The Dark Side of Outsourcing: The Case of Logistics

Contemporary capitalism is characterized by the central role of global value chains (GVCs) that heavily rely on logistics and transport services. Thus, logistics services––and among them warehousing and handling of commodities and consumption goods––affect the competitiveness of companies and countries. In the last decades, firms have reacted to this new environment by outsourcing logistics services to specialized operators, from large multinational logistics companies to small worker cooperatives. In some cases, logistics cost efficiency has been reached by investments in new technologies and organizational arrangements, thus increasing workers’ qualification. In other cases, labor cost-savings within GVCs have accompanied by heavy social costs, in terms of workers’ wage and nonwage conditions often bordering full-fledged exploitation practices. In this chapter, we focus on the functioning of a “shadow management system” that has characterized part of logistics firms in Northeastern Italy

P-spline smoothing for spatial data collected worldwide

Spatial data collected worldwide at a huge number of locations are frequently used in environmental and climate studies. Spatial modelling for this type of data presents both methodological and computational challenges. In this work we illustrate a computationally efficient non parametric framework to model and estimate the spatial field while accounting for geodesic distances between locations. The spatial field is modelled via penalized splines (P-splines) using intrinsic Gaussian Markov Random Field (GMRF) priors for the spline coefficients. The key idea is to use the sphere as a surrogate for the Globe, then build the basis of B-spline functions on a geodesic grid system. The basis matrix is sparse and so is the precision matrix of the GMRF prior, thus computational efficiency is gained by construction. We illustrate the approach on a real climate study, where the goal is to identify the Intertropical Convergence Zone using high-resolution remote sensing data

Protein Ingredients Control in Gluten Free Products Using SDS-PAGE, Developed Competitive Enzyme Immunoassays and Commercial ELISA Kits.

Some protein ingredients declared in the label of gluten free products are allergenic proteins (milk, soy and egg).The proper identification of these proteins in food products is important for consumers who have food allergies. The aim of this study was to control the presence of protein ingredients declared in the label of gluten free products. Samples were analyzed with sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), using an extractive solution of total proteins (Tris-ClH buffer 0.0625 M with 3% sodium dodecylsulfate and 2% 2-mercaptoethanol; pH: 6.8) and a selective solvent for the extraction of caseins (isopropanol 55° + 2-mercaptoethanol / ISO + ME). Developed Competitive enzyme immunoassays were used for the detection / quantification of milk, soy and egg proteins in products elaborated with rice flour. Specific polyclonal rabbit antiserums against milk, soy and egg proteins were used as primary antibodies in these competitive enzyme immunoassays. Commercial ELISA kits from Neogen, R-Biopharm and Romer were used to verify the results. In some samples undeclared allergens were detected. Correct allergens labeling is very important for the safety of allergic consumers. In conclusion, it is possible to identify all the proteins ingredients in these gluten-free foods studied, using a combination of electrophoretic methods and immunochemical methods.Fil: Cellerino, Karina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cagnasso, Carolina Elisa. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Greco, Carola Beatriz. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; ArgentinaFil: Docena, Guillermo H.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Estudios Inmunológicos y Fisiopatológicos; ArgentinaFil: Polenta, Gustavo Alberto. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ferreyra, Marcela Verónica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial; ArgentinaFil: Lopez, Laura Beatriz. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Caracterização funcional de uma globina putativa codificada pelo Gene Hsero_2872 de Herbaspirillum seropedicae SMR1

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The climate emergency in Africa

© 2023 ROAPE Publications Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Peer reviewe

The role of geological origin of smectites and of their physico-chemical properties on aflatoxin adsorption

Since 2013, bentonite in the form of dioctahedral smectite is an additive authorised in the EU as a substance for the reduction of the contamination of feed by aflatoxins. Several studies indicate a big difference in the effectiveness of smectites in sequestering aflatoxins. A clear correlation between mineralogical and physico-chemical properties of smectites and aflatoxin adsorption has not been well established. In the effort to identify the most critical mineralogical, chemical, and physical properties that affect aflatoxin adsorption by smectites, 29 samples of bentonites obtained from different sources around the world were evaluated. “As received” samples were divided into two main groups, i.e. hydrothermal (n=14) and sedimentary (n=15) bentonites depending on their geological origin. The characterization studies showed that all samples contained dioctahedral smectite as major mineral; a moderate CEC value (60-116 cmol/kg); the presence of iron; a small organic matter content; a near-neutral pH; and a fine and uniform particle size (<45μm). They differed substantially in their sodium, calcium and magnesium contents, and in the swelling properties depending on the geological origin. Several in vitro adsorption studies showed that they also differed in a significant manner in adsorbing aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). A correlation between geological origin and AFB1 adsorption capacity was found (p<0.001), being sedimentary smectites significantly more effective than hydrothermal ones in adsorbing the toxin at different pH values. The extent of AFB1 adsorption by all samples was negatively and linearly correlated to the extent of desorption, and sedimentary smectites were significantly more effective than hydrothermal smectites in keeping bound the adsorbed fraction of the toxin (p < 0.001). In addition, correlation studies using the Pearson statistical method showed a significant relationship among some physico-chemical properties of smectites and the amounts of adsorbed toxin. In particular, AFB1 adsorption by smectites correlated positively with sodium content and swell index, but negatively with d001-value, magnesium and calcium contents. In conclusion, it seems that the geological origin of smectite is a useful guide for the selection of bentonites for AFB1 detoxification. Sedimentary bentonites containing sodium/swelling-smectite should be preferred to hydrothermal samples as potential aflatoxin binders. Taking into account the geographical origin of our samples, this approach should be applicable to bentonites worldwide

