Development of new processes for ISRU (In Situ Resource Utilization) and ISFR (In Situ Fabrication and Repair) applications on Moon and Mars

The goal of this work is the development of new processes useful for future manned space missions, in the framework of the so-called ISRU (In-Situ Resource Utilization) and ISFR (In-Situ Fabrication and Repair) concepts. Specifically, the approach to ISRU will focus on technologies necessary to extract consumables for human life-support system replenishment while ISFR is aimed to satisfy other human needs particularly related to the Fabrication Technologies, the Repair & Non Destructive Evaluation Technologies and the Habitat Structures. After a introductory chapter, in the framework of ISRU and ISFR applications, a novel recently patented process based on the occurrence of Self-propagating High temperature Synthesis (SHS) reactions potentially exploitable for the in-situ fabrication of construction materials in Lunar and Martian environments is described. The mixtures to be reacted by SHS are prepared taking advantage of the composition of lunar and martian regoliths. Lunar regolith simulant JSC-1A, Martian regolith JSC-1A, and Mojave martian regolith simulant are considered. In addition, Aluminum is used as reducing agent for all systems examined, whereas ilmenite and iron oxides, namely ematite are added to the initial mixtures to be reacted in order to increase their exothermicity. It should be noted that both ilmenite and iron oxides are anyhow present in significant quantities on Moon and Mars, respectively. The effect of starting mixture compositions on the self-propagating behaviour is examined under different gas pressures of the environment (atmospheric or vacuum) and gravity level (terrestrial or microgravity) and the optimal experimental conditions are identified for each system investigated. The obtained products are characterized in view of their possible utilization as building materials. The final purpose is to allow manned space missions to extract and utilize in-situ resources necessary for human survival without being equipped with huge amount of supplies and to utilize specific technologies to repair Lunar and/or Martian platforms also using in-situ materials, otherwise transported from the Earth. As it is apparent, the possibility to increase mission-time and economic aspects represents the main direct consequences

A systematic investigation to obtain physical assets on the moon through self-propagating high-temperature reactions

Future space missions on the Moon, Mars and near Earth asteroids, etc., are expected to be strongly facilitated and time extended by the possibility of "In-Situ Fabrication and Repair" (ISFR) the required equipments and infrastructures. In addition, the combination of the latter approach with the "In-Situ Resources Utilization" (ISRU) paradigm contributes to overcome drawbacks related to the transportation of the needed material from the Earth. In this regard, various technologies have been recently proposed with the aim of developing suitable structures to be placed on the Moon surface for the protection against cosmic rays, solar wind, meteoroids, etc. Specifically, the possibility of exploiting combustion synthesistype reactions using Lunar resources for the fabrication of ceramic-based products was considered. Along these lines, by taking advantage of the fact that Lunar soil contains up to 20 wt.% of ilmenite (FeTiO3), the highly exothermic thermite reduction of the latter oxide with Al is systematically investigated in this work. A self-propagating (SHS) behavior is displayed only above a certain Al/FeTiO3molar ratio (0.9). In addition, as the amount of Al in the mixture is increased, the reactive process proceeds faster and the combustion temperature becomes higher, due to the increased system exothermicity. Correspondingly, the maximum amount of Lunar regolith to be possibly reacted with additional FeTiO3and Al is identified. The obtained products (a mixture of Al-, Ti-, Mg-, and Ca-oxides, and metallic phases) exhibit satisfactory compressive strength properties (≥ 25.8 MPa) that make them promising as construction materials. Parabolic flight experiments evidenced that SHS process dynamics and product characteristics are barely affected by gravity. The obtained findings allow us to conclude that the optimal conditions identified during terrestrial experiments are still valid for in-situ applications in Lunar environment. Copyright © 2013, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l

Sindrome di Rokitansky e dintorni: cosa deve sapere il pediatra

Mayer-Rokitansky-K\ufcster-Hauser syndrome (MRKHS) is a rare congenital disorder characterised by variable aplasia of the uterus and the upper part of the vagina in women with a normal 46,XX karyotype and normal ovarian function. It may be isolated (type I) but it is more frequently associated with other congenital defects (type II), mainly renal and vertebral defects. Exact etiology remains unknown. Clinical presentation is primary amenorrhoea with normal development of secondary sexual characteristics and normal external genitalia. Ultrasound and MRI allow accurate identification of MRKHS. Diagnosis may be delayed even in cases with known renal or vertebral malformation and causes important psychological distress. The creation of a neovagina allows sexual intercourse; fertility is obviously compromised

I contratti di assicurazione con clausola di gestione della lite: profili giuridico applicativi.

Il volume raccoglie una serie di studi che approfondiscono le tematiche connesse al patto di gestione della lite, clausola normalmente inserita nelle polizze r.c. Gli studi approfondiscono la relazione intercorrente tra l'interesse dell'assicurato e dell'assicuratore, la loro formulazione, le problematiche interpretative che le riguardano nonché le loro ricadute processuali

IGF-I for the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency in children and adolescents: a reappraisal

A number of studies have evaluated the role of IGF-I measurement in the diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency (GHD). This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and the best cut-off of IGF-I SDS in the diagnosis of GHD in a large cohort of short children and adolescents. One-hundred and forty-two children and adolescents with GHD [(63 organic/genetic (OGHD), 79 idiopathic (IGHD)] and 658 short non-GHD children (median age 10.4 y) were included in the analysis. The two groups were subdivided according to age (G1 <6, G2 6<9, G3 9<12, G4 6512) and to pubertal status. Serum IGF-I was measured by the same chemiluminescence assay in all samples and expressed as age and sex-based SDS. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the optimal IGF-I SDS cut-off and the diagnostic accuracy. Median IGF-I SDS was significantly lower in the GHD than in non-GHD patients. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) was 0.69, with the best IGF-I cut-off of -1.5 SDS (sensitivity 67.61%, specificity 62.62%). The AUC was 0.75 for OGHD and 0.63 for IGHD. The accuracy was better in the pubertal (AUC=0.81) than the prepubertal group (AUC=0.64). In our cohort IGF-I measurement has poor accuracy in discriminating GHD from non-GHD. Our findings confirm and reinforce the belief that IGF-I values should not be used alone in the diagnosis of GHD but should be interpreted in combination with other clinical and biochemical parameters

Risarcimento del danno e assicurazione nella nuova disciplina della responsabilit\ue0 sanitaria (l. 8 marzo 2017, n. 24)

L'opera presenta una riflessione critica a pi\uf9 voci sulle pi\uf9 significative novit\ue0 introdotte dalla Legge Gelli-Bianco in materia di responsabilit\ue0 sanitaria, con particolare riguardo anche ai profili assicurativi, processuali, contabili e medico-legali