Technology-based Product-services for Supporting Frugal Innovation

In recent years, European manufacturing companies are gradually applying innovative PSS (Product Service Systems), as strategic opportunity for differentiating from competitors, offering an integrated bundle of products and services, targeted on specific needs of different customers. At the same time, frugal innovation has also surged as a new business concept based upon an intelligent use of resources to fulfill region-dependent customers' needs. Both approaches bring forth rethinking of established business models, which in turn asks for an in-depth analysis of the implications on the company organization and infrastructure, at supply chain and plant levels, urging towards manufacturing networks and reconfigurable assembly lines. This paper presents a formalized framework to support product-service design and the related business model characterization, in the context of frugal innovation. The methodology is applied to three real industrial scenarios respectively in the aeronautics, the domestic appliances and the machinery industry, which are analyzed within the framework of the H2020 European funded project 'ProRegio'

Exploring the Vibrational Side of Spin‐Phonon Coupling in Single‐Molecule Magnets via 161Dy Nuclear Resonance Vibrational Spectroscopy

Bad vibrations? $^{161}$Dy nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy gives direct experimental access to the partial phonon density of states which includes all vibrational modes involving a displacement of the Dy$^{III}$ ion. In combination with density functional theory, an assignment to all intramolecular vibrational modes is possible, paving an ideal path to help to clarify the role of phonons in single-molecule magnets. Synchrotron-based nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) using the Mössbauer isotope $^{161}$Dy has been employed for the first time to study the vibrational properties of a single-molecule magnet (SMM) incorporating Dy$^{III}$, namely [Dy(Cy$_{3}$PO)$_{2}$(H$_{2}$O)$_{5}$]Br$_{3}$⋅2 (Cy$_{3}$PO)⋅2 H$_{2}$O ⋅2 EtOH. The experimental partial phonon density of states (pDOS), which includes all vibrational modes involving a displacement of the DyIII ion, was reproduced by means of simulations using density functional theory (DFT), enabling the assignment of all intramolecular vibrational modes. This study proves that $^{161}$Dy NRVS is a powerful experimental tool with significant potential to help to clarify the role of phonons in SMMs

Rational Design of ß-Sheet Ligands Against Aß(42)-Induced Toxicity

A β-sheet-binding scaffold was equipped with long-range chemical groups for tertiary contacts toward specific regions of the Alzheimer's Aβ fibril. The new constructs contain a trimeric aminopyrazole carboxylic acid, elongated with a C-terminal binding site, whose influence on the aggregation behavior of the Aβ(42) peptide was studied. MD simulations after trimer docking to the anchor point (F19/F20) suggest distinct groups of complex structures each of which featured additional specific interactions with characteristic Aβ regions. Members of each group also displayed a characteristic pattern in their antiaggregational behavior toward Aβ. Specifically, remote lipophilic moieties such as a dodecyl, cyclohexyl, or LPFFD fragment can form dispersive interactions with the nonpolar cluster of amino acids between I31 and V36. They were shown to strongly reduce Thioflavine T (ThT) fluorescence and protect cells from Aβ lesions (MTT viability assays). Surprisingly, very thick fibrils and a high β-sheet content were detected in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and CD spectroscopic experiments. On the other hand, distant single or multiple lysines which interact with the ladder of stacked E22 residues found in Aβ fibrils completely dissolve existing β-sheets (ThT, CD) and lead to unstructured, nontoxic material (TEM, MTT). Finally, the triethyleneglycol spacer between heterocyclic β-sheet ligand and appendix was found to play an active role in destabilizing the turn of the U-shaped protofilament. Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) and sedimentation velocity analysis (SVA) provided experimental evidence for some smaller benign aggregates of very thin, delicate structure (TEM, MTT). A detailed investigation by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and other methods proved that none of the new ligands acts as a colloid. The evolving picture for the disaggregation mechanism by these new hybrid ligands implies transformation of well-ordered fibrils into less structured aggregates with a high molecular weight. In the few cases where fibrillar components remain, these display a significantly altered morphology and have lost their acute cellular toxicity

Mononuclear Fe(III) Schiff Base Complex with Trans-FeO₄N₂ Chromophore of <i>o</i>-Aminophenol Origin: Synthesis, Characterisation, Crystal Structure, and Spin State Investigation

A new iron(III) complex (Et3NH)2[Fe(L)2](ClO4)·MeOH (1) where H2L = 2-{(E)-[2-hydroxyphenyl)imino]methyl}phenol has been synthesised and characterised by single crystal XRD, elemental analysis and DC magnetic susceptibility measurements. The dianionic ligands L2− coordinate in a tridentate fashion with the Fe(III) through their deprotonated phenolic oxygens and azomethine nitrogen atoms, resulting in a trans-FeO4N2 chromophore. Variable-temperature magnetic measurements were performed between 300 and 5 K under an applied field of 0.1 T and show that 1 is in the high spin state (S = 5/2) over the whole measured temperature range. This is confirmed by Mössbauer spectroscopy at 77 and 300 K

Untersuchung von Schwingungen in Bezug auf Spin‐Phonon‐Kopplung in Einzelmolekülmagneten mittels nuklearer inelastischer Streuung am 161

Erstmalig wurde Synchrotron-basierte nukleare inelastische Streuung (NIS) unter Nutzung des Mößbauer-Isotops 161Dy für die Untersuchung der vibronischen Eigenschaften eines DyIII-basierten Einzelmolekülmagneten, [Dy(Cy3PO)2(H2O)5]Br3⋅2 (Cy3PO)⋅2 H2O⋅2 EtOH, eingesetzt. Die experimentelle partielle Phononen-Zustandsdichte, die alle Schwingungen mit einer Auslenkung des DyIII-Ions enthält, wurde mit Hilfe von auf Dichtefunktionaltheorie (DFT) basierenden Simulationen reproduziert, was die Zuordnung aller intramolekularen Schwingungsmoden des Moleküls ermöglicht. Diese Studie zeigt, dass 161Dy-NIS als eine experimentelle Methode ein hohes Potential besitzt, um zur Klärung der Rolle von Phononen in Einzelmolekülmagneten beizutragen

Exploring the Vibrational Side of Spin‐Phonon Coupling in Single‐Molecule Magnets via 161

Bad vibrations? $^{161}$Dy nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy gives direct experimental access to the partial phonon density of states which includes all vibrational modes involving a displacement of the Dy$^{III}$ ion. In combination with density functional theory, an assignment to all intramolecular vibrational modes is possible, paving an ideal path to help to clarify the role of phonons in single-molecule magnets. Synchrotron-based nuclear resonance vibrational spectroscopy (NRVS) using the Mössbauer isotope $^{161}$Dy has been employed for the first time to study the vibrational properties of a single-molecule magnet (SMM) incorporating Dy$^{III}$, namely [Dy(Cy$_{3}$PO)$_{2}$(H$_{2}$O)$_{5}$]Br$_{3}$⋅2 (Cy$_{3}$PO)⋅2 H$_{2}$O ⋅2 EtOH. The experimental partial phonon density of states (pDOS), which includes all vibrational modes involving a displacement of the DyIII ion, was reproduced by means of simulations using density functional theory (DFT), enabling the assignment of all intramolecular vibrational modes. This study proves that $^{161}$Dy NRVS is a powerful experimental tool with significant potential to help to clarify the role of phonons in SMMs