Water quality assessment in piracicamirim creek upstream and downstream a sugar and ethanol industry through toxicity tests with cladocerans

An environmental impact study was conducted to determine the Piracicamirim's creek water quality in order to assess the influence of effluents from a sugar industry in this water body. For this, toxicity tests were performed with a water sample upstream and downstream the industry using the microcrustaceans Daphnia magna, Ceriodaphnia dubia and Ceriodaphnia silvestrii as test organisms, as well as physical and chemical analysis of water. Results showed that physical and chemical parameters did not change during the sampling period, except for the dissolved oxygen. No toxicity was observed for D. magna and reproduction of C. dubia and C. silvestrii in both sampling points. Thus, the industry was not negatively impacting the quality of this water body.

Halogenated aliphatic and aromatic aerobic biodegradation via direct metabolism and cometabolism: batch and continuous tests

In this thesis the application of biotechnological processes based on microbial metabolic degradation of halogenated compound has been investigated. Several studies showed that most of these pollutants can be biodegraded by single bacterial strains or mixed microbial population via aerobic direct metabolism or cometabolism using as a growth substrates aromatic or aliphatic hydrocarbons. The enhancement of two specific processes has been here object of study in relation with its own respective scenario described as follow: 1st) the bioremediation via aerobic cometabolism of soil contaminated by a high chlorinated compound using a mixed microbial population and the selection and isolation of consortium specific for the compound. 2nd) the implementation of a treatment technology based on direct metabolism of two pure strains at the exact point source of emission, preventing dilution and contamination of large volumes of waste fluids polluted by several halogenated compound minimizing the environmental impact. In order to verify the effect of these two new biotechnological application to remove halogenated compound and purpose them as a more efficient alternative continuous and batch tests have been set up in the experimental part of this thesis. Results obtained from the continuous tests in the second scenario have been supported by microbial analysis via Fluorescence in situ Hybridisation (FISH) and by a mathematical model of the system. The results showed that both process in its own respective scenario offer an effective solutions for the biological treatment of chlorinate compound pollution.

Potenzialità di utilizzo di strutture urbane marine per la conservazione di specie minacciate: uno studio sperimentale sulle strutture di difesa costiera lungo le coste del Nord Adriatico

La proliferazione di strutture di difesa costiere ha determinato un interesse crescente circa l’ecologia di questi ambienti artificiali. Ricerche precedenti svolte lungo le coste del Nord Adriatico avevano evidenziato che mentre i substrati naturali in questa regione sono abbondantemente colonizzati da specie algali, i substrati artificiali tendono ad essere quantitativamente poveri di specie algali e dominati da specie di invertebrati. La seguente tesi ha analizzato l’ipotesi che tali differenze nella crescita di alghe tra habitat naturali ed artificiali potessero essere legate ad una iversa pressione da parte di organismi erbivori. Il lavoro si è focalizzato sulla specie Cystoseira barbata che è naturalmente presente nella regione di studio, ma che negli ultimi 70 anni ha subito una significativa regressione. Si volevano pertanto analizzare i fattori che possono favorire o inibire la crescita di Cystoseira su strutture artificiali di difesa costiera, al fine di poter valutare la possibilità di utilizzare questi substrati artificiali come mezzo per la conservazione di questa specie. I principali obiettivi del lavoro erano: 1. individuare e caratterizzare le potenziali specie erbivore presenti nei siti di studio che potessero limitare la crescita di C. barbata 2. analizzare se ci sono differenze nell’abbondanza di erbivori tra i siti artificiali e quelli naturali. 3. testare se il diverso stadio di sviluppo dell’alga o le modalità di trapianto potessero influenzarne la suscettibilità alla predazione. Mediante esperimenti in campo ho testato gli effetti dell’esclusione di erbivori sulla sopravvivenza e la crescita di Cystoseira barbata. Ho inoltre effettuato test in laboratorio determinare per individuare il potenziale ruolo come erbivori di varie tipologie di organismi, quali anfipodi, paguri e pesci. I risultati confermano l’importanza dell’erbivoria nel determinare il successo dei trapianti e ci dicono che gli erbivori da ricercare superano 1 cm di grandezza. In più, si è osservato che modalità di trapianto che distanzino i talli dal fondo aumentano la sopravvivenza dei talli, mentre non sono state osservate differenze in funzione della taglia dell’alga. Attraverso i test di laboratorio è stato possibile escludere gli Anfipodi come potenziali erbivori mentre Pagurus bernardus ha dimostrato un’effettiva azione di consumo dell’alga. Al contrario, i tests effettuati per approfondire la dieta di alcune specie di blennidi, composta almeno in parte da alghe, non hanno fornito conferme, almeno per il momento. Mediante visual census, si è inoltre escluso il ruolo di grandi erbivori quali ricci e salpe, scarsi nei siti di studio. Il lavoro fino a qui svolto indica, tuttavia, chiaramente che gli ambienti artificiali possono essere influenzati dall’azione di organismi predatori in maniera maggiore rispetto agli ambienti rocciosi circostanti. Questa ipotesi è particolarmente interessante in quanto rappresenterebbe una differenza fondamentale nel funzionamento delle strutture artificiali rispetto agli ambienti rocciosi naturali.

