Search results for: Gian Andrea Blengini

Authors: Andrea Ando

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The development of the blockchain has been a major innovation in the technology field. It opened the door to the creation of novel cyberassets and currencies. In more recent times, the non-fungible tokens have started to be at the centre of media attention. Their popularity has been increasing since 2021, and they represent the latest in the world of distributed ledger technologies and cryptocurrencies. It seems more and more likely that NFTs will play a more important role in our online interactions. They are indeed increasingly taking part in the arts and technology sectors. Their impact on society and the market is still very difficult to define, but it is very likely that there will be a turning point in the world of digital assets. There are some examples of their peculiar behaviour and effect in our contemporary tech-market: the former CEO of the famous social media site Twitter sold an NFT of his first tweet for around £2,1 million ($2,5 million), or the National Basketball Association has created a platform to sale unique moment and memorabilia from the history of basketball through the non-fungible token technology. Their growth, as imaginable, paved the way for civil disputes, mostly regarding their position under the current intellectual property law in each jurisdiction. In April 2022, the High Court of England and Wales ruled in the OpenSea case that non-fungible tokens can be considered properties. The judge, indeed, concluded that the cryptoasset had all the indicia of property under common law (National Provincial Bank v. Ainsworth). The research has demonstrated that the ruling of the High Court is not providing enough answers to the dilemma of whether minting an NFT is a violation or not of intellectual property and/or property rights. Indeed, if, on the one hand, the technology follows the framework set by the case law (e.g., the 4 criteria of Ainsworth), on the other hand, the question that arises is what is effectively protected and owned by both the creator and the purchaser. Then the question that arises is whether a person has ownership of the cryptographed code, that it is indeed definable, identifiable, intangible, distinct, and has a degree of permanence, or what is attached to this block-chain, hence even a physical object or piece of art. Indeed, a simple code would not have any financial importance if it were not attached to something that is widely recognised as valuable. This was demonstrated first through the analysis of the expectations of intellectual property law. Then, after having laid the foundation, the paper examined the OpenSea case, and finally, it analysed whether the expectations were met or not.

Keywords: technology, technology law, digital law, cryptoassets, NFTs, NFT, property law, intellectual property law, copyright law

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Authors: Ariadne Katsouras, Andrea Chareunsy

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The number of large hydroelectric dams in the world has increased from almost 6,000 in the 1950s to over 45,000 in 2000. Dams are often built to increase the economic development of a country. This can occur in several ways. Large dams take many years to build so the construction process employs many people for a long time and that increased production and income can flow on into other sectors of the economy. Additionally, the provision of electricity can help raise people’s living standards and if the electricity is sold to another country then the money can be used to provide other public goods for the residents of the country that own the dam. Dams are also built to control flooding and provide irrigation water. Most dams are of these types. This paper will give an overview of the environmental and economic theories of the impact of dams in different regions of the world. There is a difference in the degree of environmental and economic impacts due to the varying climates and varying social and political factors of the regions. Production of greenhouse gases from the dam’s reservoir, for instance, tends to be higher in tropical areas as opposed to Nordic environments. However, there are also common impacts due to construction of the dam itself, such as, flooding of land for the creation of the reservoir and displacement of local populations. Economically, the local population tends to benefit least from the construction of the dam. Additionally, if a foreign company owns the dam or the government subsidises the cost of electricity to businesses, then the funds from electricity production do not benefit the residents of the country the dam is built in. So, in the end, the dams can benefit a country economically, but the varying factors related to its construction and how these are dealt with, determine the level of benefit, if any, of the dam. Some of the theories or practices used to evaluate the potential value of a dam include cost-benefit analysis, environmental impacts assessments and regressions. Systems analysis is also a useful method. While these theories have value, there are also possible shortcomings. Cost-benefit analysis converts all the costs and benefits to dollar values, which can be problematic. Environmental impact assessments, likewise, can be incomplete, especially if the assessment does not include feedback effects, that is, they only consider the initial impact. Finally, regression analysis is dependent on the available data and again would not necessarily include feedbacks. Systems analysis is a method that can allow more complex modelling of the environment and the economic system. It would allow a clearer picture to emerge of the impacts and can include a long time frame.

Keywords: comparison, economics, environment, hydroelectric dams

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Authors: Paola Causin, Andrea Aspri, Alessandro Benfenati

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Diffuse Optical Tomography (DOT) is an emergent medical imaging technique which employs NIR light to estimate the spatial distribution of optical coefficients in biological tissues for diagnostic purposes, in a noninvasive and non-ionizing manner. DOT reconstruction is a severely ill-conditioned problem due to prevalent scattering of light in the tissue. In this contribution, we present our research in adopting hybrid knowledgedriven/data-driven approaches which exploit the existence of well assessed physical models and build upon them neural networks integrating the availability of data. Namely, since in this context regularization procedures are mandatory to obtain a reasonable reconstruction [1], we explore the use of neural networks as tools to include prior information on the solution. 2. Materials and Methods The idea underlying our approach is to leverage neural networks to solve PDE-constrained inverse problems of the form 𝒒 ∗ = 𝒂𝒓𝒈 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒒 𝐃(𝒚, 𝒚̃), (1) where D is a loss function which typically contains a discrepancy measure (or data fidelity) term plus other possible ad-hoc designed terms enforcing specific constraints. In the context of inverse problems like (1), one seeks the optimal set of physical parameters q, given the set of observations y. Moreover, 𝑦̃ is the computable approximation of y, which may be as well obtained from a neural network but also in a classic way via the resolution of a PDE with given input coefficients (forward problem, Fig.1 box ). Due to the severe ill conditioning of the reconstruction problem, we adopt a two-fold approach: i) we restrict the solutions (optical coefficients) to lie in a lower-dimensional subspace generated by auto-decoder type networks. This procedure forms priors of the solution (Fig.1 box ); ii) we use regularization procedures of type 𝒒̂ ∗ = 𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒒 𝐃(𝒚, 𝒚̃)+ 𝑹(𝒒), where 𝑹(𝒒) is a regularization functional depending on regularization parameters which can be fixed a-priori or learned via a neural network in a data-driven modality. To further improve the generalizability of the proposed framework, we also infuse physics knowledge via soft penalty constraints (Fig.1 box ) in the overall optimization procedure (Fig.1 box ). 3. Discussion and Conclusion DOT reconstruction is severely hindered by ill-conditioning. The combined use of data-driven and knowledgedriven elements is beneficial and allows to obtain improved results, especially with a restricted dataset and in presence of variable sources of noise.

Keywords: inverse problem in tomography, deep learning, diffuse optical tomography, regularization

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Authors: Barbara Farinon, Maurizio E. Picarella, Lorenzo Mancini, Andrea Mazzucato

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Italy is notoriously a secondary center of diversification for cultivated tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum L.). The study of phenotypic and genetic diversity in landrace collections is important for germplasm conservation and biodiversity protection. Here, we set up to study the germplasm collected in the region of Lazio in Central Italy with a focus on the distinctiveness among landraces and the attribution of membership to unnamed accessions. Our regional collection included 30 accessions belonging to six different locally recognized landraces and 21 unnamed accessions. All accessions were gathered in Lazio and belonged to the collection held at the Regional Agency for the Development and Innovation of Agriculture in Lazio (ARSIAL, in the application of the Regional Act n. 15/2000, funded by Lazio Rural Development Plan 2014 – 2020 Agro-environmental Measure, Action 10.2.1) and at the University of Tuscia. We included 13 control genotypes as references. The collection showed wide phenotypic variability for several traits, such as fruit weight (range 14-277 g), locule number (2-12), shape index (0.54-2.65), yield (0.24-3.08 kg/plant), and soluble solids (3.4-7.5 °B). A few landraces showed uncommon phenotypes, such as potato leaf, colorless fruit epidermis, or delayed ripening. Multivariate analysis of 25 cardinal phenotypic variables grouped the named varieties and allowed to assign of some of the unnamed to recognized groups. A case study for distinctiveness is presented for the flattened-ribbed types that presented overlapping distribution according to the phenotypic data. Molecular markers retrieved by previous studies revealed differences compared to the phenotyping clustering, indicating that the named varieties “Scatolone di Bolsena” and “Pantano Romanesco” belong to the Marmande group, together with the reference landrace from Tuscany “Costoluto Fiorentino”. Differently, the landrace “Spagnoletta di Formia e Gaeta” was clearly distinct from the former at the molecular level. Therefore, a genotypic analysis of the analyzed collection appears needed to better define the molecular distinctiveness among the flattened-ribbed accessions, as well as to properly attribute the membership group of the unnamed accessions.

