Archivio istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi di Parma
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In-operando test of tunable Heusler alloys for thermomagnetic harvesting of low-grade waste heat
No full textThermomagnetic generation stands out as a promising technology for harvesting and converting low-grade waste heat below 100°C. Despite the exponential growth in research on thermomagnetic materials and prototypes over the last decade, there remains, to unlock the full potential of this technology, a critical gap between fundamental research on materials and the design of advanced devices.
In this study, we present the in-operando assessment of thermomagnetic performance of three representative Ni,Mn-based Heusler alloys optimized for harvesting low-grade waste heat below 373 K. These materials were tested under operational conditions using a specially designed laboratory-scale prototype of a thermomagnetic motor. The mechanical power output of the motor, operated with NiMnIn, NiMnSn and NiMnCuGa alloys, was correlated with the magnetic properties of the materials, highlighting the critical role of the magnetic transition temperature and saturation magnetization in determining the efficiency of thermomagnetic energy conversion. Austenitic Heusler alloys were confirmed to be promising thermomagnetic materials due to their highly tunable Curie temperature and significant magnetization changes in the 300–360 K temperature range. Among the tested materials, the Ni48Mn36In16 alloy demonstrated the highest thermomagnetic performance, surpassing the benchmark material Gd in the 320–340 K range. From an experimental perspective, the developed prototype of thermomagnetic motor serves as a flexible test-bench for evaluating and comparing the thermomagnetic performance of small amounts (less than 0.3 g) of new materials under variable conditions. Additionally, its modular design facilitates testing and optimization of its various components, thereby contributing to the advancement of thermomagnetic motor technology
Effects of the Interface Properties on the Performance of UV-C Photoresistors: Gallium Oxide as Case Study
No full textElectrical contacts are of the greatest importance as they decisively contribute to the overall performance of photoresistors. Undoped κ-Ga2O3 is an ideal material for photoresistors with high performance in the UV-C spectral region thanks to its intrinsic solar blindness and extremely low dark current. The quality assessment of the contact/κ-Ga2O3 interface is therefore of paramount importance. The transfer length method is not applicable to undoped Ga2O3 because the interface with several metals shows a non-ohmic character, and a non-equivalent contact resistance could restrict its applicability. In this work, a new methodological procedure to evaluate the quality of contact interface and its effect on the sensing performance of UV-C photoresistors is presented, using the SnO2−x/κ-Ga2O3 contact interface as a case study. The proposed method includes a critical comparison between two-point and four-point probe measurements, over a wide range of voltages. The investigation showed that the effect of contact resistance is more pronounced at low voltages. The presented method can be easily extended to any kind of metal/semiconductor or degenerate-semiconductor/semiconductor interface
Challenges of software verification
No full textSoftware verification aims to prove that a program satisfies some given properties for all its possible executions. Software evolved incredibly fast during the last century, exposing several challenges to this scientific discipline. The goal of the "Challenges of Software Verification Symposium" is to monitor the state-of-the-art in this field. This special issue of Software Tools for Technology Transfer presents novel theoretical directions and practical applications of these techniques. The papers in this special issue are extended versions of selected symposium papers from the proceedings of the 3rd Challenges of Software Verification Symposium (CSV), which took place at the Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Venice, Italy, June 6-7, 2024
Effect of Heterojunction Characteristics and Deep Electronic Levels on the Performance of (Cd,Zn)S/Sb2Se3 Solar Cells
No full textNeuroethology of natural actions in freely moving monkeys
No full textThe current understanding of primate natural action organization derives from laboratory experiments in restrained contexts (RCs) under the assumption that this knowledge generalizes to freely moving contexts (FMCs). In this work, we developed a neurobehavioral platform to enable wireless recording of the same premotor neurons in both RCs and FMCs. Neurons often encoded the same hand and mouth actions differently in RCs and FMCs. Furthermore, in FMCs, we identified cells that selectively encoded actions untestable during RCs and others that displayed mixed selectivity for multiple actions, which is compatible with an organization based on cortical motor synergies at different levels of complexity. Cross-context decoding demonstrated that neural activity in FMCs is richer and more generalizable than in RCs, which suggests that neuroethological approaches are better suited to unveil the neural bases of behavior
A Flexible Multi-Channel Platform for Versatile E-Nose and E-Tongue Operations
No full textThis paper introduces a flexible multi-channel platform designed for integrating multiple sensors, among which electronic noses (e-nose) and electronic tongues (e-tongue), targeting food quality and safety assessments. The proposed device is designed aiming for maximum portability, allowing on-site analyses, and maximum modularity, to meet user requirements. The customizable configurations allow the user to adjust the number of channels, current ranges, and voltage settings and to perform different analyses simultaneously. A variable number of sensing modules with different features can simultaneously be interfaced with the same control board, equipped with a microcontroller unit and a wireless module to both process data for on-board analyses and send it to the cloud. The modular design of the system allows for interchangeable sensing modules, offering high flexibility in sensory analysis compared to the existing portable solutions. Two custom dual-channel module boards have been designed with different operating current ranges, minimizing power consumption for extended portability, requiring only 3.16mA per channel during operations of the high-current module and 2.11mA for the low-current module. Device characterization demonstrates high linearity, with an R-squared higher than 0.999 over the entire voltage range. The channel-to-channel gain mismatch is limited to 0.26%. Spectral analysis shows 20 μVrms of equivalent noise, leading to an equivalent minimum sensor resolution of 16 noise-free bits
A morphological and molecular approach confirms Italian wolf Canis lupus italicus predation on alien invasive species in the Po Plain and supports its role in providing ecosystem services
No full textThe Italian wolf Canis lupus italicus faced near extinction in the 19th and early 20th centuries due to extensive persecution, habitat degradation, and prey depletion. Over the past 50 years, conservation efforts, legal protection, and habitat recovery have supported a resurgence, with recent estimates placing the population at approximately 3,300 individuals. Wolves have expanded into lowlands, plains, and coastal areas, including the highly anthropised Po Plain. This expansion intensifies human-wildlife conflicts, particularly in livestock farming and hunting. The invasive coypu (Myocastor coypus) and eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) have inflicted considerable ecological and economic damage in northern Italy. These populations are poorly controlled due to their ecological plasticity and lack of natural predators. Given the adaptability of wolves and their opportunistic diet, this study investigates whether they could become a significant prey species for wolves in plains environments, potentially contributing to their control while mitigating livestock predation. Through genetic analysis, scat morphology, and camera trapping, this study confirms the presence of coypu in the diet of a wolf pack in the Torrile and Trecasali Natural Reserve. These findings highlight the potential ecological role of wolves as indirect allies in managing invasive species, which could help alleviate economic and physical damage to agriculture and riverbanks, fostering more positive public attitudes and greater acceptance of the species
Circulation of Dirofilaria immitis DNA in mosquitos of Emilia-Romagna region (Italy): An alternative way to complete the epidemiological data set of heartworm parasite diffusion in our country
No full textDirofilaria immitis, the agent of canine and feline heartworm disease, is a widespread mosquito-borne helminth. The distribution of D. immitis in Europe is expanding from traditionally endemic areas to areas that were, until recently, considered free of infection (Fuehrer et al., 2021). Essential prerequisites for heartworm transmission include the presence of competent mosquito vectors, a climate that provides adequate temperature and humidity to support the mosquito population and that also allow maturation of ingested microfilariae into infective, third-stage larvae (L3) within the vector. The present study is aimed at updating current knowledge of the composition of competent vector species in the northern region of Emilia Romagna, a traditionally endemic area for D. immitis and D. repens.
Mosquitoes were collected in 2022 by the "Istituto Zooprofilattico della Lombardia ed Emilia-Romagna (IZSLER)" as part of the regional surveillance plan for West Nile Virus (WNV). The capture zones included peri- urban and rural areas and mosquitos were captured with CDC-CO2 traps. Mosquitoes were stored at -20°C and then sorted by capture zone and species identified following the dichotomous keys (Becker et al. 2020). DNA from female mosquitoes was extracted and analyzed for the presence of D. immitis and D. repens (Sulesco et al. 2016). From the positive pools, RNA was also extracted and analyzed for the presence of WNV (Eiden et al., 2010).
The majority of captured mosquitos belonged to Culex pipiens species followed by Aedes caspius, Aedes vexans, Aedes albopictus. Of these 8248 and 15746 female mosquitos (about 30% of each species) have been randomly selected and used to create pool for DNA extraction. A total of 140 pools (~ 20 mosquitos/each) in 2022 and 133 in 2023 have been analyzed. DNA of D. immitis was identified in 14 pools of 2022 captures and in 15 pools of 2023. None of the pools was positive for D. repens neither for WNV. In 2022, about 85% of the positive pools belonged to Ae. caspius species (11/13) and the other three pools to Ae. vexans. In 2023, 73% of the positive pools belonged to Ae. caspius, followed by Ae. vexans and Ae. albopictus (both 13.3%). A significant overlap emerged from the same traps positioned in Ferrara and Bologna province, which tested positive for D. immitis in both 2022 and 2023.
These data highlight how, despite the abundance of C. pipiens captured, the most receptive species for D. immitis appear to be Ae. caspius and Ae. vexans. Furthermore, the geographical data highlights how the areas of the province of Ferrara and Bologna are the main geographical reservoirs of the parasite. Further in- depth studies should be carried out by using other types of traps and also focusing on urban areas.
Becker et al., 2020, Springer
Eiden et al., 2010 J Vet Diagnostic Invest 22(5):748-53 Fuehrer et al., 2021 Pathogens 10(10):1268
Sulesco et al., 2016 Parasit Vectors 9:1–1
