Since the initial data taking of the CERN LHC, the CMS experiment has undergone substantial upgrades and improvements. This paper discusses the CMS detector as it is configured for the third data-taking period of the CERN LHC, Run 3, which started in 2022. The entire silicon pixel tracking detector was replaced. A new powering system for the superconducting solenoid was installed. The electronics of the hadron calorimeter was upgraded. All the muon electronic systems were upgraded, and new muon detector stations were added, including a gas electron multiplier detector. The precision proton spectrometer was upgraded. The dedicated luminosity detectors and the beam loss monitor were refurbished. Substantial improvements to the trigger, data acquisition, software, and computing systems were also implemented, including a new hybrid CPU/GPU farm for the high-level trigger.

Laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) has been recently applied to pancreas in animal models for ablation purpose. Assessment of thermal effects due to the laser-pancreatic tissue interaction is a critical factor in validating the procedure feasibility and safety. A mathematical model based on bioheat equation and its experimental assessment was developed. The LITT procedure was performed on 40 ex vivo porcine pancreases, with an Nd:YAG (1064 nm) energy of 1000 J and power from 1.5 up to 10 W conveyed by a quartz optical fiber with 300 μm diameter. Six fiber Bragg grating sensors have been utilized to measure temperature distribution as a function of time at fixed distances from the applicator tip within pancreas undergoing LITT. Simulations and experiments show temperature variations ΔT steeply decreasing with distance from the applicator at higher power values: at 6 W, ΔT >; 40°C at 5 mm and ΔT ≅ 5°C at 10 mm. ΔT nonlinearly increases with power close to the applicator. Ablated and coagulated tissue volumes have also been measured and experimental results agree with theoretical ones. Despite the absence of data in the current literature on pancreas optical parameters, the model allowed a quite good prediction of thermal effects. The prediction of LITT effects on pancreas is necessary to assess laser dosimetry.

Continuous respiratory monitoring is important to assess adequate ventilation. We present a fiber optic-based smart textile for respiratory monitoring able to work during Magnetic Resonance (MR) examinations. The system is based on the conversion of chest wall movements into strain of two fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, placed on the upper thorax (UT). FBGs are glued on the textile by an adhesive silicon rubber. To increase the system sensitivity, the FBGs positioning was led by preliminary experiments performed using an optoelectronic system: FBGs placed on the chest surface experienced the largest strain during breathing. System performances, in terms of respiratory period (T_R), duration of inspiratory (T_I) and expiratory (T_E) phases, as well as left and right UT volumes, were assessed on four healthy volunteers. The comparison of results obtained by the proposed system and an optoelectronic plethysmography highlights the high accuracy in the estimation of T_R, T_I, and T_E: Bland-Altman analysis shows mean of difference values lower than 0.045 s, 0.33 s, and 0.35 s for T_R, T_I, and T_E, respectively. The mean difference of UT volumes between the two systems is about 8.3%. The promising results foster further development of the system to allow routine use during MR examinations.Continuous respiratory monitoring is important to assess adequate ventilation. We present a fiber optic-based smart textile for respiratory monitoring able to work during Magnetic Resonance (MR) examinations. The system is based on the conversion of chest wall movements into strain of two fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, placed on the upper thorax (UT). FBGs are glued on the textile by an adhesive silicon rubber. To increase the system sensitivity, the FBGs positioning was led by preliminary experiments performed using an optoelectronic system: FBGs placed on the chest surface experienced the largest strain during breathing. System performances, in terms of respiratory period (T_R), duration of inspiratory (T_I) and expiratory (T_E) phases, as well as left and right UT volumes, were assessed on four healthy volunteers. The comparison of results obtained by the proposed system and an optoelectronic plethysmography highlights the high accuracy in the estimation of T_R, T_I, and T_E: Bland-Altman analysis shows mean of difference values lower than 0.045 s, 0.33 s, and 0.35 s for T_R, T_I, and T_E, respectively. The mean difference of UT volumes between the two systems is about 8.3%. The promising results foster further development of the system to allow routine use during MR examinations.

In precision sports, the control of breathing and heart rate is crucial to help the body to remain stable in the shooting position. To improve stability, archers try to adopt similar breathing patterns and to have a low heartbeat during each shot. We proposed an easy-to-use and unobtrusive smart textile (ST) which is able to detect chest wall excursions due to breathing and heart beating. The sensing part is based on two FBGs housed into a soft polymer matrix to optimize the adherence to the chest wall and the system robustness. The ST was assessed on volunteers to figure out its performance in the estimation of respiratory frequency (f_R) and heart rate (HR). Then, the system was tested on two archers during four shooting sessions. This is the first study to monitor cardio-respiratory activity on archers during shooting. The good performance of the ST is supported by the low mean absolute percentage error for f_R and HR estimation (≤1.97% and ≤5.74%, respectively), calculated with respect to reference signals (flow sensor for f_R, photopletismography sensor for HR). Moreover, results showed the capability of the ST to estimate f_R and HR during different phases of shooting action. The promising results motivate future investigations to speculate about the influence of f_R and HR on archers’ performance.

Over the last decades, wearable systems have gained interest for vital signs monitoring. Among several technologies, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are becoming popular for some advantages, such as high sensitivity, magnetic resonance compatibility, and the capability of performing distributed measurements. The aim of this paper is twofold: the description of the design and the fabrication of a smart textile based on an array of 12 FBGs; its feasibility assessment for monitoring respiratory parameters (i.e., respiratory rate, respiratory period, and inspiratory and expiratory periods) and heart rate on healthy volunteers in two positions (standing and supine). The increased number of FBGs embedded in this system with respect to previous developed prototypes aims at improving its accuracy in the estimation of the mentioned parameters. Future testing will be performed to investigate if the proposed solution allows improving the measurements of respiratory volumes exchanges and in new scenarios (e.g., sports medicine, including walking, running, and cycling activities).