Keywords: distinctiveness, flattened-ribbed fruits, regional landraces, tomato

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Authors: Stella Laletas, Andrea Reupert, Melinda Goodyear, Bradley Morgan

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Background: Many people with a mental illness have young children. Research has shown that early childhood is a particularly vulnerable time for children whose parents have a mental illness. Moreover, repeated research has demonstrated the effectiveness of a multiagency approach to family focused practice for improving parental functioning and preventing adverse outcomes in children whose parents have a mental illness, particularly in the early years of a child’s life. However, there is a paucity of professional development resources for professionals who work with families where a parent has a mental illness and has young children. Significance of the study: This study will make a contribution to addressing knowledge gaps around resource development and workforce needs for early childhood and mental health professionals working with young children where a parent has a mental illness. Objective: This presentation describes a newly developed resource, 'Pathways of Care', specifically designed for early childhood educators and mental health workers, alongside pilot evaluation data regarding its effectiveness. ‘Pathways of Care’ aims to promote collaborative practice and present early identification and referral processes for workers in this sector. The resource was developed by the Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI) National Initiative which is funded by the Australian Government. Method: Using a mixed method design, the effectiveness of the training resource is also presented. Fifteen workers completed the Family Focus Mental Health Practice Questionnaire pre and post using the resource, to measure confidence and practice change; semi-structured interviews were also conducted with eight of these same workers to further explore the utility of the resource. Findings: The findings indicated the resource was effective in increasing knowledge and confidence, particularly for new and/or inexperienced staff. Examples of how the resource was used in practice by various professions emerged from the interview data. Conclusions: Collaborative practice, early identification and intervention in early childhood can potentially play a key role in altering the life trajectory of children who are at risk. This information has important implications for workforce development and staff training in both the early childhood and mental health sectors. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

Keywords: parents with mental ilnesses, early intervention, evaluation, preschool children

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Authors: Noah Wayne, Andrea Tuka, Adrian Norbash, Bryan Garber, Paul Ritvo

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Program/Intervention Description: The Canadian Armed Forces(CAF) Mental Health Clinicstreat a full spectrum of mental disorder, addictions, and psychosocial issues that include Major Depressive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and other diagnoses. We evaluated the feasibility of an online health coach interventiondelivering mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy (M-CBT) and behaviour changesupport for individuals receiving treatment at CAF Clinics. Participants were provided accounts on NexJ Connected Wellness, a digital health platform, and 16 weeks of phone-based health coaching,emphasizingmild to moderate aerobic exercise, a healthy diet, and M-CBT content. The primary objective was to assess the feasibility of the online deliverywith CAF members. Evaluation Methods: Feasibility was evaluated in terms of recruitment, engagement, and program satisfaction. Weadditionallyevaluatedhealth behavior change, program completion, and mental health symptoms (i.e. PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5) at three time points. Results: Service members were referred from Vancouver, Esquimalt, and Edmonton CAF bases between August 2020 and January 2021. N=106 CAF personnel were referred, and n=77 consented.N=66 participated, and n=44 completed 4-month and follow-up measures. The platform received a mean rating of76.5 on the System Usability Scale, and health coaching was judged the most helpful program feature (95.2% endorsement), while reminders (53.7%), secure messaging (51.2%), and notifications (51.2%) were also identified. Improvements in mental health status during active interventions were observed on the PHQ-9 (-5.4, p<0.001), GAD-7 (-4.0, p<0.001), and PCL-5 (-4.1, p<0.05). Conclusion: Online health coaching was well-received amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns. Uptake and engagement were positively reported. Participants valuedcontacts and reported strong therapeutic alliances with coaches. Healthy diet, regular exercise, and mindfulness practice are important for physical and mental health. Engagements in these behaviors are associated with reduced symptoms. An online health coach program appears feasible for assisting Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

Keywords: coaching, CBT, military, depression, mental health, digital

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Authors: David Martinez-Pernia, Alvaro Rivera-Rei, Alejandro Troncoso, Gonzalo Forno, Andrea Slachevsky, David Huepe, Victoria Silva-Mack, Jorge Calderon, Mayte Vergara, Valentina Carrera

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Background: Recent theories in the field of emotions have taken the relevance of motor control beyond a system related to personal autonomy (walking, running, grooming), and integrate it into the emotional dimension. However, to our best knowledge, there are no studies that specifically investigate how emotional stimuli related to motor control modify emotional states in terms of postural control and phenomenological experience. Objective: The main aim of this work is to investigate the emotions produced by stimuli of bodily imbalance (neutral, pleasant and unpleasant) in the postural control and the phenomenological experience of young, healthy adults. Methodology: 46 healthy young people are shown emotional videos (neutral, pleasant, motor unpleasant, and non-motor unpleasant) related to the body imbalance. During the period of stimulation of each of the videos (60 seconds) the participant is standing on a force platform to collect temporal and spatial data of postural control. In addition, the electrophysiological activity of the heart and electrodermal activity is recorded. In relation to the two unpleasant conditions (motor versus non-motor), a phenomenological interview is carried out to collect the subjective experience of emotion and body perception. Results: Pleasant and unpleasant emotional videos have significant changes with respect to the neutral condition in terms of greater area, higher mean velocity, and greater mean frequency power on the anterior-posterior axis. The results obtained with respect to the electrodermal response was that the pleasurable and unpleasant conditions produced a significant increase in the phasic component with respect to the neutral condition. Regarding the electrophysiology of the heart, no significant change was found in any condition. Phenomenological experiences in the two unpleasant conditions differ in body perception and the emotional meaning of the experience. Conclusion: Emotional stimuli related to bodily imbalance produce changes in postural control, electrodermal activity, and phenomenological experience. This experimental setting could be relevant to be implemented in people with motor disorders (Parkinson, Stroke, TBI) to know how emotions affect motor control.

Keywords: body imbalance stimuli, emotion, phenomenological experience, postural control

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Authors: Grace Fangmin Tan, Elaine Yiling Tay, Elizabeth Huiwen Tham, Andrea Wei Ching Yeo

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Background: While accidental poisonings in children may seem unavoidable, knowledge of circumstances surrounding such incidents and identification of risk factors is important in the development of secondary prevention strategies. Some risk factors include age of the child, lack of adequate supervision and improper storage of substances. The aim of this study is to assess risk factors and circumstances influencing outcomes in these children. Methodology: A retrospective medical record review of all accidental poisoning cases presenting to the Children’s Emergency at National University Hospital (NUH), Singapore between January 2014 and December 2015 was conducted. Information on demographics, poisoning circumstances and clinical outcomes were collected. Results: Ninety-nine of a total of 186 poisoning cases were accidental ingestions, with a mean age of 4.7 (range 0.4 to 18.3 years). The gender distribution is rather equal with 52(52.5%) females and 47(47.5%) males. Seventy-nine (79.8%) were self-administered by the child and in 20 cases (20.2%), the substance was administered erroneously by caregivers 12/20 (60.0%) of whom were given the wrong drug dose while 8/20 (40.0%) were given the wrong substance. Self-administration was associated with presentation to the ED within 12 hours (p=0.027, OR 6.65, 95% CI 1.24-35.72). Notably, 94.9% of the cases involved substances kept within reach of the child. Sixty-nine (82.1%) had the substance kept in the original container, 3(3.6%) in food containers, 8(9.5%) in other containers and 4(4.8%) without a container. Of the 50 cases with information on labelling, 40/50(80.0%) were accurately labelled, 2/50 (4.0%) wrongly labelled, and 8/50 (16.0%) were unlabelled. Implicated substances included personal care products (11.1%), household cleaning products (3.0%), and different classes of drugs such as paracetamol (22.2%), antihistamines (17.2%) and sympathomimetics (8.1%). Children < 3 years of age were 4.8 times more likely to be poisoned by household substances than children >3 years of age (p=0.009, 95% CI 1.48-15.77). Prehospital interventions were more likely to have been done in poisoning with household substances (p=0.005, OR 6.12 95% CI 1.73-21.68). Fifty-nine (59.6%) were asymptomatic, 34 (34.3%) had a Poisoning Severity Score (PSS) grade of 1 (minor) and 6 (6.1%) grade 2 (moderate). Older children were 9.3 times more likely to be symptomatic (p<0.001, 95% CI 3.15-27.25). Thirty (32%) required admission. Conclusion: A significant proportion of accidental poisoning cases were due to medication administration errors by caregivers, which should be preventable. Risk factors for accidental poisoning included lack of adequate caregiver supervision, improper labelling and young age of the child. There is an urgent need to improve caregiver counselling during medication dispensing as well as to educate caregivers on basic child safety measures in the home to prevent future accidental poisonings.

