Federal States in the Broader World

federal states and the worl

Performances of rainfall energy harvester

In this paper the performances of rainfall energy harvesting by means of piezoelectric transducers is presented. Diverse studies agree on the level of suitable generated voltage on the electrodes of a piezoelectric transducer subjected to rainfall, but a complete characterization on the supplied power is still missing. This work, in order to limit optimistic forecasts, takes into account the behavior of the transducers subjected to real and also artificial rainfall, condition that has shown promising behavior in laboratory. In order to increase the energy harvesting and also define its limits different loads have been taken into account. Only commercial transducers have been considered: a lead zirconate titanate and polyvinylidene difluoride transducer

Management of Severe Asthma in Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis with Interleukin-5-Targeted Therapies: Current Status and Report of Two Cases

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a systemic disorder characterized by peripheral eosinophilia, severe eosinophilic asthma, sinusitis, transient pulmonary infiltrates, and features of medium/small-vessel vasculitis. EGPA belongs to the group of anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides, although only 30 to 40% of patients display ANCA positivity, which is mainly of myeloperoxidase (MPO) specificity. Particularly, ANCA-positive patients typically show vasculitic features. Interleukin (IL)-5 has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in determining eosinophilic airway inflammation in EGPA patients. Specifically, maturation, activation, and survival of eosinophils especially depend on IL-5 availability. Therefore, blocking IL-5 biological activity may be a rewarding strategy for control of eosinophilic inflammation. Several monoclonal antibodies with the ability to interfere with the biological activity of IL-5 have been developed, namely, mepolizumab, reslizumab, and benralizumab. Here, we discuss the role of these drugs in the management of severe eosinophilic asthma in the context of EGPA and report the outcome of two EGPA patients with severe eosinophilic asthma treated at our outpatient clinic

Piezoelectric model of rainfall energy harvester

In this paper a model to predict the harvest of the energy contained in rainfall by means of piezoelectric transducers is presented. Different studies agree on the level of suitable generated voltage on the electrodes of a piezoelectric transducer subjected to rainfall, but a complete characterization on the supplied power is still missing. This work, in order to limit optimistic forecasts, compares the behavior of the transducers subjected to real and artificial rainfall, a condition that has shown promising behavior in laboratory

Intraocular pressure changes following the use of silicone oil or Densiron® 68 as endotamponade in pars plana vitrectomy

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of standard silicone oil 5700 (SSO) and heavy silicone oil (HSO) such as Densiron(®) 68 on intraocular pressure (IOP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective case series including 180 eyes (105 treated with SSO and 75 with HSO). IOP was measured before surgery, 1 day after, and then at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: In the SSO group, a significant increase in IOP occurred in 14% of the eyes (15/105) at 1 day postoperatively, and persisted in 11.4% (12/105) at 1-month follow-up. In the HSO group, a persistent elevated IOP was recorded in 20% of the eyes (15/75) at 1 day postoperatively, and in 16% (12/75) at 1-month follow-up. At 12-month follow-up, mean IOP was 16.7 ± 8.7 mmHg and 19.7 ± 3.8 mmHg, respectively, in the SSO and HSO groups. The difference between the 2 groups was always not significant. CONCLUSION: Overall, the use of Densiron 68 was not associated with higher IOP values as compared with SSO

Conformational Flexibility as a Tool for Enabling Site-Selective Functionalization of Unactivated sp(3) C-O Bonds in Cyclic Acetals

A dual catalytic manifold that enables site-selective functionalization of unactivated sp(3) C-O bonds in cyclic acetals with aryl and alkyl halides is reported. The reaction is triggered by an appropriate sigma*-p orbital overlap prior to sp(3) C-O cleavage, thus highlighting the importance of conformational flexibility in both reactivity and site selectivity. The protocol is characterized by its excellent chemoselectivity profile, thus offering new vistas for activating strong sigma sp(3) C-O linkages.We thank ICIQ, FEDER/MCI-AEI/PGC2018-096839-B-I00, MCIN-PID2019-110008GB-I00, European Research Council (ERC) under European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant Agreement No. 883756) for financial support. E.G.-B. thanks SGIker (UPV/EHU) for providing human and computational resources. C.R. thanks the European Union's Horizon 2020 and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement (839980)

Combined photodynamic therapy and intravitreal bevacizumab for idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: one-year follow-up

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To report the efficacy and safety of combined photodynamic therapy (PDT) and intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection in the treatment of idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (IPCV). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective case series of 10 eyes of 10 consecutive patients affected by IPCV with subfoveal involvement. PDT plus IVB (1.25 mg/0.05 mL) injection two weeks later was performed in all patients. Two adjunctive injections of bevacizumab were scheduled at four and eight weeks after the initial treatment. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fluorescein and indocyanine green angiographies, and optical coherence tomography were obtained at baseline, and at one, three, six, nine, and 12 months. RESULTS: The combined treatment led to an improvement of both neurosensory detachment and pigmented epithelial detachment in all eyes, with a decrease of exudation and regression of macular thickness, which remained stable to the end of follow-up. However, BCVA remained stable over the 12 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that PDT/IVB combined therapy is able to achieve morphologic stabilization of the IPCV lesion, through a rapid decrease of macular thickness and regression of the size of polypoidal vascular lesion

PV reconfiguration systems: A technical and economic study

Dynamical electrical array reconfiguration strategies for grid-connected PV systems have been proposed as solution to improve energy production due to the mismatch effect of PV plants during partial shading conditions. Strategies are based on the use of dynamic connections between PV panels given by the employment of switches that allow for each panel the series, parallel or exclusion connections, physically changing the electrical connections between the related PV modules, consequentially modifying the layout of the plant. Usually the cost of the dynamic matrix is not taken into account. This novel work evaluates the economic advantages obtained by the use of reconfiguration strategies in PV systems, by taking into consideration the price of energy due to incentives in different European and non-European countries and correlates it with the employment of two types of reconfigurators, with different internal structures. For each of the incentives proposed by the different Countries, the main strength and weakness points of the possible investment are highlighted and critically analyzed. From this analysis, it can be stated that the adoption of reconfiguration systems, in certain cases, can be a very convenient solution