Revision of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) for Use with Italian Students

Background: This multistudy report was aimed at examining the psychometric properties in the Italian context of the Student Adaptation College Questionnaire (SACQ) that represents the most important self-report measure for assessing how students adjust to university. Methods: Three studies were conducted in order to revise and improve the instrument for being more efficient in measuring adjustment to university. Results: The final result was the SACQ-SF consisting in 12 item assessing three dimensions: a) student’s perception of one’s study skills (Studying); b) student’s sense of satisfaction with courses and programs (Satisfaction with curriculum); c) student’s evaluation of the degree to which he has social skills and is making new friends (Social adjustment). Conclusions: Convergent and construct validity may be considered also adequate. In sum, the SACQSF can be considered a promising valuable and efficient instrument in measuring adjustment to university in the Italian context, and probably in the European one too. Further, as a brief instrument, it can be easily administered and used as a quick screening tool

Ruptures and repairs of group therapy alliance. an untold story in psychotherapy research

Although previous studies investigated the characteristics of therapeutic alliance in group treatments, there is still a dearth of research on group alliance ruptures and repairs. The model by Safran and Muran was originally developed to address therapeutic alliance in individual therapies, and the usefulness of this approach to group intervention needs to be demonstrated. Alliance ruptures are possible at member to therapist, member to member, member to group levels. Moreover, repairs of ruptures in group are quite complex, i.e., because other group members have to process the rupture even if not directly involved. The aim of the current study is to review the empirical research on group alliance, and to examine whether the rupture repair model can be a suitable framework for clinical understanding and research of the complexity of therapeutic alliance in group treatments. We provide clinical vignettes and commentary to illustrate theoretical and research aspects of therapeutic alliance rupture and repair in groups. Our colleague Jeremy Safran made a substantial contribution to research on therapeutic alliance, and the current paper illustrates the enduring legacy of this work and its potential application to the group therapy context

Determination of cadmium (II) and zinc (II) in olive oils by derivative potentiometric stripping analysis

A method for the determination of cadmium (II) and zinc (II) in olive oils by derivative potentiometric stripping analysis after dry ashing of the sample is described. The metal ions were concentrated as their amalgams on a glassy carbon working electrode that was previously coated with a thin mercury film and then stripped by a suitable oxidant. Potential and time data were digitally converted into dt dE 121, and E was plotted vs. dt dE 121, thus increasing sensitivity of the method and improving resolution of the analysis. Quantitative analysis was carried out by the method of standard additions; a good linearity was obtained in the range of concentrations examined. Recoveries of 92\u2013102% for cadmium (II) and of 89\u201399% for zinc (II) were obtained from an olive oil spiked at different levels. The detection limits were 5.1 ng g 121 for cadmium (II) and 7.6 ng g 121 for zinc (II)

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of 2-furaldehyde and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde in honey

A method of determination of 2-furaldehyde (F) and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF) in honey by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described. The method is based on the formation of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones of carbonyl compounds and subsequent reversed-phase separation of these derivatives. Derivatization is carried out by utilizing an acidic solution of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in acetonitrile. Precipitation of the derivatives of carbonyl compounds is thus avoided and direct injection of the sample into the HPLC system is allowed. The procedure offers a high specificity, since the derivatives of F and HMF are well separated from the other components of the mixture under examination. Recoveries of 95-99% were obtained from honey spiked at different levels with both analytes. The detection limit is of the order of 10 \u3bcg/kg of honey and reproducibility (mean of six determinations) is \ub13% for F and \ub12% for HMF

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of 2-furaldehyde and 5- hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde in fruit juices

A method for the determination of 2-furaldehyde (F) and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF) in fruit juices by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described. The method is based on the formation of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones of carbonyl compounds and subsequent separation of these derivatives. Derivatization is carried out by utilizing an acidic solution of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in acetonitrile. Precipitation of the derivatives of carbonyl compounds is thus avoided; and direct injection of the sample into the HPLC system is allowed. The procedure offers a high specificity and a detection limit of the order of 10\u20138 mol/L. Recoveries of 95-98% are obtained from apple juice spiked at different levels with both analytes. The reproducibility (mean of six determinations) is \ub1 2% for F and \ub1 3% for HMF

High performance liquid chromatographic determination of 2-furaldehyde and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde in processes citrus juices

The occurrence of 2-furaldehyde (F) and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (HMF) in processed citrus juices is an indication of quality deterioration. A close relationship between flavor changes and F content exists, while HMF can give rise to browning reactions. Both F and HMF are formed during heat processing or storage at improper temperatures. The detection of these compounds becomes more and more important as aseptic processing and packaging of citrus juices are becoming widespread. Aseptic packaging allows higher temperatures during distribution and storage to be employed without microbial spoilage, but off-flavors develop as citrus products are exposed to these conditions. In this paper a method of determination by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described. The method is based on the formation of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones of carbonyl compounds and subsequent reversed-phase separation of these derivatives. Derivatization is carried out by utilizing an acidic solution of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in acetonitrile. Precipitation of the derivatives of carbonyl compounds is thus avoided, and direct injection of the sample into the HPLC system is allowed. The determination offers a high specificity and a detection limit of the order of 10-8 mol/l for both analytes. Recoveries from an orange juice spiked at different levels are quantitative. Reproducibility data are presented

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of 2-furaldehyde in spirits

Official methods for the determination of 2-furaldehyde in spirits involve for a spectrophotometric evaluation, which is characterized by poor specificity. Gas chromatographic evaluations have also been proposed, which offer a much higher sensitivity, particularly when capillary columns are used. In this paper a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method based on the formation of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones of carbonyl compounds and subsequent reversed-phase separation of these derivatives is described. Derivatization is carried out by utilizing an acidic solution of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in acetonitrile. Precipitation of the derivatives is avoided, and direct injection of the sample into the HPLC system is allowed. The determination offers a high specificity and a detection limit of the order of 10-8 mol/l. Accuracy and reproducibility data are presented

Characterisation of Columbite-Tantalite (Coltan) ore from Congo. Elemental composition by total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis

The paper describes the analysis of a columbite-tantalite (coltan) mineral ore from Congo by using total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TRXRF) analysis. The sample was mineralised with a lithium tetraborate and lithium metaborate flux mixture. TRXRF allows multi-element analysis in a wide range of concentrations. The results were in good agreement with those obtained by using another alkaline fusion with sodium peroxide

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) and MEK1 inhibition synergize to induce apoptosis in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells

Recent studies suggest that components of the prosurvival signal transduction pathways involving the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase ( MAPK) can confer an aggressive, apoptosis-resistant phenotype to leukemia cells. In this study, we report that acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells exploit the Ras-MAPK activation pathway to phosphorylate at Ser112 and to inactivate the proapoptotic protein Bad, delaying arsenic trioxide (ATO)-induced apoptosis. Both in APL cell line NB4 and in APL primary blasts, the inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Bad phosphorylation by MEK1 inhibitors enhanced apoptosis in ATO-treated cells. We isolated an arsenic-resistant NB4 subline (NB4-As-R), which showed stronger ERK1/2 activity (2.7-fold increase) and Bad phosphorylation (2.4-fold increase) compared to parental NB4 cells in response to ATO treatment. Upon ATO exposure, both NB4 and NB4-As-R cell lines doubled protein levels of the death antagonist Bcl-xL, but the amount of free Bcl-xL that did not heterodimerize with Bad was 1.8-fold greater in NB4-As-R than in the parental line. MEK1 inhibitors dephosphorylated Bad and inhibited the ATO-induced increase of Bcl-xL, overcoming ATO resistance in NB4-As-R. These results may provide a rationale to develop combined or sequential MEK1 inhibitors plus ATO therapy in this clinical setting

Determination of cadmium (II) and lead (II) in whole and skim milk by stripping chronopotentiometric analysis

A method for the determination of cadmium (II) and lead (II) in whole and skim milk by stripping chronopotentiometric analysis is described. The metal ions were concentrated as their amalgams on a glassy carbon working electrode that was previously coated with a thin mercury film and then stripped by a suitable oxidant. Potential and time data were digitally converted into dt dE-1, and E was plotted vs. dt dE-1, thus increasing both sensitivity of the method and resolution of the analysis. Quantitative analysis was carried out by the method of standard additions. A good linearity was obtained in the range of concentrations examined. Recoveries of 94-100% for cadmium (II) and of 91-98% for lead (II) were obtained from a sample spiked at different levels. The detection limits were 4.4 ng g-1 for cadmium (II) and 8.6 ng g-1 for lead (II) and the relative standard deviations (mean of nine determinations) were 4.1 and 5.6%, respectively. Results obtained on commercial whole and skim milk were not significantly different from those obtained by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry