148790 research outputs found
Sort by
Il reverendo William Hodge Mill: l’evangelizzazione al servizio del colonialismo britannico attraverso traduzioni e componimenti poetici in sanscrito
No full textThis article examines the figure of the Reverend William Hodge Mill (1792–1853) within the context of British colonialism in India, highlighting the role of Anglican evangelization as an instrument of cultural and political domination. Through an analysis of Anglican institutions in Calcutta—particularly Bishop’s College—and the missionary strategies adopted following the Charter Act of 1813, the study demonstrates how Orientalist knowledge of Sanskrit was mobilized to facilitate Christian penetration among Hindu elites. Central to the discussion is an examination of Mill’s Sanskrit translations
of Christian texts and his poetic compositions, culminating in the Śrīkhr̥ṣṭasaṅgītā, a Sanskrit verse “Christiad” that reworks Indian epic models to present the life of Jesus. These works are situated within the broader phenomenon of the so-called Indian Christiad, a body of Christian literature in Sanskrit aimed at rendering Christianity “accommodable” within the conceptual framework of dharma. While displaying considerable philological and poetic sophistication, this cultural project was deeply marked by an ethnocentric ideology, in which processes of Christianization and colonial control mutually reinforced one another
Synergistic and sustainable approaches for pre-treatment, drying and storage of food waste to preserve nutritional and sensory quality in functional food upcycling
No full textLa crescente attenzione verso un'alimentazione sana e sostenibile ha reso prioritaria la lotta contro lo spreco alimentare, stimolando la ricerca di soluzioni tecnologiche che combinino qualità nutrizionale, sicurezza e ridotto impatto ambientale. In questo contesto, la presente tesi esplora strategie sinergiche per il pretrattamento, l'essiccazione e lo stoccaggio dei rifiuti alimentari e dei sottoprodotti, con l'obiettivo di trasformarli in ingredienti funzionali di alto valore.Il primo contributo esamina le albicocche sottoposte a campi elettrici pulsati e ultrasuoni aerodispersi, ottenendo i parametri di diffusione necessari per ottimizzare l'essiccazione ad aria calda. I due studi successivi si concentrano su frutta intera o affettata, arance rosse e pesche a polpa bianca, mostrando come le scelte di tempo/temperatura e il confezionamento in atmosfera modificata preservino il colore, l'aroma e la sicurezza microbiologica ben oltre la lavorazione. Il quarto articolo indaga l'essiccazione su vassoi del mango siciliano, analizzando sistematicamente come la fase di maturazione (verde vs completamente maturo) influisca sul comportamento di essiccazione e sulla successiva conservazione in atmosfera modificata, producendo infine snack stabili ricchi di composti bioattivi. Gli ultimi due articoli vanno oltre la nozione di semplice “prodotto finito”. Le polveri di more assistite da ultrasuoni arricchiscono i biscotti funzionali, mentre la farina di buccia di mango diventa un ingrediente del pane a lievitazione naturale con un valore nutrizionale migliorato.Intrecciati tra loro, questi filoni empirici perseguono un obiettivo generale chiaro: identificare, attraverso un programma integrato di sperimentazione e modellizzazione, le combinazioni di pretrattamenti non termici e tecniche di essiccazione che consentono di ottenere alimenti disidratati di elevata qualità nutrizionale, sicurezza microbiologica e ridotto impatto ambientale. Allo stesso tempo, la tesi cerca di dimostrare come le matrici disidratate possano essere impiegate in modo intelligente per creare alimenti funzionali innovativi, contribuendo così alla riduzione dei rifiuti lungo la catena di approvvigionamento. Senza anticipare le conclusioni generali riservate al capitolo finale, i risultati già ottenuti indicano che l'integrazione delle “tecnologie delicate” è una strada promettente per ridurre i tempi di lavorazione, diminuire il fabbisogno energetico, preservare meglio i nutrienti sensibili e creare nuove opportunità di mercato per materie prime attualmente sottovalutate.The growing focus on healthy and sustainable nutrition has made the fight against food waste a priority, stimulating the search for technological solutions that combine nutritional quality, safety, and reduced environmental impact. In this context, this thesis explores synergistic strategies for the pre-treatment, drying, and storage of food waste and by-products, with the aim of transforming them into high-value functional ingredients.The first contribution examines apricots subjected to pulsed electric fields and airborne ultrasound, yielding the diffusional parameters needed to optimise hot-air drying. The next two studies focus on whole or sliced fruit, blood oranges and white-fleshed peaches, showing how time/temperature choices and modified-atmosphere packaging preserve colour, aroma and microbiological safety well beyond processing. The fourth paper investigates tray-drying of Sicilian mango, systematically analysing how the ripening stage (green vs fully mature) affects drying behaviour and subsequent MAP storage, ultimately producing stable snacks rich in bioactive compounds. The final two articles move beyond the notion of a mere “finished product”. Ultrasound-assisted blackberry powders enrich functional cookies, while mango-peel flour becomes an ingredient in sourdough bread with enhanced nutritional value.Woven together, these empirical threads pursue a clear overarching aim: to identify, through an integrated programme of experimentation and modelling, the combinations of non-thermal pre-treatments and drying techniques that deliver dehydrated foods of high nutritional quality, microbiological safety and reduced environmental footprint. At the same time, the thesis seeks to demonstrate how dehydrated matrices can be intelligently employed to create innovative functional foods, thereby contributing to waste reduction along the supply chain. Without pre-empting the general conclusions reserved for the final chapter, the results already obtained indicate that integrating “mild technologies” is a promising route to shorter processing times, lower energy demands, better preservation of sensitive nutrients and new market opportunities for currently undervalued raw materials
Some linear maps preserving continuous frames for operators in Hilbert spaces
No full textIn this paper two methods for generating continuous K -frames for a Hilbert spaceH are introduced, where K is a bounded operator on H. Both methods transform acontinuous K -frame of H into another continuous K -frame of H. The first one hasan algebraic approach: a continuous K -frame for HAis shown to be preserved bysome operators with specific algebraic properties, where HAdenotes a module whosemodule operation depends on another fixed bounded operator A on H. The othermethod preserves a continuous K -frame using some minimal projections defined bymeans of the Moore-Penrose inverse of a closed range operator. Also, some examplesillustrate the results
The Role of Environmental Awareness in Transport Mobility Behaviour: Evidence from Survey-Based Approach in Catania (Italy)
No full textAccording to the European Environment Agency (EEA) estimates, road transport represents one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. Reducing its environmental impact is a key challenge in achieving sustainable mobility systems. While policies are increasingly oriented toward low-carbon fuels, zero-emission technologies, and modal shifts to public transport, recent research has highlighted the growing importance of users’ perceptions and attitudes in influencing mobility behaviors. Environmental awareness has emerged as a key factor in shaping transport choices. Based on this premise, this study investigates the role of environmental awareness in the transport mode choices of citizens in Catania (Italy), a context characterized by high motorization rates and traffic congestion. Based on a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 1,373 respondents via both CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) and CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) techniques, the analysis explores the association between environmental awareness and variables such as frequency of public transport use, gender, age, and occupational status. Respondents’ awareness was assessed with reference to air quality, traffic congestion, and noise pollution through a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive and non-parametric statistical analyses (i.e. Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn’s post-hoc) were applied to examine correlations between awareness and socio-demographic variables, as well as travel behaviour. Effect size was also computed to assess the practical relevance of the results. The findings provide valuable insights for designing more targeted and effective sustainable mobility policies, especially in contexts with high car dependency. Further research will examine how the willingness to adopt alternative transport varies according to personal motivation and perceived convenience
Computational thermo-mechanical modelling and design-space exploration of cryogenic hydrogen tanks for aviation
Get PDFA tool for parametric finite element modelling and analysis of LH2 tanks for aviation is developed. Passively
insulated cryogenic composite sandwich pressure vessels are investigated, as they conjugate simplicity,
effectiveness and lightweight design for aeronautical applications. Several parametric analyses are performed
with the aim of gaining both general and case-specific understanding of how particular design choices may
impact the tank mechanical and thermal performance. Differently from most of previous studies, multiple design
choices, including tank walls thicknesses, constraints for airframe integration strategies, as well as the presence,
position and integration of refuelling cutouts and anti-sloshing bulkheads are considered. The thermo-mechanical
analyses are performed considering first a simple reference configuration, with the aim of evaluating possible
directions for performance enhancement. Results indicate how different design features affect the gravimetric
and thermal efficiency of the tank, without compromising structural integrity if the walls thicknesses are suitably
sized. The effects of different constraints and geometric discontinuities, which reflect specific fuselage integration
choices, must be carefully assessed, as they reduce safety margins. Ultimately, a vessel model including features
necessary for safe operation is presented as it serves as a baseline for further optimization
Sustainable poultry meat valorization: Microbiological, physicochemical, and sensory characterization of salami made from spent egg-laying hens
No full textValorizing spent egg-laying hens offers a sustainable solution to reduce waste and recover nutritional resources from poultry production, embracing the principle of “from waste to taste”. This study advances the concept of closing the loop in poultry systems by exploring salami production as a circular economy approach. To achieve this, meat from spent hens was processed into salami, comparing two formulations: one using fat derived from spent hens (SHF) and another using traditional pork fat (SPF). Microbiological analyses confirmed the safety of both productions, with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) dominating fermentation and pathogenic species remaining undetected. Next generation sequencing (NGS) revealed a clear succession of microbial communities, highlighting the prevalence of LAB at the end of ripening. The SHF salami showed higher protein content and good antioxidant capacity, but a slightly higher susceptibility to lipid peroxidation. SPF salami showed better fat-lean cohesion and lower rancidity. The fatty acid profile indicated a more favorable nutritional composition for the SHF salami, which was richer in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Sensory evaluation revealed good overall acceptability, with SPF salami preferred for structural and flavor stability, while SHF salami enhanced odor intensity. In both salamis, aldehydes were the most abundant volatiles (59.8 % SHF, 40.7 % SPF), followed by alcohols, acids, and monoterpenes, with SHF salamis showing higher levels of key lipid-derived aldehydes such as hexanal, pentanal, and propanal, reflecting the influence of fat type on volatile profile. Overall, the findings demonstrate that meat from spent egg-laying hens can be successfully
