Hochschulschriftenserver der Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart
Not a member yet
128342 research outputs found
Sort by
The inclusion of fresh forage in the lactating buffalo diet affects fatty acid and sensory profile of mozzarella cheese
No full textThe aim of this study was to determine the effect of inclusion of fresh forage in diet for lactating buffalo on properties of mozzarella cheese under intensive farming conditions. Thirty-two buffalo cows were equally allotted into 2 groups fed diets with (fresh group, FRS) or without (control group, CTL) fresh sorghum. The study consisted of 2 trials. In the first one, animals from group FRS were fed a diet containing 10 kg of fresh sorghum (10-FRS diet) that was doubled to 20 kg (20-FRS diet) in the second trial. All diets were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic, and fresh forage accounted for 13.4 and 26.5 of dietary dry matter, respectively, for the 10-FRS and 20-FRS diet. In each trial, milk from the 2 groups was used to produce 3 batches/diet of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Protected Designation of Origin cheese. Milk yield and composition were not influenced by dietary treatment. The use of 10-FRS diet did not affect any properties of mozzarella. As the inclusion rate of fresh sorghum doubled to 20 kg, an increment of unsaturated fatty acid percentages and a lowering of short-chain and saturated fatty acids were observed. Moreover, the sensory characteristics of mozzarella were modified, although no effects were observed on consumer acceptance. We conclude that the use of green fodder can represent a low-cost feeding strategy to improve the healthiness of buffalo mozzarella under intensive farming conditions with no detrimental effect on consumer blind acceptance
The impact of trade costs on the European Regional Trade Network: An empirical and theoretical analysis
No full textUsing intra‐European interregional trade data, we analyze the topology of the E.U. regional trade network. A triad census analysis confirms the intuition that the interregional trade network (and, thus, the European economic integration) is far from being complete. The majority of the E.U. interregional trade patterns are characterized by simple, at best bilateral, configurations. Moreover, we analyze the effect of trade costs in shaping the topological structure of the network. It emerges that the relative presence of simple trade configurations increases with distance, while the relative presence of more complex trade configurations decreases with distance. Finally, we discuss the theoretical underpinnings of these empirical facts through a simple new economic geography model with three regions. In this model, we analyze how trade costs shape the pattern of the trade network. On the whole we find a correspondence between theoretic and empirical results. However, details differ and they suggest directions for further research
Influence of EC8 rules on p-delta effects on the design and response of steel MRF
No full textThe seismic design of steel moment resisting frames (MRFs) according to EC8
is largely influenced by the lateral stability checks. North American codes (e.g. ASCE7)
impose different rules to verify the sensitivity of the structures to P-Delta effects. In this
manuscript, both current EC8 and ASCE7 rules are compared against a possible alternative.
The relevant implications on the design and performance of frames are also investigated by
means of static and dynamic nonlinear analyses. The obtained results show that the rules
given by EN1998-1-1 lead to overdesigned MRFs as respect to the structures designed
according to ASCE7. The structures designed according to the recent modified version of the
EN1998-1-1 gives solutions closer to North American codes
Alla ricerca del processo romano nella finzione declamatoria
No full textIndagine sulla finzione declamatoria in relazione al processo penale romano. Specialmente presa in considerazione la Decl. Maior VII pseudoquintilianea in tema di omicidi
Nitrate removal through Fe(II)-mediated denitrification: effect of copper, nickel and zinc
No full textNitrate (NO3-) is commonly found in municipal and industrial wastewaters. In mining environments, NO3- contamination is often accompanied by metal (e.g. iron) and heavy metal (e.g. copper, nickel and zinc) pollution, leading to a higher impact of the generated wastewaters. Fe(II)-mediated autotrophic denitrification is a promising biotechnology, suitable for simultaneous NO3- removal and iron biorecovery. However, the activity of denitrifying and Fe(II)-oxidizing microorganisms can be considerably hindered by the presence of heavy metals, resulting in a not complete denitrification.
This study investigated the efficiency of Fe(II)-driven denitrification in the presence of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) with four different microbial cultures in batch bioassays. Fe(II) and NO3- were added at 600 and 120 mg/L, whereas Cu, Ni and Zn were fed at 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/L in order to evaluate the effect of different metal concentrations. Each bottle was inoculated with one of the following biomasses: i) a Thiobacillus-dominated mixed culture, ii) an activated sludge enrichment, iii) a pure culture of T. denitrificans and iv) a pure culture of Pseudogulbenkiania sp. 2002.