Keywords: accidental, caregiver, paediatrics, poisoning

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Authors: Andrea M. Rivas-Castillo, Marlenne Gómez-Ramirez, Isela Rodríguez-Pozos, Norma G. Rojas-Avelizapa

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Spent catalysts are considered as hazardous residues of major concern, mainly due to the simultaneous presence of several metals in elevated concentrations. Although hydrometallurgical, pyrometallurgical and chelating agent methods are available to remove and recover some metals contained in spent catalysts; these procedures generate potentially hazardous wastes and the emission of harmful gases. Thus, biotechnological treatments are currently gaining importance to avoid the negative impacts of chemical technologies. To this end, diverse microorganisms have been used to assess the removal of metals from spent catalysts, comprising bacteria, archaea and fungi, whose resistance and metal uptake capabilities differ depending on the microorganism tested. Acidophilic sulfur oxidizing bacteria have been used to investigate the biotreatment and extraction of valuable metals from spent catalysts, namely Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Acidithiobacillus ferroxidans, as they present the ability to produce leaching agents such as sulfuric acid and sulfur oxidation intermediates. In the present work, the ability of A. thiooxidans DSM 26636 for the bioleaching of metals contained in five different spent catalysts was assessed by growing the culture in modified Starkey mineral medium (with elemental sulfur at 1%, w/v), and 1% (w/v) pulp density of each residue for up to 21 days at 30 °C and 150 rpm. Sulfur-oxidizing activity was periodically evaluated by determining sulfate concentration in the supernatants according to the NMX-k-436-1977 method. The production of sulfuric acid was assessed in the supernatants as well, by a titration procedure using NaOH 0.5 M with bromothymol blue as acid-base indicator, and by measuring pH using a digital potentiometer. On the other hand, Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry was used to analyze metal removal from the five different spent catalysts by A. thiooxidans DSM 26636. Results obtained show that, as could be expected, sulfuric acid production is directly related to the diminish of pH, and also to highest metal removal efficiencies. It was observed that Al and Fe are recurrently removed from refinery spent catalysts regardless of their origin and previous usage, although these removals may vary from 9.5 ± 2.2 to 439 ± 3.9 mg/kg for Al, and from 7.13 ± 0.31 to 368.4 ± 47.8 mg/kg for Fe, depending on the spent catalyst proven. Besides, bioleaching of metals like Mg, Ni, and Si was also obtained from automotive spent catalysts, which removals were of up to 66 ± 2.2, 6.2±0.07, and 100±2.4, respectively. Hence, the data presented here exhibit the potential of A. thiooxidans DSM 26636 for the simultaneous bioleaching of metals contained in spent catalysts from diverse provenance.

Keywords: bioleaching, metal removal, spent catalysts, Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans

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Authors: Andrea S. Badillo-Perez, Alexis D. Mitchell, Sara M. Levens

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Overeating, and obesity have been associated with addictive behavior, primarily due to behaviors like reward-based eating, the tendency to overeat due to factors such as lack of control, preoccupation over food, and lack of satiation. Temporal discounting (TD), the ability to select future rewards over short term gains, and mindfulness, the process of maintaining present moment awareness, have been suggested to have significant, differential impacts on health-related behaviors. An individual’s health locus of control, the degree to which they feel that they have control over their health is also known to have an impact on health outcomes. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between health locus of control and reward-based eating, as well as the relation between TD and mindfulness in a sample (N = 126) of overweight or obese participants from larger health-focused study. Through the use of questionnaires (including the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Reward-Based Eating Drive (RED), and Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLOC)), anthropometric measurements, and a computerized TD task, a series of regressions tested the association between subscales of these measures. Results revealed differences in how the mindfulness subscales are associated with TD measures. Specifically the ‘Observing’ (beta =-.203) and ‘Describing’ (beta =.26) subscales were associated with lower TD rates and a longer subjective devaluation time-frame respectively. In contrast, the ‘Acting with Awareness’ subscale was associated with a shorter subjective devaluation timeframe (beta =-.23). These findings suggest that the reflective perspective initiated through the observing and describing components of mindfulness may facilitate delay of gratification, whereas the acting with awareness component of mindfulness, which focuses on the present moment, may make delay of gratification more challenging. Results also indicated that a higher degree of reward-based eating was associated with a higher degree of an external health locus of control based on the power of chance (beta =.10). However, an external locus of control based on the power of others had no significant association with reward-based eating. This finding implies that the belief that health is due to chance is associated with greater reward-based eating behavior, suggesting that interventions that focus on locus of control may be helpful. Overall, findings demonstrate that weight loss interventions may benefit from health locus of control and mindfulness exercises, but caution should be taken as the components of mindfulness appear to have different effects on increasing or decreasing delay of gratification.

Keywords: health locus of control, mindfulness, obesity, reward-based eating, temporal discounting

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Authors: Yuli Andrea P. Bermudez, Richard R. Lobo, Tamyres R. D. Amorim, Danny Alexander R. Moreno, Angelica Simone C. Pereira, Ives Claudio D. Bueno

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The use of natural antioxidants in animal feed can positively modify the profile of fatty acids (FAs) in meat, due to the presence of secondary metabolites, mainly phenolic and flavonoid compounds, which promote an increase in the associated polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) with beneficial factors in human health. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of the dietary inclusion percentage of yerba mate extract (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hilaire) as a natural antioxidant on lamb meat quality. The animals were confined for 53 days and fed with corn silage and concentrated in the proportion of 60:40, respectively, were divided into four homogeneous groups (n = 9 lambs/group), to each of the treatments, one control group without yerba mate extract - YME (0%) and three treatments with 1, 2 and 4% the inclusion of YME on a DM basis. Samples of the Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle were collected from the deboning of 36 lambs, analyzing pH values, color parameters (brightness: L*, red value: a*, and yellow: b*), fatty acid profile, total lipids, and sensory analysis. The inclusion of YME modified the value of b* (P = 0.0041), indicating a higher value of yellow color in the meat, for the group supplemented with 4% YME. All data were statistically evaluated using the MIXED procedure of the statistical package SAS 9.4. However, it did not show differences in the final live weight in the groups evaluated, as well as in the pH values (P = 0.1923) and the total lipid concentration (P = 0.0752). The FAs (P ≥ 0.1360) and health indexes were not altered by the inclusion of YME (P ≥ 0.1360); only branched-chain fatty acids (BCFA) exhibited a diet effect (P = 0.0092) in the group that had 4% of the extract. In the sensory analysis test with a hedonic scale it did not show differences between the treatments (P ≥ 0.1251). Nevertheless, in the just about-right test, using (note 1) to 'very strong, softness or moist' (note 5); the softness was different between the evaluated treatments (P = 0.0088) where groups with 2% YME had a better acceptance of tasters (4.15 ± 0.08) compared to the control (3.89 ± 0.08). In conclusion, although the addition of YME has shown positive results in sensory acceptance and in increasing the concentration of BCFA, fatty acids beneficial to human health, without changing the physical-chemical parameters in lamb meat, the absolute changes are considered to have been quite small, which was probably related to the high efficiency of PUFA biohydrogenation in the n the rumen.

Keywords: composition, health, antioxidant, meat analysis

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Authors: Silke Bustamante, Andrea Pelzeter, Andreas Deckmann, Rudi Ehlscheidt, Franziska Freudenberger

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Many companies increasingly seek to enhance their attractiveness as an employer to bind their employees. At the same time, corporate responsibility for social and ecological issues seems to become a more important part of an attractive employer brand. It enables the company to match the values and expectations of its members, to signal fairness towards them and to increase its brand potential for positive psychological identification on the employees’ side. In the last decade, several empirical studies have focused this relationship, confirming a positive effect of employees’ CSR perception and their affective organizational commitment. The current paper aims to take a slightly different view by analyzing the impact of another factor on commitment: the weighted employee’s satisfaction with the employer CSR. For that purpose, it is assumed that commitment levels are rather a result of the fulfillment or disappointment of expectations. Hence, instead of merely asking how CSR perception affects commitment, a more complex independent variable is taken into account: a weighted satisfaction construct that summarizes two different factors. Therefore, the individual level of commitment contingent on CSR is conceptualized as a function of two psychological processes: (1) the individual significance that an employee ascribes to specific employer attributes and (2) the individual satisfaction based on the fulfillment of expectation that rely on preceding perceptions of employer attributes. The results presented are based on a quantitative survey that was undertaken among employees of the German service sector. Conceptually a five-dimensional CSR construct (ecology, employees, marketplace, society and corporate governance) and a two-dimensional non-CSR construct (company and workplace) were applied to differentiate employer characteristics. (1) Respondents were asked to indicate the importance of different facets of CSR-related and non-CSR-related employer attributes. By means of a conjoint analysis, the relative importance of each employer attribute was calculated from the data. (2) In addition to this, participants stated their level of satisfaction with specific employer attributes. Both indications were merged to individually weighted satisfaction indexes on the seven-dimensional levels of employer characteristics. The affective organizational commitment of employees (dependent variable) was gathered by applying the established 15-items Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ). The findings related to the relationship between satisfaction and commitment will be presented. Furthermore, the question will be addressed, how important satisfaction with CSR is in relation to the satisfaction with other attributes of the company in the creation of commitment. Practical as well as scientific implications will be discussed especially with reference to previous results that focused on CSR perception as a commitment driver.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, organizational commitment, employee attitudes/satisfaction, employee expectations, employer brand

