I am a survivor, keep on surviving: early-life exposure to conflict and subjective survival probabilities in adult life

Life-course studies have shown that early-life conditions predict health and socio-economic status in adult life. This study analyzes whether experiencing a traumatic event in childhood, i.e., the Second World War (WW2), affects subjective survival probabilities (SSPs). We rely on a representative sample of European adults who were differentially exposed to WW2 during childhood as a result of their date and place of birth. Results show that exposure to WW2 increases SSPs, with socio-economic and health characteristics not playing a mediating role. War exposure also counterbalances the adverse effects of health impairments on SSPs, but it does not affect health outcomes per se. This fact, jointly with low mortality rates of the cohort under investigation, suggests that selective mortality and post-traumatic stress are not the main channels. Instead, the results support the hypothesis that personal growth and life appreciation emerge after traumatic events, thereby leading to optimistic perceptions of longevity

PIV measurements over a double bladed Darrieus-type vertical axis wind turbine: A validation benchmark

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are very attractive for in-home power generation since they can be adopted even at low wind speeds and highly variable wind direction. Even if significant experimental research activity has been carried out to improve VAWTs performance, the ability to accurately reproduce flow field characteristics around turbine blades by CFD (computational fluid dynamics) techniques represents a powerful approach to further enhance wind turbines performance. Thanks to CFD, in fact, it is possible to reproduce flow characteristics with a detail level impossible to achieve by experiments. Nevertheless, in order to appropriately analyze the flow structure by CFD application, an accurate validation is essential, and high-quality measurements of some main flow characteristics are required. In recent publications the authors investigated, both experimentally and numerically, the performance of an innovative double bladed Darrieus-type VAWT, with the aim to define an optimal configuration also focusing on self-starting ability of the prototype by employing CFD technique. Nevertheless, comparison between experiments and numerical results was made only in terms of power and torque coefficient. To overcome such limitation, in this paper the authors propose an experimental benchmark case for CFD results validation, describing detailed flow field in correspondence of one pair of blades of the innovative Darrieus-type VAWT in static conditions. Measurements were performed employing Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique on a scaled model of the turbine blades realized by 3D printing. An uncertainty analysis was also performed which showed a high accuracy of the obtained experimental results. The measurements of the main flow characteristics (bi-dimensional velocity components) were then used for a test case CFD validation of two different turbulence model

Influence of Installation Conditions on Heating Bodies Thermal Output: Preliminary Experimental Results☆

Abstract Heating bodies are thermodynamic systems whose heat output is strongly dependent on boundary conditions and in about a century several attempts have been made for its experimental determination. To this aim, at the beginning of 60s, in Europe different national standards were adopted (e.g. in 1967 in Italy the UNI 6514/1967). At European level, the EN 442-1:2014 and EN 442-2:2014 allows the heating body heat output estimation with an expanded uncertainty lower than 1% and they are now accepted in various international markets. The EN 442 also allows heat output calculation in operating conditions different from standard ones by employing theoretical-experimental correlations that, by their nature, are not able to include any possible actual operating condition. In fact, in actual operating conditions the heating body heat output depends on several factors, among which: i) installation position with respect to the wall and the floor; ii) presence grid/shelf/niche or an obstruction caused by curtains on the heating body; iii) thermo-fluid-dynamic condition variations (inlet flow rate and temperature); iv) hydraulic connections. Radiators represent the most spread heating body (installed since the end of '800) and in the last decades different radiators typologies have been proposed on the market, characterized by different materials, sizes, shapes, etc. In the present paper the authors present the preliminary result of an experimental campaign on field for the heat output measurement of different radiators typologies (cast iron, aluminum) as a function of different installation and operating conditions. The influence on the heating body performance and the associate technical-economical consequences in terms of heat cost allocation accuracy have been investigated

Emetogenicity of Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) in Solid Tumors with a Focus on Trastuzumab Deruxtecan: Insights from an Italian Expert Panel

In the past decade, nine antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have been approved for the treatment of various tumors, four of which specifically for solid malignancies. ADCs deliver the cytotoxic payload to the cancer site, thereby improving chemotherapy efficacy while reducing systemic drug exposure and toxicity. With their high selectivity, ADCs are associated with a manageable side-effect profile, with nausea and vomiting being among the most frequent toxicities, although this may vary according to the respective ADC and the associated payload. Information about the emetic risk of the new ADC compounds is limited. Three virtual focus groups of Italian oncologists were held to raise awareness on the importance of an antiemetic prophylaxis regimen to prevent and mitigate ADC-associated emesis and its sequelae. After reviewing published evidence and guidelines, the three expert panels shared their experience on the early use of ADCs gained through the participation in specific clinical trials and their clinical practice. The following issues were discussed: antiemetic therapy during trastuzumab deruxtecan treatment, with a protocol adopted at the San Raffaele Hospital (Milan, Italy); the use of steroids; the management of anticipatory nausea during trastuzumab deruxtecan therapy; nutritional counselling; and effective doctor\u2013patient communication. The experts acknowledged that recommendations should be drug-specific, and formulated opinion-based advice intended to guide physicians in their daily practice until further evidence emerges

The impact of COVID-19 on fertility plans in Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom

Objective: This study offers a descriptive overview of changes in fertility plans during the COVID-19 crisis in a sample of the young population (18\u201334) in Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The data were collected between 27 March and 7 April 2020. Results: Our results show that fertility plans have been negatively revised in all countries, but not in the same way. In Germany and France fertility plans changed moderately, with many people still planning or postponing their decision to have a child. In Italy, however, the proportion of abandoners is much higher than in the other countries, and the proportion of those deciding to postpone their plans is lower. Moreover, across countries the demographic characteristics of individuals appear to be associated with fertility plans in different ways. In Italy, abandoners are common among individuals younger than 30 and those without a tertiary education. In Germany, abandoners are slightly more prevalent in the regions most affected by COVID-19. In the United Kingdom, the individuals that most frequently abandoned their fertility plans are those who expect the crisis to have a dramatic negative effect on their future income. Finally, in France and Spain we do not observe a clear pattern of revision of fertility plans. Contribution: These results suggest that different mechanisms are at work, possibly due to the different economic, demographic, and policy pre-crisis background and post-crisis prospects. Low-fertility contexts in particular appear to be more at risk of a fertility loss due to the crisis

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of the Flow over a Car Prototype for the Shell Eco Marathon

The Eco-Marathon is a challenge organized by Shell in which student teams compete in designing energy-efficient vehicles. The event spark debate about the future of mobility and inspire engineers to push the boundaries of fuel efficiency. The aim of the present work consists of the numerical and experimental investigation of the aerodynamic performance of a Shell Eco Marathon prototype designed by a group of students of the University of Cassino, Italy. The car design has been provided by means of detailed 3D CFD modelling with Comsol Multiphysics®. The numerical tool has been validated against experiments conducted at the Laboratory of Industrial Measurements (LaMI) of the University of Cassino. In particular, a scale model of the car has been investigated in an open chamber wind tunnel by means of the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique, for different free stream velocities within the range 11 – 23 m/s. Measurements have been associated to a proper uncertainty analysis. The experimental data has been compared to numerical results obtained employing different turbulence models and the validated numerical tool has been applied to the simulation of the full-scale car model, allowing to analyse the wake flow structures, and estimate the overall drag coefficient