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Background A Covid-19 outbreak developed in Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna (Italy) at the end of February 2020. Fear of an imminent saturation of available ICU beds generated the notion that rationing of intensive care resources could have been necessary. Results In order to evaluate the impact of Covid-19 on the ICU capacity to manage critically ill patients, we performed a retrospective analysis of the first 2 weeks of the outbreak (February 24–March 8). Data were collected from regional registries and from a case report form sent to participating sites. ICU beds increased from 1545 to 1989 (28.7%), and patients receiving respiratory support outside the ICU increased from 4 (0.6%) to 260 (37.0%). Patients receiving respiratory support outside the ICU were significantly older [65 vs. 77 years], had more cerebrovascular (5.8 vs. 13.1%) and renal (5.3 vs. 10.0%) comorbidities and less obesity (31.4 vs. 15.5%) than patients admitted to the ICU. PaO2/FiO2 ratio, respiratory rate and arterial pH were higher [165 vs. 244; 20 vs. 24 breath/min; 7.40 vs. 7.46] and PaCO2 and base excess were lower [34 vs. 42 mmHg; 0.60 vs. 1.30] in patients receiving respiratory support outside the ICU than in patients admitted to the ICU, respectively. Conclusions Increase in ICU beds and use of out-of-ICU respiratory support allowed effective management of the first 14 days of the Covid-19 outbreak, avoiding resource rationing.

Hyaloglide® is a hyaluronan-based gel based on a novel auto-crosslinked technology designed to reduce postsurgical adhesions. Its efficacy was assessed in a multicentred randomized controlled trial comparing the results of flexor tenolysis in zone 2 following failed flexor tendon repairs. In the control group a standard release was performed. In the treated group, Hyaloglide® was applied into the flexor sheath and around the site of tenolysis. Forty-five patients, 19 controls and 26 treated with Hyaloglide®, were enrolled in 13 centres. All the patients were evaluated at 30, 60, 90 and 180 days after surgery by testing Total Active Motion, Quick-DASH questionnaire and number of working days lost after surgery. Patients in the Hyaloglide® group had a statistically better recovery of finger motion at all time intervals and returned earlier to work and daily activities. The use of Hyaloglide® did not appear to increase the complication rate.

Background: Macrocerebellum is a rare entity described as an isolated and abnormal increase of the cerebellum (CB) size without morphological or signal abnormalities. There have been only eleven patients with macrocerebellum reported in the literature so far. Methods: From December 2011 to March 2014, among 950 paediatric patients that underwent a magnetic resonance scan of the brain in our department, in six subjects an abnormal increase of the cerebellar volume was suspected. A volumetric analysis was performed in all patients on T1- weighted 3D imaging to confirm the diagnosis of macrocerebellum. The ratios between (I) volume of the CB and volume of the supratentorial structures (STB) and (II) volume of the CB and the sum of CB and STB (WB) were calculated in order to normalize the absolute values obtained and compared with the normal values present in literature. Results and Discussion: Quantitative analysis confirmed an increased cerebellar volume relatively to the STB volume (“t”: 6.9518; P

The Remote Didactic Laboratory Laboratorio Didattico Remoto - LA.DI.RE. ldquoG. Savastanordquo is the e-learning measurement laboratory supported by the Italian Ministry of Education and University. It involves about 20 Italian universities and provides students of electric and electronic measurement courses with access to remote measurement laboratories delivering different didactic activities related to measurement experiments. In order to demonstrate the versatility for didactic use, the overview of some experiments is given. The didactic experiments summarized in this paper concern measurement characterization of instruments and communication systems, measurement devices for remote laboratories, basic electrical measurements, magnetic measurements, electromagnetic-interference measurements, and signal processing for measurement applications.

The Remote Didactic Laboratory Laboratorio Didattico Remoto -LA.DI.RE. “G. Savastano” is an e-learning measurement laboratory supported by the Italian Ministry of Education and University. It provides the students of electric and electronic measurement courses with access to remote measurement laboratories, delivering different didactic activities related to measurement experiments. The core of the software architecture is the integration of the Learning Management System (LMS) with the remotely accessible measurement laboratories through web services and thin client paradigm, providing a new approach to remote experiments on measurement instrumentation. The overview of this paper is on the different solutions concerning the thin client technology, and the solution implemented is described. This solution takes into account the delivered services to students and teachers and permits optimization of the communication performances. The results of the comparison among the performances of different implementations of the thin client paradigm highlight the advantages of the adopted solution. As a consequence, the description of the thin client protocol implemented, together with the presentation of the LMS and delivered services given in a previous paper, makes an exhaustive analysis of the software architecture of the LA.DI.RE. “G. Savastano.”

