Behaviour of self-cleaning glass in urban atmosphere

In order to analyse the self-cleaning mechanism of TiO₂-coated window float glass, a field experiment was conducted in Paris, at a site representative of background urban pollution. Two hydrophilic photocatalytic TiO₂-coated industrial glasses and a traditional float glass (reference) were exposed in unsheltered and sheltered condition for various time duration. The sheltered exposure allowed to study the soiling and self-cleaning mechanism without the disturbing effect of rain washing. In parallel, air filtrations were carried out in order to assess the chemical composition of airborne particulate.     

X-ray flares in early GRB afterglows

The Swift X-ray Telescope (XRT) has discovered that flares are quite common in early X-ray afterglows of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), being observed in roughly 50% of afterglows with prompt follow-up observations. The flares range in fluence from a few per cent to approximately 100% of the fluence of the prompt emission (the GRB). Repetitive flares are seen, with more than four successive flares detected by the XRT in some afterglows. The rise and fall times of the flares are typically considerably smaller than the time since the burst. These characteristics suggest that the flares are related to the prompt emission mechanism, but at lower photon energies. We conclude that the most likely cause of these flares is late-time activity of the GRB central engine.     

Generalized scattering-matrix method for the analysis of two-dimensional photonic bandgap devices

Development of accurate numerical methods for the analysis of photonic-bandgap-based devices is a relevant issue in optimizing existing devices and/or developing new design solutions. Within this framework, we present an innovative and general approach for the evaluation of the electromagnetic behavior of two-dimensional finite-extent photonic crystals made of a finite set of parallel rods. The proposed approach is a generalization of the scattering-matrix method introduced by Maystre and co-workers and of its improved version proposed by the present authors, which exploits a suitable aggregation into "macrocells" to achieve a reduction of the number of unknowns. As a matter of fact, both of these approaches can be exploited only in those cases in which particular modal expansions for the fields hold true. In order to overcome this limitation, we propose a suitable exploitation of the method of auxiliary sources to provide a general and reliable method for the numerical computation of the scattering matrix of an object of arbitrary shape. By taking advantage of this, we can then generalize our improved scattering matrix method to further increase its computational effectiveness. A numerical analysis of some square-lattice configurations is reported to confirm the accuracy of the proposed method and the remarkable computational benefit.     

Lipid Cubic Mesophases Combined with Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: A Hybrid Multifunctional Platform with Tunable Magnetic Properties for Nanomedical Applications

Hybrid materials composed of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and lipid self-assemblies possess considerable applicative potential in the biomedical field, specifically, for drug/nutrient delivery. Recently, we showed that SPIONs-doped lipid cubic liquid crystals undergo a cubic-to-hexagonal phase transition under the action of temperature or of an alternating magnetic field (AMF). This transition triggers the release of drugs embedded in the lipid scaffold or in the water channels. In this contribution, we address this phenomenon in depth, to fully elucidate the structural details and optimize the design of hybrid multifunctional carriers for drug delivery. Combining small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) with a magnetic characterization, we find that, in bulk lipid cubic phases, the cubic-to-hexagonal transition determines the magnetic response of SPIONs. We then extend the investigation from bulk liquid-crystalline phases to colloidal dispersions, i.e., to lipid/SPIONs nanoparticles with cubic internal structure (“magnetocubosomes”). Through Synchrotron SAXS, we monitor the structural response of magnetocubosomes while exposed to an AMF: the magnetic energy, converted into heat by SPIONs, activates the cubic-to-hexagonal transition, and can thus be used as a remote stimulus to spike drug release “on-demand”. In addition, we show that the AMF-induced phase transition in magnetocubosomes steers the realignment of SPIONs into linear string assemblies and connect this effect with the change in their magnetic properties, observed at the bulk level. Finally, we assess the internalization ability and cytotoxicity of magnetocubosomes in vitro on HT29 adenocarcinoma cancer cells, in order to test the applicability of these smart carriers in drug delivery applications.     

Neoantigen-Specific T-Cell Immune Responses: The Paradigm of NPM1-Mutated Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The C-terminal aminoacidic sequence from NPM1-mutated protein, absent in normal human tissues, may serve as a leukemia-specific antigen and can be considered an ideal target for NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) immunotherapy. Different in silico instruments and in vitro/ex vivo immunological platforms have identified the most immunogenic epitopes from NPM1-mutated protein. Spontaneous development of endogenous NPM1-mutated-specific cytotoxic T cells has been observed in patients, potentially contributing to remission maintenance and prolonged survival. Genetically engineered T cells, namely CAR-T or TCR-transduced T cells, directed against NPM1-mutated peptides bound to HLA could prospectively represent a promising therapeutic approach. Although either adoptive or vaccine-based immunotherapies are unlikely to be highly effective in patients with full-blown leukemia, these strategies, potentially in combination with immune-checkpoint inhibitors, could be promising in maintaining remission or preemptively eradicating persistent measurable residual disease, mainly in patients ineligible for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Alternatively, neoantigen-specific donor lymphocyte infusion derived from healthy donors and targeting NPM1-mutated protein to selectively elicit graft-versus-leukemia effect may represent an attractive option in subjects experiencing post-HSCT relapse. Future studies are warranted to further investigate dynamics of NPM1-mutated-specific immunity and explore whether novel individualized immunotherapies may have potential clinical utility in NPM1-mutated AML patients.     

