Practice-based methodology for effectively modeling and documenting search, protection and innovation

AbstractThis work relates to a methodology for effectively modeling an Action and Problem System and documenting a path built by means of patent databases. The aim of this work is to provide an improved method and operative tool for a quick and reliable patents investigation driven by Boolean algorithms. The method has been tested with several projects for companies of different industrial areas. Moreover in the last months the method has been used in case studies by students from the University of Bergamo with good results after a very few hours of training. Two specific case studies will be discussed in this paper in order to clarify the operative value of said method and to show the results obtained in terms of solutions found and of efforts requested

The Efficacy of Ultramolecular Aqueous Dilutions on a Wheat Germination Model as a Function of Heat and Aging-Time

This study evaluates the effects of temperature and aging on the efficacy of As2O3 at the 45th decimal potency in a wheat germination model, compared against a control and potentized H2O 45×. Each treatment-temperature combination was tested on seeds (Triticum aestivum L.) of Pandas variety, using six Petri dishes (33 seeds/dish) per trial, performing eight trials. Seeds were pre-treated by poisoning with 0.1% As2O3 solution to reduce germination, to allow a better evaluation of homeopathic treatment effects. The outcome variable was the number of non-germinated seeds after 96 h. Temperature effect was investigated by heating each treatment in a water bath for 30 min (at 20, 40 or 70°C), or for 5 min (at 100°C), and that of aging by dividing experimental data, collected over a period of nearly five months, into two groups: early and late experiments. Results seem to show that the efficacy of As2O3 45× is unaltered at 20 and 40°C, increases at 70°C and decreases at 100°C. As regards aging, a notable difference was found between early trials, with no significant efficacy, and late trials, where As2O3 45× exhibits a repeated significant effect versus control, except at 100°C. A reduction in variability was observed for As2O3 45× at 20°C versus control, confirming the findings of previous work. The main conclusion suggested by this experiment is that the efficacy of As2O3 45× on wheat germination may be influenced by heating degree and seems to have an increasing trend as a function of aging

Self-Organized Crystallization Patterns from Evaporating Droplets of Common Wheat Grain Leakages as a Potential Tool for Quality Analysis

We studied the evaporation-induced pattern formation in droplets of common wheat kernel leakages prepared out of ancient and modern wheat cultivars as a possible tool for wheat quality analysis. The experiments showed that the substances which passed into the water during the soaking of the kernels created crystalline structures with different degrees of complexity while the droplets were evaporating. The forms ranged from spots and simple structures with single ramifications, through dendrites, up to highly organized hexagonal shapes and fractal-like structures. The patterns were observed and photographed using dark field microscopy in small magnifications. The evaluation of the patterns was performed both visually and by means of the fractal dimension analysis. From the results, it can be inferred that the wheat cultivars differed in their pattern-forming capacities. Two of the analyzed wheat cultivars showed poor pattern formation, whereas another two created well-formed and complex patterns. Additionally, the wheat cultivars were analyzed for their vigor by means of the germination test and measurement of the electrical conductivity of the grain leakages. The results showed that the more vigorous cultivars also created more complex patterns, whereas the weaker cultivars created predominantly poor forms. This observation suggests a correlation between the wheat seed quality and droplet evaporation patterns

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5-11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12-18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19-25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased from one in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons. In conclusion, we designed an RT-qPCR assay capable to detect the Omicron variant, which can be successfully used for the purpose of wastewater-based epidemiology. We also described the history of the introduction and diffusion of the Omicron variant in the Italian population and territory, confirming the effectiveness of sewage monitoring as a powerful surveillance tool

TRIZ based patent investigation by evaluating inventiveness

Among TRIZ users the importance given to patent resources is far behind the mere protection of R&D results. Patents represent a starting point for new inven-tions and a huge resource for collecting information on the way contradictions have been solved and in which different field such solutions may be adopted. Moreover the worldwide patent database contains information about the technol-ogy evolution that can be extracted so that the level of maturity of a product or process can be evaluated towards TRIZ laws of technical evolution. The contribution of this paper is to provide a step by step procedure, partially automatic, to perform TRIZ oriented patent search. The procedure, while deter-mining the level of innovation of patents, allows defining a sharp set of patents responding to a structured query. The procedure has been applied to several case studies of different fields (e.g. me-chanical, medical, and electronics) and a significant example referring to X-rays technology is shown in the paper

