Development of CMOS monolithic pixel sensors with in-pixel correlated double sampling and fast readout for the ILC

This paper presents the design and results of detailed tests of a CMOS active pixel chip for charged particle detection with in-pixel charge storage for correlated double sampling and readout in rolling shutter mode at frequencies up to 25 MHz. This detector is developed in the framework of R&D for the Vertex Tracker for the International Linear Collider.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, to appear on the Conference Record of the 2007 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Honolulu, HI, October 200

Development of CMOS monolithic pixel sensors with in-pixel correlated double sampling and fast readout

This paper presents the design and results of detailed tests of a CMOS active pixel chip for charged particle detection with in-pixel charge storage for correlated double sampling and readout in rolling shutter mode at frequencies up to 25 MHz. This detector is developed in the framework of R&D for the Vertex Tracker for a future e+e- Linear Collider.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, submitted to IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sc

Identification of the safe(r) by design alternatives for nanosilver-enabled wound dressings

The use of silver nanoparticles (NPs) in medical devices is constantly increasing due to their excellent antimicrobial properties. In wound dressings, Ag NPs are commonly added in large excess to exert a long-term and constant antimicrobial effect, provoking an instantaneous release of Ag ions during their use or the persistence of unused NPs in the wound dressing that can cause a release of Ag during the end-of-life of the product. For this reason, a Safe-by-Design procedure has been developed to reduce potential environmental risks while optimizing functionality and costs of wound dressings containing Ag NPs. The SbD procedure is based on ad-hoc criteria (e.g., mechanical strength, antibacterial effect, leaching of Ag from the product immersed in environmental media) and permits to identify the best one among five pre-market alternatives. A ranking of the SbD alternatives was obtained and the safer solution was selected based on the selected SbD criteria. The SbD framework was also applied to commercial wound dressings to compare the SbD alternatives with products already on the market. The iterative procedure permitted to exclude one of the alternatives (based on its low mechanical strength) and proved to be an effective approach that can be replicated to support the ranking, prioritisation, and selection of the most promising options early in the innovation process of nano-enabled medical devices as well as to encourage the production of medical devices safer for the environment

Timbre brownfield prioritization tool to support effective brownfield regeneration.

In the last decade, the regeneration of derelict or underused sites, fully or partly located in urban areas (or so called “brownfields”), has become more common, since free developable land (or so called “greenfields”) has more and more become a scare and, hence, more expensive resource, especially in densely populated areas. Although the regeneration of brownfield sites can offer development potentials, the complexity of these sites requires considerable efforts to successfully complete their revitalization projects and the proper selection of promising sites is a pre-requisite to efficiently allocate the limited financial resources. The identification and analysis of success factors for brownfield sites regeneration can support investors and decision makers in selecting those sites which are the most advantageous for successful regeneration. The objective of this paper is to present the Timbre Brownfield Prioritization Tool (TBPT), developed as a web-based solution to assist stakeholders responsible for wider territories or clusters of brownfield sites (portfolios) to identify which brownfield sites should be preferably considered for redevelopment or further investigation. The prioritization approach is based on a set of success factors properly identified through a systematic stakeholder engagement procedure. Within the TBPT these success factors are integrated by means of a Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodology, which includes stakeholders' requalification objectives and perspectives related to the brownfield regeneration process and takes into account the three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental dimensions). The tool has been applied to the South Moravia case study (Czech Republic), considering two different requalification objectives identified by local stakeholders, namely the selection of suitable locations for the development of a shopping centre and a solar power plant, respectively. The application of the TBPT to the case study showed that it is flexible and easy to adapt to different local contexts, allowing the assessors to introduce locally relevant parameters identified according to their expertise and considering the availability of local data

Occupational risk of nano-biomaterials: Assessment of nano-enabled magnetite contrast agent using the BIORIMA Decision Support System

