MASSIVE CODESIGN

This book focuses on “massive codesign”: the idea that multiple and/or numerous participants having different voices collaborate in a design pro- cess broken down into different steps and formats and resulting in a relevant and diversified amount of data. Services, strategies and scenarios are presented as the main field of ap- plication: these are complex items that demand complex processes be tac- kled, processes in which it is necessary to involve a variety of players who are largely interdependent and therefore who must collaborate in order to achieve any goal. The book essentially makes two main contributions: a “Collaborative De- sign Framework” to identify and structure codesign activities, methods and tools within massive creative processes; a “set of quick lessons learnt” to provide guidance to the conception and organisation of other massive crea- tive processes. The whole book is oriented at practice: it discusses codesign activities from the designer’s point of view, detailing issues such as process from beginning to end, activity flow, manipulability of tools, roles and rules for participants and many others. It is intended as a support for designers dealing in massive codesign processes and aims towards improved results

Massive Codesign

"This book focuses on ""massive codesign"": the idea that multiple and/or numerous participants having different voices collaborate in a design process broken down into different steps and formats and resulting in a relevant and diversified amount of data. Services, strategies and scenarios are presented as the main field of application: these are complex items that demand complex processes be tackled, processes in which it is necessary to involve a variety of players who are largely interdependent and therefore who must collaborate in order to achieve any goal. The book essentially makes two main contributions: a ""Collaborative Design Framework"" to identify and structure codesign activities, methods and tools within massive creative processes; a ""set of quick lessons learnt"" to provide guidance to the conception and organisation of other massive creative processes. The whole book is oriented at practice: it discusses codesign activities from the designer's point of view, detailing issues such as process from beginning to end, activity flow, manipulability of tools, roles and rules for participants and many others. It is intended as a support for designers dealing in massive codesign processes and aims towards improved results.

Sol-gel synthesis of CaTiO3:Pr3+ red phosphors : tailoring the synthetic parameters for luminescent and afterglow applications

Two sol-gel synthetic routes for the preparation of CaTiO3: Pr3+ red emitting phosphors were compared, with the aim of producing nanostructured materials with tailored luminescence/afterglow properties. The effect of the synthetic parameters, such as the addition of a stabilizer and calcination temperature, on the structural, morphological, and optical properties was investigated. The desired perovskite phase was obtained at a calcination temperature of 800 degrees C or higher. Although the use of acetic acid as the chelating agent leads to micrometric particles with heterogeneous composition, the presence of hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) results in smaller, less aggregated particles as well as in a high phase purity. At the highest HPC content, surface Ca-rich impurities were detected, although no segregated Ca-rich phases were detectable by X-ray powder diffraction analyses. Luminescence properties were found to be positively related to the phase purity of the oxide, with the highest quantum yields at temperatures equal to or higher than 1000 degrees C. On the contrary, persistent luminescence properties were highest at intermediate calcination temperatures and for samples synthesized with acetic acid. Overall, a notable role of oxygen vacancies resulting from local Ca excess was observed, acting as trap levels promoting longer relaxation pathways. Thanks to the small-sized particles and best steady-state luminescent properties due to a substantial decrease of lattice defects, the HPC synthesis is a promising strategy for light-emitting diode applications. On the other hand, the acetic acid synthesis promoted a higher defect density, which is required for an efficient yield of light emission in the long time range and is thus more suitable for afterglow applications

MATERIALI CON BAGNABILITÀ CONTROLLATA. UN'ISPIRAZIONE DALLA NATURA

The wettability of solid surfaces is the result of the balance between adhesive and cohesive forces. When adhesive forces at the solid/liquid interface prevail over the cohesive forces in the liquid, the drops will spread over the solid leading to a good wetting as in the case of water over an hydrophilic surface. When instead the adhesive forces are weak, the liquid will not wet the surface remaining in droplets, as water on a polymer. Natural materials exhibit tailored wetting behavior: for instance, certain leaves and insects present superhydrophobic properties. By mimicking what nature creates in an exemplary way, the wetting properties of systems can be tailored experimentally to obtain materials with great applicative impact. The possible applications of such phenomena are very numerous and span from biomaterials to antistain materials, from antifog surfaces to systems for the protection of cultural heritage

Synthesis and characterization of GdVO4:Nd near-infrared phosphors for optical time-gated in vivo imaging

Many medical imaging techniques use some form of ionizing radiation. This radiation is not only potentially harmful for the patient, but also for the medical personnel. An alternative imaging technique uses near-infrared (NIR) emitting luminescent particles as tracers. If the luminescent probes are excited inside the body, autofluorescence from the biological tissues is also induced. This problem can be circumvented by using time-gated imaging. Hereby, the light collection only starts when the fluorescence of the tissue has decayed. This requires particles showing both excitation and emission in the near-infrared and a long decay time so that they can be used in time-gated imaging. In this work, Nd-doped GdVO4 NIR emitting particles were prepared using solid state reaction. Particles could be efficiently excited at 808 nm, right in the first transparency window for biological tissues, emitted in the second transparency window at around 1064 nm, and showed a decay time of the order of 70 μs, sufficiently long for time-gating. By using a Gd-containing host, these particles could be ideally suited for multimodal optical/magnetic imaging after size reduction and surface functionalization

Transanal irrigation (TAI) in the paediatric population: Literature review and consensus of an Italian multicentre working group

Constipation and fecal incontinence in pediatric patients are conditions due to either functional or organic bowel dysfunction and may represent a challenging situation both for parents, pediatricians, and pediatric surgeons. Different treatments have been proposed throughout the past decades with partial and alternant results and, among all proposed techniques, in the adult population the Transanal Irrigation (TAI) has become popular. However, little is known about its efficacy in children. Therefore, a group of Italian pediatric surgeons from different centers, all experts in bowel management, performed a literature review and discussed the best-practice for the use of TAI in the pediatric population. This article suggests some tips, such as the careful patients’ selection, a structured training with expert in pediatric colorectal diseases, and a continuous follow-up, that are considered crucial for the full success of treatment