Preface: Bioplasmas and plasmas with liquids

The Bioplasma and Plasmas with Liquids joint conference of the COST Actions TD1208 Electrical discharges with liquids for future applications and MP1101 Biomedical applications of atmospheric pressure plasma technology was held in Bertinoro (Italy) on September 13-16, 2015. The purpose of the Bioplasma and Plasmas with Liquids joint conference was to bring together researchers of different fields, and to establish an open forum for presentation and discussion of the latest advances in the fields of electrical discharges with liquids and plasma medicine, by bridging the scientific communities associated with the COST Actions TD1208 Electrical discharges with liquids for future applications and MP1101 Biomedical applications of atmospheric pressure plasma technology

Organic chemistry of NH₃ and HCN induced by an atmospheric abnormal glow discharge in N₂-CH₄ mixtures

The formation of the chemical products produced in an atmospheric glow discharge fed by a N2-CH4 gas mixture has been studied using Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) and Optical Emission Spectrometry (OES). The measurements were carried out in a flowing regime at ambient temperature and pressure with CH4 concentrations ranging from 0.5% to 2%. In the recorded emission spectra the lines of the second positive system CN system and the first negative system of N2 were found to be the most intensive but atomic Hα, Hβ, and C (247 nm) lines were also observed. FTIR-measurements revealed HCN and NH3 to be the major products of the plasma with traces of C2H2. These same molecules have been detected in Titan's atmosphere and the present experiments may provide some novel insights into the chemical and physical mechanisms prevalent in Titan's atmosphere with these smaller species believed to be the precursors of heavier organic species in Titan's atmosphere and on its surface

Adjustment of Insulin Pump Settings in Type 1 Diabetes Management: Advisor Pro Device Compared to Physicians’ Recommendations

Aims: To compare insulin dose adjustments made by physicians to those made by an artificial intelligence-based decision support system, the Advisor Pro, in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using an insulin pump and self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG). Methods: This was a multinational, non-interventional study surveying 17 physicians from 11 countries. Each physician was asked to provide insulin dose adjustments for the settings of the pump including basal rate, carbohydrate-to-insulin ratios (CRs), and correction factors (CFs) for 15 data sets of pumps and SMBG of people with T1D (mean age 18.4 ± 4.8 years; eight females; mean glycated hemoglobin 8.2% ± 1.4% [66 ± 11mmol/mol]). The recommendations were compared among the physicians and between the physicians and the Advisor Pro. The study endpoint was the percentage of comparison points for which there was an agreement on the direction of insulin dose adjustments. Results: The percentage (mean ± SD) of agreement among the physicians on the direction of insulin pump dose adjustments was 51.8% ± 9.2%, 54.2% ± 6.4%, and 49.8% ± 11.6% for the basal, CR, and CF, respectively. The automated recommendations of the Advisor Pro on the direction of insulin dose adjustments were comparable)49.5% ± 6.4%, 55.3% ± 8.7%, and 47.6% ± 14.4% for the basal rate, CR, and CF, respectively(and noninferior to those provided by physicians. The mean absolute difference in magnitude of change between physicians was 17.1% ± 13.1%, 14.6% ± 8.4%, and 23.9% ± 18.6% for the basal, CR, and CF, respectively, and comparable to the Advisor Pro 11.7% ± 9.7%, 10.1% ± 4.5%, and 25.5% ± 19.5%, respectively, significant for basal and CR. Conclusions: Considerable differences in the recommendations for changes in insulin dosing were observed among physicians. Since automated recommendations by the Advisor Pro were similar to those given by physicians, it could be considered a useful tool to manage T1D

Plasma–liquid interactions: a review and roadmap

Plasma–liquid interactions represent a growing interdisciplinary area of research involving plasma science, fluid dynamics, heat and mass transfer, photolysis, multiphase chemistry and aerosol science. This review provides an assessment of the state-of-the-art of this multidisciplinary area and identifies the key research challenges. The developments in diagnostics, modeling and further extensions of cross section and reaction rate databases that are necessary to address these challenges are discussed. The review focusses on non-equilibrium plasmas

Titan's atmosphere chemistry simulation in atmospheric glow discharge

The formation of products produced in an atmospheric glow discharge fed by a N2-CH4 gas mixture with CH4 contents in range from 0.5% to 2% CH4 has been studied using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The measurements were carried out in flowing regime at ambient temperature and pressure. Measurements revealed HCN and NH3 to be the major products of the plasma with traces of C2H2. These same molecules were observed by the Cassini-Huygens probe in Titan's atmosphere

A Grammatical Evolution Approach for Estimating Blood Glucose Levels

The management of diabetes is a very complex task, hence devising automatic procedures able to predict the glycemic level can represent a significant step towards the building of an artificial pancreas capable of providing the needed amounts of insulin boluses.This paper presents a Grammatical Evolution-based algorithm aiming at extrapolating a regression model able to estimate the blood glucose level in future instants of time through interstitial glucose measurements. The hypothesis is that the amounts of carbohydrates assumed, of basal insulin levels and of those administered with boluses are known. Experiments, performed on a real-world database made up of five patients suffering from Type 1 diabetes, are shown in terms of Clark Error Grid analysis. To evaluate the effectiveness of the predictions derived from the proposed approach, the results obtained are compared against those obtained by other state-of-the-art evolutionary-based methods very recently proposed

An optical emission spectroscopy of atmospheric glow discharge between shaped electrodes in N2-CH4 gas mixture

An optical emission spectroscopy (OES) of an atmospheric glow discharge induced between shaped electrodes has been studied in N2-CH4 gas mixture with CH4 contents in range from 0.5% to 2%. The measurements were performed in flowing regime at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. In the emission spectra the lines of the second positive system of N2, the CN system and the first negative system of N2 were found to be the most intensive, the atomic Hα, Hβ, and C (247 nm) lines were also observed