Enhancing intangible cultural heritage for sustainable tourism development in rural areas: the case of the “Marche food and wine memories” project (Italy)

In the context of increasing interest in the contribution made by culture to the implementation of the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the present research investigates how intangible cultural heritage (ICH) can help sustainable tourism in rural areas. Adopting a case study methodology, we analyzed the “Marche Food and Wine Memories” project, an initiative promoted by CiùCiù, a winery based in Offida, a small village in the Marche region (Italy). After discussing the strategies and tools adopted to enhance rural heritage, the analysis focuses on the involvement of local communities and businesses in the different phases of the process. The research aimed to understand: (1) the project’s current contribution to the economic, social, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainability; and (2) its strengths and weaknesses and possible future improvements. The research findings confirm the high potentialities of ICH-based initiatives for sustainable tourism development in rural areas, but also reveal the need to improve the level of networking with local businesses and highlight gaps in marketing and management skills. Finally, the results provide policy and managerial implications for similar ICH-based initiatives

A pilot study on the e-kayak system: A wireless DAQ suited for performance analysis in flatwater sprint kayaks

Nowadays, in modern elite sport, the identification of the best training strategies which are useful in obtaining improvements during competitions requires an accurate measure of the physiologic and biomechanical parameters that affect performance. The goal of this pilot study was to investigate the capabilities of the e-Kayak system, a multichannel digital acquisition system specifically tailored for flatwater sprint kayaking application. e-Kayak allows the synchronous measure of all the parameters involved in kayak propulsion, both dynamic (including forces acting on the paddle and footrest) and kinematic (including stroke frequency, displacement, velocity, acceleration, roll, yaw, and pitch of the boat). After a detailed description of the system, we investigate its capability in supporting coaches to evaluate the performance of elite athletes\u2019 trough-specific measurements. This approach allows for a better understanding of the paddler\u2019s motion and the relevant effects on kayak behavior. The system allows the coach to carry out a wide study of kayak propulsion highlighting, and, at the same time, the occurrences of specific technical flaws in the paddling technique. In order to evaluate the correctness of the measurement results acquired in this pilot study, these results were compared with others which are available in the literature and which were obtained from subjects with similar characteristics

Development of interconnected silicon micro-evaporators for the on-detector electronics cooling of the future ITS detector in the ALICE experiment at LHC

This paper was presented at the 4th Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2014), which was held at University College, London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute, ASME Press, LCN London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL University College London, UCL Engineering, the International NanoScience Community, www.nanopaprika.eu.The design of the future High Energy Physics (HEP) particle detectors for the upgrade of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiments at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) is pushing technological frontiers to the limit trying to reach unprecedented accuracy in particles identification and particle production dynamics in ultra-relativistic hadron collisions. The thermal management of the on-detector electronics and the development of low mass integrated cooling systems have become a crucial task in the design of silicon tracking detectors for HEP applications. In this paper, we present a novel concept of low mass interconnected silicon microchannel devices for the future Inner Tracking System of the ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) detector at LHC. This innovative design achieves the requirements of the detector while minimizing the total material budget

Therapeutic Options in Hereditary Optic Neuropathies

Options for the effective treatment of hereditary optic neuropathies have been a long time coming. The successful launch of the antioxidant idebenone for Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), followed by its introduction into clinical practice across Europe, was an important step forward. Nevertheless, other options, especially for a variety of mitochondrial optic neuropathies such as dominant optic atrophy (DOA), are needed, and a number of pharmaceutical agents, acting on different molecular pathways, are currently under development. These include gene therapy, which has reached Phase III development for LHON, but is expected to be developed also for DOA, whilst most of the other agents (other antioxidants, anti-apoptotic drugs, activators of mitobiogenesis, etc.) are almost all at Phase II or at preclinical stage of research. Here, we review proposed target mechanisms, preclinical evidence, available clinical trials with primary endpoints and results, of a wide range of tested molecules, to give an overview of the field, also providing the landscape of future scenarios, including gene therapy, gene editing, and reproductive options to prevent transmission of mitochondrial DNA mutations

Post-Quake Small Italian Historical Centres: Urban Resilience between Rhetorics and Reality. The Case Study of Nocera Umbra after the 1997 Umbria-Marche Earthquakes

The small and medium Italian historical centres are characterized, among other things, by reconstruction that have occurred over the centuries after earthquakes. While earthquakes determine structural damages, human losses and loss of the functionality of an urban system above all, they may create, at the same time, new opportunities if the urban and socio-economical structures are improved during the reconstruction processes as a whole. These processes and the optimal implementation of planning models within them is not straightforward [1], due to that several issues emerge as a challenge of the reconstruction programmes (decision-making processes, general vision for the entire urban system for instance). According to the literature, although a unique definition has not still been coined, resilience can be defined as the capacity of a system (a city) to withstand and restore after a shocking episode (an earthquake). Mainly in the context of cities [2], some approaches have been framed and experimented by other authors [3, 4, 5]. Starting from a short literature review, focuses on theories and methodological approaches to evaluate urban resilience, this work analyses – through an interdisciplinary approach – the case study of Nocera Umbra twenty years after two devastating earthquakes occurred in 1997. The research represents a first attempt that aims at analysing if the implemented reconstruction strategies have made the urban system more resilient with respect to both the built and the socio-economic environment

Water immersion vs. air insufflation in canine duodenal endoscopy: is the future underwater?

