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Caratterizzazione della distribuzione della coppia ergotioneina/ercinina e valutazione delle potenzialità dell’ercinina quale marker delle attività redox dell’ergotioneina
No full textGiven that redox activity of ergothioneine might explain the presence of hercynine in biological fluids, measurement of hercynine might serve to indirectly detect oxidative stress states or other biological processes involving ergothioneine. This could be particularly advantageous as the peculiar redox behavior of ergothioneine, which acts to rapidly restore ergothioneine concentrations, can minimize its potential fluctuations. Little is known about this betaine of the histidine in the body, which is in part due to the lack of reliable analytical methods and the difficulty in purchasing commercial standards. Following in-house chemical synthesis of hercynine and considering different analytical strategies, a LC-MS/MS method was developed for the measurement of hercynine levels in different animal and human specimens such as whole blood, plasma/serum, urine, and equine seminal plasma. The results of these analyses highlight the uncertain role of hercynine as an indirect marker of ergothioneine activities in humans. This was primarily due to the challenges with the identification of specific phenotypes where ergothioneine plays a clear biological role. Conversely, due to the unusual physiology of stallions’ sperm cells, who rely primarily on mitochondrial ATP production by oxidative phosphorylation rather than glycolysis, hercynine can serve as an indirect marker of ergothioneine in stallions’ seminal plasma
Von der Kritik zur Verteidigung der modernen Rationalität. Ein Vergleich zwischen den Geschichtsmodellen von Blumenberg und Foucault im Ausgang von Nietzsche.
Full text linkThe subject of this dissertation is a comparison between the historical approaches of Hans Blumenberg and Michel Foucault, in order to demonstrate a similarity between the philosophical paths of the two Autors: from the critic of the modern rationality to its defense. For this purpose the development of their historical thought is interpreted as gradual distancing from Heidegger’s History of Being with her critic of the modern age and as convergence to Nietzsche’s Standpoint on history in his so called middle period, to which corresponds a re-re-evaluation of the Enlightenment and of the modern science in comparison to his early works.
The thesis is divided in four chapters. The first one examines the early work of Nietzsche, Foucault and Blumenberg, which criticized the modern rationality as impoverishment of an original human experience of reality.
The second chapter focuses on Nietzsche’s Critique to the nineteenth-century historicism as well as on those one of Foucault und Blumenberg.
The third chapter compared Blumenberg’s and Foucault’s early historical Models with Heidegger’s History of Being in order to show a similarity between them, in particular as regards the absence of the human subject in their historical considerations.
The fourth chapter investigate the development of such models by Blumenberg and Foucault and their reevaluation of the role of the human actors, which lead them to a commitment to the Enlightenment
I Social network e la responsabilità civile per la violazione dei diritti dei terzi
Full text linkThe incessant increase of torts committed in digital environments, even more evident in the social networking platforms due to their potential in terms of accessibility and dissemination of the information, amplifies the requests for accountability of the Net and the need to find a balance between the development of the economic and social dimension and the protection of users' individual rights. Specifically, the analysis of social platforms has led to detect multiple critical issues, not only in terms of the contractual relationship between users and service providers, but also with respect to the rights of third parties harmed by the dissemination of contents placed on the platform. Although the interaction between the management of personal information and the protection of users and third parties’ rights may call into play both the contractual and the tortious liability, the outcomes reached by previously conducted studies have made it possible to limit the ambit of the outstanding analysis to the latter. Within this framework, this research aims to verify the allocation of responsibility between the user and the social network provider for the violation of third party rights, with respect to the content generated by users. The proposed solutions to the problems of responsibility are addressed from the perspective of coordination between technical remedies and legal rules
La Parola è il castello: critica della produzione spuria di Gesualdo Bufalino
No full textThis research work focuses on the spurious production (essays, comments, but above all elzevirs) of Gesualdo Bufalino's work. That is, on that part of the Sicilian author's writings that the official criticism is only now beginning to take an interest in.
With this kind of approach it became possible to break down the biographical story of the writer from Comiso into the elements of his childhood, youth and old age: determining the seasons of his life, his afflictions and faults, if any. It also allowed us to read his opus of novels and poems with a different attention, offering us cues and insights that have opened up new and unexpected paths of study. By revealing, so to speak, the most sinewy and secret areas of Bufalino's pages, this approach has revealed an author with multiple interests. A man who not only dealt with books, but also with painting, music, photography and cinema, with all the most important forms of communication in the modern world.
Therefore, Bufalino's elzevirist experience has become an inexhaustible mine of revelations, confessions and intertextual references, and in doing so, contributing, in a decisive way, to the understanding of the entire Corpus of the works of an author we thought by now canonized, and thus allowing a new and positive critical balance
Cystic echinococcosis in cattle: histological and proteomic features of inflammation
No full textCystic echinococcosis (CE) is caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus and is a widespread zoonotic disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) included CE in the list of Neglected Tropical Diseases in order to eliminate the disease and support the affected countries.
