Analysis of Signal Swap in output of Channel 2510 (Action#4 H-PTASF- MN-9737)

Scope of this document is to provide a description of an unexpected feature observed on RCA 25 during EMC Conducted test., During data analysis was found that the same behaviour was present in SFT data and in PLM SIT test data. This description shall be used to update the dedicated NCR, in order to monitor the problem through the System Test Campaign. The data shown here after have been collected during the EMC Conducted performed on 2nd October (AMB_108) PLM SIT performed on the 24th of October 2007 (AMB_0114) in Cannes and from the SFT performed 18th September (AMB_0099)

Preliminary evaluation of the impact of temperature fluctuations in the HFI 4Kstage on LFI

In this technical note we provide a preliminary analysis of the effect of temperature fluctuations at the level of the HFI 4K stage on the scientific performances of the Planck-LFI instrument. The stability of this stage is of crucial importance for the LFI, as it impact directly the stability of the measured signal through its reference load. The availability of the first simulations of the 4K temperature stability from the HFI team has prompted a quick assessment of the expected effect, which is found to be large enough to require the application of software removal algorithms to maintain the residual effect in the final maps within the required levels. Clearly it is of crucial importance the availability in a short time of measurements from the HFI 4K cooler in order to be able to perform robust estimates of the final expected systematic effect

Winegrape berry skin thickness determination: comparison between histological observation and texture analysis determination.

We analyzed the relation between the assessment of grape berry skin thickness by means of histology sections and instrumental mechanical properties measurements. Berry skin of Vitis vinifera L. cultivar Corvina vineyards from Valpolicella Valpantena zone (Verona, Italy) were tested, evidencing a strong correlation between the two thickness determination methods. The middle or equatorial berry skin portion was found to be the less variable in instrumental skin thickness determination. In addition, unlike other studies, no correlation between the skin thickness and cell layers number was found

A Refined Calibration Procedure of Two-Channel Sun Photometers to Measure Atmospheric Precipitable Water at Various Antarctic Sites

Abstract Two-channel sun photometers can be easily employed at Antarctic sites, where harsh environmental conditions prevail, to carry out measurements of precipitable water W. In the very dry air conditions observed in the Antarctic atmosphere, water vapor does not produce strong absorption features along the sun path. Therefore, these instruments need to be calibrated using analytical forms different from the square root regime, which can be determined by simulating the output voltages measured at Antarctic sites, for the spectral near-IR curves of extraterrestrial solar irradiance, instrumental responsivity parameters, and atmospheric transmittance, relative to various measurement periods. For this purpose, average models of the Antarctic atmosphere from the ground level up to the 30-km altitude were considered for different solar zenith angles and relative humidity conditions. The ratios between the output voltages simulated in the band and window channels were plotted as a function of total water vapor content Cw, for each site and each period, to define the best-fit calibration curves, which were subsequently normalized to the field measurements to take into account the aging effects on the filter transmission characteristics. Each of the five calibration curves was found to present a slope coefficient decreasing gradually with Cw from values higher than 0.8 to about 0.6. Using these curves, measurements of W were obtained, which differ appreciably at both sea level and high-altitude sites from those given by the square root calibration curves, avoiding large overestimation errors of 10%–40% at the high-altitude sites and underestimation errors of 5%–15% at the sea level site

Pulsed Radiofrequency as a Standalone Treatment for Adhesive Capsulitis

Adhesive capsulitis is a pathology that affects the shoulder and can have a particularly long and disabling course. The usual therapies are treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and painkillers, steroid injections, physiotherapy, and surgical treatment. This case report describes the effect of a single treatment with pulsed radiofrequency of the suprascapular nerve in a diabetic patient affected by this pathology, for whom steroid injections were contraindicated. Three weeks after the treatment, the reduction of pain and the improvement of ROM (range of movement) allowed the patient to start an adequate physiotherapy treatment, which was not feasible until that moment due to the severe pain despite NSAIDS therapy. The peculiarity of this work consists in the accurate measure of the impact of the analgesic treatment alone in improving the ROM and muscular activation in the patient. The patient was able to correctly perform physiotherapy only once the pain was reduced, after PRF (pulsed radio frequency) treatment. This study has two limitations: being a case report and not a prospective randomized study, and observing the kinematic and pain aspects for a limited period of time. Finally, the case report draws attention to the importance of cooperation between the various health figures involved in the treatment of patients suffering from adhesive capsules

