Micro-Raman spectroscopy, a powerful technique allowing sure identification and complete characterization of asbestiform minerals

Micro-Raman spectroscopy has been applied to fibrous minerals regulated as "asbestos"- anthophyllite, actinolite, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, and chrysotile-responsible of severe diseases affecting mainly, but not only, the respiratory system. The technique proved to be powerful in the identification of the mineral phase and in the recognition of particles of carbonaceous materials (CMs) lying on the "asbestos" fibers surface. Also, erionite, a zeolite mineral, from different outcrops has been analyzed. To erionite has been ascribed the peak of mesothelioma noticed in Cappadocia (Turkey) during the 1970s. On the fibers, micro-Raman spectroscopy allowed to recognize many grains, micrometric in size, of iron oxy-hydroxides or potassium iron sulphate, in erionite from Oregon, or particles of CMs, in erionite from North Dakota, lying on the crystal surface. Raman spectroscopy appears therefore to be the technique allowing, without preparation of the sample, a complete characterization of the minerals and of the associated phases

Surface roughness effect on ultracold neutron interaction with a wall and implications for computer simulations

We review the diffuse scattering and the loss coefficient in ultracold neutron reflection from slightly rough surfaces, report a surprising reduction in loss coefficient due to roughness, and discuss the possibility of transition from quantum treatment to ray optics. The results are used in a computer simulation of neutron storage in a recent neutron lifetime experiment that re-ported a large discrepancy of neutron lifetime with the current particle data value. Our partial re-analysis suggests the possibility of systematic effects that were not included in this publication.Comment: 39 pages, 9 figures; additional calculations include

The Golgi apparatus is a primary site of intracellular damage after photosensitization with Rose Bengal acetate

The aim of the present investigation was to elucidate whether the Golgi apparatus undergoes photodamage following administration of the fluorogenic substrates Rose Bengal acetate (RBAc) and irradiation at the appropriate wavelength. Human HeLa cells were treated in culture and the changes in the organization of the Golgi apparatus were studied using fluorescence confocal microscopy and electron microscopy, after immunocytochemical labeling. To see whether the cytoskeletal components primarily involved in vescicle traffic (i.e., microtubules) might also be affected, experiments of tubulin immunolabeling were performed. After treatment with RBAc and irradiation, cells were allowed to grow in drug-free medium for different times. 24hr after irradiation, the cisternae of the Golgi apparatus became packed, and after 48-72 hr they appeared more fragmented and scattered throughout the cytoplasm; these changes in the organization of the Golgi cisternae were confirmed at electron microscopy. Interestingly enough, apoptosis was found to occur especially 48-72h after irradiation, and apoptotic cells exhibited a dramatic fragmentation of the Golgi membranes. The immunolabeling with anti-tubulin antibody showed that microtubules were also affected by irradiation in RBAc-treated cells

Spectrofluorometric analysis of autofluorescing components of crude serum from a rat liver model of ischemia and reperfusion

Autofluorescence (AF) of crude serum was investigated with reference to the potential of its intrinsic AF biomarkers for the noninvasive diagnosis of liver injury. Spectral parameters of pure compounds representing retinol (vitamin A) and fluorescing free fatty acids were characterized by spectrofluorometry, to assess spectral parameters for the subsequent AF analysis of serum, collected from rats undergoing liver ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Differences in AF spectral profiles detected between control and I/R were due to the increase in the AF components representing fatty acids in I/R serum samples. No significant changes occurred for retinol levels, consistently with the literature reporting that constant retinol levels are commonly observed in the blood, except for malnutrition or chronic severe liver disease. Conversely, fatty acids, in particular arachidonic and linoleic acid and their derivatives, act as modulating agents in inflammation, representing both a protective and damaging response to stress stimuli. The biometabolic and pathophysiological meaning of serum components and the possibility of their direct detection by AF spectrofluorometry open up interesting perspectives for the development of AF serum analysis, as a direct, cost effective, supportive tool to assess liver injury and related systemic metabolic alterations, for applications in experimental biomedicine and foreseen translation to the clinics

