Search

This study investigates perception gaps among stakeholders—policy-makers, operators, users, and non-users—regarding car-sharing, bike-sharing, and scooter-sharing systems in Turin, Italy. Based on 628 surveys collected between November 2021 and February 2022 and analyzed using the Bayesian Best-Worst Method (BWM) multicriteria technique, it highlights key differences in prioritizing factors influencing shared mobility demand.Key Findings: For car-sharing, policy-makers overestimate the importance of trip purpose compared to both users and non-users, while undervaluing service availability. Operators undervalue trip-related factors, such as travel time and departure time, while overemphasizing user-friendliness. For bike-sharing, policy-makers overestimate travel time compared to users while undervaluing travel comfort and environmental friendliness compared to both users and non-users. Operators underestimate trip-related factors, including travel distance and trip purpose, while overemphasizing environmental friendliness, particularly compared to non-users. For scooter-sharing, policy-makers underestimate trip-related characteristics, such as travel time and departure time, while overestimating travel cost and user-friendliness compared to non-users. Operators undervalue travel comfort and service availability, while overestimating travel distance, especially compared to users.Managerial Insights: For car-sharing, policy-makers should expand service coverage and incentivize vehicle deployment, while operators should use dynamic fleet management and offer flexible booking options. For bike-sharing, policy-makers should subsidize fleet expansion and improve infrastructure, while operators should transition to free-floating models and integrate navigation tools. For scooter-sharing, policy-makers should enforce safety standards and improve accessibility, while operators should invest in high-quality scooters and adopt competitive pricing models.Bridging these perception gaps is essential for fostering shared mobility adoption and enhancing user satisfaction.

IntroductionEarly social isolation (ESI) disrupts neurodevelopmental processes, potentially leading to long-lasting emotional and cognitive changes in adulthood. Communal nesting (CN), i.e., the sharing of parental responsibilities between multiple individuals in a nest, creates a socially enriching environment known to impact social and anxiety-related behaviors.MethodsThis study examines the effects of (i) the CN condition and of (ii) ESI during the 3rd week of life (i.e., pre-weaning ESI) on motor, cognitive, and emotional domains during adolescence and adulthood in male and female rats reared in the two different housing conditions, as well as (iii) the potential of CN to mitigate the impact of ESI on offspring.ResultsWe found that in a spontaneous locomotor activity test, females exhibited higher activity levels compared to males. In female groups, adolescents reared in standard housing (SH) condition spent less time in the center of the arena, suggestive of increased anxiety levels, while the CN condition increased the time spent in the center during adolescence, but not adulthood, independently from ESI. The prepulse inhibition (PPI) test showed a reduced PPI in ESI adolescent animals of both sexes and in adult males (but not in adult females), with CN restoring PPI in males, but not in adolescent females. Further, in the marble burying test SH-ESI adolescent males exhibited higher marble burying behavior than all other groups, suggestive of obsessive-compulsive traits. CN completely reversed this stress-induced effect. Interestingly, ESI and CN did not have a significant impact on burying behavior in adult animals of both sexes.DiscussionOverall, our findings (i) assess the effects of ESI on locomotion, sensorimotor gating, and compulsive-like behaviors, (ii) reveal distinct vulnerabilities of males and females within these domains, and (iii) show how early-life social enrichment may successfully counteract some of the behavioral alterations induced by early-life social stress in a sex-dependent manner. This study strengthens the notion that social experiences during early-life can shape emotional and cognitive outcomes in adulthood, and points to the importance of social enrichment interventions for mitigating the negative effects of early social stress on neurodevelopment.

CUD, like other addictions, is a chronic disease characterized by a high rate of relapse and drop-out (DO) from medical and behavioral treatment programs, which is positively correlated with relapse. Repetitive transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) protocols have shown therapeutic potential in addiction in the short term, but only a few studies have explored their long-term efficacy, so far. This study explores the long-term outcome of bilateral intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in cocaine use disorder (CUD) and the possible influence of maintenance treatment in improving abstinence and decreasing DO rates. Eighty-nine treatment-seeking CUD patients were exposed to 20 sessions of iTBS. At the end of the treatment 61 (81%) abstinent patients underwent a 12 months follow-up. Among these, 27 patients chose to follow a maintenance treatment (M), whereas 34 patients chose not to adhere to a maintenance treatment (NM). Overall, among patients reaching the 12 months follow-up endpoint, 69.7% were still abstinent and 30.3% relapsed. In NM-patients the DO rate was significantly higher than in M-ones (58.82 vs. 29.63%). The present observations show the long-term therapeutic effect of bilateral PFC iTBS to decrease cocaine consumption. Moreover, they underline the importance to perform a maintenance protocol to consolidate abstinence and decrease DO rates over time.

