Photochemical Energy Conversion with Artificial Molecular Machines

The exploitation of sunlight as a clean, renewable, and distributed energy source is key to facing the energetic demand of modern society in a sustainable and affordable fashion. In the past few decades, chemists have learned to make molecular machines, that is, synthetic chemical systems in which energy inputs cause controlled movements of molecular components that could be used to perform a task. A variety of artificial molecular machines operated by light have been constructed by implementing photochemical processes within appropriately designed (supra)molecular assemblies. These studies could open up new routes for the realization of nanostructured devices and materials capable to harness, convert, and store light energy

Knowledge Management and Organisational Culture

This international Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of key topics, debates and issues within the now well-established field of Knowledge Management (KM)

A Measure of Perceived Performance to Assess Resource Allocation

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00500-015-1696-3Performance measurement is a key issue when a company is designing new strategies to improve resource allocation. This paper offers a new methodology inspired by classic importance-performance analysis (IPA) that provides a global index of importance versus performance for firms. This index compares two rankings of the same set of features regarding importance and performance, taking into account underperforming features. The marginal contribution of each feature to the proposed global index defines a set of iso-curves that represents an improvement in the IPA diagram. The defined index, together with the new version of the diagram, will enable the assessment of a firm's overall performance and, therefore, enhance decision making in the allocation of resources. The proposed methodology has been applied to a Taiwanese multi-format retailer and managerial perceptions of performance and importance are compared to assess the firm's overall performance.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Case-based reasoning with precedent models: Preliminary report

Formalizing case-based reasoning is an important topic in AI and Law, which has been discussed using various approaches, such as formal dialogue games, abstract dialectical frameworks. In this paper we model case-based reasoning by using the formal argument semantics of case models. With the precedent models we present, the validity of legal arguments in the case-based reasoning process can be shown formally. We also present a case study of precedent models in a real legal domain and evaluate the validity of arguments in case-based reasoning

Assessment of the olive oil extraction plant layout implementing a high-power ultrasound machine

The objective of this study is to assess the effects of installation and operation of a high-power ultrasound machine (HPU) for the treatment of olive paste by using ultrasound technology in order to evaluate the best way installation and the best definition of the operating conditions of the machine. The study was conducted installing in an industrial olive oil mill a continuous processing ultrasound machine, which used a frequency of 20 kHz able to work at 3200 kg h−1 as feed capacity. Checking of performance has been carried out by the assessment of the different operating and process conditions, assessing in particular the impact of the ultrasound treatment before and after the malaxation phase on performance indicators of the continuous olive oil plant (plant extractability, olive paste rheological characteristic) and on selected chemical properties of the olive oil extracted (quality parameters, antioxidant content, and volatile profiles). In the tested conditions, high-power ultrasound treatment did not produce significant effect on the legal parameters (free acidity, peroxide index and spectrophotometric indexes), while a significant increase in the content of phenolic compounds was generally observed; higher enhancements were more evident when the high-power ultrasound treatment was carried out before the malaxation phase

Olive cake dietary supplementation in rabbit: immune and oxidative status

The aim of the present study was to study the effect of three different types of dehydrated olive cakes on immunitary and oxidative status of growing rabbits. One hundred and sixty New Zealand White weaned rabbits, 30 day old, were divided into four homogeneous groups. To experimental groups was administered a similar diet integrated with 5% of three types of olive cake (A, B, C) obtained from local olive oil mills. The olive cakes A and C were both of high quality (C better than A), while the by-product B had the lowest level of total polyphenols, o-diphenols and oleic acid and the highest peroxide number. The aspecific immunitary and oxidative status was improved in animals fed olive cakes richer in antioxidant components