Measuring thermal spread during bipolar cauterizing using an experimental pneumoperitoneum and thermal sensors

ObjectiveDuring nerve-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) bipolar electrocoagulation is often used but its use is controversial for the possible thermal damage of neurovascular bundles. Aim of the study was to evaluate the spatial-temporal thermal distribution in the tissue and the correlation with the electrosurgery-induced tissue damage in a controlled, CO2-rich environment modelling the laparoscopy conditions..MethodsWe manufactured a sealed plexiglass chamber (SPC) equipped with sensors to reproduce experimentally the environmental conditions of pneumoperitoneum during RARP. We evaluated in 64 pig musculofascial tissues (PMTs) of approximately 3 cm3 × 3 cm3 × 2 cm3 the spatial-temporal thermal distribution in the tissue and the correlation with the electrosurgery-induced tissue damage in a controlled CO2-rich environment modeling the laparoscopy conditions. Critical heat spread of bipolar cauterizing during surgical procedure was assessed by the employment of a compact thermal camera (C2) with a small core sensor (60 × 80 microbolometer array in the range 7–14 μm).ResultsBipolar instruments used at 30 W showed a thermal spread area of 18 mm2 when applied for 2 s and 28 mm2 when applied for 4 s. At 60 W, bipolar instruments showed a mean thermal spread and 19 mm2 when applied for 2 s; and 21 mm2 when applied for 4 s. Finally, histopathological analysis showed that thermal damage is distributed predominantly on the surface rather than in depth.ConclusionsThe application of these results is very interesting for the definition of an accurate use of bipolar cautery during nerve-sparing RARP. It demonstrates the feasibility of using miniaturized thermal sensors, thus addressing the potential for next developments regarding the design of thermal endoscopic devices for robotic use

Worldwide tests of generic attractants, a promising tool for early detection of non-native cerambycid species

A large proportion of the insects which have invaded new regions and countries are emerging species, being found for the first time outside their native range. Being able to detect such species upon arrival at ports of entry before they establish in non-native countries is an urgent challenge. The deployment of traps baited with broad-spectrum semiochemical lures at ports-of-entry and other high-risk sites could be one such early detection tool. Rapid progress in the identification of semiochemicals for cerambycid beetles during the last 15 years has revealed that aggregation-sex pheromones and sex pheromones are often conserved at global levels for genera, tribes or subfamilies of the Cerambycidae. This possibly allows the development of generic attractants which attract multiple species simultaneously, especially when such pheromones are combined into blends. Here, we present the results of a worldwide field trial programme conducted during 2018-2021, using traps baited with a standardised 8-pheromone blend, usually com-plemented with plant volatiles. A total of 1308 traps were deployed at 302 sites covering simultaneously or sequentially 13 European countries, 10 Chinese provinces and some regions of the USA, Canada, Australia, Russia (Siberia) and the Caribbean (Martinique). We intended to test the following hypotheses: 1) if a species is regularly trapped in significant numbers by the blend on a continent, it increases the prob-ability that it can be detected when it arrives in other countries/continents and 2) if the blend exerts an effective, generic attraction to multiple species, it is likely that previously unknown and unexpected spe-cies can be captured due to the high degree of conservation of pheromone structures within related taxa. A total of 78,321 longhorned beetles were trapped, representing 376 species from eight subfamilies, with 84 species captured in numbers greater than 50 individuals. Captures comprised 60 tribes, with 10 tribes including more than nine species trapped on different continents. Some invasive species were captured in both the native and invaded continents. This demonstrates the potential of multipheromone lures as ef-fective tools for the detection of 'unexpected' cerambycid invaders, accidentally translocated outside their native ranges. Adding new pheromones with analogous well-conserved motifs is discussed, as well as the limitations of using such blends, especially for some cerambycid taxa which may be more attracted by the trap colour or other characteristics rather than to the chemical blend

Description and performance of track and primary-vertex reconstruction with the CMS tracker

