A precompliance EMC test-set based on a sampling oscilloscope

In this paper, a precompliance test-set for the measurement of conducted emissions based on a medium-level sampling oscilloscope and on a fast filtering algorithm (DFT) is presented. This system has been designed as a low-cost alternative to the typical precompliance test-sets that are based on spectrum analyzers equipped with EMC filters and peak detectors. Experimental examples of the results obtained using a sampling oscilloscope with 8 Kbytes of memory are given

Low-dose radiotherapy for extranodal marginal zone B lymphoma of the lip: Case report and literature review

Abstract Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of the lip is extremely rare. It is usually indolent and in early stages a local approach is often indicated. We present a case report of a patient with extranodal NHL of the lip treated with chemotherapy and low-dose radiation treatment (RT). The patient was affected by B-cell NHL of the marginal zone, Stage IAE. After a few months of observation with progressive disease, the patient was submitted to two cycles of chemotherapy with no response. Therefore, he was treated with very low-dose RT consisting of two fractions of 2 Gy. Complete response was observed and after 1-year follow-up, persistent complete response was recorded. In cases of localized disease, especially in patients with comorbidities of poor performance status (PS), low-dose RT can be an appropriate approach with excellent outcomes in terms of effectiveness and low risk of toxicity

The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the presence of large nodal mass are independent predictors of early response: A subanalysis of the prospective phase II PET-2-adapted HD0607 trial

The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) can reflect both the myeloid dysfunction and T-cell immune suppression and have prognostic significance

Benefit-risk profile of cytoreductive drugs along with antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy after transient ischemic attack or ischemic stroke in myeloproliferative neoplasms

We analyzed 597 patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) who presented transient ischemic attacks (TIA, n = 270) or ischemic stroke (IS, n = 327). Treatment included aspirin, oral anticoagulants, and cytoreductive drugs. The composite incidence of recurrent TIA and IS, acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and cardiovascular (CV) death was 4.21 and 19.2%, respectively at one and five years after the index event, an estimate unexpectedly lower than reported in the general population. Patients tended to replicate the first clinical manifestation (hazard ratio, HR: 2.41 and 4.41 for recurrent TIA and IS, respectively); additional factors for recurrent TIA were previous TIA (HR: 3.40) and microvascular disturbances (HR: 2.30); for recurrent IS arterial hypertension (HR: 4.24) and IS occurrence after MPN diagnosis (HR: 4.47). CV mortality was predicted by age over 60 years (HR: 3.98), an index IS (HR: 3.61), and the occurrence of index events after MPN diagnosis (HR: 2.62). Cytoreductive therapy was a strong protective factor (HR: 0.24). The rate of major bleeding was similar to the general population (0.90 per 100 patient-years). In conclusion, the long-term clinical outcome after TIA and IS in MPN appears even more favorable than in the general population, suggesting an advantageous benefit-risk profile of antithrombotic and cytoreductive treatment

Plastic Optic Fiber Sensor for Cumulative Measurements

Sensors are typically designed to produce outputs related to the instantaneous value of the quantity of interest; however situations exist where an output related to the total, cumulative or 'integral' exposure to the quantity of interest is required. This paper describes a low-cost optical sensor for the monitoring of the total exposure to sulphide vapors exploiting a non-reversible chemical reaction and the evanescent field absorption in plastic optical fibers. The sensor is particularly suited for extensive use in cultural heritage conservation monitoring, being intrinsically safe and also quite cheap since the interrogation does not require coherent light sources and spectral analysis. Some prototypes of the proposed sensing system have been produced and tested in laboratory, obtaining a good sensitivity and a fast respons

Laser cleaning of metal artifacts: Microstructural, chemical and optical fiber-based analysis

Laser cleaning was carried out on artificially aged copper specimens, comparing the result of different laser irradiance values and different number of passes. The cleaned surfaces were initially characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy. These analyses showed that near-IR laser cleaning successfully removed the corrosion products from the surface of the metallic artifacts. After cleaning at higher irradiance or after repeated cleaning steps, a slight surface alteration was observed. In the view of a future real-time laser cleaning process monitoring, the samples were also characterized by optical fiber spectroscopy. A signature in the spectral reflectance could be used to distinguish between metal, corrosion products layer and cleaned surface

Low-cost H2S gas sensor based on plastic optical fiber

A new simple and low-cost fiber optic sensor for cumulative detection of H2S and other sulphide compounds is described. The transducer is based on a plastic optical fiber and exploits a non-reversible chemical reaction, whose products interact with the evanescent field tails thus increasing the propagation losses with the exposure time. The sensor has a sensitivity of the order of few pp