Urban transport management and customer perceived quality: a case study in the metropolitan area of Cagliari, Italy

Liberalization processes and the threats posed by ever increasing competition have forced public transport companies in Italy to pay a closer attention to their customers, so to enhance loyalty and demand for transport. These customer-targeted strategies have been responsible for some significant changes of otherwise consolidated practices, in an attempt to lure new transit riders and discourage potential competitors from entering local markets. The present study describes the results of an on-board survey implemented within the Cagliari’s metropolitan area and aimed at discovering the degree of perceived quality toward the offer of public transport managed by CTM S.p.A, the local transport agency in charge for the planning and management of public mobility around the Sardinian’ regional capital. The research focuses on the implementation of an Impact Score methodology which, following the suggestions included in the Transit Cooperative Research Program Report n°47 (1999), assesses the degree of perceived quality with reference to ten core attributes of the public transport. The survey results show a substantial lack of structural problems and a high level of perceived quality, although some attributes need to be addressed if CTM aims to preserve and strengthen the central role so far enjoyed

Deep-seated gravitational slope deformations in central Sardinia: insights into the geomorphological evolution

In this study, we analyse deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) in central Sardinia. The area is characterised by plateaus with a prominent limestone scarp overlying metamorphites. A comprehensive mapping of structural, karst, fluvial, and slope morphologies in Pardu and Ulassai valleys is presented herein. The uplift linked to the Plio-Pleistocene tectonic activity leads to high-slope topography, which favours gravitational processes, such as DSGSDs and rock-avalanches. Although DSGSD is a common phenomenon in the relief of the central Mediterranean region, it has never been studied in Sardinia. We describe the kinematic models and geomorphological evolution of DSGSD in Sardinia for the first time. The application of light detection and ranging, high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry, and geological, structural, and geomorphological surveys enabled a depth morphometric analysis and the development of interpretative three-dimensional models. The geo-structural setting and high relief energy associated with recent upliftment are the major controlling factors of DSGSDs

Olive oil phenolics prevent oxysterol-induced proinflammatory cytokine secretion and reactive oxygen species production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, through modulation of p38 and JNK pathways

The aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) polyphenols to counteract the proinflammatory effects induced by dietary and endogenous oxysterols in ex vivo immune cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), separated from the whole blood of healthy donors, were utilized and were stimulated with an oxysterols mixture, in the presence of physiologically relevant concentrations of the EVOO polyphenols, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and homovanillic alcohol. Oxysterols significantly increased the production of proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1β, regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted and macrophage migration inhibitory factor in ex vivo cultured PBMCs. Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also detected along with increased phosphorylation of the p38 and JNK. All phenolic compounds significantly reduced cytokine secretion induced by the oxysterols and inhibited ROS production and mitogen activated protein kinase phosphorylation. These results suggest that extra virgin olive oil polyphenols modulate the immune response induced by dietary and endogenous cholesterol oxidation products in human immune cells and may hold benefit in controlling chronic immune and/or inflammatory processes

Characterization of goat milk from Lebanese Baladi breed and his suitability for setting up a ripened cheese using a selected starter culture

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Submarine Geomorphology of the Southwestern Sardinian Continental Shelf (Mediterranean Sea): Insights into the Last Glacial Maximum Sea-Level Changes and Related Environments

During the lowstand sea-level phase of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), a large part of the current Mediterranean continental shelf emerged. Erosional and depositional processes shaped the coastal strips, while inland areas were affected by aeolian and fluvial processes. Evidence of both the lowstand phase and the subsequent phases of eustatic sea level rise can be observed on the continental shelf of Sardinia (Italy), including submerged palaeo-shorelines and landforms, and indicators of relict coastal palaeo-environments. This paper shows the results of a high-resolution survey on the continental shelf off San Pietro Island (southwestern Sardinia). Multisensor and multiscale data\u2014obtained by means of seismic sparker, sub-bottom profiler chirp, multibeam, side scan sonar, diving, and uncrewed aerial vehicles\u2014made it possible to reconstruct the morphological features shaped during the LGM at depths between 125 and 135 m. In particular, tectonic controlled palaeo-cliffs affected by landslides, the mouth of a deep palaeo-valley fossilized by marine sediments and a palaeo-lagoon containing a peri-littoral thanatocenosis (18,983 \ub1 268 cal BP) were detected. The Younger Dryas palaeo-shorelines were reconstructed, highlighted by a very well preserved beachrock. The coastal paleo-landscape with lagoon-barrier systems and retro-littoral dunes frequented by the Mesolithic populations was reconstructed

Syngas production, clean-up and wastewater management in a demo-scale fixed-bed updraft biomass gasification unit

This paper presents the experimental development at demonstration scale of an integrated gasification system fed with wood chips. The unit is based on a fixed-bed, updraft and air-blown gasifier-with a nominal capacity of 5 MWth-equipped with a wet scrubber for syngas clean-up and an integrated chemical and physical wastewater management system. Gasification performance, syngas composition and temperature profile are presented for the optimal operating conditions and with reference to two kinds of biomass used as primary fuels, i.e., stone pine and eucalyptus from local forests (combined heat and power generation from this kind of fuel represents a good opportunity to exploit distributed generation systems that can be part of a new energy paradigm in the framework of the circular economy). The gasification unit is characterised by a high efficiency (about 79-80%) and an operation stability during each test. Particular attention has been paid to the optimisation of an integrated double stage wastewater management system-which includes an oil skimmer and an activated carbon adsorption filter-designed to minimise both liquid residues and water make-up. The possibility to recycle part of the separated oil and used activated carbon to the gasifier has been also evaluated

Ferulic acid metabolites attenuate lps-induced inflammatory response in enterocyte-like cells

Ferulic acid (FA) is a polyphenol pertaining to the class of hydroxycinnamic acids present in numerous foods of a plant origin. Its dietary consumption leads to the formation of several phase I and II metabolites in vivo, which represent the largest amount of ferulates in the circulation and in the intestine in comparison with FA itself. In this work, we evaluated their efficacy against the proinflam-matory effects induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in intestinal Caco-2 cell monolayers, as well as the mechanisms underlying their protective action. LPS-induced overexpression of proinflammatory enzymes such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the consequent hyperproduction of nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were limited by physiological relevant concentrations (1 µM) of FA, its derivatives isoferulic acid (IFA) and dihydroferulic acid (DHFA), and their glucuronidated and sulfated metabolites, which acted upstream by limiting the activation of MAPK p38 and ERK and of Akt kinase, thus decreasing the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-kB) translocation into the nucleus. Furthermore, the compounds were found to promote the expression of Nrf2, which may have contributed to the downregulation of NF-kB activity. The overall data show that phase I/II metabolites retain the efficacy of their dietary free form in contrasting inflammatory response

Attività dello squalene durante l'autossidazione di acidi grassi poliinsaturi

In this paper we have investigated the activity of squalene during the autoxidation of four different polyunsaturated fatty acids: linoleic, linolenic, arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids. Our results show that squalene exerts a weak but significant antioxidant activity, and that squalene hydroperoxide, the product derived from squalene oxidation, does not possess prooxidant activity. The protection exerted by squalene is higher versus linolenic, arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids than linoleic acid. Squalene antioxidant activity is related to its double bond system since its saturated form, squalane, does not exert any inhibitory activity. Therefore, in our experimental conditions, squalene does not act as a hydrogen atoms donor such as α-tocopherol