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New Insights on Quality, Safety, Nutritional, and Nutraceutical Properties of Honeydew Honeys from Italy
Get PDFHoneydew honey is less studied than nectar honey, although it is characterized by peculiar nutritional properties. This is mainly due to its challenging production, which leads to easy counterfeiting and difficult valorization. This contribution aims to provide a comprehensive characterization of the physico-chemical, palynological, functional, and food safety properties of a large sampling of honeydew honeys collected throughout Italy. The honeydew elements, conductivity, color, antioxidant properties, total polyphenol content, hydroxymethylfurfural, major and trace elements, toxic and rare earth elements, and pesticide residues were measured in 59 samples of honeydew honey from forest, eucalyptus, fir, oak, and citrus sources. Physico-chemical and antioxidant properties were unable to differentiate the botanical origin of Italian honeydew honeys. Similarly, the mineral composition did not vary significantly, whereas rare earth elements appeared to be promising markers for classifying their origin. Multivariate analysis allowed discriminating fir honeydews from the other varieties. Concerning safety aspects, pesticide residues were detected in 90% of the samples, with fir honeydews exhibiting the lowest contamination levels, probably due to its production in less industrialized areas. Acetamiprid and imidacloprid were the most prevalent pesticide residues, but their concentrations were below the limit indicated by the EFSA. These findings suggest the need for a continuous monitoring program for contaminants to ensure safety and to assess risk
Miscarriages of Justice in Judges' Mind: Theory and Experimental Evidence
No full textThis study investigates – both theoretically and by means of a controlled laboratory experiment – judges’ decisions in cases when either “type-I” errors (i.e., convicting an innocent defendant) or “type-II” errors (i.e., acquitting a guilty defendant) can occur. Our findings indicate that judges are sensitive to both types of error. Furthermore, in both error scenarios we detect “compensatory leniency” in judicial decision making, with participants seeming to balance the inherent trade-off between the errors by managing jointly the two key levers that they are given by our design: (i) the decision on conviction/acquittal and (ii) the decision on the severity of punishment
(Some of the) Economics of PDOs as Collective Brands for Wine Alston, Julian; Gaeta, Davide
No full textWine is a highly differentiated good, with prices ranging from a few Euros to hundreds and even
thousands of Euros per bottle. Much of this differentiation is associated with place of production.
Premium prices may reflect natural scarcity of the particular productive resources (i.e., land with its
soil, terrain, climate and so on) that comprise “terroir” or artificial, contrived scarcity associated with
regulations on production and barriers to entry by government, or both. Europe’s system of PDOs
(protected designations of origin) is a prime exampl
Tecovirimat and mpox: A regulatory balancing act between hope, hurdles, and high-risk populations
No full textAmid recent clinical trial results, the regulatory landscape for tecovirimat in the treatment of mpox has become increasingly complex. The US FDA's decision to not proceed with the approval of tecovirimat for mpox appears well-founded, given the lack of significant clinical benefits observed in large-scale trials. Meanwhile, Japan's broad approval of tecovirimat for all orthopoxviruses, including mpox, may be premature. This approval should be revisited to focus on high-risk populations who may derive the most benefit from the treatment. Similarly, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.K.’s Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approval of tecovirimat for mpox should be reassessed, with consideration given to restricting its use to high-risk individuals. Moving forward, clinical trials must focus on the most vulnerable populations and assess the role of tecovirimat in those who receive treatment early. At this time, we recommend that the EA-IND not be discontinued, but rather be refined to provide access to patients who may benefit, while awaiting further evidence from future RCTs to clarify the drug's role and effectiveness
Targeting HERV-K in melanoma: exploring the potential of antiretroviral drugs to overcome resistance and modulate tumor progression
No full textMelanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, presents significant treatment challenges. BRAF- mutated melanoma accounts for approximately 50% of cases. Although more malignant, it can be treated with drugs that specifically target BRAF kinase. However, this type of melanoma often develops resistance to BRAF inhibitors rapidly. The human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K)—a latent viral sequence within the human genome— has emerged as a potential contributor to melanoma progression and treatment resistance. Reactivated by triggers such as UV radiation or cellular stress, HERV-K is linked to increased tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis. This study explores the use of antiretroviral drugs to inhibit HERV-K as a novel therapeutic strategy, focusing on their potential to target not only melanoma progression but also resistance mechanisms. Three antiretroviral drugs—lamivudine, doravirine, and cabotegravir—were selected for their efficacy in treating retroviral infections with minimal side effects. Human melanoma cell lines (A375, FO-1, SK-Mel-28, and MeWo) and normal human epithelial melanocytes, used as control to assess drug toxicity in healthy cells, were utilized in the experiments. Techniques, including cell viability assays, migration studies, gene expression analysis, protein expression investigation, and soft agar colony formation tests, were employed to evaluate the impact of these drugs. Additionally, a characterization of the RAF inhibitor-resistant melanoma cell populations (A375R and FO-1R) was conducted, to investigate the different molecular mechanisms of resistance and how they might influence the effectiveness of treatment. The results demonstrated a significant reduction in melanoma cell viability, with cabotegravir showing the most pronounced effects, including apoptosis and ferroptosis induction. These antiretrovirals also modulated key cell cycle regulators, such as cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases, inhibited tumor cell migration, and reduced anchorage-independent growth—a hallmark of aggressive cancer cells. Furthermore, immune response proteins such as stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) were regulated by the treatments. Notably, the study revealed the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs against four RAF inhibitor (dabrafenib and AZ628) -resistant melanoma cells (A375R and FO-1R). Cabotegravir and doravirine significantly reduced the viability of resistant cells, induced apoptosis, and upregulated tumor suppressor proteins such as p27KIP1 and p16INK4a, effectively halting cell proliferation. A key finding was the suppression of HERV-K expression, which is further elevated in resistant cell populations, suggesting that inhibiting HERV-K may be central to the therapeutic effects observed. While preclinical and clinical studies are needed to confirm the in vivo consistency of these findings, this research highlights the potential of antiretroviral drugs, particularly cabotegravir and doravirine, as promising agents in melanoma therapy. By targeting HERV-K and modulating critical pathways involved in tumor progression and resistance, these drugs open new avenues for the treatment of this challenging disease
