Abstract: A microfluidic device for controlled generation and/or culture and/or maturation of three-dimensional cells and/or tissue constructs that includes a culture chamber may include: a confinement apparatus configured to define at least one compartment configured to contain a cellular matrix and at least one compartment configured to contain a culture medium, the confinement apparatus being hydrophobic and pervious to the culture medium; and/or at least one counter element. The confinement apparatus and at least one counter element may be reciprocally mobile between resting and compression positions of the cellular matrix. A method for controlled generation and/or culture and/or maturation of three-dimensional cells and/or tissue constructs at a microscale may include: controlled compression of a cellular matrix for a predetermined period of time. The cellular matrix may be delimited by a confinement apparatus that is pervious to a culture medium.

Abstract: A device for the quantification of cellular and non-cellular components in a blood sample including detection electrodes including a first electrode connected with a first input to receive a first signal in input and a second electrode, reference electrodes including a first electrode connected with a second input configured to receive a second signal in input of opposite polarity to the first input signal and a second electrode connected to the second electrode of said detection electrodes, in a common point wherefrom an output signal is picked up, a ferromagnetic concentrator that cooperates with an external magnetic field external to effectuate concentration of said components on said detection electrodes, a substrate configured to house said detection electrodes, reference electrodes, and concentrator; a support configured to collect a blood sample, and a spacer element to confine in the substrate plane the blood sample and to distance said substrate from said support.

Abstract: A wearable device for controlling gaseous pollutants is described; the device includes a shell container. The shell has a gaseous and vaporous pollutant sensor; and a light and vibration signal generator. The sensor is operatively connected to the generator and the generator generates said light and/or vibration signal on the basis of the signal generated by said sensor. Ina second embodiment, a method for using the device is also described. The device and method can be used for controlling gaseous and vaporous pollutants.

Abstract: A motorcycle has a front part and a rear part, the front part including handlebars and a handlebar stem with which there is associated an electronic damper controlled by a control unit controlling the action of the damper on the handlebars, provision being made for a device detecting the angle of rotation of the handlebars and the velocity of rotation of the handlebar stem within a handlebar head of the frame. The control unit includes a first block which receives data on the velocity of rotation of the handlebar stem and which on the basis of such velocity determines the presence of oscillating or weave movement of the motorcycle or a wobble movement of the handlebars, the first block of the control unit being connected to a second block and a third block of such unit which alternatively generate a control signal intended to damp the handlebar stem on the basis of the determination made by the first block so that any weave and/or wobble movement is cancelled out.

Abstract: It is described a method for monitoring an optical communications system comprising at least one optical channel connecting a transmitter and a receiver. The method comprises: measuring, at the receiver, a transmission parameter of the optical channel for a pre-defined measuring time interval; on the basis of the measurements of the transmission parameter in the time interval, checking the presence of at least one anomaly in the measurements, the at least one anomaly being indicative of a subsequent failure of the system; and in the presence of the at least one anomaly, applying an identification algorithm to the measurements, the algorithm comprising a classifier, wherein the classifier is configured to, on the basis of the measurements, identify a cause of the failure, the classifier being based on a machine learning technique.

Abstract: The present invention provides compositions and methods for targeting cells for therapeutic and/or diagnostic purposes, e.g., delivery of therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents to a cell. Nanoparticles and polymers functionalized with capture molecules, reporter molecules, and/or therapeutic agents are provided for the treatment or prevention of disease, including neurological diseases associated with neuroinflammation, and cancer.

Abstract: A flame-retardant electric cable has a core including an electric conductor and an electrically insulating layer. The electrically insulating layer includes a flame-retardant polyolefin-based composition which includes, as base polymer, a mixture of at least two polyolefin homopolymers and/or copolymer wherein at least one is a low-density polyethylene copolymer having a density lower than 0.915 g/cm3. The flame-retardant polyolefin-based composition also includes calcinated kaolin in an amount greater than 3 phr, a metal hydroxide in an amount greater than 10 phr, and an alkyl or alkenyl alkoxy siloxane. The alkyl or alkenyl alkoxy siloxane is in an amount ratio of from 1:25 to 1:50 with respect to the sum of the amounts of calcinated kaolin and of the metal hydroxide.

