The study deals with the friction and wear properties of materials for brake pads. It has been developed in the frame of a research collaboration with ITT Friction Technologies company, who is one of the world leaders in the field of brake pads. The gradual phasing out of asbestos, recognized as carcinogenic materials, pushed pads manufacturers to move away from them, to the purpose to obtain safe components. Such phenomenon resulted in a wide variety of brake pads, each with its peculiar ...

Nonostante il numero e frequenza delle frane e delle inondazioni che colpiscono i nostri territori, e la quantità di informazioni anche reperibili online su eventi di frana e di inondazione, il tema del rischio geo-idrologico resta poco conosciuto per la maggioranza dei cittadini. La mancata conoscenza si riflette sulla scarsa percezione che i cittadini hanno dei rischi geo-idrologici. Una delle cause della poca conoscenza è la modalità con cui i temi del rischio geo-idrologico sono stati ...

Era già noto da tempo che la cozza fosse fonte preziosa di principi antiossidanti, proteine nobili, vitamine e sali minerali, potente antinfiammatorio naturale e cibo afrodisiaco, ed era già altrettanto noto che la sua 'bava' fosse una colla dotata di superpoteri. Nessuno però si era spinto fino ad oggi a studiare il comportamento delle sue proteine per misurare la portata di questa 'appiccicosità'. L'insolita ricerca, pubblicata su Nature Communication, è stata condotta dai ricercatori ...

The growing interest in metal nanoparticles (NP) is related to their increasing importance for a series of applications, ranging from nanoelectronics to magnetism, pharmaceutics (e.g. for biological labeling) and catalysis. It is now well established that the NPs' properties depend critically on their size and shape1-3 and that some peculiar geometries may appear when reducing the cluster size4. In spite of the vast literature on the topic, most of the attention has concentrated so far on metal ...

The climate changes related to CO2 emission from combustion of fossil fuels increased more and more in the last 50 years. According to Protocol of Doha, extending the Protocol of Kyoto, the European Union decided 20% (or even more) reduction of CO2 emission levels of 1990 by 2020. The Covenant of Mayors is a European movement where local/regional authorities, voluntarily commit to increasing energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. In this framework the Istituto di Ricerche sulla ...

The continual progress of physics provides an insight ever deeper of the Universe, and also to have new technologies, but at the same time place us in front to new and new demands. One of the open questions in physics is to reconcile the two most successful theories of physics, Einstein's general relativity and quantum physics, which work perfectly, but in completely different fields. General relativity explains gravity and the universe at large scale, astronomical and cosmological, and at the ...

It is already two decades that there is an evident re-distribution of economic power among the Triad (North America, Europe and Japan) and new emerging economies. Trends in the international trade and FDI show how economic activities in the Triad are threatened by countries such as China and India. Both nations have huge population and they are more and more crucial economic partners in the new and multi-polar world economy. To which extent the economic activities of these two emerging areas are ...

An innovative robotized inclinometer system for inclinometer measurements to evaluate deep-seated ground deformations in standard boreholes. Our AIS (Automated Inclinometer System) allows for fully automatic inclinometer measurements in standard boreholes. The deep measurements have multiple applications, including (i) evaluating the rate of deep-seated ground deformation in landslide areas, (ii) evaluating the volume of deep-seated landslides, and (ii) assessing landslide hazards. The AIS is ...

Esistono alcuni gamberetti che riescono a vedere la luce con una dimensione in più rispetto a noi per individuare meglio il quasi invisibile plancton. Infatti la luce, oltre al colore dato dalla propria energia, ha un'altra proprietà di cui normalmente non è facile rendersi conto: la polarizzazione, ossia la direzione e il modo in cui il campo elettromagnetico oscilla nel propagarsi alla velocità della luce. Uno studio pubblicato sulla rivista 'Light Science & Applications' propone e ...

by Maria Girardi, Cristina Padovani and Daniele Pellegrini In Italy many historically and artistically important masonry buildings are in dire need of maintenance and restoration. In order to optimize such operations in terms of cost-effectiveness, architectural impact and static effectiveness, numerical codes have a crucial role to play in modelling the structural behaviour of masonry buildings. By providing important information such as the collapse loads, the stress field and the ...

