Tourism supply chain & strategic partnerships for managing the complexity in tourism industry

The paper aims to investigate the possible relationship between Tourism Supply Chain and Strategic Partnership, read as a way to reduce and better manage the complexity in Tourism Industry. This last has been analysed under multi-disciplinary approaches (economic, sociological, psychological, anthropological and geographic) to better understand its main components. A synthesis of origin of Tourism Supply Chain term was provided. VRIO framework and PEST analysis was used with the aim to better understand the strategic decision of integration the chain with a single or multiple rings. Starting from this, a theoretical framework from a holistic analysis is provided

3-S BOM. Pioneering sustainability-scoring-system for multi-functional product configurations based on ESG and circularity

The Bill of Materials (BOM) is the primary place where product configurations are formulated and designed. Despite its critical role, the BOM falls short in addressing sustainability concerns. The current state of the art does not capture data on the sustainability performance of suppliers of listed components. Furthermore, the BOM neglects synthetic information on reusability and circularity of components. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes the introduction of a Sustainability-Scoring-System (3-S BOM). The aim is to upscale the traditional BOM to the new sustainability market demand. The 3-S BOM has two purposes: to integrate synthetic data on sustainability and to allow further configurations of products based on diversified sustainability profiles. Specifically, each component, sub-assembly and assembly within the BOM is assigned an Overall Sustainability Score (OSS), which covers three key sustainability areas On the supplier side, an ESG score will be representative of the supplier’s level of sustainability, while on the component side, a Hazardous Substances and Virgin Materials (HV) indicator and a Hazardous Substances and Virgin Materials Circularity (HVci) indicator will assess the sustainability of the components, taking into account their composition and circularity. The customer is actively involved in defining the sustainability profile of the purchased product by defining how the ESG, HV and HVci must influence the final assembly of the purchased product, choosing between different levels of specificity

AI and data-driven infrastructures for workflow automation and integration in advanced research and industrial applications

The use of AI and data-driven technologies and infrastructures for innovation and development of advanced research and industrial applications requires a strong degree of integration across a broad range of tools, disciplines and competences. In spite of a huge disruptive potential, the role of AI for research and development in the context of industrial applications is often hampered by the lack of consolidated and shared practices for transforming domain-specific processes for generating knowledge into added value. These issues are particularly striking for small-medium enterprises (SMEs), which must adopt clear and effective policies for implementing successful technology transfer paths for innovation. The activities of the DAIMON Lab of the CNR-ISMN focus on the design, development, implementation and application of integrated modelling, data-driven and AI methods and infrastructures for innovation in hi-tech applications. Our approach is based on the development of horizontal platforms, which can be applied to a broad range of vertical use-cases. Namely, we target the realisation of high-throughput workflows, related to specific domains and use cases, which are able to collect and process simulations and/or physical data and information. The implementation of an interoperable integration framework is a prerequisite for further application of AI tools for predictivity and automation. With a strong focus on the development of key enabling technologies (KETs), such as advanced materials, the approach pursued is extended to a broad range of application fields and scenarios of interest in industry, including electronic and ICT, advanced and sustainable manufacturing, energy, mobilit

Diagnosing silent cardiac dysautonomia via ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: early diagnosis shown by the lack of heart rate circadian rhythm in type 1 diabetes mellitus

Introduction. Diabetes mellitus (DM) can be complicated by an involvement of Neurovegetative System (NVS), conventionally and non-invasively diagnosed by the means of Ewing's test and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis. It is well known that the NVS is physiologically responsible, via biological clocks, for the regulation of Circadian Rhythms (CR) characterizing the majority of biological functions. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the CR of Heart Rate (HR) and Blood Pressure (BP) in DM, postulating that the diagnosis of Silent Cardiac Dysautonomia (SCD) could be facilitated by detecting anomalous rhythmometric changes, including the worse one, i.e., the lose of a CR. Materials and Methods. The study has been performed on 30 clinically healthy subjects (CHS), 10 patients with DM1 and 30 patients with DM2, who underwent an ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) collecting data equidistantly every 30 minutes, under standardized conditions of lifestyle. The group specific monitored values of systolic (S), diastolic (D) BP, as well as HR have been analyzed via: 1. a conventional analysis of their intradiem variability; 2. a chronobiometric analysis (Cosinor method) of their CR. Results. The conventional analysis disclosed that in CHS, DM1 and DM2, both the HR and BP show an intradiem variability that is significant (p<0.001). The chronobiological analysis showed that in CHS and DM2, both the HR and BP show a significant CR (p<0.001), viceversa in DM1 HR is characterized by a non significant CR (p=0.124), notwithstanding that the SBP and DBP maintain a significant CR (p<0.001). Conclusions. The disappearance of HR CR in DM1 reveals the involvement of neurovegetative biological clock that selectively controls the HR CR, as it is demonstrated by the pathophysiological finding of an internal desynchronization between the HR and BP CR. The selective lose of HR CR in DM1 leads to conclude that the ABPM, along with its Cosinor analysis, might be a practical, repeatable, low cost, low risk technique for diagnosing the SCD, at least in DM1. Clin Ter 2010; 161(1):e1-e1

Remote and contactless infrared imaging techniques for stratigraphical investigations in paintings on canvas

