Biomedical subjects

R Villalta

Publications and source records attributed to R Villalta.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A technical note about Phidel: a new software for evaluating magnetic induction field generated by power lines.

The Regional Environment Protection Agency of Friuli Venezia Giulia (ARPA FVG, Italy) has performed an analysis on existing software designed to calculate magnetic induction field generated by power lines. As far as the agency's requirements are concerned the tested programs display some difficulties in the immediate processing of electrical and geometrical data supplied by plant owners, and in certain cases turn out to be inadequate in representing complex configurations of power lines. Phidel, an innovative software, tackles and works out all the above-mentioned problems. Therefore, the obtained results, when compared with those of other programs, are the closest to experimental measurements. The output data can be employed both in the GIS and Excel environments, allowing the immediate overlaying of digital cartography and the determining of the 3 and 10 muT bands, in compliance with the Italian Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers of 8 July 2003.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2006

ELF field in the proximity of complex power line configuration measurement procedures.

The issue of how to measure magnetic induction fields generated by various power line configurations, when there are several power lines that run across the same exposure area, has become a matter of interest and study within the Regional Environment Protection Agency of Friuli Venezia Giulia. In classifying the various power line typologies the definition of double circuit line was given: in this instance the magnetic field is determined by knowing the electrical and geometric parameters of the line. In the case of independent lines instead, the field is undetermined. It is therefore pointed out how, in the latter case, extracting previsional information from a set of measurements of the magnetic field alone is impossible. Making measurements throughout the territory of service has in several cases offered the opportunity to define standard operational procedures.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Field comparison of two different passive radon detectors.

The present paper describes field performance of two different passive radon monitor devices formed, respectively, by a CR-39 track detector enclosed in a diffusion chamber and a cellulose nitrate detector (LR-115) in a heat-sealed polyethylene bag. The most important scope of these investigations was to study the performance of these detectors directly in the field. To this end, two different types of radon monitors mentioned above have been exposed simultaneously in 100 school rooms within the Italian region Friuli Venezia Giulia. Finally, the accuracy of their responses has been evaluated by exposing them under extreme humidity conditions and/or together with other radon measurement instruments.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗

PubMed2001

Radon survey in schools in north-east Italy.

During the year 2000 the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA) of Friuli Venezia Giulia together with the Pordenone Province carried out a survey to determine the radon concentration in the schools. About 900 measurements have been carried out in 300 schools located both in the mountainous and in the flat territory. Moreover, geological information was gathered. both on a regional scale and, where possible, on a small detailed scale. The purpose of this study is to consider the possibility of using all the data collected to discover some radon prone areas. The first results of this study seem to locate some radon prone areas where the cover consists of very permeable gravelly deposits.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗

PubMed1997

[Patients with human immunodeficiency virus admitted to the emergency service of a general hospital].

BACKGROUND: The description of the demographic, toxicologic, immunologic and clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with known human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) admitted to hospital through the emergency department is presented. METHODS: A cohort study of patients with known HIV seropositivity who consecutively attended the emergency department of the Hospital del Mar in Barcelona, Spain, from January to March 1995 and who required hospitalization with follow up until discharge from hospital was performed. From the clinical history of each patient the following parameters were analyzed: age, sex, domicile, toxicologic history, risk factors 'for HIV infection, epidemiologic and pathologic history, CD4 lymphocyte count, clinical stage, the complementary tests carried out, as well as the diagnosis on admission and hospital discharge. RESULTS: During the study period, 6,379 patients were attended in the emergency department, 323 of whom corresponded to HIV seropositive patients. Of 1,460 admissions, 126 (77 males [61%] and 49 females [39%]) corresponded to known HIV patients, of whom 75.5% were or had been intravenous drug addicts. Eighty-three point three percent were from the health care area assigned to the hospital. According to the AIDS clinical stage, 26 (20.6%) belonged to group A, 14 (11.1%) to group B and 86 (68.2%) to group C. The complementary tests performed were: thorax radiography in 80%, abdomen radiography in 4%, cerebral computerized axial tomography (CAT) in 9.5%, lumbar punction in 5%, thoracocentesis in 3%, paracentesis in 4% and clinical analysis in 95%. The most frequent cause of admission was pulmonary disease (40%) with 21.5% corresponding to tuberculosis. Homogenesis among diagnoses on admission and discharge was 75%. CONCLUSIONS: The high percentage of hospitalary admissions in known HIV patients requiring medical attention in the emergency department is of note. The patients are usually from the health care area of the center, belong to group C, require a high number of complementary tests with pulmonary disease being the most frequent cause of admission.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