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| Open AccessAchieving thermally stable nanoparticles in chemically complex alloys via controllable sluggish lattice diffusion
Nanoparticle strengthening provides a crucial basis for developing high-performance materials, which often fails to work due to poor thermal stability. Here, the authors achieve thermally stable nanoparticles at 800~1000 °C in chemically complex alloys via controllable sluggish lattice diffusion.
- Bo Xiao
- , Junhua Luan
- & Tao Yang
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Article
| Open AccessIntroducing Brønsted acid sites to accelerate the bridging-oxygen-assisted deprotonation in acidic water oxidation
While water electrolysis devices represent a technology for renewable energy, there are few stable catalysts that survive the acidic conditions. Here, authors enhance acidic oxygen evolution by introducing strong Brønsted acid sites into RuO2 to accelerate bridging-oxygen-assisted deprotonation.
- Yunzhou Wen
- , Cheng Liu
- & Bo Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessStructural evolution and strain generation of derived-Cu catalysts during CO2 electroreduction
Copper catalysts derived from oxidized precursors typically exhibit high selectivity for CO2 electroreduction to multicarbon products, yet the influencing factors that control the selectivity need further investigation. Here, the authors reveal that the high selectivity stems from small grain size and lattice strain due to in situ reduction of precursors.
- Qiong Lei
- , Liang Huang
- & Yu Han
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Article
| Open AccessPhase-locked constructing dynamic supramolecular ionic conductive elastomers with superior toughness, autonomous self-healing and recyclability
Stretchable ionic conductors are attractive candidates for flexible ionotronics but combining high conductivity with excellent mechanical properties is challenging. Herein, the authors combine these properties in a dynamic supramolecular ionic conductive elastomer enabling lithium-ion transport in the soft phase and dynamic disulfide and supramolecular hydrogen bonding in the hard segments.
- Jing Chen
- , Yiyang Gao
- & Shujiang Ding
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Article
| Open AccessHigh-performance piezoelectric composites via β phase programming
The piezoelectricity of PVDF composites is mainly determined by the crystalline phases and spontaneous polarization. Here, the authors propose a Ti3C2Tx anchoring method to modulate the molecular interactions and conformation of polymer matrix.
- Yuanjie Su
- , Weixiong Li
- & Jun Chen
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Article
| Open AccessChemical zymogens for the protein cysteinome
Reversible on/off switches for enzyme activity are foundational in nature but are challenging to design using tools of synthetic chemistry. Here the authors design chemical zymogens amenable for activation via biomolecular interactions.
- Mireia Casanovas Montasell
- , Pere Monge
- & Alexander N. Zelikin
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Article
| Open AccessInorganic nanosheets facilitate humoral immunity against medical implant infections by modulating immune co-stimulatory pathways
Bacterial biofilm formation is a major risk of surgical implantation, and necessitates implant removal and aggressive antibiotic treatment. Here authors show that post-surgical application of Manganese-containing inorganic nanosheets reduces residual and recurrent infection by improving antigen presentation and humoral immune response against the biofilms.
- Chuang Yang
- , Yao Luo
- & Xianlong Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessMechanistic classification and benchmarking of polyolefin depolymerization over silica-alumina-based catalysts
Product distributions have been used to classify the depolymerization pathways of polyolefins catalyzed by silica-alumina-based catalysts to construct an activity-mechanism map as a benchmarking tool to facilitate catalyst discovery.
- Wei-Tse Lee
- , Antoine van Muyden
- & Paul J. Dyson
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Article
| Open AccessEmergent hypernetworks in weakly coupled oscillators
Networks with higher-order interactions are relevant to variety of real-world applications, they can be good description of data even if the system has only pairwise interactions. The authors uncover the hypernetwork emergence in coupled nonlinear oscillators and electrochemical experiments.
- Eddie Nijholt
- , Jorge Luis Ocampo-Espindola
- & Tiago Pereira
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Article
| Open AccessUnderstanding the lithium–sulfur battery redox reactions via operando confocal Raman microscopy
The complex redox processes in lithium–sulfur batteries are not yet fully understood at the fundamental level. Here, the authors report operando confocal Raman microscopy measurements to provide mechanistic insights into polysulfide evolution and sulfur deposition during battery cycling.
