Archivio istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi di Parma
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Inter-instrument definition of valid criteria for the automatic identification of microplastics by micro-Raman spectroscopy
No full textThe assessment of the impact of microplastic contamination on the environment and human health requires a reliable identification of the polymer type of these particles. μ-Raman spectroscopy is a popular technique for identifying microplastics by comparing the reference spectra with those of the particles analysed. Automatic identification of microplastics requires defining an algorithm for the match between these spectra and setting a minimum match above which identification is performed with adequately high true and low false results rates. Ideally, the algorithm and match threshold should apply to different spectrometers and spectra collection parameters. This research presents a methodology to determine the best match algorithm for polymer identification using μ-Raman spectroscopy data collected on different instruments and laboratories, associated with a true positive rate (TP) of 95 % and a false positive rate (FP) lower than 5 %. Determining the match threshold (P5»P) by the bootstrap method does not require assumptions regarding match distribution. The normal distribution of the match between the reference and a particle's spectra from a different material allows FP determination. Identifying PET microparticles was optimal using Pearson's correlation coefficient (P5»P = 0.6244, TP = 95 %, FP = 4.9 × 10−7 %). Identification quality was tested based on three unweighted and three weighted correlation coefficients. Spectra with signal-to-noise ratios lower than 10 were forwarded to manual identifications. The MS Excel files used in the research are available as supporting information. The developed methodology for setting up identification criteria of microplastics by spectroscopy proved to be adequate for μ-Raman assessments and robust to different spectrometers and spectra collection conditions
Climate change mitigation and green energy investment: A stock-flow consistent model
No full textThis paper develops a stock-flow consistent business cycle model integrating aggregate demand dynamics, income distribution, and ecological constraints to analyze climate mitigation strategies. We propose a two-sector framework distinguishing between energy and non-energy production. The model comprises wage and rent-earning households, firms in energy and non-energy sectors, a central bank, and commercial banks. Throughout the business cycle, energy sector firms gradually increase their share of green energy investment in the face of the low-carbon transition, replacing brown technologies with green alternatives. Through numerical simulations, we show that the pace of the energy transition influences both economic outcomes and emission trajectories. A negative shock to the green energy investment share – caused e.g. by policy inaction – not only slows the low-carbon transition but also depresses aggregate demand, wages, and employment. The paper examines possibilities for reducing the carbon intensity of production and provides insights into the interactions between ecological, macroeconomic, and distributive factors during the transition to a green economy
Closing the loop in agriculture: Evaluation of the effects of fermented tomato-based biostimulant on Solanum lycopersicum (L.) growth and fruit quality
No full textFood waste is a global concern, and its valorization through biostimulant production offers a sustainable and circular approach to agriculture. This study evaluated the effects of a novel fermented tomato-based biostimulant, obtained from unsold green and red tomatoes fermented with Weissella cibaria 4253, on the growth and fruit quality of indeterminate mini plum tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L., cv. Solarino) cultivated in a soilless greenhouse system. The biostimulant was applied weekly at three concentrations (100, 200, and 300 mL·L−1) and compared to untreated controls during a 16-week experiment in a commercial greenhouse in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Vegetative parameters, physiological traits, including chlorophyll content, SPAD, Fv/Fm, and fruit characteristics were monitored. Fruits from different truss positions (lower, medial, upper) were analyzed for morphological, physico-chemical, and biochemical traits, including firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, total polyphenol content, antioxidant activity, and lycopene content. FTB application did not significantly affect vegetative growth, but improved several fruit quality parameters. The 100 mL·L−1 dose increased total yield by 23 % and fruit weight by 8 %, while the 300 mL·L−1 dose enhanced °Brix, sugar/acid ratio, antioxidant activity (up to 20 %), and improved fruit texture, particularly in upper trusses. Lycopene content increased in treated plants over the harvest season, while untreated plants showed a decline. Heatmap and BIOLOG analyses confirmed treatment-specific effects on fruit quality and substrate microbial activity. The potential of an experimental biostimulant derived from fermented unsold tomato fruits to enhance crop performance while reducing food waste was demonstrated, supporting circular agricultural practices
An integrated qualitative farm-to-fork approach to rank foodborne pathogens associated with mastitis-affected raw milk from Irish dairy farms to the consumer
No full textA qualitative microbial risk assessment (MRA) framework was applied to evaluate the potential introduction of foodborne pathogens from bovine mastitis raw milk into the dairy chain. In a survey between January and December 2024, 588 raw milk samples were obtained from mastitis affected cows across 66 Irish dairy farms. Following guidelines from the International Dairy Federation and National Mastitis Council, samples were analysed for mastitis pathogens, where 337 positive samples (55.3 %) were further tested for seven foodborne microbial pathogens using a hierarchical testing strategy with ten culture-based methods. A qualitative MRA guided by the FAO/WHO and EFSA framework was developed in this study. Incorporating stages of the risk assessment paradigm that include hazard identification, hazard characterisation, exposure assessment, and risk characterisation through a structured decision-tree approach. For the survey, Streptococcus spp. was most frequently isolated (n = 123), followed by Escherichia coli (n = 76), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 67), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) (n = 39). Less frequently detected pathogens included Enterococcus spp. (n = 15), Salmonella spp. (n = 4), and Bacillus cereus (n = 1). Exposure assessment and risk characterisation identified S. aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella spp., as high risk, necessitating targeted interventions within dairy chain systems, including processing failures. This study provides novel insights into the risks posed by mastitis-associated foodborne pathogens, facilitating evidence based recommendations for improving dairy safety management in the dairy chain
