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This paper presents a study on the influence of the observer’s position in relation to the calculation surface. This is the initial observation of the research, respectively that the two standards consider the position of the observer differently. For these situations, two types of calculations were performed. For the first set of calculations, the software used was DIALux 4.13 as this software can perform calculations in line with the RP-08 standard. The second set of calculations was performed with a script that offers the possibility to change the observer’s position. The conclusion was that EN-13201 has a better approach, but both standards could be improved. The second case study refers to the influence of the longitudinal observer position in an average luminance calculation. If one considers RP-08 as a guideline for performing the calculations, the conclusions are that changing the distance from the observer to the calculation surface has absolutely no effect on the average luminance value. On the other hand, if European standards are used as a guideline, changing the distance (from the standardized 60 m, either closer to the calculation surface or further away) can influence the overall results in average luminance and uniformity. Taking into account the results of these two case studies, the conclusion is that both RP-08 and BS-EN 13201 should be updated so that the observer’s distance in relation to the calculation surface would be a variable dependent on the stopping distance calculated based on the speed limit of the road.

This paper presents a case study regarding street lighting design and field measurements for a conflict area and the main road entering it. The study consists in three particular parts. The first part is represented by two types of field measurements. The first type of measurements are done with a digital camera that makes picture of the calculation surface which are processed to determine the luminance values on the calculation surfaces. The conversion functions needed to process the images into luminance values is done through a MATLAB R2020 script. The second type of measurements are done with a lux-meter which is set to measure perpendicular light intensity in several points. After taking all measurements, the second part of the study consist in luminance calculation and individual illuminance calculation done for the points from the exact same geometry as the measurements. This can be done by using a design software. For this particular study DIALux Evo 9.1 is used. Utilizing the field measurements and DIALux calculations the paper presents the differences between design and field installations after years of service without a proper maintenance. The most important conclusions of the paper are that conflict areas are not designed correctly, and the light intensity distribution curve for classical street lighting luminaire can change along the life of the equipment, which not only reduces the efficiency of the equipment, but actually it can even generate high light pollution.

This paper presents a new method for calculating luminance uniformity on the field. The first step of the study is doing the luminance measurements by using a Digital Camera. The second step of the study consists in editing the acquired image to separate the calculation area for which the uniformity is to be studied. Last but not least the final step of the study is to calculate the uniformity. A graphical programme was used for editing of the picture, while the calculations are done with a script in MATLAB R2020. The pictures have been acquired on the Independence Boulevard from Iasi, Romania.

Background In this work, a platform was developed and tested to allow to detect a variety of candidate viral, bacterial and parasitic pathogens, for acute fever of unknown origin. The platform is based on a centrifugal microfluidic cartridge, the LabDisk (“FeverDisk” for the specific application), which integrates all necessary reagents for sample-to-answer analysis and is processed by a compact, point-of-care compatible device. Methodology/Principal findings A sample volume of 200 μL per FeverDisk was used. In situ extraction with pre-stored reagents was achieved by bind-wash-elute chemistry and magnetic particles. Enzymes for the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) were pre-stored in lyopellet form providing stability and independence from the cold chain. The total time to result from sample inlet to read out was 2 h. The proof-of-principle was demonstrated in three small-scale feasibility studies: in Dakar, Senegal and Khartoum, Sudan we tested biobanked samples using 29 and 9 disks, respectively; in Reinfeld, Germany we tested spiked samples and analyzed the limit of detection using three bacteria simultaneously spiked in whole blood using 15 disks. Overall during the three studies, the FeverDisk detected dengue virus (different serotypes), chikungunya virus, Plasmodium falciparum, Salmonella enterica Typhi, Salmonella enterica Paratyphi A and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Conclusions/Significance The FeverDisk proved to be universally applicable as it successfully detected all different types of pathogens as single or co-infections, while it also managed to define the serotype of un-serotyped dengue samples. Thirty-eight FeverDisks at the two African sites provided 59 assay results, out of which 51 (86.4%) were confirmed with reference assay results. The results provide a promising outlook for future implementation of the platform in larger prospective clinical studies for defining its clinical sensitivity and specificity. The technology aims to provide multi-target diagnosis of the origins of fever, which will help fight lethal diseases and the incessant rise of antimicrobial resistance., Author summary Infectious diseases in tropical regions may have a variety of viral, bacterial or parasitic origins and a patient may suffer from several diseases simultaneously, each presenting with acute fever as a clinical symptom. This makes it difficult to determine the origin of the pathogen causing the disease(s). In addition to the endemic infectious diseases, outbreaks of epidemics frequently complicate diagnostic demands. Accurate diagnosis for proper patient management requires the utilization of highly sensitive and specific, rapid, easy-to-use diagnostic tools compatible with point-of-care settings. We describe the use of a disk-shaped microfluidic platform, the “FeverDisk”, for differential diagnosis of acute fever. Our FeverDisk platform demonstrated its capability to detect bacteria, viruses and parasites that are typical of tropical single and co-infections from biobanked samples within only 2 hours and in very good agreement with reference method results. This, in combination with its easy-to-use and point-of-care compatible nature, render our platform a promising candidate for detection of tropical diseases and precise identification of the cause of acute fever, in endemic and epidemic settings. Future work will involve extensive clinical characterization of the platform in prospective studies.

