Research Synthesis: Effective Practices for Improving the Reading Comprehension of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The incidences of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continue to rise steadily increasing the need for research-based strategies to support this population in the core academic content area of reading comprehension. A research synthesis was conducted with the purpose of (1) reviewing existing research to determine effective practices for teaching reading comprehension to students with ASD, (2) identifying the features of effective practices that appear to influence comprehension outcomes, and (3) assessing the quality of the research related to comprehension strategies and students with ASD. A functional relation was identified between the increased reading comprehension of students with ASD and each of the instructional practices of anaphoric cueing, compare & contrast charts, cooperative learning, explicit/direct instruction, graphic organizers, question generation, read-alouds, reciprocal questioning, story structure and character event maps, and systematic prompts. Research in this area is limited and suggestions for both educators and researchers are provided

Supramolecular aggregates containing lipophilic Gd(III) complexes as contrast agents in MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents based on paramagnetic gadolinium complexes are widely used in biomedical research and diagnosis. Their application is intended to improve efficacy of MRI providing physiological information along with the impressive anatomical detail already obtained by images without contrast. The classical gadolinium complexes currently used for MRI contrast enhancement are all lowmolecularweightcompounds that rapidly equilibrate between the intra and extravascular spaces after intravenous administration. In order to obtain gadolinium-based agents with different pharmacokinetic properties, supramolecular aggregates such as micelles and liposomes have been recently proposed. Micelles and liposomes, obtained by the aggregation of lipophilic gadolinium complexes are here described, with the aim to correlate their structural and relaxometric properties.We report on the state of the art in the development of supramolecular aggregates obtained by self-assembly of lipophilic gadolinium complexes and aggregates in which lipophilic gadolinium complexes are assembled with surfactants. Moreover aggregates derivatized with bioactive molecules, such as peptides and antibodies, acting as target selective MRI contrast agents are described

Solid wastes wastewater and remediation costs in an urban slum: The case study of A Gypsy Camp in Napoli (S Italy)

Slums represent a sort of black box within the urban environment, generating multiple impacts, that are often acknowledged, but forgotten by urban planners and policy-makers when envisioning the future of cities, due to the dimension of social exclusion in which slum dwellers live. These criticalities pose a further threat to urban sustainability. The first problem is revealed by the lack of quantifications about many environmental and socio-economic factors, as well as by a general lack of understanding about slums as systems. This study is aimed at overcoming the present knowledge weakness, developing a preliminary site-specific system representation of a slum as a system. In particular, a case study of a Gypsy camp in Napoli (S Italy) was chosen for such a purpose. Focusing on solid waste, an approximate evaluation of informal waste picking activity was performed. Basic parameters of generated wastewater, which is dispersed in the environment due to the absence of any sewerage infrastructure, are accounted according to environmental engineering standards. In addition, considering a second abandoned camp (Brecce Sant'Erasmo, Napoli, Italy), specific-site remediation costs were calculated. Results evidence the necessity of a better understanding of resources flows within slums. A first planning action for the studied area would be to separate the areas for waste processing with respect to living areas. Basic infrastructures for solid waste and wastewater management are also necessary to improve the life quality of slum dwellers, while reducing the existing impacts. Finally, also a study to detail atmospheric emissions characteristics would be desirable. Specific upgrading solutions are indicated on the basis of the existing literature. They include planning and monitoring actions, together with the development of engineered solutions for waste and wastewater management

Micelles by self-assembling peptide-conjugate amphiphile: synthesis and structural characterization.

The solid-phase synthesis of a novel amphiphilic peptide conjugate I, contg. in the same mol. three different functions: N,N-bis[2-[bis(carboxyethyl)amino]ethyl]-L-glutamic acid chelating agent, the CCK8 bioactive peptide, and a hydrophobic moiety contg. four alkyl chains with 18 carbon atoms each, is reported. In water soln. at pH 7.4, I self-assembles in very stable micelles at very low concn. [crit. micellar concn. (cmc) values of 5 10-7 mol kg-1] as confirmed by fluorescence spectroscopy. The structural characterization, obtained with small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements, indicates that the aggregates are substantially represented by ellipsoidal micelles with an aggregation no. of 39 2 and the two micellar axes of about 52 and 26

Synthesis of easily sinterable ceramic electrolytes based on Bi-doped 8YSZ for IT-SOFC applications

Ceramic electrolytes formed by Bi (4 mol%)-doped 8YSZ, i.e., Y2O3 (8 mol%)-doped ZrO2, were synthesized by a simple co-precipitation route, using ammonia solution as precipitating agent. The amorphous as-synthesized powders convert into zirconia-based single phase with fluorite structure through a mild calcination step at 500 \ub0C. The calcined powders were sintered at very low temperatures (i.e., 900-1100 \ub0C) achieving in both cases very high values of relative densities (i.e., > 95%); the corresponding microstructures were highly homogeneous and characterized by micrometric grains or sub-micrometric grains for sintering at 1100 \ub0C and 900 \ub0C, respectively. Very interesting electrochemical properties were determined by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) in the best samples. In particular, their total ionic conductivity, recorded at 650 \ub0C, are 6.06 7 10-2S/cm and 4.44 7 10-2S/cm for Bi (4 mol%)-doped 8YSZ sintered at 1100 \ub0C and 900 \ub0C, respectively. Therefore, Bi was proved to be an excellent sintering aid dopant for YSZ, highly improving its densification at lower temperatures while increasing its total ionic conductivity

Measurements in the ionosphere during a solar eclipse Final report

Electron density and temperature, Lyman beta radiation, and X-ray band measurements during solar eclips

