On the application of replica molding technology for the indirect measurement of surface and geometry of micromilled components

The evaluation of micromilled parts quality requires detailed assessments of both geometry and surface topography. However, in many cases, the reduced accessibility caused by the complex geometry of the part makes it impossible to perform direct measurements. This problem can be solved by adopting the replica molding technology. The method consists of obtaining a replica of the feature that is inaccessible for standard measurement devices and performing its indirect measurement. This paper examines the performance of a commercial replication media applied to the indirect measurement of micromilled components. Two specifically designed micromilled benchmark samples were used to assess the accuracy in replicating both surface texture and geometry. A 3D confocal microscope and a focus variation instrument were employed and the associated uncertainties were evaluated. The replication method proved to be suitable for characterizing micromilled surface texture even though an average overestimation in the nano-metric level of the Sa parameter was observed. On the other hand, the replicated geometry generally underestimated that of the master, often leading to a different measurement output considering the micrometric uncertainty

Performance verification of focus variation and confocal microscopes measuring tilted ultra-fine surfaces

The behaviour of two optical instruments, scilicet a laser scanning confocal microscope and a focus-variation microscope, was investigated considering measurements of tilted surfaces. The measured samples were twelve steel artefacts for mould surface finish reference, covering Sa roughness parameter in the range (101-103) nm. The 3D surface texture parameters considered were Sa, Sq and Sdq. The small working distance of the confocal microscope objectives influenced the measurement setup, preventing from selecting a high tilting angle. The investigation was carried out comparing measurements of flat surfaces (0° tilt) with measurements of 12.5° tilted surfaces. The confocal microscope results showed a high sensitivity to tilting due to the laser beam reflection on the metal surfaces. The focus variation microscope results were more robust with respect to the considered angular variation, although they were out of the instrument operating range except for one of the twelve artefacts

Scenarios of Electromobility. Cross ferilisation and Dissemination of Best Practices and Researches within EU Policies Webinar proceedings

La pubblicazione riporta gli esiti del webinar incentrato sull'user center design dei veicoli elettrici, delle loro infrastrutture di ricarica e sulle sperimentazioni dei veicoli elettrici leggeri nei sistemi di trasporto urbano di Torino e Venaria Reale (IT), Villach (Austria) e Calvià (Spagna). La pubblicazione e il seminario sono parte del progetto STEVE, finanziato dal programma europeo Horizon2020, e incentrato sulla sperimentazione di modelli di mobilità elettrica leggera nelle aree urbane. Il progetto ha coinvolto città, piccole e medie imprese e università di sette paesi europei. Urban Lab ha collaborato con la Città di Torino a delineare le raccomandazioni rivolte ai decision makers in materia di pianificazione della mobilità urbana, emerse dai risultati dei tre anni di progetto

Subclinical leaflet thrombosis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: no association with left ventricular reverse remodeling at 1-year follow-up

Hypo-attenuated leaflet thickening (HALT) of transcatheter aortic valves is detected on multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and reflects leaflet thrombosis. Whether HALT affects left ventricular (LV) reverse remodeling, a favorable effect of LV afterload reduction after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association of HALT after TAVI with LV reverse remodeling. In this multicenter case-control study, patients with HALT on MDCT were identified, and patients without HALT were propensity matched for valve type and size, LV ejection fraction (LVEF), sex, age and time of scan. LV dimensions and function were assessed by transthoracic echocardiography before and 12 months after TAVI. Clinical outcomes (stroke or transient ischemic attack, heart failure hospitalization, new-onset atrial fibrillation, all-cause mortality) were recorded. 106 patients (age 81 +/- 7 years, 55% male) with MDCT performed 37 days [IQR 32-52] after TAVI were analyzed (53 patients with HALT and 53 matched controls). Before TAVI, all echocardiographic parameters were similar between the groups. At 12 months follow-up, patients with and without HALT showed a significant reduction in LV end-diastolic volume, LV end-systolic volume and LV mass index (from 125 +/- 37 to 105 +/- 46 g/m(2), p = 0.001 and from 127 +/- 35 to 101 +/- 27 g/m2, p < 0.001, respectively, p for interaction = 0.48). Moreover, LVEF improved significantly in both groups. In addition, clinical outcomes were not statistically different. Improvement in LVEF and LV reverse remodeling at 12 months after TAVI were not limited by HALT.</p

Evidence of the association of BIN1 and PICALM with the AD risk in contrasting European populations

Recent genome-wide association studies have identified five loci (BIN1, CLU, CR1, EXOC3L2 and PICALM) as genetic determinants of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We attempted to confirm the association between these genes and the AD risk in three contrasting European populations (from Finland, Italy and Spain). Since CLU and CR1 had already been analyzed in these populations, we restricted our investigation to BIN1, EXO2CL3 and PICALM. In a total of 2,816 AD cases and 2,706 controls, we unambiguously replicated the association of rs744373 (for BIN1) and rs541458 (for PICALM) polymorphisms with the AD risk (OR=1.26, 95% CI [1.15-1.38], p=2.9x10-7, and OR=0.80, 95% CI [0.74-0.88], p=4.6x10-7, respectively). In a meta-analysis, rs597668 (EXOC3L2) was also associated with the AD risk, albeit to a lesser extent (OR=1.19, 95% CI [1.06-1.32], p=2.0x10-3). However, this signal did not appear to be independent of APOE. In conclusion, we confirmed that BIN1 and PICALM are genetic determinants of AD, whereas the potential involvement of EXOC3L2 requires further investigation

Common variants at ABCA7, MS4A6A/MS4A4E, EPHA1, CD33 and CD2AP are associated with Alzheimer's disease

We sought to identify new susceptibility loci for Alzheimer's disease through a staged association study (GERAD+) and by testing suggestive loci reported by the Alzheimer's Disease Genetic Consortium (ADGC) in a companion paper. We undertook a combined analysis of four genome-wide association datasets (stage 1) and identified ten newly associated variants with P ≤ 1 × 10−5. We tested these variants for association in an independent sample (stage 2). Three SNPs at two loci replicated and showed evidence for association in a further sample (stage 3). Meta-analyses of all data provided compelling evidence that ABCA7 (rs3764650, meta P = 4.5 × 10−17; including ADGC data, meta P = 5.0 × 10−21) and the MS4A gene cluster (rs610932, meta P = 1.8 × 10−14; including ADGC data, meta P = 1.2 × 10−16) are new Alzheimer's disease susceptibility loci. We also found independent evidence for association for three loci reported by the ADGC, which, when combined, showed genome-wide significance: CD2AP (GERAD+, P = 8.0 × 10−4; including ADGC data, meta P = 8.6 × 10−9), CD33 (GERAD+, P = 2.2 × 10−4; including ADGC data, meta P = 1.6 × 10−9) and EPHA1 (GERAD+, P = 3.4 × 10−4; including ADGC data, meta P = 6.0 × 10−10)