A Review of Three Simple Plant Models and Corresponding Statistical Tools for Basic Research in Homeopathy

In this paper, we review three simple plant models (wheat seed germination, wheat seedling growth, and infected tobacco plants) that we set up during a series of experiments carried out from 1991 to 2009 in order to study the effects of homeopathic treatments. We will also describe the set of statistical tools applied in the different models. The homeopathic treatment used in our experiments was arsenic trioxide (As2O3) diluted in a decimal scale and dynamized. Since the most significant results were achieved with the 45th decimal potency, both for As2O3 (As 45x) and water (W 45x), we here report a brief summary of these results. The statistical analysis was performed by using parametric and nonparametric tests, and Poisson distribution had an essential role when dealing with germination experiments. Finally, we will describe some results related to the changes in variability, which seems to be one of the targets of homeopathic treatment effect

Ribosomal DNA in diploid and polyploid Setaria (Poaceae) species: number and distribution

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Effects of homeopathic and mineral treatments on dark leaf spot caused by Alternaria brassicicola on cauliflower

This research aimed at verifying the efficacy of some homeopathic and mineral treatments on Alternaria brassicicola/cauliflower interaction. Growth chamber experiments and a field trial were performed, using Brassica plants artificially inoculated with the fungus. In growth chamber experiments, infection was significantly reduced by arsenic trioxide 35 decimal potency (As2O3 35 d) and in field trial by both As2O3 35 d and bentonite treatments

A TRIZ-based approach to manage innovation and intellectual property

In this paper, we present a methodology and a working paradigm, based on TRIZ theory, specifically conceived for SMEs that are not able to face the problem of intellectual property management (IPM) in an autonomous way. As a first step, we introduce the competences and possible company structure to manage and protect intellectual property (IP) by means of patents and trademarks; then we describe the methodologies and the tools, which can be used for IPM, such as those derived from TRIZ. Finally, we describe a case study which refers to a typical example of know-how transfer from a technological leading sector to the large production of consumable products showing the use of considered TRIZ tools

Highly diluted arsenic affects plant resistance to pathogens and nutraceutical properties

In recent decades intensive agriculture posed severe environmental problems with detrimental consequences on human health. For this reason, in recent years there has been a spread of environmentally and economically sound agricultural methods. Among these, organic production systems are now under widespread development. In this context homeopathic preparations, due to their extreme dilutions, could be suitable for use in organic agriculture. The present work is aimed at evaluating the effects of highly diluted arsenic trioxide (As2O3) on three plant models: 1) Tobacco plants carrying the TMV resistance gene N inoculated by tobacco mosaic virus (TMV); 2) Cauliflower inoculated by the fungus Alternaria brassicicola; 3) In vitro bean germination 1) In this model , As2O3 treatment was chosen on the basis of the hypersensitive-like reaction (necrotic spots) induced by As2O3 in phytotoxic concentration on healthy tobacco leaves .The experimental set-up consisted in a blind, randomized scheme using tobacco leaf disks. TMV inoculated leaf disks were floated for 3 days in the homeopathic treatments and in control (distilled water). The working variable was the area and the number of hypersensitive lesions per disk evaluated 3 days after virus inoculation. Results showed that 5 and 45 decimal potencies of arsenic induced significant reductions of area and number of necrotic lesions vs. control. 2) In cauliflower/Alternaria brassicicola model, growth chamber (i) and field (ii) experiments were performed: (i) As2O3 35 dH (As) , As diluted 1:5000 and a bentonite treatment (10 g/l) were compared with copper oxicloride (Cu) at 0.3, 1, and 3 g/l, and f-aminobutyric acid (BABA, 5 mM), the control being water; (ii) the field was divided in plots (6 plants/treatment), each treatment being replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were sprayed weekly on the leaves before and after artificial fungal inoculation. Results of (i) confirmed the significant effect in disease control of As (infection level reduction vs. control of about 40%); Cu and BABA significantly reduced disease severity. In (ii), disease assessments on cauliflower heads showed a similar and significant reduction of disease symptoms for As, bentonite and Cu 3 g/l, with a relative efficacy vs. control of 46%, 42%, 45%, respectively. Moreover, As treatments induced an increase of total glucosinolate content in healthy cauliflower heads. 3) In vitro bean germination experiments are still in progress: the aim is to verify the effects of highly diluted treatments on germination percentage and rate; moreover, an evaluation of nutraceutical properties (phytoestrogens and melatonin content) will be performed