Papers by Pier Luigi Gentili
Molecules
The potential role of bottom-up Synthetic Cells (SCs) in the Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) ... more The potential role of bottom-up Synthetic Cells (SCs) in the Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) is discussed. In particular, this perspective paper focuses on the growing interest in networks of biological and/or artificial objects at the micro- and nanoscale (cells and subcellular parts, microelectrodes, microvessels, etc.), whereby communication takes place in an unconventional manner, i.e., via chemical signaling. The resulting “molecular communication” (MC) scenario paves the way to the development of innovative technologies that have the potential to impact biotechnology, nanomedicine, and related fields. The scenario that relies on the interconnection of natural and artificial entities is briefly introduced, highlighting how Synthetic Biology (SB) plays a central role. SB allows the construction of various types of SCs that can be designed, tailored, and programmed according to specific predefined requirements. In particular, “bottom-up” SCs are briefly described by commentin...
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Recent advancements in artificial cell technology pose new theoretical questions In recent years ... more Recent advancements in artificial cell technology pose new theoretical questions In recent years an important momentum has characterized artificial cell (AC) research from the viewpoints of technical,
Italian Photochemistry Meeting 2013, 2013
Molecules
Photochromic compounds are employed in implementing neuron surrogates. They will boost the develo... more Photochromic compounds are employed in implementing neuron surrogates. They will boost the development of neuromorphic engineering in wetware. In this work, the photochromic behaviours of (E)-3,4,6-trichloro-2-(p-diazenil)-phenol (t-DZH) and its conjugated phenoxide base (t-DZ) have been investigated experimentally in three different media: (1) pure acetonitrile, (2) in water and acetonitrile mixed in a 1/1 volume ratio, and (3) in an aqueous micellar solution of 3-(N,N-Dimethylmyristylammonio)propanesulfonate (SB3-14). The analysis of the spectral and kinetic features of t-DZH and t-DZ has been supported by quantum-mechanical DFT calculations, the maximum entropy method, and the determination of their colourability (C). The versatility of t-DZH and t-DZ makes them promising molecular probes of micro-environments and potential ingredients of photochemical oscillators required for implementing pacemaker neurons capable of communicating through optical signals in wetware.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule cr... more An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world's repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.
Frontiers in Chemistry
Chemical micro-heterogeneity is an attribute of all living systems and most of the soft and cryst... more Chemical micro-heterogeneity is an attribute of all living systems and most of the soft and crystalline materials. Its characterization requires a plethora of techniques. This work proposes a strategy for quantifying the degree of chemical micro-heterogeneity. First of all, our approach needs the collection of time-evolving signals that can be fitted through poly-exponential functions. The best fit is determined through the Maximum Entropy Method. The pre-exponential terms of the poly-exponential fitting function are used to estimate Fuzzy Entropy. Related to the possibility of implementing Fuzzy sets through the micro-heterogeneity of chemical systems. Fuzzy Entropy becomes a quantitative estimation of the Fuzzy Information that can be processed through micro-heterogeneous chemical systems. We conclude that our definition of Fuzzy Entropy can be extended to other kinds of data, such as morphological and structural distributions, spectroscopic bands and chromatographic peaks. The ch...
The 2022 Conference on Artificial Life, 2022
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Reaction Kinetics, Mechanisms and Catalysis, 2022
A brand-new photochemical oscillator is designed in this work. It consists of two thermally rever... more A brand-new photochemical oscillator is designed in this work. It consists of two thermally reversible photochromic compounds. One photochrome is inverse and autocatalytic because the photoproduct emits a fluorescence that enhances its own production. The other photochrome is direct and not fluorescent. The two photochromes have specific spectral features that generate mutual filter effects when dissolved in the same solution and under uniform irradiation. The double photochromic system can originate photochemical oscillations if an essential condition is fulfilled. The autocatalytic photochromic compound must have its photochemical quantum yield and thermal recovery kinetic constant appreciably larger than the other photochrome. The conditions favorable for having photochemical oscillations are quantitatively described. This new photochromic oscillator, working in isothermal conditions, is an alluring model of pacemaker neurons, which can communicate with other artificial neuron models through optical signals. It constitutes a valuable contribution to the development of neuromorphic engineering in wetware. Its characteristics and performances are compared with those of the other photochromic oscillator that has been proposed so far.
Handbook of Unconventional Computing, 2021
Untangling Complex Systems, 2018
Int. J. Unconv. Comput., 2012
We demonstrate experimentally that the well-known oscillatory BelousovZhabotinsky (BZ) reaction c... more We demonstrate experimentally that the well-known oscillatory BelousovZhabotinsky (BZ) reaction can be exploited to process both Boolean and fuzzy logic if the input variables are either the volumes or the phase of addition of pulse-injected solutions of inhibitor (bromide) and activator (silver ion) and the output variable is the oscillation period. Analysis of the relations between the input and the output variables reveals that this oscillating chemical reaction is suitable to process infinite-valued fuzzy logic, and that all fundamental fuzzy logic operators (AND, OR, NOT) can be implemented with it. We discuss the possibility for biological oscillators such as neurons or pacemaker cells to process information using principles of fuzzy logic.
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Papers by Pier Luigi Gentili