High Performance & Smart Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing can be considered as one of the key factors for sustainable economic growth, increasing competitiveness and innovative technology with the potential to transform global manufacturing industry, to influence the environmental impact and to change the European economies. In recent years, 3D printing has grown rapidly and has shown great potential in various application fields: from bioengineering, to microfluidics and electronics. There is a growing interest for 3D printing focused on the production of functional structures. The possibility to obtain functional elements by 3D printing, such as batteries, antennas, membranes, sensors etc. is one of the key points of the evolution of this technology. Research on new kinds of printable materials and the ability to control and predict their performance are essential to achieve broader use of 3-D printing. Engineered materials, specifically studied for being 3D printable and exhibiting optimized properties and multifunctionality, will provide intense potential and opportunities in a myriad of applications, resulting in better functionality of the manufactured device (e.g, biocompatibility, electrical conductivity, optical response, chemical sensitivity, mechanical behaviour...) coupled with improved printability. The main approaches in the evolution of 3D printable materials consist in working with multiple materials or nanocomposites to create new combinations that have unique properties expanding the range of 3D printable objects. This Ph.D research activity on High Performance & Smart Manufacturing has been held in Materials and Micro Systems Laboratory of Politecnico di Torino (ChiLab) and in collaboration with Microla Optoelectronics S.r.l. First, a study of Additive Manufacturing techniques, already on the market, was performed. Then the optimization of a stereolithographic printing machine was carried out. One part of the PhD research was based on the study of new smart materials, with intrinsic features that can give to the printed objects a concrete function. For this purpose, functionalized photosensitive polymers, realized by Politecnico di Torino, were used to build 3D structures. Also aromatic polymers were laser processed with the aim to make them conductive and, in the future, reliable for additive manufacturing processes. A further and important task during the PhD activity was the integration of stereolithographic processes both at micro and nanoscale. This important task was possible thanks to the fruitful collaboration with the Laser Zentrum of Hannover (LZH - Germany). At LZH laboratories, a two-photon polymerization (2PP) set-up allowed the fabrication of different nano-structures for microfluidic application. The first attempt was the fabrication of a nano-filter printed directly inside a micro-channel outlet as published in “3D printed suspended micro-filter integrated in a printed microfluidic channel”. This work, once established the process feasibility, may lead to an interesting application in Bioanalytics for the sieving of extracellular vesicles of endocytic origin

Spectrophotometric Detection of Nickel in Water by Lab-on-a-chip Technology: Application to Electroplating

Nickel is a metal member of the transition series in the periodic table, and as such shows outstanding properties interesting to the world of industry, namely corrosion resistance to air, water and alkali and electrical conductivity. In fact, nickel is widely employed in electroplating, where high analyte concentrations, up to 100g/L, are required to achieve excellent final results. The process monitoring is required not only to ensure constant and adequate metal-finishing concentration but also to guarantee the safety of wastewater products. To detect nickel, either in high and low metal concentration, a colorimetric method was selected. The spectrophotometric study reveals a well-defined absorption peak at 396nm, giving a calibration curve with remarkable linearity toward metal concentrations, ranging from 1 to 22g/L. By proper optimization process, the detection field can be simply enlarged at least from 100 g/L (100000ppm) to 3*10-3 g/L (3ppm). Due to the presence of an acid part in the electroplating bath, the behaviour of the metal in an acid solution has also been investigated, and the calibration curve still depicts a good linearity of the system. Achieved results pointed out the suggested colorimetric method as a promising candidate for addressing the requirement for capillary and regular monitoring of nickel in water, throughout a wide range of concentrations.The laboratory method may be readily improved and adapted for microfluidic technology by lowering sample and reagent amounts, miniaturizing sensors, and automating the entire process, from sampling to data recover

Intestinal Strongyle Genera in Different Typology of Donkey Farms in Tuscany, Central Italy

Intestinal strongyles are common helminths of donkeys, in which they may be responsible for disease and poor performance. This study aimed to identify intestinal strongyle genera in 55 naturally infected donkeys from three different farm typologies in Tuscany, central Italy, using morphological and metrical analysis of third stage larvae (L3) obtained from faecal cultures. Larvae were identified using two previous reported morphological identification keys. Moreover, eggs per gram (EPG) data were also evaluated to assess differences, if any, according to the farm typology, sex, and age of the examined donkeys. The results showed that small strongyles were prevalent in all donkey farms. In all examined farms, most (92-100%) of L3 were identified as cyathostomin species of the genera Cylicocyclus spp. and Cylicostephanus spp. Large strongyles of the genera Strongylus spp. and Triodontophorus spp., were identified at low percentage (8%), only in the single organic farm included in the study. A high agreement was observed between the two different morphometric keys used. No significant differences were found for EPG according to farm typology, and sex and age from the examined donkeys. This is the first report about genera identification of intestinal strongyles infecting donkeys in Tuscany, Italy

