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Uporaba analize življenjskega cikla (LCA) za oceno okoljskih vplivov v vinogradništvu
No full textZa ocenjevanje vplivov izdelka, storitve ali procesa skozi celoten življenjski cikel se
uporablja LCA. Ocena življenjskega cikla (LCA) je mednarodna standardizirana metoda,
ki se uporablja za količinsko opredelitev okoljskih učinkov izdelka ali postopka skozi njegov življenjski cikel
Characterisation of aerosol types from different sources using a 2D AAE approach at various European sites
No full textThis work focuses on utilizing dual-wavelength Aethalometer data to distinguish between black carbon from fossil fuel combustion and wood burning. This approach uses the Absorption Ångström Exponent (AAE) to differentiate aerosol sources across Europe
Controlling in vitro mRNA polyadenylation by monitoring poly(A) polymerase consumption of ATP
No full textThe poly(A) tail of mRNA plays a vital role in mRNA transcript stability, translational efficiency, and immunogenicity. Co-transcriptionally polyadenylated in vitro transcribed (IVT) mRNAs typically contain poly(A) tails of 50–120 nucleotide tail length due to limitations in production of template pDNA with longer poly(A) sequences. In contrast, post-transcriptional enzymatic polyadenylation of mRNA with poly(A) polymerase (PAP) presents a modular alternative to increase the tail length. However, the lack of real-time control strategies for PAP-mediated tailing has limited its broader applicability in mRNA production. Here, we develop a methodology for controlling poly(A) tail length in post-transcriptional polyadenylation of mRNA that uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) consumption measured at-line to predict the poly(A) tail length. We establish a novel analytical method based on monolith reverse-phase chromatography to validate the poly(A) predictions. We were able to produce longer poly(A) tails and accurately determine their length in 300–700 nt range. The resulting longer poly(A) tailed reporter mRNAs outperformed the encoded and shorter poly(A) tailed mRNAs in cell-based assays. This work presents a new strategy for controlled post-transcriptional polyadenylation using ATP consumption as a process control metric, an approach which may in future be expanded to other NTP-dependent enzymatic conversions
Source apportionment of carbonaceous submicron particulate matter in an urban area synthesizing the results of observation- and chemical transport model-based approaches
No full textParticulate matter (PM) significantly impacts urban air quality and public health, making the quantification of its source contributions crucial for effective air quality management. In this work, we investigate the origins of organic aerosol (OA) and elemental carbon (EC) in an urban environment by synthesizing results from in situ observational analyses (receptor modeling) and chemical transport modeling. This study focused on the city of Barcelona, Spain, during a summer and a winter period in 2019, using measurement data from an aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM), an Aethalometer, and analyses of filter samples along with source-resolved predictions from the chemical transport model (CTM) PMCAMx. Results refer to PM1 (PM finer than 1 μm). Oxygenated OA (OOA) was the dominant source of OA during both periods with contributions ranging from 63 % of PM1 OA in winter to 80 % in summer. During summer, most of it originated from sources outside Barcelona such as wildfires, biogenic sources, as well as sources outside Europe. PMCAMx significantly underpredicted OOA during wintertime, suggesting that the model is lacking both processes that produce secondary OA (SOA) during periods of low photochemical activity and the corresponding emissions of organic pollutants. Biomass burning OA (BBOA) emitted far away from the city and its conversion to SOA either due to nighttime or aqueous chemistry could explain part of the missing OOA. Hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA) ranged from 8 to 14 % of the OA in both periods, peaking during morning and evening rush hours. The primary OA (POA) emissions from transportation during winter may be underestimated in the emission inventory. Cooking OA (COA) was also a significant source (11 % of total PM1 OA) and it needs to be added to the current European emission inventories. Fresh BBOA was a small component of OA during summer and higher during winter. The PM1 EC levels were found to be dominated by local sources during both seasons. Among these sources, fossil fuel combustion was the most important contributor, accounting for approximately 74 % of the total EC. This highlights the strong influence of traffic and other fossil fuel-related activities on EC concentrations in Barcelona, regardless of season.
