L'influenza sociale e i sistemi di raccomandazione: uno studio empirico sul processo di scelta dei prodotti di esperienza on-line

Nel macro-ambito dei processi di consumo, l’obiettivo della presente ricerca è quello di indagare il fenomeno dell’influenza sociale nei processi di scelta di prodotti culturali online. Più in particolare, facendo riferimento alle fonti di raccomandazione alla base dei processi di consumo, ci si propone di analizzare il ruolo che assumono i sistemi di raccomandazione, confrontati con la pressione conformistica esercitata dalle informazioni sul comportamento di un acquisto di massa, nell’ambito del mercato editoriale. Gli obiettivi del progetto sono: in primo luogo svolgere un’analisi esplorativa sui consumi culturali del campione sperimentale oggetto di questo studio, sia nell’ambito di acquisti online che offline; in secondo luogo, alla luce di questi dati, analizzare l’impatto delle fonti di raccomandazione, in particolare sul processo di scelta di uno specifico prodotto: il libro. Al fine di osservare l’influenza delle fonti di raccomandazione sul processo di scelta dei prodotti di esperienza, verrà riprodotta una simulazione di questi processi nell’ambito di una piattaforma online. L’obiettivo ultimo di queste indagini è dunque quello di comprendere quali fonti di raccomandazione siano più influenti sui processi di scelta di prodotti di esperienza come i libri, in particolare in un ambiente mediato dal computer. Per cui si cercherà di scoprire se, nell’ambito di questo studio, i partecipanti alla ricerca siano più propensi ad adottare comportamenti acquiescenti riconducibili ad atteggiamenti conformisti, adeguandosi al comportamento prevalente di altri utenti, se invece tendano a rimanere fedeli ai propri gusti, preferendo seguire dei consigli più personalizzati provenienti dai sistemi di raccomandazione, o se piuttosto preferiscano orientare la propria scelta facendo riferimento ad un consiglio competente, ovvero quello degli esperti

Coffee Silverskin as a Functional Ingredient in Vegan Biscuits: Physicochemical and Sensory Properties and In Vitro Bioaccessibility of Bioactive Compounds

Coffee silverskin (CS), a by-product obtained by the coffee industry after the roasting process, is scientifically known to be a source of fiber and polyphenols, which could contribute to human health. In this work, the production of CS-enriched biscuits is proposed, where the CS from Arabica and Robusta type and a decaffeinated blend of the two were used at three different levels as a replacement for wheat flour. The biscuits were analyzed for their physicochemical properties, consumer acceptability, and the bioaccessibility of polyphenols after in vitro digestion was estimated in order to identify the formulation most appreciated by consumers and most promising in terms of nutritional and biofunctional potential. From the results, CS-based biscuits represent an interesting possibility to create a more sustainable coffee chain, thanks to the valorization of the silverskin, especially if a decaffeinated CS is considered. In fact, a 4% replacement of the wheat flour with decaffeinated CS is able to give a final product with a high content of accessible polyphenols and a biscuit appreciated by the consumer

AVALIAÇÃO DE CARACTERÍSTICAS FÍSICO-QUÍMICAS DE PSEUDOFRUTOS DAS CULTIVARES DE MORANGUEIRO ORGÂNICO: ALBION E CAMAROSA

O objetivo neste trabalho foi analisar os cultivares de morangos Camarosa e Albion quanto ao tamanho, comprimento, diâmetro, peso e brix do fruto. Para este estudo foram utilizadas amostras de cada cultivar, e no laboratório de biotecnologia da Unoesc de Xanxerê foram efetuadas avaliações de peso, comprimento, diâmetro, graus de brix e pH. O morango é um pseudofruto muito apreciado, e seu cultivo vem sendo ampliado a cada ano. Cultivares de morango orgânico têm muita aceitação por este ser considerado um pseudofruto limpo, saudável e com sabor mais intenso; o cultivo natural possibilita uma melhor qualidade de vida aos produtores. Com o estudo, foi possível observar diferenças significativas entre as cultivares para os parâmetros peso e o diâmetro do fruto. A cultivar Albion apresentou frutas de maior calibre e peso de massa, o que pode possibilitar menor utilização de mão de obra para a colheita, bem como melhores ganhos econômicos.Palavras-chave: Brix. PH. Saúde. Sabor

Ciclo de videoconferencias

Este material reúne las primeras cinco videoconferencias realizadas en el Marco de Cátedra Abierta: Ciclo de Videoconferencias llevadas a cabo por el Observatorio Argentino de Violencia en las Escuelas. Se exponen las videoconferencias de Alejandro Isla, Silvia Bleichmar, Phillippe Meirieu, Mario Goldenberg y Marta García Costoya quienes desde la antropología, el psicoanálisis, la pedagogía y la docencia aportan elementos para pensar la “violencia” en toda la complejidad que la abarca

Association of Microvesicles With Graft Patency in Patients Undergoing CABG Surgery