The Remote Didactic Laboratory Laboratorio Didattico Remoto ? LA.DI.RE. "G. Savastano" is the e-learning measurement laboratory supported by the Italian Ministry of Education and University. It involves about twenty Italian universities and provides the students of electric and electronic measurement courses with the access to remote measurement laboratories delivering different didactic activities related to measurement experiments. In order to demonstrate the versatility for didactic use, the overview of same experiments is given. The didactic experiments summarized in the paper concern with: measurement characterization of instruments and communication systems, measurement devices for remote laboratory, basic electrical measurements, magnetic measurements, electromagnetic interferences measurements, and signal processing for measurement applications.

This article presents an experimental investigation on the short-circuit (SC) instability of several commercially available cascode gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). In the SC test, self-sustained oscillation is observed during the SC transient. The SC oscillation features some unique characteristics. The gate resistor shows very weak damping effect on the SC oscillation. The SC oscillation thereby cannot be suppressed by utilizing a large gate resistor. With the increase in the dc-bus voltage, the SC oscillation greatly amplifies and becomes more unstable. When the dc-bus voltage reaches 200-250 V, catastrophic failure occurs. In the SC test, two distinct failure modes, which are related to the failure of low-voltage (LV) MOSFET and depletion-mode HEMTs (DHEMTs), are identified. Based on the experimental evidence and simulation study, the root causes of the failure are clarified in the end.

Background: Safety of reconstructive microsurgery in elderly patients is still a topic of debate, because no conclusive evidence exists that provides indications and risk evaluation in elderly patients. The purpose of this study, which the Italian Society for Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery (SICPRE) has promoted, is to evaluate the safety and the complication risk of elective reconstructive microsurgery in elderly patients as well as to identify patient- or procedure-related risk factors. The secondary aim is to evaluate the predictive role for complications of the Geriatric 8 score (G8). Methods: A total of 194 consecutive patients from 18 centers, aged 65 or older, who received an elective microsurgical flap between April 2018 and April 2019 were prospectively evaluated. Patient-related, treatment-related, and outcomes data were recorded and statistically analyzed through multiple-adjusted logistic regression models. Results: Our study showed an increased risk of complications and a longer hospitalization in patients aged ≥75 years with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score ≥3 (or G8 score ≤11) as compared to patients >65 years of age and

Background Melnick–Needles syndrome and periventricular nodular heterotopia are two usually mutually exclusive phenotypes of F-actin-binding cytoskeletal phosphoprotein Filamin-A mutations. Melnick–Needles syndrome is a rare X-linked condition that is lethal in males and shows great phenotypic variability in affected females. It is caused by mutations in Filamin-A gene, which encodes the protein Filamin A. Defects of the human Filamin-A gene also cause X-linked periventricular nodular heterotopia, a malformation of neuronal migration characterized by nodules of neurons in inappropriate location adjacent to the walls of the lateral ventricles. Case presentation We report on two Caucasian adolescent females, sisters, diagnosed with Melnick–Needles syndrome and bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia, who developed bipolar disorder and somatic symptoms disorder at a young age. We also present a review of the literature about mental disorders associated with periventricular nodular heterotopia. Our report shows that patients presenting with atypical and heterogeneous psychiatric disease may have an underrecognized anatomical brain abnormality on genetic basis. Conclusions We found records of psychiatric disorders associated with periventricular nodular heterotopia; nevertheless, this is the first report of bipolar disorder occurring in individuals with periventricular nodular heterotopia, and the first report of any psychiatric disorder in individuals affected by Melnick–Needles syndrome. In conclusion, this case report may contribute to characterizing the phenotype of this very rare syndrome.

