fracture toughness of structural adhesives for the automotive industry

Abstract Adhesive bonding is currently employed by automotive manufacturers to complement (or replace) welding in joining dissimilar materials. In order to reduce the impact on the existing manufacturing infrastructures, structural adhesives are deployed in the body shop but hardening is accomplished in the paint cure oven. Various adhesive formulations have been specifically developed for the implementation in the automotive manufacturing chain. However, it is very important to assess the mechanical behaviour of the joints which results from the peculiar curing strategy. In the present work, automotive grade single component epoxy and two component epoxy modified acrylic adhesives were evaluated. T-joints were fabricated using a cold rolled galvanized steel (FeP04) employed in the production of car body parts. The fracture toughness of the joints was determined using the test protocol proposed by the European Structural Integrity Society (ESIS). Optical microscopy was employed to ascertain the mechanisms of failure. The results indicated that both adhesives were able to provide a fairly good mechanical response with minimum preparation of the mating substrates. Moreover, the obtained values of fracture toughness were shown to be essentially independent of the adhesive layer thickness

Restoration of Cardiomyocyte Functional Properties by Angiotensin II Receptor Blockade in Diabetic Rats

Recent evidence suggests that blockade of the renin-angiotensin system ameliorates diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction, but the mechanisms involved in this process remain elusive. We investigated the effect of treatment with an angiotensin II receptor blocker, losartan, on the metabolic and electrophysiological properties of cardiomyocytes isolated from streptozotocin-induced diabetic (STZ) rats. Glucose uptake and electrophysiological properties were measured in ventricular cardiomyocytes from normoglycemic and STZ-induced diabetic rats given vehicle or 20 mg · kg−1 · day−1 losartan for 8 weeks. Insulin and β-adrenergic stimulation failed to increase the glucose uptake rate in STZ cardiomyocytes, whereas the α-adrenergic effect persisted. Concurrently, a typical prolongation of action potential duration (APD) and a decrease of transient outward current (Ito) were recorded in patch-clamped STZ myocytes. Treatment with losartan did not affect body weight or glycemia of diabetic or control animals. However, in losartan-treated STZ-induced diabetic rats, β-adrenergic−mediated enhancement of glucose uptake was completely recovered. APD and Ito were similar to those measured in losartan-treated control rats. A significant (P < 0.0001) correlation between metabolic and electrophysiological parameters was found in control, diabetic, and losartan-treated diabetic rats. Thus, angiotensin receptor blockade protects the heart from the development of cellular alterations typically associated with diabetes. These data suggest that angiotensin receptor blockers may represent a new therapeutic strategy for diabetic cardiomyopathy

The effects of biochar and its combination with compost on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth, soil properties, and soil microbial activity and abundance

Impacts of biochar application in combination with organic fertilizer, such as compost, are not fully understood. In this study, we tested the effects of biochar amendment, compost addition, and their combination on lettuce plants grown in a soil poor in nutrients; soil microbiological, chemical, and physical characteristics were analyzed, together with plant growth and physiology. An initial screening was also done to evaluate the effect of biochar and compost toxicity, using cress plants and earthworms. Results showed that compost amendment had clear and positive effects on plant growth and yield and on soil chemical characteristics. However, we demonstrated that also the biochar alone stimulated lettuce leaves number and total biomass, improving soil total nitrogen and phosphorus contents, as well as total carbon, and enhancing related microbial communities. Nevertheless, combining biochar and compost, no positive synergic and summative effects were observed. Our results thus demonstrate that in a soil poor in nutrients the biochar alone could be effectively used to enhance soil fertility and plant growth and biomass yield. However, we can speculate that the combination of compost and biochar may enhance and sustain soil biophysical and chemical characteristics and improve crop productivity over time

C. elegans-based chemosensation strategy for the early detection of cancer metabolites in urine samples

Chemosensory receptors play a crucial role in distinguishing the wide range of volatile/soluble molecules by binding them with high accuracy. Chemosensation is the main sensory modality in organisms lacking long-range sensory mechanisms like vision/hearing. Despite its low number of sensory neurons, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans possesses several chemosensory receptors, allowing it to detect about as many odorants as mammals. Here, we show that C. elegans displays attraction towards urine samples of women with breast cancer, avoiding control ones. Behavioral assays on animals lacking AWC sensory neurons demonstrate the relevance of these neurons in sensing cancer odorants: calcium imaging on AWC increases the accuracy of the discrimination (97.22%). Also, chemotaxis assays on animals lacking GPCRs expressed in AWC allow to identify receptors involved in binding cancer metabolites, suggesting that an alteration of a few metabolites is sufficient for the cancer discriminating behavior of C. elegans, which may help identify a fundamental fingerprint of breast cancer

Italian recommendations on enzymatic debridement in burn surgery.

