Fully Bio-Based Polymer Composites: Preparation, Characterization, and LCD 3D Printing

The present work aimed to prepare novel bio-based composites by adding fillers coming from agro-wastes to an acrylate epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) resin, using liquid crystal display (LCD) 3D printing. Different photocurable formulations were prepared by varying the reactive diluents, iso-bornyl methacrylate (IBOMA) and tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate (THFA). Then, two fillers derived from different industrial wastes, corn (GTF) and wine (WPL-CF) by-products, were added to the AESO-based formulations to develop polymer composites with improved properties. The printability by LCD of the photocurable formulations was widely studied. Bio-based objects with different geometries were realized, showing printing accuracy, layer adhesion, and accurate details. The thermo-mechanical and mechanical properties of the 3D-printed composites were tested by TGA, DMA, and tensile tests. The results revealed that the agro-wastes’ addition led to a remarkable increase in the elastic modulus, tensile strength, and glass transition temperature in the glassy state for the systems containing IBOMA and for flexible structures in the rubbery region for systems containing THFA. AESO-based polymers demonstrated tunable properties, varying from rigid to flexible, in the presence of different diluents and biofillers. This finding paves the way for the use of this kind of composite in applications, such as biomedical for the realization of prostheses

Il database spaziale e la sua gestione.

La digitalizzazione nel settore delle costruzioni sta offrendo opportunità significative per l’intera filiera delle costruzioni, migliorando le pratiche esistenti, integrando tecnologie e strumenti dirompenti che possono portare a nuovi processi, modelli di business, materiali e soluzioni, con significative potenzialità anche per la gestione del patrimonio architettonico e per le sfide rappresentate dagli obiettivi di riqualificazione del patrimonio esistente. La corretta combinazione di Digitization, Digitalization e Digital trasformation offre l’opportunità di raccogliere le sfide di quest’epoca definendo nuovi metodi e strumenti di lavoro per innovare l’industria delle costruzioni. La digitalizzazione del settore delle costruzioni si concentra su una serie di tematiche legate a tre categorie principali: i) tecnologie di acquisizione dei dati (e.g. sensori); ii) processi di automazione (e.g. robotica); informazioni e analisi digitali (e.g. Building Information Modelling - BIM) per la rappresentazione grafica

A BIM-GIS Integrated Database to Support Planned Maintenance Activities of Historical Built Heritage.

Planned maintenance represents a strategy to facilitate the conservation of architectural heritage, preventing invasive restoration activities. For this purpose, the management of a maintenance plan through the integration of BIM and GIS domains is here proposed. In particular, the first results of the Interreg Main.10.ance project are described, namely the definition of a unique spatial database divided into different Levels of Detail, compliant with geographical standards and user-friendly for the professionals involved. This integration is addressed through the use of Dynamo, which allows the dialogue between the BIM and GIS data in the PostgreSQL databas

HBIM in a semantic 3D GIS database

This work describes the different attempts and the consequent results derived from the integration of an HBIM model into an already structured spatial database (DB) and its 3D visualisation in a GIS project. This study is connected to the European ResCult (Increasing Resilience of Cultural Heritage) project where a DB for multiscale analyses was defined. To test the methodology proposed, the case study of Santa Maria dei Miracoli church in Venice was chosen since it represents a complex architectural heritage piece in a risk zone, it has been subject to a vast restoration intervention in the recent past but a digital documentation and model concerning it was missing. The 3D model of the church was structured in Revit as a HBIM, with the association of different kind of information and data related to the architectural elements by means of ‘shared parameters’ and ‘system families’. This procedure allows to reach an even higher Level of Detail (LOD4), but lead to some issues related to the semantic and software interoperability. To solve these problems the existing DB for the resilience of cultural heritage was extended adding a new entity representing the architectural elements designed in the BIM project. The aim of the test is to understand how the data and attributes inserted in the HBIM are converted and handled when dealing with a GIS DB, stepping from the IFC to the CityGML standard, through the FME software

Torre Alfina Deep Geothermal Reservoir

The Castel Giorgio-Torre Alfina (CG-TA, central Italy) is a geothermal reservoir whose fluids are hosted in a carbonate formation at temperatures ranging between 120°C and 210°C. Data from deep wells suggest the existence of convective flow. We present the 3D numerical model of the CG-TA to simulate the undisturbed natural geothermal field and investigate the impacts of the exploitation process. The open source finite-element code OpenGeoSys is applied to solve the coupled systems of partial differential equations. The commercial software FEFLOW® is also used as additional numerical constraint. Calculated pressure and temperature have been calibrated against data from geothermal wells. The flow field displays multicellular convective patterns that cover the entire geothermal reservoir. The resulting thermal plumes protrude vertically over 3 km at Darcy velocity of about  m/s. The analysis of the exploitation process demonstrated the sustainability of a geothermal doublet for the development of a 5 MW pilot plant. The buoyant circulation within the geothermal system allows the reservoir to sustain a 50-year production at a flow rate of 1050 t/h. The distance of 2 km, between the production and reinjection wells, is sufficient to prevent any thermal breakthrough within the estimated operational lifetime. OGS and FELFOW results are qualitatively very similar with differences in peak velocities and temperatures. The case study provides valuable guidelines for future exploitation of the CG-TA deep geothermal reservoir

A European Interoperable Database (EID) to increase resilience of Cultural Heritage

The set of laws, actions and organizations for Cultural Heritage (CH) protection is born in the different countries of the European Union from local cultural situations, so the ability to cope with the emergency is certainly different. In addition to the damages that can occur to cultural assets after a disaster, an inadequate emergency intervention can sometimes cause further losses to the CH. The effectiveness of response depends on the adequacy of advanced planning. Some countries have designed emergency plans but their databases (DBs) are fragmented, incomplete and not standardized. It is thus necessary to establish a DB for emergency assistance and maps of CH at risk to be compared with maps of natural hazards and risks, in order to take preventive and operational measures, as well as agree on a common terminology and international standards. The project aims to enhance the capability of Civil Protection to prevent disasters impacts on CH by implementing a European Interoperable Database (EID) as supporting decision tool to understand the risk of damage to cultural assets. The EID, starting from the international standards to represent the map objects (CityGML, INSPIRE), the classification of CH in Europe (UNESCO), in Italy (MiBACT), in Germany and in France and from risks and disasters analysis, will design, with its Conceptual Data Model, an extension of the INSPIRE UML model. This DB will also support 3D models to help finding and recognizing dispersed artworks and facilitate a post-emergency restoration, preserving thus a digital memory in case of destruction

Printability study by selective laser sintering of bio-based samples obtained by using PBS as polymeric matrix

The emerging request to reduce the environmental impact of plastics encourages scientists to use novel sustainable polymeric materials for many applications fields. The present paper aims to use for the first-time poly (butylene succinate) (PBS), a biodegradable and compostable polymer, for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) applications. PBS is a flexible semicrystalline aliphatic polyester, which can represent a very good alternative to the traditional thermoplastic polymers obtained by fossil sources. The present work started from a lab-scale production of PBS powders by means of an emulsion solvent evaporation/precipitation method, with the purpose to increase the number of polymeric powders available for SLS. The obtained PBS powders were first characterized by morphological and thermal point of view, and then employed as innovative polymeric material in SLS to realized 3D printed parts with increasing geometrical complexity. To confirm PBS cytocompatibility, cell proliferation and cell viability assays (MTT and Live&Dead) were measured using a lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line (H1299). The in vitro cytotoxicity of the 3D printed material was also investigated, showing no harm on cells

CHM/REP1 Transcript Expression and Loss of Visual Function in Patients Affected by Choroideremia

PURPOSE. To evaluate the disease progression in patients with clinical and genetic diagnoses of choroideremia during a long-term follow-up and to investigate the relationship between pathogenic variants in the CHM/REP1 gene and disease phenotypes. METHODS. We performed a retrospective longitudinal study on 51 affected men by reviewing medical charts at baseline and follow-up visits to extract the following ocular findings: best-corrected visual acuity, Goldmann visual field, optical coherence tomography, microperimetry. Data obtained from the analysis of DNA and mRNA were reevaluated for genetic classification of patients. RESULTS. The longitudinal analysis showed a significant (P < 0.001) worsening of best-corrected visual acuity with a mean rate of 0.011 logMar per year before 50 years and 0.025 logMar per year after 50 years. Similarly, V4e Goldmann visual field area significantly (P ≤ 0.01) decreased at a mean rate of 2.7% per year before 40 years and 5.7% after 40 years. Moreover, we observed a significant (P < 0.05) decrease of macular sensitivity with a mean rate of 5.0% per year and a decrease of mean macular thickness with a mean rate of 0.8% per year. We classified our patients into two groups according to the expression of the CHM/ REP1 gene transcript and observed that mutations leading to mRNA absence are associated with an earlier best-corrected visual acuity and Goldmann visual field loss. CONCLUSIONS. Our analysis of morphological and functional parameters in choroideremia patients showed a slow disease progression, particularly in the first decades of life. Overall, reevaluation of clinical and molecular data suggests exploring the genotype–phenotype relationship based on CHM/REP1 transcript expression. PURPOSE. To evaluate the disease progression in patients with clinical and genetic diagnoses of choroideremia during a long-term follow-up and to investigate the relationship between pathogenic variants in the CHM/REP1 gene and disease phenotypes. METHODS. We performed a retrospective longitudinal study on 51 affected men by reviewing medical charts at baseline and follow-up visits to extract the following ocular findings: best-corrected visual acuity, Goldmann visual field, optical coherence tomography, microperimetry. Data obtained from the analysis of DNA and mRNA were reevaluated for genetic classification of patients. RESULTS. The longitudinal analysis showed a significant (P < 0.001) worsening of best-corrected visual acuity with a mean rate of 0.011 logMar per year before 50 years and 0.025 logMar per year after 50 years. Similarly, V4e Goldmann visual field area significantly (P ≤ 0.01) decreased at a mean rate of 2.7% per year before 40 years and 5.7% after 40 years. Moreover, we observed a significant (P < 0.05) decrease of macular sensitivity with a mean rate of 5.0% per year and a decrease of mean macular thickness with a mean rate of 0.8% per year. We classified our patients into two groups according to the expression of the CHM/ REP1 gene transcript and observed that mutations leading to mRNA absence are associated with an earlier best-corrected visual acuity and Goldmann visual field loss. CONCLUSIONS. Our analysis of morphological and functional parameters in choroideremia patients showed a slow disease progression, particularly in the first decades of life. Overall, reevaluation of clinical and molecular data suggests exploring the genotype–phenotype relationship based on CHM/REP1 transcript expression