Improving electrical conductivity of leather surface: a new technology versus industrial applications

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Boson Sampling in a reconfigurable continuously-coupled 3D photonic circuit

Boson Sampling is a computational paradigm representing one of the most viable and pursued approaches to demonstrate the regime of quantum advantage. Recent results have demonstrated significant technological leaps in single-photon generation and detection, leading to progressively larger experimental instances of Boson Sampling experiments in different photonic systems. However, a crucial requirement for a fully-fledged platform solving this problem is the capability of implementing large scale interferometers, that must simultaneously exhibit low losses, high degree of reconfigurability and the realization of arbitrary transformations. In this work, we move a step forward in this direction by demonstrating the adoption of a novel compact and reconfigurable 3D-integrated platform for photonic Boson Sampling. We perform 3- and 4-photon experiments by using such platform, showing the possibility of programming the circuit to implement a large number of unitary transformations. These results show that such compact and highly-reconfigurable layout can be scaled up to experiments with larger number of photon and modes, and can provide a viable direction for hybrid computing with photonic processors.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figure

Highly active and stable Fe 3 O 4 /Au nanoparticles supporting lipase catalyst for biodiesel production from waste tomato

Snowman-like Fe 3 O 4 /Au nanoparticles (NPs), made up of small Au nanoparticles grown on larger magnetite NPs, were used to directly bond lipase (E.C.3.1.1.3) from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TL), through physical interactions including interfacial activation. Immobilized lipase was able to hydrolyse olive oil triglycerides with high activity (up to 109%, activity of the immobilized enzyme compared to that of its free form, at pH = 7, standard deviation (SD) of 2.1). Improved stability, derived from gold based NPs, was observed with temperature and pH (e.g. 334.9% at pH = 8.5, …). Specifically, snowman-like NPs were used to catalyse the transesterification of tomato seed oil and their activity was compared with that obtained with the free enzyme and the enzyme immobilized on Fe 3 O 4 NPs alone. At a lipase concentration of 20%, reaction temperature of 45 °C, oil/methanol ratio 1:6 obtained by adding two times methanol to a 1:1 M initial solution, with a reaction time of 24 h, immobilized lipase exhibits a remarkable biodiesel yield of 98.5%. In particular, it shows the following: fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition in accordance to that of the extracted tomato seed oil; ester (97.2% ± 0.26) and linolenic methyl ester (4.3% ± 0.22 contents) in compliance with EN14103 methods and in agreement with EN14124 requirements. The highest activity was observed at a molar ratio oil/methanol of 1:6 M. It is worth noting, that in transesterification reactions, in contrast with the behaviour shown for hydrolysis, lipase anchored on snowman-like NPs results more active than on magnetite alone. The immobilized lipase activity stays above 84% after three cycles of use, showing an excellent reusability also due to the stabilizing effect of gold

Active biocatalyst for biodiesel production from spent coffee ground

Physical adsorption preserving activity and support reusability was used to directly bond lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus on citric acid (CA) modified Fe3O4/Au magnetic nanoparticles. A new faster approach has been used for CA ligand exchange, which ensures an high payload of stable enzyme. The immobilized lipase was tested for the biodiesel production from spent coffee ground in a solvent free system. It retains, after 60 days, more than 90% of its initial activity. Biodiesel yield of 51.7%, after 3 h of synthesis, which increases up to ∼100% after 24 h indicating an enzymatic fast kinetic, was measured. No significant decrease, during the first three cycles of use, of the lipase activity occurs. The biodiesel presents an ester content of 98.4 ± 0.23 in agreement with the EN14214. The iodine value of 76.67 (g iodine/100 g) is in agreement with the European standard

Optimized procedure for the preparation of an enzymatic nanocatalyst to produce a bio-lubricant from waste cooking oil

Bio-lubricant was obtained through esterification of WCOs free fatty acids with neopentyl glycol by using Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (TL) immobilized on Fe 3 O 4 -CA (citric acid modified magnetite nanoparticles) catalyst. An optimized eco-friendly procedure was used to synthesize Fe 3 O 4 -CA nanosupport for direct immobilization of the enzyme. The experimental results evidence the successful immobilization of lipase on the as produced nanoparticles with high efficiency >96%. The immobilized TL shows very high activity (activity recovery ∼99%). The immobilized lipase was used for the bio-lubricant synthesis from WCOs in a solvent-free system. The bio-lubricant conversion has been monitored for 24 h. High conversion of ∼45% and ∼68% were observed already after 3 h and 6 h of synthesis, respectively. No significant reduction, during ten cycles of use, of the lipase activity occurs. An increased conversion was obtained with the addition of molecular sieves, which permits to achieve a maximum conversion of 94% after 24 h. Analyses of the bio-lubricant properties showed a viscosity index of ∼179 and a pour point of ∼−8 °C

Cinema And Geography: A Theoretical – Practical Model (From Film To Lesson) For Learning Geography

This paper assumes that school, while conducting experimentation activity, is committed to reorganizing education in close connection with the new modalities of learning and “knowledge" organization, as well as with the process of evolution / transformation of today's languages and technologies, keeping up with complex changes in cultural, social, political and economic aspects of modern society. The cinema, through its art films, can be used as an extension of a specific subject of study, as a cultural vehicle, and as a means to conduct the learner to a logical-critical pursuit of knowledge, in tune with the demands posed by a good curriculum planning, the creation of motivation and interest in students, and the openness to disciplinary themes related to reality. It offers several paths for direct exploration and research, around which to organize ideas and new knowledge, developing cognitions of "the other" and "the elsewhere", giving the opportunity to think about those stereotypes through which the image of "the other" is commonly represented and / or manipulated. The methodological approach is primarily based on an interactive analysis and interpretation of a "far away" reality (Sierra Leone), yet close in terms of common contents. Among the cross-cutting objectives, particularly significant are the development and enhancement of language understanding and communication skills; of specific knowledge of socio-economic aspects, which have characterised the cultural and social development of various areas of the "global planet"; and of the underlying communicative and creative trends