Electric motor wheel assembly

A motor wheel assembly with a radial flux brushless electric motor with a seat on the stator interrupting the sequence of stator electromagnets suitabel for housing a caliper of a braking system

Plastic optical fiber network for electronic control unit and power electronics in by-wire vehicles

Innovative connection between ECUs and power electronics realized with POF (Plastic Optic Fiber) is designed. The POF connection allows to increase the bandwidth, the electromagnetic immunity, galvanic insulation and the fault tolerance. Considering automotive ECUs nets the POF network can be used to realize a safe network

Tilting vehicle and control system thereof

The patent is relative to architecture and control laws of a steer and tilt by-wire system for tilting vehicles. It is constituted by steer and tilting actuators which are driven by an electronic control unit to minimize the load transfer during cornering. With respect to traditional steer by wire systems, a mechanical link between the steer command and the wheels is maintained: this is a mechanical backup in case of electromechanical faults of the system

Electric motor wheel assembly

A motor wheel assembly with a radial flux brushless electric motor with a seat on the stator interrupting the sequence of stator electromagnets suitabel for housing a caliper of a braking syste

Plastic optical fiber network for electronic control unit and power electronics in by-wire vehicles

Innovative connection between ECUs and power electronics realized with POF (Plastic Optic Fiber) is designed. The POF connection allows to increase the bandwidth, the electromagnetic immunity, galvanic insulation and the fault tolerance. Considering automotive ECUs nets the POF network can be used to realize a safe networ

All-carbon multi-electrode array for real-time in vitro measurements of oxidizable neurotransmitters

We report on the ion beam fabrication of all-carbon multi electrode arrays (MEAs) based on 16 graphitic micro-channels embedded in single-crystal diamond (SCD) substrates. The fabricated SCD-MEAs are systematically employed for the in vitro simultaneous amperometric detection of the secretory activity from populations of chromaffin cells, demonstrating a new sensing approach with respect to standard techniques. The biochemical stability and biocompatibility of the SCD-based device combined with the parallel recording of multi-electrodes array allow: i) a significant time saving in data collection during drug screening and/or pharmacological tests over a large number of cells, ii) the possibility of comparing altered cell functionality among cell populations, and iii) the repeatition of acquisition runs over many cycles with a fully non-toxic and chemically robust bio-sensitive substrate.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure

Tilting vehicle and control system thereof

The patent is relative to architecture and control laws of a steer and tilt by-wire system for tilting vehicles. It is constituted by steer and tilting actuators which are driven by an electronic control unit to minimize the load transfer during cornering. With respect to traditional steer by wire systems, a mechanical link between the steer command and the wheels is maintained: this is a mechanical backup in case of electromechanical faults of the syste

Model and Design of a Power Driver for Piezoelectric Stack Actuators

A power driver has been developed to control piezoelectric stack actuators used in automotive application. An FEM model of the actuator has been implemented starting from experimental characterization of the stack and mechanical and piezoelectric parameters. Experimental results are reported to show a correct piezoelectric actuator driving method and the possibility to obtain a sensorless positioning control

Awareness, treatment, and control of major cardiovascular risk factors in a small-scale Italian community : results of a screening campaign

Introduction: Hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes are the main causes of cardiovascular diseases in developed countries. However, these conditions are still poorly recognized and treated. Objective: This study aimed at estimating the prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control rates of major cardiovascular risk factors in an unselected sample of individuals of a small community located in northern Italy. Methods: We screened 344 sequential subjects in this study. Data collection included family and clinical history, anthropometric data, blood pressure, blood glucose, and serum cholesterol values. Individual cardiovascular risk profiles were assessed by risk charts of the Progetto Cuore. Results: Based on personal history and/or measured values, 78.2% of subjects had hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol levels > 190 mg/dL), 61.0% had central obesity (waist circumference 65 94 cm for men and 6580 cm for women), 51.2% had arterial hypertension (blood pressure 65 140/90 mmHg), 8.1% had diabetes (blood glucose 65 126 mg/dL), 22.7% had impaired fasting glucose (blood glucose 100\u2013125 mg/dL), and 35.5% were overweight (body mass index 25\u201329 kg/m2). Alcohol drinkers and smokers accounted for 46.2% and 22.4% of subjects, respectively. Awareness of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes was poor, and control of these risk factors, except for diabetes, was even worse. Prevalence of high blood pressure, high serum cholesterol, overweight, and obesity significantly increased with aging. Hypercholesterolemia and obesity were significantly more common in women, while overweight and diabetes in men. In 15.4% of participants, the risk of a major cardiovascular event in the next 10 years was either high or very high. Conclusion: In a small community in a wealthy region of Italy, the prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors is high, while awareness, treatment, and control are poor. Such a result highlights the importance of screening campaigns as a strategy to improve early diagnosis and access to treatment, and thus effective prevention of cardiovascular diseases in the general population

Nanodiamonds-induced effects on neuronal firing of mouse hippocampal microcircuits

Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FND) are carbon-based nanomaterials that can efficiently incorporate optically active photoluminescent centers such as the nitrogen-vacancy complex, thus making them promising candidates as optical biolabels and drug-delivery agents. FNDs exhibit bright fluorescence without photobleaching combined with high uptake rate and low cytotoxicity. Focusing on FNDs interference with neuronal function, here we examined their effect on cultured hippocampal neurons, monitoring the whole network development as well as the electrophysiological properties of single neurons. We observed that FNDs drastically decreased the frequency of inhibitory (from 1.81 Hz to 0.86 Hz) and excitatory (from 1.61 Hz to 0.68 Hz) miniature postsynaptic currents, and consistently reduced action potential (AP) firing frequency (by 36%), as measured by microelectrode arrays. On the contrary, bursts synchronization was preserved, as well as the amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory events. Current-clamp recordings revealed that the ratio of neurons responding with AP trains of high-frequency (fast-spiking) versus neurons responding with trains of low-frequency (slow-spiking) was unaltered, suggesting that FNDs exerted a comparable action on neuronal subpopulations. At the single cell level, rapid onset of the somatic AP ("kink") was drastically reduced in FND-treated neurons, suggesting a reduced contribution of axonal and dendritic components while preserving neuronal excitability.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figure