Novel hydroxystearoyl-, heterocyclic and carbocyclic derivatives: synthesis and applications in biological field

This PhD project has been mainly focused on the synthesis of novel organic compounds containing heterocyclic and/or carbocyclic scaffold and on the study of stearic acid derivatives and their applications in biological field. The synthesis of novel derivatives of 9-hydroxystearic acid (9-HSA) evidenced how the presence of substituents on C9, able to make hydrogen bonds is of crucial importance for the biological activity. Also the position of the hydroxy group along the chain of hydroxystearic acids was investigated: regioisomers with the hydroxy group bound to odd carbons resulted more active than those bearing the hydroxy group on even carbons. Further, the insertion of (R)-9-HSA in magnetic nanoparticles gave a novel material which characterization remarked its suitability for drug delivery. Structural hybrids between amino aza-heterocycles and azelaic acid have been synthesized and some of them showed a selective activity towards osteosarcoma cell line U2OS. Several Apcin analogues bearing indole, benzothiazole, benzofurazan moieties connected to tryptaminyl-, amino pyridinyl-, pyrimidinyl- and pyrazinyl ring through a 1,1,1-trichloroethyl group were synthesized. Biological tests showed the importance of both the tryptaminyl and the pyrimidinyl moieties, confirming the effectiveness against acute leukemia models. The SNAr between 2-aminothiazole derivatives and 7-chlorodinitrobenzofuroxan revealed different behaviour depending from amino substituent of the thiazole. The reaction with 2-N-piperidinyl-, 2-N-morpholinyl-, or 2-N-pyrrolidinyl thiazole gave two isomeric species derived from the attack on C-5 of thiazole ring. Thiazoles substituted with primary- or not-cyclic secondary amines reacted with the exocyclic amino nitrogen atom giving a series of compounds whose biological activity have highlighted as they might be promising candidates for further development of antitumor agents. A series of 9-fluorenylidene derivatives, of interest in medical and optoelectronic field as organic scintillators, was synthesized through Wittig or Suzuky reaction and will be analyzed to test their potential scintillatory properties.

Appropriate technologies and natural systems for wastewater treatment in low- and middle-income countries

Wastewater management is an environmental and social burden that primarily affects populations in Low- and Middle-Income Countries and the global environment. Wastewater collection, treatment, and reuse have become urgent, especially considering that 80% of the world's wastewater is untreated or improperly treated and discharged directly into water bodies. In recent years, the role of wastewater treatment plants in a sustainable water cycle has become even more critical, as they are the final destination of the collected wastewater. Indeed, the management of wastewater treatment plants should play an essential role in achieving SDG target 6.3 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for SD. In this context, water reuse, especially wastewater reuse, plays a key role. This research focuses on investigating the valorization of wastewater resources applying Appropriate Technologies and Natural Systems for wastewater treatment in two different Low- and Middle-Income Countries, the Palestinian Territories and Sub-Saharan Africa. The research objectives are: (1) Determine the characteristics and quality of wastewater in the two case studies analysed. (2) Identify Appropriate Technology to be used in the Palestinian Territories to treat wastewater for reuse in agriculture. (3) Assess the environmental, economic, and social impacts of this project. (4) Assess the feasibility of using natural wetlands for household wastewater treatment in Sub-Saharan region. The first study, conducted in Rafah, Gaza Strip, showed that implementing existing primary treatment plant with a natural secondary treatment plant properly optimized the wastewater quality for reuse in agriculture and was suitable for the study area. The second case study was conducted in Cape Coast, Ghana. It shows that the natural wetland studied is currently overly polluted and threatened by various anthropogenic factors that cannot remove pollutants from the incoming domestic wastewater. Therefore, some recommendations were made in order to improve the efficiency of this natural wetland.