Abstract Introduction Nexobrid®, a bromelain-based type of enzymatic debridement, has become more prevalent in recent years. We present the recommendations on enzymatic debridement (Nexobrid®)'s role based on the practice knowledge of expert Italian users. Methods The Italian recommendations, endorsed by SIUST (Italian Society of Burn Surgery), on using enzymatic debridement to remove eschars for burn treatment were defined. The definition followed a process to evaluate the level of agreement (a measure of consensus) among selected experts, representing Italian burn centers, concerning defined clinical aspects of enzymatic debridement. The consensus involved a multi-phase process based on the Delphi method. Results The consensus panel included experts from Italy with a combined experience of 1068 burn patients treated with enzymatic debridement. At the end of round 3 of the Delphi method, the panel reached 100% consensus on 26 out of 27 statements. The panel achieved full, strong consensus (all respondents strongly agreed on the statement) on 24 out of 27 statements. Discussion The statements provided by the Italian consensus panel represent a "ready to use" set of recommendations for enzymatic debridement in burn surgery that both draw from and complete the existing scientific literature on the topic. These recommendations are specific to the Italian experience and are neither static nor definitive. As such, they will be updated periodically as further quality evidence becomes available

Effects of physical exercise associated with a diet enriched with natural antioxidants on cerebral hypoperfusion and reperfusion injury in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension. The reduction in the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) causes endothelial dysfunction, altering the functions of cerebral blood vessels. Physical exercise and intake of antioxidants improve the redox state, increasing the vascular NO production and/or the decrease in NO scavenging by reactive oxygen species (ROS). The present study was aimed at assessing the effects of physical exercise associated with a diet enriched with antioxidants from the Annurca apple in preventing the microvascular damage due to cerebral hypoperfusion and reperfusion injury in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). The rat pial microcirculation was investigated by intravital fluorescence microscopy through a parietal closed cranial window. As expected, SHRs subjected to physical exercise or an antioxidants-enriched diet showed a reduction of microvascular permeability, ROS formation, and leukocyte adhesion to venular walls, with a major effect of the antioxidants-enriched diet, when compared to untreated SHRs. Moreover, capillary perfusion was preserved by both treatments in comparison with untreated SHRs. Unexpectedly, the combined treatments did not induce higher effects than the single treatment. In conclusion, our results support the efficacy of physical activity or antioxidant supplement in reducing the microvascular alterations due to hypertension and ascribe to an antioxidants-enriched diet effective microvascular protection in SHRs

Disentangling the impact of COVID-19 infection on clinical outcomes and preventive strategies in older persons: An Italian perspective

Italy was one of the first western countries to embrace the first wave of COVID-19 and undergo detrimental outcomes in older adults in different clinical settings, especially in those with comorbidity and frailty. In addition, older nursing home (NH) residents had significantly higher mortality rates most likely due to the increased susceptibility of infection due to combined physical vulnerability and risks linked to the NH living environment itself. Different reports throughout Italy have rapidly highlighted selected outcomes related to COVID-19 in older patients being treated in acute and long-term care (LTC) settings. However, the majority of these studies are single center studies. Thus, it remains fundamental to collect large data from prospective based-population studies in order to identify preventive and therapeutic COVID-19 risk/protective factors correlated with COVID-19 health status outcomes. In this commentary paper, we will discuss different Italian reports according to clinical settings and highlight the importance of GeroCovid Observational and GeroCovid Vax, two large population based prospective studies in Italy

The Italian National External Quality Assessment Program in Cytogenetics: 4 years of activity (2013-2016) following the introduction of poor performance criteria

Background. Italian External Quality Assessment (IEQA) Program in Cytogenetics, established in 2001 by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), covers both Constitutional and Oncohaematological diagnosis. In 2013, performance criteria were defined and adopted. In this paper, we present the data from the first 4 years of activity (2013-2016) following the introduction of performance criteria. Methods. The enrollment is voluntary, fee-based and open to both public and private Italian laboratories. The scheme is annual and retrospective; a national panel of experts assess technical, analytical and interpretative performance. Results. Overall, 95 distinct Italian laboratories participated in different Cytogenetics IEQA schemes over the 2013-2016 years and most of the laboratories took part in Constitutional diagnosis. General hospitals and local health centers represented 40% of the total participants and the percentage of laboratories from Northern Regions was more than 45% of total participants throughout the 4-year period. As regards the performance evaluation, on average, 11, 9 and 23% of participants were marked as poor performers in Prenatal, Postnatal and Oncohaematological schemes, respectively. With regard to critical errors, ISCN nomenclature in Prenatal and Postnatal schemes, and interpretation in Oncohaematological diagnosis, were identified as main issues. On the other hand, karyotype errors and inadequate analysis decreased strongly, over the 4 years, in Constitutional and Oncohaematological diagnosis, respectively. Conclusions. Our data show that the introduction of poor performance encourages laboratories to address critical issues, and the IEQA participation helps to improve quality in cytogenetic testing. 

Search for heavy neutral lepton production in K+ decays

A search for heavy neutral lepton production in K + decays using a data sample collected with a minimum bias trigger by the NA62 experiment at CERN in 2015 is reported. Upper limits at the 10−7 to 10−6 level are established on the elements of the extended neutrino mixing matrix |Ue4| 2 and |Uμ4| 2 for heavy neutral lepton mass in the ranges 170–448 MeV/c2 and 250–373 MeV/c2, respectively. This improves on the previous limits from HNL production searches over the whole mass range considered for |Ue4|2 and above 300 MeV/c2 for |Uμ4|2

TEXTAROSSA: Towards EXtreme scale Technologies and Accelerators for euROhpc hw/Sw Supercomputing Applications for exascale

International audienceTo achieve high performance and high energy efficiency on near-future exascale computing systems, three key technology gaps needs to be bridged. These gaps include: energy efficiency and thermal control; extreme computation efficiency via HW acceleration and new arithmetics; methods andtools for seamless integration of reconfigurable accelerators in heterogeneous HPC multi-node platforms. TEXTAROSSA aims at tackling this gap through a co-design approach to heterogeneous HPC solutions, supported by the integration and extension of HW and SW IPs, programming models and tools derived from European research