University of Salerno

The formation of Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs) is a critical technology with applications in drug delivery and the study of cellular membranes. This work presents optimized electrode designs and parameters for the electroformation of GUVs. Conventional indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes are fragile and have limited lifespans. Meanwhile, stainless steel offers mechanical robustness, reusability, and chemical stability due to its chromium oxide layer, particularly in aqueous buffers at near-neutral pH. Here, stainless steel electrodes with different geometries were tested as a cost-effective alternative. The influence of electrode shape, alternating current (AC) frequency, and applied voltage on vesicle yield and size was systematically investigated. Four chamber configurations were evaluated and optimized for electrical resistance. Broad stainless steel mesh 30 electrodes produced the highest vesicle yield, associated with larger surface area and favorable voltage-frequency combinations. Results indicate that electrode shape and electroformation parameters significantly affect GUV characteristics. Stainless steel electrodes can replace ITO electrodes, enabling robust and scalable GUV production. This approach supports applications in biophysics, drug delivery, and biosensor development while reducing material costs and improving operational durability.

A series of flowslide impact tests was developed in a beam centrifuge with natural silty-sandy volcanic soils sampled on mountain slopes near Vesuvius volcano in Italy. Following the release of the material, the flow propagates up to the impact loading stage, exhibiting different flow–barrier interaction mechanisms. High-frequency image acquisition and processing are used to quantify the flow-structure interaction, which is then interpreted through an advanced large deformation numerical approach based on the Material Point Method (MPM), capable of including the hydromechanical behavior of non-associative elastoplastic materials such as those composing the flow and the barrier. The MPM model is calibrated on barrier displacement dynamics, which range from negligible values to 0.18 m depending on barrier position and released mass, and validated against flow arrival time, thickness and velocity of flow before the impact and load cell time measurements of base vertical total stress. Back-analysis reveals that saturated hydraulic conductivity ranges from 9.81e-4 m/s to 9.81e-3 m/s across the four selected tests, with lower conductivity values correlating with greater energy transfer to the barrier and a transition in interaction mechanisms from “bore” to “standing jump” and “airborne jet”. The most frequently observed mechanism is the standing jump, characterized by flow run-up, partial overtopping, and material accumulation behind the barrier. As the main novelty, the saturated conductivity of the flow under impact conditions is quantified within a physically consistent range, which is outlined as a key factor in the whole process, including propagation, interaction, and dissipation. These results provide essential insights for engineering practice in debris flow hazard mitigation, particularly for the design and assessment of protective barrier systems. While the centrifuge tests provide controlled conditions enabling detailed observation of flow-barrier interactions, the study considers a single soil type and simplified barrier geometry. Future research should investigate the influence of varying fine content, partial saturation conditions, and flexible barrier designs to extend the applicability of these findings to diverse landslide mitigation scenarios. • Centrifuge tests at 40 g simulate debris flow impact on a free-sliding barrier. • Numerical MPM model calibrated using the barrier's experimental data. • Calibration was performed on soil permeability and Young modulus. • Model validated by comparing numerical and experimental total vertical stresses. • Results compared with existing literature through Faug's diagram.

The behaviour of a geotextile filter in contact with internally unstable cohesionless soils depends on interaction between filter pore size distribution and base soil particles and on fraction of particles free to move inside soil skeleton. These particles can accumulate at soil-filter interface leading to blinding or remain entrapped within filter pores leading to clogging or pass through geotextile. The openings of geotextile should allow the passing of soil particles not belonging to soil skeleton keeping the same stable to avoid base soil erosion and minimize the geotextile filter clogging and/or blinding. The upper limit of filter characteristic opening size meets requirement of retention criterion while the lower limit of filter avoids blinding and/or clogging phenomena. Among different geotextile filter design criteria for internally unstable cohesionless soils, Moraci (1996) criterion considers as lower limit of filtration opening size the critical diameter of suffusion. In this paper, a database of many soil-geotextile filtration tests, for which this criterion has not yet been tested, was created to assess its reliability, compared to other existing design criteria. Finally, a new methodology proposed recently by the Authors is also applied to evaluate internally unstable cohesionless soil-geotextile filter compatibility to all interfaces analysed in database. • Particles free to move in bordering pores in internally unstable cohesionless soils. • Lower limit of geotextile filter design criterion for internally unstable cohesionless soils. • Application of a geometrical, experimental and microstructural new methodology. • New approach to design geotextile filters in contact with internally unstable cohesionless soils.

This study investigates the mechanical response and wave attenuation performance of an innovative metaconcrete incorporating engineered aggregates composed of solidified/stabilized (S/S) contaminated soil encapsulated within a compliant polymeric coating. The proposed material integrates soil remediation strategies with the design of functional cement-based metamaterials, offering a sustainable solution for vibration and stress-wave mitigation. An experimental campaign was carried out to characterize the elastic properties of the examined stabilized soil, including Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, through compression tests on cylindrical specimens. These experimentally measured properties were subsequently employed to inform both analytical modeling and finite element simulations aimed at predicting the dynamic behavior of the metaconcrete. Dispersion analyses based on Bloch–Floquet theory were performed on a representative unit cell to identify polarization-selective bandgaps associated with local resonance phenomena. The results reveal the presence of a well-defined longitudinal bandgap in the frequency range approximately between 6.5 and 7.5 kHz. A strong agreement is observed between analytical predictions and FEM-based dispersion curves, confirming the robustness of the adopted multiscale modeling framework. The numerical results further highlight the role of local resonance in promoting energy localization within the compliant coating, leading to a marked reduction in longitudinal wave propagation. Overall, the findings demonstrate that stabilized contaminated soils, when properly encapsulated, can be effectively repurposed as resonant inclusions in metaconcrete, combining environmental sustainability with advanced wave attenuation capabilities. The proposed metaconcrete formulation shows significant potential for applications in vibration mitigation, acoustic insulation, seismic shielding, and blast-resistant structural systems.

Background/Objectives: Clonal evolution is mainly defined based on the appearance or expansion of clones harboring specific somatic mutations and/or cytogenetic abnormalities, whereas few studies have investigated immunophenotypic heterogeneity assessed by flow cytometry and its relationship with disease progression. In this study, flow cytometry immunophenotyping of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was carried out to identify phenotypic subclones based on antigen expression and to investigate clonal sweep. Methods: A total of 24 patients diagnosed with AML followed at the Hematology and Transplant Center of Salerno were included. Bone marrow or peripheral blood specimens were subjected to flow cytometry immunophenotyping and leukemic cell characterization. Phenotypic profiles were also compared to molecular alterations detected by next-generation sequencing. Results: We found that flow cytometry-defined clonal heterogeneity was more complex than molecular heterogeneity at diagnosis and disease relapse. Flow cytometry enabled the identification of small phenotypic subclones that were not detected by molecular profiling and that, in several cases, expanded over time, consistent with a phenotypic clonal sweep. The presence of small clones was associated with shorter progression-free survival and overall survival. Conclusions: Flow cytometric clonal heterogeneity, especially the presence of small clones (defined by antigen expression from 2 to 30%), may serve as an additional prognostic factor in AML. Immunophenotyping integrated with molecular data may improve risk stratification, enhance measurable residual disease assessment, and contribute to a more personalized disease monitoring strategy.