- Shuangyan Lang
- , Seung-Ho Yu
- & Héctor D. Abruña
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Article
| Open AccessImpedance-based forecasting of lithium-ion battery performance amid uneven usage
Accurate forecasts of lithium-ion battery performance will ease concerns about the reliability of electric vehicles. Here, the authors leverage electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and machine learning to show that future capacity can be predicted amid uneven use, with no historical data requirement.
- Penelope K. Jones
- , Ulrich Stimming
- & Alpha A. Lee
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Article
| Open AccessHydrogen-bonded organic framework biomimetic entrapment allowing non-native biocatalytic activity in enzyme
Heme units are immobilised in diverse heme enzymes for oxidation, and have been immobilised also in hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks. Here, the authors show the use of hydrogen-bonded organic framework to modulate the enzyme’s conformation and show different biofunction from the original.
- Guosheng Chen
- , Linjing Tong
- & Gangfeng Ouyang
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Article
| Open AccessSynthesis of cis-thiiranes as diastereoselective access to epoxide congeners via 4π-electrocyclization of thiocarbonyl ylides
Thiirane, the sulfur congener of oxirane, has been hard to access in a stereodefined form. Here, the authors accomplished a highly stereoselective synthesis of cis-diarylthiiranes through the stereospecific sulfurization of E,E-aldazine N-oxides.
- Su-min Song
- , Jaeseong Jin
- & Won-jin Chung
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Article
| Open AccessTwo-colour high-purity Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen photonic state
Engineering quantum correlations between light modes at different frequency would open new avenues for quantum networks and sensing. Here, the authors propose and demonstrate a way for obtaining high-purity strongly entangled continuous variable states with more than 200 nm difference in wavelength.
- Tulio Brito Brasil
- , Valeriy Novikov
- & Eugene S. Polzik
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Article
| Open AccessThree-dimensional nanoframes with dual rims as nanoprobes for biosensing
Most SERS-active nanostructures suffer from low robustness against misalignment to field polarization. Here, the authors demonstrate three-dimensional nanoframes of octahedral geometry, with two rims engraved on each facet, as polarization-independent SERS nanoprobes.
- Hajir Hilal
- , Qiang Zhao
- & Sungho Park
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Article
| Open AccessMechanochemical synthesis of inverse vulcanized polymers
Inverse vulcanization is a process that enables to convert sulfur, a by-product of the petroleum industry, into polymers. Here the authors report a synthetic method of inverse vulcanization via mechanochemical synthesis; compared to thermal routes, a broader range of monomers can be used, and the protocol yields materials with enhanced mercury capture capacity.
- Peiyao Yan
- , Wei Zhao
- & Tom Hasell
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Article
| Open AccessCatalytic oxidation of polystyrene to aromatic oxygenates over a graphitic carbon nitride catalyst
There is a real need to create materials capable of plastic recycling and upcycling. Here, the authors report a heterogeneous carbon nitride photocatalyst which efficiently converts polystyrene plastics into aromatic oxygenates, such as benzoic acid.
- Ruochen Cao
- , Mei-Qi Zhang
- & Ding Ma
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Article
| Open AccessWidespread impact-generated porosity in early planetary crusts
Large impacts can create deep lying porosity far away from the crater. This result explains GRAIL’s findings and suggests impacts could support widespread fluid circulation, which has implications for habitable environments on early Earth and Mars.
- Sean E. Wiggins
- , Brandon C. Johnson
- & Simone Marchi
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Article
| Open AccessSkyrmions in synthetic antiferromagnets and their nucleation via electrical current and ultra-fast laser illumination
Skyrmions in synthetic antiferromagnets are appealing for use in future memory and computing devices, combining small size and fast motion, but creating, stabilizing, and observing them remains a challenge. Here, Juge et al demonstrate the stabilization and current and light induced nucleation of skyrmions in a synthetic antiferromagnet, observing the magnetization texture in each layer using X-ray magnetic microscopy.
