Polyclonal antibodies of C.tyrobutyricum were prepared and coupled to an immunoadsorbent resin specific for this microorganism contaminant of cheese milk. The immunoadsorbent selectivity was evaluated also by scanning electron microscope... more
Polyclonal antibodies of C.tyrobutyricum were prepared and coupled to an immunoadsorbent resin specific for this microorganism contaminant of cheese milk. The immunoadsorbent selectivity was evaluated also by scanning electron microscope an aqueous suspension of C.tyrobutyricum vegetative cells. The immunoadsorbent showed valuable efficiency in cell retaining process and could be completely recycled.
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Research Interests: Biophysics, Chemistry, Kinetics, Medicine, Molecular and cellular biology, and 15 moreAnimals, Light, Anura, Rana catesbeiana, Membrane, Guanosine Triphosphate, Enzyme activity, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Nephelometry and Turbidimetry, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, Time Course, Nucleotides, Biochemistry and cell biology, Photoreceptor cells, and GTP
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Vertebrate olfactory neurons, the receptors cells in the nose that sense odorants, are continously dying and replaced from differentiating staminal cells located at the basal lamina of the epithelium. Eventhough the neuronal turnover in... more
Vertebrate olfactory neurons, the receptors cells in the nose that sense odorants, are continously dying and replaced from differentiating staminal cells located at the basal lamina of the epithelium. Eventhough the neuronal turnover in the nose represents an exceptional property in the nervous system, it is not yet understood. In analogy with the immune system behaviour, olfaction shows high plasticity and sensitivity in odorant reception and coding. On the basis of this analogy we postulate that the turnover of olfactory neurons and their spectrum of sensitivity is dependent on environmental odorants. To test this hypothesis, we follow staminal cells proliferation and differentiation in controlled conditions, i.e. in vitro, by means of a monoclonal antibody against an antigen of the staminal cells.
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Equilibrium titration measurements of NAD+ and NADH in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of liver alcohol dehydrogenase (10(-6)N less than enzyme = coenzyme less than 10(-4)N) have been carried out by using the couple of substrates... more
Equilibrium titration measurements of NAD+ and NADH in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of liver alcohol dehydrogenase (10(-6)N less than enzyme = coenzyme less than 10(-4)N) have been carried out by using the couple of substrates benzyl alcohol-benzaldehyde, at pH 7.0 and 8.75, in the absence and in the presence of isobutyramide. The results obtained have been unsuccessfully analyzed on the basis of the widely accepted compulsory order model which assumes functional equivalence and independence of the enzyme sites.
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In a first section we will try to understand the organization of chemoreception from the chemical-structure/sensation relationship. In a second section we will briefly touch on the biochemical evidence for olfactory and taste receptors.... more
In a first section we will try to understand the organization of chemoreception from the chemical-structure/sensation relationship. In a second section we will briefly touch on the biochemical evidence for olfactory and taste receptors. In the last section we will study a family of proteins that are models for olfactory receptors.
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Research Interests: Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Kinetics, Medicine, Liver, and 15 moreAlcohol, Animals, Temperature, Deuterium, Horses, Horse, Time Factors, Green Reagent, NAD, Structure activity Relationship, Protein Binding, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Alcohol Dehydrogenase, Biochemistry and cell biology, and binding sites
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Abstract The odorant-binding protein from bovine nasal mucosa, purified by fast protein liquid chromatography, has been used to elicit polyclonal antibodies in a New Zealand white rabbit and to prepare an affinity Sepharose 4B column. The... more
Abstract The odorant-binding protein from bovine nasal mucosa, purified by fast protein liquid chromatography, has been used to elicit polyclonal antibodies in a New Zealand white rabbit and to prepare an affinity Sepharose 4B column. The antibodies have been purified ...
