Sviluppo ed ingegnerizzazione di nuovi sistemi ibridi a base di nanoparticelle inorganiche e bio-tensioattivi

In questo lavoro di tesi è stata investigata la sintesi di compositi a base di nano particelle di biossido di titanio rivestite da un bio-tensioattivo: sodio-surfattina. Il noto fotocatalizzatore (Nano-TiO2) è stato accoppiato ad un bio-tensioattivo dalle riconosciute proprietà antibatteriche, antivirali e anti-tumorali per ottenere un materiale composito multifunzionale. Diverse opzioni di design sono state investigate e la sintesi ottimizzata attraverso una caratterizzazione sistematica dei materiali prodotti, sia sulle sospensioni (DLS, ELS, TEM) sia sui prodotti granulati e calcinati (XRD, FT-IR, SEM, UV-Vis., BET). Per comprendere il ruolo del bio-tensioattivo e i potenziali effetti sinergici che il materiale composito potesse generare, si sono effettuate diverse caratterizzazioni funzionali testando il materiale per la realizzazione di nano-fasi fotocatalitiche da impiegare in processi di adsorbimento/degradazione di inquinanti acquosi, per la realizzazione di rivestimenti tessili antibatterici e come composito utile per l’assorbimento di metalli pesanti

Effetti del suolo sulla produzione e sulle caratteristiche sensoriali del Pignoletto dei "Colli Bolognesi"

Pignoletto is the most typical grapevine white variety of the province of Bologna covering just over 800 ha. Known also as Grechetto of Todi in Umbria, Pignoletto is vigorous, constantly productive, medium-late harvesting. According to the "Zonazione della Collina Emiliana" project, started in 2003 by C.R.P.V. coordination, Colli Bolognesi area has been characterized as regarding the soil and the climate. Data recorded during 2004 and 2005 showed that production, vigour and must quality of Pignoletto grapevine variety were affected above all by soil characteristics, texture and lime, and the produced wines were distinguishable and with different sensorial profile

Design rules applied to silver nanoparticles synthesis: A practical example of machine learning application.

The synthesis of silver nanoparticles with controlled physicochemical properties is essential for governing their intended functionalities and safety profiles. However, synthesis process involves multiple parameters that could influence the resulting properties. This challenge could be addressed with the development of predictive models that forecast endpoints based on key synthesis parameters. In this study, we manually extracted synthesis-related data from the literature and leveraged various machine learning algorithms. Data extraction included parameters such as reactant concentrations, experimental conditions, as well as physicochemical properties. The antibacterial efficiencies and toxicological profiles of the synthesized nanoparticles were also extracted. In a second step, based on data completeness, we employed regression algorithms to establish relationships between synthesis parameters and desired endpoints and to build predictive models. The models for core size and antibacterial efficiency were trained and validated using a cross-validation approach. Finally, the features’ impact was evaluated via Shapley values to provide insights into the contribution of features to the predictions. Factors such as synthesis duration, scale of synthesis and the choice of capping agents emerged as the most significant predictors. This study demonstrated the potential of machine learning to aid in the rational design of synthesis process and paves the way for the safe-by-design principles development by providing insights into the optimization of the synthesis process to achieve the desired properties. Finally, this study provides a valuable dataset compiled from literature sources with significant time and effort from multiple researchers. Access to such datasets notably aids computational advances in the field of nanotechnology

Relazioni tra geo-pedologia e comportamento produttivo e qualitativo del Sangiovese in Romagna

Sangiovese, the most widespread red berry Italian wine variety, occupies 69790 ha of the total national vine surface. Just in Emilia Romagna, predominantly in the hillsides from Imola to Rimini, this variety covers over 8000 ha, roughly 13, 4% of the region\u2019s vine surface. As part of the C.R.P.V. project \u201cViticultural zoning of the Romagna hills\u201d, 15 vineyards of Sangiovese with similar age, plant densities and training systems but different altitudes were identified and their pedologic characteristics accurately described. The results show that altitude and the geology of the soil, and consequent deriving soil characteristics, are the main environmental factors that influence production, sugar level and anthocyanins content in the Sangiovese variety. In fact, also the final wines show a different colour intensity, structure and aroma depending on the soil type

Influenze pedo-ambientali su produzione, qualit\ue0 e caratteristiche sensoriali dell'Albana di Romagna.

The Albana is the typical white grapevine variety of the Romagna hills, where it occupies more than 2.500 ha. The Italian DOCG \u201cAlbana di Romagna\u201d, created in 1987, is one of the oldest in the country. Highest concentrations of this variety can be found around Imola and the hills of Ravenna although the productions of Bertinoro, in Forl\uec zone, are well know for their quality. As part of a zoning project of the Romagna hills, the classic territory of the Albana was object of an accurate geo-pedologic, climatic, agronomic and viti-enological assessment. The results have highlighted some environments in which Albana wines display recognisable sensory characteristics

Design of TiO₂-Surfactin Hybrid Systems with Multifunctional Properties

In recent years, multifunctional inorganic−organic hybrid materials have been widely investigated in order to determine their potential synergetic, antagonist, or independent effects in terms of reactivity. The aim of this study was to design and characterize a new hybrid material by coupling well-known photocatalytic TiO2 nanoparticles with sodium surfactin (SS), a biosurfactant showing high binding affinity for metal cations as well as the ability to interact with and disrupt microorganisms’ cell membranes. We used both chemical and colloidal synthesis methodologies and investigated how different TiO2:SS weight ratios affected colloidal, physicochemical, and functional properties. We discovered a clear breaking point between TiO2 and SS single-component trends and identified different ranges of applicability by considering different functional properties such as photocatalytic, heavy metal sorption capacity, and antibacterial properties. At low SS contents, the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 are preserved (conversion of organic dye = 99% after 40 min), and the hybrid system can be used in advanced oxidation processes, taking advantage of the additional antimicrobial SS properties. At high SS contents, the TiO2 photoactivity is inhibited, and the hybrid can be usefully exploited as a UV blocker in cosmetics, avoiding undesired oxidative effects (UV adsorption in the range between 300–400 nm). Around the breaking point (TiO2:SS 1:1), the hybrid material preserves the high surface area of TiO2 (specific surface area around 180 m2/g) and demonstrates NOx depletion of up to 100% in 80 min, together with improved adhesion of hybrid antibacterial coating. The last design demonstrated the best results for the concurrent removal of inorganic, organic, and biological pollutants in water/soil remediation applications

The analysis of expanded cells from patients with lymphoproliferative disorders of granular lymphocytes may help to clarify the NK cell differentiation.

Surface phenotype and functional in vitro activities were studied in 2 cases of lymphoproliferative disorders of granular lymphocytes. Cells from both patients presented the same, previously unreported, surface phenotype (i.e. T3+, T8+, T4-, HNK-1-, NK-15+, M1-), were unable to display either Natural Killer (NK) activity or suppressor function in a poke-weed-driven system, and showed a defective response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA). On the basis of available schemes for NK cells ontogenesis, we will discuss the phenotype and functional activities of patients' cells suggesting that the cell population expressing the T3+, T8+, HNK-1-, NK-15+, M1- phenotype might represent a discrete stage along the NK-cell differentiation pathway

Doxycycline in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: A phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a fatal, untreatable prion encephalopathy. Previous studies showed that doxycycline is effective in in-vitro and in-vivo models of disease, and patients with CJD who received compassionate treatment with doxycycline showed increased survival time compared with historical series. We therefore did a randomised, double-blind study of doxycycline versus placebo in CJD. Methods We recruited patients older than 18 years old who had a diagnosis of definite or probable sporadic CJD or genetic forms of the disease via Italian reference centres and the French national referral system. Patients were randomly assigned (ratio 1:1) to receive oral doxycydine (100 mg daily) or placebo under double-blind conditions from the day of randomisation to death. Centralised randomisation was done independently of enrolment or evaluation of patients using a minimisation method in Italy and a simple randomisation in France. Participants, caregivers, and clinicians were masked to group assignment. The primary efficacy variable was the survival time from randomisation. Interim analyses were planned to detect a significant effect of treatment as early as possible. This trial is registered with EudraCT, 2006-001858-27 for the Italian study and 2007-005553-34 for the French study. Findings From April 12, 2007, to Aug 19, 2010, in Italy, and from Jan 30, 2009, to Jan 10, 2012, in France, 121 patients with CID were enrolled in the study, 62 of whom were randomly assigned to the treatment group and 59 to the placebo group. The first interim analysis showed absence of superiority of doxycycline compared with placebo, and the trial was stopped for futility. Efficacy analyses did not show significant differences between patients treated with doxycycline and placebo with regard to survival times (HR 1.1, 95% CI 0.8-1. 7, p=0.50). Serious adverse events were judged not to be related to treatment, whereas a relation was deemed probable or possible for five non-serious adverse events that occurred in each treatment group. Interpretation Doxycycline at a dose of 100 mg per day was well tolerated but did not significantly affect the course of CJD, at variance with the results of previous observational studies. Our experience could be useful in the design of large multinational controlled trials of potential anti-prion molecules in this rare disease