Ultrasound-Guided Femoral and Sciatic Nerve Blocks for Repair of Tibia and Fibula Fractures in a Bennett's Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)

Locoregional anesthetic techniques may be a very useful tool for the anesthetic management of wallabies with injuries of the pelvic limbs and may help to prevent capture myopathies resulting from stress and systemic opioids’ administration. This report describes the use of ultrasound-guided femoral and sciatic nerve blocks in Bennett’s wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) referred for orthopaedic surgery. Ultrasound-guided femoral and sciatic nerve blocks were attempted at the femoral triangle and proximal thigh level, respectively. Whilst the sciatic nerve could be easily visualised, the femoral nerve could not be readily identified. Only the sciatic nerve was therefore blocked with ropivacaine, and methadone was administered as rescue analgesic. The ultrasound images were stored and sent for external review. Anesthesia and recovery were uneventful and the wallaby was discharged two days postoperatively. At the time of writing, it is challenging to provide safe and effective analgesia to Macropods. Detailed knowledge of the anatomy of these species is at the basis of successful locoregional anesthesia. The development of novel analgesic techniques suitable for wallabies would represent an important step forward in this field and help the clinicians dealing with these species to improve their perianesthetic management

Life Cycle Design for Lightweight Skin

The typical membranes for building are polymer-based and have origin from fossil fuel but become very lightweight building components, compared with other typical ones. Structural elements stiffen them (bio-based or not) and, due to the lightness, involve fewer structural materials than other components. Through a multidisciplinary experimental design path—focused on the weight factor at the level of the constructive system and the efficiency factor at the level of primary material—it is possible to enhance the efficiency and the aesthetic of lightweight skins and distill the eco-design concepts which can be transferable to the whole construction sector. In other words, the author tries to demonstrate the impacts of reducing weight firstly in textile skins and also other lightweight and hybrid architectures. Coming from this significant weight awareness through experimental knowledge, the author discusses the opportunity to apply multidisciplinary design approaches to reduce energy consumption and environmental loads during the life cycle. This chapter aims to elaborate on those concepts and systematize the obtained results demonstrating the advantages of the Life Cycle Design strategy in the environmental sustainability of novel lightweight skins

Effect of morphology and defectiveness of graphene-related materials on the electrical and thermal conductivity of their polymer nanocomposites

In this work, electrically and thermally conductive poly (butylene terephthalate) nanocomposites were prepared by in-situ ring-opening polymerization of cyclic butylene terephthalate (CBT) in presence of a tin-based catalyst. One type of graphite nanoplatelets (GNP) and two different grades of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were used. Furthermore, high temperature annealing treatment under vacuum at 1700{\deg}C was carried out on both RGO to reduce their defectiveness and study the correlation between the electrical/thermal properties of the nanocomposites and the nanoflakes structure/defectiveness. The morphology and quality of the nanomaterials were investigated by means of electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and Raman spectroscopy. Thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of the nanocomposites were investigated by means of rheology, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, volumetric resistivity and thermal conductivity measurements. Physical properties of nanocomposites were correlated with the structure and defectiveness of nanoflakes, evidencing a strong dependence of properties on nanoflakes structure and defectiveness. In particular, a significant enhancement of both thermal and electrical conductivities was demonstrated upon the reduction of nanoflakes defectiveness

The application and potentialities of textile facade retrofit strategies for energy-efficient and resilient buildings

In a time when energy efficiency and sustainable development are of utmost importance, retrofitting the current building stock is crucial for reducing ecological impact. The advancement in building technology introduces innovative solutions that challenge traditional practices, paving the way for more sustainable and efficient buildings. Innovative Textile Facade Retrofit Strategies (TFRS) can contribute significantly to the dialogue on retrofitting solutions. TFRS stands at the crossroads of aesthetics, functionality, and environmental consciousness. By exploring the adaptability of textile materials in the retrofitting processes, the paper aligns seamlessly with the broader theme of sustainable practices. It delves into how textile facades, thanks to their intrinsic properties, can offer substantial benefits in terms both of aesthetic appeal and thermal performance, aligning with the objectives of sustainable buildings. This paper presents a novel framework for classifying Textile Facade Retrofit Strategies into three macro categories: Replace , Add and Wrap It . These encompass nine innovative strategies, each suited to different retrofit scenarios, and are assessed for their benefits and applications. The strategies vary in operation, involving facade part replacement, element addition, or complete encasement. The discussion highlights promising textile solutions, emphasizing their contribution in the resilience and adaptation of existing building facades. The results point toward a new paradigm in facade retrofitting, where flexibility, efficiency, and aesthetics coalesce to create more sustainable urban environments