In this manuscript, an optically passive fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogation system able to perform high-frequency measurement is proposed. The idea is mainly based on the use of an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) device which is used to discriminate the fiber optic sensor (FOS) wavelength encoded response under test in function of its output channels. As made clear by the theoretical model studied in the proposed manuscript, the Bragg wavelength shift can be detected as in linear dependence with the proposed interrogation function which changes with the voltage produced by two (or more) adjacent AWG output channels. To prove the feasibility of the system, some experimental analyses are conducted with a custom electrical module characterized by high-speed and low-noise operational amplifiers. As static measurements, three FBGs with different full width at half maximum (FWHM) have been monitored under wide-range wavelength variation, while, as dynamic measurement, one FBG, glued onto a metal plate, in order to sense the vibration at low and high frequency, was detected. The output signals have been processed by a digital acquisition (DAQ) board and a graphical user interface (GUI). The presented work highlights the characteristics of the proposed idea as competitor among the entire class of interrogation systems currently used. This is because here, the main device, that is the AWG, is passive and reliable, without the need to use modulation signals, or moving parts, that affect the speed of the system. In addition, the innovative multi-channel detection algorithm allows the use of any type of FOS without the need to have a perfectly match of spectra. Moreover, it is also characterized by a high dynamic range without loss of sensitivity.

Background White-Sutton (WHSUS) is a recently recognized syndrome caused by mutations of the POGZ gene. Approximately 70 patients have been reported to date. Intellectual disability, hypotonia, behavioral abnormalities, autism, and typical facial dysmorphisms are recognized as WHSUS features; however, still few patients receive a comprehensive psychometric, behavioral and neurological examination. In this report, we describe the pediatric, dysmorphological, neurological, psychometric and behavioral phenotype in a new WHSUS patient due to a novel heterozygous POGZ mutation, highlighting the distinctive epileptic phenotype and the cognitive pattern. Case presentation The patient, an 8 years-old girl, presented history of hypotonia, motor and speech delay, and distinctive facial features. The diagnosis of WHSUS followed the identification of the de novo variant p.Asp828GlyfsTer36 (c.2482dupG) in the POGZ gene. The patient showed a distinctive neurological phenotype with the occurrence of both paroxysmal not-epileptic events in the first 6 months of age and EEG abnormalities without evidence of clinical seizures after the first year of age. Psychological and behavioral testing highlighted moderate intellectual and communication deficit, mild autism spectrum and visual-motor integration deficit. Conclusions This is the first described case of WHSUS with a co-existence of paroxysmal not-epileptic events and abnormal EEG without seizures in the same patient. Together with the available literature data, this observation suggests that paroxysmal not-epileptic events could be more frequent than expected and that this feature belongs to the WHSUS phenotypic spectrum. Autism is a known comorbidity of WHSUS but is still poorly investigated. Specific clinical testing could help detect also mild autistic phenotypes and better define autism prevalence in POGZ-related syndrome. Special attention should be given to symptoms such as stereotypies, social withdrawal, and hyperactivity that, when present, should be considered as possible signs of autism symptoms. The dissection of the neurological and behavioral phenotype is crucial for individualized therapies tailored to patient’s needs.

Normally-off p-GaN HEMTs with Schottky-type gate are becoming of common adoption in both industrial and consumer electronic market. The presence of a gate current with a remarkable dependence on the temperature of the device allows embedding a temperature sensing feature with very fast response into the gate-driving circuitry. In this work, a prototype of a gate driver circuit with temperature monitoring capability is presented and its applicability in a broad range of operating conditions is validated by means of a thorough experimental campaign.

(1) Background: the aim of this study was to evaluate if dental anxiety can be measured objectively using thermal infrared imaging. (2) Methods: Patients referred to the Department of Oral Surgery of the University of Naples Federico II and requiring dental extractions were consecutively enrolled in the study. Face thermal distribution images of the patients were acquired before and during their first clinical examination using infrared thermal cameras. The data were analyzed in relation to five regions of interest (ROI) of the patient’s face (nose, ear, forehead, zygoma, chin). The differences in the temperatures assessed between the two measurements for each ROI were evaluated by using paired T-test. The Pearson correlation and linear regression were performed to evaluate the association between differences in temperatures and Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) questionnaire score, age, and gender, (3) results: sixty participants were enrolled in the study (28 males and 32 females, mean age 57.4 year-old, age range 18–80 year-old). Only for nose and ear zone there was a statistically significant difference between measurements at baseline and visit. Correlation between the thermal imaging measurements and the scores of the MDAS questionnaire was found for nose and ear, but not for all of the other regions. (4) Conclusions: the study demonstrated a potential use of thermal infrared imaging to measure dental anxiety.

