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Iron oxide nanoparticles as agents for combined therapy and magnetic resonance imaging
Get PDFMultifunctional iron-oxide based nanoparticles for magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH-therapy) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI-diagnostics) have been investigated for their morpho-dimensional characteristics and relaxometric
properties. The nanoparticles were constituted of a spherical Fe3O4 core with diameter d =19.2±3.6 nm, coated with meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). The 1H NMRresults showed a longitudinal r1 relaxivity curve typical of high-anisotropy materials and a transverse relaxivity that, at clinical field μ0H =1.5tesla,was∼3 times higher than the one of commercial MRI contrast agents. The system displayed aSAR∼110±30 W/gFe3O4 , i.e., high enough to allow for a successful combination of MFH-assisted-hyperthermia and hadron therapy on pancreatic tumor cells
Diatom-based SERS substrates for applications in biomedicine
Get PDFSurface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a powerful spec
troscopic analytical tool for diagnostic, pharmaceutical and biochemical studies. Demand for improved sensitivity, specificity, and cost efficiency constantly drives advances in SERS substrates development. Herein, the recent results in SERS substrate production based on naturally occurring diatom shells and their applications in biomedicine are presented
Probing the nanomechanical properties of lipid membranes: The effect of trodusquemine
Get PDFAtomic force spectroscopy was used to study the effects of trodusquemine, a promising drug candidate against neurodegenerative disorders, on the mechanical properties of supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) mimicking neuronal membranes. Both the force required to rupture the bilayer and the Young’s modulus of the bilayer were found to increase in the presence of this molecule. The increase in mechanical strength could contribute to a stronger resistance of the membranes to the toxic action of misfolded protein oligomers
Innovative method for quench localization in superconducting high-order magnets
Get PDFThe quench event is the transition into the normal resistive state of superconducting magnets. Since this critical event can damage the magnet and limit its performance, huge efforts in the scientific community are spent to localize its development and study the relevant causes. Conventional methods for quench detection, such as voltage taps, are embedded in the magnet, representing a poten- tial risk of short circuits during the coil operation. Less invasive methods, such as quench antennas, have many advantages but can be applied to few magnet designs. During my PhD research, I developed an innovative idea based on the analysis of the magnetic field perturbation induced by superconducting hysteresis magnetization. Using standard field measurement technologies, I demonstrated that the residual superconducting magnetization of the high-order corrector magnets for the CERN High-Luminosity LHC upgrade allows the quench position reconstruction with high efficiency and accuracy. With these techniques, we found different quench devel- opments not measured by standard methods. The excellent results encouraged the implementation of this analysis for future superconducting magnets
Thermodynamics and microscopic theory: An educational proposal for high school
Get PDFWe present an educational proposal which aims to illustrate the elegant, refined and coherent physics contained in Thermodynamics, through a path which assigns to the microscopic description of the physical systems a constantly privileged role. This approach allows reaching a simple and, at the same time, deep understanding of the laws of Thermodynamics, while still emphasizing their great generality, which permits their application to all macroscopic systems, from simple gases to black holes, arriving to characterize the evolution of the entire Universe
School, Museum, University: A community for science education
Get PDFFor almost twenty years, the Physics History Group, the University History Museum and the Physics Museum of Pavia University have been elaborat- ing, with schools of all levels, a year-long shared project, leading to the development of strong, long-lasting relationships between the participants and of a community of practice. Within it, new pathways are sought, to allow all participants to live meaningful experiences, to bring school closer to cultural heritage and the local com- munity, and to foster the development of a scientific identity in learners. A method- ology including historical-scientific workshops and a focus on Nature of Science was developed. Students are led through educational paths customized according to teachers’ requests and produce science stories, which are shared with the commu- nity. Because of the pandemic, only upper secondary schools were involved in the last project, Show & Tell. New activities were introduced: a team of students were tasked with online and offline communication, old instruments in schools’ collections were put back into use and several final events were organized. Open interviews with teachers highlighted several positive outcomes. Everyone worked alongside, sharing stories, experiences, competencies, intellectual pleasure, codified knowledge and tacit knowledge, in a non-judging environment
Scienza e letteratura. Linguaggi a confronto: le Straordinarie lezioni di Primo Levi
Get PDFContemporary science has become increasingly specialized, developing its own languages for each sector, thus complicating the dialogue between different disciplines and contributing to the gap between the so-called “two cultures”. On the other hand, the most profound social, economic and behavioral changes that are affecting our era come precisely from scientific progress and from the intersection between different cultural approaches. This underscores the importance of being able to popularize science by narrating it with a literary approach, an area in which Primo Levi remains an unrivaled master. Through four stories published by Levi in the collections Storie Naturali (1966) and Vizio di Forma (1971), we retrace some acute premonitions of how scientific and technological development would soon reach levels that would raise important ethical and social questions and how his visions have been punctually realized. A wonderful example of contamination between science and literature
Archivi e contaminazioni disciplinari: dai linguaggi ai modelli, dai metodi alle tecniche
Get PDFThe article illustrates the disciplinary contamination - in terms of approaches, methods and techniques - of the project Portale per le fonti della storia della Repubblica italiana, in which the CNR participates through the institutes ILIESI, IMATI, ISTC. Starting from a reflection on the polysemic notion of “archive” (as a repository, a place of access and a resource-entry), the contribution reflects on how to make research applied to historical archives inclusive, stimulating the interest of different audiences. Designing a transversal system means reflecting on how different disciplines communicate and represent concepts: it means thinking about effective communication codes between disciplinary domains (different domains, however similar or complementary). Moreover, in order not to create a communication aimed only at domain experts and professionals, it is necessary to use a non-technical language to make the conceptualisation explicit and comprehensible to a wide public
Editoriale. Il sapere criminologico tra rischi e opportunità
Get PDFIn ambito giovanile e non solo, Internet e i nuovi media sono piazze virtuali di incontro: non si tratta solo di mezzi di comunicazione che si aggiungono ai vecchi, ma la novità di questi circuiti e la loro pervasività ha ristrutturato la
costruzione della conoscenza, la percezione di sé, i rapporti interpersonali