Emanuela Santoro

Utilization of chemically oxidized polystyrene as co-substrate by filamentous fungi.

Atactic polystyrene, one of the most widely used chemical products, was subjected to novel chemically oxidative treatments able to trigger a great variety of physical and chemical changes in the polymers chains. The oxidized polystyrene samples, when analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) clearly showed the formation of carbonyl groups and hydroxyl groups, which increased with the increase in the strength of chemically oxidative treatments. In fungal degradation tests deploying Curvularia species, the fungus colonized the oxidized samples within 9 weeks. Colonization was confirmed by microscopic examination, which showed that the hyphae had adhered to and penetrated the polymers structure in all the treated samples. Such colonization and adhesion by microorganisms are a fundamental prerequisite for biodegradation of polymers.

Internet Addiction: a prevention action-research intervention

The aim of this paper was to present an action-research intervention for the prevention of Internet addiction (IA) in schools. Applying a pre-experimental research design model, a total of 90 young subjects (45 males and 45 females) were treated using a peer education programme. The Internet Addiction Test was used as a screening tool pre- and post-treatment and analysed using a paired t-test. The results showed a significant positive difference in the post-treatment values for both males and females. This research highlights the link between IA and cultural and social aspects of the disease in addition to discussing the difficulties of IA prevention.

How to simplify and improve incident and near miss reporting in wards:I.R.G.E. (Incident Reporting with Gravity Effect) system

In this paper, an improved system that allows a simplified reporting of errors and near misses in wards, and permits operators to accurately manage all data recorded, is presented. IRGE (Incident Reporting with Gravity Effect) System is based on the use of a paper form for reporting accidents and near misses. The severity of an error can be evidenced through the choice of a color similar to the well-known method used in the emergency medicine triage, thus leading to the most evident and immediate understanding of the magnitude of error. In addition, the system is provided with a report form for its users to be compiled with the highest completeness of information. A dedicated software for the storage of records and data analysis has been created, which gives one the possibility of alerting key figures within the health facility promptly. The system allows us to store and share records among different care units and also among different hospitals, thus providing a basis for a national database. Moreover, through this system, it is possible to assess the “risk attitude” of the health facility monitored.