A complete NO3- removal was achieved with the Thiobacillus-dominated mixed culture and the pure culture of Pseudogulbenkiania in the absence of Cu, Ni and Zn. Under the same conditions, a 96 and 91% NO3- removal efficiency was obtained with the pure culture of T. denitrificans and the activated sludge enrichment, respectively. When Cu, Ni and Zn were supplemented, the Thiobacillus-dominated mixed culture and activated sludge enrichment better tolerated the presence of metals. Differently, a significantly higher sensitivity to metal toxicity was observed for the pure cultures, especially for Pseudogulbenkiania sp. 2002 that only resulted in a 6÷8% NO3- removal at the highest metal concentration. Cu averagely led to the highest inhibition of denitrification among the three heavy metals investigated
Targeting Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Mucopolysaccharidoses
No full textMucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) IIIB is an inherited lysosomal storage disease caused by the deficiency of the enzyme α-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGLU) required for heparan sulfate (HS) degradation. The defective lysosomal clearance of undigested HS results in dysfunction of multiple tissues and organs. We recently demonstrated that the murine model of MPS IIIB develops cardiac disease, valvular abnormalities, and ultimately heart failure. To address the molecular mechanisms governing cardiac dysfunctions in MPS IIIB, we generated a model of the disease by silencing NAGLU gene expression in H9C2 rat cardiomyoblasts. NAGLU-depleted H9C2 exhibited accumulation of abnormal lysosomes and a hypertrophic phenotype. Furthermore, we found the specific activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and increased phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) in NAGLU-depleted H9C2. The inhibition of either EGFR or ERKs, using the selective inhibitors AG1478 and PD98059, resulted in the reduction of both lysosomal aberration and hypertrophy in NAGLU-depleted H9C2. We also found increased phosphorylation of c-Src and a reduction of the hypertrophic response in NAGLU-depleted H9C2 transfected with a dominant-negative c-Src. However, c-Src phosphorylation remained unaffected by AG1478 treatment, posing c-Src upstream EGFR activation. Finally, heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) protein was found overexpressed in our MPS IIIB cellular model, and its silencing reduced the hypertrophic response. These results indicate that both c-Src and HB-EGF contribute to the hypertrophic phenotype of NAGLU-depleted cardiomyoblasts by synergistically activating EGFR and subsequent signaling, thus suggesting that EGFR pathway inhibition could represent an effective therapeutic approach for MPS IIIB cardiac disease
The effectiveness of ambiguity in the management of complexity
No full textThis paper is aimed at exploring the role of natural language in organizational learning performances,
particularly under conditions of high complexity of external environment. To address this issue, the
stylized representation of organizational learning proposed in the seminal paper of March of 1991
“Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning” is used as a reference model to build up an
agent-based computational laboratory. Through this lab simulative experiments have been settled and
performed to verify in which environmental conditions a cognitive system capable of managing vague
descriptions of reality is more effective than a formal system which instead provides precise
descriptions. Experimental results show that in stable environments the language-based management
of organizations does not offer significant advantages with respect to traditional approaches. In
turbulent environments, instead, the benefits of natural language are related to the ability of the fuzzy
organization to cope effectively with environmental complexity (modelled as turbulence) in the long
run
Linking environmental pollution and gut microbiota in individuals living in contaminated settlements
No full textStudy of the influence of environmental pollution on the gut microbiome composition and functionality in a highly polluted area (Terra dei Fuochi, Campania, Italy
Basilica churches under seismic actions: Classification and non-linear behaviour of masonry macro-elements
No full textThe paper provides a contribution for the evaluation of seismic capacity of typical macro-elements of basilica type churches through non-linear static analyses. Previous studies conducted by the authors on the behaviour of masonry churches under the earthquake actions showed how these structures are particularly vulnerable to the horizontal loads due to their specific geometrical configuration, characterized by open plan, slender walls, lack of effective connections between transversal walls, thrusting structures. In this paper, fourteen basilica churches located in Central and Southern Italy are analysed by sub-structuring the whole building in its constituting macro-elements. Each macro-element is then analysed by using pushover analysis with the aim of determining its horizontal capacity and the corresponding failure mechanism. The comparison among the results of the seismic analysis allow for defining eight classes of macro-elements, each one characterized by peculiarity in geometric characteristics, in architectural function and seismic response