Surveillance of healthcare acquired infections in hospital and community: a retrospective study in Local Healthcare Organization of Rovigo

Background: antimicrobial resistance is recognized as one of the greatest threats to human health worldwide. Infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria are associated with higher incidences of mortality, morbidity, prolonged hospital stay and increase of costs. Surveillance of alert organism/conditions and bacterial resistance to antimicrobials is a systematic and dynamic system of data collection that analyses and monitors trends of bacterial resistance. This study was conducted to detect antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in order to inform treatment choices and generate hospital-wide baseline data. Methods: the Local Healtcare Oganization of Rovigo has started a program of surveillance on antimicrobial resistance in hospital and community. In this work some results of the surveillance of microorganism isolated and related antimicrobial resistance are reported, collected in the period 2009-2010 in Rovigo and Trecenta Hospitals, Territorial Nursing Homes (TNH) and community from patients’ blood, urine and respiratory samples. Results: data show a significant difference in the level of antibiotic resistance between the two Hospitals. High rates of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms are detected and carbapenems are the only reliable agents for the treatment of many infections in the Hospital of Trecenta and TNH. Conclusions: because ESBL producing bacteria are emerging pathogens in the community, the rational use of available antibiotics or the appropriate antimicrobial prescribing are imperative. Local surveillance is a powerful tool to detect and monitor hospital and community infections and provides information useful as a guide to medical practice, including therapeutics and disease-control activities

A strategy to identify breakdown location in MITICA test facility: results of high voltage test campaign

The Acceleration Grid Power Supply of the MITICA test facility in Padova (Italy) is currently under commissioning. The power conversion system, the DC generator, and the High Voltage equipment have been individually commissioned, whereas the integration tests are ongoing. It is a challenging process due to the unconventional application, to the variety of different electrical technologies involved and to the complexity of the interfaces. During the integrated tests of the power supplies the achievement of 700kV stable operation has been demonstrated for the first time in a Neutral Beam Injector, but an unexpected event occurred, most likely a breakdown in the HV part, which resulted in a fault of the DC generator. A subsequent test using an auxiliary power supply was performed to check the voltage withstanding capability of the HV plant, but another breakdown occurred at around 1MV. This paper describes the activity performed to identify the location of the breakdowns affecting the integrated tests. A test campaign has been devised with increased diagnostic capabilities and specific strategy conceived to trigger intentional breakdowns in specific locations and collect measurement patterns for different cases. The results of the campaign will be presented and the current understanding of the issue will be described, with a view on future tests and further improvements of diagnostics

Partial Discharges detection in 1 MV power supplies in MITICA experiment, the ITER Heating Neutral Beam Injector prototype

MITICA (Megavolt ITER Injector & Concept Advancement), the full scale prototype of ITER Heating Neutral Beam, is under realization at the Neutral Beam Test Facility (Padova, Italy). It is designed to deliver 16.5 MW to ITER plasma, obtained by accelerating negative Deuterium ions up to 1 MeV for a total ion current of 40 A and then neutralized. MITICA Acceleration Power Supply is composed of several non-standard equipment, beyond industrial standard for insulation voltage level (-1 MVdc) and dimensions. Voltage withstand tests (up to 1.265 MVdc) have been performed in five subsequent steps (from 2018 to 2019), according to the installation progress, after connecting equipment belonging to different procurements. During integrated commissioning, started in 2021, two breakdowns occurred in a position of the HV plant not still identified, so they could be occurred either in air or in SF6. To identify the locations of possible weak insulation points, the existing diagnostics for partial discharge detection (the precursor of breakdowns) as a first step have been improved on air-insulated parts by consisting in a set of instrumentation, like capacitive probes and off-the-shelf instruments for AC application (acoustic and electromagnetic sensors). The paper deals with the instruments qualification to assess their suitability for DC usage and then with the investigation performed in MITICA, in particular: 1) sensitivity assessment campaign, with artificially produced corona effect to identify the minimum threshold of each diagnostics 2) voltage application to MITICA plant, moving the instrumentation around equipment and increasing progressively the voltage looking for corona phenomena to identify possible weak insulation points.Comment: Nine pages, twelve figures, accepted manuscript of a paper published in Fusion Engineering and Desig

Polymer of Intrinsic Microporosity (PIM-1) Enhances Hydrogen Peroxide Production at Gii-Sens Graphene Foam Electrodes

3D-graphene foam electrodes (Gii-Sens) immersed in a phosphate buffer solution of pH 7 are shown to generate hydrogen peroxide at a significantly faster rate in the presence of a nanoparticulate polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1). The effect is demonstrated to be associated at least in part with oxygen binding into PIM-1 under triphasic conditions. The release of the oxygen at the electrode|solution interface quadruples H 2O 2 production. Generator–collector experiments are performed with a graphene foam disk generator and a platinum disk electrode collector to allow in situ detection of hydrogen peroxide and oxygen.</p

