A calibration-verification testbed for electrical energy meters under low power quality conditions

open7A calibration/verification testbed for electrical energy meters is under development at the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, the National Metrology Institute of Italy. The testbed will be employed for the calibration of commercial static power energy meters under low power conditions and for simulating the verification in the field of energy meters under real operational conditions. The activity is in collaboration with the Ministry for Economic Development and aims to the future development of regulatory documents for energy metering verification.openCallegaro, Luca; Aprile, Giulia; Cultrera, Alessandro; Galliana, Flavio; Germito, Gabriele; Serazio, Danilo; Trinchera, BrunoCallegaro, Luca; Aprile, Giulia; Cultrera, Alessandro; Galliana, Flavio; Germito, Gabriele; Serazio, Danilo; Trinchera, Brun

Laboratory reproduction of on-field low power quality conditions for the calibration/verification of electrical energy meters

– In this work we present a method for testing static active energy meters in low power quality conditions recorded at installation sites. Voltage and current waveforms recorded on the field with a calibrated portable instrument were reproduced with an accurate phantom power generator up to the 40th harmonic. The error on the active energy measurement of an energy meter under test (WDUT) in conditions reproduced from the on-field measurements was evaluated in comparison with a reference meter (WREF). On-field data were recorded at a 50 kW self production photovoltaic facility. This method allows the laboratory reproduction of realistic (distorted) on-field conditions in a metrologically traceable framewor

Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC): Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) predicts the risk of development and relapse

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The Phenotypic Characterization of the Oldest Italian Man from December 28, 2020, to September 23, 2021, A.T., Strengthens the Idea That the Immune System can Play a Key Role in the Attainment of Extreme Longevity

: In this paper, we present demographic, clinical, anamnestic, cognitive, and functional data, as well as haematological, haematochemical, immunological, and genetic parameters of an exceptional individual: A.T., a semi-supercentenarian who held the title of the oldest living Italian male centenarian from 28 December 2020, to 23 September 2021. The purpose of this study is to provide fresh insights into extreme phenotypes, with a particular focus on immune-inflammatory parameters. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first phenotypic investigation of a semi-supercentenarian, illustrating both INFLA-score, a metric designed to assess the cumulative impact of inflammatory markers and indicators of age-related immune phenotype (ARIP), recognized as significant gauges of biological ageing. The aim of this study was, indeed, to advance our understanding of the role of immune-inflammatory responses in achieving extreme longevity. The results of laboratory tests, as well as clinical history and interview data, when compared to the results of our recent study on Sicilian centenarians, demonstrate an excellent state of health considering his age. Consistent with previous studies, we observed increased IL-6 inflammatory markers and INFLA score in A.T. More interestingly, the semi-supercentenarian showed values of ARIP indicators such as naïve CD4+ cells, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, and CD4+TN/TM ratio in the range of young adult individuals, suggesting that his immune system's biological age was younger than the chronological one. The results support the notion that the immune system can play a role in promoting extreme longevity. However, this does not rule out the involvement of other body systems or organs in achieving extreme longevity

Un laboratorio di taratura e verifica dei contatori elettrici anche in condizioni di scarsa Power Quality

La misura accurata dell’energia elettrica `e determinante, oltre che per un’equa tariffazione, anche per garantire l’osservabilit`a della rete elettrica. Nella transizione verso il concetto di smart grid, la diffusione della microgenerazione e di carichi non lineari ha peggiorato i parametri di power quality della rete. La misura delle corrispondenti forme d’onda di tensione e corrente, non pi`u sinusoidali, pu`o non avere una riferibilit`a adeguata

Pleural Effusion Secondary to Multiple Myeloma: Is Daratumumab an Effective Treatment? A Case Report

Extramedullary (EM) plasmacytoma disease is an aggressive presentation at diagnosis and relapse for multiple myeloma (MM) patients. EM plasmacytoma is divided into two groups: the first group comprises tumors that extend directly from osteolytic bone lesions, while the second results from plasmacytoma infiltration into soft tissues, with no relation to the bone. Despite new therapies and monoclonal antibodies, the survival for patients with EM plasmacytoma is poor. The involvement of pleural effusion is uncommon in multiple myeloma

Analysis of T and NK cell subsets in Sicilian population from young to supercentenarian: the role of age and gender