Abstract: A computer-aided FEM-based structure design system is provided that operates to: acquire an initial structure design configuration comprising: a design domain (?), an applied load (f), and constrained, unconstrained and loaded areas (?D, ?F, ?N); compute an initial mesh (Th0) of the design domain (?); compute a topologically optimized structure model by iterating, until a termination criterion is fulfilled: computing an optimized structure topology by properly implementing the SIMP (Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization) algorithm based on a density function (?) that represents the distribution of the material in the structure; computing an anisotropic recovery-based a posteriori error estimator (?) that quantifies the error between the gradient of the exact structure material density (?) and the gradient of the FEM-computed approximation thereof, computing a metric (Mk+1) for anisotropic mesh adaptation based on the anisotropic recovery-based a posteriori error estimator (?), and computing an ada

Abstract: A rim for wheel is described including a measuring system for detecting the vertical load applied to the wheel. The measuring system includes a sensor adapted to detect a deformation of the rim and to transmit a deformation signal to a processing unit. The processing unit receives an output signal of the sensor related to the deformation of the rim detected, and determines the vertical load applied to the wheel.

Abstract: An optical delay method, and related system, includes propagating an optical signal along an optical delay device (10) with a first stage (11) having a variable input coupler (20) and a delay element. An intermediate stage (12) has a variable intermediate coupler (30) and a delay element. An output stage (13) includes a variable output coupler (40). The method sets a coupling ratio of the input (20) and output couplers (40) equal to a value K1 selected among a plurality of at least three values. A coupling ratio of the intermediate coupler (30) is set equal to a value K2, wherein K1=sin2(?) & K2=sin2(A*?) with ? greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to ?/2 and A greater than or equal to 1.5 and less than or equal to 2.5.

Abstract: A level-shifter includes an input node coupled to a laser driver input receiving a trigger signal, the input node receiving a signal indicating generation of a laser drive-pulse. A p-channel transistor has a source coupled to a supply node, a drain coupled to an output node, and a gate coupled to the input node. An n-channel transistor has a drain coupled to the drain of the p-channel transistor, a source coupled to ground, and a gate coupled to the input node. A first switch couples the input node to the output node. Another p-channel transistor has a source coupled to the supply node, a drain coupled to the output node by a second switch, and a gate coupled to the input node. The first switch closes and second switch opens when the signal is low, and the first switch opens and second switch closes when the signal is high.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an energy cable comprising a cable core comprising an electric conductor and a crosslinked electrically insulating layer, wherein the cable core further comprises a microporous material having a bimodal pore volume distribution with a first peak of the distribution having a maximum at a pore diameter value within the range 5.5-6.5 ? and a second peak of the distribution having a maximum at a pore diameter value within the range 7.5-8.5 ?, the maximum values of the first and the second peak corresponding to an incremental pore volume of at least 4×10?3 cm3/g. The present invention also relates to a method for extracting methane crosslinking by-products from a crosslinked electrically insulating layer of an energy cable.

Abstract: A monostable circuit includes a delay cell with a reference generator generating a reference current based upon a PVT invariant resistance and a threshold voltage, and a delay block with an output capacitor and an output circuit altering an amount of charge stored on the output capacitor as a function of the reference current, in response to an input signal. An inverter has an input coupled to the output circuit. A logic circuit logically combines output of the inverter and the input signal to generate a monostable trigger pulse. The output circuit includes a current source sourcing the reference current to the output capacitor in response to a first logic state of an input signal, and a current sink sinking current from the output capacitor to discharge the output capacitor, in response to a second logic state of the input signal.