Textured and Rigid Capillary Materials for Passive Energy‐Conversion Devices

Passive energy-conversion devices based on water uptake and evaporation offer a robust and cost-effective alternative in a wide variety of applications. This work introduces a new research avenue in the design of passive devices by replacing traditional porous materials with rigid capillary layers engraved with optimized V-shaped grooves. The concept is tested using aluminum sheets, which are machined by femtosecond laser and covered by silica or functionalized by oxygen plasma to achieve stable long-term capillary properties. The durability of the proposed material is experimentally evaluated when functioning with aqueous salt concentrations: both the coated and functionalized specimens exhibit stable wettability after being immersed in saltwater for all the duration of the experiments (≈250 h in this work). The proposed new class of materials is envisaged for use in passive solar or thermal energy-conversion devices. As a case study, a time-discretized capillary model is coupled with a validated lumped-parameters heat and mass transfer model, aiming to estimate the maximum size and productivity of a passive solar distiller employing porous materials of known thermal and capillary properties. This study paves the way to the use of a new class of rigid, highly thermally conductive materials that can significantly improve the performance of passive devices by simplifying the assembly of multistage setups, thus helping to extend their use to real-scale applications

PLA conductive filament for 3D printed smart sensing applications

Purpose This paper aims to present a study on a commercial conductive polylactic acid (PLA) filament and its potential application in a three-dimensional (3D) printed smart cap embedding a resistive temperature sensor made of this material. The final aim of this study is to add a fundamental block to the electrical characterization of printed conductive polymers, which are promising to mimic the electrical performance of metals and semiconductors. The studied PLA filament demonstrates not only to be suitable for a simple 3D printed concept but also to show peculiar characteristics that can be exploited to fabricate freeform low-cost temperature sensors. Design/methodology/approach The first part is focused on the conductive properties of the PLA filament and its temperature dependency. After obtaining a resistance temperature characteristic of this material, the same was used to fabricate a part of a 3D printed smart cap. Findings An approach to the characterization of the 3D printed conductive polymer has been presented. The major results are related to the definition of resistance vs temperature characteristic of the material. This model was then exploited to design a temperature sensor embedded in a 3D printed smart cap. Practical implications This study demonstrates that commercial conductive PLA filaments can be suitable materials for 3D printed low-cost temperature sensors or constitutive parts of a 3D printed smart object. Originality/value The paper clearly demonstrates that a new generation of 3D printed smart objects can already be obtained using low-cost commercial materials. </jats:sec

Spectrophotometric Detection of Nickel in Water by Lab-on-a-chip Technology: Application to Electroplating

Nickel is a metal member of the transition series in the periodic table, and as such shows outstanding properties interesting to the world of industry, namely corrosion resistance to air, water and alkali and electrical conductivity. In fact, nickel is widely employed in electroplating, where high analyte concentrations, up to 100g/L, are required to achieve excellent final results. The process monitoring is required not only to ensure constant and adequate metal-finishing concentration but also to guarantee the safety of wastewater products. To detect nickel, either in high and low metal concentration, a colorimetric method was selected. The spectrophotometric study reveals a well-defined absorption peak at 396nm, giving a calibration curve with remarkable linearity toward metal concentrations, ranging from 1 to 22g/L. By proper optimization process, the detection field can be simply enlarged at least from 100 g/L (100000ppm) to 3*10-3 g/L (3ppm). Due to the presence of an acid part in the electroplating bath, the behaviour of the metal in an acid solution has also been investigated, and the calibration curve still depicts a good linearity of the system. Achieved results pointed out the suggested colorimetric method as a promising candidate for addressing the requirement for capillary and regular monitoring of nickel in water, throughout a wide range of concentrations. The laboratory method may be readily improved and adapted for microfluidic technology by lowering sample and reagent amounts, miniaturizing sensors, and automating the entire process, from sampling to data recovery

Health assessment of wild speckled dwarf tortoises, Chersobius signatus.

