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Pleurostoma richardsiae is associated with host trunk diseases, known to cause dieback, cankers and wilting of woody trees, and human infections. This fungus was isolated from wood tissues of declining olive trees and grapevines showing esca disease symptoms, in the Apulia region of Italy. Fungus detection has been based on morphological and molecular features, which are time-consuming to identify and require well-trained personnel. Improvement of Pl. richardsiae detection in olive was achieved through development of real time loop-mediated isothermal amplification targeting the intergenic spacer (IGS) region of the fungus. Specificity of the assay was confirmed using ten Pl. richardsiae strains and 36 other fungus strains of species usually isolated from declining olive trees. The achieved limit of detection was 7.5 × 10-2 ng μL-1 of Pl. richardsiae genomic DNA. A preliminary validation of RealAmp was also performed using material from infected olive plants artificially inoculated in a greenhouse.

Chronic pelvic discontinuity is a challenge during revision total hip arthroplasty due to the loss of structural continuity of the superior and inferior aspects of the acetabulum from severe acetabular bone loss. Acetabular distraction provides an alternative surgical treatment by stabilizing the acetabular component through elastic recoil of the pelvis, which may be supplemented with modular porous augments for addressing major acetabular defects. This study reports 2-year radiographic findings following acetabular distraction for the treatment of chronic pelvic discontinuity. Patients undergoing acetabular distraction performed by 5 surgeons from 2002 to 2021 were identified across 5 institutions. Demographic, surgical, and postoperative outcomes, including radiographic component stability, were recorded. There were 53 of 91 (58.2%) patients (5 deceased, 33 lost to follow-up) consisting of 4 Paprosky IIC (7.5%), 8 Paprosky IIIA (15.1%), and 41 Paprosky IIIB (77.4%) defects included, with a mean follow-up time of 4.8 years (range, 2 to 13.5). Modular porous augments were used in 33 (62.3%) cases. Failure was defined as a subsequent revision of the acetabular construct. Among the 13 (24.5%) patients who returned to the operating room, 6 (46.2%) had a prior history of revision total hip arthroplasty before undergoing acetabular distraction. Only 5 (9.4%) patients underwent acetabular revision following acetabular distraction, leading to an overall cup survivorship of 90.6%. Of the remaining 48 patients, 46 (95.8%) had evidence of radiographic bridging callus of the chronic pelvic discontinuity at their last clinical follow-up. To our knowledge, in the largest series to date, acetabular distraction has proven to be a viable treatment for acetabular bone loss with a chronic pelvic discontinuity, with excellent early survivorship and radiographic evidence of bridging callus. Future studies with longer follow-ups are needed to further monitor the efficacy of this technique. Level III, Retrospective Comparative Study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the intermittent behavior of renewable sources, efficient, reliable and clean energy storage technologies are needed to achieve a more stable and secure energy supply. In this context, hydrogen technologies play a key role because they can store large amount of energy for long time. In this study, a hydrogen-based electrical energy storage system, integrated with a solar power plant, is designed and analyzed from the energy perspective. The system consists of a photovoltaic power plant, an alkaline electrolysis unit, metal hydride tanks for hydrogen storage, a Li-ion battery unit and a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell module. The system is conceived for supplying a residential user. A numerical model is developed for sizing the system’s components and for evaluating their behaviors in terms of produced/stored electricity and hydrogen production. In this purpose, a sensitivity analysis varying PV plant size as well as the Li-ion battery capacity is performed for achieving the best compromise in terms of energy supply among all the considered power sources.

In this work, a power to bio-methane plant in which the biogas is produced from an anaerobic digester plant and the hydrogen is generated by using an electrolysis unit powered by a renewable plant (photovoltaic or wind-based), is designed and sized. The plant sizing is carried out by applying a techno-economic multi-objective black box optimization approach. A numerical code, built by using the Matlab software package, is used to evaluate components sizes and to assess plant costs. This code is implemented in an optimization workflow developed in the modeFRONTIER environment. This approach allows to identify the optimal size of the plants components with the aim of maximizing the annual bio-methane producibility and minimizing its levelized cost. The results show that for a low-price electricity scenario (45 €/MWh) the minimum levelized cost of bio-methane (LCOBM), equal to 84.6 €/MWh, is obtained adopting the PV-based configuration. On the contrary, considering an high-price scenario (135 €/MWh), the minimum LCOBM is obtained for the Wind-based plant and is equal to 34.9 €/MWh.

Appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs (APEDs) are commonly used by adolescents and young adults in an effort to improve not only athletic performance but also physical and mental efficiency and sexual appearance. The rationale for using these drugs is grounded in the perceived importance of external appearance, the quest for health and youth, and the urge to boost one's sexual performances. Although APED users tend to be quite moderate overall, some specific subpopulations can display pathological use associated with high-risk behaviors. A wide and diverse range of APEDs is now easily accessible to almost anyone through backdoor online avenues. Common APEDs include anabolic–androgenic steroids, non-steroidal anabolics, anorectics, diuretics and ergo/thermogenics, nootropics or “cognition enhancers,” licit and illicit psychostimulants, and finally, sexual enhancers. The use of APEDs appears linked to several psychopathological disorders of unclear prevalence, e.g., body image disorders and eating disorders, perfectionism, but also depression and loneliness. The role of personality traits related to APED use has been investigated in adolescents and young adults, in elite and amateur athletes, and in chemsexers and associated with the above-reported personality traits. The studies herein analyzed show that APED consumption in the general population is quickly growing into a public health concern. It is therefore essential to launch prevention and intervention projects aimed at promoting safe instrumental use of the body, not only in sports disciplines but also among the general population, and to promote psychological aid procedures for people with substance use issues, depression and anxiety, and body image disorders.

Background: Periprosthetic fractures can be devastating complications after total joint arthroplasty (TJA). The management of periprosthetic fractures is complex, spanning expertise in arthroplasty and trauma. The purpose of this study was to examine and project trends in the operative treatment of periprosthetic fractures in the United States. Methods: A large, public and private payer database was queried to capture all International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) diagnosis codes for periprosthetic femoral and tibial fractures. Statistical models were created to assess trends in treatment for periprosthetic fractures and to predict future surgical rates. An alpha value of 0.05 was used to assess significance. A Bonferroni correction was applied where applicable to account for multiple comparisons. Results: In this study, from 2016 to 2021, 121,298 patients underwent surgical treatment for periprosthetic fractures. There was a significant increase in the total number of periprosthetic fractures. The incidence of periprosthetic hip fractures rose by 38% and that for periprosthetic knee fractures rose by 73%. The number of periprosthetic fractures is predicted to rise 212% from 2016 to 2032. There was a relative increase in open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) compared with revision arthroplasty for both periprosthetic hip fractures and periprosthetic knee fractures. Conclusions: Periprosthetic fractures are anticipated to impose a substantial health-care burden in the coming decades. Periprosthetic knee fractures are predominantly treated with ORIF rather than revision total knee arthroplasty (TKA), whereas periprosthetic hip fractures are predominantly treated with revision total hip arthroplasty (THA) rather than ORIF. Both periprosthetic knee fractures and periprosthetic hip fractures demonstrated increasing trends in this study. The proportion of periprosthetic hip fractures treated with ORIF relative to revision THA has been increasing. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable systems are becoming highly attractive in different application areas. Recently, particular attention has been focused on the development of personal portable devices for monitoring occupational safety and health. Smart clothes based on strain sensors integrated on fabric seem to be a promising solution for real-time measurement of physiological endpoints. However, the development through a simple and cost-effective process of smart textiles characterized by high sensitivity, wearability and stable response even during physical activity, in case of exposition to environmental conditions and after washing is still challenging. In this work, the authors have developed a novel strain sensor made of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) properly dispersed into a water-based transparent ink, then deposited via screen printing technique on a synthetic fabric. Rheological investigations of the GNP-filled inks, morphological characterization of coated fabrics, electrical measurements of films obtained with different GNPs concentrations were performed. Smart textile specimens loaded with 3%wt and 3.8%wt of GNP-based inks were characterized through quasi-static tensile tests to investigate the electromechanical response, even after a washing cycle. Specimens have shown a sensitivity of about 30 for a strain of 5%. This performance is interesting for different applications such as monitoring of respiratory and heart rates.

Postoperative drainage after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is an established routine procedure for orthopedic surgeries, and is considered a useful practice in postoperative, but the use of drainage is controversial. Our study aims to clarify this aspect of knee prosthetic surgery. A systematic review of the literature was performed in the electronic databases to investigate the risks and the benefits of wound drainage in total knee arthroplasty: 30 articles were included in our review for eligibility. After the analysis of the literature performed, we found no significant advantages related with the use of wound drain following total knee replacement (TKR) in terms of pain, transfusion rate, blood loss, swelling, postoperative range of motion, wound complications, deep infection and hospital stay, while no drainage means a significant cost saving compared to drainage use. Thus, the use of drainage after TKA cannot be justified on the basis of the results of this study.

Humeral fractures have an incidence of 3-5% and a bimodal age distribution. They may occur in young patients after highenergy traumas or in elderly osteoporotic patients after low-energy injuries. In nondisplaced fractures or in elderly patients, humeral fractures are treated by conservative methods. Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) should be the treatment of choice in case of multi-fragmentary fractures associated with radial nerve palsy or not. ORIF is usually regarded as the gold standard treatment, but, depending on the different types of fracture, the surgical approach can change. In this review, we compare results and complication rates between lateral and posterior surgical approaches in the management of extraarticular distal humeral shaft fractures. An internet-based literature research was performed on Pubmed, Google Scholars and Cochrane Library. 265 patients were enrolled: 148 were treated by lateral or antero-lateral approach, while 117 by posterior or postero-lateral approach. The literature shows that no differences between the posterior and lateral approach exist. Certainly, the posterior approach offers undoubted advantages in terms of exposure of the fracture and visualization of the radial nerve. In our opinion, the posterior approach may also allow better management of complex and multi-fragmentary fractures.

Consumers are increasingly demanding higher quality and safety standards for the products they consume, and one of this is wheat flour, the basis of a wide variety of processed products. This major component in the diet of many communities can be contaminated by microorganisms before the grain harvest, or during the grain storage right before processing. These microorganisms include several fungal species, many of which produce mycotoxins, secondary metabolites that can cause severe acute and chronic disorders. Yet, we still know little about the overall composition of fungal communities associated with wheat flour. In this study, we contribute to fill this gap by characterizing the fungal microbiome of different types of wheat flour using culture-dependent and -independent techniques. Qualitatively, these approaches suggested similar results, highlighting the presence of several fungal taxa able to produce mycotoxins. In-vitro isolation of fungal species suggest a higher frequency of Penicillium, while metabarcoding suggest a higher abundance of Alternaria. This discrepancy might reside on the targeted portion of the community (alive vs. overall) or in the specific features of each technique. Thus, this study shows that commercial wheat flour hosts a wide fungal diversity with several taxa potentially representing concerns for consumers, aspects that need more attention throughout the food production chain.

Implementing environmentally friendly fuels and high efficiency propulsion technologies to replace the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) fueled by fossil fuels such as Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and Marine Gas Oil (MGO) on board ships represents an attractive solution for maritime power. In this context, fuel cells can play a crucial role, thanks to their high energy efficiency and ultra-low to zero criteria pollutant emissions and environmental impact. This paper performs the technical feasibility analysis for replacing the conventional diesel engine powertrain on board a commercial vessel with an innovative system consisting of ammonia-fuel-based Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology. Taking into account the size of the diesel engines installed on board and the typical cruise performed by the commercial vessel, the ammonia consumption, as well as the optimal size of the innovative propulsion system have been assessed. In particular, the SOFC powertrain is sized at the same maximum power output as the main reference diesel engine. The mass and energy balances of the ammonia-based SOFC system have been performed in Aspen PlusTM environment. The gravimetric (kWh kg−1) and volumetric (kWh m−3) energy density features of the ammonia storage technology as well as the weight and volume of the proposed propulsion system are evaluated for verifying the compliance with the ship’s weight and space requirements. Results highlight that the proposed propulsion system involves an increase in weight both in the engine room and in the fuel room compared to the diesel engine and fuel. In particular, a cargo reduction of about 2.88% is necessary to fit the ammonia-based SOFC system compared to the space available in the reference diesel-fueled ship.

The maritime transportation sector is one of the main contributors to global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted a strategy to reduce these emissions from international shipping >50% by 2050, compared to 2008’s emissions. Therefore, ship owners need to adopt solutions to bring emissions within these and other future limits by means of environmentally friendly fuels (hydrogen or hydrogen carriers) and high efficiency propulsion technologies (fuel cells). This paper focuses on the replacement of the conventional Diesel genset installed on a hybrid small-size ferry, with an innovative system based on PEMFC technology. A real case scenario is investigated: the total energy/power demand of the vessel is determined basing on a typical operational profile. Then, a preliminary redesign of its powertrain configuration is proposed along with an energy management strategy. The analysis has allowed to define the hydrogen consumption for a daily operation. Finally, different storage technologies involving both compressed and liquefied hydrogen have been considered and compared, in order to identify ship’s weight and space requirements.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are playing an important role in the context of sustainable energy development. They represent a sustainable approach to harvest electricity from biodegradable materials. However, harvesting energy from MFCs represents a critical issue because of the low output voltage and power produced. Realizing stacked configurations may involve an increase in MFCs performances in terms of output voltage, current and electric power. In this paper, two stacked configurations under different electrical connection modes have been designed, developed, modeled and tested. The stacked MFCs consist of 4 reactors (28 mL x4) that are connected in series, and parallel-series modes. Three different tests have been carried out, which involves: 1) performing the polarization and power curves by applying decreasing resistances; 2) assessment of the electric behavior of each reactor over time at a fixed resistance, 3) performing the polarization and power curves by applying increasing resistances. Moreover, a numerical model for predicting the transient behavior of the electrical quantities for one reactor, has been developed and validated by using the experimental data. As expected, the results highlighted that the parallel-series configuration assures the highest volumetric power density compared to the series configuration, reaching the maximum value of 1248.5 mW/m3 (139.8 µW) at 0.291 mA. Eventually, by comparing the numerical and the experimental data, it has been demonstrated that the developed model is able to predict the reactor’s electrical trend with a good accuracy.

Today, the hydrogen is considered an essential element in speeding up the energy transition and generate important environmental benefits. Not all hydrogen is the same, though. The “green hydrogen”, which is produced using renewable energy and electrolysis to split water, is really and completely sustainable for stationary and mobile applications. This paper is focused on the techno-economic analysis of an on-site hydrogen refueling station (HRS) in which the green hydrogen production is assured by a PV plant that supplies electricity to an alkaline electrolyzer. The hydrogen is stored in low pressure tanks (200 bar) and then is compressed at 900 bar for refueling FCHVs by using the innovative technology of the ionic compressor. From technical point of view, the components of the HRS have been sized for assuring a maximum capacity of 450 kg/day. In particular, the PV plant (installed in the south of Italy) has a size of 8MWp and supplies an alkaline electrolyzer of 2.1 MW. A Li-ion battery system (size 3.5 MWh) is used to store the electricity surplus and the grid-connection of the PV plant allows to export the electricity excess that cannot be stored in the battery system. The economic analysis has been performed by estimating the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) that is an important economic indicator based on the evaluation of investment, operational & maintenance and replacement costs. Results highlighted that the proposed on-site configuration in which the green hydrogen production is assured, is characterized by a LCOH of 10.71 €/kg.

In this study, the authors present a techno-economic assessment of on-site hydrogen refuelling stations (450 kg/day of H2) based on different hydrogen sources and production technologies. Green ammonia, biogas, and water have been considered as hydrogen sources while cracking, autothermal reforming, and electrolysis have been selected as the hydrogen production technologies. The electric energy requirements of the hydrogen refuelling stations (HRSs) are internally satisfied using the fuel cell technology as power units for ammonia and biogas-based configurations and the PV grid-connected power plant for the water-based one. The hydrogen purification, where necessary, is performed by means of a Palladium-based membrane unit. Finally, the same hydrogen compression, storage, and distribution section are considered for all configurations. The sizing and the energy analysis of the proposed configurations have been carried out by simulation models adequately developed. Moreover, the economic feasibility has been performed by applying the life cycle cost analysis. The ammonia-based configurations are the best solutions in terms of hydrogen production energy efficiency (>71%, LHV) as well as from the economic point of view, showing a levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH) in the range of 6.28 EUR/kg to 6.89 EUR/kg, a profitability index greater than 3.5, and a Discounted Pay Back Time less than five years.