A Structure-Properties Relationship Study of Self-Healing Materials Based on Styrene and Furfuryl Methacrylate Cross-Linked via Diels–Alder Chemistry

A series of copolymers of styrene and furfuryl methacrylate characterized by various molecular structures (linear and star, block and random) is synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization, and cross-linked with a bismaleimide by means of thermally reversible Diels–Alder (DA) reaction, to obtain self-healing materials. The prepared materials are studied in terms of gelation, swelling, thermal, and dynamic-mechanical analysis, with the aim of correlating relevant properties to their chemical structure. It is found that the furan/styrene ratio, as well as the molecular architecture, have a major influence on the properties. It is also found that the reversibility of the DA reaction is not complete in the solid state for materials with high cross-linking density. This study provides some important tools for the design of materials characterized by thermally reversible behavior, which find usually application as self-healing thermosets, coatings, or adhesives.     

Potential to retrofit existing small-scale gasifiers through steam gasification of biomass residues for hydrogen and biofuels production

This work investigates the opportunity of retrofitting existing small-scale gasifiers shifting from combined heat and power (CHP) to hydrogen and biofuels production, using steam and biomass residues (woodchips, vineyard pruning and bark). The experiments were carried out in a batch reactor at 700 °C and 800 °C and at different steam flow (SF) rates (0.04 g/min and 0.20 g/min). The composition of the producer gas is in the range of 46–70 % H₂, 9–29 % CO, 12–27 % CO₂, and 2–6 % CH₄. A producer gas specific production factor of approx. 10 NL_pg/g_char can be achieved when the lower SFs are used, which allows to provide 80 % of the hydrogen concentration required for biomethanation and MeOH synthesis. As for FT synthesis, an optimal H₂/CO ratio of approx. 2 can be achieved. The results of this work provide further evidence towards the feasibility of hydrogen and biofuels generation from residual biomass through steam gasification.     

Circulating Tumor Cells in the Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are elements of indisputable significance as they seem to be responsible for the onset of metastasis. Despite this, research into CTCs and their clinical application have been hindered by their rarity and heterogeneity at the molecular and cellular level, and also by a lack of technical standardization. Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a highly aggressive cancer that is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Its incidence has increased so much in recent years that new diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers are urgently needed. Preliminary findings suggest that CTCs could represent an effective, non-invasive, real-time assessable biomarker in all stages of EAC. This review provides an overview of EAC and CTC characteristics and reports the main research results obtained on CTCs in this setting. The need to carry out further basic and translational research in this area to confirm the clinical usefulness of CTCs and to provide oncologists with a tool to improve therapeutic strategies for EAC patients was herein highlighted.     

Experimental tests on the limit states of dry-jointed tuff blocks

A proper definition of the yield domains governing the frictional behaviour at contact interfaces is generally required to perform the limit analysis of 3D dry-jointed masonry block structures. However, the modelling of the actual behaviour of frictional contact interfaces under simultaneous normal and shear forces, torsion and bending moments is a topic still poorly studied, especially from the experimental point of view. In this paper the single contact interface of a system composed of two dry-jointed tuff blocks under different loading conditions is experimentally investigated. The programme includes several sets of tests based on different eccentricities of the vertical and horizontal loading implying pure strengths and interactions among shear, torsion and bending moments. The results of each set are then compared with those obtained by a recently proposed numerical model for 3D masonry block assemblages, based on the assumptions of infinite strength in compression, tension and shear for blocks and no-tension and frictional behaviour at their contact. The comparison is useful, on the one hand, as a further validation the efficacy of the previously proposed yield domains in order to be used in 3D limit analysis formulations and, on the other, to highlight which yield domains need to be better represented.     

Weissella cibaria short-fermented liquid sourdoughs based on quinoa or amaranth flours as fat replacer in focaccia bread formulation

Production of the traditional Italian Focaccia bread (FcBread) requires reformulation to meet the new rules for healthier foods. We tested the applicability of a short-fermented (15 h) liquid sourdough (LS) (dough yield, DY, 250), obtained using quinoa (Q) or amaranth (Am) flour fermented with a Weissella cibaria strain (C43-11) producing exopolysaccharides (EPS) as fat replacer in yeast-leavened FcBread. The LSs were applied during the FcBread-making process at industrial pilot plant, reducing the added fat amount by 20% (FcBread-QLS and FcBread-AmLS) and products were compared with reference samples not containing EPS. All the products were analysed for physico-chemical properties (pH, TTA, organic acids, protein content and profile, instrumental colour), textural properties, sensory quality and glycemic index. The application of both pseudo-cereal-based W. cibaria LSs in FcBread allowed obtaining products with a reduced amount of fat, increased protein amount, mainly due to the albumin and glutenin/glutelin fractions, reduced glycemic index, improved texture and preserved in the traditional sensory profile of ‘focaccia’.     

