Localized agri-food systems: The case of Pecorino Siciliano PDO a food product of the tradition of Mediterranean gastronomy

2022

Sustainability is becoming a successful strategic variable for creating value in rural areas. In the context of rural areas, excellent agri-food products are located which form the starting point for the creation of value. The legislator, in order to promote these products, provides for the PDO, PGI, TSG certifications. Brands and sustainability become a combination to favor the permanence of man in rural areas. This contribution discusses the use of territorial brand indicators to foster the resilience of territories. In particular, Pecorino Siciliano PDO is examined and the business strategies of a sample of companies examined are evaluated. The study contributes to highlighting a localiz…

Electrochemical Treatment of Synthetic Wastewaters Contaminated by Organic Pollutants at Ti 4 O 7 Anode. Study of the Role of Operative Parameters by…

2022

In the last years, an increasing attention has been devoted to the utilization of anodic oxidation (AO) technologies for the treatment of wastewater polluted by recalcitrant organics. Recently, Ti4O7 was proposed as a promising anode for AO for the treatment of various organics. Here the potential utilization of commercial Ti4O7 anodes has been evaluated considering the electrochemical treatment of synthetic wastewater contaminated by three very different organic molecules (namely, oxalic acid, phenol and Acid Orange 7), all characterized by a very high resistance to AO. The performances of Ti4O7 were compared with that of two largely investigated anodes: Boron-doped diamond (BDD), which is…

Multiphoton process investigation in silica by UV femtosecond laser

2022

We investigated the interaction processes between high intensity femtosecond ultraviolet laser pulses and amorphous silica, leading to permanent refractive-index changes that are at the basis of advanced manufacturing for photonics devices. The experiment, carried out as a function of the laser power, improves our understanding on the strong-field ionization process by the monitoring of the 1.9 eV and 2.65 eV emissions, related to nonbridging oxygen hole centers and self-trapped exciton, respectively, induced in the exposed glass region. Our results clearly proved that the UV laser light band-to-band absorption is allowed in the multiphoton ionization limit, whose consecutive relaxation lea…

Stress distribution of multiple implant-supported prostheses : Photoelastic and strain gauge analyses of external hexagon and morse taper connections

2022

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-29T08:40:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-03-01 Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Background: To evaluate the stress distribution of three-element prostheses on two different implant systems (External Hexagon (EH) or Morse Taper (MT)) and with two different retention mechanisms (screw-retained or cemented), by photoelastic analysis and strain gauge analyses. Material and Methods: Four photoelastic and 24 strain gauge models of a partially edentulous maxilla were made and were divided in four groups according to connection and retention system: Group I (EH-C) – external hexagon+ cement-retained pr…

A Software Tool For Sparse Estimation Of A General Class Of High-dimensional GLMs

2022

Generalized linear models are the workhorse of many inferential problems. Also in the modern era with high-dimensional settings, such models have been proven to be effective exploratory tools. Most attention has been paid to Gaussian, binomial and Poisson settings, which have efficient computational implementations and where either the dispersion parameter is largely irrelevant or absent. However, general GLMs have dispersion parameters φ that affect the value of the log- likelihood. This in turn, affects the value of various information criteria such as AIC and BIC, and has a considerable impact on the computation and selection of the optimal model.The R-package dglars is one of the standa…

Farming intensity indirectly reduces crop yield through negative effects on agrobiodiversity and key ecological functions

2022

International audience; Farming intensity and landscape heterogeneity influence agrobiodiversity and associated ecological functions. The relative contributions of these agroecosystem components to agricultural production remain unclear because of inter-relations and weather-dependant variations. Using a structural equation modelling approach, we estimated direct and indirect contributions of farming intensity (soil management, pesticide use and fertilisation) and landscape heterogeneity (of semi-natural covers and crop mosaic) to cereal crop production, in 54 fields (mostly wheat), in two years (24 and 30 fields). Indirect effects were evaluated through agrobiodiversity (carabid and plant …

Resilience in Informal Caregivers of People Living with Dementia in the Face of COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Changes to Daily Life

2022

Abstract. Informal caregivers of people living with dementia (PwD) are at increased risk for the development of stress-related physical and mental illness. Nevertheless, because of differing resilience, they show interindividual differences in their ability to cope. Particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the associated pandemic control measures and pandemic-related changes to daily life, resilience might be further challenged, and stress might consequently increase. Therefore, we review the evidence on informal caregivers’ experience during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding effects of the pandemic control measures on (a) the caregiver’s health, (b) the care recipient’s health, (c) th…

Cuantificación y tratamiento de la congestión en insuficiencia cardíaca: una visión clínica y fisiopatológica

2022

Renal sodium and water retention with resulting extracellular volume expansion and redistribution are hallmark features of heart failure syndromes. However, congestion assessment, monitoring, and treatment represent a real challenge in daily clinical practice. This document reviewed historical and contemporary evidence of available methods for determining volume status and discuss pharmacological aspects and pathophysiological principles that underlie diuretic use.

