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Background. The International Standardization Organization operates the world's most widely recognized quality management system standard, the ISO 9001:2015. In the healthcare sector, the adoption of this standard within an organization helps to improve the overall performance and provides a foundation for development and continuous progress. Our study aims to describe the implementation process of a quality management system according to the ISO 9001:2015 standards in an Angiology Unit of an Italian University hospital. Methods. The project was structured in 5 operational phases, which were carried out during a time frame of 14 months (March 2018-May 2019) and entailed several improvement actions associated with quality and safety outputs such as clinical management, clinical practice, safety, and patient-centeredness. Results. Implementation of the quality management system led to the improvement of many aspects of the processes performed in the Angiology Unit, both in the outpatient and day hospital setting. Overall, the project positively impacted on systems for patient safety, particularly in communication and data transmission, and clinical leadership. Conclusions. The implementation of the ISO 9001 certification is a process that apparently may seem expensive in terms of resources used, commitment, work, comparison, but it leads to substantial and always progressive improvements in the offer of Services to the user, safety both for the users and for the healthcare personnel involved, in addition to the care processes that translate into significant benefits in terms of quality of care for patients, as well as management savings for the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the framework of a multiannual experiment performed at Baia Terra Nova, Antarctica, size-segregated aerosol samples were collected by using a 12-stage SDI impactor (Hillamo design). Approximately 2800 particles, belonging to the first four supermicrometric SDI stages – 8.39, 4.08, 2.68, 1.66μm dynamic aerosol diameter cuts – were analyzed at the INFN-LNL micro-PIXE facility, a three lens Oxford Microprobe (OM) product, installed in the early nineties. Four regions on each of the 12 sub-samples were measured; 60 aerosol particles were detected on average in each of the analyzed regions. The off-line single aerosol particle (SAP) analysis of such big amount of data required software that is able to rapidly handle the acquired data, with a simple and fast area selection procedure; the subsequent automated PIXE spectra analysis with a specialized code was also needed. The MAPPIX 2.0 software was designed to make easier and faster the user jobs during the SAP analysis. The package is composed of two separate routines: the first one is devoted to data format conversion (OM-LMF file format to MAPPIX format), while the second one is devoted to micro-PIXE maps graphical presentation and aerosol particle selection procedure. The MAPPIX data format and software features will be discussed; a short report of the speed performances will be presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Diabetes mellitus, a clinical syndrome characterized by hyperglycemia due to deficiency of insulin, is a disease involving the endocrine pancreas and causes considerable morbidity and mortality in the world. In Nigeria, many plants, especially those implicated in herbal recipes for the treatment of diabetes, have not been screened for their elemental constituents while information on phytochemistry of some of them is not available. There is therefore the need to document these constituents as some of these plants are becoming increasingly important as herbal drugs or food additives. The accelerator-based technique PIXE, using the 1.8MeV collimated proton beam from the 2.5MV AN 2000 Van de Graaff accelerator at INFN, LNL, Legnaro (Padova) Italy, was employed in the determination of the elemental constituents of these anti-diabetic medicinal plants. Leaves of Gardenia ternifolia, Caesalpina pulcherrima, Solemostenon monostachys, whole plant of Momordica charantia and leaf and stem bark of Hunteria umbellata could be taken as vegetables, neutraceuticals, food additives and supplements in the management of diabetes. However, Hexabolus monopetalus root should be used under prescription. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Trace-elements are more significant for provenancing archaeological metallic artifacts than the main components. For gold, the most promising elements are platinum group elements (PGE), Sn, Te, Sb, Hg and Pb. Several small fragments of natural Transylvanian gold – placer and primary – were studied by using micro-PIXE technique at the Legnaro National Laboratory AN2000 microbeam facility, Italy and at the AGLAE accelerator, C2RMF, Paris, France and by using micro synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (micro-SR-XRF) at BESSY synchrotron, Berlin, Germany. The goal of the study was to identify the trace-elements, especially Sn, Sb and Te. A spectacular application to five Dacian gold bracelets authentication is presented (Sn and Sb traces). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Micro-PIXE investigations on some Transylvanian chondritic meteorite fragments and on small Moon soil pieces from the LUNA-16 mission were performed at the Legnaro and Rossendorf proton microprobes. The most exciting finding of the study was the presence of Pt grains in the Moci meteorite. The results are compared to previously published data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]