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BACKGROUND: The index of microvascular resistance (IMR) is an established tool to assess the status of coronary microcirculation. However, the need for a pressure wire and hyperemic agents have limited its routine use and have led to the development of angiography-derived pressure-wire-free methods (angiography-derived IMR [IMRAngio]). In this review and meta-analysis, we aim to assess the global diagnosis accuracy of IMRAngio versus IMR. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was performed. Studies directly evaluating IMRAngio versus IMR were considered eligible. Pooled values of diagnostic test and summary receiver operator curve were calculated. RESULTS: Seven studies directly comparing IMRAngio versus IMR were included (687 patients; 807 vessels). Pooled sensitivity, specificity, +likelihood ratio (LR), and -LR were 82%, 83%, 4.5, and 0.26 respectively. Pooled accuracy was 83% while pooled positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 76% and 85%, respectively. Comparable results were obtained when analyzing by clinical scenario (acute and nonacute coronary syndromes). CONCLUSION: IMRAngio shows a good diagnostic performance for the prediction of abnormal IMR.

Introduction Left ventricular (LV) pressure-volume (PV) loops provide gold-standard physiological information but require invasive measurements of ventricular intracavity pressure, limiting clinical and research applications. Recent development has seen the introduction of non-invasively computed PV loops from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) volumetry and a brachial blood pressure measurement. The approach combines LV volumes with a time-varying elastance function to compute time-resolved LV pressures and was validated on invasive pressure data from a porcine model. The method is readily implemented using standard CMR sequences and provides measures of hemodynamic parameters including stroke work, myocardial efficiency, and contractile state. However, the method remains to be validated in patients using invasive left ventricular pressure recordings. Purpose To validate for the first time in human patients the performance of non-invasively computed PV loops against invasive measures. Methods Four heart failure patients underwent two subsequent sessions of CMR cine imaging and simultaneous brachial blood pressure measurement, with intravenous administration of two different vasoactive drugs, resulting in two different haemodynamic states for each patient. LV catheterization was then conducted with repeat administration of the same infusions. Pressure-volume loops were computed from CMR volumes combined with 1) a time-varying elastance function scaled to brachial blood pressure and temporally stretched to match volume data, and 2) invasive pressures averaged from multiple sampled beats. Method comparison was conducted using linear regression and Bland-Altman analysis. Results Figure 1 shows non-invasively derived PV loop parameters compared to invasive data. The non-invasive method demonstrated strong correlations and low bias for stroke work (R2=0.97, bias 4.6%, p Conclusions Pressure-volume loops can be precisely and accurately computed from cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and brachial cuff blood pressure in humans, and is ready for use in research applications. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Swedish Heart Lung Foundation

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the virtue of deep neural networks in detecting incipient failures of transformers, in particular windings looseness, via vibration data analysis. The transformer vibration technique is a non-invasive method to monitor winding looseness. It is based on the analysis of vibration spectra measured by sensors located on the transformer tank. In this paper, we rely on measurements that have been made in a dedicated lab under two different conditions: in presence or in absence of the clamping pressure on the windings. The analysis of data, oriented to fault detection, is performed by feedforward neural networks which, by experimental results, proved effective for a reliable prediction. Special emphasis is given to the robustness of the prediction to sensor misplacement and various techniques are carried out to evaluate and to enforce generalization to out-of-sample-data for the obtained classifier.