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Glutamate is a multifunctional amino acid. It plays a key role in central neurotransmission, in intermediate metabolism of carbohydrate as well as in taste, representing the major ligand having the umami taste. Glutamate is one of the... more
Glutamate is a multifunctional amino acid. It plays a key role in central neurotransmission, in intermediate metabolism of carbohydrate as well as in taste, representing the major ligand having the umami taste. Glutamate is one of the main constituents of dietary proteins and is also consumed in many prepared foods as a flavour enhancer in the form of glutamate salts. Umami perception is based on multiple receptor systems distributed in the oral cavity and in the gastrointestinal tract which activates a number of regions of the brain involved in different functions, from food identification to the formation of an affective value related to a particular food, which may influence appetitive behaviour. Future research on umami taste and umami compounds will be fundamental in gaining a better understanding of their physiological significance and to promote their status in a healthy and pleasant diet.
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Research Interests: Physiology, Chemistry, Medicine, Biological Sciences, Animals, and 15 moreMale, Anura, Luminescence, Rana catesbeiana, Time Factors, Guanosine Triphosphate, Phosphate, Rhodopsin, ROD, Adenosine Triphosphate, Adenosine Diphosphate, photic stimulation, Photoreceptor cells, Medical and Health Sciences, and In Vitro Techniques
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... Total RNA was isolated from lactating mammary tissue from BLGADp/39 and BLGACD/22 female mice and analysed by Northern blotting, and fi-lacto-globulin specific transcripts were identified using a fi-lactoglobulin cDNA probe. ...
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1SuMMARY A probabilistic system can successfully move towards a different state or a target when the reciprocal affinity between the system and its target are deterministically established a-priori. Our brain behaves like a probabilistic... more
1SuMMARY A probabilistic system can successfully move towards a different state or a target when the reciprocal affinity between the system and its target are deterministically established a-priori. Our brain behaves like a probabilistic machine so that any decision-making process is always conditioned by a deterministic goal-seeking which, in principle, is incompatible with free will existence. Then, why we deceive ourselves of free will existence yet? According to “Bignetti” theoretical model (http://www. freewill.unipr.it/freewill/home_page.html) all these questions seem to be clarified. The main idea is that our actions are predetermined by the unconscious mind; the conscious one, instead, emerges few milliseconds later, i.e. only when the actions are executed, thus leading us to claim the responsibility of our actions: this is the pillar for any learning and memory process. in conclusion, in “Bignetti” model, free will might be a congenital mind illusion apt to attain cognitive processes. in order to verify the truth and the accuracy of this model a preliminary psychometric test investigating the timing of a voluntary action in relation with a food choice contest, is discussed in the experimental section.
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The first odorant-binding protein isolated from mammalian nasal mucosa is a dimer of subunits of identical molecular weight (19,000) that specifically binds bell pepper odorants, "green" smelling compounds. The protein... more
The first odorant-binding protein isolated from mammalian nasal mucosa is a dimer of subunits of identical molecular weight (19,000) that specifically binds bell pepper odorants, "green" smelling compounds. The protein can be purified in milligram quantities from tissue extractions by sequential use of a silica based anion exchange column and Mono-P chromatofocussing column. In the presence of the binding compound 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine and of the organic solvent 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol (17%, v/v), the protein crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit cell constants a = 54.3 A, b = 66.7 A, c = 41.5 A, beta = 97.2 degrees. From consideration of the crystal packing densities compatible with its unit cell, it can be concluded that two subunits of 19,000 Mr each are present in the asymmetric unit. The diffraction pattern on still photographs of this crystal form of the protein extends to 2.5 A resolution and allows for a detailed crystallographic investigation.
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1. The present results provide circumstantial evidence, but not a proof, that the Pyrazine-binding Protein is an odorant carrier molecule of fundamental importance. 2. At first sight a role for a secretory protein in olfaction is not... more
1. The present results provide circumstantial evidence, but not a proof, that the Pyrazine-binding Protein is an odorant carrier molecule of fundamental importance. 2. At first sight a role for a secretory protein in olfaction is not obvious. 3. Odorants freely diffuse in air, in water and in lipids, and the use of carrier proteins, would seem superfluous unless a very special combination with the odorant occurs [Gaupp E. (1902) In Anatomie des Frosches, 2nd Edn, pp. 673. Vieweg-Verlag, Braunschweig]. 4. The possibility should be considered that the Pyrazine-binding Protein and the urinary proteins belong to a large family of species-specific secretory molecules which, with the odorant bound, directly stimulate the receptor cell.
