Development of monitoring techniques by acoustical means for mechanical checkouts Final report, 15 May - 30 Sep. 1965

Automated pattern recognition devices using sonic signature data for detecting S3D and F-1 engine valve malfunction

PMI: A Delta Psi(m) Independent Pharmacological Regulator of Mitophagy

Mitophagy is central to mitochondrial and cellular homeostasis and operates via the PINK1/Parkin pathway targeting mitochondria devoid of membrane potential (ΔΨm) to autophagosomes. Although mitophagy is recognized as a fundamental cellular process, selective pharmacologic modulators of mitophagy are almost nonexistent. We developed a compound that increases the expression and signaling of the autophagic adaptor molecule P62/SQSTM1 and forces mitochondria into autophagy. The compound, P62-mediated mitophagy inducer (PMI), activates mitophagy without recruiting Parkin or collapsing ΔΨm and retains activity in cells devoid of a fully functional PINK1/Parkin pathway. PMI drives mitochondria to a process of quality control without compromising the bio-energetic competence of the whole network while exposing just those organelles to be recycled. Thus, PMI circumvents the toxicity and some of the nonspecific effects associated with the abrupt dissipation of ΔΨm by ionophores routinely used to induce mitophagy and represents a prototype pharmacological tool to investigate the molecular mechanisms of mitophagy

A numerical approach for the modelling of forming limits in hot incremental forming of AZ31 magnesium alloy

Magnesium alloys, because of their good specific material strength, can be considered attractive by different industry fields, as the aerospace and the automotive one. However, their use is limited by the poor formability at room temperature. In this research, a numerical approach is proposed in order to determine an analytical expression of material formability in hot incremental forming processes. The numerical model was developed using the commercial software ABAQUS/Explicit. The Johnson-Cook material model was used, and the model was validated through experimental measurements carried out using the ARAMIS system. Different geometries were considered with temperature varying in a range of 25–400 °C and wall angle in a range of 35–60°. An analytical expression of the fracture forming limit, as a function of temperature, was established and finally tested with a different geometry in order to assess the validity

A role for TSPO in mitochondrial Ca2+ homeostasis and redox stress signaling

The 18 kDa translocator protein TSPO localizes on the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM). Systematically overexpressed at sites of neuroinflammation it is adopted as a biomarker of brain conditions. TSPO inhibits the autophagic removal of mitochondria by limiting PARK2-mediated mitochondrial ubiquitination via a peri-organelle accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here we describe that TSPO deregulates mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling leading to a parallel increase in the cytosolic Ca2+ pools that activate the Ca2+-dependent NADPH oxidase (NOX) thereby increasing ROS. The inhibition of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake by TSPO is a consequence of the phosphorylation of the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC1) by the protein kinase A (PKA), which is recruited to the mitochondria, in complex with the Acyl-CoA binding domain containing 3 (ACBD3). Notably, the neurotransmitter glutamate, which contributes neuronal toxicity in age-dependent conditions, triggers this TSPO-dependent mechanism of cell signaling leading to cellular demise. TSPO is therefore proposed as a novel OMM-based pathway to control intracellular Ca2+ dynamics and redox transients in neuronal cytotoxicity

Solid state joining of thin hybrid sandwiches made of steel and polymer: A feasibility study

The growing demand for more environmentally friendly vehicles has led to an increased use of light materials in the transportation industry with the aim to reduce structural weight, fuel consumption, and gas emissions, thereby boosting cost-effectiveness and recyclable properties. Complex multi-material steel-based components would allow to improve mechanical properties and minimize weight even further. In particular, new sandwich materials made by steel outer skins and a polymeric internal layer seems very promising for obtaining mechanical performance and lightness at the same time. Unfortunately, traditional welding techniques, like arc welding, laser welding, and resistance spot welding, usually used to join steels and aluminum alloys, cannot be applied for these materials due to their peculiar nature. In this paper, the feasibility of Friction Stir Welding to join thin sandwich components made of two steel outer layers and an internal polymeric layer was assessed. Both a pin and a pinless tool were used to weld the upper and the lower surface of the joint in order to obtain solid state bonding of the metal and fusion welding of the polymer at the same time. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 23rd International Conference on Material Forming

Experimental Comparison of the MIG and Friction Stir Welding Processes for AA 6005 Aluminium Alloy