This study demonstrates the value of integrating observational data (and receptor modelling) with chemical transport modeling to more accurately identify the sources of carbonaceous PM in urban environments. Such combined approaches are essential for developing effective mitigation strategies tailored to seasonal and local emission patterns, ultimately supporting improved air quality management
Predstavitev monografije Pogledi na didaktiko slovenščine
No full textPredstavitev znanstvene monografije Pogledi na didaktiko slovenščine v Feiglovi knjižnici v Goric
Univerza v Novi Gorici širi prepoznavnost zavezništva Across po vsej Evropi
No full textIn recent months, University of Nova Gorica (https://ung.si/en/) has taken part in numerous educational fairs and events at schools across Europe, where, in addition to presenting its study programmes, it placed special emphasis on showcasing the opportunities offered to students through the Across European University Allianc
Mobilnost in identiteta v sodobni libanonski književnosti in umetnosti
No full textThis thesis examines how contemporary Lebanese literature and art reflects the complexities of mobility, identity, and diaspora by analyzing three texts: Of Cities & Women (Letters to Fawwaz) by Etel Adnan, Mister N by Najwa Barakat, and How the German Came to His Senses by Rashid Al-Daif. It employs a methodology that includes the five codes method, proposed by Roland Barthes, according to whom meaning is constructed across a web of interconnected signsliterary psychogeography, initially developed by Guy Debord to explore the psychological effects of the urban environment on individualsand participatory and collaborative methods through the CHAL Project.
The thesis is based on the following theoretical concepts: béance—which, according to Hédi Bouraoui, refers to an empty space for migrants that can be filled with different culturesnomadic subject—as proposed by Rosi Braidotti within the context of feminism, where sexual difference is conceived as a source of cultural creativity rather than an element of marginalization—and transculturalism, which, according to Wolfgang Welsch, offers a vision of interconnectedness that characterizes modern cultures.
The expected outcomes of this research included creating a more precise definition of Lebanese cultural identity, which was achieved by highlighting the role of literature and other cultural expressions of mobility in shaping societal narratives.
While numerous studies have already addressed Lebanese literature and art, the originality of this thesis lies in examining the intersection between mobility—whether voluntary or forced—and identity. This point of convergence has, so far, been relatively underexplored within the context of the Lebanese civil war and the subsequent post-war era, a period that profoundly influenced the three selected authors. Their works depict the fluid and multifaceted nature of Lebanese identity within an increasingly globalized and mobile world.Doktorska disertacija raziskuje vprašanje, kako se v sodobni libanonski literaturi in umetnosti odraža kompleksnost konceptov mobilnosti, identitete in diaspore, in sicer na podlagi analize treh besedil: Of Cities & Women (Letters to Fawwaz) avtorice Etel Adnan, Mister N avtorice Najwe Barakata in How the German Came to his Senses avtorja Rashida Al-Daifa. Metodologija, uporabljena v disertaciji, se opira na metodo petih kod, ki jo je predlagal Roland Barthes, po kateri se pomen konstruira v mreži medsebojno povezanih znakovna literarno psihogeografijo, ki jo je razvil Guy Debord in raziskuje psihološke učinke urbanega okolja na ljuditer na participativne in sodelovalne metode v okviru projekta CHAL.
Disertacija temelji na naslednjih teoretičnih konceptih: béance, ki se po Hédiju Bouraouiju nanaša na prazen prostor za migrante, in ga je mogočezapolniti z različnimi kulturami, nomadski subjekt, ki ga je predlagala Rosi Braidotti v kontekstu feminizma, kjer je spolna razlika razumljena kot vir kulturne ustvarjalnosti in ne element marginalizacije, in transkulturalizem, ki po Wolfgangu Welschu ponuja vizijo medsebojne povezanosti, ki je značilna za sodobne kulture.
Pričakovani rezultati te raziskave vključujejo oblikovanje jasnejše opredelitve libanonske kulturne identitete, s poudarkom na vlogi literature in drugih načinov kulturnega izraza mobilnosti pri oblikovanju družbene pripovedi.
Kljub številnim obstoječim študijam o libanonski literaturi in umetnosti, disertacija prinaša novost v obravnavanju presečišča med mobilnostjo—prostovoljno ali prisilno—in identiteto, ki je bilo do zdaj slabo raziskano v kontekstu libanonske državljanske vojne in povojnega obdobja. To obdobje je močno vplivalo na vse tri obravnavane avtorje, ki opisujejo fluidno in večplastno identiteto Libanoncev v vse bolj globaliziranem in mobilnem svetu
Biochemical and biophysical analysis of two Antarctic lysozyme endolysins and in silico exploration of glycoside hydrolase 19 sequence space
No full textBiodiversity of organisms and their genomic content is a valuable source of enzymes, some of which can be isolated and turned into biocatalysts, useful for more sustainable and efficient industrial processes.
Organisms thriving in constantly cold environments produce enzymes that may be more efficient in the cold and more thermolabile than enzymes from other organisms, and that display interesting features for the catalysis of several processes that require or are better at low temperature.
