Process hazard and operability analysis of BPCS and SIS malicious manipulations by POROS 2.0

The increasing interconnectivity with external networks and the higher reliance on digital systems make the facilities of the chemical, process, and Oil&Gas industry more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. These attacks have the potential of causing events with severe consequences on property, people, and the surrounding environment such as major event scenarios. The application of the currently available methodologies for cyber risk identification to complex plants with a large number of units may be demanding and cumbersome. The present study proposes an updated methodology, named POROS 2.0, that allows reducing time and effort in application by limiting the scope of the analysis to relevant cybersecurity scenarios. The latter are identified by investigating the potential escalation of consequences propagating among process and/or utility nodes of the manipulations of BPCS and SIS, similar to what is done in the HazOp technique in the safety domain. POROS 2.0 was demonstrated by the application to a case study addressing a fixed offshore platform for gas exploitation

The performance of inorganic passive fire protections: An experimental and modelling study

The installation of fireproofing materials on equipment and structures is a widely applied and effective solution for the protection of critical process elements against severe fires, in order to prevent possible damages escalation. The choice and design of fireproofing materials is crucial for granting adequate performances. As a matter of fact, properties such as, among others, thermal conductivity and density change substantially when the material is exposed to severe temperatures. In the present study, a methodological approach, integrating experimental and modelling activities, was proposed. Focus was set on a particular class of PFP: inorganic fireproofing materials. A reference set of commercial PFP materials (rock wool, glass wool, silica blanket, etc.) was selected. Small scale experiments allowed determining the variation of the most relevant thermal properties of the coatings and to obtain detailed correlation models for their description. A finite element model (FEM) was developed in order to reproduce the behaviour of real scale equipment exposed to fire and to provide a sound design of the fire protection system

Damage models for storage and process equipment involved in flooding events

The present study focuses on the accidents caused by the impact of floods on storage and process equipment. This type of accident is classified as a NaTech (Natural-Technological) event and resulted in severe consequences in several past accidents. A methodology was developed for the determination of vulnerability models aimed at the estimation of equipment damage probability on the basis of severity or intensity parameters of the flooding. A mechanical model was developed, based on the comparison between the flooding intensity and the resistance of a vessel and/or its support. Simplified vulnerability functions were derived. Finally, a case-study was set up and analysed to show the potentialities of the methodology and the implementation of results in quantitative risk analysis. © 2013, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l

MRS study of meningeal hemangiopericytoma and edema: A comparison with meningothelial meningioma

Intracranial hemangiopericytomas (HPCs) are rare tumors and their radiological appearance resembles that of meningiomas, especially meningothelial meningiomas. To increase the knowledge on the biochemical composition of this type of tumor for better diagnosis and prognosis, we performed a molecular study using ex vivo high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) perfomed on HPC and peritumoral edematous tissues. Moreover, to help in the discrimination between HPC and meningothelial meningioma we compared the ex vivo HR-MAS spectra of samples from one patient with HPC and 5 patients affected by meningothelial meningioma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in vivo localized single voxel 1H-MRS was also performed on the same patients prior to surgery and the in vivo and ex vivo MRS spectra were compared. We observed the presence of OH-butyrate, together with glucose in HPC and a low amount of N-acetylaspartate in the edema, that may reflect neuronal alteration responsible for associated epilepsy. Many differences between HPC and meningothelial meningioma were identified. The relative ratios of myo-inositol, glucose and gluthatione with respect to glutamate are higher in HPC compared to meningioma; whereas the relative ratios of creatine, glutamine, alanine, glycine and choline-containing compounds with respect to glutamate are lower in HPC compared to meningioma. These data will be useful to improve the interpretation of in vivo MRS spectra resulting in a more accurate diagnosis of these rare tumors

HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy in the characterization of human tissues: Application to healthy gastric mucosa

The HR-MAS is an ideal technique for the investigation of intact tissue specimens (10-50 mg) and permits the obtainment of spectra with a resolution comparable to that observed in solution in a time that does not exceed a half of an hour for a routine analysis. The potentialities of HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy in the identification of the metabolites characterizing the healthy gastric mucosa are here presented. The direct 1D H-1 NMR spectra enables only few metabolites to be confidently assigned, and the use of selected 2D experiments strongly amplify the analytical effectiveness of the technique

Spinal Anesthesia and Minimal Invasive Laminotomy for Paddle Electrode Placement in Spinal Cord Stimulation: Technical Report and Clinical Results at Long-Term Followup

