A Comparison Of Different Technologies For Thrust Vectoring In A Linear Aerospike

The aerospike nozzle represents an interesting technology for Single-Stage-To-Orbit vehicles because of its self-adapting capability. It is possible to get thrust vectoring capabilities in different ways. A straightforward solution consists in applying differential throttling to multiple combustion chambers which feed the nozzle. An alternative technology, which can be used in the presence of a common combustion chamber, is represented by fluidic thrust vectoring which requires the injection of a secondary flow from a slot on the wall. In this work, the flow field in a linear aerospike nozzle is numerically investigated by means of RANS simulations and both differential throttling and shock vectoring are studied. A parametric study is performed to evaluate the potential of the two technologies

Influencia del sorbato potásico y del benzoato sódico sobre la estabilidad de las aceitunas de mesa en salmuera

The results of a study on the effects of potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate on the chemical, microbiological and organoleptic characteristics of green table olives during the preservations, are presented. The olives stored in glass vessels at room temperature and at 28°C, in aerobic conditions, to promote the growth of surface yeasts and moulds, are added of fungistatics at two concentration levels, calculated by weight on the basis of the total content of the vessel; that is the weight of olives plus the weight of the water in the brine. The results showed that these additives were effective to preserve the product a period of two months, without affecting the olive flavour. However a certain darkening of some samples was observed. To increase such period higher initial concentrations must be used, although their residual values should be within the limits permitted by the C.O.I.Se estudian los efectos del sorbato potásico y del benzoato sódico sobre las características físico-químicas, microbio lógicas y organolépticas de conservas de aceitunas verdes de mesa. Las aceitunas conservadas en frascos de vidrio a temperatura ambiente y en cámara termostática a +28°C, en condiciones aeróbicas para facilitar el crecimiento de levaduras y mohos superficiales, se tratan con fungistáticos en dos niveles de concentración calculados sobre la masa total de aceitunas y salmuera, respecto a los contenidos relativos. Los resultados indican que los aditivos empleados son efectivos para la conservación del producto durante los dos primeros meses, sin que afecten al sabor de las aceitunas, mientras que se ha apreciado un cierto oscurecimiento en algunas muestras. Para aumentar el período anterior serían necesarias cantidades iniciales más altas, que den unos valores residuales del orden de los límites establecidos por el C.O.I

La gestione delle operations in tempo di crisi: le prime 10 lezioni apprese dalle Aziende Sanitarie

La gestione delle operations \ue8 centrale per affrontare problemi di standardizzazione, riorganizzazione e riprogettazione di flussi e percorsi di pazienti e beni sanitari con l\u2019obiettivo di eliminare o ridurre la variabilit\ue0. Questo contributo intende offrire una riflessione su come le aziende sanitarie e gli ospedali abbiano affrontato l\u2019emergenza dovuta alla pandemia da COVID-19 dal punto di vista della gestione delle operations. A tale scopo sono state analizzate le esperienze di sette Aziende Sanitarie presenti nelle Regioni italiane pi\uf9 colpite dalla pandemia: Lombardia, Emilia Romagna, Piemonte e Toscana. Sei sono i driver fondamentali su cui le Aziende Sanitarie hanno agito per rispondere alla crisi: i) la struttura organizzativa e i meccanismi operativi a supporto delle decisioni; ii) le reti ospedaliere per la gestione dei flussi dei pazienti; iii) l\u2019asset management e il lay out fisico; iv) la riorganizzazione dei flussi dei beni sanitari e dei dispositivi; v) le competenze dei professionisti; vi) le tecnologie. Dall\u2019analisi sono emerse 10 lezioni fondamentali da apprendere per la gestione delle operations, su cui basare la programmazione delle successive fasi della pandemia.Operations management is a central topic to address standardization issues, redesign of patient and medical supplies processes and flows with the aim of eliminating or reducing variability. This work aims to contribute to the debate on hospitals\u2019 ability to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. The experiences of seven healthcare organizations located in the most affected Italian regions were analyzed: Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Piedmont and Tuscany. There are six fundamental drivers managed by the healthcare organizations to tackle the crisis: i) the organizational structure and decision support systems; ii) hospital networks for the management of patient flows; iii) asset management and physical lay out; iv) the redesign of medical supplies flows; v) the skills of professionals; vi) new health technologies. The analysis revealed 10 fundamental lessons to be learned for operations management, enabling the healthcare managers and professionals to plan the responses to the next phases of the pandemic

Characterization of the fecal microbiome in cats with inflammatory bowel disease or alimentary small cell lymphoma.

