Procedural Meaning Explicatures in the Development of New Subordination Strategies in Romance

The sociocultural changes that led to the genesis of Romance languages widened the gap between oral and written patterns, which display different discoursive and linguistic devices. In early documents, discoursive implicatures connecting propositions were not generally codified, so that the reader should furnish the correct interpretation according to his own perception of real facts; which can still be attested in current oral utterances. Once Romance languages had undergone several levelling processes which concluded in the first standardizations, implicatures became explicatures and were syntactically codified by means of univocal new complex conjunctions. As a consequence of the emergence of these new subordination strategies, a freer distribution of the information conveyed by the utterances is allowed. The success of complex structural patterns ran alongside of the genesis of new narrative genres and the generalization of a learned rhetoric. Both facts are a spontaneous effect of new approaches to the act of reading. Ancient texts were written to be read to a wide audience, whereas those printed by the end of the XV th century were conceived to be read quietly, in a low voice, by a private reader. The goal of this paper is twofold, since we will show that: a) The development of new complex conjunctions through the history of Romance languages accommodates to four structural patterns that range from parataxis to hypotaxis. b) This development is a reflex of the well known grammaticalization path from discourse to syntax that implies the codification of discoursive strategies (Givón 2 1979, Sperber and Wilson 1986, Carston 1988, Grice 1989, Bach 1994, Blackemore 2002, among others]

Development of new methodologies for entry to targets of therapeutic interest

This Account provides an overview of strategies that have been reported from our laboratories for the synthesis of targets of therapeutic interest, namely carbohydrates, and prodrugs for the treatment of melanoma. These programmes have involved the development of new synthetic methodologies including the regio- and stereoselective synthesis of specific carbohydrate isomers, and new protecting group methodologies. This review provides an insight into the progress of these research themes, and suggests some applications for the targets that are currently being explored.

Histological Outcomes on the Development of New Space-making Devices for Maxillary Sinus Floor Augmentation

Background: Previous studies have pointed out that the mere elevation of the maxillary sinus membrane promotes bone formation without the use of augmentation materials. Purpose: This experimental study aimed at evaluating if the two-stage procedure for sinus floor augmentation could benefit from the use of a space-making device in order to increase the bone volume to enable later implant installation with good primary stability. Materials and Methods: Six male tufted capuchin primates (Cebus apella) were subjected to extraction of the three premolars and the first molar on both sides of the maxilla to create an edentulous area. The sinuses were opened using the lateral bone-wall window technique, and the membrane was elevated. One resorbable space-making device was inserted in each maxillary sinus, and the bone window was returned in place. The animals were euthanatized after 6 months, and biopsy blocks containing the whole maxillary sinus and surrounding soft tissues were prepared for ground sections. Results: The histological examination of the specimens showed bone formation in contact with both the schneiderian membrane and the device in most cases even when the device was displaced. The process of bone formation indicates that this technique is potentially useful for two-stage sinus floor augmentation. The lack of stabilization of the device within the sinus demands further improvement of space-makers for predictable bone augmentation. Conclusions: It is concluded that (1) the device used in this study did not trigger any important inflammatory reaction; (2) when the sinus membrane was elevated, bone formation was a constant finding; and (3) an ideal space-making device should be stable and elevate the membrane to ensure a maintained connection between the membrane and the secluded space.

Development of new nuclear markers and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in kelp gull (Larus dominicanus)

The present study seeks to develop nuclear markers for the kelp gull (Larus dominicanus). We hereby report the characterization of 12 independent nuclear introns, where 104 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 8138 sequenced base pairs were observed. These SNP markers are the first to be designed for genotyping a gull species. The markers will provide useful tools for understanding which processes act or acted upon kelp gulls to cause their low genetic variability in mitochondrial DNA. In addition, these markers open a new opportunity for population genetic and evolutionary studies in the Laridae group.

Proceedings from the 2nd seminar on Development of Modular Products : December 13-14, 2004, Campus Framtidsdalen, Dalarna University, Sweden

Companies are focusing on efforts increasing the overall efficiency at the same time as the ability to meet customer needs becomes even more important. There is a need to improve the organisation and the product design at the same time through the visualisation of how a product family design should be performed in order to adapt to customers, company internal issues, and long-term strategy. Therefore, there is a need for qualified personnel in today’s companies with the knowledge of product development and modularity. The graduate course Development of Modular Products at Högskolan Dalarna has the objective to provide such knowledge. As a part of the course, each student will individually perform extensive research within a chosen area with respect to Product Development and Modularity. This proceeding is the result of the students own work and was presented during a two day seminar at Dalarna University. The contents of the papers cover many areas, from the identification of customer needs to cost effective manufacturing, and benefits of modularisation. The reader of this proceeding will not only benefit from many areas within Product Development and Modularity but also from the colour of many cultures. In this proceeding, students from nine countries are represented (Bangladesh, China, Costa Rica, Germany, Holland, India, Luxembourg Nigeria, and Sweden). Enjoy the reading.

