development and application of a predictive controller to a mini district heating network fed by a biomass boiler

Abstract Energy saving is actually recognized as one of the most significant ways to reduce primary energy consumption and pollutant emissions. Due to the remarkable importance of heating systems and heat distribution grids, Siram by Veolia and the University of Parma have developed an optimal control system for District Heating Networks. Usually building control systems are designed to manage plants relying on past experience: the optimal control system described in the paper defines plant management strategy on the basis of the future behavior of the systems and the external environment. The proposed control system has been applied to the heating system and the distribution network of a school complex in Podenzano (Emilia-Romagna region). The district heating supplies heat to three different buildings (primary school, secondary school and sports hall). The heating plant is composed of three generators (two fed by natural gas and one by wooden biomass), a Thermal Energy Storage, two main distribution manifolds (supply and return) and three secondary circuits, which distribute heat to the buildings. In the first part of the paper the control algorithm is described, split into plant simulation models and the optimization algorithm. In the second part, the real application and the new communication architecture applied on site are outlined and, finally, the obtained results are reported highlighting the management strategies of generators and pumps. The optimal control strategy application gave important results in terms of energy saving, in particular the energy supplied to the buildings dropped significantly, this is the result of knowing the building behavior in advance

The role of dose size in a chemotherapy regimen (ProMECE-CytaBOM) for the first-line treatment of large B-cell lymphomas: a randomized trial by the Gruppo Italiano Studio Linfomi (GISL)

Background: It is still unclear the actual contribute of dose intensity (DI), dose size (DS) and dose density (DD) in the conventional chemotherapy of large, B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Methods: A prospective, randomized trial compared the cyclic schedule of ProMECE-CytaBOM chemotherapy (cyc-PC, 6 cycles) with a modified version of it, which administered the same drugs sequentially (seq-PC), with the same planned cumulative DI and an 83% DD, within the same time frame (113 days), but with three times higher DS of all the drugs except vincristine. Results: Fifty-six patients received cyc-PC and 52 seq-PC. The actual mean cumulative DI was 0.79 +/- 0.15 with cyc-PC, 0.78 +/- 0.17 with seq-PC. Response was complete in 59% and 52%, partial in 20% and 21%, null in 5% and 6%, respectively. There were four toxic deaths (two per arm). Relapses occurred in 36% and 37%, respectively. Toxicity was similar in both arms. Overall, failure-free, progression-free and disease-free survival (median follow-up: 54 months) were statistically indifferent. Conclusions: The very similar DI actually delivered in both arm seems to be the main common determinant of the indifferent results recorded. Increasing DS - at least within the limits clinically attainable without stem cell rescue - does not improve results

Bone marrow stem cell damage after three different chemotherapy regimens for advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma

The aim of this study was to evaluate the apoptotic damage to bone marrow cells caused by three chemotherapy regimens for advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma, ABVD, COPPEBVCAD and BEACOPP, which were randomly administered in the HD 2000 GISL trial. Bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) stained with anti-CD34 antibody and Annexin V, were evaluated by flow cytometry before starting chemotherapy, 30 days after completing chemotherapy and after 6 months. Results are expressed as the percentages of BMMCs positive to anti-CD34, to Annexin V or to both. Fourteen patients treated with ABVD, 11 with COPPEBVCAD and 13 with BEACOPP were evaluated before and 30 days after treatment. Late assessments were made in 6, 7 and 8 of them, respectively. No differences were found among the pretherapeutic flow cytometry findings in relation to the staging characteristics (marrow involvement included). All the regimens increased the apoptotic fraction of the whole mononuclear bone marrow cells (COPPEBVCAD did so significantly) and increased the CD34+ compartment (with significant early differences after ABVD and BEACOPP, tending to late persistence for ABVD, only). All the regimens increased the apoptotic CD34+ cells within the whole BMMC population (significantly after BEACOPP), although with a general trend to decrease in their percentage within the CD34+ compartment over time, even after the most dose-dense regimens. Based on the variations induced in the apoptotic fraction of all mononuclear and CD34+ cells, ABVD was the least toxic regimen and COPPEBVCAD the most toxic one