Human body odors of happiness and fear modulate the late positive potential component during neutral face processing: a preliminary ERP study on healthy subjects

Human body odors (HBOs) are powerful stimuli that can affect emotional, cognitive and behavioral processes. However, the characterization of the physiological response to HBOs is still to be fully investigated. Here, we analyzed the self-assessed emotion perception and the EEG event-related potentials (ERP) on 17 healthy young women during a simultaneous visual-olfactory stimulation. Particularly, we evaluated the effect of happiness and fear HBO on the amplitude of ERP waveforms elicited by neutral face processing. In addition, we evaluated the subjective valence and arousal perception of the presented neutral faces by means of the self-assessment-manikin test. We observed a significant increase in the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) for central left sites (i.e., C3) during the administration of HBOs with respect to clean air. On the other hand, we did not observe any significant change in the subjective valence and arousal scores as well as for the early components of the ERP (i.e., P100, N170, Vertex-Positive-Potential). Our preliminary results suggest that fear and happiness HBO can induce a protracted increase in the LPP, and possibly reflect an automatic and sustained engagement with emotionally significant content

RANKL-RANK-OPG Pathway in Charcot Diabetic Foot: Pathophysiology and Clinical-Therapeutic Implications

Charcot Foot (CF), part of a broader condition known as Charcot Neuro-Osteoarthropathy (CNO), is characterized by neuropathic arthropathy with a progressive alteration of the foot. CNO is one of the most devastating complications in patients with diabetes mellitus and peripheral neuropathy but can also be caused by neurological or infectious diseases. The pathogenesis is multifactorial; many studies have demonstrated the central role of inflammation and the Receptor Activator of NF-kappa B ligand (RANKL)-Receptor Activator of NF-kappa B (RANK)-Osteoprotegerin (OPG) pathway in the acute phase of the disease, resulting in the serum overexpression of RANKL. This overexpression and activation of this signal lead to increased osteoclast activity and osteolysis, which is a prelude to bone destruction. The aim of this narrative review is to analyze this signaling pathway in bone remodeling, and in CF in particular, to highlight its clinical aspects and possible therapeutic implications of targeting drugs at different levels of the pathway. Drugs that act at different levels in this pathway are anti-RANKL monoclonal antibodies (Denosumab), bisphosphonates (BP), and calcitonin. The literature review showed encouraging data on treatment with Denosumab, although in a few studies and in small sample sizes. In contrast, BPs have been re-evaluated in recent years in relation to the high possibility of side effects, while calcitonin has shown little efficacy on CNO

Expression of Selected microRNAs in Migraine: A New Class of Possible Biomarkers of Disease?

Preliminary but convergent findings suggest a role for microRNAs (miRNAs) in the generation and maintenance of chronic pain and migraine. Initial observations showed that serum levels of miR-382-5p and miR-34a-5p expression were increased in serum during the migraine attack, with miR-382-5p increasing in the interictal phase as well. By contrast, miR-30a-5p levels were lower in migraine patients compared to healthy controls. Of note, antimigraine treatments proved to be capable of influencing the expression of these miRNAs. Altogether, these observations suggest that miRNAs may represent migraine biomarkers, but several points are yet to be elucidated. A major concern is that these miRNAs are altered in a broad spectrum of painful and non-painful conditions, and thus it is not possible to consider them as truly "migraine-specific" biomarkers. We feel that these miRNAs may represent useful tools to uncover and define different phenotypes across the migraine spectrum with different treatment susceptibilities and clinical features, although further studies are needed to confirm our hypothesis. In this narrative review we provide an update and a critical analysis of available data on miRNAs and migraines in order to propose possible interpretations. Our main objective is to stimulate research in an area that holds promise when it comes to providing reliable biomarkers for theoretical and practical scientific advances