Attilio CESÀRO

CURRICULUM   Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry   Department of Office: 233 BBCM - C11 Biochemistry, Biophysics Phone: 39-040-5583684 and Macromolecular Chemistry Fax: 39-040-5583691 University of Trieste I-34127 Trieste, Italy email-me

Education and Appointments:
1966	University of Naples, Studies in Chemistry and Dottore in Chimica
1967-1968	University of California, Irvine, Post-doctoral Researcher
1973	University of Trieste, Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry
1979	University of California, Irvine, Visiting Professor of Physical-Chemistry
1982	University of Trieste, Associate Professor
1990	University of Trieste, Full Professor Macromolecular Chemistry
Awards, Honours and Memberships:
1975	Fulbright Fellowship
1989	Award Price of Biothermodynamics by Swiss Society, STK
	Member of the Ass. Ital. Scienze Tecnol. Macromolecole (AIM) since the foundation
	Member of the Ass. Ital. Calorimetria e Analisi Termica (AICAT) since the foundation
1980-1984	Member of the Board of the AICAT
1990-1993	President of the AICAT
1994-1998	Chairman of European Symposium of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry
2001-	Member of the Editorial Board of Carbohydrate Research
2005-	Member of the Editorial Board of Food Biophysics
1998-	Member of the Editorial Board of Acta Chemica Slovenica
1998-2004	Regional Editor of J.Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry
Research Interests:
The scientific activity focuses mainly on the correlation between structure, conformation and function of industrial biopolymers and other non-reactive bio-systems (polysaccharides and small sugars, polyesters, food proteins). Experimental approaches (isothermal calorimetry and differential scanning calorimetry, but also spectroscopies and rheology) and theoretical methods (statistical mechanics, polyelectrolytic theories, Monte Carlo) have been used to determine and rationalise the thermodynamic properties of amorphous and locally ordered biomolecules. Several research lines are currently carried out in the framework of studies on the relationships between structure, conformation and properties of natural and modified monomers and polymers. Specifically, we are currently involved in the following projects: - A long-term project aims at the theoretical description of the local dynamics and configurational properties of oligo and polysaccharides. - New approaches for the understanding of trehalose intriguing protection against deterioration of biological functions are based on the study of transformations in the molecular organisation and relaxations occurring in the crystalline polymorphs and in the partially amorphous phases. Among the results already gathered new crystalline phases and reversible phenomena in solid-solid transformations of trehalose. - Within several projects, nanosciences and nanotechnologies enter into the molecular aspects of thermodynamics and kinetics of phase segregation and gelation processes of biopolymers. Biopolymers in foods and in other soft condensed matters are exploited by using concepts of the polymer science (structure, conformation, topology and interactions) for the understanding of the functional properties of mixed gels. - Innovative calorimetric methods are currently used for the description of chemical and physical modification of carbohydrate and biopolymer structures within the framework of molecular thermodynamics and kinetics. (www.wkap.nl/journalhome.htm/1418-2874).

Most relevant publications:
•		S. Furlan, G. La Penna, E. Chiessi, A. Perico, A. Cesàro Conformational Dynamics of Hyaluronan in Solution. 3. Molecular dynamics from Monte Carlo replica-exchange simulations and mode-coupling diffusion theory Macromolecules, 2004, 37, 6197-6209
•		S.A. Mezzasalma, C. Angioletti, A. Cesàro Polymer Chain Dimension from Rotational Angle Scaling of its Monomeric Units Internet Electronic Journal of Molecular Design 2003, 2(10), 768-782
•		F. Sussich, S. Bortoluzzi, A. Cesàro Trehalose dehydration under confined conditions Thermochim. Acta, 2002, 391, 137-150
•		F. Sussich, C. Skopec, J. W. Brady, A. Cesàro Reversible dehydration of trehalose and anhydrobiosis: from solution state to an exotic crystal? Carbohydr. Res., 2001, 334, 165-176
•		A. Cesàro, F. Sussich Plasticization: The softening of materials. in "Bread Staling" P. Chinachoti, Y. Vodovitz Eds. (2000) CRC Press BocaRaton, capt 2, 19-59
•		F. Sussich, A. Cesàro The kinetics of periodate oxidation of carbohydrates: a calorimetric approach Carbohydr. Res., 2000, 329, 87-95
•		A. Perico, M. Mormino, R. Urbani, A. Cesàro, E. Tylianakis, P. Dais, D. A. Brant Local Dynamics of Carbohydrates: I. Dynamics of Simple Glucans with Different Chain Linkages. J. Phys. Chem. 1999, 103, 8162-8171
•		F. Sussich, R. Urbani, F. Princivalle, A. Cesàro Polymorphic Amorphous and Crystalline Forms of Trehalose J. Amer. Chem Soc. 1998, 31, 7893-7899

  List of Papers (since 1990)