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| 4. |
- Zhang, D, et al.
(author)
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Spatial epigenome-transcriptome co-profiling of mammalian tissues
- 2023
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 616:7955, s. 113-122
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Emerging spatial technologies, including spatial transcriptomics and spatial epigenomics, are becoming powerful tools for profiling of cellular states in the tissue context1–5. However, current methods capture only one layer of omics information at a time, precluding the possibility of examining the mechanistic relationship across the central dogma of molecular biology. Here, we present two technologies for spatially resolved, genome-wide, joint profiling of the epigenome and transcriptome by cosequencing chromatin accessibility and gene expression, or histone modifications (H3K27me3, H3K27ac or H3K4me3) and gene expression on the same tissue section at near-single-cell resolution. These were applied to embryonic and juvenile mouse brain, as well as adult human brain, to map how epigenetic mechanisms control transcriptional phenotype and cell dynamics in tissue. Although highly concordant tissue features were identified by either spatial epigenome or spatial transcriptome we also observed distinct patterns, suggesting their differential roles in defining cell states. Linking epigenome to transcriptome pixel by pixel allows the uncovering of new insights in spatial epigenetic priming, differentiation and gene regulation within the tissue architecture. These technologies are of great interest in life science and biomedical research.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Zhang, D, et al.
(author)
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Spatial epigenome-transcriptome co-profiling of mammalian tissues
- 2023
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 615616:79547955, s. 113-122
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Emerging spatial technologies, including spatial transcriptomics and spatial epigenomics, are becoming powerful tools for profiling of cellular states in the tissue context1–5. However, current methods capture only one layer of omics information at a time, precluding the possibility of examining the mechanistic relationship across the central dogma of molecular biology. Here, we present two technologies for spatially resolved, genome-wide, joint profiling of the epigenome and transcriptome by cosequencing chromatin accessibility and gene expression, or histone modifications (H3K27me3, H3K27ac or H3K4me3) and gene expression on the same tissue section at near-single-cell resolution. These were applied to embryonic and juvenile mouse brain, as well as adult human brain, to map how epigenetic mechanisms control transcriptional phenotype and cell dynamics in tissue. Although highly concordant tissue features were identified by either spatial epigenome or spatial transcriptome we also observed distinct patterns, suggesting their differential roles in defining cell states. Linking epigenome to transcriptome pixel by pixel allows the uncovering of new insights in spatial epigenetic priming, differentiation and gene regulation within the tissue architecture. These technologies are of great interest in life science and biomedical research.
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| 7. |
- Andrienko, G., et al.
(author)
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(So) Big Data and the transformation of the city
- 2020
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In: International Journal of Data Science and Analytics. - : Springer. - 2364-415X .- 2364-4168.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The exponential increase in the availability of large-scale mobility data has fueled the vision of smart cities that will transform our lives. The truth is that we have just scratched the surface of the research challenges that should be tackled in order to make this vision a reality. Consequently, there is an increasing interest among different research communities (ranging from civil engineering to computer science) and industrial stakeholders in building knowledge discovery pipelines over such data sources. At the same time, this widespread data availability also raises privacy issues that must be considered by both industrial and academic stakeholders. In this paper, we provide a wide perspective on the role that big data have in reshaping cities. The paper covers the main aspects of urban data analytics, focusing on privacy issues, algorithms, applications and services, and georeferenced data from social media. In discussing these aspects, we leverage, as concrete examples and case studies of urban data science tools, the results obtained in the “City of Citizens” thematic area of the Horizon 2020 SoBigData initiative, which includes a virtual research environment with mobility datasets and urban analytics methods developed by several institutions around Europe. We conclude the paper outlining the main research challenges that urban data science has yet to address in order to help make the smart city vision a reality.
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| 9. |
- Deng, YX, et al.
(author)
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Spatial profiling of chromatin accessibility in mouse and human tissues
- 2022
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 609:7926, s. 375-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cellular function in tissue is dependent on the local environment, requiring new methods for spatial mapping of biomolecules and cells in the tissue context1. The emergence of spatial transcriptomics has enabled genome-scale gene expression mapping2–5, but the ability to capture spatial epigenetic information of tissue at the cellular level and genome scale is lacking. Here we describe a method for spatially resolved chromatin accessibility profiling of tissue sections using next-generation sequencing (spatial-ATAC-seq) by combining in situ Tn5 transposition chemistry6 and microfluidic deterministic barcoding5. Profiling mouse embryos using spatial-ATAC-seq delineated tissue-region-specific epigenetic landscapes and identified gene regulators involved in the development of the central nervous system. Mapping the accessible genome in the mouse and human brain revealed the intricate arealization of brain regions. Applying spatial-ATAC-seq to tonsil tissue resolved the spatially distinct organization of immune cell types and states in lymphoid follicles and extrafollicular zones. This technology progresses spatial biology by enabling spatially resolved chromatin accessibility profiling to improve our understanding of cell identity, cell state and cell fate decision in relation to epigenetic underpinnings in development and disease.
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| 10. |
- Artini, Cristina, et al.
(author)
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Roadmap on thermoelectricity
- 2023
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In: Nanotechnology. - : IOP Publishing Ltd. - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 34:29
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The increasing energy demand and the ever more pressing need for clean technologies of energy conversion pose one of the most urgent and complicated issues of our age. Thermoelectricity, namely the direct conversion of waste heat into electricity, is a promising technique based on a long-standing physical phenomenon, which still has not fully developed its potential, mainly due to the low efficiency of the process. In order to improve the thermoelectric performance, a huge effort is being made by physicists, materials scientists and engineers, with the primary aims of better understanding the fundamental issues ruling the improvement of the thermoelectric figure of merit, and finally building the most efficient thermoelectric devices. In this Roadmap an overview is given about the most recent experimental and computational results obtained within the Italian research community on the optimization of composition and morphology of some thermoelectric materials, as well as on the design of thermoelectric and hybrid thermoelectric/photovoltaic devices.
