261 research outputs found
Modelling and simulation of direct steam injection for tomato concentrate sterilization
No full textDirect steam injection (DSI) is a sterilization technique which is often used for high viscosity fluid food when the preservation of the quality characteristics and energy efficiency are the priority. In this work an apparatus for the sterilization of tomato concentrate has been analyzed by means of multidimensional CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) models, in order to optimize the quality and safety of the treated food. A multidimensional two-phase model of steam injection inside a non-newtonian pseudoplastic fluid was adopted to evaluate the thermal history of the product and the steam consumption during the target process. Subsequently CFD analysis has been extended to examine the effects of the different process parameters (sterilization temperature, steam flow rate, radial and axial temperature profiles, nozzle geometry) on the resulting product. Result obtained are in agreement with available data acquired in industrial plant
A normative study of a shorter version of Raven's progressive matrices 1938
No full textA shorter four-set (A, B, C, D) version of Raven's progressive matrices 1938 (PM38) has gained increasing use in neuropsychological assessment. No normative data spanning across a wide age range are, however, available. This study collected norms for the shorter version of PM38, established an inferential cut-off value and derived equivalent scores in a sample of 248 individuals from 20 to 89 years of age, evenly distributed across sex, age and education levels. Results showed significant effects of age and education but no effect of sex on performance. These normative data will complement existing norms for other tests, will increase the wealth of neuropsychological tools for which normative data are available for the Italian population, and may be useful in the early detection of individuals at risk of developing dementia
Computer laboratory: The key to access the electronic databases in learning evidence-based practice
No full textThe Evidence-Based Practice can be defined as the integration of the best available research evidence with information related to patient preferences, the level of competence of clinicians, and the resources available to make decisions related to patient care. Skills in using computers and interrogating electronic resources are among one the most important barriers to using the Evidence-Based Practice process. The Nursing Degree Course of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, seat of Reggio Emilia, included in the study plan a three-year Evidence-Based Practice laboratory for to develop skills related to the ability to use electronic health resources available on the web. This study describe the nursing students’ perception relative to their skills about the use of computer lab for research of scientific evidence in electronic databases learned during the laboratory’s three-year Evidence-Based Practice. The sample is composed of 164 students attending the third year of the Nursing Degree Course in Reggio Emilia. The data collection tool was used is the Italian version of Evidence Based Practice Competence Questionnaire. A high percentage of students believe they are able to formulate structured clinical questions using the PICO methodology and more than half of the sample feels they are able to perform research on scientific evidence in a structured and systematic way on the main databases. The nursing students’ perception relative to their skills about the use of the computer lab for the research of scientific evidence in electronic databases learned during the laboratory’s three-year EBP, are positive
Health prevention for the aging population in smart cities: The City4Age project
No full textCity4Age is a research project co-funded by the European Commission as part of the H2020 Programme. Data from smart cities and sensors and other sources, are utilized for the prevention of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and frailty of aged people. Data are "interpreted" to understand behavior and behavior changes, identifying decaying and possibly risky situations. Highly individualized messages are used to "persuade" individuals to healthier behaviors, as a background action or triggered by worrying detection data. The solutions developed by the project (data modeling, the tools, the databases, etc.) are general, so that they could be reused for different segments of population and for different purposes
From HazOp study to automatic construction of cause consequence diagrams for frequency calculation of hazardous plant states
No full textQuantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) is a complex task performed to quantify and minimize the hazards associated with the operation of potentially dangerous installations. The QRA procedure can be subdivided into four main phases: 1) hazards identification; 2) frequency estimation; 3) accident consequence evaluation; 4) individual and societal risk calculation. This paper focuses on the first two phases. Hazard identification represents a fundamental activity: not identified hazards will remain hidden until the occurrence of the related accidents. Among the various available methodologies, HazOp is considered in this work. Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is then applied to probabilistically quantify the hazardous states frequency to support decisions making on risk reduction. Unfortunately, FTA is a time consuming task, because of the general difficulty of extracting the necessary information from HazOp modules. To make FTA less expensive, the Recursive Operability Analysis (ROA) was defined. ROA is based on a procedure which allows collecting plant perturbations data in a structured way. At the end of the HazOp study, it is possible to systematically (automatically) construct all fault trees of interest. Following a critical study of ROA, some aspects have been improved, whereas for others alternative solutions have been defined. A new procedure, called ROA-CCD (Recursive Operability Analysis-Cause Consequence Diagrams), has been set up. The description of the ROA-CCD procedure, together with an example of application, makes up the content of this paper
Reconstruction of lateral through and through oro-mandibular defects following oncological resections.
