Search results for "behaviour"
showing 10 items of 1406 documents
Electric mobility in the Sicilian short food supply chain
2019
This paper is the first study to explore the intention of entrepreneurs operating in the Short Food Supply Chain to adopt electric mobility inside their business. For this purpose, a case study approach was chosen, employing a questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the New Ecological Paradigm to investigate the determinants affecting this intentional behaviour. The empirical analysis has been carried out in the city of Palermo (Italy), involving 42 entrepreneurs who participate in farmer's markets. Results show that entrepreneurs with higher levels of intention to introduce sustainable means of transport, such as electric vehicles, are the most concerned about the enviro…
Ocean acidification affects fish spawning but not paternity at CO2 seeps
2016
Fish exhibit impaired sensory function and altered behaviour at levels of ocean acidification expected to occur owing to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions during this century. We provide the first evidence of the effects of ocean acidification on reproductive behaviour of fish in the wild. Satellite and sneaker male ocellated wrasse (Symphodus ocellatus) compete to fertilize eggs guarded by dominant nesting males. Key mating behaviours such as dominant male courtship and nest defence did not differ between sites with ambient versus elevated CO2 concentrations. Dominant males did, however, experience significantly lower rates of pair spawning at elevated CO2 levels. Despite the higher r…
MULTICRITERIA OPTIMAL DESIGN OF CONTINUOUS CIRCULAR PLATES
2010
The paper is devoted to a quite general version of the multicriteria optimal (minimum volume) design of axisymmetric circular plates. The constitutive material is considered as elastic perfectly plastic without any ductility limit and the actions are assumed as quasi-statically variable within a given load domain. In the design problem formulation different resistance criteria are considered, in order to investigate all the possible structural limit responses, and for each one a suitably chosen safety factor is chosen. The optimal design problem is formulated as the search for the minimum structure volume according with a statical approach. The features of the optimal structures will be stu…
Influence of protecting devices on the optimal design of elastic plastic structures
2008
The paper concerns the minimum volume design of structures constituted by elastic perfectly plastic material. The relevant optimal design problem is formulated on the grounds of a statical approach and two different resistance limits are considered: in particular, it is required that the optimal structure satisfies the elastic shakedown limit and the instantaneous collapse limit, imposing for each different condition a suitably chosen safety factor. For sake of generality, the structure is thought as discretized into compatible finite elements and subjected to loads quasi-statically acting as well as to dynamic (seismic) loads. The effects of the dynamic actions are studied on the grounds o…
THE ENTREPRENEURS’ PROPENSITY TO ADOPT ELECTRIC MOBILITY IN THE SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
2019
In the last years, Short Food Supply Chain (SFSC) has gained relevant attention among the consumers, for its characteristics of environmental, economic and social sustainability. At the same time, recently some doubts has been raised about the environmental negative impacts that also SFSC is causing, despite the intrinsic “local” label. In particular, the reference is on the transport system and related CO2 emissions of SFSC that undermines the full achievement of environmental concerns. To deal with this challenge, electric vehicles (EVs) are seen as a viable and very promising alternative. Starting from these considerations, this study investigates the propensity of entrepreneurs operatin…
The Impact of Using Measurements of Electrodermal Activity in the Assessment of Problematic Behaviour in Dementia
2018
Background: A major and complex challenge when trying to support individuals with dementia is meeting the needs of those who experience changes in behaviour and mood. Aim: To explore how a sensor measuring electrodermal activity (EDA) impacts assistant nurses’ structured assessments of problematic behaviours amongst people with dementia and their choices of care interventions. Methods: Fourteen individuals with dementia wore a sensor that measured EDA. The information from the sensor was presented to assistant nurses during structured assessments of problematic behaviours. The evaluation process included scorings with the instrument NPI-NH (Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home version), …
Behavioural Consequences of P-Glycoprotein Deficiency in Mice, with Special Focus on Stress-Related Mechanisms
2012
P-glycoprotein (P-gp), an efflux transporter localised in the blood-brain barrier, limits the access of multiple xenobiotics to the central nervous system. Whether it is also implemented in the transport of the endogenous glucocorticoid corticosterone is a matter of debate. The P-gp knockout mouse model [abcb1a/b (-/-)] has been shown to differ in the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. In the present study, we investigated the behaviour of abcb1a/b (-/-) and wild-type mice with respect to stress-related tests and the effects of corticosterone. Behavioural activities were assessed in the open field (OF) test for 4 days, and in the forced swimming test (FST) and tai…
Intérêt en EHPAD du robot émotionnel Pepper dans les troubles neurocomportementaux de la maladie d’Alzheimer
2021
International audience; Can geriatric technologies really be effective among elderly people with Alzheimer's dementia and living in institutions? Our controlled, randomized, single-blind, comparative study attempted to answer this question. The study was conducted in two nursing homes among 31 subjects with an average age of 79.4 ± 6.9, and an average MMSE score of 12.2 ± 3.6. The results show that the Pepper robot, compared to a soft toy, is capable not only of entertaining, but above all of inducing qualitative and quantitative clinical effects. During the 20-minute sessions, a decrease in apathy was observed with Pepper (6.7 ± 6.5 min vs. 18.4 ± 3.8 min, P < 0.001), a decrease in ambulat…
Attentional biases towards emotional scenes in autism spectrum condition: An eye-tracking study.
2021
Abstract Background Different attentional processing of emotional information may underlie social impairments in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). It has been hypothesized that individuals with ASC show hypersensitivity to threat, which may be related to an avoidance behaviour. However, research on the attentional processing of emotional information in autism is inconclusive. Aim To examine the attentional processing biases of 27 children with ASC and 25 typically developed (TD) participants. Methods and procedures The initial orienting of attention, the attentional engagement, and the attentional maintenance to complex emotional scenes in competition (happy, neutral, threatening, sad) were …
Graphical models for estimating network determinants of multi-destination trips in Sicily
2017
Abstract This paper proposes a two-step approach for analysing the main determinants of multi-destination trip behaviour. It is based on a combination of graphical models and of a multinomial logistic regression model; the aim is to analyse direct and indirect effects of a wide set of tourist- and trip-related characteristics on multi-destination trip behaviour. Empirical data have been derived from a frontier survey of approximately 4000 incoming tourists in Sicily (Italy) at the end of their trip. Results suggest that multi-destination trips depend directly on the length of stay, the number of previous visits and motivation for the trip, and only indirectly on the interview month, travel …