A Simple Method to Evaluate, Correlate and Predict Boiling and Flash Points of Alkynes

Boiling points (T-B) of acyclic alkynes are predicted from their boiling point numbers (Y-BP) with the relationship T-B(K) = -16.802Y(BP)(2/3) + 337.377Y(BP)(1/3) - 437.883. In turn, Y-BP values are calculated from structure using the equation Y-BP = 1.726 + A(i) + 2.779C + 1.716M(3) + 1.564M + 4.204E(3) + 3.905E + 5.007P - 0.329D + 0.241G + 0.479V + 0.967T + 0.574S. Here A(i) depends on the substitution pattern of the alkyne and the remainder of the equation is the same as that reported earlier for alkanes. For a data set consisting of 76 acyclic alkynes, the correlation of predicted and literature T-B values had an average absolute deviation of 1.46 K, and the R-2 of the correlation was 0.999. In addition, the calculated Y-BP values can be used to predict the flash points of alkynes.

Social Skills and Psychological Disorders: Converging and Criterion-Related Validity for YSR and IHSA-Del-Prette in Adolescents at Risk

This study evaluated indexes of converging and criterion-related validity for the Social Skills Inventory for Adolescents (IHSA-Del-Prette) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR) in two samples: one referring to clinical service (CLIN), with 28 adolescents (64.3% boys), 11 through 17 years old (M = 13.75; SD = 1.74), and the other referring to a psycho-educational program (PME = 46.2%), mainly composed of boys (91.7%) aged 13 through 17 (M = 15.33; SD = 1.47). Both samples completed the two inventories. Results showed a high incidence of psychological disorders in both samples (between 4% and 79% in the borderline or clinical range on YSR scales) and accentuated deficits in the general and subscale scores of IHSA-Del-Prette, especially on the frequency scale (25% to 58%). The correlations between the instruments in the two groups supported criterion-related and converging validity. Some issues concerning the differences between the samples and about the construct of social competence, underlying these inventories, are discussed. Key words authors:

Gauging food and nutritional care quality in hospitals

Background: Food and nutritional care quality must be assessed and scored, so as to improve health institution efficacy. This study aimed to detect and compare actions related to food and nutritional care quality in public and private hospitals. Methods: Investigation of the Hospital Food and Nutrition Service (HFNS) of 37 hospitals by means of structured interviews assessing two quality control corpora, namely nutritional care quality (NCQ) and hospital food service quality (FSQ). HFNS was also evaluated with respect to human resources per hospital bed and per produced meal. Results: Comparison between public and private institutions revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between the number of hospital beds per HFNS staff member (p = 0.02) and per dietitian (p < 0.01). The mean compliance with NCQ criteria in public and private institutions was 51.8% and 41.6%, respectively. The percentage of public and private health institutions in conformity with FSQ criteria was 42.4% and 49.1%, respectively. Most of the actions comprising each corpus, NCQ and FSQ, varied considerably between the two types of institution. NCQ was positively influenced by hospital type (general) and presence of a clinical dietitian. FSQ was affected by institution size: large and medium-sized hospitals were significantly better than small ones. Conclusions: Food and nutritional care in hospital is still incipient, and actions concerning both nutritional care and food service take place on an irregular basis. It is clear that the design of food and nutritional care in hospital indicators is mandatory, and that guidelines for the development of actions as well as qualification and assessment of nutritional care are urgent.

Computer game-based and traditional learning method: a comparison regarding students’ knowledge retention

Abstract Background Educational computer games are examples of computer-assisted learning objects, representing an educational strategy of growing interest. Given the changes in the digital world over the last decades, students of the current generation expect technology to be used in advancing their learning requiring a need to change traditional passive learning methodologies to an active multisensory experimental learning methodology. The objective of this study was to compare a computer game-based learning method with a traditional learning method, regarding learning gains and knowledge retention, as means of teaching head and neck Anatomy and Physiology to Speech-Language and Hearing pathology undergraduate students. Methods Students were randomized to participate to one of the learning methods and the data analyst was blinded to which method of learning the students had received. Students’ prior knowledge (i.e. before undergoing the learning method), short-term knowledge retention and long-term knowledge retention (i.e. six months after undergoing the learning method) were assessed with a multiple choice questionnaire. Students’ performance was compared considering the three moments of assessment for both for the mean total score and for separated mean scores for Anatomy questions and for Physiology questions. Results Students that received the game-based method performed better in the pos-test assessment only when considering the Anatomy questions section. Students that received the traditional lecture performed better in both post-test and long-term post-test when considering the Anatomy and Physiology questions. Conclusions The game-based learning method is comparable to the traditional learning method in general and in short-term gains, while the traditional lecture still seems to be more effective to improve students’ short and long-term knowledge retention.

