Lealtà sportiva. Etica e diritto

Il principio di lealtà sportiva: nozione e funzione tra ordinamento sportivo e ordinamento statale. Delimitazione dell'ambito soggettivo di operatività

Potential biogas production from agricultural by-products in Sicily. A case study of citrus pulp and olive pomace

Renewable energy sources represent a suitable alternative to conventional fossil fuels, due to the possible advantages in terms of environmental impact reduction. Anaerobic digestion of biomasses could be considered an environmental friendly way to treat and revalorise large amounts of by-products from farming industries because it ensures both pollution control and energy recovery. Therefore, the objective of this study was to define a methodology for evaluating the potential biogas production available from citrus pulp and olive pomace, which are suitable agricultural by-products for biogas production. In the first phase of the study, the spatial distribution of both olive and citrus-producing areas was analysed in Sicily, a geographical area of the Mediterranean basin highly representative of these types of cultivation. Then, a GIS-based model, which had been previously defined and utilised to evaluate the amount of citrus pulp and olive pomace production, was applied to this case study. Based on the results obtained for the different provinces of Sicily, the province of Catania was chosen as the study area of this work since it showed the highest production of both citrus pulp and olive pomace. Therefore, a further analysis regarded the quantification of olive pomace and citrus pulp at municipal level. The results of this analysis showed that the total amount of available citrus pulp and olive pomace corresponded theoretically to about 11,102,469 Nm3/year biogas. Finally, the methodology adopted in this study made it possible to identify suitable areas for the development of new biogas plants by considering both the spatial distribution of the olive and citrus growing areas and the locations of the existing processing industries

Experimental Investigation On A Novel Two-Stage Sliding-Vane Air Compressor Based On The Intracooling Concept

Intercooling is a well-known practice in compression technology for reducing the discharge temperature and the power consumption of the process. Intracooling, a similar yet not identical concept, is the cooling of the compressed gas between two compression stages by way of spraying a liquid coolant in the gas flow without separating that liquid prior to the second compression stage. This liquid coolant can be the cooled lube oil. The present work reports the experimental experience on a first prototype of a small-scale two-stage sliding-vane compressor based on the concept. The prototype is design for a relatively low delivery pressure, 0.7-1.0 MPa. Moreover, it is characterized by an oil injection system comprising pressure-swirl nozzles placed on the end-plates of the compression stages and along the intracooling duct. This duct is equipped with eight nozzles: six of them perform a radial inward injection and are equally spaced on the tube length, while the other two are located at its ends for an axial injection, one cocurrent and the other countercurrent to the air flow direction. The experimental tests differ by the number and the position of the active nozzles along the duct. The outcomes indicate that intracooling does not yield operability issues and that the intracooling effectiveness increases with the number of active pressure-swirl nozzles, reaching a decrease in temperature along the duct of about 5°C. However, the configuration with the lowest mechanical specific power, by 4.4% with respect to a single-stage compressor, has only one nozzle active and spraying along the axial flow direction. The results suggest that the compromise among oil flow rate, number of active nozzles and their position, is the best solution to obtain the maximum efficiency for the overall system. In the future, an improved intracooling duct and a mid-size intracooled compressor for higher pressures will be manufactured and tested

Biotimer assay: A reliable and rapid method for the evaluation of central venous catheter microbial colonization

Adherent bacteria and biofilm frequently colonize central venous catheters (CVCs). CVC colonization is correlated to infections and particularly to bloodstream ones. The classical microbiological methods to determine of CVC colonization are not fully reliable and are time-consuming. BioTimer Assay (BTA) is a biological method already used to count bacteria adherent to abiotic surfaces and biofilm without sample manipulation. BTA employs specific reagents whose color changed according to bacterial metabolism. BTA is based on the principle that a metabolic reaction will be faster when more bacteria are present in the sample. Therefore, the time required for color changes of BTA reagents determines the number of bacteria present in the sample through a correlation line. Here, for the first time, we applied BTA and a specifically developed laboratory procedure to evaluate CVC colonization in comparison with the routine microbiological method (RMM). 125 CVCs removed from patients for suspected catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) or at hospital discharge were examined. BTA was reliable in assessing sterility and CVC colonization (100% agreement with RMM) and in recognizing the presence of fermenting or non-fermenting bacteria (97.1% agreement with RMM) shortening the analytical time by between 2- and 3-fold. Moreover, the reliability of BTA as early alert of CRBSI was evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values for BTA as an early alert of CRBSI were 100, 40.0, 88.8 and 100%, respectively. In conclusion, BTA and the related laboratory procedure should be incorporated into routine microbiological methods since it can be considered a reliable tool to evaluate CVC colonization in a very short time and a rapid alert for CRBSIs

Prognostic impact of left ventricular mass severity according to the classification proposed by the American society of echocardiography/European association of echocardiography

Background: The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and European Association of Echocardiography (EAE) recommend the use of quantitative estimation of left ventricular (LV) mass and defined partition values for mild, moderate, and severe hypertrophy. However, the prognostic implications associated with this categorization are unknown. Methods: In this observational cohort study of unselected adults undergoing echocardiography for any indication, LV hypertrophy was assessed using the ASE/EAE-recommended formula and measurement convention from LV linear dimensions indexed to body surface area. Mortality and incident hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease were the outcomes of this study. Results: Of 2,545 subjects (mean age, 61.9 ± 15.8 years; 56.3% women), 52.9% had normal LV mass, and 15.4% had mild, 12.1% moderate, and 19.6% severe LV hypertrophy. During a mean follow-up period of 2.5 ± 1.2 years, 121 deaths and 292 incident hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease occurred. In multivariate models including age, gender, LV ejection fraction, wall motion score index, significant valvular disease, and atrial fibrillation, the adjusted hazard ratios for death were 1.81 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-3.20; P =.041) for mild, 2.31 (95% CI, 1.33-4.01; P =.003) for moderate, and 2.30 (95% CI, 1.39-3.79, P =.001) for severe LV hypertrophy. The adjusted hazard ratios for incident cardiovascular hospitalizations were 1.24 (95% CI, 0.84-1.82; P =.277) for mild, 2.02 (95% CI, 1.42-2.88; P =.0001) for moderate, and 2.38 (95% CI, 1.75-3.22, P <.0001) for severe LV hypertrophy. After adjustment for known risk predictors, there was a 1.3-fold risk for death and cardiovascular disease events per category of LV mass (P =.001). Conclusions: In a cohort study of unselected adult outpatients, the categorization of LV mass according to the ASE/EAE recommendations offered prognostic information independently of age, gender, and other known predictors. Copyright 2011 by the American Society of Echocardiography

Scene di contenzioso del lavoro e certificazione dei contratti

Il ruolo della certificazione dei contratti di lavoro in materia di qualificazione del rapporto, di cambio di appalto, di licenziamenti e di contrattazione collettiva. Il presente testo riproduce le relazioni del Convegno “Scene di contenzioso del lavoro e certificazione dei contratti” tenutosi in data 20 gennaio 2021 e organizzato dalla Commissione di certificazione dei contratti di lavoro dell’Università degli Studi di Siena in collaborazione con l’Ordine degli Avvocati di Siena

A review of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development and progression of cardiac remodeling

Pathological molecular mechanisms involved in myocardial remodeling contribute to alter the existing structure of the heart, leading to cardiac dysfunction. Among the complex signaling network that characterizes myocardial remodeling, the distinct processes are myocyte loss, cardiac hypertrophy, alteration of extracellular matrix homeostasis, fibrosis, defective autophagy, metabolic abnormalities, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Several pathophysiological stimuli, such as pressure and volume overload, trigger the remodeling cascade, a process that initially confers protection to the heart as a compensatory mechanism. Yet chronic inflammation after myocardial infarction also leads to cardiac remodeling that, when prolonged, leads to heart failure progression. Here we review the molecular pathways involved in cardiac remodeling, with particular emphasis on those associated with myocardial infarction. A better understanding of cell signaling involved in cardiac remodeling may support the development of new therapeutic strategies towards the treatment of heart failure and reduction of cardiac complications. We will also discuss data derived from gene therapy approaches for modulating key mediators of cardiac remodeling

Anti-Survival Effect of SI306 and Its Derivatives on Human Glioblastoma Cells

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common adult brain tumor and, although many efforts have been made to find valid therapies, the onset of resistance is the main cause of recurrence. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and target the molecular mediators responsible for GBM malignancy. In this context, the use of Src inhibitors such as SI306 (C1) and its prodrug (C2) showed promising results, suggesting that SI306 could be the lead compound useful to derivate new anti-GBM drugs. Therefore, a new prodrug of SI306 (C3) was synthesized and tested on CAS-1 and U87 human GBM cells by comparing its effect to that of C1 and C2. All compounds were more effective on CAS-1 than U87 cells, while C2 was the most active on both cell lines. Moreover, the anti-survival effect was associated with a reduction in the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)WT and EGFR-vIII in U87 and CAS-1 cells, respectively. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that all tested compounds are able to counteract GBM survival, further supporting the role of SI306 as progenitor of promising new drugs to treat malignant GBM