The volume of contrast to creatinine clearance ratio (CV/CrCl) is a useful indicator of the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing percutaneous interventional procedures. Association between CV/CrCl and adverse outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) was suggested but it is not well established. A large retrospective multicenter cohort of 1381 patients treated with TAVI was analyzed to assess the association between CV/CrCl and the risk of AKI and mortality at 90 days and 1 year after TAVI. Patients receiving renal replacement therapy at the time of TAVI were excluded. CV/CrCl ≥ 2.2 was associated with the risk of AKI and 90 days mortality after TAVI after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes, baseline left ventricular function, baseline chronic kidney disease (CKD), previous myocardial infarction and peripheral vascular disease (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.22, p 0.0001). Importantly, CV/CrCl was associated with the adverse outcome independently from the presence of baseline CKD (p for interaction = 0.22). CV/CrCl was independently associated with the individual components of the composite primary outcome including AKI (odds ratio: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08-1.28, p 0.0001) and 90 days mortality (HR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.01-3.60, p = 0.047) after TAVI. AKI (HR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.21-3.11, p = 0.006) but not CV/CrCl was associated with the risk of 1-year mortality after TAVI. CV/CrCl is associated with excess renal damage and early mortality after TAVI. Procedural strategies to minimize the CV/CrCl during TAVI may improve early clinical outcomes in patients undergoing TAVI.

Transformer Vibration Technique is considered an effective method to monitor structural elements of transformers, in particular, to detect loose or deformed windings. As it is well known, vibrations vary with the sensor location on the transformer tank, which makes the number and the placement of sensors critical aspects for fault detection. In this paper, we investigate this issue by analyzing vibration spectra collected from various sensors installed on the tank of a typical oil filled power transformer operating under two limit cases, namely absence or presence of clamping looseness on windings. Support Vector Machines (SVM) are employed and an extensive analysis is performed to understand the informativeness of data corresponding to various sensors so as to figure out the appropriate number of sensors and their best location. This way fault detection is eventually achieved with a reduced and optimized number of sensors, resulting in a significant saving of time and costs.

Background Myocardial recovery after primary percutaneous coronary intervention in acute myocardial infarction is variable and the extent and severity of injury are difficult to predict. We sought to investigate the role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance T1 mapping in the determination of myocardial injury very early after treatment of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods STEMI patients underwent 3 T cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), within 3 h of primary percutaneous intervention (PPCI). T1 mapping determined the extent (area-at-risk as %left ventricle, AAR) and severity (average T1 values of AAR) of acute myocardial injury, and related these to late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), and microvascular obstruction (MVO). The characteristics of myocardial injury within 3 h was compared with changes at 24-h to predict final infarct size. Results Forty patients were included in this study. Patients with average T1 values of AAR ≥1400 ms within 3 h of PPCI had larger LGE at 24-h (33% ±14 vs. 18% ±10, P = 0.003) and at 6-months (27% ±9 vs. 12% ±9; P P = 0.016) & [4.0 (0.5–9.5)% vs. 0 (0–3.0)%, P = 0.025]. The average T1 value was an independent predictor of acute LGE (β 0.61, 95%CI 0.13 to 1.09; P = 0.015), extent of MVO (β 0.22, 95%CI 0.03 to 0.41, P = 0.028) and final infarct size (β 0.63, 95%CI 0.21 to 1.05; P = 0.005). Receiver-operating-characteristic analysis showed that T1 value of AAR obtained within 3-h, but not at 24-h, predicted large infarct size (LGE > 9.5%) with 100% positive predictive value at the optimal cut-off of 1400 ms (area-under-the-curve, AUC 0.88, P = 0.006). Conclusion Hyper-acute T1 values of the AAR (within 3 h post PPCI, but not 24 h) predict a larger extent of MVO and infarct size at both 24 h and 6 months follow-up. Delayed CMR scanning for 24 h could not substitute the significant value of hyper-acute average T1 in determining infarct characteristics.

SARS-CoV-2-related SARIs (severe acute respiratory infections) have a major impact on public health; moreover, healthcare workers (HCWs) are exposed to a high biological risk. The aim of this study was to show the prevention procedures in place in the University Hospital of Bari (Apulia Region, Southern Italy) to reduce this risk to HCWs, consisting of the enhancement of preventive measures and the activation of a report system to collect HCWs’ contacts. To date, 23 confirmed cases of infections (0.4% of all HCWs) have been reported in a 30-day observation period. These results show that correct management of HCWs’ contacts is essential to avoid nosocomial clusters.

