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Inventors, discovererers and inventions created in Sardinia
Topic Started: Oct 10 2014, 01:19 PM (1,786 Views)
Babborcu
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Castles

The Nuragic Civilization developed defensive buildings that resemble the concept of the Medieval Castles, with walls and towers, 2,000 years ahead .

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caesium
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SARDINIAN SCIENTISTS PATENT A SYSTEM TO PRODUCE WATER AND FOOD ON MARS


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Five sardinian researchers from the University of Cagliari, Giacomo Cao, Alessandro Concas, Gianluca Corrias, Roberta Licheri, Roberto Orrù and Massimo Pisu have realised an innovative system to produce substances for the human survival during the space missions, and to live on other planets.

The patent consists in a procedure that allows to obtain oxygen, water, carbon monoxide, ammonia, nitrogen fertilizers and edible biomass, useful to the survival and the livelihood of the crews of the next space missions to Mars. This substances will be produced from resources findable on Mars.

The project is coordinated by Giacomo Cao, professor at the Department of Mechanic Engineering and Chemistry of the University of Cagliari and researcher at the CRS4 ( Center for Advanced Studies, Research and Development in Sardinia ).
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caesium
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Webmail

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The first webmail ( any email client implemented as a web application running on a web server) was developed in Sardinia, by the researcher Luca Manunza, in 1995, while he worked at CRS4, (center for research, development and higher education in Sardinia).
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Entula
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Self-cleaning graphene-based windows

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Collaboration of scientists from two prestigious universities in Italy was crowned by innovative technology "chemical peeling ". This novation allows the window to clean itself just using sunlight . Scientists believe that their invention wean the world to wash the windows.

New development of researchers at the University of Sassari (Università degli Studi di Sassari) and Cagliari (Università degli Studi di Cagliari) is another effective application for graphene - a substance which brought to Russian scientist Nobel Prize in 2010.

Graphene, which was discovered in 2004 , quickly gained recognition as one of the most promising materials of the future . The substance is a layer of carbon atoms in a structured two-dimensional hexagonal lattice like a honeycomb . This material is characterized by a hyperfine structure (thickness of 1 atom ) , flexibility and outstanding durability ( two hundred times stronger than steel ), and is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity . For its ability to transfer electrons graphene was called " the heir of silicium ."

On its basis the Italian scientists have developed a new type of high-tech nanomaterials through which windows in homes will be able to clean themselves. Innovative material , which is obtained with the technology "chemical peeling " is added to the porous plate finest titanium dioxide. This helps to thin transparent film with outstanding photocatalytic properties.

According to scientists, this property can be used in the manufacture of window glass as it will allow glass to be cleaned by itself just using sunlight .

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Artificial Neural Network with Adaptive Behavior

A computer simulation of a cognitive model entirely made up of artificial neurons learns to communicate through dialogue starting from a state of tabula rasa.

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A group of researchers from the University of Sassari, Sardinia with the cooperation of University of Plymouth have developed a cognitive model able to learn to communicate using human language starting from a state of “tabula rasa”, only through communication with a human interlocutor. The model is called ANNABELL (Artificial Neural Network with Adaptive Behavior Exploited for Language Learning) and it is described in an article published in the international scientific journal PLOS ONE. This research sheds light on the neural processes that underlie the development of language.

How does our brain develop the ability to perform complex cognitive functions, such as those needed for language and reasoning? This is a question that certainly we are all asking ourselves, to which the researchers are not yet able to give a complete answer. We know that in the human brain there are about one hundred billion neurons that communicate by means of electrical signals. We learned a lot about the mechanisms of production and transmission of electrical signals among neurons. There are also experimental techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, which allow us to understand which parts of the brain are most active when we are involved in different cognitive activities. But a detailed knowledge of how a single neuron works and what are the functions of the various parts of the brain is not enough to give an answer to the initial question.

We might think that the brain works in a similar way to a computer: after all, even computers work through electrical signals. In fact, many researchers have proposed models based on the analogy brain-is-like-a-computer since the late ’60s. However, apart from the structural differences, there are profound differences between the brain and a computer, especially in learning and information processing mechanisms. Computers work through programs developed by human programmers. In these programs there are coded rules that the computer must follow in handling the information to perform a given task. However there is no evidence of the existence of such programs in our brain. In fact, today many researchers believed that our brain is able to develop higher cognitive skills simply by interacting with the environment, starting from very little innate knowledge. The ANNABELL model appears to confirm this perspective.

