A Preliminary LCA Analysis of Snowmaking in Fiemme Valley

Modern ski resorts have been using systems of technical snow for many years: initially they were used to compensate the limits of natural snow but today it is actually the natural snow that is used as an integration to artificial snow and not vice versa. This paper aims to identify and evaluate the environmental impacts associated to the production of artificial snow, comparing two very different winter seasons in terms of snowfalls. The results of LCA analysis shows that the production of artificial snow primarily implies impacts on natural land transformation and fossil depletion, and that more snowfalls cause more onerous skiing resorts management, due to high consumption of diesel fuel for piste machines used for snow grooming

Improvement of Cellulose Hydrolysis Process and Cost Savings

The hydrolysis process to obtain the so-called \u201creducing sugars\u201d represents the main step involved in the production of the second generation bioethanol. This product can be obtained directly from various types of green biomass, replacing the use of cereals cultivations, with obvious benefits to the environment and the economy of agricultural production. However, it is necessary to improve the hydrolysis process of the cellulose to achieve this goal. To this purpose, we applied a chemical process formerly used. The values of sugars yield were increased by about 40% with respect to the previous study. Further significant cost savings were accomplished, resulting from the recovery of the by-product, calcium sulfate, commercially known as gypsum

Dynamic versus thermodynamic approach to non-canonical equilibrium

We study the dynamic and thermodynamic origin of non-canonical equilibria, and we discuss their connection with the generalized central limit theorem and the micro-canonical Boltzmann principle. We reach the conclusion that the zeroth law of thermodynamics and the Boltzmann principle are fulfilled thanks to an apparent fault turned into a benefit: the dynamic approach can only produce a truncated form of inverse power law equilibrium.Comment: submit to Physica

Fostering Sustainability @UniTs

Promoting sustainability through innovative culture and models is nowadays a top task for universities. Their commitment oriented by the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) conveys the message that sustainability is not a "luxury" but an essential vehicle through which to pursue and guarantee everyone's rights, inclusion and future.Solving complex problems calls for collaboration among communities; aware of that, Italian universities set up the RUS - Italian University Network for Sustainable Development - which acts as a model to encourage collaboration between universities and cities, to spread social innovation at local level and to provide cultural awareness at national level. The University of Trieste (UniTs) joined the network in 2017. Consistent with its strategy for sustainability, UniTs has implemented measures on the macro-context (to raise public awareness and to support research) as well as on micro-context (to orientate behaviors and habits of its community). In particular, it focused on virtuous projects such as waste management, based both on the constant reduction of waste production and on the optimization of the use of materials and products (i.e. paper, glass, reagents), along with the setting of separate waste collection to reduce disposal and favor recycling. The paper will refer on the present framework and the implementation of new integrated projects, aimed at consolidating a community attentive and aware of sustainability

Tension pneumomediastinum in patients with COVID-19

open5nonot presentopenCampisi A.; Poletti V.; Ciarrocchi A.P.; Salvi M.; Stella F.Campisi A.; Poletti V.; Ciarrocchi A.P.; Salvi M.; Stella F

Applicazione della metodologia LCA all\u2019intervento di modifica degli impianti semaforici nel Comune di Udine

In recent years the Municipality of Udine changed the technology of traffic lights in the administered area, no longer equipped with traditional incandescent optics but with Light Emitting Diodes (LED), in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions during the operation phase. The paper aims at applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, to evaluate whether the transition to the new technology has actually allowed the reduction of environmental impacts, resulting from all life cycle stages for both devices, in different environmental categories. In most cases the obtained results show a better environmental compatibility of LED

Quality and Safety in Commercial Baby Foods

Nutrient-rich baby foods are required with particularly high standards of quality and safety expressed through product specifications or attributes. These foods are generally subjected to thermal processes that could involve a reduction of essential elements, as well as in the formation of potentially harmful molecules. This paper aimed at detecting the presence, in some baby foods, of compounds derived from Maillard reactions, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and total Maillard Reaction Products (MRPs), as well as at evaluating the hypothetical levels of HMF daily intake by infants and children fed with the tested products. Baby food samples included milk powders, lyophilized meat-based foods, powdered creams based on cereals, homogenized jarred foods based on processed cheese, fish, vegetables, and meat. As far as the healthiness of the tested foods is concerned, significant quantities of total MRPs were found. The lyophilized meat-based foods samples showed the highest levels of total MRPs. At 380 nm, all the samples exceeded the total MRPs concentration of 1000 mg/100g. The analysis revealed the presence of HMF in all the samples under study. However, none of the samples exceeded the threshold concentration of 20 mg/Kg. The highest values were recorded for the category of lyophilized meat-based foods and for a sample of homogenized veal-based food. The results for the hypothetical daily levels of HMF intake by babies showed that, for the age group over 12 months, a value of 3.6 mg was reached. The largest percentage contribution was imputable to the homogenized jarred foods based on proteins and vegetables

Tongue stretching: technique and clinical proposal.