Objective: The visual appearance of coronary thrombi may be clinically informative in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). However, subjective assessment is poorly reproducible and cannot provide an objective basis for treatment decisions or patient stratification. We have assessed the feasibility of a novel reflectance spectroscopy technique to systematically characterize coronary artery thrombi retrieved by aspiration during pPCI in patients with STEMI, and the clinical utility for predicting distal microvascular obstruction. Approach: Patients with STEMI treated with pPCI and thrombus aspiration (n = 288) were recruited from the Oxford Acute Myocardial Infarction (OxAMI) Study. Of these, 158 patients underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging within 48 h for assessment of microvascular obstruction (MVO). Coronary thrombi were imaged by reflectance spectroscopy across wavelengths 500–800 nm. Main results: Spectral data were analysed using function fitting and multivariate models. The coefficient 'c red' determined from the fitting procedure correlated with the visually-assessed colour of thrombi ('red' or 'white') and with MVO. When applied to a reduced data set, consisting of spectra from 20 patients with the largest MVO and from 20 propensity-score-matched patients with no MVO, three multivariate analysis methods were able to discriminate spectra of thrombi from patients without MVO and with the largest MVO. Significance: Reflectance spectral analysis of coronary thrombus provides new insights into the pathology of STEMI, with potential clinical implications for emergency patient care. Further studies are warranted for validation as a point-of-care stratification tool in predicting the degree of microvascular injury and clinical outcomes in STEMI.

In this paper, frequency dielectric spectroscopy (FDS) and an innovative optical sensor for the detection of 2-furaldehyde (2-FAL) are used to check the degree of ageing of differently processed oil-paper specimens when exposed to thermal stress. The analysis of the trend of moisture content and of 2-FAL concentrations confirms the influence of drying pre-treatment of the specimens on their ageing conditions. FDS elucidated the nature of the drying process of the specimens and the optical sensor correctly assesses a lower 2-FAL production for the vapour phase dried specimens during thermal exposure.

Degradation of electrical insulation due to the oil-paper insulating system is one of the main factors that affect power transformer service life. Although the end of life failure is inevitable, the life of the insulating paper can be maximized through careful monitoring and maintenance. In this paper an optical SPR sensor is reported for high sensitive detection of a chemical marker of the transformers’ insulating paper degradation. Temperature tests were carried out on oil–paper specimens representative of the solid insulating system of transformers, subjected to initial different drying processes and successively exposed to aging temperature. A comparative analysis with standard methods (HPLC—High Performance Liquid Chromatography) confirms that the chemical concentrations detected in oil–paper sampling of different specimens with optical SPR sensors are in good agreement with those measured by standard techniques.

Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) significantly increases mortality following myocardial infarction (MI). The underlying mechanism explaining this adverse prognosis is not completely understood. Purpose This study sought to investigate the characteristics of myocardial healing after MI in DM patients. Methods 62 recruited ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients (21 with DM and 41 controls) underwent acute (1–3 days post-STEMI) and 6 months (6M) follow-up cardiac magnetic resonance scans (CMR). Control cases were matched for the peak troponin levels and area at risk on the acute CMR scans. Blood samples were obtained 6, 24, 48 hours and 6 months after STEMI. Results Despite similar severity of the initial ischaemic injury, DM patients had lower myocardial salvage index (MSI) and as a result larger final infarct size at 6 months. Further segment-based analysis of the acute CMR scans showed significantly prolonged T1-mapping values in all segments including non-ischaemic myocardium in DM patients and poorer recovery of the late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of the infarcted segments in that group. Additionally, DM patients had higher monocyte counts 24 hours post-MI (1.2±0.4x109/μl DM vs 0.88±0.3 x109/μl control, p=0.001). We found that HbA1C correlated with monocyte count measured 24 hours after STEMI (r=0.577, p=0.006, n=21). HbA1C also predicted myocardial salvage index (MSI) at 6M post STEMI in the DM patients (r=0.891, p=0.017, n=13). Conclusions DM patients presenting with STEMI have increased peripheral blood monocytosis and larger final infarct size compared with STEMI patients without DM. Poorly controlled DM predisposes to adverse cardiac remodelling after STEMI. Acknowledgement/Funding OHSRC Research Grant, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence Oxford