Performance and intestinal mucosa development of broiler chickens fed diets containing Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall

Use of antibiotics as an additive in poultry diets to improve growth has been discussed in relation to bacterial resistance and the development of new products and management practices. This study was carried out to test the efficacy of a new substance (Saccharomyces cereviside cell walls, var. Calsberg- SCCW) obtained from the brewery industry, added (at 0.1 and 0.2%) to broiler chicken diets (based on corn and soybean meal), on performance and intestinal mucosa development. In Experiment 1 (carried out in litter-floor pens) the results revealed higher body weight gain,for the total experimental period and higher villus height at 7 d of age for the birds fed 0.2%,SCCW. In a field test using 44,000 broilers that,received feed containing 0.2% SCCW,. The results also showed higher body weight gain and better feed conversion for SCCW-supplemented birds. The present findings show that SCCW improved body weight gain in broiler chickens and that this effect can be attributed to the trophic effect of this product on the intestinal mucosa, because it increases villus height, particularly during the first 7. d of a chicken's life.

Development of new standard procedures for the evaluation of dental composite abrasive wear

This article discusses the development of a test bench and a methodology for the study of composite resin abrasive wear. To evaluate the operation of the test bench and to compare the proposed methodology with other existing ones, a study was made of the five composites most commonly used by dentists.The one-way ANOVA method and the Tukey test were used to statistically analyze the results by multiple comparisons of the groups of resins tested. Using the proposed methodology, these resins were classified in an increasing order of abrasive wear strength, as follows: Charisma (the lowest abrasive wear strength), Tetric, TPH, Herculite and Z-100 (the highest abrasive wear strength) (P < 0.05). In comparison to other methodologies, the results of the proposed methodology presented the lowest coefficient of variation. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Histological outcomes on the development of new space-making devices for maxillary sinus floor augmentation

Background: Previous studies have pointed out that the mere elevation of the maxillary sinus membrane promotes bone formation without the use of augmentation materials. Purpose: This experimental study aimed at evaluating if the two-stage procedure for sinus floor augmentation could benefit from the use of a space-making device in order to increase the bone volume to enable later implant installation with good primary stability. Materials and Methods: Six male tufted capuchin primates (Cebus apella) were subjected to extraction of the three premolars and the first molar on both sides of the maxilla to create an edentulous area. The sinuses were opened using the lateral bone-wall window technique, and the membrane was elevated. One resorbable space-making device was inserted in each maxillary sinus, and the bone window was returned in place. The animals were euthanatized after 6 months, and biopsy blocks containing the whole maxillary sinus and surrounding soft tissues were prepared for ground sections. Results: The histological examination of the specimens showed bone formation in contact with both the schneiderian membrane and the device in most cases even when the device was displaced. The process of bone formation indicates that this technique is potentially useful for two-stage sinus floor augmentation. The lack of stabilization of the device within the sinus demands further improvement of space-makers for predictable bone augmentation. Conclusions: It is concluded that (1) the device used in this study did not trigger any important inflammatory reaction; (2) when the sinus membrane was elevated, bone formation was a constant finding; and (3) an ideal space-making device should be stable and elevate the membrane to ensure a maintained connection between the membrane and the secluded space. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Design and development of new pressure sensors for aerodynamic applications

This artwork reports on two different projects that were carried out during the three years of Doctor of the Philosophy course. In the first years a project regarding Capacitive Pressure Sensors Array for Aerodynamic Applications was developed in the Applied Aerodynamic research team of the Second Faculty of Engineering, University of Bologna, Forlì, Italy, and in collaboration with the ARCES laboratories of the same university. Capacitive pressure sensors were designed and fabricated, investigating theoretically and experimentally the sensor’s mechanical and electrical behaviours by means of finite elements method simulations and by means of wind tunnel tests. During the design phase, the sensor figures of merit are considered and evaluated for specific aerodynamic applications. The aim of this work is the production of low cost MEMS-alternative devices suitable for a sensor network to be implemented in air data system. The last two year was dedicated to a project regarding Wireless Pressure Sensor Network for Nautical Applications. Aim of the developed sensor network is to sense the weak pressure field acting on the sail plan of a full batten sail by means of instrumented battens, providing a real time differential pressure map over the entire sail surface. The wireless sensor network and the sensing unit were designed, fabricated and tested in the faculty laboratories. A static non-linear coupled mechanical-electrostatic simulation, has been developed to predict the pressure versus capacitance static characteristic suitable for the transduction process and to tune the geometry of the transducer to reach the required resolution, sensitivity and time response in the appropriate full scale pressure input A time dependent viscoelastic error model has been inferred and developed by means of experimental data in order to model, predict and reduce the inaccuracy bound due to the viscolelastic phenomena affecting the Mylar® polyester film used for the sensor diaphragm. The development of the two above mentioned subjects are strictly related but presently separately in this artwork.