The main quality condition in street lighting is luminance distribution. During the carrying out of the literature, average luminance is the most important parameter to check. The standard BS EN 13201-3 imposes that average luminance must be calculated for the observer placed in the center of each circulating lane. As a consequence, according to these standards, the measurements can be done only on streets without traffic. Stopping the traffic on all lanes is very difficult. This paper proposes a solution for measuring the average luminance from outside the carriageway. The research was performed by simulations/calculations and was validated by field measurements. Imaging sensors were used to measure average luminance, while DIALux EVO 9.1 was used for the simulations. For symmetrical, opposite, and staggered lighting arrangements, average luminance measurements were performed with a digital camera positioned outside of the traffic area, with the equipment placed at the edge of the carriageway, giving similar results with standard measurements, with almost no difference. For single sided lighting arrangements, the differences became unacceptable. In this case, the paper proposes a correction function to calculate the average luminance for the observer placed on the carriageway, based on measurements with a digital camera placed outside the traffic area.

This paper presents a case study for measuring luminance and uniformity by using a modern method. The presented method, also known as ”imaging method” uses a conventional digital photo camera calibrated to measure luminance and present it as a luminance map presenting the values for the entire area for which the photo is taken. The particular study presented is for a conflict area, but this method can be used for straight road measurements as well. In this particular study it is presented a very important conflict area in Iasi City, Romania Country, on Bucsinescu road for which a lighting calculation is made using DIALux 4.13 and the results are compared to the values measured by the camera. One of the conclusions is that values are very sensible to the properties of the asphalt and the position of the observer, but still very close to the values calculated to the DIALux Software. This is a strong statement of the accuracy and usability of this method and a clear example of the benefit one would encounter if this measurement method would be considered as a standard for reception in street lighting systems upgrades and extensions.

This paper presents a technical case study regarding Footpaths lighting class parameters and the way of selecting them in street lighting design around the world. Because some countries have very similar parameters the study was made only for Romania, England, U.S.A. and Denmark. The study consists in DIALux calculation for each lighting class and power consumption needed for each standard value to be acquired. The conclusion of the paper is that the lighting classes with the highest consumption and the most restrictive standard when selecting the lighting class for each roads is in Romania which actually gives the maximum W/km of road almost all the time.

Item does not contain fulltext Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) are commonly used bone substitute materials, which closely resemble the composition of the mineral phase of bone. However, this high similarity to natural bone also results in difficult discrimination from the bone tissue by common imaging modalities, that is, plain X-ray radiography and three-dimensional computed tomography (CT). In addition, new imaging techniques introduced for bone tissue visualization, like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), face a similar problem. Even at high MRI resolution, the lack of contrast between CPCs and surrounding bone is evident. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a dual contrast agent, traceable with both CT and MRI as enhancers of CPC/bone tissue contrast. Our formulation is based on the use of silica beads as vectors, which encapsulate and carry contrast-enhancing nanoparticles, in our case, colloidal Gold and Superparamagnetic Iron oxide particles (SPIO). The bead suspension was incorporated within a calcium phosphate powder. The resultant cements were then tested both in vitro and in vivo in a femoral condyle defect model in rats. Results showed that the mechanical properties of the cement were not significantly affected by the inclusion of the beads. Both in vitro and in vivo data proved the homogeneous incorporation of the contrast within the cement and its visual localization, characterized by a short-term CT contrast enhancement and a long-term MR effect recognizable by the characteristic blooming shape. Finally, no signs of adverse tissue reactions were noticed in vivo. In conclusion, this study proved the feasibility of a multimodal contrast agent as an inert and biocompatible enhancer of CaP cement versus bone tissue contrast.