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Understanding students’ acoustic evaluation in learning environments is crucial for identifying acoustic issues, improving acoustic conditions, and enhancing academic performance. However, predictive models are not specifically tailored to predict students’ acoustic evaluations, particularly in educational settings. To bridge this gap, the present study conducted a field investigation in a university library, including a measurement and questionnaire survey. Using the collected personal information, room-related parameters, and sound pressure levels as input, six machine learning models (Support Vector Machine–Radial Basis Function (SVM (RBF)), Support Vector Machine–Sigmoid (SVM (Sigmoid)), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest (RF), and Naïve Bayes (NB)) were trained to predict students’ acoustic acceptance/satisfaction. The performance of these models was evaluated using five metrics, allowing for a comparative analysis. The results revealed that the models better predicted acoustic acceptance than acoustic satisfaction. Notably, the RF and GBM models exhibited the highest performance, with accuracies of 0.87 and 0.84, respectively, in predicting acoustic acceptance. Conversely, the SVM models performed poorly and were not recommended for acoustic quality prediction. The findings of this study demonstrated the feasibility of employing machine learning models to predict occupants’ acoustic evaluations, thereby providing valuable insights for future acoustic assessments.

Sarcopenia is a multifactorial age-related disorder that causes a decrease in muscle mass, strength, and function, leading to alteration of movement, risk of falls, and hospitalization. This article aims to review recent findings on the factors underlying sarcopenia and the strategies required to delay and counteract its symptoms. We focus on molecular factors linked to ageing, on the role of low-grade chronic and acute inflammatory conditions such as cancer, which contributes to the onset of sarcopenia, and on the clinical criteria for its diagnosis. The use of drugs against sarcopenia is still subject to debate, and the suggested approaches to restore muscle health are based on adequate dietary protein intake and physical exercise. We also highlight the difference in the amount and quality of amino acids within animal- and plant-based diets, as studies have often shown varying results regarding their effect on sarcopenia in elderly people. In addition, many studies have reported that non-pharmacological approaches, such as an optimization of dietary protein intake and training programs based on resistance exercise, can be effective in preventing and delaying sarcopenia. These approaches not only improve the maintenance of skeletal muscle function, but also reduce health care costs and improve life expectancy and quality in elderly people.

Content moderation is commonly used by social media platforms to curb the spread of hateful content. Yet, little is known about how users perceive this practice and which factors may influence their perceptions. Publicly denouncing content moderation—for example, portraying it as a limitation to free speech or as a form of political targeting—may play an important role in this context. Evaluations of moderation may also depend on interpersonal mechanisms triggered by perceived user characteristics. In this study, we disentangle these different factors by examining how the gender, perceived similarity, and social influence of a user publicly complaining about a content-removal decision influence evaluations of moderation. In an experiment ( n = 1,586) conducted in the United States, the Netherlands, and Portugal, participants witnessed the moderation of a hateful post, followed by a publicly posted complaint about moderation by the affected user. Evaluations of the fairness, legitimacy, and bias of the moderation decision were measured, as well as perceived similarity and social influence as mediators. The results indicate that arguments about freedom of speech significantly lower the perceived fairness of content moderation. Factors such as social influence of the moderated user impacted outcomes differently depending on the moderated user’s gender. We discuss implications of these findings for content-moderation practices.