Down syndrome (DS) is a major genetic cause of intellectual disability. DS pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated, and no specific pharmacological therapy is available. DYRK1A overexpression, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction were described in trisomy 21. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a multimodal nutraceutical with antioxidant properties. EGCG inhibits DYRK1A overexpression and corrects DS mitochondrial dysfunction in vitro. The present study explores safety profiles in DS children aged 1–8 years treated with EGCG (10 mg/kg/die, suspended in omega-3, per os, in fasting conditions, for 6 months) and EGCG efficacy in restoring mitochondrial complex I and F0F1-ATP synthase (complex V) deficiency, assessed on PBMCs. The Griffiths Mental Developmental Scales—Extended Revised (GMDS-ER) was used for developmental profiling. Results show that decaffeinated EGCG (&gt, 90%) plus omega-3 is safe in DS children and effective in reverting the deficit of mitochondrial complex I and V activities. Decline of plasma folates was observed in 21% of EGCG-treated patients and should be carefully monitored. GMDS-ER scores did not show differences between the treated group compared to the DS control group. In conclusion, EGCG plus omega-3 can be safely administered under medical supervision in DS children aged 1–8 years to normalize mitochondria respiratory chain complex activities, while results on the improvement of developmental performance are still inconclusive.

Fiber Optic Sensors (FOS), whose advantages have made them widely used in many applications, are up to now not so diffusely used for the monitoring of industrial processes, mainly due to two aspects: the expensiveness and complexity of the sensors monitoring systems. For these reasons, these sensor systems are usually substituted with low performance but easier to manage sensors, in agreement with industrial monitoring standards. The read-out system described in this document overcomes the limitations suffered by the commonly used FOS interrogation system and extends the fields in which FOS can be employed. The circuit handles the transduction of an optical signal to an electrical signal, going from wavelength encoding to voltage or current. Moreover, the proposed system relies on a totally analog and fully modular circuit in combination with a power fluctuation rejection circuit. The system is tested through temperature measurements highlighting it's characteristics of reliability and repeatability. The temperature variation is given by a heat plate and monitored with a calibrated sensor close to the Fiber Bragg Grating sensor under test.

Silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFETs) are gradually replacing silicon power devices in many applications because of the higher performances of the material. Even if the technology for SiC MOSFET has been improved in the last years, the very high interface SiO2/SiC trap density is still a problem that affects the present SiC MOSFET generations. This issue is still not addressed in technology computer aided design (TCAD) simulations supporting the devices development. In this work we demonstrate how an accurate calibration of the TCAD model of a commercial SiC MOSFET is only possible by considering a non-uniform trap distribution along the SiO 2 SiC interface.

This article presents a study on the short-circuit (SC) instability of p-doped gate gallium nitride (p-GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). Under SC condition, self-sustained oscillation occurs when a package stray inductance is introduced in a common source. The SC oscillation features some unique characteristics. With higher dc-bus voltage, the SC oscillation tends to be more unstable. The SC oscillation of p-GaN HEMTs is, thereby, a real threat to the converter operation. When the common-source inductance is eliminated or a larger gate resistor is utilized, the SC oscillation can be dampened. Due to the SPICE simulation, the self-sustained SC oscillation is reproduced. The analyses on the simulated waveforms reveal a positive feedback mechanism that excites the SC oscillation. An analytical model is, thereby, derived to analyze the instability of the positive feedback system. The analyses reveal that the SC oscillation becomes more unstable when the power loop or gate loop has smaller stray inductances, which makes some conventional oscillation suppression methods invalid. To avoid SC oscillation, some effective guidelines are proposed at the end of the article.

Background. Catatonia is increasingly recognized as a comorbid psychiatric condition in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the overlap of behavioral characteristics between these disorders raises many diagnostic challenges. Moreover, recognizing symptoms in ASD patients with medium-low functioning might be difficult. Literature on this argument is poor, especially for children. Case presentation. We report the case of an ASD patient with low cognitive functioning, who presented a complex symptomatology, characterized by progressive regression with loss of autonomy and involuntary movements that assume “dystonic” features. Organic pathology was excluded, and catatonia, with peculiar dystonic characteristics, was diagnosed. An intervention based on elimination of stressful factors, resumption of routines, and support for parents led to the resolution of catatonic symptoms. Conclusions. The case describes the presence among the catatonic symptoms in ASD of involuntary “dystonic” movements; so far, little reported in literature; it highlights that the catatonia may present with a broad spectrum of motor abnormalities. There is still little evidence for treatment of catatonia and ASD. Our case highlights how it is equally important to take into account triggering factors when implementing a nonpharmacological treatment. So, it represents an example of diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of catatonia in ASD, especially in low functioning forms.