No full textBACKGROUND:
Resections of oromandibular squamous cell carcinoma involving lateral mandible, oral cavity, and the skin, lead to composite oromandibular defects that can be approached in several ways depending on the extension of the bone defect, of the soft tissue and cutaneous resection, the patient's general status and the prognosis. Purpose of the study is to evaluate retrospectively functional and esthetic outcome obtained with different reconstructive technique employed.
METHODS:
A retrospective evaluation of 42 patients has been performed. The study population consisted of 24 males (57.1%) and 18 females (42.9%), ranging in age from 25 to 81 years (mean, 62.6 years). The primary location of the tumor was the mandibular alveolar crest (18 cases), retromolar trigon (9), floor of the mouth (8), cheek (5), and oral commissure (2). For reconstruction a single free flap technique was used eight times; a double free flap technique, seven times; free and locoregional flap association, 25 times; and a single locoregional flap and two associated locoregional flaps, one time each. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 12 to 144 months. Final results were evaluated with regards to deglutition, speech, oral competence, and esthetic outcome.
RESULTS:
When free bone-containing flaps or two free flaps technique were used, the functional results were better (normal diet, 67%-71%; good oral competence, 100%-71%; good or intelligible speech, 100%-86%). When free and locoregional flap association was chosen, the esthetic results were best (excellent, 76%; acceptable 24%; poor 0%). The worst results were obtained with the use of a single free soft tissue flap and with the use of single or double locoregional flap technique.
CONCLUSION:
Bone reconstruction of the lateral mandible is indicated whenever possible. In elderly or poor prognosis patients acceptable results can be achieved with free soft tissue flaps techniques. When the defect involves different structures of the oral cavity, the best results are provided by the association of two free flaps. Finally, the association of free and locoregional flaps is a good option for external coverage reconstructio
Effectiveness of a multi-stage biofilter approach at pilot scale to remove odor and VOCs
No full textThis paper describes an experience conducted to evaluate the performances of a multi-stage approach using a biofiltration process applied to treat exhaust air. In particular, the experimentation was carried out using a pilot plant for the biofiltration of exhaust air from a solid recovered fuel drying process treating the dry fraction of municipal solid waste. Such exhaust streams are characterized by low concentrations of volatile organic compounds and high presence of odorous compounds, such as H2S and NH3. The adopted layout for the experimentation was a multi-stage plant. Each of the two stages (biotrickling filters) used seashells as packing material. In particular, the choice of seashell was defined after the evaluation of the hydrodynamic behavior of different packing materials at the same running conditions. Moreover, some velocity measurements were conducted with the aim at improving the geometry of the reactors and the fan sizing. The multi-stage biofiltration performances indicate that the solutions are suitable as well as applicable for use in industrial plants
Donor site morbidity using the buccinator myomucosal island flap.
No full textOBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze our experience with donor site morbidity after harvesting a buccinator myomucosal island flap (BUMIF) for reconstructing surgical defects involving the tongue and floor of the mouth after oncological resections in 15 consecutive patients.
STUDY DESIGN: Donor site morbidity was evaluated using 5 parameters: mouth opening, oral commissure symmetry, inner vestibule restoration, cheek mucosal lining, and the esthetic result. The clinical evaluation was performed by a blinded panel of 2 clinicians and the patient him- or herself, assessing each parameter with a score ranging from 0 to 3. The 3 scores for each parameter were summed to obtain a score reflecting the overall parameter assessment.
RESULTS: The mean mouth opening score was 8.6 out of a maximum of 9 (range, 6-9). The mean commissure symmetry was 8.6 (range, 7-9), the mean inferior vestibule score was 8 (range, 6-9), the mean cheek lining score was 8.2 (range, 7-9), and the mean final esthetic score was 8.5 (range, 6-9).
CONCLUSION: The results of this retrospective evaluation demonstrate that when special care is taken in the management of the BUMIF donor site, its morbidity is extremely low, allowing optimal functional and cosmetic results and confirming the major role of this flap in reconstructing moderate-size defects following tongue and floor of the mouth resection
Effects of the mean particle size in the deflagration index estimation for cornstarch dust
Get PDFThe National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) defines the dust explosions as a “credible risk”. Hence, to meet the challenge to prevent and protect from the catastrophic effects of these phenomena, it is fundamental to know what are the characteristics and the burning conditions regarding the combustible dusts that could have an effect on the explosion violence. The KSt, also known as deflagration index, is one of the relevant parameters in dust explosions, together with the maximum explosion overpressure generated in the test chamber, the minimumignition energy and so on. In particular, the deflagration index measures the relative explosion severity and it is used in the design of the dust venting protection equipment. However, one of the criticalities of such a parameter is that is strongly affected by the particle mean diameter. Hence, in the following, it will be preliminary presented the validation of a single particle spherical model able to predict the variation of the deflagration index with the increasing mean particle size knowing just one experimental KSt value
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