Nanohybrids of 2D Black Phosphorus with Phthalocyanines: Role of Interfacial Interactions in Heterostructure Development

New 2D black phosphorus (bP)–phthalocyanine (Pc) nanohybrids have been synthesized by liquid phase exfoliation of black phosphorus crystals in the presence of two organic dyes: phthalocyanine (Pc) and manganese phthalocyanine (MnPc). The key role of the metal cation in the interfacial interaction between the organic dye and bP nanosheets was demonstrated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and associated with an electron transfer between the metal cation Mn2+ and bP nanosheets, which resembles a coordinative chemical bond. On the other hand, the interaction between bP nanosheets and pure phthalocyanine is governed by van der Waals forces. The fluorescence of both hybrids is significantly reduced indicating effective separation of the photoinduced charge, implying the formation of a heterojunction between the organic molecules and the bP nanosheets. These findings provide important insights into the interfacial interactions in bP-Pc nanohybrids that are relevant for application in 2D organic/inorganic devices

Atmospheres of care, coercion, and containment: An affective ethnography

There are atmospheres that happen in a more or less recurrent way within an organization even if they take a different form at any new occurrence. One example is the affective atmosphere called The Sunset Syndrome that takes place in a nursing home dedicated to people with Alzheimer’s disease. In similar settings, care practices are intertwined with the use of coercion, and the use of coercion affects both the receivers of it and those who exerts it. Containment of the anxieties becomes a force inside an affective atmosphere understood as a field of forces. The article offers an affective ethnography of the multiple forms that the atmosphere takes according to how people, materials, discourses, and knowledges enter into a choreographic movement according to specific orientation. The Sunset Syndrome’s shape varies according to how care, coercion, and containment become entangled in care practices. The contribution that an affective ethnography offers to the study of atmospheres is focused on their affective, material, and organizational dimensions, often misrecognized in organization studies

IL CONTENZIOSO DI ATENEO

1. Introduzione e contesto del contenzioso universitario Viene inquadrato il ruolo strategico del contenzioso nella governance degli Atenei, non più visto solo come fattore patologico ma anche come occasione di miglioramento organizzativo e normativo. Si sottolinea il valore della prevenzione e dell’analisi sistematica dei conflitti. 2. I procedimenti e le fonti del contenzioso Analisi delle principali tipologie di contenzioso che interessano le università pubbliche: ricorsi amministrativi, procedimenti disciplinari, contenziosi civili e del lavoro. Si esplora il quadro normativo di riferimento, anche con attenzione alla recente evoluzione giurisprudenziale. 3. Contenzioso in materia di personale docente e tecnico-amministrativo Esame delle controversie più frequenti: concorsi, progressioni di carriera, procedimenti disciplinari, rapporti di lavoro a tempo determinato o indeterminato, inquadramenti e trasferimenti. Particolare attenzione viene data alle scelte discrezionali e alla loro sindacabilità. 4. Contenzioso relativo agli studenti Trattazione delle problematiche connesse all’accesso ai corsi, al riconoscimento dei crediti, agli esami e ai tirocini, nonché ai procedimenti disciplinari nei confronti degli studenti. Riflessione sull’equilibrio tra autonomia universitaria e tutela giurisdizionale. 5. Contenzioso contrattuale e appalti Analisi delle controversie derivanti dall’affidamento di lavori, servizi e forniture, con attenzione agli obblighi derivanti dal codice dei contratti pubblici. Si affrontano anche i profili di responsabilità amministrativa e i rischi connessi alla gestione degli appalti. 6. Il ruolo degli uffici legali e dei consulenti Riflessione sul valore strategico delle strutture legali di Ateneo nella prevenzione e gestione del contenzioso. Si propone una visione integrata tra funzione giuridico-legale e funzione amministrativa, a supporto della trasparenza e dell’efficienza

Actors Constellation and COVID-19 Crisis in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Decisionmaking, Experts and the Management of the Vaccination Campaign

Qual è stata la posizione del pubblico nei confronti della campagna vaccinale contro il Covid-19? Quali caratteristiche socio-demografiche ed attitudinali possono spiegare una scelta favorevole o meno alla vaccinazione? Tra queste qual è il ruolo della religiosità? Che posizione hanno assunto le forze populiste europee di fronte alle scelte vaccinali governative? Come hanno reagito le aree urbane e quelle periurbane all’emergenza della pandemia ed allo sforzo vaccinale? Quale impatto ha avuto la pandemia sul tessuto produttivo delle imprese italiane, ma anche sulla domanda e sul consumo di energia da fonti rinnovabili e non? Il volume cerca di fornire risposte ai quesiti sopra riportati, attraverso contributi in cui l’eterogeneità degli approcci e delle metodologie consente di mettere in luce come le dimensioni economiche, sociali e politiche siano fortemente interconnesse. In questo modo è quindi possibile fornire una rappresentazione della ricerca che contempla il necessario dialogo e la compresenza di discipline eterogenee per una migliore comprensione di una serie di conseguenze derivanti dall’evento pandemico. Emerge un risultato che accoglie il lavoro di economisti, politologi e sociologi del Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche e Sociali e del Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, Aziendali, Matematiche e Statistiche “Bruno De Finetti” dell’Università degli Studi di Trieste. Ad essi si sono aggiunti una serie di studiosi e studiose dell’Università degli Studi di Catania, Milano, Torino, Trento, dell’Università Karlova di Praga e dell’Università Cattolica di Lovanio, associati dall’interesse per far luce, ciascuno, su un aspetto peculiare dell’emergenza pandemica. L’esito che ne scaturisce è quello di una serie di contributi tra loro complementari che forniscono al lettore un quadro interpretativo multidisciplinare su un fenomeno storico complesso

Constraints on standard model effective field theory for a Higgs boson produced in association with W or Z bosons in the H -> b b-bar decay channel in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 13 TeV

A standard model effective field theory (SMEFT) analysis with dimension-six operators probing nonresonant new physics effects is performed in the Higgs-strahlung process, where the Higgs boson is produced in association with a W or Z boson, in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The final states in which the W or Z boson decays leptonically and the Higgs boson decays to a pair of bottom quarks are considered. The analyzed data were collected by the CMS experiment between 2016 and 2018 and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1. An approach designed to simultaneously optimize the sensitivity to Wilson coefficients of multiple SMEFT operators is employed. Likelihood scans as functions of the Wilson coefficients that carry SMEFT sensitivity in this final state are performed for different expansions in SMEFT. The results are consistent with the predictions of the standard model

Validation of physics-based ground-motion simulations for structural engineering purposes

