In this study, the authors present a 5 W wireless battery charger for handheld devices. Efficiency‐related issues are addressed. A power receiver architecture which improves power conversion efficiency is proposed. Design hints are provided for further applications. Comparison with a conventional architecture is provided as well. Laboratory prototypes of both the proposed and the conventional architectures have been realised. Both prototypes are tested by using the same power transmitter to perform a valuable comparison. As shown by the experimental results, in the receiver side power conversion efficiency is increased up to 99% thanks to the proposed solution.

In this paper, a linear generator for a highly reliable Wave Energy Conversion system is designed and tested. In order to store energy, the system is able to produce hydrogen The Wave Energy Conversion System consists of an electrical linear generator, a power conversion system and a sea-water electrolyzer. A small scale prototype of the system has been designed and built. The design is oriented to the enhancement of the system robustness and reliability and a Failure Mode and Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) has been used. In order to guarantee an easy extension of the power capability of the marine plant, a modular architecture of the system has been adopted. The design strategy is described. The robustness and reliability of the proposed solution are discussed. Simulation and experimental results on the prototype are shown.

This paper describes the implementation of a hydrogen-based system for an autonomous surface vehicle in an effort to reduce environmental impact and increase driving range. In a suitable computational environment, the dynamic electrical model of the entire hybrid powertrain, consisting of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, a hydrogen metal hydride storage system, a lithium battery, two brushless DC motors, and two control subsystems, is implemented. The developed calculation tool is used to perform the dynamic analysis of the hybrid propulsion system during four different operating journeys, investigating the performance achieved to examine the obtained performance, determine the feasibility of the work runs and highlight the critical points. During the trips, the engine shows fluctuating performance trends while the energy consumption reaches 1087 Wh for the fuel cell (corresponding to 71 g of hydrogen) and 370 Wh for the battery, consuming almost all the energy stored on board.

Background: In silico experiments, with the aid of computer simulation, speed up the process of in vitro or in vivo experiments. Cancer therapy design is often based on signalling pathway. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small non-coding RNA molecules. In several kinds of diseases, including cancer, hepatitis and cardiovascular diseases, they are often deregulated, acting as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. miRNA therapeutics is based on two main kinds of molecules injection: miRNA mimics, which consists of injection of molecules that mimic the targeted miRNA, and antagomiR, which consists of injection of molecules inhibiting the targeted miRNA. Nowadays, the research is focused on miRNA therapeutics. This paper addresses cancer related signalling pathways to investigate miRNA therapeutics. Results: In order to prove our approach, we present two different case studies: non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma. KEGG signalling pathways are modelled by a digital circuit. A logic value of 1 is linked to the expression of the corresponding gene. A logic value of 0 is linked to the absence (not expressed) gene. All possible relationships provided by a signalling pathway are modelled by logic gates. Mutations, derived according to the literature, are introduced and modelled as well. The modelling approach and analysis are widely discussed within the paper. MiRNA therapeutics is investigated by the digital circuit analysis. The most effective miRNA and combination of miRNAs, in terms of reduction of pathogenic conditions, are obtained. A discussion of obtained results in comparison with literature data is provided. Results are confirmed by existing data. Conclusions: The proposed study is based on drug discovery and miRNA therapeutics and uses a digital circuit simulation of a cancer pathway. Using this simulation, the most effective combination of drugs and miRNAs for mutated cancer therapy design are obtained and these results were validated by the literature. The proposed modelling and analysis approach can be applied to each human disease, starting from the corresponding signalling pathway.

In this paper, we propose a reliability-oriented design of a linear generator-based prototype of a wave energy conversion (WEC), useful for the production of hydrogen in a sheltered water area like Mediterranean Sea. The hydrogen production has been confirmed by a lot of experimental testing and simulations. The system design is aimed to enhance the robustness and reliability and is based on an analysis of the main WEC failures reported in literature. The results of this analysis led to some improvements that are applied to a WEC system prototype for hydrogen production and storage. The proposed WEC system includes the electrical linear generator, the power conversion system, and a sea-water electrolyzer. A modular architecture is conceived to provide ease of extension of the power capability of the marine plant. The experimental results developed on the permanent magnet linear electric generator have allowed identification of the stator winding typology and, consequently, ability to size the power electronics system. The produced hydrogen has supplied a low-power fuel cell stack directly connected to the hydrogen output from the electrolyzer. The small-scale prototype is designed to be installed, in the near future, into the Mediterranean Sea. As shown by experimental and simulation results, the small-scale prototype is suitable for hydrogen production and storage from sea water in this area.