Engineered nanofluidic platforms for single molecule detection, analysis and manipulation

Since the pioneering studies on single ion-channel recordings in 1976, single molecule methods have evolved into powerful tools capable of probing biological systems with unprecedented detail. In this work, we build on the versatility of a type of nanofluidic devices, called nanopipettes, to explore novel modes of single molecule detection and manipulation with the aim of improving spatial and temporal control of biomolecules. In particular, a novel nanopore configuration is presented, where biomolecules were individually confined into a zeptoliter volume bridging two adjacent nanopores at the tip of a nanopipette. As a result of this confinement, the transport of biomolecules such as DNA and proteins was slow down by nearly three orders of magnitude, leading to an improved sensitivity and superior signal-to-noise performances compared to conventional nanopore sensing. Active ways of controlling the transport of biomolecule by combining the advantages of nanopore single-molecule sensing and Field-Effect Transistors are also presented. These hybrid platforms were fabricated in a simple two step process which integrates a gold electrode at the apex of a nanopipette. We show that these devices were effective in modulating the charge density of the nanopore and in actively switching "on" and "off" the transport of DNA through the nanopore. Finally, a nanoscale dielectrophoretic nanotweezer device has been developed for high resolution manipulation and interrogation of individual entities. Two closely spaced carbon nanoelectrodes were embedded at the apex of a nanopipette. Voltage and frequency applied to the electrodes generated a highly localized force capable of trapping and manipulating a broad range of biomolecules. These dielectrophoretic nanotweezers were suitable for probing complex biological environments and a new technique for minimally invasive single-cell nanobiopsy was established. Such study provides encouraging results on how nanopipettebased platforms can be integrated as a future tool for routinely interrogating molecules at the nanoscale.Open Acces

Does Sex Really Sell? Paradoxical Effects of Sexualization in Advertising on Product Attractiveness and Purchase Intentions

To test the “sex sells” assumption, we examined how Italian men and women react to sexualized advertising. Women showed lower product attractiveness and purchase intentions toward products presented with sexualized female models than with neutral ads, whereas men were unaffected by ads’ sexualization (Study 1, n = 251). Study 2 (n = 197) replicated the overall results. Study 3 (n = 198) tested hostile sexism as a moderator as well as negative emotions as a mediator of consumers’ responses. Especially men with higher hostile sexism showed more purchase intentions after viewing female sexualized ads than neutral ads.Moreover, women’s lower consumer responses toward sexualized female ads were due to higher negative emotions. Study 4 (n = 207) included ads with both female and male models, replicating responses to female sexualization and showing that both women and men had lower product attractiveness and purchase intentions toward male sexualized ads than neutral ads. Replicating and extending Study 3’s results, women’s negative emotions was the mediator. The present study has practical implications for marketers because it suggests that “sex does not sell.” In addition, considering both the psychological damage and practical inefficacy of sexualized ads, our findings have important implications for public policy

Maistrus, picapedres e albaniles sardi nel tardogotico civile. viaggi, scambi di modelli e interpretazioni popolari

The master builders of Sardinia, in the time of the late Gothic, received the news from the Mediterranean regions from which important masters came to build new architectures. Influenced by these innovations, Sardinian masters entered the circuit of cultural exchanges and sometimes reworked, based on their previous training, solutions of different sign, evident in residential construction far from large urban centers, as very evident lintels decorated according to local repertoires. Strengthened by this training, some Sardinian masters are documented in important construction sites in the Catalan regions or in Sicily. Their skills concern the construction in raw earth or the construction of large windows with lintel and arch, called sarde, documented in Sicily since 1350. The Sardinian masters, already the subject of attention in the history of studies, can now be better interpreted as specialists rather than simple migrants looking for work. They probably were hired for their innovative role anchored in archaic models

Conspiracy theories under the lens of social psychology

openIl cospirazionismo inteso come aderire a una teoria della cospirazione al fine di spiegare gli eventi sociali è un fenomeno che non riguarda solo la nostra epoca, infatti esiste già dall’antichità, ma è diventato particolarmente rilevante in questo momento storico, dove eventi di crisi come la pandemia di Covid-19 mettono in dubbio le certezze fornite dal metodo scientifico e dalle istituzioni. Vari studi negli anni si sono occupati di spiegare le cause individuali e sociali della formazione e della credibilità delle teorie del complotto riguardo i temi più disparati ma si occupano anche di riportare nel complesso le conseguenze sociali e politiche delle teorie della cospirazione, e delle possibili soluzioni al fine di comprendere come gestire il fenomeno