PFOA and PFOS accumulation induces genotoxic damage and proteomic alterations in Cannabis sativa shoots
No full textDue to their environmental persistence, widespread application, and toxicity to living organisms, contamination by PFAS has become a significant global concern. The ability of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) to accumulate PFAS in its aerial tissues makes it a candidate for PFAS phytoremediation, as well as a suitable biological model for assessing the toxicological effects of PFAS in higher eukaryotes. After in vitro culturing of industrial hemp for 14 days in the presence of 1 mg L−1 PFOA or 1 mg L−1 PFOS, no visible damage or macroscopic morphological alterations were evident, and a significant increase in shoot biomass and chlorophyll content following PFOA exposure was observed. Despite the higher accumulation of PFOS compared to PFOA both inhibited antioxidant enzymes activity, specifically catalase and ascorbate peroxidase, respectively. Alkaline Comet Assay showed nuclear damage in hemp leaves following both PFOA and PFOS accumulation, with the former significantly increasing 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine formation. Comparative proteomics analyses showed that PFOA and PFOS disrupt specific biological processes, with the former promoting the synthesis of proteins involved in the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway. Both PFOA and PFOS altered the abundance of chloroplastic proteins, suggesting that this cellular compartment could be involved in the phytotoxicity mechanisms triggered by PFAAs
Depistaggio e diritto al silenzio: un caso problematico
No full textIl nemo tenetur se detergere assume connotazioni peculiari e inedite nel contesto del delitto di depistaggio dichiarativo, previsto e punito dall’art. 375 c.p. Per comprendere meglio questa complessa interazione, è opportuno fare un passo indietro e partire da una considerazione preliminare: il diritto al silenzio è ormai riconosciuto – almeno sotto il profilo processuale – come un diritto fondamentale dell’individuo, dispiegando effetti decisivi anche nell’ambito del diritto sostanziale. Tale rilevanza giuridica assunta dal nemo tenetur se detegere non può che suscitare perplessità nel momento in cui il legislatore, nell’introdurre un severissimo falso processuale quale è il depistaggio, non lo ha incluso nell’ambito di applicazione dell’art. 384, comma 1, c.p. Il presente elaborato propone alcuni spunti di riflessione sulla legittimità di tale scelta legislativa, offrendo al contempo interpretazioni utili a ricondurre il delitto di depistaggio e la sua disciplina a una lettura conforme ai principi costituzionali
Personal Character: From Naturalism to Phenomenology
No full textIn this paper I address the naturalistic assumptions in the contemporary philosophical debate about character. I begin with a brief reconstruction of the controversy between dispositionalists and situationists in moral psychology and then turn to Christian Miller’s recent proposal of a Mixed-Traits approach to character in Section I. Section II raises the familiar problem of explanatory circularity in the appeal to character traits and discusses Miller’s proposed solution in terms of grounding character traits in deeper dispositions to form beliefs and desires. Section III introduces the notion of structural naturalism as the threefold underlying assumption in the contemporary debate. Section IV introduces a personalistic perspective on character following Edmund Husserl’s idea of the personalistic attitude. The following three sections (V, VI, and VII) propose alternatives to the threefold assumption of structural naturalism drawing on the work of Edmund Husserl, Edith Stein and Alexander Pfänder. In the conclusion I recapitulate my argument and emphasize how phenomenology could contribute valuable insights for a radical reconfiguration of the debate on character
Geochemical and isotopic studies of the Douda-Damerjogue aquifer (Republic of Djibouti): Origin of high nitrate and fluoride, spatial distribution, associated health risk assessment and prediction of water quality using machine learning
No full text: Groundwater from the East African Rift System (EARS), for which there is limited data available, is often characterized by high levels of dissolved fluoride and nitrate, which pose inherent health risks. Within the EARS, the Douda-Damerjogue aquifer system was overexploited and subjected to anthropogenic and/or geogenic pollution with high NO3-concentrations (up to 375.4 mg L-1) and F-(up to 4.5 mg L-1). This study is the first to examine the origin and cumulative health risk assessment of groundwater with high F- and NO3- contents in rifting zones, as well as the spatial patterns and the water quality forecasting. This study use a combination of geochemical and thermodynamic tools, geospatial analysis, MixSIAR model, Machine Learning (ML) model, as well as stable isotope ratios, including δ18O(H2O), δ2H(H2O), δ15N(NO3-), and δ18O(NO3-). A ML framework was developed to forecast NO3-, Electrical Conductivity (EC), and Irrigation Water Quality Index (IWQI) in such data-scarce environments. The key geochemical processes controlling the groundwater composition in the study area were: (i) basalt weathering; (ii) ion exchange; (iii) mixing with fossil groundwater; and (v) seawater intrusion. Fluoride enrichment (> 1.5 mg L-1) in the groundwater was likely driven by the dissolution of fluoride-bearing minerals and desorption from sorbent surfaces. The combined application of the MixSIAR model, stable nitrate isotopes, and the NO3/Cl vs Cl diagram identified soil organic nitrogen, NH4-fertilizers, sewage and manure as the primary anthropogenic sources of NO3- in the groundwater. Groundwater chemistry showed that 76 % of samples exceeded the permissible limits for fluoride and nitrate, posing potential health risks, especially for teenagers and infants. The proposed ML-based framework provides a robust, scalable solution for forecasting water quality in Djibouti and other regions facing similar challenges
