Rotational dynamics of CO solvated in small He clusters: a quantum Monte Carlo study

The rotational dynamics of CO single molecules solvated in small He clusters (CO@He_N) has been studied using Reptation Quantum Monte Carlo for cluster sizes up to N=30. Our results are in good agreement with the roto-vibrational features of the infrared spectrum recently determined for this system, and provide a deep insight into the relation between the structure of the cluster and its dynamics. Simulations for large N also provide a prediction of the effective moment of inertia of CO in the He nano-droplet regime, which has not been measured so far

The determination of velocity fluctuations in shear flows by means of PTV

The present study considers the effects of some parameters in image acquisition and analysis procedures in connection with the use of the Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) technique. The interest is focused towards flow fields with large velocity gradients as shear flows; in the paper, velocity measurements by PTV are performed in a turbulent channel flow upstream and downstream of a backward facing step at low Reynolds numbers. This is a flow field largely investigated in the past with available numerical and experimental to make comparison with. Among the possible parameters to be chosen in particle image acquisition and analysis, the following are considered - the concentration of seeding particles in the imaged region; - the spatial resolution of the image acquisition system; - the parameters used in the image analysis algorithm

Molecular characterization of Prototheca strains isolated from Italian dairy herds.

One hundred sixty-one Prototheca spp. strains isolated from composite milk and barn-surrounding environmental samples (bedding, feces, drinking, or washing water, surface swabs) of 24 Italian dairy herds were characterized by genotype-specific PCR analysis. Overall, 97.2% of strains isolated from composite milk samples were characterized as Prototheca zopfii genotype 2, confirming its role as the main mastitis pathogen, whereas Prototheca blaschkeae was only sporadically isolated (2.8%). Regarding environmental sampling, 84.9% of isolates belonged to P. zopfii genotype 2, 13.2% to P. blaschkeae, and 1.9% to P. zopfii genotype 1. The data herein contradict previous hypotheses about the supposed exclusive role of P. zopfii genotype 2 as the causative agent of protothecal mastitis and, on the contrary, confirm the hypothesis that such pathology could be caused by P. blaschkeae in a few instances

A case of acute aortic dissection type b associated with cushing's syndrome

We report a case of a 63-year-old man, with a previous history of hypertension and glucose intolerance associated troncular obesity that was emergently admitted to our Institution for evaluation of a severe, constant posterior chest pain which radiated anteriorly and dyspnoea with a suspected diagnosis of acute aortic dissection. A CT scan of thorax and abdomen demonstrated a dissection starting just below left succlavian artery and extending downward to the left renal artery, involving the celiac tripod and superior mesenteric artery. The dissection was classified as Stanford B, De Bakey III. Moreover, CT scan of abdomen revealed incidentally a left adrenal tumor of 25 mm of diameter. An emergent prosthetic graft was placed just below the origin of the left succlavian artery up-to the diaphragmatic hiatus. Furthermore, a diagnostic evaluation of the mass revealed an increase of cortisol production, and a diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome was done and the patient underwent an adrenalectomy via laparotomic approach. We report an association of acute aortic dissection of acute aortic dissection type B associated to Cushing's syndrome. Cushing's syndrome; Adrenocortical adenoma; Aortic dissection type B

Nanoroughness, Surface Chemistry and Drug Delivery Control by Atmospheric Plasma Jet on Implantable Devices

Implantable devices need specific tailored surface morphologies and chemistries to interact with the living systems or to actively induce a biological response also by the release of drugs or proteins. These customised requirements foster technologies that can be implemented in additive manufacturing systems. Here we present a novel approach based on spraying processes that allows to control separately topographic features in the submicron range ( 3d 60 nm - 2 \ub5m), ammine or carboxylic chemistry and fluorophore release even on temperature sensitive biodegradable polymers such as polycaprolactone (PCL). We developed a two-steps process with a first deposition of 220 nm silica and poly(lactic-co-glycolide) (PLGA) fluorescent nanoparticles by aerosol followed by the deposition of a fixing layer by atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ). The nanoparticles can be used to create the nano-roughness and to include active molecule release, while the capping layer ensures stability and the chemical functionalities. The process is enabled by a novel APPJ which allows deposition rates of 10 - 20 nm\ub7s-1 at temperatures lower than 50 \ub0C using argon as process gas. This approach was assessed on titanium alloys for dental implants and on PCL films. The surfaces were characterized by FT-IR, AFM and SEM. Titanium alloys were tested with pre-osteoblasts murine cells line, while PCL film with fibroblasts. Cell behaviour was evaluated by viability and adhesion assays, protein adsorption, cell proliferation, focal adhesion formation and SEM. The release of a fluorophore molecule was assessed in the cell growing media, simulating a drug release. Osteoblast adhesion on the plasma treated materials increased by 20% with respect to commercial titanium alloys implants. Fibroblast adhesion increased by a 100% compared to smooth PCL substrate. The release of the fluorophore by the dissolution of the PLGA nanoparticles was verified and the integrity of the encapsulated drug model confirmed

Neuromonitoring intraoperatorio del nervo laringeo ricorrente. Un’esperienza di 1000 pazienti consecutivi

Il neuromonitoring intraoperatorio è stato introdotto in chirurgia tiroidea molti anni fa rendendo più semplice l’identificazione del nervo laringeo ricorrente e meno frequenti i danni a suo carico. Tra il 1999 e il 2005 abbiamo raccolto tutti i dati relativi ai pazienti che si sono sottoposti a chirurgia tiroidea e li abbiamo analizzati anno per anno. L’identificazione intraoperatoria del nervo è avvenuta nel 99,2% dei casi (1768 nervi a rischio). La percentuale di emitiroidectomie e tiroidectomie totali è passata dal 17% all’84%. Una minima disfunzione delle corde vocali dovuta a edema o ematoma è stata diagnosticata laringoscopicamente nel 2,9% dei casi. Le paresi permanenti(0,8% nel primo anno di studio) sono progressivamente diminuite fino ad attestarsi allo 0,32% complessivamente. L’introduzione di questa metodica in chirurgia tiroidea è associata a una minore percentuale di paresi del nervo ricorrente anche se la frequenza dei disturbi motori di grado minore non è complessivamente mutata

Near-Reference Air Quality Sensors Can Support Local Planning: A Performance Assessment in Milan, Italy

At present, 4.2 million deaths occur every year due to ambient air pollution, according to the World Health Organization. In view of reducing such a figure, air quality monitoring and reliable data are essential. Nevertheless, local authorities in urban environments, where pollution levels are highest, often face a dilemma. On the one hand, the high costs of reference monitors make their largescale adoption prohibitive, while the easily scalable low-cost sensors often feature significantly lower data quality and lack of calibration. Near reference monitors have been voiced as a promising solution, as they exhibit limited costs, though specific studies assessing their performance against reference monitors are still lacking. This article provides an in-depth assessment of three near reference sensors’ stations performance, through their collocation with regional reference monitors from December 2021 onwards. Two sensors were positioned at high-traffic locations, while the third recorded background pollution levels in Milan, Italy. The sensors’ performance was quantified not only via the coefficient of determination (R2) and the regression model, but also with the Mean Normalized Bias (MNB) and median values. After a first measurement period, sensors were re-calibrated to also appraise their behavioral change, generally exhibiting a performance increase. Results show high correlation for all hourly-recorded pollutants, with peaks for Ozone (O3) (R2 = 0.94) and BC (R2 = 0.93). Although location-specific, such results show an interesting potential for near reference sensors in support of urban air quality planning

Quantification of Epicardial Fat by Cardiac CT Imaging

The aim of this work is to introduce and design image processing methods for the quantitative analysis of epicardial fat by using cardiac CT imaging