34 Alterations in cystic fibrosis peripheral blood mononuclear cells are induced by an increase in intracellular calcium concentration

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The system to fill with oil the empty Break Out Boxes (BOBs) of the KM3NeT Detection Units

The KM3NeT collaboration aims to construct the largest underwater neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean sea. The detector is located in two sites, one in front of Toulon at 2500m sea depth and one SE Capo Passero in Sicily at 3500m depth. On both sites, one or two blocks of 115 Detection Units (DU) are connected to shore , each Du being composed by a Vertical Electro-Optical Cable (VEOC) connecting 18 Digital Optical Modules (DOMs). In this report we describe the integration of the DU carried out in our INFN laboratory in Genova, in particular one important phase of the process where some components in the VEOC have to be carefully filled with oil before connection to the DOMs

Nanostructured Composites Based on Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers

Liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are the object of many research investigations due to their reversible and controllable shape deformations, and their high potential for use in the field of soft robots and artificial muscles. This review focuses on recent studies about polymer composites based on LCEs and nanomaterials having different chemistry and morphology, with the aim of instilling new physical properties into LCEs. The synthesis, physico-chemical characterization, actuation properties, and applications of LCE-based composites reported in the literature are reviewed. Several cases are discussed: (1) the addition of various carbon nanomaterials to LCEs, from carbon black to carbon nanotubes, to the recent attempts to include graphene layers to enhance the thermo-mechanic properties of LCEs; (2) the use of various types of nanoparticles, such as ferroelectric ceramics, gold nanoparticles, conductive molybdenum-oxide nanowires, and magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles, to induce electro-actuation, magnetic-actuation, or photo-actuation into the LCE-based composites; (3) the deposition on LCE surfaces of thin layers of conductive materials (i.e., conductive polymers and gold nanolayers) to produce bending actuation by applying on/off voltage cycles or surface-wrinkling phenomena in view of tunable optical applications. Some future perspectives of this field of soft materials conclude the review. Keywords: liquid-crystal polymers; bilayers; composites; liquid single-crystal elastomers; actuators; artificial muscles; orientational order; NMR; nanoparticles; nanomaterials; photo-actuation; electro-actuation; thermal actuatio

The "Automated Welding Machine" in the integration process of the Detection Units of the KM3Net experiment: general description

This note describes one of the tools used during Process-1 of the integration of the Detection Units (DUs) in the KM3NeT experiment. In particular, the device is designed to seal the Break-out-box (BOB). The BOB is a box interface between a Digital Optical Module (DOM) and the electrooptical cable (VEOC) for power and optical connection of each optical module (DOM) to the DU. The original manual version of the tool developed by NIKHEF was automatized by INFN-LNS in order to guarantee a reproducible operation in the recursive process of the DU integration and two samples have been realized for the integration sites at LNS and Genova respectively

Enuresis subtypes based on nocturnal hypercalciuria: A multicenter study

Purpose: Desmopressin may not be effective for nocturnal enuresis associated with polyuria and hypercalciuria. Nighttime hypercalciuria in an enuretic population from 5 centers and its correlation with nighttime polyuria were verified. Materials and Methods: A total of 450 enuretic patients (278 males, 172 females, mean age 9.7 years) were evaluated with 72-hour micturition charts, urinalysis, serum creatinine and osmolarity, diurnal and nocturnal electrolytes with fractional Na+ and K+ urinary excretion, and nocturnal (4 a.m.) plasma vasopressin. Creatinine electrolytes and osmolarity were measured in daytime (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and nighttime (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.) urine volumes. Patients were divided into group 1 with nocturnal polyuria and group 2 without nocturnal polyuria. Hypercalciuria was defined as urinary calcium-to-urinary creatinine ratio greater than 0.21. Statistic evaluation was performed using chi-square, Pearson correlation and ANOVA tests. Results: Nighttime polyuria was demonstrated in 292 bedwetters (65% group 1). Nocturnal hypercalciuria was present in 179 of the 450 children (39.7%), including 125 in group 1 (42.8%) and 54 in group 2 (34.2%), which was statistically significant (chi-square p = 0.008, Pearson correlation test r = 0.157). Daytime calciuria was not statistically modified in either group (group 1 p = 0.054, group 2 p = 0.56). Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ADH) was normal in 18.5% and low in 81.5% of enuretics with nocturnal hypercalciuria. ADH levels and nocturnal hypercalciuria significantly correlated (p = 0.003, r = 0.148). Conversely, the group 2 patients had normal ADH levels. Conclusions: Nocturnal hypercalciuria has a pivotal role in nocturnal enuresis, as it is significantly associated with low ADH levels and nocturnal polyuria. A new classification of nocturnal enuresis subtypes based on nighttime calciuria levels is mandatory to address treatment properly

Near real-time analysis of active distribution networks in a Digital Twin framework. A real case study

The growth of distributed generation and the need of increasing Distribution Network (DN) resilience is encouraging Distribution System Operators (DSO) to increase awareness about the real-time status of the network as well as to actively manage flexible energy resources for improving system performances. In this context, Digital Twin (DT) is an enabling technology for a low-cost distributed framework that supports DN management. DT in the power system can be exploited taking advantage of the successful experiences in other sectors (e.g., smart manufacturing and building automation). This article presents a real case study of a DT development and its integration with an existing DN. The DT system architecture is based on the recent standards whilst main DT components have been originally developed, enabling near real-time services such as data collection, state estimation, and flexibility calculator. The individual performances of the integrated tools and the reliability of DT were tested and validated during one month of continuous operation. During the operation, good service continuity and accuracy performances were reported. Results from the flexibility calculator show the effectiveness of the proposed strategies that can improve the energy efficiency of the DN by increasing local self-consumption of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) production

Tunability of the elastocaloric response in main-chain liquid crystalline elastomers

Materials exhibiting a large caloric effect could lead to the development of a new generation of heat-management technologies that will have better energy efficiency and be potentially more environmentally friendly. The focus of caloric materials investigations has shifted recently from solid-state materials towards soft materials, such as liquid crystals and liquid crystalline elastomers. It has been shown recently that a large electrocaloric effect exceeding 6 K can be observed in smectic liquid crystals. Here, we report on a significant elastocaloric response observed by direct elastocaloric measurements in main-chain liquid crystal elastomers. It is demonstrated that the character of the nematic to paranematic/isotropic transition can be tuned from the supercritical regime towards the first-order regime, by decreasing the density of crosslinkers. In the latter case, the latent heat additionally enhances the elastocaloric response. Our results indicate that a significant elastocaloric response is present in main-chain liquid crystalline elastomers, driven by stress fields much smaller than in solid elastocaloric materials. Therefore, elastocaloric soft materials can potentially play a significant role as active cooling/heating elements in the development of new heat-management devices