Geometrical and functional criteria as a methodological approach to implement a new cycle path in an existing Urban Road Network: A Case study in Rome

Most road accidents occur in urban areas and notably at urban intersections, where cyclists and motorcyclists are the most vulnerable. In the last few years, cycling mobility has been growing; therefore, bike infrastructures should be designed to encourage this type of mobility and reduce motorized and/or private transport. The paper presents a study to implement a new cycle path in the existing cycle and road network in Rome, Italy. The geometric design of the new path complies with Italian standards regarding the technical characteristics of bicycle paths, while the Highway Capacity Manual has been considered for the traffic analysis. In particular, a before-after approach has been adopted to examine and compare the traffic flow at more complex and congested intersections where the cycle path will pass. Trams, buses, cars, bikes and pedestrians were the traffic components considered in each analysis. The software package PTV VISSIM 8 allowed the simulations of traffic flows at traffic-light intersections; an original linear process has been proposed to model dynamic intelligent traffic controls, which are not admitted by the software used. The traffic analysis allowed the identification of the best option for each of the five examined intersections. Particularly, the maximum queue length value and the total number of passed vehicles have been considered in order to optimize the transport planning process. The results of this study highlight the importance of providing engineered solutions when a cycle path is implemented in a complex road network, in order to avoid negative impacts on the citizens and maximize the expected advantages

Photobiomodulation therapy on orthodontic movement: analysis of preliminary studies with a new protocol

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) on the acceleration of orthodontic movements, deriving from its biostimulating and regenerative capacity on soft tissues, consequent to the increase in differentiation, proliferation, and activity of cells that are involved with alveolar bone remodeling. The present randomized controlled trial was conducted on six patients who required extractive orthodontic therapy because their ectopic canines had erupted. A total of eight canines were analyzed, four of which received laser irradiation (i.e., experimental group). Two weeks after the extractions, all canines of the experimental and placebo groups were distalized simultaneously and symmetrically with the laceback retraction technique. The PBMT protocol consisted of four cycles of laser applications, one each on days 0, 3, 7, and 14 of the study, with session treatment durations of 2-4 min. The results of the descriptive analysis on the distal displacement speed of the canines after 1 month of follow-up indicate an average displacement of 1.35 mm for the non-irradiated group and 1.98 mm for the irradiated group. Through inferential analysis, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was found between the average speed of the irradiated canines and the control canines. The low energy density laser used in this study, with the parameters set, was found to be a tool capable of statistically significantly accelerating the distal displacement of canines

Nanoparticles modified screen printed electrode for electrochemical determination of COD

The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) is a parameter widely used to determine organic pollutants in water and is defined as the number of oxygen equivalents necessary to oxidize the organic compounds. The standard method for COD measurement (the dichromate titration) suffers from several inherent drawbacks such as the long time of the process and the consumption of toxic chemicals. Hence, interest is growing towards those methods employing electrochemical oxidation of organic compounds, as they allow to dispense with toxic reagents and above all to perform a continuous determination. In this work a new electrochemical method for COD measurement has been developed based on direct oxidation of organic molecules on suitably modified electrodic surfaces. In particular, we have developed various sensors based on modified working electrode surfaces obtained by electrodepositing copper and/or nickel oxide nanoparticles onto several commercial screen printed electrodes. Glucose was used as the standard compound for COD measurements: C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O The metallic nanoparticles catalyze the oxidation of the glucose, as well as of different organic pollutants, and make the detection possible at relatively low potential, also in presence of chloride as interferent. The analytical parameters were optimized and the results obtained highlight how the electrodeposition of different metallic nanoparticles onto several screen printed electrode surfaces can influence the selectivity and sensitivity towards the COD detection in real matrices, via electrochemical method. The results were compared with those obtained by the standard method and showed a good agreement. These findings provide an interesting strategy to obtain a simple, cheap, portable and eventually continuous sensor for COD measurement

Potential use of modulators of oxidative stress as add-on therapy in patients with anxiety disorders

It is known that an increased oxidative stress is present in a wide range of diseases and, given the vulnerability of the central nervous system, its involvement has been in particular investigated in neurological and psychiatric diseases, including anxiety disorders. In this review we analyse the studies that have been conducted on the effects of oxidative stress modulators in anxiety, focusing on their possible clinical use. While preclinical studies have shown a clear anxiolytic-like effect of different oxidative stress modulators, less significant results have been obtained from clinical studies. After having reviewed the possible reasons for the discrepancy between preclinical and clinical data, we encourage further studies aimed at better investigating the utility of the modulation of oxidative stress in humans, as adjunctive therapy of the traditional integrated psychotherapeutic and pharmacological approach

Deep Control of Linear Oligomerization of Glycerol Using Lanthanum Catalyst on Mesoporous Silica Gel

The valorization of glycerol (1), a waste of biodiesel production of Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMEs), adopting a “green” approach, represents an important goal of sustainable chemistry. While the polymerization of 1 to hyperbranched oligomers is a well-established process, the linear analogues are difficult to obtain. In this context, we explore the reaction without the solvent of heterogeneous hybrid La(III)O-KIT-6 catalyst (2), which is based on lanthanum oxide on mesoporous silica gel, showing a superior linear selectivity compared to most of the analogous catalysts recently reported