97 research outputs found
Weaving Cross-cultural Narratives: Hybrid Forms and Historico-political Discourse of the Anglophone Indian Novel
No full textAs the anglophone Indian novel exists in the in-between space between transnational and local cultures, it has repeatedly staged the encounter between a variety of cultural dimensions while remaining acutely aware of the way they interact with historical and political discourse. This essay examines four novels—Raja Rao’s Kanthapura, Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, Anita Desai’s In Custody and Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide—that have conceived their narratives as a site of encounter between cultures in response to articulations of Indian national identity. The essay stresses the authors’ shared concerns but also the different formal solutions and ideological positions they adopt. Rao—a pre-Partition author—deals with otherness within a nationalist paradigm. Rushdie, Desai and Ghosh, on the other hand, tackle otherness in different modes that are dependent on their writing after Partition and in a climate of growing violence and fundamentalis
Development of a Providencia stuartii multilocus sequence typing scheme
No full textIntroductionThe Providencia genus is assuming greater clinical relevance among infections caused by Enterobacterales also because of its intrinsic and acquired resistance to last-resort antibiotics. However, despite having been known and studied for over 50 years, genomics and taxonomy of the Providencia genus are currently undergoing a deep rearrangement. In this study we aim to outline and characterized the P. stuartii species.MethodsWe retrieved from the GenBank database all genomes labelled as Providencia and performed a comprehensive genome-based species definition founded on average nucleotide identity (ANI) and on alignment-free approaches.ResultsAfter defining the genomes assuredly identifiable as P. stuartii, we devised a MultiLocus Sequence Typing (MLST) and a core-genome MLST (cgMLST) schemes, based on 7 and 2,296 loci respectively.DiscussionThis work hence provides a framework for understanding the role of P. stuartii and of other members of this genus, which should be considered as emerging multidrug-resistant pathogens
Ceftazidime-avibactam resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 37: a decade of persistence and concealed evolution
No full textThe first reports of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales in our hospital date back to 2006. In that period, few ertapenem-resistant but meropenem-susceptible Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates belonging to sequence type (ST) 37 were retrieved from clinical samples. These strains produced the CTX-M-15 extended spectrum β-lactamase, OmpK35 was depleted due to a nonsense mutation, and a novel OmpK36 variant was identified. Yet, starting from 2010, Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing ST512 isolates started prevailing and ST37 vanished from sight. Since 2018 the clinical use of the combination of ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) has been introduced in clinical practice for the treatment of bacteria producing serine-β-lactamases, but KPC-producing, CZA-resistant K. pneumoniae are emerging. In 2021, four CZA-resistant ST37 isolates producing KPC variants were isolated from the same number of patients. blaKPC gene cloning in Escherichia coli was used to define the role of those KPC variants on CZA resistance, and whole genome sequencing was performed on these isolates and on three ST37 historical isolates from 2011. CZA resistance was due to mutations in the blaKPC genes carried on related pKpQIL-type plasmids, and three variants of the KPC enzyme have been identified in the four ST37 strains. The four ST37 isolates were closely related to each other and to the historical isolates, suggesting that ST37 survived without notice in our hospital for 10 years, waiting to re-emerge as a CZA-resistant K. pneumoniae clone. The ancestor of these contemporary isolates derives from ST37 wild-type porin strains, with no other mutations in chromosomal genes involved in conferring antibiotic resistance (parC, gyrA, ramR, mgrB, pmrB)
Molecular surveillance of A. Baumannii in intensive care units. Exploration of transmission chains
No full textBackground
Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-Ab) is one of the main causes of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic there was an increase in MDR-Ab infections, especially in intensive care units (ICUs). This study aimed to assess the potential spread or emergence of specific clusters of MDR-Ab across four different ICUs at the Umberto I teaching hospital of Rome.
Methods
From January 2020 to January 2022 microbiological surveillance was conducted in four ICUs: two dedicated to COVID-19 patients (ICU-1C, ICU-2C) and two to non-COVID-19 patients (ICU-1R, ICU-2R). The genetic relatedness between A. baumannii isolates was assessed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Illumina whole genome sequencing was conducted on 26 representative isolates.
Results
In total, 178 A. baumannii isolates were obtained from 129 COVID-19 patients and 49 non-COVID-19 patients. The isolates were classified into 17 PFGE pulsotypes, being two major (A, B) and five intermediate (C, D, E, H, Q). Clone A was present in all ICUs, while Clone B was present only in ICU-1C and ICU-2R. Overall, 117 isolates belonged to clone A and exhibited a MDR phenotype; all of them were placed within the international clonal lineage II. All isolates showed carbapenems resistance primarily attributed to the presence of the blaOXA-23 gene, while aminoglycosides resistance observed in almost all isolates was attributed to the presence of the armA gene. Small outbreaks involving intermediate pulsotypes were detected between ICU-1R and ICU-2R, ICU-1C and ICU-2R, ICU-1C and ICU-2C, ICU-1C and ICU-1R.
