Succor System and Failure Indication for the Starter Batteries of Emergency Gensets

Nowadays there are 3 % of missed start-ups of emergency gensets in Italian hospitals every year. The subject of this work is the analysis of the failure to start an emergency genset due to the failure of the batteries. The work is based on ten years statistics of maintenance on hospital facilities. A real case study is here described; measurements were made on a 1000 kVA genset of a hospital to study the real operating conditions of the system. The whole electrical, mechanical and dynamic model of the starter system of a genset is studied. Computer simulations for this study are based on the Matlab/Simulink model of the considered starter system. An automatic system of parallel between the batteries of different generators is presented as a solution to the problem. This system can also indicate to the maintenance technician the need to replace a partially deteriorated battery in a timely manner. It is also proved that it is possible to succor the failed battery instantly without losing the first part of the starting transient. The work demonstrates that the failure to start, due to a fault in the batteries, can be significantly reduced by using the proposed solution. With this technical proposal the risk of blackouts and relative human losses are largely reduced

The case of Scott Ortiz: a clash between criminal justice and public health

The criminal justice system creates particular challenges for persons with HIV and Hepatitis C, many of whom have a history of injection drug use. The case of Scott Ortiz, taken from public trial and sentencing transcripts, reveals the manner in which incarceration may delay learning of important health problems such as Hepatitis C infection. In addition, the case of Mr. Ortiz suggests the bias in sentencing that a former injection drug user may face. Collaboration between the Montefiore Medical Center residency in Social Medicine and a Bronx legal services agency, Bronx Defenders, yielded the discovery that a decade after diagnosis with HIV and after long term incarceration, Mr. Ortiz was infected with Hepatitis C. Mr. Ortiz only became aware of his advanced Hepatitis C and liver damage during his trial. The second important aspect of this case centers on the justification for lengthy sentence for a burglary conviction. The presiding Judge in Mr. Ortiz's case acknowledged that because of his advanced illness, Mr. Ortiz posed no threat to society as a burglar (the crime for which he was convicted). But the Judge elected to use his discretion to sentence Mr. Ortiz to a term of 15 years to life (as opposed to a minimum of two to four years) based on the idea that the public health would be served by preventing Mr. Ortiz from returning to the life of a street addict, sharing dirty needles with others. Mr. Ortiz reports distant injection drug use, no evidence of current or recent drug use was presented during Mr. Ortiz's trial and he reports no injection drug use for over a decade. In this case, bias against a former injection drug user, masquerading as concern for public health, is used to justify a lengthier sentence. Mr. Ortiz's lack of awareness of his Hepatitis C infection despite long term incarceration, combined with the justification for his dramatically increased sentence, provide examples of how persons within the criminal justice system may face particular challenges to their health

Compensation temperatures and exchange bias in La1.5Ca0.5CoIrO6

We report on the study of magnetic properties of the La1.5Ca0.5CoIrO6 double perovskite. Via ac magnetic susceptibility we have observed evidence of weak ferromagnetism and reentrant spin glass behavior on an antiferromagnetic matrix. Regarding the magnetic behavior as a function of temperature, we have found that the material displays up to three inversions of its magnetization, depending on the appropriate choice of the applied magnetic field. At low temperature the material exhibit exchange bias effect when it is cooled in the presence of a magnetic field. Also, our results indicate that this effect may be observed even when the system is cooled at zero field. Supported by other measurements and also by electronic structure calculations, we discuss the magnetic reversals and spontaneous exchange bias effect in terms of magnetic phase separation and magnetic frustration of Ir4+ ions located between the antiferromagnetically coupled Co ions.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures and supplemental materia

PIXE characterization of CsI(Tl) scintillators used for particle detection in nuclear reactions

Particle-Induced X-ray Emission has been used to measure Thallium concentration in several CsI(Tl) scintillators from different manufacturers, in order to check their nominal declared values and correlate their behaviour with actual Tl concentration. Indeed, both Tl doping level and its uniformity affect light emission of these detectors, which are largely employed in nuclear physics experiments. In some of the examined crystals Tl concentration values from PIXE measurements came out to be quite different from those declared. This allowed us to explain apparent anomalies in the trend of their a/c-induced light yield ratio versus Tl content. In some cases, the presence of unexpected contaminants was also pointed out. 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