Species distribution models as a tool for early detection of the invasive Raphidiopsis raciborskii in European lakes

2022

In freshwater habitats, invasive species and the increase of cyanobacterial blooms have been identified as a major cause of biodiversity loss. The invasive cyanobacteria Raphidiopsis raciborskii a toxin-producing and bloom-forming species affecting local biodiversity and ecosystem services is currently expanding its range across Europe. We used species distribution models (SDMs) and regional bioclimatic environmental variables, such as temperature and precipitation, to identify suitable areas for the colonization and survival of R. raciborskii, with special focus on the geographic extent of potential habitats in Northern Europe. SDMs predictions uncovered areas of high occurrence probabilit…

Rethinking vineyard ground management to counter soil tillage erosion

2022

Tillage erosion is a relevant process of soil redistribution in sloping arable land, but little research has analysed the effect of shallow tillage on soil erosion in vineyards. The goal of this study was to quantify the soil tillage effect on soil translocation and erosion at the territorial level in a large vineyard area in Sicily. The soil loss and soil erosion tolerance limits were compared to identify the vineyards with a high risk of soil degradation. An alternative management scenario to traditional tillage was proposed to evaluate the effectiveness of the best management practices on soil conservation. The experimental trials were conducted in 14 vineyards with different slopes and …

Transformative, interdisciplinary and intercultural learning for developing HEI students’ sustainability-oriented competences : a case study

2022

AbstractThe literature has produced relevant theoretical insights into pedagogical frameworks, tools and competences that would be best suited to teach sustainability at higher education (HE). This article contributes to such a discussion using a course on sustainability developed by us as a case study. Two research questions are tackled in this article: (1) How to empower students to address urban sustainability challenges through the inclusion of transformative, interdisciplinary and intercultural learning into the current HE system? (2) Which pedagogical tools can be used to develop students’ sustainability-oriented competences? To address the research questions, the case study consists …

When a convergence of filters is measure-theoretic

2022

Abstract Convergence almost everywhere cannot be induced by a topology, and if measure is finite, it coincides with almost uniform convergence and is finer than convergence in measure, which is induced by a metrizable topology. Measures are assumed to be finite. It is proved that convergence in measure is the Urysohn modification of convergence almost everywhere, which is pseudotopological. Extensions of these convergences from sequences to arbitrary filters are discussed, and a concept of measure-theoretic convergence is introduced. A natural extension of convergence almost everywhere is neither measure-theoretic, nor finer than a natural extension of convergence in measure. A straightforw…

Pandemic Prevention and Personality Psychology: Gender Differences in Preventive Health Behaviors during COVID-19 and the Roles of Agreeableness and …

2022

One of the greatest public health crises in recent times, the COVID-19 pandemic, has come with a myriad of challenges in terms of health communication and public cooperation to prevent the spread of the disease. Understanding which are the key determinants that make certain individuals more cooperative is key in effectively tackling pandemics and similar future challenges. In the present study (N = 800), we investigated whether gender differences in compliance with preventive health behaviors (PHB) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic could be established, and, if so, whether the personality traits of agreeableness and conscientiousness could help explain this presumed relationship. Consis…

Experimental and theoretical study of the nonlinear birefringence in the formation process of vector solitons in a total polarization control ring ca…

2022

Abstract In this work, we present the numerical and experimental investigation of the polarization dynamics in a free birefringence mode-locked fiber laser. The laser includes a double-pass Erbium-doped fiber amplifier and 20-m long bi-twisted fiber at a twist rate of ± 6 turns m−1 to mitigate both, linear and circular birefringence effects. We found ellipticity changes due to nonlinear birefringence in the 20-m long fiber during pulse formation and propagation. In contrast with previously reported works, the inclusion of bi-twisted fiber allows investigate the nonlinear effects independently from the linear ones. The experimental behavior was confirmed by numerical simulations based on spl…

"Una eredità aperta e attiva": Luigi Rognoni, il suo archivio e l'insegnamento di Antonio Banfi