The main aim of industrial prototyping is to create a tangible representation of an arbitrary digital geometry. Industrial fabrication is generally tuned for a specific object and the initial setup is usually a time consuming operation. The more complex the shape of the object, the more complex is the manufacturing process. Obviously, implementing a similar process to create a single (or a few) prototype(s) is not efficient. To deal with these specific industrial needs 3D printing devices have ...

Through a joint study carried out in cooperation with Italian scientists, among which ISN-CNR researchers, a total of 1972 ALS cases were identified. The study population included: 333 Italian ALS cases who carried the C9ORF72expansion, 1639 Italian ALS not carrying the C9ORF72 expansion and 1043 controls.  In this study the large series of Italian ALS patients with C9ORF72 GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat expansion, compared to age-, gender- and ethnic-matched controls, did not reveal an ...

The intestinal microbiota plays a key role in promoting maturation of the immune system, particularly during the neonatal period, and is influenced throughout life by environmental factors. In particular, diet plays a central role in the structure and constitution of the gut microbiota. Moreover, it has been suggested that a healthy microbiota exists when there is a balance between symbionts, commensal organisms, and pathobionts. Alterations in this balance can lead to dysbiosis, which has been ...

Il progetto SI DO RE MI è stato sviluppato dal Laboratorio Segnali e Immagini dell'ISTI grazie ad un finanziamento della Fondazione Telecom Italia. Il progetto prevede un intervento rivolto a bambini con Disturbi dello Spettro Autistico (DPS) e difficoltà relazionali finalizzato a promuovere l'interazione a vari livelli di complessità attraverso la mediazione della stimolazione sonora interattiva. A tale scopo è stato sviluppato un sistema HW/SW basato su di un calcolatore con sistema ...

The smart area of the CNR was born in Pisa, baptized with an event held at the Auditorium of the National Research Council on Nov. 30, 2015, in which ICT applications were presented that make smart the CNR area in Pisa, being this the largest area in the overall panorama of the CNR research centers in Italy. In its 130 thousand s/m, 13 CNR institutes operate, and other research centers are housed, such as the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, the Ericsson, the Enea and and the G. Monasterio ...

A paper on the collective behaviour of bird flocks, in which a spin wave model is brought to the continuous limit as in fluid elements of a large hydrodynamic system, has been published in Physical Review Letters and it has been the subject of a synopsis in the APS magazine Physics. Both spin and density waves can propagate throughout flocks, but in some cases their contributions are quickly damped. Andrea Cavagna's group at ISC has shown that only spin waves propagate in medium-to-small ...

The effect of graphene phonons and electrons on the spin dynamics of molecules grafted on graphene was investigated in a paper published in Nature Materials (C.Cervetti, A.Rettori, M.G.Pini, A.Cornia, A.Repollés, F.Luis, M.Dressel, S.Rauschenbach, M.Burghard, and L.Bogani). Dirac electrons introduce dominant quantum-relaxation channels and allow reaching a quantum tunneling regime, that was predicted 20 years ago by the French physicist Jacques Villain. A novel theoretical background is ...

Attività rivolta alla progettazione, sintesi e caratterizzazione di materiali nanostrutturati e sviluppo di dispositivi per la catalisi ambientale, per la chimica sostenibile e per la produzione di combustibili ed energia da fonti rinnovabili. Tali attività sono finalizzate alla rimozione di agenti inquinanti, alla produzione di combustibili da biomasse e di energia elettrica tramite celle a combustibile o dispositivi fotovoltaici. L'Istituto rappresenta un punto di riferimento sul piano ...

In questa linea di ricerca l'esperienza ISMN nelle nanotecnologie è utilizzata per la realizzazione di materiali nanostrutturati e dispositivi utili nel campo della salute e della qualità della vita. Le numerose e consolidate competenze dell'ISMN sono state sviluppate nell'ambito di numerosi progetti e collaborazioni sia nazionali che internazionali che hanno qualificato l'ISMN come un punto di riferimento per la promozione e lo sviluppo delle attività finalizzate alla realizzazione di ...

In vivo monitoring neurotransmitters is one of the most crucial problems to solve for neuroscientist and chemists, because these substances, particularly the catecholamines have many physiological roles, are critical for normal neuronal metabolism, and are involved in some neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease. The fact that the catecholamines are easily oxidable compounds makes their detection possible by electrochemical methods. A major problem of electrochemical detection in real ...