A description is provided of the software algorithms developed for the CMS tracker both for reconstructing charged-particle trajectories in proton-proton interactions and for using the resulting tracks to estimate the positions of the LHC luminous region and individual primary-interaction vertices. Despite the very hostile environment at the LHC, the performance obtained with these algorithms is found to be excellent. For tbar t events under typical 2011 pileup conditions, the average track-reconstruction efficiency for promptly-produced charged particles with transverse momenta of pT > 0.9GeV is 94% for pseudorapidities of |η| < 0.9 and 85% for 0.9 < |η| < 2.5. The inefficiency is caused mainly by hadrons that undergo nuclear interactions in the tracker material. For isolated muons, the corresponding efficiencies are essentially 100%. For isolated muons of pT = 100GeV emitted at |η| < 1.4, the resolutions are approximately 2.8% in pT, and respectively, 10μm and 30μm in the transverse and longitudinal impact parameters. The position resolution achieved for reconstructed primary vertices that correspond to interesting pp collisions is 10–12μm in each of the three spatial dimensions. The tracking and vertexing software is fast and flexible, and easily adaptable to other functions, such as fast tracking for the trigger, or dedicated tracking for electrons that takes into account bremsstrahlung

Alignment of the CMS tracker with LHC and cosmic ray data

© CERN 2014 for the benefit of the CMS collaboration, published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License by IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab srl. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation and DOI.The central component of the CMS detector is the largest silicon tracker ever built. The precise alignment of this complex device is a formidable challenge, and only achievable with a significant extension of the technologies routinely used for tracking detectors in the past. This article describes the full-scale alignment procedure as it is used during LHC operations. Among the specific features of the method are the simultaneous determination of up to 200 000 alignment parameters with tracks, the measurement of individual sensor curvature parameters, the control of systematic misalignment effects, and the implementation of the whole procedure in a multi-processor environment for high execution speed. Overall, the achieved statistical accuracy on the module alignment is found to be significantly better than 10μm

STRAIN SENSORS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS: DESIGN, PRINTING, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF STRAIN GAUGES PRODUCED THROUGH AEROSOL JET PRINTING

openNegli ultimi anni, l'elettronica stampata ha attratto un crescente interesse sia nel mercato che nella ricerca, grazie ai suoi molteplici vantaggi rispetto ai tradizionali metodi di produzione elettronica; in particolare, la tecnologia di Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) ha dimostrato nel tempo di poter ridurre il peso e le dimensioni dei circuiti elettronici, migliorare l'affidabilità e ridurre i costi e gli sprechi rispetto all'elettronica convenzionale. I tratti distintivi di questa tecnologia risiedono principalmente nella sua capacità di stampare a dimensioni nell'ordine dei micrometri e nella sua non limitazione ai piani bidimensionali, essendo quindi in grado di adattarsi ad una vasta gamma di contesti e settori. Trovano ampio impiego nella elettronica stampata gli estensimetri, strumenti utilizzati per misurare deformazioni e sforzi meccanici in svariati settori, dall'ingegneria all'elettronica; non è da sottovalutare la loro importanza anche nel campo medico, dove vengono impiegati per misurare la deformazione dei tessuti biologici, monitorare lo stress muscolare e valutare la biomeccanica degli arti artificiali. Queste applicazioni biomediche sono essenziali per la produzione di sensori specifici, quanto per lo sviluppo di dispositivi medici avanzati. La stampa di estensimetri può essere soggetta a diversi problemi che richiedono particolare attenzione durante il processo; tra questi ci sono i difetti di stampa, che possono compromettere la precisione e l'affidabilità dell'estensimetro, e la corretta realizzazione delle geometrie, che è fondamentale per garantire le prestazioni desiderate. Inoltre, l'effetto Joule e la tensione di offset rappresentano sfide significative, in quanto possono influenzare la misurazione della deformazione e compromettere l'accuratezza dei risultati. Affrontare queste problematiche richiede un'attenta progettazione e lo studio di soluzioni o metodi di compensazione per garantire la qualità e l'affidabilità dell'estensimetro stampato. Questo elaborato si propone di offrire una trattazione dettagliata sui principi fondamentali degli estensimetri e sulla tecnologia di stampa tramite Aerosol Jet Printing, con l'obiettivo di fornire una comprensione più approfondita del loro funzionamento. Si intende esaminare i vari contesti in cui questi sensori trovano applicazione, ponendo un'attenzione particolare all'utilizzo nel settore medico. Verrà quindi introdotta una definizione chiara di dispositivo medico e poi, attraverso l'analisi di una serie di casi pratici, verranno illustrati i modi in cui gli estensimetri vengono utilizzati nella progettazione e nell'implementazione di tali dispositivi. Il focus si sposterà quindi sulla progettazione di ponti di Wheatstone estensimetrici, seguita da uno studio approfondito da diverse prospettive per risolvere le sfide tecniche precedentemente descritte e le problematiche incontrate durante l'implementazione pratica. Verranno quindi esaminati meticolosamente i principi che guidano la progettazione e verranno descritte in dettaglio le metodologie di caratterizzazione impiegate; questo sarà seguito da un'analisi esaustiva dei risultati ottenuti. Un'attenzione particolare sarà riservata allo sviluppo di un circuito progettato specificamente per compensare la tensione di offset, noto come trimmer

