Authentication and traceability study on barbera d\u2019asti and nizza docg wines: The role of trace-and ultra-trace elements

Barbera d\u2019Asti\u2014including Barbera d\u2019Asti superiore\u2014and Nizza are two DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) wines produced in Piemonte (Italy) from the Barbera grape variety. Differences among them arise in the production specifications in terms of purity, ageing, and zone of production, in particular with concern to Nizza, which follows the most stringent rules, sells at three times the average price, and is considered to have the highest market value. To guarantee producers and consumers, authentication methods must be developed in order to distinguish among the different wines. As the production zones totally overlap, it is important to verify whether the distinction is possible or not according to metals content, or whether chemical markers more linked to winemaking are needed. In this work, Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) elemental analysis and multivariate data analysis are used to study the authentication and traceability of samples from the three designations of 2015 vintage. The results show that, as far as elemental distribution in wine is concerned, work in the cellar, rather than geographic provenance, is crucial for the possibility of distinction

A new approach for evaluating experienced assembly complexity based on Multi Expert-Multi Criteria Decision Making method

In manufacturing, complexity is considered a key aspect that should be managed from the early phases of product and system design to improve performance, including productivity, efficiency, quality, and costs. The identification of suitable methods to assess complexity has always been of interest to researchers and practitioners. As complexity is affected by several aspects of different nature, it can be assessed from objective or subjective viewpoints or a combination of both. To assess experienced complexity, the analysis relies on the subjective evaluations given by practitioners, usually expressed on nominal or ordinal scales. However, methods found in the literature often violate the properties of the scales, potentially leading to bias in the results. This paper proposes a methodology based on the analysis of categorical data using the multi expert-multi criteria decision making method. A number of criteria are adopted to assess assembly complexity and, from subjective evaluations of operators, product assembly complexity is assessed at an individual level and then, aggregating results, at a global level. A comparison between experienced complexity and an objective assessment of complexity is also performed, highlighting similarities and differences. The assessment of experienced complexity is much more straightforward and less demanding than objective assessments. However, this study showed that it is preferable to use objective assessments for highly complex products as individuals do not discriminate between different complexity levels. An experimental campaign is conducted regarding a manual assembly of ball-and-stick products to show the applicability of the methodology and discuss the results

Wild red deer [Cervus elaphus L.) grazing may seriously reduce forage production in mountain meadows

This study aimed at estimating the impact of red deer grazing on the productivity of meadows located in Pian Cansiglio, north-eastern Italian Pre-Alps. These meadows (383 ha; average elevation 1000 m asl are managed for hay/silage production (1-2 cuts per season) and are included in a protected area that hosts a high density of deer (around 30 heads/100 ha). In 2008 and 2010, dry matter (DM) production and loss due to deer grazing were estimated with exclusion cages (1 m2; 48 exclusion cages in 2008 and 52 in 2010). Night counts with spotlights were conducted to index deer use of meadows plots. DM production inside the cages was fairly good for the area (first and second cut: 5079 - 2193 Kg DM/ha in 2008, and 4200 - 2615 Kg DM/ha in 2010). DM production outside the cages was significantly lower (first and second cut in 2008: 4314-1389 Kg DM/ha, and in 2010: 3376-2052 Kg DM/ha). Therefore, the magnitude of losses was of 15-20% in the first and 25-40% in the second cut. DM losses in the different meadow plots were positively correlated with index of deer use, which in some plots was as high as 7-8 heads/ha. Deer grazing reduced also crude protein (CP) content of forage (15.6±4.4% DM inside exclusion cages and 13.8±3.5% DM outside), with losses being greater where CP content was higher. This study demonstrates that high densities of grazing deer may seriously impact on forage production and quality

Techniques for impact evaluation of performance measurement systems

Purpose - Organizations often introduce performance measurement systems (PMSs) in order to evaluate the level of their performance, make comparison with competitors, and plan their future activities. Since indicators may affect the behaviour of the monitored system, the design and implementation of a PMS should always include the analysis of the impact it may exert on the organization itself. The aim of this paper is to suggest a methodology to evaluate this impact. Design/methodology/approach - The proposed approach is based on an impact reference model derived from the balanced scorecard (BSC) framework. The different perspectives of the BSC are interpreted as areas of impact within an organization. Structured steps for impact evaluation are described and specific techniques of analysis are introduced. Findings - A series of case studies, together with an analysis of advantages and disadvantages of the proposed method, are presented. Results show that, although many sets of indicators are usually able to meet the role of a PMS, they may exert a different impact on the context they are applied. The proposed methodology results to be a useful instrument for choosing the right set of indicators from the impact point of view. Finally, possible research paths to be undertaken for further developments of the proposed methodology are traced. Research limitations/implications - The application of the method is based on the assumption that managers charged with the analysis have a profound understanding of the specific contextual factors which may determine a reaction of the organization to a performance indicator or a PMS. Furthermore, at the moment, the methodology does not consider the possibility of interaction among different indicators in producing the impact. Practical implications - This paper may be used to guide the selection of the most appropriate PMS from the impact point of view. The proposed methodology can be very helpful instrument for an organization involved in the design of new PMSs. It guides the decision maker through the various phases: indicators definition, analysis of their properties, impact analysis, and choice of the set with the preferable impact profile. Originality/value - The issue of impact has been long debated in literature. Many articles try to analyse the operative and strategic consequences of the introduction of a PMS in an organization. This paper proposes a methodology for a more structured and objective evaluation of the impact of new PMS before introducing it in a firm. This can result in a significant help for manager who have to find the best set of indicators for the performance evaluation of their organization or have to choose between two or more sets of indicator satisfying, in principle, the same representation objective

