Electromechanical Quantum Simulators

Digital quantum simulators are among the most appealing applications of a quantum computer. Here we propose a universal, scalable, and integrated quantum computing platform based on tunable nonlinear electromechanical nano-oscillators. It is shown that very high operational fidelities for single and two qubits gates can be achieved in a minimal architecture, where qubits are encoded in the anharmonic vibrational modes of mechanical nanoresonators, whose effective coupling is mediated by virtual fluctuations of an intermediate superconducting artificial atom. An effective scheme to induce large single-phonon nonlinearities in nano-electromechanical devices is explicitly discussed, thus opening the route to experimental investigation in this direction. Finally, we explicitly show the very high fidelities that can be reached for the digital quantum simulation of model Hamiltonians, by using realistic experimental parameters in state-of-the art devices, and considering the transverse field Ising model as a paradigmatic example.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

Deep intrauterine insemination in sow: results of a field trial

RiassuntoTraditional insemination techniques in pigs depose a high number of spermatozoa (2 to 3x109 spermatozoa) in a large volume of liquid (80-100 ml) into the cervix channel. The dose can be reduced markedly deposing it directly into the uterine horn. Previous studies showed that fertility rate and litter size were not significantly different with 5 or 15x107 spermatozoa in 10 ml into the uterus. The goal of this study was to determine the on-farm application and the reproductive performance of the deep intrauterine insemination (Firflex® probe, MAGAPOR, Spain) in sows. Experiments were conducted under field conditions in 4 commercial pig farms in the North of Italy (September 2003 and March 2004). A total of 166 crossbred multiparous sows were randomly selected after weaning and assigned to one of the following groups: Group 1 – traditional insemination with 3x109 sperm./dose, two insemination per oestrus (n=94) and Group 2 – deep intrauterine insemination with 15x107 sperm./dose, one insemination pe..

ApoE-deficient mice and fenritinide: a structural study of the skin

Fenretinide, a synthetic retinoid derivative first investigated for cancer prevention and treatment, has been shown to ameliorate glucose tolerance and the plasma lipid profile, and to reduce body fat mass. Since these effects, together with its ability to inhibit ceramide synthesis, have suggested that fenretinide may display anti-atherosclerotic effects, the purpose of our work was to evaluate the effect of fenretinide on accumulation of lipids on the skin of a dyslipidemic mouse model that spontaneously develops atherosclerosis. To this aim, 9-weeks-old apoE-knockout (EKO) female mice were fed for 12 weeks with a Western diet, without (control) or with (0.1% w/w) fenretinide. At sacrifice, skin biopsies were excised from the thoracic region, dissected in smaller fragments and processed for structural morphology analysis on both paraffin and semithin sections. As a reference, wild-type (WT) mice were likewise treated. Morphological analysis did not show any significant difference between the skin of treated and untreated WT mice. In both the experimental groups, indeed, the epidermis appeared build-up of ordinated overlapped layers of cells and in the dermis there were no signs of alteration. The presence of foam cells was detected only in EKO mice treated and untreated. Other morphological alterations were also visible, although shared almost equally in EKO-Ctrl and EKO-Fen animals. Our data suggest that fenretinide slightly interferes with lipid accumulation in the skin of EKO mice

Management of technology licensing as a foreign market entry mode:the case of leading Italian pharmaceutical and biotech companies

Technology licensing has been recognized for decades as one of the new market entry modes. Companies often issue licenses in foreign countries in order to enter a new market. This paper aims to unearth how companies manage the technology licensing, purposely used by firms in order to enter new markets. Starting from the perspectives given in the Dunning’s eclectic theory on foreign market entry modes, and by adopting the process view perspective from the technology management literature, and also incorporating the Dynamic Capabilities Framework, this paper tries to explain the managerial aspects of technology licensing as the foreign market entry mode. Although technology licensing as a market entry mode has been previously thoroughly explored, limited attention has been given to the possible ways companies approach in managing technology licensing for the new market entry purpose. In the paper authors rely on the multiple case study research approach in order to reveal the relevant managerial aspects implemented by Italian pharmaceutical and biotech companies that exploit technology licensing for the new market entry purpose. The key findings in this paper indicate two points: (i) companies adopt the process view perspective for managing technology licensing as the foreign market entry mode and (ii) throughout the stages of this process firms tend to develop their dynamic capabilities (sensing, seizing and reconfiguring). These research findings contribute to a deeper understanding of technology licensing as a market entry mode in the Innovation and Technology Management literature, but also in the Internationalization literature, by integrating the elements coming from these two research streams. The managerial implications resulting from this paper may be especially useful for the firms operating in the research intensive industries (like chemical, semi-conductor, biotech, etc.), enabling them to recognize the relevant issues in technology licensing process for the market entry purpose.<br

