From knowledge co-creation to value co-creation and beyond: challenging global emergency in smart service systems.

The study seeks to investigate the impact of pandemic on teaching and learning processes involved in Higher Education (HE) by analysing the way in which knowledge exchange and value co-creation are reframed through ICTs and technology. The adoption of the interpretative lens of Service Science permits to reread HE as a smart service system. The empirical research, based on content analysis as an inquiry, analyses: 1) the transformations introduced in technology adoption, information sharing, knowledge and value co-creation to comply with the disruption “imposed” by the the sanitary emergency; 2) the way in which this transformation can introduce novelties in Higher education system. The results identify the different drivers for value and knowledge co-creation that can be implemented in technology-enhanced teaching and learning and the different novelties that can be generated from the emergence of innovation

Fisheye Photogrammetry to Survey Narrow Spaces in Architecture and a Hypogea Environment

Nowadays, the increasing computation power of commercial grade processors has actively led to a vast spreading of image-based reconstruction software as well as its application in different disciplines. As a result, new frontiers regarding the use of photogrammetry in a vast range of investigation activities are being explored. This paper investigates the implementation of fisheye lenses in non-classical survey activities along with the related problematics. Fisheye lenses are outstanding because of their large field of view. This characteristic alone can be a game changer in reducing the amount of data required, thus speeding up the photogrammetric process when needed. Although they come at a cost, field of view (FOV), speed and manoeuvrability are key to the success of those optics as shown by two of the presented case studies: the survey of a very narrow spiral staircase located in the Duomo di Milano and the survey of a very narrow hypogea structure in Rome. A third case study, which deals with low-cost sensors, shows the metric evaluation of a commercial spherical camera equipped with fisheye lenses

Singlet fission in linear chains of molecules

We develop a model configuration interaction Hamiltonian to study the electronic structure of a chain of molecules undergoing singlet fission. We first consider models for dimer and trimer and then we use a matrix partitioning technique to build models of arbitrary size able to describe the relevant electronic structure for singlet fission in linear aggregates. We find that the multi-excitonic state (ME) is stabilized at short inter-monomer distance and the extent of this stabilization depends upon the size of orbital coupling between neighboring monomers. We also find that the coupling between ME states located on different molecules is extremely small leading to bandwidths in the order of ∼10 meV. This observation suggests that multi-exciton states are extremely localized by electron-phonon coupling and that singlet fission involves the transition between a relatively delocalized Frenkel exciton and a strongly localized multi-exciton state. We adopt the methodology commonly used to study non-radiative transitions to describe the singlet fission dynamics in these aggregates and we discuss the limit of validity of the approach. The results indicate that the phenomenology of singlet fission in molecular crystals is different in many important ways from what is observed in isolated dimers

A Glycerol-Based Deep Eutectic Solvent as Natural Medium and Organic Reductant for Homocoupling of (Hetero)Aryl Chlorides: a Green Route to 2,2’-Bipyridine and Biaryl Scaffolds

A glycerol-based Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) enables the Pd-catalyzed activation of (hetero)arylchlorides and promotes the formation of 2,2’-bipiyridines and biaryls through an Ullmann-type homocoupling in smooth experimental conditions (80 °C) with Ca(OH)2 as a green base and Pd/C as heterogeneous catalyst. Noteworthy, the coupling does not need the addition of external reducing agents, like metals, since the glycerol present in the DES acts as a safe and green organic reductant. The heterogeneous catalytic system (DES-Pd/C) showed to be easily recyclable and has been applied to the sustainable synthesis of the Abametapir drug

[18F]-Fludeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography with Radiomics Analysis in Patients Undergoing Aortic In-Situ Reconstruction with Cryopreserved Allografts

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of positron emission tomography/computed tomography with [18F]-fludeoxyglucose (FDG-PET/CT) and radiomics analysis in detecting differences between the native aorta and the abdominal aortic allograft after the total eradication of infection in patients undergoing infected graft removal and in situ reconstruction with cryopreserved allografts

Comparative assessment of the quality of commercial black and green tea using microbiology analyses

Drinking tea constitutes a tradition which is deeply rooted in the culture of several countries. Moreover, in recent years, tea consumption is growing all over the world. Improper herbal tea storage (long periods, humid environments) represents a relevant health hazard for consumers because of the growth of bacteria and molds

Antimicrobial Applications of Green Synthesized Bimetallic Nanoparticles from Ocimum basilicum

Antibiotic resistance is an important and emerging alarm for public health that requires development of new potential antibacterial strategies. In recent years, nanoscale materials have emerged as an alternative way to fight pathogens. Many researchers have shown great interest in nanoparticles (NPs) using noble metals, such as silver, gold, and platinum, even though numerous nanomaterials have shown toxicity. To overcome the problem of toxicity, nanotechnology merged with green chemistry to synthesize nature-friendly nanoparticles from plants. Here, we describe the synthesis of NPs using silver (AgNPs) and platinum (PtNPs) alone or in combination (AgPtNPs) in the presence of Ocimum basilicum (O. basilicum) leaf extract. O. basilicum is a well-known medicinal plant with antibacterial compounds. A preliminary chemical–physical characterization of the extract was conducted. The size, shape and elemental analysis were carried out using UV–Visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and zeta potential. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed polydisperse NPs with spherical shape. The size of the particles was approximately 59 nm, confirmed by DLS analysis, and the polydisperse index was 0.159. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) demonstrated an effective and selective capping of the phytoconstituents on the NPs. The cytotoxic activities of AgNPs, PtNPs and AgPtNPs were assessed on different epithelial cell models, using the 3-[4.5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2.5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell proliferation assay, and discovered low toxicity, with a cell viability of 80%. The antibacterial potential of the NPs was evaluated against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumoniae), and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strains. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays showed AgPtNP activity till the least concentration of NPs (3.15–1.56 g/mL) against ATCC, MS, and MDR E. coli, E. faecalis, and S. aureus and the Kirby–Bauer method showed that AgPtNPs gave a zone of inhibition for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in a range of 9–25 mm. In addition, we obtained AgPtNP synergistic activity in combination with vancomycin or ampicillin antibiotics. Taken together, these results indicate that bimetallic nanoparticles, synthesized from O. basilicum leaf extract, could represent a natural, ecofriendly, cheap, and safe method to produce alternative antibacterial strategies with low cytotoxicity