6,788 research outputs found
Bicultural couples: from family to community
No full textThe paper examines the dynamics of bicultural couples in which one partner is autochthonous and the other is of foreign nationality. Two levels of analysis were considered: a macro level studying the identity of place in reference to the general social context and the residential neighbourhood, in particular; the second level refers to the dynamics of the couple and examines the strategies for managing differences between partners and the educational styles adopted in the presence of children.
According to the basic assumptions of qualitative research, 22 mixed couples living in Sicily were interviewed. To analyse the contents which emerged from interviews the Atlas.ti software was used. Through the narrative method we explored the meanings that partners assign to their daily lives and differences they experienced. The results show that the diversity is perceived as a limit when it finds no support in the context in which the partners live; about the educational styles, the couple frequently adopts biculturalism together with bilingualism, as a strategy to evaluate the cultural background of both partners. Finally, the results show that the foreign partner must break away from his original culture, to avoid conflicts and discrimination in the context of immigratio
Abitare ad Agrigentum: riletture in corso dell’isolato II del Quartiere ellenistico-romano
No full textSi illustrano brevemente le problematiche attuali dell'indagine sul cd. Quartiere ellenistico-romano di Agrigento, focalizzando l'attenzione sull'isolato II.The current problems of the investigation into the Hellenistic-Roman district of Agrigento are briefly illustrated, focusing attention on block II
Interactively using Semantic Web knowledge: Creating scalable abstractions with FacetOntology
No full textThe amount of knowledge accessible on the Semantic Web is growing, and there is a need for a scalable solution to facilitate exploring that data. Currently approaches to exploring Semantic Web data either focus on exploring resources individually, following links during exploration, and making little use of collated data, or take the approach of collating and aligning multiple sources into one store for one purpose, and hand-crafting a specific browsing interface onto it. We present an approach that provides a scalable browsing interface, which can browse knowledge from the Semantic Web at will. Our approach creates abstractions of knowledge, collated into facets, which are described using FacetOntology. FacetOntology facilitates describing facets from RDF data, suitable for use in creating datasets for faceted browsing
Growth Morphologies and Mechanisms of Non-Equilibrium Solidified MC Carbide
No full textGrowth morphologies and mechanisms of the carbide of group IVB and VB elements (MC carbide), a typical faceted crystal, were studied with an estimated cooling rate from 102 to 105 K/s. Results showed that although the growth morphologies of the MC carbide vary remarkably with solidification cooling rate, the solid/liquid interface is always atomically smooth, and the growth mechanisms are always lateral growth. The growth mechanism transition from lateral to continuous growth mode, which was predicted by the classic crystal growth theory, was not observed for the TiC type MC carbide within the estimated cooling rate range of 102?105 K/s
Crosslinker effects on functional properties of alginate/N-succinylchitosan based hydrogels
No full textIn this paper, physico-chemical, mechanical and antimicrobial properties of hydrogels based on alginate/N-succinylchitosan blends crosslinked by calcium or zinc ions containing cellulose microfibers were investigated and discussed. With respect to plain alginate hydrogels, the addition of N-succinylchitosan significantly improved properties such as swelling degree and stability in saline solution. The water vapour transmission rate confirmed that all the hydrogels were able to assure a moist wound environment. Morphological analysis showed a good embedding of fibres within the zinc crosslinked hydrogels. In addition, zinc-crosslinked hydrogels evidenced antimicrobial activity against two common skin pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Cytotoxicity assays proved that the amount of zinc released is slightly over the toxic level. Overall, the characteristics of the zinc-crosslinked hydrogels showed their potential interest as materials for wound dressing
Flexible methanol and hydrogen production from biomass gasification with negative emissions
No full textBioenergy plants with carbon capture and storage have been recently receiving attention as negative emission technologies. In this work, a techno-economic analysis of bio-methanol and bio-hydrogen production plants coupled with carbon capture and storage is conducted. The plants include different gasification technologies (direct oxygen-blown gasification and indirect gasification) and different CO2 capture processes (pre-combustion MDEA-based and post-combustion MEA-based CO2 capture) from different streams, to achieve increasing CO2 capture rates at increasing marginal costs. Moreover, an assessment of the economic impact of multi-product plants which flexibly produce methanol and hydrogen is carried out. Overall fuel production efficiencies of between 65.1 and 68.1% have been computed in all cases, showing a little dependency of energy efficiency on the gasification technology and the final product. In methanol production plants, a CO2 capture rate of between 26 and 55%, depending on the gasification technology, can be reached via a pre-combustion capture process at a cost of 41-46 euro per tCO2. In hydrogen production plants, between 64 and 90% capture efficiency can be reached at a cost of 52-56 euro per tCO2. Higher CO2 capture efficiency, resulting in CO2 residual emissions below 2% of the inlet carbon, can be achieved via post-combustion capture with a marginal cost of 98-205 euro per tCO2 and an average cost of 47-77 euro per tCO2. Flexible methanol-H2 production plants result in the highest capex and the highest LCOF. However, when considering the time-dependent H2 market price, the internal rate of return of flexible methanol-H2 plants is slightly higher or slightly lower than that of the corresponding best single-product plant. On the other hand, multi-product flexible plants are never the worst case scenario despite the highest investment costs, thus offering a potential advantage from the financial risk perspective thanks to lower exposure to market price volatility
A selective antimuscarinic agent: pirenzepine. Review of its pharmacologic and clinical properties
No full textThe heterogeneity of muscarinic receptors has been well supported by differential characteristics between pirenzepine and atropine both in receptor binding and in whole tissue pharmacology studies. Under these conditions pirenzepine has been classified as a selective receptor antagonist with high affinity for M1 receptors. The antisecretory properties of pirenzepine on gastric acid and pepsin secretion may be attributed to the antagonistic activity of the drug on muscarinic M1 receptors of gastric intramural plexuses, whereas the effect on parietal muscarinic M2 receptors seems of less importance. Additional inhibitory mechanisms on gastric secretion may be represented by pirenzepine-induced increase in somatostatin release from gastrointestinal system. Significant cytoprotective properties of pirenzepine have been observed on a variety of experimentally induced peptic ulcerations. This protective activity may be due to pirenzepine-induced increase in gastric mucosal blood flow as well as to the increase in gastric transmural electric potential difference. In accordance with this pharmacodynamic profile of pirenzepine, numerous clinical studies have revealed its efficacy in the treatment of both duodenal and gastric ulcerations. In addition to this, the clinical usefulness of the drug has been demonstrated in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, in stress ulceration, in acute gastrointestinal bleeding as well as in gastritis, duodenitis and non-ulcer dyspepsia. In most of the studies pirenzepine has been found to be well tolerated with a low incidence of antimuscarinic effects which may occur at salivary, ocular, cardiac and urinary sites. The clinical use of pirenzepine alone or in association with H2 blockers is recommended in the treatment of peptic ulcer patients, in the case of acute gastrointestinal haemorrhage and in patients non responders to H2 antagonists
Assignment of Patent Application Serial No. 12/182,266 Attorney Docket No. BHCS:1051 Anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects of annurca apple extracts and compositions purified therefrom
No full textCEREBRAL STATE INDEX IN DAY-SURGERY: EFFICACY IN PREDICTING AN AUTONOMIC OR SOMATIC RESPONSE TO INCISION
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