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Authors: Pamela R. Jackson, Andrea Hawkins-Daarud, Cassandra R. Rickertsen, Kamala Clark-Swanson, Scott A. Whitmire, Kristin R. Swanson

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Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), the most common primary brain tumor, often presents with hyperintensity on T2-weighted or T2-weighted fluid attenuated inversion recovery (T2/FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This hyperintensity corresponds with vasogenic edema, however there are likely many infiltrating tumor cells within the hyperintensity as well. While MRIs do not directly indicate tumor cells, MRIs do reflect the microenvironmental water abnormalities caused by the presence of tumor cells and edema. The inherent heterogeneity and resulting MRI features of GBMs complicate assessing disease response. To understand how hyperintensity on T2/FLAIR MRI may correlate with edema in the extracellular space (ECS), a multi-compartmental MRI signal equation which takes into account tissue compartments and their associated volumes with input coming from a mathematical model of glioma growth that incorporates edema formation was explored. The reasonableness of two possible extracellular space schema was evaluated by varying the T2 of the edema compartment and calculating the possible resulting T2s in tumor and peripheral edema. In the mathematical model, gliomas were comprised of vasculature and three tumor cellular phenotypes: normoxic, hypoxic, and necrotic. Edema was characterized as fluid leaking from abnormal tumor vessels. Spatial maps of tumor cell density and edema for virtual tumors were simulated with different rates of proliferation and invasion and various ECS expansion schemes. These spatial maps were then passed into a multi-compartmental MRI signal model for generating simulated T2/FLAIR MR images. Individual compartments’ T2 values in the signal equation were either from literature or estimated and the T2 for edema specifically was varied over a wide range (200 ms – 9200 ms). T2 maps were calculated from simulated images. T2 values based on simulated images were evaluated for regions of interest (ROIs) in normal appearing white matter, tumor, and peripheral edema. The ROI T2 values were compared to T2 values reported in literature. The expanding scheme of extracellular space is had T2 values similar to the literature calculated values. The static scheme of extracellular space had a much lower T2 values and no matter what T2 was associated with edema, the intensities did not come close to literature values. Expanding the extracellular space is necessary to achieve simulated edema intensities commiserate with acquired MRIs.

Keywords: extracellular space, glioblastoma multiforme, magnetic resonance imaging, mathematical modeling

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Authors: Tetyana Kendzerska, David T. Zhu, Michael Pugliese, Douglas Manuel, Mohsen Sadatsafavi, Marcus Povitz, Therese A. Stukel, Teresa To, Shawn D. Aaron, Sunita Mulpuru, Melanie Chin, Claire E. Kendall, Kednapa Thavorn, Rebecca Robillard, Andrea S. Gershon

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs) remains unknown. To compare observed and expected (projected based on previous years) trends in all-cause mortality and healthcare use for ACSCs in the first year of the pandemic (March 2020 - March 2021). A population-based study using provincial health administrative data.General adult population (Ontario, Canada). Monthly all-cause mortality, and hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) and outpatient visit rates (per 100,000 people at-risk) for seven combined ACSCs (asthma, COPD, angina, congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and epilepsy) during the first year were compared with similar periods in previous years (2016-2019) by fitting monthly time series auto-regressive integrated moving-average models. Compared to previous years, all-cause mortality rates increased at the beginning of the pandemic (observed rate in March-May 2020 of 79.98 vs. projected of 71.24 [66.35-76.50]) and then returned to expected in June 2020—except among immigrants and people with mental health conditions where they remained elevated. Hospitalization and ED visit rates for ACSCs remained lower than projected throughout the first year: observed hospitalization rate of 37.29 vs. projected of 52.07 (47.84-56.68); observed ED visit rate of 92.55 vs. projected of 134.72 (124.89-145.33). ACSC outpatient visit rates decreased initially (observed rate of 4,299.57 vs. projected of 5,060.23 [4,712.64-5,433.46]) and then returned to expected in June 2020. Reductions in outpatient visits for ACSCs at the beginning of the pandemic combined with reduced hospital admissions may have been associated with temporally increased mortality—disproportionately experienced by immigrants and those with mental health conditions. The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization

Keywords: COVID-19, chronic disease, all-cause mortality, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, outpatient visits, modelling, population-based study, asthma, COPD, angina, heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy

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Authors: Diana M. Torres, Anngie K. Hernandez, Andrea Villareal, Magda R. Gomez, Sadao Kobayashi

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Colombian Garlic crops exhibited mild mosaic, yellow stripes, and deformation. This group of symptoms suggested a viral infection. Several viruses belonging to the genera Potyvirus, Carlavirus and Allexivirus are known to infect garlic and lower their yield worldwide, but in Colombia, there are no studies of viral infections in this crop, only leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV) has been reported to our best knowledge. In Colombia, there are no management strategies for viral diseases in garlic because of the lack of information about viral infections on this crop, which is reflected in (i) high prevalence of viral related symptoms in garlic fields and (ii) high dispersal rate. For these reasons, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the viral status of garlic in Colombia, which can represent a major threat on garlic yield and quality for this country 55 symptomatic leaf samples were collected for virus detection by RT-PCR and mechanical inoculation. Total RNA isolated from infected samples were subjected to RT-PCR with primers 1-OYDV-G/2-OYDV-G for Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV) (expected size 774pb), 1LYSV/2LYSV for LYSV (expected size 1000pb), SLV 7044/SLV 8004 for Shallot latent virus (SLV) (expected size 960pb), GCL-N30/GCL-C40 for Garlic common latent virus (GCLV) (expected size 481pb) and EF1F/EF1R for internal control (expected size 358pb). GCLV, SLV, and LYSV were detected in infected samples; in 95.6% of the analyzed samples was detected at least one of the viruses. GCLV and SLV were detected in single infection with low prevalence (9.3% and 7.4%, respectively). Garlic generally becomes coinfected with several types of viruses. Four viral complexes were identified: three double infection (64% of analyzed samples) and one triple infection (15%). The most frequent viral complex was SLV + GCLV infecting 48.1% of the samples. The other double complexes identified had a prevalence of 7% (GCLV + LYSV and SLV + LYSV) and 5.6% of the samples were free from these viruses. Mechanical transmission experiments were set up using leaf tissues of collected samples from infected fields, different test plants were assessed to know the host range, but it was restricted to C. quinoa, confirming the presence of detected viruses which have limited host range and were detected in C. quinoa by RT-PCR. The results of molecular and biological tests confirm the presence of SLV, LYSV, and GCLV; this is the first report of SLV and LYSV in garlic plants in Colombia, which can represent a serious threat for this crop in this country.

Keywords: SLV, GCLV, LYSV, leek yellow stripe virus, Allium sativum

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Authors: Andrea Giacomelli, Luciano Massetti, Elena Maggi, Antonio Raschi

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The presentation will report the activities managed during the Summer of 2017 by a team composed by staff from a University Department, a National Research Council Institute, and an outreach NGO, collecting measurements of night sky brightness and other information on artificial lighting, in order to characterize light pollution issues on portions of the Tuscan coast, in Central Italy. These activities combine measurements collected by the principal scientists, citizen science observations led by students, and outreach events targeting a broad audience. This campaign aggregates the efforts of three actors: the BuioMetria Partecipativa project, which started collecting light pollution data on a national scale in 2008 with an environmental engineering and free/open source GIS core team; the Institute of Biometeorology from the National Research Council, with ongoing studies on light and urban vegetation and a consolidated track record in environmental education and citizen science; the Department of Biology from the University of Pisa, which started experiments to assess the impact of light pollution in coastal environments in 2015. While the core of the activities concerns in situ data, the campaign will account also for remote sensing data, thus considering heterogeneous data sources. The aim of the campaign is twofold: (1) To test actions of citizen and student engagement in monitoring sky brightness (2) To collect night sky brightness data and test a protocol for applications to studies on the ecological impact of light pollution, with a special focus on marine coastal ecosystems. The collaboration of an interdisciplinary team in the study of artificial lighting issues is not a common case in Italy, and the possibility of undertaking the campaign in Tuscany has the added value of operating in one of the territories where it is possible to observe both sites with extremely high lighting levels, and areas with extremely low light pollution, especially in the Southern part of the region. Combining environmental monitoring and communication actions in the context of the campaign, this effort will contribute to the promotion of night skies with a good quality as an important asset for the sustainability of coastal ecosystems, as well as to increase citizen awareness through star gazing, night photography and actively participating in field campaign measurements.