A simple method to evaluate, correlate and predict boiling and flash points of alkynes

Boiling points (T B) of acyclic alkynes are predicted from their boiling point numbers (Y BP) with the relationship T B(K) = -16.802Y BP2/3 + 337.377Y BP1/3 - 437.883. In turn, Y BP values are calculated from structure using the equation Y BP = 1.726 + Ai + 2.779C + 1.716M3 + 1.564M + 4.204E3 + 3.905E + 5.007P - 0.329D + 0.241G + 0.479V + 0.967T + 0.574S. Here Ai depends on the substitution pattern of the alkyne and the remainder of the equation is the same as that reported earlier for alkanes. For a data set consisting of 76 acyclic alkynes, the correlation of predicted and literature T B values had an average absolute deviation of 1.46 K, and the R² of the correlation was 0.999. In addition, the calculated Y BP values can be used to predict the flash points of alkynes.

Extra and intradural spinal Hemangioblastoma

Hemangioblastomas of the central nervous system (CNS) are low-grade highly vascularized tumors that may be sporadic or associated with Von Hippel-Lindau disease. Extradural hemangioblastomas are uncommon and those located extra and intradurally are even rarer. This study uses an illustrative case and literature review to discuss the difficulties to consider the correct diagnosis and to select the best surgical approach. A 57 years-old white male patient presented with myelopathy and right C5 radiculopathy. The images showed a lobulated, hourglass shaped, highly enhanced extra/intradural lesion that occupied the spinal canal and widened the C4-C5 right intervertebral foramen. Total resection of the intradural lesion was achieved through a posterior approach, but the extradural part could only be partially removed. Complete improvement was observed after four months of follow-up and the residual tumor has been followed up clinically and radiologically. Even though the preoperative impression was of a spinal schwannoma, the histopathological examination revealed grade I hemangioblastoma as per WHO. Despite their rarity, current complementary exams allow considering the diagnosis of hemangioblastoma preoperatively. That is essential to a better surgical planning in view of the particular surgical features of this lesion.

On the morphological differentiation between Libinia spinosa and L. ferreirae (Crustacea: Brachyura: Majoidea: Epialtidae)

Libinia spinosa H. Milne Edwards in Guérin, 1832 and L. ferreirae Brito Capello, 1871, inhabit very similar environments, and their geographic and bathymetric distributions overlap for about 3000 km along the southwestern Atlantic. Both species are commonly caught in the same haul and differentiating between them can often be difficult. Traditionally, morphological differentiation between L. spinosa and L. ferreirae has been based exclusively on the number of spines along the median, longitudinal line of the carapace and the development of a process at the anterolateral angle of the basal segment of the antenna. Because Libinia spinosa and L. ferreirae share similar numbers of median spines (7 and 6, respectively), and the number of median spines of the carapace and the process at the anterolateral angle of the basal antennal segment are variable, they are of little value in separating these species. It is shown herein that unequivocal identification can be easily achieved based on features of the male and female thoracic sternum, pereiopod dactyli, and infraorbital notch. A lectotype is designated for L. spinosa and its authorship and date are corrected. Libinia gibbosa A. Milne-Edwards, 1878, is demonstrated to be a junior synonym of L. ferreirae. The holotype of L. gibbosa is figured for the first time.

