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In this work I address creativity in the process of social sciences research, comparing quantitative and qualitative approaches. In discussing creativity I go back to Chomsky and his distinction between rule-governed and rule-changing creativity. In my analysis I suggest that the quantitative approach is characterized by rule-governed creativity, the qualitative one by rule-changing creativity: these are two models of creativity that the Chomskian vision links to a set of rules. Thus in the first case the creation of the tools by which the researcher collects information is submitted to a set of rules related to substantial and procedural competences. In the second case the creative phase does not have a place in the creation of a tool, but rather in a performance. The idea of performance as a constitutive part in qualitative research is analysed on a substantial basis, revealing the implications of distinct creative processes under different methodological choices. Whilst a quantitative approach requires using procedural and substantial competences, I suggest that in a qualitative enquiry the researcher’s fieldwork is considered as a ‘performance’ because of its adaptive character. The researcher is constantly confronted with unforeseen situations, surrounded by an unknown environment. Also, this use of the notion of ‘performance’ comprehends both elements of the process as well as of the outcome of fieldwork, as it recalls peculiar characteristics of qualitative work: action and interaction, personal involvement and, above all, orientation to a purpose (in this context, the teleological purpose of knowledge production).

The European landscape of neutron sources for research applications is changing and the major European joint effort, the European Spallation Source (ESS) currently under construction in Lund (Sweden), is progressing. The high flux source ESS is designed to deliver slow neutrons with a long-pulse time structure, a rather unique feature, with characteristics optimised to maximise the instrument performances and the experimental throughput. This is expected to result in unprecedented scientific capability over broad research areas. Major breakthroughs are likely to take place in the understanding of complex, strongly interacting and disordered systems, more specifically on their dynamical response. This will have an impact on the development of novel theories to cover some of the presently existing knowledge gaps and will prompt advanced applications of the investigated materials. Liquid metals are a prototypical example of complex systems extensively studied from the sixties on, now re-emerging as powerful functional materials for unconventional and broad spectrum applications. Research on liquid metal composites will benefit of the new experimental possibilities available at the ESS. We review the status of the experiments on liquid metals dynamics, focusing on a selected set of systems, and discuss the perspectives for cutting-edge experiments at the new sources.

Social sciences have long lingered on the legitimacy of visual search techniques about the production of knowledge. This happens in an academic context where writing has historically a clear supremacy as medium for communication and dissemination of scientific thought. This paper proposes some points for reflection regarding the current debate on the epistemological and methodological view, with particular reference to the cultural and reflexive dimension. After a discussion of some elements of contemporary visual culture and about the dimension of participation, it will be introduced a further element of reflection about the reception of the visual product and the technical possibility of incorporation of multimedia visual content in the press works.

En este trabajo abordo la creatividad en el proceso de investigación de las ciencias sociales, comparando los enfoques cuantitativos y cualitativos. Al hablar de creatividad, vuelvo a Chomsky y a su distinción entre rule-governed y rule-changing creativity. En mi análisis, sugiero que el enfoque cuantitativo se caracteriza por rule-governed creativity, la cualitativa por rule-changing creativity: estos son dos modelos de creatividad que la visión chomskiana vincula con un conjunto de reglas. Así, en el primer caso, la creación de las herramientas mediante las cuales el investigador recopila información se somete a un conjunto de reglas relacionadas con competencias sustanciales y de procedimiento. En el segundo caso, la fase creativa no sucede en la creación de una herramienta, sino en un rendimiento. La idea de desempeño como parte constitutiva en la investigación cualitativa se analiza de manera sustancial, revelando las implicaciones de distintos procesos creativos bajo diferentes elecciones metodológicas. Si bien un enfoque cuantitativo requiere el uso de competencias sustanciales y de procedimiento, sugiero que en una investigación cualitativa el trabajo de campo del investigador se considera un \"rendimiento\" debido a su carácter adaptativo. El investigador se enfrenta constantemente a situaciones imprevistas, rodeado de un entorno desconocido. Además, este uso de la noción de \"desempeño\" abarca tanto los elementos del proceso, como el resultado del trabajo de campo, al recordar características peculiares del trabajo cualitativo: acción e interacción, participación personal y, sobre todo, orientación hacia un propósito (en este contexto, el propósito teleológico de la producción de conocimiento).