Textile Membranes Reused as a Tool for Noise Control

Textile membranes are an architectural solution used for their maximal lightness, efficiency and adaptability. Unfortunately, once they reach their end-of-life phase, it is difficult to recover them. To be disposed of, they undergo very expensive and often difficult recycling processes. Their reuse as an acoustic treatment and reverberation control system is a solution to creating a light, economical and effective acoustic system that also solves the difficult end-of-life scenario. The membranes take on the role of acoustic diffusers, elements that, through their geometric conformation, can control the behavior of sound. The structure of the system allows the acoustics of the interior spaces to be conditioned through some peculiar characteristics that are influenced, in part, by the material they are made of but above all by their shape. By cutting and joining the membranes, a modular and repeatable element is created, which, in combination with others, enables the creation of an acoustic control device capable of competing with traditional acoustic treatment systems without the use of newly produced materials. The optimized shape of the membranes is the variable responsible for the effective reduction in reverberation times: 2.2 s compared to the initial value of 7.5 without the textile membranes

La riforma dei servizi ispettivi in materia di lavoro e previdenza sociale. Commentario al decreto legislativo 23 aprile 2004, n. 124

Il presente volume nasce dalla volontà di contribuire alla diffusione dei contenuti di una riforma – quella dei servizi ispettivi e delle attività di vigilanza prevista dal d.lgs. n. 124/2004 – di cui ancora troppo poco si parla e discute, e che pure potrebbe risultare decisiva per il progetto di modernizzazione del nostro mercato del lavoro delineato con la c.d. legge Biagi. L’effettività delle regole del diritto del lavoro è, in effetti, la condizione primaria per una più efficiente tutela dei diritti dei lavoratori e, al tempo stesso, è anche garanzia di leale competizione tra le imprese

Inter-rater and inter-device reliability of mechanical thresholds measurement with the Electronic von Frey Anaesthesiometer and the SMALGO in healthy cats

The aim of this study was to compare the Electronic von Frey Anaesthesiometer (EVF) and the Small Animal ALGOmeter (SMALGO), used to measure sensory thresholds in 13 healthy cats at both the stifle and the lumbosacral joint, in terms of inter-rater and inter-device reliability

Design-driven Uniaxial and Biaxial Tensile Testing of Knitted Fabrics Applied to Construction

Knitted fabrics are rarely subjected to tensile stress tests in the field of architectural construction materials, mostly due to their common use as drapery. However, recent non-standard applications of tensioned knitted textiles to hybrid lightweight constructions call for the assessment of their mechanical behavior. In the light of the absence of specific testing methodologies regarding knitted fabrics in the field of construction, this study aims at investigating customized testing techniques that target design requisites, as well as extending previous groundwork on plain weftknitted textiles to tuck-loop knit structures. Fabrics with a piquet Lacoste loop structure are tested uniaxially and biaxially in order to estimate the feasibility of a relatively large-scale project. The challenging task consists of stretching the limited production width in weft direction to the extended dimensions of the tensile architectural project. Hence the study focuses on elongation limits and especially on the maximum elongation that allows elastic deformation. Extracted empirical data are expressed in the form of stress/strain curves that enable an appropriate understanding of the textiles’ mechanical behavior. This inquiry points out the extent to which knit pattern favors directional elongation in warp as opposed to weft or vice-versa. In addition, it addresses the mechanical performance of knitted textiles by means of a strategic customization of tensile tests that can make them better at informing the design process and feasibility assessment