Patenting in 4IR technologies and firm performance

We investigate whether firm performance is related to the accumulated stock of technological knowledge associated with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and, if so, whether the firm’s history in 4IR technology development affects such a relationship. We exploit a rich longitudinal matched patent-firm data set on the population of large firms that filed 4IR patents at the European Patent Office (EPO) between 2009 and 2014, while reconstructing their patent stocks from 1985 onward. To identify 4IR patents, we use a novel twostep procedure proposed by EPO (2020, Patents and the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Global Technology Trends Enabling the Data-Driven Economy, European Patent Office), based on Cooperative Patent Classification codes and on a full-text patent search. Our results show a positive and significant relationship between firms’ stocks of 4IR patents and labor and total factor productivity. We also find that firms with a long history in 4IR patent filings benefit more from the development of 4IR technological capabilities than later applicants. Conversely, we find that firm profitability is not significantly related to the stock of 4IR patents, which suggests that the returns from 4IR technological developments may be slow to be cashed in. Finally, we find that the positive relationship with productivity is stronger for 4IR-related wireless technology and for artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, and big data analytics

Optimization of Hermetia illucens (L.) egg laying under different nutrition and light conditions

The black soldier fly Hermetia illucens is gaining growing interest as a tool for the valorisation of bio-waste in a circular economy perspective. Although a wide variety of studies are available for larvae rearing, the indoor breeding of adults still presents a great challenge for industrial purposes. This study was designed to assess the simultaneous influence of 3 different light sources (the Mix of LED UV:blue:green 1:1:3, White LED, Neon light) and 3 types of nutrition (sugar and water, only water, no sugar no water) on adult performances, obtaining different egg production parameters that included the number and weight of the egg masses and single eggs laid by the females, the duration of pre-oviposition and oviposition period, the adult life span, the hatchability of the eggs. Our results showed that production parameters are influenced mainly by nutrition rather than light factor, although light plays an important secondary role. Moreover, the presence of sugar positively affects the egg production (12,93-27,10 mg eggs/female) and increases oviposition period (18,2-31,8 days) and adult lifespan (20,79-27,11 days). Light sources also affect egg production parameters, with the exposure to the Mix of LEDs resulting in the best performance of flies. Results obtained from this study are very useful for the design and management of an efficient industrial black soldier fly mass rearing process

Un (altro) architetto per la Capitale. Francesco Mazzei «valente e modesto» restauratore a Firenze

Appartenente ad una nobile famiglia fiorentina, l’architetto Francesco Mazzeo Mazzei si formò e lavorò nel fervente clima culturale fiorentino di primo Ottocento. Dopo un apprendistato nel territorio volterrano, sotto la guida di Alessandro Manetti, Mazzei tornò a Firenze ed esercitò la sua professione soprattutto come restauratore. In particolare il restauro del Bargello divenne il modello a cui ispirarsi non soltanto in Toscana, ma anche in altre regioni italiane. Partecipe della vita politica, sociale e culturale di Firenze, Mazzei fu una figura chiave nella trasformazione della città in sede della capitale

Un (altro) architetto per la Capitale. Francesco Mazzei «valente e modesto» restauratore a Firenze

Appartenente ad una nobile famiglia fiorentina, l’architetto Francesco Mazzeo Mazzei si formò e lavorò nel fervente clima culturale fiorentino di primo Ottocento. Dopo un apprendistato nel territorio volterrano, sotto la guida di Alessandro Manetti, Mazzei tornò a Firenze ed esercitò la sua professione soprattutto come restauratore. In particolare il restauro del Bargello divenne il modello a cui ispirarsi non soltanto in Toscana, ma anche in altre regioni italiane. Partecipe della vita politica, sociale e culturale di Firenze, Mazzei fu una figura chiave nella trasformazione della città in sede della capitale.Born in a noble family, the architect Francesco Mazzeo Mazzei grew up and worked in the Florentine lively cultural circle at the beginning of the 19th century. After having had some experience in Volterra, under the guidance of Alessandro Manetti, Mazzei came back to Florence and worked especially as restorer of historic buildings. In particular, the restoration of the Bargello became the model to reproduce not only in Tuscany, but also in other Italian regions. He took part in the political, social and cultural life of Florence and was one of the key figure in the transformation of the city into a capital

