Predictive models for the estimation of the minimum ignition energy of polydisperse organic dusts

The process industry is a sector characterized by the sale of 50 % of its products in the form of powder and in which 80 % of the goods generated are made through a production system that involves the use of a powder. This sector massively employs solid materials and, using operations such as material transport, crushing, screening, sanding, trimming, feeding tanks and bins, storage of granular materials and many other activities, is very often characterized by the collateral emission of dusts. A similar scenario makes the risk of a dust explosion one of the major concerns of the process industry. In this context, to ensure the safety of people and infrastructures, it is crucial to obtain the parameters that characterize the explosiveness of the dust. Actually, these parameters are all determined experimentally, involving large economic costs, technical difficulties, and long dead times. This work focused on the estimation of one of these parameters, the Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE), which is considered to be one of the most important to assess the probability of having a dust explosion. Therefore, starting from the experimental test within a 1.2 L Hartmann tube, two new versions of a mathematical model capable of predicting the MIE for an organic powder were proposed. The models characterize the powder analysed through its particle size distribution and a few chemical-physical characteristics obtained from literature. Six organic powders were selected to validate the model (aspirin, cork, corn starch, sugar d50=135 μm, sugar d50=34 μm and wheat flour), with the intention of comparing the theoretical data obtained with literature experimental ones

Process intensification for the production of cyclic macrolactones: identification of safe operating conditions in tubular reactors

In this work, the possibility to shift from a batch to a continuous production of 16-hexadecanolide, one of the main components of the white musk essence, was theoretically studied. The selected synthesis was an upgraded version of that proposed by Story in 1968, who obtained macrocyclic compounds from the decomposition of ketone peroxides (in this case the involved peroxide was tricyclohexylidene triperoxide). But such reaction presents some huge criticalities: 1) high exothermicity and, 2) production of carbon dioxide, which are known to both modify the kinetics of the desired reaction and lead to a pressure increase inside the reactor whether the gases are not vented. For such reasons, to implement any safe continuous production of this chemical compound, two main points must be addressed: 1) determination of the system runaway boundaries and 2) identification of the optimal operating conditions to make sustainable the production of 16-hexadecanolide (that is, the theoretical design of a tubular reactor capable of continuously discharging the produced incoercible gases). For what concerns the first point, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to determine the safe operating range of the most important operating variables (that is, coolant temperature and reactant inlet temperature) possibly taking into account the effect of radial dispersion; for the second point, as carbon dioxide is produced over the decomposition and needs to be continuously vented to avoid reactor pressurization, a Teflon tube, highly permeable with respect to carbon dioxide, was proposed and its theoretical performances was investigated trying to maximize 16-hexadecanolide productivity also maintaining safe operating conditions. Results showed the theoretical possibility of developing a continuous production process capable of being also commercially sustainable

Interstitial deletion of chromosome 2p15-16.1: report of two patients and critical review of current genotype-phenotype correlation.

We report two individuals with developmental delay and dysmorphic features, in whom array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) led to the identification of a 2p15p16.1 de novo deletion. In the first patient (Patient 1) a familial deletion of 6q12, inherited from her father, was also detected. In the second patient (Patient 2) in addition to the 2p15p16.1 microdeletion a de novo deletion in Xq28 was detected. Both individuals shared dysmorphic features and developmental delay with the six reported patients with a 2p15p16.1 microdeletion described in medical literature. Conclusion: in the first patient a 642 kb 2p16.1 deletion (from 60.604 to 61.246 Mb), and a 930 kb 6q12 familial deletion, was detected and in the second a 2.5 Mb 2p15p16.1 deletion (from 60.258 to 62.763 Mb), with a Xq28 deletion, was discovered. The common dysmorphic features and neurodevelopmental delay found in these patients are in agreement with the clinical phenotype of a microdeletion syndrome involving 2p15p16.1. Our data confirm the hypothesis suggesting that 2p15p16.1 deletion is a contiguous gene syndrome

RAZIONALE VS EMOZIONALE. Progetto per la riqualificazione dell'area industriale di Mosciano S. Angelo.

Testo e progetto contenuto all'interno del libro: (a cura di) L. Pignatti, G. Vallese. TRASFORMING THE LANDSCAPE. Il progetto di trasformazione nei luoghi della produzione. Gangemi Editore, Roma 2011 Saggi, progetti e libro sono gli esisti e le riflessioni di un workshop di progettazione architettonica internazionale al quale hanno partecipato docenti, dottorandi e studenti di diverse nazioni europee. G. Mondaini. Responsabile Scientifico UNIVP

The impact of nutrition on the lives of patients with digestive cancers: a position paper.

Nutritional intervention is an essential part of cancer treatments. Research and clinical evidence in cancer have shown that nutritional support can reduce length of hospitalisation, diminish treatment-related toxicity, and improve nutrient intake, quality of life, and physical function. Nutritional intervention can improve outcomes and help patients in the successful completion of oncological treatments by preventing malnutrition. Malnutrition is a very common hallmark in patients with cancers. Almost one-fourth of cancer patients are at risk of dying because of the consequences of malnutrition, rather than cancer itself. Patients with digestive cancers are at higher risk of suffering malnutrition due to the gastrointestinal impairment caused by their disease. They are at high nutritional risk by definition, yet the majority of them have insufficient or null access to nutritional intervention.Inadequate resources are dedicated to implementing nutritional services in Europe. Universal access to nutritional support for digestive cancer patients is not a reality in many European countries. To change this situation, health systems should invest in qualified staff to reinforce or create nutritional teams' experts in digestive cancer treatments. We aim to share the patient community's perspective on the status and the importance of nutritional intervention. This is an advocacy manuscript presenting data on the topic and analysing the current situations and the challenges for nutrition in digestive cancers. It highlights the importance of integrative nutrition in the treatment of digestive cancers and advocates for equitable and universal access to nutritional intervention for all patients