SENSORI DI pH IBRIDI ORGANICI-INORGANICI APPLICABILI A FIBRE OTTICHE

In questo lavoro è stata studiata la possibilità di preparare mediante tecnica sol-gel un sensore per misure di pH applicabile in punta di fibra ottica, che abbia come eventuali applicazioni l’utilizzo in pH-metria esofagea per monitorare i livelli di pH nell’esofago in pazienti affetti da reflusso gatroesofageo, il monitoraggio dei livelli di acidità o di basicità dei vapori industriali, di acque reflue, ecc. Si tratta di un sensore micro-invasivo che, grazie alla miniaturizzazione offerta dalla fibra ottica, consente di effettuare un monitoraggio continuativo del pH anche in situazioni complesse come la misura clinica a livello esofageo

Ferritin in dialysis-related arthropathy: could it be a possible biochemical indicator of articular chronic pain?

 BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate laboratory data behaviour in two dialysis populations, with and without dialysis-related arthropathy and pain.METHODS: We produced an elaboration of more than 160,000 items of biochemical data of 25 dialysis-related arthropathy patients with chronic articular pain, and 25 patients asymptomatic for joint pain and arthropathy. The pain visual analogue scale (VAS) was employed for pain intensity determination.RESULTS: The serum level of β-2 microglobulin was similar in the two groups of patients, while ferritin values were significantly higher in symptomatic patients. We excluded the possibility that the ferritin difference between the two groups was due to different iron storage and to an inflammatory profile. Furthermore, the pain VAS mean value was higher in patients who had higher ferritin and pain than in asymptomatic patients.CONCLUSION: It is important to underline that the higher value of ferritin in patients with chronic pain due to dialysis- -related arthropathy could represent a new stimulus for a deeper investigation of this indicator, setting a periodic revelation of pain intensity. BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate laboratory data behaviour in two dialysis populations, with and without dialysis-related arthropathy and pain.METHODS: We produced an elaboration of more than 160,000 items of biochemical data of 25 dialysis-related arthropathy patients with chronic articular pain, and 25 patients asymptomatic for joint pain and arthropathy. The pain visual analogue scale (VAS) was employed for pain intensity determination.RESULTS: The serum level of β-2 microglobulin was similar in the two groups of patients, while ferritin values were significantly higher in symptomatic patients. We excluded the possibility that the ferritin difference between the two groups was due to different iron storage and to an inflammatory profile. Furthermore, the pain VAS mean value was higher in patients who had higher ferritin and pain than in asymptomatic patients.CONCLUSION: It is important to underline that the higher value of ferritin in patients with chronic pain due to dialysis- -related arthropathy could represent a new stimulus for a deeper investigation of this indicator, setting a periodic revelation of pain intensity.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: Exploiting Bivalent COXIB/TP Antagonists for the Control of Cardiovascular Risk

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are some of the most widely prescribed or dispensed analgesics and antipyretics that act by inhibiting prostaglandins (PGs) and thromboxane synthesis. After the identification of a second isoform of COX, the pharmaceutical research focused on developing COX-2-selective drugs (COXIBs) considered as second generation NSAIDs that would retain the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of traditional NSAID without blunting the gastrointestinal cytoprotection sustained by COX1-derived products such as PGE2. However, while several clinical trials confirmed a gastrointestinal safer profile of COXIBs vs unselective COX inhibitors, increasing evidence for potential cardiovascular risk associated with COXIBs rapidly emerged. Today, there is no really safe NSAIDs to be used in chronic pain and anti-inflammatory treatments, as an adequate therapy associated with a minimal gastrointestinal damage and cardiovascular toxicity is yet to be developed