Publications

Adriana Savoca, Giovanni Mistraletti, Davide Manca

Computers and Chemical Engineering, 113, 115–124, (2018)

ABSTRACT: There is a significant hype in the medical sector for the transdermal administration of drugs as it allows achieving a combination of multiple advantages: non-invasive procedure, pain avoidance, no first-pass hepatic metabolism, and induction of sustained plasma levels. This paper proposes a model for the study and prediction of drug transport through skin and the following distribution to human body. This is achieved by an...

Roberto Andrea Abbiati, Petra Cagnardi, Giuliano Ravasio, Roberto Villa, Davide Manca

Journal of Theoretical Biology, 429 (2017)

ABSTRACT: This work proposes an application of a minimal complexity physiologically based pharmacokinetic model to predict tramadol concentration vs time profiles in horses. Tramadol is an opioid analgesic also used for veterinary treatments. Researchers and medical doctors can profit from the application of mathematical models as supporting tools to optimize the pharmacological treatment of animal species. The proposed model is based...

Roberto Andrea Abbiati, Gaetano Lamberti, Mario Grassi, Francesco Trotta, Davide Manca

Computers and Chemical Engineering, 84, 394-408, 2016

Pharmacokinetic modeling based on a mechanistic approach is a promising tool for drug concentrationprediction in living beings. The development of a reduced physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model(PBPK model), is performed by lumping organs and tissues with comparable characteristics respect todrug distribution phenomena. The proposed reduced model comprises eight differential equations and18 adaptive parameters. To improve the...

Roberto Andrea Abbiati, Gaetano Lamberti, Anna Angela Barba, Mario Grassi, Davide Manca

Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 37, 77-84, 2015

Pharmacokinetic modeling allows predicting the drug concentration reached in the blood as a consequence of a specific administration. When such models are based on mammalian anatomy and physiology it is possible to theoretically evaluate the drug concentration in every organ and tissue of the body. This is the case of the so-called physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models. This paper proposes and validates a procedure to...

Roberto Andrea Abbiati, Gennara Cavallaro, Emanuela Fabiola Craparo, Davide Manca

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 43, 283-288, 2015

Pharmacokinetic models are applied to determine the drug distribution in the organism with respect to a given administration. Models based on body anatomy and physiology can provide an accurate description of drug concentrations reached in specific organs and tissues of mammals. This article proposes a model based on mammalian anatomy and physiology to predict the biodistribution in mice of sorafenib, an anti-cancer drug, with...

R. Del Cont, M. Abrami, D. Hasa, B. Perissutti, D. Voinovich, A. Barba, G. Lamberti, G. Grassi, I. Colombo, D. Manca, M. Grassi

ADMET & DMPK, 2(2), 80-97, (2014)

This paper focuses on a physiologically-oriented mathematical model aimed at studying the in vivo drug release, absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination (ADME). To this purpose, the model accounts for drug delivery from an ensemble of non-eroding poly-disperse polymeric particles and the subsequent ADME processes. The model outcomes are studied with reference to three widely used drugs: theophylline, temazepam and...

R. Rasello, D. Manca

Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 33, 433-438, (2014)

The paper focuses on crude oil refineries and presents a methodology to determine dynamic models of prices of different oils and the derived distillates. It shows how to take into account stochastic fluctuations of quotations due to market volatility. These dynamic models can be used to forecast possible economic scenarios in supply chain problems. They allow removing the rather limiting hypothesis of fixed prices, which is often...

M. Barello, D. Manca, R. Patel, I.M. Mujtaba

Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 33, 451-456, (2014)

In this work, a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination process operating under batch mode is considered experimentally. The effect of operating parameters, such as pressure and feed salinity on the permeate quantity and salinity is evaluated. In addition, the water permeability constant, Kw, which is one of the main parameters that affect the optimal design and operation of RO processes is evaluated as a function of changing feed salinity...

S. Nazir, A. Kluge, D. Manca

Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 33, 889-894, (2014)

Automation in the process industry has seen its implication and implementation since 1960′s. However, during last decades the “trend” of integrating advanced and sophisticated process control techniques like process optimization, soft sensors, MPC, RTO has significantly increased. The reasons that can be attributed to the increase in automation are mainly the implementation cost respect to expected revenues and the...

S. Nazir, L.J.Sorensen, K.I. Overgård, D. Manca

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 36, 409-414, (2014)

The increasing complexity of chemical processes, in terms of technological involvement, intensified with automation, has made the role and job of industrial operators more significant in terms of Process Safety. This work takes the concept of Distributed Situation Awareness (DSA), introduced by Stanton et al. (2006), and presents its application, adaptation, and influence on the process industry in general and on industrial operators...