Articulated blade tip devices for load alleviation on wind turbines

This paper investigates the load alleviation capabilities of an articulated tip device, where the outermost portion of the blade can rotate with respect to the rest of the blade. Passive, semi-passive and active solutions are developed for the tip rotation. In the passive and semi-passive configurations tip pitching is mainly driven by aerodynamic loads, while for the active case the rotation is obtained with an actuator commanded by a feedback control law. Each configuration is analyzed and tested using a high-fidelity aeroservoelastic simulation environment, by considering standard operative conditions as well as fault situations. The potential benefits of the proposed blade tip concepts are discussed in terms of performance and robustness

A Real-time Energy-Saving Mechanism in Internet of Vehicles Systems

Emerging technologies, such as self-driving cars and 5G communications, are raising new mobility and transportation possibilities in smart and sustainable cities, bringing to a new echo-system often referred to as Internet of Vehicles (IoV). In order to efficiently operate, an IoV system should take into account more stringent requirements with respect to traditional IoT systems, e.g., ultra-broadband connections, high-speed mobility, high-energy efficiency and requires efficient real-time algorithms. This paper proposes an energy and communication driven model for IoV scenarios, where roadside units (RSUs) need to be frequently assigned and re-assigned to the operating vehicles. The problem has been formulated as an Uncapacitated Facility Location Problem (UFLP) for jointly solving the RSU-to-vehicle allocation problem while managing the RSUs switch-on and -off processes. Differently from traditional UFLP approaches, based on static solutions, we propose here a fast-heuristic approach, based on a dynamic multi-period time scale mapping: the proposed algorithm is able to efficiently manage in real-time the RSUs, selecting at each period those to be activated and those to be switched off. The resulting methodology is tested against a set of benchmark instances, which allows us to illustrate its potential. Results, in terms of overall cost –mapping both energy consumption and transmission delays–, number of active RSUs, and convergence speed, are compared with static approaches, showing the effectiveness of the proposed dynamic solution. It is noticeable a gain of up to 11% in terms of overall cost with respect to the static approaches, with a moderate additional delay for finding the solution, around 0.8 s, while the overall number of RSUs to be switched on is sensibly reduced up to a fraction of 15% of the overall number of deployed RSUs, in the most convenient scenario

A method for gait events detection based on low spatial resolution pressure insoles data

The accurate identification of initial and final foot contacts is a crucial prerequisite for obtaining a reliable estimation of spatio-temporal parameters of gait. Well-accepted gold standard techniques in this field are force platforms and instrumented walkways, which provide a direct measure of the foot–ground reaction forces. Nonetheless, these tools are expensive, non-portable and restrict the analysis to laboratory settings. Instrumented insoles with a reduced number of pressure sensing elements might overcome these limitations, but a suitable method for gait events identification has not been adopted yet. The aim of this paper was to present and validate a method aiming at filling such void, as applied to a system including two insoles with 16 pressure sensing elements (element area = 310 mm2), sampling at 100 Hz. Gait events were identified exploiting the sensor redundancy and a cluster-based strategy. The method was tested in the laboratory against force platforms on nine healthy subjects for a total of 801 initial and final contacts. Initial and final contacts were detected with low average errors of (about 20 ms and 10 ms, respectively). Similarly, the errors in estimating stance duration and step duration averaged 20 ms and <10 ms, respectively. By selecting appropriate thresholds, the method may be easily applied to other pressure insoles featuring similar requirements

Unusual presentation of fatal disseminated varicella zoster virus infection in a patient with lupus nephritis: A case report

Background: The risk of life-threatening complications, such as visceral disseminated varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection, is greater in immunosuppressed individuals, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Case presentation: Here, a case is reported of a Caucasian woman diagnosed with lupus nephritis and anti-phospholipid syndrome, who was subjected to mycophenolate mofetil and high-dose steroid remission-induction therapy. Two months later she developed abdominal pain followed by a fatal rapid multi-organ failure. As no typical skin rashes were evident, death was initially attributed to catastrophic anti-phospholipid syndrome. However, autopsy and virological examinations on archival material revealed a disseminated VZV infection. Conclusions: Overall, this case highlights the importance of having a high clinical suspicion of fatal VZV infections in heavily immunosuppressed SLE patients even when typical signs and symptoms are lacking