Electroplating and pvd finishing technologies in the fashion industry: Perspectives and scenarios

This work deals with a comparison between electroplating and Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) finishing technologies applied in the fashion industry, with a special focus on their environmental impacts. The goal of this work is to present and validate a Decision Support System (DSS) allowing companies to identify, through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis, which of the two types of finishing processes is more suitable in comparison with specific KPIs. After an investigation on the literature and an industrial background regarding the two technologies, the model and, in particular, the sequence of activities that were conducted, are presented. Since LCA is an articulated process, requiring specific and adequate skills that are often unavailable within companies operating in this specific sector, a tool that facilitates LCA execution is a requisite. This tool, though potential publicity will facilitate the adoption of these approaches and sustainability as a driver in the selection of different production process strategies

From Dimensional Reduction of 4d Spin Foam Model to Adding Non-Gravitational Fields to 3d Spin Foam Model

A Kaluza-Klein like approach for a 4d spin foam model is considered. By applying this approach to a model based on group field theory in 4d (TOCY model), and using the Peter-Weyl expansion of the gravitational field, reconstruction of new non gravitational fields and interactions in the action are found. The perturbative expansion of the partition function produces graphs colored with su(2) algebraic data, from which one can reconstruct a 3d simplicial complex representing space-time and its geometry; (like in the Ponzano-Regge formulation of pure 3d quantum gravity), as well as the Feynman graph for typical matter fields. Thus a mechanism for generation of matter and construction of new dimensions are found from pure gravity.Comment: 11 pages, no figure, to be published in International Journal of Geometric Methods in Modern Physic

68Ga-PET: a powerful generator-based alternative to cyclotron-based PET radiopharmaceuticals

PET (positron emission tomography) is a powerful diagnostic and imaging technique which requires short-lived positron emitting isotopes. The most commonly used are accelerator-produced 11C and 18F. An alternative is the use of metallic positron emitters. Among them 68Ga deserves special attention because of its availability from long-lived 68Ge/68Ga generator systems which render 68Ga radiopharmacy independent of an onsite cyclotron. The coordination chemistry of Ga3+ is dominated by its hard acid character. A variety of mono- and bifunctional chelators have been developed which allow the formation of stable 68 Ga3+ complexes and convenient coupling to biomolecules. 68Ga coupling to small biomolecules is potentially an alternative to 18F- and 11C-based radiopharmacy. In particular, peptides targeting G-protein coupled receptors overexpressed on human tumour cells have shown preclinically and clinically high and specific tumour uptake. Kit-formulated precursors along with the generator may be provided, similar to the 99Mo/99mTc-based radiopharmacy, still the mainstay of nuclear medicine