Empirical and fundamental mechanical tests in the evaluation of dough and bread rheological properties

Bread dough and particularly wheat dough, due to its viscoelastic behaviour, is probably the most dynamic and complicated rheological system and its characteristics are very important since they highly affect final products’ textural and sensorial properties. The study of dough rheology has been a very challenging task for many researchers since it can provide numerous information about dough formulation, structure and processing. This explains why dough rheology has been a matter of investigation for several decades. In this research rheological assessment of doughs and breads was performed by using empirical and fundamental methods at both small and large deformation, in order to characterize different types of doughs and final products such as bread. In order to study the structural aspects of food products, image analysis techniques was used for the integration of the information coming from empirical and fundamental rheological measurements. Evaluation of dough properties was carried out by texture profile analysis (TPA), dough stickiness (Chen and Hoseney cell) and uniaxial extensibility determination (Kieffer test) by using a Texture Analyser; small deformation rheological measurements, were performed on a controlled stress–strain rheometer; moreover the structure of different doughs was observed by using the image analysis; while bread characteristics were studied by using texture profile analysis (TPA) and image analysis. The objective of this research was to understand if the different rheological measurements were able to characterize and differentiate the different samples analysed. This in order to investigate the effect of different formulation and processing conditions on dough and final product from a structural point of view. For this aim the following different materials were performed and analysed: - frozen dough realized without yeast; - frozen dough and bread made with frozen dough; - doughs obtained by using different fermentation method; - doughs made by Kamut® flour; - dough and bread realized with the addition of ginger powder; - final products coming from different bakeries. The influence of sub-zero storage time on non-fermented and fermented dough viscoelastic performance and on final product (bread) was evaluated by using small deformation and large deformation methods. In general, the longer the sub-zero storage time the lower the positive viscoelastic attributes. The effect of fermentation time and of different type of fermentation (straight-dough method; sponge-and-dough procedure and poolish method) on rheological properties of doughs were investigated using empirical and fundamental analysis and image analysis was used to integrate this information throughout the evaluation of the dough’s structure. The results of fundamental rheological test showed that the incorporation of sourdough (poolish method) provoked changes that were different from those seen in the others type of fermentation. The affirmative action of some ingredients (extra-virgin olive oil and a liposomic lecithin emulsifier) to improve rheological characteristics of Kamut® dough has been confirmed also when subjected to low temperatures (24 hours and 48 hours at 4°C). Small deformation oscillatory measurements and large deformation mechanical tests performed provided useful information on the rheological properties of samples realized by using different amounts of ginger powder, showing that the sample with the highest amount of ginger powder (6%) had worse rheological characteristics compared to the other samples. Moisture content, specific volume, texture and crumb grain characteristics are the major quality attributes of bread products. The different sample analyzed, “Coppia Ferrarese”, “Pane Comune Romagnolo” and “Filone Terra di San Marino”, showed a decrease of crumb moisture and an increase in hardness over the storage time. Parameters such as cohesiveness and springiness, evaluated by TPA that are indicator of quality of fresh bread, decreased during the storage. By using empirical rheological tests we found several differences among the samples, due to the different ingredients used in formulation and the different process adopted to prepare the sample, but since these products are handmade, the differences could be account as a surplus value. In conclusion small deformation (in fundamental units) and large deformation methods showed a significant role in monitoring the influence of different ingredients used in formulation, different processing and storage conditions on dough viscoelastic performance and on final product. Finally the knowledge of formulation, processing and storage conditions together with the evaluation of structural and rheological characteristics is fundamental for the study of complex matrices like bakery products, where numerous variable can influence their final quality (e.g. raw material, bread-making procedure, time and temperature of the fermentation and baking).

