Big Data and Advanced Analytics in Industry 4.0: a comparative analysis across the European Union

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Influence of design parameters on the short-circuit ruggedness of SiC Power MOSFETs

This work aims to present an investigation on short-circuit (SC) failure behaviour of SiC Power MOSFETs due to the onset of thermal runaway. As inferable from experimental outcomes, it is related to the formation of hotspot, whose exact location is mainly unpredictable and dictated by device structure and design parameters non-uniformities. TCAD simulations were performed to examine the impact of some parameters mismatch on hotspot formation and failure occurrenc

Artificial membranes biomimicking pit vipers' thermal sensing

Artificial membranes that are sensitive to temperature are needed in robotics to augment interactions with humans and the environment, and in bioengineering to improve prosthetic limbs. Existing flexible sensors achieved sensitivities of <100 mK, albeit within narrow (<5 K) temperature ranges. Other flexible devices, working in wider temperature ranges, exhibit orders of magnitude poorer responses. However, much more versatile and temperature sensitive membranes are found in animals such as pit vipers, whose pit membranes have the highest sensitivity in nature and are used to locate warm-blooded preys at distance. Here, we show that pectin films mimic the sensing mechanism of pit membranes and parallel their record performance. These films map temperature on surfaces with a sensitivity of <10 mK in a wide temperature range (40 K) and detect warm bodies at distance

Acute thrombosis induced by drug-coated balloons dilation in neoatherosclerosis plaque, successfully treated with a MicroNet-covered stent: A Case Report and Literature Review

Preprint enviat per a la seva publicació en una revista científica: Journal of Endovascular Therapy Case Report (ISSN: 1526-6028, 1545-1550)Background The operator's ability in performing carotid stenting (CAS) has improved clinical outcomes. However, more than 3% of patients need to be treated again after CAS. Most of the cases requiring further intervention are affected by hyperplasia. The recommended procedure is the DEBalloon. On the other hand, the literature reports a small number of carotid neoatherosclerosis cases and is recommended to be treated using elective Micronet-covered stent. Discriminating between the two types of in-stent-restenosis ISR (hyperplasia or neoatherosclerosis) is critical for a positive outcome. Case summary We describe a case in which a patient treated with carotid stenting 8 years before, was diagnosed with ISR. Due to the development of neurological symptoms and progressive increases in Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV) eight years following carotid stenting, a DEBalloon was used in a carotid in-stent-restenosis (ISR) standard procedure. About ten minutes after the procedure, the patient developed hemiplegia consistent with the treated carotid territory. The implantation of a MicroNet-covered stent excluded the thrombus and reverted symptoms with a normal MR control at 24 h. Conclusion This case illustrates that when in-stent stenosis evolves years after the stent implantation, neoatherosclerosis should be assessed, and a MicroNet-covered stent should be considered

A comprehensive study of the short-circuit ruggedness of silicon carbide power MOSFETs

The behavior of Silicon Carbide Power MOSFETs under stressful short circuit conditions is investigated in this paper. Illustration of two different short-circuit failure phenomena for Silicon Carbide Power MOSFETs are thoroughly reported. Experimental evidences and TCAD electro-thermal simulations are exploited to describe and discriminate the failure sources. Physical causes are finally investigated and explained by means of properly calibrated numerical investigations, and are reported along with their effects on devices short-circuit capability

Dietary Intake as a Link between Obesity, Systemic Inflammation, and the Assumption of Multiple Cardiovascular and Antidiabetic Drugs in Renal Transplant Recipients.