FeetBack – Redirecting touch sensation from a prosthetic hand to the human foot

Introduction: Adding sensory feedback to myoelectric prosthetic hands was shown to enhance the user experience in terms of controllability and device embodiment. Often this is realized non-invasively by adding devices, such as actuators or electrodes, within the prosthetic shaft to deliver the desired feedback. However, adding a feedback system in the socket adds more weight, steals valuable space, and may interfere with myoelectric signals. To circumvent said drawbacks we tested for the first time if force feedback from a prosthetic hand could be redirected to another similarly sensitive part of the body: the foot. Methods: We developed a vibrotactile insole that vibrates depending on the sensed force on the prosthetic fingers. This self-controlled clinical pilot trial included four experienced users of myoelectric prostheses. The participants solved two types of tasks with the artificial hands: 1) sorting objects depending on their plasticity with the feedback insole but without audio-visual feedback, and 2) manipulating fragile, heavy, and delicate objects with and without the feedback insole. The sorting task was evaluated with Goodman-Kruskal’s gamma for ranked correlation. The manipulation tasks were assessed by the success rate. Results: The results from the sorting task with vibrotactile feedback showed a substantial positive effect. The success rates for manipulation tasks with fragile and heavy objects were high under both conditions (feedback on or off, respectively). The manipulation task with delicate objects revealed inferior success with feedback in three of four participants. Conclusion: We introduced a novel approach to touch sensation in myoelectric prostheses. The results for the sorting task and the manipulation tasks diverged. This is likely linked to the availability of various feedback sources. Our results for redirected feedback to the feet fall in line with previous similar studies that applied feedback to the residual arm

The broad-spectrum anti-DNA virus agent cidofovir inhibits lung metastasis of virus-independent, FGF2-driven tumors.

The FDA-approved anti-DNA virus agent cidofovir (CDV) is being evaluated in phase II/III clinical trials for the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated tumors. However, previous observations had shown that CDV also inhibits the growth of vascular tumors induced by fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2)-transformed FGF2-T-MAE cells. Here, we demonstrate that CDV inhibits metastasis induced by FGF2-driven, virus-independent tumor cells. Pre-treatment of luciferase-expressing FGF2-T-MAE cells with CDV reduced single cell survival and anchorage-independent growth in vitro and lung metastasis formation upon intravenous inoculation into SCID mice. This occurred in the absence of any effect on homing of FGF2-T-MAE cells to the lungs and on the growth of subconfluent cell cultures or subcutaneous tumors in mice. Accordingly, CDV protected against lung metastasis when given systemically after tumor cell injection. Lung metastases in CDV-treated mice showed reduced Ki67 expression and increased nuclear accumulation of p53, indicating that CDV inhibits metastasis by affecting single cell survival properties. The anti-metastatic potential of CDV was confirmed on B16-F10 melanoma cells, both in zebrafish embryos and mice. These findings suggest that CDV may have therapeutic potential as an anti-metastatic agent and warrants further study to select those tumor types that are most likely to benefit from CDV therapy

Teleological Essentialism

Placeholder essentialism is the view that there is a causal essence that holds category members together, though we may not know what the essence is. Sometimes the placeholder can be filled in by scientific essences, such as when we acquire scientific knowledge that the atomic weight of gold is 79. We challenge the view that placeholders are elaborated by scientific essences. On our view, if placeholders are elaborated, they are elaborated Aristotelian essences, a telos. Utilizing the same kinds of experiments used by traditional essentialists—involving superficial change (study 1), transformation of insides (study 2), acquired traits (study 3) and inferences about offspring (study 4)—we find support for the view that essences are elaborated by a telos. And we find evidence (study 5) that teleological essences may generate category judgments

Minimal Required Resolution to Capture the 3D Shape of the Human Back: A Practical Approach

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a prevalent musculoskeletal disorder that causes abnormal spinal deformities. The early screening of children and adolescents is crucial to identify and prevent the further progression of AIS. In clinical examinations, scoliometers are often used to noninvasively estimate the primary Cobb angle, and optical 3D scanning systems have also emerged as alternative noninvasive approaches for this purpose. The recent advances in low-cost 3D scanners have led to their use in several studies to estimate the primary Cobb angle or even internal spinal alignment. However, none of these studies demonstrate whether such a low-cost scanner satisfies the minimal requirements for capturing the relevant deformities of the human back. To practically quantify the minimal required spatial resolution and camera resolution to capture the geometry and shape of the deformities of the human back, we used multiple 3D scanning methodologies and systems. The results from an evaluation of 30 captures of AIS patients and 76 captures of healthy subjects showed that the minimal required spatial resolution is between 2 mm and 5 mm, depending on the chosen error tolerance. Therefore, a minimal camera resolution of 640 × 480 pixels is recommended for use in future studies

Early genotoxic damage through micronucleus test in exfoliated buccal cells and occupational dust exposure in construction workers: a cross-sectional study in L'Aquila, Italy.

Abstract Aim The city of L'Aquila (central Italy) was hit by a strong earthquake in 2009 that caused the collapse of several buildings, deaths and injured people. In the following years, a great number of building sites were activated, building workers resulted intensely exposed and represent a relevant target for research on environmental mutagenesis and epidemiological surveillance. Cells of buccal mucosa are considered an appropriate site for early detecting of cytogenetic damage, since it represents the first barrier in inhalation or ingestion and can metabolize carcinogenic agents into reactive chemicals. Our study is aimed 1) at comparing the early genotoxic damage as measured by the buccal mucosa micronucleus test in two subgroups of workers defined by different occupational exposure and 2) at evaluating possible confounding variables such as lifestyle factors. Methods and results A cross-sectional study was conducted in L'Aquila, on 24 outdoor workers (OWs) highly exposed on the construction sites and 26 indoor workers (IWs), all subjected to the compulsory occupational surveillance system, in the period 2017–2018. Buccal cells samples were collected and, based on the Micronucleus test, the exfoliated cells were classified in respect of nuclear changes observed. Moreover, a self-report questionnaire composed of 84 items, was administered to the workers. Results Significant differences were observed between Exp+ (OWs) and Exp− (IWs) in the number of the analyzed cells (expressed as mean value out of 1000 cells): respectively 954.46 vs 990.06 normal cells, (p Conclusion Despite some limitation, our findings clearly confirm the role of occupational exposure as a marker of cytogenetic damage associated with MNs number in construction workers. Moreover, smoking status appears as the only other investigated factor independently associated to the outcome. The statistical model, in addition, highlights possible moderation and confounding effects, such as interaction between smoking and occupational exposure and the unbalanced school education level in workers. Micronucleus test in exfoliated buccal cells would be considered a suitable method for studying the early genotoxic damage in the construction occupational setting as well as in evaluating the efficacy of preventive practices

The feasibility and added value of mapping music during awake craniotomy:A systematic review

The value of mapping musical function during awake craniotomy is unclear. Hence, this systematic review was conducted to examine the feasibility and added value of music mapping in patients undergoing awake craniotomy. An extensive search, on 26 March 2021, in four electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane CENTRAL register of trials), using synonyms of the words “Awake Craniotomy” and “Music Performance,” was conducted. Patients performing music while undergoing awake craniotomy were independently included by two reviewers. This search resulted in 10 studies and 14 patients. Intra‐operative mapping of musical function was successful in 13 out of 14 patients. Isolated music disruption, defined as disruption during music tasks with intact language/speech and/or motor functions, was identified in two patients in the right superior temporal gyrus, one patient in the right and one patient in the left middle frontal gyrus and one patient in the left medial temporal gyrus. Pre‐operative functional MRI confirmed these localizations in three patients. Assessment of post‐operative musical function, only conducted in seven patients by means of standardized (57%) and non‐standardized (43%) tools, report no loss of musical function. With these results, we conclude that mapping music is feasible during awake craniotomy. Moreover, we identified certain brain regions relevant for music production and detected no decline during follow‐up, suggesting an added value of mapping musicality during awake craniotomy. A systematic approach to map musicality should be implemented, to improve current knowledge on the added value of mapping musicality during awake craniotomy