Despite frequent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in calcified vessels of older patients, rotational atherectomy (RA) has not been endorsed in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) due to safety concerns and lack of data. We explored periprocedural safety and mortality in severe AS patients undergoing RA. Prospective anonymized clinical, echocardiographic, procedural and outcome data of patients undergoing RA PCI between January 2012 and July 2018 were retrospectively extracted from the institutional coronary database. Patients with severe AS undergoing RA PCI were 1:1 propensity matched with patients undergoing RA PCI in the absence of AS. Outcomes of interest were RA related periprocedural complications, 30-day and 1-year mortality. A prespecified subgroup analysis examined the influence of transcatheter aortic valve replacement on mortality following RA PCI. A total of 544 patients underwent RA PCI; 478 without AS and 66 with AS. Propensity matching yielded 35 matched pairs with improved balance in covariates of interest and no significant differences in baseline characteristics postmatching. In the matched cohort (n = 70) slow flow/no-reflow, coronary dissection, perforation, and hemodynamic instability were rare and not significantly different. Survival analyses revealed significantly higher 30-day (Log-Rank p = 0.02) and 1-year mortality (Log rank p = 0.02, HR 5.24 [95% CI 1.13 to 24.28]) in the severe AS group; driven by a fivefold increase in the hazard of death among patients who did not undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement HR 4.98 [95% CI 1.03 to 24.1]. In conclusion, our study of 70 patients undergoing radial RA PCI suggests that it can be safely performed in patients with severe AS. Long-term outcomes after RA in patients with severe AS are determined by the presence of the valve disease and other co-morbidities.

We present a multichannel optical chemical sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in a D-shaped plastic optical fiber (POF), for simultaneous determination of two important analytes, dibenzyl disulfide, and furfural, whose presence in the transformer oil is an indication of underway corrosive or ageing processes, respectively, in power transformers. Furthermore, an investigation on the dependence of performances of this optical platform on the gold film thickness is reported. The low cost, highly selective, and sensitive performance of the SPR-POF-MIP platforms and the simple and modular scheme of the optical interrogation layout make this system a potentially suitable on-line diagnostic tool for power transformers.

Aims: The Oxford Acute Myocardial Infarction PICSO (OxAMI-PICSO) study aimed to assess the efficacy of index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR)-guided therapy with pressure-controlled intermittent coronary sinus occlusion (PICSO) in anterior ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods and results: Patients with anterior STEMI treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) were enrolled. Pre-stenting IMR was measured and PICSO treatment delivered if pre-stenting IMR was >40. No PICSO treatment was considered in patients with a pre-stenting IMR ≤40. The control group was derived from a historical cohort of STEMI patients with pre-stenting IMR >40 enrolled in the observational OxAMI study. IMR was measured after completion of pPCI in all patients and within 48 hours in PICSO patients and controls. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed per protocol for infarct size (IS) assessment within 48 hours after pPCI and at six months. A total of 105 patients were enrolled (25 PICSO, 50 controls with pre-stenting IMR >40, 30 with pre-stenting IMR ≤40). Compared to controls, patients treated with PICSO had a lower IMR at 24-48 hours (24.8 [18.5-35.9] vs. 45.0 [32.0-51.3], p

Introduction Recent data have suggested that myocardial oedema followed bimodal pattern early post ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Yet, there was disagreement between oedema quantified by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and tissue desiccation. Using highly-sensitive T1 mapping we sought to study the temporal changes in the extent and intensity of injured myocardium within one week post STEMI. Methods A first group (n=31) underwent three 3 T-CMR scans (time-point (TP) Results The mean T1 relaxation time value within the AAR of the first group was reduced after 24 hours (p Conclusion The intensity of oedema post-STEMI followed a bimodal pattern; while the extent of AAR did not track the same course. This discrepancy has implications for use of CMR in this context and may explain the previously reported disagreement between oedema quantified by imaging and tissue desiccation.

