Axial eccentric SynRel and SPM Motors analytical models validation using 3D finite element

This paper deals with the uniform and non-uniform axial eccentricity analyses of the surface mounted permanent magnet and synchronous reluctance machines. The analyses are carried out using an analytical model for each considered machine. Being the axial eccentricity a 3D physical phenomenon, the standard sliding approach used in the analytical models has been validated through accurate 3D FE simulations. The results presented in this paper verify the effectiveness of the analytical approaches quantifying the results deviations respect to the computational expensive 3D FE simulations. The results also confirms that synchronous reluctance machines show higher radial forces compared to the surface permanent magnet machines for the same eccentricity level, main geometry and operating condition

The Substrate is a pH-Controlled Second Gate of Electrolyte-Gated Organic Field-Effect Transistor

Electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors (EGOFETs), based on ultra-thin pentacene films on quartz, were operated with electrolyte solutions whose pH was systematically changed. Transistor parameters exhibit non-monotonic variation vs pH, which cannot be accounted for by capacitive coupling through the Debye-Helmholtz layer. The data were fitted with an analytical model of the accumulated charge in the EGOFET where Langmuir adsorption was introduced to describe the (pH-dependent) charge build-up at the quartz surface. The model provides an excellent fit to the threshold voltage and transfer characteristics as a function of pH, which demonstrates that quartz acts as a second gate controlled by pH, and is mostly effective at neutral or alkaline pH. The effective capacitance of the device is always greater than the capacitance of the electrolyte, thus highlighting the role of the substrate as an important active element for amplification of the transistor response

ANMCO/ELAS/SIBioC Consensus Document: Biomarkers in heart failure

Biomarkers have dramatically impacted the way heart failure (HF) patients are evaluated and managed. A biomarker is a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological or pathogenic processes, or pharmacological responses to a therapeutic intervention. Natriuretic peptides [B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP] are the gold standard biomarkers in determining the diagnosis and prognosis of HF, and a natriuretic peptide-guided HF management looks promising. In the last few years, an array of additional biomarkers has emerged, each reflecting different pathophysiological processes in the development and progression of HF: myocardial insult, inflammation, fibrosis, and remodelling, but their role in the clinical care of the patient is still partially defined and more studies are needed before to be well validated. Moreover, several new biomarkers have the potential to identify patients with early renal dysfunction and appear to have promise to help the management cardio-renal syndrome. With different biomarkers reflecting HF presence, the various pathways involved in its progression, as well as identifying unique treatment options for HF management, a closer cardiologist-laboratory link, with a multi-biomarker approach to the HF patient, is not far ahead, allowing the unique opportunity for specifically tailoring care to the individual pathological phenotype

Sviluppo di un sensore per l'individuazione real time del fouling in reti di distribuzione dell'acqua potabile

LAUREA MAGISTRALEAl fine di preservare la qualità dell’acqua lungo la rete di distribuzione è necessario un controllo distribuito, entro la stessa, relativo a: (i) formazione di depositi inorganici e (ii) ricrescita batterica. Nel presente lavoro è stato sviluppato un sensore miniaturizzato in cui una fitta maglia di microelettrodi in oro, distanti 10 m, viene impiegata per mappare il segnale di impedenza (da 20 Hz a 2 MHz) e determinare lo spessore del deposito superficiale. Per simulare la formazione del deposito inorganico, gli elettrodi sono stati immersi in differenti volumi (15, 20, 25, 30 mL) di soluzione satura di carbonato di calcio (CaCO3) e introdotti in stufa per 8 ore ad una temperatura di 70°C. Per quanto riguarda invece il deposito biologico, è stato realizzato un Sequencing Batch Reactor, nel quale è stato introdotto fango attivo prelevato dall’impianto di Milano Nosedo, immergendo gli elettrodi al suo interno per differenti tempi di contatto (2, 3, 4 settimane). E’ stata ottenuta una buona correlazione tra il segnale di impedenza e la misura dello spessore, sia nel caso di deposito inorganico, sia in quello biologico. Inoltre, per comprendere in maniera più dettagliata i processi influenzanti la crescita batterica nel sistema di distribuzione di acqua potabile, è stato implementato un modello multicomponente di crescita batterica, adattandone le equazioni cinetiche al comportamento idraulico di un impianto pipe loop a scala pilota. Sono state effettuate simulazioni in differenti scenari per studiare la variazione delle differenti componenti analizzate dal modello (substrato, disinfettante, biomassa sospesa e adesa). Infine è stata effettuata l’analisi di incertezza del modello facendo variare alcuni parametri in ingresso e individuando gli intervalli di variazione delle differenti componenti.One of the greatest challenges in drinking water distribution is the preservation of water quality along the distribution network. This challenge implies the maintaining of chemical and microbiological stability of water, namely the need of local control of (i) deposits of inorganic compounds and (ii) bacterial regrowth. In the present work, an innovative miniaturized sensor was developed to monitor the formation of slime in pipes due to calcium carbonate precipitation and biofilm growth. A set of closely spaced microelectrodes (10μm), employed for impedance mapping (20 Hz-2 MHz), was used to monitor deposits of micrometric thickness. As for scaling, batch experiments were performed submerging electrodes in different volumes (10, 15, 20, 25, 30 mL) of a saturated solution of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) for 8 hours at 70°C. As for biofilm formation, a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) was adopted, inoculated with activated sludge from Milano Nosedo wastewater treatment plant, to create conditions for easy and quick bacteria adhesion on electrode surface. Electrodes have been submerged in the reactor for different contact times (2, 3, 4 weeks). A very good correlation was found between impedance signal and slime thickness of inorganic or biological nature. Furthermore, to investigate bacterial regrowth process in drinking water distribution systems, multicomponent reaction transport model has been implemented adapting kinetic equations to describe the hydraulic behavior of a pilot scale pipe loop. In particular, numerical simulations were carried out at different operating condition to study the variation of system components described by the model: substrate, suspended, and attached biomass. Finally, uncertainty analysis was conducted on the model by varying kinetics input parameters