The aim of the study was to compare fertile and infertile cysts from naturally infected cattle by means of histological and proteomic analysis in order to elucidate the molecular cross-talk between host and parasite and obtain further information on the bovine host immune response against E. granulosus.
In this study, 70 hydatid cysts were removed from parasitized bovine lungs and livers. Each cyst was ranked as fertile or infertile and processed through histologic, immuno-histochemical, biomolecular, and statistical analysis. After that, 27 pulmonary tissues and 10 hydatid fluid samples were analysed with a Tandem Mass Tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics approach.
As a result, four degrees of inflammation were detected, and thousands of proteins were identified in both tissues and fluids. Based on ontology and pathway analysis, several differential proteins are involved in the modulation or activation of host defence mechanisms.
In conclusion, the combination of histological and proteomic approaches applied in this work provided a better understanding of the host-parasite interplay and of the bovine host immune response against E. granulosus
Indagine sanitaria relativa alla presenza di patogeni di nuova introduzione in Sardegna
No full textMy work was focused on the detection of some new pathogens in Sardinia, namely: Grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV) and Grapevine asteroid mosaic virus (GAMaV) affecing grapevine and Olpidium spp. fungal pathogens on curcubits.
In the first chapter, I report the results of a monitoring conducted in Sardinia and Lazio regions in 2016, aiming to detect vineyards manifesting Grapevine leaf mottling and deformation (GLMD) disease. A total of 195 grapevine samples were examined in the two regions; 54 samples were collected from different areas and cultivars in Sardinia. GPGV was identified as responsible of GLMD for the first time in Sardinia and Lazio. GPGV was ascertained in all symptomatic but also in some asymptomatic samples. About 28% of the total analysed (52) samples tested positive for GPGV; this number increases up to 54% (28 samples) if we consider only the samples taken in Sardinia. The virus was not detected in samples from vineyards older than 10 years and/or planted with local cultivars, with a few exceptions.
In the third chapter, investigations on GLMD and GPGV continued in a Vermentino vineyard severely affected by the disease. For this purpose, 154 samples were collected in 2017 and 2018. Samples were classified into three categories based on the symptoms: symptomatic, asymptomatic and showing other symptoms. During the 2-years survey, all symptomatic samples tested for the presence/absence of GPGV were positive, and also 52% of the asymptomatic ones. Furthermore, the number of positive samples collected from symptomatic plants was much higher in 2018 than in 2017, as many of the asymptomatic, but GPGV positive plants sampled in 2017 showed symptoms in 2018. A blast analysis of movement protein (MP) and coat protein (CP) sequences from Sardinian isolates showed a high identity level (between 98.67 and 100%) with sequences deposited in GenBank. Both MP and CP phylogenetic trees showed that most CP and MP sequences are grouped within the European strain clade.
The third chapter reports the first detection of GAMaV in Italy. Analysis of the grapevine genome revealed the presence of sequences belonging to the GAMaV in four Cannonau cv plants. This was confirmed by the amplification of the RNA extracted from berries with specific primers. No detectable symptoms were observed in any of the infected vines, hence supporting the hypothesis that GAMaV may be largely latent or semilatent.
Chapters 4 and 5 report for the first time in Italy the occurence of Olpidium virulentus and O. bornovanus on watermelon and of O. virulentus, O. bornovanus and O. brassicae on cucumber. This is the result of a monitoring conducted on watermelon and cucumber in northern Sardinia, where plants with symptoms of "collapse", usually attributed to Melon necrotic spot virus or Monosporascus spp., were reported. Symptomatic plants were sampled together with infected soil adjacent to symptomatic roots. Pathogenicity tests carried out in greenhouses using infected soil reproduced symptoms observed in the field. Olpidium species were identified by using morphological and molecular methods
Applicazione di nuove tecnologie per il monitoraggio di ambienti marino-costieri
Full text linkIn my PhD project, two low cost detection systems have been tested: a marine one to acquire high resolution data in the bathymetric range between 0 and -10m and, a terrestrial to acquire high resolution data on the beaches. High resolution Side Scan Sonar data acquisition strategies have been developed in shallow water (-5 and -2.5m), capable of communicate integrating data acquired with non-oceanographic systems (Georadar “G.P.R.”). These integrations allowed us to study the emerged shallow and deep submerged areas, and to create very detailed cartographies of the seabed of the Alghero bay, of the Bay of Porto Conte (De Luca et al., 2018) and of the some areas of the Asinara island. In addition to the Side Scan Sonar and the Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV), the classic satellite detection systems have been used as well as high resolution images acquired with drones (UAVs). This latest technology, simple to use and very cheap, allows the creation of aerial photographs of marine areas close to the coast, where the oceanographic instruments, at the moment are unable to acquire data (depth less than 2.5 m). The information acquired made possible to evaluate the state of the Posidonia oceanica seagrass, the coastal dynamics present in the Alghero harbour and to characterize two temporary storage sites used for the accumulation of the banquettes of Posidonia oceanica. The coast of Alghero has a unique peculiarity in Sardinian realm, that is; the accumulations of Posidonia leaves. These per year are about 3000 m3, mostly concentrated in the beaches of San Giovanni, Maria Pia and Punta Negra. The large accumulations of leaves are a problem for the recreational use of the beach. The formed banquettes can frequently reach one meter in height, occasionally exceeding two meters. Currently Posidonia oceanica (both leaves and banquettes) is moved by tractors and stored in temporary accumulation sites located near the beaches. For this reason, an action plan was prepared for the dismantling of the temporary storage sites of San Giovanni and Villa Segni. This was aimed to recover as much sand as possible the beach. The Ground Penetrating Radar (G.P.R.) was used to obtain information on the subsurface deposits in the San Giovanni are, to better correct management of the Posidonia accumulated leaves.