Keywords: citizen science, light pollution, marine coastal biodiversity, environmental education

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Authors: Maja Jokić, Andrea Mervar, Stjepan Mateljan

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Peer review journals, as the main communication channel among researchers, fully achieve their objective if they are available to the global research community, which is accomplished through open access. In the EU countries, the idea of open access has spread over the years through various projects, initiatives, and strategic documents. Consequently, in this paper we want to analyze, using various bibliometric indicators, visibility, and significance of open access peer review journals compared to the conventional (non-open access) ones. We examine the sample of open access (OA) journals in 28 EU countries in addition to open access journals in three EU candidate countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia and Serbia), all indexed by Scopus (N=1,522). These journals comprise 42% of the total number of OA journals indexed by Scopus. The distribution of OA journals in our sample according to the subject fields indicates that the largest share has OA journals in Health Sciences, 29% followed by Social Sciences and Physical Sciences with 25%, and 21% in Life Sciences. At the same time, the distribution according to countries (N=31) shows the dominance of EU15 countries with the share of 68.3% (N=1041) while post-socialist European countries (EU11 plus three candidate EU countries) have the share of 31.6% (N=481). Bibliometric indicators are derived from the SCImago Journal Ranking database. The analysis of OA journals according to their quartile scores (that reflect the relation between number of articles and their citations) shows that the largest number of OA journals from our sample was in the third quartile in 2015. For comparison, the majority of all academic journals indexed in Scopus from the countries in our sample were in the same year in the first quartile. The median of SJR indicator (SCImago Journal Rankings) for 2015 that measures the journal's prestige, amounted 0.297 for OA journals from the sample, while it was modestly lower for all OA journals, 0.284. The value of the same indicator for all journals indexed by Scopus (N=11,086) from our group of countries was 0.358, which is significantly different from the one for OA journals. Apart from the number of OA journals we also confirm significant differences between EU15 and post-socialist countries in bibliometric status of OA journals. The median SJR indicator for 2015 for EU15 countries was 0.394, while for post-socialist countries it amounted to 0.226. The changes in bibliometric indicators: quartile score, SJR (SCImago Journal Rankings), SNIP (Sources Normalised Impact by Paper) and IPP (Impact per Publication) of OA journals during 2012-2015 period, as well as H-index for the main four subject fields (Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences and Health Sciences) in the whole sample as well as in two main groups of European countries, show increasing trend of acceptance and visibility of OA journals within the academic community. More comprehensive insights into the visibility of OA journals could be reached by using additional qualitative research methods such as for example, interviews with researchers.

Keywords: bibliometric analysis, European countries, journal evaluation, open access journals

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Authors: Paula Andrea Segura Delgado, Martha Helena Ramírez-Bahena

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Research on how the brain learns has a transcendental application in the educational context. It is crucial for teacher training to understand the nature of brain changes and their direct influence on learning processes. This communication is based on a literature review focused on neuroscience, neuroeducation, and the impact of digital technology on the human brain. Information was gathered from both English and Spanish language sources, using online journals, books and reports. The general objective was to analyze the role of neuroscience knowledge in enriching our understanding of the learning process. In fact, the authors have focused on the impact of digital technology on the human brain as well as its influence in the field of education..Neuroscience knowledge can contribute significantly to improving the training of educators and therefore educational practices. Education as an instrument of change and school as an agent of socialization, it is necessary to understand what it aims to transform: the human brain. Understanding the functioning of the human brain has important repercussions on education: this elucidates cognitive skills, psychological processes and elements that influence the learning process (memory, executive functions, emotions and the circadian cycle); helps identify psychological and neurological deficits that can impede learning processes (dyslexia, autism, hyperactivity); It allows creating environments that promote brain development and contribute to the advancement of brain capabilities in alignment with the stages of neurobiological development. The digital age presents diverse opportunities to every social environment. The frequent use of digital technology (DT) has had a significant and abrupt impact on both the cognitive abilities and physico-chemical properties of the brain, significantly influencing educational processes. Hence, educational community, with the insights from advances in neuroscience, aspire to identify the positive and negative effects of digital technology on the human brain. This knowledge helps ensure the alignment of teacher training and practices with these findings. The knowledge of neuroscience enables teachers to develop teaching methods that are aligned with the way the brain works. For example, neuroscience research has shown that digital technology is having a significant impact on the human brain (addition, anxiety, high levels of dopamine, circadian cycle disorder, decrease in attention, memory, concentration, problems with their social relationships). Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of these changes, their impact on the learning process, and how educators should effectively adapt their approaches based on these brain's changes.

Keywords: digital technology, learn process, neuroscience knowledge, neuroeducation, training proffesors

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Authors: Denisa Mackova, Andrea Pokorna

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The management of postoperative pain is a meaningful part of quality care. The experience and knowledge of registered nurses in postoperative pain management can be influenced by local know-how. Therefore, the research helps to understand the cultural differences between two countries with the aim of evaluating the management of postoperative pain management among the nurses from the Czech Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Both countries have different procedures on managing postoperative pain and the research will provide an understanding of both the advantages and disadvantages of the procedures and also highlight the knowledge and experience of registered nurses in both countries. Between the Czech Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the expectation is for differing results in the usage of opioid analgesia for the patients postoperatively and in the experience of registered nurses with Patient Controlled Analgesia. The aim is to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of registered nurses and to merge the data with the postoperative pain management in the early postoperative period in the Czech Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Also, the aim is to assess the knowledge and experience of registered nurses by using Patient Controlled Analgesia and epidural analgesia treatment in the early postoperative period. The criteria for those providing input into the study, are registered nurses, working in surgical settings (standard departments, post-anesthesia care unit, day care surgery or ICU’s) caring for patients in the postoperative period. Method: Research is being conducted by questionnaires. It is a quantitative research, a comparative study of registered nurses in the Czech Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Questionnaire surveys were distributed through an electronic Bristol online survey. Results: The collection of the data in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been completed successfully, with 550 respondents, 77 were excluded and 473 respondents were included for statistical data analysis. The outcome of the research is expected to highlight the differences in treatment through Patient Controlled Analgesia, with more frequent use in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A similar assumption is expected for treatment conducted by analgesia. We predict that opioids will be used more regularly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whilst therapy through NSAID’s being the most common approach in the Czech Republic. Discussion/Conclusion: The majority of respondents from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were female registered nurses from a multitude of nations. We are expecting a similar split in gender between the Czech Republic respondents; however, there will be a smaller number of nationalities. Relevance for research and practice: Output from the research will assess the knowledge, experience and practice of patient controlled analgesia and epidural analgesia treatment. Acknowledgement: This research was accepted and affiliated to the project: Postoperative pain management, knowledge and experience registered nurses (Czech Republic and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) – SGS05/2019-2020.

Keywords: acute postoperative pain, epidural analgesia, nursing care, patient controlled analgesia

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Authors: Elia Favarelli, Enrico Testi, Andrea Giorgetti

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Autonomous structural health monitoring (SHM) of many structures and bridges became a topic of paramount importance for maintenance purposes and safety reasons. This paper proposes a set of machine learning (ML) tools to perform automatic feature selection and detection of anomalies in a bridge from vibrational data and compare different feature extraction schemes to increase the accuracy and reduce the amount of data collected. As a case study, the Z-24 bridge is considered because of the extensive database of accelerometric data in both standard and damaged conditions. The proposed framework starts from the first four fundamental frequencies extracted through operational modal analysis (OMA) and clustering, followed by density-based time-domain filtering (tracking). The fundamental frequencies extracted are then fed to a dimensionality reduction block implemented through two different approaches: feature selection (intelligent multiplexer) that tries to estimate the most reliable frequencies based on the evaluation of some statistical features (i.e., mean value, variance, kurtosis), and feature extraction (auto-associative neural network (ANN)) that combine the fundamental frequencies to extract new damage sensitive features in a low dimensional feature space. Finally, one class classifier (OCC) algorithms perform anomaly detection, trained with standard condition points, and tested with normal and anomaly ones. In particular, a new anomaly detector strategy is proposed, namely one class classifier neural network two (OCCNN2), which exploit the classification capability of standard classifiers in an anomaly detection problem, finding the standard class (the boundary of the features space in normal operating conditions) through a two-step approach: coarse and fine boundary estimation. The coarse estimation uses classics OCC techniques, while the fine estimation is performed through a feedforward neural network (NN) trained that exploits the boundaries estimated in the coarse step. The detection algorithms vare then compared with known methods based on principal component analysis (PCA), kernel principal component analysis (KPCA), and auto-associative neural network (ANN). In many cases, the proposed solution increases the performance with respect to the standard OCC algorithms in terms of F1 score and accuracy. In particular, by evaluating the correct features, the anomaly can be detected with accuracy and an F1 score greater than 96% with the proposed method.