2022

Il contributo parte dai materiali dell'archivio di Luigi Rognoni (1913-1986), oggi custoditi presso il Dipartimento di Scienze Umanistiche dell'Università di Palermo (dove egli insegnò dal 1958 al 1970) per ricostruire il fondamentale contributo che alla sua formazione diede la figura del filosofo Antonio Banfi. Fin dagli anni dell’opposizione al regime mussoliniano, quando ancora adolescente fu più volte arrestato e rilasciato, Rognoni ebbe una forte coscienza della responsabilità etica dell’intellettuale di fronte alla società e alla storia. Ed era tale passione civile ad animare la sua instancabile attività e i suoi fittissimi scambi epistolari. Con poche eccezioni, il materiale document…

Social impacts of biodiversity offsetting: A review

2022

Biodiversity offsetting is the widely studied last step of the mitigation hierarchy. Despite numerous studies and the methodological development completed for biodiversity calculations, the human aspect remains unsolved. Biodiversity conservation is typically governed at national or state levels, but the harm caused to biodiversity as well as people occurs locally. In biodiversity offsetting, biodiversity values can be relocated far from the original area, but relocating the values people hold regarding their nearby nature may not be possible. Acknowledging the local people's hopes and values may further complicate biodiversity offsetting, therefore it emphasises even more the need to avoid…

Non-Hermitian Physics and Master Equations

2022

A longstanding tool to characterize the evolution of open Markovian quantum systems is the GKSL (Gorini-Kossakowski-Sudarshan-Lindblad) master equation. However, in some cases, open quantum systems can be effectively described with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, which have attracted great interest in the last twenty years due to a number of unconventional properties, such as the appearance of exceptional points. Here, we present a short review of these two different approaches aiming in particular to highlight their relation and illustrate different ways of connecting non-Hermitian Hamiltonian to a GKSL master equation for the full density matrix.

Religione, benessere e job satisfaction: quale nesso possibile?

2022

Il presente contributo nasce dall'esigenza di approfondire il possibile nesso tra la dimensione del "sentire" religioso e quella dell'"agire" lavorativo, nel tentativo di (ri)portare la spiritualità all'interno del dibattito sociologico sul lavoro. Infatti, sebbene nel corso degli ultimi anni la letteratura sociologica ha mostrato come la qualità del lavoro sia un concetto multidimensionale e dinamico, la dimensione religiosa e/o spirituale del lavoratore non ha trovato adeguato spazio nella definizione di qualità del lavoro o negli interventi a suo favore. Attraverso la differenziazione dei concetti quali religiosità, spiritualità e soddisfazione sul lavoro, si giunge alla conclusione che …

COVID-19 pandemic, mechanical reperfusion and 30-day mortality in ST elevation myocardial infarction

2022

ObjectiveThe initial data of the International Study on Acute Coronary Syndromes - ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction COVID-19 showed in Europe a remarkable reduction in primary percutaneous coronary intervention procedures and higher in-hospital mortality during the initial phase of the pandemic as compared with the prepandemic period. The aim of the current study was to provide the final results of the registry, subsequently extended outside Europe with a larger inclusion period (up to June 2020) and longer follow-up (up to 30 days).MethodsThis is a retrospective multicentre registry in 109 high-volume primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) centres from Europe, Latin America, S…

Inhibition of bacterial virulence factors of foodborne pathogens by paprika (Capsicum annuum L.) extracts

2022

Abstract Capsicum annuum extracts of different polarities were tested for their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and anti-Quorum sensing (QS) activity against several pathogenic microorganisms and possible toxic effects using an in vivo model (Galleria mellonella L.). Hexane (HE) and Chloroform extract (CE) were the most active in inhibiting biofilm formation of the eight bacteria tested, with inhibition percentages between 22 and 88% for a concentration of 100 μg/mL. These extracts were potent inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm, and microscopy analysis confirmed a significant reduction in adhered cells. Moreover, polystyrene surfaces coated with these extracts decreased Staph. aureus a…

Pianificazione regionale al bivio: un piano territoriale regionale strategico a valenza sociale economica o un piano comprensivo

2022

With the approval of the regional law n.2 / 2021 the Sicilian regional urban reform has taken the start that has been completed with the last of the implementing decrees provided for in the regional law n.19 / 2020 relating to the sizing of general urban plans (PUG) that take the place of the PRG of the lr n.71 / 1978. This last law was part of the triptych of laws (urban planning, cultural heritage and tourism) that between 1976 and 1980 were alternately desired by Piersanti Mattarella before his murder at the hands of the mafia. The regional council has approved the act of address that constitutes the document of the guidelines for the new regional territorial plan of social and economic …

A New Pt(II) Complex with Anionic s-Triazine Based NNO-Donor Ligand: Synthesis, X-ray Structure, Hirshfeld Analysis and DFT Studies