Summary: Background: Endotype classification becomes the cornerstone of understanding sepsis pathogenesis. Macrophage activation-like syndrome (MALS) and immunoparalysis are the best recognized major endotypes, so far. Interferon-gamma (IFNγ) action on tissue macrophages stimulates the release of the cytotoxic chemokine CXCL9. It was investigated if this mechanism may be an independent sepsis endotype. Methods: In this cohort study, 14 patient cohorts from Greece, Germany and Italy were studied. The cohorts were 2:1 randomly split into discovery and validation sets. Sepsis was defined by the Sepsis-3 definitions and blood was sampled the first 24 h from meeting the Sepsis-3 definitions. Concentrations of IFNγ, CXCL9, IP-10 (IFNγ induced protein-10), soluble CD163 and ferritin were measured. The endotype of IFNγ-driven sepsis (IDS) was defined in the discovery set as the combination of a) blood IFNγ above a specified cut-off associated with the minimal risk for immunoparalysis (defined as ≥8000 HLA-DR receptors on CD45/CD14-monoytes); and b) increase of CXCL9. Results were compared to the validation set. Findings: 5503 patients were studied; 3670 in the discovery set and 1833 in the validation set. IDS was defined as IFNγ more than 3 pg/ml and CXCL9 more than 2200 pg/ml. The frequency of IDS in the discovery set was 19.9% (732 patients; 95% confidence intervals-CIs 18.7–21.3%) and in the validation set 20.0% (366 patients; 95% CIs 18.2–21.9%). Soluble CD163, a marker of macrophage activation, was greater in IDS and IDS had features distinct from MALS. The mortality in IDS patients was 43.0% (315 patients; 95% CIs 39.5–46.6%) in the discovery set and 40.4% in the validation set (148 patients; 95% CIs 35.5–45.5%) (p = 0.44 compared to patients of the discovery set). IDS was an independent risk factor for death in the presence of other endotypes, severity scores and organ dysfunctions of the multivariate model [hazard ratio 1.71 (95% CIs 1.45–2.01) in the discovery set and 1.70 (95% CIs 1.34–2.16) in the validation set]. Decreases of IFNγ and CXCL9 blood levels within the first 72 h were associated with better outcome. Interpretation: IDS is a new sepsis endotype independently associated with unfavorable outcome. Funding: Hellenic Institute for the Study of Sepsis; Horizon 2020 project ImmunoSep; Swedish Orphan BioVitrum AB (publ) and German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Hazelnut “Tonda di Giffoni” (Corylus avellana L.) is a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) product of the Campania region, Southern Italy, marked for its processing quality which guarantees origin, typical features, high physicochemical quality, and organoleptic properties. Previous investigations on hazelnut and its byproducts revealed the presence of diarylheptanoid derivatives, natural compounds with antioxidant properties. With the aim of exploring the nutraceutical properties of hazelnut diarylheptanoids, the antioxidant properties of giffonins E (1), H (2), and J (3), three cyclic diaryletherheptanoids, and carpinontriol B (4), a cyclic diarylheptanoid, were investigated. Tested compounds showed significant protection against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced cytotoxic damage in human neuroblastoma and embryonic kidney cell lines. Compounds 1–4 were also able to prevent oxidative stress by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and levels of lipid peroxidation, and attenuating cell apoptosis (caspase-3 activity).Moreover, considering that the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is responsible for regulating an extensive panel of antioxidant enzymes, the capability of these natural products to disrupt the interaction between Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), thereby activating the Nrf2-mediated pathway, was evaluated by molecular docking experiments and in vitro tests.The Western blot analysis revealed that giffonin H and carpinontriol B had an indirect antioxidant action, as evidenced by a significant rise in the translocated protein following their administration.

The article examines the reasons behind young men’s choice to enrol in career-qualifying programmes for care-related professions (such as BA in Primary Education, Early Years Practitioner, Social pedagogy Practitioner) – a traditionally feminised area. The research points to three main motivations: (1) a forced choice, to accrue training credits in these courses and then enrol in a Psychology programme; (2) looking forward to the socialisation processes of educators; (3) personal aptitudes and inclinations towards this profession – or because they felt unsuited for other options and found other programmes unappealing, making it a choice by exclusion. The research aimed at understanding how students relate to the widespread male gender models, given that care and education professions require characteristics not positively associated with hegemonic masculinity. The research shows that the interviewees disapprove of certain traits associated with the hegemonic masculinity model, such as aggressiveness and inability to listen. However, they exhibit little reflexivity about the privileges linked to gender and fail to connect these with factors of oppression, especially when distancing themselves from subordinate or “homosexual” masculinities. This reflexivity, however, emerges among those who, due to their educational choices, have faced social stigmatisation, which compelled them to become more aware of the consequences of perpetuating gender roles and the resulting discrimination.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia, has an estimated heritability of approximately 70%1. The genetic component of AD has been mainly assessed using genome-wide association studies, which do not capture the risk contributed by rare variants2. Here, we compared the gene-based burden of rare damaging variants in exome sequencing data from 32,558 individuals-16,036 AD cases and 16,522 controls. Next to variants in TREM2, SORL1 and ABCA7, we observed a significant association of rare, predicted damaging variants in ATP8B4 and ABCA1 with AD risk, and a suggestive signal in ADAM10. Additionally, the rare-variant burden in RIN3, CLU, ZCWPW1 and ACE highlighted these genes as potential drivers of respective AD-genome-wide association study loci. Variants associated with the strongest effect on AD risk, in particular loss-of-function variants, are enriched in early-onset AD cases. Our results provide additional evidence for a major role for amyloid-β precursor protein processing, amyloid-β aggregation, lipid metabolism and microglial function in AD.

Abstract Bilingualism is linked to both enhanced and hampered performance in various cognitive measures, yet the extent to which these bilingual advantages and disadvantages co-occur is unclear. To address this gap, we perform a systematic review and two quantitative analyses. First, we analyze results from 39 studies, obtained through the PRISMA method. Less than 50% of the studies that show up as results for the term “bilingual disadvantage” report exclusively a disadvantage, that shows bilinguals performing worse than monolinguals in a task. A Bayesian analysis reveals robust evidence for bilingual effects, but no evidence for differences in the proportion of advantages and disadvantages, suggesting that when results from different cognitive domains such as executive functions and verbal fluency are analyzed together, bilingual effects amount to a zero-sum game. This finding was replicated by repeating the analysis, using the datasets of two recent meta-analyses. We propose that the equilibrium we observe between positive and negative outcomes may not be accidental. Contrary to widespread belief, advantageous and disadvantageous effects are not stand-alone outcomes in free variation. We reframe them as the connatural components of a dynamic trade-off, whereby enhanced performance in one cognitive measure is offset by an incurred cost in another domain.

Spinacia oleracea L. cultivar platypus leaves are identified as a functional food due to their nutrient composition which promotes health beyond basic nutrition. Considering the increasing use of food supplements, S. oleracea baby leaves have been extracted by maceration, solid–liquid dynamic extraction (SLDE)-Naviglio, and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) using EtOH and EtOH:H2O mixtures. The analysis of the extracts by using LC-ESI/HRMSMS revealed 42 compounds (flavonoids, polar lipid derivatives, and 20-hydroxyecdysone), along with primary metabolites, detected by NMR analysis. A principal component analysis (PCA) of LC-ESI/HRMS and NMR data was performed, revealing how 20-hydroxyecdysone and flavonoids, the specialized metabolites mainly responsible for the biological activity of S. oleracea leaves, occurred in the highest amount in the EtOH and EtOH:H2O (70:30, v/v) extracts obtained by SLDE-Naviglio extraction. 20-hydroxyecdysone was also quantified in all the extracts via LC-ESI/QTrap/MS/MS using the Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) method. The EtOH extracts obtained by SLDE-Naviglio and maceration showed the highest content (82.16 and 81.27 mg/g extract, respectively). The total phenolic content (118.35–206.60 mg GAE/g), the flavonoid content (10.90–41.05 mg rutin/g), and the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) (1.63–2.05 mM) of the extracts were determined. The EtOH:H2O (70:30, v/v) extract analyzed by using SLDE-Naviglio showed the highest phenolic and flavonoid content and radical scavenging activity.

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by motor symptoms such as gait dysfunction and postural instability. Technological tools to continuously monitor outcomes could capture the hour-by-hour symptom fluctuations of PD. Development of such tools is hampered by the lack of labelled datasets from home settings. To this end, we propose REMAP (REal-world Mobility Activities in Parkinson’s disease), a human rater-labelled dataset collected in a home-like setting. It includes people with and without PD doing sit-to-stand transitions and turns in gait. These discrete activities are captured from periods of free-living (unobserved, unstructured) and during clinical assessments. The PD participants withheld their dopaminergic medications for a time (causing increased symptoms), so their activities are labelled as being “on” or “off” medications. Accelerometry from wrist-worn wearables and skeleton pose video data is included. We present an open dataset, where the data is coarsened to reduce re-identifiability, and a controlled dataset available on application which contains more refined data. A use-case for the data to estimate sit-to-stand speed and duration is illustrated.