Species identification, distributioin and reproductive interactions of common smoot-hound and blackspotted smooth-hound shark (Genus mustelus) in the Adriatic Sea

Longstanding taxonomic ambiguity and uncertainty exist in the identification of the common (M. mustelus) and blackspotted (M. punctulatus) smooth-hound in the Adriatic Sea. The lack of a clear and accurate method of morphological identification, leading to frequent misidentification, prevents the collation of species-specific landings and survey data for these fishes and hampers the delineation of the distribution ranges and stock boundaries of the species. In this context, adequate species-specific conservation and management strategies can not be applied without risks of population declining and local extinction. In this thesis work I investigated the molecular ecology of the two smooth-hound sharks which are abundant in the demersal trawl surveys carried out in the NC Adriatic Sea to monitor and assess the fishery resources. Ecological and evolutionary relationships were assessed by two molecular tests: a DNA barcoding analysis to improve species identification (and consequently the knowledge of their spatial ecology and taxonomy) and a hybridization assay based on the nuclear codominant marker ITS2 to evaluate reproductive interactions (hybridization or gene introgression). The smooth-hound sharks (N=208) were collected during the MEDITS 2008 and 2010 campaigns along the Italian and Croatian coasts of the Adriatic Sea, in the Sicilian Channel and in the Algerian fisheries. Since the identification based on morphological characters is not strongly reliable, I performed a molecular identification of the specimens producing for each one the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene sequence (ca. 640 bp long) and compared them with reference sequences from different databases (GenBank and BOLD). From these molecular ID data I inferred the distribution of the two target species in the NC Adriatic Sea. In almost the totality of the MEDITS hauls I found no evidence of species sympatry. The data collected during the MEDITS survey showed an almost different distribution of M. mustelus (confined along the Italian coasts) and M. punctulatus (confined along the Croatian coasts); just one sample (Gulf of Venice, where probably the ranges of the species overlap) was found to have catches of both the species. Despite these data results suggested no interaction occurred between my two target species at least during the summertime (the period in which MEDITS survey is carried out), I still wanted to know if there were inter-species reproductive interactions so I developed a simple molecular genetic method to detect hybridization. This method is based on DNA sequence polymorphism among species in the nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 locus (ITS2). Its application to the 208 specimens collected raised important questions regarding the ecology of this two species in the Adriatic Sea. In fact results showed signs of hybridization and/or gene introgression in two sharks collected during the trawl survey of 2008 and one collected during the 2010 one along the Italian and Croatian coasts. In the case that it will be confirmed the hybrid nature of these individuals, a spatiotemporal overlapping of the mating behaviour and ecology must occur. At the spatial level, the northern part of the Adriatic Sea (an area where the two species occur with high frequency of immature individuals) could likely play the role of a common nursery area for both species.

