Critical analysis of physical parameters for the characterization of the quality of concrete samples

The study examines the potentiality of measuring the electrical resistivity for characterizing the quality of some concrete samples, by critically comparing other physical parameters. The application field is then to modern and contemporary constructions, with the intent to extend them to buildings of historical and artistic value. The approach adopted for the analysis was the so-called Design of Experiment (DoE), a statistical technique which is common in the industrial field, especially in chemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry. This technique is very promising for characterizing multiphase materials, such as those making up manufactured products, whose quality (associated with their state of preservation) depends on the influence of individual and/or multiple factors at various levels

Circulating presepsin (soluble CD14 subtype) as a marker of host response in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock: data from the multicenter, randomized ALBIOS trial

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Prosafe: a european endeavor to improve quality of critical care medicine in seven countries

BACKGROUND: long-lasting shared research databases are an important source of epidemiological information and can promote comparison between different healthcare services. Here we present ProsaFe, an advanced international research network in intensive care medicine, with the focus on assessing and improving the quality of care. the project involved 343 icUs in seven countries. all patients admitted to the icU were eligible for data collection. MetHoDs: the ProsaFe network collected data using the same electronic case report form translated into the corresponding languages. a complex, multidimensional validation system was implemented to ensure maximum data quality. individual and aggregate reports by country, region, and icU type were prepared annually. a web-based data-sharing system allowed participants to autonomously perform different analyses on both own data and the entire database. RESULTS: The final analysis was restricted to 262 general ICUs and 432,223 adult patients, mostly admitted to Italian units, where a research network had been active since 1991. organization of critical care medicine in the seven countries was relatively similar, in terms of staffing, case mix and procedures, suggesting a common understanding of the role of critical care medicine. conversely, icU equipment differed, and patient outcomes showed wide variations among countries. coNclUsioNs: ProsaFe is a permanent, stable, open access, multilingual database for clinical benchmarking, icU self-evaluation and research within and across countries, which offers a unique opportunity to improve the quality of critical care. its entry into routine clinical practice on a voluntary basis is testimony to the success and viability of the endeavor