This paper aims to understand the individual factors sustaining the migratory flow of Catholic priests to Italy. Priests’ migration cannot be seen as the mere result of lack of vocations and shortage of priests in the host country since their agency, belief, aspirations, and motivations affect their religious identity and, consequently, their integration and participation in the host country. Drawing on qualitative research, this paper collects the voices and the narratives of selected international priests living in Italy. Priests’ interviews led to broad-range questions about the nature of migration decisions and their integration into the host society and churches that originate from differences in religiosity, vocations, and missions. That resulted in a typology of 4 types of migrant priests: careerist priests, highly educated and integrated into the host country, driven by career and salary aspiration, and showing a highly politicized vision of religion; servant priests, with a strong missionary impulse to serve the Church as a universal institution transcending abstract and real boarders; evangelist priests who feel the moral obligation to evangelize secularized countries to bring them back to the origins of Catholicism; rebel priests who feel second-class priests, discriminated both within and outside the Church, in a country where they were forced to move, for this reason questioning their sense of clear vocational directions.

This study presents the results of the practical application of the first prototype of WEMoS, the Wearable Environmental Monitoring System, in a real case study in Singapore, along with two other wearables, a smart wristband to monitor physiological data and a smartwatch with an application (Cozie) used to acquire users’ feedback. The main objective of this study is to present a new procedure to assess users’ perceptions of the environmental quality by taking into account a multi-domain approach, considering all four environmental domains (thermal, visual, acoustic, and air quality) through a complete wearable system when users are immersed in their familiar environment. This enables an alternative to laboratory tests where the participants are in unfamiliar spaces. We analysed seven-day data in Singapore using a descriptive and predictive approach. We have found that it is possible to use a complete wearable system and apply it in real-world contexts. The WEMoS data, combined with physiology and user feedback, identify the key comfort features. The transition from short-term laboratory analysis to long-term real-world context using wearables enables the prediction of overall comfort perception in a new way that considers all potentially influential factors of the environment in which the user is immersed. This system could help us understand the effects of exposure to different environmental stimuli thus allowing us to consider the complex interaction of multi-domains on the user’s perception and find out how various spaces, both indoor and outdoor, can affect our perception of IEQ.

Coatings play a crucial role in the functionality of vacuum chambers in particle accelerators, serving a dual goal by efficiently facilitating pumping and mitigating electron cloud effects. However, their impact on the surface impedance of the chamber walls raises concerns, potentially affecting the machine performance and imposing limitations on achievable energies and currents. Therefore, an electromagnetic characterization is essential for a comprehensive study of accelerator structures, particularly in the context of the next-generation machines where the demand for extremely short particle bunches accentuates the importance of evaluating material responses in the very-high-frequency region. We present a technique for probing the sub-THz response of coating materials by measuring pulsed signals passing through a specifically designed waveguide, in which is placed a slab with the deposited material under test. The proposed methodology allows for a comprehensive exploration of the electromagnetic properties of the most used technical surfaces (substrate plus coatings) in accelerators under realistic conditions, providing valuable insights into their behavior in the sub-THz frequency range. The experimental data of three different Non-Evaporable Getter coating samples, prepared on a copper substrate at the CERN deposition facilities under different sputtering conditions, are discussed. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex interactions between coatings and accelerator structures, with the aim of optimizing performance and efficiency in the evolving landscape of particle acceleration technologies. The limitations and advantages of the technique are also reported.

Introduction: Technology holds the potential to track disease progression and response to neuroprotective therapies in Parkinson’s disease (PD). The sit-to-stand (STS) transition is a frequently occurring event which is important to people with PD. The aim of this study was to demonstrate an automatic approach to quantify STS duration and speed using a real-world free-living dataset and look at clinical correlations of the outcomes, including whether STS parameters change when someone withholds PD medications. Methods: Eighty-five hours of video data were collected from 24 participants staying in pairs for 5-day periods in a naturalistic setting. Skeleton joints were extracted from the video data; the head trajectory was estimated and used to estimate the STS parameters of duration and speed. Results: 3.14 STS transitions were seen per hour per person on average. Significant correlations were seen between automatic and manual STS duration (Pearson rho − 0.419, p = 0.042) and between automatic STS speed and manual STS duration (Pearson rho − 0.780, p < 0.001). Significant and strong correlations were seen between the gold-standard clinical rating scale scores and both STS duration and STS speed; these correlations were not seen in the STS transitions when the participants were carrying something in their hand(s). Significant differences were seen at the cohort level between control and PD participants’ ON medications’ STS duration (U = 6,263, p = 0.018) and speed (U = 9,965, p < 0.001). At an individual level, only two participants with PD became significantly slower to STS when they were OFF medications; withholding medications did not significantly change STS duration at an individual level in any participant. Conclusion: We demonstrate a novel approach to automatically quantify and ecologically validate two STS parameters which correlate with gold-standard clinical tools measuring disease severity in PD.