D. Manca, S. Nazir, S. Colombo, A. Kluge

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 36, 391-396, (2014)

The paper discusses the specifications and features of an automated assessment procedure for training of industrial operators. A case study applied to a real catalyst‑injector‑switch procedure in a polymer plant is presented and commented. The automated assessment procedure is made possible by the Plant Simulator tool that is conceived to log the actions of the operators, who are trained in its 3D immersive virtual environment, and...

S. Colombo, S. Nazir, A. Gallace, D. Manca

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 36, 85-90, (2014)

Managing complex systems is a challenging task as decisions are much more difficult to make and consequences (in case of wrong decision) much harder to bear. The process industry falls certainly in the category of complex, safety-critical systems. Disasters like the “Deepwater Horizon” (2010, 11 fatalities), the BP Texas City (2005, 15 fatalities), and the AZF Toulouse (2001, 29 fatalities) witness that. The paper explains the...

D. Manca

Chemical Engineering Transactions, 36, 13-18, (2014)

The Viareggio railway accident took place in the night of June 29th, 2009, with the derailment of a freight train, the emission and dispersion of more than 45 t of LPG, the ignition and explosion of the dense gas cloud, and the liquid pool fire. Eventually, the accident consequences were relevant with 32 fatalities, 26 casualties, and property losses valued at tens of millions of euros. Some papers report the most important facts and...

M. Barello, D. Manca, R. Patel, I.M. Mujtaba

Desalination, 345, 101–111, (2014)

The water permeability constant, Kw, is one of the many important parameters that affect optimal design and operation of RO processes. In model based studies, e.g. within the RO process model, estimation of Kw is therefore important. There are only two available literature correlations for calculating the dynamic Kw values. However, each of them is only applicable for a given membrane type, given feed salinity over a certain operating...

S. Nazir, A. Kluge, D. Manca

Human Factors: a view from an integrative perspective. Proceedings HFES Europe Chapter Conference, Turin, 251 – 265, (2013).

The role of operator’s performance for continuous, hazard-free and economically viable production in the chemical industry is of paramount importance. Even a minor error may result in a near miss, an abnormal situation, and even a catastrophic accident. This paper analyzes and discusses the role played by distinct training methods performed in an Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE) to form and influence the performance of operators....

Davide Manca

Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 26, 6, 974–981, (2013)

Safety reports are mandatory documents in member states of European Union whenever any threshold limits of amounts of either stored or processed hazardous substances are exceeded. After a short introduction to EU Seveso Directives on major‑accident hazards involving dangerous substances and to the transposition and implementation by member states, with a brief comment on last 2012/18/EU Directive (also known as Seveso III directive),...

Filippo Mazzetto,Ricardo A. Ortiz-Gutiérrez, Davide Manca, Fabrizio Bezzo

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 52, 10305−10316, (2013)

The blending between bio-based and conventional fuels is mandatory according to European Directives. Bioethanol proved to have beneficial effects for energy security issues in some countries of the world (e.g., U.S.A., Brazil) but it is still not widespread in Italy. This paper analyzes the establishment of a corn-based bioethanol supply chain in northern Italy through a Mixed Integer Linear Programming modeling framework, which...

D. Manca

Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 32, 679-684, (2013)

The Electric Energy (EE) price plays a significant role in the economic assessment of chemical and more in general of industrial processes. As far as both short-term and long-term economic predictions are required (such as in planning, scheduling, supply chain, on-line optimization, and conceptual design) the estimation of future prices of EE calls for a mathematical model capable of forecasting the price values according to the...

S. Nazir, S. Colombo, D. Manca

Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 32, 667-672, (2013)

Process industry is known for its complexity and sensitivity with critical procedures saturated with demanding human-machine interfaces that may induce human errors thus resulting in abnormal situations. Abnormal situations may lead to near misses and even to severe accidents, which can result in loss of production and even in casualties and fatalities. This paper aims at abridging the gap between the highly demanding human machine...

D. Manca

Computers and Chemical Engineering, 57, 3-9, (2013)

A feasibility study of a new plant or even of a revamped one bases the forecast of incomes and outcomes on a discounting back approach. This means that both prices and costs of commodities (i.e. raw materials and products) are assumed constant for long time-horizons. Commodities together with utilities play a major role in the economic assessment of OPEXs (operative expenditures). The paper tackles the “discounting back” problem that...