29 research outputs found
Prevalence and Tracking of Weight Disorders in Italian Primary School Students: A Three-Year Follow-Up
Obesity has been widely described as the latest epidemic, and in some areas obesity co-exists with undernutrition. The purpose of this study was to assess the variability of weight status of a cohort of 279 Italian primary school students followed longitudinally for three years. Overweight was the most common weight status disorder in both sexes and generally prevailed in females. Underweight was also more frequent in females than males, while males generally showed a higher incidence of obesity. Overweight showed the highest stability in females. In males, tracking of overweight was 62.5%, while that of normal weight was 89.36%. Overweight tracks through the three consecutive years in a high percentage of both sexes. In the whole sample (regardless of sex and weight category), overweight shows the highest increase over the three-year period. This study provides public health professionals with useful data for policy planning in regard to childhood obesity
Growth and Secular Trend in School-Children from Cento, Ferrara, Italy
Growth parameters were surveyed in a sample of 296 Italian children, 6–9 years old, from Cento (Ferrara, Emilia-
-Romagna). The comparison with children from the same town measured in 1974–75 show changes in some parameters, suggesting an ongoing secular trend. To better understand the observed weight increase and the sex difference, we also evaluated body composition and motricity. The analysis of the present sample is a preliminary part of a longitudinal study dealing with modifications of body composition and motor capacity induced by growth. In our sample the children are growing according to the Italian reference standard. The females present weight, height and Body Mass Index (BMI) values comparable to the 50th centile, while the males present higher values of weight, skinfold thicknesses and BMI. Sex differences in the motor performance were noted. A methodological comparison of obesity assessments based on BMI an percentage of body fat (%F) shows similar conclusions but somewhat different result
Traumatic Events and Life-Style in Ancient Italian Populations
Traumatic lesions are commonly found in archaeological skeletal samples and provide useful information about various behavioral and cultural aspects of the populations. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between the distribution and types of skeletal traumatic lesions and the different life-styles of past populations. We examined three necropolises in central Italy. Pozzilli (VI–IV century BC) and Quadrella (I–IV century AD) are from the same geographical area (Molise) but belong to different periods; Novilara (IX–VI century BC) is located in Marche but belongs to the Iron Age like Pozzilli. The lesions observed at Pozzilli seem not to be accidental, whereas the traumas observed at Quadrella can be attributed to occasional, unintentional events. Cranial injuries observed at Novilara strengthen the hypothesis that the population was composed, at least in part, of warriors. Our results suggest the presence of a relationship between skeletal traumatic lesions and life-styles of populations
Growth and Secular Trend in School-Children from Cento, Ferrara, Italy
Growth parameters were surveyed in a sample of 296 Italian children, 6–9 years old, from Cento (Ferrara, Emilia-
-Romagna). The comparison with children from the same town measured in 1974–75 show changes in some parameters, suggesting an ongoing secular trend. To better understand the observed weight increase and the sex difference, we also evaluated body composition and motricity. The analysis of the present sample is a preliminary part of a longitudinal study dealing with modifications of body composition and motor capacity induced by growth. In our sample the children are growing according to the Italian reference standard. The females present weight, height and Body Mass Index (BMI) values comparable to the 50th centile, while the males present higher values of weight, skinfold thicknesses and BMI. Sex differences in the motor performance were noted. A methodological comparison of obesity assessments based on BMI an percentage of body fat (%F) shows similar conclusions but somewhat different result
The Vehicle, Fall 2005
Table of Contents
The Road HomeBrandy Lee Bartercover
Lion, linoleum, 2005Angela Ventrellapage 4
Upon Hearing the Poet...A TributeKitty Apodacapage 5
WhispersKitty Apodacapage 5
The Caboose, photographBrandy Lee Barterpage 6
(Untitled)Mitch Jamespage 7-8
A Friend on Fourth StreetMitch Jamespage 9-10
Better Off Dead but Never Been BetterDallas Schumacherpage 11
(Untitled)Rachel Jonespage 12
MaroonedTim Emmerlingpage 13-14
A Human ReactionGreg Lyonspage 15
(Untitled)Rachel Jonespage 16
Rose, photographGiselle LaFluerpage 16
Mary Shelley: Speaking Briefly of a DreamLindsay Greenpage 17-18
Sour GrapesDallas Schumacherpage 19-20
Red Bouquet, photographGiselle LaFluerpage 20
County RoadBrandy Lee Barterpage 21
What You Don\u27t See Won\u27t Hurt YouA Travis Shootpage 23
Elephant Flower, photographGiselle LaFluerpage 24
Monday Morning in Apartment 3FGreg Lyonspage 25-26
Flower, photographAngela Ventrellapage 26
RelicsGlen Davispage 27-30
Yellow Daisies, photographGiselle LaFluerpage 30
Untitled 35Ben Hartpage 31https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1082/thumbnail.jp
Isolation and characterization of lipids strictly associated to PSII complexes: focus on cardiolipin structural and functional role
In this work, lipid extracts from spinach membrane fragments enriched in Photosystem II (PSII) and from spinach PSII dimers were analyzed,
by means of Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and Electro-Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Cardiolipin found in association with PSII was
isolated and purified by preparative TLC, then characterized by mass and mass–mass analyses. Cardiolipin structures with four unsaturated C18
acyl chains and variable saturation degrees were evidenced. Structural and functional effects of different phospholipids on PSII complexes were
investigated by Fluorescence, Resonance Light Scattering and Oxygen Evolution Rate measurements. An increment of PSII thermal stability was
observed in the presence of cardiolipin and phosphatidylglycerol
Lipid content in higher plants under osmotic stress
In this work, we performed investigations on the lipid content of higher plants (spinach) under hyperosmotic stress, by means of thin layer
chromatography (TLC) and mass spectrometry. In particular, the experiments have been performed at different plant organization levels: whole
leaves, freshly prepared protoplast suspension and mesophyll cells obtained by reformation of the cell wall from protoplast suspension. The results
obtained showed that hyperosmotic stress induces changes in the phospholipid content depending on the different plant organization levels
studied. All phospholipids showed an increment of their content in stressed whole leaves. In particular, phosphatidylglycerol (PG) redoubles its
content by 1 h of osmotic shock. Different responses to hyperosmotic stress were reported for the other systems. In the case of protoplasts, an
increment of PG, phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) together with biphosphatidylglycerol (BPG) and phosphatidylethanolamine
(PE) content decreasing were observed in stressed sample. For PG, identified as PG (34:4) by elecrospray ionization mass spectrometry,
the increment was of about 30%. In the case of cells, conversely, a decrease of PG content under osmotic stress was recorded. The results suggest
an important role of phospholipids, in particular of PG, in the osmotic stress response
Photosystem II based multilayers obtained by electrostatic layer-by-layer assembly on quartz substrates
Photosystem II (PSII) proteins from spinach leaves were immobilized onto quartz substrates according to the Layer-by-Layer (LbL) procedure, alternating protein to polyethylenimine (PEI) layers by exploiting electrostatic interactions. The effects of several factors, such as storage conditions, ageing of the PSII-modified substrates, as well as PSII concentration in buffer, on the quality of the prepared multilayers, were investigated by UV-vis Absorption Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). A number of 13 layers was found to be optimal to guarantee intense PSII optical signals with homogeneous morphological distributions of proteins. The multilayers resulted stable if stored in contact with air at 4 degrees C, as observed by UV-vis Absorption spectra recorded after 48 h. The best results in terms of AFM images and electron transfer efficiency (measured by Hill Reaction assays) were gained by using 5.6 x 10(-7) M chlorophyll concentration, obtaining multilayers with the most ordered protein distributions and the highest electron transfer efficiency, i.e. 85 % of an iso-absorbing PSII suspension. The results highlight the possibility to successfully immobilize PSII proteins, without considerable loss of bioactivity, thanks to the mild nature of the electrostatic LbL technique, opening up possibilities of applications in the bioelectrochemical energy conversion and biosensoristic fields
Biomaterials based on photosynthetic membranes as potential sensors for herbicides
In this study, ultrathin film multilayers of Photosystem II-enriched photosynthetic membranes (BBY) were prepared and immobilized on quartz substrates by means of a Layer by Layer procedure exploiting electrostatic interactions with poly(ethylenimine) as polyelectrolyte. The biomaterials thus obtained were characterized by means of optical techniques and Atomic Force Microscopy, highlighting the fact that the Layer by Layer approach allowed the BBYs to be immobilized with satisfactory results. The activity of these hybrid materials was evaluated by means of optical assays based on the Hill Reaction, indicating that the biosamples, which preserved about 65% of their original activity even ten weeks after preparation, were both stable and active. Furthermore, an investigation of the biochips’ sensitivity to the herbicide terbutryn, as a model analyte, gave interesting results: inhibition of photosynthetic activity was observed at terbutryn concentrations higher than 10-7 M, thus evidencing the potential of such biomaterials in the environmental biosensor field