Ripensare l’uomo: ripensare il diritto? Sui supposti fondamenti neurobiologici del diritto

Biological science in general and neuroscience in particular seem to promote a completely naturalised view of the human being. According to it, a naturalised view of the law and the juridical categories finds more and more followers among the law scholars too. Nevertheless, even an anticartesian and naturalised anthropological view has to face the question about the status of the consciousness. This paper aims to show that the accounts about the structure and functions of consciousness given by some of the most famous neuroscientists make questionable such a naturalisation of the law and of the juridical experience. At the same time, the paper points out that the perspective opened by those accounts requires to modify the very common idea that the law is a pure ‘means’ or an ‘instrument’ for living together

Optimal concentration of organic solvents to be used in the broth microdilution method to determine the antimicrobial activity of natural products against Paenibacillus larvae

American Foulbrood (AFB) is a bacterial disease, caused by Paenibacillus larvae, that affects honeybees (Apis mellifera). Alternative strategies to control AFB are based on the treatment of the beehives with antimicrobial natural substances such as extracts, essential oils and/or pure compounds from plants, honey by-products, bacteria and moulds. The broth microdilution method is currently one of the most widely used methods to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of a substance. In this regard, the fact that most natural products, due to their lipophilic nature, must be dissolved in organic solvents or their aqueous mixtures is an issue of major concern because the organic solvent becomes part of the dilution in the incubation medium, and therefore, can interfere with bacterial viability depending on its nature and concentration. A systematic study was carried out to determine by the broth microdilution method the MIC and the maximum non inhibitory concentration (MNIC) against P. larvae of the most common organic solvents used to extract or dissolve natural products, i.e. ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile, n-butanol, dimethylsulfoxide, and acidified hydromethanolic solutions. From the MIC and MNIC for each organic solvent, recommended maximum concentrations in contact with P. larvae were established: DMSO 5% (v/v), acetonitrile 7.5% (v/v), ethanol 7.5% (v/v), methanol 12% (v/v), n-butanol 1% (v/v), and methanol-water-acetic acid (1.25:98.71:0.04, v/v/v).Fil: Cugnata, Noelia Melina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Guaspari, Elisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Pellegrini, María Celeste. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Fuselli, Sandra Rosa. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Alonso Salces, Rosa Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; Argentin

Analysis of nucleotide diversity of NAT2 coding region reveals homogeneity across Native American populations and high intra-population diversity.

N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2), an important enzyme in clinical pharmacology, metabolizes antibiotics such as isoniazid and sulfamethoxazole, and catalyzes the transformation of aromatic and heterocyclic amines from the environment and diet into carcinogenic intermediates. Polymorphisms in NAT2 account for variability in the acetylator phenotype and the pharmacokinetics of metabolized drugs. Native Americans, settled in rural areas and large cities of Latin America, are under-represented in pharmacogenetics studies; therefore, we sequenced the coding region of NAT2 in 456 chromosomes from 13 populations from the Americas, and two from Siberia, detecting nine substitutions and 11 haplotypes. Variants *4 (37%), *5B (23%) and *7B (24%) showed high frequencies. Average frequencies of fast, intermediate and slow acetylators across Native Americans were 18, 56 and 25%, respectively. NAT2 intra-population genetic diversity for Native Americans is higher than East Asians and similar to the rest of the world, and NAT2 variants are homogeneously distributed across native populations of the continent

Survival and divergence in a small group: The extraordinary genomic history of the endangered Apennine brown bear stragglers

About 100 km east of Rome, in the central Apennine Mountains, a critically endangered population of ∼50 brown bears live in complete isolation. Mating outside this population is prevented by several 100 km of bear-free territories. We exploited this natural experiment to better understand the gene and genomic consequences of surviving at extremely small population size. We found that brown bear populations in Europe lost connectivity since Neolithic times, when farming communities expanded and forest burning was used for land clearance. In central Italy, this resulted in a 40-fold population decline. The overall genomic impact of this decline included the complete loss of variation in the mitochondrial genome and along long stretches of the nuclear genome. Several private and deleterious amino acid changes were fixed by random drift; predicted effects include energy deficit, muscle weakness, anomalies in cranial and skeletal development, and reduced aggressiveness. Despite this extreme loss of diversity, Apennine bear genomes show nonrandom peaks of high variation, possibly maintained by balancing selection, at genomic regions significantly enriched for genes associated with immune and olfactory systems. Challenging the paradigm of increased extinction risk in small populations, we suggest that random fixation of deleterious alleles (i) can be an important driver of divergence in isolation, (ii) can be tolerated when balancing selection prevents random loss of variation at important genes, and (iii) is followed by or results directly in favorable behavioral changes

Beekeeping as a strategy for environmental management in the basin Guaremal reservoir, municipality Peña, Yaracuy, Venezuela

