Using a mathematical forum in a graduate course : The nature of Rick's and John’s participation

Our work focuses on a traditional graduate course paired with online asynchronous forum that involved engineering students. The number of students in the course was larger than expected and the forum was suggested to all students as a way to interact between students and with the teacher. We use network analysis to look for central students in the network of the interactions within the forum and then interview two of the most active students to better understand their use of this technological tool. In this paper, we present our findings with the network analysis and the feedback the students gave us to understand the reason why they use the forum

The Shapley value analyzed under the Felsenthal and Machover bargaining model

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Public choice. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11127-018-0560-2.In 1996, Felsenthal and Machover proposed a bargaining procedure for a valuable payoff in cooperative and simple games. They proved that the value underlying their bargaining scheme was the Shapley value by showing that it verifies the axioms that Shapley proposed for characterizing his value. They remarked that a direct proof of the result involves rather formidable combinatorial difficulties, but that it has some independent interest. In this paper, we prove such a combinatorial result and obtain a formula for the Shapley value that has a great potential to be extended to more general classes of games.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

An axiomatization for two power indices for (3,2)-simple games

Electronic version of an article published as International Game Theory Review, Vol. 21, Issue 1, 1940001, 2019, p. 1-24. DOI: 10.1142/S0219198919400012] © World Scientific Publishing Company https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S0219198919400012The aim of this work is to give a characterization of the Shapley–Shubik and the Banzhaf power indices for (3,2)-simple games. We generalize to the set of (3,2)-simple games the classical axioms for power indices on simple games: transfer, anonymity, null player property and efficiency. However, these four axioms are not enough to uniquely characterize the Shapley–Shubik index for (3,2)-simple games. Thus, we introduce a new axiom to prove the uniqueness of the extension of the Shapley–Shubik power index in this context. Moreover, we provide an analogous characterization for the Banzhaf index for (3,2)-simple games, generalizing the four axioms for simple games and adding another property.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Teaching with emerging technologies in a STEM university math class.

The aim of the research presented in this work is to investigate how innovative teaching formats, based on student-centred activities, may help first year university students to deal with the difficulties in the transition from the mathematics they are used to in high school, to the one they meet at university, which requires a significant shift to conceptual understanding, especially in Calculus courses. As part of this overarching goal, this presentation investigates the case of Taylor series, a topic that is taught in all calculus courses at university. This work shows the efficacy of a blended learning approach, highlighting the main difficulties concerning the deep understanding of functions by students. We discuss possible limitations, and we provide suggestions for best practices in university math classes

Is a Quantum Biosensing Revolution Approaching? Perspectives in NV‐Assisted Current and Thermal Biosensing in Living Cells

none8openPetrini, Giulia; Moreva, Ekaterina; Bernardi, Ettore; Traina, Paolo; Tomagra, Giulia; Carabelli, Valentina; Degiovanni, Ivo Pietro; Genovese, MarcoPetrini, Giulia; Moreva, Ekaterina; Bernardi, Ettore; Traina, Paolo; Tomagra, Giulia; Carabelli, Valentina; Degiovanni, Ivo Pietro; Genovese, Marc

In vitro Digestion of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Cooked Beans Induces Autophagy in Colon Cancer Cells

Phaseolus vulgaris L. (common bean) contains high levels of proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, minerals, fibers, and vitamins, and for this reason, it represents an essential component of the diet. More than 40,000 varieties of beans have been recognized and are staple foods in the traditional cuisine of many countries. In addition to its high nutritional value, P. vulgaris is also characterized by its nutraceutical properties and favors environmental sustainability. In this manuscript, we studied two different varieties of P. vulgaris, Cannellino and Piattellino. We investigated the effects of traditional processing (soaking and cooking) and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of beans on their phytochemical composition and anticancer activity. Using HT29 and HCT116 colon cancer cell lines, we showed that the extract obtained after gastrointestinal digestion of cooked beans (the bioaccessible fraction, BF) induces cell death through the induction of the autophagic process. We demonstrated that the BF of Cannellino and Piattellino beans at the concentration of 100 μg/mL reduces cell vitality, measured by MMT assay, of both HT29 (88.41% ± 5.79 and 94.38% ± 0.47) and HCT116 (86.29% ± 4.3 and 91.23% ± 0.52) cell lines. Consistently, the treatment of HT29 cells with 100 μg/mL of Cannellino and Piattellino BFs reduced clonogenicity by 95% ± 2.14 and 96% ± 0.49, respectively. Moreover, the activity of extracts appeared to be selective for colon cancer cells. The data shown in this work further confirm P. vulgaris to be among foods with beneficial effects for human health. © 2023 by the authors

Teaching with emerging technologies in a STEM university math class

[EN] The aim of the research presented in this work is to investigate how innovative teaching formats, based on student-centred activities, may help first year university students to deal with the difficulties in the transition from the mathematics they are used to in high school, to the one they meet at university, which requires a significant shift to conceptual understanding, especially in Calculus courses. As part of this overarching goal, this presentation investigates the case of Taylor series, a topic that is taught in all calculus courses at university. This work shows the efficacy of a blended learning approach, highlighting the main difficulties concerning the deep understanding of functions by students. We discuss possible limitations, and we provide suggestions for best practices in university math classes.Andrà, C.; Bernardi, G.; Brunetto, D. (2019). Teaching with emerging technologies in a STEM university math class. En HEAD'19. 5th International Conference on Higher Education Advances. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 963-971. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD19.2019.9179OCS96397

Challenges of political participation and intra-party democracy: Bittersweet symphony from party membership and primary elections in Italy

In this article, we explore the impact of intra-party democratization processes on party membership. We analyze the opinions and attitudes of enrolled members on intra-party democracy instruments and on the use of open primaries. We investigate, with original data sets on Italy, the relationship between primaries and party members. How do enrolled members perceive internal democratization and primaries? Which factors contribute to explaining grassroots members’ opinion on primaries? We use the case of the Italian Democratic Party (PD) to argue that different subsets of the party membership (divided into new-style and old-style members, on the basis of their relationship with the party and their participatory style) have different views on primaries. Quantitative analysis of survey data on party members reveals two main findings. Our first result is that members approve and positively assess the adoption of new procedures of intra-party democracy. Second, membership style matters: old-style members react to the adoption of primary elections differently than new-style members. Indeed, old-style members understand primaries as a renovated chance of participating in the party’s activities, whereas for new-style members primaries give the opportunity for a new mode of participation. Our findings contribute to the existing empirical research on intra-party democracy and party membership, and have important implications for the triangular link between parties, members and primaries