Improved light traps for early detection of insect pests of phytosanitary concern in shipping containers

The number of introductions of alien insect has been increasing in the last decades, primarily transported in shipping containers. The attraction of light of different wavelengths (white, infrared, ultraviolet, and red) applied on sticky traps was tested for the development of new traps for hitchhiker insects. The addition of entomological glue and insecticide on the trap was also tested. Tests were conducted on Cadra cautella Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae), Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and released inside a shipping container. In the first test, one light color at a time was tested setting eight traps in the container, one for each possible combination of the variables: light on or off, glue added or not, and insecticide sprayed or not. In the second, five traps were used, all of them coated with the entomological glue: one for each light color and one with light off as control. In all the single color tests (except for infrared), light-on traps captured more, except for T. castaneum that was not attracted to white. In the multi-color test, C. cautella showed no preference among white, ultraviolet, or red; Drosophila melanogaster preferred ultraviolet and white over red; and beetles had a much greater attraction to red. Lastly, the stronger entomological glue improved catches of beetles, whereas insecticides did not. In conclusion, results suggest a possible application of sticky light traps against hitchhiker insects and further studies should verify if the simultaneous use of different light colors can improve the trap performance and does not act as a repellent

Successful eradication of the Asian Longhorn Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, from North-eastern Italy: protocol, techniques and results

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an extremely polyphagus Asian wood-boring beetle accidentally introduced into North America and Europe. In 2009, an infestation was found in the municipality of Cornuda (Veneto Region, Italy). In order to eradicate the pest, several actions were immediately undertaken in the delimitated infested and buffer zones: tree visual inspections twice a year, felling and chipping of infested and suspected trees, trapping protocols, mitigation plans based on substitution of felled trees with new plants, and citizen alerts. The program lasted 11 years, after which the species was declared eradicated from the region. During the eradication program more than 36,000 trees were surveyed and more than 2000 trees were felled. Trees most affected by the pest were birches, elms, maples, and willows. This paper describes all the actions undertaken during the eradication program, providing a protocol that can also be used for future eradications of the species. ABSTRACT: The Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is an important and extremely polyphagous wood-boring beetle native to Asia. In the 1990s, ALB was accidentally introduced into North America and Europe. In 2009, a large ALB infestation was found in the Veneto Region (north-eastern Italy), in the municipality of Cornuda (Treviso province). Eradication actions were immediately undertaken, based on delimitation of infested and buffer zones, tree visual inspections, felling and chipping of infested trees, trapping protocols, and citizen alerts. A total of 36,361 trees, belonging to 16 genera, were surveyed twice a year over an area of 7594 hectares. In 2020, after 11 years of eradication measures, the ALB population of Cornuda was declared eradicated. Overall, 2361 trees belonging to 8 genera were felled and destroyed, of which 1157 were found to be infested by ALB. This paper describes all the actions carried out and the procedures applied in order to eradicate ALB from north-eastern Italy, providing a useful example for current and future ALB eradication programs