Sources In Italy Research Articles

Antimicrobial and Phylogenomic Characterization of Bacillus cereus Group Strains Isolated from Different Food Sources in Italy.

Background:Bacillus cereus is a widespread environmental Gram-positive bacterium which is especially common in soil and dust. It produces two types of toxins that cause vomiting and diarrhea. At present, foodborne outbreaks due to Bacillus cereus group bacteria (especially Bacillus cereus sensu stricto) are rising, representing a serious problem in the agri-food supply chain. Methods: In this work, we analyzed 118 strains belonging to the Bacillus cereus group, isolated from several food sources, for which in vitro and in silico antibiotic resistance assessments were performed. Results: Many strains showed intermediate susceptibility to clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline, suggesting an evolving acquisition of resistance against these antibiotics. Moreover, one strain showed intermediate resistance to meropenem, an antibiotic currently used to treat infections caused by Bacillus cereus. In addition to the phenotypic antimicrobial resistance profile, all strains were screened for the presence/absence of antimicrobial genes via whole-genome sequencing. There was inconsistency between the in vitro and in silico analyses, such as in the case of vancomycin, for which different isolates harbored resistance genes but, phenotypically, the same strains were sensitive. Conclusions: This would suggest that antibiotic resistance is a complex phenomenon due to a variety of genetic, epigenetic, and biochemical mechanisms.

Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Production from Different Biomass Sources in Italy

The European Union is targeting climate neutrality by 2050, with a focus on enhancing energy efficiency, expanding renewable energy sources, and reducing emissions. Within Italy’s electricity mix, bioenergy sources, namely biogas, solid biomass, and bioliquids, play a crucial territorial role. A comparative analysis was conducted through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), utilizing national data from the ARCADIA project, to assess the environmental sustainability of the investigated bioenergy chains and identify the most convenient ones. The study revealed that, among the bioenergy sources, solid biomass emerges as the most environmentally friendly option since it does not rely on dedicated crops. Conversely, biogas shows the highest environmental impact, demonstrating less favorable performance across nine out of the sixteen evaluated impact categories. The LCA underscores that the cultivation of dedicated energy crops significantly contributes to environmental burdens associated with electricity generation, affecting both biogas and bioliquids performance. The cultivation process needs water and chemical fertilizers, leading to adverse environmental effects. These findings highlight the importance of prioritizing residual biomass for energy generation over dedicated crops. Utilizing forestry and agro-industrial residues, municipal solid waste, and used cooking oils presents numerous advantages, including environmental preservation, resource conservation and recovery, as well as waste reduction.

Acanthamoeba Sequence Types and Allelic Variations in Isolates from Clinical and Different Environmental Sources in Italy.

The genus Acanthamoeba comprises free-living amoebae distributed in a wide variety of environments. These amoebae are clinically significant, causing opportunistic infections in humans and other animals. Despite this, limited data on Acanthamoeba sequence types and alleles are available in Italy. In the present study, we analyzed all Acanthamoeba sequences deposited from Italy with new positive Acanthamoeba clinical samples from symptomatic AK cases, to provide an overview of the genetic variants' spatial patterns from different sources within the Italian context. A total of 137 Acanthamoeba sequences were obtained. Six sequence types were identified: T2/6, T3, T4, T11, T13, and T15. Only T4 and T15 were found in both sources. The Acanthamoeba T4 sequence type was found to be the most prevalent in all regions, accounting for 73% (100/137) of the Italian samples analyzed. The T4 sequence type demonstrated significant allelic diversity, with 30 distinct alleles from clinical and/or environmental samples. These outcomes enabled a better understanding of the distribution of Acanthamoeba isolates throughout Italy, reaffirming its well-recognized ubiquity. Acanthamoeba isolates analysis from keratitis, together with the environmental strains monitoring, might provide important information on different genotypes spreading. This might be useful to define the transmission pathways of human keratitis across different epidemiological scales.

