Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Università degli Studi di Venezia Ca' Foscari
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Supercritical carbon dioxide-based approach for the recovery and purification of polyhydroxyalkanoates from mixed microbial cultures: A green approach for bioplastics production
No full textThe widespread use of petroleum-based plastics has significant environmental consequences, including greenhouse gas emissions and long-term contamination of marine and terrestrial habitats. In contrast, bioplastics are a class of biopolymers, widely considered as the main alternative to conventional non-degradable plastics. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a class of biodegradable polymers that have the potential to replace conventional polymers thanks to their similar properties. PHAs are currently produced using fermentation technologies, which require post-extraction purification procedures as well as the use of organic solvents for the removal of residual fermentation media to obtain high-quality products (e.g., medical devices). In the present study, supercritical CO2-extraction (scCO2) was employed as a green technology to selectively recover and purify PHAs from mixed microbial cultures using different multi-step protocols, including: the use of co-solvents (methanol, water and phosphate buffer solution) inside the scCO2 cell, pre- and post-treatment of the biomass (with enzymes and H2O2), employing different times (2 h to 4 h), temperatures (35 °C to 40 °C) and pressures (20 MPa to 35 MPa) for the scCO2-treatment. Among the tested protocols, the post-treatment of biomass with H2O2 and trypsin (scCO2-H2O2-trypsin) resulted in the highest PHA purity and recovery with 97.2 % and 97.3 %, respectively. The results demonstrate the importance of scCO2-based techniques as a valid alternative to conventional methods that use chlorinated organic solvents. This highlights the importance of green technologies as a turning point in the industrial production of biopolymers starting from a complex biomass feedstock
“Was Kepler Being Ironic? Ramus Professors of Mathematics and the Nature of Their Hypotheses in the Classroom”
No full textThe educational reformer Petrus Ramus stipulated in his will and publications that his proposed new chair of mathematics at Paris should have certain
attributes: be well-schooled in Greek and Latin, esteem reason over authority, place an emphasis on geometry, arithmetic, optics, and mechanics, and champion
an astronomy without hypotheses. This latter challenge was taken up by Johannes Kepler when he suggested that he himself met Ramus’ criteria. This chapter will
explore the multiple ways in which two prominent holders of, and one candidate for the chair presented astronomical hypotheses to students in the classrooms of France and Britain, offering multiple hypotheses that seem to run contrary to Ramus’ stipulations. However, their activities reflected an interpretation that Ramus’ intention had been—as Kepler suggested—a desire to go beyond unnecessary speculation grounded in unprovable natural philosophical conjecture in order
to find a true astronomical model grounded in the specialist aptitudes specified in his will
Historiography and possible historiographical analysis of the Serenissima
No full textAn article that combines traditional historiographical analysis with an attempt to go beyond it in order to be as faithful as possible to the factual reality
Una relación temporal de “simultaneidad coextensiva delimitada” en las variedades contemporáneas del español: dialectología y análisis de por mientras / para mientras
No full textThis paper examines a Spanish temporal connective that has been paid no attention in grammatical studies: por mientras / para mientras. The study has two main goals. The first one aims at establishing the geographical distribution of these expressions in contemporary Spanish varieties. The second objective attempts to advance a first preliminary description of the functions and uses of this connective. The starting point of the analysis deals with the hypothesis that theses essentially synonymous temporal expressions convey a relationship of “delimited coextensive simultaneity”. According to this hypotesis, the connective combines the durative properties of mientras (‘while’) and the delimitative characteristic feature of hasta (‘until’). These mixed properties collocates the connective in an intermediate zone. Tha analysys is based on data drawn from Corpus del español, although samples extracted from other databases will contribute to complete the sociodialectal distribution
Corrupted Authority and Transgressive Villains in Young Adult Dystopias
No full textThis article examines how authority and transgression are dramatised through
villainous figures in contemporary Young Adult (YA) dystopias, focusing on
Coriolanus Snow in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games saga (2008-2010; prequel
2020), Scythe Goddard in Neal Shusterman’s Scythe (2016) and Thaddeus
Valentine in Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines (2001). While classic dystopias of
the twentieth century often culminated in bleak warnings, YA dystopias oscillate
between despair and hope, offering what Sambell (2003) terms “critical utopias”:
spaces where resistance remains possible. By foregrounding adolescent
perspectives, these narratives transform villains into catalysts for ethical inquiry,
forcing protagonists and their readers to interrogate the legitimacy of power.
