EEG-based mental workload neurometric to evaluate the impact of different traffic and road conditions in real driving settings

Car driving is considered a very complex activity, consisting of different concomitant tasks and subtasks, thus it is crucial to understand the impact of different factors, such as road complexity, traffic, dashboard devices, and external events on the driver’s behavior and performance. For this reason, in particular situations the cognitive demand experienced by the driver could be very high, inducing an excessive experienced mental workload and consequently an increasing of error commission probability. In this regard, it has been demonstrated that human error is the main cause of the 57% of road accidents and a contributing factor in most of them. In this study, 20 young subjects have been involved in a real driving experiment, performed under different traffic conditions (rush hour and not) and along different road types (main and secondary streets). Moreover, during the driving tasks different specific events, in particular a pedestrian crossing the road and a car entering the traffic flow just ahead of the experimental subject, have been acted. A Workload Index based on the Electroencephalographic (EEG), i.e., brain activity, of the drivers has been employed to investigate the impact of the different factors on the driver’s workload. Eye-Tracking (ET) technology and subjective measures have also been employed in order to have a comprehensive overview of the driver’s perceived workload and to investigate the different insights obtainable from the employed methodologies. The employment of such EEG-based Workload index confirmed the significant impact of both traffic and road types on the drivers’ behavior (increasing their workload), with the advantage of being under real settings. Also, it allowed to highlight the increased workload related to external events while driving, in particular with a significant effect during those situations when the traffic was low. Finally, the comparison between methodologies revealed the higher sensitivity of neurophysiological measures with respect to ET and subjective ones. In conclusion, such an EEG-based Workload index would allow to assess objectively the mental workload experienced by the driver, standing out as a powerful tool for research aimed to investigate drivers’ behavior and providing additional and complementary insights with respect to traditional methodologies employed within road safety research

Sewer networks monitoring through a topological backtracking

The interest in wastewater monitoring is always growing, with applications mainly aimed at detection of pollutants and at the environmental epidemiological surveillance. However, it often happens that the strategies proposed to manage these problems are inapplicable due to the lack of information on the hydraulics of the systems. To overcome this problem, the present paper develops and proposes a topological backtracking strategy for the optimal monitoring of sewer networks, which acts by subrogating the hydraulic information with the geometric ones, e.g., diameter and slope, thus not requiring any hydraulic simulation. The topological backtracking approach aims at evaluating an impact coefficient for each node of the network used to face with the problems of sensor location and network coverage for purposes related to the spread of contaminants and pathogens. Finally, the positioning of the sensors for each monitoring scheme is addressed by a priority rank, based on the efficiency of each sensor in terms of network coverage with respect to a specific weight (e.g., length, flow). The main goal is to design a monitoring scheme that provide the required coverage of the network by minimizing the number of sensors with respect to specific measurement threshold value. The results show the effectiveness of the strategy in supporting the optimal design with the topological-based backtracking approach without the necessity of performing hydraulic simulations, with great advantage in terms of required data and computational time

Thoracic Duct Embolization for Delayed Chyle Leak After Lewis-Tanner Esophagectomy

BACKGROUND Radical esophagectomy for cancer is a potentially curative treatment that requires two/three-field lymphadenectomy. Serious complications can occur, including chyle leak (CL). CL has an incidence rate of 1-9% and is associated with a higher rate of postsurgical morbidity and mortality. It usually occurs in the early postoperative period; delayed CL is less common and is thought to be due to an occult leak or late diagnosis. CASE REPORT A 54-year-old man with adenocarcinoma of the esophagus underwent Lewis-Tanner esophagectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy with FLOT. During en bloc lymphadenectomy, the main thoracic duct was identified, clipped, and divided. The postoperative course was uneventful. One month after hospital discharge, he was readmitted with severe abdominal, scrotal, and lower-limb edema. A chest-abdomen CT scan revealed massive pleural effusion with left shift and compression of the mediastinum. The patient was initially treated with fasting and fat-free total parenteral nutrition, and the drain output was 2800-3000 mL/dL. Lymphoscintigraphy with ethiodized oil eventually revealed a thoracic duct leak, and lymphatic embolization was successfully performed with a 4-mm metallic spiral and glue. Drain output dramatically reduced, and after 11 days the thoracic drain was removed and the patient was safely discharged. CONCLUSIONS Thoracic duct embolization seems be an effective therapy in treating high-output (>1000 mL/dL) CL that has occurred more than 2 weeks after esophagectomy. It can be considered as a first-line treatment due to its simplicity and effectiveness

Plakilactones G and H from a marine sponge. Stereochemical determination of highly flexible systems by quantitative NMR-derived interproton distances combined with quantum mechanical calculations of C-13 chemical shifts

In this paper the stereostructural investigation of two new oxygenated polyketides, plakilactones G and H, isolated from the marine sponge Plakinastrella mamillaris collected at Fiji Islands, is reported. The stereostructural studies began on plakilactone H by applying an integrated approach of the NOE-based protocol and quantum mechanical calculations of (13)C chemical shifts. In particular, plakilactone H was used as a template to extend the application of NMR-derived interproton distances to a highly flexible molecular system with simultaneous assignment of four non-contiguous stereocenters. Chemical derivatization and quantum mechanical calculations of (13)C on plakilactone G along with a plausible biogenetic interconversion between plakilactone G and plakilactone H allowed us to determine the absolute configuration in this two new oxygenated polyketides