This article presents the study on the self-sustained oscillation of cascode gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs), which occurs under the short-circuit (SC) condition. Based on the SC test, it is found that the self-sustained oscillation can be excited in the SC event of cascode GaN HEMTs. Moreover, the gate resistance $R_{G}$ does not have a significant damping effect on the self-sustained SC oscillation. The SPICE simulation is performed to study the oscillation waveforms of the internal depletion-mode HEMT (DHEMT) and low-voltage (LV) mosfet . This article reveals two positive feedback loops, which excite the SC oscillation. One loop is related to the positive feedback process of the DHEMT itself. Another loop is induced by the interaction between the DHEMT and LV mosfet . The two positive feedback loops are interrelated and can reinforce each other. As a result, a very strong driving force is generated to excite the self-sustained oscillation. During the oscillatory transient, the parasitic elements of the device's package play a critical role in exciting the positive feedback process. By analyzing the influence of the parasitic elements on the positive feedback process, the necessary methods are proposed to suppress the SC oscillation. The SPICE simulation validates the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

In the present paper, we will report results about experimental study of brain functional connectivity performed by using a multichannel magnetoencephalographic system based on superconducting quantum interference devices. Such quantum devices exhibit magnetic field sensitivity high enough as to measure the extremely weak magnetic signals generated by the electrical neuronal activity. This powerful tool allows to study the temporal relation of spatially neurophysiological events, i.e. the functional connectivity, which recently captured attention in the field of brain function exploration. The paper reports system and sensors performance as well as data acquisition system and a detailed pipeline data analysis will be described. Brain connectivity measurements relative to parents of children with autism spectrum disorder will be shown, highlighting the preliminary results in topological metrics for different sub-items of autism-spectrum quotient test.

In this paper, an effective, yet simple, methodology for the temperature monitoring of voltage-driven p-GaN HEMTs based on gate leakage current sensing is presented. The proposed solution has been verified by SPICE electrothermal simulations and experiments on commercial devices within and out of safe operating area (SOA). Moreover, the monitoring circuit can be effectively adopted for commercially available normally-off p-GaN HEMTs with no need of modifying the recommended gate driver circuit.

The thermoplasmonic effect causing the local overheating in nanostructured metallic substrates has been recently recognized as an intriguing technological tool for the development of light-controlled active micro and nano systems. Here, we present a study of thermoplasmonic effect in Lab-on-Fiber devices, consisting in nanostructured gold layers directly integrated onto the cleaved facet of an optical fiber tip. We analyze the effect of the metallic nanostructure parameters on the temperature distribution under different (in-fiber) illumination conditions. Heating and cooling temporal dynamics are also investigated. At the steady state, a linear relationship between input optical power and temperature with a linear coefficient in the order of 10 °C/mW is found. All the experimental results are in good agreement with numerical simulations based on a finite element method. Our findings lay the groundwork for the development of light triggered active Lab-on-Fiber probes, merging the unique characteristics of the optical fiber platform and the enormous potentiality offered by thermoplasmonics.

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of electro-thermal device parameter spread on the avalanche ruggedness of parallel silicon carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs representative of multi-chip layout within an integrated power module. The tests were conducted on second generation 1200 V, 36 A–80 mΩ rated devices. Different temperature-dependent electrical parameters were identified and measured for a number of devices. The influence of spread in measured parameters was investigated experimentally during avalanche breakdown transient switching events and important findings have been highlighted.

Background and aims: Recently, the albuminocentric view of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has been changing. Therefore, the relationship between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has to be addressed according to this new clinical presentation of DKD. The aim of this study was to evaluate, in a real-world setting, the correlation DR–DKD in T2DM. Methods and results: A total of 2068 type 2 diabetic patients enrolled in a multicenter cross-sectional study were investigated. Albuminuric subjects were largely prevalent among subjects with DR (p = 0.019). In the whole study population, no difference in albumin excretion rate (AER) was observed between presence/absence of DR; instead, AER was significantly higher among patients with glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 (CKD) (p = 0.009), above all in those with CKD and AER ≥0.03 g/24 h (p = 0.005). Multivariate analysis confirmed that eGFR (O.R. 0.976; 95% C.I.: 0.960–1.028; p < 0.001) and AER (O.R. 1.249; 95% C.I. 1.001–1.619; p = 0.004) were independently associated with DR and HDL–cholesterol (O.R.: 1.042; 95% C.I.: 1.011–1.120; p = 0.014). Additionally, among patients with eGFR

