Monitoring and optimization of energy consumption of base transceiver stations

The growth and development of the mobile phone network has led to an increased demand for energy by the telecommunications sector, with a noticeable impact on the environment. Monitoring of energy consumption is a great tool for understanding how to better manage this consumption and find the best strategy to adopt in order to maximize reduction of unnecessary usage of electricity. This paper reports on a monitoring campaign performed on six Base Transceiver Stations (BSs) located central Italy, with different technology, typology and technical characteristics. The study focuses on monitoring energy consumption and environmental parameters (temperature, noise, and global radiation), linking energy consumption with the load of telephone traffic and with the air conditioning functions used to cool the transmission equipment. Moreover, using experimental data collected, it is shown, with a Monte Carlo simulation based on power saving features, how the BS monitored could save energy.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Heat flows and energetic behavior of a telecommunication radio base station

This paper shows a study on energetic consumption of BTSs (Base Transceiver Stations) for mobile communication, related to conditioning functions. An energetic "thermal model" of a telecommunication station is proposed and studied. The results have been validated with a BTS in central Italy, showing good agreement. Findings show a substantial high internal-external temperature difference in the containing shelter, particularly during daytime and warm months, due to sources of heat (equipment, external temperature and sun radiation) and to the difficulty in spread the warmth out. The necessity to keep the operating temperatures within a given range for the correct functioning of the electronic equipment requires the use of conditioning setups, and this significantly increases the energetic demand of the whole system. The analysis of thermal flows across the shelter can help to gather further data on its temperature behavior and to devise practical measures to lower the power demand, while keeping the operating parameters in the suggested ranges. The investigation of some operating parameters of the equipment and of the shelter, such as threshold set-points, air vent area, external wall transmittance and reflectivity, suggests annual energy savings between 10% and 30%.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figure

PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF γ-IRRADIATION AGAINST HYPOCHLOROUS ACID- INDUCED HAEMOLYSIS IN HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES

Radiations may trigger protective response within a threshold of doses applied. Exposures above an upper threshold are generally detrimental, while exposures below a lower threshold may or may not increase risks for health. We recently reported that a cellular protective response occurs in interventional cardiologists to counteract the oxidative damage caused by radiation. Here, we demonstrated in an in vitro model represented by whole blood of healthy donors γ-irradiated with 220-440 mGy, that haemolysis of erythrocytes induced by hypochlorous acid was reduced by 40%. The protection triggered by γ- radiations made erythrocytes more resistant to oxidative insult caused by hypochlorous acid which was induced 3 h after irradiation and involved biochemical changes in the syn- thesis and turnover of glutathione. Overall, the biochemical remodelling induced by exposure to γ-radiations might contribute to generate new guidelines in professionally exposed workers

Histologic Evaluation of the Effects of Folinic Acid Chitosan Hydrogel and Botulinum Toxin A on Wound Repair of Cleft Lip Surgery in Rats

: The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of folinic acid chitosan hydrogel and botulinum toxin A on the wound repair of cleft lip surgery in rat animal models. Cleft lip defects were simulated by triangular incisions in the upper lip of 40 Wistar rats. Then, the rats were randomly assigned to four groups: control (CTRL), chitosan hydrogel (CHIT), and folinic acid chitosan hydrogel (FOLCHIT), in which the wounds were covered by a gauze pad soaked in normal saline, chitosan hydrogel, and folinic acid chitosan hydrogel, respectively for 5 min immediately after closure; and botulinum toxin A (BOT) with the injection of 3 units of botulinum toxin A in the wound region. Fibroblast proliferation, collagen deposition, inflammatory cell infiltration, neovascularization, and epithelial proliferation and each parameter were rated on days 14 and 28. Statistical analysis was performed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Shapiro-Wilk test, Kruskal-Wallis, and post-hoc tests (α = 0.05). The mean score for fibroblast proliferation was significantly higher in the FOLCHIT group compared with the BOT group at days 14 and 28 (p < 0.001, p = 0.012, respectively). At day 28, collagen deposition was significantly higher in the FOLCHIT group compared with the BOT group (p = 0.012). No significant difference was observed between the inflammatory infiltration of the study groups at the two time points (p = 0.096 and p = 1.000, respectively). At day 14, vascular proliferation of group FOLCHIT was significantly higher than groups CTRL and CHIT (p = 0.001 and p = 0.006, respectively). The epithelial proliferation in the FOLCHIT group was significantly higher than groups CHIT and CTRL at day 14 (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001, respectively) and day 28 (p = 0.012). In simulated lip cleft defects, topical application of folinic acid induces faster initial regeneration by higher inflammation and cellular proliferation, at the expense of a higher tendency for scar formation by slightly higher fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition. While injection of botulinum toxin A provides less fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition, and thus lower potential for scar formation compared with the folinic acid group. Therefore, in wounds of the esthetic zone, such as cleft lip defects, the application of botulinum toxin A shows promising results