Moisture Damage in Ancient Masonry: A Multidisciplinary Approach for In Situ Diagnostics

San Nicola in Carcere, one of the minor basilicas in the historical center of Rome, was the location of a wide investigation campaign of the water-related deterioration causes, present in the lower sector of the apse and adjacent pillars, affected by water infiltrations, mould and salt efflorescence. The results obtained identify the presence of water content and related effects mainly on the sides of the apsidal wall. This work focuses on the use of five Non-Destructive Techniques (NDT) and intends to show the gains obtained by integrating widely interdisciplinary methods, namely the Infrared Thermography (IRT), the Unilateral Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (Unilateral NMR), the Acoustic Tomography (AT), the Acoustic Imaging (AI) and the Laser-Induced Fluorescence (LIF). All the techniques contribute to the rapid, non-invasive and early identification of the moisture distribution, while some of them (LIF and AI) also address the determination of some moisture effects. The integrated use of different techniques helps to take the multidisciplinary point of view necessary to formulate an effective restoration intervention based on a sound scientific rationale; nonetheless, it allows to experiment a holistic approach, verifying the potential of a wide range of NDTs available within the context of a restoration yard

Recalcitrant compounds removal in raw leachate and synthetic effluents using the white-rot fungus Bjerkandera adusta

Recalcitrant compounds limit the efficiency of conventional biological processes for wastewater treatment, representing one of the major issues in the field. This study focused on the treatment of three effluents with White-Rot-Fungus (WRF) Bjerkandera adusta MUT 2295 in batch tests, with biomass cultivated in attached form on polyurethane foam cubes (PUFs) to test its efficiency in the removal of the target effluents' recalcitrant fraction. Treatment efficiency of B. adusta was evaluated on landfill leachate (Canada) and two solutions containing synthetic recalcitrant compounds, which were prepared with tannic and humic acid. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and color removal, the production of manganese peroxidases, and the consumption of a co-substrate (glucose) were monitored during the experiment. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD5) and fungal dry weight were measured at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. After co-substrate addition, effluent COD was 2300 ± 85, 2545 ± 84, and 2580 ± 95 (mg/L) in raw leachate and tannic and humic acids, respectively. COD removal of 48%, 61%, and 48% was obtained in raw leachate and in the synthetic effluents containing tannic and humic acids, respectively. Color removal of 49%, 25%, and 42% was detected in raw leachate and in tannic and humic acid solutions, respectively. COD and color removals were associated with the increase of fungal dry weight, which was observed in all the trials. These results encourage the use of the selected fungal strain to remove tannic acid, while further investigations are required to optimize leachate and humic acid bioremediation

Synchronous liver and peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer: Is cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy combined with liver resection a feasible option?

BackgroundTraditionally, synchronous liver resection (LR), cytoreductive surgery (CRS), and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal liver and peritoneal metastases have been contraindicated. Nowadays, clinical practice has promoted this aggressive treatment in selected cases. This study aimed to review surgical and survival results of an extensive surgical approach including CRS with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and LR. MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were matched to find the available literature on this topic. The search period was limited to 10 years (January 2010-January 2021). A threshold of case series of 10 patients or more was applied. ResultsIn the search period, out of 114 studies found about liver and peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer, we found 18 papers matching the inclusion criteria. Higher morbidity and mortality were reported for patients who underwent such an extensive surgical approach when compared with patients who underwent only cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC. Also, survival rates seem worse in the former than in the latter. ConclusionThe role of combined surgical strategy in patients with synchronous liver and peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer remains controversial. Survival rates and morbidity and mortality seem not in favor of this option. A more accurate selection of patients and more restrictive surgical indications could perhaps help improve results in this subgroup of patients with limited curative options

Effect of alpha‐lipoic acid and myoinositol on endometrial inflammasome from recurrent pregnancy loss women

Problem: A significant increased expression/activation of one of the most well‐characterized inflammasomes, the NAcht leucine‐rich‐repeat protein‐3 (NALP‐3), in the endometrium from idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss women (RPL) has been previously found by our research group. We therefore, suggested this event as being one of the molecular mechanisms altering endometrial inflammatory status during early pregnancy. In the present research, we attempt to investigate whether molecules with anti‐inflammatory activity, alpha‐lipoic acid (ALA), and/or myoinositol affect the endometrial NALP‐3 expression and activation. Method of study: Women with a history of idiopathic RPL (n = 30) were included in the study and compared to a control group (n = 15). Endometrial tissues were collected by hysteroscopy during the mid‐luteal phase. RPL women underwent a three‐month prescription of tablets containing ALA plus myoinositol (Sinopol®). After treatment, hysteroscopic biopsies were repeated in RPL patients. Inflammasome expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis. NALP‐3 activation was studied by quantifying the secretion of both caspase‐1 and interleukin IL)‐1ß and IL‐18 through ELISA. In ex vivo experiments, the effects of each molecule on endometrial inflammasome were studied. Results: Sinopol® significantly reduced the RPL endometrial inflammasome expression and activation. ALA, but not myoinositol, significantly reduced the endometrial inflammasome expression and activity. Conclusion: Our data suggest a role for ALA on RPL inflammasome. Understanding the mechanisms involved in RPL and the observation that specific molecules are able to interfere with such complex at the endometrium might provide new rational design approaches to a personalized evaluation of endometrial status and, ultimately, a targeted medicine