A Study of the Relationship Between the Principles of Distributive Justice and Political Ideology

Ideology plays a very important role in everyday life, particularly in a President’s term of office. Under the Presidency of George W. Bush, welfare and other Social Services were severely cut due to the fact that he believed in more conservative viewpoints (higher military spending, higher tax cuts for the wealthy, etc.). However, ideologies are not only seen on a grand scale: everyone makes day-to-day decisions based on his/her own beliefs. This study hypothesized that males within the Providence College student body would believe in more conservative ideologies, whereas females would believe in more liberal ones. Statements based on both the Principles of Distributive Justice, in addition to the mission statements from the four main political parties were taken and put into a questionnaire. Participants (a total of 41) were then asked to rate these statements on a Likert Scale from one (Strongly Disagree) to five (Strongly Agree). Correlations and trends based on gender and home state were then analyzed. Based on the Independent T-Test, one Socialist question regarding the elimination of corporate influence in the Federal Government was statistically significant (t=0.017, p \u3c 0.05). Two others approached 0.05: one Republican and one Democrat. The findings of this study suggested that males tended to identify more strongly with conservative statements and females with liberal statements, validating the hypothesis of this study

Magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles for photothermal therapy

L'abstract è presente nell'allegato / the abstract is in the attachmen

La Cartiera, Centro Integrato per l'artigianato ed il commercio

Il paesaggio mette in opera l’architettura che fa interagire le tracce, naturali e antropiche, con la densità di un programma che progetta l’esistente, riconoscendo la misura di maglie che la natura ha sedimentato e sedimenta nella geografia dei luoghi. Un edificio-parco, che definisce la dimensione del paesaggio fluviale, costruendo un preciso sistema di relazioni. Nuovi margini che attraggono i flussi e le dinamiche di questo territorio all’interno di uno spazio da abitare, che si adatta ai nuovi usi, colloca le nuove funzioni e conserva la memoria della storica fabbrica della carta

New high-performance liquid chromatography-dad method for analytical determination of arbutin and hydroquinone in rat plasma

Natural substances present in herbal preparations should be carefully used because they can give toxic or therapeutic effects despite of their amount or the way of administration. The safety of products of vegetable origin must be assessed before commercialisation by monitoring the active ingredients and their metabolites. This study was therefore designed to identify and quantify arbutin and its metabolite hydroquinone, naturally present in Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng plant in rat plasma, after an acute and subacute administration of aqueous arbutin solution in Wistar rats. For this purpose a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection was developed to assess the pharmacokinetic of arbutin and hydroquinone in plasma of female rats treated with aqueous arbutin solutions. The detection (arbutin: 0.0617 µg/ml and hydroquinone 0.0120 µg/ml) and quantification (arbutin: 0.2060 µg/ml and hydroquinone: 0.0400 µg/ml) limits were determined. At the arbutin concentration level of 10.7 µg/ml repeatability was 13.33% and its recovery 93.4±6.93%, while at the hydroquinone concentration level of 10.6 µg/ml repeatability was 11.66% and its recovery 92.9±7.75%. Furthermore the method was fully validated and the obtained data indicate that the new method provides good performances

Report of an interlaboratory comparison organised by the EU Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials - ILC01 2009 - DIDP in Oil Laboratory performance and precision criteria of a harmonised method

The Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP) of the European Commission¿s Directorate-General Joint Research Centre hosts the European Union Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials (EURL-FCM). One of its core tasks is to organize interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) among appointed National Reference Laboratories (NRLs). This report presents the results of the second ILC of the EURL-FCM which focused on the determination of Di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP) in an oil matrix. The aim was to develop and perform the validation of a method for the analysis of DIDP (as model substance for a technical mixture of phthalates) from oil (as simulant for fatty foods). This exercise was used both as proficiency testing and to validate a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the determination of DIDP in oil that was written by the EURL based on the most performant methods used by NRLs in the proficiency test of 2008. Participation of local laboratories under NRLs was encouraged (by producing 60 samples). There were 28 participants to whom samples were dispatched 24 of which submitted results. From the EURL-NRL network 23 laboratories out of 24 reported results. There were 2 guests from Germany that provided results as well. Participants were invited to report four replicates measurements under repeatability conditions. The ILC was closed permanently in the middle of October for statistical interpretation. Based on the results in this precision experiment the method performance was assessed through evaluation of the repeatability and reproducibility standard deviation (SD) according to the mechanism described in ISO 5725 [11,12]. The assigned value and its uncertainty were obtained as a consensus values after applying the robust statistics to the results obtained from the participants. Laboratory results were rated with z and z¿ scores in accordance with ISO 13528 [1]. Standard deviations for proficiency assessment (also called target standard deviations) were set based on Horwitz equation. The participation of the laboratories was regarded as satisfactory for the aim of the precision experiment with regards of the numbers of received results thanks to the proactive involvement of the NRLs-FCM. As a conclusion for participation and laboratory performance, this ILC showed: A noted increase in participation compared to the similar exercise of 2008. The number of laboratories submitting results for DIDP in oil rose from 17 to 25. This was due in part from the experience acquired in the previous year exercise as well as to the provision by the EURL of both the method description in a CEN like format as well as of the internal standard. A great increase in laboratory performance compared to 2008 with 76-92% of successful achievement of results from the participants within the tolerance limits (range 76-92% depended on concentration level considered) compared to 59% in 2008. In particular the performance at the concentration level of the SML was 80% compared to 59% for the same exercise in 2008. The harmonisation of the procedure and following a harmonised method for determination of DIDP in oil in 2009 resulted in a decrease more then 2.5 times in the reproducibility SD from 37% to 14 % for the concentration level around SML of 9 mg/kg while the repeatability SD remained almost the same ¿ 6.5%.JRC.DG.I.2-Chemical assessment and testin

Nutritional and Phytochemical Content of High-Protein Crops

The authors acknowledge support from the Scottish Government’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) via their strategic research and partnership programs.Peer reviewedPostprin

Report of the interlaboratory comparison organised by the EU Reference for Laboratory Food Contact Material - ILC02 2009- Bisphenol A in 50% aqueous ethanol (milk simulant): Laboratory performance and precision criteria of a harmonised method

The Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP) of the European Commission¿s Directorate-General Joint Research Centre hosts the Community Reference Laboratory for Food Contact Materials (EURL-FCM). One of its core tasks is to organize interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) among appointed National Reference Laboratories (NRLs). This report presents the results of the second ILC exercise of the EURL-FCM for the year 2009, which focused on the determination of Bisphenol A (BPA) in 50% aqueous ethanol as a food simulant for milk. The general aim was to develop and perform the validation of a method for the analysis of Bisphenol A as model substance for a polycarbonate (PC), since it is a material that has typically been used as baby bottles and therefore typically in contact with mostly milk-type products. The strategy rose from the implementation of the new milk simulant 50% Ethanol (EtOH) in Commission Directive 2007/19/EC that current CEN standards for specific migration have not addressed yet. Four 50% ethanol solutions containing different concentrations of Bisphenol A were provided for analysis encompassing concentrations of relevance to exposure determination and compliance determination. The homogeneity and stability studies were performed by the EURL-FCM laboratory. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the two approaches were also written. There were 31 participants from twenty-five countries to whom samples were dispatched and 26 of which submitted results. The results of analyses were received and statistically interpreted. The assigned values were obtained as a consensus values after applying the robust statistics to the results obtained from the participants. Laboratory results were rated with z-scores in accordance with ISO 13528 [1]. Standard deviations for ILC comparison (also called target standard deviations) were set based on Horwitz equation and Horrat ratio 0.5. The results and preliminary report were discussed in the plenary of December 2009. The participation of the laboratories was regarded as satisfactory for the aim of the precision experiment with regards of the numbers of received results. As a conclusion of the precision exercise on the quantification of Bisphenol A in the new milk simulant 50% ethanol, this ILC showed that the validation of the method based on HPLC-FLD according to the description based mostly on the previous CEN standard TS 13130-13 was successful. The precision that can be suggested were of 15% reproducibility SD and 6% repeatability SD for the 0.0067 mg/kg level, 10% reproducibility SD and 4% repeatability SD for the 0.0.21 mg/kg level, 6% reproducibility SD and 2% repeatability SD for the 0.0.75 mg/kg level, 6% reproducibility SD and 0.2% repeatability SD for the 0.56 mg/kg level. With respect to the scarcity of data previously available in the validation performed as reported in the CEN standard TS 13130-13 (issued version of 2005), this validation also provides a great breadth of valuable detailed and traceable raw data, which should prove extremely relevant for the creation of an extension of the standard from CEN.JRC.DG.I.2-Chemical assessment and testin

Flavedo and albedo of five citrus fruits from Southern Italy: physicochemical characteristics and enzyme-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds

Peels are major byproducts of the juice processing industry. Citrus peels are composed of two tissues, namely the flavedo (outer layer) and the albedo (inner layer). Here, flavedo and albedo were obtained from the peel of grapefruit cv. ‘Star ruby’, lemon cv. ‘Akragas’, and sweet orange cvs. ‘Tarocco’, ‘Sanguinello’ and ‘Moro’. Freeze dried flavedo and albedo were investigated for their functional properties, and subjected to enzyme-assisted extraction with pectinase and cellulase (concentration of 6 U g−1 DW) to extract the phenolic compounds. Albedo showed superior physicochemical characteristics than flavedo. Albedo from ‘Tarocco’ exhibited the maximum water holding capacity (10.9 ± 0.48 g/g). Grapefruit albedo revealed the highest water swelling (13.4 ± 2.62 mL/g) and oil binding (6.31 ± 2.62 g/g) capacities. As regards the enzyme-assisted extraction of phytochemicals, both enzymes enhanced the extraction of phenolics (p < 0.05) compared to the controls. In flavedo, pectinase and cellulase increased the recovery of phenolics by approx. 30%, whereas in albedo the yields were increased above 60%. Results from this investigation suggest that albedo might be used by the food industry as a novel raw material, due to its superior physicochemical properties. Moreover, results provide evidence that the enzyme-assisted extraction is advantageous to recover phenolics from the citrus peels

Page as a Visual Story: An Adventure in a Workshop Images Deeply Settled in a Real Space to Promote Cambiano City’s (Turin’s Area) Artistic, Cultural and Territorial Heritage and the Distilleria Mazzetti d’Altavilla in Alexandria

What is the meaning each of us want to give to “his own” architecture, “his own” city, “his own” life? And how can we communicate this with a vision and especially through images? Can the “visual story” become a mirror reflecting our culture, our soul? We are going through a historical moment of which reflection on “visual culture”, but even the most widespread practice of the “act of seeing”, is back to being very contemporary, supported by an ever wider use of images in scientific practice. In this sense, the fundamental role of images in many different disciplines and scientific areas is undeniable, ranging from the culture of vision experienced in the introductory workshop “The page as a visual narrative”, declined in its various applications, from public to private. This workshop ranged between theory and practice, between vision laws and graphic applications for existing work and products, interacting with the customer. The activity carried out a series of practical experiences and reasoning aimed at showing how communication should be planned. The realization of four exhibition panels and four illustrative brochures have put in practice the concept of “visual narrative” to evoke, in the modern communicative reality, the artistic cultural heritage of Cambiano city in Turin’s area and history, products and philosophy of Mazzetti d’Altavilla company in Monferrato