Experimental tests and fatigue strength assessment of a scotch yoke valve actuator

Abstract Aim of this work is the fatigue assessment of a main component, termed scotch yoke, of a valve actuator used for oil & gas, power and chemical industries, in order to comply with its heavy-duty applications. To do this, full-scale specimens of the scotch yoke made of structural steel have been fatigue tested under nominal axial loading. All specimens have been tested under stress-relieved conditions by adopting a nominal load ratio R=-1. After experimental tests, the fatigue crack paths have been analysed by means of liquid penetrant inspections. The fatigue strength class of the considered scotch yoke has been determined by statistically re-analysing the experimental results, expressed in terms of range of the nominal applied load, and it has been compared with the design condition required by the relevant European Standard, EN 15714-3/4. Finally, two methodologies for fatigue strength assessment of the considered scotch yokes have been proposed, which are based on experimental fatigue data derived from smooth or sharp V-notched specimens, respectively, made of the same yoke material. The assessment capability of the proposed methodologies has been evaluated and discussed by comparing theoretical estimations with the experimental fatigue results of the scotch yokes

Monitoraggio ambientale mediante l'impiego di suoli e di muschi per le discariche di Rio Riazzone, Rio Vigne e Poiatica di Reggio Emilia

The purposes of this environmental monitoring was to estimate the concentrations of the elements (Al, As, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Ti, V, Zn, Pt and Rh) during two years in 15 stations in three landfills located in the hills of Reggio Emilia and to value the flows of element depositions (gram element/hectare area/year). In addition the origin of the element depositions was identified, discriminating between anthropogenic origin and soil-substrate origins. For more complete information, soils and mosses were also collected to know the level of concentration in a wide are around the landfills. The results obtained for the elements investigated using mosses and superficial soils did not amphasise any specific anomalies.JRC.H.6-Spatial data infrastructure

Characterization of red-fleshed pear accessions from Emilia-Romagna region

Germplasm collections represent a reservoir of traits and genes that might be used in breeding programs to cope with the evolving market demand. Some old pear accessions still cultivated in the Apennine Mountains in Italy possess a red flesh fruit. This paper reports the molecular analysis of 33 red-fleshed pear accessions, collected in different areas of the Emilia-Romagna region and genotyped with 18 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers with the aim of improving germplasm conservation strategies for old red-fleshed pears and for supporting ongoing breeding programs. The molecular profiles revealed both cases of synonymy and homonymy and only 6 unique genotypes were identified. S-genotypes were also established in order to highlight the genetic relationships among these landraces. Four of the unique genotypes have been clustered based on pomological data

Environmental Impact Assessment studies in the Regional Park of Sassi di Roccamalatina (Northern Apennines, Italy).

The present paper describes the state of the art of the Environmental Impact Assessment studies carried out in the Regional Park of Sassi di Roccamalatina (Northern Appennines, Italy) within the framework of a Europena Union funded project concerning the role of geomorphology in the EIA studies (Human Capital and Mobility Project). After some indications on protected areas in Italy, the environmental aspects of the Park are described; the the geomorphological survey analysed. Furthermore a possible appplicatiuon of an EIA procedure based on the above mentioned survey is presentes. Finally a few notes on the digitalisation of topographic data and the realisation of a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) are given

From intensive care to rehabilitation: survey on the satisfaction with care received during prolonged hospitalization for COVID-19 at a northern Italian university hospital

