Enhancing stakeholder networks in wine tourism – evidence from Italian small municipalities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore validity and reliability of a possible collaboration model for wine tourism with a “public” basis, i.e. from the point of view of the municipality engaged in promoting the wine tourism industry insisting on the territory. Design/methodology/approach – The survey, proposing a theoretical/empirical framework, has investigated, through an electronic platform, the municipalities belonging to the National Association of “Wine Cities.” Findings – The research has demonstrated a substantial trustworthiness of the model, with further evidence about the underestimation of stakeholder networks on behalf of Italian small municipalities. A clear difference of perception between non-small municipalities and small municipalities has emerged with regard to the perceived relevance of the collaboration with the territorial wine tourism players/stakeholders. Practical implications – A recent legislation in Italy, just focused on small municipalities, might help overcome these gaps, between non-small municipalities and small municipalities, releasing in the territories new energies for the development of wine tourism, from both planning and financing points of view. Originality/value – Italy as country is the largest producer of wine in the world. Similarly, wine tourism, as additional wine business opportunity, is a successful phenomenon in Italy, even though with great margins of development (especially with comparison to the New World of Wine). One of the main limits of this delay is the lack of public-private collaboration, at widespread level, among the players/stakeholders of the sector. The model that has been proposed in this research contributes scientifically and practically to fill this gaps

S100B inhibitor pentamidine attenuates reactive gliosis and reduces neuronal loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Among the different signaling molecules released during reactive gliosis occurring in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the astrocytederived S100B protein plays a key role in neuroinflammation, one of the hallmarks of the disease. The use of pharmacological tools targeting S100B may be crucial to embank its effects and some of the pathological features of AD. The antiprotozoal drug pentamidine is a good candidate since it directly blocks S100B activity by inhibiting its interaction with the tumor suppressor p53. We used a mouse model of amyloid beta- (A-) induced AD, which is characterized by reactive gliosis and neuroinflammation in the brain, and we evaluated the effect of pentamidine on the main S100B-mediated events. Pentamidine caused the reduction of glial fibrillary acidic protein, S100B, and RAGE protein expression, which are signs of reactive gliosis, and induced p53 expression in astrocytes. Pentamidine also reduced the expression of proinflammatory mediators and markers, thus reducing neuroinflammation in AD brain. In parallel, we observed a significant neuroprotection exerted by pentamidine on CA1 pyramidal neurons. We demonstrated that pentamidine inhibits A-induced gliosis and neuroinflammation in an animal model of AD, thus playing a role in slowing down the course of the disease

The effect of foot position on Power Doppler Ultrasound grading of Achilles enthesitis

The aim of this study was to determine whether foot position could modify power Doppler grading in evaluation of the Achilles enthesis. Eighteen patients with clinical Achilles enthesitis were studied with power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) in five different positions of the foot: active and passive dorsiflexion, neutral position, active and passive plantar flexion. The Doppler signal was graded in any position and compared with the others. The Doppler signal was higher with the foot in plantar flexion and decreased gradually, sometimes till to disappear, while increasing dorsiflexion. The Doppler signal was always less during the active keeping of the position of the joint, than during the passive. The PDUS examination of the Achilles enthesis should be performed also with the foot in passive plantar flexion, in order not to underestimate the degree of vascularization

Wine tourism as a non-core business strategy for small wineries

In recent years, wineries have been implementing increasingly more wine tourism activities as complementary or supplementary services to enhance their wine products. This paper adopts an inductive research paradigm based on grounded investigation; more specifically, this paper begins with a case study and expands to involve further similar evidence. The findings of this study show that, for wineries, wine tourism represents a fundamental opportunity for communication (institutional and commercial), distribution (as a form of direct channel), and growth (to include tasting, catering, hospitality, and so on). Most importantly, for both scholars and managers, the results of the research highlight that wine tourism can become the main source of the business value, especially in the case of small wineries (an example of which is examined in the case study under analysis). In these situations, however, wine production still characterizes the business because, otherwise, there can be no wine tourism, but wine production is not realistically critical to the business in terms of survival, competitiveness, and development

Country-of-origin effect and millennials’ wine preferences-a comparative experiment

