A Response Surface Methodology Approach to Improve Adhesive Bonding of Pulsed Laser Treated CFRP Composites

In this work, a response surface-designed experiment approach was used to determine the optimal settings of laser treatment as a method of surface preparation for CFRP prior to bonding. A nanosecond pulsed Ytterbium-doped-fiber laser source was used in combination with a scanning system. A Face-centered Central Composite Design was used to model the tensile shear strength (TSS) of adhesive bonded joints and investigate the effects of varying three parameters, namely, power, pitch, and lateral overlap. The analysis was carried out considering different focal distances. For each set of joints, shear strength values were modeled using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to identify the set-up parameters that gave the best performance, determining any equivalent conditions from a statistical point of view. The regression models also allow the prediction of the behavior of the joints for not experimentally tested parameter settings, within the operating domain of investigation. This aspect is particularly important in consideration of the process optimization of the manufacturing cycle since it allows the maximization of joint efficiency by limiting the energy consumption for treatment

Biomarkers for the diagnosis and management of heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Circulating biomarkers reflecting pathophysiological pathways involved in HF development and progression may assist clinicians in early diagnosis and management of HF patients. Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are cardioprotective hormones released by cardiomyocytes in response to pressure or volume overload. The roles of B-type NP (BNP) and N-terminal pro-B-type NP (NT-proBNP) for diagnosis and risk stratification in HF have been extensively demonstrated, and these biomarkers are emerging tools for population screening and as guides to the start of treatment in subclinical HF. On the contrary, conflicting evidence exists on the role of NPs as a guide to HF therapy. Among the other biomarkers, high-sensitivity troponins and soluble suppression of tumorigenesis-2 are the most promising biomarkers for risk stratification, with independent value to NPs. Other biomarkers evaluated as predictors of adverse outcome are galectin-3, growth differentiation factor 15, mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin, and makers of renal dysfunction. Multi-marker scores and genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses could further refine HF management

Oxidative stress and inflammation: determinants of anthracycline cardiotoxicity and possible therapeutic targets

Chemotherapy with anthracycline-based regimens remains a cornerstone of treatment of many solid and blood tumors but is associated with a significant risk of cardiotoxicity, which can manifest as asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction or overt heart failure. These effects are typically dose-dependent and cumulative and may require appropriate screening strategies and cardioprotective therapies in order to minimize changes to anticancer regimens or even their discontinuation. Our current understanding of cardiac damage by anthracyclines includes a central role of oxidative stress and inflammation. The identification of these processes through circulating biomarkers or imaging techniques might then be helpful for early diagnosis and risk stratification. Furthermore, therapeutic strategies relieving oxidative stress and inflammation hold promise to prevent heart failure development or at least to mitigate cardiac damage, although further evidence is needed on their efficacy, either alone or as part of combination therapies with neurohormonal antagonists, which are the current adopted standard

Genome-Wide Analysis of the “Cut-and-Paste” Transposons of Grapevine

Background: The grapevine is a widely cultivated crop and a high number of different varieties have been selected since its domestication in the Neolithic period. Although sexual crossing has been a major driver of grapevine evolution, its vegetative propagation enhanced the impact of somatic mutations and has been important for grapevine diversity. Transposable elements are known to be major contributors to genome variability and, in particular, to somatic mutations. Thus, transposable elements have probably played a major role in grapevine domestication and evolution. The recent publication of the complete grapevine genome opens the possibility for an in deep analysis of its transposon content. Principal Findings: We present here a detailed analysis of the ‘‘cut-and-paste’ ’ class II transposons present in the genome of grapevine. We characterized 1160 potentially complete grapevine transposons as well as 2086 defective copies. We report on the structure of each element, their potentiality to encode a functional transposase, and the existence of matching ESTs that could suggest their transcription. Conclusions: Our results show that these elements have transduplicated and amplified cellular sequences and some of them have been domesticated and probably fulfill cellular functions. In addition, we provide evidences that the mobility o