PCM-based in-memory computing: architectures, circuits and applications

Analog In-memory Computing (AIMC) has been proposed in the context of Beyond Von Neumann architectures as a valid strategy to reduce internal data transfers energy consumption and latency, and to improve compute efficiency. The aim of AIMC is to perform computations within the memory unit, typically leveraging the physical features of memory devices. Among resistive Non-volatile Memories (NVMs), Phase-change Memory (PCM) has become a promising technology due to its intrinsic capability to store multilevel data. Hence, PCM technology is currently investigated to enhance the possibilities and the applications of AIMC. This thesis aims at exploring the potential of new PCM-based architectures as in-memory computational accelerators. In a first step, a preliminar experimental characterization of PCM devices has been carried out in an AIMC perspective. PCM cells non-idealities, such as time-drift, noise, and non-linearity have been studied to develop a dedicated multilevel programming algorithm. Measurement-based simulations have been then employed to evaluate the feasibility of PCM-based operations in the fields of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). Moreover, a first testchip has been designed and tested to evaluate the hardware implementation of Multiply-and-Accumulate (MAC) operations employing PCM cells. This prototype experimentally demonstrates the possibility to reach a 95% MAC accuracy with a circuit-level compensation of cells time drift and non-linearity. Finally, empirical circuit behavior models have been included in simulations to assess the use of this technology in specific DNN applications, and to enhance the potentiality of this innovative computation approach.

A robotic platform for precision agriculture and applications

Agricultural techniques have been improved over the centuries to match with the growing demand of an increase in global population. Farming applications are facing new challenges to satisfy global needs and the recent technology advancements in terms of robotic platforms can be exploited. As the orchard management is one of the most challenging applications because of its tree structure and the required interaction with the environment, it was targeted also by the University of Bologna research group to provide a customized solution addressing new concept for agricultural vehicles. The result of this research has blossomed into a new lightweight tracked vehicle capable of performing autonomous navigation both in the open-filed scenario and while travelling inside orchards for what has been called in-row navigation. The mechanical design concept, together with customized software implementation has been detailed to highlight the strengths of the platform and some further improvements envisioned to improve the overall performances. Static stability testing has proved that the vehicle can withstand steep slopes scenarios. Some improvements have also been investigated to refine the estimation of the slippage that occurs during turning maneuvers and that is typical of skid-steering tracked vehicles. The software architecture has been implemented using the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework, so to exploit community available packages related to common and basic functions, such as sensor interfaces, while allowing dedicated custom implementation of the navigation algorithm developed. Real-world testing inside the university’s experimental orchards have proven the robustness and stability of the solution with more than 800 hours of fieldwork. The vehicle has also enabled a wide range of autonomous tasks such as spraying, mowing, and on-the-field data collection capabilities. The latter can be exploited to automatically estimate relevant orchard properties such as fruit counting and sizing, canopy properties estimation, and autonomous fruit harvesting with post-harvesting estimations.

New knowledge, diagnostic and control tools to limit the impact of viral nervous necrosis (VNN) in the Mediterranean aquaculture sector

The role of aquaculture in satisfying the global seafood demand is essential. The expansion of the aquaculture sector and the intensification of its activities have enhanced the circulation of infectious agents. Among these, the nervous necrosis virus (NNV) represents the most widespread in the Mediterranean basin. The NNV is responsible for a severe neuropathological condition named viral nervous necrosis (VNN), impacting hugely on fish farms due to the serious disease-associated losses. Therefore, it is fundamental to develop new strategies to limit the impact of VNN in this area, interconnecting several aspects of disease management, diagnosis and prevention. This PhD thesis project, focusing on aquatic animals’ health, deals with these topics. The first two chapters expand the knowledge on VNN epidemiology and distribution, showing the possibility of interspecies transmission, persistent infections and a potential carrier role for invertebrates. The third study expands the horizon of VNN diagnosis, by developing a quick and affordable multiplex RT-PCR able to detect and simultaneously discriminate between NNV variants, reducing considerably the time and costs of genotyping. The fourth study, with the development of a fluorescent in situ hybridization technique and its application to aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates’ tissues, contributes to expand the knowledge on NNV distribution at cellular level, localizing also the replication site of the virus. Finally, the last study dealing with an in vitro evaluation of the NNV susceptibility to a commercial biocide, stress the importance to implement proper disinfectant procedures in fish farms to prevent virus spread and disease outbreaks.

Bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) polluted marine sediments: a study of the effectiveness of bioaugmentation and biostimulation via microbial electrochemical technologies and polyhydroxyalkanoates

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are chemicals largely employed in the industry, banned at the end of the last century yet still persistent in the environment. Bioremediation, namely exploiting bacteria to reduce PCBs’ toxicity, is receiving attention as a promising approach to remediate polluted site in situ. Natural bioremediation is constrained by several factors as the low amount of the required growth substrates (e.g. electron donors, oxygen) and the scarcity of bacteria able to metabolize PCBs. In this regard, use of biodegradable polymers or applied potentials have been demonstrated effective in priming bioremediation of freshwater environments (e.g. river sediments) polluted by chlorinated solvents or PCBs. Yet, little is known regarding the application in marine sediments, where the abundance of anaerobic competitors (i.e. sulfate reducing bacteria) and the different sediment’s features might affect the bioremediation. In this study, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and Microbial Electrochemical Technologies (METs) were applied for the first time to prime bioremediation of PCBs polluted marine sediments. The influence of PHAs was studied on the main anaerobic metabolisms and on the microbial community of the heavily polluted sediments coming from the Pialassa della Baiona, a micro-tidal coastal lagoon in Ravenna, and from Mar Piccolo, the marine basin aside Taranto. The impact of METs was deepened by monitoring the physical-chemical parameters and the main anaerobic metabolisms of the sediments coming from Ravenna. The effectiveness of biostimulating with PHAs depended on the features of the treated site, possibly due to the availability of the amendments and to the competition of the indigenous microbial communities. The bioelectrochemical stimulation inhibited the bioremediation process. In both cases, the presence of an inoculated bacterial community was required to perform bioremediation. The collected results led to a comprehensive analysis of the available literature, questioning what could be the further approaches for an effective in situ bioremediation.

Highway Maintenance Concept Vehicle, June 2002

This report documents Phase IV of the Highway Maintenance Concept Vehicle (HMCV) project, a pooled fund study sponsored by the Departments of Transportation of Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. This report provides the background, including a brief history of the earlier phases of the project, a systems overview, and descriptions of the research conducted in Phase IV. Finally, the report provides conclusions and recommendations for future research. Background The goal of the Highway Maintenance Concept Vehicle Pooled Fund Study is to provide travelers with the level of service defined by policy during the winter season at the least cost to taxpayers. This goal is to be accomplished by using information regarding actual road conditions to facilitate and adjust snow and ice control activities. The approach used in this study was to bring technology applications from other industries to the highway maintenance vehicle. This approach is evolutionary in that as emerging technologies and applications are found to be acceptable to the pooled fund states and as they appear that to have potential for supporting the study goals they become candidates for our research. The objective of Phase IV is to: Conduct limited deployment of selected technologies from Phase III by equipping a vehicle with proven advanced technologies and creating a mobile test laboratory for collecting road weather data. The research quickly pointed out that investments in winter storm maintenance assets must be based on benefit/cost analysis and related to improving level of service. For example, Iowa has estimated the average cost of fighting a winter storm to be about $60,000 to $70,000 per hour typically. The maintenance concept vehicle will have advanced technology equipment capable of applying precisely the correct amount of material, accurately tailored to the existing and predicted pavement conditions. Hence, a state using advanced technology could expect to have a noticeable impact on the average time taken to establish the winter driving service level. If the concept vehicle and data produced by the vehicle are used to support decision-making leading to reducing material usage and the average time by one hour, a reasonable benefit/cost will result. Data from the friction meter can be used to monitor and adjust snow and ice control activities and inform travelers of pavement surface conditions. Therefore, final selection of successfully performing technologies will be based on the foundation statements and criteria developed by the study team.

