Le français de nos jours. Caractères, formes, aspects, sous la direction de Maria Teresa Zanola, Roma, Carocci editore, 2023, 282 p., ISBN: 978-88-290-2018-8.

Recensione del volume di Maria Teresa Zanola dedicato all'esplorazione delle sfere linguistiche e culturali del francese contemporaneo

Fostering product innovation for water saving, treatment and reuse in household appliances: towards green washing solutions

Household appliances such as clothes washing and dishwashing machines use 10 to 30% of total domestic water consumption. Currently available washing machines do not provide systems to store and reuse wash and rinse water, or to filter dirt and residual detergents from drain water, or to monitor water quality to detect residual substances. This paper provides results of a three-year research project to develop advanced technologies to recycle waste water and reduce water and energy used by clothes washing machines. The project goal is to reduce energy and water consumption by 25% to 30%. To reach this goal three complementary technologies were investigated and demonstrated: (1) mechanical water filtration; (2) Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP) for purification/sanitation, and (3) water quality monitoring devices to detect whether substances or residuals are present. A “modular” approach was applied so each solution can be implemented separately or incrementally. Water filtration tests showed positive results with polymeric filters. AOP-based methodologies were effective in chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction and in degradation of anionic surfactants and nonionic surfactants. Ozone and UV can also be used as anti-microbial agents. Water quality monitoring of COD and its correlation to water conductivity enables different water reuse algorithms (cycles). All technologies were tested separately demonstrating the possibility of a modular approach for the final implementation. Results for clothes washers can be applied to other appliances such as dishwashers. These results provide important data for designing a dedicated “green washing” system

Retrospective observational study on the use of acetyl-L-carnitine in ALS

: ALCAR (Acetyl-L-carnitine) is a donor of acetyl groups and increases the intracellular levels of carnitine, the primary transporter of fatty acids across the mitochondrial membranes. In vivo studies showed that ALCAR decrease oxidative stress markers and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In a previous double-blind placebo-controlled phase II trial showed positive effects on self-sufficiency (defined as a score of 3+ on the ALSFRS-R items for swallowing, cutting food and handling utensils, and walking) ALSFRS-R total score and FVC. We conducted an observational, retrospective, multicentre, case-control study to provide additional data on the effects of ALCAR in subjects with ALS in Italy. Subjects treated with ALCAR 1.5 g/day or 3 g/day were included and matched with not treated subjects by sex, age at diagnosis, site of onset, and time from diagnosis to baseline, (45 subjects per group). ALCAR 3 g/day vs not treated: 22 not treated subjects (48.9%) were still alive at 24 months after baseline, compared to 23 (51.1%) treated subjects (adj. OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.46-3.02). No statistically significant differences were detected in ALSFRS nor FVC nor self-sufficiency. ALCAR 1.5 g/day vs not treated: 22 not treated subjects (48.9%) were still alive at 24 months after baseline, compared to 32 (71.1%) treated subjects (adj. OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.10-0.71). For ALSFRS-R, a mean slope of - 1.0 was observed in treated subjects compared to - 1.4 in those not treated (p = 0.0575). No statistically significant difference was detected in the FVC nor self-sufficiency. Additional evidence should be provided to confirm the efficacy of the drug and provide a rationale for the dosage