From individual behaviour to an evaluation of the collective evolution of crowds along footbridges

This paper proposes a crowd dynamic macroscopic model grounded on microscopic phenomenological observations which are upscaled by means of a formal mathematical procedure. The actual applicability of the model to real world problems is tested by considering the pedestrian traffic along footbridges, of interest for Structural and Transportation Engineering. The genuinely macroscopic quantitative description of the crowd flow directly matches the engineering need of bulk results. However, three issues beyond the sole modelling are of primary importance: the pedestrian inflow conditions, the numerical approximation of the equations for non trivial footbridge geometries, and the calibration of the free parameters of the model on the basis of in situ measurements currently available. These issues are discussed and a solution strategy is proposed.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures in J. Engrg. Math., 201

Are dryland strength and power measurements associated with swimming performance? preliminary results on elite paralympic swimmers

This study aimed to identify the relationship between dryland tests and swimming performance in elite Paralympic swimmers. Fifteen competitive swimmers (age: 27.4 ± 5.4 years, height: 1.70 ± 6.8 m, body mass: 67.9 ± 9.2 kg; 9 males, 6 females) performed a lat pull-down and a bench press incremental load test to determine maximum power (Pmax), the strength corresponding to maximum power (F@Pmax), and the barbell velocity corresponding to maximum power (V@Pmax) from the force–velocity and power–velocity profiles. These outcomes were also normalized by the athlete’s body mass. Swimming performance was carried out from the best result in a 100 m freestyle race registered during an international competition. Lat pull-down F@Pmax was significantly associated with 100 m freestyle chronometric time (ρ = −0.56, p < 0.05), and lat pull-down V@Pmax presented a relationship with mean swimming velocity (ρ = 0.71, p < 0.01). Similarly, bench press F@Pmax and the normalized F@Pmax were significantly related to the mean swimming velocity (ρ = −0.51, ρ = −0.62, p < 0.05). Stepwise multiple regression showed that lat pull-down V@Pmax, bench press normF@Pmax, and V@Pmax accounted for 40.6%, 42.3%, and 65.8% (p < 0.05) of the mean swimming velocity variance. These preliminary results highlighted that simple dryland tests, although with a moderate relationship, are significantly associated with 100 m freestyle swimming performance in elite Paralympic swimmers

Non-local first-order modelling of crowd dynamics: a multidimensional framework with applications

In this work a physical modelling framework is presented, describing the intelligent, non-local, and anisotropic behaviour of pedestrians. Its phenomenological basics and constitutive elements are detailed, and a qualitative analysis is provided. Within this common framework, two first-order mathematical models, along with related numerical solution techniques, are derived. The models are oriented to specific real world applications: a one-dimensional model of crowd-structure interaction in footbridges and a two-dimensional model of pedestrian flow in an underground station with several obstacles and exits. The noticeable heterogeneity of the applications demonstrates the significance of the physical framework and its versatility in addressing different engineering problems. The results of the simulations point out the key role played by the physiological and psychological features of human perception on the overall crowd dynamics.Comment: 26 pages, 17 figure

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

La «libraria» dei frati Cappuccini di Sanremo e la donazione di Francesco Corradi

The essay starts from the will with which the physician Francesco Corradi, born in Sanremo and died in Genoa in 1865, disposed of his own legacy for various charitable purposes including the creation in his hometown of a public library. Until then, this institute was non-existent in the face of the presence of book collections belonging to religious orders, including Jesuits and Capuchins: the latter’s own books, acquired following the laws of suppression of the ecclesiastical bodies of 1866 and 1867, constituted the first core of the Corradi Library along with the volumes belonging to the doctor himself. The study therefore through the examination of the notes of possession tries to reconstruct the origin and organization of the friars’ collection, then through the analysis of the documentation produced in the meetings of the Municipal Council of Sanremo examines the formative process of the current Civic Library.Il saggio prende le mosse dal testamento col quale il medico Francesco Corradi, nato a Sanremo e morto a Genova nel 1865, dispose del proprio patrimonio per diversi fini caritatevoli fra cui la creazione nella sua cittànatale di una biblioteca pubblica. Tale istituto era fino ad allora inesistente, a fronte della presenza di collezioni librarie appartenenti agli ordini religiosi, fra cui Gesuiti e Cappuccini: proprio i libri di questi ultimi, acquisiti aseguito delle leggi di soppressione degli enti ecclesiastici del 1866 e 1867, costituirono il nucleo iniziale della Biblioteca Corradi unitamente ai volumi appartenuti al medico. Lo studio dunque attraverso l’esame delle note di possesso cerca di ricostruire la provenienza e l’organizzazione della collezione dei frati per poi, attraverso l’analisi della documentazione prodotta nelle riunioni del Consiglio comunale e della Giunta del Comune di Sanremo, prendere in esame il processo formativo dell’attuale Biblioteca Civica

From individual behaviors to an evaluation of the collective evolution of crowds along footbridges

In the present work a mathematical model aimed at evaluating the dynamics of crowds is derived and discussed. In particular, on the basis of some phenomenological considerations focused on pedestrians’ individual behavior, a model dealing with the collective evolution of the crowd, formalized in terms of a conservation law for a crowding measure, is obtained. To suit engineering needs, modeling e¿orts are made toward the simulation of real world crowd events speci¿cally happening along pedestrian walkways. The response of the model as well as its tunability are studied in some computational domains inspired by existing footbridges

Seasonal Changes in Breathing Pattern, Trunk Stabilization, and Muscular Power in Paralympic Swimmers

The purpose of this study was to monitor the changes in breathing pattern, trunk muscle stabilization, and upper-body muscular power in Paralympic swimmers throughout a competitive season over three time points: October (T1), March (T2), and August (T3). Six top-level Paralympic swimmers voluntarily participated in this study. The Friedman test, the Bonferroni\u2013Dunn multiple comparison post hoc analysis, and Kendall\u2019s W concordance coefficient for the measure of effect were used. A significant difference was found in the breathing pattern, trunk stability, and upper-body power variables from the T1 to T3 season (p\u2009<\u2009.05). However, no significant changes were found in the T2 season. A long-term assessment of these fitness parameters may be of practical importance for better tailoring the training programs of top-level Paralympic swimmers

Il libro e le sue reti. La circolazione dell'edizione italiana nello spazio della francofonia (sec. XVI-XVII)

Nell\u2019ambito del pi\uf9 vasto progetto EDITEF (\uc9dition italienne dans l\u2019espace francophone \ue0 la premi\ue8re modernit\ue9) che una serie di istituzioni francesi, italiane, svizzere e belghe stanno realizzando, si \ue8 tenuta a a Ravenna nel nel 2013 una giornata di studi sul tema della circolazione del libro italiano nello spazio della francofonia durante il "lungo Rinascimento", organizzata dal Dipartimento Beni Culturali dell\u2019Universit\ue0 di Bologna, Campus di Ravenna, con l\u2019ausilio del Centre d\u2019Etudes Sup\ue9rieures de la Renaissance di Tours, Studiosi di varie universit\ue0 italiane, francesi e belghe hanno indagato i percorsi geografici (vie e mezzi di trasporto), economici (modalit\ue0 delle varie transazioni e ruolo degli attori) e culturali (ruolo del milieu intellettuale francofono e italiano nella diffusione) che hanno portato l\u2019edizione rinascimentale, prodotta in Italia in lingua volgare, ad essere diffusa e letta in Francia e nel Belgio francofono