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) are industrial enzymes which are gaining use in second generation bioethanol production from lignocellulose by acting in synergy with glycoside hydrolases. Here we present the X-ray crystal structure of an AA9 fungal LPMO from Aspergillus fumigatus and a variant which has been shown to have better performance at elevated temperatures. Based on the structures, thermal denaturation data and theoretical calculations, we provide a suggestion for the structural basis of the improved stability.

Introduction Bari municipality (Apulia region, Southern Italy) has been defined as a contaminated site of national priority for remediation because of diffuse environmental contamination caused by an asbestos cement factory. Up to date, the regional mesothelioma registry listed 66 environmental mesothelioma cases among residents. We report two peculiar cases of malignant mesothelioma, one peritoneal and one pleural, due to residential asbestos exposure close to a military barracks, located inside the urban area and reclaimed only in 2006. Methods The records of the two cases with environmental exposure were listed in the Apulia regional mesothelioma registry. The registry ensures complete, quality information on exposure and diagnosis thanks to the adoption of operative guidelines agreed at national level. Molecular analysis with CGH-array was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue. Results The peritoneal case in a 36-year-old man shows a peculiar characteristics long survival (more than 17 years). The patient was treated with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Molecular analysis detected multiple chromosomal imbalances. The gains were prevalent. DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) observed loss at 1q21, 8 p23.1 and gains at 3 p22.2→3 p22.1, 3 p25.3→p25.1, 4q13.1 and Xq22.2. These are novel CNAs here identified and uncommon in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. The pleural case, a 74-year-old man, suffering from a familial Becker type muscular dystrophy, opted for chemotherapy (alimta +cisplatinum) with external hyperthermia. At follow-up in April 2017, about 2 years from diagnosis and 21 months from the beginning of chemotherapy treatments, he has left shoulder pain, general weakness but good respiratory expansion. Both cases lived in apartments overlooking military barracks from 1963 to 1999. Discussion Past intensive use of asbestos has implied severe public health consequences among Bari inhabitants. Our study showed that the presence of the asbestos cement factory, as well as the military barracks, have been related with the onset of malignant mesothelioma among the neighbouring resident population.

The use of Nanostructured SPR sensors on Plastic Optical Fibers opens new challenges, because in an SPR sensor made by a continuous metal layer, the sensor’s response is basically related to the metal properties at optical frequencies and to the waveguide characteristics. On the other hand, when a Nanostructured SPR sensor is used, the behavior is also related to the geometric parameters of the Nanostructures. Working on them it is potentially possible to tune the sensor’s behavior. In this work the Authors present a numerical investigation in order to evaluate the behavior of two different SPR Nanostructured platforms, made by “long” gold Nanorods, and comparing them to an SPR sensor with a continuous gold layer. The difference between these two Nanostructured platforms is the orientation of the Nanorods, with respect to the light’s propagation direction. The numerical results seem to indicate an increase of the sensitivity, when an SPR Sensor with long Nanorods is used, with respect to the sensor made by a continuous gold film, with some benefits.

This paper reports preliminary results of vibration test carried out on an optical voltage sensor prototype, specially designed for monitoring Voltage parameters in Medium Voltage switchboards. These electrical components, on service, are naturally subjected to environmental noise like mechanical vibrations. Tests were carried out in a laboratory mock up, to critically assess the response of the optical sensor to an applied AC voltage in presence of vibrations. The measured good rejection to vibrations either of the sensor body and of the connecting optical fiber cable, confirmed the suitability of the exploited optical solution for next applications in Medium Voltage substation.

Percutaneous coronary intervention is currently the gold standard treatment for patients with myocardial infarction. However, restoration of patency of the infarct-related artery does not always translate into optimal myocardial reperfusion, a condition known as slow/no reflow, typically associated to poor long-term clinical outcome. Microvascular injury (MVI) is the pathophysiological background underlying slow/no reflow. The first step to successful management of such condition is represented by early identification and diagnosis of MVI. Different techniques are available in such regard. In the current chapter, we aim to deal with the invasive indices for the assessment of microvascular obstruction in the catheterization laboratory, reporting in details the main aspects, the pros and the cons of angiography-derived, intracoronary-Doppler-derived, and thermodilution-derived indices.