- Roméo Juge
- , Naveen Sisodia
- & Olivier Boulle
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| Open AccessTuning moiré excitons and correlated electronic states through layer degree of freedom
Twisted heterostructures of transition metal dichalcogenides host the so-called moiré excitons, or intralayer excitons modified by the moiré potential. Here the authors show tunability of the moiré excitons and the coexisting correlated electronic states in WSe2/WS2 superlattices with varying WSe2 layer thickness
- Dongxue Chen
- , Zhen Lian
- & Su-Fei Shi
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Article
| Open AccessDurable radiative cooling against environmental aging
The high solar reflectance needed by radiative cooling is easily dampened by environmental aging. Here, authors describe durable cooling performance against heavy soiling and long-term ultraviolet exposure of paint-based coatings, enhancing the potential of radiative cooling for real-world applications.
- Jianing Song
- , Wenluan Zhang
- & Xu Deng
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Article
| Open AccessGeneralisable 3D printing error detection and correction via multi-head neural networks
3D printing is prone to errors and continuous monitoring and real-time correction during processing remains a significant challenge limiting its applied potential. Here, authors train a neural network to detect and correct diverse errors in real time across many geometries, materials and even printing setups.
- Douglas A. J. Brion
- & Sebastian W. Pattinson
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Article
| Open AccessEfficient separation of butane isomers via ZIF-8 slurry on laboratory- and pilot-scale
The separation of butane isomers, raw materials in petrochemical industry, is challenging. Here the authors report the separation of n-butane and isobutane using a metal-organic framework slurry; the separation can be performed at large scale in a pilot-scale separation tower.
- Mingke Yang
- , Huishan Wang
- & Guangjin Chen
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Article
| Open AccessChalcogen bond-guided conformational isomerization enables catalytic dynamic kinetic resolution of sulfoxides
Conformational isomerization of organic molecules can be guided by noncovalent interactions. Here, the authors report the synthesis of chiral sulfoxides catalyzed by N-heterocyclic carbenes; intramolecular chalcogen bonding interactions are key for conformational locking.
- Jianjian Liu
- , Mali Zhou
- & Yonggui Robin Chi
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Article
| Open AccessAtomic-scale 3D imaging of individual dopant atoms in an oxide semiconductor
Small variations in the density of dopants change the physical properties of complex oxides. Here, the authors resolve doping levels in three dimension, imaging the atomic sites that donors occupy in the small band gap semiconductor Er(Mn,Ti)O3.
- K. A. Hunnestad
- , C. Hatzoglou
- & D. Meier
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Article
| Open AccessThree-dimensional electron ptychography of organic–inorganic hybrid nanostructures
The authors demonstrate electron ptychographic computed tomography by simultaneously recording high contrast data from both the organic- and inorganic components in a 3D DNA-origami framework hybrid nanostructure.
- Zhiyuan Ding
- , Si Gao
- & Peng Wang
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Article
| Open AccessThe origin of jerky dislocation motion in high-entropy alloys
Dislocations in high-entropy alloys encounter pinning during glide resulting in jerky motion. Here the authors demonstrate that the density of high local Peierls force is proportional to the critical stress required for their glide and mobility.
- Daniel Utt
- , Subin Lee
- & Karsten Albe
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Article
| Open AccessConfinement-induced accumulation and de-mixing of microscopic active-passive mixtures
Understanding how order emerges in active matter may facilitate macroscopic control of microscopic objects. Here, Williams et al. show how to control the transport of passive microscopic particles in presence of motile algae in conjunction with boundary-induced accumulation of microswimmers.
- Stephen Williams
- , Raphaël Jeanneret
- & Marco Polin
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Article
| Open AccessParametric longitudinal coupling between a high-impedance superconducting resonator and a semiconductor quantum dot singlet-triplet spin qubit
It has been predicted that longitudinal coupling between a qubit and a superconducting resonator can mediate efficient interactions among distant qubits. Here the authors implement such a coupling between a singlet-triplet qubit in a semiconductor double quantum dot and a high-impedance superconducting resonator.
- C. G. L. Bøttcher
- , S. P. Harvey
- & A. Yacoby
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Article
| Open AccessSecure human action recognition by encrypted neural network inference
Advanced computer vision technology can provide near real-time home monitoring to support "aging in place” by detecting falls and symptoms related to seizures and stroke. In this paper, the authors propose a strategy that uses homomorphic encryption, which guarantees information confidentiality while retaining action detection.
