Quantitative risk assessment on a hydrogen refuelling station

The Directive 2014/94/UE (DAFI, Alternative Fuel Initiative Directive) on the deployment of alternative fuels (i.e. hydrogen) infrastructures has been recently transposed into national law in Italy. Consequently, the technical regulation on fire prevention for H2fuelling stations has been updated, in order to consider the current maximum delivery pressure (700 bar) of gaseous hydrogen for road vehicles. This technical regulation establishes the prescriptive safety distance from a piece of equipment. In the case of a new station, an assessment of the frequency of the event and its potential consequences is necessary. This is to understand which risk can reasonably be mitigated by a safety distance or whether additional mitigation or prevention measures should be taken. This paper presents the quantitative risk assessment (QRA) study on a hydrogen station planned to be installed, study which aims at determining the safety distances. Such study utilizes the Sandia-developed QRA tool, Hydrogen Risk Analysis Model (HyRAM), to calculate risk values when developing risk-equivalent plans. HyRAM combines reduced order deterministic models that characterize hydrogen release and flame behavior with probabilistic risk models to quantify risk values. Thanks to HyRAM tool it is possible to estimate physical effects and consequences on people and structures and plants, related to risk scenarios, by means of a damage model library. Use of risk assessment may allow station owners and designers to flexibly define station-specific mitigations, with the purpose of achieving equal or better levels of safety with respect to prescriptive recommendation levels, as suggested by ISO19880-1 (2018)

Assessment of brain cancer atlas maps with multimodal imaging features.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is a fast-growing and highly aggressive brain tumor that invades the nearby brain tissue and presents secondary nodular lesions across the whole brain but generally does not spread to distant organs. Without treatment, GBM can result in death in about 6 months. The challenges are known to depend on multiple factors: brain localization, resistance to conventional therapy, disrupted tumor blood supply inhibiting effective drug delivery, complications from peritumoral edema, intracranial hypertension, seizures, and neurotoxicity. MAIN TEXT: Imaging techniques are routinely used to obtain accurate detections of lesions that localize brain tumors. Especially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) delivers multimodal images both before and after the administration of contrast, which results in displaying enhancement and describing physiological features as hemodynamic processes. This review considers one possible extension of the use of radiomics in GBM studies, one that recalibrates the analysis of targeted segmentations to the whole organ scale. After identifying critical areas of research, the focus is on illustrating the potential utility of an integrated approach with multimodal imaging, radiomic data processing and brain atlases as the main components. The templates associated with the outcome of straightforward analyses represent promising inference tools able to spatio-temporally inform on the GBM evolution while being generalizable also to other cancers. CONCLUSIONS: The focus on novel inference strategies applicable to complex cancer systems and based on building radiomic models from multimodal imaging data can be well supported by machine learning and other computational tools potentially able to translate suitably processed information into more accurate patient stratifications and evaluations of treatment efficacy

Apricot melanoidins prevent oxidative endothelial cell death by counteracting mitochondrial oxidation and membrane depolarization

The cardiovascular benefits associated with diets rich in fruit and vegetables are thought to be due to phytochemicals contained in fresh plant material. However, whether processed plant foods provide the same benefits as unprocessed ones is an open question. Melanoidins from heat-processed apricots were isolated and their presence confirmed by colorimetric analysis and browning index. Oxidative injury of endothelial cells (ECs) is the key step for the onset and progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), therefore the potential protective effect of apricot melanoidins on hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative mitochondrial damage and cell death was explored in human ECs. The redox state of cytoplasmic and mitochondrial compartments was detected by using the redox-sensitive, fluorescent protein (roGFP), while the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was assessed with the fluorescent dye, JC-1. ECs exposure to hydrogen peroxide, dose-dependently induced mitochondrial and cytoplasmic oxidation. Additionally detected hydrogen peroxide-induced phenomena were MMP dissipation and ECs death. Pretreatment of ECs with apricot melanoidins, significantly counteracted and ultimately abolished hydrogen peroxide-induced intracellular oxidation, mitochondrial depolarization and cell death. In this regard, our current results clearly indicate that melanoidins derived from heat-processed apricots, protect human ECs against oxidative stress

Combining secukinumab with dimethyl fumarate for treatment of a patient with psoriasis and recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

Results We report the case of a 44-year-old male patient referred to our department in 2006 for evaluation and management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis not responding to previous topical therapies and to conventional systemic treatments. On initial evaluation, his Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was 23 so it was decided to start a biological therapy. Etanercept was firstly introduced with partial control of both cutaneous and articular manifestations and stopped after 2 years due to a loss of efficacy. Then, other different biological drugs were administered but discontinued for loss of efficacy or no clinical response. In 2017, we started a treatment with secukinumab with significant clinical improvement. These results were still maintained after 2 years. In January 2019, due to several episodes of hypoesthesia and paraesthesia, the patient performed a neurological examination and a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium revealing multiple encephalic and spinal hyperintense lesions compatible with focal demyelinated areas. A diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis was made and therapy with dimethyl fumarate (240 bid) started. Secukinumab therapy was maintained but decreasing the dose to 150 mg/month in order to reduce the immunosuppressive risks. After 12 months of follow-up, the patient tolerates the association of the two therapies and presents good control of both diseases. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a combination of two immunosuppressive drugs, secukinumab and dimethyl fumarate, for the treatment of a patient with concomitant psoriasis and multiple sclerosis. Among the widely different conventional therapies available to treat these two diseases, only dimethyl fumarate has been approved for both conditions. Moreover, interleukin 17 (IL-17) appears to play a key role in the pathogenesis of both diseases; it is produced by lymphocytes Th17, but also by CD8+ cells, Tγδ lymphocytes and some cells of the central nervous system, such as astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, in the context of active lesions of multiple sclerosis. Currently, the efficacy of anti IL-17 has been described only in few cases of multiple sclerosis. In conclusion, our case emphasizes the potential efficacy and safety of combination therapy of secukinumab and dimethyl fumarate, which may be a therapeutic option for such challenging patients

