Thèses sur le sujet « Stimolo »

Date le sollecitazioni meccaniche alle quali è sottoposta, la cartilagine, soprattutto quella articolare, è facilmente danneggiabile e la mancanza di vascolarizzazione la rende un tessuto incapace di auto-rigenerarsi. Il fallimento della chirurgia tradizionale ha incentivato negli ultimi venti anni lo sviluppo di nuove tecniche di ingegneria tissutale che prevedono la rigenerazione del tessuto cartilagineo in vitro, e il suo successivo impianto nella zona lesionata. Generalmente si preferisce utilizzare cellule staminali mesenchimali adulte (MSCs), e il tessuto adiposo si è rivelata la fonte di estrazione più conveniente.Inoltre le ATSCs (Adipose Tissue Stem Cells) possono essere facilmente isolate dalla componente vasculo-stromale (SVF) del tessuto adiposo prelevata in seguito a un intervento di liposuzione: quindi, a differenza delle MSCs estratte da midollo osseo (BMSCs- Bone Marrow Stem Cells), la loro estrazione dal paziente richiede un intervento meno invasivo e meno rischioso. Il tessuto cartilagineo non è raggiunto dai vasi sanguigni, e la sua formazione nella fase embrionale avviene ad una concentrazione di O2 notevolmente inferiore a quella ambientale. Questo ha indotto gli studiosi a pensare che un ambiente ipossico possa non soltanto favorire il differenziamento condrogenico di cellule staminali in coltura, ma anche facilitare il mantenimento del fenotipo condrocitico, mimando l'ambiente fisiologico avascolare della cartilagine.Lo scopo di questa tesi è stato la messa a punto di un protocollo di coltura cellulare in condizioni di ipossia per indurre differenziamento condrogenico di ATSCs. La metodica standardizzata verrà impiegata in laboratorio per sviluppare la ricerca di base nello studio della rigenerazione della cartilagine.

La tesi affronta il complicato tema della retribuzione dei manager nelle società quotate italiane, con particolare attenzione ai nuovi meccanismi di governace introdotti dal legislatore sulla spinta comunitaria per allineare gli interessi degli amministratori e quelli dei soci. A tal fine, il lavoro ripercorre brevemente l’iter evolutivo della normativa sulle remunerazioni degli amministratoti negli Stati Uniti e nell’Unione Europea, per poi analizzare nello specifico la disciplina italiana a partire dal dato letterale dall’art. 2389 c.c. Lo studio approfondisce in particolare il concetto di “politica di remunerazione” e il procedimento che conduce alla sua adozione, nel quale assumono un ruolo fondamentale il comitato remunerazioni, composto da amministratori indipendenti e non esecutivi, e i consulenti esterni in materi. È poi analizzato il meccanismo del “say on pay”, che attribuisce ai soci un nuovo diritto di voice sulle medesime politiche di remunerazione predisposte dall’organo amministrativo, sottolineando il relativo impatto che lo stesso ha sulle scelte gestionali indipendentemente dalla sua forma debole o forte. Il lavoro si conclude sottolineando i principi sottesi alla struttura dell’Executive compensation, che oggi deve necessariamente perseguire performance nel medio lungo termine.
The thesis deals with the complicated issue of the managers’ remuneration in Italian listed companies, with a focus on new governance mechanisms introduced by the European legislator in order to align the interests of directors with those of shareholders. To this end, the work briefly traces the evolutionary process of the legislation on directors’ remuneration in the U.S. and in the European Union, and then analyzes specifically the Italian discipline starting from the literal meaning given by art. 2389 c.c. The study explores in particular the concept of "remuneration policy" and the process leading to its adoption, which plays a fundamental role in the remuneration committee, composed of independent and non-executive directors and outside consultants expert in the field. It then analyzes the "say on pay" mechanism, which gives to shareholders a new voice on the same right to remuneration policies prepared by the administrative body, emphasizing the impact that has on the same management decisions regardless of its weak or strong form . The work concludes by focusing on the principles underlying the structure of executive compensation, which now must necessarily pursue performance over the medium term.

The thesis develops an analysis of the scientific knowledge construction based on a psychological description of the mental procedures which in our mind help to construct the mathematical thought. The analysis was carried on in the Part I of the thesis and was supported by a deep insight in the scientific research experience concerning mathematics. This research was the opportunity for the personal encounter with the mathematical discipline and gave also the possibility and ispiration to question the meaning of the mathematical thinking and the reliability of its cognitive procedures. In Part II the results of psychological and cognitive experience of the scientific research, discussed in Part I, have been described in details. The results of the scientific research, both in basic and applied fields of mathematics, has been described in different papers appeared in national and international journals and are collected in the thesis' appendix.

La degenerazione dei neuroni dopaminergici (DA) del mesencefalo ventrale è considerata uno dei segni distintivi della malattia di Parkinson (PD) e del Parkinsonismo. La loro suscettibilità al danno e la loro adattabilità e plasticità sono state inizialmente studiate in modelli animali per comprendere i meccanismi cellulari e molecolari e l'azione delle terapie farmacologiche. La recente introduzione della tecnologia delle cellule staminali pluripotenti indotte umane (iPSCs) e lo sviluppo di protocolli per la loro differenziazione in neuroni con un fenotipo DA ha permesso la valutazione diretta dei meccanismi cellulari del PD e del Parkinsonismo, il meccanismo d'azione dei farmaci antiparkinsoniani e le applicazioni esplorative di vari aspetti della terapia cellulare. Lo scopo di questa tesi è la generazione e la caratterizzazione fenotipica di neuroni DA umani utilizzabili come strumento per lo sviluppo di una varietà di dispositivi terapeutici basati sulla terapia cellulare, in particolare dispositivi elettronici impiantabili interamente organici. Questi dispositivi sono stati progettati per essere impiantati in modelli animali di PD per una terapia loco-regionale guidata da stimoli elettrici e chimici per supportare l'attecchimento dei precursori dei neuroni DA, massimizzando la loro differenziazione e funzione. Al fine di ottenere precursori di neuroni DA umani di alta qualità e riproducibili che siano in grado di differenziarsi e maturare in neuroni DA funzionali che rispondono a stimoli elettrici e chimici, questo lavoro è stato organizzato in quattro sottoprogetti principali. Il primo sottoprogetto è stato dedicato all'ottimizzazione dei metodi di differenziazione delle iPSCs umane in precursori dei neuroni DA mesencefalici utilizzando un protocollo precedentemente pubblicato (Fedele et al. 2017). Questi precursori dei neuroni DA possono essere espansi per diversi passaggi e conservati in azoto liquido per qualsiasi uso futuro. Il secondo sottoprogetto è stato dedicato alla differenziazione dei precursori DA mesencefalici in neuroni DA maturi che sono stati caratterizzati mediante immunofluorescenza, PCR quantitativa, HPLC ed analisi elettrofisiologiche. Il fenotipo DA dei neuroni è stato studiato testando la loro risposta a due agonisti dopaminergici (pramipexolo e piribedil) attualmente utilizzati per il trattamento del PD. Dati recenti hanno dimostrato un effetto neurotrofico prodotto da un agonista antiparkinsoniano del recettore DA D2/D3, il ropinirolo (Collo et al. 2018). Sulla base di questi risultati, sono stati valutati gli effetti cellulari e molecolari di pramipexolo e piribedil sui neuroni DA umani studiando i cambiamenti morfologici correlati alla plasticità strutturale e l'attivazione delle vie intracellulari. Sono state studiate anche le proprietà neuroprotettive e neurorigenerative di questi due agenti farmacologici. Il terzo sottoprogetto è stato dedicato allo studio degli effetti della stimolazione elettrica sulla plasticità strutturale dei neuroni DA umani. Diversi lavori hanno dimostrato che la stimolazione elettrica può promuovere la differenziazione neuronale e la crescita dei neuriti di vari tipi di cellule neuronali in vitro, tra cui PC12 e cellule staminali neurali umane. Il quarto sottoprogetto è stato dedicato alla generazione di iPSCs umane da cellule mononucleate del sangue periferico (PBMCs) donate da nuovi controlli sani e pazienti affetti da un Parkinsonismo, l’atrofia multisistemica (MSA). I cloni di iPSCs ottenuti dal controllo e dal paziente sono stati sottoposti a caratterizzazione fenotipica per esaminare la presenza di marcatori di pluripotenza mediante immunofluorescenza, PCR quantitativa, analisi del cariotipo, pluripotenza e capacità di differenziazione nei tre foglietti embrionali. Le iPSCs sono state successivamente differenziate in neuroni DA mesencefalici e valutate per la loro risposta farmacologica agli agonisti dopaminergici.
The degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the ventral mesencephalon is considered one of the hallmarks in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Parkinsonism. Their susceptibility to damage and their adaptability and plasticity were initially studied in animal models in order to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms and the action of pharmacological therapeutics. The recent introduction of human inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) technology and the development of protocols for their differentiation into neurons with a DA phenotype has permitted the direct evaluation of cellular mechanisms of PD and Parkinsonism, the mechanism of action of anti-parkinsonian drugs and the exploratory applications of various aspects of cell therapy. The aim of this thesis was the generation and phenotypic characterization of human DA neurons amenable to be used as a tool for the development of a variety of therapeutic devices based on cell therapy, in particular implantable whole-organic electronic devices. These devices were designed to be implanted in animal models of PD for a loco-regional therapy driven by electrical and chemical stimuli to support the engraftment of DA neuron precursors, maximizing their differentiation and function. In order to achieve high quality and reproducible human DA neuron precursors that are able to differentiate and mature into functional DA neurons that respond to electrical and chemical stimuli, therefore amenable to the above described use, this work was organized in four main subprojects. The first subproject was dedicated to the optimization of the methods of differentiation of human iPSCs into mesencephalic DA neuron precursors using a previously published protocol (Fedele et al. 2017). These DA neuron precursors can be expanded for several passages and stored in liquid nitrogen for any future use. The second subproject was dedicated to the differentiation of mesencephalic DA precursors into mature DA neurons that were characterized by immunofluorescence, quantitative PCR, HPLC and electrophysiological analyses. The DA phenotype of the neurons was investigated by testing their response to two dopaminergic agonists (i.e., pramipexole and piribedil) currently used for the treatment of PD. Recent data have demonstrated a neurotrophic effect produced by an anti-parkinsonian DA D2/D3 receptor (D2R/D3R) agonist, ropinirole (Collo et al. 2018). Based on these findings, the cellular and molecular effects of pramipexole and piribedil on human DA neurons were evaluated by studying morphological changes related to structural plasticity and the activation of intracellular pathways. The neuroprotective and neuroregenerative properties of these two pharmacological agents were also studied. The third subproject was dedicated to the study of the effects of the electrical stimulation on the structural plasticity of human DA neurons. Several reports have shown that electrical stimulation can promote neuronal differentiation and neurite growth of various neuronal cell types in vitro, including PC12 (Jing et al. 2019) and human neural stem cells (Stewart et al. 2015). The fourth subproject was dedicated to the generation of human iPSCs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) donated from a novel set of healthy controls and patients affected by a Parkinsonism, i.e., the multiple system atrophy (MSA). The iPSC clones obtained from the control and the patient underwent a phenotypic characterization to examine the presence of pluripotency markers by immunofluorescence and quantitative PCR analysis, karyotype analysis, pluripotency and trilineage differentiation potential. The iPSCs were subsequently differentiated into mesencephalic DA neurons and assessed for their pharmacological response to dopaminergic agonists.