Infective Endocarditis: A Focus on Oral Microbiota

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an inflammatory disease usually caused by bacteria entering the bloodstream and settling in the heart lining valves or blood vessels. Despite modern antimicrobial and surgical treatments, IE continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality. Thus, primary prevention and enhanced diagnosis remain the most important strategies to fight this disease. In this regard, it is worth noting that for over 50 years, oral microbiota has been considered one of the significant risk factors for IE. Indeed, among the disparate recommendations from the American heart association and the European Society of Cardiology, there are good oral hygiene and prophylaxis for high-risk patients undergoing dental procedures. Thus, significant interest has grown in the role of oral microbiota and it continues to be a subject of research interest, especially if we consider that antimicrobial treatments can generate drug-resistant mutant bacteria, becoming a severe social problem. This review will describe the current knowledge about the relationship between oral microbiota, dental procedures, and IE. Further, it will discuss current methods used to prevent IE cases that originate from oral pathogens and how these should be focused on improving oral hygiene, which remains the significant persuasible way to prevent bacteremia and systemic disorders

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Phenols induce authophagy and apoptosis in human bladder cancer cell lines depending on tumor progression

Epidemiological evidences indicate that there is an inverse association between olive oil intake and bladder cancer risk and several data suggest that a key role to support these beneficial effects is played by its phenolic fraction. Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers in Western countries. In particular, the transitional cell carcinoma histotype shows an aggressive behavior and the current therapies are ineffective. The anti-proliferative effects of an Extra Virgin Olive Oil phenolic Extract (EVOOE) has been investigated on RT112 and J82, two human bladder cancer cell lines employed as models of superficial and invasive bladder cancer, respectively.EVOOE reduces cell viability in both cell lines triggering different processes. In RT112 cells, EVOOE triggers a non-protective autophagic response, evidenced by vacuoles formation and LC-3 lipidation (45%) causing a delay in cell growth (132microg/ml induces 30% reduction). Instead, in J82, the invasive transitional cell carcinoma, EVOOE treatment induces a rapid and remarkable decrease of cell viability (33 microg/ml for 24 h induces 40% reduction) triggering an apoptotic process, evidenced with Annexin V positivity and the increased activity of caspases 3 and 9. EVOOE exerts an antioxidant activity in both cell lines reducing ROS (30% in J82 and 15% in RT112) and increasing GSH level (20% in J82 and 40% in RT112). However, comparing the effects of EVOOE with those of other well-known antioxidants, the absence of correlation between antioxidant effects and reduced cell viability was evidenced. Moreover, using an inhibitor of GSH synthesis, we demonstrated that EVOOE acts independently from GSH modulation.Data presented show that EVOOE possesses pleiotropic activities that intercept different pathways resulting in anti-proliferative effects independently of its antioxidant propert

Broad targeting of resistance to apoptosis in cancer

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is natural way of removing aged cells from the body. Most of the anti-cancer therapies trigger apoptosis induction and related cell death networks to eliminate malignant cells. However, in cancer, de-regulated apoptotic signaling, particularly the activation of an anti-apoptotic systems, allows cancer cells to escape this program leading to uncontrolled proliferation resulting in tumor survival, therapeutic resistance and recurrence of cancer. This resistance is a complicated phenomenon that emanates from the interactions of various molecules and signaling pathways. In this comprehensive review we discuss the various factors contributing to apoptosis resistance in cancers. The key resistance targets that are discussed include (1) Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 proteins; (2) autophagy processes; (3) necrosis and necroptosis; (4) heat shock protein signaling; (5) the proteasome pathway; (6) epigenetic mechanisms; and (7) aberrant nuclear export signaling. The shortcomings of current therapeutic modalities are highlighted and a broad spectrum strategy using approaches including (a) gossypol; (b) epigallocatechin-3-gallate; (c) UMI-77 (d) triptolide and (e) selinexor that can be used to overcome cell death resistance is presented. This review provides a roadmap for the design of successful anti-cancer strategies that overcome resistance to apoptosis for better therapeutic outcome in patients with cancer

Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention and Therapy: Truth or Dare?

A voluminous literature suggests that an increase in consumption of fruit and vegetables is a relatively easy and practical strategy to reduce significantly the incidence of cancer. The beneficial effect is mostly associated with the presence of phytochemicals in the diet. This review focuses on a group of them, namely isothiocyanate, curcumin, genistein, epigallocatechin gallate, lycopene and resveratrol, largely studied as chemopreventive agents and with potential clinical applications. Cellular and animal studies suggest that these molecules induce apoptosis and arrest cell growth by pleiotropic mechanisms. The anticancer efficacy of these compounds may result from their use in monotherapy or in association with chemotherapeutic drugs. This latter approach may represent a new pharmacological strategy against several types of cancers. However, despite the promising results from experimental studies, only a limited number of clinical trials are ongoing to assess the therapeutic efficacy of these molecules. Nevertheless, the preliminary results are promising and raise solid foundations for future investigations