Keywords: anomaly detection, frequencies selection, modal analysis, neural network, sensor network, structural health monitoring, vibration measurement

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Authors: Ines Antunes, Andrea Massari, Concetta Bartucca

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Greenhouse gasses (GHG) role in the atmosphere has been well known since the 19th century; however, researchers have begun to relate them to climate changes only in the second half of the following century. From this moment, scientists started to correlate the presence of GHG such as CO₂ with the global warming phenomena. This has raised the awareness not only of those who were experts in this field but also of public opinion, which is becoming more and more sensitive to environmental pollution and sustainability issues. Nowadays the reduction of GHG emissions is one of the principal objectives of EU nations. The target is an 80% reduction of emissions in 2050 and to reach the important goal of carbon neutrality. Road sector is responsible for an important amount of those emissions (about 20%). The most part is due to traffic, but a good contribution is also given directly or indirectly from road construction and maintenance. Raw material choice and reuse of post-consumer plastic rather than a cleverer design of roads have an important contribution to reducing carbon footprint. Bituminous membranes can be successfully used as reinforcement systems in asphalt layers to improve road pavement performance against cracking. Composite materials coupling membranes with grids and/or fabrics should be able to combine improved tensile properties of the reinforcement with stress absorbing and waterproofing effects of membranes. Polyglass, with its brand dedicated to road construction and maintenance called Polystrada, has done more than this. The company's target was not only to focus sustainability on the final application but also to implement a greener mentality from the cradle to the grave. Starting from production, Polyglass has made important improvements finalized to increase efficiency and minimize waste. The installation of a trigeneration plant and the usage of selected production scraps inside the products as well as the reduction of emissions into the environment, are one of the main efforts of the company to reduce impact during final product build-up. Moreover, the benefit given by installing Polystrada products brings a significant improvement in road lifetime. This has an impact not only on the number of maintenance or renewal that needs to be done (build less) but also on traffic density due to works and road deviation in case of operations. During the end of the life of a road, Polystrada products can be 100% recycled and milled with classical systems used without changing the normal maintenance procedures. In this work, all these contributions were quantified in terms of CO₂ emission thanks to an LCA analysis. The data obtained were compared with a classical system or a standard production of a membrane. What it is possible to see is that the usage of Polyglass products for street maintenance and building gives a significant reduction of emissions in case of membrane installation under the road wearing course.

Keywords: CO₂ emission, LCA, maintenance, sustainability

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Authors: Andrea Fiorista

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The learning of prepositions is a quite problematic aspect in foreign language instruction, and Italian is certainly not an exception. In their prototypical function, prepositions express schematic relations of two entities in a highly abstract, typically image-schematic way. In other terms, prepositions assume concepts such as directionality, collocation of objects in space and time and, in Cognitive Linguistics’ terms, the position of a trajector with respect to a landmark. Learners of different native languages may conceptualize them differently, implying that they are supposed to operate a recategorization (or create new categories) fitting with the target language. However, most current Italian Foreign/Second Language handbooks and didactic grammars do not facilitate learners in carrying out the task, as they tend to provide partial and idiosyncratic descriptions, with the consequent learner’s effort to memorize them, most of the time without success. In their prototypical meaning, prepositions are used to specify precise topographical positions in the physical environment which become less and less accurate as they radiate out from what might be termed a concrete prototype. According to that, the present study aims to elaborate a cognitive and conceptually well-grounded analysis of some extensive uses of the Italian preposition a, in order to propose effective pedagogical solutions in the Teaching/Learning process. Image schemas, cognitive metaphors and embodiment represent efficient cognitive tools in a task like this. Actually, while learning the merely spatial use of the preposition a (e.g. Sono a Roma = I am in Rome; vado a Roma = I am going to Rome,…) is quite straightforward, it is more complex when a appears in constructions such as verbs of motion +a + infinitive (e.g. Vado a studiare = I am going to study), inchoative periphrasis (e.g. Tra poco mi metto a leggere = In a moment I will read), causative construction (e.g. Lui mi ha mandato a lavorare = He sent me to work). The study reports data from a teaching intervention of Focus on Form, in which a basic cognitive schema is used to facilitate both teachers and students to respectively explain/understand the extensive uses of a. The educational material employed translates Cognitive Linguistics’ theoretical assumptions, such as image schemas and cognitive metaphors, into simple images or proto-scenes easily comprehensible for learners. Illustrative material, indeed, is supposed to make metalinguistic contents more accessible. Moreover, the concept of embodiment is pedagogically applied through activities including motion and learners’ bodily involvement. It is expected that replacing rote learning with a methodology that gives grammatical elements a proper meaning, makes learning process more effective both in the short and long term.

Keywords: cognitive approaches to language teaching, image schemas, embodiment, Italian as FL/SL

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Authors: Alan N. A. Heberle, Salatiel W. Da Silva, Valentin Perez-Herranz, Andrea M. Bernardes

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Contaminants of emerging concern are substances widely used, such as pharmaceutical products. These compounds represent risk for both wild and human life since they are not completely removed from wastewater by conventional wastewater treatment plants. In the environment, they can be harm even in low concentration (µ or ng/L), causing bacterial resistance, endocrine disruption, cancer, among other harmful effects. One of the most common taken medicine to treat cardiocirculatory diseases is the Atenolol (ATL), a β-Blocker, which is toxic to aquatic life. In this way, it is necessary to implement a methodology, which is capable to promote the degradation of the ATL, to avoid the environmental detriment. A very promising technology is the advanced electrochemical oxidation (AEO), which mechanisms are based on the electrogeneration of reactive radicals (mediated oxidation) and/or on the direct substance discharge by electron transfer from contaminant to electrode surface (direct oxidation). The hydroxyl (HO•) and sulfate (SO₄•⁻) radicals can be generated, depending on the reactional medium. Besides that, at some condition, the peroxydisulfate (S₂O₈²⁻) ion is also generated from the SO₄• reaction in pairs. Both radicals, ion, and the direct contaminant discharge can break down the molecule, resulting in the degradation and/or mineralization. However, ATL molecule and byproducts can still remain in the treated solution. On this wise, some efforts can be done to implement the AEO process, being one of them the use of a cationic membrane to separate the cathodic (reduction) from the anodic (oxidation) reactor compartment. The aim of this study is investigate the influence of the implementation of a cationic membrane (Nafion®-117) to separate both cathodic and anodic, AEO reactor compartments. The studied reactor was a filter-press, with bath recirculation mode, flow 60 L/h. The anode was an Nb/BDD2500 and the cathode a stainless steel, both bidimensional, geometric surface area 100 cm². The solution feeding the anodic compartment was prepared with ATL 100 mg/L using Na₂SO₄ 4 g/L as support electrolyte. In the cathodic compartment, it was used a solution containing Na₂SO₄ 71 g/L. Between both solutions was placed the membrane. The applied currents densities (iₐₚₚ) of 5, 20 and 40 mA/cm² were studied over 240 minutes treatment time. Besides that, the ATL decay was analyzed by ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV/Vis). The mineralization was determined performing total organic carbon (TOC) in TOC-L CPH Shimadzu. In the cases without membrane, the iₐₚₚ 5, 20 and 40 mA/cm² resulted in 55, 87 and 98 % ATL degradation at the end of treatment time, respectively. However, with membrane, the degradation, for the same iₐₚₚ, was 90, 100 and 100 %, spending 240, 120, 40 min for the maximum degradation, respectively. The mineralization, without membrane, for the same studied iₐₚₚ, was 40, 55 and 72 %, respectively at 240 min, but with membrane, all tested iₐₚₚ reached 80 % of mineralization, differing only in the time spent, 240, 150 and 120 min, for the maximum mineralization, respectively. The membrane increased the ATL oxidation, probably due to avoid oxidant ions (S₂O₈²⁻) reduction on the cathode surface.