In this study, the mechanical properties of welded joints of AA 6005 aluminum alloy obtained with friction stir welding (FSW) and conventional metal inert gas welding (MIG) are studied. FSW welds were carried out on a semi-automatic milling machine. The performance of FSW and MIG welded joints were identified using tensile and bending impact tests, as far as the environmental aspects are also included in the discussion. The joints obtained with FSW and MIG processes were also investigated in their microstructure. The results indicate that, the microstructure of the friction stir weld is different from that of MIG welded joint. The weld nugget consists of small grains in FSW than those found in MIG weld. Taking into consideration the process conditions and requirements, FSW and MIG processes were also compared with each other to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the processes for welding applications of studied Al alloy. Better tensile and bending strength were obtained with FSW welded joints

An energy efficiency analysis of single point incremental forming as an approach for sheet metal based component reuse

Producing materials causes about 25% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Metals play a significant role, steel and aluminum account for 24% and 3% of worldwide material related emissions respectively. Fostering resources efficiency strategies in the field of sheet components could lead to a significant environmental impact reduction. Reshaping could be one of the most efficient strategy to foster material reuse and lower the environmental impact due to material production. Specifically, for aluminum recycling, the overall energy efficiency of conventional route is very low and, more importantly, permanent material losses occur during re-melting because of oxidation. The present paper aims at presenting the technical feasibility of Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF)-based reshaping approach. Change in shape of aluminum stamped part is obtained through SPIF process implementation. Preliminary energy savings quantification through life cycle energy and material flows modelling are provided, energy efficiency of conventional recycling approach and SPIF-based reshaping routes are analyzed and compared

Mappe di Lavorabilita\u2019 per Giunti Misti di Alluminio Mediante Processo di Saldatura Linear Friction Welding

Il Linear Friction Welding \ue8 un processo di saldatura allo stato solido in cui una parte fissa \ue8 forzata contro una parte che si muove con moto lineare alternato per generare calore attraverso l\u2019attrito. Nel presente lavoro viene descritto lo studio effettuato per la realizzazione della giunzione mista mediante processo di Linear Friction Welding tra due leghe di alluminio che presentano propriet\ue0 meccaniche differenti, come la lega AA2011 e AA6082. Lo studio \ue8 stato condotto analizzando due differenti configurazioni determinate dalla posizione relativa delle leghe costituenti i provini da saldare. Per la realizzazione del processo \ue8 stata utilizzata una macchina prototipale dotata di sensori atti alla misura \u201cin process\u201d di variabili fondamentali per la completa comprensione del processo quali temperature nei provini, forze sui provini, accelerazioni e velocit\ue0 che questi subiscono

Human Amniocytes Are Receptive to Chemically Induced Reprogramming to Pluripotency

Restoring pluripotency using chemical compounds alone would be a major step forward in developing clinical-grade pluripotent stem cells, but this has not yet been reported in human cells. We previously demonstrated that VPA_ AFS cells, human amniocytes cultivated with valproic acid (VPA) acquired functional pluripotency while remaining distinct from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), questioning the relationship between the modulation of cell fate and molecular regulation of the pluripotency network. Here, we used single-cell analysis and functional assays to reveal that VPA treatment resulted in a homogeneous population of self-renewing non-transformed cells that fulfill the hallmarks of pluripotency, i.e., a short G1 phase, a dependence on glycolytic metabolism, expression of epigenetic modifications on histones 3 and 4, and reactivation of endogenous OCT4 and downstream targets at a lower level than that observed in hESCs. Mechanistic insights into the process of VPA-induced reprogramming revealed that it was dependent on OCT4 promoter activation, which was achieved independently of the PI3K (phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase)/ AKT/ mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway or GSK3 beta inhibition but was concomitant with the presence of acetylated histones H3K9 and H3K56, which promote pluripotency. Our data identify, for the first time, the pluripotent transcriptional and molecular signature and metabolic status of human chemically induced pluripotent stem cells

Oral health status among migrants from middle-and low-income countries to europe: A systematic review

Introduction. Economic inequality, political instability and globalization have contributed to the constant growth of the migration phenomenon in recent years. In particular, a total of 4.2 million people migrated to Europe during 2019 and most of them settled in Germany, France and Italy. Objectives. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of studies analyzing the oral health condition among migrants from middle-and low-income countries to Europe and assessing the eventual association between their sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics and oral health status. Materials and Methods. A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Science Direct databases. After titles, abstracts and full-text exami-nation, only 27 articles were selected on the basis of inclusion criteria and consequently included for quality assessments and data extraction. Results. Most of the studies reported a higher prevalence of caries experience, a poorer periodontal health and more difficulties in accessing dentalcare services among migrant groups compared with the non-migrant population. Inequalities were mostly associated with ethnic background, economic condition and social grade. Conclusion. Our review demonstrates the lack of dental health among migrants, underlining that their cultural beliefs and their social and economic living conditions could influence their oral health