Facial masks are suitable devices to limit the exposure to the electric field of a highly delicate part of the human body, particularly in Live Line Working. A mapping of the electric field in the face region is carried out by means of a dielectric optical sensing device. A couple of technologies used for the production of transparent shields have been analyzed and compared: metallic meshes and thin conductive layers. Their shielding are reported and the latter have been chosen as the leading application. A description of the production process of the transparent conductive films is included.

In this work the feasibility of an optical method for an early and high sensitivity detection of chemical agents in oil-filled power transformer is reported. It concerns the assessment of accelerated ageing of transformer insulating systems, primarily constituted of oil, paper and cellulose through an online detection of cellulose degradation by-products. The proposed optical device exploits the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) excitation in a plastic optical fiber (POF) platform. High selectivity is obtained by a joint detection with a Molecularly Imprinted Polymer (MIP) layer, very specific for one of the most significant indicators of the transformer possible failure, furfural, in contact with the SPR active surface. Preliminary results of tests, carried out on calibrated furfural concentration diluted in transformer oil, confirm the feasibility of the proposed optical approach.

Aims Restoration of effective myocardial reperfusion by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction is difficult to predict. A method to assess the likelihood of a suboptimal response to conventional pharmacomechanical therapies could be beneficial. We aimed to derive and validate a scoring system that can be used acutely at the time of coronary reopening to predict the likelihood of downstream microvascular impairment in patients with STEMI. Methods and results A score estimating the risk of post-procedural microvascular injury defined by an index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) >40 was initially derived in a cohort of 85 STEMI patients (derivation cohort). This score was then tested and validated in three further cohorts of patients (retrospective [30 patients], prospective [42 patients] and external [29 patients]). The ATI score (age [>50=1]; pre-stenting IMR [>40 and 40 in all four cohorts (AUC: 0.87; p40, while no cases of final IMR >40 occurred in the presence of an ATI score Conclusions The ATI score appears to be a promising tool capable of identifying patients during PPCI who are at the highest risk of coronary microvascular impairment following revascularisation. This procedural risk stratification has a number of potential research and clinical applications and warrants further investigation.

An innovative detection prototype, developed to improve the reliability of distribution networks is described. It is based on a multisensing approach including three different types of fiber-optic sensors. These sensors are based on different detection principles to measure, respectively, light ignition, sound pressure, and ozone changes produced by predischarge phenomena on medium voltage (MV) electrical equipments. A multifunctional software interface was developed to manage simultaneous acquisition and processing of all signal outputs. Preliminary tests were performed inside a MV switchboard inducing defects to simulate predischarge phenomena. A first analysis of simultaneous responses of the three sensors confirmed the feasibility of this combined approach as a potential diagnostic tool to assess the condition of MV electrical components.

In this work, we report the design, implementation and characterization of SPR sensors in a D-shaped plastic optical fiber (POF), based on thin bilayers of different metals, combined titanium and gold films or palladium and gold films. These optical sensor platforms may be used for monitoring different bio-chemical receptors, particularly those with refractive indexes exceeding the typical values of aqueous phases, like for example polymeric artificial receptors. In this work different configurations have been investigated, which are all appropriate for molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) receptors.

Several thin transparent and conductive films composed of conductive oxides (ITO) and metallic ultrathin layers (Ag, Au, Ti) have been deposited on flexible polycarbonate substrate and characterized in terms of optical transmittance, electrical conductivity and electric field screening efficiency. Thin films properties were evaluated with respect to the requirement concerning conductive garments described in Standard IEC 60895 “Live working -Conductive clothing” for workers operating on High Voltage or Ultra High Voltage live lines. Results show that the investigated multilayers could be adopted as facial masks for protection of workers from drift currents and electric field exposure, offering better alternative in electric performances and wearing comfort than previously tested metallic nets.