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| 11. |
- Battiston, S., et al.
(author)
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Influence of Al and Mg Addition on Thermoelectric Properties of Higher Manganese Silicides Obtained by Reactive Sintering
- 2017
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In: Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. - : American Scientific Publishers. - 1533-4880 .- 1533-4899. ; 17:3, s. 1668-1673
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Higher manganese silicides (HMS), represented by MnSix (x = 1.71-1.75), are promising p-type candidates for thermoelectric (TE) energy harvesting systems at intermediate temperature range. The materials are very attractive as they may replace lead based compounds due to their nontoxicity, low cost of starting materials, and high thermal and chemical stability. Dense pellets were obtained through fast reactive sintering by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The addition -or nanoinclusion, of Al and Mg permitted the figure of merit enhancement of the material obtained with this technique, reaching the highest value of 0.40 at 600 degrees C. Morphology, composition and crystal structure of the samples were characterized by electron microscopies, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analyses, respectively.
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| 12. |
- Battiston, S., et al.
(author)
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Synthesis and Characterization of Al-Doped Mg2Si Thermoelectric Materials
- 2013
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In: Journal of Electronic Materials. - New York : Springer. - 0361-5235 .- 1543-186X. ; 42:7, s. 1956-1959
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si)-based alloys are promising candidates for thermoelectric (TE) energy conversion for the middle to high range of temperature. These materials are very attractive for TE research because of the abundance of their constituent elements in the Earth's crust. Mg2Si could replace lead-based TE materials, due to its low cost, nontoxicity, and low density. In this work, the role of aluminum doping (Mg2Si:Al = 1:x for x = 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, and 0.04 molar ratio) in dense Mg2Si materials was investigated. The synthesis process was performed by planetary milling under inert atmosphere starting from commercial Mg2Si pieces and Al powder. After ball milling, the samples were sintered by means of spark plasma sintering to density > 95%. The morphology, composition, and crystal structure of the samples were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction analyses. Moreover, Seebeck coefficient analyses, as well as electrical and thermal conductivity measurements were performed for all samples up to 600A degrees C. The resultant estimated ZT values are comparable to those reported in the literature for these materials. In particular, the maximum ZT achieved was 0.50 for the x = 0.01 Al-doped sample at 600A degrees C.
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| 13. |
- Famengo, A., et al.
(author)
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Phase Content Influence on Thermoelectric Properties of Manganese Silicide-Based Materials for Middle-High Temperatures
- 2013
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In: Journal of Electronic Materials. - New York : Springer. - 0361-5235 .- 1543-186X. ; 42:7, s. 2020-2024
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The higher manganese silicides (HMS), represented by MnSi (x) (x = 1.71 to 1.75), are promising p-type leg candidates for thermoelectric energy harvesting systems in the middle-high temperature range. They are very attractive as they could replace lead-based compounds due to their nontoxicity, low-cost starting materials, and high thermal and chemical stability. Dense pellets were obtained through direct reaction between Mn and Si powders during the spark plasma sintering process. The tetragonal HMS and cubic MnSi phase amounts and the functional properties of the material such as the Seebeck coefficient and electrical and thermal conductivity were evaluated as a function of the SPS processing conditions. The morphology, composition, and crystal structure of the samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction analyses, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were performed to evaluate the thermal stability of the final sintered material. A ZT value of 0.34 was obtained at 600A degrees C for the sample sintered at 900A degrees C and 90 MPa with 5 min holding time.
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| 14. |
- Fiameni, S., et al.
(author)
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Effect of Synthesis and Sintering Conditions on the Thermoelectric Properties of n-Doped Mg2Si
- 2014
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In: Journal of Electronic Materials. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0361-5235 .- 1543-186X. ; 43:6, s. 2301-2306
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Magnesium silicide (Mg2Si)-based alloys are promising candidates for thermoelectric (TE) energy conversion in the middle-high temperature range. The detrimental effect of the presence of MgO on the TE properties of Mg2Si based materials is widely known. For this reason, the conditions used for synthesis and sintering were optimized to limit oxygen contamination. The effect of Bi doping on the TE performance of dense Mg2Si materials was also investigated. Synthesis was performed by ball milling in an inert atmosphere starting from commercial Mg2Si powder and Bi powder. The samples were consolidated, by spark plasma sintering, to a density > 95%. The morphology, and the composition and crystal structure of samples were characterized by field-emission scanning electronic microscopy and x-ray diffraction, respectively. Moreover, determination of Seebeck coefficients and measurement of electrical and thermal conductivity were performed for all the samples. Mg2Si with 0.1 mol% Bi doping had a ZT value of 0.81, indicative of the potential of this method for fabrication of n-type bulk material with good TE performance.
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| 15. |
- Fiameni, S., et al.
(author)
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Introduction of Metal Oxides into Mg2Si Thermoelectric Materials by Spark Plasma Sintering
- 2013
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In: Journal of Electronic Materials. - New York : Springer. - 0361-5235 .- 1543-186X. ; 42:7, s. 2062-2066
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oxide incorporation into thermoelectric Mg2Si-based materials was performed starting from commercial Mg2Si and commercial metal oxides by applying ball milling and spark plasma sintering (SPS) processing. The SPS conditions, such as sintering temperature, pressure, and holding time, were optimized with the aim of obtaining both full densification and oxide incorporation. Thermoelectric characterizations, such as Seebeck coefficient and electrical and thermal conductivity, were carried out and related to the pellet compositions. The morphology, composition, and crystallographic structure of the samples were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, and x-ray diffraction analyses, respectively.
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