Diano, Carlo Alberto
No full textVoce dedicata al filologo e studioso di filosofia antica, nonché filosofo, C. Diano (1902-1974
Legalità nel settore terziario dopo il PNRR. Le declinazioni aggiornate nel diritto del lavoro
No full textNel contributo si declina la questione della legalità del lavoro a partire da alcune riflessioni dedicate alla sua regolarità dei rapporti di lavoro. Sono due le dimensioni di approfondimento prescelte. La prima è relativa alla collocazione del lavoro nel terziario nel Piano Nazionale del Sommerso, una delle riforme collegate al PNRR approvate alla fine del 2022 (paragrafo 2); la seconda è quella in cui si approfondisce il rapporto tra trattamento giuridico degli appalti labour intensive (regolati dall’art. 29 del d.lgs. 276/2003) e il lavoro somministrato con il supporto delle più recenti pronunce della magistratura anche della Corte di giustizia dell’Unione europea (paragrafo 3). Nelle conclusioni sono ricordate le plurime, eventuali e ulteriori conseguenze giuridiche collegate alla riqualificazione dell’appalto genuino in somministrazione fraudolenta. Oltre all’applicazione delle eventuali sanzioni amministrative previste, in particolare, si segnala che la costituzione di un rapporto di lavoro in capo al lavoratore utilizzato dall’appaltatore. Il divieto di fornitura di mere prestazioni di lavoro di cui alla l. 1369/60 non è stato abrogato né dal d.lgs. 276/2003 né dal d.lgs. 81/2015. Nel senso che se il giudice del lavoro qualifica quale appalto di mere prestazioni di lavoro quello intercorso tra i lavoratori e l’appaltante, dovrebbe dirsi senz'altro qualificata come illecita l’intera vicenda, poiché le formali appaltatrici non erano certo abilitate all'intermediazione di manodopera. In questo contesto articolato e complesso del lavoro indiretto, la somministrazione di lavoro – a volte – può diventare un correttivo ad abusi nel lato dell’appalto dei servizi labour intensive
Collective bargaining on welfare as a catalyst for sustainable development. An industrial relations approach to environmental protection and the reduction of inequalities
No full textTaking an interdisciplinary approach, this thesis aims to demonstrate the existence of a mutually positive relationship between collective bargaining on welfare and the achievement of two macro-objectives of sustainable development: environmental protection and the reduction of inequalities. After defining the concept of occupational welfare and highlighting its collective contractual source, as well as its objectives, effects, and limitations, the thesis argues that, through the leverage of negotiated pension funds (which constitute its core element), it has become one of the instruments of the industrial relations system for achieving sustainability.
Considering European regulations that encourage institutional investors to invest sustainably, this thesis conducts an empirical analysis of both the NCLAs in force within the private sector and the investment policy documents of the negotiated pension funds they establish. Through this analysis, the thesis verifies the existence of union power, exercised through negotiated pension funds, to influence the governance of invested companies and guide them toward more sustainable pathways.
When collective bargaining on welfare evolves into a legal instrument for the practical implementation of sustainability within and beyond the industrial relations system, the realization of sustainability also extends beyond this system, serving as an effective mechanism to mitigate the exclusionary nature of occupational welfare. This produces positive effects in terms of reducing inequalities. However, without corrective legal measures, the occupational welfare system would naturally exacerbate inequalities between workers and citizens. Therefore, the concluding section of the thesis argues that legislative intervention is necessary, specifically through trade union laws on representation, to further address this limitation in occupational welfare
Relationship between motivational climate, anxiety and average mark in pre-service physical education teachers: a cross-sectional study based on structural equation modelling approach
Get PDFBackground: Motivation is a variable that directly influences task orientation. Within the motivational sphere, the motivational climate determines whether a task is performed with an intrinsic or extrinsic.
Purpose: It has been observed that depending on motivational orientations, anxiety levels and task performance can be increased. Likewise, there are differences in interests depending on the gender of individuals.
Methods: This research aims (a) To elaborate and adjust a theoretical model of the causal relationship of motivational climate on anxiety and academic performance and (b) To analyse the causal relationship between the motivational climate on anxiety and the average mark of the participants. Regarding the design, a comparative, cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out on a sample of 558 trainee physical education teachers. The sample for this study is from southern Spain. Likewise, the branch of study of the sample is related to university degrees in education sciences and physical activity and sport sciences. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport-2 and an ad hoc socio-demographic questionnaire were used to collect the data.
Results: It is observed that the male sex presents a greater causal relationship of task climate (β=-0.259; p ≤ 0.05) and ego climate (β = 0.324; p ≤ 0.001) on anxiety. A stronger causal relationship of task climate (β = 0.340; p ≤ 0.001) and ego climate (β = 0.241; p ≤ 0.05) on mean score is also observed for the male population. The sample presents a negative causal relationship of anxiety on the average mark. This is higher for the male population (β=-0.126).
Conclusions: Male students show a greater causal effect of motivational climate on anxiety and grade point average. Likewise, the causal relationship of task climate on the development of anxiety is negative for the study sample. In contrast, the ego climate exerts a positive causal relationship on the development of anxiety
