Development of a non-invasive thermometric system for fluids in pipes
In this paper a non-invasive thermometric system for the measurement of the temperature of fluids in pipes based on the dual heat flux method is presented. The proposed solution is a possible alternative to the employment of thermowells in industrial applications. The proposed sensing system, is based on the dual heat flux method, a technique used in biomedical field. The applicability of such a measurement system in the field of interest is studied taking into account its component performance and how they influence the overall system behavior. A prototype system exploiting RTD sensors with measurement accuracy lower than 1°C has been designed, obtaining performances comparable to the thermowell ones. To reach such an accuracy a dedicated front-end electronics has been developed.
Accurate and quickly responsive surface temperature measurement: a step to widespread non-invasive T-measurement in industry
Non-invasive temperature sensing has the potential to considerably enhance the safety and simplicity of temperature measurement in industrial process facilities. By accurately and reliably measuring the outer wall temperature of a piping conveying a liquid, the needs for a traditional invasive device can be eliminated in many common process circumstances. However, surface sensors are not widely used largely due to two factors: ambiguity of the process conditions that allow for surface measurements and inaccuracies that arise from improper device design and installation. This paper outlines the key process conditions where surface measurements would suffice. It also subsequently presents a framework for modeling a surface measurement sensor with insights on how to improve the measurement accuracy. Experiments with a device that utilizes the derived insights are presented which demonstrate temperature measurement performance equivalent to traditional invasive sensors.
Pathogenetic and prognostic significance of altered coagulation and fibrinolysis in acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome
Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are life-threatening disorders characterized by severe inflammation in the lungs and frequent occurrence of multiple organ failure (1). Despite numerous randomized controlled trials of therapies aimed at modulating the inflammatory response in ALI/ARDS (2), the only therapy that has been proven to reduce mortality is a protective ventilatory strategy (3). Although mortality from ALI/ARDS has declined in clinical trials, epidemiologic studies that include all patients with ALI/ARDS still report mortality rates >50% (4). Insight into the pathophysiological derangements that characterize early clinical ALI/ARDS may help to guide the development of new therapies for this devastating disorder. 
 
The degree of alterations in coagulation and fibrinolysis may be an important pathogenetic and prognostic determinant of mortality in ALI/ARDS. Although altered coagulation and fibrinolysis, both systemically and in the alveolar compartment, were first described in patients with ARDS some years ago (5-7), the relationship of procoagulant to proinflammatory events in causing organ injury has been better appreciated recently (8, 9). Alterations in coagulation and fibrinolysis proteins have not been systematically studied in large numbers of well-characterized patients with ALI/ARDS using the standard definitions (10) that are now used in most clinical trials. We previously measured circulating levels of the endogenous anticoagulant protein C (11) and the fibrinolysis inhibitor plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) (12) in patients with ALI/ARDS in two small single-center pilot studies. Compared with control patients with acute cardiogenic pulmonary edema, levels of plasma protein C were low and levels of plasma PAI-1 were high in ALI/ARDS. 
 
Based on these preliminary findings, we hypothesized that in a large multicenter study, low circulating levels of protein C and high levels of PAI-1 would be present and would have a major impact on the risk of death and other major outcomes in ALI/ARDS. In addition, because prognostic indices in lung injury have limited value when based on a single biomarker alone (13), we determined whether the combination of protein C and PAI-1 would have a higher prognostic value for important clinical outcomes. Understanding the relationship of alterations in coagulation and fibrinolysis proteins on the pathogenesis and prognosis of ALI could be a valuable step toward the development of new therapeutic strategies to target these pathways in this important cause of acute respiratory failure.