Abstract Background Graft patency is one of the major determinants of long-term outcome following coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Biomarkers, if indicative of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, would suggest strategies to limit graft failure. The prognostic value of microvesicles (MVs) for midterm graft patency has never been tested. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate whether MV pre-operative signature (number, cellular origin, procoagulant phenotype) could predict midterm graft failure and to investigate potential functional role of MVs in graft occlusion. Methods This was a nested case-control substudy of the CAGE (CoronAry bypass grafting: factors related to late events and Graft patency) study that enrolled 330 patients undergoing elective CABG. Of these, 179 underwent coronary computed tomography angiography 18 months post-surgery showing 24% graft occlusion. Flow cytometry MV analysis was performed in 60 patients (30 per group with occluded [cases] and patent [control subjects] grafts) on plasma samples collected the day before surgery and at follow-up. Results Before surgery, cases had 2- and 4-fold more activated platelet-derived and tissue-factor positive MVs respectively than control subjects. The MV procoagulant capacity was also significantly greater. Altogether this MV signature properly classified graft occlusion (area under the curve 0.897 [95% confidence interval: 0.81 to 0.98]; p Conclusions The pre-operative signature of MVs is independently associated with midterm graft occlusion in CABG patients and a cumulative MV score stratifies patients' risk. Because the MV signature mirrors platelet activation, patients with a high MV score could benefit from a personalized antiplatelet therapy

Prevalence of endotoxemia after surgery and its association with ICU length of stay

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this observational study was to investigate the prevalence of endotoxemia after surgery and its association with ICU length of stay. METHODS: 102 patients admitted to a university ICU after surgery were recruited. Within four hours of admission, functional data were collected and APACHE II severity score calculated. Arterial blood samples were taken and endotoxemia was measured by chemiluminescence (Endotoxin Activity (EA)). Patients were stratified according to their endotoxin levels (low, intermediate and high) and according to their surgical procedures. Differences between endotoxin levels were assessed by ANOVA, accepting P < 0.05 as significant. Data are expressed as mean +/- SD. RESULTS: EA levels were low in 68 (66%) patients, intermediate in 17 (17%) and high in 17 (17%). Age (61 +/- 17 years) and APACHE II score 8.3 +/- 3.7 (P = 0.542) were not significantly different in the three EA groups. Functional parameters on admission were similar between EA groups: white blood cells 11093 +/- 4605 cells/mm3 (P = 0.385), heart rate 76 +/- 16 bpm (P = 0.898), mean arterial pressure 88.8 +/- 13.6 mmHg (P = 0.576), lactate 1.18 +/- 0.77 mmol/L (P = 0.370), PaO2/FiO2 383 +/- 109 mmHg (P = 0.474). Patients with high levels of EA were characterized by longer length of stay in the ICU: 1.9 +/- 3.0 days in the low EA group, 1.8 +/- 1.4 days in intermediate and 5.2 +/- 7.8 days in high group (P = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: 17% of our patients were characterized by high levels of endotoxemia as assessed by EA assay, despite their low level of complexity on admission. High levels of endotoxin were associated with a longer ICU length of stay

A Crucial Role for the Protein Quality Control System in Motor Neuron Diseases.

Motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are fatal diseases characterized by loss of motor neurons in the brain cortex, in the bulbar region, and/or in the anterior horns of the spinal cord. While generally sporadic, inherited forms linked to mutant genes encoding altered RNA/protein products have also been described. Several different mechanisms have been found altered or dysfunctional in MNDs, like the protein quality control (PQC) system. In this review, we will discuss how the PQC system is affected in two MNDs-spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-and how this affects the clearance of aberrantly folded proteins, which accumulate in motor neurons, inducing dysfunctions and their death. In addition, we will discuss how the PQC system can be targeted to restore proper cell function, enhancing the survival of affected cells in MNDs

Neurodegenerative Disease-Associated TDP-43 Fragments Are Extracellularly Secreted with CASA Complex Proteins

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a central role in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) since they may either spread the pathology or contribute to the intracellular protein quality control (PQC) system for the cellular clearance of NDs-associated proteins. Here, we investigated the crosstalk between large (LVs) and small (SVs) EVs and PQC in the disposal of TDP-43 and its FTLD and ALS-associated C-terminal fragments (TDP-35 and TDP-25). By taking advantage of neuronal cells (NSC-34 cells), we demonstrated that both EVs types, but particularly LVs, contained TDP-43, TDP-35 and TDP-25. When the PQC system was inhibited, as it occurs in NDs, we found that TDP-35 and TDP-25 secretion via EVs increased. In line with this observation, we specifically detected TDP-35 in EVs derived from plasma of FTLD patients. Moreover, we demonstrated that both neuronal and plasma-derived EVs transported components of the chaperone-assisted selective autophagy (CASA) complex (HSP70, BAG3 and HSPB8). Neuronal EVs also contained the autophagy-related MAP1LC3B-II protein. Notably, we found that, under PQC inhibition, HSPB8, BAG3 and MAP1LC3B-II secretion paralleled that of TDP-43 species. Taken together, our data highlight the role of EVs, particularly of LVs, in the disposal of disease-associated TDP-43 species, and suggest a possible new role for the CASA complex in NDs