RESUMEN
Composite insulators for high-voltage overhead lines have better performances and are lighter than traditional designs, especially in heavily polluted areas. However, since it is a relatively recent technology, reliable methods to perform live-line diagnostics are still under development, especially with regard to internal defects, which provide few external symptoms. Thermal cameras can be employed, but their use is not always straightforward as the sun radiation can hide the thermal footprint of internal degenerative effects. In this work, an optical E-field sensor has been used to diagnose the internal defects of a set of composite insulators (bandwidth 200 mHz-50 MHz, min. detectable E-field 100 V/m). Moreover, a modelling activity using finite elements has been carried out to identify the possible nature of the defects by comparing experimental E-field profiles with those simulated assuming a specific defect geometry. The results show that the sensor can detect the presence of an internal defect, since its presence distorts the E-field profile when compared to the profile of a sound insulator. Moreover, the measured E-field profiles are compatible with the corresponding simulated ones when a conductive defect is considered. However, it was observed that a defect whose conductivity is not at least two orders of magnitude greater than the conductivity of the surroundings remains undetected.
RESUMEN
Late Jurassic rhynchocephalians from the Solnhofen Archipelago have been known for almost two centuries. The number of specimens and taxa is constantly increasing, but little is known about the ontogeny of these animals. The well-documented marine taxon Pleurosaurus is one of such cases. With over 15 described (and many more undescribed) specimens, there were no unambiguous juveniles so far. Some authors have argued that Acrosaurus, another common component of the Solnhofen Archipelago herpetofauna, might represent an early ontogenetic stage of Pleurosaurus, but the lack of proper descriptions for this taxon makes this assignment tentative, at best. Here, we describe the first unambiguous post-hatchling juvenile of Pleurosaurus and tentatively attribute it to Pleurosaurus cf. P. ginsburgi. The new specimen comes from the Lower Tithonian of the Mörnsheim Formation, Germany. This specimen is small, disarticulated, and incomplete, but preserves several of its craniomandibular bones and presacral vertebrae. It shares with Pleurosaurus a set of diagnostic features, such as an elongated and triangular skull, a low anterior flange in its dentition, and an elongated axial skeleton. It can be identified as a juvenile due to the presence of an unworn dentition, well-spaced posteriormost dentary teeth, a large gap between the last teeth and the coronoid process of the dentary, and poorly ossified vertebrae with unfused neural arches. Acrosaurus shares many anatomical features with both this specimen and Pleurosaurus, which could indicate that the two genera are indeed synonyms. The early ontogenetic stage inferred for the new Pleurosaurus specimen argues for an even earlier ontogenetic placement for specimens referred to Acrosaurus, the latter possibly pertaining to hatchlings.
RESUMEN
The use of Digital Healthcare Products is leading to significant improvements in clinical practice. Herein, we discuss the development of PROACT 2.0 (Patient Reported Opinions About Clinical Tolerability v2.0), a novel open-source mobile and web application developed at Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan. It was developed in collaboration with The Christie, Manchester, in the context of work package 2 of the UpSMART Accelerator project, involving a consortium of referral cancer centers from the UK, Spain and Italy. PROACT 2.0 enhances communication between patients and healthcare providers in cancer clinical trials, allowing patients to report adverse events and side effects, and healthcare teams to collect valuable patient-reported outcome measures for treatment management. PROACT 2.0 supports text, audio, and video messaging, offering a secure, non-urgent communication channel that integrates with, or replaces, traditional methods. Its user-friendly and multilingual interface provides a new route for patient engagement and streamlines the handling of logistical information. Positive feedback from initial testing warrants future enhancements for broader applicability in cancer research and treatment.