The assessment of the safety of nano-biomedical products for patients is an essential prerequisite for their market authorization. However, it is also required to ensure the safety of the workers who may be unintentionally exposed to the nano-biomaterials (NBMs) in these medical applications during their synthesis, formulation into products and end-of-life processing and also of the medical professionals (e.g., nurses, doctors, dentists) using the products for treating patients. There is only a handful of workplace risk assessments focussing on NBMs used in medical applications. Our goal is to contribute to increasing the knowledge in this area by assessing the occupational risks of magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles coated with PLGA-b-PEG-COOH used as contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by applying the software-based Decision Support System (DSS) which was developed in the EU H2020 project BIORIMA. The occupational risk assessment was performed according to regulatory requirements and using state-of-the-art models for hazard and exposure assessment, which are part of the DSS. Exposure scenarios for each life cycle stage were developed using data from literature, inputs from partnering industries and results of a questionnaire distributed to healthcare professionals, i.e., physicians, nurses, technicians working with contrast agents for MRI. Exposure concentrations were obtained either from predictive exposure models or monitoring campaigns designed specifically for this study. Derived No-Effect Levels (DNELs) were calculated by means of the APROBA tool starting from in vivo hazard data from literature. The exposure estimates/measurements and the DNELs were used to perform probabilistic risk characterisation for the formulated exposure scenarios, including uncertainty analysis. The obtained results revealed negligible risks for workers along the life cycle of magnetite NBMs used as contrast agent for the diagnosis of tumour cells in all exposure scenarios except in one when risk is considered acceptable after the adoption of specific risk management measures. The study also demonstrated the added value of using the BIORIMA DSS for quantification and communication of occupational risks of nano-biomedical applications and the associated uncertainties

Assessing uncertainty of hydrological and ecological parameters originating from the application of an ensemble of ten global-regional climate model projections in a coastal ecosystem of the lagoon of Venice, Italy

With increasing evidences of climate change affecting coastal waters, there is a strong need to understand future climate conditions and assess the potential responses of delicate coastal ecosystems. Results of climate change studies based on only one GCM-RCM combination should be interpreted with caution as results are highly dependent on the assumptions of the selected combination. In this study we examined the uncertainty in the hydrological and ecological parameters of the Zero river basin (ZRB) – Palude di Cona (PDC) coastal aquatic ecosystem generated by the adoption of an ensemble of climate projections from ten different combinations of General Circulation Model (GCM) – Regional Climate Model (RCM) under two emission scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) implemented in the hydrological model (SWAT) and the ecological model (AQUATOX). The baseline period of 1983–2012 was used to identify climate change variations in two future periods: mid-century (2041–2070) and late-century (2071–2100) periods. SWAT outputs from the ensemble indicate a summer reduction in inorganic nitrogen loadings of 1–22% and a winter increase of 1–19%. Inorganic phosphorus loadings indicate a yearly increase of 32–61%. AQUATOX outputs from the ensemble show major changes in the summer period, with an increase in Chl-a concentration of 9–56%, a decrease in diatoms of 74–98% and an increase in cyanobacteria of 421–3590%. Obtained results confirm that the use of multiple GCM-RCM projections can provide a more robust assessment of climate change impacts on the hydrology and ecology of coastal waters, but at the same time highlight the large uncertainty of climate change-related impact studies, which can affect the decision-making processes regarding the management and preservation of sensitive aquatic ecosystems such as those in coastal areas. © 2019 Elsevier B.V

Guiding the development of sustainable nano-enabled products for the conservation of works of art: proposal for a framework implementing the Safe by Design concept

Nanotechnology provides innovative and promising solutions for the conservation of cultural heritage, but the development and application of new nano-enabled products pose concerns regarding their human health and environmental risks. To address these issues, we propose a sustainability framework implementing the Safe by Design concept to support product developers in the early steps of product development, with the aim to provide safer nano-formulations for conservation, while retaining their functionality. In addition, this framework can support the assessment of sustainability of new products and their comparison to their conventional chemical counterparts if any. The goal is to promote the selection and use of safer and more sustainable nano-based products in different conservation contexts. The application of the proposed framework is illustrated through a hypothetical case which provides a realistic example of the methodological steps to be followed, tailored and iterated along the decision-making process

Impacts of exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) discharge waters on planktonic biological indicators

Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS), operating in open-loop mode, continuously release acidic effluents (scrubber waters) to marine waters. Furthermore, scrubber waters contain high concentrations of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and alkylated PAHs, potentially affecting the plankton in the receiving waters. Toxicity tests evidenced significant impairments in planktonic indicators after acute, early-life stage, and long-term exposures to scrubber water produced by a vessel operating with high sulphur fuel. Acute effects on bacterial bioluminescence (Aliivibrio fischeri), algal growth (Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Dunaliella tertiolecta), and copepod survival (Acartia tonsa) were evident at 10 % and 20 % scrubber water, while larval development in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) showed a 50 % reduction at ∼5 % scrubber water. Conversely, larval development and reproductive success of A. tonsa were severely affected at scrubber water concentrations ≤1.1 %, indicating the risk of severe impacts on copepod populations which in turn may result in impairment of the whole food web

Compressed representation of a partially defined integer function over multiple arguments

In OLAP (OnLine Analitical Processing) data are analysed in an n-dimensional cube. The cube may be represented as a partially defined function over n arguments. Considering that often the function is not defined everywhere, we ask: is there a known way of representing the function or the points in which it is defined, in a more compact manner than the trivial one