Bilingual adaptations remain a subject of ongoing debate, with varying results reported across cognitive domains. A possible way to disentangle the apparent inconsistency of results is to focus on the domain of language processing, which is what the bilingual experience boils down to. This study delves into the role of the bilingual experience on the processing of agreement mismatches. Given the underrepresentation of minority bilingual speakers of non-standard varieties, we advance a unique comparative perspective that includes monolinguals, standard language bilinguals, and different groups of minority language bilinguals, taking advantage of the rich linguistic diversity of the Italian peninsula. This comparative approach can reveal the impact of various sociolinguistic aspects of the bilingual experience across different bilingual trajectories. We developed an auditory acceptability judgement task in Italian, featuring Subject-Verb agreement mismatches. Participants evaluated the stimuli on a 5-point Likert scale and reaction times were recorded. The results do not reveal significant differences between the speakers of standard languages: Italian monolinguals and Italian-Spanish bilinguals. Instead, significant differences are found between monolinguals and the two groups of minority language bidialectals, as well as between the bidialectal groups themselves: Italian-Pavese bidialectals were faster than both Italian-Agrigentino bidialectals and Italian monolinguals, while Italian-Agrigentino bidialectals were less accurate than both Italian-Pavese bidialectals and Italian monolinguals. This intricate picture is explained through variables associated with second language use and language switching. Our findings suggest that if bilingualism is viewed as a yes/no phenotype, it is unavoidable that the bilingual experience will remain a mystery linked to intensely debated results. If, however, one accepts that bilingual adaptations are shaped by the environmental ecology of each trajectory, variation across bilingual processing outcomes is unsurprising. Overall, we argue that specific sociolinguistic factors behind each bilingual experience can reveal where bilingual adaptations on language and cognition stem from.

The ANTHEM (Advanced Technologies for Human-centered Medicine) Radio-Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) will employ eight coaxial power couplers, which will be magnetically coupled to the device through a loop antenna. The coupler design can support up to 140 kW in continuous wave operation. This paper presents the design of the cavity used for high-power testing, with the primary objectives of both optimizing the coupling between the couplers and ensuring operations at the designated operating frequency. Furthermore, the paper encompasses thermal and structural assessments conducted through numerical simulations.

Careful cleaning of a milking parlour and its equipment is fundamental to guarantee good raw milk quality and prevent the dissemination of bacteria and improve animal welfare. This study aimed to investigate, using an ATP-bioluminescence assay and bacteriological analysis, the bacterial contamination of milking parlours on milking parlour surfaces of buffalo farms in the Campania Region, evaluating the seasonal dynamics during the year 2022. Eight farms were selected by the Italian ClassyFarm system, which assesses the level of animal welfare and biosecurity according to risk analysis. Before sampling, all dairy farm owners filled out a questionnaire on milking management, animal hygiene, and health. The questionnaires evidenced similar cleaning procedures but an absence of a standardised cleaning protocol among the different farms. ATP bioluminescence results evidenced similar levels of contamination in all the selected buffalo farms, and the season comparison showed no significant differences. A variation in the percentages of bacterial isolates during the different seasons was observed, with a higher prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae (38%) in summer. A small number of samples exhibited an absence of bacterial growth. Identifying bacteria is crucial for understanding the microorganisms present in the milking parlour, yet employing ATP luminometry could offer broad and accurate applications in buffalo milking parlours. In conclusion, the use of ATP bioluminescence for evaluating the hygiene of a buffalo milking parlour could represent a further important advancement in dairy farming technology.

