10081 research outputs found
Sort by
New knowledge, diagnostic and control tools to limit the impact of viral nervous necrosis (VNN) in the Mediterranean aquaculture sector
No full textThe role of aquaculture in satisfying the global seafood demand is essential. The expansion of the aquaculture sector and the intensification of its activities have enhanced the circulation of infectious agents.
Among these, the nervous necrosis virus (NNV) represents the most widespread in the Mediterranean basin. The NNV is responsible for a severe neuropathological condition named viral nervous necrosis (VNN), impacting hugely on fish farms due to the serious disease-associated losses. Therefore, it is fundamental to develop new strategies to limit the impact of VNN in this area, interconnecting several aspects of disease management, diagnosis and prevention.
This PhD thesis project, focusing on aquatic animals’ health, deals with these topics.
The first two chapters expand the knowledge on VNN epidemiology and distribution, showing the possibility of interspecies transmission, persistent infections and a potential carrier role for invertebrates.
The third study expands the horizon of VNN diagnosis, by developing a quick and affordable multiplex RT-PCR able to detect and simultaneously discriminate between NNV variants, reducing considerably the time and costs of genotyping.
The fourth study, with the development of a fluorescent in situ hybridization technique and its application to aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates’ tissues, contributes to expand the knowledge on NNV distribution at cellular level, localizing also the replication site of the virus.
Finally, the last study dealing with an in vitro evaluation of the NNV susceptibility to a commercial biocide, stress the importance to implement proper disinfectant procedures in fish farms to prevent virus spread and disease outbreaks
Development of a Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) approach for the characterization of Legionella environmental isolates in water systems
No full textLegionella is a Gram-negative bacterium that represent a public health issue, with heavy social and economic impact. Therefore, it is mandatory to provide a proper environmental surveillance and risk assessment plan to perform Legionella control in water distribution systems in hospital and community buildings.
The thesis joins several methodologies in a unique workflow applied for the identification of non-pneumophila Legionella species (n-pL), starting from standard methods as culture and gene sequencing (mip and rpoB), and passing through innovative approaches as MALDI-TOF MS technique and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The results obtained, were compared to identify the Legionella isolates, and lead to four presumptive novel Legionella species identification. One of these four new isolates was characterized and recognized at taxonomy level with the name of Legionella bononiensis (the 64th Legionella species).
The workflow applied in this thesis, help to increase the knowledge of Legionella environmental species, improving the description of the environment itself and the events that promote the growth of Legionella in their ecological niche. The correct identification and characterization of the isolates permit to prevent their spread in man-made environment and contain the occurrence of cases, clusters, or outbreaks. Therefore, the experimental work undertaken, could support the preventive measures during environmental and clinical surveillance, improving the study of species often underestimated or still unknown
Toxic cyanobacteria in water intended for drinking purpose: improvement of cells and toxins’ analyses and of treatments for their removal
No full textMassive proliferations of cyanobacteria in freshwaters have recently increased, causing ecological and economic losses. Their ever-increasing presence in water sources destined to potabilization has become a major threat for public health, since several species can produce harmful toxins (cyanotoxin). Therefore, additional specific measures to improve management and treatment of drinking water(s) are required. The PhD thesis investigates toxic cyanobacteria in drinking waters with a special focus on Emilia-Romagna (Italy), throughout three separated chapters, each with different specific objectives. The first chapter aims at improving the fast monitoring of cyanobacteria in drinking water, which was investigated by testing different models of multi-wavelength spectrofluorometers. Inter-laboratories calibrations were conducted using mono-specific cultures and field samples, and both the feasibility and the technical limitations of such tools were illustrated. The second chapter evaluates the effectiveness of drinking water treatments in removing cyanobacterial cells and toxins. Two chlorinated oxidants (sodium hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide) already in use for pre-oxidation during water potabilization, were tested on cultures of the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa posing a specific focus on toxin removal and revealing that pre-oxidation can cause the release of toxins and unknown metabolites. Innovative treatments based on non-thermal plasma were also tested, observing an effective and rapid inactivation of cyanobacterial cells. The third chapter presents a study on a cyanobacterium isolated from a drinking water reservoir of Emilia-Romagna and investigated by combining biological, chemical, and genomic methods. Although the strain did not produce any known cyanotoxin, high toxicity of water-extract was observed in bioassays and potential implications for drinking water were discussed. Overall, the PhD thesis offers new insights into toxic cyanobacteria management in drinking water, highlighting best practices for drinking water managers regarding their detection and removal. Additionally, the thesis provides new contributions to the understanding of the freshwater cyanobacteria community in the Emilia-Romagna region
Re-discovering urban slabs. Towards a new understanding of multi-level public facilities.
