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Background and Objectives: Hemolysis is reported to be present in up to 10% of blood gas specimens in the central lab; however, few data on the incidence of hemolysis using a point-of-care testing (POCT) blood gas analysis are available in the setting of the emergency department. The aims of this study were: (1) to analyze the prevalence of hemolysis in blood gas samples collected in the ED using a POCT device; and (2) to evaluate the impact of hemolysis on blood sample results and its clinical consequences. Materials and Methods: We collected 525 consecutive POCT arterial blood gas samples using syringes with electrolyte-balanced heparin within 3 different EDs in the metropolitan area of Rome. Immediately after the collection, the blood samples were checked for the presence of hemolysis with a POCT instrument (i.e., HEMCHECK, H-10 ®). The samples were then subsequently processed for blood gasses, and an electrolytes analysis by a second operator blinded for the hemolysis results. A venous blood sample was simultaneously collected, analyzed for it’s potassium value, and used as a reference. Results: Of the samples, 472 were considered for the statistics, while 53 were excluded due to the high percentage of hemolysis due to operator fault in carrying out the measurement. The final mean hemolysis per operator was 12% (±13% SD), and the total final hemolysis was 14.4%.Potassium (K+) was significantly higher in the hemolyzed group compared with the non-hemolyzed sample (4.60 ± 0.11 vs. 3.99 ± 0.03 mEq/L; p < 0.001), and there were differences between arterial potassium versus venous potassium (D(a-v) K+, 0.29 ± 0.06 vs.−0.19 ± 0.02 mEq/L, p < 0.01). A Bland–Altman analysis confirmed that hemolysis significantly overestimated blood potassium level. Conclusion: Almost 12% of POCT blood gas analysis samples performed in the ED could be hemolyzed, and the presence of this hemolysis is not routinely detected. This could cause an error in the interpretation of the results, leading to the consideration of potassium concentrations being below the lower limit within the normal limits and also leading to the diagnosis of false hyperkalemia, which would have potential clinical consequences in therapeutic decision-making in the ED. The routine use of a POCT hemolysis detector could help prevent any misdiagnoses.

The Polar Multi-Sensor Aerosol optical properties product (PMAp) provides global Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) observations that are retrieved using a combination of measurements from instruments onboard the Metop satellites, including the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2), the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). The PMAp Climate Data Record (CDR), published in 2022, comprises data from the Metop-A and Metop-B satellites covering the period from 2007 to 2019. The PMAp also includes classification for selected aerosol types, including dust. Based on the classification, a dust-dominated total AOD can be extracted. The focus of this work is to assess the dust aerosols in the PMAp CDRs, by analysing the spatio-temporal occurrence of dust and aerosol classification reliability, as well as by carrying out dust-dominated total AOD validation against AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) observations. Our results show that the occurrence and classification of PMAp dust-dominated AOD agrees well with AERONET metrics. For PMAp dust-dominated total AODs, moderate to strong correlations with AERONET (0.45–0.8) are observed, while mean biases exhibit relatively high variability. The root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) typically represent 50 %–80 % of the mean AERONET AOD conditions. As most of the comparisons here occur at relatively high AOD levels over bright land surfaces, where measurement uncertainties and variability are inherently greater, this is somewhat expected. The results also bring up certain challenges, e.g. PMAp AOD overestimation at Central Asian AERONET stations or occasional occurrences of dust-dominated total AODs that appeared as clear outliers in AERONET comparisons. Further investigation is needed to determine their underlying causes. On a larger spatial scale, The PMAp CDRs can capture the expected seasonal variation in dust-affected AODs, such as over the Saharan outflow area, but sampling density can vary across seasons, especially over land. Therefore, full AOD distributions, along with median and mean, should be analyzed to ensure accurate conclusions. Despite challenges, the PMAp CDRs show potential for monitoring global dust aerosol patterns.

