Search results for "Utilization"

Field-portable Mössbauer spectroscopy on Earth, the Moon, Mars, and beyond

2011

ABSTRACT Iron occurs naturally as Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ , and, to a lesser extent, as Fe 0 . Many fundamental (bio)geochemical processes are based on redox cycling between these oxidation states. Mossbauer spectroscopy provides quantitative information about the distribution of Fe among its oxidation states, identification of Fe-bearing phases, and relative distribution of Fe among those phases. Portable, miniaturised Mossbauer spectrometers were developed for NASA9s Mars Exploration Rovers (in operation since 2004) and provide a means for non-destructive, in-situ field investigations. On Mars, these instruments provided evidence for aqueous activity with implications for habitability, were applied…

The environmental product declaration EPD with a particular application to a solar thermal collector

2003

The principles of sustainable development and of Integrated Product Policy are applied in new voluntary regulations, which have been internationally agree. The aim is to grant transparency of environmental information and to promote the diffusion of environmentally friendly products. A new tool under study is the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), a technical paper annexed to products that synthesises their energy and environmental performances. This paper points out the reasons for developing EPD for the energy sector, and puts special focus upon renewable energy systems, products whose environmental performances are often not clearly defined. We describe how results of a LCA upon a …

Surgeon volume and hospital volume in endocrine neck surgery: how many procedures are needed for reaching a safety level and acceptable costs? A syst…

2018

The relationship between quality of care and provider's experience is well known in all fields of surgery. Even in thyroidectomies and parathyroidectomies, the emphasis on positive volume-outcome relationships is believed. It led us to an evaluation of volume activity's impact in terms of quality of care. A systematic narrative review was performed. According to the PRISMA criteria, we selected 87 paper and, after the study selection was performed, 22 studies were finally included in this review. All articles included were unanimous in attributing to activity volume of surgeons as well as centers a substantial importance. Some differences in outcomes between these investigated categories ha…

Predictive factors of response to mTOR inhibitors in neuroendocrine tumours

2016

Medical treatment of neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) has drawn a lot of attention due to the recent demonstration of efficacy of several drugs on progression-free survival, including somatostatin analogs, small tyrosine kinase inhibitors and mTOR inhibitors (or rapalogs). The latter are approved as therapeutic agents in advanced pancreatic NETs and have been demonstrated to be effective in different types of NETs, with variable efficacy due to the development of resistance to treatment. Early detection of patients that may benefit from rapalogs treatment is of paramount importance in order to select the better treatment and avoid ineffective and expensive treatments. Predictive markers for th…

A hierarchic approach to production planning and scheduling of a flexible manufacturing system

1999

Abstract The paper deals with the problem of improving the machine utilization of a flexible manufacturing cell. Limited tool magazine space of the machines turns out to be a relevant bottleneck. A hierarchic approach for this problem is proposed. At the upper level, sets of parts that can be concurrently processed (batches) are determined. At the lower levels, batches are sequenced, linked, and scheduled. Methods taken from the literature are used for the solution of the latter subproblems, and an original mixed integer programming model is formulated to determine batches. The proposed methods are discussed on the basis of computational experience carried out on real instances.

Antimicrobial consumption and antimicrobial resistance: A snapshot of an Italian neuromuscular rehabilitation center

2017

The paper presents a snapshot of the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms and antimicrobial consumption in an Italian rehabilitation center over a two-year period (2014-2015). Data on microorganism identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were obtained from the diagnostic laboratory of the hospital. A set of indicators was assessed, including the incidence density of resistant isolates per 1000 patient-days (IDRI). Data on antimicrobial consumption, semi-annually, obtained from the hospital pharmacy, were expressed as Defined Daily Dose (DDD) per 1000 patient-days. The most frequently isolated microorganism was Klebsiella pneumoniae (19.3%), and a significant i…

A data analysis approach to evaluate the impact of the capacity utilization on the energy consumption of wastewater treatment plants

2019

Abstract The reduction of energy consumption in Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) is a challenge for the scientific community and for the public authorities. A source of excessive energy cost is the mismatching between operational and design inflow (i.e. capacity utilization): this issue is very relevant above all in areas with high demographic seasonality. Consequently, it is really important to have operational decision criteria to evaluate the impact of a low capacity utilization on energy consumption. In order to provide the scientific community and the plant managers with an adequate criterion, we propose a user-friendly methodology to identify critical conditions of capacity utiliz…

Proteomics highlights metabolic changes associated with n-hexadecane utilization in a Streptomyces coelicolor engineered strain.

2011

Use of Fe and Al containing electrocoagulation sludge as an adsorbent and a catalyst in water treatment

2023

In this study, three different electrocoagulation (EC) sludges were studied as an adsorbent (removal of humic acids) and as a catalyst [catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of bisphenol A (BPA)]. The sludges originated from electrocoagulation process in which aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) electrodes were used for the treatment of mining industry wastewater. All the materials were used as dried sludge and calcined material. The stability of these materials was studied in neutral and alkaline conditions with analysis of the leached iron content in solution. Based on the EC sludge characterization with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and diffuse-reflectance infrared Four…

Dementia, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and the use of psychotropic drugs among older people who receive domiciliary care: a cross-sectional study.

2013

ABSTRACTBackground:The objective of this study was to (a) determine the prevalence of cognitive impairment, dementia, and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) among home-dwelling people, 70 years and older (70+ years), who receive domiciliary care, and (b) describe their use of psychotropic drugs. Few studies have investigated dementia among people receiving in-home care.Methods:A sample (N = 1,000) representative of people aged 70+ years receiving domiciliary care was randomly recruited for participation. A standardized interview with the participants and their next of kin were performed using well-established assessment scales. Two clinical experts independently diagnosed dementia according t…