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Most people believe in the freedom of their will, so they are convinced to decide their own voluntary actions, without being controlled by God, fate, or circumstances. Though, the cognitive success of a learning curve depends on a... more
Most people believe in the freedom of their will, so they are convinced to decide their own voluntary actions, without being controlled by God, fate, or circumstances. Though, the cognitive success of a learning curve depends on a statistical correlation between the prior experience and the posterior effect. Since long ago, several scientific pieces of evidence denied the existence of free-will (FW). Our scientific work contributed to corroborating the idea that FW might be an illusion of the mind; then, the belief that our conscious mind might exhibit decisional ability without any form of external control, is nonsense. Since that, we may exclude that our conscious mind could host a “soul-inhabited self ” or a “ghost of the machine”; if anything, it could host a sort of witness with a specific critical sense towards incoming experiences. Then, the intriguing question was how the mind could anyway exhibit cognition and behavior. Our answer was that our mind emerges from the brain as...
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The Bignetti Model" (TBM) is a probabilistic-deterministic model postulating that free will is an illusion with a key role in cognition processes. TBM is in accordance with the evidence that rehearsal of the same stimulus in... more
The Bignetti Model" (TBM) is a probabilistic-deterministic model postulating that free will is an illusion with a key role in cognition processes. TBM is in accordance with the evidence that rehearsal of the same stimulus in psychophysical tests facilitates the inter-trial priming effect. This paper aims at modeling the reaction times data sets obtained from a series of press/no-press decisional tasks, with an increasing presence of distractors, by means of rational functions. The A. Aimi, F. Martuzzi and E. Bignetti 82 goal is obtained by the interaction between numerical analysis tools and meaningful assumptions made for the cognition process. The resulting curves are conceivable in two different frameworks, compatible with TBM: Michaelis and Menten enzyme kinetics, assumed as metaphoric background, and Bayes' theorem applied to mental information processing. This work represents an example of how computational mathematics can be applied in the context of cognitive psychology.
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The Bignetti Model" (TBM) is a probabilistic-deterministic model postulating that free will is an illusion with a key role in cognition processes. TBM is in accordance with the evidence that rehearsal of the same stimulus in... more
The Bignetti Model" (TBM) is a probabilistic-deterministic model postulating that free will is an illusion with a key role in cognition processes. TBM is in accordance with the evidence that rehearsal of the same stimulus in psychophysical tests facilitates the inter-trial priming effect. This paper aims at modeling the reaction times data sets obtained from a series of press/no-press decisional tasks, with an increasing presence of distractors, by means of rational functions. The A. Aimi, F. Martuzzi and E. Bignetti 82 goal is obtained by the interaction between numerical analysis tools and meaningful assumptions made for the cognition process. The resulting curves are conceivable in two different frameworks, compatible with TBM: Michaelis and Menten enzyme kinetics, assumed as metaphoric background, and Bayes' theorem applied to mental information processing. This work represents an example of how computational mathematics can be applied in the context of cognitive psychology.
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nutrients
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After a long time, people are still debating over “Cartesian-like Dualism” (CLD), i.e. towards the separation of “res-extensa” from “res-cogitans”. Since we suspect that this is due to a general attraction of mind towards the darkness of... more
After a long time, people are still debating over “Cartesian-like Dualism” (CLD), i.e. towards the separation of “res-extensa” from “res-cogitans”. Since we suspect that this is due to a general attraction of mind towards the darkness of metaphysics, we have investigated the mental origin of this attraction. In human mind, we can envisage three different functional levels emerging one from the other like in a Matrioska; the three levels cause the arousal of as many forms of “dualisms”: 1) The 1st-level corresponds to the “Dual-state” of mind, an archetypic dualism made of Unconscious Mind (UM, the domain of biophysical/biochemical signals) and Conscious Mind (CM, the domain of thoughts, images and sounds), genetically committed to reciprocal and fruitful interactions. 2) the 2nd-level corresponds to “Double-perspective” dualism; it emerges from CM’s splitting into two opposite perspectives: the 1st-order perspective (1PP) (subjective, emotional, Self-oriented, etc.) and the 3rd-order perspective (3PP) (rational, objective, Self-detached, etc.), that are in psychological contraposition. During individual growth, Ego-sense installs in CM with the illusion of possessing FW, and dominates 1PP. Conversely, 3PP is typically interested in scientific argumentations and investigations; so, 3PP confutes 1PP’s convictions on scien-tific bases (e.g. 1PP’s conviction that the binomial Ego-FW is real). Yet, on the one hand, 3PP hasn’t got a scientific alternative to explain “who we really are”, on the other hand, 1PP exhibits a great success in everyday life cognition. Then, we necessarily step over the dualism of the 3rd-level, “Cartesian-like Dualism” (CLD). The emotional origin of this CLD holds back 1PP’s trick to claim its supremacy over 3PP.