- Miran Kim
- , Xiaoqian Jiang
- & Shayan Shams
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Article
| Open AccessPiperazine-derived lipid nanoparticles deliver mRNA to immune cells in vivo
Next-generation lipid nanoparticles that target non-hepatocytes could be important clinical tools. Using in vivo DNA barcoding, the authors identify piperazine-containing lipids deliver mRNA to immune cells without targeting ligands.
- Huanzhen Ni
- , Marine Z. C. Hatit
- & James E. Dahlman
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Article
| Open AccessA mid-infrared lab-on-a-chip for dynamic reaction monitoring
Rapid investigation of chemical reactions is a challenge in bio-medical analysis. Here, the authors demonstrate sensitive in-situ real-time reaction-monitoring of conformational changes in protein solution, based on a fingertip-sized mid-IR lab-on-a-chip.
- Borislav Hinkov
- , Florian Pilat
- & Gottfried Strasser
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Article
| Open AccessDiverse synthesis of α-tertiary amines and tertiary alcohols via desymmetric reduction of malonic esters
Chiral α-tertiary amines and tertiary alcohols are prevalent in bioactive molecules yet challenging targets to access. Here, the authors provide a dinuclear zinc-catalyzed desymmetric approach based on readily available malonic esters.
- Haichao Liu
- , Vincent Ho Man Lau
- & Zhongxing Huang
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Article
| Open AccessImbibition-induced selective wetting of liquid metal
Liquid metals that have enormous surface tension are difficult to pattern into films. Here, authors report the spontaneous and selective wetting of a gallium-based liquid metal, which is induced by imbibition on a micro-structured metallized substrate.
- Ji-Hye Kim
- , Sooyoung Kim
- & Hyung-Jun Koo
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Article
| Open AccessZero dispersion Kerr solitons in optical microresonators
Here, the authors find the missing link for soliton microcombs that exist at the boundary where the group velocity dispersion of light changes sign: zero-dispersion solitons. The resulting microresonator frequency comb, based in Si3N4, spans almost an octave.
- Miles H. Anderson
- , Wenle Weng
- & Tobias J. Kippenberg
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Article
| Open AccessExtraction of accurate cytoskeletal actin velocity distributions from noisy measurements
Dynamic remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton underlies cell movement, but is challenging to characterize at the molecular level. Here, the authors present a method to extract actin filament velocities in living cells, and compare their results to current models of cytoskeletal dynamics.
- Cayla M. Miller
- , Elgin Korkmazhan
- & Alexander R. Dunn
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Article
| Open AccessMolecular engineering of dihydroxyanthraquinone-based electrolytes for high-capacity aqueous organic redox flow batteries
Aqueous organic redox flow batteries are affected by short cycle life and low capacity. Here, the authors develop composite dihydroxyanthraquinone/polymer anolytes capable of improving the cycling stability and discharge capacity of aqueous organic redox flow batteries.
- Shiqiang Huang
- , Hang Zhang
- & Qing Wang
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Article
| Open AccessExcitation energy mediated cross-relaxation for tunable upconversion luminescence from a single lanthanide ion
Here, the authors report tunable luminescence from a single lanthanide ion upon changing excitation conditions through co-doping an energy-modulator ion, thus adjusting the photon transition process of the lanthanide activator ion. Optical encryption has also been demonstrated as an application of this universal strategy.
- Xiao Fu
- , Shuai Fu
- & Qingsong Mei
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Article
| Open Access[3+2] Cycloaddition of alkyl aldehydes and alkynes enabled by photoinduced hydrogen atom transfer
In contrast to the prevalence of 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, radical [3+2] annulations of alkynes are underexplored. Here, the authors describe [3+2] cycloadditions of various internal alkynes with readily accessible aliphatic aldehydes via photoinduced decatungstate catalysis.
