1,244 research outputs found
Urine metabolomics shows an induction of fatty acids metabolism in healthy adult volunteers after supplementation with green coffee (Coffea robusta L.) bean extract
No full textBackground and objective: Green coffee bean extract is used as herbal medicine or supplement for weight reduction and obesity. The active constituents are considered caffeine and chlorogenic acid (CGA) derivatives. The mode of action of CGA is still unclear and can be related to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR-α) and liver X receptor Rα (LXR-α). Metabolomics may be an innovative tool for the description and discovery of the multiple target nature of such phytocomplex.
Methods: 24 h urine samples were collected once a week from ten healthy adult volunteers consuming daily 400 mg of dry Green coffee bean extract (GCBE, 4.9% of chlorogenic acid) each day for 30 days (5 harvesting
days, considering also the first day of supplementation). Urine samples were analyzed by LC-QTOF using both untargeted and targeted approaches. The latter was used to monitor two urinary markers of oxidative stress
(allantoin, 8-OHdG).
Results: Metabolomics analysis (PLS-DA) revealed changes in urine composition before and during the treatment with GCBE. Markers related to treatment were metabolites related to polyphenol administration as hippuric acid, benzoic acid derivatives, dihydroferulic and dihydrosinapic acid sulphate, but also carnitine derivatives and dicarboxylic acids. On the other hand, no changes in the levels of allantoin and 8-OHdG were observed.
Conclusion: This preliminary study showed the possible usefulness of metabolomics approach in the evaluation of GCBE consumption in healthy subjects. The observed changes in urinary composition can be related to the catabolism of GCBE constituents and to induced fatty acid metabolism, mainly related to carnitine derivatives. This latter result could be considered, at least in part, as a further proof of the mode of action of green coffee extract
Correction to: When terminology hinders research: the colloquialisms of transitions of control in automated driving (Cognition, Technology & Work, (2022), 10.1007/s10111-022-00705-3)
No full textIn the original article, author affiliation published with error. The correct affiliations are: Davide Maggi—Institute for Transport Studies, Leeds, UK. Richard Romano—Institute for Transport Studies, Leeds, UK. Oliver Carsten—Institute for Transport Studies, Leeds, UK. Joost C. F. De Winter—Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. The original article has been corrected.Human-Robot Interactio
Admiel Kosman, Siamo giunti a Dio
No full textInternational audienceSix poems from Israeli poet Admiel Kosman translated from the Hebrew into Italian. Selection of poems, presentation of the author, translation and notes by Davide Mano
Admiel Kosman, Siamo giunti a Dio
No full textInternational audienceSix poems from Israeli poet Admiel Kosman translated from the Hebrew into Italian. Selection of poems, presentation of the author, translation and notes by Davide Mano
Starchitecture: Scenes, Actors and Spectacles in Contemporary Cities
No full textHow and why do spectacular buildings get commissioned and procured? What are their visible urban effects? What can urban planners, architects, and policymakers learn in order to engage in more successful citymaking?
In recent years, media and critical attention has been lavished on famous architects, and the contributions of their designs to the branding of cities. The post-“Bilbao effect” global landscape is one where cities compete for the highest-profile skyscrapers, cultural projects, and high-profile developments designed by star architects whom even casual readers know by first name: Frank Gehry, Bjarke Ingels, Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster, Rem Koolhaas. Far less is known about the decision-making processes behind these projects and their subsequent urban effects.
A unique combination of urban studies and photography, Starchitecture investigates projects designed by star architects in cities including Paris, New York, Abu Dhabi, Bilbao, and the architectural microcosm of the Vitra campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Author Davide Ponzini and photographer Michele Nastasi seek to explain and critique a growing global condition by revealing how starchitecture has been and continues to be deployed in cities around the world. The arguments they raise are vital to understanding the urban landscapes of today, and tomorrow
Design and characterization of a fractal-inspired multi-frequency piezoelectric energy converter
No full textA promising harvesting technique, in terms of simplicity and efficiency, is the conversion of ambient kinetic energy through piezoelectric materials. This work aims to design and investigate a piezoelectric converter conform to a fractal-inspired, multi-frequency structure previously presented by the author. A physical prototype of the converter is built and experimentally examined, up to 120 Hz, in terms of modal response and power output. Three eigenfrequencies are registered and the power output is particularly good at the fundamental eigenfrequency. Also the effect of the resistive load applied to the converter is investigated
Checking Flavour Models at Neutrino Facilities
No full textAbstractIn the recent years, the industry of model building has been the subject of the intense activity, especially after the measurement of a relatively large values of the reactor angle. Special attention has been devoted to the use of non-abelian discrete symmetries, thanks to their ability of reproducing some of the relevant features of the neutrino mixing matrix. In this Letter, we consider two special relations between the leptonic mixing angles, arising from models based on S4 and A4, and study whether, and to which extent, they can be distinguished at superbeam facilities, namely T2K, NOνA and T2HK
La rilevanza del rischio economico nella definizione dell’ambito soggettivo di applicazione della disciplina sui contratti pubblici e del diritto della concorrenza
No full textL’articolo si propone di analizzare il ruolo del rischio economico come criterio
idoneo a delineare l’ambito soggettivo di applicazione del diritto europeo dei
contratti pubblici e del regime della concorrenza. L’analisi si incentra sull’in-
terpretazione delle nozioni di “organismo di diritto pubblico” e di “impresa”. Il
contributo intende evidenziare la crescente importanza dell’analisi economica
come criterio ermeneutico utile a segnare il confine tra “pubblico” e “privato”,
tra “attività amministrativa” e “attività d’impresa”.The essay examines the role of economic risk in identifying the scope of public
procurement and competition law. The widespread use of private law institutions
by the public sector creates uncertainty about whether to apply public procurement
or competition law or both. According to the author, the concept of economic risk
could represent a decisive criterion for marking the boundaries between the two
areas of law. Consistently, the author highlights the importance of a “more
economic approach” in the application of European internal market law
Co-authoring Apologies with ChatGPT Can Support Relationships but not Second-Person Authenticity: A Reply to Lavazza
No full textIn this paper, I offer a reply to Lavazza (2025), who states that using an LLM as a co-author to apologize to a partner – far from compromising second-person authen- ticity – can improve relational morality. I agree that some valuable aspects of the relationship may be enhanced in the co-authorship context; however, the second- person authenticity standard cannot still be adequately met. At best, using ChatGPT as a co-author might be compatible with a scenario in which the second-person authenticity assessment is suspended and postponed to a later point in time; this allows us to capture a potential diachronic dimension in such an assessment that has not yet been explored. In the remainder of the article, I criticize Lavazza’s Kantian argument and offer some clarifications on the analogy between using ChatGPT and friend-suggested communication, as well as on the terminology used
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