Many neuropsychiatric phenotypes have been reported in association with rearrangements in the 15q11-q13 region. Clinical presentations can include hypotonia, developmental delay, severe/moderate intellectual disabilities, poor expressive language, difficult to treat epilepsy, and autism spectrum disorders. Here we report an additional case of a girl with inversion duplication on chromosome 15 (Inv-Dup 15) showing a peculiar and milder clinical phenotype, including atypical high-functioning autism disorder, late onset and drug-responsive epilepsy, and a relatively good language development . This report suggests that a diagnosis of Inv-Dup (15) can be suspected during more benign atypical condition with a better outcome than usually reported.

In this paper, the self-sustained oscillation occurs on the reverse recovery transient of the superjunction MOSFET intrinsic diode is studied. Based on the double-pulse test, the characteristics of the self-sustained oscillation is identified. Utilizing the Senturus TCAD simulation, the superjunction MOSFET intrinsic diode's reverse recovery oscillation behavior is reproduced. By analyzing the oscillation waveforms, the positive feedback mechanism which excites the oscillation is revealed at the end of the paper.

This work discusses about the electro-thermal behavior of normally-off pGaN HEMT devices. The experimental analysis is conducted on two commercially available, voltage-driven, devices. The validity of iso-thermal condition during DC characterization is discussed with reference to the pulsed technique and the impact of pulse-width. Temperature coefficients for threshold-voltage and on-state resistance are evaluated and compared with those of Silicon devices. Finally, measurements and mission-profile SPICE thermal simulations are carried out to estimate the maximum device temperature during short-circuit operation before failure event.

Background: Information on psychological impact of COVID-19 quarantine in primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), a chronic disorder with recurrent pulmonary exacerbations, is lacking. Psychological well-being was prospectively assessed during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy in a PCD population. Methods: we recruited 27 PCD patients and 27 healthy controls. To assess psychological well-being, psychological general well-being index and parenting stress index-short questionnaires were administered to participants &ge, 15 years-old and to mothers of participants &lt, 15 years-old, respectively. The PCD exacerbations since outbreak onset and frequency of quarantine weekly chest physiotherapy were compared to the same period of 2019. Outcomes: 70% of PCD mothers and 90% of PCD patients did not show parental stress levels or distress levels, respectively, and these groups showed no significant difference in stress compared to controls. The PCD pulmonary exacerbations occurred less frequently and weekly chest physiotherapy sessions significantly increased compared to the same period during 2019 (p &lt, 0.05). Interpretation: During COVID-19 quarantine, a PCD population showed psychological well-being. Low exacerbation rate, explained by lower infectious exposure or improved compliance to chest physiotherapy, likely contributed to psychological well-being. Evaluating psychological burden and parental stress is a valuable tool for measuring the emotional impact of PCD and improving PCD medical care.

Phenylketonuria is an inborn error of phenylalanine (Phe) metabolism diagnosed by newborn screening and treated early with diet. Although diet prevents intellectual disability, patients often show impairment of executive functions, working memory, sustained attention, and cognitive flexibility. Large neutral amino acids (LNAAs) have been proposed as a dietary supplement for PKU adults. Few studies show that LNAAs may help in improving metabolic control as well as cognitive functions. In this study, 10 adult PKU patients with poor metabolic control were treated for 12 months with LNAAs (MovisCom, 0.8&ndash, 1 g/kg/day) and underwent Phe and Tyrosine (Tyr) monitoring monthly. Neuropsychological assessment was performed at T0, T+3, and T+12 months by using the American Psychological General Well-Being Index, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, the Test of Attentional Performance, and the 9-Hole Peg Test. No change in plasma Phe levels was observed during LNAAs supplementation, while Tyr levels significantly improved during LNAAs supplementation (p = 0.03). Psychometric tests showed an improvement of distress and well-being rates, of executive functions, attention, and vigilance, whereas no difference was noted regarding hand dexterity. This study adds evidence of the advantage of LNAAs supplementation in improving cognitive functions and well-being in patients with PKU with poor metabolic control.

Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) is the reference design for power semiconductor switches in the range of the medium-high power applications. Different designs were proposed along the development story of this device, but the actual trend is leaded by the Field-Stop IGBT (FS-IGBT) concept. One of the main advantages of this design is the great accuracy in defining the Emitter injection efficiency of the vertical PNP. However a careful design of the Collector side has to be carried out to avoid unwanted effects such as a negative temperature coefficient for the Von of the device. In this work we present the two main cause of the aforementioned effect, with a detailed analysis of the effect of the arising of a Schottky Barrier (SB) at the Collector contact for low doping concentrations.