- Siya Le
- , Ji Li
- & Gangguo Zhu
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Article
| Open AccessConformational enantiodiscrimination for asymmetric construction of atropisomers
Molecular flexiblity and conformational dynamics of chiral catalysts are not often taken into account in models of enantiodiscrimination. Here the authors design a catalytic system in which two conformers of the same catalyst can lead to axially chiral products of opposite absolute configurations.
- Shouyi Cen
- , Nini Huang
- & Zhipeng Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessDirect observation of ideal electromagnetic fluids
This paper reports an experimental observation of irrotational, inviscid, and incompressible electromagnetic power flow within an epsilon-near-zero medium, exhibiting an analogy to an ideal fluid.
- Hao Li
- , Ziheng Zhou
- & Yue Li
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Article
| Open AccessPractical continuous-variable quantum key distribution with composable security
Continuous-variable QKD protocols are usually easier to implement than discrete-variables ones, but their security analyses are less developed. Here, the authors propose and demonstrate in the lab a CVQKD protocol that can generate composable keys secure against collective attacks.
- Nitin Jain
- , Hou-Man Chin
- & Ulrik L. Andersen
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Article
| Open AccessSingle-atom nanozymes catalytically surpassing naturally occurring enzymes as sustained stitching for brain trauma
The catalytic activity of regenerable nanozymes is currently the bottle neck for their wider employment. Here, the authors report on single-atom nanozymes of RhN4, VN4, and Fe-Cu-N6 with higher catalytic activities than natural enzymes, and demonstrate the Rh/VN4 recyclability and scalp healing properties in bioactive sutures.
- Shaofang Zhang
- , Yonghui Li
- & Xiao-Dong Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessMolecular ensemble junctions with inter-molecular quantum interference
Quantum interference effect in the conductance of single molecule junctions has been attracting intensive interest in recent years. Here, Li and Selzer show the presence of intermolecular quantum interference over 40,000 molecules in a molecular ensemble junction with bismuth as the top electrode.
- Ping’an Li
- & Yoram Selzer
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Article
| Open AccessHigh activity and selectivity of single palladium atom for oxygen hydrogenation to H2O2
Nanosized Pd-based catalysts are widely used in the direct hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesis from H2 and O2, while the selectivity and yield of H2O2 remain inferior. Here, a remarkable H2O2 yield of 115 mol/gPd/h and H2O2 selectivity higher than 99% are reported using a Pd single-atom catalyst for the direct synthesis of H2O2.
- Shiming Yu
- , Xing Cheng
- & Ge Chen
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Article
| Open AccessDynamic magnetic crossover at the origin of the hidden-order in van der Waals antiferromagnet CrSBr
A 2D magnet CrSBr has attracted interest for applications in spintronics due to its high critical temperature and interesting magneto-electrical properties. Here the authors report a detailed study of its magnetic and structural phases and uncover a hidden magnetic order inside the magnetically-ordered phase.
- Sara A. López-Paz
- , Zurab Guguchia
- & Fabian O. von Rohr
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Article
| Open AccessCNT-molecule-CNT (1D-0D-1D) van der Waals integration ferroelectric memory with 1-nm2 junction area
The van der Waals integration of molecular layer (0D) with 2D or 3D electrodes is limited at microscale junction. Here, the authors introduce 1D-0D-1D vdWI memory with 1 nm2 junction achieved by cross-stacking t-CNT on molecularly assembled b-CNT.
- Thanh Luan Phan
- , Sohyeon Seo
- & Woo Jong Yu
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Article
| Open AccessDearomative di- and trifunctionalization of aryl sulfoxides via [5,5]-rearrangement
In contrast with well-established dearomatization protocols such as the Birch reduction, sigmatropic rearrangement-based dearomatizations are a less-explored but potentially effective route to saturated compounds. Here, the authors show a [5,5]-rearrangement-enabled dearomatization of aryl sulfoxides.
- Mengjie Hu
- , Yanping Liu
- & Bo Peng
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Article
| Open AccessFunctional control of oscillator networks
In network systems governed by oscillatory activity, such as brain networks or power grids, configurations of synchrony may define network functions. The authors introduce a control approach for the formation of desired synchrony patterns through optimal interventions on the network parameters.
- Tommaso Menara
- , Giacomo Baggio
- & Fabio Pasqualetti