In the first part of this thesis, two glycoside hydrolases of family 19 (GH19), named LYS177 and LYS188, were identified in the genome of an Antarctic Pseudomonas strain and characterized. Even though most of the characterized GH19 are chitinases, LYS177 and LYS188 showed no chitinolytic activity, but were active as lysozymes with an optimum temperature of 25-35°C, and retained 40% of their highest activity at 5°C.
The temperatures of midpoint unfolding transition were estimated to be 20°C higher than their optimum of activity. Based on these features and sequence analysis, LYS177 and LYS188 can be considered cold-active phage endolysins integrated in prophagic regions of the bacterial host. Moreover, the best performing of the two, LYS177, was active and structurally stable over several days only at 4°C, indicating it as a candidate for potential application on the preservation of food and beverages during cold storage.
In protein families, enzymes can rapidly acquire new specializations. Therefore, best practices should be implemented to select optimal candidates with the activity of interest and new, potentially promising, features.
Characterized GH19 enzymes showed an enhanced in vivo crop defence against chitin containing pathogens and antimicrobial potentialities.
In the second part of this thesis, the sequence space of the GH19 family was explored and a database was created to highlight non-described sequences potentially endowed with interesting variants.
Based on global pairwise sequence identity of all proteins available in public databases, GH19s were assigned to two subfamilies, the chitinases and the endolysins. Subfamilies were further split into homologous families, which differ in the n° of characterized enzymes they harbour, in the taxonomical distribution, in the
presence of accessory domains and loop insertions.
Despite this heterogeneity, a core consisting of 27 amino acids around the active site, including important substrate binding residues, was inferred to be conserved between GH19 subfamilies. Thus, this shared core is suggested to be associated to
the GH19 capacity to bind sugars containing N-acetyl-glucosamine.
Moreover, specifically conserved positions in each subfamily alignment were identified to be a “signature” useful for predicting the substrate specialization of chitinases and endolysins, and to indicate possible outliers with different features.
The GH19 evolution was also investigated through molecular phylogeny to explain the observed sequence and structural plasticity: despite endolysins were divided in an higher number of homologous families, they remained in phages and their bacterial hosts, contrary to chitinases, which spread to both prokaryotic and eukaryotic taxa, and acquired at least four loop insertionsmoreover, the GH19
chitinase catalytic domain passed from plants to bacteria by horizontal gene transfer in at least two cases.
In conclusion, the second part of this thesis shows how bioinformatic tools can be used to analyse the sequence space of a glycoside hydrolase family and extract information to help both experts and non-experts to optimize the discovery of new biocatalysts potentially applied in the field of human health and nutrition
▫▫ hybrid monoliths for photothermal ▫▫ desorption
No full textElevated CO2 concentrations disrupt the Earth’s carbon cycle, drawing attention to the need for effective carbon management strategies. The widespread adoption of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) technology is hindered by several challenges, The most critical one is the high operational cost, mainly resulting from the energy-intensive capture process (sorption and desorption).
Although considerable research has been devoted to enhancing CO₂ capture efficiency, the development of economically viable desorption techniques has lagged, creating a significant gap in the overall process. (1) For now in already used thermal swing desorption method, the entire compartment containing the sorbents needs to be heated, which is very energy consuming. To optimize energy consumption, one of the promising approaches can be localized heating of the sorbents using photothermal (PT) effect. (2) But the first step is to create hybrid materials, e.g. silica-iron oxide. In this composite silica act as capturing material and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) act as photothermally active material.
Such hybrid monoliths were prepared via two different methods: (a) Sol-Phase Nanoparticle Dispersion (SPND) where IONPs are added to the sol before it undergoes gelation and (b) Spray coating (SC) of IONPs onto the silica monolith. Initial PTE measurements shows that in the case of SPND method, there is not enough rise in temperature when illuminated by power of 0.1 W (≈ 1 sun). This is due to the “dead” IONPs in the core of monolith, which are not illuminated by light. The significant temperature increase was not observed neither when the monoliths were illuminated with higher power of 1W (≈10 sun). Contrary, in the case of SC monoliths, there is a significant increase in the temperature already for monoliths with the lowest coverage and under low power of 1 sun (≈ 0.1W). The SC prepared hybrid monoliths exhibit hierarchical porosity, with pore sizes ranging from 0.5 nm to few tons of micrometres. Their CO2 uptake reached up to 1.77 mmol/g at 0°C and 0.96 mmol/g at 25°C, which is significantly higher than in the case of pure silica monolith. Thermally programmed desorption revealed that temperature needed for complete CO2 regeneration is ≈100 °C .To investigate the effect of selectively targeting the absorption maximum, PT experiments were conducted using two narrowband light sources: 447 nm, which coincides with the absorption peak of Fe3O4, and 808 nm which does not