Luminescence Properties of CZT Crystals in the Presence of Tellurium Inclusions

CZT is a widespread material for the realization of room temperature radiation detectors. The presence of defects and in particular secondary phases, like Te inclusions, represents nowadays a limit in the realization of high resolution devices. For the development of CZT detectors, in particular for high-flux applications, is very important to understand the role of deep levels, the influence of Te inclusions on the device performance and their correlations between Te inclusions and deep levels. Using a IR microscope recently developed at IMEM, it is possible to identify the 3D position of each inclusion in the bulk and reconstruct a 3D plot describing the spacial position of every inclusion. This permits to select a sigle inclusion in the sample, to place the inclusion very close to the surface (few microns) by etching the sample and hence to study the selected inclusion. In this way it is possible to perform photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence mapping in the inclusion region and investigate the behavior of the crystal-inclusion interface. The correlation between the deep level emission acquired at the micro-scale and the presence of tellurium inclusion is discussed

Characterization of tellurum inclusions in CdZnTe ingots grown by vertical bridgam technique

CdZnTe (CZT) crystals are employed for the preparation of room temperature operating X-ray detectors [1]. The functioning of the devices without refrigeration is made possible by growing high resistivity (>1010 Ohm.cm) ingots. This is usually reached by contemporarily doping with group III or group VII elements and using tellurium deviated charge. This second condition is responsible for the presence in crystals of a large number of tellurium inclusions. These can be incorporated at the growing interface or can form during cooling as a result of the retrograde behavior of the liquidus curve [2]. Unfortunately, inclusions severely limit the performances of CZT-based detectors, in particular in the case of imaging devices. In fact because of the role of diffusion of the electrons drifting from the cathode to the anode, tellurium inclusions act as traps for the charge carriers. Consequently the detector response close to the inclusions is deteriorated [3]. Hence, monitoring tellurium inclusion density is very important for assessing the material quality, selecting the best region in CZT wafer and for studying the formation mechanisms of inclusions during growth. Tellurium inclusions presence can be revealed by means of optical transmission microscopy in the near-infrared, in fact tellurium inclusions are opaque to the IR, while the CZT matrix is transparent. We developed an instrument for 3D mapping of inclusions mounted on a standard optical microscope with automatic vertical movement. Pictures are taken at different focal planes. Images are then elaborated by a dedicated software that ascribes each inclusion to the proper focal plane. As a result, all inclusions are counted and precisely localized in 3D. Using different objective lenses of the microscope it is possible to choose the optimal compromise between resolution and extent of the monitored area. However, at high magnification it is possible to map inclusions down to 1 micron diameter. The spatial position information of tellurium inclusion obtained by 3D IR mapping was used to select a single inclusion in the sample and then acquire photoluminescence (PL) map in the selected region. The inclusion was placed very close to the surface (few microns) by etching the sample. A correlation was set between the PL spectra emission and the presence of tellurium inclusion. [1] Knoll GF (2000) Radiation Detection and Measurements. Wiley [2] Rudolph P (1995), J. Cryst. Growth 147:297-304. [3] Carini GA (2006), Appl. Phys. Lett. 88:143515-143526. [4] Zambelli N (2011), J. Cryst. Growth 318:1167-1170

Ecotoxicity Evaluation of Industrial Waste and Construction Materials: Comparison Between Leachates from Granular Steel Slags and Steel Slags-Containing Concrete Through a Plant-Based Approach

Steel slags, the main waste product from the steel industry, may have several reuse possibilities. Among others, building applications represent a crucial field. However, the potential impact of harmful substances on the environment should be assessed. The aim of this study was to assess the phytotoxicity of steel slags (SS) and concrete mixtures cast with a partial replacement of SS (CSS). Leaching tests were carried out on four SS and four CSS according to EN 12457-2 and UNI EN 15863, respectively. Each leachate was assayed using root elongation tests on 30 seeds of Allium cepa, Cucumis sativus, and Lepidium sativum, respectively, and on 12 bulbs of A. cepa. The latter also allowed the analysis of other macroscopic parameters of toxicity (turgidity, consistency, colour change and root tip shape) and the evaluation of the mitotic index on 20,000 root tip cells per sample. None of the samples induced phytotoxic effects on the organisms tested: all samples supported seedlings emergence, verified by root elongation comparable to, or even greater than, that of the negative controls, and did not affect cell division, as evidenced by mitotic index values. The absence of phytotoxicity demonstrated by the leachates allows SS and SS-derived concrete to be considered as reliable materials suitable for use in civil constructions or in other engineering applications, with economic and environmental advantages, such as the reduction of the final disposal in landfills as well as the consumption of natural resources

Prognostic and predictive role of CXCR4, IGF-1R and Ezrin expression in localized synovial sarcoma: is chemotaxis important to tumor response?

