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Sinodi senza sinodalità? Il Sinodo diocesano nella trattatistica specifica sull'istituto prima di Benedetto XIV
No full textPartendo dal concetto di "sinodalità", così come declinato nel dibattito che caratterizza l'attuale situazione della Chiesa cattolica, si affronta il problema della presenza o meno di questo elemento nella prassi sinodale delle Chiese particolari nel periodo precedente al Concilio Vaticano II alla luce della trattatistica specifica sull'istituto fiorita tra il XVI secolo e i primi decenni del Settecento
Testing added-value fish oils from marine by product for cosmetic and nutraceutical application
No full textThis PhD thesis focuses on the study of fish oils reach in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) derived from by-streams of the fishing industry, with the aim of evaluating their potential applications in the cosmetic and nutraceutical sectors. PUFAs are essential nutrients that play a critical role in maintaining human health. Humans cannot synthesize PUFAs, so they must be obtained from the diet, through plant-based foods like nuts and vegetable oils, and animal-based foods, primarily marine sources such as fish.
Building on this need for external PUFA sources, this thesis highlights the advantages of marine PUFAs as a safe, environmentally friendly and affordable resource, in line with the principles of the Blue Economy. The Blue Economy promotes the sustainable use of marine resources through practices such as responsible fishing, ecotourism and innovative research, contributing to both economic development and conservation of the marine ecosystem to ensure long-term benefits for coastal communities and ocean health. To this aim, a circular economy approach, focusing on efficient resource management using fish by-products, especially small oily fish such as sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and mackerel (Scomber scombrus), to extract bioactive PUFAs beneficial to human health.
To investigate the potential of these marine-derived PUFAs, different types of analyses were performed in the frame of the H2020 EcoeFISHent project (ID: 101036428). To this end, we gained experience by evaluating benchmark fish oils with the aim of establishing a tiered approach that allows for increasing the complexity of experiments, progressing from lower tiers to higher ones. Effective screening methods, including UV spectroscopy, antioxidant assays and UV protection assays, were employed as a proxy of sample bioactivity. Then, for cosmetic application we performed tests on human keratinocyte cells on both active principle and formulated products and the complexity was further increased by testing the fish oils on 3D reconstructed human skin models.
Research conducted abroad at ANFACO-CECOPESCA under the supervision of Dr. Mercedes focused on the in vitro digestion of commercial PUFA-rich fish oil, demonstrating its potential also in nutraceutical applications with tests on human liver cells and 3D reconstructed human intestine models. The beneficial effects of digested PUFAs have been demonstrated, evaluating both the effects on cell and tissue viability and the effects on lipid metabolism.
In conclusion, this doctoral research has demonstrated the potential of fish by-products as a source of valuable molecules with different applications, highlighting the beneficial effects of fish oils on human health. This approach promotes the responsible and sustainable use of fish resources, while promoting scientific and industrial research in the cosmetic and nutraceutical sectors
I diritti degli utenti nei servizi pubblici economici. Un inquadramento costituzionale
No full textMuovendo dalle ben note incertezze che ancora oggi attraversano la materia dei servizi pubblici, il volume indaga, da una prospettiva di diritto costituzionale, il fondamento giuridico, la struttura e i contenuti dei diritti degli utenti, concentrandosi in particolare su quelli emersi nell’ambito dei cc.dd. servizi pubblici economici. Più precisamente, l’analisi mira, da un lato, a verificare l’esistenza di uno statuto teorico-giuridico di siffatti diritti che, al di là delle inevitabili fisionomie settoriali, sia in grado di caratterizzarli in modo omogeneo e trasversale (e dunque di tipizzarli), e, da un altro, a fornire un inquadramento dei medesimi alla luce della Costituzione, mettendo in rilievo le peculiari interazioni che, su questo specifico fronte, hanno coinvolto l’ordinamento costituzionale e quello sovranazionale. I reciproci apprendimenti tra i princìpi della coesione sociale e territoriale e dell’eguaglianza sostanziale segnalano, infatti, la necessità logico-giuridica di inquadrare questa categoria di diritti attraverso i fuochi di due distinte "lenti", quella del diritto costituzionale e quella del diritto dell’Unione europea
On Italo Calvino’s Footsteps Along the Literary Itinerary at Sanremo (Ligurian Riviera, NW Italy)
No full textEfficacy and Tolerability of Vortioxetine Versus Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors for Late-Life Depression: A Post-hoc Analysis of the VESPA Study
No full textBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Usual treatment approaches for late-life depression primarily involve selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Recently, the potential role of vortioxetine has garnered attention. This study aimed to investigate whether vortioxetine is superior to SSRIs in terms of efficacy and tolerability in older people with moderate-to-severe depression. METHODS: The Vortioxetine in the Elderly versus SSRIs: a Pragmatic Assessment (VESPA) study was an assessor-blinded, randomized, parallel-group, superiority trial, comparing flexible doses of vortioxetine versus SSRIs in older adults with depression. This is a post-hoc analysis that excluded participants with milder symptoms of depression. The primary outcome was the change in Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores. Secondary outcomes included clinical response (MADRS total score reduction of ≥ 50%), remission (a MADRS score < 10), and discontinuation rates. Clinical measures were conducted at baseline and at 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month (endpoint) visits. RESULTS: In total, 302 individuals (mean age: 73.4 ± 5.9 years; 68.9% females), comprising 152 randomized to vortioxetine and 150 to SSRIs (sertraline N = 92; paroxetine N = 19; escitalopram N = 19; citalopram N = 16; fluoxetine N = 3; fluvoxamine N = 1), were included in this post-hoc analysis. No significant differences in MADRS improvement between vortioxetine and SSRIs were observed at any follow-up visits and 6-month endpoint (-11.8 ± 10.6 versus -14.0 ± 11.6; p = 0.12). This was further confirmed by a subgroup analysis excluding drug discontinuers (-16.8 ± 9.0 versus -17.6 ± 10.3; p = 0.51). In addition, people treated with vortioxetine did not exhibit better rates of response (44.1 versus 53.0%; p = 0.11), remission (25.7 versus 34.7%; p = 0.09), and discontinuation (38.0 versus 30.2%; p = 0.17), including discontinuation owing to either side effects or inefficacy, compared with those treated with SSRIs. CONCLUSIONS: Vortioxetine was not superior to SSRIs in terms of efficacy and tolerability in older adults with moderate-to-severe depression. Additional trials, possibly based on fixed doses of vortioxetine, are needed. REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03779789, registered on 12 Dec 2018; EudraCT number: 2018-001444-66
La ricerca educativa nella formazione dei futuri pedagogisti. Un esempio di didattica e di ricerca partecipata.
No full textIl contributo presenta un’esperienza didattica e di ricerca condotta nel primo semestre dell’anno accademico 2023-2024 nell’insegnamento di “Metodologia della ricerca educativa” (LM85). A differenza delle precedenti annualità l’insegnamento è stato impostato come un’attività di ricerca, passando da una modalità di erogazione prevalentemente frontale ad una collaborativa, a simulazione di un gruppo di ricerca in azione.Docente, tutor, studentesse e studenti – futuri pedagogisti - hanno potuto condividere un intero disegno di ricerca a partire dal problema sino alla disseminazione dei dati. Nella presentazione si metteranno in evidenza: il metodo utilizzato per la progettazione dell’insegnamento e per la conduzione; le strategie didattiche e di ricerca condivise con il gruppo (con particolare attenzione alla costruzione dello strumento di raccolta dei dati); elementi e riflessioni per e a discendere dalla valutazione degli apprendimenti e dalla valutazione dell’insegnamento
First description of Vibrio ostreicida as putative causal agent of disease in Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and development of a PCR protocol for its rapid diagnosis
No full textn April 2022, mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) cultivated in the Ebro River delta (Spain) were affected by a mortality episode, involving 25 % of individuals, observed at a water temperature of 18 °C. Mussel samples from this site (3 M) were analysed for the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria, in parallel with those obtained from an area where no mortality was reported (3 N). From all samples, a total of 113 bacterial isolates were obtained. When subjected to ERIC-PCR, the obtained band patterns showed a distinct profile in the 3 M samples, covering 13 % of the isolates. The genotypic and phenotypic characterization of three representative isolates of this profile (r167, r172, r190) allowed their identification as Vibrio ostreicida. In addition, the complete genome of isolate r172 was sequenced to identify functional features of interest. Histological examination revealed bacterial colonies and tissue damage compatible with bacterial toxicity in 3 M samples. From a preliminary assessment of the virulence of the r172 isolate by mussel challenge via injection (9 × 106 cfu/mussel), a mean mortality of 50 % was observed in infected animals at 5 days. Moreover, a specific PCR protocol was designed for V. ostreicida using the gyrB gene as a target, able to detect the pathogen from both pure cultures and from tissues. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence of the association of V. ostreicida with a mortality episode in cultured M. galloprovincialis. The PCR protocol developed will be useful for screening and diagnosis of this vibrio species in different matrices and to clarify its importance as shellfish possible pathogen
Transport investigation of topological materials
No full textMaterials with non-trivial electronic band topology have garnered significant attention
over the past decade due to their unique properties. Compounds such as WTe2,
MoTe2, TaIrTe4, and TaRhTe4, characterized by substantial spin-orbit coupling, exhibit
topologically non-trivial features, leading to unconventional magneto-transport phenomena.