The relevance of hydroxyapatite and spongious titanium coatings in fixation of cementless stems. An experimental comparative study in rat femur employing histological and microangiographic techniques.

Pure titanium rods plasma-spray coated with hydroxyapatite (HA) or porous titanium (Ti) of controlled roughness were implanted bilaterally in the distal femur of Sprague-Dawley rats to compare the extent of bone growth on the two types of coating. The relevance of other factors, like mechanical stability and biological adaptation of the bone to the insertion of a foreign body implant, were investigated in femora which were over-reamed (absence of primary fit) or reamed without insertion of the rod. Continuous tetracycline labeling for the first 30 days and for the last 2 weeks in the 90-day group was performed; histological/histometric, fluorescence and microangiographic studies were carried out on serial sections of the implanted and control femora. In the group of stable implants, HA-coated rods showed 90% integration versus 53% with Ti-coated implants (P < 0.001); in over-reamed implants neither surface bone growth nor endosteal fixation occurred, and both types of rods were surrounded by a thick layer of connective tissue. The study documented early adhesion of osteoblasts and direct deposition of bone matrix on the substrate, while on spongious titanium osteogenesis was observed only in proximity to the surface. Remodeling of the reactive, primary bone to mature, lamellar bone took the form of a capsule surrounding the implants and radial bridges connecting the latter to the endosteal surface. The number, height and thickness of these bridges appeared to be the factors determining implant stability, rather than the extent of the bony capsule on the perimeter of the implant. Integration was a function not only of mechanical conditions and surface geometry, but also of the biological response of the whole bone to changes in the vascularization pattern. The reported phenomena can be seen more easily in experimental models involving small rodents because of their fast bone turnover and revascularization, but it is expected that they take place, even at a lower speed, in clinical situations like cementless stems of total hip replacement

La sfida delle aziende confiscate : tra sistemi locali e modelli imprenditoriali

L\u2019articolo, che nasce da una ricerca europea alla quale ha partecipato il Dipartimento di Scienze Sociali e Politiche dell\u2019Universit\ue0 degli Studi di Milano, tratta un tema di frontiera per il contrasto della criminalit\ue0 mafiosa: quello delle aziende confiscate e della possibilit\ue0 di riconvertirle all\u2019economia legale. Partendo dai risultati di un\u2019indagine sul campo su dieci casi aziendali, esso cerca di mettere a fuoco la numerosit\ue0 e complessit\ue0 degli attori che influenzano il successo dei singoli progetti, evidenziando le specificit\ue0 delle economie e delle diseconomie esterne. E prova a portare i risultati della ricerca all\u2019interno di un quadro teorico pi\uf9 ampio, rivisitando temi classici della sociologia economica, con particolare riferimento ai sistemi locali, all\u2019approvazione sociale dell\u2019imprenditorialit\ue0 e alla figura dell\u2019imprenditore collettivo, di cui cerca di definire un inedito profilo.This article was originated by an european research in which Milan University\u2019s Department of Social and Political Sciences took part. It faces an advanced theme to fight the mafia crime: the confiscated firms and the possibility to convert them into legal economy. Moving from thet results of a survey about ten business cases, the article tries to focus the numerosity and complexity of the actors conditioning the chances of every single project of legal conversion, emphasizing the specifities of the external economies and diseconomies. Besides, it tries to bring the researchers\u2019 results into a wider theoretical framework, revisiting some classic questions of the economic sociology: the local systems, the social approval of the entrepreneurship, and the so-called collective entrepreneur, of which the article proposes a new, original figure