This contribution is the result of five years of ethnographic research that has touched several Italian cities. Argumentation will considers the Islamic concept of death and funerary practices connected with it. Janazah is the Islamic term which means «funeral», but it also indicates all the funeral activities since the death until the closing of the tomb. There are several steps of this peculiar funeral ritual that mark the right way to treat a Muslim and to prepare his or her mortal remains while his or her soul tackles the journey in the afterlife. In migratory settings, transnational funerary rituals highlight differences between first and second generation of migrants, and the importance of the inclusive dimension of the burial location far from homelands.

This contribution is the result of five years of ethnographic research that has touched several Italian cities. Argumentation will considers the Islamic concept of death and funerary practices connected with it. Janazah is the Islamic term which means «funeral», but it also indicates all the funeral activities since the death until the closing of the tomb. There are several steps of this peculiar funeral ritual that mark the right way to treat a Muslim and to prepare his or her mortal remains while his or her soul tackles the journey in the afterlife. In migratory settings, transnational funerary rituals highlight differences between first and second generation of migrants, and the importance of the inclusive dimension of the burial location far from homelands.

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are noncanonical forms of DNA involved in many key genome functions. Here, we exploited UV Resonance Raman scattering to simultaneously explore the vibrational behavior of a human telomeric G4 (Tel22) and its aqueous solvent as the biomolecule underwent thermal melting. We found that the OH stretching band, related to the local hydrogen-bonded network of a water molecule, was in strict relation with the vibrational features of the G4 structure as a function of temperature. In particular, the modifications to the tetrahedral ordering of the water network were strongly coupled to the DNA rearrangements, showing changes in temperature that mirrored the multi-step melting process of Tel22. The comparison between circular dichroism and Raman results supported this view. The present findings provide novel insights into the impact of the molecular environment on G4 conformation. Improving current knowledge on the solvent structural properties will also contribute to a better understanding of the role played by water arrangement in the complexation of G4s with ligands.

The growth of the knowledge economy and the increasing interchange between industry and the academic world are a consequence of neoliberal globalization, which has led to a blurring of the boundaries between science and technology and between public and private spheres. In this new context, researchers should not be limited to producing new knowledge, but should be able to attribute a commercial value to their findings. They must therefore try to reconfigure their role and to redefine their work identity in order to adapt to a market-oriented context. The research presented here is based on a case study of an academic spin-off operating in the field of biotechnology. The goal is to analyze what type of organizational identity emerges in this new form of enterprise and, at the same time, how researchers try to reconfigure their roles in response to conflicts and contradictions that arise when they attempt to reconcile the logic of the market with that of pure science. We also focus on the results that show how the diffusion of the idea of “social responsibility” of scientists has played a key role in redefining their work identity and the organizational identity of the spin-off.

Guanine-rich DNA sequences can fold into non-canonical nucleic acid structures called G-quadruplexes (G4s). These nanostructures have strong implications in many fields, from medical science to bottom-up nanotechnologies. As a result, ligands interacting with G4s have attracted great attention as candidates in medical therapies, molecular probe applications, and biosensing. In recent years, the use of G4-ligand complexes as photopharmacological targets has shown significant promise for developing novel therapeutic strategies and nanodevices. Here, we studied the possibility of manipulating the secondary structure of a human telomeric G4 sequence through the interaction with two photosensitive ligands, DTE and TMPyP4, whose response to visible light is different. The effect of these two ligands on G4 thermal unfolding was also considered, revealing the occurrence of peculiar multi-step melting pathways and the different attitudes of the two molecules on the quadruplex stabilization.

In social sciences it is very important to be conscious of different argumentations that come from different kinds of inference. In particular this paper aims to discuss the importance of abduction as a way of thinking and as logic form of inference. Because of its logic construction, abduction is the only inference that allows us to introduce new knowledge in reasoning. To be more precise It leads us to a conclusion that is not included in the premises. The explanatory hypothesis we introduce is the most important factor when it comes to identifying a higher or lower degree of creativity in our inference. In social science research this kind of creative reasoning is crucial to the process of insight that leads to cognitive restructuring of knowledge. This is also important in what concerns the development of a new organization of mind categories.