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A novel hybrid approach for solving induction heating problems is presented. The electrothermal problem is discretized by the cell method (CM) and coupled to the boundary element method to avoid the air region meshing. The interface coupling is obtained by introducing a new topological framework for the CM, which is the augmented dual grid. The main advantage is that the electromagnetic hybrid formulation for computing time-harmonic eddy currents results in a partly dense indefinite linear system, which is solved by a fast TFQMR iterative method. The transient thermal problem, weakly coupled to the electrical one, is solved by the $\theta $ method under convection and radiation boundary conditions. The hybrid approach shows to be very accurate by comparison with third-order 2-D FEM on an axisymmetric test case. The applicability of the method then extends to full 3-D models with limited computing resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, it is shown how admittance boundary conditions for electromagnetic boundary value problems in the frequency domain can be formulated for the Discrete Geometric Approach. The details are presented for primal grids composed of tetrahedra and barycentric dual grids. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Clin Microbiol Infect 2010; 16: 1149–1154 We used DNA fingerprinting to analyse tuberculosis (TB) epidemiology in immigrant patients living in two major northern Italian urban areas. The study population included 1999 TB patients (1500 Italian-born and 499 immigrants). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors related to clustering similar proportions of immigrant and Italian-born patients (46%) had infection with TB strains that belonged to genetic clusters. This supports the hypothesis that the disease in foreign patients is more likely to have arisen from reactivation of latent infection acquired in the country of origin than from recent transmission. Gender, age, human immunodeficiency virus infection and drug resistance were not significantly linked to TB clustering. Risk factors associated with strain clustering were country of origin (Somalia, adjusted OR (AOR) 3.19, p 0.017; Peru, AOR 2.86, p 0.014; and Senegal, AOR 2.60, p 0.045) and city of residence. Immigrant status in the larger urban area was an independent risk factor for infection with clustered TB, as reinforced by a subanalysis of the Senegalese group. In conclusion, variations in TB transmission were observed among immigrants from different countries and even within national groups, where living conditions have been found to exert a profound impact. These results emphasize the importance of improving social integration of immigrant subjects in order to limit risks of TB transmission in developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper provides a compact but accurate electro-thermal model of a long wiring on-chip interconnect embedded in the complex layout of a ULSI digital circuit. The proposed technique takes into account both the effect of temperature gradients over the chip substrate and the interconnect self-heating due to current flow. The proposed compact model is well suited to be interfaced with commercially available CAD tools employed for interconnect parasitic extraction and signal integrity verification. The paper also investigates the electro-thermal effects that arise in a long wiring on-chip interconnect in which current flow is dominated by displacement currents and thus is not uniform along the line. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We propose a recipe to construct a symmetric positive definite and consistent reluctance constitutive matrix to be used within discrete geometric approaches when the primal grid is generated by an enhanced subgridding of a generic hexahedral grid. We focus on a magnetostatic problem as working example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new stochastic partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) method is proposed for uncertainty quantification in electromagnetic problems when material parameters are considered as random variables. The proposed formulation is derived using polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) and Galerkin projection. For the first time, the well-known advantages of PEEC are combined with those of PCE techniques, which can tackle also large variations in the random parameters. Volume conductive media are first considered in the formulation, which is then extended to dielectric, magnetic, and surface conductive media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new electro-thermal model of avalanching silicon junctions subject to the abrupt and large currents of electro-static-discharge (ESD) phenomenon is presented. A reliable model of the avalanching junction is the core element for accurate CAD-based analysis of ESD failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare a RD1-based in-house ELISPOT-interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) assay with a commercial (T-SPOT.TBtrade mark) assay for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infection and the efficacy of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and ELISPOT assay in detecting latent TB infection (LTBI). Design: Eighty-six subjects (65 household contacts of contagious TB-infected