Endoscopy represents a commonly employed technique for canine enteropathies. Different trials in human intestinal endoscopy have suggested that the introduction of water for luminal distension, in place of air, improves the visualization of the mucosal texture and decreases pain. The aim of the study was to compare water immersion (WI) vs. air insufflation (AI) during duodenoscopy in anesthetized dogs in terms of mucosal visualization and nociception. Twenty-five dogs undergoing duodenoscopy were included. The same image of the descending duodenum was recorded applying WI and AI. Each pair of images was analyzed using morphological skeletonization, an image entropy evaluation, and a subjective blind evaluation by three experienced endoscopists. To evaluate differences in nociception related to the procedure applied, heart rate and arterial blood pressure were measured before, during and after WI/AI. To compare the two methods, a t-test for paired data was applied for the image analysis, Fleiss\u2019 Kappa evaluation for the subjective evaluation and a Friedman test for anesthetic parameters. No differences were found between WI and AI using morphological skeletonization and entropy. The subjective evaluation identified the WI images as qualitatively better than the AI images, indicating substantial agreement between the operators. No differences in nociception were found. The results of the study pointed out the absence of changes in pain response between WI and AI, likely due to the sufficient control of nociception by the anesthesia. Based on subjective evaluation, but not confirmed by the image analysis, WI provided better image quality than AI

Prevention of Secondary Injury after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Relationship between Pelvic-Drop and Dynamic Knee Valgus.

Background: Optimal neuromuscular, Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Complex, and lower extremity control are associated with decreased risk factors for secondary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. This study aimed to analyze any asymmetries and malalignments in the Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Complex and the lower limbs at 6 months after ACL reconstruction (ACLR). (2) Methods: We conducted an exploratory retrospective observational single-center study in patients during the outpatient postoperative rehabilitation program at ICOT (Latina, Italy). From January 2014 to June 2020, 181 patients were recruited, but only 100 patients (86 male 28 ± 0.6 years, 178 ± 0.5 height; 14 female 24 ± 2.0 years, 178 ± 3.0 height) were eligible for the inclusion criteria and studied 6 months after ACL reconstruction surgery. (3) Statistical analysis: Student's t-tests and Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient were used to determine significant differences between affected and non-affected limbs and variables' association. (4) Results: The study shows a decrease in neuromuscular control of the Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Complex and dynamic adaptive valgus of the knee at 6 months after ACLR (mean difference between pathological and healthy limb of dynamic adaptive valgus was -10.11 ± 8.19° 95% CI -14.84 to -9.34; mean value was 16.3 ± 6.8° 95% CI 14.04 to 18.55 for healthy limb and 4.2 ± 3.1° 95% CI 3.15 to 5.21 for pathological limb, p < 0.0001). The results also showed a relationship between dynamic adaptive valgus and contralateral pelvic drop (r = 0.78, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.88, magnitude of correlation very large). (5) Conclusions: The analysis showed an associative correlation between decreased postural control of the pelvic girdle and dynamic adaptive valgus of the knee in 38% of patients; this study highlights the usefulness of the Single-Leg Squat Test (SLST) as a clinical/functional assessment to evaluate the rehabilitation process and as a preventive tool to reduce the risk of second ACL injuries during the return to sport

Pinch Grip per SE Is Not an Occupational Risk Factor for the Musculoskeletal System: An Experimental Study on Field

Introduction: Some ergonomic evaluation methods define pinch grip as a risk factor independent of the exerted force. The present experimental study was performed with the main aim of objectively measuring the muscle engagement during the execution of pinch grip. Methods: the participants of the study were healthy workers occupationally involved in a high-intensity repetitive job related to the sorting of letters and small packages. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to study the activity of the abductor pollicis brevis and first dorsal interosseous fibers related to the execution of the required working tasks, while the force exerted during voluntary muscle contraction for pinch grip was measured by a portable acquisition system. The subjects were specifically asked to exert the maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) and further voluntary isometric contractions with a spontaneous force (SF) equal to 10%,20% and 50% of the MVIC; finally, the workers were asked to hold in pinch grip two types of envelopes, weighing 100 g and 500 g, respectively. Results: The force required to pinch 100 and 500 g envelopes by the fifteen subjects of the study corresponded to 4 and 5% MVIC, respectively. The corresponding sEMG average rectified values (ARV) were approximately 6% of that at MVIC for first dorsal interosseus (FDI) fibers and approximately 20-25% of MVIC for abductor pollicis brevis (ABP) fibers. Bivariate correlation analysis showed significant relationships between force at MVIC and FDI ARV at MCV. Conclusions: The obtained results demonstrate that muscle recruitment during pinch grip varies as a function of the SF: not only the position but also the exerted force should be considered when assessing the pinch grip as risk factor for biomechanical overload of the upper limb

Cardiac output: A central issue in patients with respiratory extracorporeal support

The iLA-activve® Novalung is a new extracorporeal device specifically designed for lung support in patients with hypercapnic and/or hypoxemic respiratory failure. To date, only low-flow applications for decompensated hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have been reported in the literature. Here, we briefly report three cases of iLA-activve use in patients with hypercapnic-hypoxemic acute lung failure assisted with mid-flow (up to 2.4 L/min) and different single/double venous cannulation. The main findings of our small case series were: firstly, extracorporeal blood flows over 2.0 L/min across the membrane provided clinically satisfying decarboxylation and improved oxygenation; secondly, the ratio between blood flow through the membrane and the patient's cardiac output (CO) was a major determinant for the oxygen increase. The latter could, therefore, be a useful indicator for understanding performance in the complex and multifactorial evaluation of patients with extracorporeal veno-venous lung support