This study aimed to investigate the role of the thymus in influencing long-term outcomes of COVID-19 by comparing the thymic appearance in patients with and without COVID-19 pulmonary sequelae at chest computed tomography (CT). A total of 102 adult patients previously hospitalized for COVID-19 underwent a follow-up chest CT three months after discharge. Pulmonary sequelae and thymic appearance were independently assessed by two experienced radiologists. The thymus was detectable in 55/102 patients (54%), with only 7/55 (13%) having any kind of pulmonary sequelae, compared to 33 out of 47 (70%, p < 0.001) in patients without thymic visibility, as confirmed in age-stratified analysis and at logistic regression analysis, where thymic involution had a 9.3 odds ratio (95% CI 3.0–28.2, p < 0.001) for the development of pulmonary sequelae. These results support the hypothesis that thymic reactivation plays a protective role against adverse long-term outcomes of COVID-19.

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) studies were introduced as a successful help for the detection of calcification, which can be a primary sign of cancer. Expert radiologists are able to detect suspicious calcifications in DBT, but a high number of calcifications with non-malignant diagnosis at biopsy have been reported (false positives, FP). In this study, a radiomic approach was developed and applied on DBT images with the aim to reduce the number of benign calcifications addressed to biopsy and to give the radiologists a helpful decision support system during their diagnostic activity. This allows personalizing patient management on the basis of personalized risk. For this purpose, 49 patients showing microcalcifications on DBT images were retrospectively included, classified by BI-RADS (Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System) and analyzed. After segmentation of microcalcifications from DBT images, radiomic features were extracted. Features were then selected with respect to their stability within different segmentations and their repeatability in test–retest studies. Stable radiomic features were used to train, validate and test (nested 10-fold cross-validation) a preliminary machine learning radiomic classifier that, combined with BI-RADS classification, allowed a reduction in FP of a factor of 2 and an improvement in positive predictive value of 50%.

This work delves into advancements in wireless power transfer (WPT) and radiofrequency (RF) energy harvesting (EH), focusing on on-demand beamforming and wide-dynamic power range technologies. These innovations promise significant improvements in efficiency and adaptability for wireless energy systems. For transmitting RF power, on-demand beamforming enhances power delivery precision by accurately targeting specific devices, minimizing energy waste, and maximizing received power. This technology is particularly useful in dynamic environments with constantly changing device positions, ensuring stable power levels and effective real-time power transfer, such as for mobile device charging. For receiving RF power, wide-dynamic power range implementation allows EH and WPT systems to adjust power output across a broad spectrum, optimizing energy use and extending device lifespan. This capability supports scalability, accommodating devices with varied power needs, also enabling new applications in consumer electronics, healthcare, smart homes, and cities, and enhancing energy management in smart infrastructures. Additionally, this study explores three-dimensional (3D)-printable antennas and RF circuitries for battery-free applications. The versatility of 3D printing allows the creation of complex, efficient, and customizable RF components, fostering innovative battery-free solutions. Integrating on-demand beamforming and wide-dynamic power range technologies in EH systems promise improved energy transfer efficiencies, reduced losses, and sustainable, cost-effective wireless power systems.

The 2019 Geomorphological Field Camp at San Domino Island (Tremiti Islands, Southern Adriatic Sea) is the result of geological and geomorphological field work activities carried out by a group of students attending the Geomorphological field mapping course of the Master's Degree in Geological Science and Technology (University of Chieti-Pescara). The main map (1:5000 scale) was obtained through an integrated approach that incorporates morphometric analysis, geological and geomorphological field mapping, and geomorphological profiles drawing. Activities were carried out by all students, divided into six working groups of three to four persons each. The field camp and field work activities made it possible to produce a detailed thematic map, as a scientific tool to depict the San Domino Island landscape, and to outline some geomorphological issues in terms of possible constraints to landscape evolution, geomorphological processes distribution, and natural hazard assessment.

The richness and the importance of Florence during the 14th and 15th centuries are well known all around the world. However only few people know that behind this richness there was a banking group - Banco de’ Medici - managed similarly to a nowadays bank colossus. This paper presents an analysis of the governance and accountability systems of this bank. Based both on precious documents of the Florence State Archive and on the existing literature, this paper offers an in-depth study of one of the earliest examples in the world of a bank holding company. In order to understand both the true nature of the Banco de’ Medici group and the links between holdings and subsidiaries, the governance and the accounting records of the main headquarters in Florence and the Lyon branch were investigated. This article contributes to literature shedding new light on the structure of this important bank, the relationship between the holding company and its subsidiaries and on the relationship between its majority and minority shareholders.