Conclusions
The observed outbreaks could be attributed to a decline in attention to normal care practices for the prevention of HAIs during the COVID-19 pandemic, favouring the spread of MDR-Ab. Therefore, it is recommended the strengthen of control measures and the implementation of long-term strategies targeting MDR microorganisms in the ICUs
La regolamentazione giuridica delle fonti di energia rinnovabili tra tutela dell'ambiente e tutela della concorrenza
No full textThis PhD thesis analyses, from a constitutional perspective, the different aspects distinguishing the legislation of renewable energy, which is the link between the economic development needs and those of environmental protection, and which allows the exploitation of natural resources within the limits of their capacity for restoration.
As for the abovementioned legislation, the intention of the author is to highlight the critical issues that identify the sector, but also to ascertain common evolutionary lines.
At the outset, attention is given to the evolution of the legal notion of the environment and the development of constitutional case law on such question, which profoundly affects the regulation of the energy sector.
Afterwards, the constitutional case law on renewable energy sources is analyzed, as it is considered particularly emblematic for the complexity of the division of legislative power between the State and the Regions, outlined by art. 117 of the Constitution, and the evolution of the principle of sustainable development.
Following a brief overview of the regulatory framework set up at the European level for the promotion of energy production from renewable sources, the evolution and analysis of subsidy systems shall be contemplated. In particular, the different support mechanisms shall be explained, which can be divided into quantitative systems and price-based systems, highlighting their respective critical profiles.
Finally, two in-depth analyzes shall be carried out in relation to areas that have experienced a profoundly different evolution, and which present particular problematic features.
The first concerns the photovoltaic sector, with particular reference to the slight linear evolution of "Conto energia" subsidy program.
The second in-depth enquiry consists in an analysis of the hydroelectric sector legislation, and it demonstrates the criticalities stemming from the strong regulatory uncertainty related to the revision of the legislation on public bids for the assignment of hydroelectric water concessions for hydroelectric purposes
Genome-based retrospective analysis of a Providencia stuartii outbreak in Rome, Italy. Broad spectrum IncC plasmids spread the NDM carbapenemase within the hospital
No full textProvidencia stuartii is a member of the Morganellaceae family, notorious for its intrinsic resistance to several antibiotics, including last-resort drugs such as colistin and tigecycline. Between February and March 2022, a four-patient outbreak sustained by P. stuartii occurred in a hospital in Rome. Phenotypic analyses defined these strains as eXtensively Drug-Resistant (XDR). Wholegenome sequencing was performed on the representative P. stuartii strains and resulted in fully closed genomes and plasmids. The genomes were highly related phylogenetically and encoded various virulence factors, including fimbrial clusters. The XDR phenotype was primarily driven by the presence of the (NDM)-N-bla- 1 metallo- beta-lactamase alongside the rmtC 16S rRNA methyltransferase, conferring resistance to most beta-lactams and every aminoglycoside, respectively. These genes were found on an IncC plasmid that was highly related to an NDM-IncC plasmid retrieved from a ST15 Klebsiella pneumoniae strain circulating in the same hospital two years earlier. Given its ability to acquire resistance plasmids and its intrinsic resistance mechanisms, P. stuartii is a formidable pathogen. The emergence of XDR P. stuartii strains poses a significant public health threat. It is essential to monitor the spread of these strains and develop new strategies for their control and treatment
Palaeoenvironments and palaeotopography of a multilayered city during the etruscan and roman periods: early interaction of fluvial processes and urban growth at Pisa (Tuscany, Italy)
No full textA critical geoarchaeological approach, based on fully integrated archaeological, geomorphological and stratigraphic data, allowed for the identification of the palaeoenvironments, palaeotopography and urban growth patterns of Pisa (NW Italy) during the Etruscan (first half of the 5th century BC-first half of the 1st century BC) and Roman (second half of the 1st century BC-2nd century AD) periods. This powerful methodology, based on aerial and satellite images, electrical resistivity tomography, LiDAR, and core analysis, led to the reconstruction of landscape evolution, highlighting humaneenvironment interactions. During the Etruscan and Roman periods, Pisa saw a fast urban expansion in a dense and unstable fluvial network. Wide portions of the city were characterised by poorly drained conditions until the 1st century AD, when the alluvial plain became well drained under increasing anthropogenic pressure (Roman Centuriatio). Poorly drained floodplains and channel-related backswamps represent the topographically lowest zones of the ancient Pisa. This city developed within an intricate pattern of palaeochannels, related to two main rivers: the palaeoArno, which flowed in proximity of its present position, and the former palaeoSerchio river, known as Auser flowing in the northern part of the city. Since Etruscan times, a mounded relief was formed in the historical city centre of Pisa, becoming wider and more prominent (up to ca. 2 m a.s.l.) during the Roman period, concomitant with a southward rapid expansion of the urban tissue. Nevertheless, the urban growth patterns substantially followed the Etruscan city's fabric, with marked concentration of the urban structures (public and private buildings) and manufacturing sites on the northern relief, close to the Auser. The Auser River thus played a crucial role in the environmental and topographic evolution of the city area
TA_DA: Target-Aware Data Anonymization
No full textMore and more scenarios rely today on data analysis of massive amount of data, possibly contributed from multiple parties (data controllers). Data may, however, contain information that is sensitive, company-confidential, or that should be protected (e.g., since it exposes identities of the data subjects) and cannot simply be freely shared and used for analysis. Business rules, restrictions from individuals (data subjects to which data refer), as well as privacy regulations demand data to be sanitized before being released or shared with others. Unfortunately, such protection typically comes with a loss of utility of the released data, for analytics tasks operating on the data. In this paper, we present TA_DA, a target-aware data anonymization approach that aims at protecting (anonymizing) data while preserving as much as possible the utility of the released data for the data analytics task operating downstream. Our approach does not replace anonymization solutions, it operates prior to anonymization catering data for the anonymization process. The idea is to partition data in groups (constructed based on the data analytics task to which the data are fed) on which anonymization then operates. With anonymization achieved through data generalization (to provide k-anonymity and l-diversity guarantees), the goal of having anonymization operate independently on groups is to limit the impact of anonymization on the attributes and values that should be preserved for the downstream data analytics task. Our experimental evaluation confirms the effectiveness of our approach
The functional VNTR MNS16A of the TERT gene is associated with human longevity in a population of Central Italy.
No full textTelomerase, encoded by TERT, is the ribonucleoprotein polymerase that maintains telomere ends and it plays a crucial role in cellular senescence. TERT single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated both with various malignancies and telomere length (TL). The association of TERT SNPs with longevity remains uncertain and varies with ethnicity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the functional variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) MNS16A of TERT is associated with longevity.
METHODS:
MNS16A genotypes have been determined for 1072 unrelated healthy individuals from Central Italy (18-106 years old) divided into three gender-specific age classes defined according to demographic information and accounting for the different survivals between sexes: for men (women), the first class consists of individuals 88 years old (>91 years old). TL was assessed using genomic DNA from whole blood of 72 selected individuals by a multiplex real-time PCR assay.
RESULTS:
MNS16A appears associated to longevity, showing significant associations in Comparison 2 (Age Class 3 vs. Age Class 2) under both additive (odds ratio [O.R.] 0.749; p=0.019) and dominant (O.R. 0.579; p=0.011) models. The MNS16A*L allele is significantly underrepresented in Age Class 3 (O.R. 0.759; p=0.020) compared to Age Class 2. A significant telomere attrition is reported along the three age classes (p=0.0001), that remains significant only in L*/L* genotype carriers (p=0.002) when the analysis was conducted according to MNS16A genotype.
CONCLUSIONS:
The TERT MNS16A*L allele appears negatively associated with longevity. The concomitant significant telomere cross sectional attrition rate observed for L*/L* genotype suggests that this polymorphism could influence human longevity by affecting TL
In vivo evolution to hypermucoviscosity and ceftazidime/avibactam resistance in a liver abscess caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 512
No full textCarbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae represents a major public health issue globally. Isolates with resistance to the newest drugs, like ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA), are increasingly reported. In this study, we analyzed the evolution of KPC-3-producing sequence type (ST) 512 K. pneumoniae strains isolated at three different times (hospitalization days 45, 56, and 78) from the same patient, two of which were observed in a pericholecystic liver abscess. The three K. pneumoniae isolates (295Kp, 304Kp, and hmv-318Kp) from the same patient were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing, whole-genome sequencing, sedimentation assay, biofilm measurement, serum resistance assay, macrophage phagocytosis, and adhesion assays. KPC-producing isolate hmv-318Kp exhibited carbapenem susceptibility, hypermucoviscous (hmv) colony phenotype and CZA resistance. Virulence markers of hypervirulent Klebsiella were absent. Two non-synonymous mutations were identified in the hmv-318Kp genome comparing with isogenic strains: a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) occurred in the pKpQIL plasmid, changing blaKPC-3 in the blaKPC-31 gene variant, conferring CZA resistance; and a second SNP occurred in the wzc gene of the capsular biosynthesis cluster, encoding a tyrosine kinase, resulting in the F557S Wzc protein mutation. The Klebsiella pneumoniae strain exhibiting an hmv phenotype (hmv-Kp) phenotype has been previously associated with amino acid substitutions occurring in the Wzc tyrosin kinase protein. We observed in vivo evolution of the ST512 strain to CZA resistance and acquisition of hypermucoviscosity. The pathogenetic role of the detected Wzc substitution is not fully elucidated, but other Wzc mutations were previously reported in hmv K. pneumoniae. Wzc mutants may be more frequent than expected and an underreported cause of hypermucoviscosity in K. pneumoniae clinical isolates
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