Dynamic Coefficients of Finite Length Journal Bearing. Evaluation Using a Regular Perturbation Method

A set of simple expressions is deduced for static and dynamic parameters associated to hydrodynamic journal bearings (JB). The behavior of this system is governed by two dimensionless numbers, the aspect ratio, L/D, and the eccentricity ratio, η. In a previous work, we presented a regular perturbation method that extended the Ocvirk solution and successfully described isothermal JBs up to L/D and η of ∼1/2. Presently, we extend that methodology, modified using a smaller perturbation parameter, to obtain analytical expressions of the dynamic coefficients, as well as static variables like friction factor, load carrying capacity, lubricant flow rate and phase angle. The deduced expressions successfully describe the static and dynamic behavior of JBs up to L/D and η of ∼3/4.Fil: Merelli, Claudio Ernesto. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Barilá, Daniel Oscar. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; ArgentinaFil: Vignolo, Gustavo Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; ArgentinaFil: Quinzani, Lidia Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; Argentin

My time is my own: a project for analysis and research on the social situation, demography and the family

Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt die Ergebnisse des Projektes 'My time is my own' vor. Bei diesem europäischen Projekt handelte es sich um eine transnationale Studie, in der in verschiedenen Ländern neue Formen der Zeitnutzung im Umgang mit sozialen Dienstleistungen zur Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Privatleben gesammelt und ausgewertet wurden. Die Auswertung sollte qualitative Indikatoren ermitteln, die es Verwaltungen, Organisationen, Firmen, usw. erlauben, sich bei der Planung von innovativen Projekten zur Zeitgestaltung an Ergebnissen aus bestehenden Praxiserfahrungen orientieren zu können. Der Beitrag enthält die Ergebnisse aus Italien, Frankreich, Spanien und Deutschland. (ICD

Shape Calculus: A spatial calculus for 3D colliding shapes

Available at http://s1report.cs.unicam.it/6

Selected papers from the 15th and 16th international conference on Computational Intelligence Methods for Bioinformatics and Biostatistics

Funding Information: CIBB 2019 was held at the Department of Human and Social Sciences of the University of Bergamo, Italy, from the 4th to the 6th of September 2019 []. The organization of this edition of CIBB was supported by the Department of Informatics, Systems and Communication of the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, and by the Institute of Biomedical Technologies of the National Research Council, Italy. Besides the papers focused on computational intelligence methods applied to open problems of bioinformatics and biostatistics, the works submitted to CIBB 2019 dealt with algebraic and computational methods to study RNA behaviour, intelligence methods for molecular characterization and dynamics in translational medicine, modeling and simulation methods for computational biology and systems medicine, and machine learning in healthcare informatics and medical biology. A supplement published in BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making journal [] collected three revised and extended papers focused on the latter topic.publishersversionpublishe

Cerebrospinal fluid anti-Epstein-Barr virus specific oligoclonal IgM and IgG bands in patients with clinically isolated and Guillain-Barré syndrome

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis. We aimed to assess the frequency of EBV-specific IgG and IgM oligoclonal bands (OCB) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 50 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and in 27 controls with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Furthermore, we assessed correlations between the presence of OCB and CIS patients' CSF, MRI, and clinical variables. There was no difference in the proportion of CIS and GB patients with positivity for anti-EBV-specific IgG/IgM OCB. There were no correlations between OCB and analyzed variables, nor were they predictive of a higher disability at 3 years

Clinical and therapeutic aspects of candidemia: A five year single centre study

B ackground Candida is an important cause of bloodstream infections (BSI) in nosocomial settings causing significant mortality and morbidity. This study was performed to evaluate contemporary epidemiology, species distribution, antifungal susceptibility and outcome of candida BSI in an Italian hospital. Methods All consecutive patients who developed candidemia at Santa Maria della Misericordia University Hospital (Italy) between January 2009 and June 2014 were enrolled in the study. Results A total of 204 episodes of candidemia were identified during the study period with an incidence of 0.79 episodes/1000 admissions. C. albicans was isolated in 60.3% of cases, followed by C. parapsilosis (16.7%), C. glabrata (11.8%) and C. tropicalis (6.4%). Of all Candida BSI, 124 (60.8 %) occurred in patients admitted to IMW, 31/204 (15.2 %) in ICUs, 33/204 (16.2%) in surgical units and 16/204 (7.8%) in Hematology/Oncology wards. Overall, 47% of patients died within 30 days from the onset of candidemia. C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata candidemia were associated with the lowest mortality rate (36%), while patients with C. tropicalis BSI had the highest mortality rate (58.3%). Lower mortality rates were detected in patients receiving therapy within 48 hours from the time of execution of the blood cultures (57,1% vs 38,9%, P <0.05). At multivariate analysis, steroids treatment (OR= 0.27, p=0.005) and CVC removal (OR=3.77, p=0.014) were independently associated with lower and higher survival probability, respectively. Candidemia in patients with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) showed to be associated with higher mortality in comparison with central venous catheters (CVC, Short catheters and Portacath) and no CVC use. For each point increase of APACHE III score, survival probability decreased of 2%. Caspofungin (OR=3.45, p=0.015) and Amphothericin B lipid formulation (OR=15.26, p=0.033) were independently associated with higher survival probability compared with no treatment

Exploring ecological modelling to investigate factors governing the colonization success in nosocomial environment of Candida albicans and other pathogenic yeasts

wo hundred seventy seven strains from eleven opportunistic species of the genus Candida, isolated from two Italian hospitals, were identified and analyzed for their ability to form biofilm in laboratory conditions. The majority of Candida albicans strains formed biofilm while among the NCAC species there were different level of biofilm forming ability, in accordance with the current literature. The relation between the variables considered, i.e. the departments and the hospitals or the species and their ability to form biofilm, was tested with the assessment of the probability associated to each combination. Species and biofilm forming ability appeared to be distributed almost randomly, although some combinations suggest a potential preference of some species or of biofilm forming strains for specific wards. On the contrary, the relation between biofilm formation and species isolation frequency was highly significant (R2 around 0.98). Interestingly, the regression analyses carried out on the data of the two hospitals separately were rather different and the analysis on the data merged together gave a much lower correlation. These findings suggest that, harsh environments shape the composition of microbial species significantly and that each environment should be considered per se to avoid less significant statistical treatments

Ulcerated hemosiderinic dyschromia and iron deposits within lower limbs treated with a topical application of biological chelator

The ulcerative haemosiderinic dyschromia of chronic venous insufficiency is difficult to heal and presents a high accumulation of iron. Lactoferrin, a potent natural iron chelator, could help to scar this ulcerative haemosi - derinic dyschromia. The objective of this study was to determine whether the topical application of a liposomal gel with Lactoferrin favors scarring/degradation of the brown colored spot typical of ulcerative haemosiderinic dyschromia. Nine patients with severe chronic venous insufficiency and ulcerative haemosiderinic dyschromia (CEAP-C6), with a natural evolution of over 12 months, were included in the study. Hemo chromatosis gene mutations were investigated. The levels of serum ferritin, transferrin saturation and blood cell counts were analyzed. The presence of hemosiderin was investigated through periulcerous and ulcer fundus biopsies carried out at baseline and 30 days after treatment with Lactoferrin. The severity of the injuries (CEAP classification) was evaluated at the beginning of and throughout the whole 3-month treatment period. No patient had received compression treatment during the three months previous to this therapy. Significant improvement in these injuries, with a reduction in the dimensions of the brown spot (9 of 9) at Day 90, and complete scarring with a closure time ranging from 15 to 180 days (7 of 9) were observed. The use of topical lactoferrin is a non-invasive therapeutic tool that favors clearance of hemosiderinic dyschromia and scarring of the ulcer. The success of this study was not influenced either by the hemochromatosis genetics or the iron metabolism profile observed