164 research outputs found
triz analysis for solving problem in the production of aluminium food containers
On a daily basis, the concrete problems with researching solutions deal with the psychological inertia, the tendency to think and follow the same known mental schemes. The current work shows how the TRIZ can develop new and effective project solutions thanks to the examination of different prospective and points of view. In particular, the authors want to retrieve the analysis and the solutions for an anomaly found in an industry that designs and builds moulds and equipment for the production of aluminum food containers
Experimental results of crystal-assisted slow extraction at the SPS
The possibility of extracting highly energetic particles from the Super
Proton Synchrotron (SPS) by means of silicon bent crystals has been explored
since the 1990's. The channelling effect of a bent crystal can be used to
strongly deflect primary protons and eject them from the synchrotron. Many
studies and experiments have been carried out to investigate crystal
channelling effects. The extraction of 120 and 270 GeV proton beams has already
been demonstrated in the SPS with dedicated experiments located in the ring.
Presently in the SPS, the UA9 experiment is performing studies to evaluate the
possibility to use bent silicon crystals to steer particle beams in high energy
accelerators. Recent studies on the feasibility of extraction from the SPS have
been made using the UA9 infrastructure with a longer-term view of using
crystals to help mitigate slow extraction induced activation of the SPS. In
this paper, the possibility to eject particles into the extraction channel in
LSS2 using the bent crystals already installed in the SPS is presented. Details
of the concept, simulations and measurements carried out with beam are
presented, before the outlook for the future is discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, submitted to to International Particle
Accelerator Conference (IPAC) 2017 in Copenhagen, Denmar
Commissioning and operation of the Cherenkov detector for proton Flux Measurement of the UA9 Experiment
The UA9 Experiment at CERN-SPS investigates channeling processes in bent
silicon crystals with the aim to manipulate hadron beams. Monitoring and
characterization of channeled beams in the high energy accelerators environment
ideally requires in-vacuum and radiation hard detectors. For this purpose the
Cherenkov detector for proton Flux Measurement (CpFM) was designed and
developed. It is based on thin fused silica bars in the beam pipe vacuum which
intercept charged particles and generate Cherenkov light. The first version of
the CpFM is installed since 2015 in the crystal-assisted collimation setup of
the UA9 experiment. In this paper the procedures to make the detector
operational and fully integrated in the UA9 setup are described. The most
important standard operations of the detector are presented. They have been
used to commission and characterize the detector, providing moreover the
measurement of the integrated channeled beam profile and several functionality
tests as the determination of the crystal bending angle.
The calibration has been performed with Lead (Pb) and Xenon (Xe) beams and
the results are applied to the flux measurement discussed here in detail.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figure
Can Baseline IL-6 Levels Predict Long COVID in Subjects Hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 Disease?
The immune response to infection plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, but several patients develop a wide range of persistent symptoms, which is becoming a major global health and economic burden. However, reliable indicators are not yet available to predict the persistence of symptoms typical of the so-called long COVID. Our study aims to explore an eventual role of IL-6 levels as a marker of long COVID. Altogether, 184 patients admitted to the COVID Medicine Unit of the University Hospital in Palermo, Italy, from the 1st of September 2020, were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the IL-6 serum levels (normal or elevated), considering the serum IL-6 levels measured during the first four days of hospitalization. In our study, higher serum IL-6 levels were associated with a doubled higher risk of long COVID (OR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.04–4.50) and, in particular, they were associated with a higher incidence of mobility decline (OR = 2.55; 95% CI: 1.08–9.40) and PTSD (OR = 2.38; 95% CI: 1.06–8.61). The analysis of our case series confirmed the prominent role of IL-6 levels in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, as predictors not only of COVID-19 disease severity and unfavorable outcomes, but also long COVID development trends
The UA9 experimental layout
The UA9 experimental equipment was installed in the CERN-SPS in March '09
with the aim of investigating crystal assisted collimation in coasting mode.
Its basic layout comprises silicon bent crystals acting as primary
collimators mounted inside two vacuum vessels. A movable 60 cm long block of
tungsten located downstream at about 90 degrees phase advance intercepts the
deflected beam.