patients, 13 subjects with active or previous TB infection, and 8 with suspected TB infection) were consecutively recruited in the context of a surveillance program. Methods: Enrolled subjects underwent the Mantoux TST and two different ELISPOT-IFN-gamma assays: an in-house assay using a pool of selected M. tuberculosis peptides (MTP) and the commercial T-SPOT.TB assay. Results: The in-house and commercial ELISPOT-IFN-gamma assays showed almost complete concordance (99%) in diagnosing acute or LTBI.When comparing the efficacy of the TST with the in-house ELISPOT assay in detecting TB infection, a small agreement was observed (k=0.344, P<0.0001): 36% of the subjects with a positive TST were ELISPOT-MTP negative and 12% with a negative TST were ELISPOT-MTP positive. Furthermore, 78% of the ELISPOT-MTP negative individuals were ELISPOT- Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) positive, most of whom had received BCG vaccination. Conclusion: Our in-house ELISPOT assay based on a restricted pool of highly selected peptides is equivalent to the commercial T-SPOT.TB assay, is cheaper and is probably not confounded, unlike the TST, by BCG vaccination in our setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the epidemiology and treatment outcomes of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) and pre-extensively-resistant (pre-XDR) tuberculosis (TB) in migrants at two TB reference centers in Italy. Patient selection criteria for the present study were as follows: age ≥18 years, international migrants (i.e., person who lives in a country other than his/her country of origin), MDR or pre-XDR-TB based on drug-susceptibility test findings, full availability of microbiological, radiological and clinical data. Non-intersecting populations between the two centers were selected. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a successful (i.e., cured and treatment completed) treatment outcome. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, from 01/Jan/2000 to 01/Jan/2015, at the Regional TB Reference Centre of Lombardy Region, Villa Marelli Institute/ASST Niguarda Ca' Granda (Milan, Italy) and at the Reference Center for MDR-TB and HIV-TB, Eugenio Morelli Hospital ASST (Sondalo, Italy). All data were made anonymous. Qualitative and quantitative variables were collected in an ad hoc electronic database. The statistical software used for all computations was STATA version 15 (StataCorp, Texas, USA). Overall, 116 MDR-TB and pre-XDR-TB cases were recorded: 82 (70.7%) MDR-TB and 34 (29.3%) pre-XDR-TB patients, respectively. The majority (53.5%) were from the World Health Organization European Region (excluding EU/EEA) and 75 (64.5%) were male. Median (interquartile range) age was 32 (26–39) years. TB/HIV coinfection was found in 12 (10.3%) patients. Pulmonary TB was diagnosed in 107/116 (92.2%) patients. Resistance to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectables was detected in 22/116 (19.0%) and 12/107 (11.2%) patients, respectively. Overall treatment success was reached in 95/116 (81.9%) cases. Pre-XDR-TB in migrants coming from high-endemic countries represents a matter of concern; therefore, prevention and control activities targeted to high-risk populations are needed to progress toward TB elimination. • Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) represents a major challenge for effective TB control. • DR-TB in low-incidence European countries is more prevalent among international migrants. • Epidemiology of DR-TB can be affected by changes in migratory flow. • TB control activities should be implemented in vulnerable populations (e.g. migrants). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of cantilevered piezoelectric harvesters loaded by finite width impulses of base acceleration is studied analytically in the frequency domain in order to identify the parameters that influence the generated voltage. Experimental tests are then performed on harvesters loaded by hammer impacts. The latter are used to confirm analytical results and to validate a linear finite element (FE) model of a unimorph harvester. The FE model is, in turn, used to extend analytical results to more general harvesters (tapered, inverse tapered, triangular) and to more general impulses (heel strike in human gait). From analytical and numerical results design criteria for improving harvester performance are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B TYPE: b Abstract Publication B TOPIC: b Chest Infections B PURPOSE: b NTM Lung Disease is a frequent distant complication of pulmonary TB. Also, NTM are isolated in the sputum of TB patients during treatment, with questionable clinical significance. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction. Health care workers (HCWs) are at high risk of latent tubercular infection (LTBI). In this study predictors of anti-tubercular treatment interruption in HCWs with LTBI are evaluated. Methods. 1056 HCWs with LTBI were followed up to register adverse events and predictors of treatment interruption. Results. 289 workers did not complete the treatment. Predictors of treatment interruption were adverse events (OR 1.47; 95CI% 1.07-2.03) and to be born in South-America (OR 1.55; 95CI% 1.06-2.26). Conclusion. The higher risk in South-Americans supports the need of targeted formative interventions on these workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]