Sviluppo di un modello a parametri concentrati per l'analisi di trasmissioni a cinghia

Una analisi accurata delle trasmissioni a cinghia CVT richiede attualmente l’utilizzo di modelli multibody o FEM molto complessi e di non facile messa a punto. Scopo del presente lavoro è lo sviluppo di un modello a parametri concentrati in grado di fornire con buona approssimazione l’andamento della tensione e della pressione laterale agenti sulla cinghia e di stimare le perdite di coppia nella trasmissione. Il modello è stato applicato all’analisi di due trasmissioni CVT esistenti. La cinghia è stata suddivisa in elementi collegati tra loro da molle e smorzatori lineari e sono stati introdotti schemi di modellazione del contatto cinghia – puleggia e dell’attrito. Inoltre è stato realizzato un secondo modello in grado di valutare correttamente la tensione effettiva nella cinghia dopo il montaggio. I risultati forniti dal modello sono stati validati tramite confronto con i risultati teorici disponibili in letteratura e con quelli forniti da un modello multibody. Infine si è studiata l’influenza di alcuni parametri, tra cui il rapporto di smorzamento, sui risultati forniti dal modello proposto

Biochar addition in the anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste for biogas production

The continuous decline of fossil fuel availability and the ever increasing concern about environmental pollution, expressed by scientists, governments and public at large, are stimulating the research on renewable energy production. In this perspective, anaerobic digestion (AD) of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is recently meeting with increasing interest. It is a process viable both from an economic and technological standpoints, capable to combine the environmental friendly re-cycle of large amount of OFMSW combined to the production of methane, an excellent fossil-based fuels substitute (Chatterjee and Mazumder, 2016). Please click on the file below for full content of the abstract

ROSES, the only RObotic System for any Endovascular Surgery, Including the Control of an Animated Catheter Characterized by the Presence of two Controlled Curvatures

The paper presents ROSES, its robotic components, the different devices, not necessarily sterile, and its disposables, suitable for any endovascular procedure, both actually performed and presently not assisted by any robotic system, and open in the future for new application yet to come, such as what will be allowed by the new animated catheter. In fact, this is due to the mechanical configuration of the robotic actuators based on a peculiar gear train which presents a big passage hole which allows both the passage of big catheters and even hemostasis valves, as well as full control of very small catheters and guide wires. The system measures forces opposed by the body showing their value both numerically and analogically without the need of any. special tool, measures length of penetration of each catheter and guide wires recording their value. Thus, it may become in future, connected to a work station that will register in real time also the fluoroscopic images, a kind of black box of endovascular surgeries, separating completely doctor and nurses from the patient, using also cameras and microphones to replace the physical contact with the patient

A Distributed Tactile Sensor for Intuitive Human-Robot Interfacing

Safety of human-robot physical interaction is enabled not only by suitable robot control strategies but also by suitable sensing technologies. For example, if distributed tactile sensors were available on the robot, they could be used not only to detect unintentional collisions, but also as human-machine interface by enabling a new mode of social interaction with the machine. Starting from their previous works, the authors developed a conformable distributed tactile sensor that can be easily conformed to the different parts of the robot body. Its ability to estimate contact force components and to provide a tactile map with an accurate spatial resolution enables the robot to handle both unintentional collisions in safe human-robot collaboration tasks and intentional touches where the sensor is used as human-machine interface. In this paper, the authors present the characterization of the proposed tactile sensor and they show how it can be also exploited to recognize haptic tactile gestures, by tailoring recognition algorithms, well known in the image processing field, to the case of tactile images. In particular, a set of haptic gestures has been defined to test three recognition algorithms on a group of 20 users. The paper demonstrates how the same sensor originally designed to manage unintentional collisions can be successfully used also as human-machine interface

Current Management of Urachal Carcinoma: An Evidence-based Guide for Clinical Practice

Unlabelled: Urachal carcinoma is a rare urological disease. The shortage of data about diagnosis and surgical treatment in literature makes it hard for clinicians to make a decision. Indeed, urachal carcinoma is an aggressive disease that requires prompt staging and treatment to ensure the best outcome for patients. We reviewed the last evidence about the management of urachal carcinoma to provide an easy-to-use guide for clinical practice. Patient summary: Urachal carcinoma is a rare malignancy. The literature on this challenging disease remains limited. Herein, we provide a practical guide for its management from diagnosis to treatment, which in most cases requires surgical intervention or chemotherapy

Brief episodes of silent atrial fibrillation predict clinical vascular brain disease in type 2 diabetic patients

ObjectivesThis study evaluated whether subclinical episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) were associated with an increased risk of silent cerebral infarct (SCI) and stroke in diabetic patients younger than 60 years who did not have other clinical evidence of AF and cerebrovascular disease at baseline.BackgroundIn type 2 diabetic patients, one-fourth of strokes are of unknown cause, and subclinical episodes of AF may be a common etiologic factor.MethodsA total of 464 type 2 diabetic patients younger than 60 years were included in a longitudinal observational study and matched to patients without diabetes. Patients underwent 48-h electrocardiographic Holter monitoring quarterly to detect brief subclinical episodes of AF (duration of AF <48 h) and were followed up for 37 months. The outcomes were SCI, assessed by magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, and stroke events during the follow-up period.ResultsThe prevalence of subclinical episodes of AF was significantly greater among patients with diabetes compared with matched healthy subjects (11% vs. 1.6%, p < 0.0001). During an average duration of 37 months, 43 stroke events occurred in the diabetic population and no events occurred in healthy subjects. Diabetic patients with silent episodes of AF (n = 176) had a higher baseline prevalence of SCI (61% vs. 29%; p < 0.01) and a higher number of stroke events (17.3% vs. 5.9%; p < 0.01) during the follow-up period than the other patients (n = 288). An episode of silent AF was an independent determinant of SCI (odds ratio: 4.441; p < 0.001; confidence interval: 2.42 to 8.16) and an independent predictor of the occurrence of stroke in diabetic patients (hazard ratio: 4.6; p < 0.01; confidence interval: 2.7 to 9.1).ConclusionsSubclinical episodes of AF occurred frequently in type 2 diabetic patients and were associated with a significantly increased risk of SCI and stroke

