The following document presents my dissertation composition. The work is written for eight performers, including flute, clarinet, saxophone, French horn, percussion, violin, viola, and Double Bass. The duration of the piece is approximately sixteen minutes, in a single movement. This composition explores forms of discontinuity within continuous textures, and includes particular theatrical and staging elements.

This paper is a study of the relationship between piano and orchestra in Mozart¡¦s piano concerto, K.467. The paper includes an introduction followed by three sections and a conclusion. The introduction briefly reviews the origins of the solo concerto. The following section discusses the changing nature of the relationship between tutti and soloist as the solo concerto evolved up until the time of Mozart. The next section is an analysis, with diagrams, of the form of K.467, the first movement being in concerto-sonata form, the second movement in three-stanza song form, and the third movement in rondo form. This is followed by the most important section of the paper which categorizes and discusses four types of solo-tutti relationships used by Mozart in K.467, showing examples from the score. These four types, suggested by Girdlestone in his book Mozart and His Piano Concertos, include: first, the orchestra as accompaniment supporting the soloist; second, the soloist as accompaniment to the orchestra; third, orchestra and soloist cooperating or competing on an equal basis; and fourth, orchestra and soloist entering in turn, answering one another.

Abstract Dental caries in toddlers was studied in relation to several risk factors which were also determined by salivary tests in a longitudinal design. Another specific aim was to reveal the effect of prolonged pacifier sucking on caries development. The study population consisted of 183 pre-school children. At the baseline, salivary microbiological tests were taken from children whose average age was 2.5 years. Risk factors for colonisation of salivary lactobacilli and yeasts were determined from a questionnaire filled in by the parents. At the 2-year follow-up, caries in primary teeth was studied against the possible risk factors recorded at the baseline. At the 7-year follow-up, the risk factors identified at the age of two were analysed against caries development in primary molars and in first permanent molars. Also the long-term predictive value of salivary microbiological tests was investigated. At the baseline, the use of pacifier and nocturnal use of nursing bottle were associated with colonisation of salivary lactobacilli and yeasts. Prolonged pacifier sucking and use of nursing bottle at nights were shown to be associated with caries development in children at the 2-year follow-up. Consumption of sweets, lack of daily tooth brushing and nocturnal use of nursing bottle at the age of two were associated with caries onset in both primary and permanent molars at the seven-year follow-up. The use of fluoride tablets reduced the risk of caries onset in primary molars. Children who were colonised by salivary lactobacilli or yeasts at the baseline were susceptible to caries in primary molars. Early colonisation of lactobacilli was associated with caries in permanent molars. The results suggest that the risk of caries is possible to assess in toddlers by identifying caries-related habits early, already at the age of two. Microbiological tests may also have some value. Assessment of caries risk in toddlers enables both prevention and early intervention, and thereby prevention of caries development in children. / Tiivistelmä Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli pitkäaikaisseurannassa selvittää taaperoikäisiltä lapsilta otettujen sylkitestien ja muiden määritettyjen riskitekijöiden mahdollista yhteyttä karieksen kehittymiseen. Erityisesti haluttiin myös tutkia pitkittyneen tutin käytön merkitystä. Tutkimusaineisto koostui 183:sta alle kouluikäisestä lapsesta. Aloitusvaiheessa otettiin mikrobiologiset sylkitestit lapsilta, joiden keski-ikä oli 2,5 vuotta, ja määritettiin anamnestisesti mahdolliset riskitekijät laktobasillien ja hiivasienten kolonisaatiolle. Kahden vuoden seurannan jälkeen tutkittiin riskin toteutumista maitohampaiden karioitumisessa. Seuraavassa seitsemän vuoden seurantatutkimuksessa tutkittiin karieskehitystä maitomolaareissa ja ensimmäisissä pysyvissä molaareissa kahden vuoden iässä määritetyissä riskiryhmissä. Myös syljen mikrobiologisten testien avulla määritetyn riskin toteutumista selvitettiin seitsemän vuoden seurannan päätyttyä. Tutkimuksen aloitusvaiheen sylkitestitulokset osoittivat, että tutin käyttö ja tuttipullon käyttö öisin olivat yhteydessä syljen kariekseen liittyviin mikrobeihin, ja ne voivat siten lisätä kariesaktiivisuutta maitohampaistossa. Kahden vuoden seurantatutkimuksessa todettiinkin, että karieskehitys oli yhteydessä aikaisemmin määritettyihin riskitekijöihin: pitkittyneeseen tutin käyttöön ja tuttipullon käyttöön öisin. Seitsemän vuoden seurantatutkimuksen tulokset osoittivat, että makeisten käyttö kaksivuotiaana, puutteellinen hampaiden harjaus ja tuttipullon käyttö öisin ovat riskitekijöitä sekä maitomolaarien että ensimmäisten pysyvien molaarien karieskehitykselle. Fluoritablettien käyttö vähensi maitomolaarien karioitumista. Myös varhain tehdyillä syljen mikrobiologisilla testeillä oli pitkäaikainen ennustusarvo. Tulokset osoittavat, että riskin määritys taaperoikäisten lasten karieskehitykselle voidaan tehdä varhaisessa vaiheessa sekä mikrobiologisten sylkitestien avulla että määrittelemällä muiden mahdollisten riskitekijöiden esiintyvyys. Varhaisen kariesriskin määrityksen avulla voidaan ehkäisevät hoitotoimenpiteet kohdistaa ajoissa riskiryhmille ja siten ehkäistä karieskehitystä ja korjaavan karieshoidon tarvetta lapsilla.

I microrganismi selezionati sono impiegati non solo per il processo di trasformazione della materia grezza in prodotto fermentato, ma anche per migliorare la shelf-life, il gusto, l’aroma, la sicurezza e il valore nutrizionale dei prodotti. La globalizzazione del mercato ha portato a considerare non solo i prodotti tipici popolari europei, come per esempio il vino, ma anche i prodotti tipici dei paesi non europei come la cassava. Per quanto riguarda il settore enologico lo scopo della ricerca è quello di migliorare un tipico vino: l'Ortrugo dei Colli Piacentini con ceppi autoctoni di Saccaromyces cerevisiae. Nelle fermentazioni spontanee i lieviti sono associati all'area geografica, alle condizioni climatiche e alla varietà di vitigno. Alcuni ricercatori sostengono che il micro-ambiente è caratterizzato da specifi Saccaromyces cerevisiae che possono influenzare gli aromi dell'uva. Sfortunatamente le fermentazioni spontanee possono causare aromi indesiderati e arresti fermentativi. L'inoculo del mosto con lieviti selezionati è ormai una pratica consolidata per eliminare i rischi delle fermentazioni spontanee, ma questi lieviti non riescono a enfatizzare le caratteristiche della varietà di uva in quanto derivano da ecosistemi differenti. Nasce quindi l'esigenza di utilizzare ceppi starter autoctoni selezionati, isolati dalle microaree dove i vini sono prodotti in quanto tali ceppi sono potenzialmente meglio adattati a svilupparsi in uno specifico microambiente e meglio esaltano la tipologia di un particolare prodotto. Per quanto riguarda la cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) microrganismi selezionati possono essere utilizzati per ridurre la concentrazione di glucoside cianogenetico (linamarina e lotaustralina), molecole tossiche. il consumo di cassava e dei suoi prodotti può causare avvelenamento da cianide con sintomi di vomito, nausea, debolezza e occasionalmente la morte. L'introduzione di cianide tramite il consumo di cassava è quasi certamente la causa dell'insorgenza di neuropatie come per esempio il Konzo (irreversibile paralisi alle gambe) che colpisce particolari zone dell'Africa. La World Health Organisation (WHO)ha stabilito il livello di sicurezza di cianide nella farina di cassava a 10 ppm (FAO/WHO, 1991). / Selected microrganisms are important as agents of the main processes of transformation of the raw materials in fermented product but also as responsible of the improvement in the shelf-life, texture, taste, aroma, as well as safety and nutritional value. The market globalization made us to consider not only popular food and/or beverage in Europe but also in non European countries. In this research I consider wine and cassava products. As regards wine the aim is to improve the Ortrugo wine typicalness by Saccaromyces cerevisiae autochtonous strains. In spontaneous fermentations the yeasts vary according to geography location, climatic conditions and/or grape variety. Some researchers believe that each micro-environment is characterised by specific Saccaromyces cerevisiae that may enhance the grape flavours. Unfortunately spontaneous fermentations may cause off-flavours and fermentation stuck. The selected yeast inoculum in must is one of the consolidated practices to eliminate the risks of spontaneous fermentation, but these yeast are not able to emphasise the characters of grape variety because they are from different ecosystems. Autochthonous yeasts e.g. yeasts isolated from a definite micro-environment are adapted to operate in a must whose characteristics are determined by the variety of the grapes and the “terroir” and, therefore, they able to enhance the peculiarities of a wine. As regards the cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) selected microorganisms will be used to reduce the cyanogenic glucosides (mainly linamarin and lotaustralin) toxic molecules. Consumption of cassava and its products may cause cyanide poisoning with symptoms of vomiting, nausea, dizziness, stomach pains, weakness, headache and diarrhoea and occasionally death. Cyanide intake from cassava is almost certainly the cause of Konzo (irreversible paralysis of the legs) in eastern, central and southern Africa. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has set the safe level of cyanogens in cassava flour at 10 ppm (FAO/WHO, 1991).