SmartHeart CABG Edu

The paper reports on the SmartHeart CABG Edu Android app. The app was conceived to be an innovative and up-to-date tool for patient education, the first of its kind in the Italian context. In particular, the app was developed to provide educational material for patients about to undergo Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery, a set of self-assessment tools concerning health status (i.e., BMI calculator, LDL cholesterol calculator and anxiety assessment tool) and usability questionnaires (i.e., SEQ and SUS). The paper initially describes the app, then reports on its evaluation, concerning both the app usability and the pre-operative anxiety, and ends by showing the improvements -- derived from the usability evaluation -- put into practice

Criteria, objectives and methodologies for water network partitioning

Water distribution networks are complex infrastructures characterized by very large dimensions (meshed networks with thousands of nodes) and reduced accessibility (generally they are buried underground). These peculiarities make it particularly difficult to manage and show numerous criticalities; at the same time, water distribution networks represent one of the main subsystems of smart cities. The paradigm “divide et impera” is a valid technique to improve the management and facilitate the maintenance, the water balance estimation, the water leakage detection and the pressures control. On this side, Water network District Metering (WDM), a method developed in England, and already implemented in many countries, represents a modern technique to organize urban water systems, offering new perspectives for design, management and maintenance. The WDM is recommended as one of the best practice to limit the huge amount of dispersed water in urban networks, simplifying water leakage detection, carrying out pressure management, improving water system management and monitoring of district hydraulic data. On this subject, the authors developed a specific software (SWANP 3.0) for water network partitioning that integrates the main optimization algorithms. This paper shows the main aspects of water network partitioning summarizing the principal recently proposed techniques in the literature aimed to find the best partitioning layout from an economic and performance point of view

Parachute emergency landing simulation and enhanced composite material characterization for General Aviation aircraft

General Aviation (GA) aircraft crashworthiness of the vehicle when it hits the ground after the parachute deployment is an important issue. The current dynamic emergency landing regulation (CS 23.562) defines the maximum human tolerant accelerations under both vertical and horizontal directions. This article aims to compare two different aircraft configurations: metal low-wing and composite high-wing ones. Both are two-seats and single-engine GA aircraft. The purpose of the analysis is to check whether the seats and restraint systems met human injury tolerance standards and to determine the possible impact on passengers in the cabin space due to shock loads. Finite element analysis of the fuselage sections for both configurations is performed using the commercial LS-Dyna solver. An extensive campaign of experimental tests has been performed on the composite samples for tuning and validating the model and to find the transition from an undamaged up to totally collapsed sample. The material of the composite fuselage has been characterized through experimental tests. The adopted material model has been refined to match with the performed experimental analysis, allowing high-fidelity modeling. A parametric analysis has been performed to determine the optimal impact angle in terms of lumbar injuries and loads transmitted by the seat belt due to aircraft contact with the ground, thereby increasing the level of safety. The investigations carried out may be an important indicator of the design of the parachute system

Improvement of the outcome of the saphenous vein graft when connected to the internal thoracic artery

Background: Since 2000, we have been grafting the right coronary artery system (RCAs) using the proximal portion of the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) as the inflow of the saphenous vein graft (SVG) to increase the number of patients undergoing beating heart complete myocardial revascularization. Methods: From 2000 to 2022, 928 consecutive patients underwent SVG on the RCAs. In 546 patients (58.8%), the inflow was the RITA (I-graft group), and in 382 patients (41.2%), the inflow was the aorta (Ao-graft group). The inclusion criteria were age ≤75 years, ejection fraction >35%, only one SVG per patient, bilateral internal thoracic arteries as a Y-graft on the left system (three-vessel disease, n = 817, 88.0%) or left internal thoracic artery on the left anterior descending artery and RITA + SVG on the RCAs (two-vessel disease, n = 111, 12.0%). Propensity matching identified 306 patients per group. After a median follow-up of 8 (5–10) years, graft patency was assessed by coronary computed tomographic angiography in 132 patients (64 in the I-graft group and 68 in the Ao-graft group). Results: Early results were similar in both groups. The I-graft group had higher 10-year survival and freedom from main adverse cardiac events (90.0 ± 2.0 vs. 80.6 ± 3.8, p = 0.0162, and 81.3 ± 2.7 vs. 64.7 ± 5.6, p = 0.0206, respectively). When RITA was the inflow, SVG had a higher estimated 10-year patency rate (82.8% ± 6.5 vs. 58.8% ± 7.4, p = 0.0026) and a smaller inner lumen diameter (2.7 ± 0.4 vs. 3.4 ± 0.6 mm, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: When the inflow is the RITA, SVG grafted to the RCAs (I-graft) may result in a higher patency rate and better outcome than when the inflow is the ascending aorta (Ao-graft). The continuous supply of nitric oxide by RITA may be the cause of the higher patency rate of the I-graft, which can behave like an arterial conduit