AbstractIn the analysis of complex stratigraphical structures like painted artefact, infrared (IR) techniques can provide precious information about elements hidden under superficial layers of the artwork, such as pictorial features and structural defects. This paper presents a novel complementary use of reflectographic and thermographic techniques for the survey of three baroque paintings, preserved at the Chigi Palace in Ariccia (Italy). First, the IR-ITR laser scanner prototype has been used for the preliminary and remote near-IR reflectographic survey of the areas where the canvas was located. The resulting map was then used for planning the thermographic and mid-IR reflectographic studies, focusing the analyses on the most interesting areas of one of the paintings, called "La Primavera". The combination of the three imaging techniques revealed several details not visible by the naked eye, such as restored lacunas and pentimenti, demonstrating the validity and complementarity of the proposed combined methodologies

Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination in infants born at term : Predicting outcomes other than cerebral palsy

Aim We explored the ability of the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE) to identify cognitive performance delay at 2 years in a large cohort of infants born at term. Method We conducted a retrospective study of infants born at term at risk of neurodevelopmental impairments assessed using the HINE between 3 and 12 months post-term age and compared them with a cohort of typically developing infants born at term. All infants performed a neurodevelopmental assessment at 2 years of age using the Mental Development Index (MDI) of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition; the presence of cerebral palsy (CP) was also reported. The infants were classified as being cognitively normal/mildly delayed or significantly delayed (MDI < 70). The predictive validity of HINE scores for significantly delayed cognitive performance, in infants with and without CP, was calculated using specific cut-off scores according to age at assessment. Results A total of 446 at-risk and 235 typically developing infants (345 males, 336 females; mean [SD] gestational age 38.7 weeks [1.4], range 25-36 weeks) were included. Of the at-risk infants, 408 did not have CP at 2 years; 243 had a normal/mild delayed MDI and 165 had an MDI less than 70. Of the at-risk infants, 38 developed CP. HINE scores showed a good sensitivity and specificity, mainly after 3 months, for identifying significantly delayed cognitive performance in infants without CP. In those with CP, the score was associated with their cognitive performance. The comparison group had the highest HINE scores. Interpretation The HINE provides evidence about the risk of delayed cognitive performance at age 2 years in infants born at term with and without CP.Peer reviewe

Presynaptic c-Jun N-terminal Kinase 2 regulates NMDA receptor-dependent glutamate release

Activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway is a critical step for neuronal death occurring in several neurological conditions. JNKs can be activated via receptor tyrosine kinases, cytokine receptors, G-protein coupled receptors and ligand-gated ion channels, including the NMDA glutamate receptors. While JNK has been generally associated with postsynaptic NMDA receptors, its presynaptic role remains largely unexplored. Here, by means of biochemical, morphological and functional approaches, we demonstrate that JNK and its scaffold protein JIP1 are also expressed at the presynaptic level and that the NMDA-evoked glutamate release is controlled by presynaptic JNK-JIP1 interaction. Moreover, using knockout mice for single JNK isoforms, we proved that JNK2 is the essential isoform in mediating this presynaptic event. Overall the present findings unveil a novel JNK2 localization and function, which is likely to play a role in different physiological and pathological conditions

Effectiveness of a New Active Tear Substitute Containing 0.2% Hyaluronic Acid and 0.001% Hydrocortisone on Signs and Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease by Means of Low- and High-Tech Assessments

Introduction: An innovative eye drops formulation containing 0.2% hyaluronic acid and a low concentration of hydrocortisone (0.001%; hereafter HALH) has been recently placed on the market (Idroflog®, Alfa Intes, Italy) to manage the dysregulated parainflammation in patients with dry eye disease (DED). In the present paper, the effectiveness of HALH on the signs and symptoms of DED was retrospectively evaluated and compared with that one obtained using standard tear substitutes (STS) by means of low- and high-tech (Keratograph®) assessments. Methods: This was a multicenter retrospective study carried out between February and April 2023, involving adult patients with DED diagnosis owing to post-cataract surgery, meibomian gland dysfunction, allergy, or glaucoma medications. The primary aim was to compare the changes induced by different therapies on Keratograph® parameters (noninvasive Keratograph tear breakup time [NIKBUT], tear meniscus height [TMH], eyelid meibography, conjunctival hyperemia, and conjunctivochalasis) or collected by traditional low-tech measures (tear breakup time [TBUT], Schirmer test, Efron score, and epithelial alterations) and the Ocular Surface Disease Index score. Results: Data from 155 patients were analyzed. The effectiveness of HALH and STS was reported by both high- and low-tech measures. NIKBUT-first showed a significant improvement in the HALH group versus the STS one at 15 days (6.4 ± 3.6 vs 5.4 ± 3.7 s, p = 0.02), whereas this difference was latent with low-tech TBUT until 45 days (6.8 ± 2.6 vs 5.6 ± 2.3 s, p = 0.03). Patients with DED occurring after cataract surgery reported an enhanced activity of HALH versus STS, particularly for NIKBUT-first, TMH, Schirmer test, and hyperemia stage. Conclusion: These findings highlighted the effectiveness of HALH in all DED subtypes, especially in patients with post-cataract surgery, as well as its superiority versus STS in terms of tear film stability improvement. We recommend longer observation (i.e., 3-6 months) to fully ascertain whether the early improvement detected by high-tech measures will be confirmed in subsequent time points even using low-tech tests