Object. We arranged a mini-invasive surgical approach for implantation of paddle electrodes for SCS under spinal anesthesia obtaining the best paddle electrode placement and minimizing patients' discomfort. We describe our technique supported by neurophysiological intraoperative monitoring and clinical results. Methods. 16 patients, affected by neuropathic pain underwent the implantation of paddle electrodes for spinal cord stimulation in lateral decubitus under spinal anesthesia. The paddle was introduced after flavectomy and each patient confirmed the correct distribution of paresthesias induced by intraoperative test stimulation. VAS and patients' satisfaction rate were recorded during the followup and compared to preoperative values. Results. No patients reported discomfort during the procedure. In all cases, paresthesias coverage of the total painful region was achieved, allowing the best final electrode positioning. At the last followup (mean 36.7 months), 87.5% of the implanted patients had a good rate of satisfaction with a mean VAS score improvement of 70.5%. Conclusions. Spinal cord stimulation under spinal anesthesia allows an optimal positioning of the paddle electrodes without any discomfort for patients or neurosurgeons. The best intraoperative positioning allows a better postoperative control of pain, avoiding the risk of blind placements of the paddle or further surgery for their replacement

Ex vivo HR-MAS Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of human gastric adenocarcinomas: A comparison with healthy gastric mucosa

The present study reports the characteristics of the biochemical profile of human gastric adenocarcinoma in comparison with that of healthy gastric mucosa, using ex vivo HR-MAS Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Healthy human mucosa is mainly characterized by the presence of small metabolites (more than 50 identified) and macromolecules, whereas the adenocarcinoma spectra are dominated by the presence of signals due to triglycerides, whose content on the contrary is very low in healthy gastric mucosa. The use of spin-echo experiments enable us to detect some metabolites in the unhealthy tissues and to determine their variation with respect to the healthy ones. We have observed that the Cho:ChoCC ratio changes from 20:80 in the healthy tissues to 80:20 in the neoplastic gastric mucosa

Metabolic findings on 3T 1H-MR spectroscopy in peritumoral brain edema.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Little is known about the metabolic properties of brain edema associated with tumors. This work was conducted on the basis of the assumption that, in the presence of intra-axial and extra-axial brain tumors, the white matter involved by the edema is a site of metabolic change that involves the structure of the myelin sheath. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients comprised our cohort affected by intra-axial and extra-axial cerebral tumors with a peritumoral T2-weighted MR signal hyperintensity as a result of edema, where MR spectroscopy showed no increase in choline-containing compounds. Measurements on proton MR spectroscopy (1H-MR spectroscopy) were performed with a 3T whole-body scanner with use of a point-resolved spectroscopy sequence for localization (TR, 2000 ms; TE, 35 ms), and the metabolites were quantified with the SAGE method. Peak intensities of the main metabolites were expressed as ratios of one another and were compared with values obtained in the white matter of the left frontal region in a control group of 16 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Choline-to-creatine (Cho/Cr) and myo-inositol-to-creatine (mIns/Cr) signal intensity ratios were normal in all patients. N-acetylaspartate-to-creatine (NAA/Cr) and N-acetylaspartate-to-choline (NAA/Cho) ratios decreased in 4 patients. Glutamate plus glutamine-to-creatine (Glx/Cr) was increased in 10 patients. A resonance peak at 3.44 ppm, strongly suggesting the presence of glucose, was detected in all but 1 patient. Lactate was detected in 12 patients and lipids in 5. Moreover, the resonances that pertained to the aliphatic amino acids valine, leucine, and isoleucine were present in 12 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings on MR spectroscopy confirmed the hypothesis that in the edema surrounding brain tumors, an energy-linked metabolic alteration was associated with injury to the myelin sheath

Molecular characterization of human gastric mucosa by HR-MAS Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

The present study was aimed at identifying themolecular profile characteristic of the healthy humangastric mucosa.Ex vivo HR-MAS magnetic resonance spectroscopy performed at 9.4 Tesla (400.13 MHz for 1H) on gastric specimens collected during endoscopy, permits the identification of more than forty species giving a detailed picture of the biochemical pattern of the gastric tissues. These preliminary data will be used for a comparison with gastric preneoplastic and neoplastic situations. Moreover, the full knowledge of the biochemical pattern of the healthy gastrictissues is the necessary presupposition for the application of magnetic resonance spectroscopy directly in vivo