Generalized ballistic-conductive heat conduction in isotropic materials

The general isotropic constitutive equations of heat conduction with second sound and ballistic propagation in isotropic materials is given using Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics with Internal Variables (NET-IV). The consequences of Onsager reciprocity between thermodynamic fluxes and forces and positive definiteness of the entropy production is considered. The relation to theories of Extended Thermodynamics is discussed in detail.Comment: 22 pages, no figure

Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (nu ITS2 rRNA) Sequence-Structure Phylogenetics: Towards an Automated Reconstruction of the Green Algal Tree of Life

L). Some have advocated the use of the nuclear-encoded, internal transcribed spacer two (ITS2) as an alternative to the traditional chloroplast markers. However, the ITS2 is broadly perceived to be insufficiently conserved or to be confounded by introgression or biparental inheritance patterns, precluding its broad use in phylogenetic reconstruction or as a DNA barcode. A growing body of evidence has shown that simultaneous analysis of nucleotide data with secondary structure information can overcome at least some of the limitations of ITS2. The goal of this investigation was to assess the feasibility of an automated, sequence-structure approach for analysis of IT2 data from a large sampling of phylum Chlorophyta.Sequences and secondary structures from 591 chlorophycean, 741 trebouxiophycean and 938 ulvophycean algae, all obtained from the ITS2 Database, were aligned using a sequence structure-specific scoring matrix. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed by Profile Neighbor-Joining coupled with a sequence structure-specific, general time reversible substitution model. Results from analyses of the ITS2 data were robust at multiple nodes and showed considerable congruence with results from published phylogenetic analyses.Our observations on the power of automated, sequence-structure analyses of ITS2 to reconstruct phylum-level phylogenies of the green algae validate this approach to assessing diversity for large sets of chlorophytan taxa. Moreover, our results indicate that objections to the use of ITS2 for DNA barcoding should be weighed against the utility of an automated, data analysis approach with demonstrated power to reconstruct evolutionary patterns for highly divergent lineages

I liposarcomi retroperitoneali

Il liposarcoma è l’istotipo più frequente tra i rari tumori maligni del retroperitoneo. Tale neoplasia ha la spiccata tendenza a recidivare dopo asportazione chirurgica, raramente a metastatizzare. La recidi - va mostra generalmente un comportamento più aggressivo della malattia primitiva con maggiore tendenza ad infiltrare gli organi vicini. La sintomatologia compare spesso tardivamente ed il segno di esordio è molto frequentemente la massa addominale palpabile. Lo studio preoperatorio implica l’uso della TC e della RMN. La terapia vede nelle chirurgia resettiva o citoriduttiva l’unico strumento in grado di modificare la storia naturale in termini di sopravvivenza e di recidiva locale. La prognosi è severa, con una sopravvivenza a 5 anni variabile tra il 12 ed il 50% nelle varie casi - stiche. Fattori prognostici importanti sono il grado della neoplasia ed il trattamento chirurgico radicale. Dal 1990 al 2001 sono stati eseguiti presso l’U.O. degli Autori 32 interventi per neoplasie maligne del retroperitoneo su 19 pazien - ti, in 7 di questi la neoplasia era un liposarcoma (4 uomini e 3 donne). Il numero complessivo di interventi per liposarcoma retrope - ritoneale è stato di 15. Quattro pazienti sono stati sottoposti ad un secondo intervento per recidiva, di questi 3 ad un terzo intervento ed 1 ad un quarto. In 11 casi su 15 è stata eseguita una exeresi della neoplasia. La sopravvivenza media è stata di 4 anni e 2 mesi. La radioterapia intraoperatoria, eseguita in 3 pazienti, sembra poter offrire dei vantaggi sul controllo locale della malattia e quindi sulla sopravvivenza. Un follow-up precoce con TC e RMN è giustificato dalla possibile resecabilità delle eventuali recidive

Iris revoluta Colas., natural hybrid origin species: characterization and preservation problems

In order to preserve ex situ rare or vulnerable species, it is necessary to characterise their reproductive mechanisms, and to locate the origin of the interference with their development in their natural habitat. Iris revoluta Colas. is a very rare endemic species of the Salento peninsula (Italy), showing scarce sexual reproduction, but good vegetative propagation through rhizomes, as many other Iris species of natural hybrid origin. For many years this Iris has been cultivated in the Botanical Garden of the Di.S.Te.B.A., University of Lecce, where a detailed study has been initiated to investigate the phenomena that may limit its sexual reproduction