Search results for "Equipment"
showing 10 items of 1271 documents
Tonometers and infectious risk: myth or reality? Efficacy of different disinfection regimens on tonometer tips
2006
Purpose To evaluate the adequacy of common disinfection regimens for disposable tonometer tips and assess if disinfection of reusable prisms or the use of disposable tips is preferable. Methods We used disposable tonometer tips, using the same material and tip diameter of standard Goldmann tonometer prism. Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans were tested according to the European standard guidelines for disinfectants test. Antimicrobial effectiveness of the following disinfection practices has been assessed: dry wipe, Minuten wipes (Alpros), soaking in 3% hydrogen peroxide, 0.5% benzalkonium chloride, and 0.5% Pantasepts for 1, 5, …
Photonic fractional Fourier transformer with a single dispersive device
2013
In this work we used the temporal analog of spatial Fresnel diffraction to design a temporal fractional Fourier transformer with a single dispersive device, in this way avoiding the use of quadratic phase modulators. We demonstrate that a single dispersive passive device inherently provides the fractional Fourier transform of an incident optical pulse. The relationships linking the fractional Fourier transform order and scaling factor with the dispersion parameters are derived. We first provide some numerical results in order to prove the validity of our proposal, using a fiber Bragg grating as the dispersive device. Next, we experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of this proposal by us…
Baseline design of the filters for the LAD detector on board LOFT
2014
The Large Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT) was one of the M3 missions selected for the phase A study in the ESA's Cosmic Vision program. LOFT is designed to perform high-time-resolution X-ray observations of black holes and neutron stars. The main instrument on the LOFT payload is the Large Area Detector (LAD), a collimated experiment with a nominal effective area of ~10 m 2 @ 8 keV, and a spectral resolution of ~240 eV in the energy band 2-30 keV. These performances are achieved covering a large collecting area with more than 2000 large-area Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs) each one coupled to a collimator based on lead-glass micro-channel plates. In order to reduce the thermal load onto …
Protein delivery based on uncoated and chitosan-coated mesoporous silicon microparticles
2011
Mesoporous silicon is a biocompatible, biodegradable material that is receiving increased attention for pharmaceutical applications due to its extensive specific surface. This feature enables to load a variety of drugs in mesoporous silicon devices by simple adsorption-based procedures. In this work, we have addressed the fabrication and characterization of two new mesoporous silicon devices prepared by electrochemistry and intended for protein delivery, namely: (i) mesoporous silicon microparticles and (ii) chitosan-coated mesoporous silicon microparticles. Both carriers were investigated for their capacity to load a therapeutic protein (insulin) and a model antigen (bovine serum albumin) …
Timing performance of the silicon PET insert probe
2010
Simulation indicates that PET image could be improved by upgrading a conventional ring with a probe placed close to the imaged object. In this paper, timing issues related to a PET probe using high-resistivity silicon as a detector material are addressed. The final probe will consist of several (four to eight) 1-mm thick layers of silicon detectors, segmented into 1 x 1 mm(2) pads, each pad equivalent to an independent p + nn+ diode. A proper matching of events in silicon with events of the external ring can be achieved with a good timing resolution. To estimate the timing performance, measurements were performed on a simplified model probe, consisting of a single 1-mm thick detector with 2…
The Cryogenic AntiCoincidence detector for ATHENA: the progress towards the final pixel design
2014
“The Hot and Energetic Universe” is the scientific theme approved by the ESA SPC for a Large mission to be flown in the next ESA slot (2028th) timeframe. ATHENA is a space mission proposal tailored on this scientific theme. It will be the first X-ray mission able to perform the so-called “Integral field spectroscopy”, by coupling a high-resolution spectrometer, the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU), to a high performance optics so providing detailed images of its field of view (5’ in diameter) with an angular resolution of 5” and fine energy-spectra (2.5eV@E<7keV). The X-IFU is a kilo-pixel array based on TES (Transition Edge Sensor) microcalorimeters providing high resolution spectroscopy …
Differentiating Multiple Sclerosis From AQP4-Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder and MOG-Antibody Disease With Imaging.
2023
Background and ObjectivesRelapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), aquaporin-4 antibody–positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4-NMOSD), and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody–associated disease (MOGAD) may have overlapping clinical features. There is an unmet need for imaging markers that differentiate between them when serologic testing is unavailable or ambiguous. We assessed whether imaging characteristics typical of MS discriminate RRMS from AQP4-NMOSD and MOGAD, alone and in combination.MethodsAdult, nonacute patients with RRMS, APQ4-NMOSD, and MOGAD and healthy controls were prospectively recruited at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (L…
Dosimetry comparison between TG-43 and Monte Carlo calculations using the Freiburg flap for skin high-dose-rate brachytherapy
2012
Abstract Purpose The purpose of this work was to evaluate whether the delivered dose to the skin surface and at the prescription depth when using a Freiburg flap applicator is in agreement with the one predicted by the treatment planning system (TPS) using the TG-43 dose-calculation formalism. Methods and Materials Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and radiochromic film measurements have been performed to obtain dose distributions with the source located at the center of one of the spheres and between two spheres. Primary and scatter dose contributions were evaluated to understand the role played by the scatter component. A standard treatment plan was generated using MC- and TG-43-based TPS appl…
EmoTIC: Impact of a game-based social-emotional programme on adolescents
2021
[EN] Introduction Technologies provide a brilliant opportunity to promote social-emotional competences, well-being and adjustment in adolescence. Game-based programmes and serious games are digital tools that pursue an educational goal in an attractive environment for adolescents. The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the effectiveness of emoTIC, a game-based social-emotional programme designed according to Mayer, Caruso, and Salovey's model of emotional intelligence. Materials and methods The participants were 119 adolescents between 11 and 15 years, randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. The adolescents completed questionnaires to assess their em…
Novel approach to study the perception of animacy in dogs.
2017
Humans tend to perceive inanimate objects as animate based on simple motion cues. So far this perceptual bias has been studied mostly in humans by utilizing two-dimensional video and interactive displays. Considering its importance for survival, the perception of animacy is probably also widespread among animals, however two-dimensional displays are not necessarily the best approach to study the phenomenon in non-human species. Here we applied a novel method to study whether dogs recognize a dependent (chasing-like) movement pattern performed by inanimate agents in live demonstration. We found that dogs showed more interest toward the agents that demonstrated the chasing-like motion, compar…