Industry 4.0 and its applications in the healthcare sector: A sistematic review

Industry 4.0 (I4), the Fourth Industrial Revolution, is having a strong impact in all industrial sector but, although less evident, it is also bringing important results in other fields such as Healthcare Systems. In fact, Hospitals can be effectively considered smart factories because they are \u201cfactory\u201d which \u201ccontext-aware assists people and machines in execution of their tasks\u201d. Hospitals are very difficult entity to manage and the application of Industry 4.0 technologies could have a deep impact on them. However, a systematic and extensive review of recent research on it is has been unavailable. Accordingly to that, this paper conducts a literature review on the combined use of the key words \u201cIndustry 4.0\u201d and \u201cHealth 4.0\u201d. Altogether, 46 papers related to such topics are grouped into eight research categories and reviewed. The aim of this paper is to investigate the applicability, the advantages and the weakness of Industry 4.0 paradigms in the Healthcare sector. In fact, on the one hand they could ensure and increase the safety of patients, the quality of life and other health care activities. On the other, the recent entry into application of the General Data Protection Regulation, May 2018, has required strong rules and limitations on the data management. All the data belonging to the healthcare sector could be defined as sensitive data. The value of this work is a critical analysis on the actual applications of Industry 4.0 in the Healthcare Sector with a focus on the Italian context

Comparison of plant alternatives in a freight-terminal using stochastic discrete event simulation

The study presented in the paper is the result of a mandate to the Authors from the management of a freight-terminl located in a region in the North-East of Italy. The objective of the study, therefore, is to identify the most efficient configuration in term of costs and performance of internal container handling systems in among a set of possible solutions set by the designers. Given that in the freight-terminal there's a high level of stochasticity elements (hours of arrival and restarts of container vehicles, breakdowns of handling equipment, availability of operators, etc.) an effective and efficient modelling could not have disregarded this fundamental characteristic of the real system. For this reason the Authors decided to study the problem by the use of Discrete Event Simulation. The tools selected by the Authors for the construction of the model was Flexsim CT, whose graphics allow managers to exploit the prerogatives of management methodologies known as "visual management" in addition, of course, to the usual quantitative analysis that characterize the output of a correctly constructed DES model. Thanks to the study carried out, the managers were able to establish, among the solutions proposed, the scenario that involved 1 crane and 3 top loader was the one that allowed both the minimization of purchase and management costs of the yard than the reduction of expectations for handling equipment

Remote Ischemic Conditioning in Ischemic Stroke and Myocardial Infarction: Similarities and Differences

Acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although reperfusion therapies have greatly improved the outcomes of patients with these conditions, many patients die or are severely disabled despite complete reperfusion. It is therefore important to identify interventions that can prevent progression to ischemic necrosis and limit ischemia-reperfusion injury. A possible strategy is ischemic conditioning, which consists of inducing ischemia – either in the ischemic organ or in another body site [i.e., remote ischemic conditioning (RIC), e.g., by inflating a cuff around the patient's arm or leg]. The effects of ischemic conditioning have been studied, alone or in combination with revascularization techniques. Based on the timing (before, during, or after ischemia), RIC is classified as pre-, per-/peri-, or post-conditioning, respectively. In this review, we first highlight some pathophysiological and clinical similarities and differences between cardiac and cerebral ischemia. We report evidence that RIC reduces circulating biomarkers of myocardial necrosis, infarct size, and edema, although this effect appears not to translate into a better prognosis. We then review cutting-edge applications of RIC for the treatment of ischemic stroke. We also highlight that, although RIC is a safe procedure that can easily be implemented in hospital and pre-hospital settings, its efficacy in patients with ischemic stroke remains to be proven. We then discuss possible methodological issues of previous studies. We finish by highlighting some perspectives for future research, aimed at increasing the efficacy of ischemic conditioning for improving tissue protection and clinical outcomes, and stratifying myocardial infarction and brain ischemia patients to enhance treatment feasibility