Snow weaponises scarcity and humiliation, Goddard reframes death as spectacle
and Valentine cloaks violence in paternal respectability. Read through theoretical
lenses including Arendt, Foucault and Girard, these figures illustrate how
authority is rehearsed, corrupted and finally destabilised. More than narrative
antagonists, they shape adolescent subjectivity by modelling the costs and limits
of rebellion. Beyond the fictional realm, YA dystopias resonate with
contemporary youth activism. From Fridays for Future to the March for Our
Lives and the Umbrella Movement, young people mobilise across borders using
performative strategies reminiscent of dystopian protagonists. Social media and
emerging technologies, though susceptible to authoritarian control, are equally
repurposed for solidarity, critique and storytelling. YA dystopias thus function
not as escapist fantasies but as affective rehearsals for civic engagement,
equipping readers with frameworks to recognise corruption, resist domination
and reimagine the future as a contested terrain of possibility
Space in the new professions and in the neo-craft. Di Bisciglia Craig Hochstein Peterlongo Sheng
No full textThis issue aims to analyze how new professions and businesses in the new craftsmanship sector are contributing to transforming spaces and territorial dynamics, exploring their impact on workplaces and tools, as well as on collaborative dynamics and local development. If, as Henri Lefebvre wrote fifty years ago in The Production of Space (1974): "every epoch (mode of production) has produced its own space," then some of today's modes of work/production - which take on the most varied and contradictory forms (for example, combining vintage with super-advanced) - seem to produce hybrid and eclectic spaces, significantly different from the classic offices and production sites typical of the last century. In addition to these dynamics, the rise of digital professions, such as data scientists, blockchain developers, and cybersecurity experts, is reshaping both virtual and physical workspaces. As Manuel Castells (1996) noted, "space is the expression of society," and in this digital age, new professional environments, from coworking spaces to entirely virtual offices, are increasingly becoming the norm, influencing how individuals collaborate, share knowledge, and innovate. Numerous recent studies have highlighted the importance of the phenomenon of collaborative spaces, as well as a growing interest and a global trend towards a return to artisanal work and traditional crafts in the new century (Jakob, 2013; Gandini and Gerosa, 2023). This has mainly concerned the creativity and cultural industries, where artisanal work is understood as a form of creative or non-market activity, along with a countercultural practice aimed at "pragmatically resisting" capital accumulation (Banks, 2014; Luckmann, 2015). Inspired by the work of Richard Sennett (2008), who conceives of craftsmanship as synonymous with good work, the revival of artisanal work has also been facilitated by digital innovation and changes in consumer tastes. On the one hand, e-commerce platforms like Etsy.com have enabled artisanal producers to sell their handcrafted items online, allowing for new ways of matching supply and demand (Krugh, 2014); on the other hand, social media has facilitated the gathering of global artisanal communities of practice, engaging in discussions and exchanging tips (Naudin & Patel, 2019), often sharing workspaces and organizational functions. To describe this trend, a new term has been coined: "neo-craft/neo-artisanal industries/jobs" (Bell, Mangia, Taylor, & Toraldo, 2018; Terra, 2018), aimed at identifying forms of artisanal work—understood as the skillful creation of high-quality products—in which environmental sustainability and innovation are combined in both the product and the process (Land, 2018). This concept promises a form of work that is less alienated and more rewarding and sustainable compared to industrial work and precarious, underpaid, or unsatisfactory jobs that have emerged with the knowledge and creative economy. However, research on neo-craft is still in its early stages, and its specific contours remain uncertain both with regard to the peculiar characteristics that distinguish it from typical work in the traditional artistic craftsmanship sector and concerning the methods and guarantees by which it represents a "less alienated" and innovative form of work, as well as the impact it can generate in the spaces and places where it is established, and in local development