In this paper, socio-demographic factors influencing the demand for different car-sharing forms are examined. An in-depth review of such factors is provided based on the type of shared car service, geographic area, and specific travel demand aspect being considered. Conclusions highlight the differences between car sharing operational schemes. The number of males, young individuals, and people with above-average income among free-floating members is higher than in other car-sharing services. Also, although round-trip car-sharing users appear to be less educated than other car-sharing services users, car-sharing members may follow a more efficient and sustainable lifestyle than the one-way shared car system members. Besides, some suggestions are recommended for future studies. A research gap has been identified regarding the direction of causation between vehicle ownership levels and car-sharing demand. Most studies have worked on the impact of vehicle ownership on car-sharing or simply noted a correlation between the two. However, clarifying any reverse effect would help in better assessing the sustainability of car-sharing services. This overview can guide policymakers, planners, and other stakeholders to enhance the car-sharing program's effectiveness and opt for the best kind of service according to their goals.

Abstract Cities all around the world are observing increasing levels of urban freight activities owing to the growth of internet shopping combined to the traditional distribution to shops, creating additional problems in terms of congestions and environmental impacts. This study, developed within the European Project SUITS framework, aims at showing how Local Authorities can effectively observe freight flows from the demand side. This led to the design, implementation and testing of a spatial cluster analysis approach to understand which are the most important loading/unloading parking spots in an urban setting by processing the GPS traces of a fleet of logistic vehicles. Later field activities should focus on these important areas to maximize the efficiency of the survey. A survey of retailers and shops in such areas to observe delivering activities is then proposed. The whole process, namely the spatial analysis and the field survey, was then tested to the real case of an Italian city (Turin) to assess the potentiality of the methods. The methodology proposed can give useful insights to Local Authorities on a way of monitoring the freight distribution patterns at the more disaggregated individual loading/unloading area.

Abstract What are the profiles of both users and non-users of car sharing in European cities regarding their travel patterns and psychological aspects? Two subsamples (1519 users and 3695 non-users of car sharing) participated in a survey, translated into seven languages, with 36 questions regarding attitudes towards car sharing, the environment, political orientation, personal norms, frequency of use of different transport modes and transport mode choice for different travel purposes. Through a hierarchical cluster analysis, five distinct mobility styles were identified, with no a priori restriction of the number of clusters. The mobility styles were further characterised by sociodemographic variables and by the motives for making use of car sharing. This paper discusses the implications of research based decision-making and urban planning in a way that guarantees long-term human and environmental security.

Abstract Purpose Traffic congestion is a large-scale problem in urban areas all over the world that can lead to substantial costs for travellers and business operations. This paper focus on how to measure the way in which congestion selectively affects different traffic streams, with special emphasis on light duty vehicles travelling around a city. Methods The idea is to integrate a dataset collecting Global Positioning System (GPS) vehicle traces with road side data sources related to traffic conditions in a road network, which on the other hand usually lack focus on specific traffic streams. The core of the data integration method is the creation of a specific indicator focusing on the time lost in congestion. This is a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) of an urban network that is of paramount importance as a decision support tool for policy makers, also because it has an impact on other key issues such as air pollution, noise emissions, energy efficiency and health problems. Then, a method is proposed to quantify the congestion KPI in a highly disaggregated fashion (each single vehicle travelling on each single link or street segment). Results This KPI can be used to inform a wide range of policy actions within the transport sector, both from the viewpoint of a city and from that of an individual actor of the transport system, such as the operator of a fleet of vehicles for urban freight deliveries. Some preliminary examples of how the aggregation of the KPI at different scales can provide insights into the transport system are presented.