An integrated model for designing and optimising an international logistics network

Supply-chain configuration has recently gained increasing attention both from the practitioner's perspective and as a research area. This paper proposes an integrated model for designing and optimising international logistics networks. It consists of a mixed integer linear programming model and a data-mapping section (i.e. methodological guidelines for gathering and processing the data necessary to set up the model). It has been specifically developed for solving the configuration problem for supply chains characterised by a complexity level typical of real-life global logistics networks. Although this topic is well understood and well elaborated at a technical level in the extant literature, it still presents obstacles in practice especially in terms of dealing with real-life complexity, service-level constraints and data mapping. Thus, we developed our integrated approach with the aim to fill these gaps. We designed our model for dealing with multiple-layer, single location-layer, multiple-commodity and time-constrained logistics networks, to be implemented in a single period time horizon and in a deterministic environment. The proposed approach represents an innovative contribution to the existing body of scientific knowledge and facilitates the data gathering and processing activities, which are largely recognised as complex and time-consuming processes for the management of logistics activities.     

A study on the antimicrobial activity of thymol intended as a natural preservative

A quantitative investigation on the inhibitory activity of thymol against some microorganisms that could represent a potential spoilage risk both in acid and mild thermally treated foods is presented in this work. In order to assess potential biostatic or biocidal activity of thymol, both the growth kinetics and dose-response profiles were obtained and analyzed. A suitable macrodilution methodology based on a turbidimetric technique was adopted to produce inhibitory data used for characterizing microbial susceptibility against thymol at sub-MIC levels. Microbial growth was monitored through absorbance measurements at 420 nm as a function of contact time with the active compound. Moreover, for each tested microorganism, the noninhibitory concentration (NIC) and the MIC were quantified. Results prove that thymol can exert a significant antimicrobial effect on each phase of the growth cycle. The microbial susceptibility and resistance were found to be nonlinearly dose related. It is worth noting that significant biostatic effects were observed at sub-MIC levels.     

Human-robot synchrony: flexible assistance using adaptive oscillators

We propose a novel method for movement assistance that is based on adaptive oscillators, i.e., mathematical tools that are capable of extracting the high-level features (amplitude, frequency, and offset) of a periodic signal. Such an oscillator acts like a filter on these features, but keeps its output in phase with respect to the input signal. Using a simple inverse model, we predicted the torque produced by human participants during rhythmic flexion-extension of the elbow. Feeding back a fraction of this estimated torque to the participant through an elbow exoskeleton, we were able to prove the assistance efficiency through a marked decrease of the biceps and triceps electromyography. Importantly, since the oscillator adapted to the movement imposed by the user, the method flexibly allowed us to change the movement pattern and was still efficient during the nonstationary epochs. This method holds promise for the development of new robot-assisted rehabilitation protocols because it does not require prespecifying a reference trajectory and does not require complex signal sensing or single-user calibration: the only signal that is measured is the position of the augmented joint. In this paper, we further demonstrate that this assistance was very intuitive for the participants who adapted almost instantaneously.     

Anti-fingerprints fluorinated coating for anodized titanium avoiding color alteration

In this study amorphous fluorinated coatings applied to anodized titanium surface have been investigated. A copolymer between tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoro-4-trifluoromethoxy-1,3-dioxole (AD60) and two perfluoropolyether containing ammonium phosphate (F10) or triethoxysilane (S10) functionalities have been tested. To estimate the color alteration of the anodized titanium surfaces due to the application of the coatings, spectrophotometric analyses have been made. Water and n-dodecane contact angles as well as apparent surface energy have been evaluated. Ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy data have been used to measure the thickness of the fluorinated coatings. A tailored mechanical preliminary test has also been explored to evaluate the adhesion of the coatings on the anodized titanium surface. The resistance to surface soiling with castor oil was also preliminarily investigated. The fluorinated coating tested on anodized titanium showed a low apparent surface energy and high chromatic aspect conservation, this is particularly evident for the titanium anodized coated with triethoxysilane functionalities fluoropolymers S10.