BACKGROUND: Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a rare tumor, with dismal survival when metastatic. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy is debated. New prognostic and predictive factors are needed. METHODS: We reviewed patients with localized SS; SS18-SSX fusion transcript presence was confirmed by FISH and RT-PCR. Expression of CXCR4, IGF-1R and Ezrin were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Tumor samples from 88 SS patients (45 female; 43 male) with median age 37 years (range 11-63) were selected. The size of the lesion was\u2009>\u20095 cm in 68% of patients and 34% of cases presented biphasic histotype. All patients underwent surgery, 56% adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), 65% adjuvant chemotherapy. A positive stain for IGF-1R was detected in 55 patients, with nucleus expression in 21 patients. CXCR4 was expressed in 74 patients, nuclear pattern in 31 patients. 80 SS were positive to Ezrin, 48 had cytoplasmatic location, 32 membrane location. With a median follow-up of 6 years (1-30 years), the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 70% (95% CI 60-81). 5-year OS was 63% (95% CI 41-85%) for patients with positive IGF-1R/nuclear expression, and 73% (95% CI 61-85%; P\u2009=\u20090.05) in negative patients. 5-year OS was 47% (95% CI 27-66%) in patients with positive CXCR4/nuclear staining, and 86% (95% CI 76-96%, P = 0.0003) in negative cases. No survival difference was found according to Ezrin expression. By multivariate analysis, nuclear expression of CXCR4 and IGF-1R was confirmed independent adverse prognostic factor for SS patient survival linked to the use of chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings have important potential implications demonstrating that together with clinical prognostic factors such as radiotherapy and age, CXCR4 and IGF-1R negatively influences survival in patients with localized SS. We believe that further studies addressed to the effects of CXCR4 and IGF-1R inhibitors on cell viability and function are needed to plan new and more appropriate SS treatments

Electroless Ink-Jet Printing on CdZnTe

CdZnTe is one of the most exploited materials for the realization of room temperature X- and gamma- ray detectors. However the final cost of the devices remains a limiting factor for large-scale applications. A strong effort was done in the last years for decreasing the cost of both crystals and device fabrication processes. Because of the important role played by the metal-CZT interface on the functioning of the final device, a special attention should be payed to the technology employed in the realization of metal contacts. A novel, reproducible and low-cost method for metal deposition on CZT surface has been developed combining two different technologies: ink-jet printing and electroless deposition. With this technique it is possible to avoid the photolithography process and still obtain complex contact patterns with a good spatial resolution and high reproducibility. The current-voltage characteristics of the obtained contacts are also reported, demonstrating good electrical properties

Integrated management of ash from industrial and domestic combustion : a new sustainable approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy conversion

This work supports, for the first time, the integrated management of waste materials arising from industrial processes (fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration and coal fly ash), agriculture (rice husk ash), and domestic activities (ash from wood biomass burning in domestic stoves). The main novelty of the paper is the reuse of wood pellet ash, an underestimated environmental problem, by the application of a new technology (COSMOS-RICE) that already involves the reuse of fly ashes from industrial and agricultural origins. The reaction mechanism involves carbonation: this occurs at room temperature and promotes permanent carbon dioxide sequestration. The obtained samples were characterized using XRD and TGA (coupled with mass spectroscopy). This allowed quantification of the mass loss attributed to different calcium carbonate phases. In particular, samples stabilized using wood pellet ash show a weight loss, attributed to the decomposition of carbonates greater than 20%. In view of these results, it is possible to conclude that there are several environmental benefits from wood pellet ash reuse in this way. In particular, using this technology, it is shown that for wood pellet biomass the carbon dioxide conversion can be considered negative