Overview of policy and market dynamics for the deployment of renewable energy sources in Italy: Current status and future prospects

In recent years, the international community has been strongly committed to promoting energy transition due to the various challenges presented by the global energy market. In this context, renewable sources have increasingly assumed a significant role, representing a viable solution to accelerate decarbonization and promote diversification of energy mix. This paper examines Italian energy profile, its status, and future prospects. Policies and incentives on a European and national scale have been analysed to observe the commitment of institutions in promoting energy transition. Policies and incentives on a European and national scale have been analysed to observe the commitment of institutions in promoting energy transition. Projections on future investments (2030) and economic and employment implications have also been provided. The analysis shows that shared investments are essential to achieve climate goals in the short term and that existing plants need to be converted through the use of new, more effective, cost-efficient technologies. Thus, innovation and investments in research and development are key drivers of energy transition, and with proper management, climate change mitigation can be ensured. The analysis provides some useful implications for policymakers who should ensure tax incentives, feed-in tariffs, and clear regulation at the national and regional levels that do not hinder the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure.

The role of hydrogen from electrolysis in the overproduction of energy fromrenewable sources

The annual production from renewable electricity sources in Italy has been considerably growing and in some areas, in particular Southern Italy, there is constantly an overproduction of electricity during the peak hours of insulation due to the photovoltaic systems. Such excess electric energy could be used to produce large amount of hydrogen by electrolysis, thus covering approximately 3.3% of the yearly national industrial hydrogen demand and avoiding emissions of approximately 85,000 tons of carbon dioxide.This work shows that few large alkaline electrolysis plants, located in strategic sites and supplied with this excess energy, can just now produce hydrogen for industrial use at competitive costs. Furthermore, the presence of electrolysis plants connected to the main electricity grid would represent a controllable element useful for its regulation and stability.

Italian consumers standing at the crossroads of alternative protein sources: Cultivated meat, insect-based and novel plant-based foods

The present paper is a review of the empirical studies on consumer acceptance of novel protein sources in Italy. The authors uncovered the most recent scientific contributions regarding novel plant-based products, and insect-based foodstuffs as well as cultivated meat, in the attempt of framing the main socio-economic drivers and challenges for each product with respect to consumers' perception and acceptance. Novel plant-based foods and edible insects represent the most viable alternatives in the nearest future, as already available (or very close to being) to the Italian consumer and more appealing to vegetarians and vegans. Nevertheless, some intrinsic characteristics of these products have yet to be accepted. The cultivated meat represents an animal source of protein, hence undesirable for some segments of consumers, although described as a good potential substitute for conventional meat. Nevertheless, institutional, technological and cultural barriers are yet to be solved before paving the way for its presence on Italian supermarket shelves.

Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis reveals many novel genotypes and a high level of genetic diversity in Candida tropicalis isolates from Italy and Africa.

Candida tropicalis is a human pathogenic yeast frequently isolated in Latin America and Asian-Pacific regions, although recent studies showed that it is also becoming increasingly widespread throughout several African and south-European countries. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about its global patterns of genetic variation as most of existing multilocus sequence typing (MLST) data come from Asia and there are no genotyped African isolates. We report detailed genotyping data from a large set of C.tropicalis isolates recovered from different clinical sources in Italy, Egypt and Cameroon in order to expand the allele/genotype library of MLST database (https://pubmlst.org/ctropicalis), and to explore the genetic diversity in this species. A total of 103 C.tropicalis isolates were genotyped using the MLST scheme developed for this species. All isolates were also tested for in vitro susceptibility to various antifungals to assess whether certain genotypes were associated with drug-resistance. A total of 104 different alleles were detected across the MLST-loci investigated. The allelic diversity found at these loci resulted in 51 unique MLST genotypes of which 36 (70.6%) were novel. Global optimal eBURST analysis identified 18 clonal complexes (CCs) and confirm the existence of a specific Italian-cluster (CC36). Three CCs were also statistically associated with fluconazole resistance, which was elevated in Cameroon and Egypt. Our data show high genetic diversity in our isolates suggesting that the global population structure of C.tropicalis is still poorly understood. Moreover, its clinical impact in Italy, Egypt and Cameroon appears to be relevant and should be carefully considered.

