The dynamics of trade firms during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Via Padova, Milan

This paper investigates trade firms’ dynamics in the Via Padova neighbourhood at the end of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed local economies and it has resulted in economic downturns, income inequalities and increased unemployment. While the current literature analyses widely its impacts on international trade, little attention has been given to the resilience of trade firms at the urban level. The containment measures to limit the pandemic have caused temporary closings of non-essential goods firms, while forcing other firms offering essential goods to stay open, albeit the many difficulties encountered. Since the Via Padova neighbourhood has one of the highest densities of trade firms in Milan, this makes it an interesting study area to test the effects associated with the containment measures. Exploring the data about trade firms’ survival rates related to the period 2019–20 demonstrates a certain resilience of local firms. The number of firms closing down decreases in 2020, while the variation in the active ones tends to become insignificant compared with the previous year. The negative effects on non-essential goods firms persist during the first wave of the pandemic, whereas during the second wave essential goods firms are especially affected. These dynamics of resilience towards hostile economic and social conditions caused by the pandemic are a useful clue for reconsidering and developing new recovery policies

A revised application of 3Ts´ Florida in peri-urban areas

This article analyzes the determinants and the distribution of Creative Class in peri-urban areas. Starting from Florida´s hypothesis on localization patterns (the famous 3Ts), the article uses unique measures to define tolerance and urban climate, to add innovative determinants and extend the analysis to peri-urban territory in Northern Italy. These measures are tested applying a principal component analysis and spatial regression models. The results partially confirm Florida. Creative class presence is strongly associated with socio-economic determinants, such us public expenditure, presence of creative and no-creative firms, volunteering; less than cultural amenities and technology. Tolerance has more controversial effects

A revised application of 3Ts´ Florida in peri-urban areas

This article analyzes the determinants and the distribution of Creative Class in peri-urban areas. Starting from Florida´s hypothesis on localization patterns (the famous 3Ts), the article uses unique measures to define tolerance and urban climate, to add innovative determinants and extend the analysis to peri-urban territory in Northern Italy. These measures are tested applying a principal component analysis and spatial regression models. The results partially confirm Florida. Creative class presence is strongly associated with socio-economic determinants, such us public expenditure, presence of creative and no-creative firms, volunteering; less than cultural amenities and technology. Tolerance has more controversial effects

Planning peri-urban areas at regional level: The experience of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna

This paper describes the measures adopted by Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna (two Italian regions) for planning their peri-urban areas at regional level. Peri-urban territories merge urban and rural features and extend beyond the municipal administrative boundaries. This prevents their precise delimitation, as well as the adoption of municipal plans for their governance coherent with its spatial, economic and social development. As consequence, many municipal authorities do not reserve consistent attention to these territories and adopt territorial plans based only on urban-rural dichotomy or land-use micro-transformations. Since their jurisdiction extends to supra-municipal level, the regions could play a decisive role in peri-urban governance. This is the case of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions, which are some of the few regions in Italy to have elaborated specific legislative and planning documents in order to promote the spatial urban-rural equilibrium in the urban fringes. As demonstrated at the end of a document analysis concerning spatial planning laws and plans, both regions experiment specific measures for the agro-environmental balance and urban regeneration in peri-urban areas, but they do not delimit them spatially or adopt specific measures for their governance. Further, they do not jointly regulate or plan the urban macro-region that extends across their regional territories, from Varese (North Lombardy) to Rimini and Ravenna (South-East Emilia-Romagna), resulting from the merger of their peri-urban areas

Psychological Considerations for Bariatric Surgery

Obesity management requires a multidisciplinary, integrated treatment composed of medical, nutritional, physical, and psychological interventions. Currently, bariatric surgery is the most suitable treatment available in case of severe obesity, or obesity with comorbid medical conditions. Despite bariatric surgery results in a significant weight loss in most of the cases, a not-inconsiderable portion of patients does not achieve relevant outcomes, in terms of limited weight loss or weight regain due to psychological problems. The pre-operative evaluation of the psychological conditions of the candidates for bariatric interventions and pre/post-surgical psychological support is required in order to achieve the desired post-operative outcomes for a long time. In this chapter, we will elucidate the core components of the psychological assessment of bariatric candidates. Moreover, the main directions for the pre/post-surgery psychological support will be provided

The ACTyourCHANGE study protocol: promoting a healthy lifestyle in patients with obesity with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundAs treatment of choice in promoting psychological flexibility, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was found to be effective in several conditions, and among different populations, including weight management in individuals with obesity. However, the mechanism of action of psychological flexibility is less known. The aim of the present study is, within the context of a brief ACT intervention for behavioral change and behavioral maintenance of a healthy lifestyle in a sample of inpatients with obesity, to explore the effect of each subcomponent of the psychological flexibility model on treatment processes and outcomes.MethodsA randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Ninety Italian adult inpatients with obesity attending a rehabilitation program for weight loss will be randomly allocated into three experimental conditions targeting respectively each subcomponent of the psychological flexibility model: group Engage focused on values-oriented behaviors, group Openness focused on acceptance and cognitive defusion, and group Awareness focused on being present and aware of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors at every moment. Weight, BMI (kg/m(2)), the Psychological General Well-Being Inventory (PGWBI), the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2 (OQ-45.2), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Dutch Eating Behaviors Questionnaire (DEBQ), the Brief Values Inventory (BVI), the Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ), the Italian-Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (I-CFQ), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) will be assessed at the beginning (time 0), at the end of psychological intervention (time 1), and after 3 (time 2) and 6months (time 3) and 9months (time 4) from discharge. During the following month after discharge, outpatients will be monitored in their adherence to a healthy lifestyle, using a wearable device.To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, mixed between-within 3 (conditions) x4 (times) repeated measure ANOVAs will be conducted to examine changes from time 0 to time 1, 2, 3, and 4 in means of weight, BMI, and means of scores PGWBI, OQ-45.2, DASS, DERS, DEBQ, AAQ-II, BVI, CAQ, I-CFQ, and FFMQ, between three groups.DiscussionThis study will contribute to clarify the mechanism of action of each subcomponent of the psychological flexibility model and understand its impact on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govNCT04474509. Registered on July 4, 202