Nanoporous microtubes obtained from a Cu-Ni metallic wire

Nanoporous microtubes of a nickel-copper alloy were obtained from a Cu-44Ni-1Mn (wt%) commercial wire (200 μm diameter). A new synthesis method was established through three steps: 1) partial oxidation of the wire at 1173 K in air, 2) removal of the inner unoxidized core by chemical etching, 3) reduction in 10 bar hydrogen atmosphere. During oxidation, the segregation of Cu and Ni occurred because of their different diffusion coefficients in the corresponding oxides. As a consequence, pores were formed by Kirkendall effect and due to selective chemical etching of the different oxides. Additional porosity formed because of volume contraction during reduction with hydrogen. After reduction, the microtube shows a composition gradient from the inner wall (almost pure nickel) to the outer wall (almost pure copper). The process allowed to obtain microtubes with tuneable wall thickness and inner pores around 180 ± 80 nm. The morphological features developed suggest improved capillarity properties for applications in MEMS.     

Effects of the indentation process on fatigue life of drilled specimens: optimization of the distance between adjacent holes

The generation of permanent compressive stresses around the holes is recognized as a valuable mean to delay the onset and propagation of the defects and to extend the fatigue life of the mechanical components. In the work, a bilateral indentation process, performed on each side of the component, is widely used in order to create a residual circumferential stress field around the area to be drilled and that persists after the drilling operation. In order to evaluate the process parameters and to identify optimal geometric solutions, several static and fatigue tests are conducted on AW 6082-T6 aluminum alloy specimen where two holes are created. In particular, experimental tests on only drilled specimens (OD) and specimens subjected to Indentation process (IP) varying the indentation depth and the center-tocenter distance of the holes are performed. Several numerical analyses, conducted in ANSYS APDL environment with explicit solver, allow to determine the influence of the distance between two adjacent holes and the effect of the indentation depth on the residual stress distribution.     

A distributed command governor based on graph colorability theory

In this paper, a distributed command governor (CG) strategy is introduced that, by the use of graph colorability theory, improves the scalability property and the performance of recently introduced distributed noncooperative sequential CG strategies. The latter are characterized by the fact that only 1 agent at a decision time is allowed to update its command, whereas all the others keep applying their previously computed commands. The scalability of these early CG distributed schemes and their performance are limited because the structure of the constraints is not taken into account in their implementation. Here, by exploiting the idea that agents that are not directly coupled by the constraints can simultaneously update their control actions, the agents in the network are grouped into particular subsets (turns). At each time instant, on the basis of a round‐robin policy, all agents belonging to a turn are allowed to update simultaneously their commands, whereas agents in other turns keep applying their previous commands. Then, a turn‐based distributed CG strategy is proposed and its main properties are analyzed. Graph colorability theory is used to determine the minimal number of turns and to distribute each agent in at least a turn. A novel graph colorability problem that allows one to maximize the frequency at which agents can update their commands is proposed and discussed. A final example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.     

Some recent advances in polyolefin functionalization

Polyolefin‐based materials are increasingly being used in many industrial applications for packaging, automotive and construction materials. The recent developments of research have been aimed at making these materials, often complex, being mixtures, block copolymers, micro‐ and nanocomposites with inorganic and organic fillers, more efficient and environmentally friendly (through recycling processes, and the use of bio‐polyolefins). In this context, functionalized polyolefins, on the one hand, play a fundamental role in improving the morphology and thus the thermal and mechanical properties of heterophase systems, and, on the other hand, provide new materials difficult to obtain by conventional synthesis in connection with the type of inserted functionality. Therefore it appears to be of interest to report and discuss here the recent results concerning the radical grafting in the melt of different functionalities onto polyolefins as well as the capability reached of modulating ad hoc the degree of grafting and the final structure/architecture of functionalized polyolefins. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry