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In western countries, cardiovascular (CV) disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in the ageing population. Recent epidemiological data suggest that cancer is more frequent in patients with prevalent or incident CV disease, in particular, heart failure (HF). Indeed, there is a tight link in terms of shared risk factors and mechanisms between HF and cancer. HF induced by anticancer therapies has been extensively studied, primarily focusing on the toxic effects that anti-tumour treatments exert on cardiomyocytes. In this Cardio-Oncology update, members of the ESC Working Groups of Myocardial Function and Cellular Biology of the Heart discuss novel evidence interconnecting cardiac dysfunction and cancer via pathways in which cardiomyocytes may be involved but are not central. In particular, the multiple roles of cardiac stromal cells (endothelial cells and fibroblasts) and inflammatory cells are highlighted. Also, the gut microbiota is depicted as a new player at the crossroads between HF and cancer. Finally, the role of non-coding RNAs in Cardio-Oncology is also addressed. All these insights are expected to fuel additional research efforts in the field of Cardio-Oncology.

Although there have been many improvements in prognosis for patients with cancer, anticancer therapies are burdened by the risk of cardiovascular toxicity. Heart failure is one of the most dramatic clinical expressions of cardiotoxicity, and it may occur acutely or appear years after treatment. This article reviews the main mechanisms and clinical presentations of left ventricular dysfunction induced by some old and new cardiotoxic drugs in cancer patients, referring to the most recent advances in the field. The authors describe the mechanisms of cardiotoxicity induced by anthracyclines, which can lead to cardiovascular problems in up to 48% of patients who take them. The authors also describe mechanisms of cardiotoxicity induced by biological drugs that produce left ventricular dysfunction through secondary mechanisms. They outline the recent advances in immunotherapies, which have revolutionised anticancer therapies.

The present work is suggested as a contribution to the debate on Reverse Modeling (RM) topic in the Cultural Heritage field. It wants to test the methodology, the limits and the bottlenecks of the RM pipeline in the architectural field, with particular attention to the geometric shapes reading and interpretation. The mathematical reconstruction of architectural models represents an overlaid result of anthropic and natural transformations framed inside a complex process of shape simplification and surface generation. This pipeline must be supported by a careful Heritage reading by means of architecture rules, both preserving the actual shape and the original intent of the building designer. The integration of these last two aspects make the process of RM applied to CH extremely complex. It involves a cognitive activity aimed at choosing on the one hand the best 3D survey technique to obtain reliable 3D data, on the other hand reaching a suitable architectural knowledge for achieving a plausible modeling result. The research presented describes a RM process applied to an ecclesiastical architecture, highlighting some key passages: an integrated survey approach to extract geometrical information, data analysis and generation of a mathematical 3D model, reliable from both a formal and cultural point of view.

Echocardiography is a reliable and reproducible method to assess non-invasively cardiac function in clinical and experimental research. Significant progress in the development of echocardiographic equipment and transducers has led to the successful translation of this methodology from humans to rodents, allowing for the scoring of disease severity and progression, testing of new drugs, and monitoring cardiac function in genetically modified or pharmacologically treated animals. However, as yet, there is no standardization in the procedure to acquire echocardiographic measurements in small animals. This position paper focuses on the appropriate acquisition and analysis of echocardiographic parameters in adult mice and rats, and provides reference values, representative images, and videos for the accurate and reproducible quantification of left ventricular function in healthy and pathological conditions. ispartof: CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH vol:117 issue:1 pages:43-59 ispartof: location:England status: published

Opinion statementHeart failure (HF) is increasingly recognized as the major complication of chemotherapy regimens. Despite the development of modern targeted therapies such as monoclonal antibodies, doxorubicin (DOXO), one of the most cardiotoxic anticancer agents, still remains the treatment of choice for several solid and hematological tumors. The insurgence of cardiotoxicity represents the major limitation to the clinical use of this potent anticancer drug. At the molecular level, cardiac side effects of DOXO have been associated to mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA damage, impairment of iron metabolism, apoptosis, and autophagy dysregulation. On these bases, the antioxidant and iron chelator molecule, dexrazoxane, currently represents the unique FDA-approved cardioprotectant for patients treated with anthracyclines.A less explored area of research concerns the impact of DOXO on cardiac metabolism. Recent metabolomic studies highlight the possibility that cardiac metabolic alterations may critically contribute to the development of DOXO cardiotoxicity. Among these, the impairment of oxidative phosphorylation and the persistent activation of glycolysis, which are commonly observed in response to DOXO treatment, may undermine the ability of cardiomyocytes to meet the energy demand, eventually leading to energetic failure. Moreover, increasing evidence links DOXO cardiotoxicity to imbalanced insulin signaling and to cardiac insulin resistance. Although anti-diabetic drugs, such as empagliflozin and metformin, have shown interesting cardioprotective effects in vitro and in vivo in different models of heart failure, their mechanism of action is unclear, and their use for the treatment of DOXO cardiotoxicity is still unexplored.This review article aims at summarizing current evidence of the metabolic derangements induced by DOXO and at providing speculations on how key players of cardiac metabolism could be pharmacologically targeted to prevent or cure DOXO cardiomyopathy.

Cardiotoxicity is a major drawback of anticancer therapies, often hindering optimal management of cancer. Among the most cardiotoxic agents are anthracyclines (AC) that, despite being cardiotoxic, are highly effective in the treatment of a wide variety of cancers, spanning from hematological malignancies to solid tumors. Modern imaging techniques can identify patients at risk of developing cardiotoxicity, but treatment options are still limited and ineffective, partly because the molecular mechanisms underlying AC cardiac side effects are still incompletely understood. Although AC cardiotoxicity was initially ascribed to the trigger of cell-damaging oxidative stress, antioxidants fail to prevent anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC), suggesting the involvement of additional mechanisms. Among these, the cellular recycling process, named autophagy, recently emerged to play a key role in AIC, but whether autophagy activation is beneficial or detrimental in this context is still controversial. This review will summarize recent evidence on the role of autophagy in AIC in the attempt to reconcile the controversial findings in the field. Finally, we will describe major regulator of cardiac autophagy that may represent good candidates for therapeutic intervention in AIC.

Cardiovascular diseases represent the first cause of morbidity in Western countries, and chronic heart failure features a significant health care burden in developed countries. Efforts in the attempt of finding new possible strategies for the treatment of CHF yielded several approaches based on the use of stem cells. The discovery of direct cardiac reprogramming has unveiled a new approach to heart regeneration, allowing, at least in principle, the conversion of one differentiated cell type into another without proceeding through a pluripotent intermediate. First developed for cancer treatment, nanotechnology-based approaches have opened new perspectives in many fields of medical research, including cardiovascular research. Nanotechnology could allow the delivery of molecules with specific biological activity at a sustained and controlled rate in heart tissue, in a cell-specific manner. Potentially, all the mediators and structural molecules involved in the fibrotic process could be selectively targeted by nanocarriers, but to date, only few experiences have been made in cardiac research. This review highlights the most prominent concepts that characterize both the field of cardiac reprogramming and a nanomedicine-based approach to cardiovascular diseases, hypothesizing a possible synergy between these two very promising fields of research in the treatment of heart failure.

Aims Butyric acid (BUT), a short chain fatty acid produced daily by the gut microbiota, has proven beneficial in models of cardiovascular diseases. With advancements in cancer survival, an increasing number of patients are at risk of anticancer drug cardiotoxicity. Here we assess whether the novel BUT derivative phenylalanine-butyramide (FBA) protects from doxorubicin (DOXO) cardiotoxicity, by decreasing oxidative stress and improving mitochondrial function. Methods and results In C57BL6 mice, DOXO produced left ventricular dilatation assessed by echocardiography. FBA prevented left ventricular dilatation, fibrosis and cardiomyocyte apoptosis when co-administered with DOXO. DOXO increased atrial natriuretic peptide, brain natriuretic peptide, connective tissue growth factor, and matrix metalloproteinase-2 mRNAs, which were not elevated on co-treatment with FBA. DOXO, but not FBA + DOXO mice, also showed higher nitrotyrosine levels, and increased inducible nitric oxide synthase expression. Accordingly, DOXO hearts showed lower levels of intracellular catalase vs. sham, while pre-treatment with FBA prevented this decrease. We then assessed for reactive oxygen species (ROS) emission: DOXO induced increased activity of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase and higher production of H2 O2 , which were blunted by FBA pre-treatment. FBA also ameliorated mitochondrial state 3 and state 4 respiration rates that were compromised by DOXO. Furthermore, in DOXO animals, the mitochondrial degree of coupling was significantly increased vs. sham, while FBA was able to prevent such increase, contributing to limit ROS production, Finally, FBA reduced DOXO damage in human cellular models, and increased the tumour-killing action of DOXO. Conclusions Phenylalanine-butyramide protects against experimental doxorubicin cardiotoxicity. Such protection is accompanied by reduction in oxidative stress and amelioration of mitochondrial function.

Intelligent tires constitute one of the approaches that allow to increase the effectiveness of the active safety systems of vehicles. Several areas of improvement concern these systems, all of them focused on the information about tire-road states. This study introduces the use of cost-effective flex sensor technology in intelligent tires in order to estimate the tread rotational speed and the vertical load. This technology has been combined with a wireless data transmission and a suitable prototype has been realized. First experimental tests have been conducted and the obtained results show the goodness of the proposed solution.

The innovation in the railway industry is focused on the production of lightweight vehicles with high performance, in order to obtain an energy power saving and to satisfy the environmental and global community requests. To pursue this aim, new materials have been increasingly used for vehicle structures. The selection of innovative materials and the definition of the relative properties represent, however, one of the most critical aspects for the design. Several factors, such as technical requirements, strength- and stiffness-to-weight ratios, crash resistance, and cost, are involved in material selection for rail vehicles. In addition, materials have to be chosen in accordance with the reference standards concerning fire resistance. This paper describes the activity carried out in order to acquire the needed information about selected composite materials to be used in the design and validation phases for a structural rail vehicle end and a roof. The material under investigation has been manufactured in order to satisfy the strict railway light metro fire normative. Due to the novelty of the adopted composite materials, a full mechanical characterization of the lamina was needed. The orthotropic material properties were verified and tuned using further tests on laminate and sandwich configurations in order to take into account, also, the influence of manufacturing process parameters. Analytical and numerical approaches have been used to validate and optimize the structural layout. Results of the multistep material characterization, acquired during the above phases, have been used to perform computational analysis in order to further improve the component design.

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation that results in a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. Patients with severe asthma represent a substantial share of consumption of healthcare resources and hospitalization. Moreover, these patients are at risk of increased morbidity and mortality. Recently, several phenotypes and endotypes of asthma have been identified. The identification of specific subtypes of asthma is fundamental for optimizing the clinical benefit of novel treatments. Although in most patients the disease can be controlled by some combination of pharmacologic agents, in some 5-10% of patients the disease remains uncontrolled. Several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting pathogenetic molecules (e.g., IgE, IL-5, IL- 5Rα, IL-4, IL-13, TSLP) are currently available or under development for the treatment of different forms of severe type 2 asthma. The identification of diagnostic and predictive biomarkers (e.g., IgE, blood eosinophil count, FeNO, periostin, etc.) has revolutioned the field of targeted therapy in severe asthma. Monoclonal antibodies targeting Th2-driven inflammation are generally safe in adult patients with moderate-to-severe asthma. The long-term safety of these biologics is a relevant issue that should be addressed. Unfortunately, little is known about non-type 2 asthma. Further studies are needed to identify biomarkers to guide targeted therapies of different forms of non-type 2 asthma.

The inhibitory immune checkpoint PD-L1/PD1 promotes the alternative splicing of the FKBP5 gene, resulting in increased expression of its variant 4 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of melanoma patients. The variant 4 transcript is translated into the truncated FKBP51s protein. Given the importance of co-inhibitory signalling in tumour immune escape, here we tested the potential for using FKBP51s expression to predict immunotherapy outcomes. To do this, we immunophenotyped PBMCs from 118 melanoma patients and 77 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Blood samples were collected before patients underwent ipilimumab treatment. In 64 of the 118 patients, FKBP51s expression was also assessed in regulatory T cells (Tregs). We found that each PBMC subset analysed contained an FKBP51s(pos) fraction, and that this fraction was greater in the melanoma patients than healthy controls. In CD4 T lymphocytes, the FKBP51s(neg) fraction was significantly impaired. Tregs count was increased in melanoma patients, which is in line with previous studies. Also, by analyses of FKBP51s in Tregs, we identified a subgroup of ipilimumab nonresponder patients (p = 0.002). In conclusion, FKBP51s-based immunophenotyping of melanoma patients revealed several profiles related to a negative immune regulatory control and identified an unknown Treg subset. These findings are likely to be useful in the selection of the patients that are candidate for immunotherapy.

In recent years, the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs), have become a new trend to increase and to enrich the interactions between physical and virtual systems with the goal to create a truly connected world in which smart objects interact and exchange data with each other. The CPS is the core of the new industrial revolution called “Industry 4.0”, which promotes the computerization of manufacturing to make decentralized decisions. Within the modular structured smart factories, Cyber-Physical Systems monitor physical processes, create a virtual copy of the physical world, simulate parts of process and implement sophisticated control policies in order to take optimized decisions. This research proposes the modelling and simulation of an induction heating process for aluminium-steel mold, which is used in the production of footwear soles. The modelling supports the simulation of a CPS model related to the use of a multi-use LGV (Laser Guided Vehicle) which transports aluminum-steel molds from a mechanized warehouse to the final rotary production line, used for the soles foaming. In detail, a thermal model and an induction heating electronic circuit model have been studied to describe the whole mold heating system and they have been simulated using Simulink/MATLAB. In addition, two types of controllers, an induction preheating control technique based on a Model Predictive Controller (MPC), and another one based on PID, have been developed in order to analyse the different behaviour of the system.

This paper describes a research activity concerning the design and the development of an automotive semi-active differential based on the use of a magnetorheological fluid that allows to control the locking torque and, consequently, to improve the vehicle handling. Starting from a gearbox of a common front wheel drive vehicle, the boundary volume of the new device was defined by means of reverse engineering techniques. Two alternative architectures were proposed and compared to select the best one in terms of functionality. Then, the selected functional scheme was modeled and optimized by means of multiphysics simulations. The definition of a reiterative process, based on the use of a specific cost function, allowed to optimize the design variables and to obtain the final virtual prototype. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed device, a physical prototype was realized. First experimental tests were carried out validating the design process.

This paper deals with in-curve vehicle lateral behaviour and is aimed to find out which vehicle physical characteristics affect significantly its stability. Two different analytical methods, one numerical (phase plane) and the other graphical (handling diagram) are discussed. The numerical model refers to the complete quadricycle, while the graphical one refers to a bicycle model. Both models take into account lateral load transfers and nonlinear Pacejka tyre–road interactions. The influence of centre of mass longitudinal position, tyre cornering stiffness and front/rear roll stiffness ratio on vehicle stability are analysed. The presented results are in good agreement with theoretical expectations about the above parameters influence, and show how some physical characteristics behave as saddle-node bifurcation parameters.

This paper presents an activity concerning the modelling and control of a system adopted to perform shear tests on seismic isolators. The test rig consists of a hydraulic actuation system that drives a sliding table mounted on linear bearings. The system is characterized by non-linearities such as hydraulic proportional valve dead zone and frictions. A non-linear model is derived and then employed for parameter identification procedure. The test rig needs a suitable controller able to guarantee the desired table displacement in presence of unknown reaction force of the device under test. The proposed approach consists of a feedforward control integrated with a feedback one. The feedforward control law takes the form of a non-linear inverse model of the system. In this way, it is possible to obtain the desired target without affecting the stability of the test rig. The feedback control has the function to compensate for tracking error due to the model uncertainties and the unknown isolator reaction force. Therefore, the feedback control is not required to compensate for the large non-linearities: in this manner, it is possible to obtain good tracking results without the increasing of the feedback control gain that would change the stability properties of the plant. Numerical simulations have been performed in order to evaluate the goodness of the designed control with and without the specimen under test. Experimental tests show that the controlled system simulations are able to predict the controller performance. The experimental results also confirm that the performance of the proposed controller fully satisfy the standards concerning the testing procedure of seismic isolators.

Innovation in railway industry points the focus on the production of lightweight vehicles, with high performance, in order to save the energy power and to satisfy the environmental and safety requests. To pursue this aim, innovative materials have been increasingly used for vehicle components and structures. In this paper, the structural behavior of the shock absorber mountings (SAMs) of a novel metro rail vehicle end (RVE) has been analyzed. The innovative RVE integrates aerodynamic, structural and crash functionalities in a single lightweight component. Numerical and experimental activities on a SAM prototype have been performed to validate the innovative component. Both numerical and experimental results underline that the final configuration of the SAM exhibits adequate strength and stiffness under prescribed load.

Driving simulation aims at reproducing, within a safe and controlled environment, sensorial stimuli as close to those perceived during the actual drive as possible, in order to induce driving behaviour similar to the real one. This paper illustrates an activity carried out on the driving simulator Virtual Environment for Road Safety, bound for system performance optimisation while dealing with subjective and objective tyres evaluation in the field of on-centre manoeuvres. Such activity can be divided into two main steps. The first one, described herewith, has been focusing on platform motion algorithms tuning and has led to driving simulator objective validation within the on-centre range. Device capability of reproducing dynamics, worked out by the vehicle model, has been thoroughly examined. Simulator sensitivity to a few tyre parameters influencing vehicle lateral dynamics has been analysed too. The second step – calling for the support of experienced drivers – will pursue subjective validation.

This paper presents a semi-active differential, magneto-rheological fluid limited slip differential, which allows us to bias the torque between the driving wheels. It is based on the magneto-rheological fluid employment, by which it is possible to change, in a controlled manner, the internal friction torque and, consequently, the torque bias ratio. This device is an adaptive one and allows us to obtain an asymmetric torque distribution in order to improve vehicle handling. The device modelling and the control algorithm, realised for this activity, are described. The illustrated results highlight the advantages that are attainable regarding directional behaviour, stability, and traction.

Based on the Fourier heat equation, an analytical model to determine the tyre temperature distribution, during its employment, is described. The model, called ThermoTyre, analyses the tyre thermodynamic behaviour. The model is in one-dimensional form and is characterised by a low computational load. Therefore, it lends to be easily integrated with interaction models in order to execute handling analyses. The work takes advantage of the cooperation with the Bridgestone Technical Center Europe that produces expertise and experimental data. After an analytical model description, simplifying hypothesis and boundary conditions are illustrated. Finally, the comparison between experimental data and theoretical results are shown.

In the first months of 2011, Internet communications were disrupted in several North African countries in response to civilian protests and threats of civil war. In this paper, we analyze episodes of these disruptions in two countries: Egypt and Libya. Our analysis relies on multiple sources of large-scale data already available to academic researchers: BGP interdomain routing control plane data, unsolicited data plane traffic to unassigned address space, active macroscopic traceroute measurements, RIR delegation files, and MaxMind's geolocation database. We used the latter two data sets to determine which IP address ranges were allocated to entities within each country, and then mapped these IP addresses of interest to BGP-announced address ranges (prefixes) and origin autonomous systems (ASs) using publicly available BGP data repositories in the US and Europe. We then analyzed observable activity related to these sets of prefixes and ASs throughout the censorship episodes. Using both control plane and data plane data sets in combination allowed us to narrow down which forms of Internet access disruption were implemented in a given region over time. Among other insights, we detected what we believe were Libya's attempts to test firewall-based blocking before they executed more aggressive BGP-based disconnection. Our methodology could be used, and automated, to detect outages or similar macroscopically disruptive events in other geographic or topological regions.

This paper deals with the frictional behaviour of a tyre tread elementary volume in sliding contact with road asperities. Friction is assumed to be composed of two main components: adhesion and deforming hysteresis. The target, which was fixed in collaboration with a motorsport racing team and with a tyre-manufacturing company, is to provide an estimation of local grip for online analyses and real-time simulations and to evaluate and predict adhesive and hysteretic frictional contributions arising at the interface between the tyre tread and the road. A way to approximate the asperities, based on rugosimetric analyses on a macroscale and a microscale, was introduced. The adhesive component of friction was estimated by means of a new approach based on two different models found in the literature, whose parameters were identified thanks to a wide experimental investigation previously carried out. The hysteretic component of friction was estimated by means of an energy balance taking into account the viscoelastic behaviour of rubber (which was characterized by means of appropriate dynamic mechanical analysis tests) and the internal stress–strain distribution (which was due to indentations of the road). The model results are finally shown and discussed, and the validation experimental procedure is described. The correct reproduction of the friction phenomenology and the model prediction capabilities are highlighted, making particular reference to the grip variability due to changes in the working conditions.

Abstract 284 Background and Aims: Selection of drug-resistant mutations in the Bcr-Abl kinase domain (KD) is a critical problem undermining the long-term efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-based therapies in Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. Bcr-Abl KD mutation screening is routinely performed by Sanger sequencing (SS). Before the advent of ultra-deep sequencing (UDS) technologies, no method was available that could conjugate the possibility to scan the KD for the so many mutations known to be associated with TKI resistance with a sensitivity higher than that of SS. UDS technologies also allow high throughputness and accurate quantitation of mutated clones and their application in a diagnostic setting is not far to come. We used an UDS strategy for Bcr-Abl KD mutation screening in order to study the dynamics of expansion of mutated clones in Ph+ ALL patients receiving TKI-based therapies and to test the ability of UDS to highlight emerging clones harboring critical mutations. Methods: 72 samples from 25 Ph+ ALL patients who had developed resistance to one or multiple lines of TKI (imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib, bosutinib, ponatinib) therapy were selected for this retrospective analysis. All the patients had previously been analyzed by Sanger sequencing (SS) and were known to have developed one or more TKI-resistant Bcr-Abl KD mutations on treatment. In order to reconstruct the dynamics of mutation emergence, longitudinal re-analysis of monthly collected samples was perfomed with UDS on a Roche GS Junior. UDS allowed to achieve a lower detection limit of at least 0.1% (by generating a minimum of 5,000 sequence reads/patient), as compared to 20% of SS. Results: 39 samples were known to harbor one (n=27 samples) or more (n=12 samples) TKI-resistant mutations with >20% abundance, as assessed by SS. UDS could successfully detect all the 54 mutations previously identified by SS. In addition, UDS detected one or multiple lower-level (20% abundance. The type of lower-level mutations detected by UDS could easily be accounted for by TKI exposure history, since the majority were known to be poorly sensitive either to the TKI being administered or to the previous TKI received. Overall, 44 samples turned out to carry multiple (two to five) mutations at any level, distributed in the same and/or in different subpopulations with a complex clonal architecture that UDS allowed to reconstruct. Of note, in 14/25 (56%) patients with molecularly detectable disease but not yet evidence of cytogenetic or hematologic relapse, UDS could identify emerging TKI-resistant mutations 1 to 2 months before they became detectable by SS. These outgrowing mutations were detected at 1–19% abundance in 12 patients and at 0.1–1% abundance in 2 patients. In the remaining 11 patients, dynamics of outgrow of the TKI-resistant mutations (five T315I, two Y253H, two E255K, one E255V and one F317L) was so rapid that not even strict monthly monitoring could allow to pick them up before they became dominant. Conclusions: Now that multiple options are available, Bcr-Abl KD mutation monitoring has become a precious tool for rational decision-making in order to maximize the efficacy of TKI-based regimens as induction or salvage therapy for Ph+ ALL patients. UDS proved as reliable as SS for the detection of mutations with >20% abundance and to have comparable costs. As a key advantage, UDS added precious quantitative and qualitative information on the full repertoire of mutated populations, that SS failed to appreciate in more than half of the samples analyzed. TKI-resistant mutations leading to patient relapse were not necessarily preexisting at low levels at diagnosis or at the time of switchover to another TKI, underlining the importance of regular monitoring of patients. Although TKI-resistant populations may arise and take over very rapidly, in approximately half of the patients monthly monitoring with UDS would have allowed to identify them earlier than SS and well in advance of clinical relapse, thus allowing a more timely therapeutic intervention. Disclosures: Soverini: Novartis: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy; ARIAD: Consultancy. Luppi:CELGENE CORPORATION: Research Funding. Baccarani:ARIAD, Novartis, Bristol Myers-Squibb, and Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Martinelli:NOVARTIS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; PFIZER: Consultancy; ARIAD: Consultancy.

A theoretical-experimental investigation was carried out on the behavior of a rigid symmetrical balanced rotor in short, cylindrical, circumferentially fed journal bearings under low load conditions. The influence of supply pressure on bearing static characteristics and oil film instability threshold was evaluated for the above system. The experimental results are shown along with the theoretical predictions of the static characteristics and limit stability curves for different values of the ratio between supply pressure and specific load.

A new analytical–physical tyre model for which the paternity has to be ascribed to Professor Giuseppe Capone was developed at the Department of Mechanical Engineering for Energetics at Naples University ‘Federico II’ with the support of the Bridgestone Technical Centre Europe. The whole model allows to obtain the road–tyre interactions so it can be used in vehicle dynamic simulations. The model has been named Ph.An.Ty.M.H.A., acronym of ‘PHysical ANalytical TYre Model for Handling Analysis’ and it includes the normal, longitudinal and lateral tyre–road interaction. Considering that Ph.An.Ty.M.H.A. is an analytical ‘deductive’ model, it is necessary to develop it starting just from the normal interaction, described in this paper, and then the other ones will be described in future papers. In fact, the normal interaction, i.e. the relationship between the normal load and the normal deflection, influences the tangential (longitudinal plus lateral) one, which determines the vehicle handling behaviour. The parameters used in this model are physical and geometrical so they can be measured on the real tyre. This property allows to better understand the tyre–road interaction mechanism. The tyre behaviour is modelled by analytical expressions based on equilibrium conditions and geometrical relations. To reproduce the experimental normal interaction and the pressure distribution, once the tyre geometrical quantities are known, it is necessary to identify some parameters, related to the tyre structure, by a comparison with the experimental data. Moreover, the predictive ability of the whole model, combined with a vehicle model, is very careful in analysing the vehicle handling.

Radioactive ion implantation allows non‐contacting, online wear measurements with sub micrometric sensitivity to be performed, by monitoring the removed and/or residual activity on parts subject to wear. Comparative studies of different materials, including those who exhibit a low resistance to radiation damage, can be easily performed by means of this technique. A project has started at the TTT3 tandem of the University “Federico II” in Naples, Italy, in order to exploit such technique using a 7Be ion beam, that was developed to study the astrophysical important reaction 7Be(p,γ)8B. The 7Be ion beam is produced using a ion sputter source and accelerated to an energy up to 8.0 MeV. A novel setup allows control of the implanted ion depth distribution, and is a crucial point for the application of this technique. The 7Be ion beam production and implantation procedures are discussed. Finally, the results of some test measurements are presented.

A methodology is presented for identifying car parameters by studying the vehicle's handling. The methodology is based on the Kalman filter and makes it possible to determine the parameters on the basis of the results obtained from standard, on-road handling manoeuvres.

The lateral tyre force versus slip angle and vertical load is obtained through specific tests on the single tyre or with a theoretical-empirical analysis with physical models. This study is about the possibility to use a third way: Executing a particular handling test, known as Force-Moment test, using a Flat Track Roadway Simulator (the Fiat-Elasis MTS FTRS). The understanding and the project of vehicle handling is strongly based on the knowledge of lateral tyre force response [1, 2, 3, 7].

The results of a survey conducted on an experimental system consisting of a rigid rotor supported on two radial bearings each with five tilting pads is presented. In particular, the system was set up in order to assess the dynamic behaviour of the bearing in unusual operating conditions. The response of the bearing to different unbalance values was determined after acquiring and analysing the orbits described by the journal axis for assigned unbalance values in different operating conditions. Analysis of the results shows some particular operating features that were not entirely predicted by the theoretical model and which may give rise to malfunctions in the rotor-tilting pad bearings system. The tests were carried out in the rotor dynamics laboratory of the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica per l'Energetica at the University of Naples.

Recent investigations in robot mechanics at Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica per l’Energetica of the University of Naples Federico II (D.I.M.E.) are here reported. In general, the aim of these investigations is to obtain trajectories and paths from the end effector of a robot with the highest possible accuracy. In particular, these investigations consider the influence of circumferential backlash and transmission elasticity on the accuracy of a trajectory, and the possibility of obtaining more accurate paths via optimum positioning and orientation of the paths in the work space. The investigations were carried out both through simulation and experimentally; the simulations were performed using the ADAMS and Matlab-Simulink computer programs while the experiments involved use of an industrial robot and a prototype designed and built at D.I.M.E.

The influence of oil-film turbulence on the parametric excitation instability of a symmetrical unbalanced rotor in short bearings is analysed for different values of Reynolds number. The method of calculating the journal orbit is described together with the method for predicting the synchronous orbit whose stability is to be evaluated. In addition to examples of calculated and predicted orbits, stability maps are given for dimensionless unbalance values equal to 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 and for the Reynolds numbers of 2500, 5000 and 10000.

A mathematical model to determine the stiffness and damping coefficients and the stability limit curves of a journal bearing in a non-laminar lubrication regime is described. The results show the flow regime influence on the dynamic characteristics of cylindrical bearings and on the stability of a rigid rotor on rigid supports.

Fluid dynamic lubrication of journal bearings in a superlaminar regime, ie a transition or turbulent regime, is the subject-matter of this study. Results obtained by solving an appropriately modified Reynolds bidimensional equation have been put in the form of operating diagrams which allow the correct design of journal bearings in real conditions of flow

The dynamic behaviour of a rigid rotor on tilting-pad journal bearings system is analysed for balanced and unbalanced rotors. The study mainly regards a two-pad journal bearing symmetric with respect to the external static load. Both linear and non-linear behaviours have been analysed, with particular reference to the stability of the journal and pads equilibrium positions in the case of balanced or slightly unbalanced rotors, and to the stability of their synchronous motions in the case of considerable unbalance.