Pattern-based segmentation of digital documents: model and implementation

This thesis proposes a new document model, according to which any document can be segmented in some independent components and transformed in a pattern-based projection, that only uses a very small set of objects and composition rules. The point is that such a normalized document expresses the same fundamental information of the original one, in a simple, clear and unambiguous way. The central part of my work consists of discussing that model, investigating how a digital document can be segmented, and how a segmented version can be used to implement advanced tools of conversion. I present seven patterns which are versatile enough to capture the most relevant documents’ structures, and whose minimality and rigour make that implementation possible. The abstract model is then instantiated into an actual markup language, called IML. IML is a general and extensible language, which basically adopts an XHTML syntax, able to capture a posteriori the only content of a digital document. It is compared with other languages and proposals, in order to clarify its role and objectives. Finally, I present some systems built upon these ideas. These applications are evaluated in terms of users’ advantages, workflow improvements and impact over the overall quality of the output. In particular, they cover heterogeneous content management processes: from web editing to collaboration (IsaWiki and WikiFactory), from e-learning (IsaLearning) to professional printing (IsaPress).

Bioanalytical applications of multicolour bioluminescence imaging: new tools for drug discovery and development

The subject of this thesis is multicolour bioluminescence analysis and how it can provide new tools for drug discovery and development.The mechanism of color tuning in bioluminescent reactions is not fully understood yet but it is object of intense research and several hypothesis have been generated. In the past decade key residues of the active site of the enzyme or in the surface surrounding the active site have been identified as responsible of different color emission. Anyway since bioluminescence reaction is strictly dependent from the interaction between the enzyme and its substrate D-luciferin, modification of the substrate can lead to a different emission spectrum too. In the recent years firefly luciferase and other luciferases underwent mutagenesis in order to obtain mutants with different emission characteristics. Thanks to these new discoveries in the bioluminescence field multicolour luciferases can be nowadays employed in bioanalysis for assay developments and imaging purposes. The use of multicolor bioluminescent enzymes expanded the potential of a range of application in vitro and in vivo. Multiple analysis and more information can be obtained from the same analytical session saving cost and time. This thesis focuses on several application of multicolour bioluminescence for high-throughput screening and in vivo imaging. Multicolor luciferases can be employed as new tools for drug discovery and developments and some examples are provided in the different chapters. New red codon optimized luciferase have been demonstrated to be improved tools for bioluminescence imaging in small animal and the possibility to combine red and green luciferases for BLI has been achieved even if some aspects of the methodology remain challenging and need further improvement. In vivo Bioluminescence imaging has known a rapid progress since its first application no more than 15 years ago. It is becoming an indispensable tool in pharmacological research. At the same time the development of more sensitive and implemented microscopes and low-light imager for a better visualization and quantification of multicolor signals would boost the research and the discoveries in life sciences in general and in drug discovery and development in particular.

Genetic Manipulation, Gene Silencing and Biomarker Development in Multiple Experimental Models.

The thesis is set in three different parts, according to the relative experimental models. First, the domestic pig (Sus scrofa) is part of the study on reproductive biotechnologies: the transgenesis technique of Sperm Mediated Gene Transfer is widely studied starting from the quality of the semen, through the study of multiple uptakes of exogenous DNA and lastly used in the production of multi-transgenic blastocysts. Finally we managed to couple the transgenesis pipeline with sperm sorting and therefore produced transgenic embryos of predetermined sex. In the second part of the thesis the attention is on the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and on its derived cell line: the S2 cells. The in vitro and in vivo models are used to develop and validate an efficient way to knock down the myc gene. First an efficient in vitro protocol is described, than we demonstrate how the decrease in myc transcript remarkably affects the ribosome biogenesis through the study of Polysome gradients, rRNA content and qPCR. In vivo we identified two optimal drivers for the conditional silencing of myc, once the flies are fed with RU486: the first one is throughout the whole body (Tubulin), while the second is a head fat body driver (S32). With these results we present a very efficient model to study the role of myc in multiple aspects of translation. In the third and last part, the focus is on human derived lung fibroblasts (hLF-1), mouse tail fibroblasts and mouse tissues. We developed an efficient assay to quantify the total protein content of the nucleus on a single cell level via fluorescence. We coupled the protocol with classical immunofluorescence so to have at the same time general and particular information, demonstrating that during senescence nuclear proteins increase by 1.8 fold either in human cells, mouse cells and mouse tissues.

