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A sustainable process for the hydrogenation of levulinic acid (LA) to γ-valerolactone (GVL) is reported. GVL can be easily obtained in high yield, adopting very mild reaction conditions, by the hydrogenation of an aqueous solution of levulinic acid using a commercial ruthenium supported catalyst in combination with a heterogeneous acid co-catalyst, such as the ion exchange resins Amberlyst A70 or A15, niobium phosphate, or oxide. All the hydrogenations were carried out at 70–50 °C and at low hydrogen pressure (3–0.5 MPa). The most effective acid co-catalyst was the ion exchange resin Amberlyst A70, which produced a high yield of GVL (99 mol%) and an activity of 558 h−1 after 3 h of reaction, whilst working at 0.5 MPa of hydrogen and 70 °C. The combined effect of acid and hydrogenating heterogeneous components was also verified for the hydrogenation of aliphatic ketones to the corresponding alcohols, thus opening a new perspective for this process.

Author(s): Martinelli, Marco; Simpson, Thomas | Abstract: Rumore di acque / Noise in the Waters is a facing-page translation into English of the theater piece Rumore di acque, created by Marco Martinelli and Teatro delle Albe, first presented in Ravenna in July 2010 and subsequently throughout Italy. The piece consists of the relentless, embittered monologue of a military bureaucrat stationed underground in a mid-Mediterranean island, whose duty is to tally the dead who have perished attempting to make the crossing from Africa to Italy. The CIS translation includes a brief biography of Martinelli and Teatro delle Albe.

The performances of ethylene polymerization catalysts based on III and commercial methylaluminoxane were investigated by reducing the content of free trimethylaluminum in methylaluminoxane by its reaction with 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol. This allowed optimization of the formulation of the catalyst, affording a high-molecular-weight linear polyethylene (PE) with a productivity [(1 900 kg of PE/(mol of Ni × h)], ten-fold higher than that previously achieved for the same system adopting commercial methylaluminoxane not pre-treated with the above phenol derivative.

Activating mutations of BRAF have been identified in a variety of human cancers, most notably melanomas and papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). The aim of the present study was to disclose the role of BRAF mutations in thyroid carcinoma development. Seventy-two thyroid tumors, including 60 PTCs, six follicular adenomas, five follicular carcinomas, and one anaplastic carcinoma, were studied. BRAF mutation screening focused on exon 15 and exon 11 of the gene by single-stranded conformational polymorphism and sequence analysis. Search of RET/PTC expression was conducted with the RT-PCR technique. The molecular genetic study of the BRAF gene showed the presence of a missense thymine to adenine transversion at nucleotide 1796, resulting in the V599E substitution, in 24 of 60 PTCs (40%), none of six follicular adenomas, and none of five follicular carcinomas or one anaplastic carcinoma. Moreover, nine of 60 PTCs (15%) presented RET/PTC expression. A genetico-clinical association analysis showed a statistically significant correlation between BRAF mutation and development of PTCs of the classic papillary histotype (P = 0.038). On the contrary, no link could be detected between expression of BRAF(V599E) and age at diagnosis, gender, dimension, and local invasiveness of the primary cancer, presence of lymph node metastases, tumor stage, and multifocality of the disease. These data clearly confirm that BRAF(V599E) is the more common genetic alteration found to date in adult sporadic PTCs, that it is unique for this thyroid cancer histotype, and that it might drive the development of PTCs of the classic papillary subtype.

The evolution of logic thought in relation to the predominant recent advances in technology is analyzed. In fact, the computer was the prime mover of this major change. At present the use of sophisticated software has allowed to attain increasingly accurate levels of simulation of human reasoning. The computer has determined profound transformations in many sectors of work, study and research. Among these, it is extremely relevant how the computer has completely transformed medicine and the medical role, especially in the field of radiology. Expert systems are the most interesting and futuristic applications of artificial intelligence. These systems are able to reproduce on a computer the behavior of an expert human being. Some of the recent innovations introduced in the field of breast, thoracic and mainly neural pathology are illustrated.

This paper demonstrates the coupling of a plasma etched polymer microfluidic system with an electrospray mass spectrometer by generation of a nanospray. Taking advantage of the microtechnology processes and polymer properties, high volume production with good reproducibility of hydrophobic interfaces could be obtained. The nanospray was directly produced from the outlet of the plastic microfabricated chip positioned in front of the capillary entrance of the mass spectrometer. No chemical background due to the polymer has been observed under standard nanospray conditions. The performances of the spray as well as its efficiency have been demonstrated by flow measurements, stability establishment and tandem mass spectrometry experiment on angiotensin II. The spray was actuated without additional flow in methanol: water:acetic acid (50:49:1%) solution. A 40 fmol/microL detection limit could be reached.

Bis(salicylaldiminate)nickel(II) complexes, such as bis[N(2,6-diisopropylphenyl) salicylaldiminate]nickel(II) and bis(N-isopropylsalicylaldiminate)nickel(II), were activated by methylalumoxane (MAO) to give catalytic systems able to copolymerize ethylene (E) with methyl methacrylate (MMA), thus producing low molecular weight copolymers with a rather high content of MMA co-units (50- 80 mol-%). On the contrary, when catalytic systems, obtain- ed by oxidative addition of salicylaldimine ligands such as 5-nitro-N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)salicylaldimine (NPS) and 3,5-dinitro-N-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)salicylaldimine (DNPS) to bis(cyclooctadienyl)nickel(0) [Ni(cod) 2 ], were activated with MAO, high viscometric average molecular weight (M v 10-30 × 10 4 Da) E/MMA copolymers with a low content of MMA co-units (3-6 mol-%) were formed, thus allowing to obtain directly by synthesis functionalized highly linear poly(ethylene)s (T m up to 130 °C) to be potentially applied as new materials with improved surface properties.

