Triphenylene based metal-pyridine cages

C3-symmetric pyridine containing tris-benzyl-O-substituted hexahydroxytriphenylene derivatives were prepared and used in combination with square-planar Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes for the self-assembly of molecular cages in solution. The formation of a trigonal bipyramid M3L2 cage was demonstrated by multinuclear NMR analyses and pseudo 2D DOSY experiments and supported by semi-empirical calculation

Health systems resilience in fragile and shock-prone settings through the prism of gender equity and justice: implications for research, policy and practice

Fragile and shock-prone settings (FASP) present a critical development challenge, eroding efforts to build healthy, sustainable and equitable societies. Power relations and inequities experienced by people because of social markers, e.g., gender, age, education, ethnicity, and race, intersect leading to poverty and associated health challenges. Concurrent to the growing body of literature exploring the impact of these intersecting axes of inequity in FASP settings, there is a need to identify actions promoting gender, equity, and justice (GEJ). Gender norms that emphasise toxic masculinity, patriarchy, societal control over women and lack of justice are unfortunately common throughout the world and are exacerbated in FASP settings. It is critical that health policies in FASP settings consider GEJ and include strategies that promote progressive changes in power relationships. ReBUILD for Resilience (ReBUILD) focuses on health systems resilience in FASP settings and is underpinned by a conceptual framework that is grounded in a broader view of health systems as complex adaptive systems. The framework identifies links between different capacities and enables identification of feedback loops which can drive or inhibit the emergence and implementation of resilient approaches. We applied the framework to four different country case studies (Lebanon, Myanmar, Nepal and Sierra Leone) to illustrate how it can be inclusive of GEJ concerns, to inform future research and support context responsive recommendations to build equitable and inclusive health systems in FASP settings

Controlling the assembly of cyclotriveratrylene-derived coordination cages

A review of the emerging field of cyclotriveratrylene-derived coordination cages is presented. Ligand-functionalised cyclotriveratrylene (CTV) derivatives self-assemble with a range of metal cations to afford coordination cages, polymers and topologically non-trivial constructs, such as [2]catenanes and a self-entangled cube. Increased control over their self-assembly allows for the controlled and predictable formation of well-defined coordination cages for application in host-guest and recognition chemistry, with surfactant binding and single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCTSC) uptake of small-molecule guests being observed

Metallo-cryptophanes decorated with Bis-N-heterocyclic carbene ligands: self-assembly and guest uptake into a nonporous crystalline lattice

Pd3L2 metallo-cryptophane cages with cyclotriveratrylene-type L ligands can be stabilized by use of a bis-N-heterocyclic carbene as an auxiliary cis-protecting ligand, while use of more common protecting chelating ligands such as ethylenediamine saw a Pd3L2 to Pd6L8 rearrangement occur in solution. The crystalline Pd3L2 complexes act as sponges, taking up 1,2-dichorobenzene or iodine in a single-crystal-to-single-crystal fashion despite not exhibiting conventional porosity

Il linguaggio di programmazione Scala

Questa tesina analizza il linguaggio di programmazione Scala, un linguaggio in grado di adattarsi al tipo di applicazione che si vuole creare. Scala può essere usato come linguaggio di scripting o come linguaggio per applicazioni complesse. Oltre ai costrutti basilari, nella tesina vengono spiegati altri concetti di programmazione riguardanti il linguaggio Scala come i tratti, la programmazione funzionale, il pattern matching, i tipi parametrici, i tipi astratti e gli attor

Localizzazione e identificazione di persone da robot mobile in ambienti sconosciuti

La robotica di servizio è un ambito della ricerca che ha riscosso sempre più successo negli ultimi anni. In questa tesi è stato sviluppato un sistema in grado di utilizzare un robot mobile al fine di esplorare un ambiente localizzando e identicando le persone al suo interno. Inoltre è stata esplorata la possibilità di utilizzare tecniche di skeletal recognition per migliorare il tracking di persone da robot mobile. Il framework utilizzato per lo sviluppo del codice è RO

Circular Dichroism Study of Orexin B under Oxidative Stress Conditions

The neuropeptides orexin A and B regulate various vital functions of the body, such as sleep/wake states, metabolism, and energy homeostasis. A loss of their physiological activity, with reduced ability to recognize their receptors, is suspected to be associated with oxidative stress conditions. These are related to excessive presence of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, as well as of reactive lipoxidation byproducts. With the aim of evaluating the effects of oxidative stress on the secondary structure of orexin peptides, orexin B was synthesized and characterized by circular dichroism spectroscopy under different conditions. In aqueous solution it presents an unordered conformation, while in a membrane mimetic environment it assumes a helical structure. The effects of oxidative stress were evaluated exposing it to both oxygen and nitrogen radicals as well as to lipoxidation byproducts. The results showed that ROS, but not NRS, induced appreciable conformational changes, and only in the membrane mimetic environment. Lipoxidation byproducts, instead, led to secondary structure modifications much more evident than those induced by the direct action of ROS and RNS, and in both analyzed media. Additionally, MALDI-TOF analyses detected mass variations in the peptide attributable to oxidation of the C-terminal Met residue and deamination of asparagine in the Asn–His sequence. Taken together, all these data seem to confirm the involvement of oxidative processes in dysfunctions of the orexinergic system