Forme e usi del territorio. Indizi dalle fonti epigrafiche
No full textThis paper attempts to address the definition of land and territory in Sicily in some of its different forms – political entity, space of several cultural entities, place of exchange and economic production, civic space with multiple functions - through the study of three significant epigraphic evidence produced between the Archaic and Hellenistic periods. The documents analysed are a contract from Olympia (Dubois, I.Sicile I, no. 28; 530-500 BCE); a sales contract from around Gela (Arena, Iscrizioni I, no. 77; 500-470 BCE) and a sales contract from Camarina (Dubois, I.Sicile I, no. 124; c. 300 BCE)
Muratori and Epigraphy: The Novus thesaurus veterum inscriptionum
No full textThis chapter examines Lodovico Antonio Muratori’s contribution to the development of early modern epigraphic scholarship through his monumental Novus thesaurus veterum inscriptionum (1739–1742). It situates Muratori’s work within the broader antiquarian and intellectual context of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe, tracing his engagement with manuscript sources, correspondence networks and printed corpora from Gruter to Fabretti. Particular attention is given to Muratori’s methodology, his reliance on both autoptic and secondary materials, as well as his attempt to systematise antiquarian knowledge according to new classificatory principles. The study reassesses the Novus thesaurus as a work both shaped by and critical of contemporary practices, revealing its lasting significance for the transmission of ancient inscriptions and for the history of scholarly methods in the Republic of Letters
Social innovation and networking in tourism: insights from case studies in Northeast Italy
No full textThis chapter explores the role of networks in social innovation in tourism (SIT), focusing on their capacity to foster inclusive and sustainable practices. Drawing on the concept of structural embeddedness, it highlights how networks mediate between individual actions and institutional frameworks. Using a mixed methods approach, including literature review, desk research, and 39 qualitative interviews, the study analyzes two case studies: Bassano del Grappa and the Trentino province. Findings show that networks, particularly those linked to festivals and local heritage, enhance collaboration, trust, and innovation across urban and rural contexts. Brokers and stakeholder engagement emerge as key elements in shaping effective and resilient networks. The research underscores the importance of balancing inclusive and specialized initiatives and calls for policies that support community-driven collaboration. Understanding how networks evolve and generate both tangible and intangible outcomes contributes to advancing SIT as a tool for local regeneration and long-term community development. The chapter concludes by highlighting the theoretical and practical implications
Potent carbonic anhydrase inhibition by ruthenium(II)-acetazolamide conjugates uncoupled from antiproliferative activity in vitro
No full textThe novel ruthenium(II) complexes [RuCl(κ3N-tpm)(PPh3)(κ1N-AcmH2)]Cl (5) and [Ru(κ3N-tpm)(PPh3)(κ2N,N′-AcmH)]NO3 (6) were synthesized in 46–57 % yields via thermal reactions of [RuCl(κ3N-tpm)(PPh3)2]Cl (4) with AcmH2, conducted in THF and ethanol, respectively [tpm = tris(pyrazolyl)methane; AcmH2 = acetazolamide]. Both complexes were fully characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, IR and NMR spectroscopy. Their solubility in D2O, octanol/water partition coefficients (Log Pow) and speciation in physiological-like solutions were assessed by 1H NMR and UV–Vis methods. Additionally, DFT calculations provided insights into the structural and thermodynamic properties of 5. Complexes 5–6, together with the previously reported ruthenium(II) arene acetazolamide adducts [RuCl2(κ1N-AcmH2)(η6-p-cymene)] (1), [RuCl(κ2N,N′-AcmH)(η6-p-cymene)] (2) and [Ru(κ2N,N′-Acm)(κP-PTA)(η6-p-cymene)] (3, PTA = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane), exhibited potent inhibitory activity against human carbonic anhydrase isoforms I, II, IX and XII, with KI values in the low to sub-nanomolar range. Under hypoxic conditions, complexes 5 and 6 showed a moderate antiproliferative activity against the human triple negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 (IC50 = 143.3, 40.9 μM), while complexes 2 and 3 were inactive (IC50 > 200 μM)