Development of a Male Turbo-Prop Unmanned Aerial Vehiche for Civil Application

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) increasingly are seen as the next step in aircraft evolution with the potential to replace manned aircraft over a broad range of civilian roles. Industry, who recognise the cost effectiveness of UAV, is keen to grasp this potential and the technology is rapidly developing with numerous projects currently in operation of development throughout Europe and worldwide. In response to this needs University of Naples has developed a MALE configuration TurboProp engined using innovative structural and aerodynamic solutions. Regarding the structural aspect the extensive use of composite materials led to the definition of a weight efficient vehicle capable to carry on up to 500 kg of payloads covering a wide range of medium altitude missions. With reference to aerodynamic solution, an Eppler modified profile, numerically optimized, has been adopted for its efficiency that has granted long endurance and, coupled with the power provided by the chosen engine (PT6A – 67 B), high performance. The aeroelastic assessment has revealed that no critical phenomena occur in the flight envelope. Once defined the aerodynamic and structural aspects, an analysis of reliability and safety has been performed aimed to evaluate MTBL (Mean Time Between Loss) and MTBCF (Mean Time Between Critical Failure) features

Gastrin and cholecystokinin peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals: an in vivo and in vitro comparison

The development of suitable radioligands for targeting CCK-2 receptor expressing tumors, such as medullary thyroid carcinoma, is of great clinical interest. In the search for the best CCK-2R binding peptides, we have synthesized, evaluated and compared the CCK8 peptide (Asp-Tyr-Met-Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-PheNH(2) ) and two gastrin analogs commonly referred to as MG0 (DGlu-Glu(5)-Ala-Tyr-Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-PheNH(2) ) and MG11 (DGlu(1)-Ala-Tyr-Gly-Trp-Met-Asp-PheNH(2) ). The N-terminal portion of the three peptide sequences was derivatized by introducing the DTPAGlu or DOTA chelators to allow radiolobeling with (111) In(III) and (68) Ga(III), respectively. Saturation binding and cellular internalization experiments were performed on A431 cells overexpressing CCK2R (A431-CCK2R). All compounds showed Kd values in the nM range and were internalized with similar rates in CCK2 receptor overexpressing cells. Biodistribution experiments showed higher specific uptake of both MG0-based compounds compared to conjugates containing the CCK8 and MG11 peptide sequences. The higher retention levels of MG0-based peptides were associated with markedly elevated and undesired kidney uptake compared to the other compounds. Current indications suggest that the 5 Glu N-terminal residues while improving peptide stability and receptor-mediated tumor uptake cause unacceptably high kidney retention. Although displaying lower absolute tumor uptake values, the DOTA-coupled CCK8 peptide provided the best tumor to kidney uptake ratio and appears more suitable as lead compound for improvement of radiopharmaceutical properties

A fast vertical trajectory prediction method for air traffic management, and relevant ATM system

The invention concerns a method and system for the prediction of aircrafts vertical trajectory, in particular for Air Traffic Management, comprising the following flight calculation modules: Take-off; Climb; Cruise; Descent; and Landing, corresponding to the relevant flight phases, wherein: the calculation of the predicted aircraft trajectory is effected by using a set of TEM equations comprising, as output variables, the vertical rate of climb or descent, the true air speed, the energy share factor, the thrust and the drag, the mass of the aircraft modeled as point-mass, and comprising, as inpu variables, the Mach number depending on true air speed and temperature and altitude, the gravity acceleration, and the fuel flow, and the flight path angle; the calculation of the predicted aircraft trajectory for Cruise phase, wherein only the mass is varying, is performed by using the following analytical solution to said set of TEM equations

Target-Selective Drug Delivery through Liposomes Labeled with Oligobranched Neurotensin Peptides.

The structure and the in vitro behavior of liposomes filled with the cytotoxic drug doxorubicin (Doxo) and functionalized on the external surface with a branched moiety containing four copies of the 8-13 neurotensin (NT) peptide is reported. The new functionalized liposomes, DOPC-NT(4) Lys(C(18) )(2) , are obtained by co-aggregation of the DOPC phospholipid with a new synthetic amphiphilic molecule, NT(4) Lys(C(18) )(2) , which contains a lysine scaffold derivatized with a lipophilic moiety and a tetrabranched hydrophilic peptide, NT8-13, a neurotensin peptide fragment well known for its ability to mimic the neurotensin peptide in receptor binding ability. Dynamic light scattering measurements indicate a value for the hydrodynamic radius (RH) of 88.3±4.4 nm. The selective internalization and cytotoxicity of DOPC-NT(4) Lys(C(18) )(2) liposomes containing Doxo, as compared to pure DOPC liposomes, were tested in HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma and TE671 human rhabdomyosarcoma cells, both of which express neurotensin receptors. Peptide-functionalized liposomes show a clear advantage in comparison to pure DOPC liposomes with regard to drug internalization in both HT29 and TE671 tumor cells: FACS analysis indicates an increase in fluorescence signal of the NT(4) -liposomes, compared to the DOPC pure analogues, in both cell lines; cytotoxicity of DOPC-NT(4) Lys(C(18) )(2) -Doxo liposomes is increased four-fold with respect to DOPC-Doxo liposomes in both HT29 and TE671 cell lines. These effects could to be ascribed to the higher rate of internalization for DOPC-NT(4) Lys(C(18) )(2) -Doxo liposomes, due to stronger binding driven by a lower dissociation constant of the NT(4) -liposomes that bind the membrane onto a specific protein, in contrast to DOPC liposomes, which approach the plasma membrane unselectively