Operationalizing poverty through refined functionings: A pilot study in Italy

This article is about an attempt to study poverty combining innovative and traditional way of doing it. One of the most innovative and interesting approaches in this panorama is the Capability Approach, by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. This researcher upholds the idea that deprivation must be assessed taking into account not only goods but also individual\u27s role, agency and values. The main complain that has been made to Capability Approach regards its being too much theoretical and hardly described by empirical indicators. Operationalizing Sen\u27s Capability Approach, hence, is one of the most stimulating challenges in the recent research on poverty. Our aim was to suggest a way for "translating" into practice - namely "to operationalize" - the model of Capability Approach. As a preliminary step in the process of operationalization, we have focused on a specific dimension related to well-being and deprivation, namely sheltering, from the point of view of CA. We discuss the way we chose in operationalizing functioning of sheltering by combining material characteristics of the selected dimension (following a traditional approach) and all its surrounding aspects fulfilling individual\u27s wellbeing. We will also discuss the results of this process, namely the items we put into our questionnaire, and the choices we made during operationalization

Knockdown of MVK does not lead to changes in NALP3 expression or activation

Mutations in the Mevalonate Kinase gene (MVK) are causes of a rare autoinflammatory disease: Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency and its more acute manifestation, Mevalonic Aciduria. The latter is characterized, among other features, by neuroinflammation, developmental delay and ataxia, due to failed cerebellar development or neuronal death through chronic inflammation. Pathogenesis of neuroinflammation in Mevalonate Kinase Deficiency and Mevalonic Aciduria has not yet been completely clarified, however different research groups have been suggesting the inflammasome complex as the key factor in the disease development. A strategy to mimic this disease is blocking the mevalonate pathway, using HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (Statins), while knock-out mice for Mevalonate Kinase are non-vital and their hemyzygous (i.e only one copy of gene preserved) littermate display almost no pathological features

Platforms as entrepreneurial incubators? How online labor markets shape work identity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how the process of work identity construction unfolds for gig workers experiencing unstable working relationships in online labor markets. In particular, it investigates how digital platforms, intended both as providers of technological features and online environments, affect this process. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted an exploratory field study and collected data from 46 interviews with freelancers working on one of the most popular online labor markets and from online documents such as public profiles, job applications and archival data. Findings The findings reveal that the online environment constrains the action of workers who are pushed to take advantage of the platform’s technological features to succeed. This interplay leads workers to add new characteristics to their work-self and to and to develop an entrepreneurial an entrepreneurial orientation. Practical implications The study offers insights to platform providers interested in improving workers’ experiences in online labor markets, highlighting mechanisms for uncertainty reduction and diversifying a platform’s services according to gig workers’ identities and orientations. Originality/value The study expands the authors’ knowledge on work identity construction processes of gig workers, detailing the relationship between work identity and IT, and documents previously unexplored antecedents of entrepreneurial orientation in non-standard working contexts

Subjective vs objective assembly complexity assessment: a comparative study in a Human-Robot Collaboration framework

The impact of manufacturing complexity on company performance can be significant, affecting productivity, efficiency, affordability, and quality if not managed correctly. Assessing and managing manufacturing complexity is a multifaceted task that involves both objective and subjective features, such as product complexity, assembly sequence, operator factors, and operation/management strategies. This study proposes a structured methodology to assess the perceived complexity of human-robot collaboration assembly processes. The methodology is based on 16 assembly complexity criteria and a multi-expert decision-making method for evaluation. Operators assign importance scores and agreement levels to each criterion using a five-level ordinal scale, and the linguistic data is processed using the Multi-Expert Multi-Criteria Decision Making (ME-MCDM) method [Yager(1993)]. This approach combines linguistic information provided for non-equally important criteria using maximum, minimum, and negation operators to obtain an overall synthetic linguistic value of perceived complexity using fuzzy logic. The proposed approach provides an assessment of perceived complexity at both individual and overall levels, aggregating all individual complexity assessments by the operator Ordered Weighted Average (OWA) [Yager(1993); Filev(1994)]. The proposed approach for assessing perceived complexity of assembly is compared with a purely objective assessment method, firstly proposed by Sinha et al. [Sinha(2012)]. This model was validated in various studies, and its effectiveness in quantifying the complexity of industrial products was demonstrated [Verna(2022)]. It is based on the molecular orbital theory and is applied to the engineering domain to analyse the complexity of cyber-physical systems. The model represents a cyber-physical system as several connected components where each component can be thought of as an atom, and the interfaces between them as inter-atomic interactions or chemical bonds. The complexity of the assembly is defined as the combination of three complexity components: handling complexity (C1), connections complexity (C2), and topological complexity (C3), as follows C=C1+C2∙C3. This objective model, based on structural characteristics of the assembly process, was used as a reference model for the subjective complexity model. The comparison between subjective and objective assessment of complexity was performed in a real-world production environment, using a human-robot collaboration process for manufacturing custom electronic boards with different levels of complexity. The results showed a significant correlation between individual perceived complexity and objective complexity, indicating that the proposed perceived complexity model can be linked to the objective model. As structural complexity increases, higher levels of individual perceived complexity become more likely, but the variability in perceived complexity varies with structural complexity. These findings suggest that individual operator ability and cognitive factors, such as training, knowledge, and cultural and organisational factors, play a role in perceived complexity and require further investigation. The study also suggests that using perceived complexity to assess assembly complexity is suitable for low- and medium-complexity products, but not for high-complexity products, where objective complexity models may be more appropriate, since after a certain point operators do not distinguish between different levels of complexity. The proposed methodology and data analysis approach offer a new perspective on assessing perceived complexity, relying solely on synthesis operators and statistical tools suitable for categorical data. Engineers can use the study's results to minimise perceived complexity and ensure alignment between perceived and objective complexity