The illicit drug market of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) is expanding, becoming an alarming threat due to increasing intoxication cases and insufficient (if any) knowledge of their effects. Phenethylamine 2-chloro-4,5-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (2-Cl-4,5-MDMA) and synthetic cathinone 3,4-methylenedioxy-α-pyrrolidinohexanophenone (3,4-MDPHP) are new, emerging NPSs suggested to be particularly dangerous. This study verified whether these two new drugs (i) possess abuse liability, (ii) alter plasma corticosterone levels, and (iii) interfere with dopaminergic transmission; male and female adolescent rats were included to evaluate potential sex differences in the drug-induced effects. Findings show that the two NPSs are not able to sustain reliable self-administration behavior in rats, with cumulatively earned injections of drugs being not significantly different from cumulatively earned injections of saline in control groups. Yet, at the end of the self-administration training, females (but not males) exhibited higher plasma corticosterone levels after chronic exposure to low levels of 3,4-MDPHP (but not of 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA). Finally, electrophysiological patch-clamp recordings in the rostral ventral tegmental area (rVTA) showed that both drugs are able to increase the firing rate of rVTA dopaminergic neurons in males but not in females, confirming the sex dimorphic effects of these two NPSs. Altogether, this study demonstrates that 3,4-MDPHP and 2-Cl-4,5-MDMA are unlikely to induce dependence in occasional users but can induce other effects at both central and peripheral levels that may significantly differ between males and females.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is earning a role in the therapeutic arsenal of cocaine use disorder (CUD). A widespread and still growing number of studies have reported beneficial use of repeated TMS (rTMS) in reduction of craving, intake and cue-induced craving in cocaine addicts. In spite of these encouraging findings, many issues are still unresolved such as brain area to be stimulated, laterality of the effects, coil geometry and stimulation protocols/parameters. Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is a more tolerable protocol administered at lower intensities and shorter intervals than conventional rTMS protocols. Yet, its effects on cocaine craving and length of abstinence in comparison with standard high frequency (10–15 Hz) protocols have never been evaluated so far. In the present paper, we describe the effect of the bilateral iTBS of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in a population (n = 25) of treatment-seeking cocaine addicts, in an outpatient setting, and compare them with 15 Hz stimulation of the same brain area (n = 22). The results indicate that iTBS produces effects on cocaine consumption and cocaine craving virtually superimposable to the 15 Hz rTMS group. Both treatments had low numbers of dropouts and similar side-effects, safety and tolerability profiles. While larger studies are warranted to confirm these observations, iTBS appears to be a valid approach to be considered in treatment-seeking cocaine addicts, especially in light of its brief duration (3 min) vs. 15 Hz stimulation (15 min). The use of iTBS would allow increasing the number of patients treated per day with current rTMS devices, thus reducing patient discomfort and hopefully reducing drop-out rates without compromising clinical effectiveness.

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) is known to modulate anxiety-related behaviours. Here the authors show that excitatory inputs from infralimbic cortex and ventral subiculum/CA1 converge onto the same BNST neurons; stimulation of vSUB/CA1 triggers LTP in BNST and reduces anxiety in rats.

Serious gaps are found when evaluating the recognition and inclusion of gender aspects in transport strategies, research and innovation. Similar issues can be spotted in the transport labor market, where only 22% of workers are women at the European level. The roots of these limitations are in the low participation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) studies and, therefore, in the traditionally male-dominated transport field occupations. Stemming from the European project TInnGO, the current paper proposes a descriptive analysis to evaluate the gender gaps in educational provision and research in ten European countries. Specific indicators, such as percentages in the gender composition or the presence of university courses dealing with mobility and transport, have been defined and their availability in different countries is verified. In addition, a desktop review of practices for encouraging and supporting women in STEM studies is operated, underling characteristics such as the kind of initiative, the methods and tools used, the target group or the type of promoter. The results of this activity show that a wide network of associations and mentoring operates in various European nations, mostly targeting secondary school students, trying to make females aware of their potentialities in a deeply gender-biased field like the STEM one.