Design and development of new green catalytic methodologies for the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched molecules

The following Ph.D work was mainly focused on catalysis, as a key technology, to achieve the objectives of sustainable (green) chemistry. After introducing the concepts of sustainable (green) chemistry and an assessment of new sustainable chemical technologies, the relationship between catalysis and sustainable (green) chemistry was briefly discussed and illustrated via an analysis of some selected and relevant examples. Afterwards, as a continuation of the ongoing interest in Dr. Marco Bandini’s group on organometallic and organocatalytic processes, I addressed my efforts to the design and development of novel catalytic green methodologies for the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched molecules. In the first two projects the attention was focused on the employment of solid supports to carry out reactions that still remain a prerogative of omogeneous catalysis. Firstly, particular emphasis was addressed to the discovery of catalytic enantioselective variants of nitroaldol condensation (commonly termed Henry reaction), using a complex consisting in a polyethylene supported diamino thiopene (DATx) ligands and copper as active species. In the second project, a new class of electrochemically modified surfaces with DATx palladium complexes was presented. The DATx-graphite system proved to be efficient in promoting the Suzuki reaction. Moreover, in collaboration with Prof. Wolf at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver), cyclic voltammetry studies were reported. This study disclosed new opportunities for carbon–carbon forming processes by using heterogeneous, electrodeposited catalyst films. A straightforward metal-free catalysis allowed the exploration around the world of organocatalysis. In fact, three different and novel methodologies, using Cinchona, Guanidine and Phosphine derivatives, were envisioned in the three following projects. An interesting variant of nitroaldol condensation with simple trifluoromethyl ketones and also their application in a non-conventional activation of indolyl cores by Friedel-Crafts-functionalization, led to two novel synthetic protocols. These approaches allowed the preparation of synthetically useful trifluoromethyl derivatives bearing quaternary stereocenters. Lastly, in the sixth project the first γ-alkylation of allenoates with conjugated carbonyl compounds was envisioned. In the last part of this Ph.D thesis bases on an extra-ordinary collaboration with Prof. Balzani and Prof. Gigli, I was involved in the synthesis and characterization of a new type of heteroleptic cyclometaled-Ir(III) complexes, bearing bis-oxazolines (BOXs) as ancillary ligands. The new heteroleptic complexes were fully characterized and in order to examine the electroluminescent properties of FIrBOX(CH2), an Organic Light Emitting Device was realized.

Development of new therapeutic approaches in the treatments of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: functional food and nutraceuticals vs synthetic peptides based vaccines

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are intestinal chronic relapsing diseases which ethiopathogenesis remains uncertain. Several group have attempted to study the role of factors involved such as genetic susceptibility, environmental factors such as smoke, diet, sex, immunological factors as well as the microbioma. None of the treatments available satisfy several criteria at the same time such as safety, long-term remission, histopatological healing, and specificity. We used two different approaches for the development of new therapeutic treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The first is focused on the understanding of the potential role of functional food and nutraceuticals nutrients in the treatment of IBD. To do so, we investigated the role of Curcuma longa in the treatment of chemical induced colitis in mice model. Since Curcma Longa has been investigated for its antinflammatory role related to the TNFα pathway as well investigators have reported few cases of patients with ulcerative colites treated with this herbs, we harbored the hypothesis of a role of Curcuma Longa in the treatment f IBD as well as we decided to assess its role in intestinal motility. The second part is based on an immunological approach to develop new drugs to induce suppression in Crohn’s disease or to induce mucosa immunity such as in colonrectal tumor. The main idea behind this approach is that we could manipulate relevant cell-cell interactions using synthetic peptides. We demonstrated the role of the unique interaction between molecules expressed on intestinal epithelial cells such as CD1d and CEACAM5 and on CD8+ T cells. In normal condition this interaction has a role for the expansion of the suppressor CD8+ T cells. Here, we characterized this interaction, we defined which are the epitope involved in the binding and we attempted to develop synthetic peptides from the N domain of CEACAM5 in order to manipulate it.