Keywords: contaminants of emerging concern, advanced electrochemical oxidation, atenolol, cationic membrane, double compartment reactor

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Authors: Iris Vural Gursel, Jonathan Moncada, Ernst Worrell, Andrea Ramirez

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In order to achieve the transition from a fossil to bio-based economy, biomass needs to replace fossil resources in meeting the world’s energy and chemical needs. This calls for development of biorefinery systems allowing cost-efficient conversion of biomass to chemicals. In biorefinery systems, feedstock is converted to key intermediates called platforms which are converted to wide range of marketable products. The C6 sugars platform stands out due to its unique versatility as precursor for multiple valuable products. Among the different potential routes from C6 sugars to bio-based chemicals, 1,3-butadiene and ε-caprolactam appear to be of great interest. Butadiene is an important chemical for the production of synthetic rubbers, while caprolactam is used in production of nylon-6. In this study, ex-ante techno-economic performance of 1,3-butadiene and ε-caprolactam routes from C6 sugars were assessed. The aim is to provide insight from an early stage of development into the potential of these new technologies, and the bottlenecks and key cost-drivers. Two cases for each product line were analyzed to take into consideration the effect of possible changes on the overall performance of both butadiene and caprolactam production. Conceptual process design for the processes was developed using Aspen Plus based on currently available data from laboratory experiments. Then, operating and capital costs were estimated and an economic assessment was carried out using Net Present Value (NPV) as indicator. Finally, sensitivity analyses on processing capacity and prices was done to take into account possible variations. Results indicate that both processes perform similarly from an energy intensity point of view ranging between 34-50 MJ per kg of main product. However, in terms of processing yield (kg of product per kg of C6 sugar), caprolactam shows higher yield by a factor 1.6-3.6 compared to butadiene. For butadiene production, with the economic parameters used in this study, for both cases studied, a negative NPV (-642 and -647 M€) was attained indicating economic infeasibility. For the caprolactam production, one of the cases also showed economic infeasibility (-229 M€), but the case with the higher caprolactam yield resulted in a positive NPV (67 M€). Sensitivity analysis indicated that the economic performance of caprolactam production can be improved with the increase in capacity (higher C6 sugars intake) reflecting benefits of the economies of scale. Furthermore, humins valorization for heat and power production was considered and found to have a positive effect. Butadiene production was found sensitive to the price of feedstock C6 sugars and product butadiene. However, even at 100% variation of the two parameters, butadiene production remained economically infeasible. Overall, the caprolactam production line shows higher economic potential in comparison to that of butadiene. The results are useful in guiding experimental research and providing direction for further development of bio-based chemicals.

Keywords: bio-based chemicals, biorefinery, C6 sugars, economic analysis, process modelling

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Authors: Andrea Hernandez Hurtado

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Research on social networks (SNs) -- the interactions individuals share with others has shed important light in helping to explain differential use of variable linguistic forms, both in L1s and L2s. Nevertheless, the acquisition of nonstandard L2 Spanish in the Region of Murcia, Spain, and how learners interact with other speakers while sojourning there have received little attention. Murcian Spanish (MuSp) was widely influenced by Panocho, a divergent evolution of Hispanic Latin, and differs from the more standard Peninsular Spanish (StSp) in phonology, morphology, and lexicon. For instance, speakers from this area will most likely palatalize diminutive endings, producing animalico [̩a.ni.ma.ˈli.ko] instead of animalito [̩a.ni.ma.ˈli.to] ‘little animal’. Because L1 speakers of the area produce and prefer salient regional lexicon and morphology (particularly the palatalized diminutive -ico) in their speech, the current research focuses on how international residents in the Region of Murcia use Spanish: (1) whether or not they acquire (perceptively and/or productively) any of the salient regional features of MuSp, and (2) how their SNs explain such acquisition. This study triangulates across three tasks -recognition, production, and preference- addressing both lexicon and morphology, with each task specifically created for the investigation of MuSp features. Among other variables, the effects of L1, residence, and identity are considered. As an ongoing dissertation research, data are currently being gathered through an online questionnaire. So far, 7 participants from multiple nationalities have completed the survey, although a minimum of 25 are expected to be included in the coming months. Preliminary results revealed that MuSp lexicon and morphology were successfully recognized by participants (p<.001). In terms of regional lexicon production (10.0%) and preference (47.5%), although participants showed higher percentages of StSp, results showed that international residents become aware of stigmatized lexicon and may incorporate it into their language use. Similarly, palatalized diminutives (production 14.2%, preference 19.0%) were present in their responses. The Social Network Analysis provided information about participants’ relationships with their interactants, as well as among them. Results indicated that, generally, when residents were more immersed in the culture (i.e., had more Murcian alters) they produced and preferred more regional features. This project contributes to the knowledge of language variation acquisition in L2 speakers, focusing on a stigmatized Spanish dialect and exploring how stigmatized varieties may affect L2 development. Results will show how L2 Spanish speakers’ language is affected by their stay in Murcia. This, in turn, will shed light on the role of SNs in language acquisition, the acquisition of understudied and marginalized varieties, and the role of immersion on language acquisition. As the first systematic account on the acquisition of L2 Spanish lexicon and morphology in the Region of Murcia, it lays important groundwork for further research on the connection between SNs and the acquisition of regional variants, applicable to Murcia and beyond.

Keywords: international residents, L2 Spanish, lexicon, morphology, nonstandard language acquisition, social networks

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Authors: Andrea Dragu, Solen Kinayyigit, Valerie Colliere, Karin Karin Philippot, Camelia Bala, Vasile I. Parvulescu

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The production of transportation fuels from biomass has gained a growing attention due to diminishing fossil fuel reserves, rising petroleum prices and increasing concern about global warming. In recent years, renewable hydrocarbons that are completely fungible with fossil fuels have been suggested to be efficiently produced by catalytic deoxygenation of fatty acids and their derivatives viadecarboxylation / decarbonylation. Several triglycerides (tall oil fatty acids) and saturated/unsaturated fatty acids and their corresponding esters were used as feedstocks. Their impact together with the influence of the reaction conditions and the catalyst composition on the nature of the reaction pathways of the deoxygenation of vegetable oils and their derivatives were recently reviewed. Following this state of the art the aim of the present study was the investigation of Pd NPs deposited onto mesoporous carbon supports as active and stable catalysts for the deoxygenation of oleic acid. The catalysts were prepared by the deposition of Pd NPs synthesised following an organometallic route on mesoporous carbons with different characteristics. Experiments were carried out under both batch and flow conditions. They demonstrated that under batch conditions (200 atm; 573K), the extent of the reaction depended, firstly, on the Pd loading and then on the metal dispersion and the oxidation state of palladium, both influenced by the way the support has been treated before the NPs deposition and by the preparation/stabilization methodology of Pd NPs. No aromatic compounds were detected in the reaction products but octadecanol and octadecane were observed in large extents. Under flow conditions (4 atm; 573 K), the conversion of stearic acid was superior to that observed in batch conditions. The product mixture contained over 20% heptadecane. No octadecanol, octadecane, and aromatic compounds were detected. The maxima in performances are obtained after only 0.5 h. After that, the yields in heptadecane suffer from a severe decrease until 3h reaction time. However, at that time, stopping feeding the reactor with oleic acid and flushing the catalyst only with mesitylene recovered the activity and the selectivity of the catalysts. With the complete removal of H2, the analysis revealed the presence of heptadecene in high excess compared to heptadecane (almost 7 to 1), thus suggesting decarbonylation as the main route. ICP-OES measurements indicated no leaching of palladium and simple washing of catalysts with mesitylene allowed recycling without any change in conversion or product distribution. Noteworthy, mesitylene as solvent exhibited no effect in this reaction. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the feasibility of such catalysts for the green production of fuels from biomass.

Keywords: fuels from biomass, green catalyst, Pd nano-particles , recycble catalyst

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Authors: Omar Romero-Hernandez, Federico Castillo, Armando Sanchez, Sergio Romero, Andrea Romero, Michael Mitchell

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Environmental policies for resource conservation in rural areas include subsidies on services and social programs to cover living expenses. Government's expectation is that rural communities who benefit from social programs, such as payment for ecosystem services, are provided with an incentive to conserve natural resources and preserve natural sinks for greenhouse gases. At the same time, global climate change has affected the lives of people worldwide. The capability to adapt to global warming depends on the available resources and the standard of living, putting rural communities at a disadvantage. This paper explores whether rural entrepreneurship can represent a solution to resource conservation and global warming adaptation in rural communities. The research focuses on a sample of two coffee communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. Researchers used geospatial information contained in aerial photographs of the geographical areas of interest. Households were identified in the photos via the roofs of households and georeferenced via coordinates. From the household population, a random selection of roofs was performed and received a visit. A total of 112 surveys were completed, including questions of socio-demographics, perception to climate change and adaptation activities. The population includes two groups of study: entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs. Data was sorted, filtered, and validated. Analysis includes descriptive statistics for exploratory purposes and a multi-regression analysis. Outcomes from the surveys indicate that coffee farmers, who demonstrate entrepreneurship skills and hire employees, are more eager to adapt to climate change despite the extreme adverse socioeconomic conditions of the region. We show that farmers with entrepreneurial tendencies are more creative in using innovative farm practices such as the planting of shade trees, the use of live fencing, instead of wires, and watershed protection techniques, among others. This result counters the notion that small farmers are at the mercy of climate change and have no possibility of being able to adapt to a changing climate. The study also points to roadblocks that farmers face when coping with climate change. Among those roadblocks are a lack of extension services, access to credit, and reliable internet, all of which reduces access to vital information needed in today’s constantly changing world. Results indicate that, under some circumstances, funding and supporting entrepreneurship programs may provide more benefit than traditional social programs.