Feline chronic enteropathy (CE) is a common gastrointestinal disorder in cats and mainly comprises inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and small cell lymphoma (SCL). Both IBD and SCL in cats share features with chronic enteropathies such as IBD and monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma in humans. The aim of this study was to characterize the fecal microbiome of 38 healthy cats and 27 cats with CE (13 cats with IBD and 14 cats with SCL). Alpha diversity indices were significantly decreased in cats with CE (OTU p = 0.003, Shannon Index p = 0.008, Phylogenetic Diversity p = 0.019). ANOSIM showed a significant difference in bacterial communities, albeit with a small effect size (P = 0.023, R = 0.073). Univariate analysis and LEfSE showed a lower abundance of facultative anaerobic taxa of the phyla Firmicutes (families Ruminococcaceae and Turicibacteraceae), Actinobacteria (genus Bifidobacterium) and Bacteroidetes (i.a. Bacteroides plebeius) in cats with CE. The facultative anaerobic taxa Enterobacteriaceae and Streptococcaceae were increased in cats with CE. No significant difference between the microbiome of cats with IBD and those with SCL was found. Cats with CE showed patterns of dysbiosis similar to those in found people with IBD

Resistance Patterns, mcr-4 and OXA-48 Genes, and Virulence Factors of Escherichia coli from Apennine Chamois Living in Sympatry with Domestic Species, Italy

The aim of this study was to determine and characterize potential resistance mechanisms against selected Critically Important Antibiotics in Escherichia coli isolates collected from wild and domestic ruminants living in the Maiella National Park, in Central Italy. A total of 38 isolates were obtained from red deer, Apennine chamois, cattle, sheep, and goats grazing in lands with different levels of anthropic pressure. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by Minimal Inhibitory Concentration testing, showing phenotypic resistance to colistin, meropenem, or ceftazidime in 9 isolates along with one bacterial strain being resistant to three of the tested antibiotics. In addition, the biomolecular assays allowed the amplification of the genes conferring the colistin (mcr-4), the carbapenems (OXA-48), penicillins and cephalosporins (TEM, SHV, CMY-1, CMY-2) resistance. In order to describe the potential pathogenicity of isolates under study, virulence genes related to Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) and enteropathogenic (EPEC) pathovars were identified. This study is the first report of mcr-4 and OXA-48 genes in resistant E. coli harboring virulence genes in Italian wildlife, with special regard to Apennine chamois and red deer species. The multidisciplinary approach used in this study can improve the early detection of emerging antibiotic resistance determinants in human-animal-environment interfaces by means of wildlife monitoring

P216 Comparative Assessment C-reactive Protein Between a Point-of-Care Testing and Current Standard of Care (Immunonephelometric testing)

Abstract Background C-reactive protein (CRP) is widely used as a biomarker of inflammatory disease activity in hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients. In particular, CRP is commonly used in patients suspected to have an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or with a confirmed diagnosis of IBD diagnosis in order to drive the diagnostic approach, to monitor disease activity and to guide therapeutic adjustments. However, standard laboratory CRP testing (Immunonephelometric assays) present some drawbacks, including a turnaround time of 1–2 hours, and the need of specialized equipment, offices and laboratory personnel. Because of that, point-of care testing (POCT) was recently developed in order to provide results within 2 minutes from blood collection, enabling a rapid response to clinical condition. Aim To determine the degree of analytical correlation between a recently developed POCT (ProciseDx) using capillary whole blood and the comparative Immunonephelometric assay using serum samples. Methods From October to November 2020, consecutive patients hospitalized at Gastroenterology Unit, Padua University Hospital, aged > 18 years and with clinical evidence of active inflammatory disease or infection, who underwent to a standard of care CRP test (Dimension Vista – Siemens Healthineers) were included in the study (range 2.9–340 g/L). Within 1 hour from blood collection, in each patient, CRP quantitation from capillary whole blood collected by finger stick was performed using the ProciseDx CRP assay, with reportable range between 3.6–100 g/L. A Deming regression test was used to identify the correlation between the two methods. Results Eighty-three patients were enrolled (62.5% males with mean age ± SD: 60±18). The most common indications for hospitalisation were liver disease (34.9%), pancreatic disturbance (27.7%) and suspicious or recurrence of IBD (16.7%). ProciseDx POCT with finger prick samples required a turnaround time of 2±0.2 minutes, whereas serum samples analyzed in clinical laboratory with the reference method required a turnaround time of about 180±15 minutes (p<0.001). Overall, the correlation between the two tests was high (R squared of 0.899 (95% CI 0.916–0.968)). In particular, the correlation between the methods was even higher with CRP values between 0–100 g/L with R squared of 0.961 (95% CI 0.958–0.986). Conclusion The ProciseDx POCT allows a more rapid and comparable accuracy of CRP assessment in hospitalized patients as compared to the standard laboratory measurement. Moreover, the ProciseDx POCT does not require specialised personnel to be performed. The use of ProciseDx POCT may improve and accelerate the decision-making approach, further reducing the resources required for CRP assessment