Peri-Prostatic Adipocyte-Released TGFβ Enhances Prostate Cancer Cell Motility by Upregulation of Connective Tissue Growth Factor

Periprostatic adipose tissue (PPAT) has emerged as a key player in the prostate cancer (PCa) microenvironment. In this study, we evaluated the ability of PPAT to promote PCa cell migration, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved. Methods: We collected conditioned mediums from in vitro differentiated adipocytes isolated from PPAT taken from PCa patients during radical prostatectomy. Migration was studied by scratch assay. Results: Culture with CM of human PPAT (AdipoCM) promotes migration in two different human androgen-independent (AI) PCa cell lines (DU145 and PC3) and upregulated the expression of CTGF. SB431542, a well-known TGFβ receptor inhibitor, counteracts the increased migration observed in presence of AdipoCM and decreased CTGF expression, suggesting that a paracrine secretion of TGFβ by PPAT affects motility of PCa cells. Conclusions: Collectively, our study showed that factors secreted by PPAT enhanced migration through CTGF upregulation in AI PCa cell lines. These findings reveal the potential of novel therapeutic strategies targeting adipocyte-released factors and TGFβ/CTGF axis to fight advanced PCa dissemination

Bioactive Metabolite Survey of Actinobacteria Showing Plant Growth Promoting Traits to Develop Novel Biofertilizers

The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has caused harmful impacts on the environment with the increase in economic burden. Biofertilizers are biological products containing living microorganisms capable of improving plant growth through eco-friendly mechanisms. In this work, three actinobacterial strains Streptomyces violaceoruber, Streptomyces coelicolor, and Kocuria rhizophila were characterized for multiple plant growth promoting (PGP) traits such as indole acetic acid production, phosphate solubilization, N-2-fixation, and drought and salt tolerance. Then, these strains were investigated for their secreted and cellular metabolome, revealing a rich arsenal of bioactive molecules, including antibiotics and siderophores, with S. violaceoruber being the most prolific strain. Furthermore, the in vivo assays, performed on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), resulted in an improved germination index and the growth of seedlings from seeds treated with PGP actinobacteria, with a particular focus on S. violaceoruber cultures. In particular, this last strain, producing volatile organic compounds having antimicrobial activity, was able to modulate volatilome and exert control on the global DNA methylation of tomato seedlings. Thus, these results, confirming the efficacy of the selected actinobacteria strains in promoting plant growth and development by producing volatile and non-volatile bioactive molecules, can promote eco-friendly alternatives in sustainable agriculture

The potential role of advanced glycation end products in food allergy pathogenesis

prevalence has dramatically increased in the last two decades. Among dietary factors, it has been hypothesized that advanced glycation endproducts(AGEs), present at high level in junk food, could be involved in FA pathogenesis. AGEs are a heterogeneous group of compounds deriving from sugars(sweets and beverages), autoclaved/processed foods, microwaved foods, more roasted/barbecued meat. To evaluate the AGEs levels in FA children compared with healthy controls and subjects with respiratory allergy. Methods: We evaluated paediatric patients with challenge-proven FA, children with respiratory allergy(RA) and age and sex-matched healthy controls. Subcutaneous AGEs levels were evaluated through the AGE reader. Food-frequency questionnaires were evaluated in all study subjects. In vitro studies were performed on human enterocytes(Caco-2 cells) stimulated with 200 mg/ml of BSA-AGE for 24and48 hours to evaluate effects on gut barrier function: mucin2(mucus production), transpithelial electrical resistance(TEER), ZO-1, occludin expression(intestinal permeability). The direct effects elicited on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) after the treatment with 200 mg/ml of BSA-AGE for 48hours, 4and 7days of treatment were also evaluated. RESULTS: 115 subjects were evaluated and subdivided into 3 groups: group 1 patients with FA (n=31); group 2 patients with RA (n=18), group 3 healthy controls (n=66). The consumption of food containing AGEs was higher in subjects with FA compared to RA children and healthy controls (p<0.05). FA and RA children presented significant higher subcutaneous AGEs levels compared to healthy controls (p<0.05). Linear regression analysis confirmed a significant positive correlation between subcutaneous levels of AGEs and consumption of food containing AGEs. Human enterocytes exposed to BSA-AGE treatment showed a reduction of TEER, of Muc2 and tight junction proteins (Occludin and ZO-1). Moreover, the treatment with BSA-AGE on human PBMCs stimulates pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and Th2 cytokines(IL-5 and IL-13)production , but it was unable to modulate IL-10 production. Finally, after7days of treatment with BSAAGE, we found a low percentage of proliferating CD4+T. CONCLUSIONS: Current hypotheses and models of FA do not adequately explain the dramatic increase observed in the last years