Pandemic nightmares: effects on dream activity of the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy

COVID-19 has critically impacted the world. Recent works have found substantial changes in sleep and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dreams could give us crucial information about people's well-being, so here we have directly investigated the consequences of lockdown on the oneiric activity in a large Italian sample: 5,988 adults completed a web-survey during lockdown. We investigated sociodemographic and COVID-19-related information, sleep quality (by the Medical Outcomes Study-Sleep Scale), mental health (by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales), dream and nightmare frequency, and related emotional aspects (by the Mannheim Dream Questionnaire). Comparisons between our sample and a population-based sample revealed that Italians are having more frequent nightmares and dreams during the pandemic. A multiple logistic regression model showed the predictors of high dream recall (young age, female gender, not having children, sleep duration) and high nightmare frequency (young age, female gender, modification of napping, sleep duration, intrasleep wakefulness, sleep problem index, anxiety, depression). Moreover, we found higher emotional features of dream activity in workers who have stopped working, in people who have relatives/friends infected by or who have died from COVID-19 and in subjects who have changed their sleep habits. Our findings point to the fact that the predictors of high dream recall and nightmares are consistent with the continuity between sleep mentation and daily experiences. According to the arousal-retrieval model, we found that poor sleep predicts a high nightmare frequency. We suggest monitoring dream changes during the epidemic, and also considering the implications for clinical treatment and prevention of mental and sleep disorders

Dreams and Nightmares during the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19 Infection: A Longitudinal Study

Recent literature shows that the Coronovirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has provoked significant changes in dreaming. The current study intends to provide an update about dream variable changes during the second wave of COVID-19. A total of 611 participants completed a web survey from December 2020 to January 2021. Statistical comparisons showed that subjects had lower dream-recall frequency, nightmare frequency, lucid-dream frequency, emotional intensity, and nightmare distress during the second than the first wave of the pandemic. Dreams had a higher negative tone during the second than first wave. We revealed significant differences concerning post-traumatic growth, sleep-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and sleep measures between groups obtained as a function of the changes in the oneiric frequency between the first and second waves. We also found significant correlations between qualitative/emotional dream features and COVID-19-related factors (job change, forced quarantine, having COVID-19 infected relatives/friends, or asking for mental health help). Overall, we found that the second wave affected fewer quantitative features of dream activity and there was less emotional intensity. Moreover, we confirmed the relationship between nightmares and the high risk of PTSD when subjects were grouped as a function of the increasing/decreasing frequency. Finally, our findings are partly coherent with the continuity hypothesis between oneiric and waking experiences

Psychological treatments and psychotherapies in the neurorehabilitation of pain. Evidences and recommendations from the italian consensus conference on pain in neurorehabilitation

BACKGROUND: It is increasingly recognized that treating pain is crucial for effective care within neurological rehabilitation in the setting of the neurological rehabilitation. The Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation was constituted with the purpose identifying best practices for us in this context. Along with drug therapies and physical interventions, psychological treatments have been proven to be some of the most valuable tools that can be used within a multidisciplinary approach for fostering a reduction in pain intensity. However, there is a need to elucidate what forms of psychotherapy could be effectively matched with the specific pathologies that are typically addressed by neurorehabilitation teams. OBJECTIVES: To extensively assess the available evidence which supports the use of psychological therapies for pain reduction in neurological diseases. METHODS: A systematic review of the studies evaluating the effect of psychotherapies on pain intensity in neurological disorders was performed through an electronic search using PUBMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Based on the level of evidence of the included studies, recommendations were outlined separately for the different conditions. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 2352 results and the final database included 400 articles. The overall strength of the recommendations was medium/low. The different forms of psychological interventions, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, cognitive or behavioral techniques, Mindfulness, hypnosis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Brief Interpersonal Therapy, virtual reality interventions, various forms of biofeedback and mirror therapy were found to be effective for pain reduction in pathologies such as musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Central Post-Stroke pain, Phantom Limb Pain, pain secondary to Spinal Cord Injury, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating syndromes, diabetic neuropathy, Medically Unexplained Symptoms, migraine and headache. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological interventions and psychotherapies are safe and effective treatments that can be used within an integrated approach for patients undergoing neurological rehabilitation for pain. The different interventions can be specifically selected depending on the disease being treated. A table of evidence and recommendations from the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation is also provided in the final part of the pape