Submovements During Reaching Movements after Stroke

Neurological deficits after cerebrovascular accidents very frequently disrupt the kinematics of voluntary movements with the consequent impact in daily life activities. Robotic methodologies enable the quantitative characterization of specific control deficits needed to understand the basis of functional impairments and to design effective rehabilitation therapies. In a group of right handed chronic stroke survivors (SS) with right side hemiparesis, intact proprioception, and differing levels of motor impairment, we used a robotic manipulandum to study right arm function during discrete point-to-point reaching movements and reciprocal out-and-back movements to visual targets. We compared these movements with those of neurologically intact individuals (NI). We analyzed the presence of secondary submovements in the initial (i.e. outward) trajectory portion of the two tasks and found that the SS with severe impairment (F

The globalisation of Italian agriculture. Transformations of migrant labour composition in agriculture in Trentino

The cultivation of apples is one of the principal eco- nomic activities in Trentino, which is responsible for 25% of Italian apple production and 4% of European apple production. The industry is structurally based on migrant work, especially from Eastern European coun- tries in the EU. This model has come up against obstacles due to EU migrant workers redrawing their trajecto- ries: They now tend to remain in their country of origin or move towards central European countries, where they find better wages and working conditions. This is also due to the inadequacy of Italian migration poli- cies, which make it difficult for employers to recruit migrant workers. As a result, employers started to recruit refugees and asylum seekers from countries in the sub- Saharan and Indian subcontinent who had recently arrived in Trentino. This article analyses these trans- formations and the trend of ‘refugeeisation’ process of the agricultural workforce, as well as the partial replace- ment of seasonal workers in Trentino. It then focuses on the impact of the pandemic on international recruitment and on the organisation of the migrant workforce

Lower limb stiffness estimation during running: the effect of using kinematic constraints in muscle force optimization algorithms

The focus of this paper is on the effect of muscle force optimization algorithms on the human lower limb stiffness estimation. By using a forward dynamic neuromusculoskeletal model coupled with a muscle short-range stiffness model we computed the human joint stiffness of the lower limb during running. The joint stiffness values are calculated using two different muscle force optimization procedures, namely: Toque-based and Torque/Kinematic-based algorithm. A comparison between the processed EMG signal and the corresponding estimated muscle forces with the two optimization algorithms is provided. We found that the two stiffness estimates are strongly influenced by the adopted algorithm. We observed different magnitude and timing of both the estimated muscle forces and joint stiffness time profile with respect to each gait phase, as function of the optimization algorithm used

A dendrochronological analysis of Pinus pinea L. on the Italian mid-Tyrrhenian coast

In order to assess the response of the radial growth of Pinus pinea L. to climatic variability in Central Italy, dendrochronological and dendroclimatological analyses were carried out on five different populations scattered along the Tyrrhenian coasts of the peninsula. The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the ecological demands of this species, particularly in the study area. For each site total ring, early-, and late-wood width chronologies were developed. Multidimensional analyses were performed for the three tree-ring datasets in order to analyze the relations between sites chronologies. Both Principal Component Analyses and hierarchical classifications highlighted an important difference of one site in respect to the other, probably due to site characteristics. Correlation functions were performed to infer the main climatic factors controlling the radial growth of the species. For a comparative study, we limited our attention to the common interval 1926-2003 (78 years) in which the response of the tree-ring chronologies to climate at both local and regional scale was investigated. Positive moisture balance in the late spring-summer period of the year of growth is the climatic driver of P. pinea radial growth in the study area. Moreover, this study shows how low summer temperatures strongly favor the radial growth of the species.Fil: Piraino, Sergio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Aridas; ArgentinaFil: Camiz, Sergio. Universita degli studi di Roma "Sapienza". Dipartimento di Matematica; ItaliaFil: Di Filippo, Alfredo. Universita Degli Studi Della Tuscia. DendrologyLab; ItaliaFil: Piovesan, Gianluca. Universita Degli Studi Della Tuscia. DendrologyLab; ItaliaFil: Spada, Francesco. Universita degli studi di Roma "Sapienza". Dipartimento de biología ambientale; Itali

Characterizing historical transformation trajectories of the forest landscape in Rome's metropolitan area (Italy) for effective planning of sustainability goals

With the aim at developing a landscape dynamics framework for environmental planning and management and testing the effectiveness of protected areas in achieving the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations sustainability goals, we characterized the historical transformation trajectories of forest area changes from 1936 to 2010 in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital (Italy). Remote sensing-based products coupled with landscape pattern metrics and fragmentation analysis have been implemented, comparing different historical forest maps. The results show a remarkable forest area gain – from 17.6% to 25.5% – thanks to 68,299 ha of recently established forest. Statistical descriptors showed that the highest relative gain occurred in mountain zones, confirming a wide European forest recovery pattern in marginal areas from past deforestation and overexploitation. Deforestation mainly occurred in the flat and hilly areas where almost 26,000 ha of forests were lost since 1936. In summary, two main forest landscape dynamics were reconstructed: (I) the increase of forest cover fragmentation in the lowland areas; and (II) the rise in the forest area in the interior sectors of the mountain landscape, mainly within protected areas. Restoring the forest ecosystem's bioecological integrity has been highlighted as an urgent action for biodiversity conservation and carbon mitigation. In lowland areas, the study revealed the urgent need to establish new protected areas and rewilding spaces as landscape metrics are relatively below the sustainability targets for healthy forest ecosystems. The proposed framework can be used for testing the effectiveness of environmental planning and management in other forest landscapes to achieve the Agenda 2030 goals

Un modello trentino di ‘rifugizzazione’? Meccanismi di reclutamento e composizione della forza lavoro immigrata nell’agricoltura del Trentino

The paper investigates the transformations of the agricultural labor market in Trentino and the changes in the forms of recruitment and organization of the migrant workforce and its composition. Fruit cultivation, especially apples, is one of the most important economic activities in Trentino and is structurally based on migrant work, especially from eastern EU countries. The recruitment of workers was based on the relationship of trust between employers and seasonal workers. This model begun to jam due to the redesign of the trajectories of EU migrant workers, who are moving towards central European countries. Thus, employers started to recruit refugees and asylum seekers, arrived in Trentino in recent years. In addition to these transformations, the paper analyzes the impact of the pandemic on international recruitment mechanisms and the organization of the migrant workforce

Bioethics aspects in the administration of clinical information by students of Dentistry

Objetivo: Evaluar el proceso de construcción de competencias vinculadas con la formación bioética. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo sobre variables: “aspectos legales de la información clínica” y “implementación del derecho a la información clínica”. Se registró una encuesta cerrada, voluntaria, anónima a una muestra azarosa de 300 estudiantes avanzados de la Carrera de Odontología de la FOUNLP, Argentina. El muestreo comprendió 150 alumnos de cuarto año (Grupo A) y 150 de quinto año (Grupo B). Los análisis estadísticos fueron realizados con Epi Info ™ Versión 3.3.2 y EPIDAT 3.1.Facultad de Odontologí