Population Analysis of O26 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Causing Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in Italy, 1989-2020, Through Whole Genome Sequencing.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) belonging to the O26 serogroup represent an important cause of Hemolitic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) in children worldwide. The localization of STEC virulence genes on mobile genetic elements allowed the emergence of clones showing different assets of this accessory genomic fraction. A novel O26 STEC clone belonging to Sequence Type (ST) 29 and harboring stx2a, ehxA and etpD plasmid-borne genes has emerged and spread in Europe since the mid-1990s, while another ST29 clone positive for stx2d and lacking plasmid-borne virulence genes was recently described as emerging in France. In Italy, O26 has been the most frequently detected STEC serogroup from HUS cases since the late 1990s. In this study we describe the genomic characterization and population structure of 144 O26 STEC strains isolated from human sources in Italy in the period 1989-2020. A total of 89 strains belonged to ST21, 52 to ST29, two to ST396 and one to ST4944. ST29 strains started to be isolated from 1999. 24 strains were shown to harbour stx1a, alone (n=20) or in combination with stx2a (n=4). The majority of the strains (n=118) harbored stx2a genes only and the two ST396 strains harbored stx2d. A Hierarchical Clustering on Principal Components (HCPC) analysis, based on the detection of accessory virulence genes, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes and plasmid replicons, classified the strains in seven clusters identified with numbers from 1 to 7, containing two, 13, 39, 63, 16, 10 and one strain, respectively. The majority of the genetic features defining the clusters corresponded to plasmid-borne virulence genes, AMR genes and plasmid replicons, highlighting specific assets of plasmid-borne features associated with different clusters. Core genome Multi Locus Sequence Typing grouped ST21 and ST29 strains in three clades each, with each ST29 clade exactly corresponding to one HCPC cluster. Our results showed high conservation of either the core or the accessory genomic fraction in populations of ST29 O26 STEC, differently from what observed in ST21 strains, suggesting that a different selective pressure could drive the evolution of different populations of these pathogens possibly involving different ecological niches.

Atmospheric emissions from electric energy generation and their impact on environment, and the potential of renewable energy sources in Italy

The European Union has set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in total energy consumption, ensure the development and use of clean energy sources, and strive to reduce carbon emissions by 90% from 1990 levels by 2050. This study attempts to assess the environmental impact of electricity production on electricity demand and associated emissions in Italy through a three-step process. First, a literature review was conducted to estimate the growth of electricity demand in Italy by population and industry in 2014. Secondly, the CO2 and SO2 produced in the process of power generation by different power production methods were evaluated and compared. Finally, according to the current production and power models, the development trend of renewable energy in Italy in 2050 was estimated, and the satisfactory conclusion is that the renewable energy can fully meet the supply and demand in 2050 in Italy.

The Scenario of Renewable Energy Sources in Italy and the Effects of COVID-19

The crisis caused by COVID 19 has raised many doubts and questions about the present and the future. The Italian renewable energy target of 2030 has suffered one of the most significant impacts. The global pandemic, however, has also presented opportunities for Italian government to reframe the renewable institutional framework with a sharper focus on the European obligations and the general trend of decarbonisation and energy transition. Now, with the effects of the global pandemic fading away and the ease of trade restrictions, the RES sector requires immediate re-examination, attention and focus on preventing Italy from failing to achieve the Renewable Energy target of 2030.

Статутне право Італії: історико-правові традиції та сучасний стан

The purpose of the article is to study the features of the statutory law of Italy in historical retrospect and in modern reality. In order to achieve it, the following tasks must be solved: 1) to study the process of formation of the statutory law of Italy; 2) highlight the specific features of the Italian legal system; 3) disclosure of the function of the institutions of direct democracy, reflected in the statutes; 4) to find out the nature of statutory autonomy; 5) to explore the varieties of statutory sources in Italy; 6) to determine the legal significance of the statutes of Italy during their evolutionary development. The methodological basis of the study is related to the use of a number of methods, techniques and approaches in the study of the statutory law of Italy. In particular, we are talking about historical and comparative law, formal law and semiotic methods, dialectical, anthropological and epistemological methods, as well as structural-functional and systemic approaches. Scientific novelty. Statutes as sources of Italian law are legal acts, the legal force and procedure for their adoption depends on the territory of their distribution (autonomy, region, province, commune), the sphere of their regulation includes the principles of organization of the territorial subject, its legislative and administrative powers, forms of interaction with the state. These sources are the legal basis of Italian regionalism, the «regional» state. Conclusions. The statutes are a feature of the Italian legal system, which is part of the Romano-Germanic legal family, a historical and legal tradition that originates in the first statutes of free cities and developed into the Statute of Albertino – the first Constitution of Italy. These are tools to confirm autonomy (for regions with a special statute), independence on a certain range of issues (for ordinary regions) and regional identity. Modern statutory sources in Italy are divided into several types and differ in legal force, procedure for adoption and revision, as well as the scope of regulation. The special statutes of the 5 autonomies of Italy are sources of constitutional law and have a complicated procedure of adoption and revision, the other 15 Italian regions are based on ordinary statutes (statutes of common law). The constitutional reform of 2001 gave constitutional recognition to the statutes of municipalities, communes and provinces (local acts, second-tier sources). Their experience of adoption and implementation, «statutory autonomy» and other features are of particular importance for the Italian legal system, as well as worthy of attention in terms of improving the legal framework of local self-government in Ukraine and other countries. Keywords: sources of Italian law; statute; statutory autonomy; special statute; Italian regionalism; lawmaking; Romano-Germanic legal family.