Although synovitis is recognized as a marker of joint disease activity, its periodic assessment is not included in routine clinical surveillance of patients with haemophilia (PwH). In order to evaluate the current knowledge and to identify controversial issues, a preliminary literature search by the Musculoskeletal Committee of the Italian Association of Haemophilia Centres (AICE) has been conducted. Statements have been established and sent to the Italian AICE members to collect their level of agreement or disagreement by a Delphi process. Thirty-seven consensus recommendations have been drafted. We found a general agreement on the indication to consider the presence of synovitis as a marker of joint disease activity in PwH. Accordingly, there was agreement on the indication to search for synovitis both in patients reporting joint pain and in asymptomatic ones, recognizing ultrasound as the most practical imaging technique to perform periodic joint screening. Interestingly, after detection of synovitis, there was agreement on the indication to modify the therapeutic approach, suggesting prophylaxis in patients treated on demand and tailoring treatment in patients already under prophylaxis. Whereas the need of an early consultation with a physiotherapist is recommended for PwH affected by chronic synovitis, the exact timing for an orthopaedic surgeon consultation is currently unknown.

Rispettivamente rappresentati e pubblicati nel 2004 e nel 2010, i testi di Salmagundi e Rumore di acque, letti oggi, suscitano impressioni e assumono significati che, all'epoca dei loro debutti, erano presenti come pure e semplici potenzialità. Il saggio introduttivo "La realtà scrive" analizza la trasformazione dei significati ad opera dei mutamenti storici, dimostrando che la realtà riscrive le opere attraverso le percezioni del lettore/spettatore che interpreta quanto legge o vede alla luce delle proprie esperienze. L'azione interpretativa del lettore riguarda ogni tipologia letteraria. Ciò che isola i casi di Salmagundi e Rumore di acque non consiste dunque nella adattabilità semantica di queste drammaturgie, bensì nell'oggettività delle modifiche che il nostro presente ha apportato a entrambe. L'Introduzione mostra quindi che una cosa è decifrare nel 2004 l'allegoria sociale di Salmagundi, tutta giocata sulle corrispondenze fra diffusione della stupidità e dilagare epidemico; un'altra, ben diversa, è seguire oggi le demenziali strategie del potere politico-scientifico immaginato da Martinelli, avendo continuamente sott'occhio comportamenti contraddittori nella gestione del virus e nell'individuazione del suo decorso. Allo stesso modo una cosa è leggere Rumore di acque riferendo l'anonimato delle morti in mare alla tragedia dei popoli migranti; un'altra è avvertire che, in questi giorni, la riduzione dei morti a numero è divenuta una tematica universale che tocca tutti: chi migra e chi viene contagiato sotto casa, al mercato, all'ospedale o prendendo metropolitana. La dinamica fabulatoria del Generale si fonda su tre nozioni mutevoli e in reciproco rapporto: i numeri, i nomi, le persone.

Il saggio indaga i rapporti fra teatro e anarchia, passando in rassegna le produzioni teatrali degli anarchici, enumerando alcuni esempi di comunità teatrali dove si sono sperimentati procedimenti anarchici (dall'Agit-Prop alle filodrammatiche anarchiche degli emigrati in America del Nord e Sudamerica, al teatro comunitario fino al Living Theatre). Chiude il saggio una rassegna delle trame anarchiche, dagli anni Settanta di Dario Fo e Arnaldo Picchi agli anni Zero di Ulderico Pesce e Beatrice Baruffini.

Introduzione al volume "Amore e anarchia. Uno spettacolo del teatro delle Albe", a cura della stessa autrice. L'introduzione spiega la genesi e la strutturazione del libro, che comprende i contributi di alcuni spettatori esemplari e di specialisti: artisti, storici del teatro, storici. Il volume ospita inoltre il testo drammaturgico, conversazioni con gli autori e un diario di bordo.

L'autrice impegna in una conversazione a quattro voci gli autori e il consulente storico dello spettacolo "Amore e anarchia", prodotto dal Teatro delle Albe e basato sulla vicenda biografica degli internazionalisti ravennati Maria Luisa Minguzzi e Francesco Pezzi. Luigi Dadina (attpore e regista), Laura Gambi (drammaturga) e Massimo Ortalli (storico dell'anarchismo) raccontano le prime idee, le fonti, i materiali e le tappe dello spettacolo. Qui e altrove, per tutto il volume, le note biografiche stese dalla curatrice corrono parallele al testo principale e si prendono il complicato ma importantissimo compito di divulgare le biografie dei protagonisti storici del racconto, da Errico Malatesta a Carlo Cafiero, da Anna Kuliscioff a Piero Gori a molti altri.

Il processo di lavoro e lo spettacolo, con particolare attenzione all'interpretazione en travesti di Ermanna Montanari