Phospholipids are present in all living organisms. They are a major component of all biological membranes, along with glycolipids and cholesterol. Enzymes aimed at modifying phospholipids, namely, phospholipases, are consequently widespread in nature, playing very diverse roles from aggression in snake venom to signal transduction and digestion in humans. In this review, we give a general overview of phospholipases A1, A2, C and D from a sequence and structural perspective and their industrial application. The use of phospholipases in industrial processes has grown hand-in-hand with our ability to clone and express the genes in microbial hosts with commercially attractive amounts. Further, the use in industrial processes is increasing by optimizing the enzymes by protein engineering. Here, we give a perspective on the work done to date to express phospholipases in heterologous hosts and the efforts to optimize them by protein engineering. We will draw attention to the industrial processes where phospholipases play a key role and show how the use of a phospholipase for oil degumming leads to substantial environmental benefits. This illustrates a very general trend: the use of enzymes as an alternative to chemical processes to make products often provides a cleaner solution for the industrial processes. In a world with great demands on non-polluting, energy saving technical solutions--white biotechnology is a strong alternative.

Microdochium nivale carbohydrate oxidase was produced by heterologous recombinant expression in Aspergillus oryzae, purified and crystallized. The enzyme crystallizes with varying crystal morphologies depending on the crystallization conditions. Several different crystal forms were obtained using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method, two of which were used for diffraction measurements. Hexagon-shaped crystals (form I) diffracted to 2.66 A resolution, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 55.7, c = 610.4 A and apparent space group P6(2)22. Analysis of the data quality showed almost perfect twinning of the crystals. Attempts to solve the structure by molecular replacement did not give satisfactory results. Recently, clusters of rod-shaped crystals (form II) were grown in a solution containing PEG MME 550. These crystals belonged to the monoclinic system C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 132.9, b = 56.6, c = 86.5 A, beta = 95.7 degrees . Data sets were collected to a resolution of 2.4 A. The structure was solved by the molecular-replacement method. Model refinement is currently in progress.

This work reports preliminary results of characterization of a new optical ceramics-based device for application to Medium Voltage (MV) substations. These optical ceramics, which are based on Kerr effect, offer advantages of high sensitivity to electrical field together with a low cost for the device. Preliminary tests were successfully carried out on a commercially available device using these optical ceramics; it was suitably designed as a synchronization system for MV switchboard.

In the framework of the new electrical power system management, a relevant role could be played by sensors and sensor network. The application of low-cost sensors could efficiently provide real time information on the ageing condition or on anomalous operation of electrical components of the new Medium Voltage (MV) network; this could prevent possible dangerous situations affecting the reliability of the distribution network itself. This paper reports two examples of development of optical sensors based prototypes for the diagnostic and monitoring of MV electrical components. The first one is a predischarge monitoring device for MV switchboards, which is based on three different optical sensors (optical, acoustic and chemical sensors). The simultaneous analysis of responses of these sensors is managed through a software LabView interface to improve the effectiveness of the diagnostic detection. The second one is a prototype based on miniaturized optical accelerometers for measurements of the vibration fingerprint of a Medium Voltage/Low Voltage (MV/LV) transformer to assess the mechanical integrity of its structural components.

This work describes a fibre optic device suitable for generating a trigger signal for a Medium Voltage substation monitoring system. It is based on the use of a low-cost transparent electro-optic ceramic for tracking electric field/voltage changes at the electric network frequency (50/60Hz). Results of tests carried out on a preliminary optical sensor, performed by means of a Voltage Calibrator, were in good agreement with the modelled sensor response to AC and DC voltages. This confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed model approach. Through simulation sensor parameters and layout were optimised for implementing a robust, low cost and easy installable optical device able to properly trigger a set of optical diagnostic tools for Medium Voltage switchboards.