LBT AO system: tests and calibration

An Adaptive Optic (AO) system is a fundamental requirement of 8m-class telescopes. We know that in order to obtain the maximum possible resolution allowed by these telescopes we need to correct the atmospheric turbulence. Thanks to adaptive optic systems we are able to use all the effective potential of these instruments, drawing all the information from the universe sources as best as possible. In an AO system there are two main components: the wavefront sensor (WFS) that is able to measure the aberrations on the incoming wavefront in the telescope, and the deformable mirror (DM) that is able to assume a shape opposite to the one measured by the sensor. The two subsystem are connected by the reconstructor (REC). In order to do this, the REC requires a “common language" between these two main AO components. It means that it needs a mapping between the sensor-space and the mirror-space, called an interaction matrix (IM). Therefore, in order to operate correctly, an AO system has a main requirement: the measure of an IM in order to obtain a calibration of the whole AO system. The IM measurement is a 'mile stone' for an AO system and must be done regardless of the telescope size or class. Usually, this calibration step is done adding to the telescope system an auxiliary artificial source of light (i.e a fiber) that illuminates both the deformable mirror and the sensor, permitting the calibration of the AO system. For large telescope (more than 8m, like Extremely Large Telescopes, ELTs) the fiber based IM measurement requires challenging optical setups that in some cases are also impractical to build. In these cases, new techniques to measure the IM are needed. In this PhD work we want to check the possibility of a different method of calibration that can be applied directly on sky, at the telescope, without any auxiliary source. Such a technique can be used to calibrate AO system on a telescope of any size. We want to test the new calibration technique, called “sinusoidal modulation technique”, on the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) AO system, which is already a complete AO system with the two main components: a secondary deformable mirror with by 672 actuators, and a pyramid wavefront sensor. My first phase of PhD work was helping to implement the WFS board (containing the pyramid sensor and all the auxiliary optical components) working both optical alignments and tests of some optical components. Thanks to the “solar tower” facility of the Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri (Firenze), we have been able to reproduce an environment very similar to the telescope one, testing the main LBT AO components: the pyramid sensor and the secondary deformable mirror. Thanks to this the second phase of my PhD thesis: the measure of IM applying the sinusoidal modulation technique. At first we have measured the IM using a fiber auxiliary source to calibrate the system, without any kind of disturbance injected. After that, we have tried to use this calibration technique in order to measure the IM directly “on sky”, so adding an atmospheric disturbance to the AO system. The results obtained in this PhD work measuring the IM directly in the Arcetri solar tower system are crucial for the future development: the possibility of the acquisition of IM directly on sky means that we are able to calibrate an AO system also for extremely large telescope class where classic IM measurements technique are problematic and, sometimes, impossible. Finally we have not to forget the reason why we need this: the main aim is to observe the universe. Thanks to these new big class of telescopes and only using their full capabilities, we will be able to increase our knowledge of the universe objects observed, because we will be able to resolve more detailed characteristics, discovering, analyzing and understanding the behavior of the universe components.

Modelling and analysis of internally BFRP reinforced beams at elevated temperatures

The aim of the work is to conduct a finite element model analysis on a small – size concrete beam and on a full size concrete beam internally reinforced with BFRP exposed at elevated temperatures. Experimental tests performed at Kingston University have been used to compare the results from the numerical analysis for the small – size concrete beam. Once the behavior of the small – size beam at room temperature is investigated and switching to the heating phase reinforced beams are tested at 100°C, 200°C and 300°C in loaded condition. The aim of the finite element analysis is to reflect the three – point bending test adopted into the oven during the exposure of the beam at room temperature and at elevated temperatures. Performance and deformability of reinforced beams are straightly correlated to the material properties and a wide analysis on elastic modulus and coefficient of thermal expansion is given in this work. Develop a good correlation between the numerical model and the experimental test is the main objective of the analysis on the small – size concrete beam, for both modelling the aim is also to estimate which is the deterioration of the material properties due to the heating process and the influence of different parameters on the final result. The focus of the full – size modelling which involved the last part of this work is to evaluate the effect of elevated temperatures, the material deterioration and the deflection trend on a reinforced beam characterized by a different size. A comparison between the results from different modelling has been developed.

Metodi biochimici e biomolecolari applicati alla medicina clinica: rendimento della real-time TaqMan PCR per la valutazione della resistenza alla claritromicina in H.pylori e tests fecali nella diagnorstica del carcinoma colo-rettale: M2PK, calprotectina e FOBT