A design-of-experiments approach to estimate the effect of plasma-treatment parameters on the mechanical resistance of adhesive-bonded joints

In this study, the design of experiments (DoE) approach was used to identify the effect of low-pressure plasma surface treatment parameters on the lap-shear strength of adhesive bonded joints realized using different substrates. In particular, four different polymeric substrates were considered: 5- and 7-layer carbon-fiber reinforced polymers and polyamide 6 and 6.6. Two-level, full-factorial designs were used to investigate the effects of two varying principal parameters, namely, plasma power and treatment time, for each type of substrate. The analysis was carried out by considering different types of processing gases. The objective function was the tensile shear strength of the adhesively bonded joints. For each set of joints, the shear strength values\u200b\u200b \u200b\u200bwere compared using the DoE approach to detect any systematic behavior among different substrates. Finally, it was possible to identify the set-up parameters that gave the best performance in terms of shear strength, considering any equivalent conditions from a statistical point of view. This aspect is particularly important in consideration of the process optimization of the manufacturing cycle; indeed, it allows the maximization of the joint efficiency by limiting the energy cost for treatment

Portable technologies for digital phenotyping of bipolar disorder: A systematic review

Background: Bias-prone psychiatric interviews remain the mainstay of bipolar disorder (BD) assessment. The development of digital phenotyping promises to improve BD management. We present a systematic review of the evidence about the use of portable digital devices for the identification of BD, BD types and BD mood states and for symptom assessment. Methods: We searched Web of KnowledgeSM, Scopus ®, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library databases (until 5/1/2021) for articles evaluating the use of portable/wearable digital devices, such as smartphone apps, wearable sensors, audio and/or visual recordings, and multimodal tools. The protocol is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020200086). Results: We included 62 studies (2325 BD; 724 healthy controls, HC): 27 using smartphone apps, either for recording self-assessments (n = 10) or for passively gathering metadata (n = 7) or both (n = 10); 15 using wearable sensors for physiological parameters; 17 analysing audio and/or video recordings; 3 using multiple technologies. Two thirds of the included studies applied artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches. They achieved fair to excellent classification performances. Limitations: The included studies had small sample sizes and marked heterogeneity. Evidence of overfitting emerged, limiting generalizability. The absence of clear guidelines about reporting classification performances, with no shared standard metrics, makes results hardly interpretable and comparable. Conclusions: New technologies offer a noteworthy opportunity to BD digital phenotyping with objectivity and high granularity. AI-based models could deliver important support in clinical decision-making. Further research and cooperation between different stakeholders are needed for addressing methodological, ethical and socio-economic considerations

A 4.0 Automated Warehouse Storage and Picking System for Order Fulfillment

Despite the number of scientific contributions on the topic, there are still several challenges to be faced before the principles of Industry 4.0 become widely applicable. This study aims precisely to overcome some of the limitations of existing technologies and applications for material handling and picking. The current market solutions often require high investment costs being unsustainable by small and medium-sized enterprises and suitable exclusively for managing large volumes and a mix of highly diversified products. In this study, the authors aimed to conceptualize and design an automatic order fulfillment system applicable to small and medium-sized companies performing frequent shipments characterized by low volumes, variable product mix, reduced overall dimensions for products and products typically sold in bulk, such as those operating in the beauty and cosmetics sector. The proposed solution consists of a series of smart drawers, controlled by a communication architecture designed in 4.0 Logic, equipped with hardware and software interfaces that can be easily integrated with any existing management or departmental system. By the Cloud and WEB Portal, the warehouse thus conceived can be monitored and controlled in real-time from any part of the Globe. The solution is completely modular and easily adaptable to future changes in quantities and mixes in stock. The proposed system, as demonstrated by the cost vs. benefit analysis conducted on a real case, allows getting a significant saving in terms of manpower and space, as well as a strong increase in terms of precision, efficiency in order fulfillment and safety