Numerical simulations of tungsten targets hit by LHC proton beam

The unprecedented energy intensities of modern hadron accelerators yield special problems with the materials that are placed close to or into the high intensity beams. The energy stored in a single beam of LHC particle accelerator is equivalent to about 80 kg of TNT explosive, stored in a transverse beam area with a typical value of 0.2 mm×0.2 mm. The materials placed close to the beam are used at, or even beyond, their damage limits. However, it is very difficult to predict structural efficiency and robustness accurately: beam-induced damage for high energy and high intensity occurs in a regime where practical experience does not exist. The interaction between high energy particle beams and metals induces a sudden non uniform temperature increase. This provokes a dynamic response of the structure entailing thermal stress waves and thermally induced vibrations or even the failure of the component. This study is performed in order to estimate the damage on a tungsten component due to the impact with a proton beam generated by LHC. The solved problems represent some accidental cases consequent to an abnormal release of the beam: the energy delivered on the components is calculated using the FLUKA code and then used as input in the numerical simulations, that are carried out via the FEM code LS-DYNA

Energy Efficiency of Hybrid-Power HetNets: A Population-like Games Approach

In this paper, a distributed control scheme based on population games is proposed. The controller is in charge of dealing with the energy consumption problem in a Heterogeneous Cellular Network (HetNet) powered by hybrid energy sources (grid and renewable energy) while guaranteeing appropriate quality of service (QoS) level at the same time. Unlike the conventional approach in population games, it considers both atomicity and non-anonymity. Simulation results show that the proposed population-games approach reduces grid consumption by up to about 12% compared to the traditional best-signal level association policy.U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research FA9550-17-1-0259Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte DPI2016-76493-C3-3-RMinisterio de Economía y Empresa DPI2017-86918-

Analysis of strain rate behavior of an Al 6061 T6 alloy

Abstract In order to simulate complex scenario like ballistic impact, correct material calibration is fundamental. The material in the area involved by impact can experience high deformation and damage in a very limited time. As a consequence dynamic tests on the materials are needed in order to calibrate constitutive law able to describe the material behavior in terms of hardening and in particular strain rate. According to the fact that no guidelines are available on testing methods, different types of testing techniques have been used to generate data under dynamic conditions. Several dynamic tests, are carried out on Al 6061 T6 specimens and the experimental data elaborated. The developed procedure is useful to take into account also the thermal phenomena generally affecting high strain-rate tests due to the adiabatic overheating related to the conversion of plastic work. The method presented requires strong effort both from experimental and numerical point of view; anyway it allows to precisely identifying the parameters of a material models. This could provide great advantages when high reliability of the material behavior is necessary

Relationship between exhaled air temperature and exhaled nitric oxide in childhood asthma

Airway inflammation is a characteristic of asthma. Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) has been demonstrated to be related to actual levels of airway inflammation in asthmatic patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the temperature of exhaled air is related to eNO levels. Temperature of exhaled air and eNO were measured in 52 asthmatic children with a cross-sectional design. A significant relationship was demonstrated between eNO and temperature of peak and plateau exhaled air temperature. The relationship between both the peak and the plateau values and eNO was more evident when it was corrected for environmental temperature. These results suggest a relationship between exhaled nitric oxide and the temperature of exhaled air in asthmatic patients not treated with systemic steroids

Flunisolide Decreases Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Nitrotyrosine Levels in Asthmatic Children

Background. Exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) has been reported to be elevated in the oxidative stress involved in asthmatic patients, and the reaction of nitric oxide (NO) with superoxide anions results in the formation of nitrotyrosine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of inhaled steroid treatment on nitrotyrosine levels collected by exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and on FeNO. Methods. This was a single-blind placebo-controlled study. The lung function, FeNO, and nitrotyrosine levels were evaluated in 10 asthmatic children. Results. The nitrotyrosine levels were stable during the placebo period (T0 = 1.16 ng/ml versus T1 = 1.05 ng/ml; NS.), whereas they decreased after the treatment with flunisolide (T2 = 1.14 ng/ml versus T3 = 0.88 ng/ml; P < .001). No significant reduction in FeNO levels was observed after placebo treatment (T0 = 38.4 ppb versus T1 = 34.7 ppb, NS.). In contrast, FeNO values decreased significantly being at T3 = 14.9 ppb (T1 versus T3; P = .024). Conclusions. This study shows that corticosteroid treatment reduces nitrotyrosine levels in EBC of asthmatic subjects

Media use during adolescence: the recommendations of the Italian Pediatric Society.

BACKGROUND: The use of media device, such as smartphone and tablet, is currently increasing, especially among the youngest. Adolescents spend more and more time with their smartphones consulting social media, mainly Facebook, Instagram and Twitter because. Adolescents often feel the necessity to use a media device as a means to construct a social identity and express themselves. For some children, smartphone ownership starts even sooner as young as 7 yrs, according to internet safety experts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the evidence on media use and its consequences in adolescence. RESULTS: In literature, smartphones and tablets use may negatively influences the psychophysical development of the adolescent, such as learning, sleep and sigh. Moreover, obesity, distraction, addiction, cyberbullism and Hikikomori phenomena are described in adolescents who use media device too frequently. The Italian Pediatric Society provide action-oriented recommendations for families and clinicians to avoid negative outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Both parents and clinicians should be aware of the widespread phenomenon of media device use among adolescents and try to avoid psychophysical consequences on the youngest

Effectiveness of rice germ supplementation on body composition, metabolic parameters, satiating capacity, and amino acid profiles in obese postmenopausal women: A randomized, controlled clinical pilot trial

Rice germ (RG) may be a safe and effective dietary supplement for obesity in menopause, considering its high protein content and considerable amounts of essential amino acids, good fatty acids, and fiber. This pilot randomized, blinded, parallel-group, placebo-controlled pilot trial investigated the effectiveness of 4-weeks RG supplementation (25 g twice a day) on body composition, as primary outcome, measured by Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA), and metabolic parameters, as secondary outcomes, like amino acid profiles and satiating capacity, in obese postmenopausal women following a tailored hypocaloric diet (25–30% less than daily energy requirements). Twenty-seven women were randomly assigned to the supplemented group (14) or placebo group (13). There was a significant interaction between time and group for body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.0001), waist (p = 0.002) and hip circumferences (p = 0.01), total protein (0.008), albumin (0.005), Homeostasis Model Assessment index score (p = 0.04), glycine (p = 0.002), glutamine (p = 0.004), and histidine (p = 0.007). Haber’s means over time showed a clearly greater feeling of satiety for the supplemented compared to the placebo group. These findings indicate that RG supplementation in addition to a tailored diet counterbalanced the metabolic changes typical of menopause, with improvements in BMI, body composition, insulin resistance, amino acid profiles, and satiety