334 research outputs found
Light absorption spectra in oligothiophene molecules
Para el dictado de clases, se pueden utilizar diferentes herramientas que nos brindan las nuevas tecnologÃas; herramientas que nos están modificando los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Actualmente, hemos pasado de usar internet como una fuente de información a un recurso docente indispensable en el aula. Este artÃculo se fundamenta en brindar información sobre las herramientas de uso de plataforma web como recurso docente. Las plataformas son aplicables tanto a la enseñanza presencial como a distancia siendo un gran recurso didáctico que enriquece el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje y facilita la evaluación continua del estudiante.Centro de Investigación en Lectura y Escritura (CILE
A new insight into the oxidative mechanism of caffeine and related methylxanthines in aprotic medium: May caffeine be really considered as an antioxidant?
Background: Antioxidant properties have been recently suggested for caffeine that seems showing protective
effects against damages caused by oxidative stress. In particular, a HO% scavenging activity has been ascribed to
caffeine. Even if the oxidation of caffeine has been widely studied, the antioxidant mechanism is still far to be
understood.
Methods: The electrochemical behavior of caffeine, theobromine and theophylline was studied in aprotic
medium by cyclic voltammetry and electrolysis in UV–vis cell; a computational analysis of the molecular
structures based on the Density Functional Theory was performed; the reactivity of all substrates towards lead
dioxide, superoxide and galvinoxyl radical was followed by UV–vis spectrophotometry.
Results: Results supported the mono-electronic oxidation of the C4]C5 bond for all substrates at high oxidation
potentials, the electron-transfer process leading to a radical cation or a neutral radical according to the starting
methylxanthine N7-substituted (caffeine and theobromine) or N7-unsubstituted (theophylline), respectively. A
different following chemical fate might be predicted for the radical cation or the neutral radical. No interaction
was evidenced towards the tested reactive oxygen species.
Conclusions: No reactivity via H-atom transfer was evidenced for all studied compounds, suggesting that an
antiradical activity should be excluded. Some reactivity only with strong oxidants could be predicted via electron-
transfer. The acclaimed HO% scavenging activity should be interpreted in these terms. The study suggested
that CAF might be hardly considered an antioxidant.
General significance: Beyond the experimental methods used, the discussion of the present results might provide
food for thought to the wide audience working on antioxidants
Triggering Amino Acid Detection by Atomistic Resolved Tunneling Current Signals in Graphene Nanoribbon Devices for Peptide Sequencing
The transversal tunneling current flowing across a narrow nanogap is employed for amino acid recognition in polypeptides during their translocation across the nanogap. An ideal device, consisting o..
Inter-Organizational Learning and Collective Memory in Small Firms Clusters: an Agent-Based Approach
Literature about Industrial Districts has largely emphasized the importance of both economic and social factors in determining the competitiveness of these particular firms\' clusters. For thirty years, the Industrial District productive and organizational model represented an alternative to the integrated model of fordist enterprise. Nowadays, the district model suffers from competitive gaps, largely due to the increase of competitive pressure of globalization. This work aims to analyze, through an agent-based simulation model, the influence of informal socio-cognitive coordination mechanisms on district\'s performances, in relation to different competitive scenarios. The agent-based simulation approach is particularly fit for this purpose as it is able to represent the Industrial District\'s complexity. Furthermore, it permits to develop dynamic analysis of district\'s performances according to different types of environment evolution. The results of this work question the widespread opinion that cooperative districts can answer to environmental changes more effectively that non-cooperative ones. In fact, the results of simulations show that, in the presence of turbulent scenarios, the best performer districts are those in which cooperation and competition, trust and opportunism balance out.Firm Networks, Collective Memory, Agent Based Models, Uncertainty
Modelling Networked Cognition: A Socio-Computational Approach
In this paper an agent-based model is proposed in which effects
of collective cognition are represented via the operazionalization of the construct
of collective memory. The model is aimed at representing an evolving local
networks of suppliers and final firms competing among them, making alliances and
selling products on the market in the presence of environmental instability. A set of
hypothesis has been tested in order to evaluate the influence on network’s
performances of collective memory.