Furthermore, their semimetallic nature with high carrier mobility makes them
promising candidates for enhanced magneto-thermoelectric effects. Interestingly, these
compounds belong to the family of layered van der Waals materials, which are highly
tunable by controlling the number of layers. To fully exploit the advantageous properties
of this material family, it is essential to understand their electric and thermoelectric
transport characteristics.
In this thesis, we systematically investigate the magneto-transport coefficients on
telluride-based van der Waals type-II Weyl semimetals as a function of different tuning
parameters including temperature, magnetic field, and uniaxial strain. Our sample
set includes TaRhTe4, TaIrTe4, TaRh0.3Ir0.7Te4, W0.65Mo0.35Te2, and Ta1.25Ru0.75Te4
compounds. A semiclassical approach was employed to interpret the results.
Standard electric transport measurements with out-of-plane magnetic fields show no
evidence of anomalous behavior attributable to the topologically non-trivial nature of
Weyl semimetals in TaRhTe4, TaIrTe4, TaRh0.3Ir0.7Te4, andW0.65Mo0.35Te2 compounds.
However, when the magnetic field was aligned in-plane, parallel to the current density
vector (i.e., along the electric field), we observed negative magnetoresistance in the
TaRhTe4 and TaRh0.3Ir0.7Te4 compounds. This negative magnetoresistance is attributed
to the chiral anomaly, providing evidence of non-trivial topological behavior.
Thermoelectric transport measurements revealed no anomalies related to non-trivial
topology for TaRhTe4, TaIrTe4, TaRh0.3Ir0.7Te4, andW0.65Mo0.35Te2 compounds. However,
while Nernst effect measurements for TaRh0.3Ir0.7Te4 compounds exhibit a standard
linear behavior with the magnetic field, a super-linear contribution to the Nernst
effect was observed at low temperatures for TaRhTe4, TaIrTe4, and W0.65Mo0.35Te2
compounds, potentially arising from several factors, including strong compensation between
electron-like and hole-like carriers, topological Weyl crossings near the Fermi level, or impurity band effects causing multiband behavior. Within our sample set
(TaRhTe4, TaIrTe4, W0.65Mo0.35Te2, compared to WTe2 and MoTe2), we established
a correlation between the dominant linear-in-magnetic-field Nernst coefficient and mobility,
consistent with established Nernst scaling frameworks, albeit with a modified
scaling factor compared to existing literature.
Our Hall and Nernst measurements for Ta1.25Ru0.75Te4 show clear evidence of anomalous
transport contributions stemming from the Berry curvature, suggesting non-trivial
topology.
Finally, elasto-transport measurements revealed a substantial change of the Nernst coefficient
of WTe2 compound due to the application of uniaxial strain, evidencing that
elasto-thermoelectric transport can be a sensitive probe to evaluate the susceptibility of
the electronic properties of such materials to mechanical deformations
Preliminary Breakdown Pulses (PBP): A review on available data and models
No full textLightning is a major risk for humans, animals, and electrical systems. Many researches focused on the fully developed events, such as the Return Stroke (RS) current, the emitted electromagnetic fields, and the phenomenon modeling. However, there is poor understanding regarding precursors, such as Preliminary Breakdown Pulses (PBP). PBP are the pulses before the first RS. Studying these pulses provides understanding into the initial event that triggers the process within the cloud. Sufficient measurement data and a reliable model of PBP help to forecast the lightning flash development and help creating effective protection systems, ultimately enhancing the safety and reliability of electrical infrastructure and minimizing the risk of damage from lightinings. The aim of this paper is to conduct an extensive literature review to identify sources of measured data of PBP and the available modeling methods. The first part provides a review of key existing experimental studies, discussing aspects such as measurement equipment, signals, data, identification algorithms, and statistical observations. The second part discusses the methods available for modeling PBP categorized into descriptive and physical models. Descriptive models focus on reconstructing the primary PBP features from measured data, while physical models aim to explore the underlying physical mechanisms of PBPs