment of at least one major ectodermal-derived structure and who had a previous negative molecular screen for ectodysplasin signaling pathway genes ED1, EDAR, and EDARADD. Fourteen WNT10A mutations were identified in 33 subjects (24.

[Bowel obstruction by hamartomatous polyp in a pediatric patient with tuberous sclerosis].

Tuberous sclerosis is an autosomal dominant disorder with a wide clinical spectrum of disease. It is characterized by development of benign tumors in multiple organs due to a disturbance in cellular growth and differentiation. It usually affects skin, brain, heart and kidney.

An axisymmetric time-domain spectral-element method for full-wave simulations: Application to ocean acoustics.

The numerical simulation of acoustic waves in complex three-dimensional (3D) media is a key topic in many branches of science, from exploration geophysics to non-destructive testing and medical imaging. With the drastic increase in computing capabilities this field has dramatically grown in the last 20 years. However many 3D computations, especially at high frequency and/or long range, are still far beyond current reach and force researchers to resort to approximations, for example, by working in two dimensions (plane strain) or by using a paraxial approximation.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Treatment-Refractory Chronic Dysphagia in Tube-Fed Patients: A Prospective Case Series.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in tube-fed patients with severe and chronic dysphagia refractory to traditional swallowing therapy (TT).

Patients And Methods: A total of 11 consecutive dysphagic patients with tube-dependent nutrition and who had not responded to 6 months of TT were enrolled. Each patient received NMES for 30 min and TT for 30 min, twice a day, 5 days per week for 4 weeks.

Phenotypic heterogeneity and mutational spectrum in a cohort of 45 Italian males subjects with X-linked ectodermal dysplasia.

Ectodermal dysplasias (EDs) are a group of genetic disorders characterized by the abnormal development of the ectodermal-derived structures. X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, resulting from mutations in ED1 gene, is the most common form. The main purpose of this study was to characterize the phenotype spectrum in 45 males harboring ED1 mutations.

The effect of a passive stretch training protocol on performance during a drop jump in humans.

Aim: Our study's aim is to show how a five-week stretch training protocol, based on passive stretching, can change muscle performance during a drop jump (stretch shortening cycle).

Methods: This study observes in 8 healthy subjects (four males and four females), the effect of a 5-week passive stretch training protocol on the stretch shortening cycle (SSC) during the performance of a drop jump, and identify the architectural changes in the muscle. Subjects underwent measurements of their drop jump performance 3 times before, and 3 times after, the stretch training protocol.

Treatise on insanity in pregnant, postpartum, and lactating women (1858) by Louis-Victor Marcé: a commentary.

Louis-Victor Marcé, MD, of Paris compiled an extensive monograph published in 1858 that surveyed knowledge of psychiatric disorders of women during and following pregnancy. This work has largely been ignored for 150 years. We summarize here what is known about Marcé's life and work, and include selected passages from his monograph.

Reliability and clinical validity of the Italian Reflux Symptom Index.

Currently, there is no Italian version of the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI). The aim of this study was to develop an Italian RSI and to evaluate its internal consistency, reliability, and clinical validity. The study design used was a cross-sectional survey study.

[Diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding in Bean syndrome].

Blue Rubber-Bleb Nevus Syndrome (BRBNS, Bean Syndrome) is a rare disorder characterized by the presence of cutaneous and visceral vascular malformations. Although it may affect several organs, the gastrointestinal tract is one of the most frequently involved sites. It can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and chronic anemia.

Preliminary considerations on the application of the voice handicap index to paediatric dysphonia.

Dysphonia is a common paediatric condition. Adult voices are usually evaluated using a set of minimal basic measurements including: endoscopic examination, aerodynamics, perception, acoustics, and self-assessment by the patient. The Voice Handicap Index is the most widely used self-assessment tool, but its use in the paediatric setting has never been reported.

Long-term vocal functional results after glottectomy: a multi-dimensional analysis.

Horizontal glottectomy (HG) is an efficient surgical procedure for the treatment of selected laryngeal carcinoma. The aim of this study was to verify the long-term voice results in a group of HG subjects. The study involved 16 subjects who had undergone HG at least 1 year before.

Genetic and acquired prothrombotic risk factors and sudden hearing loss.

Objectives: Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) is a frequently encountered condition, and various pathogenetic mechanisms have been hypothesized, such as viral infections, autoimmune processes, and ischemic events; however, whatever the cause, impaired cochlear perfusion appears to be the most important event. A number of inherited prothrombotic risk factors and their related genetic alterations have recently been correlated with vascular disorders.

Methods: To investigate the mechanisms of vascular thrombosis of the inner ear leading to sudden HL, we examined 100 patients with SSNHL for the presence of acquired or inherited prothrombotic risk factors and 200 healthy volunteers as controls.

Vocal improvement after voice therapy in unilateral vocal fold paralysis.

Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) is associated with changes in acoustic and aerodynamic voice measurements and can have a significant impact on a patient's quality of life. Few objective data regarding the efficacy of voice therapy for UVFP exist. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze voice modifications in a group of patients with UVFP before and after voice therapy.