No full textThis thesis discusses Urban Slabs, understood as built grounds that generate an ensemble of accessible new public places for recreation in the city. Research identifies two parts in an Urban Slab: 1) an above-slab well-delimited public space; and 2) an ensemble of below-slab spaces that are turned into public interiors. The above-slab space is a direct descendant of the long lineage of well-delimited central public voids representing the political and gathering spaces of the city, the Heart
of the city, like public and market squares. The below-slab spaces, originally created for functional needs like the construction of storage spaces, the evacuation of used waters or the insertion of other flows and technologies deriving from the urban densification and congestion, have become new public spaces from the last hundred and fifty years onwards.
The research hypothesis is that these multilevel and three-dimensional public facilities constitute contemporary opportunities acting as spaces for meeting and reassembling the collectivity in the city. Through case studies, research highlights different categories related to the above-slab space first and to below-slab spaces after. The goal is to inspire not only the conception but as well the reinvention of public grounds in the city and the transformation and re-use of existing urban vacancies. In this way, the notion of Urban Slab emerges as a convenient tool for contemporary and future reinventions of public spaces, where the collectivity can gather in a nonproductive context around recreational activities. Urban Slabs appear then as functional and symbolic hearts, centrally located in the city in which the urban collectivity can exercise its right to recreation, making use of public spaces for walking, playing, doing some sports, performing, or just gather as political acts. The topics of recreation and diversion, to which these Urban Slabs are functionally dedicated, become relevant in this research
Consumer protection in contracts for the supply of digital content and services
No full textEl objetivo de esta tesis es analizar algunos aspectos del contrato de suministro de contenidos y servicios digitales.
El contrato de suministro de contenidos y servicios digitales es un nuevo tipo de contrato que tiene su origen en la Directiva 2019/770, cuyo objetivo es establecer un marco jurídico claro y uniforme a nivel de la UE para aumentar la protección de los consumidores y acabar con la inseguridad jurídica de las empresas, en particular de las PYMES. Los aspectos contractuales más importantes que afectan a las transacciones relacionadas con los contenidos y servicios digitales y regulados por la Directiva 2019/770 son la falta de conformidad, los remedios en caso de falta de conformidad y la modificación de los contenidos o servicios digitales. Así, la armonización de estos aspectos relacionados con los contratos de contenidos y servicios digitales pretendía poner fin a la fragmentación jurídica que existía en cada uno de los 28 Estados miembros de la UE y, en consecuencia, solucionar los problemas derivados de esta dispersión normativa.
Posteriormente, en abril de 2021, la Directiva 2019/770, junto con la Directiva 2019/771, fue transpuesta al ordenamiento jurídico español a través del RD-Ley 7/2021, introduciendo o modificando determinados preceptos del TRLGDCU. El TRLGDCU no contenía, hasta ahora, normas específicas que regularan este tipo de contratos, por lo que también es la primera vez que, a nivel nacional, existe una legislación ad hoc para este tipo de contratos.
En esta tesis se han analizado cada uno de los aspectos regulados por la Directiva 2019/770 incorporados al TRLGDCU.The objective of this thesis is to analyse certain aspects of the contract for the provision of digital content and services.
The contract for the provision of digital content and services is a new type of contract which originates from Directive 2019/770, which aims to establish a clear legal framework and uniform at EU level in order to increase consumer protection and end legal uncertainty for businesses, in particular SMEs. The most important contractual aspects affecting transactions related to digital content and services and that have been regulated by Directive 2019/770 are the lack of conformity, remedies in case of lack of conformity and the modification of digital content or digital services. Thus, the harmonisation of these contract-related aspects for digital content and digital services was intended to put an end to the legal fragmentation existing in each of the 28 Member States of the European Union and, consequently, remedy the problems resulting from this regulatory dispersion.
Subsequently, in April 2021, Directive 2019/770, together with the Directive 2019/771, was transposed into Spanish law through RD-Law 7/2021, introducing or modifying some precepts of the TRLGDCU. The TRLGDCU did not contained, until now, specific rules regulating this type of contract, so it is also the first time that, at a national level, there is ad hoc legislation for this type of contract.
This thesis has analysed each of the aspects regulated by Directive 2019/770 incorporated in the TRLGDCU.L'obiettivo di questa tesi è analizzare alcuni aspetti del contratto di fornitura di contenuti e servizi digitali.