Overview on electrical issues faced during the SPIDER experimental campaigns

SPIDER is the full-scale prototype of the ion source of the ITER Heating Neutral Beam Injector, where negative ions of Hydrogen or Deuterium are produced by a RF generated plasma and accelerated with a set of grids up to ~100 keV. The Power Supply System is composed of high voltage dc power supplies capable of handling frequent grid breakdowns, high current dc generators for the magnetic filter field and RF generators for the plasma generation. During the first 3 years of SPIDER operation different electrical issues were discovered, understood and addressed thanks to deep analyses of the experimental results supported by modelling activities. The paper gives an overview on the observed phenomena and relevant analyses to understand them, on the effectiveness of the short-term modifications provided to SPIDER to face the encountered issues and on the design principle of long-term solutions to be introduced during the currently ongoing long shutdown.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures. Presented at SOFT 202

Mastopexy with breast implants and the pectoralis major muscle flap: a technique adopted by the Department of Plastic Surgery of Unicamp

BACKGROUND: The correction of breast ptosis associated with skin sagging and low projection is still a subject of controversy in the literature. This study aims to describe the experience of the Plastic Surgery Department of Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) with the technique of mastopexy with breast implants in a double plane and the pectoralis major muscle flap. METHODS: A retrospective study of 20 patients with grade II or III mammary ptosis, who underwent surgery between June 2008 and September 2010, was performed. RESULTS: A 9- and 12-month follow-up of patients showed neither breast or chest deformities nor recurrence of ptosis. All patients presented with good breast projection and adequate upper pole fill, with long-lasting and satisfactory results. CONCLUSIONS: Mastopexy with breast implants and the pectoralis major muscle flap technique is easy to perform, with a relatively short learning curve, good reproducibility, and satisfactory long-lasting results.INTRODUÇÃO: A correção da ptose mamária associada à flacidez de pele e baixa projeção é ainda tema de discussões e controvérsias na literatura. O objetivo deste estudo é descrever a experiência da Disciplina de Cirurgia Plástica da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) com a técnica de mastopexia com implante mamário associado a retalho de sustentação do músculo peitoral maior. MÉTODO: Foi realizado estudo retrospectivo de 20 pacientes com ptose mamária graus II ou III, operadas no período de junho de 2008 a setembro de 2010. RESULTADOS: Após seguimento pós-operatório entre 9 meses e 12 meses, não foram observados casos de deformidades mamárias ou torácicas e nenhuma paciente evoluiu com recidiva da ptose. Foram observados, em todas as pacientes, manutenção de boa projeção da mama e adequado preenchimento do polo superior mamário, gerando resultados duradouros e satisfatórios. CONCLUSÕES: A técnica de mastopexia com uso de implantes associados a retalho de músculo peitoral maior é de fácil realização, com curva de aprendizado relativamente curta, boa reprodutibilidade, e resultados duradouros e satisfatórios.65966

Potential of pyrolysis processes in the waste management sector

The fundamentals of pyrolysis, its latest developments, the different conditions of the process and its residues are of great importance in evaluating the applicability of the pyrolysis process within the waste management sector and in waste treatment. In particular the types of residue and their further use or treatment is of extreme interest as they could become the source of secondary raw materials or be used for energy generation in waste treatments. The main area of focus of this paper is the investigation of the link between the pyrolysis conditions, the chemical and mineralogical composition of their products and the benefits of pyrolysis in the waste management sector. More specifically the paper covers the fast, intermediate and slow pyrolysis of organic waste and mixtures of inorganic and organic waste from households. The influence of catalysts during fast pyrolysis on the product yield and composition is not being considered in this review.This reported work was conducted as part of the “Design Optimisation of the HERU Waste Treatment System” project in Brunel University London that was funded by Manik Ventures Limited

Assessing the exploitation of double patinated artifacts from the Late Mousterian: Implications for lithic economy and human mobility in the North of Italy

The finding of recycled lithic artifacts in the Mousterian stratigraphic sequences of Grotta Fumane, Grotta San Bernardino and Grotta Broion in the southern Alps has stimulated investigations into the economic behavior and technology of Neanderthals during the Late Pleistocene. These three archives preserve remarkable evidence, dated from 90ky and 40ky BP, and show distinct signatures in terms of lithic technology, settlement and the provisioning of flint. A study has been carried out with the aim to detect the possible differentiation of tools between expedient/opportunistic vs. curated/planned and to identify the diverse aspects of tool-kit provisioning to thus infer mobility and provisioning strategies. From the identification of double patinae and from comparisons between these three sites it has been possible to identify occurrences of recycling consisting of the collection and exploitation of old cores and flakes in expeditious or curated procedures. The evidence suggests that the recycling of old artifacts played a variable role in the Neanderthal economic strategy. The final Middle Palaeolithic in the north of Italy is recorded in a handful of sheltered sites and very few open-air settlements that were visited for short-term occupations or that were repeatedly used to accomplish complex tasks, mostly aimed at the exploitation of mineral, non-mineral and subsistence resources. Huge quantities of lithic raw material as well as the geomorphic and ecological variability in the belt between the upper alluvial plain and the pre-Alps depict the context in which Neanderthals lived and circulated in accordance with a model of low residential mobility