Through the proposed model, this article illustrates advantages and limitations of
computer based models to investigate collective cognition. The extent to which
computational approaches can be used to model collective cognitive constructs
such as collective memory and learning and their influence on social action is
examined. Finally, implications for research and practice on organizational
cognition resulting from a social computation view are outlined
Regional innovation systems as complex adaptive systems: The case of lagging European regions
This article proposes an agent-based model to support the development of self-sustaining
regional innovation systems (RIS). The model is the base of a computational laboratory, CARIS (Complex
Adaptive Regional Innovation System), which aims at evaluating the self-sustainability of RIS and at
investigating what are the resources, competencies and mechanisms able to trigger powerful innovation
and economic growth processes. Such a topic is particularly interesting for the so-called lagging regions,
which, notwithstanding noticeable policy interventions, have been unable to significantly improve
their innovation performances. Results of this study show that the exploration capacity, the propensity
to cooperation, and the endowed competencies of actors belonging to a region could be considered as
key aspects in affecting the regional innovation performance. This means that policy-makers should
(i) incentivize investments in research and development activities both at the public and private
levels; (ii) support public-private partnerships; (iii) enhance national and regional university systems;
and (iv) increase the number of researchers employed both in the public and private sectors. In the
next future, the CARIS laboratory could be adopted as policy support instrument to evaluate how
much effective are current innovation policies and what are the most effective ones to reassess the
current patterns
Migration barriers of neutral As di-interstitials in GaAs
The recent discovery of intrinsic di-interstitial stability against the isolated self-interstitial point defects in GaAs has evidenced the importance of such complexes in, for instance, irradiated GaAs. In this paper, we illustrate and discuss diffusion of such complexes in comparison with isolated self-interstitials. In particular, the diffusion barriers of neutral di-interstitials have been calculated in the framework of density functional theory, showing that, in addition to their being stable, di-interstitials can also diffuse rapidly through the lattice, similarly to isolated self-interstitials
Elegance as Complexity Reduction in Systems Design
Elegance is often invoked as a characteristic of good design, but it cannot be pursued as a design objective because of the absence of actionable definitions that can be translated into design strategies and metrics. In this work, we analyze elegance in the context of systems engineering using a perspective that integrates visual art, Gestalt psychology, neuroscience, and complexity theory. In particular, we measure elegance as effective complexity and theorize that it can be achieved by a process of complexity resolution based on the adoption of eight visual heuristics. We present an empirical study in which a sample of systems engineers were asked to assess alternative representations of a same system and show that effective complexity is strongly correlated to perceived elegance and systems effectiveness. Our results are consistent with independent findings obtained in other fields including design and psychology of perception showing that good design must embed an effective level of complexity achievable through a mix of familiarity and novelty
Water driven adsorption of amino acids on the (101) anatase TiO2 surface: an ab initio study
Arg, Lys and Asp amino acids are known to play a critical role in the adhesion of the RKLPDA engineered peptide on the (101) surface of the titania anatase phase. To understand their contribution to peptide adhesion, we have considered the relevant charge states due to protonation (Arg and Lys) or deprotonation (Asp) occurring in neutral water solution, and studied their adsorption on the (101) anatase TiO2 surface by ab initio total energy calculations based on density functional theory. The adsorption configurations on the hydrated surface are compared to those on the dry surface considering also the presence of the hydration shell around amino acid side-chains. This study explains how water molecules mediate the adsorption of charged amino acids showing that protonated amino acids are chemically adsorbed much more strongly than de-protonated Asp. Moreover it is shown that the polar screening of the hydration shell reduces the adsorption energy of the protonated amino acids to a small extent, thus evidencing that both Arg and Lys strongly adhere on the (101) anatase TiO2 surface in neutral water solution and that they play a major role in the adhesion of the RKLPDA peptide
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