Il contratto di fornitura di contenuti e servizi digitali è un nuovo tipo di contratto che trae origine dalla Direttiva 2019/770, che mira a stabilire un quadro giuridico chiaro e uniforme a livello dell'UE al fine di aumentare la protezione dei consumatori e porre fine all'incertezza giuridica per le aziende, in particolare per le PMI. Gli aspetti contrattuali più importanti che riguardano le transazioni relative a contenuti e servizi digitali e che sono stati regolamentati dalla Direttiva 2019/770 sono il difetto di conformità, i mezzi di ricorso in caso di difetto di conformità e la modifica dei contenuti o servizi digitali. In questo modo, l'armonizzazione di questi aspetti relativi al contratto per i contenuti e i servizi digitali intendeva porre fine alla frammentazione giuridica esistente in ciascuno dei 28 Stati membri dell'Unione europea e, di conseguenza, porre rimedio ai problemi derivanti da questa dispersione normativa.
Successivamente, nell'aprile del 2021, la Direttiva 2019/770, insieme alla Direttiva 2019/771, è stata recepita nell'ordinamento spagnolo attraverso il RD-Legge 7/2021, introducendo o modificando alcuni precetti del TRLGDCU. Il TRLGDCU non conteneva, fino ad ora, norme specifiche che regolassero questo tipo di contratto, per cui è anche la prima volta che, a livello nazionale, si dispone di una normativa ad hoc per questo tipo di contratto.
Questa tesi ha analizzato ciascuno degli aspetti disciplinati dalla Direttiva 2019/770 incorporata nel TRLGDCU
La traduction de la littérature de la Shoah entre pratique linguistique et éthique culturelle
No full textIl presente lavoro intende analizzare, in chiave comparativa, un corpus di testi di area francofona europea riconducibili al genere della testimonianza di sopravvissuti e sopravvissute alla Shoah, e le relative traduzioni pubblicate in lingua italiana. L’obiettivo è quello di studiare i movimenti psicologici che portano alle scelte linguistiche in cui consiste il processo traduttivo di opere dal contenuto così sensibile. Il lavoro prende le mosse dall’idea che, in ragione della tematica trattata, di carattere traumatico oltre che autobiografico, la traduzione delle testimonianze di sopravvissuti e sopravvissute alla Shoah sia un’attività, in un certo senso, indebita. Si partirà da una riflessione sulla testimonianza in quanto genere testuale e da un excursus sulla storia della letteratura della Shoah in Francia e in Italia, oltre che sulla storia della traduzione di testimonianze sull’Olocausto. In seguito, si procederà a un confronto delle pratiche della scrittura di testimonianza e di traduzione di un testo testimoniale, che condividono l’aspetto di rielaborazione di un contenuto mnemonico altamente sensibile. Attraverso una riflessione che prenderà in prestito il suo impianto metodologico dalla disciplina della psicoanalisi, si procederà a una contestualizzazione dell’attività della traduzione di testimonianza nella sua rilevanza pratica, etica e filosofica. Quanto ottenuto verrà ricercato a livello linguistico nei testi francesi e nelle relative traduzioni, attraverso un’analisi comparativa di aspetti del testo considerati forieri, all’interno del perimetro testuale di una testimonianza, del maggior carico emotivo: la tessitura testuale, la deissi temporale e personale, i realia della cultura ebraica e della macchina della persecuzione nazista, i tópoi relativi all’immaginario della deportazione e gli elementi paratestuali.The present work aims at comparatively analysing a corpus of French texts that can be categorized as testimonies written by survivors of the Shoah; and of their respective translations published into Italian. The aim is to investigate the psychological movements that lead to the choices involved in the process of translating texts with such a sensitive content. The work stems from the idea that, due to the traumatic autobiographical subject matter, the translation of testimonies written by Holocaust survivors is, to a certain extent, an undue activity. In the first chapter, the work will start from a reflection on testimony as a genre, leading to an excursus on the history of literature of the Shoah in France and in Italy. In the same chapter, a brief overlook of the history of translation of testimonies will be presented. In the following chapter, a comparison will be made between the practices of writing a testimony and that of translating a testimonial text, two activities that share the aspect of reworking an extremely sensitive mnemonic content. More precisely, the activity of translating a testimony will be contextualised in its practical, ethical, and philosophical relevance. This will be possible thanks to a reflection that will borrow its methodological framework from the discipline of psychoanalysis. In the last chapter, the connection between the two practices will be analysed at a practical level, taking into account the French texts and their Italian translations through a comparative analysis. The latter will focus on linguistic aspects that are generally considered to carry the greatest emotional burden within the textual perimeter of a testimony: that is to say, rhythm and textual texture, temporal and personal deixis, realia pertaining to the Jewish culture and to the Nazi persecution of Jews, tópoi relating to the imagery of deportation, and paratextual elements
Exploring deep learning-based approaches for precipitation downscaling