Aim Restoration of effective myocardial reperfusion by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) in patients with STEMI is not predictable. A method to assess the likelihood of a suboptimal response to conventional pharmaco-mechanical therapies could be beneficial. We aimed to derive and validate a scoring system that can be used acutely at the time of coronary reopening to predict the likelihood of downstream microvascular impairment in patients with STEMI. Methods and Results A score estimating the risk of post-procedural microvascular injury defined by an index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) > 40, was initially derived in a cohort of 85 STEMI patients (Derivation cohort). This score was then tested and validated in three further cohorts of patients (Retrospective (30 patients), Prospective (42 patients) and External (29 patients). The ATI score [Age ( > 50 = 1); pre-stenting IMR (> 40 and 40 in all the four cohorts (AUC:0.87; p 40, while no cases of final IMR >40 occurred in the presence of an ATI score Conclusions The ATI score appears to be a promising tool capable of identifying patients during PPCI that are at the highest risk of an adverse outcome following revascularisation.

This paper describes an assembled optical prototype for measurements of vibration of a distributing transformers tank. It consists of optical MEMS accelerometers, an acquisition unit wireless connected to a remote PC. A SW interface was developed to simultaneously control configuration settings of input channels, the display on the PC screen of acquired data and their storage. Preliminary tests were performed on a conventional type distribution transformer (30kVA); results of comparative analysis with standard piezoelectric accelerometers used as references confirm the feasibility of the proposed approach1.

This paper describes the application of a double-sided approach to assess the spent life fraction of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) at local positions of ex-service blades with NiCoCrAlY-Re bond coat and EB-PVD TBC. A life prediction code implemented with inverse problem solution routines was applied to determine the mean local temperature. On the single blade, large differences (>150°C) of mean local temperature were estimated between regions just after the cooling holes and far from them. A self-developed portable photostimulated luminescence piezospectroscopy (PLPS) instrument was also applied and the coating spent life fraction was evaluated with a recently proposed PLPS diagnostic parameter. The spent life fractions evaluated from mean local temperature values were in good agreement with those estimated from PLPS measurements. Lower spent life fractions were found in well cooled regions of all blades, while higher spent life fractions were calculated at the hottest positions of the blades, particularly on components coming from a plant with a double number of starts. The results confirm the reliability of the PLPS technique and its diagnostic capability also for NiCoCrAlY-Re bond coats; both local differences on the single component and blade-to-blade variations in coating spent life can be evidenced in a nondestructive way.

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) encompasses a spectrum of coronary heart diseases, ranging in severity from unstable angina to ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Early diagnosis and risk stratification are needed in order to address correctly hospitalization and treatment. Although the diagnosis of STEMI in the presence of typical electrocardiogram (ECG) changes and symptoms is easy and does not require the use of biomarkers, cardiac biomarkers are particularly important in the Emergency Department (ED), where about 25% of patients admitted are affected by ACS but clinical presentation is often atypical and ECG alterations may be absent. The ideal marker in the ED should have rapid release, high sensitivity and specificity and risk stratifying properties. Classic cardiac biomarkers, like myoglobin, cardiac troponin T or I and creatine kinase-MB, have a poor sensitivity, dependent on the time past from the onset of symptoms to presentation, the duration of ischemia and the amount of myocardial tissue involved. Although the serial testing of these cardiac biomarkers can improve the detection of myocardial necrosis, there is still a need for the development of early markers that can reliably rule out ACS from the ED at presentation and also detect myocardial ischemia in the absence of irreversible myocyte injury. There are several markers which represent the different features of ACS pathogenesis and that can be divided into three major groups: markers of cardiac ischemia and necrosis, markers of inflammation and coronary plaque instability and marker of cardiac function.

The application of a fibre optic sensor for ozone detection in MV switchboard is evaluated. The sensor is based on the differential measure of the absorption in UV and visible spectral bandwidths. The layout exploits the use of an optical retro-reflector, to improve the detection sensitivity. Preliminary tests were performed in comparison with another calibrated system to assess the sensitivity and the linearity of the innovative sensor (0.1-10 ppm). Further results of tests carried out on a laboratory mock-up simulating predischarge phenomena are discussed confirming the compliance of the main features of the assembled system with application requirements.