Methodological comparison of laser stripping solutions with contemporary pulsed lasers for e-drive copper hairpins

The electric drives used in traction applications employ conventionally pure Cu bars bent to the required form, inserted in the stator and welded by a laser at the extremities. These extremities, which are referred to as Cu hairpins, should be stripped off from the electrically isolating polymeric enamel. Laser stripping is industrially used to remove the enamel from the Cu surface. Pulsed wave lasers are employed for the purpose with a large variety of solutions industrially available to the end users. The peculiar process may give way to material removal by surface heating for instance using infrared radiation (IR) or ultraviolet (UV) lasers or an indirect material expulsion via near-infrared (NIR) sources. Accordingly all major laser sources, namely CO2, active fiber, active disk, and Nd:YAG at different wavelengths, may be used for the purpose. Such laser sources possess very different characteristics regarding the pulse durations, power levels, and beam diameters. As newer laser system solutions are made available, the need for methods and experimental procedures to compare the process performance also increases. This work compares 7 different hairpin stripping solutions based on contemporary pulsed laser sources along with a detailed comparative analysis method. Initially, the 7 laser sources are used for hairpin stripping. The process quality is analyzed through surface morphology, chemistry, and the mechanical strength upon laser welding. Productivity and efficiency indicators are collected. Using the collected data, the work proposes system configurations for three different scenarios prioritizing quality, productivity, and cost

Care manager to control cardiovascular risk factors in primary care: The Raffaello cluster randomized trial

Background and aim: This cluster randomized trial evaluated the efficacy of a disease and care management (D&CM) model in cardiovascular (CVD) prevention in primary care. Methods and results: Eligible subjects had ≥1 among: blood pressure≥140/90mmHg; glycated hemoglobin≥7%; LDL-cholesterol≥160 or ≥100mg/dL (primary or secondary prevention, respectively); BMI≥30; current smoking. The D&CM intervention included a teamwork including nurses as care managers for the implementation of tailored care plans. Control group was allocated to usual-care. The main outcome was the proportion of subjects achieving recommended clinical targets for ≥1 of uncontrolled CVD risk factors at 12-month. During 2008-2009 we enrolled 920 subjects in the Abruzzo/Marche regions, Italy. Following the exclusion of L'Aquila due to 2009 earthquake, final analyses included 762 subjects. The primary outcome was achieved by 39.1% (95%CI: 34.2-44.2) and 25.2% (95%CI: 20.9-29.9) of subjects in the intervention and usual-care group, respectively (p<0.001). The D&CM intervention significantly increased the proportion of subjects who achieved clinical targets for both diabetes and hypertension, with no differences in hypercholesterolemia, smoking status and obesity. Conclusions: The D&CM intervention was effective in controlling cardiovascular risk factors, in particular hypertension and diabetes. Numbers needed to treat were small. Such intervention may deserve further consideration in clinical practice. Registration number: ACTRN12611000813987. © 2013 Elsevier B.V

Care manager to control cardiovascular risk factors in primary care: the Raffaello cluster randomized trial

This cluster randomized trial evaluated the efficacy of a disease and care management (D&CM) model in cardiovascular (CVD) prevention in primary care

The occurrence of Aeromonas spp. in the bottled mineral water, well water and tap water from the municipal supplies

The aim of this work was to study the occurrence of Aeromonas sp in the bottled mineral water, well water and tap water from the municipal supplies. Positive samples were found for Aeromonas spp. 12.7% from the mineral water, 8.3% from the artesian water and 6.5% from the tap water. The recovery of Aeromonas spp. was significantly higher in the bottled mineral and artesian water than in the tap water from municipal supplies. The occurrence of the Aeromonas spp. did not correlate significantly with the contamination indicator bacteria (i.e. total coliforms) in the artesian water samples. However, a significant correlation was found between Aeromonas spp. and total coliforms in the both mineral water and tap water samples. The presence or absence of a correlation between the indicator bacteria and Aeromonas could reflect the occasional appearance of the pathogen in the drinking water and the different rates of survival and recovery of these agents compared with those fecal indicators. The finding that 41.6, 14.8 and 9.0 % of the artesian water, bottled mineral water and tap water, respectively, sampled in the current study failed to meet the Brazilian standard for total coliforms in the drinking water should therefore be of concern.<br>A porcentagem de amostras positivas para Aeromonas foi de 12.7% para água mineral, 8.3% para água de poço artesiano e 6.5% para água do sistema público de abastecimento. O isolamento de Aeromonas spp. foi significativamente maior em água mineral e água de poço artesiano do que em água do sistema público. A ocorrência de Aeromonas spp. não teve correlação significativa com os indicadores de contaminação tradicionalmente utilizados (coliformes totais) em amostras de água de poço artesiano. No entanto, esta correlação foi positiva e significativa em água mineral e água do sistema público. A presença ou ausência de correlação entre bactérias indicadoras e a presença de Aeromonas pode refletir o aparecimento ocasional de patógenos em águas para consumo humano e as diferentes taxas de sobrevivência e isolamento destes agentes comparados com os indicadores fecais de contaminação. A constatação de que 41.6%, 14.8% e 9.0% respectivamente amostras de água de poço, água mineral e água do abastecimento público utilizadas neste estudo apresentaram índices de coliformes maiores do que os aceitáveis pela legislação brasileira é um fato preocupante. Estes números mostram a necessidade de melhoria nos sistemas de monitoramento para a indústria de águas minerais e o sistema público de abastecimento. As cepas isoladas pertencentes ao gênero Aeromonas foram identificadas ao nível de espécie como A. hydrophila e A. jandaei. A significância do grande número de isolamentos de espécies de Aeromonas em saúde pública ainda não está clara. É necessário o estudo dos efeitos de cepas específicas utilizando modelos animais de infecção. Estes resultados podem contribuir para a reavaliação dos critérios empregados para a análise da qualidade microbiológica da água e a definição de limites de densidades para o gênero Aeromonas em águas destinadas ao consumo humano

Care manager to control cardiovascular risk factors in primary care: The Raffaello cluster randomized trial

Background and aim: This cluster randomized trial evaluated the efficacy of a disease and care management (D&CM) model in cardiovascular (CVD) prevention in primary care. Methods and results: Eligible subjects had ≥1 among: blood pressure≥140/90mmHg; glycated hemoglobin≥7%; LDL-cholesterol≥160 or ≥100mg/dL (primary or secondary prevention, respectively); BMI≥30; current smoking. The D&CM intervention included a teamwork including nurses as care managers for the implementation of tailored care plans. Control group was allocated to usual-care. The main outcome was the proportion of subjects achieving recommended clinical targets for ≥1 of uncontrolled CVD risk factors at 12-month. During 2008-2009 we enrolled 920 subjects in the Abruzzo/Marche regions, Italy. Following the exclusion of L'Aquila due to 2009 earthquake, final analyses included 762 subjects. The primary outcome was achieved by 39.1% (95%CI: 34.2-44.2) and 25.2% (95%CI: 20.9-29.9) of subjects in the intervention and usual-care group, respectively (p<0.001). The D&CM intervention significantly increased the proportion of subjects who achieved clinical targets for both diabetes and hypertension, with no differences in hypercholesterolemia, smoking status and obesity. Conclusions: The D&CM intervention was effective in controlling cardiovascular risk factors, in particular hypertension and diabetes. Numbers needed to treat were small. Such intervention may deserve further consideration in clinical practice. Registration number: ACTRN12611000813987. © 2013 Elsevier B.V