Development of instrumental and sensory analytical methods of food obtained by traditional and emerging technologies

The consumer demand for natural, minimally processed, fresh like and functional food has lead to an increasing interest in emerging technologies. The aim of this PhD project was to study three innovative food processing technologies currently used in the food sector. Ultrasound-assisted freezing, vacuum impregnation and pulsed electric field have been investigated through laboratory scale systems and semi-industrial pilot plants. Furthermore, analytical and sensory techniques have been developed to evaluate the quality of food and vegetable matrix obtained by traditional and emerging processes. Ultrasound was found to be a valuable technique to improve the freezing process of potatoes, anticipating the beginning of the nucleation process, mainly when applied during the supercooling phase. A study of the effects of pulsed electric fields on phenol and enzymatic profile of melon juice has been realized and the statistical treatment of data was carried out through a response surface method. Next, flavour enrichment of apple sticks has been realized applying different techniques, as atmospheric, vacuum, ultrasound technologies and their combinations. The second section of the thesis deals with the development of analytical methods for the discrimination and quantification of phenol compounds in vegetable matrix, as chestnut bark extracts and olive mill waste water. The management of waste disposal in mill sector has been approached with the aim of reducing the amount of waste, and at the same time recovering valuable by-products, to be used in different industrial sectors. Finally, the sensory analysis of boiled potatoes has been carried out through the development of a quantitative descriptive procedure for the study of Italian and Mexican potato varieties. An update on flavour development in fresh and cooked potatoes has been realized and a sensory glossary, including general and specific definitions related to organic products, used in the European project Ecropolis, has been drafted.

When the Practice of Theorizing Meets the Theorizing of Practice. Social Knowledge Making in Organization Science Academia and Managerial Communities

The aim of the present work is to contribute to a better understanding of the relation between organization theory and management practice. It is organized as a collection of two papers, a theoretical and conceptual contribution and an ethnographic study. The first paper is concerned with systematizing different literatures inside and outside the field of organization studies that deal with the theory-practice relation. After identifying a series of positions to the theory-practice debate and unfolding some of their implicit assumptions and limitations, a new position called entwinement is developed in order to overcome status quo through reconciliation and integration. Accordingly, the paper proposes to reconceptualize theory and practice as a circular iterative process of action and cognition, science and common-sense enacted in the real world both by organization scholars and practitioners according to purposes at hand. The second paper is the ethnographic study of an encounter between two groups of expert academics and practitioners occasioned by a one-year executive business master in an international business school. The research articulates a process view of the knowledge exchange between management academics and practitioners in particular and between individuals belonging to different communities of practice, in general, and emphasizes its dynamic, relational and transformative mechanisms. Findings show that when they are given the chance to interact, academics and practitioners set up local provisional relations that enable them to act as change intermediaries vis-a-vis each other’s worlds, without tying themselves irremediably to each other and to the scenarios they conjointly projected during the master’s experience. Finally, the study shows that provisional relations were accompanied by a recursive shift in knowledge modes. While interacting, academics passed from theory to practical theorizing, practitioners passed from an involved practical mode to a reflexive and quasi-theoretical one, and then, as exchanges proceeded, the other way around.

Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of Juncaginaceae

I investigated the systematics, phylogeny and biogeographical history of Juncaginaceae, a small family of the early-diverging monocot order Alismatales which comprises about 30 species of annual and perennial herbs. A wide range of methods from classical taxonomy to molecular systematic and biogeographic approaches was used. rnrnIn Chapter 1, a phylogenetic analysis of the family and members of Alismatales was conducted to clarify the circumscription of Juncaginaceae and intrafamilial relationships. For the first time, all accepted genera and those associated with the family in the past were analysed together. Phylogenetic analysis of three molecular markers (rbcL, matK, and atpA) showed that Juncaginaceae are not monophyletic. As a consequence the family is re-circumscribed to exclude Maundia which is pro-posed to belong to a separate family Maundiaceae, reducing Juncaginaceae to include Tetroncium, Cycnogeton and Triglochin. Tetroncium is weakly supported as sister to the rest of the family. The reinstated Cycnogeton (formerly included in Triglochin) is highly supported as sister to Triglochin s.str. Lilaea is nested within Triglochin s. str. and highly supported as sister to the T. bulbosa complex. The results of the molecular analysis are discussed in combination with morphological characters, a key to the genera of the family is given, and several new combinations are made.rnrnIn Chapter 2, phylogenetic relationships in Triglochin were investigated. A species-level phylogeny was constructed based on molecular data obtained from nuclear (ITS, internal transcribed spacer) and chloroplast sequence data (psbA-trnH, matK). Based on the phylogeny of the group, divergence times were estimated and ancestral distribution areas reconstructed. The monophyly of Triglochin is confirmed and relationships between the major lineages of the genus were resolved. A clade comprising the Mediterranean/African T. bulbosa complex and the American T. scilloides (= Lilaea s.) is sister to the rest of the genus which contains two main clades. In the first, the widespread T. striata is sister to a clade comprising annual Triglochin species from Australia. The second clade comprises T. palustris as sister to the T. maritima complex, of which the latter is further divided into a Eurasian and an American subclade. Diversification in Triglochin began in the Miocene or Oligocene, and most disjunctions in Triglochin were dated to the Miocene. Taxonomic diversity in some clades is strongly linked to habitat shifts and can not be observed in old but ecologically invariable lineages such as the non-monophyletic T. maritima.rnrnChapter 3 is a collaborative revision of the Triglochin bulbosa complex, a monophyletic group from the Mediterranean region and Africa. One new species, Triglochin buchenaui, and two new subspecies, T. bulbosa subsp. calcicola and subsp. quarcicola, from South Africa were described. Furthermore, two taxa were elevated to species rank and two reinstated. Altogether, seven species and four subspecies are recognised. An identification key, detailed descriptions and accounts of the ecology and distribution of the taxa are provided. An IUCN conservation status is proposed for each taxon.rnrnChapter 4 deals with the monotypic Tetroncium from southern South America. Tetroncium magellanicum is the only dioecious species in the family. The taxonomic history of the species is described, type material is traced, and a lectotype for the name is designated. Based on an extensive study of herbarium specimens and literature, a detailed description of the species and notes on its ecology and conservation status are provided. A detailed map showing the known distribution area of T. magellanicum is presented. rnrnIn Chapter 5, the flower structure of the rare Australian endemic Maundia triglochinoides (Maundiaceae, see Chapter 1) was studied in a collaborative project. As the morphology of Maundia is poorly known and some characters were described differently in the literature, inflorescences, flowers and fruits were studied using serial mictrotome sections and scanning electron microscopy. The phylogenetic placement, affinities to other taxa, and the evolution of certain characters are discussed. As Maundia exhibits a mosaic of characters of other families of tepaloid core Alismatales, its segregation as a separate family seems plausible.

TILLING for Mutations in Model Plants and Crops

A growing world population, changing climate and limiting fossil fuels will provide new pressures on human production of food, medicine, fuels and feed stock in the twenty-first century. Enhanced crop production promises to ameliorate these pressures. Crops can be bred for increased yields of calories, starch, nutrients, natural medicinal compounds, and other important products. Enhanced resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses can be introduced, toxins removed, and industrial qualities such as fibre strength and biofuel per mass can be increased. Induced and natural mutations provide a powerful method for the generation of heritable enhanced traits. While mainly exploited in forward, phenotype driven, approaches, the rapid accumulation of plant genomic sequence information and hypotheses regarding gene function allows the use of mutations in reverse genetic approaches to identify lesions in specific target genes. Such gene-driven approaches promise to speed up the process of creating novel phenotypes, and can enable the generation of phenotypes unobtainable by traditional forward methods. TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genome) is a high-throughput and low cost reverse genetic method for the discovery of induced mutations. The method has been modified for the identification of natural nucleotide polymorphisms, a process called Ecotilling. The methods are general and have been applied to many species, including a variety of different crops. In this chapter the current status of the TILLING and Ecotilling methods and provide an overview of progress in applying these methods to different plant species, with a focus on work related to food production for developing nations.