Salmonella serovar distribution from non-human sources in Italy; results from the IT-Enter-Vet network

The study summarises the results obtained over the period 2002–2013 by the Italian IT-Enter-Vet network, aimed at collecting data on Salmonella isolates from non-human sources. A total of 42,491 Salmonella...

A quantitative approach to the loading rate of seismogenic sources in Italy

A quantitative approach to the loading rate of seismogenic sources in Italy

Stress release model and proxy measures of earthquake size. Application to Italian seismogenic sources

This study presents a series of self-correcting models that are obtained by integrating information about seismicity and fault sources in Italy. Four versions of the stress release model are analyzed, in which the evolution of the system over time is represented by the level of strain, moment, seismic energy, or energy scaled by the moment. We carry out the analysis on a regional basis by subdividing the study area into eight tectonically coherent regions. In each region, we reconstruct the seismic history and statistically evaluate the completeness of the resulting seismic catalog. Following the Bayesian paradigm, we apply Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to obtain parameter estimates and a measure of their uncertainty expressed by the simulated posterior distribution. The comparison of the four models through the Bayes factor and an information criterion provides evidence (to different degrees depending on the region) in favor of the stress release model based on the energy and the scaled energy. Therefore, among the quantities considered, this turns out to be the measure of the size of an earthquake to use in stress release models. At any instant, the time to the next event turns out to follow a Gompertz distribution, with a shape parameter that depends on time through the value of the conditional intensity at that instant. In light of this result, the issue of forecasting is tackled through both retrospective and prospective approaches. Retrospectively, the forecasting procedure is carried out on the occurrence times of the events recorded in each region, to determine whether the stress release model reproduces the observations used in the estimation procedure. Prospectively, the estimates of the time to the next event are compared with the dates of the earthquakes that occurred after the end of the learning catalog, in the 2003–2012 decade.

Whole-Genome Sequences of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains Sharing the Same Sequence Type (ST410) and Isolated from Human and Avian Sources in Italy.

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is involved in a wide spectrum of human diseases. Chickens have been suggested as reservoirs for fluoroquinolone (FQ)-resistant ExPEC strains. Here, we report the whole-genome sequences of 4 E. coli strains sharing the same sequence type (ST) (ST410) and that were isolated from human and avian sources in Italy.

Isolation and molecular characterization of free-living amoebae from different water sources in Italy.

Free-living amoebae (FLA) are protozoa ubiquitous in Nature, isolated from a variety of environments worldwide. In addition to their natural distribution, some species have been found to be pathogenic to humans. In the present study a survey was conducted in order to evaluate the presence and to characterize at molecular level the isolates of amoebic organisms collected from different water sources in Italy. A total of 160 water samples were analyzed by culture and microscopic examination. FLA were found in 46 (28.7%) of the investigated water samples. Groundwater, well waters, and ornamental fountain waters were the sources with higher prevalence rates (85.7%, 50.0%, and 45.9%, respectively). Identification of FLA species/genotypes, based on the 18S rDNA regions, allowed to identify 18 (39.1%) Acanthamoeba isolates (genotypes T4 and T15) and 21 (45.6%) Vermamoeba vermiformis isolates. Other FLA species, including Vahlkampfia sp. and Naegleria spp., previously reported in Italy, were not recovered. The occurrence of potentially pathogenic free-living amoebae in habitats related to human population, as reported in the present study, supports the relevance of FLA as a potential health threat to humans.

Attribution of human Salmonella infections to animal and food sources in Italy (2002-2010): adaptations of the Dutch and modified Hald source attribution models.

The Dutch and modified Hald source attribution models were adapted to Italian Salmonella data to attribute human infections caused by the top 30 serotypes between 2002 and 2010 to four putative sources (Gallus gallus, turkeys, pigs, ruminants), at the points of animal reservoir (farm), exposure (food), and both combined. Attribution estimates were thus compared between different models, time periods and sampling points. All models identified pigs as the main source of human salmonellosis in Italy, accounting for 43-60% of infections, followed by G. gallus (18-34%). Attributions to turkeys and ruminants were minor. An increasing temporal trend in attributions to pigs and a decreasing one in those to G. gallus was also observed. Although the outcomes of the two models applied at farm and food levels essentially agree, they can be refined once more information becomes available, providing valuable insights about potential targets along the production chain.