For wine consumers, the country-of-origin effect still exerts significant influence, even though probably differently from what it was earlier, especially for newer consumer seg-ments. Among these, millennials represent the most interesting segment of the present and future, even though studies on millennials’ behaviour are insidious and newer consumer segments are emerging (Generation Z). This study focuses on this parameter through a comparative analysis of French and Italian wines—first, on the country-of-origin effect on millennials’ wine preferences, and second, on the possibility of managing this influence by adopting a wine marketing mix based on the innovative 4Es model. The outcomes of the ex-periment on 121 millennials, despite the limitations of the study, highlight interesting changes—compared with the wine consumption behaviours of the past—regarding the coun-try-of-origin effect and the possibility of managing it. The results confirm, similar to the lit-erature on the 4Es model, the possibility of wide areas of action for wine educational mar-keting initiatives that can change or enhance the country-of-origin perception

Celebrity endorsement and the attitude towards luxury brands for a sustainable consumption

Taking into consideration the increasing role of sustainability in the luxury industry, our study investigates the role of celebrity credibility, celebrity familiarity, luxury brand value, and brand sustainability awareness on attitude towards celebrity, brand, and purchase intention for a sustainable consumption. For this, we explored relationships among these variables to test a conceptual model which is developed using existing knowledge available in academic research on this topic. Data for testing were collected from high-end retail stores in UK about the world top luxury brands by brand value in 2019, also acknowledged for their major engagement in sustainability. Findings from a survey of 514 consumers suggest that celebrity credibility is a very strong key to increase purchase intentions of luxury sustainable goods. The study has important implications for the expansion of current literature, theory development and business practices. Limitations of the study are also outlined and directions for future research are considered too

Digital transformation and tourist experience co-design: big social data for planning cultural tourism

Digital transformation has completely changed the demand/offering interaction in the travel industry, as well as largely affecting the customer journey. In this direction, “big social data” and user-generated content have become key sources of well-timed and rich knowledge supporting data driven decision approaches addressed the managing of complex relationships. Based on this theoretical framework, the paper suggests how to apply “big social data” in the tourist experience co-design, providing an increased value for the visitors and a better decision making approach for managers. In this respect, the field analysis concentrated specifically on user-generated content regarding the Pompeii Archaeological Site (P.A.S.), to trace valuable insights for the tourist experience. Based on double stage of research – netnographic analysis and a supplementary online survey – the study aimed to detect: (a) tourist perception on the P.A.S.; (b) random chat on the part of internet users (tourists and other browsers, not necessarily visitors) on the topic of the P.A.S.; (c) the main characteristics of the P.A.S. that attract internet user attention; (d) the main topics debated by influencers/opinion leaders managing online discussions on the P.A.S. managerial and theoretical implications were investigated highlighting the main limitations of the study as well

Ruta graveolens water extract (RGWE) ameliorates ischemic damage and improves neurological deficits in a rat model of transient focal brain ischemia

The limited therapeutic options for ischemic stroke treatment render necessary the identification of new strategies. In recent years, it has been shown that natural compounds may represent a valid therapeutic opportunity. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of Ruta graveolens water extract (RGWE) in an in vivo experimental model of brain ischemia

Evaluation of the emotional phenotype and serotonergic neurotransmission of fatty acid amide hydrolase-deficient mice

By enhancing brain anandamide tone, inhibitors of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) induce anxiolytic-like effects in rodents and enhance brain serotonergic transmission. Mice lacking the faah gene (FAAH(-/-)) show higher anandamide levels. However, their emotional phenotype is still debated and their brain serotonergic tone remained unexplored. In this study, we tested FAAH(-/-) mice in the social interaction and the open field tests performed under different lighting conditions (dim and bright) since variations of the experimental context were proposed to explain opposite findings. Moreover, by microdialysis performed under dim light, we analyzed their serotonergic transmission in frontal cortex (FC) and ventral hippocampus (vHIPP). In both light conditions, FAAH(-/-) mice showed reduced emotionality, compared to wt controls, as suggested by the increased rearing and reduced thigmotaxis displayed in the open field and by the longer time spent in social interaction. Basal serotonergic tone was higher in the FC of mutant mice as compared to control mice, while no difference was observed in the vHIPP. K(+)-induced depolarization produced similar increases of serotonin in both areas of both genotypes. An acute treatment with the CB1 antagonist rimonabant completely abolished the emotional phenotype of FAAH(-/-) mice and prevented the K(+)-stimulated release of serotonin in their FC and vHIPP, without producing any effect in wt mice. Our results support the role of FAAH in the regulation of emotional reactivity and suggest that anandamide-mediated hyperactivation of CB1 is responsible for the emotional phenotype of FAAH(-/-) mice and for their enhanced serotonergic tone