Background: The etiology of non-healing ulcers depends on both systemic and local factors. The introduction of advanced dressing, negative wound therapy and compression therapy have undoubtedly improved clinical outcomes. The principal aim of study was to demonstrate the efficacy of dermal micrografts in the treatment of ulcers with different etiologies. The second aim was to investigate in vitro the action of micrografts in the regenerative process. Methods: The dermal micro-grafts were obtained from mechanical disaggregation of small pieces of skin tissue through a medical device called Rigeneracons. Results: We observed in vivo the ability of dermal autologous micrografts to improve the healing of venous, diabetic, pressure and post-traumatic ulcers after few week of treatment accomplished in general with a better quality of life for the patients. In vitro results showed that these micrografts express mesenchymal stem cells (MSCS) marker such as CD34, CD73, CD90 and CD105, and are able to form a viable and proliferative biocomplex with collagen sponge. Finally, the site of ulcers displayed a different expression of epidermal growth factors, insulin-like growth factors, platelet-derived growth factors and their receptors and tumor necrosis factor-β with respect to healthy skin samples. Conclusion: We reported a good outcome for the treatment of chronic ulcers using dermal autologous micrografts. Finally, we suggest that the positivity to MSCs markers and the ability to interact with a scaffold can play a key role in their regenerative properties. Background The etiology of non-healing ulcers depends on both systemic and local factors. The introduction of advanced dressing, negative wound therapy and compression therapy have undoubtedly improved clinical outcomes. The principal aim of study was to demonstrate the efficacy of dermal micrografts in the treatment of ulcers with different etiologies. The second aim was to investigate in vitro the action of micrografts in the regenerative process.Methods The dermal micro-grafts were obtained from mechanical disaggregation of small pieces of skin tissue through a medical device called Rigeneracons.Results We observed in vivo the ability of dermal autologous micrografts to improve the healing of venous, diabetic, pressure and post-traumatic ulcers after few week of treatment accomplished in general with a better quality of life for the patients. In vitro results showed that these micrografts express mesenchymal stem cells (MSCS) marker such as CD34, CD73, CD90 and CD105, and are able to form a viable and proliferative biocomplex with collagen sponge. Finally, the site of ulcers displayed a different expression of epidermal growth factors, insulin-like growth factors, platelet-derived growth factors and their receptors and tumor necrosis factor-beta with respect to healthy skin samples.Conclusion We reported a good outcome for the treatment of chronic ulcers using dermal autologous micrografts. Finally, we suggest that the positivity to MSCs markers and the ability to interact with a scaffold can play a key role in their regenerative properties.

Intelligent tire concept constitutes one of the approaches to increase the accuracy of active safety systems in vehicle technology. The possibility of detecting tire&ndash, road interactions instantaneously has made these systems one of the most important research areas in automotive engineering. This study introduces the use of cost-effective flex and polyvinylidene fluoride strain sensors to estimate some dynamic tire features in free-rolling and real working conditions. The proposed solution combines a microcontroller-based readout circuit for the two sensors with a wireless data transmission system. A suitable prototype was realized and first experimental tests were conducted, in the laboratory as well as on the road. The energy consumption of the wireless monitoring system was optimized. Simulated and experimental results validate the proposed solution.

Purpose: Available guidelines on therapeutic drug monitoring of second-generation antipsychotics were designed for adults; therefore, they cannot be transferred as such in pediatric patients, who may have different drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination. Moreover, available tools that guide dosing in neuropsychiatric pediatric patients are scant, leading to the possibility of reduced efficacy and/or increased risks of toxicity. Here we describe the results of observational therapeutic drug monitoring conducted in three pediatric neuropsychiatry units across Italy in 2012-2014, with the following aims: (1) to describe the distribution of plasma concentrations of second-generation antipsychotics in our pediatric patients and (2) to identify clinical covariates associated with plasma drug levels. Methods: Five hundred fifty-six plasma trough concentrations of the second-generation antipsychotics risperidone (plus 9-hydroxy-risperidone), aripiprazole, olanzapine, and quetiapine were measured from 172 pediatric outpatients overall. The distribution of drug concentrations was described and correlated with drug doses and clinical variables. Results: Risperidone plasma levels were lower than in adults (median 13.6 ng/ml), with a high inter-patient (78.9 %) but lower intra-patient (34.2 %) variability. In multiple regression analyses, risperidone plasma levels depended only on drug dose (p < 0.001). Aripiprazole plasma levels were similar to those described in adults (median 165.8 ng/ml) and were widely distributed, with an inter-patient variability of 81.1 %, while the intra-patient variability was much lower (29.3 %). Multiple regression analyses indicated that aripiprazole plasma levels were influenced by the daily doses (p < 0.001) and by the number of concomitant drugs (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our study described the distribution of plasma levels of SGAs in a real-life setting involving pediatric patients, significantly increasing the amount of available data for this fragile population. If confirmed in larger dataset, these data may contribute to the definition of optimal therapeutic window for risperidone and aripiprazole plasma levels in pediatric patients.