Abstract We evaluated dietary intake and nutritional-inflammation status in ninety-six renal transplant recipients, 7.2±5.0 years after transplantation. Patients were classified as normoweight (NW), overweight (OW), and obese (OB), if their body mass index was between 18.5 and 24.9, 25.0 and 29.9, and ≥30 kg/m2, respectively. Food composition tables were used to estimate nutrient intakes. The values obtained were compared with those recommended in current nutritional guidelines. 52% of the patients were NW, 29% were OW, and 19% were OB. Total energy, fat, and dietary n-6 PUFAs intake was higher in OB than in NW. IL-6 and hs-CRP were higher in OB than in NW. The prevalence of multidrug regimen was higher in OB. In all patients, total energy, protein, saturated fatty acids, and sodium intake were higher than guideline recommendations. On the contrary, the intake of unsaturated and n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and fiber was lower than recommended. In conclusion, the prevalence of obesity was high in our patients, and it was associated with inflammation and the assumption of multiple cardiovascular and antidiabetic drugs. Dietary intake did not meet nutritional recommendations in all patients, especially in obese ones, highlighting the need of a long-term nutritional support in renal transplant recipients

Biomimetic temperature-sensing layer for artificial skins

Artificial membranes that are sensitive to temperature are needed in robotics to augment interactions with humans and the environment and in bioengineering to improve prosthetic limbs. Existing flexible sensors achieved sensitivities of <100 millikelvin and large responsivity, albeit within narrow (<5 kelvin) temperature ranges. Other flexible devices, working in wider temperature ranges, exhibit orders of magnitude poorer responses. However, much more versatile and temperature-sensitive membranes are present in animals such as pit vipers, whose pit membranes have the highest sensitivity and responsivity in nature and are used to locate warm-blooded prey at distance. We show that pectin films mimic the sensing mechanism of pit membranes and parallel their record performances. These films map temperature on surfaces with a sensitivity of at least 10 millikelvin in a wide temperature range (45 kelvin), have very high responsivity, and detect warm bodies at distance. The produced material can be integrated as a layer in artificial skin platforms and boost their temperature sensitivity to reach the best biological performance

INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY APPLIED TO POWER ELECTRON DEVICES INVESTIGATION

The aim of this paper is to give a presentation of the principal applications of Infrared Thermography for analysis and testing of electron devices. Even though experimental characterization could be carried out on almost any electronic devices and circuits, here IR Thermography for investigation of power semiconductor devices is presented. Different examples of functional and failure analysis in both transient and lock-in modes will be reported

Is the Salmonella contamination of swine carcasses at slaughter related to the Salmonella load in caecum?

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the load of Salmonella spp. in caeca and the carcass contamination in an Italian slaughterhouse. The sampling scheme was designed to be representative of the pigs slaughtered in a day and to estimate a 12% prevalence of pigs highly contaminated by Salmonella spp. (HCP, cecal load ≥3log). Environmental swabs were taken before slaughter. Cecal contents and carcass swabs were collected from the same pig. Salmonella MPN were estimated according to ISO6579- 2:2012/A1 and ISO7218:2007/E. The overall Salmonella prevalence were 34.64% and 7.19% for ceca and carcasses respectively, with S. Derby and S. 4,[5],12:i:- being the prevalent serotypes. The HCP prevalence was 11.44%. 7/59 environmental swabs tested positive; when the same serotype was isolated from the environment and from carcasses, the samples were excluded from further analysis. Statistical analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between Salmonella spp. loads in the cecum and contamination of the carcass of the same pig and the prevalence of HCP and the contamination of carcasses on the same day. For this purpose, the days were classified as “high prevalence days” depending on the proportion of caeca resulted positive (≥36%) and as “high load” days depending on the prevalence of HCP (≥10%). A correlation between the contamination of carcasses and the cecal Salmonella loads of the same animal was found (Spearman’s correlation coefficient: 0.2254; p-value=0.0001). No correlation was found between the contamination of carcasses and the categorization of the day of sampling as “high prevalence day”. Conversely, a correlation was found between the contamination of carcasses and the “high load” category of the sampling day (Wilcoxon test, p=0.0011). Notably, not the prevalence of pigs carrying Salmonella spp. but the prevalence of highly contaminated pigs was shown to be related to the contamination of carcasses