Beam-forming capabilities of a plasma circular reflector antenna

A gaseous plasma antenna array (PAA) is an aggregate of plasma discharges and possibly conventional metallic radiating elements, and it constitutes a promising alternative to metallic antennas for applications in which fast reconfiguration of radiation pattern, and gain is desired; such properties can be achieved by exploiting the electronic switch on/off condition of plasma discharges, and tuning of the plasma parameters. Here, the authors present a reconfigurable PAA that features a central metallic half-wavelength dipole working around 1.45\u2005GHz, surrounded by a planar circular lattice of cylindrical plasma discharges. Customised plasma discharges have been realised, and filled with argon gas at 2\u2005mbar so as to have a complete control on the plasma discharge properties (e.g. plasma frequency, collisional frequency). The magnitude of the reflection coefficient, and the gain pattern on the H-plane have been investigated numerically and experimentally; numerical and experimental results exhibit a good agreement and show that the central intrinsically omnidirectional antenna can provide simple beamforming capabilities upon turning on a subset of plasma discharges; as these plasma discharges are turned on, the authors have observed a maximum gain of 3c5\u2005dBi, a half-power beam width of 80 18, and an angular steering resolution of 3c15 18

Rituximab suppresses disease activity after natalizumab withdrawal: an exploratory study

Background Natalizumab is highly effective in reducing multiple sclerosis disease activity; however it carries a risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, that represents the main reason of drug discontinuation. After natalizumab withdrawal, reactivation of disease is soon observed and, until now, it is not known which treatment strategy should be followed after natalizumab discontinuation. Aim of this study is to evaluate rituximab efficacy in controlling disease activity after natalizumab withdrawal

Successful pregnancy and disease outcomes in a NMOSD patient treated with tocilizumab

Abstract Background Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) is an autoimmune relapsing disease involving the central nervous system with predominant inflammatory attack of optic nerves, spinal cord and area postrema, often leading to severe disability. Women with NMOSD typically experience adverse pregnancy outcomes and high relapse rates during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Case report Herein we present a case of pregnancy in a young NMOSD woman treated with tocilizumab. The course of her pregnancy was clinically unremarkable and treatment whit Tocilizumab was well tolerated. Conclusions This case raises the possibility that the modulation of immune system by inhibitors of the IL-6 pathway could a promising therapeutic option for pregnancy in NMOSD patient

Il fenomeno dell’abbandono universitario precoce. Uno studio di caso sui corsi di laurea del Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione dell’Università “Roma Tre”

The paper presents the results of early abandonment research conducted on students enrolled in 2013-2014 to degree courses of the Department of Education of “Roma Tre” University.The research was conducted with the use of a structured questionnaire and two standardized scales of measurement. The questionnaire, designed to detect the main traits of the university experience of respondents, it was administered using the CATI procedure universe of students who have left and to a representative sample of students who have continued their studies. The measurement scales concern the Self-efficacy perceived and the motivational profile of the students. They were administered by CAWI procedure to a self-selected sample of participants. The results emerging from the sectoral analysisof intervening variables in early drop out, which are compared with the findingsin the literature specification, are then supplemented by a unique reference to the role that in the issue have the orientation deficits of students.Il contributo presenta i risultati di una ricerca sull’abbandono precoce svolta sugli studenti immatricolati nel 2013-2014 ai corsi di laurea del Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione della Università Roma Tre. La ricerca è statacondotta con l’impiego di un questionario strutturato e di due scale di misurazione standardizzate. Il questionario, destinato a rilevare i tratti principali della esperienza universitaria degli intervistati e il giudizio che su di essa vieneespresso, è stato somministrato con procedura CATI all’universo degli studenti che hanno abbandonato e ad un campione rappresentativo degli studenti che hanno proseguito negli studi. Le scale di misurazione dell’autoefficacia percepita e dell’assetto motivazionale sono state somministrate con procedura CAWI ad un campione autoselezionato di studenti a cui era stato somministrato il questionario. I risultati che emergono dall’analisi settoriale delle variabili intervenienti nell’abbandono precoce, che vengono messi a confrontocon i riscontri presenti nella letteratura disciplinare, sono quindi integrati da un univoco richiamo al ruolo che nella questione riveste il deficit di orientamento formativo degli studenti

Graphene sustained nonlinear modes in dielectric waveguides

We discuss the existence of nonlinear modes sustained by graphene layers in dielectric waveguides. Taking advantage of the almost two dimensional nature of graphene, we introduce the nonlinear effect as a parameter in the continuity equations. We then apply our modeling to a simple slab waveguide to enlighten how graphene can be used to induce huge nonlinear phase shifts at easily accessible power levels