Organizational choices and occupational health and safety risks prevention. An interpretation of Italian regulations

The social and economic costs of risks produced by organizations are becoming more and more evident and relevant. Enterprises are expected (and, sometimes, obliged) to become able to efficiently manage the risks they induce: industrial hazards, financial uncertainty, environmental risks, risk to safety and health in the workplace, etc. By adopting an organizational perspective, this contribution investigates the approaches to Occupational Health and Safety risks prevention that are promoted by the law (specifically, by Italian law). The goal of this paper is then to discuss the consistency of the norms with respect to the objectives of risks prevention and to understand their actual and potential impact on business practices

Utilization of Porcine Livers through the Formation of Zn-Protoporphyrin Pigment Optimized by a Response Surface Methodology

There is a growing demand for clean-label products. This study aimed to obtain a food-grade coloring ingredient for meat products based on the formation of Zn-protoporphyrin from porcine livers, thus contributing to the development of nitrite-free products. First, the effects of sodium disulfite and acetic, ascorbic, and lactic acids on the formation of Zn-protoporphyrin and the total microbial count were studied. The combination of ascorbic and acetic acids resulted in a higher Zn-protoporphyrin content than acetic acid alone, and microbial levels were maintained (ca. 3 log CFU/mL). Second, a response surface methodology was used to maximize Zn-protoporphyrin while maintaining microbiological food standards. To that end, the effects of pH (4.2–5.4), incubation time (3–30 h), and temperature (25–50 °C) were studied. The selected conditions for Zn-protoporphyrin formation involved anaerobic incubation at pH 4.8 and 45 °C for 24 h. The safety was validated through challenge testing for relevant pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Clostridium perfringens). A significant reduction (>6 log units) was observed in the selected conditions for L. monocytogenes and Salmonella, whereas C. perfringens spores remained at the inoculated levels. The optimized procedure is proven to be microbiologically safe, and may improve the color of nitrite-free meat products.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

“I Cantieri del Suono” project: a public-private cooperation for the valorization of the violin “Piccolo” by Lorenzo Storioni (1793)

The Cultural District of Violin Making is a network of Cremona municipality that keeps the search for quality violinmaking alive and constantly strives to defend traditional craftsmanship. It coordinates various groups in the city involved in education, teaching and research in the field of music and violinmaking. The Bracco Foundation, one of the leading arts patrons in Italy, has chosen to finance the “I Cantieri del Suono” project, dealing with this highly promising area. One of the projects aims consists in the acquisition and valorisation of a rare violin made by Lorenzo Storioni (Cremona, 1744-1816), involving all the main organisations in the District, plus the violin makers that work in the city of Cremona. This small-size violin, known as “Piccolo”, was probably made for a child. The instrument was played in the decades following its construction (1793), but then it has not been used for a significant period. It provides an extraordinary piece of evidence when it comes to construction techniques, the materials used and the composition of varnishes in late eighteenth century Cremona. The analytical protocol developed at the Laboratorio Arvedi di Diagnostica non Invasiva allowed collecting new data on the instrument through a non-invasive approach (XRF and FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray radiography, VIS-UVIFL photography, 3D laser scanning, OCT, NMR). The obtained results were discussed with the students of the Master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, aiming at identifying the best procedures to preserve the instrument and its materials. Meanwhile, the students of the International School of Violin Making took advantage from 3D model, making a playable copy of the instrument. The violin and its copy will soon enrich the Civic Collections and will be exhibited at the Museo del Violino in Cremona. Up to now different strategies of communications have been put in place (publication of a monography, social network notifications, congress for experts in the field). During the exhibition, attention will be given to the diagnostic results, accompanying visitors through different levels of technical insights

123I-ioflupane SPECT in the assessment of Parkinson’s disease in a patient with retinitis pigmentosa

Retinis pigmentosa is a form of retinal dystrophy characterized by pigment deposition resulting in loss of peripheral vision, tunnel vision, night blindness and in some cases full blindness. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive extrapyramidal neurological disorder characterized by rigidity, bradykinesia and tremor at rest due to loss of substantia nigra’s dopaminergic cell; this loss can be evaluated with 123I-ioflupane single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). There are growing evidences underlying a possible correlation between these two conditions; in this report we describe a patient affected by retinitis pigmentosa with a positive 123I-ioflupane scan underlying a possible connection with Parkinson’s disease