BACKGROUND In free-ranging reptile populations, bacterial, fungal, viral and parasitic pathogens may affect hosts through impairment in movements, thermoregulation, reproduction, survival, and population dynamics. The speckled dwarf tortoise (Chersobius [Homopus] signatus) is a threatened species that is mostly restricted to the Succulent Karoo biome in South Africa, and little information on pathogens of this species is available yet. We derived baseline parameters for five males and five females that were captured to genetically enhance a conservation breeding program in Europe. Upon collection of the tortoises, ticks were removed and identified. Immediately upon arrival in Europe, ocular, nasal, oral and cloacal swabs were taken for viral, bacteriological and mycological examinations. Fecal samples were collected before and 1 month after fenbendazole treatment, and analyzed for parasites. A panel of PCR, aiming to detect herpesviruses, adenoviruses and iridoviruses, was carried out. RESULTS Samples were negative for viruses, while bacteriological examination yielded detectable growth in 82.5% of the swabs with a mean load of 16 × 107 ± 61 × 108 colony forming units (CFU) per swab, representing 34 bacterial species. Cloacal and oral swabs yielded higher detectable growth loads than nasal and ocular swabs, but no differences between sexes were observed. Fungi and yeasts (mean load 5 × 103 ± 13 × 103 CFU/swab) were detected in 25% of the swabs. All pre-treatment fecal samples were positive for oxyurid eggs, ranging from 200 to 2400 eggs per gram of feces, whereas after the treatment a significantly reduced egg count (90-100% reduction) was found in seven out of 10 individuals. One remaining individual showed 29% reduction, and two others had increased egg counts. In five tortoises, Nycthocterus spp. and coccidian oocysts were also identified. Soft ticks were identified as Ornithodoros savignyi. CONCLUSIONS Our baseline data from clinically healthy individuals will help future studies to interpret prevalences of microorganisms in speckled dwarf tortoise populations. The study population did not appear immediately threatened by current parasite presence

Cyclophilin A/EMMPRIN Axis Is Involved in Pro-Fibrotic Processes Associated with Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm of Marfan Syndrome Patients

Background: Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a genetic disease, characterized by thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA), which treatment is to date purely surgical. Understanding of novel molecular targets is mandatory to unveil e ective pharmacological approaches. Cyclophilin A (CyPA) and its receptor EMMPRIN are associated with several cardiovascular diseases, including abdominal aortic aneurysm. Here, we envisioned the contribution of CyPA/EMMPRIN axis in MFS-related TAA. Methods: We obtained thoracic aortic samples from healthy controls (HC) and MFS patients' aortas and then isolated vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from the aortic wall. Results: our findings revealed that MFS aortic tissue samples isolated from the dilated zone of aorta showed higher expression levels of EMMPRIN vs. MFS non-dilated aorta and HC. Interestingly, angiotensin II significantly stimulated CyPA secretion in MFS-derived VSMC (MFS-VSMC). CyPA treatment on MFS-VSMC led to increased levels of EMMPRIN and other MFS-associated pro-fibrotic mediators, such as TGF- 1 and collagen I. These molecules were downregulated by in vitro treatment with CyPA inhibitor MM284. Our results suggest that CyPA/EMMPRIN axis is involved in MFS-related TAA development, since EMMPRIN is upregulated in the dilated zone of MFS patients' TAA and the inhibition of its ligand, CyPA, downregulated EMMPRIN and MFS-related markers in MFS-VSMC. Conclusions: these insights suggest both a novel detrimental role for CyPA/EMMPRIN axis and its inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy for MFS-related TAA treatment

PROGETTAZIONE DI UN EVENTO FORMATIVO SULLA RIABILITAZIONE POST-CHIRURGICA DEI CARCINOMI MAMMARI

Il miglioramento della qualità dei servizi sanitari è un tema oramai affermato da quasi un decennio sullo scenario nazionale ed internazionale, ma le sfide che il sistema sanitario deve oggi fronteggiare, in particolare i rapidi e costanti progressi scientifici e tecnologici, l’invecchiamento della popolazione e le cronicità, le limitate risorse disponibili, comportano una attenzione particolare alle competenze dei professionisti e al mantenimento di standard adeguati nella pratica clinica ed assistenziale. Rispetto ad una realtà in continuo cambiamento, alle aspettative dei pazienti e dei professionisti, i responsabili delle politiche sanitarie e della formazione supportano i professionisti nel migliorare il proprio lavoro, ma soprattutto indirizzano le politiche dell’apprendimento, adottando la formazione come leva per il miglioramento del servizio sanitario. La stesura della seguente tesi ha lo scopo di presentare le fasi che portano alla realizzazione di un evento formativo che rispetti gli standard di qualità e di progettare un corso di formazione rivolto a professionisti sanitari, nello specifico a fisioterapisti, inerente alla riabilitazione post-chirurgica delle pazienti affette da carcinoma mammario