Ageing dramatically affects number and function of both innate and adaptive arms of immune system, particularly T cell subsets, contributing to reduced vaccination efficacy, decreased resistance to infections and increased prevalence of cancer in the older people. In the present paper, we analysed the age-related changes in the absolute number of lymphocytes in 214 Sicilian subjects, and in the percentages of T and NK cells in a sub-cohort of donors. We compared these results with the immunophenotype of the oldest living Italian supercentenarian (111 years old). The results were also sorted by gender. The correlation between number/percentage of cells and age in all individuals and, separately, in males and females, was examined using a simple linear regression analysis. We did not record the increase in the rate of inversion of the CD4/CD8 ratio frequently reported as associated with ageing in literature. Our observation was the direct consequence of a flat average trend of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell percentages in ageing donors, even when gender differences were included. Our results also suggest that CD4+ and CD8+ subsets are not affected equally by age comparing females with males, and we speculated that gender may affect the response to CMV infection. The supercentenarian showed a unique immunophenotypic signature as regards the relative percentages of her T cell subsets, with CD4+ and CD8+ T cell percentages and CD4+ na\uefve T cell values in line with those recorded for the octogenarian subjects. This suggests that the supercentenarian has a na\uefve "younger" T cell profile comparable to that of a >80 year old female

Age and Gender-related Variations of Molecular and Phenotypic Parameters in A Cohort of Sicilian Population: from Young to Centenarians

People are living longer, but lifespan increase does not coincide with a boost in health-span. Thus, improving the quality of life of older people is a priority. Centenarians reach extreme longevity in a relatively good health status, escaping or delaying fatal or strongly invalidating diseases. Therefore, studying processes involved in longevity is important to explain the biological mechanisms of health and well-being, since knowledge born from this approach can provide valuable information on how to slow aging. We performed the present study in a well characterized very homogeneous sample of 173 people from Western Sicily, to update existing literature on some phenotypic aspects of aging and longevity and to propose a range of values for older people. We classified 5 age groups, from young adults to centenarians, to understand the age and gender-related variations of the different parameters under study. We collected anamnestic data and performed anthropometric, bioimpedance, molecular, haematological, oxidative, and hematochemical tests, adopting a multidimensional analysis approach. An important evidence of the present study is that there are differences related to both age and gender in several biomarkers. Indeed, gender differences seem to be still poorly considered and inadequately investigated in aging as well as in other medical studies. Moreover, we often observed comparable parameters between young and centenarians rather than non-agenarians and centenarians, hypothesizing a sort of slowdown, almost followed by a reversal trend, in the decay of systemic deterioration. The study of centenarians provides important indications on how to slow aging, with benefits for those who are more vulnerable to disease and disability. The identification of the factors that predispose to a long and healthy life is of enormous interest for translational medicine in an aging world

Genetic predisposition and induced pro-inflammatory/pro-oxidative status may play a role in increased atherothrombotic events in nilotinib treated chronic myeloid leukemia patients

Several reports described an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events, mainly atherothrombotic, in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) patients receiving nilotinib. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. The objective of the current cross-sectional retrospective study is to address a potential correlation between Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) treatment and CV events. One hundred and 10 chronic phase CML patients in complete cytogenetic response during nilotinib or imatinib, were screened for CV events and evaluated for: traditional CV risk factors, pro/anti-inflammatory biochemical parameters and detrimental ORL1 gene polymorphisms (encoding for altered oxidized LDL receptor-1). Multivariate analysis of the whole cohort showed that the cluster of co-existing nilotinib treatment, dyslipidaemia and G allele of LOX-1 polymorphism was the only significant finding associated with CV events. Furthermore, multivariate analysis according to TKI treatment confirmed IVS4-14 G/G LOX-1 polymorphism as the strongest predictive factor for a higher incidence of CV events in nilotinib patients. Biochemical assessment showed an unbalanced pro-inflammatory cytokines network in nilotinib vs imatinib patients. Surprisingly, pre-existing traditional CV risk factors were not always predictive of CV events. We believe that in nilotinib patients an induced "inflammatory/oxidative status", together with a genetic pro-atherothrombotic predisposition, may favour the increased incidence of CV events. Prospective studies focused on this issue are ongoing