Introduction: Among athletes, an increasing use of nicotine via smokeless tobacco has been reported. However, there are currently unanswered questions about whether the use by athletes is due to nicotine’s addictive properties and/or to benefits in physical and cognitive performance (e.g., decision-making). In this original article we reported about, (i) snus-induced reinforcing effects among snus-user athletes (Survey) and (ii) the effects of snus on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) in snus-user skiers (Experimental study). IGT is an experimental neuropsychological task that has been previously used on athletes and addicts to test decision-making.Methods: Survey: data were collected with the modified Cigarette Evaluation Questionnaire (mCEQ) that was administered to 61 winter sport athlete snus-users in Northern Italy. Experimental study: IGT data included: amount of money earned, number of choices from advantageous and disadvantageous decks and overall net score. Eighteen male snus-users were tested under satiety or after 12-h abstinence conditions according to a crossover design.Results: Survey: the comparison between occasional vs. regular snus-users showed a statistically significant difference in satisfaction (P = 0.0088), calm (P = 0.0252), and enjoyment (P = 0.0001) mCEQ items suggesting a snus intake/effect relationship. Experimental study: significantly higher IGT net scores were found during the first 20 choice cards after abstinence vs. satiety conditions (P = 0.0024).Conclusion: In the Survey, regular snus use induces greater satisfaction and psychological reward than occasional use. In the Experimental study, snus intake might produce an early and transient cognitive improvement on IGT in abstinent snus-users, presumably acting as a withdrawal relief.

The ventral subiculum (vSUB) plays a key role in addiction, and identifying the neuronal circuits and synaptic mechanisms by which vSUB alters the excitability of dopamine neurons is a necessary step to understand the motor changes induced by cocaine. Here, we report that high-frequency stimulation of the vSUB (HFSvSUB) over-activates ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons in vivo and triggers long-lasting modifications of synaptic transmission measured ex vivo. This potentiation is caused by NMDA-dependent plastic changes occurring in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Finally, we report that the modification of the BNST-VTA neural circuits induced by HFSvSUB potentiates locomotor activity induced by a sub-threshold dose of cocaine. Our findings unravel a neuronal circuit encoding behavioral effects of cocaine in rats and highlight the importance of adaptive modifications in the BNST, a structure that influences motivated behavior as well as maladaptive behaviors associated with addiction.

This study investigates how different travel satisfaction survey methods influence the reported level of door-to-door travel satisfaction among travellers. The travel satisfaction measurement survey tools tested consisted of two types of smartphone applications (a satellite navigation app and a game app), an on-line survey, a paper-based semi-structured questionnaire and a focus group. Each of the measurement tools comprised of a similar set of questions, but in different formats, aimed at exploring the pros and cons of each tool among different group of travellers. In total, 5,275 valid responses were collected during the survey period from eight European cities and five FIA (Federation Internationale de I’Automobile) national motorist networks. The analysis results, with ordered logit model of travellers’ reported overall satisfaction, showed that the travel satisfaction reported by different survey methods and different travel modes and user groups, correlated with distinct groups of key determinants. The relationship between and within these key determinants, however, was far from straight forward. Some were more complex than others. Some issues, such as parking availability and security, that are mostly discussed by policy makers and users may not be the ones that directly correlate with the users’ overall travel satisfactions. Consistent with previous studies, the travellers’ mood and previous experience influenced the reported overall journey satisfaction.

Over the last 20 years researchers have explored the postulated role of acetaldehyde (ACD) as a mediator of some of the actions of ethanol (EtOH) in the central nervous system (CNS). However, efforts have been hampered mainly by the difficulty of directly measuring in vivo EtOH and ACD levels in the CNS and thus, our knowledge is based on indirect evidences. Although technically challenging, the development of reliable methods for in vivo measurement of ACD and EtOH is of paramount importance to solve the “puzzle of acetaldehyde as a neuroactive agent.” In this short review we discuss the recent advances on brain EtOH pharmacokinetic and state-of-the-art available techniques that could be used for in vivo detect EtOH and ACD both non-invasively (magnetic resonance spectroscopy), and invasively (microdialysis and biosensors). Among the different in vivo sampling techniques described, particular emphasis is paid to the field of enzyme-based amperometric biosensors. Biosensors have gained much attention in recent years for their ability to online monitor biological signals in vivo, and several micro- and nano-structured devices have been successfully used for in vivo studies. Owing to their high temporal and spatial resolution, biosensors could provide the adequate technology for studying in vivo EtOH pharmacokinetic.

