435 research outputs found
A New Configuration of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine: Towards the Development of a highly distributed and efficient Wind Power Generation
Preliminary results obtained for a new configuration lift based vertical-axis wind turbine are shown. The turbine rotor is a cross flow fan type made with high curvature aerodynamic profiles. A reduced scale model of the turbine rotor has been designed and preliminary tested at the Department of Aerospace Engineering of the University of Pisa (rotor diameter 250 mm, rotor height 210 mm). The reduced scale model shows an efficiency of about eighteen per cent. The rotor is of a self-starting type. Two-dimensional CFD analyses have been performed applying both the Moving Reference Frame and the Moving Mesh conditions to the grid which surrounds the rotor blades (Fluent® Rel. 6.3 and STAR-CCM+® Rel. 6.04 have been used). Noticeable scale effects have been found numerically, so, the efficiency of a full scale lift based vertical axis multi-blades optimized wind turbine is expected to be comparable with lift based horizontal-axis wind turbines
Plasduino: an inexpensive, general purpose data acquisition framework for educational experiments
Based on the Arduino development platform, Plasduino is an open-source data
acquisition framework specifically designed for educational physics
experiments. The source code, schematics and documentation are in the public
domain under a GPL license and the system, streamlined for low cost and ease of
use, can be replicated on the scale of a typical didactic lab with minimal
effort. We describe the basic architecture of the system and illustrate its
potential with some real-life examples.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, presented at the XCIX conference of the
Societ\`a Italiana di Fisic
Reading a GEM with a VLSI pixel ASIC used as a direct charge collecting anode
In MicroPattern Gas Detectors (MPGD) when the pixel size is below 100 micron
and the number of pixels is large (above 1000) it is virtually impossible to
use the conventional PCB read-out approach to bring the signal charge from the
individual pixel to the external electronics chain. For this reason a custom
CMOS array of 2101 active pixels with 80 micron pitch, directly used as the
charge collecting anode of a GEM amplifying structure, has been developed and
built. Each charge collecting pad, hexagonally shaped, realized using the top
metal layer of a deep submicron VLSI technology is individually connected to a
full electronics chain (pre-amplifier, shaping-amplifier, sample and hold,
multiplexer) which is built immediately below it by using the remaining five
active layers. The GEM and the drift electrode window are assembled directly
over the chip so the ASIC itself becomes the pixelized anode of a MicroPattern
Gas Detector. With this approach, for the first time, gas detectors have
reached the level of integration and resolution typical of solid state pixel
detectors. Results from the first tests of this new read-out concept are
presented. An Astronomical X-Ray Polarimetry application is also discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, presented at the Xth Vienna Conference on
Instrumentation (Vienna, February 16-21 2004). For a higher resolution paper
contact [email protected]
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene polymorphisms in an Italian cohort of patients with Kawasaki disease
Urban consumer trust and food certifications in China
China has experienced frequent food safety incidents that have undermined consumer trust in the food supply chain. To overcome this problem, China requalified the legislative framework and adopted a comprehensive food certification system over the years. Here, we investigated the influences of food traceability and Chinese certifications (QS/SC—food quality safety market access/production system, hazard-free, green, and organic) on Chinese consumer trust of food safety for different types of products: fish, meat, milk, eggs, and rice. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys conducted in rural and urban Chinese areas. With a sample of 757 questionnaires, we ran a logit model. The results show consumers’ uncertainty and skepticism of certifications guaranteeing food safety attributes, especially for animal-based products. We found that price is used as a cue of safety by Chinese consumers. Individuals with higher education seem less influenced by certifications and other cues included in the analysis. The findings demonstrate that Chinese policy makers should implement new strategies to enhance consumer food safety trust, and design policies by considering different categories (e.g., vegetables, meat, fish, etc.) of food
Combined experimental and numerical study on the near wake of a Darrieus VAWT under turbulent flows
The effects of two gold-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes in ovarian cancer cells: a redox proteomic study
Purpose: Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Standard treatment consists of tumor debulking surgery followed by platinum and paclitaxel chemotherapy; yet, despite the initial response, about 70-75% of patients develop resistance to chemotherapy. Gold compounds represent a family of very promising anticancer drugs. Among them, we previously investigated the cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic properties of Au(NHC) and Au(NHC)2PF6, i.e., a monocarbene gold(I) complex and the corresponding bis(carbene) complex. Gold compounds are known to alter the redox state of cells interacting with free cysteine and selenocysteine residues of several proteins. Herein, a redox proteomic study has been carried out to elucidate the mechanisms of cytotoxicity in A2780 human ovarian cancer cells. Methods: A biotinylated iodoacetamide labeling method coupled with mass spectrometry was used to identify oxidation-sensitive protein cysteines. Results: Gold carbene complexes cause extensive oxidation of several cellular proteins; many affected proteins belong to two major functional classes: carbohydrate metabolism, and cytoskeleton organization/cell adhesion. Among the affected proteins, Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase inhibition was proved by enzymatic assays and by ESI-MS studies. We also found that Au(NHC)2PF6 inhibits mitochondrial respiration impairing complex I function. Concerning the oxidized cytoskeletal proteins, gold binding to the free cysteines of actin was demonstrated by ESI-MS analysis. Notably, both gold compounds affected cell migration and invasion. Conclusions: In this study, we deepened the mode of action of Au(NHC) and Au(NHC)2PF6, identifying common cellular targets but confirming their different influence on the mitochondrial function
Are we ready for a national forest information system? State of the art of forest maps and airborne laser scanning data availability in Italy
A Stringy Mechanism for A Small Cosmological Constant
Based on the probability distributions of products of random variables, we
propose a simple stringy mechanism that prefers the meta-stable vacua with a
small cosmological constant. We state some relevant properties of the
probability distributions of functions of random variables. We then illustrate
the mechanism within the flux compactification models in Type IIB string
theory. As a result of the stringy dynamics, we argue that the generic
probability distribution for the meta-stable vacua typically peaks with a
divergent behavior at the zero value of the cosmological constant. However, its
suppression in the single modulus model studied here is modest.Comment: 36 pages, 8 figure
Can anthocyanin presence ameliorate the photosynthetic performance of Prunus saplings subjected to polyethylene glycol-simulated water stress?
The aim was the evaluation of the biochemical and physiological responses of green- (GP) and red-leafed (RP) Prunus
cerasifera mature leaves to 20 d of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000)-induced water stress in order to elucidate a possible
ameliorative role exerted by anthocyanins. At 10 d, the anthocyanin content remained unchanged in RP water-stressed
leaves. Photosynthetic rate was lower in GP than that of RP (83.4 vs. 76.5%, respectively), paralleled by a higher degree of
photoinhibition (Fv/Fm) in GP leaves. Leaves of GP accounted for higher content of soluble sugars at 10 d, when RP only
showed a slight sucrose increase. At 20 d of stress, both morphs recovered their Fv/Fm values, suggesting the ability of both
genotypes to adjust their photosynthetic metabolism under conditions of water stress. In conclusion, besides the sunscreen
role served by anthocyanins, the carbon sink by these flavonoids might have further prevented sugar accumulation and the
consequent sugar-promoted feedback regulation of photosynthesis in drought-stressed red leaves
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