Development of new tools and devices for CMB and foreground data analysis and future experiments

The discovery of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation in 1965 is one of the fundamental milestones supporting the Big Bang theory. The CMB is one of the most important source of information in cosmology. The excellent accuracy of the recent CMB data of WMAP and Planck satellites confirmed the validity of the standard cosmological model and set a new challenge for the data analysis processes and their interpretation. In this thesis we deal with several aspects and useful tools of the data analysis. We focus on their optimization in order to have a complete exploitation of the Planck data and contribute to the final published results. The issues investigated are: the change of coordinates of CMB maps using the HEALPix package, the problem of the aliasing effect in the generation of low resolution maps, the comparison of the Angular Power Spectrum (APS) extraction performances of the optimal QML method, implemented in the code called BolPol, and the pseudo-Cl method, implemented in Cromaster. The QML method has been then applied to the Planck data at large angular scales to extract the CMB APS. The same method has been applied also to analyze the TT parity and the Low Variance anomalies in the Planck maps, showing a consistent deviation from the standard cosmological model, the possible origins for this results have been discussed. The Cromaster code instead has been applied to the 408 MHz and 1.42 GHz surveys focusing on the analysis of the APS of selected regions of the synchrotron emission. The new generation of CMB experiments will be dedicated to polarization measurements, for which are necessary high accuracy devices for separating the polarizations. Here a new technology, called Photonic Crystals, is exploited to develop a new polarization splitter device and its performances are compared to the devices used nowadays.

Development Of New Toolkits For Orbit Determination Codes For Precise Radio Tracking Experiments

This thesis describes the developments of new models and toolkits for the orbit determination codes to support and improve the precise radio tracking experiments of the Cassini-Huygens mission, an interplanetary mission to study the Saturn system. The core of the orbit determination process is the comparison between observed observables and computed observables. Disturbances in either the observed or computed observables degrades the orbit determination process. Chapter 2 describes a detailed study of the numerical errors in the Doppler observables computed by NASA's ODP and MONTE, and ESA's AMFIN. A mathematical model of the numerical noise was developed and successfully validated analyzing against the Doppler observables computed by the ODP and MONTE, with typical relative errors smaller than 10%. The numerical noise proved to be, in general, an important source of noise in the orbit determination process and, in some conditions, it may becomes the dominant noise source. Three different approaches to reduce the numerical noise were proposed. Chapter 3 describes the development of the multiarc library, which allows to perform a multi-arc orbit determination with MONTE. The library was developed during the analysis of the Cassini radio science gravity experiments of the Saturn's satellite Rhea. Chapter 4 presents the estimation of the Rhea's gravity field obtained from a joint multi-arc analysis of Cassini R1 and R4 fly-bys, describing in details the spacecraft dynamical model used, the data selection and calibration procedure, and the analysis method followed. In particular, the approach of estimating the full unconstrained quadrupole gravity field was followed, obtaining a solution statistically not compatible with the condition of hydrostatic equilibrium. The solution proved to be stable and reliable. The normalized moment of inertia is in the range 0.37-0.4 indicating that Rhea's may be almost homogeneous, or at least characterized by a small degree of differentiation.

Development of new molecular methods for the diagnosis and the study of viral diseases of fish

The increase in aquaculture operations worldwide has provided new opportunities for the transmission of aquatic viruses. The occurrence of viral diseases remains a significant limiting factor in aquaculture production and for the sustainability. The ability to identify quickly the presence/absence of a pathogenic organism in fish would have significant advantages for the aquaculture systems. Several molecular methods have found successful application in fish pathology both for confirmatory diagnosis of overt diseases and for detection of asymptomatic infections. However, a lot of different variants occur among fish host species and virus strains and consequently specific methods need to be developed and optimized for each pathogen and often also for each host species. The first chapter of this PhD thesis presents a complete description of the major viruses that infect fish and provides a relevant information regarding the most common methods and emerging technologies for the molecular diagnosis of viral diseases of fish. The development and application of a real time PCR assay for the detection and quantification of lymphocystivirus was described in the second chapter. It showed to be highly sensitive, specific, reproducible and versatile for the detection and quantitation of lymphocystivirus. The use of this technique can find multiple application such as asymptomatic carrier detection or pathogenesis studies of different LCDV strains. The third chapter, a multiplex RT-PCR (mRT-PCR) assay was developed for the simultaneous detection of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (VHS), infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN), infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) and sleeping disease (SD) in a single assay. This method was able to efficiently detect the viral RNA in tissue samples, showing the presence of single infections and co-infections in rainbow trout samples. The mRT-PCR method was revealed to be an accurate and fast method to support traditional diagnostic techniques in the diagnosis of major viral diseases of rainbow trout.