The area has a surface layer composed of 10 to 50 cm of Posidonia residues mixed with sand, overlying about 3 meters of sand. Between the layers, some wastes with an expiry date or production date were found, useful for stratigraphic dating. These analyses allowed us to establish that the temporary storage areas are not a dump sites and that an accurate managing of them could reclaim sand to the beaches
Genetic and technological characterization of indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains isolated from 'Merwah' wine (Lebanon)
No full textIn order to gain deeper knowledge of genetic diversity and population structure of Lebanese indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains, 202 isolates were collected during spontaneous alcoholic fermentation of eight must/wine samples of ‘Merwah’, native cultivar, over two consecutive years in a traditional winery in Mount Lebanon. The isolates were identified as belonging to the S. cerevisiae species based on their morphology and preliminary analysis of the ITS 1-4 region sequence. They were then characterized at strain level by analysis of the interdelta regions, and genotyped using 12 microsatellite markers. In addition, strains were subjected to test phenotypic sulfite resistance and chromosomal translocation on SSU1gene by means of PCR.
To select the most potential yeast starter strains, micro-fermentations were carried out for 22 S. cerevisiae strains that were selected as representatives of the population. Based on the main technological parameters (i.e., residual sugar, fermentative vigour, lowest sulphur production and acetic acid), three yeast strains were selected as candidates for pilot-scale fermentation at the winery. These strains were subjected to chemical and sensorial analysis for selecting a S. cerevisiae strain, adequate to produce ‘Merwah’ wine. This study will devote to test the drying attitude of the selected strain; make industrial wine using the selected dry strain ad a starter; and verify the quality of the resulting wine
Gli Obblighi informativi in materia di contratto di viaggio: dalla disciplina generale del contratto alla normativa dell'unione europea
Full text linkThe information obligations regarding travel contracts have undergone a profound evolution in recent years with respect to the general regulation of the contract, due to the intervention of the European Union legislation on consumer protection and tourist packages and related tourist services. As a result, the duty of information, which was previously an unwritten general rule of conduct, substantially implementing the duty of good faith and fairness referred to in articles 1175 and 1375 of the civil code, becomes a protection openly provided in favour of the weak consumer against contractual asymmetry and risk of abuse of power by the professional. Thus, we can witness a proceduralization of the information which becomes an explicit rule, according to rules that set out its content and form in detail and which are qualified as mandatory by the most recent European legislation. The recent directive 2015/2302 / EU and the Legislative Decree n. 62/2018, transposing the directive into the national legal system, indicate in detail the information that must be provided in the travel contracts, as defined therein, laying down rules of mandatory nature. In this way, the legal framework paves the way, in case of violation, to contractual remedies such as “virtual” nullity , that were previously categorically excluded from the prevailing legal doctrine doctrine and case law
Innovative solutions for the containment of Fusarium mycotoxins on durum wheat
No full textWheat is one of the most important of the cereal crops worldwide. Fusarium culmorum, along with Fusarium graminearum, the prevalent causal agents of Fusarium head blight (FHB) and Fusarium Root Rot (FRR), have hindered global wheat production since the domestication of the crop and continue to threaten the world's wheat supply by producing mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol, during growth in plant tissue. The control and the reduction of such contaminations are expected to be of high priority for the cereal production chain.
The first chapter provides some insights on the relationship between chemotype, haplotype and geographical distribution of Tunisian Fusarium populations that may prove useful to reduce the contamination risk of food or feed in the Mediterranean regions.
The second chapter reports the identification of a novel F. culmorum gene (FcRav2) with ROGDI domain by using mimp1-mediated insertional mutagenesis approach, allowing a greater understanding of the role and function of this gene with respect to the pathogenicity and the mycotoxigenic potential of F. culmorum.
Fusarium spp. are widely spread in nature as plant pathogens, but are also able to cause opportunistic fungal infections in humans. Therefore, chapters 3 and 4 represent a contribution to the development of natural occurring compounds able to act against noxious Fusarium diseases by the inhibition of the hyphal growth and/or the inhibition of the deoxynivalenol production. Although recent investigations have reported improved outcomes, the definition of optimal treatments remains controversial, thereby the present study could be taken into consideration in the frame of an open field application of such plant-derived fungicides