There is currently a great interest in creating extremely sensitive and specific chemical and biological nanosensors. In this regard, the interaction between biological, organic and inorganic materials surface is one of the key issues in the near future. Since the technology must interact with the biological world on the molecular and cellular scale, the structure and properties of that interface must be designed and controlled on that scale. The nanoscale properties of the interface between ...

ISMN is internationally recognized as an institution of excellence in the field of nanomaterials and enabling processes. In this strategic field, the research activities are mainly focused on organic and hybrid electronics, optoelectronics, photovoltaics, mechanics, sensors and nano-medicine. The aims of this research line are: The development of top-down, bottom-up and hybrid technologies for the fabrication of thin films and nanostructured systems integrated in nano and micro devices such as ...

L'attività di ricerca è rivolta allo studio di materiali, interfacce e dispositivi ibridi magnetici nanostrutturati per applicazioni nel campo della micro-nano elettronica (ICT), per la sensoristica finalizzata alla diagnostica bio-medicale e ambientale, per la rigenerazione tissutale e altre applicazioni innovative in nanomedicina. Nell'ambito ICT, le attività sono focalizzate allo sviluppo e ottimizzazione di dispositivi Spintronici ibridi per l'elettronica futura: memorie e logic-gate ...

Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) on eight-fold quasicrystal arrays with precisely controlled size and spacing fabricated via electron beam lithography was investigated. This SERS substrate shows high efficiency at 785 nm excitation in the detection of p-mercaptoaniline (pMA), and a SERS enhancement factor (EF ) of 107 is achieved. SERS behavior of the realized engineered SERS substrate indicates that the present engineered metamaterial may be used as an ultrasensitive Raman probe and ...

Metal nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared from acrylamide complex of iron and nickel nitrates by controlled thermolysis at constant temperature in a self-generated atmosphere and used to fabricate epoxy resin nanocomposites. X-ray diffraction performed on the nanoparticles revealed a metal core/polymeric shell structure for the nanoparticles thermolysed at higher temperature as also confirmed by cross analysis of thermo-gravimetrical and vibrating magnetometer data. Optical microscopy was used to ...

PMM2-CDG (PMM2 gene mutations) is the most common congenital disorder of N-glycosylation. We conducted a nationwide survey to characterize the frequency, clinical features, glycosylation and genetic correlates in Italian patients with PMM2-CDG. Clinical information was obtained through a questionnaire filled in by the referral physicians including demographics, neurological and systemic features, neuroimaging data and genotype. Glycosylation analyses of serum transferrin were complemented by ...

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is one of the main causes of low back pain. Current surgical treatments are complex and generally do not fully restore spine mobility. Development of injectable extracellular matrix-based hydrogels offers an opportunity for minimally invasive treatment of IVD degeneration. Here we analyze a specific formulation of collagen-low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (LMW HA) semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN) loaded with gelatin microspheres as a potential ...

Cnr-Nano researchers developed a device that allow heat to flow preferentially in one direction, providing the homologue of an electrical diode. In a paper published in Nature Nanotechnology, researchers show the performances achieved in a hybrid device combining normal metals tunnel-coupled to superconductors, providing the realization of a thermal diode for electronic heat current that could be successfully implemented in true low-temperature solid-state thermal circuits. The results are ...

Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is associated, albeit with varying severity, with intellectual disability, premature aging, propensity to develop a disease similar to Alzheimer's, and the onset of some types of leukemia. Several studies have associated this phenotype with increased oxidative stress. A research conducted by a team of IGM researchers coordinated by Ennio Prosperi, in collaboration with the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of Pavia, have shown that ...

Da FOCUS CNR n.1 2015 L'Italia custodisce un immenso patrimonio storico-artistico, che costituisce una preziosa eredità da salvaguardare e tramandare alle generazioni future, sviluppando nuove tecniche di intervento non invasive e adottando efficaci strategie conservative. L'ultima frontiera nel campo della conservazione è l'impiego di impulsi laser per la rimozione di depositi e materiali applicati in precedenti restauri dalla superficie di un'opera d'arte. "La tecnica, solitamente, sfrutta ...