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Over a long period of time, the issue concerning free will (FW) has been a much debated topic. In general, being fully aware of ourselves, we are convinced that our conscious will can freely control a “voluntary” action. However, natural... more
Over a long period of time, the issue concerning free will (FW) has been a much debated topic. In general, being fully aware of ourselves, we are convinced that our conscious will can freely control a “voluntary” action. However, natural events that cannot be predicted, such as earthquakes, cyclones, etc., frustrate our self-esteem and affects the process of thinking in men. To address this concern, by comparing the action decision-making of voluntary actions owing to our inability to escape such “supernatural” events, Searle1 was of the opinion that: “The persistence of the problem of traditional free will in philosophy seems to me something of a scandal”; nevertheless, many have studied this issue and many papers have been written focusing on this area; however, it appears that limited progress in related research has been made.
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Cite this article Bignetti E. New insights into " the bignetti model " from classic and quantum mechanics perspectives. Psychol Cogn Sci Open ABSTRACT Summary Years ago it was proposed a human cognitive model (TBM) that foresees... more
Cite this article Bignetti E. New insights into " the bignetti model " from classic and quantum mechanics perspectives. Psychol Cogn Sci Open ABSTRACT Summary Years ago it was proposed a human cognitive model (TBM) that foresees two compulsory phases (ACTION and COGNI-TION). The so-called " voluntary " action is decided and executed by an unconscious activity of the mind (ACTION); the gained experience is then elaborated and memorised by the conscious mind (COGNITION). The thought of being an independent Self with free will (FW) is considered by many soft-and hard-sciences an illusionary thought of the mind, though it is a primary individual belief for carrying out COGNITION. This work will investigate this apparent paradox; in particular, it will be put forward for consideration the hypothesis that Self and FW are illusions appearing at the early stages of human life as the outcome of a " primary " stable COGNITION. This believes will be reinforced by ...
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... XXIII, 2003) - pag. 69 - pag. 78 Cervello e Mente ovvero Casualità e Determinismo *Enrico Bignetti ... 6). Per nostra fortuna, su ogni nostro neurone arrivano centinaia di bottoni sinaptici cosicché esso può sempre me-diare con... more
... XXIII, 2003) - pag. 69 - pag. 78 Cervello e Mente ovvero Casualità e Determinismo *Enrico Bignetti ... 6). Per nostra fortuna, su ogni nostro neurone arrivano centinaia di bottoni sinaptici cosicché esso può sempre me-diare con un'informazione di tipo probabilistico (Koch 1999). ...
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Calcium is recognized as an essential nutritional factor for bone health. An adequate intake is important to achieve or maintain optimal bone mass in particular during growth and old age. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the... more
Calcium is recognized as an essential nutritional factor for bone health. An adequate intake is important to achieve or maintain optimal bone mass in particular during growth and old age. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of hake fish bone (HBF) as a calcium source for bone mineralization: in vitro on osteosarcoma SaOS-2 cells, cultured in Ca-free osteogenic medium (OM) and in vivo on young growing rats fed a low-calcium diet. Lithotame (L), a Ca supplement derived from Lithothamnium calcareum, was used as control. In vitro experiments showed that HBF supplementation provided bone mineralization similar to standard OM, whereas L supplementation showed lower activity. In vivo low-Ca HBF-added and L-added diet similarly affected bone deposition. Physico-chemical parameters concerning bone mineralization, such as femur breaking force, tibia density and calcium/phosphorus mineral content, had beneficial effects from both Ca supplementations, in the absence of any evident adverse effect. We conclude HBF derived from by-product from the fish industry is a good calcium supplier with comparable efficacy to L.