Objective: Investigating the experiences perceived by COVID-19 inpatients is a fundamental research area that is starting to be explored. For this reason, our objective was to provide the first Italian survey on COVID-19 inpatients' satisfaction, obtained through a self-completed questionnaire previously used in a reference study in a UK cohort of COVID-19 patients. Subjects and methods: Hospitalized COVID-19 patients (>20 days) admitted to Ferrara University Hospital who underwent rehabilitation during their hospital stay were invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire. The survey's questions explored the patients' satisfaction with the health services received, and their completion took place approximately one year after hospitalization. Information on sex, number of wards, ICU stays, and hospital discharge dates was collected. Results: Sixty-two completed questionnaires were analyzed. The average overall satisfaction score obtained from the answers indicated by the participants in the tenth question was 4.7 out of 5.0. Very positive responses were observed for information about discharge plans, privacy, management of pain, sleep quality, and feeling of safety. The possibility of being consulted about medications and side effects received a very low satisfaction score. Considering overall satisfaction, no significant differences were noted for sex or ICU stay. The obtained results were almost superimposable to those reported in the cohort of COVID-19 patients of the reference study. Conclusions: This survey suggested that COVID-19 patients' healthcare satisfaction was high. Nevertheless, some areas must be improved, such as the communication and involvement of the patients in the decision-making of care and the discussion about medications or possible side effects

CAG repeat expansion in the Huntington’s disease gene shapes linear and circular RNAs biogenesis

Alternative splicing (AS) appears to be altered in Huntington’s disease (HD), but its significance for early, pre-symptomatic disease stages has not been inspected. Here, taking advantage of Htt CAG knock-in mouse in vitro and in vivo models, we demonstrate a correlation between Htt CAG repeat length and increased aberrant linear AS, specifically affecting neural progenitors and, in vivo, the striatum prior to overt behavioral phenotypes stages. Remarkably, a significant proportion (36%) of the aberrantly spliced isoforms are not-functional and meant to non-sense mediated decay (NMD). The expanded Htt CAG repeats further reflect on a previously neglected, global impairment of back-splicing, leading to decreased circular RNAs production in neural progenitors. Integrative transcriptomic analyses unveil a network of transcriptionally altered micro-RNAs and RNA-binding proteins (CELF, hnRNPS, PTBP, SRSF, UPF1, YTHD2) which might influence the AS machinery, primarily in neural cells. We suggest that this unbalanced expression of linear and circular RNAs might alter neural fitness, contributing to HD pathogenesis

Ottimizzazione del rendimento di un biofiltro applicato ad un impianto di trattamento preliminare di rifiuti urbani mediante misure ed analisi olfattometriche in situ.

Il lavoro illustra i risultati di un\u2019attivit\ue0 sperimentale finalizzata al miglioramento dell\u2019efficienza depurativa di un biofiltro applicato alle emissioni in atmosfera di un impianto di pre-trattamento rifiuti solidi Le misure effettuate e le successive elaborazioni hanno permesso di valutare l\u2019effettivo rendimento depurativo del biofiltro in diverse condizioni di esercizio, verificandone la rispondenza con i risultati ipotizzati in via teorica. In questo modo \ue8 stato possibile apportare sperimentalmente piccoli accorgimenti tecnici alle componenti del biofiltro, valutando l\u2019effettivo miglioramento apportato in termini di prestazioni ambientali. Lo studio, svolto nell\u2019ambito di una convenzione di ricerca fra la ditta Oppimitti e il DISTART, \ue8 stato condotto presso l\u2019impianto di trattamento preliminare (preselezione) per rifiuti solidi urbani ed assimilabili \u201cLa Costa\u201d, in localit\ue0 Piani di Tiedoli\u2013Borgotaro (PR)

The life cycle analysis of end of life tyres for the production of asphalt

Every year in Italy about 430000 t of used tires (EoLT = End of Life Tyres) are dismissed (in Europe about 2.5 millions). Since July 2006 landfills do not accept anymore neither whole nor shredded used tyres, therefore it is necessary to identify some other disposal or material recovery strategies (valorization). This study focus on the Life Cycle Analysis of EoLT carried out using a detailed LCA software (Simapro6.0); in particular it focus on the comparison between two systems: a production of asphalt using recycling tyres (asphalt rubber) and a production of asphalt without rubber (asphalt normal). The environmental impacts are analyzed using 3 methods: Ecoindicator99, EDIP/UMIP96 and Cumulative Energy Demand. The results of the Life Cycle Assessment show that the first system (recycling tyres) has the less environmental impacts than the second