One of the major concerns related to flight safety is the impact of birds. To minimize the risks, there is the need to improve impact resistance of aircraft by developing high-performance materials and better structural design of aircraft structures. Because of their remarkable impact properties, fiber metal laminates with layers of aluminum alloy and high-strength glass-fiber composite are potential candidate materials to be employed for aircraft structures susceptible to bird strikes. This paper describes an experimental and numerical campaign aimed at assessing the bird strike resistance of a fiber-metal-laminate-composite leading edge for the wing of a transport aircraft. Three different fiber-metal-laminate leading-edge structures were designed using advanced finite element simulations; they were manufactured and finally tested to analyze their impact-energy-absorbing capabilities. The finite element models were developed, adopting a Lagrangian approach in such a way to be able to correctly simulate impacts with large deformations and perforations of the structures and to characterize the different inelastic/brittle behaviors and failure modes of the fiber metal laminates. The numerical simulations were generally in good agreement with the experimental values, demonstrating the robustness of the developed finite element simulations in supporting the design of bird-strike-resistant aircraft structures.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy on dialysis is increasingly being reported. This study evaluates the behavioural profile of the children of mothers on dialysis and the parental stress their mothers undergo when compared with a group of mothers affected by a different chronic disease (microcythaemia) and a group of healthy control mothers. METHODS: Between 2000 and 2012, 23 on-dialysis mothers gave birth to 24 live-born children in Italy (23 pregnancies, 1 twin pregnancy, one of the twins deceased soon after delivery); of these, 16 mothers and 1 father (whose wife died before the inquiry) were included in the study (1 mother had died and the father was unavailable; 2 were not asked to participate because their children had died and 3 were unavailable; children: median age: 8.5, min-max: 2-13 years). Twenty-three mothers affected by transfusion-dependent microcythaemia or drepanocitosis (31 pregnancies, 32 children) and 35 healthy mothers (35 pregnancies, 35 children; median age of the children: 7, min-max: 1-13 years) were recruited as controls. All filled in the validated questionnaires: 'Child Behaviour Checklist' (CBCL) and the 'Parental Stress Index-Short Form' (PSI-SF). RESULTS: The results of the CBCL questionnaire were similar for mothers on dialysis and healthy controls except for pervasive developmental problems, which were significantly higher in the dialysis group, while microcythaemia mothers reported higher emotional and behavioural problems in their children in 8 CBCL sub-scales. Two/16 children in the dialysis and 3/32 in the microcythaemia group had pathological profiles, as assessed by T-scores (p: ns). PSI-SF indicated a normal degree of parental stress in microcythaemia subjects and healthy controls, while mothers on dialysis declared significantly lower stress, suggesting a defensive response in order to minimize problems, stress or negativity in their relationship with their child. CONCLUSIONS: According to the present analysis, the emotional and behavioural outcome is normal in most of the children from on-dialysis mothers. A 'positive defence' in the dialysis mothers should be kept in mind when tailoring psychological support for this medical miracle.

The Remote Didactic Laboratory Laboratories Didattico Remoto - LA.DI.RE. "G. Savastano" is the e-learning measurement laboratory supported by the Italian Ministry of Education and University. It provides the students of electric and electronic measurement courses with the access to remote measurement laboratories delivering different didactic activities related to measurement experiments. The paper describes the innovative aspects concerning the software and hardware architecture, and the delivered services to both the teachers and students. The core of the delivered services is the integration of the learning measurement system with the remotely accessible measurement laboratories through the Web. Moreover, the advantages of the proposed software and hardware architecture are highlighted in comparison with the traditional architectures