Reducibility: A ubiquitous method in lambda calculus with intersection types

A general reducibility method is developed for proving reduction properties of lambda terms typeable in intersection type systems with and without the universal type Ω. Sufficient conditions for its application are derived. This method leads to uniform proofs of confluence, standardization, and weak head normalization of terms typeable in the system with the type Ω. The method extends Tait's reducibility method for the proof of strong normalization of the simply typed lambda calculus, Krivine's extension of the same method for the strong normalization of intersection type system without Ω, and Statman-Mitchell's logical relation method for the proof of confluence of βη-reduction on the simply typed lambda terms. As a consequence, the confluence and the standardization of all (untyped) lambda terms is obtained.     

Polynomial fixed-point smoothing of uncertainly observed signals based on covariances

In this article, the least-squares νth-order polynomial fixed-point smoothing problem of uncertainly observed signals is considered, when only some information about the moments of the processes involved is available. For this purpose, a suitable augmented observation equation is defined such that the optimal polynomial estimator of the original signal is obtained from the optimal linear estimator of the augmented signal based on the augmented observations and, hence, a recursive algorithm for this linear estimator is deduced. The proposed estimator does not require the knowledge of the state-space model of the signal, but only the moments (up to the 2νth one) of the signal and observation noise, as well as the probability that the signal exists in the observations.     

Heterogeneous Catalytic Solvent-free Synthesis of Quinoline Derivatives via the Friedländer Reaction

A simple solvent-free heterogeneous catalytic method was developed for the synthesis of substituted quinoline derivatives via the Friedländer cyclization.     

Production of bio-diesel from macro-algae of the Orbetello lagoon by various extraction methods

In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in finding alternative energy sources to fossil fuel. Bio-diesel derived from vegetable oils has been shown to be a potential alternative. Presently, most of the available bio-diesel is made from edible oils, but it is believed that with a large-scale production of bio-diesel these stocks may cause an imbalance to the food supply. Algae and aquatic bio-mass have the potential to provide a new range of third generation bio-fuels. Recently, there has been substantial increase in attention to the possibility of using aquatic bio-mass. The aim of this study was to evaluate the macro-algae oil yield and lipid composition in order to produce bio-diesel from waste bio-mass. The algal bio-mass comes from the Orbetello lagoon (Southern Tuscany, Italy), where macro-algae grow naturally due to eutrophication and are harvested and stored in a landfill as a special waste product. Lipid extraction was carried out according to the Bligh and Dyer method and also by using a Dionex ASE200 (accelerated solvent extractor). The total lipid content was determined by micro-gravimetry and the fatty acids (FAs) by GC-FID and GC-MS after acid transesterification. Chaetomorpha linum was the most abundant species and had the highest lipid content. Lipid concentrations and profiles of the Orbetello lagoon's macro-algae were comparable with those reported in the literature for the same species or genus. Algal FAs corresponded to those that normally constitute bio-diesel. Thus, the results indicate that bio-diesel could be produced from the harvested algal bio-mass.     

Colour of hot paprika from the La Vera and Murcia regions packaged in different atmospheres during storage

This study compared the behaviour of hot paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) samples from the district of La Vera and the region of Murcia packaged in five different conditions during storage. The following five different packaging conditions were used in this study: modified atmosphere packaging with three different conditions (100% N₂; 50% N₂ and 50% CO₂; and 100% CO₂), vacuum packaging and traditional packaging (product packaging system without modifying the atmosphere). After the samples were packaged, they were stored for 8 months at room temperature (normal storage conditions). The following parameters were used to indicate the quality of the samples: Aw, ASTA colour, CIE_L*a*b* colour parameters, and the composition of red and yellow compounds. The results indicate that the modified atmosphere packaging and vacuum packaging exerted a protective effect on the paprika quality characteristics regardless of the paprika origin. However, no clear differences were detected between the effect of vacuum packaging and the different modified atmosphere packaging conditions.     

OBCAS: an agent-based system and ontology for mobile context aware interactions

Society is changing and technological advances provide mechanisms to facilitate the development of a large number of tasks in technical, humanities, health and social areas. Nowadays, application of the improvement of people’s quality of life is generating significant interest, giving birth to systems oriented to the supervision, care and help for people in the development of their daily affairs. Thus, we may assume that its application to the supervision of a specific group of people can improve the quality of life for many people. OBCAS implements a monitoring service through mobile devices capable of providing enough information for an intelligent system. The multi-agent component provides the intelligence for the system, allowing it to run the appropriate services by adjusting them to the user’s profile and preferences. AGATHA is an application based on OBCAS that provides an alarm service during a supervision process. AGATHA has been tested on the supervision of elderly and victims of gender violence, and the result shown in this paper has been satisfactory.     

Toward a validation of cyber-interventions for stress disorders based on stress inoculation training: a systematic review

New advanced technologies have recently emerged as a potentially effective way for delivering stress management techniques. Specifically, the stress inoculation training (SIT) represents a validated approach to manage stress in several settings, and research is growing related to this clinical protocol combined with advanced technologies. This review aims to outline the state of the art of cyber-interventions based on SIT methodology (cyber-SIT). In the current review, we deeply analyzed and discussed three aspects of the selected studies: (1) the type of technological devices used for delivering cyber-SIT; (2) the sampling strategies; (3) and the stress-related measures for assessing the effectiveness of cyber-SIT. The results of this systematic review suggest the potential efficacy of cyber-SIT for managing psychological stress in several settings. Considering cyber-SIT for psychological stress, controlled trials testing a greater number of participants are needed. Other future challenges include adopting better inclusion/exclusion criteria, standardized outcome measures, and different conditions for comparing the effect and/or the integration of different technological devices. In conclusion, as the cyber-SIT may play an important role in the future clinical psychology, it is crucial to enhance the validation of this approach from a methodological point of view.