Plan exportador en los sistemas semi-estabulado de ganado de carne bovino en productores de la vereda el guayabo - Pto. Salgar, Cundinamarca.

Este proyecto busca analizar y brindar las herramientas necesarias para poder exportar carne de calidad bajo un plan detallado de diagnostico en la zona a impactar en armonía con el medio ambiente. Básicamente, se trata de entender que la finca se debe manejar como una empresa agro-ganadera. El reto que tiene el gremio de los Agro-ganaderos está en crear, desarrollar y aplicar verdaderos proyectos de vida que sean productivos en las empresas ganaderas. Debemos empezar a utilizar los beneficios de los nuevos conceptos, tecnologías e investigaciones, para afrontar los retos que se imponen con los Tratados de Libre Comercio con otros países. La empresa Plus Agrícola S.A.S., quiere que estos conceptos, conocimientos, tecnologías e investigaciones lleguen a los pequeños y medianos productores de muchas zonas del país que como consecuencia de numerosos obstáculos e intereses de federaciones, no han podido acceder a capacitaciones que les permitan convertirse en verdaderos empresarios ganaderos. Plus Agrícola S.A.S., quiere proporcionar elementos de cambio que permitan dar un giro de 360 grados a estos productores pues estamos convencidos que el futuro de la ganadería en Colombia está en sistemas semi-estabulados y estabulados con confort, tanto en producción de carne y leche que permitan cambiar esa idea que de generación en generación hemos aplicado, como es sacar nuestros bovinos a pastorear en pasturas degradadas y pobres en alimento.

Investigation into the adoption intention of social CRM in Saudi banks

The growth of Web 2.0 generation will have influence on developing strong relationships with customers. Even though Web 2.0 technologies and applications have gained significant attention recently by academics and practitioners, research into its potential integration with CRM system remains a poorly investigated subject. This paper aims to investigate the adoption intention of social CRM system, focusing on Saudi banks. A conceptual model was proposed based on technology organisation and environment (TOE) framework. A qualitative approach was applied to validate the research model. The finding suggests that technology infrastructure, and competitive pressures tend to be the most influential drivers to adopt social CRM. In contrast, the limited number of IT experts, security concerns, and organisational structure were found to negatively affect social CRM adoption intention.

Application of GPR in the study of a modern alluvial megafan: The case of the Taquari river in Pantanal wetland, West-Central Brazil

A novel and timely ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey has been carried out in Pantanal from Mato Grosso State, west-central Brazil. Fieldwork was carried out on February/2001 and August/2002 in an attempt to understand avulsion processes that are occurring within Taquari alluvial megafan. The main objectives were to map channel, crevasse and floodplain morphology, as well as active sedimentary bedforms. Many GPR profiles were acquired in the medium and lower Taquari River course. Subaqueous megaripples and exposed sand bars were identified in the medium fan area. Similar features were observed in the lower fan channels, where there were many crevasses in the marginal levees. During the flooding seasons, the flow splays out on to the floodplain, where new distributary channels are being formed. GPR data show that the lower fan, Taquari channel is topographically higher than the adjacent floodplain, thus favoring avulsion as a natural process of river course shifting. GPR data obtained during the wet and dry seasons, together with sedimentology information have been very important in characterizing the fluvial dynamics, and avulsion phenomena. © 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.

Querying Runtime Information in the IDE

Code queries focus mainly on the static structure of a system. To comprehend the dynamic behavior of a system however, a software engineer needs to be able to reason about the dynamics of this system, for instance by querying a database of dynamic information. Such a querying mechanism should be directly available in the IDE where the developers implements, navigates and reasons about the software system. We propose (i) concepts to gather dynamic information, (ii) the means to query this information, and (iii) tools and techniques to integrate querying of dynamic information in the IDE, including the presentation of results generated by queries.