2022

The reaction of PtCl2 with s-triazine-type ligand (HTriaz) (1:1) in acetone under heating afforded a new [Pt(Triaz)Cl] complex. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the ligand (HTriaz) is an NNO tridentate chelate via two N-atoms from the s-triazine and hydrazone moieties and one oxygen from the deprotonated phenolic OH. The coordination environment of the Pt(II) is completed by one Cl−1 ion trans to the Pt-N(hydrazone). Hirshfeld surface analysis showed that the most dominant interactions are the H···H, H···C and O···H intermolecular contacts. These interactions contributed by 60.9, 11.2 and 8.3% from the…

Algoritmo diagnóstico-terapéutico de las microangiopatías trombóticas. A propósito de 2 casos

2022

Thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA) are a group of clinical syndromes associated with haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and organ dysfunction, mainly renal or neurological. They are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, so early diagnosis and treatment are essential. In this article we report two cases of TMA; a patient with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and a patient with atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS).

Experimental Confirmation of C-Rate Dependent Minima Shifts in Arrhenius Plots of Li-Ion Battery Aging

2022

The part of the research performed at ZSW was carried out in the framework of the industrial collective research program (IGF no. 20884 N/2). It was supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) through the AiF (German Federation of Industrial Research Associations eV) based on a decision taken by the German Bundestag. G.K. acknowledges funding from the Latvian Council of Science (lzp-2020/1-0425) and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Program under grant agreement No. 739508, project CAMART2.

Cross-Sectional Associations between HDL Structure or Function, Cell Membrane Fatty Acid Composition, and Inflammation in Elderly Adults.

2022

Background Cell membrane fatty acid composition has been related to inflammation and cardiovascular risk. Dysregulation of HDL functionis also considered a cardiovascular risk factor. Objective We aimed to investigate whether the content of cell membrane fatty acids and HDL functionality are linked to each other as well as to inflammation. Methods This cross-sectional analysis involved 259 participants (67.9 y) with overweight/obesity (body mass index 29.5 kg/m2) from a coronary heart disease case-control study nested within the PREDIMED trial for which HDL functional parameters (Apolipoproteins (Apo) A-1, A-IV and C-III, cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC), HDL oxidative inflammatory index (…

Chronic spontaneous urticaria activity, impact and control as well as their changes are strongly linked, and these links are not affected by angioede…

2022

Background Monitoring the effects of treatment on disease activity, impact, and control in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is essential. We do not have enough information on how these features of CSU and its response to treatment are linked. Also, there is no information on how recurrent angioedema or coexisting chronic inducible urticaria (CIndU) affect their relation. The aim of this study was to analyse the link between disease activity, impact, and control in CSU patients and possible effects of recurrent angioedema and comorbid CIndU. Methods To perform these analyses, we validated the Polish version of the Urticaria Control Test (UCT) in 106 chronic urticaria patient…

Trends and cycles in CO2 emissions and incomes: Cross-country evidence on decoupling

2022

This paper provides cross-country evidence on the relationship between growth in CO2 emissions and real GDP growth from 1960 to 2018. The focus is on distinguishing longer-run trends in this relationship from short-run cyclical fluctuations, and on documenting changes in these relationships over time. Using two filtering techniques for separating trend and cycle, we find that long-run trends show evidence of decoupling in richer nations—particularly in European countries—but not yet in developing economies, and that there is stronger evidence of decoupling over the 1990 to 2018 sub-period than over the earlier 1960 to 1989 sub-period. There is also a strong cyclical relationship between emi…

Resonancia magnética cardiaca de estrés para predecir mortalidad y toma de decisiones: registro de 2.496 pacientes mayores con síndrome coronario cró…

2022

Resumen Introduccion y objetivos El tratamiento del paciente mayor con sindrome coronario cronico (SCC) es un reto. Se exploro el valor pronostico y la utilidad para la toma de decisiones de la carga isquemica determinada mediante resonancia magnetica cardiaca (RMC) de estres con vasodilatador en pacientes mayores con SCC. Metodos Se incluyo a 2.496 pacientes mayores de 70 anos estudiados con una RMC de estres con vasodilatador por SCC conocido o sospechado. La carga isquemica (numero de segmentos con deficit de perfusion inducido por el estres) se calculo siguiendo el modelo de 17 segmentos. Posteriormente se analizo de manera retrospectiva su asociacion con la mortalidad por cualquier cau…

Impact of chaotic dynamics on the performance of metaheuristic optimization algorithms : An experimental analysis

