Not all arguments are processed equally: a distributional model of argument complexity

Language Resources and Evaluation - This work addresses some questions about language processing: what does it mean that natural language sentences are semantically complex? What semantic features...     

Protein patterning on polycrystalline silicon–germanium via standard UV lithography for bioMEMS applications

Polycrystalline silicon–germanium (poly-SiGe) is a promising structural material for the post-processing of micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) on top of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) substrates. Combining MEMS and CMOS allows for the development of high-performance devices. We present for the first time selective protein immobilization on top of poly-SiGe surfaces, an enabling technique for the development of novel poly-SiGe based MEMS biosensors. Active regions made of 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES) were defined using silane deposition onto photoresist patterns followed by lift-off in organic solvents. Subsequently, proteins were covalently bound on the created APTES patterns. Fluorescein-labeled human serum albumin (HSA) was used to verify the immobilization procedure while the binding capability of the protein layer was tested by an antigen-labeled antibody pair. Inspection by fluorescence microscopy showed protein immobilization inside the desired bioactive areas and low non-specific adsorption outside the APTES pattern. Furthermore, the quality of the silane patches was investigated by treatment with 30 nm-diameter gold nanoparticles and scanning electron microscope observation. The developed technique is therefore a promising first step towards the realization of poly-SiGe based biosensors.     

A Novel and Sustainable Application of Basalt Fibers for Strengthening Unreinforced Masonry Walls

This paper presents the first results of a study aimed at improving the seismic behavior of unreinforced masonry walls by a novel and sustainable application of basalt fibers. Five masonry panels were tested under out-of-plane actions, one of the common way of failure for masonry walls during an earthquake. Three of them were dry-strengthened by using two different techniques (a “lozenge” stitching and a “reticulum” one), while two unreinforced panels were used as reference. Besides, two other bigger masonry walls were dry-reinforced by “lozenge” stitching and vertical ropes and were tested by putting them horizontally and then loaded.

The results indicate the effectiveness of this dry retrofitting system, increasing the performance of masonry wall specimens under out-of-plane actions. Besides, this technique potentially appears fully sustainable, because it is cheap, compatible, reversible, fire, and chemical resistant, it improves but not replaces original materials and, finally, it does not substantially use synthetic adhesives. This last point is very important both for preserving the health of the applicators and in case of fire-load, where synthetic adhesive often fail.     

Nondestructive Evaluation of Plasters on Historical Thin Vaults by Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometers

Nondestructive evaluation of plasters on historical thin vaults by scanning laser Doppler vibrometers was attempted in this article. The aim was to investigate the state of conservation of historical plasters hanged from thin light vaults made by plaster and reeds that often carried on their lower surface frescoes and stuccos of high historical, artistic, and architectural value. Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometry (SLDV) could represent an effective support for the diagnostic process of these construction system. In particular, the first results underline that processing the data so as to estimate the so-called Operational Deflection Shapes (ODS) does not seem to be helpful as a damage indicator; on the contrary modal analysis seems to be effective in localizing damages present in the specimen.     

Simple Mechanical Model of Curved Beams by a 3D Approach

Starting from three-dimensional (3D) continuum mechanics, a simple one-dimensional model aimed at analyzing the whole static behavior of nonhomogeneous curved beams is proposed. The kinematics is described by four one-dimensional (unknown) functions representing radial, tangential, and out-of-plane displacements of the beam axis, which are due to flexures and extension, and the twist of the cross section due to torsion. The flexural and axial displacements fit with the classical Euler–Bernoulli beam theory of straight beams, and nonuniform torsion is also considered. The relevant elastogeometric parameters have been determined, and the system of governing equilibrium equations is obtained by means of the principle of minimum potential energy. Finally, the general theory is illustrated with examples.     

Design and Synthesis of Novel Raman Reporters for Bioorthogonal SERS Nanoprobes Engineering

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) exploiting Raman reporter-labeled nanoparticles (RR@NPs) represents a powerful tool for the improvement of optical bio-assays due to RRs’ narrow peaks, SERS high sensitivity, and potential for multiplexing. In the present work, starting from low-cost and highly available raw materials such as cysteamine and substituted benzoic acids, novel bioorthogonal RRs, characterized by strong signal (10³ counts with FWHM < 15 cm⁻¹) in the biological Raman-silent region (>2000 cm⁻¹), RRs are synthesized by implementing a versatile, modular, and straightforward method with high yields and requiring three steps lasting 18 h, thus overcoming the limitations of current reported procedures. The resulting RRs’ chemical structure has SH-pendant groups exploited for covalent conjugation to high anisotropic gold-NPs. RR@NPs constructs work as SERS nanoprobes demonstrating high colloidal stability while retaining NPs’ physical and vibrational properties, with a limit of detection down to 60 pM. RR@NPs constructs expose carboxylic moieties for further self-assembling of biomolecules (such as antibodies), conferring tagging capabilities to the SERS nanoprobes even in heterogeneous samples, as demonstrated with in vitro experiments by transmembrane proteins tagging in cell cultures. Finally, thanks to their non-overlapping spectra, we envision and preliminary prove the possibility of exploiting RR@NPs constructs simultaneously, aiming at improving current SERS-based multiplexing bioassays.     

An Experimental Study On Damage Evolution of Unfired Dry Earth Under Compression

The damage behaviour of unfired dry earth is determined experimentally under compression by means of loading-unloading cyclic tests. The scalar damage parameter is determined and its evolution law is related to the applied strain - d (e){d (\varepsilon)} . Interpolating functions are determined, permitting to estimate how the damage depends on the deformation process of the considered material. Different aspect-ratios of the specimens are considered.     

Fracture Characteristics of Unfired Earth

The fracture mechanics concepts were applied to describe the experimental results of three-points bending tests to investigate fracture characteristics and crack resistance of unfired earth material.