No full textDespite the remarkable performance of Numerical Weather Prediction and Global Climate Models across a wide range of applications, the accurate simulation of local-scale precipitation and the reliable reproduction of its distribution is still a significant challenge. The limited spatial resolution of global models is among the primary factors undermining their forecast capabilities in this context. Indeed, the physical mechanisms underlying the onset and development of precipitation, particularly in extreme events, operate at spatio-temporal scales smaller than those explicitly resolved, thus struggling to be accurately captured. Downscaling aims at bridging the gap between the spatial resolution of models output, and the resolution needed for local-scale applications. Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) have been successfully applied to super-resolution tasks, which involve enhancing the spatial resolution of images. Reasons of similarity provide a compelling motivation for applying this technique to the task of downscaling. This thesis explores the application of a conditional deep convolutional GAN to precipitation downscaling. The capabilities of the GAN are demonstrated in a perfect-model setup. Specifically, the spatial resolution of a precipitation dataset is artificially degraded, and the GAN is employed to restore it. The developed model exhibits superior performance when compared to one of the leading precipitation downscaling methods found in the literature. The GAN not only generates a synthetic dataset featuring plausible high-resolution spatial patterns and intensities, but also produces a precipitation distribution with statistics closely mirroring those of the ground-truth dataset
The Libreria of the Gelati Academy in Bologna
Get PDFL’Accademia dei Gelati, una tra le prime accademie bolognesi, fiorì nella seconda metà del Cinquecento. Furono numerosi gli eruditi che ve ne fecero parte e la produzione letteraria, frutto dell’attività accademica, fu davvero notevole. Presso la Biblioteca Comunale dell’Archiginnasio di Bologna è conservata la Libreria dell’Accademia: un patrimonio culturale degno di essere valorizzato e fonte di interessanti spunti d’indagine. Il lavoro è stato dedicato principalmente al materiale documentario manoscritto dei Gelati. Per la prima volta viene presentato, nel suo insieme, il corpus dei documenti e resi noti i testi delle orazioni, dei discorsi accademici e in particolare dei sonetti (la poesia fu la materia principale delle adunanze gelate), finora inediti.The Accademia dei Gelati, one of the first academies in Bologna, flourished in the second half of the 16th century. Numerous scholars belonged to it, and the literary production resulting from the academic activity was truly remarkable. The library is preserved at the Biblioteca Comunale dell'Archiginnasio in Bologna: a cultural heritage that deserves to be valorised and a source of interesting sources of investigation. The work was mainly focused on the Gelati's manuscript material. For the first time, the entire corpus of documents is presented and the texts of orations, academic speeches and, in particular, sonnets (poetry was the main subject of the Gelati gatherings), unpublished until now, are made available
Novel catalytic transformations mediated by dual photoredox and earth abundant transition metals
Get PDFThe main purpose of my doctoral studies was the development of new organic methodologies combining photoredox-and metal catalysis, termed metallaphotoredox catalysis. In this dissertation thesis four novel protocols are reported. Each of them introduces innovative and unprecedented aspects in the metallaphotoredox field. In particular, 1) A dual photoredox-and cobalt-catalyzed protocol for the allylation of carbonyl groups is reported. The innovative aspect is the introduction of a novel TADF (Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence)-emitter photocatalyst derived from the degradation of the commercially available 3DPAFIPN, which can sustain the dual catalytic protocol, where the latter and other common TADF-emitters failed. Then, 2) A dual photoredox-and vanadium-catalyzed protocol for the diastereoselective pinacol coupling of aromatic aldehydes is described. The use of vanadium under photoredox conditions for the functionalization of small molecules is an underexplored field, since only few papers are reported in the literature. The key aspects of this work are the high reactivity and the high functional group tolerance of the vanadium complex used. Then, 3) A dual photoredox-and nickel-catalyzed protocol for the diastereoselective allylation of carbonyl groups using Morita-Baylis-Hillman acetates (MBH acetates) is described. The key aspect of this work is the use of MBH acetates as unprecedented pronucleophiles. The protocol was found to be highly regio- and diastereoselective, and tolerant to different functional groups. The products are useful intermediates for the synthesis of bioactive molecules, and few synthetic manipulations of the standard allylated product are reported. Finally, 4) A dual photoredox-and titanium-catalyzed protocol for the allylation of carbonyl groups using 4-bromo crotonates is reported. The key aspect of this work is the use of 4-bromo crotonates as an unprecedented allyl source under photoredox/vinylogous conditions for the fast, highly regioselective and moderately diastereoselective synthesis of α-vinyl-β-hydroxy esters. The presence of multiple functional groups was exploited with some post-functionalization
Chemical and physical stimuli to modulate differentiation and senescence in human mesenchymal stem cells
No full textL’utilizzo di cellule staminali mesenchimali (MSCs) in medicina rigenerativa, al fine di rigenerare/riparare organi e tessuti danneggiati, è soggetto ad alcune problematiche legate ad una riduzione del loro potenziale differenziativo e all’instaurarsi della senescenza cellulare.