L’argomento della tesi riguarda un campo significativo dell’ingegneria sismica e della sismologia, ossia la validazione di un database di accelerogrammi simulati physics-based. La creazione di database di accelerogrammi simulati physics-based nasce dall’esigenza di avere un maggior numero di storie temporali di scuotimenti del terreno: nei primi 5-10 km dall’epicentro si avvertono dei fenomeni particolari dovuti alla propagazione del campo d’onda (direttività, fling) che purtroppo non vengono registrati a lunghe distanze, e che sono particolarmente dannosi per gli edifici. Questi sono fenomeni del “campo vicino” e sono difficili da prendere in considerazione a causa del basso numero di accelerogrammi registrati nei primi chilometri dall’epicentro. Inoltre, volendo utilizzare le storie temporali per effettuare analisi dinamiche non lineari di edifici (permesse dall’attuale normativa tecnica), spesso ci si imbatte nel problema di non trovare un numero sufficiente di segnali che permetta di tenere in considerazione la variabilità delle condizioni al contorno (magnitudo, distanza, tipo di suolo, etc.), e che siano stati registrati nel “campo vicino”. Per rispondere a queste problematiche viene creato un database di storie temporali del moto del suolo (in accelerazione, velocità e spostamento) “physics-based”, nel tentativo di riempire i vuoti di registrazioni di cui sopra: la metodologia “physics-based” permette di simulare la fisica del meccanismo di rottura del piano di faglia a partire dal punto di nucleazione, e la propagazione delle onde sismiche all’interno del mezzo solido, che vengono poi registrate da un adeguato numero di “ricevitori”, posizionati a diversi angoli e distanze dal centro della faglia. Sono state simulate tre geometrie di faglie (aventi meccanismi focali differenti) per cinque magnitudo differenti (da 5.5 a 7.5), ognuna delle quali è posizionata su tre differenti superficiali (di categoria A, B e C secondo l’Eurocodice 8). Per ognuno di questi casi vengono prodotte dieci realizzazioni del meccanismo di rottura (in modo stocastico), ognuna delle quali viene registrata da una rete di trenta registratori, posizionati a angolazioni crescenti e distanze crescenti (ogni 60° e da 5 a 100 km). Sono stati simulati 18900 eventi sismici (che vengono poi scomposti in 3 componenti (Nord-Sud, Est-Ovest, Verticale), per un totale di 56700 accelerogrammi. Essendo una simulazione, è importante confrontare parametri caratteristici degli accelerogrammi (PGA, Accelerazione spettrale, PGV, Durata Significativa, etc. ) con gli stessi parametri delle registrazioni reali. Per questa validazione “sismologica” sono state utilizzate Leggi di Attenuazione ( o Ground Motion Prediction Equation, GMPE) trovate in letteratura, le quali mostrano il valore mediano dei parametri caratteristici degli accelerogrammi reali al variare della distanza. La seconda validazione, ingegneristica, consiste nel effettuare un’analisi di vulnerabilità di un set di edifici, modellati per considerare anche non-linearità dei materiali, effettuando analisi dinamiche non lineari, prima con un subset di accelerogrammi reali, e successivamente con uno di simulati (selezionati in modo da avere distribuzioni equivalenti di accelerazione spettrale) ed effettuare regressioni lineari all’interno della cornice della procedura di Cloud Analysis. Le pendenze delle regressioni ottenute per i due set di segnali (reali e simulati) vengono confrontate sia qualitativamente (graficamente), sia quantitativamente effettuando un test di significatività statistica. L’obiettivo del lavoro di tesi è fornire e validare un dataset di accelerogrammi simulati physics-based che siano equivalenti ad accelerogrammi reali sia dal punto di vista sismologico che da quello ingegneristico.This thesis addresses a significant area within seismic engineering and seismology, specifically the validation of a physics-based database of simulated accelerograms. The creation and validation of such databases arises from the need to have a larger quantity of ground motion time histories: within the first 5-10 km from the epicenter, certain phenomena due to the propagation of the wave field (e.g., directivity, fling effects) are observed that are not captured at greater distances and are particularly damaging to buildings. These are near-field phenomena, which are difficult to account for due to the limited number of accelerograms recorded within the first few kilometers from the epicenter. Additionally, when intending to use time histories for nonlinear dynamic analysis of buildings (as permitted by current technical regulations), there is often the issue of an insufficient number of records to adequately capture the variability of boundary conditions (e.g., magnitude, distance, soil type) and that have been recorded in the near-field. To address these issues, a physics-based database of ground motion time histories (in acceleration, velocity, and displacement) is created to fill these recording gaps. The physics-based methodology enables the simulation of the physics of fault rupture mechanics starting from the nucleation point, as well as the propagation of seismic waves through the solid medium, which are then recorded by an adequate number of "receivers" positioned at various angles and distances from the fault center. Three fault geometries (with different focal mechanisms) were simulated for five different magnitudes (ranging from 5.5 to 7.5), each located on three different surfaces (categories A, B, and C according to Eurocode 8). For each case, ten realizations of the rupture mechanism (stochastically generated) were produced, each recorded by a network of thirty recorders positioned at increasing angles and distances (every 60° and from 5 to 100 km). A total of 18,900 seismic events were simulated, which were then decomposed into three components (North-South, East-West, Vertical), resulting in a total of 56,700 accelerograms. Since this is a simulation, it is essential to compare characteristic parameters of the accelerograms (e.g., PGA, spectral acceleration, PGV, significant duration, etc.) with those from real recordings. For this "seismological" validation, Ground Motion Prediction Equations (GMPEs) from the literature were employed, which provide the median value of characteristic parameters of real accelerograms as a function of distance. The second, engineering-focused validation involves conducting a vulnerability analysis of a set of buildings modeled to consider material non-linearities, using nonlinear dynamic analyses first with a subset of real accelerograms, and subsequently with a subset of simulated accelerograms (selected to have equivalent spectral acceleration distributions). Linear regressions are then performed within the framework of the Cloud Analysis procedure. The slopes of the regressions obtained for the two sets of signals (real and simulated) are compared both qualitatively (graphically) and quantitatively through a statistical significance test. The objective of this thesis is to provide and validate a physics-based dataset of simulated accelerograms that are equivalent to real accelerograms from both a seismological and engineering perspective

Intermittent supply of dense water to the deep South Adriatic Pit: an observational study

The renewal of bottom water masses in the deep South Adriatic Pit (SAP) is mainly determined by the arrival of very dense water that forms in the North Adriatic in winter (NAdDW) and which is transported into the SAP by gravity currents. To investigate the occurrence of these currents, we analyze high-frequency time series of thermohaline and velocity data at three moorings of the EMSO South Adriatic Sea regional facility, which consists of two observation areas: the SAP observatory (E2M3A) and the shelf and slope observatory (BB in the Bari Canyon and FF on the furrow area on the open slope), from 2012 to 2022, as well as reanalysis data from Copernicus over the same period. This analysis shows that gravity currents in the deep SAP (dSAP) only occurred in 2012, 2017, 2018, and 2022 (bottom ventilation years). The water masses were mixed differently after gravity current events, as 2012 was mainly driven by temperature, 2017 and 2022 by salinity, and 2018 by both. It was also found that in 2012 and 2018 the gravity current mainly passed through FF, while in 2017 it passed through BB. An analysis of the time scale showed that the average duration of the bursts of fluctuation triggered by the arrival of the gravity current in the dSAP was a few months (3 months on average). It was also revealed that the travel time from the formation of the NAdDW to BB was around 2 months on average, and that the travel time from BB (FF) to E2M3A was around 2 weeks. A comparison between the Copernicus reanalysis and the E2M3A time series also showed consistent differences in density, both in value and variability, resulting in the detection of gravity current events being unclear for the former

Learning from Terra-Luna: A Simulation-Based Study on Stabilizing Algorithmic Stablecoins

This paper investigates the dynamics behind the catastrophic collapse of the Terra-Luna ecosystem in May 2022, where the UST stablecoin de-pegged and lost nearly all its value. Using a custom-built simulation environment, we reproduce the free-market interactions and protocol mechanisms that triggered the crash, offering a new perspective on the vulnerabilities of algorithmic stablecoins based on the dual-token seigniorage model. Building on this analysis, we propose four stabilization strategies: two purely algorithmic mechanisms, designed to prevent de-pegging and mitigate token hyperinflation, and two hybrid approaches, introducing partial collateralization through USDT and BTC reserves. Our simulations show that these strategies significantly reduce collapse events under extreme market conditions, with the best improvements ranging from 60.6% to 95.8%. Additionally, we gained better control over LUNA’s circulating supply. Our simulation environment showcases how each proposal effectively mitigates systemic risks and enhances stability, thus providing valuable insights for designing future decentralized algorithmic stablecoins that can withstand market crises

Traumatic brain injury and autophagy: a pilot study about the immunohistochemical expression of LC3B, Beclin 1, p62, and LAMP2A in human autoptic samples

Introduction: Autophagy is a cellular stress response that has been shown in the literature to be active in cerebral cells after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of this study is to investigate the potential use of four proteins involved in autophagy (LC3B, Beclin 1, p62, and LAMP2A), as a forensic diagnostic marker for TBI. Methods: We analyzed histological samples obtained from the frontal lobe of 10 subjects who died within 1 h of a TBI (Group A), 13 who died between 1 h and 32 days post-TBI (Group B), and a control group of 10 subjects who died without head trauma (Group C). Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining using anti-LC3B, anti-Beclin 1, anti-p62 and anti-LAMP2A antibodies was performed. Results and discussion: The results show that LC3B staining was the only one that show a statistically significant difference between groups. In particular, the percentage of neurons displaying an autophagic pattern was calculated from six random acquisitions per subject, and the results were compared across groups using one way ANOVA. Significant differences were observed between Groups A and B, and between Groups B and C, with p-values of 0.0055 and 0.0035, respectively. While the difference between Groups A and C was not statistically significant (p-value of 0.9845). These findings suggest that LC3B may serve as a useful diagnostic marker for TBI in cases where death is not immediate and open the door for further research