Approccio globale alle mucopolisaccaridosi: creazione piattaforma web-based

Scopo dello studio: Lo scopo di questo studio è progettare una banca dati accessibile via web in grado di contenere numerosi dati biochimici e clinici di soggetti arruolati all’interno di uno studio nazionale multicentrico PRIN2012. Lo studio prevede, inoltre, la raccolta e la valutazione di campioni provenienti dai modelli murini per la MPSI e MPSII, in trattamento con ERT o Genisteina. Questo progetto si basa sull’applicazione di procedure analitiche ad alta risoluzione per la valutazione qualitativa e quantitativa dei GAG per la diagnosi neonatale di MPS e la verifica dell’efficacia terapeutica in pazienti da MPS e in modelli animali. Nei tre anni di studio si prevede l’arruolamento di circa 60 pazienti MPS in trattamento e non e di 600 neonati. Per la parte preclinica è prevista la valutazione di circa 500 topi. Di ogni categoria verranno raccolte diverse tipologie di campioni biologici in diversi tempi sui quali verranno effettuati differenti tipi di analisi dei GAG. Contemporaneamente verrà effettuata la valutazione clinica dei pazienti MPS. L’obiettivo della creazione di una banca dati è di facilitare l’inserimento, la gestione e la condivisione dei dati, nonché favorire l’interoperabilità tra gli specialisti clinici e biochimici. Metodi utilizzati: E` stata sviluppata una piattaforma software web-based con tecnologia Sharepoint 2010, ospitata su Windows Server 2008. Tale piattaforma collaborativa consta di due macro-moduli, uno per la gestione dei dati, un Relational Database Management System sviluppato in SQL Server 2008 R2 , e uno per la gestione del flusso dei campioni spediti tra le diverse unità di ricerca, un Workflow Management System capace di organizzare, pianificare ed attuare non solo le attività svolte ma anche le informazioni trasferite e poi immagazzinate nel Database condiviso . Risultati: Le cinque unità operative hanno accessi differenziati. L’inserimento dei dati avviene in modo guidato a seconda della classe considerata (neonato, patologico, topo), dell’eventuale patologia e della tipologia di dato, clinico o biochimico. La lettura dati è facilitata da filtri (soggetto, campioni ricevuti, classe di appartenenza, patologia). I soggetti dello studio e tutti i campioni ad esso riferiti vengono codificati mediante un applicativo che consente la creazione di un codice ID dato da una stringa alfanumerica generata in base a delle regole stabilite a priori e analoghe per ogni unità di ricerca in modo che si generi un codice univoco che consenta di collegare tutti i dati relativi ad un determinato soggetto. Infine è possibile esportare i dati raccolti in un formato compatibile con l’importazione in SPSS con cui poter eseguire analisi statistiche. Conclusioni: I dati biochimici e clinici raccolti secondo protocolli definiti, verranno integrati nel database condiviso, indispensabile strumento per ottimizzare la valenza dei dati stessi e promuoverne una più efficace analisi. Tutti questi aspetti contribuiranno ad arricchire la comprensione clinica delle MPS, la variabile presentazione fenotipica e la progressione della malattia. Consentiranno, inoltre una valutazione dell’efficacia terapeutica ottenuta, sulla base dell’analisi dei dati clinici e dei dati biochimici ottenuti con procedura high-throughput. Ricerca finanziata con fondi Progetto PRIN 2012

Effect of annealing on structure and superconducting properties in Fe(Se,Te)

Abstract In this paper, the effect of post synthesis annealing treatments on a Fe(Se,Te) polycrystalline material is evaluated and discussed. The samples have been obtained via melting route. The material has been subjected to a high-temperature annealing treatment, carried out for 45 h at 680 °C. The role of the cooling step was investigated comparing samples obtained after a controlled cooling or after quenching in liquid nitrogen. From a morpho-structural point of view, the annealing treatment improves homogeneity, with respect to pristine samples, and influences secondary phase precipitate morphology. Regarding superconducting properties, a key role of the cooling procedure is assessed: controlled cooling leads in fact to a significant improvement of high field behaviour with respect to the melted material, while quenched samples are characterized by a worsening of the superconducting properties. Despite the overall worsening, however, the quenched samples show evidence of the presence of superconducting phases characterized by a remarkably high critical temperature (Tc > 18 K), observed for these materials only in films or under pressure

