Steelmaking by Injection of Oxygen and Lime Powder Irsid-O .L.P. Process

THE injection of powdered materials, capable of reacting rapidly with a metallic bath has long been considered, and for several years IRSID has pursued a systematic study of "metallurgy by injection of powders".This res-earch has already led to known industrial developments, such as the desulphurisation of pig iron by powdered lime, the treatment of siliceous pig iron in the basic Bessemer converter, and the thermal controlled thermal adjust- ment of the operation in the converter. Numerous technical developments made during these res-earch projects, as well as the acquisition Of new fund-amental data, have led IRSID to expand this technique and to develop a new steelmaking process which can be applied to pig irons of any phosphorus and silicon content

One-Point Calibration of Low-Cost Sensors for Particulate Air Matter (PM) Concentration Measurement

The use of low-cost sensors has dramatically increased in recent years in all engineering sectors. In the buildings and automotive field, low-cost sensors open very interesting perspectives, because they allow one to monitor temperature and humidity distributions together with air quality in a widespread and punctual way and allow for the control of all energy parameters. The main issue remains the validation of the measurements. In this work, we propose an innovative approach to verify the measurements given by some low-cost systems built ad hoc for automotive applications. Two independent low-cost measurement systems were set to measure Particulate Air Matter (PM) concentration, TVOC concentration, CO2 concentration, formaldehyde concentration, air temperature, relative humidity, pressure, air flow velocity, and GPS position. These systems were calibrated for PM concentration measurement by comparison with standard and certified sensors used by the regional authority of the Emilia-Romagna region (ARPAE, Italy) for characterizing air quality. The duration of the analysis, three days, is not representative of the diverse environmental conditions that occur across different seasons. However, the innovation of this approach lies in both the in-field comparison of low-cost and high-quality sensors and the use of proper conversion approaches for mass concentration measurements. A quantitative analysis of the sensors' performance is given, with a focus on the effects of time granularity, relative humidity, mass conversion from particle counts, and size detection response. The results show that the low-cost sensors' measurements of air temperature, relative humidity, and particle number concentration are in good agreement with high-quality sensors' measurements, with a strong impact of relative humidity on performance indicators. Overall, good quality and consistency of the data among the sensors were achieved

Autologous US-guided PRP injection versus US-guided focal extracorporeal shock wave therapy for chronic lateral epicondylitis: A minimum of 2-year follow-up retrospective comparative study.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of two independent groups of patients treated with ultrasound (US)-guided extracorporeal shock wave (ESW) therapy and with US-guided injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for chronic lateral epicondylitis (LE) with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 63 patients treated for chronic LE (31 patients with autologous US-guided PRP injection and 32 patients with US-guided focal ESW therapy) from 2009 to 2014. All the patients were evaluated by means of Roles-Maudsley (RM) score, quick Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (QuickDASH) score, visual analogic scale (VAS) and patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation (PRTEE) to retrospectively assess the pain relief, level of activity, the self-reported function and subjective satisfaction at minimum of 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: Both US-guided autologous PRP injection and US-guided focal ESW administration proved effective in chronic LE with significant improvement in the QuickDASH, VAS, RM and PRTEE scores ( p < 0.0001). No adverse effects or complications were recorded in any groups. No differences were found in recurrence rate and final results of the QuickDASH, VAS, RM and PRTEE scores between the two groups ( p > 0.05). The mean time between treatment and symptom resolution was significantly shorter for the PRP treatment ( p = 0.0212); furthermore, the mean time to return to the normal activities was quicker for PRP group ( p = 0.0119). CONCLUSION: Both PRP injection and ESW therapy are feasible and safe options for the treatment of chronic LE with low risk of complications and with good long-term follow-up results. US-guided PRP injection has quick efficacy when compared with US-guided focal ESW therapy

Tools for genetic manipulation of the plant growth-promoting bacterium Azospirillum amazonense

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Azospirillum amazonense </it>has potential to be used as agricultural inoculant since it promotes plant growth without causing pollution, unlike industrial fertilizers. Owing to this fact, the study of this species has gained interest. However, a detailed understanding of its genetics and physiology is limited by the absence of appropriate genetic tools for the study of this species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Conjugation and electrotransformation methods were established utilizing vectors with broad host-replication origins (pVS1 and pBBR1). Two genes of interest - <it>glnK </it>and <it>glnB</it>, encoding PII regulatory proteins - were isolated. Furthermore, <it>glnK</it>-specific <it>A. amazonense </it>mutants were generated utilizing the pK19MOBSACB vector system. Finally, a promoter analysis protocol based on fluorescent protein expression was optimized to aid genetic regulation studies on this bacterium.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this work, genetic tools that can support the study of <it>A. amazonense </it>were described. These methods could provide a better understanding of the genetic mechanisms of this species that underlie its plant growth promotion.</p

Use of adipose derived stem cells in Treacher Collins syndrome

Objective: Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare congenital disorder of craniofacial development. TCS occurs with an incidence of 1:50,000, and more than 60% of TCS cases have no previous family history and arise as the result of de novo mutations. The high rate of de novo mutations, together with the extreme variability in the degree to which individuals can be affected, makes the provision of genetic counseling extremely complicated. Consequently, every case of TCS is unique and needs to be assessed individually. Patients with TCS frequently undergo multiple reconstructive surgeries from birth through adulthood, which rarely are fully corrective in the long-term. The nascent field of regenerative medicine offers the promise to improve some of these treatments. In particular, structural fat grafting (SFG) seems to be a good strategy not only to restore the normal volume and contour of the face, but also to provide a source of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) with a multilineage differentiation potential. In this work, we present genetical analyses of ADSC affected by TCS. Materials and methods: ADSCs from were analyzed for their stemness properties and shared many characteristics with those of a healthy subject. Screening of the genome of the TCS patient using array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization allowed us to identify some chromosomal imbalances that are probably associated with TCS. Results: We found that some alterations, involving the TIMELESS gene, were usually associated with embryonic stem cells. Conclusions: With the aim to improve the final results, we need to consider combining knowledge of genetic alterations and expression profiles as a fundamental step before starting with surgical procedures