SYNTHESIS, STRUCTURAL INVESTIGATION AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF CONFORMATIONALLY CONSTRAINED PEPTIDOMIMETICS

This Ph.D. thesis is located in the medicinal chemistry research field. Peptides are among the most studied entities as potential drug candidates, due to their natural abundance and biological implications. However, as drugs they possess several disadvantages because of low bioavailability and short half-life. Peptidomimetics try to overcome such drawbacks, maintaining meanwhile the biological activity. These mimics can also be useful to define bioactive forms of natural peptides, for instance through insertion of conformational constrictions able to reduce the peptide inherent flexibility. Thus, I explored the synthesis and the evaluation of some conformationally constrained peptidomimetics which potentially could be employed into different scientific fields and pharmaceutical contexts. Once prepared these scaffolds, I evaluated their secondary structure by means of spectroscopic methods including NMR and IR techniques. After insertion into more complex structures, strictly related to biologically active compounds, I verified their therapeutic potential. In some cases I could achieve very interesting biological results, in the range of activity of the natural corresponding peptides or of the reference lead compounds. I also tried to rationalize the biological activity outcomes, by joining them with molecular mechanics and docking-based structural investigation

Enumerating the role of incentives in CCI production chains

In the market dynamics of cultural and creative industries, incentives play a major role. This report analyses the various types of incentives in support of these industries in Europe and explores the needs that motivate their existence. This analysis is framed by the Global Production Network approach. Within such approach, an incentive is a policy instrument (or a measure) taken to stimulate the creation, production, dissemination or exhibition of cultural and creative goods and services, as well their reception, and transmission to and consumption by an audience – or the participation of such audience in their final realisation. Within each of these phases of the production networks of cultural and creative industries, incentives can take the form of public subsidies (e.g. grants, vouchers, loan guarantees), regulatory incentives (e.g. tax policies or copyright rules) or incentives leveraging private investment. The presence of incentives at certain phases of the production networks shows where the emphasis is put in terms of investment. We find that incentives quite generously focus on the production phase, mainly because of supposed positive externalities and spillovers onto other sectors of the economy. Yet, we also find evidence of a lack of understanding of cultural value chains by policymakers. This could lead to considerable damage, as has been witnessed in the European game industry, where production capacity was lost to Canada. With our emphasis on the production networks, we highlight the interdependence between production stages and therefore the need to better connect production with distribution to maximise effects of incentives, which remain important mechanisms in the European CCI economy in the face of new challenges. This report is produced within the context of the H2020-funded CICERONE project. It is part of a series of reports of six reports resulting from the project's 3rd work package (WP) called “Policy, regulatory and governance matrix of the CCI”. This WP aims at exploring the policy and regulatory environment for the CCI and assessing to what extent these are appropriate to the challenges of new and emergent organisational and governance forms of the creative economy. For more information on the CICERONE project, please visit www.cicerone‐project.eu. The scientific reports resulting from the project are publicly disclosed in its dedicated Zenodo community on https://zenodo.org/communities/ciceroneh2020

Commission of the European Communities Evaluation of the BRITE/EURAM Programme (1989-1992) - (areas 1 to 4). Research evaluation Report No. 53. EUR 15070

O. SCHIELE (Chairman) A. AIRAGHI F. BLOYAERT J.C. JARILLO A. KÄRNÄ M. LAVALOU L PAUL L WEAVE

Um republicano positivista e a reconfiguração da nação: a trajetória de José Leão Ferreira Souto (1850-1904)

Analisa a trajetória de vida do ativista republicano José Leão Ferreira Souto (Natal, 1850 – Rio de Janeiro, 1904). Persegue o caminho trilhado por esse personagem, investigando seu caminhar nas três cidades em que viveu: Açu (Rio Grande do Norte), Rio de Janeiro e São Paulo. Privilegia as vivências nessas últimas cidades, nas quais ele concentrou a sua atuação política e profissional, escreveu intensamente para jornais, participou de várias agremiações políticas e se relacionou com as lideranças nacionais do movimento republicano, especialmente com Silva Jardim. Analisa como José Leão Ferreira Souto foi se aproximando, ao longo de sua vida, da convicção de que era necessário reconfigurar espacialmente e politicamente os estados, após a Proclamação da República no Brasil. Discute, por um lado, as propostas desenvolvidas por esse personagem ainda no Império e, posteriormente, na República, para a transformação da toponímia e dos adjetivos gentílicos que até então identificavam as províncias/estados e os seus habitantes. Aponta caminhos para que os habitantes dos estados construíssem identidades solidamente vinculadas com as origens históricas desses espaços. Discute como José Leão projeta os estados em uma futura republica positiva, concentrado a análise nas suas propostas para o Rio Grande do Norte e a Paraíba, enfatizando a sua ideia de formação de um estado unionista

O JORNAL CENTRO ACADEMICO DO RIO DE JANEIRO: UM CENTRO DIFUSOR DE IDEIAS REPUBLICANAS NO SÉCULO XIX (1872-1873)

O objetivo do trabalho é analisar o jornal Centro Academico, publicado entre 1872 e 1873 por alunos da Faculdade de Medicina e Cirurgia do Rio de Janeiro e por alunos da Escola Central de Engenharia do Exército, como centro difusor de ideias republicanas durante o século XIX. Esse periódico diagnosticava o Império Brasileiro e, a partir disso, apresentava um prognóstico para o futuro. O Centro Academico foi um dos primeiros jornais publicados no país durante o século XIX a defender explicitamente a República e a manter nos seus quadros defensores dessa forma de governo. O trabalho mapeia os editores do jornal e os autores que escreviam os artigos, a fim de melhor compreender as temáticas discutidas e a maneira como cada autor pensa o republicanismo. Nesse jornal podem ser captados os principais pontos do diagnóstico que os alunos faziam do Império brasileiro, a saber: a falta de legitimidade da monarquia para concretizar reformas em diversas áreas necessárias ao desenvolvimento do país, sobretudo aquelas relativas ao ensino superior, que se encontrava ministrado em poucas instituições que eram, mesmo assim, mal distribuídas geograficamente e com baixa qualidade na formação ofertada. O jornal indica que a única solução para esses problemas apontados é a adoção da República como forma de governo

The Mesozoic along-strike tectono-metamorphic segmentation of Longmen Shan (eastern Tibetan plateau)

The Longmen Shan belt (eastern border of the Tibetan plateau) constitutes a tectonically active region as demonstrated by the occurrence of the unexpected 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan and 2013 Mw 6.6 Lushan earthquakes in the central and southern parts of the belt respectively. These events revealed the necessity of a better understanding of the long‐term geological evolution of the belt and its effect on the present dynamics and crustal structure. New structural and thermobarometric data offer a comprehensive dataset of the paleo‐temperatures across the belt and P‐T estimates for low‐grade metamorphic domains. In the central Longmen Shan, two metamorphic jumps of 150‐200°C, 5‐6 kbar and ~50 °C, 3‐5 kbar acquired during the Early Mesozoic are observed across the Wenchuan and Beichuan faults respectively, attesting to their thrusting movement and unrevealing a major decollement between the allochtonous Songpan‐Garze metasedimentary cover (at T > 500°C) and the autochtonous units and the basement (T < 400°C). In the southern Longmen Shan, the only greenschist‐facies metamorphism is observed both in the basement (360 ± 30°C, 6 ± 2 kbar) and in the metasedimentary cover (350 ± 30°C, 3 ± 1 kbar). Peak conditions were reached at c. 80‐60 Ma in the basement and c. 55‐33 Ma in the cover, c. 50 Ma after the greenschist‐facies metamorphic overprint observed in the central Longmen Shan (c. 150‐120 Ma). This along‐strike metamorphic segmentation coincides well with the present fault segmentation and reveals that the central and southern Longmen Shan experienced different tectono‐metamorphic histories since the Mesozoic

THE POLITICAL DIMENSION OF CONSUMPTION: THE CASE OF ONLINE BARTER

L’obiettivo di questa tesi è analizzare il baratto online, come pratica emergente di resistenza per evidenziare la dimensione politica del consumo e dello scambio. Il lavoro si sviluppa all’interno di un frame teorico che fa riferimento all’approccio sociologico conflittuale di Gramsci e Simmel, arricchito dall’apporto della politologa Chantal Mouffe, attraverso il quale il conflitto viene inteso come dimensione ontologica della realtà sociale. A partire da questa prospettiva, la storia e la struttura dei campi del consumo e dello scambio sono analizzati, attraverso la letteratura sociologica, antropologica ed economica, mettendo in evidenza i modelli egemonici che ne definiscono i confini simbolici. La tesi chiarisce fino a che punto il baratto possa essere considerato una pratica contro-egemonica, ovvero una pratica che si insinua nelle maglie di una rete di significati determinati da forze egemoniche, costruendo significati alternativi. La base empirica di ricerca è costituita da materiale raccolto attraverso l’utilizzo di metodi propri della ricerca non-standard, svolgendo un’etnografia digitale in tre siti internet dedicati al baratto e 22 interviste biografiche con i loro utenti. La tesi elabora dunque una definizione del baratto contemporaneo declinato nelle sue varie forme e ricostruisce la fenomenologia del baratto online. In conclusione, la tesi propone di considerare il baratto come una tattica, nell’accezione di de Certeau, messa in pratica da attori sociali che avanzano istanze di partecipazione in processi decisionali democratici, volti a stabilire il valore degli oggetti, così come i valori sociali di riferimento. Attraverso questo lavoro, il baratto mostra dunque la sua natura profondamente sociale e politica.The aim of this thesis is to analyse the online barter, as an emergent phenomenon of resistance, in order to reveal the political dimension of consumption and exchange. The work develops within a theoretical frame referring to the sociological conflicting approach of Gramsci and Simmel, enhanced by the contribution of the political scientist Chantal Mouffe. Through this approach conflict is conceived as an ontological dimension of social reality. In the light of this perspective, the history and the structure of the fields of consumption and exchange are analyzed, through the sociological, anthropological, and economics literature, to highlight the hegemonic models which define their symbolical borders. The thesis analyses until which extent barter can be considered a counter-hegemonic practice, that is, a practice sneaking in the meshes of a net of meanings defined by hegemonic forces, creating alternative meanings. The empirical material was collected through non-standard methods, conducting a digital ethnography in three websites dedicated to barter, and 22 biographic interviews with their users. The thesis elaborates a definition of contemporary barter, declined in its different forms, and it reconstructs the phenomenology of the online barter. In conclusion, the thesis argues that barter is a tactic, in de Certeau’s sense, adopted by social actors claiming more participation in democratic decision-making processes, intended to establish the value of objects, as well as the social values. Through this work, the deep political and social nature of barter is hence revealed