2022

Random mechanisms including mutations are an internal part of evolutionary algorithms, which are based on the fundamental ideas of Darwin's theory of evolution as well as Mendel's theory of genetic heritage. In this paper, we debate whether pseudo-random processes are needed for evolutionary algorithms or whether deterministic chaos, which is not a random process, can be suitably used instead. Specifically, we compare the performance of 10 evolutionary algorithms driven by chaotic dynamics and pseudo-random number generators using chaotic processes as a comparative study. In this study, the logistic equation is employed for generating periodical sequences of different lengths, which are use…

Vascular Malformation of the Central Nervous System

2022

Role of i-CT, i-US, and Neuromonitoring in Surgical Management of Brain Cavernous Malformations and Arteriovenous Malformations: A Case Series.

2022

OBJECTIVE: We retrospectively reviewed the institutional experience in patients who underwent microsurgical resection of cavernous malformations (CMs) or arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) using a multimodal intraoperative protocol including neuronavigation, intraoperative ultrasound (i-US), computed tomography (i-CT), and neuromonitoring.METHODS: Twenty-four patients (14 male), with a mean age of 47.5 years (range 27 - 73), have been included: 20 of them suffered from CMs and 4 suffered from AVMs.Neuromonitoring was used in 18 cases, when lesions were located in eloquent areas; 2 patients underwent awake craniotomy. First, an i-CT scan with and without contrast was acquired after patient p…

Stress cardiac magnetic resonance for mortality prediction and decision-making: registry of 2496 elderly patients with chronic coronary syndrome

2022

Abstract Introduction and objectives The management of elderly patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) is challenging. We explored the prognostic value and usefulness for decision-making of ischemic burden determined by vasodilator stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in elderly patients with known or suspected CCS. Methods The study group comprised 2496 patients older than 70 years who underwent vasodilator stress CMR for known or suspected CCS. The ischemic burden (number of segments with stress-induced perfusion deficit) was calculated following the 17-segment model. Subsequently, we retrospectively analyzed its association with all-cause mortality and the effect of CMR-…

Feedback Linearization Based Nonlinear Control of SynRM Drives Accounting for Self- and Cross-Saturation

2022

This article proposes a nonlinear controller based on feedback linearization (FL) for synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) drives which takes into consideration the magnetic saturation. The proposed nonlinear FL control based control technique has been developed starting from the theoretical definition of an original dynamic model of the SynRM taking into consideration both the self- and the cross-saturation effects. Such a control technique permits the dynamics of both the speed and axis flux loops to be maintained constant independently from the load and the saturation of the iron core in both constant flux and variable direct axis flux operating conditions. Finally, sensitivity of the pe…

The role of individual and parental expectations in student-athletes’ career adaptability profiles

2022

To support holistic development, adolescent student-athletes are encouraged to integrate sport with education/academics (i.e., dual careers). Career adaptability, as a psychological resource, may help youth athletes cope with transitions and successfully manage their careers. Individuals with a plan and higher expectations for the future demonstrate higher career adaptability and are better prepared for the future. In the present study, we examined what kinds of distinct career adaptability profiles could be identified among youth athletes in Finland at the transition stage to a sports high school (i.e., specialized school for athletes). Moreover, we investigated whether youth athletes’ suc…

Exploring the challenges of remote work on Twitter users’ sentiments: From digital technology development to a post-pandemic era

2022

The boost in the use and development of technology, spurred by COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, has sped up the adoption of new technologies and digital platforms in companies. Specifically, companies have been forced to change their organizational and work structures. In this context, the present study aims to identify the main opportunities and challenges for remote work through the use of digital technologies and platforms based on the analysis of user-generated content (UGC) in Twitter. Using computer-aided text analysis (CATA) and natural language processing (NLP), in this study, we conduct a sentiment analysis developed with Textblob, which works with machine learning. We then …

Carbon nanotube supported aluminum porphyrin-imidazolium bromide crosslinked copolymer

2022

The increased awareness of the catastrophic consequences caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere has generated a large mobilization aimed at CO2 mitigation. Herein, in the spirit of the transformation of a waste as CO2 into value added products, we propose an efficient preparation of two different hybrid systems based on aluminum chloride tetrastyrylporphyrin (TSP-Al-Cl) and 1,4-butanediyl-3,3′-bis-1-vinylimidazolium dibromide copolymerized in the presence (MWCNT-TSP-AlCl-imi) and in absence (TSP-AlCl-imi) of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for the CO2 utilization in the synthesis of cyclic carbonates. The so-prepared materials have been thoroughly characte…