Indirect monitoring and early detection of faults in trains motors

This paper investigates the ability of temperature sensors installed in the traction core of trains to early detect incipient faults. For instance, the breaking of a bearing is known to be critical as it may cause an increase of the temperature in the motor compartment, that in turn may eventually lead to a winding fault in the induction motor. The technique proposed in this contribution is characterised by extreme generality, since most frequent incipient faults lead to temperature increase that, if properly analyzed, can be a tool for preventive maintenance. In particular, the measured data, provided by the main Italian railway company, are processed by two different methodologies which are characterized by positive, yet different, performances. The results show that preventive maintenance with the proposed approach is feasibl

Formyl-peptide Receptor Agonists and Amorphous SiO2-NPs Synergistically and Selectively Increase the Inflammatory Responses of Human Monocytes and PMNs

We tested whether amorphous SiO2-NPs and formyl-peptide receptor (FPRs) agonists synergistically activate human monocytes and neutrophil polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs). Peptide ligands specifically binding to FPR1 (f-MLP) and to FPR2 (MMK-1, WKYMVM and WKYMVm) human isoforms did not modify the association of SiO2-NPs to both cell types or their cytotoxic effects. Similarly, the extent of CD80, CD86, CD83, ICAM-1 and MHCII expression in monocytes treated with SiO2-NPs was not significantly altered by any FPRs agonist. However, FPR1 stimulation with f-MLP strongly increased the secretion of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 by human monocytes, and of IL-8 by PMNs in the presence of SiO2-NPs, due to the synergic stimulation of gene transcription. FPR2 agonists also up-modulated the production of IL-1β induced by monocytes treated with SiO2-NPs. In turn, SiO2-NPs increased the chemotaxis of PMNs toward FPR1-specific ligands, but not toward FPR2-specific ones. Conversely, the chemotaxis of monocytes toward FPR2-specific peptides was inhibited by SiO2-NPs. NADPH-oxidase activation triggered by FPR1- and FPR2-specific ligands in both cell types was not altered by SiO2-NPs. Microbial and tissue danger signals sensed by FPRs selectively amplified the functional responses of monocytes and PMNS to SiO2-NPs, and should be carefully considered in the assessment of the risk associated with nanoparticle exposure

Wide Band Propagation in Train-to-Train Scenarios - Measurement Campaign and First Results

Within the next decades the railway systems will change to fully autonomous high speed trains (HSTs). An increase in efficiency and safety and a reduction of costs would go hand in hand. Today’s centralized railway management system and established regulations can not cope with trains driving within the absolute braking distance as it would be necessary for electronic coupling or platooning maneuvers. Hence, to ensure safety and reliability, new applications and changes in the train control and management are necessary. Such changes demand new reliable control communication links between train-to-train (T2T) and future developments on train-to-ground (T2G). T2G will be covered by long term evolution-railway (LTE-R) which shall replace today’s global system for mobile communications-railway (GSM-R). The decentralized T2T communication is hardly investigated and no technology has been selected. This publication focuses on the wide band propagation for T2T scenarios and describes a extensive channel sounding measurement campaign with two HSTs. First results of T2T communication at high speed conditions in different environments are presented

Self-Assembled Biocompatible Fluorescent Nanoparticles for Bioimaging

Fluorescence is a powerful tool for mapping biological events in real-time with high spatial resolution. Ultra-bright probes are needed in order to achieve high sensitivity: these probes are typically obtained by gathering a huge number of fluorophores in a single nanoparticle (NP). Unfortunately this assembly produces quenching of the fluorescence because of short-range intermolecular interactions. Here we demonstrate that rational structural modification of a well-known molecular fluorophore N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl) (NBD) produces fluorophores that self-assemble in nanoparticles in the biocompatible environment without any dramatic decrease of the fluorescence quantum yield. Most importantly, the resulting NP show, in an aqueous environment, a brightness which is more than six orders of magnitude higher than the molecular component in the organic solvent. Moreover, the NP are prepared by nanoprecipitation and they are stabilized only via non-covalent interaction, they are surprisingly stable and can be observed as individual bright spots freely diffusing in solution at a concentration as low as 1 nM. The suitability of the NP as biocompatible fluorescent probes was demonstrated in the case of HeLa cells by fluorescence confocal microscopy and MTS assays

Proinflammatory effects of bare and PEGylated ORMOSIL-, PLGA- and SUV-NPs on monocytes and PMNs and their modulation by f-MLP

n/

C1q-Mediated Complement Activation and C3 Opsonization Trigger Recognition of Stealth Poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline)-Coated Silica Nanoparticles by Human Phagocytes

Poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PMOXA) is an alternative promising polymer to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) for design and engineering of macrophage-evading nanoparticles (NPs). Although PMOXA-engineered NPs have shown comparable pharmacokinetics and in vivo performance to PEGylated stealth NPs in the murine model, its interaction with elements of the human innate immune system has not been studied. From a translational angle, we studied the interaction of fully characterized PMOXA-coated vinyltriethoxysilane-derived organically modified silica NPs (PMOXA-coated NPs) of approximately 100 nm in diameter with human complement system, blood leukocytes, and macrophages and compared their performance with PEGylated and uncoated NP counterparts. Through detailed immunological and proteomic profiling, we show that PMOXA-coated NPs extensively trigger complement activation in human sera exclusively through the classical pathway. Complement activation is initiated by the sensing molecule C1q, where C1q binds with high affinity (Kd = 11 \ub1 1 nM) to NP surfaces independent of immunoglobulin binding. C1q-mediated complement activation accelerates PMOXA opsonization with the third complement protein (C3) through the amplification loop of the alternative pathway. This promoted NP recognition by human blood leukocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages. The macrophage capture of PMOXA-coated NPs correlates with sera donor variability in complement activation and opsonization but not with other major corona proteins, including clusterin and a wide range of apolipoproteins. In contrast to these observations, PMOXA-coated NPs poorly activated the murine complement system and were marginally recognized by mouse macrophages. These studies provide important insights into compatibility of engineered NPs with elements of the human innate immune system for translational steps

Ragione e conoscenza nel pensiero di Thomas Browne : dalla Religio medici (1635) alla Pseudodoxia epidemica (1646)

Dottorato di ricerca in Teoria e storia della storiografia filosofica, XVIII ciclo, A.a. 2005-2006Università della Calabri

Combined Action of Human Commensal Bacteria and Amorphous Silica Nanoparticles on the Viability and Immune Responses of Dendritic Cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) regulate the host-microbe balance in the gut and skin, tissues likely exposed to nanoparticles (NPs) present in drugs, food, and cosmetics. We analyzed the viability and the activation of DCs incubated with extracellular media (EMs) obtained from cultures of commensal bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis) or pathogenic bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus) in the presence of amorphous silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs). EMs and NPs synergistically increased the levels of cytotoxicity and cytokine production, with different nanoparticle dose-response characteristics being found, depending on the bacterial species. E. coli and S. epidermidis EMs plus NPs at nontoxic doses stimulated the secretion of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-12, IL-10, and IL-6, while E. coli and S. epidermidis EMs plus NPs at toxic doses stimulated the secretion of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-4, and IL-5. On the contrary, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa EMs induced cytokines only when they were combined with NPs at toxic concentrations. The induction of maturation markers (CD86, CD80, CD83, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and major histocompatibility complex class II) by commensal bacteria but not by pathogenic ones was improved in the presence of noncytotoxic SiO2 NP doses. DCs consistently supported the proliferation and differentiation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells secreting IFN-gamma and IL-17A. The synergistic induction of CD86 was due to nonprotein molecules present in the EMs from all bacteria tested. At variance with this finding, the synergistic induction of IL-1 beta was prevalently mediated by proteins in the case of E. coli EMs and by nonproteins in the case of S. epidermidis EMs. A bacterial costimulus did not act on DCs after adsorption on SiO2 NPs but rather acted as an independent agonist. The inflammatory and immune actions of DCs stimulated by commensal bacterial agonists might be altered by the simultaneous exposure to engineered or environmental NPs

Catastrophic inflammatory death of monocytes and macrophages by overtaking of a critical dose of endocytosed synthetic amorphous silica nanoparticles/serum protein complexes

Aims: We tested whether phagocytic monocytes/macrophages are more susceptible than nonphagocytes to nanoparticle (NP) toxicity. Materials & methods: We compared in vitro cell death and proinflammatory cytokine production in human monocytes, macrophages, lymphocytes and HeLa cells due to synthetic amorphous silica (SiO2)-NPs in different serum concentrations and correlated them with cellular uptake and distribution. Results: Phagocytes were approximately ten-times more sensitive than nonphagocytes to SiO2-NPs and more effectively endocytosed SiO2-NP\u2013serum protein nanoagglomerates, so determining their accumulation in acidic endocytic compartments well beyond a critical/cytotoxic threshold. Monocyte/macrophage death was paralleled by cytokine secretion. Conclusion: The physiological specialization of monocytes/macrophages to effectively capture NPs may expose them to the risk of catastrophic inflammatory death upon saturation of their maximal storage capacity

Water-soluble peptide-coated nanoparticles: Control of the helix structure and enhanced differential binding to immune cells

The stabilizing action of C(\u3b1)-tetrasubstituted \u3b1-amino acids inserted into a sequence of short peptides allowed for the first time the preparation of water-soluble nanoparticles of different materials coated with a helix-structured undecapeptide. This peptide coating strongly favors nanoparticle uptake by human immune system cells