employed in fermented meat products, offering a promising avenue for circular economy valorization and improved sustainability in poultry production
Spray-Dried PectiPhen Microparticles: A High-Value Antioxidant Excipient From Grape Processing Waste Via Electric Field-Assisted Maceration
No full textIn the current framework of sustainability, recycling and circular economy, this work pursued two main objectives: (i) to exploit green techniques assisting simple maceration to enhance polyphenols recovery from waste bentonite coming from organic white must filtration, and (ii) to develop a high value-added antioxidant excipient for pharmaceutical/cosmetic applications. The efficiency of polyphenol recovery was evaluated comparing simple maceration with ultrasound- or electric field-assisted maceration, using PEG 200 and/or propylene glycol as unconventional solvents. While the ultrasound-based approach did not yield remarkable results, careful selection of the process parameters for the electric field-assisted technique afforded a coloured extract with the highest polyphenols content (TPC) and antioxidant power (AP). Despite these promising results, the extract resulted unstable over time (≈15–20% reduction in TPC and AP after 9 months) likely due to its high water content. Consequently, it was further mixed with a citrus pectin dispersion, in the appropriate ratios and concentrations, to obtain a feed mixture suitable for spray drying. This process afforded PectiPhen microparticles in the form of a coloured powder characterised by high loading efficacy, poor flowability due to small particle size, negligible residual water content and hygroscopicity and, importantly, high storage stability (< 3% reduction in TPC and AP after 9 months). Based on these findings, the proposed PectiPhen microparticles could be considered a stable high value-added antioxidant solid hydrophilic excipient capable of preserving the activity of polyphenols
Employees’ Intentions to Engage in Green Practices: A Multilevel Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Perspective
No full textIn recent years, organizations have increasingly promoted and integrated employees' environmentally sustainable behaviors and practices as part of a strategic approach to enhance corporate reputation, demonstrate environmental stewardship, and respond to pressing ecological imperatives. This study explores the psychological factors that motivate employees' intentions to engage in green behaviors within organizational settings, following the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). We extend the model by incorporating a conceptually multilevel perspective, examining antecedents at the organizational, team, and employee levels: perceived organizational support, perceived colleague support and workplace attachment. Data were collected from a sample of 286 public employees. Our findings indicate that, among the behavioral antecedents proposed by the TPB, only some were validated as significant predictors of employees' intentions to engage in green behaviors within their organization. The results further show that each organizational, team, and employee level antecedent included in this study significantly influenced the constructs of the TPB. Implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed
Stability of freeze-dried starter and non-starter lactic acid bacteria for application in Sicilian cheese making
No full textThis study developed freeze-dried starter and non-starter lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cultures from traditional Sicilian dairy products to support reproducible artisanal cheese production. LAB viability was monitored over 180 days at various temperatures, with 4 degrees C yielding the best preservation. Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis showed strong resilience, while Pediococcus acidilactici was more sensitive. After six months, strains were tested in fresh ovine "Tuma" cheese. Microbiological and acidification data revealed that L. lactis strains promoted rapid microbial growth and acidification, reaching pH < 5.0 within 48 h. In contrast, Pediococcus acidilactici, Streptococcus macedonicus, and Lactococcus garvieae showed slower growth and weaker acidification. LAB counts, pH trends, and polymorphic profile comparison confirmed the dominant role of starter cultures in early cheese development, while adjunct strains developed more slowly. In fact, LAB strains influenced Tuma cheese aroma, acidity, sweetness, and overall liking, with L. lactis producing the most balanced and preferred sensory profile. Freeze-drying proved effective for stabilizing LAB cultures, supporting their use in Sicilian cheese making
Understanding and teaching rare diseases: from historical origins to modern classification
No full textThe concept of rare disease, formalized in the United States in the 1980s with the Orphan Drug Act, has historical and cultural roots dating back to the Renaissance. The definition of “rarity” has changed over time according to diagnostic tools, social contexts, and economic factors. With the advent of genetics, many new low-prevalence diseases have emerged, raising clinical and ethical challenges. Today, rare diseases require a multidisciplinary approach that also includes narrative medicine, in order to value the patient’s experience and better understand the relationship between disease, illness, and society