Search results for "Advanced"
showing 10 items of 750 documents
Harmonic Balance Method and Stability of Discontinuous Systems
2019
The development of the theory of discontinuous dynamical systems and differential inclusions was not only due to research in the field of abstract mathematics but also a result of studies of particular problems in mechanics. One of first methods, used for the analysis of dynamics in discontinuous mechanical systems, was the harmonic balance method developed in the thirties of the 20th century. In our work the results of analysis obtained by the method of harmonic balance, which is an approximate method, are compared with the results obtained by rigorous mathematical methods and numerical simulation. peerReviewed
PQ Metrics Implementation on Low Cost Smart Metering Platforms. A Case Study Analysis
2018
The increasing interest on the quality of the energy supplied and generated in distribution networks is raising the need of distributed power quality (PQ) measurements. To allow such capabilities with cost effective metering solutions, this paper wants to investigate the feasibility of using smart meters, already installed for energy billing, also for power quality monitoring. To this aim, an electronic board (based on STCOMET metrology device), already used in many energy meters of different countries, has been selected as case study platform. The manufacturer firmware of this board was essentially aimed at implementing energy meter metrics and power line communications functionalities. In…
Image Mean Square Displacement analysis: a new method to study protein diffusion in cell membranes
2017
The image mean square displacement...
Removal of selected antibiotics and antiretroviral drugs during post‐treatment of municipal wastewater with UV, UV/chlorine and UV/hydrogen peroxide
2020
Active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are only partially removed by convectional wastewater treatment plants. This study aimed at assessing the post‐treatment degradation of selected antibiotics and antiretroviral drugs by direct UV photolysis and advanced oxidation processes (UV/H2O2 and UV/Cl2) using low‐pressure mercury lamp. The rate of degradation largely followed pseudo first‐order reaction kinetics. Amongst the six studied APIs, sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin and zidovudine were readily degraded by more than 90% using direct UV photolysis. Addition of Cl2 and H2O2 to the UV process led to an increase in the rate of degradation for all the compounds. The effectiveness UV/Cl2 proce…
Ibuprofen degradation using a Co-doped carbon matrix derived from peat as a peroxymonosulphate activator
2021
The wider presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in nature is a major cause for concern in society. Among pharmaceuticals, the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen has commonly been found in aquatic and soil environments. We produced a Co-doped carbon matrix (Co-P 850) through the carbonization of Co2+ saturated peat and used it as a peroxymonosulphate activator to aid ibuprofen degradation. The properties of Co-P 850 were analysed using field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy filtered transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The characterization results showed that Co/Fe oxides were generated and tightly embedded into the carbon matrix …
Protein-membrane interaction: insights from advanced microscopy
2017
The interaction between proteins and membranes is sub ject of renewed interest in biomedical and biotechnologi cal research for its implication in many functional and dys functional processes and for its pharmaceutical applications. It has been shown that the interaction between amyloido genic proteins and membranes results in mutually destruc tive structural perturbations. The study we present is focused on the interaction between synthetic model membranes and alpha-lactalbumin (α-La), widely studied for its biolog ical function since it can induce apoptosis in tumor cells. Upon α-La addition to giant vesicles (GVs) samples, the sys tem has been characterized by means of spectroscopy meth …
Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib or sorafenib in non-viral unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: an international propensity score ma…
2022
Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) might benefit less from immunotherapy. Materials and methods: We carried out a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from consecutive patients with non-viral advanced HCC, treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, lenvatinib, or sorafenib, in 36 centers in 4 countries (Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, and UK). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib. Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus lenvatinib, and OS and PFS with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab versus soraf…
Search for intermediate mass black hole binaries in the first and second observing runs of the Advanced LIGO and Virgo network
2019
Gravitational wave astronomy has been firmly established with the detection of gravitational waves from the merger of ten stellar mass binary black holes and a neutron star binary. This paper reports on the all-sky search for gravitational waves from intermediate mass black hole binaries in the first and second observing runs of the Advanced LIGO and Virgo network. The search uses three independent algorithms: two based on matched filtering of the data with waveform templates of gravitational wave signals from compact binaries, and a third, model-independent algorithm that employs no signal model for the incoming signal. No intermediate mass black hole binary event was detected in this sear…
Neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced unresectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer: oncological outcomes at a single academic centre.
2020
INTRODUCTION: Pancreatic cancer (PC), even in the absence of metastatic disease, has a dismal prognosis. One-third of them are borderline resectable (BRPC) or locally advanced unresectable PC (LAUPC) at diagnosis. There are limited prospective data supporting the best approach on these tumours. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (ChT) is being increasingly used in this setting. METHODS: This is a retrospective series of consecutive patients staged as BRPC or LAUPC after discussion in the multidisciplinary board (MDB) at an academic centre. All received neoadjuvant ChT, followed by chemoradiation (ChRT) in some cases, and those achieving enough downstaging had a curative-intent surgery. Descriptive da…
An Original Approach to Active Climate Control Based on Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC) as Set Point in a Middle-Age Building in Palermo, Italy
2019
In the frame of a more sustainable approach to climate control, a long term strategy has been developed and is under advanced phase of implementation by technical staff of the University of Palermo in an important building, Palazzo Steri, owned by the University. The monumental room under climate control, the Sala dei Baroni (also known as Sala Magna), has a precious wooden ceiling where the previously loadbearing elements are covered with wooden painted panels. Many of them, painted in the fourteenth c, underwent important restorations in the past due to climate related damage (cracks, warpings, paint layer delamination) and biological infestations. The room is currently undergoing an impo…