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Abstract: In-flame measurements of temperature and major species are realized with intrusive probes in a laboratory scale furnace working in diluted combustion. The shape and the position of the reaction zone are experimentally identified from the distribution of temperature and carbon monoxide in a particular symmetry plane. For this purpose, two probes were designed: the sampling probe, to measure species content of the gas sample and the suction pyrometer, for the temperature. The first is completely cooled to quench the reaction, but the second is just partly cooled for handling. However, as both probes take gas sample, the species content is available in either case. Consequently the suction pyrometer can be used to measure simultaneously temperature and species, reducing by half the length of the experimental campaign. Comparing species contents on a non-reactive mixture, it has been observed that the spatial averaging is the same with both probes. The perturbation of the flow is assessed thanks to a CFD modeling of the furnace including the probe. Even if it is significant – the differences between the computed values and the measurements are about 3–4 times the measurement error – the position and the value of the maximum is well captured as well as the opening of the jet. However, the species contents measured within a reactive mixture differ significantly. For a stable regime, the levels and the distribution of CO are similar with both probes, but the gradients at the border of the reaction zone are sharper with the suction pyrometer. For another regime, for which the reaction zone is lifted and less stable, the fields of species are completely different following the probe used. A chemical kinetic modeling has shown that the reaction inside the non-cooled part of the suction pyrometer is promoted when it is placed in particular region. The use of the suction pyrometer as sampling probe inside a reaction zone should therefore be avoided even in diluted combustion. The error made on the fields of species cannot be quantified to be taken into account a posteriori, because in certain conditions the results are completely unrealistic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An experimental study was performed on a 200 kW natural gas furnace, equipped with a self-regenerative burner working in the diluted combustion mode (flameless oxidation). In-flame temperature and species concentration measurements and UV imaging were used in order to get more detailed information on the characteristics of this combustion process: low NOx emission and uniformity of heat transfer (location and extension of the reaction zone).The commercial CFD code FLUENT is used to model the furnace with some of the combustion models available. The validation of those models, based on the comparison of experimental profiles of temperature and main species, is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia is the property of Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia is the property of Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia is the property of Giornale Italiano di Medicina del Lavoro ed Ergonomia Editorial Board and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Aircraft noise may cause several non-auditory health effects, including annoyance, sleep disorders, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and impaired cognitive skills in children., Objectives: To perform a cross-sectional study among adult residents near the Orio al Serio International Airport (BGY), Italy to investigate the association between aircraft noise, annoyance, sleep disorders, blood pressure levels, and prevalence of hypertension., Methods: Residential addresses of subjects aged 45-70 years were geocoded and classified in three groups according to noise levels: <60 (Reference), 60-65 (Zone A), and 65-75 dBA (Zone B). A sample of subjects was invited to undergo a personal interview and blood pressure measurements. Multiple linear and robust Poisson regression models were used to analyze quantitative and categorical variables, respectively., Results: Between June and September 2013, we enrolled 400 subjects (166 in the Reference Zone, 164 in Zone A, and 70 in Zone B). Compared to the Reference Zone, we found elevated adjusted annoyance scores (day and night) in Zone A (+2.7) and Zone B (+4.0) (p<0.001) and about doubled proportions of severely annoyed subjects (p<0.001). Reported sleep disorders in the previous month were also more frequent in Zones A and B. Sleep disorders in general were 19.9% in the Reference Zone, 29.9% in Zone A, and 35.7% in Zone B (p<0.001)., Conclusions: We found a strong association between aircraft noise levels, annoyance, and sleep disorders among adult residents near the Orio al Serio International Airport. We found no relationship with blood pressure levels and prevalence of hypertension.

