Tax buyouts

The paper studies a fiscal policy instrument that can reduce fiscal distortions without affecting revenues, in a politically viable way. The instrument is a private contract (tax buyout), offered by the government to each citizen, whereby the citizen can choose to pay a fixed price in exchange for a given reduction in her tax rate for a period of time. We introduce the tax buyout in a dynamic overlapping generations economy, calibrated to match several features of the US income, taxes and wealth distribution. Under simple pricing, the introduction of the buyout is revenue neutral but, by reducing distortions, it benefits a significant fraction of the population and leads to sizable increases in aggregate labor supply, income and consumption.Taxation

Kinematics and Kinetics of Bulgarian-Bag-Overloaded Sprints in Young Athletes

Background: Eective sprinting requires large acceleration capabilities. To accelerate, large amount of force must be produced and applied eectively. The use of dierent implements such as sleds and vests can increase the amount of force produced and alter sprinting eectiveness. We propose the use of increasing overload via the Bulgarian Bag (BB) as a means to modify athletes\u2019 sprint and acutely increase force and power production. Methods: 24 young athletes performed three sprints over 20 m in three dierent conditions: unloaded (BW) and loaded with BB weighing 2.5% (BB2.5) and 5% (BB5) of the athlete\u2019s body mass. Sprint times at 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20 m were acquired and used to compute the force\u2013velocity relationship for the sprints. Maximal velocity (V0), peak force (F0), peak power (PP), and decrease in ratio of force (DRF) were computed. Results: the additional load caused a decrease in sprint times (p < 0.05) and V0 (p = 0.028), conversely no dierences were found for F0 (p = 0.21), PP (p = 0.50), and DRF (p = 0.83). Conclusions: Based on those findings, BB can be an alternative method to eectively overload sprint training toward improving sprinting performance

Sourdough fermentation of whole and sprouted lentil flours: In situ formation of dextran and effects on the nutritional, texture and sensory characteristics of white bread

Exopolysaccharides produced in situ by lactic acid bacteria during sourdough fermentation are recognized as bread texture improvers. In this study, the suitability of whole and sprouted lentil flours, added with 25% on flour weight sucrose for dextran formation by selected strains during sourdough fermentation, was evaluated. The dextran synthesized in situ by Weissella confusa SLA4 was 9.2 and 9.7% w/w flour weight in lentil and sprouted lentil sourdoughs, respectively. Wheat bread supplemented with 30% w/w sourdough showed increased specific volume and decreased crumb hardness and staling rate, compared to the control wheat bread. Incorporation of sourdoughs improved the nutritional value of wheat bread, leading to increased total and soluble fibers content, and the aroma profile. The integrated biotechnological approach, based on sourdough fermentation and germination, is a potential clean-label strategy to obtain high-fibers content foods with tailored texture, and it can further enhance the use of legumes in novel foods.Peer reviewe

Digital Twinning for 20th Century Concrete Heritage: HBIM Cognitive Model for Torino Esposizioni Halls

In the wide scenario of heritage documentation and conservation, the multi-scale nature of digital models is able to twin the real object, as well as to store information and record investigation results, in order to detect and analyse deformation and materials deterioration, especially from a structural point of view. The contribution proposes an integrated approach for the generation of an n-D enriched model, also called a digital twin, able to support the interdisciplinary investigation process conducted on the site and following the processing of the collected data. Particularly for 20th Century concrete heritage, an integrated approach is required in order to adapt the more consolidated approaches to a new conception of the spaces, where structure and architecture are often coincident. The research plans to present the documentation process for the halls of Torino Esposizioni (Turin, Italy), built in the mid-twentieth century and designed by Pier Luigi Nervi. The HBIM paradigm is explored and expanded in order to fulfil the multi-source data requirements and adapt the consolidated reverse modelling processes based on scan-to-BIM solutions. The most relevant contributions of the research reside in the study of the chances of using and adapting the characteristics of the IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) standard to the archiving needs of the diagnostic investigations results so that the digital twin model can meet the requirements of replicability in the context of the architectural heritage and interoperability with respect to the subsequent intervention phases envisaged by the conservation plan. Another crucial innovation is a proposal of a scan-to-BIM process improved by an automated approach performed by VPL (Visual Programming Languages) contribution. Finally, an online visualisation tool enables the HBIM cognitive system to be accessible and shareable by stakeholders involved in the general conservation process

Diffusion tensor imaging and white matter abnormalities in patients with disorders of consciousness.

Progress in neuroimaging has yielded new powerful tools which, potentially, can be applied to clinical populations, improve the diagnosis of neurological disorders and predict outcome. At present, the diagnosis of consciousness disorders is limited to subjective assessment and objective measurements of behavior, with an emerging role for neuroimaging techniques. In this review we focus on white matter alterations measured using Diffusion Tensor Imaging on patients with consciousness disorders, examining the most common diffusion imaging acquisition protocols and considering the main issues related to diffusion imaging analyses. We conclude by considering some of the remaining challenges to overcome, the existing knowledge gaps and the potential role of neuroimaging in understanding the pathogenesis and clinical features of disorders of consciousness

Using gamification to incentivize sustainable urban mobility.

Sustainable urban mobility is an important dimension in a Smart City, and one of the key issues for city sustainability. However, innovative and often costly mobility policies and solutions introduced by cities are liable to fail, if not combined with initiatives aimed at increasing the awareness of citizens, and promoting their behavioural change. This paper explores the potential of gamification mechanisms to incentivize voluntary behavioural changes towards sustainable mobility solutions. We present a service-based gamification framework, developed within the STREETLIFE EU Project, which can be used to develop games on top of existing services and systems within a Smart City, and discuss the empirical findings of an experiment conducted in the city of Rovereto on the effectiveness of gamification to promote sustainable urban mobility