830 research outputs found
Apocalittici e sfigati. Appunti sul mito (che fu) Fantozzi
No full textIl testo analizza il fenomeno Fantozzi dal punto di vista della nascita del mito popolare contemporaneo: un fenomeno di massa eppure di ricerca artistica, letteraria e cinematografica. Il testo approfondisce il ruolo dell'editor Rizzoli Sergio Pautasso, l'analogia con i "nuovi miti e nuovi riti" coniati da Gillo Dorfles, la rediviva creazione del "doppio" espressionista e la reincarnazione di eroi mitici antichi come Sisifo
Are there any limits for laparoscopy in splenomegaly? Our experience
No full textLaparoscopic splenectomy in the case of massive or supermassive splenomegaly has been associated with higher conversion rates and morbidity. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of laparoscopic splenectomy for massive spleens and to identify if there are limits beyond which the laparoscopic approach is not recommended in massive and supermassive spleens. This is a retrospective study of 93 consecutive laparoscopic splenectomies in adult patients performed by a single surgeon, from January 2008 to December 2017. The data collected included the patient’s age, sex, ASA, spleen weight, volume and dimension, type of disease, hospital stay, surgical technique, operative time. Median splenic weight was 400 g (range 65–3800 g) and median volume was 1365 cc (range 600–3800). Median operative time was 120 min and the overall conversion rate was 5.4%. Globally, 52 patients (55.9%) had a normal-weight spleen, 25 (26.9%) had massive and 16 (17.2%) had supermassive splenomegaly. In splenomegaly group (n = 41), patient’s age, percentage of malignant diagnosis, spleen weight, anteroposterior (AP), medio-lateral (ML) and craniocaudal (CC) diameter, surgical time and conversion rate were significantly higher compared to normal-weight spleen patients. None of the normal-weight spleen patients underwent open conversion, while 5 patients among 41 splenomegalic cases underwent laparotomic conversion (12.2%). Comparing massive and super-massive patients, the latter showed longer operative time and hospital length of stay, and higher conversion rate. We identified as significant cut-off limits for higher conversion risk a spleen weight ≥ 1300 g and a spleen CC diameter ≥ 22 cm. In our experience laparoscopy was the gold standard in the case of spleen weight and diameter equal to or less than 1300 g and 22 cm, but it was safe and feasible also in the case of larger spleens, taking into account the greater risk of conversion
Unusual clinical presentation of Mycobacterium fortuitum infection in an immunocompetent woman
No full textThe Mycobacterium fortuitum group of rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacteria is an uncommon cause
of renal infection, particularly in otherwise healthy hosts. We describe a case of nephritis due to M. fortuitum
in an immunocompetent woman with a clinical and radiological diagnosis of renal tuberculosis
Criteria and algorithms for constructing reliable databases for statistical analysis of disruptions at ASDEX Upgrade
No full textThe present understanding of disruption physics has not gone so far as to provide a mathematical model describing the onset of this instability. A disruption prediction system, based on a statistical analysis of the diagnostic signals recorded during the experiments, would allow estimating the probability of a disruption to take place. A crucial point for a good design of such a prediction system is the appropriateness of the data set. This paper reports the details of the database built to train a disruption predictor based on neural networks for ASDEX Upgrade. The criteria of pulses selection, the analyses performed on plasma parameters and the implemented pre-processing algorithms, are described. As an example of application, a short description of the disruption predictor is reported
Usefulness of modular neck adapter in partial hip revision
No full textBackground and Objective: Modular neck adapters allow different length and offset changes to reach a stable total hip arthroplasty (THA) and permit a quick partial hip revision procedure without removing the existing components. The literature is poor on this matter and about the long-term related outcomes. This narrative review summarizes the most recent literature about these devices as an option of surgical treatment in partial total hip arthroplasty revision (THAr) focusing on indications, clinical and radiological outcomes, and related complications.Methods: The narrative review of the current available literature was conducted in December 2022 through electronic database. The terms used were: "Head neck taper" OR "Merete BioBall" AND "revision Total Hip Arthroplasty (MeSH Terms)". The timeframe was limited between 01/01/2000 and 01/12/2022. The studies regarding the clinical use of the Merete BioBall & REG; system in hip revision surgery were included, while all the papers concerning modular stem prosthesis were excluded.Key Content and Findings: The surgical procedure is safe, quick and allows the surgeon to correct a well-fixed stem version, length and offset, besides retensioning soft tissues. Clinical and radiological outcomes are good with low complications rates.Conclusions: The modular neck adapter system seems to be a good surgical procedure for recurrent dislocation of THA, especially in case of a second THAr surgery. However, the main indication of adapter use remains the isolated acetabular cup revision. The related complications are rare: the worst is the re-dislocation due to an insufficient stem version and length correction. Re-dislocation rates reported in literature vary from 5.2% to 15%. Corrosion or fretting of the modular system are not reported in literature
An adaptive real-time disruption predictor for ASDEX Upgrade
No full textIn this paper, a neural predictor has been built using plasma discharges selected from two years of ASDEX Upgrade experiments, from July 2002 to July 2004. In order to test the real-time prediction capability of the system, its performance has been evaluated using discharges coming from different experimental campaigns, from June 2005 to July 2007. All disruptions that occurred in the chosen experimental campaigns were included with the exception of those occurring in the ramp-up phase, in the ramp-down phase (if the disruption does not happen in the first 100 ms), those caused by massive gas injection and disruptions following vertical displacement events. The large majority of selected disruptions are of the cooling edge type and typically preceded by the growth of tearing modes, degradation of the thermal confinement and enhanced plasma radiation. A very small percentage of them happen at large beta after a short precursor phase. For each discharge, seven plasma diagnostic signals have been selected from numerous signals available in real-time. During the training procedure, a self-organizing map has been used to reduce the database size in order to improve the training of the neural network. Moreover, an optimization procedure has been performed to discriminate between safe and pre-disruptive phases. The prediction success rate has been further improved, performing an adaptive training of the network whenever a missed alarm is triggered by the predictor
Optimizing the calibration of a turbocharged GDI engine through numerical simulation and direct optimization
No full textDifferent optimization strategies for the optimization of the calibration of a turbocharged GDI engine through numerical simulation were analyzed, aiming to evaluate the opportunities offered by direct optimization techniques.
A one-dimensional fluid dynamic engine model was used to predict engine performance, taking into account knock and exhaust temperature constraints.
Air fuel ratio, spark advance, boost pressure and cam phasing were optimized by means of different optimization strategies, including direct search as well as numerical methods.
Both full load (with maximum bmep targets) and part load (with minimum bsfc targets) were considered.
The potential for remarkable improvements (up to 10% bmep increase at full load and 8 g/kWh bsfc decrease at part load) in comparison with the baseline engine calibration was highlighted, and a ranking between different optimization methods was obtained, based on the requested computational efforts and on their capabilities to handle constrained optimization problems
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