Scintillators, Gas Electron Multiplier chambers and other beam loss monitors
measure nuclear loss rates induced by the interaction of the beam halo in the
crystal. Roman pots are installed in the path of the deflected particles and
are equipped with a Medipix detector to reconstruct the transverse distribution
of the impinging beam. Finally UA9 takes advantage of an LHC-collimator
prototype installed close to the Roman pot to help in setting the beam
conditions and to analyze the efficiency to deflect the beam. This paper
describes in details the hardware installed to study the crystal collimation
during 2010.Comment: 15pages, 11 figure, submitted to JINS
Relationship between fatty acids composition/antioxidant potential of breast milk and maternal diet: Comparison with infant formulas
The fatty acid composition of human breast milk is relevant for the energy, immunity and eicosanoid production in infants. Additionally, the antioxidant properties of foods are essential for human health. Therefore, in the present study we aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal diet and fatty acids composition as well as the antioxidant potential of breast milk from donors to human milk bank of Perugia\u2019s hospital, Italy. Results were compared with infant formulas. We observed increased levels of total fatty acids and, in particular, saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in milk from mothers fed on a vegetable and fruit-rich diet compared with a Mediterranean diet. In the same milk, a reduced antioxidant potential was found. All infant formulas resulted in richer total fatty acid content than human breast milk. Only some formulas were qualitatively similar to breast milk. Of note, the antioxidant potential of the formulas was higher or lower than the human milk with the exception of one sample. The antioxidant potential of four formulas was very high. Dietary supplementation with antioxidants has been shown to have a teratogenic effect and to increase the formation of metastases in adult. There are no data on the effects of excess antioxidants in the infants, but the possibility that they can be harmful cannot be excluded
PRESENTAZIONE ECOGRAFICA DELL’EPATOCARCINOMA: ESPERIENZA DI UN SINGOLO CENTRO NELL’ARCO DI TRE DECENNI
Valutare i cambiamenti della presentazione ecografica (US) degli epatocarcinomi (HCC) diagnosticati presso la nostra UO di Medicina Interna in tre periodi:1993-98, 2003-2008,2013-18. Il Gruppo 1 (G1) (1993-1998) comprendeva 174 HCC, il Gruppo 2 (G2) (2003-08) 96, il Gruppo 3 (G3) (2013-2018) 102. Sono stati registrati età , sesso, markers HBV, HCV, uso di alcol, alfafetoproteina (AFP), test di funzionalità epatica, autoanticorpi, ferritinemia. La diagnosi di HCC in G2 e G3 è stata posta secondo le linee guida EASL, in G1 con istologia o citologia nel 40%, nel resto con multiple tecniche di imaging concordanti (ecografia, TC, TC con lipiodol, angiografia), livelli sierici di AFP>200 ng/ml. La presentazione US veniva classificata secondo Otho in: Singolo, Multipli, Diffusi (Dig. Liv. Dis. 43 (2011) 875–880). Nel gruppo 1: 11.5% dei pazienti risultava in sorveglianza, meno che nel G2 (66%) e nel G3 (76.4%) (p<0.0001), G2 vs G3 (P=ns). L’età media aumentava progressivamente da G1 a G3 (rho=0.45; P<0.0001), gli HCC Singoli erano più frequenti in G2 (63.5%) e in G3 (65.6 %) vs G1 (40 %) (P<0.0001), G2 vs G3 P=ns. La frequenza dei Multipli era maggiore in G1 (50 %) vs G2 (34.4%) e G3 (33.3%) (entrambi P<0.02), G2 vs G3 P=ns. Il Diffuso prevaleva in G1 (16 %) vs G2 (2 %) e G3 (1 %), (entrambi P<0.001), G2 vs G3 P=ns. L’ecostruttura nei tre periodi era sovrapponibile, risultava maggiore l’ipocogena (50-70%), la meno frequente l’isoecogena (7-12%). L’eziologia più frequente nei tre G era HCV, la post Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis/ criptogenetica (NASH/C) nel G3 era significativamente maggiore vs G2 e vs G1 (entrambi P<0.05). Nel G3 gli HCC-NASH/C vs i virali avevano una severità secondo Otho maggiore (rho=0.3, P<0.02) e il diametro dei noduli neoplastici era più grande (P<0.0001). I programmi di vaccinazione contro l’HBV, le terapie antivirali, l’aumentata prevalenza della cirrosi postNASH, la sorveglianza US, hanno modificato il ruolo dei fattori di rischio e la severità dell’epatocarcinoma (HCC) al momento della diagnosi. I nostri risultati confermano che la presentazione US dell’HCC negli anni è diventata meno severa, effetto della sorveglianza ecografica semestrale. I nostri dati mostrano inoltre nel G3 un aumento della prevalenza degli HCC-postNASH/C, questi alla diagnosi hanno una presentazione più severa se confrontati con i virali, probabilmente conseguenza di un ritardo diagnostico, infatti pochi pazienti (6/14) erano in sorveglianza US. Sono necessari ulteriori studi per definire le politiche di sorveglianza ecografica per gli HCC nella NASH
User needs elicitation via analytic hierarchy process (AHP). A case study on a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner
Background:
The rigorous elicitation of user needs is a crucial step for both medical device design and purchasing. However, user needs elicitation is often based on qualitative methods whose findings can be difficult to integrate into medical decision-making. This paper describes the application of AHP to elicit user needs for a new CT scanner for use in a public hospital.
Methods:
AHP was used to design a hierarchy of 12 needs for a new CT scanner, grouped into 4 homogenous categories, and to prepare a paper questionnaire to investigate the relative priorities of these. The questionnaire was completed by 5 senior clinicians working in a variety of clinical specialisations and departments in the same Italian public hospital.
Results:
Although safety and performance were considered the most important issues, user needs changed according to clinical scenario. For elective surgery, the five most important needs were: spatial resolution, processing software, radiation dose, patient monitoring, and contrast medium. For emergency, the top five most important needs were: patient monitoring, radiation dose, contrast medium control, speed run, spatial resolution.
Conclusions:
AHP effectively supported user need elicitation, helping to develop an analytic and intelligible framework of decision-making. User needs varied according to working scenario (elective versus emergency medicine) more than clinical specialization. This method should be considered by practitioners involved in decisions about new medical technology, whether that be during device design or before deciding whether to allocate budgets for new medical devices according to clinical functions or according to hospital department
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