Lo scopo di questo studio è stato quello di identificare nuove strategie in vitro in grado di modulare il differenziamento e contrastare la senescenza in MSCs umane (hMSCs).
Da un lato, è stata analizzata la capacità di una micotossina, la Citocalasina B (CB), nel modulare le proprietà biologiche di hMSCs perinatali isolate dalla gelatina del Wharton del cordone ombelicale (hWJ-MSCs), focalizzandosi sul processo di osteogenesi. I risultati ottenuti hanno indicato come CB sia in grado di potenziare tale differenziamento, agendo sull’organizzazione del citoscheletro e sulle proprietà meccaniche delle hWJ-MSCs, rivelandosi una promettente molecola da impiegare nel campo della medicina rigenerativa.
Dall’altro, è stato messo a punto un nuovo modello in vitro di senescenza, basato sull’utilizzo di hMSCs adulte isolate da derma (hDMSCs) che sono state rese senescenti mediante trattamento con terz-butile idroperossido (t-BHP). Questo modello è risultato positivo per i principali marcatori della senescenza indagati, permettendo, inoltre, di identificare il t-BHP come un induttore di senescenza paragonabile o addirittura migliore rispetto all’acqua ossigenata, già nota per la sua azione pro-senescente nelle hDMSCs. Il modello di senescenza ottimizzato potrebbe dimostrarsi molto promettente nello studio in vitro dello stesso processo di senescenza, ma anche al fine di testare nuove terapie anti-senescenti.
Infine, un terzo approccio sperimentale ha previsto l’analisi degli effetti di una terapia fisica, la Extracorporeal Shock Waves Therapy (ESWT), basata sull’emissione di onde d’urto, in hMSCs del tessuto adiposo (hASCs), indotte a senescenza attraverso il trattamento con Doxorubicina (DOX). Nonostante i risultati non abbiano mostrato un evidente effetto anti-senescente della terapia fisica, ulteriori indagini saranno implementate per mettere in luce l’azione della ESWT sulle MSCs.The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in regenerative medicine, in order to regenerate/repair damaged organs and tissues, is subject to some problems related to a reduction in their differentiation potential and the onset of cellular senescence.
The aim of this study was to identify novel in vitro strategies able to modulate differentiation and counteract senescence in human MSCs (hMSCs).
On the one hand, the ability of Cytochalasin B (CB), a mycotoxin, to modulate the biological properties of perinatal hMSCs isolated from Wharton's jelly of umbilical cord (hWJ-MSCs) was analyzed, focusing on the osteogenic process. The results obtained indicated that CB is able to enhance osteogenesis, acting on the cytoskeleton organization and mechanical properties of hWJ-MSCs, thus revealing itself as a promising molecule to be used in the field of regenerative medicine.
On the other hand, a new in vitro model of senescence was developed, based on the use of adult hMSCs isolated from the dermis (hDMSCs) that were made senescent through treatment with tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP). This model was positive for the main senescence markers investigated, also allowing to identify t-BHP as a senescence inducer comparable or even better than hydrogen peroxide, already known for its pro-senescent action in hDMSCs. The optimized senescence model could prove very promising in the in vitro study of the senescence process itself, but also to test new anti-senescent therapies.
Finally, a third experimental approach involved the analysis of the effects of a physical therapy, the Extracorporeal Shock Waves Therapy (ESWT), based on the emission of shock waves, in adipose tissue hMSCs (hASCs) induced to senescence through treatment with Doxorubicin (DOX). Although the results did not show an evident anti-senescent effect of the physical therapy, further investigations will be implemented to highlight the action of ESWT on MSCs