Fecal microbiota in client-owned obese dogs changes after weight loss with a high-fiber-high-protein diet

Background. The fecal microbiota from obese individuals can induce obesity in animal models. In addition, studies in humans, animal models and dogs have revealed that the fecal microbiota of subjects with obesity is different from that of lean subjects and changes after weight loss. However, the impact of weight loss on the fecal microbiota in dogs with obesity has not been fully characterized. Methods. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate the differences in the fecal microbiota of 20 pet dogs with obesity that underwent a weight loss program. The endpoint of the weight loss program was individually tailored to the ideal body weight of each dog. In addition, we evaluated the qPCR based Dysbiosis Index before and after weight loss. Results. After weight loss, the fecal microbiota structure of dogs with obesity changed significantly (weighted ANOSIM; p = 0.016, R = 0.073), showing an increase in bacterial richness (p = 0.007), evenness (p = 0.007) and the number of bacterial species (p = 0.007). The fecal microbiota composition of obese dogs after weight loss was characterized by a decrease in Firmicutes (92.3% to 78.2%, q = 0.001), and increase in Bacteroidetes (1.4% to 10.1%, q = 0.002) and Fusobacteria (1.6% to 6.2%, q = 0.040). The qPCR results revealed an overall decrease in the Dysbiosis Index, driven mostly due to a significant decrease in E. coli (p = 0.030), and increase in Fusobacterium spp. (p = 0.017). Conclusion. The changes observed in the fecal microbiota of dogs with obesity after weight loss with a weight loss diet rich in fiber and protein were in agreement with previous studies in humans, that reported an increase of bacterial biodiversity and a decrease of the ratio Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes

Molecular Survey on Kobuviruses in Domestic and Wild Ungulates From Northwestern Italian Alps

Since the first identification in 1989 in humans, kobuviruses (KoVs) have been identified from a wide range of animal species including carnivores, rodents, birds, ungulates, rabbits, and bats. Several studies have described the identification of genetically related KoVs in the fecal virome of domestic and wild animals suggesting a mutual exchange of viruses. By screening a total of 231 fecal samples from wild and domestic ungulates, KoVs RNA was detected in wild boars (3.2%; 2/63), chamois (4.6%; 2/43), and goats (2.6%; 2/77). On phylogenetic analysis of the partial RdRp sequence, the wild boar strains clustered within the species Aichivirus C whilst the strains identified in domestic and wild ruminants grouped into the species Aichivirus B. The complete VP1 gene was obtained for chamois and goat KoVs. Interestingly, upon phylogenetic analysis the strains grouped together with a KoV of ovine origin within a distinct genetic type (B3) of the species Aichivirus B

Molecular identification and characterization of a genotype 3 hepatitis e virus (HEV) strain detected in a wolf faecal sample, Italy

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a major health problem worldwide. In developed countries, zoonotic transmission of HEV genotypes (Gt) 3 and 4 is caused by the ingestion of raw or undercooked meat of infected pigs and wild boars, the main reservoirs of HEV. However, additional animals may harbour HEV or HEV-related strains, including carnivores. In this study, we investigated the molecular epidemiology of orthohepeviruses in wild canids by screening a total of 136 archival faecal samples, collected from wolves (42) and red foxes (94) in Northwestern Italy. Orthohepevirus RNA was identified in a faecal specimen, collected from a wolf carcass in the province of La Spezia (Liguria Region, Italy). The nearly full-length (7212 nucleotides) genome of the strain HEV/81236/Wolf/2019/ITA (GenBank accession no. MZ463196) was determined by combining a sequence-independent single-primer amplification (SISPA) approach with the Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing platform. Upon phylogenetic analysis, the HEV detected in wolf was segregated into clade HEV-3.1, displaying the highest nucleotide (nt) identity (89.0–93.3%) to Gt3 strains belonging to subtype c. Interestingly, the wolf faecal sample also contained porcine astrovirus sequences, endorsing the hypothesis of a dietary origin of the HEV strain due to preying habits