Keywords: entrepreneurship, global warming, rural communities, climate change adaptation

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Authors: Amanda Cristina da Silva Reis, Bruno Paulino Venâncio, Cristina Theada Ferreira, Andrea Fialho do Prado, Lucimara Guedes dos Santos, Aline de Souza Gravatá, Larissa Lima Gonçalves, Isabella Aparecida Ferreira Moretto, João Carlos Ferrari Corrêa, Fernanda Ishida Corrêa

Abstract:

Objective: To compare two protocols of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) on quadriceps muscle spasticity in individuals diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Method: Clinical, crossover study, in which six adult individuals diagnosed with MS and spasticity in the lower limbs were randomized to receive one session of high-frequency (≥5Hz) and low-frequency (≤ 1Hz) TMS on motor cortex (M1) hotspot for quadriceps muscle, with a one-week interval between the sessions. To assess the spasticity was applied the Ashworth scale and were analyzed the latency time (ms) of the motor evoked potential (MEP) and the central motor conduction time (CMCT) of the bilateral quadriceps muscle. Assessments were performed before and after each intervention. The difference between groups was analyzed using the Friedman test, with a significance level of 0.05 adopted. Results: All statistical analyzes were performed using the SPSS Statistic version 26 programs, with a significance level established for the analyzes at p<0.05. Shapiro Wilk normality test. Parametric data were represented as mean and standard deviation for non-parametric variables, median and interquartile range, and frequency and percentage for categorical variables. There was no clinical change in quadriceps spasticity assessed using the Ashworth scale for the 1 Hz (p=0.813) and 5 Hz (p= 0.232) protocols for both limbs. Motor Evoked Potential latency time: in the 5hz protocol, there was no significant change for the contralateral side from pre to post-treatment (p>0.05), and for the ipsilateral side, there was a decrease in latency time of 0.07 seconds (p<0.05 ); for the 1Hz protocol there was an increase of 0.04 seconds in the latency time (p<0.05) for the contralateral side to the stimulus, and for the ipsilateral side there was a decrease in the latency time of 0.04 seconds (p=<0.05), with a significant difference between the contralateral (p=0.007) and ipsilateral (p=0.014) groups. Central motor conduction time in the 1Hz protocol, there was no change for the contralateral side (p>0.05) and for the ipsilateral side (p>0.05). In the 5Hz protocol for the contralateral side, there was a small decrease in latency time (p<0.05) and for the ipsilateral side, there was a decrease of 0.6 seconds in the latency time (p<0.05) with a significant difference between groups (p=0.019). Conclusion: A high or low-frequency session does not change spasticity, but it is observed that when the low-frequency protocol was performed, there was an increase in latency time on the stimulated side, and a decrease in latency time on the non-stimulated side, considering then that inhibiting the motor cortex increases cortical excitability on the opposite side.

Keywords: multiple sclerosis, spasticity, motor evoked potential, transcranial magnetic stimulation

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Authors: Angel Villabona-Ortíz, Candelaria Tejada-Tovar, Andrea Viera-Devoz

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Wastewater treatment is an issue of vital importance in these times where the impacts of human activities are most evident, which have become essential tasks for the normal functioning of society. However, they put entire ecosystems at risk by time destroying the possibility of sustainable development. Various conventional technologies are used to remove pollutants from water. Agroindustrial waste is the product with the potential to be used as a renewable raw material for the production of energy and chemical products, and their use is beneficial since products with added value are generated from materials that were not used before. Considering the benefits that the use of residual biomass brings, this project proposes the use of agro-industrial residues from corn crops for the production of natural adsorbents whose purpose is aimed at the remediation of contaminated water bodies with large loads of nutrients. The adsorption capacity of two biomaterials obtained from the processing of corn stalks was evaluated by batch system tests. Biochar impregnated with sulfuric acid and thermally activated was synthesized. On the other hand, the cellulose was extracted from the corn stalks and chemically modified with cetyltrimethylammonium chloride in order to quaternize the surface of the adsorbent. The adsorbents obtained were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectrometry with Fourier Transform (FTIR), analysis by Brunauer, Emmett and Teller method (BET) and X-ray Diffraction analysis ( XRD), which showed favorable characteristics for the cellulose extraction process. Higher adsorption capacities of the nutrients were obtained with the use of biochar, with phosphate being the anion with the best removal percentages. The effect of the initial adsorbate concentration was evaluated, with which it was shown that the Freundlich isotherm better describes the adsorption process in most systems. The adsorbent-phosphate / nitrate systems fit better to the Pseudo Primer Order kinetic model, while the adsorbent-sulfate systems showed a better fit to the Pseudo second-order model, which indicates that there are both physical and chemical interactions in the process. Multicomponent adsorption tests revealed that phosphate anions have a higher affinity for both adsorbents. On the other hand, the thermodynamic parameters standard enthalpy (ΔH °) and standard entropy (ΔS °) with negative results indicate the exothermic nature of the process, whereas the ascending values of standard Gibbs free energy (ΔG °). The adsorption process of anions with biocarbon and modified cellulose is spontaneous and exothermic. The use of the evaluated biomateriles is recommended for the treatment of industrial effluents contaminated with sulfate, nitrate and phosphate anions.

Keywords: adsorption, biochar, modified cellulose, corn stalks

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Authors: Sophie-Bo Heinkel, Andrea Rechenburg, Thomas Kistemann

Abstract:

The current status of wellbeing and life satisfaction of subsistence farmers in a wetland in Uganda and the contributing role of place attachment has been assessed. The aim of this study is to shed light on environmental factors supporting wellbeing in a wetland setting. Furthermore, it has been assessed, how the emotional bonding to the wetland as ‘place’ influences the peoples’ wellbeing and life satisfaction. The results shed light on the human-environment-relationship. A survey was carried out in three communities in urban and rural areas in a wetland basin in Uganda. A sample (n=235) provided information about the attachment to the wetland, the participants’ relation to the place of their residence and their emotional wellbeing. The Wellbeing Index (WHO-5) was assessed as well as the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem scale (RSE). Furthermore, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) was applied as well as the Place Attachment Inventory (PAI), which consists of the two intertwined dimensions of place identity and place dependence. Beside this, binary indicators as ‘feeling save’ and ‘feeling comfortable’ and ‘enjoying to live at the place of residence’ have been assessed. A bivariate correlation analysis revealed a high interconnectivity between all metric scales. Especially, the subscale ‘place identity’ showed significances with all other scales. A cluster analysis revealed three groups, which differed in the perception of place-related indicators and their attachment to the wetland as well as the status of wellbeing. First, a cluster whose majority is dissatisfied with their lives, but mainly had a good status of emotional well-being. This group does not feel attached to the wetland and lives in a town. Comparably less persons of this group feel safe and comfortable at their place of residence. In the second cluster, persons feel highly attached to the wetland and identify with it. This group was characterized by the high number of persons preferring their current place of residence and do not consider moving. All persons feel well and satisfied with their lives. The third group of persons is mainly living in rural areas and feels highly attached to the wetland. They are satisfied with their lives, but only a small minority is in a good emotional state of wellbeing. The emotional attachment to a place influences life satisfaction and, indirectly, the emotional wellbeing. In the present study it could be shown that subsistence farmers are attached to the wetland, as it is the source of their livelihood. While those living in areas with a good infrastructure are less dependent on the wetland and, therefore, less attached to. This feeling also was mirrored in the perception of a place as being safe and comfortable. The identification with a place is crucial for the feeling of being at “home”. Subsistence farmers feel attached to the ecosystem, but they also might be exposed to environmental and social stressors influencing their short-term emotional wellbeing. The provision of place identity is an ecosystem service provided by wetlands, which supports the status of wellbeing in human beings.

Keywords: mental health, positive environments, quality of life, wellbeing

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