REducing INFectiOns thRough Cardiac device Envelope: insight from real world data. The REINFORCE Project

Background: Infections resulting from cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation are severely impacting on patients' and on health care systems. The use of TYRXTM absorbable antibiotic-eluting envelope has proven to decrease major CIED infections within 12 months of CIED surgery. Aims: to evaluate the impact of the envelope use on infection-related clinical events in a real-world contemporary patient population. Methods: Data on patients undergoing CIED surgery were collected prospectively by participating centers of the One Hospital ClinicalService project. Patients were divided into two groups according to whether TYRXTM absorbable antibiotic-eluting envelope was used or not. Results: Out of 1819 patients, 872 (47.9%) were implanted with an absorbable antibiotic-eluting envelope and included in the Envelope group and 947 (52.1%) patients who did not receive an envelope were included in the Control group. Compared to control, patients in the Envelope group had higher thrombo-embolic or hemorrhagic risk, higher BMI, lower LVEF and more comorbidities. During a mean follow-up of 1.4 years, the incidence of infection-related events was significantly higher in the control compared to the Envelope group (2.4% vs 0.8%, p = 0.007). The 5-year cumulative incidence of infection-related events was 8.1% in the control and 2.1% in the Envelope group (HR: 0.34, 95%CI: 0.14-0.80, p = 0.010). Conclusions: In our analysis, the use of an absorbable antibiotic-eluting envelope in the general CIED population was associated with a lower risk of systemic and pocket infection

Comparing kaolin and pinolene to improve sustainable grapevine production during drought

Viticulture is widely practiced in dry regions, where the grapevine is greatly exposed to water stress. Optimizing plant water use efficiency (WUE) without affecting crop yield, grape and wine quality is crucial to limiting use of water for irrigation and to significantly improving viticulture sustainability. This study examines the use in vineyards of particle film technology (engineered kaolin) and compares it to a film-forming antitranspirant (pinolene), traditionally used to limit leaf water loss, and to an untreated control. The trial was carried out under field conditions over three growing seasons, during which moderate to very severe plant water stress (down to -1.9 MPa) was measured through stem water potential. Leaf stomatal conductance (gs ) and photosynthesis rate (An ) were measured during the seasons and used to compute intrinsic WUE (WUEi, defined as An /gs ratio). Leaf temperature was also recorded and compared between treatments. Bunch quantity, bunch and berry weight, sugar accumulation, anthocyanin and flavonoid contents were measured. Finally, microvinifications were performed and resultant wines subjected to sensory evaluation.Results showed that the use of kaolin increased grapevine intrinsic WUE (+18% on average as compared to unsprayed vines) without affecting berry and bunch weight and quantity, or sugar level. Anthocyanin content increased (+35%) in kaolin treatment, and the wine was judged more attractive (p-value <0.05) and slightly more appreciated (p-value < 0.1) than control. Pinolene did not increase WUEi, limiting An more than gs; grapes with this treatment contained lower sugar and anthocyanin content than control, and the obtained wine was the least appreciated. This study demonstrates that particle film technology can improve vine WUEi and wine quality at the same time, while traditional antitranspirants were not as effective for these purposes. This positive effect can be used in interaction with other already-demonstrated uses of particle film technology, such as pest control and sunburn reduction, in order to achieve more sustainable vineyard management. \ua9 2016 Brillante et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited