Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
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Understanding the role of calcium in kiwifruit: ion transport, signaling, and fruit quality
Full text linkCalcium (Ca2+) plays a fundamental role in metabolic processes, and it is involved
in several structural functions at the cell level, such as vacuole osmotic regulation, cell
wall strengthening, and plasma membrane stability, as well as acting as a secondary
messenger for several different signals. The role of Ca2+ in signal transduction and cell wall organization is crucial for stress responses, cell activity, and plant tissue development.
In addition, Ca2+ is essential in modulating enzymatic activities, hormonal control, water, and ion transport across the plasma membrane. Although calcium’s role in fruit trees
is well studied, many of its specific functions in kiwifruit remain unclear, including the
optimal amount of Ca2+ in fruit and its distribution in fruit cells for the best pre- and
post-harvest fruit quality. Calcium transport to the fruit is mainly regulated by the xylem
sap flow; however, the contribution of fruit transpiration and the requirements of fruit cells are not clear. Understanding the kinetics of Ca2+ accumulation in fruit under different environmental conditions can help establish correct nutrient management. This review addresses the current knowledge on Ca2+ involvement in plant physiology, metabolic
processes, structural functions, and fruit growth, quality, and storage, with particular
emphasis on Actinidia chinensis. In addition, the different analytical techniques used for the quantification and definition of Ca2+ in different plant organs, including stain technology, X-rays, and advanced imaging methods, are here explored
Microscopic and ultrastructural observations on the regenerating scales of the lizard Podarcis muralis clarify the origin of the micro-ornamentation
No full textThe present study conducted using immunofluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy aims to determine the origin of the lamellated pattern and of the micro-ornamentation formed in tail scales of the lacertid lizard Podarcis muralis. Regenerating scales shows the typical formation of all the epidermal layers of lizard epidermis, including clear and Oberhautchen layers. The latter initiates the accumulation of hard corneous material containing corneous beta proteins (CBPs) that determine a tension with the overlaying softer clear layer containing mainly intermediate filaments of keratins (IFKs). The two layers, initially joined by numerous desmosomes, are later displaced one from the other with the growth of regenerating scales, forming a slanted surface as observed under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At the beginning of scale regeneration, the slanted tips form an irregular lamellated pattern on the surface of Oberhautchen cells, appearing as crests or waves under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In the following scale differentiation, growth, and shedding of molt, the irregular crests form a more ordered and parallel microsculptured and micro-ornamentation pattern when Oberhautchen and beta-cells merge one to another and give rise to a mature beta-layer. Hard CBP-based corneous material and electron-dense materials of unknown composition together with IFKs are accumulated in the slanted surface of the differentiating Oberhautchen cells. During scale growth, the Oberhautchen surface matures into a jig-saw outline that gives rise to the lamellated pattern of mature micro-ornamentation. The study suggests that complex micro-ornamentation patterns in other lizard species can also vary during scale formation, in development, growth, or regeneration
Measurement of φ(1020) meson production in fixed-target p Ne collisions at √s_NN = 68.5 GeV
Full text linkThe first measurement of φ(1020) meson production in fixed-target p Ne collisions at √s_NN = 68.5 GeV is presented. The φ(1020) mesons are reconstructed in their K+ K− decay in a data sample consisting of proton collisions on neon nuclei at rest, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 21.7 ± 1.4 nb^−1, collected by the LHCb detector at CERN. The φ(1020) production cross-section in the centre-of-mass rapidity range of −1.8 < y* < 0 and transverse momentum range of 800 < p_T < 6500 MeV/c is found to be σ = 182.7 ± 2.7(stat.) ± 14.1(syst) μb/nucleon. A double-differential measurement of the cross-section is also provided in four regions of rapidity and six regions of transverse momentum of the φ(1020) meson and compared with the predictions from Pythia and EPOS4, which are found to underestimate the experimental values
Depth on Demand: Streaming Dense Depth from a Low Frame Rate Active Sensor
Full text linkHigh frame rate and accurate depth estimation plays an important role in several tasks crucial to robotics and automotive perception. To date, this can be achieved through ToF and LiDAR devices for indoor and outdoor applications, respectively. However, their applicability is limited by low frame rate, energy consumption, and spatial sparsity. Depth on Demand (DoD) allows for accurate temporal and spatial depth densification achieved by exploiting a high frame rate RGB sensor coupled with a potentially lower frame rate and sparse active depth sensor. Our proposal jointly enables lower energy consumption and denser shape reconstruction, by significantly reducing the streaming requirements on the depth sensor thanks to its three core stages: i) multi-modal encoding, ii) iterative multi-modal integration, and iii) depth decoding. We present extended evidence assessing the effectiveness of DoD on indoor and outdoor video datasets, covering both environment scanning and automotive perception use cases
Panorama of new-physics explanations to the MiniBooNE excess
Full text linkThe MiniBooNE low-energy excess stands as an unexplained anomaly in short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. It has been shown that it can be explained in the context of dark sector models. Here, we provide an overview of the possible new-physics solutions based on electron, photon, and dilepton final states. We systematically discuss the various production mechanisms for dark particles in neutrino-nucleus scattering. Our main result is a comprehensive fit to the MiniBooNE energy spectrum in the parameter space of dark neutrino models, where short-lived heavy neutral leptons are produced in neutrino interactions and decay to e+e- pairs inside the detector. For the first time, other experiments will be able to directly confirm or rule out dark neutrino interpretations of the MiniBooNE low-energy excess
Strategie di Prompting. Una guida pratica all’uso degli LLM per studenti e insegnanti
No full textStrategie di prompting rappresenta un’opera sistematica e rigorosa che esplora le potenzialità e le applicazioni dei Large Language Models nel panorama contemporaneo. Il volume affronta con rigore scientifico le fondamenta teoriche e le implementazioni pratiche di questa tecnologia trasformativa, offrendo un’analisi approfondita delle sue capacità di elaborazione del linguaggio naturale. L’opera si distingue per la sua trattazione metodica delle tecniche di prompting, dalla costruzione basilare di istruzioni efficaci fino all’implementazione di strategie avanzate come il role prompting e l’approccio few-shot. Particolare attenzione viene dedicata ai pattern di prompt innovativi, tra cui il metodo “Pianifica e risolvi” e l’“Albero dei pensieri”, che consentono di guidare gli LLM verso processi cognitivi articolati. Di notevole rilevanza è l’approfondimento sulla gestione delle allucinazioni, una sfida cruciale nell’impiego degli LLM. Il testo presenta metodologie consolidate per mitigare questo fenomeno, introducendo i sistemi RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) come strumento per l’integrazione di conoscenze verificabili. L’opera si distingue inoltre per l’analisi delle applicazioni multimodali, esplorando l’interazione tra testo e contenuti visivi, e per la presentazione di casi studio completi che dimostrano l’applicabilità degli LLM in scenari reali. La trattazione della personalizzazione attraverso strumenti come Ollama offre preziose indicazioni per l’implementazione in ambiente locale. Corredato da un’esaustiva bibliografia di oltre 150 riferimenti scientifici e da un apparato di esercizi graduati, il volume rappresenta uno strumento indispensabile per la comunità accademica e professionale interessata all’applicazione consapevole degli LLM, bilanciando potenzialità innovative e considerazioni etiche
Policies and strategies to control antimicrobial resistance in livestock production: A comparative analysis of national action plans in European Union Member States
Full text linkPolicy strategies targeting imprudent antimicrobial use (AMU) in livestock farming have been established at the global and country levels, recognising the risks associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study evaluates the strategies addressing AMU and AMR in animal farms and the food supply chain in EU Member States using a multimethod approach. Our aim is to contribute to the debates surrounding the goals set by the EU Commission and the ‘Strategic framework for collaboration on antimicrobial resistance: Together for One Health’. We first review the policies, strategies and specific legislation in the European Union (EU) and Member States about AMU/AMR in livestock production. We then evaluate the national action plans for AMU reduction in the EU using the progressive management pathway tool from the FAO. Finally, we assess the measures that affect AMU reduction by applying a system generalised method of moments to a 8-year panel of the same countries. According to our results, efforts to reduce AMU could be focused on controlling excessive AMU in the pig sector. Further veterinary training on AMU/AMR and improvements in the performance of the veterinary sector, as well as strengthening the development of multisector and One Health collaboration and coordination, can also contribute to achieving better standards in AMU reduction in the livestock sector and, consequently, for AMR control