Introduction: Patient safety and quality in healthcare are inseparable. Examining patient safety culture in staff members contributes to further develop quality in healthcare. In Italy there has been some experience in assessing patient safety culture in staff working in hospital. In this pilot study we explored patient safety culture in public health staff working in Italian Local Health Authorities., Methods: We carried out a descriptive cross sectional study in four Italian territorial Prevention facilities in Northern Italy. We administrated an adapted Italian version of the US Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture to all the staff within these facilities. The survey consisted of 10 dimensions based on 33 items, according to the results of a previous psychometric validation., Results: Seventy per cent of the staff responded to the survey (N = 479). Overall, six out of the 10 dimensions exhibited composite scores of positive response frequency for patient safety culture below 50%. While "communication openness" (65%) was the most developed factor, "teamwork across Units" (37%) was the least developed. The work areas with the highest composite scores were Management and the Public Health Laboratory, while in terms of professional categories, Physicians had the highest scores. Patient safety culture in the staff participating in this study was lower than in hospital staff., Discussion: Our descriptive cross sectional study is the first to be carried out in Preventive medicine settings in Italy. It has clearly indicated the need of improvement. Consequently, several interventions with this aim have been implemented.

Objective: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) was designed to assess staff views on patient safety culture in hospital. This study examines psychometrics of the Italian translation of the HSOPS for use in territorial prevention facilities., Design: After minimal adjustments and pre-test of the Italian version, a qualitative cross-sectional study was carried out., Setting: Departments of Prevention (DPs) of four Local Health Authorities in Northern Italy., Participants: Census of medical and non-medical staff (n. 479)., Intervention: Web-based self-administered questionnaire., Main Outcome Measures: Descriptive statistics, internal reliability, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and intercorrelations among survey composites., Results: Initial CFA of the 12 patient safety culture composites and 42 items included in the original version of the questionnaire revealed that two dimensions (Staffing and Overall Perception of Patient Safety) and nine individual items did not perform well among Italian territorial Prevention staff. After dropping those composites and items, psychometric properties were acceptable (comparative fit index = 0.94; root mean square error of approximation = 0.04; standardized root mean square residual = 0.04). Internal consistency for each remaining composite met or exceeded the criterion 0.70. Intercorrelations were all statistically significant., Conclusions: Psychometric analyses provided overall support for 10 of the 12 initial patient safety culture composites and 33 of the 42 initial composite items. Although the original instrument was intended for US Hospitals, the Italian translation of the HSOPS adapted for use in territorial prevention facilities performed adequately in Italian DPs., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com)

The Regional Board of Construction Examination has established guidelines in health and safety matter to be adopted in yards during realization of works to elevated economic and/or strategic importance. The Regional Board's aim was to design an organizational model that can ensure every stage of construction design and realization safeguards the health and safety of workers. This can be achieved by implementing suitable preventive measures and adopting a set of coordinated tools for the safety officers in charge of the yard. Hence, the Regional Board designed an "ideal" model of the prevention and safety system. A significant decrease in the frequency and severity of accidents was observed in the yards, where the above-mentioned safety measures were implemented.

In Bergamo there is a huge network of 46 "health promoting companies" following an accreditation system which requires the implementation of best practices on health promotion in the workplace. For some of these practices, Company Doctor are involved: management of smokers and workers with alcohol consumption; courses for employees about WHP, use of SMS and web-based systems. Local Public Health Authority has created an annual training which also provided tools to Doctors for their activities in the project. Nowadays 55 doctors have been trained. For Accreditation 2012 eight companies will declare as good practice the training of its CD about smoking and three companies their activities on alcohol abuse prevention and control.

Ten patients presenting with anovulatory syndrome (AS, 4 patients), inadequate luteal phase (ILP, 3 patients) and short luteal phase (SLP, 3 patients) were treated with epimestrol for 29 cycles in total. The initial treatment was always 10 mg/day for 10 days followed by a modification of the daily dose and/or length of treatment needed. Ovulation was induced in all 4 AS patients with an adequate luteal phase (ALP) in 3 of them. In all other patients (with ILP and SLP) an ALP was induced; 2 of them became pregnant. No side-effects were reported.