El objetivo del presente estudio fue proponer estrategias de gestión ambiental para la recuperación de la cuenca del embalse Guaremal mediante el desarrollo de sistemas apícolas. Se realizó un relevamiento florístico alrededor de la cuenca tomando en consideración las especies visitadas por las abejas. Se determinaron las especies melíferas más abundantes de la zona en un área mínima de 0,10 ha definida en 7 transectos de 4m de ancho x 50m de largo, distribuidos a lo largo de toda la cuenca. La superficie fue dividida en tres zonas: baja (transectos 1 y 2), media (transectos 3, 4 y 5) y alta (transectos 6 y 7). Se estableció la densidad absoluta y relativa de cada especie vegetal dentro de cada transecto y entre todos los transectos. Se determinó la composición de la flora en la cuenca del embalse Guaremal, constituida por 77 especies de interés apícola, representadas en 40 familias, siendo las más predominantes: Compositae, Fabaceae, Mimosaceae, Euphorbiaceae y Urticaceae. La aparición de una especie apibotánica colonizadora, Wedelia caracasana, reveló un fuerte impacto antrópico negativo. Se proponen varias acciones correctivas, entre ellas el desarrollo de la Apicultura como estrategia de gestión ambiental para la recuperación de la cuenca del embalse Guaremal.The aim of this study was to propose different environmental management strategies for the recovery of the Guaremal Reservoir basin area, by developing beekeeping systems. A floristic screening was done around the Guaremal basin area taking into account the species visited by the bees. In order to determine the most abundant honey species of the region, a minimal area of 0.10 ha was established, defined by seven transects of 4m width by 50m long, laid out along the basin. The surface was also divided in three different zones: low (transects 1 and 2), medium (transects 3, 4 and 5) and high (transects 6 and 7). Absolute and relative plant species density was determined within each transect and among all of the transects. Floral composition in the Guaremal Reservoir basin area was registered and it consists of 77 species of beekeeping interest, represented by 40 different families, being the predominant ones Compositae, Fabaceae, Mimosaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Urticaceae. The appearance of a certain apibotanic plant species Wedelia. caracasana evealed a strongly negative anthropic effect. Several corrective actions were proposed, such as beekeeping activities as possible environmental control strategies, for the recovery of the Guaremal reservoir basin area.Fil: Barrios, Carlos. Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado. Decanato de Ciencias Veterinarias. Estación de Apicultura; Venezuela;Fil: Morales, Yoel. Universidad Nacional Experimental de los Llanos “Ezequiel Zamora”; Venezuela;Fil: Cugnata, Noelia Melina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Artrópodos; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mar del Plata; Argentina;Fil: de Piano, Fiorella Giselle. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Departamento de Producción Animal. Cátedra de Apicultura; Argentina; Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mar del Plata; Argentina;Fil: Fuselli, Sandra Rosa. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Artrópodos; Argentina; Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mar del Plata; Argentina;Fil: Maggi, Matías Daniel. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología. Laboratorio de Artrópodos; Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico - CONICET - Mar del Plata; Argentina;Fil: Melo, Hugo M.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria; Argentina;Fil: Principal, Judith. Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado. Decanato de Ciencias Veterinarias. Estación de Apicultura; Venezuela

Injury Prevention Organizations in Canada: High Impact, Highly Creative?

Public sector organizations, specifically those dealing with knowledge as their product, are assumed to function on different principles than organizations in the private sector. Non-profit organizations do not represent a sector that has been studied in terms of creativity, creative problem-solving or thinking skills, although they have been the subject of study in terms of societal impact and value, specifically in the United States. There is an important gap that could be filled through exploration of non-profit organizations in Canada in terms of what has been shown to be high impact as well as high creativity. This project looks at knowledge non-profits in the injury prevention sector in Canada by using the survey validated in Forces for Good research and characteristics of creativity and change leadership

Alterità e bene nella giustizia. Note sulla dikaiosune nell’Etica nicomachea

In delineating the notion of general or legal justice in Book V of Nicomachean Ethics , Aristotle seems to attribute to the relationship with other people a decisive role. Even virtues, such as liberality, amiability in conversation, or friendship, imply a relationship with others. However, justice seems to be the only virtue for which being exercised towards other people (pros heteron ) is something constitutive and distinctive. The article aims to focus on the specific way in which justice is directed to others, both in relation to the subjects towards whom it is exercised and in relation to the object, i.e. the good it aims at. It will also consider the specific way in which justice achieves what characterizes every ethical virtue, namely being a mean state

A misura di test. Neuroscienze ed elemento psicologico del reato

The essay provides a critical analysis of a particular use of aIAT test (Autobiographical Implicit Association Test) in courtroom. aIAT test was developed almost ten years ago by Giuseppe Sartori and his team, in order to detect implicit memories of past autobiographical events. Despite some severe criticism, the aIAT test has already been used in different trials to detect genuine memories. Recently, it has been suggested that the aIAT test could be a helpful and reliable tool in order to establish what the Italian criminal law defines the psychological element of crime. This essay aims to show that this possible use of the test implies a radical transformation of the juridical categories at stake, both from an ontological and an epistemological point of view. The labelling of the test as a \uabneuroscientific technique\ubb provided by Sartori is also discussed. // Il saggio propone un\u2019analisi critica di un peculiare impiego forense del test aIAT. Sviluppato circa un decennio fa da Giuseppe Sartori e collaboratori per vagliare il ricordo autobiografico implicito, nonostante sia stato oggetto di aspre critiche \ue8 gi\ue0 stato impiegato in diversi procedimenti penali. Da ultimo, \ue8 stato proposto un suo diverso utilizzo in ambito forense, come strumento tecnico per l\u2019accertamento dell\u2019elemento soggettivo del reato. L\u2019intento \ue8 di far vedere come questo impiego del test implichi una rideterminazione delle categorie giuridiche in esame, tanto sotto il profilo ontologico quanto sotto quello epistemologico. In sede di conclusione, ne viene anche discussa la qualifica di \uabtecnica neuroscientifica\ubb