Performance Analysis of a Novel Air-based Cavity Receiver

AbstractIn this paper a new design of a novel CSP cavity receiver for parabolic trough collector is analyzed by means of an analytical Matlab model. The receiver, designed by the Swiss company Airlight Energy Manufacturing SA, is 212 m long consisting essentially of a feed pipe, a run-back pipe and 4608 helically coiled heat exchangers designed to capture the incident solar energy concentrated by a parabolic trough. The heat transfer fluid is air heated to temperatures above 600°C.The analytical Matlab model based on a pneumatic - electric circuit analogy was developed to assess the receiver performance in terms of mass flow rate distribution, pressure drop, air outlet temperature and thermal efficiency. A solution was proposed to approximately ensure the same mass flow rate for each cavity.Different skew angles for the incoming solar radiation were considered and the receiver geometry was optimized minimizing the pressure drop and the thermal losses through the runback pipe. The main requirement was to achieve, at the outlet section of the receiver, an air temperature of 650°C; therefore, the total inlet mass flow rate was tuned accordingly.The helically coiled heat exchanger and the receiver insulation sub-models were validated against accurate computational fluid dynamics simulations

Entre a pesquisa histórica e o tratamento arquivístico: a organização dos arquivos pessoais do CEDOC como um estudo de caso

Analisa a relação entre a Arquivologia, a História e a Biblioteconomia na organização de arquivos pessoais. Empiricamente o trabalho se concentra na experiência realizada por historiadores que, desde 2011, atuam na organização de arquivos pessoais que compõem o acervo do Centro de Documentação Cultural Eloy de Souza (CEDOC), instituição inaugurada em 2003 com a proposta de ser um local destinado a preservar a memória potiguar. Desde 2011, os arquivos pessoais se tornaram o principal foco do CEDOC, que passou a abrigar arquivos de personagens que se destacaram na sociedade potiguar ao desenvolver ações ligadas à política e às artes. Neste texto, serão analisadas as experiências com os arquivos pessoais dos ex-governadores Sylvio Pedroza (que organizou em vida seu acervo) e Dix-Sept Rosado Maia (que teve seu arquivo criado décadas após a sua morte, a partir de documentos doados por familiares e amigos), enfatizando as dificuldades para a organização de um arquivo que reúne documentos textuais, livros e objetos tridimensionais. O trabalho dos historiadores é o de situar historicamente os personagens e a documentação, e estando diante de arquivos de tanta diversidade documental, foi procurada a parceria com arquivistas, museólogos e bibliotecários. O trabalho discorrerá sobre o que foi feito para juntar diferentes suportes documentais em um mesmo acervo. Teoricamente o texto está calcado na ideia de que nas últimas décadas, há um profícuo diálogo estabelecido entre os historiadores e profissionais que lidam com documentos arquivísticos: os historiadores, por um lado, passaram a se interessar cada vez mais pela formação de arquivos, especialmente no que diz respeito aos arquivos pessoais, que passaram a se tornar não só fonte, {The complete resume can be downloaded in: https://www.encontro2018.rj.anpuh.org/download/download?ID_DOWNLOAD=5 (See page 380)

Multilayer 3D electrodes for neural implants

Objective. In many applications, multielectrode arrays employed as neural implants require a high density and a high number of electrodes to precisely record and stimulate the activity of the nervous system while preserving the overall size of the array as little as possible. Approach. Here we present a multilayer and three-dimensional (3D) electrode array, together with its manufacturing method, enabling a higher electrode density and a more efficient signal transduction with the biological tissue. Main results. The 3D structure of the electrode array allows a multilayer placement of the interconnects within a flexible substrate, it narrows the probe size per the same number of electrodes, and it maintains the electrode contacts at the same level within the tissue. In addition, it augments the electrode surface area, leading to a lower electrochemical impedance and a higher charge storage capacity. To characterize the recordings capabilities of the multilayer 3D electrodes, we measured visually evoked cortical potentials in mice and analysed the evolution of the peak prominences and latencies according to different light intensities and recording depths within the brain. The resulting signal-to-noise ratio is improved compared to flat electrodes. Finally, the 3D electrodes have been imaged inside a clarified mouse brain using a light-sheet microscope to visualize their integrity within the tissue. Significance. The multilayer 3D electrodes have proved to be a valid technology to ensure tissue proximity and higher recording/stimulating efficiencies while enabling higher electrode density and reducing the probe size