Discovering the coating structure of historic bowed string instruments: an analytical campaign by SR-FTIR microspectroscopy

In many cases, the possibility to analyze a micro sample from an ancient bowed string instrument allows researchers to collect a wealth of information concerning materials used by the great Masters of violin-making and their construction procedures. In fact, the stratigraphic investigation may provide important information about (i) the treatments of the wood, normally involving proteinaceous materials and inorganic fillers such as carbonates, silicates, sulphates, (ii) composition of the different superimposed layers of varnish, and (iii) organic or inorganic pigments dispersed in the binders of the different superimposed layers of varnish [1]. In the present work, a set of four micro-samples - collected from well-preserved violins made by Antonio Stradivari, Francesco Ruggeri and Lorenzo Storioni - have been mounted in cross section and investigated throughout. The analytical approach has been developed on the embedded samples by means of Synchrotron Radiation (SR) FTIR microspectroscopy in reflection mode using a 15X objective, at the Chemical and Life Sciences branch of SISSI beamline (Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste) [2]. Data have been collected in the MIR range in correspondence of each single layer of the stratigraphy, setting the lateral resolution in order to match the layer thickness (from few microns to tens of microns). A classification model has been constructed and validated to discriminate classes of materials according to the spectral information [3]. Preliminary results obtained from measurements performed by the micro-invasive SR-FTIR approach are elaborated and discussed, together with the analytical procedures, in order to characterize the features of the different samples

Combining OCT and NMR-MOUSE techniques to study the stratigraphy of historical violins: the thickNESS project

In this work, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR-MOUSE) have been applied to precious historical violins made by the most renowned makers of the Italian lutherie, such as Amati, Stradivari and Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, and hosted in the Museo del Violino in Cremona. Several large fragments removed during past restorations from instruments produced by the luthiers Stainer, Gasparo da Salò, Maggini and Guadagnini, as well as laboratory models simulating musical instruments stratigraphy, were further examined. OCT study was carried out with a prototype high-resolution portable SdOCT instrument providing layer thickness measurements and information about the presence of particles, cracks and delaminations. NMR analyses were performed with a Magritek Kea spectrometer and a Profile NMR-MOUSE (PM5) giving information on the wood density and elasticity, the last one possibly related to adopted treatments. The analyses have been conducted within the MOLAB Transnational Access - EU H2020 Project IPERION CH (thickNESS Project). Data interpretation is still in progress and promising results are expected to reveal in-depth insight into the finishing violin making process. These outcomes will be integrated with the results from UVIFL, FT-IR, Raman and XRF techniques in order to set up a methodology which allowed researchers to non-invasively characterize the stratigraphy of historical violins

Shanghai Fever: Not Only an Asian Disease

Objectives: To describe a case of Shanghai fever disease and to analyze other published reports in non-Asiatic countries, defining clinical characteristics and highlighting that this is not only an Asian disease. Study design: A computerized search without language restriction was conducted using PubMed and Scopus; all references listed were hand-searched to identify any other relevant literature. An article was considered eligible for inclusion in the systematic review if it reported cases with Shanghai fever described in non-Asiatic countries. Our case was also included in the analysis. Results: Ten articles reporting 10 cases of Shanghai fever disease were considered. Fever, diarrhea and ecthyma gangrenosum were the most frequent symptoms observed. Blood was the most common site of isolation for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Three patients underwent surgery due to necrotizing enteritis and intestinal perforation. Meningitis was documented in one case. None of the patients received antipseudomonal antibiotics within 24 h of admission. The outcome was good in nine cases; only one patient died due to multiple organ failure from Pseudomonas sepsis. No common primary immune deficiency was identified in these patients. Extremely young age (<1 year) was the only host factor predisposing to Shanghai fever. Conclusions: It is important to shed light on this disease in non-Asiatic countries and take into account that it can also affect healthy children. Pediatricians, therefore, should consider Shanghai fever among diagnoses in children with community-onset diarrhea, fever and skin lesions suggestive of ecthyma gangrenosum to start an appropriate treatment sooner and to reduce the mortality in these children