Abstract Objectives The tongue is an organ with multiple functions, from sucking to phonation, from swallowing to postural control and equilibrium. An incorrect position or mechanics of the tongue can causes sucking problems in the newborn or atypical swallowing in the adult, with repercussions on the position of the head and neck, up to influencing upright posture and other problems. Tongue dysfunctions are quite frequent (10–15%) in the population. For the manual therapist, this frequency indicates one to two subjects every 30 patients. Exercises have been proposed to improve the tone and strength of the swallowing muscles but the results are not so clear in the literature. The aim of this study is to describe and provide a tongue muscle normalization technique that helps the manual therapist in the treatment of problems related to it. Methods The literature has been investigated through pubmed, Google scholar of the last 10 years, the keywords used and combined with the Boolean operators AND and OR, are: "tongue, tongue habits, tongue diseases, taste disorder, neck pain, posture, postural balance, atypical swallowing, muscle stretching exercise, tissue expansion, soft tissue therapy, osteopathic manipulative treatment". Results and Conclusions The technique is possible to be executed even in a sitting position, in the case the patient is unable to assume a supine position, the subject should provides immediate feedback that allows the therapist to understand if the technique has been correctly executed. The simplicity of execution and application of the technique makes it a possible and immediate therapeutic tool in the clinical setting

Severe Primary Hyperparathyroidism Caused by Parathyroid Carcinoma in a 13‐Year‐Old Child; Novel Findings From HRpQCT

Primary hyperparathyroidism is a condition that occurs infrequently in children. Parathyroid carcinoma, as the underlying cause of hyperparathyroidism in this age group, is extraordinarily rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. We present a 13-year-old boy with musculoskeletal pain who was found to have brown tumors from primary hyperparathyroidism caused by parafibromin-immunodeficient parathyroid carcinoma. Our patient had no clinical, biochemical, or radiographic evidence of pituitary adenomas, pancreatic tumors, thyroid tumors, pheochromocytoma, jaw tumors, renal abnormalities, or testicular lesions. Germline testing for AP2S1, CASR, CDC73/HRPT2, CDKN1B, GNA11, MEN1, PTH1R, RET, and the GCM2 gene showed no pathological variants, and a microarray of CDC73/HRPT2 did not reveal deletion or duplication. He was managed with i.v. fluids, calcitonin, pamidronate, and denosumab prior to surgery to stabilize hypercalcemia. After removal of a single parathyroid tumor, he developed severe hungry bone syndrome and required 3 weeks of continuous i.v. calcium infusion, in addition to oral calcium and activated vitamin D. Histopathological examination identified an angioinvasive parathyroid carcinoma with global loss of parafibromin (protein encoded by CDC73/HRPT2).HRpQCT and DXA studies were obtained prior to surgery and 18-months postsurgery. HRpQCT showed a resolution of osteolytic lesions combined with structural improvement of cortical porosity and an increase in both cortical thickness and density compared with levels prior to treatment. These findings highlight the added value of HRpQCT in primary hyperparathyroidism. In addition to our case, we have provided a review of the published cases of parathyroid cancer in children

TRATTAMENTO DELLA OSTEONECROSI DELLE OSSA MASCELLARI FARMACO-RELATA (ONJ)

Il trattamento di ONJ \ue8, dalla sua comparsa in letteratura, argomen- to molto dibattuto, prima, come osteonecrosi delle ossa mascellari (BRONJ) associata a bisfosfonati (BP), recentemente un\u2019ulteriore complessit\ue0 si \ue8 aggiunta con l\u2019identificazione di numerose molecole di nuova generazione, diverse dai BP, in grado di favorire lo sviluppo di ONJ (definite nel presente testo \u201cnon-BRONJ\u201d); queste molecole, nei pazienti oncologici per lesioni scheletriche, sono prescritte pi\uf9 o meno in associazione o in sequenza con i BP stessi (e.g. denosu- mab, inibitori delle tirosin-kinasi, anticorpi monoclonali anti-VEGF, inibitori di mTOR)1\u20133