Effect of oxygen contamination on densification of Fe(Se,Te)

Abstract The optimization of sintering behaviour of iron chalcogenides superconducting materials is mandatory to enhance their critical current density, in order to pursuit their application in the production of superconducting wires. In this context it has been investigated here the effect of oxygen contamination on the material densification, considering the issues related to industrial oxygen-free isolated production lines. Our results show that the densification process is negatively affected by oxygen contamination. However, despite the difference in density, all sintered samples are characterized by similar structural and morphological features, and show comparable electrical and magnetic properties, with low critical current densities (Jc<103 A/cm2). These results suggest that densification is not the key limiting factor in these conditions, and that grain boundary or misorientation factors may play a greater role in limiting the performance of sintered iron chalcogenides superconductors

Particle tracking in horizontal ball milling

Ball milling is a material processing method that allows near room temperature process of elements in powder and permits to synthesize materials with peculiar properties otherwise difficult or impossible to obtain. Due to the repeated fractures and cold welding of the reactants particles, solid solutions, amorphous alloys and equilibrium nanostructured materials can be obtained. Products coming from mechanosynthesis process can be advantageously applied as high performance structural and functional materials. Different milling devices can be utilized for the powder processing: planetary mill, attritor, horizontal ball mill, ID and 3D vibrating machines. The wide differentiation in configuration of the mills obstacles the development of a unified model on powder transformation kinetics in the milling process and then most of processing procedures are still developed by using a trial and error method. The focus of this paper is on a horizontal fixed vial ball mill; in this configuration a high speed rotor launches several tumbling against the vial wall. During hits, a quantity of energy is released to the trapped powder and the solid state reactions are promoted. To characterize the powder transformation process, knowledge of the kinematics of the balls system must be inferred. For this purpose an experimental setup based on digital image acquisition was constructed and the movement of balls inside the vial was filmed. Particle trace analysis methodology permitted to obtain balls trajectories, velocity vector field and total hit frequency. The kinetic energy of the impacting balls inside the vial was quantified, so that the energy released to the powder in a milling experiment can be estimated. Copyright © 2006 by ASME

Caratterizzazione di materiali porosi mediante adsorbimento di gas: evoluzione del composito nitruro di boro - grafite ottenuto mediante High Energy Ball Milling

I materiali porosi sono noti per le loro proprietà dovute alla capacità di adsorbimento di specie liquide o gassose. Lo sviluppo di nuovi composti a elevatissima superficie specifica ha dato avvio a un rinnovato interesse scientifico e tecnologico dovuto alla possibilità di utilizzare solidi porosi quali substrati per l'accumulo di gas in fase condensata. In particolare, lo stoccaggio sicuro d’idrogeno in materiali adsorbenti in particolare, risulta cruciale per lo sviluppo delle tecnologie per la sostenibilità energetica. Il presente rapporto tecnico è costituito da due parti: nella parte A si danno alcuni cenni teorici di base sulle metodologie di caratterizzazione mediante adsorbimento di azoto; nella parte B è riportato lo sviluppo mediante High Energy Ball Milling e la caratterizzazione di un materiale composito con porosità di tipo a fenditura, costituito da nitruro di boro esagonale e grafite.Porous materials are well known for their capacity of adsorbing both liquid and gaseous species. The development of new classes of materials with very high specific surface promoted the interest of the scientific community in their use as solid substrates for gas storage. In particular, the safe hydrogen storage in adsorbing materials constitutes a crucial issue in enabling the use of new technologies for energy sustainability. This technical report is divided in two parts: in part A some theoretical basics are described on gas adsorption fundamentals for the characterization of porous materials; in B on the synthesis by High Energy Ball Milling and the characterization of a boron nitride-graphite composite with slit-like porosities are reported