ANNABELL does not have pre-coded language knowledge; it learns only through communication with a human interlocutor, thanks to two fundamental mechanisms, which are also present in the biological brain: synaptic plasticity and neural gating. Synaptic plasticity is the ability of the connection between two neurons to increase its efficiency when the two neurons are often active simultaneously, or nearly simultaneously. This mechanism is essential for learning and for long-term memory. Neural gating mechanisms are based on the properties of certain neurons (called bistable neurons) to behave as switches that can be turned “on” or “off” by a control signal coming from other neurons. When turned on, the bistable neurons transmit the signal from a part of the brain to another, otherwise they block it. The model is able to learn, due to synaptic plasticity, to control the signals that open and close the neural gates, so as to control the flow of information among different areas.
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Bio-Oil from seaweed

The sardinian headquarters of the company Biomedical Tissues (Bt Srl) located at the Polaris Scientific Center, in Pula, patented the bio-oil produced by a seaweed species in 2008.

The oil production is based on the natural photosynthesis process of the seaweed, which is able to create oleic-products from nitrogen compounds.

The bio-oil extracted can be used to produce biodiesel and biocoal, too. It's even possible produce other compounds useful in the food, biomedical, cosmetics and zootechnical industry.




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Multiple Sclerosis and Lupus genetic factors

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Sardinian Genetist Francesco Cucca


Sardinian geneticist Francesco Cucca from the University of Sassari (Sardinia) and his team have discovered a mutated gene which causes the Multiple Sclerosis and the Lupus, 2 widespread autoimmune diseases in Sardinia.

The mutation of TNFSF13B gene on the other hand allows body's resistance to malaria, which on the island had epidemic forms until being eradicated in the 1950's.

The reasearch was published by the New England Journal of Medicine on 04/26/2017.



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Pinkulilly
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Smart Sensory Box

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Carlo Piga (one of the inventors of the SSB)


Smart Sensory Box is an innovative data acquisition device for sensory analysis invented by the sardinians Carlo Piga and Gavino Balata, from Alghero. It's a flexible, portable, expandable and easy to use system. It automatically sets up its own wi-fi connection and acts as a local server. Panel members can access the test interface through any device. No need to setup an expensive dedicated cable net- work. No internet connection required to run the tests.


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Pinkulilly
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Brotzu Lotion



Brotzu lotion is a hair loss treatment, invented by the sardinian Doctor Giovanni Brotzu.

Brotzu, a respected vascular surgeon, discovered the treatment while working on diabetes patients. He noticed that after applying the lotion to patients’ limbs, it caused increased circulation that led to hair growth.

He then tested it on the head of a balding male nurse and noticed hair regrowth.

The patent was purchased in 2015 by Fidia Farmaceutici.




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Entula
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HIV-1 inhibitors

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A plant of Hypericum scruglii


A multidisciplinary team, formed by sardinian virologists and botanists, from the University of Cagliari, has discovered a potential multitarget anti-HIV compounds from natural products, identified in Hypericum scruglii, an endemic and exclusive species of Sardinia , a potent plant lead. The phytochemical study of the hydroalcoholic extract obtained from its leaves led to the isolation of its most abundant secondary metabolites, belonging to different chemical classes. In particular, three phloroglucinols derivatives were identified, confirming their significance as chemotaxonomic markers of the Hypericum genus. Among them, the 3-(13-hydroxygeranyl)-1-(2'-methylbutanoyl)phloroglucinol was reported here for the first time. All six isolated compounds have been evaluated firstly for the inhibition of both Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) Reverse Transcriptase (RT)-associated DNA Polymerase (RDDP) and Ribonuclease H (RNase H) activities, for the inhibition of HIV-1 integrase (IN) in biochemical assays, and also for their effect on viral replication. Among the isolated metabolites, three phloroglucinol derivatives and quercitrin were effective on both RT-associated RDDP and RNase H activities in biochemical assays. The same active compounds affected also HIV-1 IN strand transfer function, suggesting the involvement of the RNase H active site. Furthermore, phloroglucinols compounds, included the newly identified compound, were able to inhibit the HIV-1 replication in cell based assays.

March 30, 2018
Edited by Entula, Apr 5 2018, 05:50 PM.
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