NHC in Imidazolium Acetate Ionic Liquids: Actual or Potential Presence?

Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered in the majority of cases green solvents, due to their virtually null vapor pressure and to the easiness in recycling them. In particular, imidazolium ILs are widely used in many fields of Chemistry, as solvents or precursors of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs). The latter are easily obtained by deprotonation of the C2-H, usually using strong bases or cathodic reduction. Nevertheless, it is known that weaker bases (e.g., triethylamine) are able to promote C2-H/D exchange. From this perspective, the possibility of deprotonating C2-H group of an imidazolium cation by means of a basic counter-ion was seriously considered and led to the synthesis of imidazolium ILs spontaneously containing NHCs. The most famous of this class of ILs are N,N'-disubstituted imidazolium acetates. Due to the particular reactivity of this kind of ILs, they were appointed as "organocatalytic ionic liquids" or "proto-carbenes." Many papers report the use of these imidazolium acetates in organocatalytic reactions (i. e., catalyzed by NHC) or in stoichiometric NHC reactions (e.g., with elemental sulfur to yield the corresponding imidazole-2-thiones). Nevertheless, the actual presence of NHC in N,N'-disubstituted imidazolium acetate is still controversial. Moreover, theoretical studies seem to rule out the presence of NHC in such a polar environment as an IL. Aim of this Mini Review is to give the reader an up-to-date overview on the actual or potential presence of NHC in such an "organocatalytic ionic liquid," both from the experimental and theoretical point of view, without the intent to be exhaustive on N,N'-disubstituted imidazolium acetate applications

Teoria e prassi nella progettazione ambientale: scienze post normali e visioning process design per la sostenibilità

This contribution contains an analysis of the relationship between theory and practice in architecture, started from the particular similarity between scientific and design research and intended to nurture the debate around the possible evolution of the disciplinary tools of Architectural Technology. The contents are organized as follows: In the first section, there are investigated the affinities that supported the constitution of the methodological and instrumental apparatus of the technological culture of design. The second part is introducing the relationship between technological culture of design and post-normal sciences as a possible answer to the particular conditions of complexity and uncertainty of the moment. The third section is emphasizing the analogy between the instrumentations of several research areas that operate between environmental sustainability, futures studies and technological and environmental design as a starting point for further operational insights

Neuropsychiatric disturbances in atypical Parkinsonian disorders

Multiple system atrophy (MSA), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) are the most common atypical parkinsonisms. These disorders are characterized by varying combinations of autonomic, cerebellar and pyramidal system, and cognitive dysfunctions. In this paper, we reviewed the evidence available on the presence and type of neuropsychiatric disturbances in MSA, PSP, and CBD. A MedLine, Excerpta Medica, PsycLit, PsycInfo, and Index Medicus search was performed to identify all articles published on this topic between 1965 and 2018. Neuropsychiatric disturbances including depression, anxiety, agitation, and behavioral abnormalities have been frequently described in these disorders, with depression as the most frequent disturbance. MSA patients show a higher frequency of depressive disorders when compared to healthy controls. An increased frequency of anxiety disorders has also been reported in some patients, and no studies have investigated apathy. PSP patients may have depression, apathy, disinhibition, and to a lesser extent, anxiety and agitation. In CBD, neuropsychiatric disorders are similar to those present in PSP. Hallucinations and delusions are rarely reported in these disorders. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in MSA, PSP, and CBD do not appear to be related to the severity of motor dysfunction and are one of the main factors that determine a low quality of life. The results suggest that neuropsychiatric disturbances should always be assessed in patients with atypical parkinsonisms

Is there an interplay between adherence to mediterranean diet, antioxidant status, and vascular disease in atrial fibrillation patients?

Mediterranean Diet (Med-Diet) is associated with reduced incidence of vascular events (VEs) in atrial fibrillation (AF), but the mechanism accounting for its beneficial effect is only partially known. We hypothesized that Med-Diet may reduce VEs by improving antioxidant status, as assessed by glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). We performed a prospective cohort study investigating the relationship between adherence to Med-Diet, serum baseline GPx3 and SOD activities, and the occurrence of VEs in 690 AF patients. GPx3 activity was directly associated with Med-Diet score (B = 0.192, p < 0.001) and inversely with age (B = −0.124, p = 0.001), after adjustment for potential confounders; Med-Diet weakly affected SOD levels. During a mean follow-up of 46.1 ± 28.2 months, 89 VEs were recorded; patients with VEs had lower GPx3 levels compared with those without VEs (p = 0.002); and no differences regarding SOD activity were found. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that age (Hazard ratio [HR]:1.065, p < 0.001), logGPx3 (above median, HR: 0.629, p < 0.05), and Med-Diet score (HR: 0.547, p < 0.05) predicted VEs. Med-Diet favorably modulates antioxidant activity of GPx3 in AF, resulting in reduced VEs rate. We hypothesize that the modulation of GPx3 levels by Med-Diet could represent an additional nutritional strategy to prevent VEs in AF patients

Is there an interplay between adherence to mediterranean diet, antioxidant status, and vascular disease in atrial fibrillation patients?

Mediterranean Diet (Med-Diet) is associated with reduced incidence of vascular events (VEs) in atrial fibrillation (AF), but the mechanism accounting for its beneficial effect is only partially known. We hypothesized that Med-Diet may reduce VEs by improving antioxidant status, as assessed by glutathione peroxidase 3 (GPx3) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). We performed a prospective cohort study investigating the relationship between adherence to Med-Diet, serum baseline GPx3 and SOD activities, and the occurrence of VEs in 690 AF patients. GPx3 activity was directly associated with Med-Diet score (B = 0.192, p < 0.001) and inversely with age (B = −0.124, p = 0.001), after adjustment for potential confounders; Med-Diet weakly affected SOD levels. During a mean follow-up of 46.1 ± 28.2 months, 89 VEs were recorded; patients with VEs had lower GPx3 levels compared with those without VEs (p = 0.002); and no differences regarding SOD activity were found. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that age (Hazard ratio [HR]:1.065, p < 0.001), logGPx3 (above median, HR: 0.629, p < 0.05), and Med-Diet score (HR: 0.547, p < 0.05) predicted VEs. Med-Diet favorably modulates antioxidant activity of GPx3 in AF, resulting in reduced VEs rate. We hypothesize that the modulation of GPx3 levels by Med-Diet could represent an additional nutritional strategy to prevent VEs in AF patients

Design education learning: developing skills of observing and managing intangible system in young generations

[EN] There is consensus among researchers regarding how managing and designing in complexity multidimensionality represents one of the mains challenges and constants of contemporaries’ processes of innovation (Manzini, Baule, Bertola, 2004). This systemic distinguishing peculiarity makes impossible to standardize the design innovation processes because every problem needs to be solved by adopting different strategies (Celaschi, Deserti, 2007). Nevertheless, those innovative processes can be developed and managed by referring us to tools and practices of design into the paradigms of multidisciplinary and multidimensional. However, what happens when professors have to transmit those concepts to young students of design faculties? We have to consider that normally those students are coming from second-degree schools, which programs usually still insist on content rigidly divided in disciplines and don´t consider how the contemporary relation between space and time has overturned for them (Morin, 2001). Young students generally disclaim their past in the meaning of heritage, values and techniques knowledge; they live in the present, a time that does not exist; a time that today results enormously expanded by globalization processes. They still living in a reality of which territorial capital subsystems are characterized by an entropic strong dichotomy of entities in opposition but, on the other hand, in balance within themselves, as for example topics as material/immaterial, collective/identity, culture/industry, etc. So, which are the design didactic challenges to provide horizontal skills for allowing young students to understand complexity and manage knowledge of the reality? This article will discuss the case study of the perception among design of a newly generation admitted at the Innovation and Design Engineering Degree of the Universidad Panamericana – Guadalajara Campus. As expected, in this new generation we can especially observe a resistance to consider the sociocultural, business, technological and territorial dimensions as systems that strategically characterized and affected plural aspects of the design innovation processes. The contribute then proceed in analyzing case studies of didactic activities for creating skills and sensibility able to develop this capability to observe, select and manage the intangible in order to optimize the design of the tangible in the young generations. The investigation, through the experimentation and comparison of informal didactic model, bring to the identification and promotion of special extra-ordinary didactics experiences oriented to the complex project and able to resalt the designer mediation role among the innate and dualistic tension between polarities able to resalt the intangible aspects which characterized contemporary design processes.Bergamini, I.; Fanzini, D. (2016). Design education learning: developing skills of observing and managing intangible system in young generations. En Systems&design:beyond processes and thinking. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 212-225. https://doi.org/10.4995/IFDP.2015.3328OCS21222

Automated Large-Scale Multi-Language Dynamic Program Analysis in the Wild (Artifact)

This artifact provides a preliminary release of NAB, a distributed infrastructure for executing large-scale dynamic program analyses (DPAs). The artifact consists of ready-to-use Docker containers that allow one to run different DPA tools (Deep-Promise, JITProf, and tgp) on Node.js, Java, and Scala projects hosted on GitHub. The artifact enables the reproduction of the figures and tables of the related paper "Automated Large-scale Multi-language Dynamic Program Analysis in the Wild" with pre-collected data (several GBs) and the execution of DPAs on specific sets of GitHub projects

Temperature Tunable 4D Polymeric Photonic Crystals

Photonic crystals owe their multitude of optical properties to the way their structure creates interference effects. It is therefore possible to influence the photonic response by acting on their physical structure. In this article, tunable photonic crystals made by elastic polymers that respond to their environment are explored, in particular with a physical deformation under temperature variation. This creates a feedback process in which the photonic response depends on its physical structure, which itself is influenced by the environmental changes. By using a multi-photon polymerization process specifically optimized for soft responsive polymers such as Liquid Crystalline Networks, highly resolved, reproducible, and mechanically self-standing photonic crystals are fabricated. The physical structure of the 3D woodpile can be tuned by an external temperature variation creating a reversible spectral tuning of 50 nm in the telecom wavelength range. By comparing these results with finite element calculations and temperature induced shape-change, it is confirmed that the observed tuning is due to an elastic deformation of the structure. The achieved nanometric patterning of tunable anisotropic photonic materials will further foster the development of reconfigurable photonic crystals with point defects acting as tunable resonant cavities and, more in general, of 4D nanostructures

GC/MS analysis of morning glory seeds freely in commerce: can they be considered "herbal highs"?

Abstract Background The so-called "herbal highs" are substances derived from natural plants with effects on the central nervous system. Lisergamide, ergine or LSA is the basis of different types of drugs, which are in seeds of Ipomoea violacea, also known as Morning Glory, and other seeds. In our study we analysed the presence of lysergic acid amide (LSA) in seeds of Ipomoea violacea seized by the Italian Police, in others purchased through the Internet, and in other varieties of Ipomoea sold for ornamental purposes, to assess whether the actual consumption of ornamental seeds could contain hallucinogenic doses of LSA. Methods The analyses were conducted at the Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology of the Section of Legal Medicine of the University of Perugia, using GC/MSD system. For analysis, 300 mg of seeds (~8 seeds) from each specimen were chosen. Results Analysis revealed that 300 mg of Ipomoea violacea seeds resulting from police seizures, equivalent to approximately 8 seeds, contained a percentage of LSA equal to 0.062%. This finding is in agreement with what was indicated in literature, as the ingestion of 250 seeds would lead to a dose of approximately 6 mg of LSA, capable of provoking hallucinogenic effects. The analysis of 300 mg of Ipomoea Rubrocerulea seeds bought on the commercial marketdetected an average concentration of LSA of 0.011%. The Ipomoea mix contained a concentration of LSA about 10 times lower than that of seized Morning Glory seeds. Conclusion Seeds bought on the commercial market contained doses of LSA capable of provoking hallucinogenic effects. In the absence of data on the toxicity resulting from the ingestion of seeds for ornamental purposes, we believe that further research on the actual safety of ornamental seeds is necessary