Background: Chronic cocaine consumption is associated to a decrease in mesolimbic dopamine transmission that maintains drug intake. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is gaining reliability a useful therapeutic tool in drug addiction since it can modulate cortico-limbic activity resulting in reduction of drug craving. Aims: In the present study we investigated the therapeutic effect of bilateral TMS of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in reducing cocaine intake, in a sample of treatment-seeking patients with current cocaine use disorder (DSM-V). Methods: 10 cocaine addicts (DSM-V) were randomly assigned to the active or sham stimulation protocol in a double-blind experimental design. Twelve repetitive TMS (rTMS) sessions were administered 3 times a week for 4 weeks at 100% of motor threshold, over bilateral PFC. Cocaine intake (ng/mg) was assessed by hair analysis at baseline (before treatment, T0), after one month (end of treatment, T1), 3 (T2) and 6 (T3) months later. All subjects received psychological support weekly. Results: The two-way ANOVA for repeated measures did not show a significant effect of the interaction between time and treatment (F4,32= 0.35; p=.87). Despite that result indicated no difference in the effect of the two conditions (active vs sham) along time, a decreasing trend in cocaine consumption in active TMS group (F3,23=3.42; p=.04) vs sham (F3,15=1.88; p=.20) was observed when we performed exploratory analysis with time as factor . Indeed, Post-hoc comparisons showed a significant reduction in the amount of cocaine detected from the onset to three months later (T0-T2; p=.02) and to the end of treatment (T0-T3; p=.01) in addicts from the active group. Conclusions: Bilateral rTMS of PFC at 10 Hz did not show a significant effect on cocaine intake compared to sham. However, a long-term reduction in cocaine intake in active TMS treated patients was observed when we considered the time as factor. Further studies are required to confirm these encouraging but preliminary findings, in order to consolidate rTMS as a valid tool to treat cocaine addiction.

Graft vascularization is a crucial step to obtain stable normoglycemia in pancreatic islet transplantation. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) contribute to neoangiogenesis and to the revascularization process during ischaemic events and play a key role in the response to pancreatic islet injury. In this work we co-transplanted EPCs and islets in the portal vein of chemically-induced diabetic rats to restore islet vascularization and to improve graft survival. Syngenic islets were transplanted, either alone or with EPCs derived from green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic rats, into the portal vein of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Blood glucose levels were monitored and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests were performed. Real time-PCR was carried out to evaluate the gene expression of angiogenic factors. Diabetic-induced rats showed long-lasting (6 months) normoglycemia upon co-transplantation of syngenic islets and EPCs. After 3-5 days from transplantation, hyperglycaemic levels dropped to normal values and lasted unmodified as long as they were checked. Further, glucose tolerance tests revealed the animals' ability to produce insulin on-demand as indexed by a prompt response in blood glucose clearance. Graft neovascularization was evaluated by immunohistochemistry: for the first time the measure of endothelial thickness revealed a donor-EPC-related neovascularization supporting viable islets up to six months after transplant. Our results highlight the importance of a newly formed viable vascular network together with pancreatic islets to provide de novo adequate supply in order to obtain enduring normoglycemia and prevent diabetes-related long-term health hazards.

Acetaldehyde (ACD) is the first metabolite of ethanol. Although, the role of ACD in ethanol addiction has been controversial, there are data showing a relationship. The objective of the current study was further to test the hypothesis that ACD itself is reinforcing. For this reason, we carried out a study on operant oral ACD self-administration. Wistar rats were trained to self-administer tap water or ACD by nose-poking in daily 30 mins sessions for 15 consecutive days. Response on active nose-poke caused delivery of ACD solution or tap water, whereas responses on inactive nose-poke had no consequences. The results show that ACD maintains oral self-administration behavior and rates of active nose-pokes significantly higher than tap water. The dose-response plot for oral ACD self-administration is a “bell-shaped” curve suggesting reinforcing properties only in a limited range of doses. Furthermore, rats self-administering ACD show a deprivation effect upon ACD removal and gradually reinstated active nose-poke response when ACD was reintroduced. Overall, this study shows that ACD is orally self-administered and further supports the hypothesis that ACD possesses reinforcing properties, which suggests that some of the pharmacological effects attributed to ethanol may result from the its biotransfomation into ACD, thereby supporting an active involvement of ACD in ethanol addiction.