Abstract: A pulsed signal generator generates a pulsed signal having a pulse width intended to be equal to a given fraction of a pulse width of a reference clock. A reference current source outputs current having a reference magnitude, and a comparison current source outputs current having a magnitude that is a function of the reference magnitude and the given fraction. A comparison circuit compares a total current output by one of the reference current source and the comparison current source during pulses of the reference clock to a total current output by the other of the reference current source and the comparison current source during pulses of the pulsed signal equal in number to the pulses of the reference clock in order to determine whether the pulse width of the pulse signal is less than or equal to the given fraction of the pulse width of the reference clock.

Abstract: A PEM fuel or electrolysis cell with an extended lifetime, improved performance and uniform and stable operation is disclosed wherein a membrane electrode assembly is provided with a gradient of one or more properties in combination with a modification of one or more control parameters of the cell during its operation.

Abstract: An opto-magnetic device includes an integrated optical circuit having an input for an input optical radiation and at least one output for an output optical radiation. The optical circuit defines an area sensible to the variations of a local refraction index probed by the optical radiation, destined to come in contact with the sample. A plurality of probe molecules are included to anchor to the sensible area, and a plurality of magnetic particles are included to anchor to molecules of the analyte, bound to the probe molecules upon a molecular recognition. A magnetic actuator is configured to generate a variable magnetic field and oscillate the magnetic particles to cause variation of the refraction index probed by the optical radiation in the sensible area, and a variation of at least one characteristic parameter of the output optical radiation correlated to a concentration of the molecules of the analyte.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for generating random numbers, comprising a pair of memristors. The pair of memristors comprises a first and a second memristor, each memristor of the pair in turn comprises a top electrode, a bottom electrode and an intermediate layer adapted to switch resistance in response to predetermined voltage values applied between the top electrode and the bottom electrode. Each memristor is operatively connected to an output terminal by means of its bottom electrode. A control logic is connected to the memristors for applying suitable voltages necessary to determine a change of resistance in at least one memristor of the pair.

Abstract: It is described a modulator apparatus (3) comprising: an input terminal (23) structured to receive an analog electrical signal (x(t)) having an information content to be transmitted; a loop filter structured to receive an error signal (?(t) and provide a filtered signal (s(t)), the loop filter being configured to minimize said error signal (?(t)); a modulator device (10) configured to module the filtered signal (s(t)) and provide a Pulse Width Modulated, PWM, signal (y(t)) to be transmitted including a plurality of pulses having corresponding widths correlated to non-quantized amplitudes of the filtered signal (s(t)); a first pulse width demodulator (11) configured to receive the PWM, signal (y(t)) and provide a demodulated signal (?(t)) and a difference module (12) configured to receive the analog electrical signal (x(t)) and the demodulated signal (?(t)) and provide the error signal (?(t)).

Abstract: A circuit includes a capacitance coupled between a high voltage node and ground, a laser diode having an anode coupled to the high voltage node and a cathode coupled to an output node, and a current source coupled between the output node and ground. The current source turns on based on assertion of a trigger signal and sinks current from the capacitance to ground to thereby cause the laser diode to lase, and turns off based on deassertion of the trigger signal. A clamping circuit is coupled between the output node and the high voltage node, and clamps voltage at the output node occurring when the current source switches off.

Abstract: An optical fibre comprising: an optical waveguide comprising a glass core surrounded by a glass cladding; a primary coating surrounding the optical waveguide; a secondary coating, surrounding the primary coating, comprising a cured polymer material obtained by curing a curable coating composition comprising: (a) a polyester obtained by esterification of a reactant A selected from carboxylic acids, triglycerides, and mixtures thereof, having a C16-C24 aliphatic chain comprising at least two double bonds spaced by one carbon atom at most, with a reactant B selected from polyols having at least 3 hydroxyl groups, the polyols being thermally stable up to 300° C.; (b) an aromatic glycidyl epoxy resin; (c) an aliphatic polyether hardener containing from 8 to 64 hydroxy groups and/or from 2 to 4 epoxy groups; and (d) a secondary amine compound as curing agent. Preferably, the step of curing is a thermal curing, preferably up to 300° C.