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Does a persistent blockage of the ionic pumps bring cell membrane voltage to zero? This apparently trivial question of basic cellular Biology stirred up an intriguing problem of nonlinear dynamics. A 3-ion model based on continuity and... more
Does a persistent blockage of the ionic pumps bring cell membrane voltage to zero? This apparently trivial question of basic cellular Biology stirred up an intriguing problem of nonlinear dynamics. A 3-ion model based on continuity and charge conservation proves that membrane voltage actually sets on a negative value, meaning that chemical equilibrium is never reached, rather an inversion of the Na+ concentration gradient occurs, usually hours after the blockage of the pumps. Experimental tests carried out with PC12 cells incubated with Oubaine for a period of 24 hours show an increase of cytosolic Na+ of about 266 mM/l with respect to a control sample. The result is compatible with an inversion of the Na+ gradient, which eventually brings the membrane voltage to a negative value. Reactivation of the Na+-K+ pumps even after a prolonged period of blockage (late repolarization) should lead to repolarization and revival of the cell. In the 3D space of the ionic concentrations, the dynamics of passive depolarization reveals an intriguing topology, all trajectories being stacked in parallel planes, each set ending to a unique fixed point via an infinitely dense set of lines. The dynamics of repolarization has a different phase portrait, especially in the case of late repolarization. Thus, a sequence of depolarization- repolarization cycles may result in a path wandering in the phase space, or in a closed loop, depending on the timing of the sequence.
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SUMMARY Se qualcuno vi dicesse che il decidere liberamente le proprie azioni (le azioni cosiddette “volontarie”) è soltanto un’illusione della nostra mente, come reagireste? La nostra mente infatti presume di possedere il libero arbitrio... more
SUMMARY
Se qualcuno vi dicesse che il decidere liberamente le proprie azioni (le azioni
cosiddette “volontarie”) è soltanto un’illusione della nostra mente, come reagireste? La nostra mente infatti presume di possedere il libero arbitrio sulla base di una prospettiva, cosiddetta di prima persona, egocentrica ed emozionale (1PP); ma analizzando la questione da una prospettiva di terza persona, obiettiva e razionale (3PP), si scopre che il libero arbitrio non esiste e che l’illusione di possederlo è solo una necessità della mente per compiere le proprie azioni, quelle cosiddette “volontarie”. Il modello cognitivo “The Bgnetti Model”, ne spiega sia la dinamica che le ragioni ontologiche. Dunque, nessuna preoccupazione! la mente basa le sue proprietà cognitive su una finzione, eppure questa finzione gioca un ruolo fondamentale e non verrà mai meno! Se dovessimo spiegare questo paradosso ad un soggetto, al momento, egli potrebbe anche capirlo ma, l’istante successivo, nella sua vita quotidiana, egli cadrebbe nuovamente preda della sua cronica illusione. Compiere un’azione pensando di averla decisa volontariamente è una illusione prevista geneticamente.
Se qualcuno vi dicesse che il decidere liberamente le proprie azioni (le azioni
cosiddette “volontarie”) è soltanto un’illusione della nostra mente, come reagireste? La nostra mente infatti presume di possedere il libero arbitrio sulla base di una prospettiva, cosiddetta di prima persona, egocentrica ed emozionale (1PP); ma analizzando la questione da una prospettiva di terza persona, obiettiva e razionale (3PP), si scopre che il libero arbitrio non esiste e che l’illusione di possederlo è solo una necessità della mente per compiere le proprie azioni, quelle cosiddette “volontarie”. Il modello cognitivo “The Bgnetti Model”, ne spiega sia la dinamica che le ragioni ontologiche. Dunque, nessuna preoccupazione! la mente basa le sue proprietà cognitive su una finzione, eppure questa finzione gioca un ruolo fondamentale e non verrà mai meno! Se dovessimo spiegare questo paradosso ad un soggetto, al momento, egli potrebbe anche capirlo ma, l’istante successivo, nella sua vita quotidiana, egli cadrebbe nuovamente preda della sua cronica illusione. Compiere un’azione pensando di averla decisa volontariamente è una illusione prevista geneticamente.