1) Background: The most common methods to evaluate clarithromycin resistance is the E-Test, but is time consuming. Resistance of Hp to clarithromycin is due to point mutations in the 23S rRNA. Eight different point mutations have been related to CH resistance, but the large majority of the clarithromycin resistance depends on three point mutations (A2142C, A2142G and A2143G). A novel PCR-based clarithromycin resistance assays, even on paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens, have been proposed. Aims: to assess clarithromycin resistance detecting these point mutation (E-Test as a reference method);secondly, to investigate relation with MIC values. Methods: Paraffin-embedded biopsies of patients Hp-positive were retrieved. The A2142C, A2142G and A2143G point mutations were detected by molecular analysis after DNA extraction by using a TaqMan real-time PCR. Results: The study enrolled 86 patients: 46 resistant and 40 sensible to CH. The Hp status was evaluated at endoscopy, by rapid urease test (RUT), histology and hp culture. According to real-time PCR, 37 specimens were susceptible to clarithromycin (wild type dna) whilst the remaining 49 specimens (57%) were resistant. A2143G is the most frequent mutation. A2142C always express a resistant phenotype and A2142G leads to a resitant phenotype only if homozigous. 2) Background: Colonoscopy work-load for endoscopy services is increasing due to colorectal cancer prevention. We tested a combination of faecal tests to improve accuracy and prioritize the access to colonoscopy. Methods: we tested a combination of fecal tests (FOBT, M2-PK and calprotectin) in a group of 280 patients requiring colonoscopy. Results: 47 patients had CRC and 85 had advanced adenoma/s at colonoscopy/histology. In case of single test, for CRC detection FOBT was the test with the highest specificity and PPV, M2-PK had the highest sensitivity and higher NPV. Combination was more interesting in term of PPV. And the best combination of tests was i-FOBT + M2-PK.

BDI agents for Real Time Strategy games

While the use of distributed intelligence has been incrementally spreading in the design of a great number of intelligent systems, the field of Artificial Intelligence in Real Time Strategy games has remained mostly a centralized environment. Despite turn-based games have attained AIs of world-class level, the fast paced nature of RTS games has proven to be a significant obstacle to the quality of its AIs. Chapter 1 introduces RTS games describing their characteristics, mechanics and elements. Chapter 2 introduces Multi-Agent Systems and the use of the Beliefs-Desires-Intentions abstraction, analysing the possibilities given by self-computing properties. In Chapter 3 the current state of AI development in RTS games is analyzed highlighting the struggles of the gaming industry to produce valuable. The focus on improving multiplayer experience has impacted gravely on the quality of the AIs thus leaving them with serious flaws that impair their ability to challenge and entertain players. Chapter 4 explores different aspects of AI development for RTS, evaluating the potential strengths and weaknesses of an agent-based approach and analysing which aspects can benefit the most against centralized AIs. Chapter 5 describes a generic agent-based framework for RTS games where every game entity becomes an agent, each of which having its own knowledge and set of goals. Different aspects of the game, like economy, exploration and warfare are also analysed, and some agent-based solutions are outlined. The possible exploitation of self-computing properties to efficiently organize the agents activity is then inspected. Chapter 6 presents the design and implementation of an AI for an existing Open Source game in beta development stage: 0 a.d., an historical RTS game on ancient warfare which features a modern graphical engine and evolved mechanics. The entities in the conceptual framework are implemented in a new agent-based platform seamlessly nested inside the existing game engine, called ABot, widely described in Chapters 7, 8 and 9. Chapter 10 and 11 include the design and realization of a new agent based language useful for defining behavioural modules for the agents in ABot, paving the way for a wider spectrum of contributors. Chapter 12 concludes the work analysing the outcome of tests meant to evaluate strategies, realism and pure performance, finally drawing conclusions and future works in Chapter 13.

Operational Modal Analysis: the CEME Skywalk at UBC, Vancouver

Slender and lighter footbridges are becoming more and more popular to meet the transportation demand and the aesthetical requirements of the modern society. The widespread presence of such particular structures has become possible thanks to the availability of new, lightweight and still capable of carrying heavy loads material . Therefore, these kind of structure, are particularly sensitive to vibration serviceability problems, especially induced by human activities. As a consequence, it has been imperative to study the dynamic behaviour of such slender pedestrian bridges in order to define their modal characteristics. As an alternative to a Finite Element Analysis to find natural frequencies, damping and mode shape, a so-called Operational Modal Analysis is a valid tool to obtain these parameters through an ambient vibration test. This work provides a useful insight into the Operational Modal Analysis technique and It reports the investigation of the CEME Skywalk, a pedestrian bridge located at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. Furthermore, human-induced vibration tests have been performed and the dynamic characteristics derived with these tests have been compared with the ones from the ambient vibration tests. The effect of the dynamic properties of the two buildings supporting the CEME Skywalk on the dynamic behaviour of the bridge has been also investigated.