I nostri precedenti studi dimostrano che liposomi multifunzionalizzati con il monomero dell’ApoE e con acido fosfatidico (mApoE-PA-LIP) riducono l’accumulo di Aβ nel cervello migliorando il declino cognitivo in modelli murini di malattia di Alzheimer (AD) (Balducci et al., 2014). In riferimento ai nostri precedenti risultati, abbiamo studiato l’interazione di liposomi funzionalizzati con un peptide derivante dall’ApoE (mApoE) e acido fosfatidico (PA), con le cellule che costituiscono l’unità neurovascolare. In particolar modo, abbiamo valutato la loro attività in cellule di microcircolo cerebrale umano (hCMEC/D3), utilizzate come modello in vitro di barriera ematoencefalica, e in astrociti in coltura (iAstro-WT). Grazie a misurazioni effettuate con la tecnica del calcium imaging abbiamo studiato le dinamiche di calcio intracellulare generate dall’attivazione dei recettori purinergici. I nostri risultati mostrano che l’interazione dei mApoE-PA-LIP con le hCMEC/D3 e gli astrociti inducono attivamente una modulazione della durata delle onde di calcio indotte dall’attivazione dei recettori purinergici stimolati da ATP. In particolare, possiamo confermare che il pre-trattamento con i mApoE-PA-LIP induce un aumento significativo della durata della risposta indotta dall’ATP che non si verifica nelle cellule controllo. Dopo il pre-trattamento con mApoE-PA_LIP, anche l’area sotto la curva (AUC) risulta essere maggiore rispetto alle cellule non pre-trattate sia nelle hCMEC che negli iAstro-WT. Possiamo inoltre affermare che il pre-trattamento con i mApoE-PA-LIP in assenza di calcio extracellulare, aumenta in modo significativo sia i valori di durata di risposta al calcio allo stimolo di ATP sia quelli di AUC paragonati ai controlli. In aggiunta, abbiamo trovato che quando la pompa del calcio del reticolo sarcoplasmatico (SERCA) è inattiva, perché selettivamente bloccata dall’acido ciclopiazonico, in presenza o assenza di calcio extracellulare, l’ATP non riesce a generare onde di calcio anche dopo pre-trattamento con i mApoE-PA-LIP. In conclusione, considerando il ruolo neuroprottettivo dell’attivazione dei recettori purinergici (Weisman et al., 2012), possiamo affermare che i mApoE-PA-LIP modulano le dinamiche al calcio ATP indotte quando la SERCA è attiva. I nostri risultati potrebbero aggiungere dati interessanti utili a promuovere i mApoE-PA-LIP come innovativo strumento per il trattamento della malattia di Alzheimer.
Our previous results show that multifunctional liposomes (mApoE-PA-LIP) reduce brain Aβ burden and ameliorate memory impairment in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mouse models (Balducci et al., 2014). In light of these results, we assessed liposomes functionalized with ApoE-derived peptide (mApoE) and phosphatidic acid (PA) at neurovascular unit. In particular, we evaluated their activities on cultured human cerebral microvascular cells (hCMEC/D3), as an in vitro human blood brain barrier model, and on cultured astrocytes (iAstro-WT). By means of calcium imaging measurements, we aimed to study the intracellular calcium dynamics triggered by purinergic receptors activation. Our result show that the interaction of mApoE-PA-LIP with the hCMEC/D3 and astrocytes actively induced a modulation in the calcium waves duration of ATP evoked response. In particular, we find an increase of the duration of the ATP evoked calcium waves in presence of mApoE-PA-LIP in comparison to untreated cells. After the mApoE-PA-LIP pre-treatment also the area under the curve (AUC) is increased in comparison to controls both in hCMEC and iAstro-WT. Furthermore, we found that the pre-treatment with mApoE-PA-LIP in absence of extracellular calcium significantly increased ATP evoked calcium waves in comparison to controls. Also under this condition, the AUC increased in comparison to control. We also found that when the Sarco-Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase (SERCA) was inactive, due to its specific blockage with cyclopiazonic acid, both in presence or in absence of extracellular calcium, ATP failed to activate calcium wave also after a pre-treatment with mApoE-PA-LIP both in hCMEC and iAstro-WT. In conclusion, mApoE-PA-LIP modulate calcium dynamics evoked by ATP when SERCA is active. In light of the protective role of the purinergic receptor activation (Weisman et al., 2012), our obtained results would provide an additional support to promote mApoE-PA-LIP as putative therapeutic tool for AD treatment.

Uno dei fenomeni caratteristici della nostra epoca sul piano politico oltre che su quello eminentemente giuridico, consiste nel profondo ripensamento che sta investendo i principi fondamentali, ma anche i criteri e i modi concreti di gestione dei beni del patrimonio culturale nazionale, sempre più indirizzati verso la collaborazione tra il pubblico e il privato. Nell’ambito di tale collaborazione volta a realizzare in maniera sempre più economicamente efficiente i programmi di tutela e valorizzazione dei beni culturali, le scelte del legislatore tributario giocano un ruolo di primo piano se indirizzate verso la predisposizione di un trattamento non ordinario che favorisca la conservazione del patrimonio artistico del nostro paese e che sia complementare e coerente con l’implementazione di miglioramento del settore. Gli interventi dei privati devono essere incoraggiati e un’opzione forte deve giungere sotto il profilo fiscale; infatti, com’è stato autorevolmente sostenuto, “ se da un lato investire in cultura rappresenta ormai per le imprese un investimento jure privatorum produttivo, vero è che gli strumenti e gli abiti mentali sono tali da permettere di verificare in concreto come “l’utile” sia in realtà collettivo ed a vantaggio di tutti sotto un profilo di fruibilità ed accesso al sistema ed ai sistemi culturali” . La Costituzione pur riconoscendo che la conservazione e la valorizzazione dei beni culturali dei beni artistici e ambientali sono premesse indispensabili allo sviluppo civile di una comunità che in questi valori ritrova le sue origini e i motivi della sua esistenza, si fa portavoce di un programma di tutela e salvaguardia, nonché di valorizzazione di questo particolare tipo di bene che, per le sue peculiarità è atto a divenire servizio sociale .Il tratto caratterizzante dei beni del patrimonio culturale è infatti, come più volte precisato, proprio il valore che vi è insito e che li rede strumenti di soddisfazione di un interesse pubblico di tipo sensibile, estetico ed intellettuale. Tale aspetto ha condotto a qualificare questo tipo di bei, sul piano giuridico-teorico come “beni di fruizione” e contestualmente , sul piano politico di gestione, come “merit goods” portando con sé l’esigenza di tutela e valorizzazione. E, poiché essi sono vincolati al principio del necessario perseguimento dei fini della collettività, la salvaguardia e la valorizzazione devono essere implementate attraverso una penetrante ingerenza pubblica.

a study of pain perception with cold presso test in preterm children
la percezione del dolore nel bambino ex pretermine studio sull'induzione sperimentale di uno stimolo doloroso tramite cold pressor test

Per far fronte alle nuove sfide educative, i docenti delle scuole secondarie di primo e secondo grado hanno bisogno di esporsi ad esperienze di formazione continua, finalizzate all’acquisizione di competenze di progettazione necessarie all’allestimento di percorsi di apprendimento capaci di motivare e coinvolgere attivamente gli studenti. Ciò diventa tanto più necessario in mancanza di percorsi formativi di accesso al ruolo stabili e sufficientemente definiti, specie per un settore disciplinare come quello della didattica dello spagnolo e delle sue culture, che negli ultimi anni ha visto aumentare notevolmente la domanda di insegnanti specializzati. In questo senso, le comunità di pratica professionali rappresentano un valido strumento per stimolare dinamiche di interazione, supporto e scambio collaborativo, utili ad arricchire l’esperienza formativa di ciascuno con contributi spontanei di tipo informale. Tuttavia, per essere efficaci e costituire perciò un riferimento duraturo per i propri membri, le comunità di pratica professionali devono essere continuamente stimolate. Da questa premessa ha origine la principale domanda di ricerca che guida questa trattazione: può una comunità di pratica professionale essere trainata e stimolata attraverso proposte di e-learning che prevedano come attività finale la condivisione di un progetto didattico? Con lo scopo di fornire una risposta a questa domanda di ricerca e ad altri quesiti d’indagine secondari, questo studio sperimentale realizzato nell’ambito del dottorato di ricerca in Digital Humanities promosso dall’Università degli Studi di Genova, grazie anche al supporto metodologico e implementativo dell’Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche del CNR di Genova (ITD-CNR), intende descrivere il processo di allestimento e le ricadute empiriche di un ambiente multipiattaforma costituito da due spazi di coinvolgimento. Un corso online e un portale tematico, entrambi incentrati sulle principali metodologie didattiche di tipo ludico (gamification, game-based learning, serious games e game-making); approcci ancora poco esplorati dai docenti italiani, che possono contribuire all’innesco di circoli motivazionali virtuosi, anche grazie all’utilizzo di una ricca gamma di applicazioni e strumenti digitali disponibili.
In order to meet the latest educational challenges they are confronted with, teachers in lower and upper secondary schools need exposure to continuous training experiences, aimed at acquiring the educational planning skills required to set up learning paths which can inspire and actively involve students. This is all the more necessary in lack of clearly established, consistent training curricula for access to tenure, especially for an educational scope such as teaching Spanish language and cultures, which has witnessed a significant increase in demand for skilled teachers in the past few years. To this regard, professional practice communities provide a suitable tool to encourage interaction, support and collaborative exchange strategies, which may be useful to enhance and supplement individual learning experience with unprompted casual contributions. However, in order to be effective and thus represent a long-lasting role model for their members, professional practice communities should be constantly stimulated. The key research question this study is based on arises from this very premise – can a professional practice community be driven and inspired by e-learning projects leading to a shared educational plan as a final activity? Aiming at responding to this research question as well other ancillary research topics this experimental study, conducted within the scope of a Digital Humanities PhD programme sponsored by the University of Genoa and relying on the methodological and implementation support of the Institute for Educational Technologies of the Genoa National Research Council (ITD-CNR), intends to describe the set-up process and the experiential effects of a multi-platform environment consisting of two engagement spaces – an online course and a theme portal, both focusing on the main ludic teaching methods (gamification, game-based learning, serious games and game-making). These educational approaches are still relatively new to Italian teachers, but they may help trigger virtuous motivation circles, including through the use of a broad range of available applications and digital tools.

Secondo il filosofo greco Aristotele "L'uomo è per natura un animale sociale". Dopo 2350 anni, oggi sappiamo che questa affermazione è solo parzialmente vera. Sebbene le evidenze sperimentali abbiano messo in luce una preferenza per gli stimoli e le interazioni sociali negli esseri umani, questa conclusione non sembra applicabile a tutti gli individui e contesti. L'elaborazione degli stimoli sociali può infatti essere influenzata da caratteristiche degli stimoli sociali e non sociali, presentati in competizione, nonché da caratteristiche inter-individuali. Tra quest'ultime, il Disturbo dello Spettro Autistico è sicuramente un esempio prototipico di atipicità nei comportamenti sociali e nella cognizione sociale. Il presente lavoro di tesi era rivolta a: i. indagare se gli stimoli sociali esercitano una priorità di elaborazione negli individui a sviluppo tipico (TD), anche quando presentati in competizione con altri stimoli non sociali fortemente rilevanti (denaro); ii. Indagare se e come gli individui con ASD rispondono a stimoli sociali vs non sociali rispetto agli individui TD, prendendo in esame un duplice livello di elaborazione, cognitivo e fisiologico; iii. Indagare se le differenze tra individui TD e ASD nell'elaborazione degli stimoli sociali e non sociali possano considerarsi l'espressione di un fenotipo familiare allargato; iv. Indagare la possibilità di modificare la salienza degli stimoli sociali negli individui con ASD attraverso una metodologia di apprendimento implicito ABMT (Attention Bias Modification Treatment). La presente tesi presenta tre implicazioni: teorica, metodologica e clinica. Per quanto riguarda le implicazioni teoriche, il presente lavoro supporta solo parzialmente l'affermazione di Aristotele. I risultati infatti hanno evidenziato chiaramente che, sebbene gli stimoli sociali abbiano solitamente un accesso prioritario agli step di elaborazione, la loro valenza può essere influenzata da una varietà di variabili come le differenze individuali (e.g., tratti autistici) o caratteristiche degli stimoli non sociali presentati in competizione quelli sociali (e.g., stimoli di alto interesse autistico per l'autismo). Altresì, i risultati sottolineano la necessità di considerare le diverse fasi dell'elaborazione dello stimolo (cognitivo vs fisiologico) nell'esame delle risposte cognitive e fisologiche a diverse tipologie di stimoli. Per quanto riguarda le implicazioni metodologiche, il presente lavoro suggerisce l'integrazione di tecniche tradizionali con tecniche computazionali più avanzate (es: Machine Learning o Deep Learning). Per quanto riguarda le implicazioni cliniche, questo lavoro ha fornito un esame circa le modalità di elaborazione degli stimoli sociali in bambini e adulti ASD, sia a livello attentivo che fisiologico. In secondo luogo, ha contribuito a far ulteriormente luce sul concetto di fenotipo autistico allargato, mostrando i limiti di questo concetto e l'ipotetico ruolo di variabili ambientali nel modulare il comportamento sociale nell'autismo.
According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle “Man is by nature a social animal”. After 2350 years, we know that this statement is partially true. Although experimental evidence has reported a preference for social stimuli and social interactions in human beings, this conclusion does not apply to every individuals and contexts. Social stimuli processing can indeed be affected by stimuli and competitive non-social stimuli features as well as by inter-individual characteristics. Among the clinical conditions characterized by atypicality in social behaviours and social cognition (e.g., schizophrenia, personality disorders etc.), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the most prototypical example. The present dissertation was aimed at: i. investigating whether social stimuli are prioritized by typically developed individuals (TD) even when they attentively compete with other relevant non-social stimuli (money); ii. Investigating whether and how individuals with ASD differently respond to social vs non-social stimuli compared to TD individuals, by considering both a cognitive and a physiological level of processing; iii. Investigating whether the differences between TD and ASD individuals in social vs nonsocial stimuli processing are the expression of a familiar phenotype; iv. Investigating whether it is possible to modify the salience of social stimuli in ASD individuals through an Attention Bias Modification Treatment (ABMT) methodology. The present dissertation is expected to provide three main implications: theoretical, methodological and clinical. As concerns the theoretical implications, the present work only partially supports Aristotle statement mentioned in the introduction. Indeed, the reported findings have clearly highlighted that, although social stimuli are usually prioritized, their valence may be affected by a variety of variables such as individual differences (e.g., autistic traits) or characteristics of the non-social stimuli presented in competition with the social ones (e.g., High Autism Interest stimuli). Finally, results stress the importance of considering the different stages of stimulus processing (i.e., cognitive vs physiological) when examining human responses to social vs non-social stimuli. As regards the methodological implications, the present work provides important hints for future research on social vs non-social stimuli processing with TD and atypical development populations, by suggesting the integration of traditional techniques with more advanced computational techniques (i.e., Machine Learning). As concern the clinical implications, this work has provided a rich examination of how children and adults of ASD children process social and non-social stimuli both at an attentional level and at a physiological level. Secondly, it has contributed to further shedding light on the concept of BAP, by showing its limitations and the role played by environmental variables in shaping the parents of ASD children’s behavioral responses.

The mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway plays an important role in the genesis of emotional arousal and behavioral activation in response to stimuli that provide a reward. This neural circuitry is also active in the early stages of learning and stabilization of addictive behavior due to substances abuse. Isolated animals have a different sensitivity to natural or artificial reinforcers. Accordingly, experimental evidences suggest that exposure to stress can deeply modify eating behavior. In light of these evidences the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of a chronic stress, like social isolation at weaning, on the sensitivity of mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic neurons to anticipation and consumption of food. Rats have been food restricted using a protocol that consists in training the animals to consume their meal for only two hours for day. Using vertical microdialysis, extracellular concentrations of dopamine in response to anticipation and consumption of food were measured both in the mPFC and the NAC. In PFC of GH rats extracellular DA increased (+180%) 80 minutes before food presentation showing the maximal increase (+350%) during food intake. On the contrary, in the NAc of GH rats no significant changes were observed. In SI animals trained to food restriction the increase in mPFC DA output observed in GH animals was completely blunted, while, in the NAc, 40 min before the presentation of the food, a significant increase in extracellular concentrations of DA was observed. Our results show that exposure to chronic stress modified the response of mesocortico-limbic dopaminergic neurons to an enjoyable stimulus and suggest that these changes might be important to explain the greater sensitivity to abuse that is observed in individuals subjected to stressful stimuli. This underlying alteration in brain function might be a crucial mechanism that predisposes individuals to impulsive behavior and increases the risk of developing addiction.

This dissertation is aimed towards using stimuli-responsive pNIPAm-co-AAc microgels synthesized via free-radical precipitation polymerization to prepare stimuli-responsive hydrogel microlenses. Chapter 1 gives a detailed background of hydrogels, and their applications using responsive hydrogels. Chapter 2 describes the use of colloidal hydrogel microparticles as microlens elements and the fabrication method to form the hydrogel microlens arrays via Coulombic interactions. Chapter 3 shows the demonstration of tunable microlenses prepared by the method used in Chapter 2. In this chapter the microlenses are subjected to various pH and temperature in aqueous solutions. Chapter 4 describes that the microlens arrays constructed on Au nanoparticle-functionalized glass substrates by self-assembly display dramatic changes in lensing power in response to an impingent frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser. The microlens photoswitching is highly reversible, with sub-millisecond lens switching times. Chapter 5 describes the development of bioresponsive hydrogel microlenses as a new protein detection technology. The microlens method is shown to be very specific for the target protein, with no detectable interference from nonspecific protein binding. Chapter 6 describes the use of bioresponsive hydrogel microlenses as a label-free biosensing scaffolding. These microstructures simultaneously act as the biosensors scaffolding/immobilization architecture, transducer, amplifier, and also allow for broad tunability of the analyte concentration to which the microlens is sensitive.

Janus particles, named after the two faced Roman god Janus, possess unique asymmetry and combine two distinct functions at their opposite sides, allowing them to target complex self-assembled architectures and materials inaccessible for homogeneous building blocks. In this study, three areas regarding the topic of Janus particles were explored: the synthesis of Janus particles, their (self-) assembly, and applications. In the first part of the work, we have drawn our attention to the optimization of the synthetic procedures concerning the preparation of Janus particles and to the extending of the current Janus particle library by adding new geometries to the list. In the case of spherical Janus particles, we have developed an easy approach to tailor the Janus ratio of the resulting particles, thus, extending the possibilities of the Pickering emulsion approach for the creation of a variety of Janus particle architectures. Additionally, a new methodology was employed to measure directly and in situ the position/contact angle of the prepared Janus particles with different Janus ratios at a water-oil interface. It was further concluded that having simply two different functionalities on a particle surface does not necessarily imply amphiphilic behavior: only in the case of large wettability contrasts our particles were in a true Janus regime. In the case of platelet-like Janus particles, we have developed a completely new approach for their large-scale synthesis, which involved a reduced number of steps compared to the spherical Janus particles. In the second part of the work, the assembly behavior of various kinds of functional spherical Janus particles was investigated depending on the nature of the Janus particles and the surrounding media conditions. Oppositely charged, uncharged amphiphilic, and charged amphiphilic Janus particles were fabricated comprising different responsive polymers on their surface, and their assembly was investigated depending on the pH value of the dispersion, the ionic strength, or the solvent. It was found that, under specific conditions, the Janus particles formed hierarchical chain-like structures in solutions, which were not observed in the case of the homogeneous particle mixtures. The obtained results indicate that the fundamental understanding of the Janus particle assembly mechanisms is crucial for the programmed formation of desired structures. In the third part of the work, we have focused on the applications of our developed hybrid hairy Janus particles and proposed two main directions that would benefit from the unique properties or architecture of the Janus particles. The first direction is based on the exploitation of the superior interfacial activity of the Janus particles and their use for interfacial catalysis. The second proposed direction for the application of Janus particles is based on their use as building blocks for functional structured surfaces. The prepared surfaces were thoroughly characterized and tested for their performance toward anti-icing as well as anti-fouling applications. Ultimately, the developed functional surfaces based on Janus particles as building blocks are very promising for their future application in the coating technology.

The scope of this Ph.D. thesis deals with the synthesis of molecular cages based on tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amines (TPMAs) scaffold and characterized by the presence of metals having a non-saturated coordination sphere in the inner part of the system. The new molecular architectures were synthesized taking advantage of Dynamic Covalent Chemistry DCC, in particular imine condensation, on opportunely functionalized TPMA metal complexes. The main objective was to control the self-assembly of the TPMA metal complexes in order to obtain new functional systems. The cages obtained have allowed to describe several molecular events within a confined space. In the Introduction chapter, after a brief overview of TPMAs synthesis and the coordination chemistry, the supramolecular applications of TPMAs complexes are reported. The latter is mainly focused on chirality sensing and recent supramolecular structures involving these ligands. A part of the survey is dedicated to the applications of TPMAs complexes as metal receptor and anion sensor and the capability of this ligand to coordinate the metal center in helical fashion which allowed the use of these ligands as molecular switches. Afterwards, this property is further analyzed toward the application of these metal complexes in the determination of enantiomeric excess (e.e) and other functions. In the last section, TPMAs are envisaged as capping agents to obtain several supramolecular structures. In Chapter 1 the synthesis of a novel supramolecular cage built from the self-assembly of TPMA zinc complexes through imine condensation chemistry is reported. The cage recognition properties over a variety of structurally related dicarboxylic acid guests, together with the kinetic study of the template assembly and disassembly, have been investigated in detail. This knowledge has been used to selectively modulate the rate of both assembly and disassembly processes. In particular, a novel disassembly method induced by strain release of the guest has been developed. In Chapter 2 is reported the extension of the cage series varying the structural parameter and the metal ion coordinated to the TPMA unit. These cages have been obtained through the self-assembly of modified tris(pyridylmethyl)amine complexes and different diamines have been chosen to vary their size and flexibility. The recognition properties of this cage series were characterized with a novel rapid method based on ESI-MS therefore the determination of binding profiles for linear saturated dicarboxylic acids within the cage series was studied. This methodology has allowed to gather how small changes in the structure of the host and guest can contribute to the recognition events. Moreover, it was possible to study molecular systems which contains paramagnetic metals that are not suitable for classical binding constant determination by 1H NMR. In Chapter 3 is discussed the synthesis of a novel chiral supramolecular cage and the capability of this structure to control the helicity of a perfluorinated carbon chain are reported. The helix configuration of the perfluoroalkyl chain was evaluated with a combination of theoretical calculations of the host-guest complex and the support of Vibrational Circular Dichroism (VCD) experiments In Chapter 4 a detailed study on homo and hetero co-encapuslation processes within a supramolecular cage is reported. In particular, the model case under study regards the possibility to have different p-substituted benzoic acid, within a supramolecular cage containing two metals. While electron-withdrawing EWG substituents are preferential guests, it has been possible to evaluate the conditions in which hetero co-encapuslation is favoured. This part of the study has been carried out in part at the University of Cambridge (UK) in the group of Prof. C.A. Hunter. In the Appendices are contained the experimental information related to each chapter.
Lo scopo di questa tesi di dottorato consiste nella sintesi di gabbie molecolari basate su tris(2-piridilmetil)ammine (TPMAs) e caratterizzate dalla presenza di metalli con centri di coordinazione non saturi nella parte interna del sistema. Le nuove architetture molecolari sono state sintetizzate traendo vantaggio della Dynamic Covalent Chemistry DCC, in particolare della reazione di condensazione imminica su complessi metallici di TPMA opportunamente funzionalizzati. Il principale obiettivo è stato il controllo del self-assembly dei complessi metallici di TPMA al fine di ottenere questi nuovi sistemi funzionali. Le gabbie ottenute hanno permesso di descrivere diversi eventi molecolari in uno spazio confinato. Nel capitolo introduttivo dopo una rapida panoramica sulla sintesi e sulla coordinazione delle TPMA vengono riportate le loro applicazioni in chimica supramoleculare. Quest'ultime consistono principalmente in sensori per la chiralità e recenti strutture supramolecolari che coinvolgono questi leganti. Una parte dell'indagine è dedicata alle applicazioni dei complessi metallici di TPMA come recettori di metalli e sensori di anioni e alla loro capacità di coordinarsi a centri metallici in maniera elicoidale, questo ha permesso di utilizzare questi leganti come switch molecolari. Questa proprietà è stata poi analizzata per ulteriori applicazioni di questi complessi metallici come la determinazione dell'eccesso enantiomerico (e.e) e altre funzioni. Nell'ultima sezione le TPMAs vengono descritte come capping agents al fine di ottenere diverse strutture supramolecolari. Nel primo capitolo viene riportata la sintesi di una nuova gabbia supramolecolare costitutita dal self-assembly di due complessi TPMA di zinco attraverso condensazione imminica. Le proprietà di riconoscimento molecolare della gabbia nei confronti di una serie di acidi dicarbossilici come guests sono state investigate in dettaglio, assieme allo studio cinetico del assemblaggio e disassemblaggio della struttura. Queste conoscenze hanno portato alla modulazione selettiva della velocità dei processi di assembly e disassembly ed in particolare è stato possibile programmare un nuovo metodo di disassembly basato sulla pressione esercitata dal guest all'interno della gabbia. Nel Capitolo 2 viene descritta una serie di gabbie omologhe ottenute variando i parametri strutturali e il metallo coordinato all' unità TPMA. Queste gabbie sono state ottenute attraverso il self-assembly di complessi trispiridilmetilamminici opportunamente modificati e varie ammine, scelte al fine di variare la dimensione e la flessibilità della strutture finali. Le proprietà di riconoscimento molecolare di questa serie di gabbie sono state investigate con metodo rapido e innovativo basato sull'analisi ESI-MS, in questo modo è stato possibile determinare diversi profili di binding per una serie di acidi dicarbossilici saturi. Questa metodologia ha permesso di concludere che piccole variazioni strutturali delle gabbie molecolari in questione modificano le loro proprietà di riconoscimento molecolare. È stato inoltre possibile studiare sistemi molecolari contenenti centri metallici paramagnetici che non risultano adatti per la determinazione delle costanti di binding via 1H NMR. Nel capitolo 3 viene descritta la sintesi di una gabbia supramolecolare chirale e la sua capacità di controllare l' elicità preferenziale in una catena perfluorurata inclusa nella cavità della struttura. La configurazione dell'elica della catena perfluoroalchilica è stata valuta con una combinazione di calcoli teorici del complesso host-guest e col supporto di esperimenti di dicroismo vibrazionale circolare (VCD). Nel capitolo 4 viene affrontato uno studio dettagliato sull' omo ed etero co-incapsulazione in una gabbia supramolecolare. In particolare il modello in esame ha riguardato la possibilità di incapsulare acidi benzoici diversamente sostituiti in posizione para in una gabbia contente due metalli. I gruppi elettronattratori risultano essere guest preferenziali ed è stato possibile valutare le condizioni in cui l'etero co-incapsulazione viene favorita. Questo studio è stato condotto in parte presso l'Università di Cambridge (UK) nel gruppo del prof. C.A. Hunter. Nelle appendici sono contenuti i dettagli sperimentali relativi ad ogni capitolo.

Distortions of perception of the Müller-Lyer, Delboeuf, Oppel-Kundt and Zöllner type have been studied in psychophysical experiments conducted under computer control with a program of our own design arranging the stimuli, presenting them on the monitor, introducing alterations according to the subject’s command, recording responses, and handling the results. Our illusory figures designed by heteroluminant colours yielded the effects of perceived distortion qualitatively and quantitatively similar to the effects evoked by the white and black figures. Variations of luminance of colours of the figures and backgrounds within a relatively wide interval of its values did not evoke a noticeable change in strength of the perceived distortions, but if the luminance of the stimulus colour approached the magnitude which was determined as isoluminant with the background colour, the strength of the distortions changed significantly; it increased for the Brentano figure and decreased for the Delboeuf, Oppel-Kundt and Zöllner figures. The curves obtained for different subjects with different colour combinations were similar in shape, though horizontal parts and peaks of the curve were not at the same level. For isoluminant figures, the experimental curves demonstrating the strength variations of the perceived distortions in dependence of spatial parameters of the stimuli were similar in shape with the curves for heteroluminant figures, but lay above (Brentano) or below (Delboeuf... [to full text]

Lo studio è stato effettuato su esemplari di Palinurus elephas, decapodi appartenenti alla famiglia dei Palinuridae. Tali organismi oltre ad essere importanti dal punto di vista bio-ecologico, data l’ampia distribuzione geografica e il ruolo critico che rivestono in numerose reti trofiche marine, costituiscono una risorsa commerciale considerevole in tutto il Mediterraneo. Questo studio nasce dall’assunzione che il rumore di natura antropica potrebbe avere effetti negativi sugli stock di aragoste, andando a mascherare sia il suono del fondo marino, avente un ruolo di orientamento nelle fasi larvali di molti decapodi, sia i suoni d’importanza bio-ecologica prodotti da conspecifici e non. Negli ultimi anni si sono indagati i meccanismi d’emissione acustica di Palinurus elephas dimostrando che questi stimoli sonori, chiamati Rasp (range di frequenza = 2-75 kHz), avvengono in associazione a comportamenti anti-predatoriali, ossia in tutti quei comportamenti che implicano un movimento dell’apparato antennale. Tuttavia ben poco si conosce sull’ecologia di questa specie, in particolare per quanto concerne la comunicazione intraspecifica e l’abilità di questi animali nella percezione di segnali acustici (inclusi quelli emessi da conspecifici) a diverse frequenze. Nel corso di questo studio si sono volute indagare le risposte comportamentali di questo crostaceo a suoni di diversa natura: Sweep Basso = 0.1-20 kHz; Sweep Alto = 20-80 kHz; Rasp = 2-75 kHz, desumendo la sensibilità di questa specie a spettri sonori diversi in frequenza e ampiezza. Le alterazioni del comportamento sono state monitorate e analizzate attraverso filmati audio-visivi. Nella fase sperimentale, sono state valutate 6 diverse variabili comportamentali: Distanza Percorsa, Mobilità, Velocità, Movimento, Tail Flip ed Emissioni Acustiche, al fine di evidenziare eventuali differenze significative tra i gruppi esposti a uno dei tre segnali e il gruppo di controllo.

The purpose of this study was to explore the response v of coyotes (Canis latrans) to certain olfactory and visual stimuli. It was assumed that the findings would be of value in refining techniques used in sampling and controlling coyotes. The specific objectives were to determine (1) if coyotes were more likely to approach and remain in the vicinity of a familiar than unfamiliar scent, (2) if the response to olfactory and visual stimuli differed, (3) if positively reinforcing an approach to the stimuli differentially altered the response to visual and olfactory stimuli, and (4) if the response differed with sex and social rank. The results failed to reject each of the null hypotheses implicit in the four objectives. Two factors that may have contributed to these findings were that subjects were too accustomed to "novelty" and there was a lack of behavioral control during the tests. On the basis of the results of this study, it is suggested that coyotes are so sensitive to their surroundings and so accommodating in their behavior that behavioral test results may simply reflect their responses to specific captive and test conditions.

Electromyographical (EMG) motor responses may be elicited by loud acoustic stimuli in humans and vary based on presentation methods and body position. The purpose of this study was to investigate the EMG responses caused by different presentation methods of acoustic stimuli in a supine body position. Participants lay supine and maintained a voluntary plantar flexion contraction during trials. Auditory stimuli were presented from a speaker in front of participants’ face. EMG was recorded from right orbicularis oculi (OOc) and bilaterally from stemocleidomastoid (SCM), medial gastrocnemius, deltoid and soleus muscles. Single acoustic stimuli (SAS) (40 ms, 124 dB tones), were presented to participants with ten minutes between stimuli. Repeated acoustic stimuli (RAS) (40 ms, 124 dB tones), were presented repeatedly at intervals of 3-5 sec. Ten participants in a control condition were exposed to six or more SAS and 210 RAS during testing. Pre-pulse stimuli (40 ms, 85 dB tones) were presented 100 ms before both the RAS and SAS for 8 participants in the experimental condition. These participants were exposed to 3 SAS plus pre-pulse and 3 SAS, then to a total of 200 RAS and 200 RAS plus pre-pulse presented pseudorandomly. Five participants were exposed to 210 RAS stimuli at 85 dB as a follow-up control condition. EMG signals were root mean squared and trigger-averaged to the onset of the acoustic stimulus for the different conditions. Similar responses were rendered from SAS and RAS in voluntarily contracting lower limb muscles. SAS response amplitudes were variable within single muscles across trials. RAS exposures rendered an averaged response in all participants tested which lasted for 500 ms at a 7-8 Hz oscillation in the voluntarily contracting soleus muscles. This response appears to be similar to SAS responses but of smaller amplitude and only visible after the averaging of multiple trials. Responses to the 85 dB RAS stimuli also occurred in voluntarily contracting muscles. Pre-pulses showed inhibition in the OOc muscle in the SAS condition. The observations suggest that in humans, an EMG response may be elicited in contracting lower limb muscles by SAS and RAS and these responses may be related.

Titel: Se, hör & shoppa! En undersökning kring hur det med visuell och auditiv stimuli går att påverka kundens rörelsemönster och köpbeteende i butik. Författare: Klara Johansson, Marina Johansson Handledare: Professor Bertil Hultén Examinator: Universitetslektor Leif V Rytting Kurs: Företagsekonomi III – Examensarbete inriktning detaljhandel och service management (kandidat) 15hp Problemformulering: Hur påverkas kundens rörelsemönster och köpbeteende i en butiksmiljö med hjälp av visuella stimuli samt auditivt stimuli? Syfte: Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka, analysera och klargöra huruvida kundens rörelsemönster och köpbeteende kan påverkas med hjälp av sensoriska stimuli. Vi vill med hjälp av en multisensorisk upplevelse, vita pilar samt ljudet av fågelkvitter, försöka påverka kundens vägval i butiken för att bidra till att denne ska uppmärksamma större del av butiksytan. Metod: Examensarbetet har utformats med ett deduktivt angreppssätt. Vi har gjort en kvantitativ analys med en experimentell ansats. En omfattande litteraturstudie har legat till grund för de hypoteser som formulerats, i syfte att svara på forskningsfrågan. Primärdata har samlats in genom sammanlagt 1347 observationer på Plantagen i Kalmar. Slutsats: En slutsats av arbetet är att kunderna påverkas till att följa visuella stimuli i form av pilar. Det är därmed möjligt att påverka kunden att se mer av butikens yta med hjälp av visuella stimuli. Vi kan även visa att tillsättning av auditivt stimuli och visuella stimuli påverkar köpbeteendet i form av tid spenderad i experimentzonen, men det behövs vidare forskning för att utreda i vilken grad påverkan sker. Nyckelord: Sinnesmarknadsföring, visuell stimuli, auditiv stimuli, butiker, rörelsemönster, multisensorik, kongruens
Title: See, hear & shop! A Study of how visual and auditory stimuli can influence the customer's movement patterns and buying behaviour in store. Authors: Klara Johansson, Marina Johansson Supervisor: Professor Bertil Hultén Ph.D. Examiner: Senior Lecturer Leif V Rytting Ph.D. Course: Business economies III – Retail and service management (C level) Issues: How are the customer's movement patterns and buying behaviour affected in store with the help of visual and auditory stimuli? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate, analyse and clarify whether the customer's movement patterns and buying behaviour can be affected by means of sensory stimuli. With the help of sensory marketing, white arrows and bird song, we want to influence the customer's choice of direction in the store with the purpose of making the customer notice a wider part of the store. Methodology: The thesis has been designed with a deductive approach. We have done a quantitative analysis with an experimental approach. An extensive search for literature has been the basis of the hypotheses formulated, in order to answer the research question. Primary data were collected through a total of 1347 observations at Plantagen in Kalmar. Findings: A finding of this thesis is that customers are influenced to follow the visual stimuli by the means of white arrows. It is thereby possible to affect customers to notice a wider part of the store by the means of visual stimuli. We can also show that adding auditory stimuli and visual stimuli can affect the buying behaviour in the matter of time spent in the experimental zone, although further research is required to exam to which extent the impact occurs. Keywords: Sensory marketing, visual stimuli, auditory stimuli, in stores, movement patterns, multisensory, congruence

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 2011.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references.
Nanotube arrays, composed of materials such as carbon, titania, and zinc oxide, have shown potential as conductors, energy conversion devices, actuators, and adhesives. Such nanoscale constructs are particularly novel for their high area-to-volume and length-to-diameter aspect ratios that lead to physical and chemical properties more interesting than their bulk counterparts. However, the stimuli-responsiveness of nanotube arrays has seldom been explored, mostly due to the inertness of the materials typically utilized to create them. Here I introduce a new concept of designing and synthesizing surface-bound stimuli-responsive polymer nanotubes with dynamic mechanical properties. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) composed of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(acrylic acid) were chosen as the nanotube building blocks for their ability to undergo pH-triggered swelling-deswelling transitions. The swelling behavior was first demonstrated in the in situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles in the PEM; upon suitable post-assembly treatment, the PEM undergoes substantial molecular rearrangements that generate free amine groups available for gold salt binding. Characterization of the size and distribution of the gold nanoparticles as a function of assembly condition and post-assembly treatment, and in situ ellipsometry thickness measurement of the PEM film during the swelling transition provided further insights into the swelling behavior. These studies ultimately led to the design and synthesis of reversibly swellable PEM nanotube arrays via layer-by-layer assembly on porous templates. The template-based approach allows straightforward control over the length, diameter, orientation and lateral arrangement of the resultant tube array, which can be challenging with other synthesis methods. Activation of the swelling transition resulted in dramatic changes in the length and diameter of the tube arrays as characterized in situ via confocal laser scanning microscopy, and in the effective modulus of the nanotube arrays as measured by AFM-based nanoindentation. Parallel to experimental work, finite element analysis of simulated indentation on the nanotube arrays showed deformation mechanisms and a discontinuous stress-and-strain field different than that of a flat film. Template-based nanotube synthesis is further applied to the assembly of nanotubes with thermal- and magnetic-responsiveness, as well as incorporating cell-receptor-interacting biopolymers.
by Khek-Khiang Chia.
Ph.D.

Animals are adapted to live in fluctuating environments. Some stimuli to which they are exposed will be ignored, some will be avoided and others will be approached. Stimuli perceived as a threat or associated with a painful stimulation will tend to be avoided. Therefore to understand more fully how an animal copes with a particular situation, e.g. transportation, its perception of all stimuli needs to be determined. The aim of the study reported in this thesis was to determine how auditory stimuli, to which pigs are exposed during production, are perceived by individual pigs. A field study was carried out to characterise the sounds to which pigs are exposed during production and studies were made of pig responses to sound under experimental conditions. The sound pressure level in artificially ventilated fattening units was quite loud (70 to 80 dB(Lin)), but relatively constant. In contrast, naturally ventilated units were quieter (60 to 70 dB(Lin)), but more variable. Sound pressure levels during transport were more than 88 dB(Lin) and highly variable. Similar levels were measured in articulated transporters and small livestock trailers. Sound pressure levels measured in abattoir lairages varied from 77 dB(Lin) to 89 dB(Lin). Equivalent sound pressure levels (Leq 20 min) of 97 dB(Lin) were measured in the stun pen of one abattoir that used electric stunning. Pigs' perception of mechanical sounds between 85 and 100 dB(Lin) was assessed. The onset of sound activity and visual searching. Stronger responses were measured for louder sounds. Over a constant exposure period of 15 to 20 minutes the responses observed decreased towards basal levels.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze contemporary systems of direct and indirect subsidies of film industry in selected countries. In the first chapter of my paper I focus on different ways of obtaining the subsidies financial support, their application and the potentials of gaining them. EU policy towards the systems of indirect subsidies is the matter of the second chapter. In my third and fourth chapter I describe functioning of two different systems - for my paper I have chosen Hungary and Luxembourg. In search of resume I am introducing the systems of subsidies in chosen European countries. The last chapter describes contemporary status of film industry including institutional and legislative framework in the Czech Republic. Finally, the possible model of direct and indirect subsidies systems in the Czech Republic has been drawn.

Adolescent shoplifting has provoked limited and somewhat controversial perspectives within the sociological and psychological literature. These controversies center around the empirical variables used for analysis. A companion argument focuses on the subjective and objective measurement of these variables. This research explicated variables from the sociological literature to test their relationship, using multiple linear regression, to adolescent shoplifting behavior. These variables and situational stimuli were operationalized in a simultaneous model to demonstrate a proximate occurrence of the attitude-situation-behavior reciprocal. This reciprocal is a learning theory which suggests that direct and vicarious experiences accompanied by rewards and punishment, in one's environment, lead to the acquisition of specific beliefs, attitudes and behavior toward a situation. This research contends that beliefs and attitudes toward the situation, rather than the bonding, peer association and other factors, shape adolescent shoplifting behavior. The situational stimuli variables were perceived empirically as being the major reciprocal element that maximized and/or minimized the adolescent's attitude toward shoplifting. The reciprocals are expressed as: SF = f(B, PA, PA, PR, N, N, ATT, S, Age, Race). An anonymous self-report questionnaire was administered to N = 312 Portland adolescents ranging in ages between 13 and 17. These youths were sampled at various neighborhood youths service centers, mall stores and Fred Meyer. The S-R elicited the youths' perceptions and attitudes to the explicated dimensions of the variables. The research results confirmed the situational stimuli correlate for adolescent 'snitch' shoplifting. Statistical results validate the progressive involvement and drift propositions

This work deals with the affects of multimedia stimuli on the human body, their processing by senses, the possibility of presentation of the stimuli with emphasis on the possibility of measuring the impact of their effect on biological signals using external measuring station. It describes the design and implementation of the application, allowing presentation of the mentioned stimuli and their synchronization with external measuring system Biopac.

La rilevanza del vento come fattore chiave del terroir, in grado di influenzare la composizione delle uve e del vino, è stata sorprendentemente trascurata. Il lavoro di Tesi ha studiato, per la prima volta, l’influenza del vento sulla composizione delle bacche discutendone i possibili meccanismi d’azione sulla composizione aminoacidica e le conseguenti implicazioni enologiche. È stato valutato l’effetto su viti, della cv Sangiovese, del vento artificiale e della riduzione del vento rispetto un controllo caratterizzato dal vento naturale. Le prove sono state condotte in un vigneto situato a Pesaro a pochi chilometri dal Mare Adriatico, nel quale è stata effettuata una caratterizzazione dei venti e delle brezze. Sulle viti sono stati analizzati i parametri produttivi mentre sulle bacche campionate sono state effettuate le analisi dei principali parametri tecnologici e dei composti azotati (aminoacidi, ammine e ammonio). Le viti sottoposte al vento artificiale hanno manifestato un aumento della concentrazione dei composti azotati totali (aminoacidi e ammonio) rispetto al controllo. In particolare, i cambiamenti hanno coinvolto la concentrazione degli aminoacidi essenziali: lisina, treonina, triptofano, valina, leucina, isoleucina importanti per la loro implicazione nei processi fisiologici. Sulla base dei risultati ottenuti con il lavoro di Tesi e delle informazioni riportate in bibliografia è stato proposto un modello che illustra la possibile azione del vento sulla traslocazione di aminoacidi verso i grappoli. Il vento, oltre al noto effetto positivo sul microclima, ha prodotto un’incredibile influenza sulle bacche con rilevanti implicazioni agronomiche ed enologiche, quest’ultime correlate positivamente al processo fermentativo, alla possibilità di ridurre l’utilizzo di coadiuvanti enologici ed alla qualità dei vini ottenuti.

The purpose of this thesis is to see how small differences in a store can affect the customer behavior. The changes consist of auditory and visual sensory cues. Since many companies today makes a lot of changes in their styling element, but without knowing how it really affects the customer behavior we thought it would be interesting to see by doing an experiment at IKEA. The study is therefore based on a quantitative research method, where theories have been described and from which hypotheses have been derived to test the theories. The experience took place at IKEA during two weeks where 5732 observations were made. The result from the experiment is that the sensory cue sight makes individuals spend more time in the environment but not creating attention. By combining the sensory cues visual and sound attention increased but not the amount of time spend in the environment. We can also see that the positive effect from one sensory cue actually can be decreased by adding another one.

The present thesis set out to investigate how sensory modality and spatial presentation influence visual and auditory duration judgments in the millisecond range. The effects of modality and spatial location were explored by considering right and left side presentations of mixed or blocked visual and auditory stimuli. Several studies have shown that perceived duration of a stimulus can be affected by various extra-temporal factors such as modality and spatial position. Auditory stimuli lead to more precise duration judgments than visual stimuli and often last subjectively longer than visual stimuli of equal duration. The circumstances under which these modality differences occur are not clear yet. Recent studies indicated an interaction between temporal and spatial processing. Overestimation of durations was associated with right side presentation of visual stimuli, underestimation with left side presentation. However, the effect of spatial presentation has not been explored in the auditory temporal judgments. Furthermore, there is a debate concerning the mechanisms underlying processing of visual and auditory intervals with some researchers supporting the view that there is a central, amodal temporal mechanism and others arguing in favour of distinct, modality specific temporal mechanisms. The above issues were examined in a series of experiments using the duration discrimination paradigm. Processing demands where varied between experiments by varying the number of stimuli positions and the way that different modality trials were presented (mixed or blocked). Across all experiments we found no effect of location either in visual or auditory domain. However, in experiments in which different modality trials were intermixed, participants in the visual versions of the task tended to overestimate durations of comparison stimuli that were presented at different locations to the standard stimuli. In such conditions, visual stimuli were also judged to be longer than the auditory. However, when the location of the comparison stimulus was at the same side as the standard a reverse effect was observed. These findings call into question an influence of the position per se on temporal judgments as the visual duration judgments were affected rather by the change of the location. Auditory judgments were not affected by location manipulations, suggesting that different mechanisms might underlie visual and auditory temporal processing. Based on these results, we propose the existence of an error-correction mechanism, according to which a specific duration is added in order to compensate for the loss of time caused by spatial attention shifts. This mechanism is revealed under some circumstances (such as mixed modality) where it is over-activated, resulting into a systematic bias. This work has important implications for the contemporary research in time perception as it is shedding new light on the possible ways that a unified experience of timing arises from modally and spatially specific temporal mechanisms.

Les perceptions sensorielles et hédoniques résultent de processus complexes d’intégration, qui ne sont pas seulement rationnels, mais aussi fondés sur des sentiments, des émotions et des souvenirs. Afin d'appréhender au mieux le comportement du consommateur, il est devenu indispensable de mesurer les émotions afin de comprendre leur rôle fondamental dans la prise de décision. En science du consommateur, les émotions sont principalement mesurées par questionnaire. Malheureusement, cette mesure reste subjective et limitée car les sujets ont du mal à exprimer précisément leurs émotions par des mots. L’objectif de cette thèse était de contribuer à la compréhension de l’influence des émotions sur les perceptions hédoniques en développant un outil de mesure objectif fondé sur la pupillométrie. Ce travail de thèse a permis le développement d’une méthodologie adaptée à la situation de dégustation. Il a également permis de mettre en évidence que toute stimulation gustative même dépourvue d’émotion entraînait une dilatation pupillaire, mettant l’accent sur l’intérêt de comparer des stimuli similaires ou d’avoir une situation contrôle. Ensuite, différentes expérimentations ont permis de montrer que les différents éléments du contexte alimentaire avaient des pouvoirs émotionnels différents. Notamment les odeurs comme celles de boissons alcoolisées sont de fort vecteurs émotionnels tout comme les stimuli auditifs lorsqu’ils affectent directement le sujet. Enfin, la mesure en parallèle de l’appréciation hédonique nous a permis de montrer que la préférence n’est pas l’unique déterminant des émotions et de confirmer que les émotions peuvent impacter l’appréciation hédonique
Sensory and hedonic perceptions are the result of complex integration processes that are not only rational but that are also based on sentiments, emotions and memories. In order to better understand consumer behavior, it has become essential to measure emotions in order to understand their fundamental role in decision-making. In the field of consumer science, emotions are generally measured using questionnaires. Unfortunately, this measurement remains subjective and limited because it is difficult for subjects to precisely express their emotions through words. The aim of this thesis was to contribute to the understanding of the influence of emotions on hedonic perceptions by developing an objective measurement tool based on pupillometry. This PhD research made it possible to develop a methodology adapted to tasting situations and to show that all gustative stimulation, even that lacking emotion, leads to pupillary dilation, emphasizing the interest in comparing similar stimuli or having a control situation. Finally, different experiments revealed that the different elements within the food context had different emotional powers. In particular, smells, like those of alcoholic beverages, are strong emotional vectors, just like auditory stimuli when they directly affect the subject. Finally, by measuring the hedonic assessment at the same time, we were able to show that preference is not just determined by emotions and to confirm that emotions can have an impact on the hedonic assessment

Perceptual load theory, together with the surround-suppression model suggest that stimulus surrounding attended stimuli is suppressed, especially if perceptual load is high. This study attempts to map surround-suppression using electroencephalography to measure neural activity related to suppression at four surrounding locations (2°, 3°, 4° and 6° from fixation). Color and orientation was used to manipulate load, and the effect of load was controlled through behavioral and neural measures using event related potentials. Our results demonstrate no statistically supported effect of load in behavioral data or SSVEP data, but unexplained increased neural amplitude of an early visual component (i.e. N1) in the (hypothesized) low load condition.

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line-height: 15pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }span.BrdtextChar2 { font-size: 11pt; }span.CitatChar2 { font-size: 11pt; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0cm; }ul { margin-bottom: 0cm; } Vår utgångspunkt har varit att utgå från den fysiska miljö som elever vistas i dagligen och den påverkan den kan ha på deras koncentrationsförmåga. Uppsatsen handlar i teoridelen om vad det innebär att vara koncentrerad samt att ha svårigheter att koncentrera sig. Vi beskriver olika typer av koncentrationssvårigheter, vad perception är, vad som främjar och vad som försvårar koncentrationen. Vi skriver om hur man på olika sätt kan underlätta för elever med primära koncentrationssvårigheter. I undersökningsdelen tar vi reda på vilka visuella stimuli elever utsätts för genom de observationer vi gjort i elevtomma klassrum. Vi har tittat på vilka, och i vilken utsträckning, visuella stimuli förekommer i klassrummen. Resultatet redovisas i en tabell och tolkas sedan i text med hänvisning till det litteraturen beskriver om miljöns påverkan på koncentrationsförmågan. Syftet är att undersöka hur den fysiska klassrumsmiljön är utformad och inredd utifrån ett koncentrationsperspektiv. Resultatet visar att elever utsätts för en oerhörd mängd visuella stimuli och enligt den litteratur vi läst påverkar det koncentrationen negativt.

Questo lavoro di tesi ha riguardato i Potenziali Evento Correlati (ERP) in risposta a stimoli uditivi, con particolare riferimento alla componente P300. Quest’ultima si manifesta maggiormente in risposta alla presentazione di uno stimolo raro immerso in una sequenza di stimoli più frequenti (paradigma di oddball). In primo luogo si è voluto sviluppare un protocollo sperimentale di oddball acustico che permettesse di acquisire segnali EEG sincronizzati con un trigger. Questo sistema doveva essere in grado di: - generare una successione di due stimoli acustici con diversa caratteristica fisica, di cui uno frequente e uno raro, presentati in modo random; - generare un trigger sincronizzato con l’inizio di ciascun stimolo; - rendere il trigger adatto alla sua acquisizione da parte di un sistema EEG (OpenBCI) simultaneamente ai segnali elettroencefalografici; - segmentare i segnali EEG in epoche sulla base del trigger, per l’estrapolazione degli ERP con la tecnica dell’averaging. Il secondo obiettivo di questo lavoro di tesi è stato quello di testare il funzionamento del sistema, acquisendo i segnali EEG su alcuni soggetti sottoposti al paradigma di oddball acustico implementato, e calcolando i potenziali ERP in risposta allo stimolo standard e allo stimolo deviante. Questo è stato fatto usando due paradigmi di oddball: un paradigma di oddball passivo (in cui non è richiesta alcuna risposta comportamentale) e un paradigma di oddball attivo (in cui è richiesta una risposta comportamentale in corrispondenza allo stimolo deviante). L’utilizzo dei due paradigmi di oddball ha permesso di valutare come la P300 si manifesti maggiormente in risposta allo stimolo deviante rispetto allo stimolo standard e come l’attenzione volontaria posta verso lo stimolo deviante (target) durante la prova attiva possa generare una componente P300 di ampiezza maggiore rispetto alla prova passiva.

Recent research argued that people with major depressive disorder (MDD) tend to prefer sad stimuli because they want to upregulate their sad feelings. This paper aims to examine investigate the choice of emotional stimuli among those who have MDD, compared to individuals without MDD (healthy controls, HC), and explore the reasons for their choice. Seventy six female university students (38 per group) completed three tasks: 1) In the replication music task, participants listened to happy, neutral, and sad music excerpts, chose the one they wanted to listen most, and reported the reasons of their choice. 2) The Emotional Stimuli Selection Task (ESST)’s music task considered different intensity levels and another negative emotion (fear). Participants listened to 84 pairs of music clips and decided which one they would prefer to listen to. 3) In the ESST’s image task, the same procedure was run with images. In the replication music task, MDD status predicted a greater likelihood of choosing sad music. However, compared to before listening, the MDD reported feeling more happiness and less sadness after listening to their chosen music. In addition, inconsistent with a motivation to upregulate persons with MDD singled out low intensity as their most frequently reported reason for choosing sad music. Results from the ESST’s music task showed that the MDD preferred low intense music, compared to the HC. These results suggested that the MDD may prefer sad stimuli not because they want to augment their sad feeling, but because they desire low intensity experiences. The MDD’s reduced preference for happy stimuli, relative to the HC, was found across ESST tasks. Implications as well as limitations of the study were discussed.

A self-control procedure that involved a later onset of a stimulus signalling a small reinforcer within the waiting time for a larger reinforcer was investigated to determine a point of shifting preference and a discounting function as the delay varied. The results from Experiment 1 to Experiment 3 showed exclusive impulsive choices regardless of the delay. In order to examine if the results were due to the procedure and the parameters, or the species used, Experiment 4 attempted to obtain shifts in preference using simultaneous onset of stimuli with the same species. The results demonstrated no changes in preference but an increase in proportion of self-control choices was shown. Due to the limited information from the replicated studies, the accounts for the results could not be concluded. The explanations derived from choice models seemed most plausible, but limitations of the choice models were discussed.

Thesis (M.S.)--Georgia Southern University, 2005.
"A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science" ETD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 32-34)

Loud acoustic stimuli (>115 dB) are known to evoke electromyographical (EMG) responses in human musculature that differ with body position, presentation rate, and stimulus duration. Long duration acoustic tones (40 ms) with an inter-stimulus interval of 3 – 5 s evoke small amplitude reflex responses in tonically contracted limb musculature, whereas short duration acoustic tones (0.1 – 20 ms) with an inter-stimulus interval of 0.2 – 1 s can evoke EMG responses in limb muscles that are posturally engaged. Therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate the similarities and differences of the EMG responses evoked with repeated short and long duration acoustic tones in tonically contracted axial and limb musculature of supine participants. Methods: Twenty subjects (aged 19 – 30) were exposed to 256 presentations of air conducted (AC) acoustic stimuli that were 7 and 40 ms in duration (500 Hz; 118 dB SPL). Two blocks of 128 AC stimuli at each stimulus duration, and one block of no stimuli were presented randomly and binaurally through calibrated headphones. Surface EMG was sampled from the right sternocleidomastoid (SCM), biceps brachii (BB), and soleus (SOL) while participants maintained low level contractions in each muscle. Results: Repeated 7 and 40 ms AC stimuli evoked a myogenic potential in the tonically contracted SCM, BB, and SOL in at least 80%, 75%, and 75% of participants respectively. Significant effects of stimulus duration were observed in the SCM and SOL, where significant peaks occurred 5.4 and 6.7 ms earlier in the SCM, and 9.3 ms earlier in the SOL with a shorter stimulus. No significant effects were observed in the BB. Conclusion: We have shown that repeated short duration acoustic stimuli presented at a short inter-stimulus interval can evoke reflex responses in tonically contracted limb muscles which has not been shown before. These observations suggest that the EMG responses observed here may differ from those that are influenced by postural engagement.

During the brief, high frequency, head rotations associated for example with the stepping jolts of normal locomotion, the vestibular semicircular canals accurately transduce instantaneous head angular velocity relative to space. However, during more prolonged rotations such as occur when walking along a curved pathway, the canal's biophysics lead to an exponential decay of the peripheral sensory signal with a human time constant on the order of 8 sec. Although this time constant is "neurally" augmented two or three fold in the brainstem, the decaying characteristic still incurs a progressively decreasing signal at this level in the CNS. The present study aimed to determine whether conscious human perception can correct for this form of error in the vestibular sensory signal.
Vestibular perception was estimated from a perception-based motor read out using two complimentary approaches. The first employed gaze saccades (either eyes alone or eye + head) to recapture a remembered target position after a passive head rotation of up to 8 sec, all conducted in complete darkness (Vestibular Memory Contingent Saccades = VMCS). The second study called for continuous "visual" fixation on an imagined earth-fixed target in the dark during the turn (Gaze Stabilization). In both studies final gaze error provided an index of volitional motor response accuracy.
The Results of both studies showed that final gaze position, and hence presumably vestibular perception, was on average not reduced from ideal (P $<$ 0.01, 21 subjects) over the full range of rotational durations. However, the Gaze Stabilization study showed that slow-phase velocity of the compensatory vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) followed the expected brainstem signal decay. But this response error tended to be systematically corrected by internally generated saccades. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The detection of visual stimuli involves neurons which are selectively responsive to components of a visual scene. In the early stages of visual processing, it is commonly accepted that neurons respond to the changes in luminance associated with objects and object boundaries. However, recent experiments have demonstrated that some neurons can also respond to features which are not defined by luminance variations. These features are termed "second-order" because they require more complex processing, and neurons which respond to second-order features are necessarily nonlinear.
In this thesis, I undertook a three dimensional physiological characterization (i.e. tuning of orientation, spatial frequency and temporal frequency) of such nonlinear neurons in order to shed light on their processing capabilities. In particular we sought to address the following issues: (1) whether the temporal and spatial properties underlying second-order motion are similar to those underlying luminance based ("first-order") motion; (2) whether these properties remain constant using different types of second-order stimuli, suggesting that neurons' responses are invariant to the physical attributes comprising the stimulus; and (3) whether second-order processing is a cortical mechanism or can occur at an earlier stage of the visual system (e.g. in the lateral geniculate nucleus). Taken together these results have a dual function; they provide insight into the complex cellular processing of higher order features, and they provide a general framework for the generation of second-order models.