Fostering active citizenship and ethical professionalism: a service-learning paradigm for translator education
No full textThe increasing attention to the professional components of translation competences and the growing emphasis on the social role of translators highlight the need for pedagogical approaches that foster both active citi-zenship and ethical reflection. Service-learning (SL) has emerged as an ef-fective didactic approach, merging academic learning with community service to cultivate socially engaged professionals. This article introduces a novel SL model for translator education, which integrates civic engage-ment within academic curricula. Combining Gouadec’s socio-construc-tivistally-inspired project-based translation pedagogy (2005) and Dewey’s democratic education principles (1916), our model advocates for the po-tential of translation service-learning (TSL) to bridge academic instruction and community-based professional practice. Through the case study of IN.TRA (Inclusive Translation for Community Engagement), a pro bono lan-guage service provider initiated at the University of Bologna in 2021, we analyse the implications of SL for enhancing translator education with global citizenship competences
Level of M1 GABAB predicts micro offline consolidation of motor learning during wakefulness
Full text linkThe consolidation process stabilizes a new initially labile memory. This consolidation could operate on a shorter timescale during wakefulness after initial motor learning. Within micro-offline learning states, sequences of simple individual actions learned through interleaved practice are condensed into a unified skill through a time-dependent consolidation process occurring during wakeful periods. While emerging evidence links Glutamate and GABA modulations in the primary motor cortex (M1) to motor learning, its relationship with micro-offline consolidation processes in brief resting states during motor learning is unclear. To investigate this issue, we employed Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to evaluate whether interindividual variation of different neurotransmitters at rest influences motor learning consolidation in humans. Our results point to the role of GABAB in micro-offline motor consolidation processes during motor learning in M1. This finding could have an important impact on planning neuropharmacology or non-invasive brain stimulation approaches in clinical domains, such as post-stroke rehabilitation
Voces fragmentadas: violencia, identidad, lengua y transculturalidad en “Papi y el Otro” de Luz Selenia Vázquez
No full textEl cuento Papi y el Otro de Luz Selenia Vázquez ofrece una narración compleja en la que confluyen la violencia doméstica, los traumas generados por la guerra de Corea y la problemática de la identidad lingüística en un contexto migratorio. A través de la figura de un padre que, posiblemente afectado por un trastorno mental derivado de su participación en la guerra y su broken English, se transforma en un ser violento, y de una madre que ostenta un perfecto dominio del inglés, la autora construye un relato en el que el lenguaje se erige tanto como instrumento de poder como de resistencia. Este artículo se apoya en teorías poscoloniales (Bhabha, Said), estudios sociolingüísticos (Bourdieu) y enfoques migratorios (Appadurai), así como en el concepto de abyección en Kristeva, para analizar cómo las tensiones culturales y lingüísticas configuran la identidad de los personajes y se articulan la violencia y el trauma en la cotidianidad de la diáspora. Además, se aborda la dimensión de la mirada infantil, la representación ambivalente –donde la ternura y el rechazo coexisten–, y se sitúa la obra en el contexto de la literatura femenina (y feminista) latina en Estados Unidos, destacando la importancia de colecciones como Cuentos, Stories by Latinas. Finalmente, se incorpora el tema de la transculturalidad, evidenciando cómo el relato articula y negocia las fronteras culturales en la experiencia migratoria. La investigación contribuye a una comprensión más profunda de la intersección entre lenguaje, violencia, migración, género, transculturalidad e identidad en la literatura latina contemporánea