Automated Setup to Accurately Calibrate Electrical DC Voltage Generators

At National Institute of Metrological Research (INRIM), an automated setup to calibrate DC Voltage generators, mainly top-level calibrators from 1 mV to 1 kV has been developed. The heart of the setup is an INRIM-built automated fixed ratios DC Voltage divider. The significant achievement of this setup is the possibility to interconnect the divider, a DMM characterized in linearity, a DC Voltage Standard and a DC Voltage generator under calibration and automatically to manage the calibration process. This calibration method allows to save a lot of time, to improve the reliability and to increase the accuracy of the calibration of generators. The relative uncertainties of the system span from 0.6x10-6 to 1.2x10-4 improving the previous capabilities of the INRIM laboratory for calibration of programmable multifunction instruments. In addition, this system allows to avoid the employment of several Standards (some of them still manually operating) carrying out the entire process without changing the setup configuration and without the presence of operators. The concept of this setup can be transferred to secondary high-level electrical calibration Laboratories that could be consider it useful for their calibration activities.Comment: 6 pages 8 figure

Smoking-related interstitial lung disease

Cigarette smoking has a clear epidemiological association with lung diseases, characterised by chronic inflammation of both the bronchiolar and the interstitial lung compartments. There are several different smoking-related interstitial lung diseases, mainly desquamative interstitial pneumonia, respiratory bronchiolitis- associated interstitial lung disease and pulmonary Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis.The epidemiology of such diseases is largely unknown, although the prevalence of cigarette smoking, particularly in low-income developing countries, indicates that smoking-induced interstitial lung disorders represent a high burden of disease worldwide. The role of chest high-resolution computed tomography has become increasingly important in differential diagnosis and follow-up. A new entity, the syndrome of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema, emerged as another important smoking-related lung disorder with a poor prognosis, associated with the high prevalence of pulmonary hypertension. At the moment the role of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive treatment remains unclear, although in clinical practice most of these patients will receive at least one course of corticosteroid therapy. It is vital to stress the importance of identifying these patients and helping them quit smoking

Management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a deadly progressive lung disease without an effective standard treatment approach. Because of the complexity and uncertainties of IPF treatment, therapeutic decisions need to be tailored to the individual patient, after discussing the potential benefits and pitfalls. Pirfenidone has been approved for the treatment of IPF in many countries, but is not recommended as a first-choice therapy by current guidelines because of the lack of a definite efficacy. Randomized controlled trials represent a valid choice for patients with IPF, and their completion is important in improving both survival and quality of life

Sarcoidosis: challenging diagnostic aspects of an old disease.

Over the past few years, there have been substantial advances in our understanding of sarcoidosis immunopathogenesis. Conversely, the etiology of the disease remains obscure for a number of reasons, including heterogeneity of clinical manifestations, often overlapping with other disorders, and insensitive and nonspecific diagnostic tests. While no cause has been definitely confirmed, there is increasing evidence that one or more infectious agents may cause the disease, although the organism may no longer be viable. Here we present 2 cases, in which sarcoidosis preceded tuberculosis and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Development of new lesions in a patient with chronic/remitting sarcoidosis should be looked at with suspicion and promptly investigated in order to rule out an alternative/concomitant diagnosis. In such cases, tissue confirmation from the most accessible site, and bone marrow biopsy-if lymphoma is in the differential diagnosis-should be performed. In conclusion, we strongly advise that physicians be ready to reconsider the diagnosis of sarcoidosis in the presence of atypical manifestations or persistent/progressive disease despite conventional therapy

Scenario-Driven Search for Pedestrians aimed at Triggering Non-Reversible Systems

Abstract-This paper presents the results of an innovative approach to pedestrian detection for automotive applications in which a non-reversible system is used; therefore the aim is to reach a very low false detection rate, ideally zero, by searching for pedestrians in specific areas only. The great advantages of such an approach are that pedestrian recognition is performed on limited image areas-therefore boosting its timing performance- and no assessment on the danger level is finally required before providing the result to either the driver or an on-board computer for automatic manoeuvres. This system has been extensively tested on two prototype vehicles equipped with one laserscanner, one camera, and brakeby-wire technology both in Italy and Korea; this paper describes the extensive tests and shows performance measurements. I

Lifecycle optimization in the refrigeration industry: a Decision-Support Simulation Toolbox (DSST)

AbstractThis paper presents a set of intermediate results related to the ELICiT project, whose purpose is the application of magnetic cooling technology within domestic refrigeration appliances. An innovative Simulation Toolbox, able to offer a better support to designers during the design process, was implemented. This way, a real time comparison of both economic and environmental variables related to magnetic cooling systems will be available. After the implementation phase, the Simulation Toolbox was directly tested in a real industrial context. Finally, gathered data were compared with conventional refrigeration solutions

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and neurogenic stunned myocardium: similar albeit different

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Inter-laboratory measurement comparison between INRIM and ESA on electrical quantities

Inter-laboratory comparisons (ILCs) are an effective mean to establish the compatibility of the measurements among laboratories. As consequence they are a mean to assure confidence in the competence and in the correctness of the dissemination processes from national Standards in different countries. This paper refers on a ILC between the National Institute of Metrological Research (INRIM-Italy) and the European space research and technology Centre (ESA- ESTEC), belonging to two different countries, on DC Voltage, DC Resistance and Electrical Capacitance carried out in 2016. The comparison showed a satisfactory agreement between the results of the two Laboratories

Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Lessons learned from acute respiratory distress syndrome?

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fibrotic lung disease characterized by progressive loss of lung function and poor prognosis. The so-called acute exacerbation of IPF (AE-IPF) may lead to severe hypoxemia requiring mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU). AE-IPF shares several pathophysiological features with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a very severe condition commonly treated in this setting. A review of the literature has been conducted to underline similarities and differences in the management of patients with AE-IPF and ARDS. During AE-IPF, diffuse alveolar damage and massive loss of aeration occurs, similar to what is observed in patients with ARDS. Differently from ARDS, no studies have yet concluded on the optimal ventilatory strategy and management in AE-IPF patients admitted to the ICU. Notwithstanding, a protective ventilation strategy with low tidal volume and low driving pressure could be recommended similarly to ARDS. The beneficial effect of high levels of positive end-expiratory pressure and prone positioning has still to be elucidated in AE-IPF patients, as well as the precise role of other types of respiratory assistance (e.g., extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) or innovative therapies (e.g., polymyxin-B direct hemoperfusion). The use of systemic drugs such as steroids or immunosuppressive agents in AE-IPF is controversial and potentially associated with an increased risk of serious adverse reactions. Common pathophysiological abnormalities and similar clinical needs suggest translating to AE-IPF the lessons learned from the management of ARDS patients. Studies focused on specific therapeutic strategies during AE-IPF are warranted