Large Industrial Point Sources in Italy: a focus on mercury concentrations resulting from three seasonal ship-borne measurements

In Italy there are 25 Large Industrial Point Sources whose mercury emissions in air exceed the established threshold of 10 kg year -1 . Many of these mercury point sources, mostly distributed along the Italian coastal area, are located at sites qualified as National Interest Rehabilitation Sites because of documented contamination in qualitative and/or quantitative terms and of potential health impact. Atmospheric mercury emissions related to Italian Large Industrial Point Sources, with a value of 1.04 Mg·yr -1 for 2007, have a not negligible contribution, accounting, on their own, for more than 10% of the total mercury emissions resulting from all activity sectors at a national level. Among others, thermal power stations, pig iron and steel as well as basic inorganic chemical production, result to be the main contributing industrial activities. In order to assess how mercury species concentrations and distribution in the Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) change with vicinity to large industrial sites, measurements of atmospheric mercury were performed during three oceanographic campaigns aboard the Research Vessel (R.V.) Urania of the Italian CNR. Collection of GEM, GOM and PBM was conducted across the Adriatic sea, during autumn 2004 (27 th of October to 12 th of November) and summer 2005 (17 th to 29 th of June), and across the Tyrrhenian sea during autumn 2007 (12 th of September to 1 st October). Analysis were carried out with reference to the period in which the R.V. Urania has stopped close to the main Italian industrial contaminated sites. Explorative statistical parameters of atmospheric mercury species were computed over each single stop-period and then compared with the overall cruise campaign measurements. Results are herein presented and discussed.

Putative virulence properties of Aeromonas strains isolated from food, environmental and clinical sources in Italy: A comparative study

The distribution of virulence properties in 142 strains of Aeromonas isolated from diarrhoeic patients, food and surface water in Italy and identified by biochemical and molecular methods was investigated. The virulence properties studied were the presence of genes for the aerolysin (aerA), heat-stable cytotonic enterotoxin (ast), heat-labile cytotonic enterotoxin (alt), cytotoxic enterotoxin (act); and cytotoxicity for Vero cells and adhesion on Hep-2 cells. A. hydrophila and A. caviae were the species most commonly isolated from clinical and environmental samples (9/30; 30.0% and 5/27; 18.5%, respectively) while mesophilic A. salmonicida was most common in food samples (19/80; 23.7%). Out of 142 strains, 86 (60.6%) were positive for at least one of the virulence properties. All the toxin genes were present in 4/18 (22.3%) of clinical strains. Most of the food isolates (54/55; 98.2%) were cytotoxic and most of the environmental strains (12/13; 92.3%) were adhesive. The aerA gene was present in most toxigenic strains (72/86; 83.7%), irrespective of their origin. The growth temperature affected the expression of cytotoxicity and adhesivity. Aeromonas strains from food and surface water frequently had toxin gene patterns similar to those of clinical strains and expressed virulence properties at human body temperature. These findings indicate that aeromonads have the potential to cause human illness and confirm the role of food and water as vehicles for Aeromonas diseases.

Seismic strain and stress field studies in Italy before and after the Umbria-Marche seismic sequence: a review

The seismic sequence that hit Umbria and Marche during 1997 and 1998 was particularly significant because it dramatically marked the evolution of analysis tools and the development of our geophysical knowledge of the region. Since September 1997, we have had a growing, coherent catalogue of source moment tensors that provides reliable information on earthquake sources in Italy and the surrounding regions. Together with borehole and other tectonic data, this has conspicuously improved our knowledge of the regional strain and stress fields. The main impact of these new data that include local information consists of the possibility to change the scale of the regional geodynamic frame. The simple description of extension tectonics that dominate the Apennines belt has evolved into the present-day maps of the strain and stress fields, where the active tectonics involve compression in the eastern Alps, extension and compression fronts in the northern Apennines, extension and strike-slip structures in the southern Apennines, and a compressional front along the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. This recent geodynamic evolution and the present-day seismotectonic sketch of the Italian peninsula are here described on the basis of the recognition of these tectonic features.