Magnetic Metal-Organic Framework Composite by Fast and Facile Mechanochemical Process

Magnetic porous metal-organic framework nanocomposite was obtained by an easy, efficient, and environmentally friendly fabrication method. The material consists in magnetic spinel iron oxide nanoparticles incorporated in an iron(III) carboxylate framework. The magnetic composite was fabricated by a multistep mechanochemical approach. In the first step, iron oxide nanoparticles were obtained via ball milling inducing mechanochemical reaction between iron chlorides and NaOH using NaCl as dispersing agent. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNs) were functionalized by neat grinding with benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (1, 3, 5 BTC) and were then subjected to liquid assisted milling using hydrated FeCl3, water, and ethanol to obtain a magnetic framework composite (MFC) consisting of iron oxide nanoparticles encapsulated in a MOF matrix. We report, for the first time, the applicability of the grinding method to obtain a magnetic composite of metal-organic frameworks. The synthesized material exhibits magnetic characteristics and high porosity, and it has been tested as carrier for targeted drug delivery studying loading and release of a model drug (doxorubicin). Developed systems can associate therapeutics and diagnostics properties with possible relevant impact for theranostic and personalized patient treatment. Furthermore, the material properties make them excellent candidates for several other applications such as catalysis, sensing, and selective sequestration processes. © 2018 American Chemical Society

MECHANICAL ALLOYING OF THE Fe-Zr SYSTEM IN DIFFERENT MILLING CONDITIONS

L'alliage méchanique de poudres de métaux purs, Fer et Zirconium, a été réalisé dans différentes conditions expérimentales. Les résultats montrent qu'en changeant les conditions de moulinage on obtient des produits finaux différents. La composition étudiée correspondait au composé intermétallique Fe2Zr et les différents produits finaux étaient soit une phase amorphe soit un composé intermétallique. On a pu établir une claire correlation entre l'énergie du moulinage et les produits finaux obtenus.Iron-zirconium powders have been Mechanically Alloyed (MA) by ball milling the pure elements. The Fe2Zr composition, corresponding to a stable intermetallic compound, has been investigated in different milling conditions, and the MA process was monitored via x-ray diffraction. Different reaction paths, tending towards amorphous or intermetallic phase formation, have been detected in the different milling conditions. The experimental findings are evidently correlated to the different ways by which energy is transferred from the milling tools to the alloying powder. Theoretical-empirical correlations between the input energy and the end products have been established

The effect of chemical composition on high temperature behaviour of Fe and Cu doped Mn-Co spinels

Mixed Mn-Co spinels are currently studied as protective coating materials for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells interconnects. Compositional changes in manganese cobaltites lead to modifications in the materials properties, such as sintering behaviour, thermal expansion and electrical conductivity, with advantages in the technological application. In this work, the effect of Fe, Cu and simultaneous Fe+Cu doping of Mn-Co spinels has been studied. Different oxide powder mixtures were prepared with a High Energy Ball Milling (HEBM) treatment, obtaining highly reactive oxides that easily form single spinel phase compounds by moderate heating. The effect of the composition is observed on high temperature stability of the spinel phase and on densification behaviour of the powders, greatly enhanced by copper addition. Analyses carried out on sintered pellets allow to observe simple relations among dopant concentration, thermal expansion and electrical conductivity. The combined effect is obtained in case of the simultaneous addition of multiple dopants. An appropriate composition can be therefore designed to obtain a material characterized by enhanced sintering behaviour, high electrical conductivity and tailored thermal expansion to fulfil the application requirements. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l

Interaction chemistry between Li_2TiO_3 or Li_4SiO_4 ceramic Pebble bed and Eurofer as structural material in He + 0.1% H_2 purge gas in the range of 700-900&quot;C

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7 Rome / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal