890 research outputs found
Preliminary results in synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements of rubber composites structure before and after exposure to hydrogen
In future years, fuel cells are expected to represent a promising technology as a source of heat and electricity in buildings and of electrical power for vehicles, since fossil fuels are exhausting and significantly degrade air quality. It is well known that, when exposed to a hydrogen environment, hydrogen embrittlerment
may affect materials such as iron and steel. But these are not the only materials that are used for hydrogen equipment. In particular, the rubber materials used for O\u2013rings that seal high pressure hydrogen gas equipment show problems of internal fracture, called blister fracture, when the gas is rapidly decompressed. As many different kinds of fillers can be used, in this work we started to investigate the influence of the type of filler on the rubber composites structure, by means of X-ray diffraction measurements performed at the Elettra synchrotron radiation facility in Trieste. In this preliminary study, three kinds of samples were analyzed before and after exposure to hydrogen: Sulphur vulcanized EPDM, Peroxide vulcanized EPDM and Sulphur vulcanized NBR. While Peroxide vulcanized samples did not show significant differences in the
diffraction pattern, changes could be detected in the cristalline form of Sulfure vulcanized rubber
Analysis of the dependence of the tensile behaviour of a short fibre reinforced polyamide upon fibre volume fraction, length and orientation
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Dexamethasone in acute cardiopulmonary syndrome with hyperinflammatory state
Abstract
Introduction
Elderly patient hospitalized due to acute heart failure often have a concomitant acute lung disease (acute bronchitis, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-COPD- exacerbation). Establishing the role of each disease in a clinical picture of acute cardiopulmonary syndrome can be challenging. Procalcitonin has been used as a guide to antibiotic therapy with contrasting results. A common thread of these diseases is inflammation; a hyperinflammatory response determines more serious symptoms and a worse prognosis.
Purpose
We evaluated the effectiveness of a treatment with dexamethasone in patients with acute cardiopulmonary syndrome and a strong inflammatory response.
Materials and methods
We evaluated 157 consecutive HFPEF (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction) patients ≥80 years of age, with concomitant symptoms attributable to acute bronchitis, pneumonia, or COPD exacerbation, hospitalized due to worsening dyspnoea, with an NT-proBNP ≥3,000 pg/ml, and a finding X-ray of lung congestion with or without a consolidation. Reactive C Protein was measured. Patients with SARS-CoV-2, indication to corticosteroids use for other clinical conditions or need for mechanical ventilation were excluded. The 96 patients with values>20 mg/dl were randomized into 2 groups: 48 patients were treated open-label with dexamethasone at a dose of 8 mg iv/day for a maximun of ten days, in addition to the usual therapies for acute heart failure and lung disease, while the same number of patients were treated with the usual therapy. In both groups the antibiotic was administered only if the procalcitonin was≥0.25 μg/L. Clinical recovery time, length of hospitalization, in-hospital mortality, the need for a new hospitalization and mortality at one month were evaluated.
Results
The mean age of the patients was 88±4 years in the dexamethasone group and 87±5 in the usual therapy group. The results are shown in Table 1. Patients treated with dexamethasone experienced a faster clinical recovery and a shorter length of hospitalization. No significant differences were found regarding either in-hospital mortality or need for rehospitalization and mortality at 30 days.
Conclusions
Very elderly patients with acute cardiopulmonary syndrome and hyperinflammatory state associated with an excessive increase in Reactive Protein C have a favorable response to dexamethasone therapy in addition to the usual therapy in terms of clinical improvement and length of hospitalization. Our case history is small to evaluate a possible improvement in mortality. These findings need to be consolidated from double-blind randomized controlled trials
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None. Table
Analisi dell’anisotropia microstrutturale in materiali compositi rinforzati con fibre corte
Synchrotron light microtomography has proved to be particularly efficient in order to analyze
the microstructural characteristics in terms of reinforce fibre distribution and orientation in glass fibre reinforced
composites. The spatial distribution of fibre within the polymeric matrix could be detected even in
case of fibre characterized by a small diameter (10 micrometers average diameter). Differences in orientation
distribution within a sample could be measured using the Mean Intercept Length (MIL) and the fabric
tensor. The results presented herein refer to a sample of a 30% by weight glass fibre reinforced polyamide 6,
extracted form a thin plate
MODELLING ELASTICITY OF INJECTION MOULDED SHORT FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMERS: COMPARISON BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL AND ANALYTICAL APPROACHES
In this work we analysed a sample of short fibre reinforced polyamide extracted from an injection moulded plate. We derived local values of the elastic constants by two different numerical methods, one based on simulation and one based on the reconstruction of the sample's microstructure by micro - CT. Results were compared in terms of moduli of elasticity, assuming an orthotropic material model. Fibre orientation was first simulated by process simulation and results were checked against experimental data obtained by the optical section method. Then, fibre orientation data were used for micro-mechanical modelling of the elastic behaviour by means of mean field homogenisation tools. The experimentally based approach was based on micro computed tomography reconstructions of the inner structure of samples extracted from the injection moulded plate. Using numerical models based on the Cell Method, the elastic behaviour of the reconstructed volume was simulated and results were compared with analytical models based on process simulations and homogenization
Pressure Modulator Radiometer (PMR) tests
The pressure modulator technique was evaluated for monitoring pollutant gases in the Earth's atmosphere of altitude levels corresponding to the mid and lower troposphere. Using an experimental set up and a 110 cm sample cell, pressure modulator output signals resulting from a range of gas concentrations in the sample cell were examined. Then a 20 cm sample cell was modified so that trace gas properties in the atmosphere could be simulated in the laboratory. These gas properties were measured using an infrared sensor
Analisi dell’anisotropia microstrutturale in materiali compositi rinforzati con fibre corte
Synchrotron light microtomography has proved to be particularly efficient in order to analyze
the microstructural characteristics in terms of reinforce fibre distribution and orientation in glass fibre reinforced
composites. The spatial distribution of fibre within the polymeric matrix could be detected even in
case of fibre characterized by a small diameter (10 micrometers average diameter). Differences in orientation
distribution within a sample could be measured using the Mean Intercept Length (MIL) and the fabric
tensor. The results presented herein refer to a sample of a 30% by weight glass fibre reinforced polyamide 6,
extracted form a thin plate
analisi dell anisotropia microstrutturale in materiali compositi rinforzati con fibre corte
Synchrotron light microtomography has proved to be particularly efficient in order to analyze the microstructural characteristics in terms of reinforce fibre distribution and orientation in glass fibre reinforced composites. The spatial distribution of fibre within the polymeric matrix could be detected even in case of fibre characterized by a small diameter (10 micrometers average diameter). Differences in orientation distribution within a sample could be measured using the Mean Intercept Length (MIL) and the fabric tensor. The results presented herein refer to a sample of a 30% by weight glass fibre reinforced polyamide 6, extracted form a thin plate
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