The request for skin-whitening agents and bioactive principles able to control hyperpigmentation disorders is continuously growing. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) is used as a remedy for skin diseases, but little is known about the ability of Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) to act as a skin-whitening agent. With the aim to investigate antioxidant and lightening potential, fresh aerial parts of C. nobile were extracted by maceration, ultrasound-assisted extraction, and solid–liquid dynamic (SLDE-Naviglio) extraction using EtOH/H2O mixtures. Moreover, 32 metabolites (flavonoids, sesquiterpenoids, amides, and polar fatty acids) were identified by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis revealed how the extract EtOH/H2O 50% (Naviglio and long maceration), along with the extract EtOH/H2O 60% (maceration) were richest in flavonoids. All extracts were tested by TEAC and DPPH assays, and to determine their in vitro antioxidant activity, the DHR 123 probe–intracellular ROS assay in HaCaT cells, for some extracts, was performed. Moreover, their ability to exert a whitening effect was tested by analyzing their tyrosinase inhibitory activity. The quantitative determination of apigenin, known as a natural tyrosinase inhibitor, was performed by LC-ESI/QTrap/MS/MS using the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method. These results are promising for selecting an extraction method to obtain a sustainable product rich in bioactives.

The pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) market has steadily grown due to the increasing demand of health-conscious consumers of products with health-promoting effects. Recently, a growing interest in developing ecological and environmentally friendly extraction methods has led to investigating extraction procedures to obtain a higher extraction yield using a lower amount of solvents and energy. Herein, a new extraction procedure was developed to obtain an enriched pomegranate food supplement by using the peels of pomegranate, cultivar “Dente di Cavallo” and its juice. The extraction was performed through a non-conventional extraction technique like SLDE-Naviglio using ethanol and pomegranate juice as a solvent, and peels as a matrix. The extract was analysed by a combined approach based on LCESI/QExactive/MS/MS and NMR analysis, and its chemical profile was compared with those of pomegranate juice and of the extract obtained from peels by SLDE-Naviglio by using ethanol:H2O. The LC-MS analysis highlighted the presence of hydrolysable tannins, flavonoids, ellagic acid and phenol glucoside derivatives, while 1H NMR analysis completed the profile by detecting the primary metabolites. The LC-MS and 1H NMR analysis indicated that the extract obtained by SLDE-Naviglio using ethanol and pomegranate juice was enriched in the bioactives as confirmed by the highest phenolic, tannin and flavonoid content.

Scientific popularization for people with sensory disabilities is today insufficient and lacking in specific methods as it uses contents rich in visual and abstract references, difficult to assimilate by those with perceptual or sensory deficiencies. This research aims to fill the gap through an exploratory case study, conducted with an inclusive and multisensory method. This method is based on the use of natural sounds to communicate complex concepts related to ecology and environmental vulnerability. It has a bottom-up approach, starting from a single theme to arrive at the definition of ecosystems and environmental emergencies. The results indicate that natural sounds contribute to students’ learning by improving the ability to recognize and describe ecological and environmental issues. The proposed method was highly appreciated by the participants and exhibits excellent performance and great expandability to complex themes.

IntroductionProcesses of redefinition of work, already in place in the pre-pandemic era, with the advent of COVID-19, have become widely required. A “model of work” that uses new technologies and the development of existing ones to improve workers’ performance and satisfaction has emerged. Smart working has changed how people work and, as a result, spaces must also change to support them. The use of prefabricated movable buildings (PMB) could represent an opportunity to create smart (and co-) working spaces in a regenerative contest. Small villages with historical, architectural, and naturalistic elements and slow-life features are potential platforms where vacation and work could merge easily. This paper aims to establish if working in movable offices, like the PMBs, which provide a high level of visual and acoustics interaction with the surroundings, and which is positioned in small villages’ squares, can affect workers’ sense of restoration and working performance.MethodsIn a laboratory setting, in the SENS i-Lab, a videowall and a 3D spatial audio system were used to compare, in terms of restorativeness and self-reported cognitive performance, the effects of a high-rise building context of a City Business District (CBD), i.e. the control scenario, and of two typical squares of small Italian villages with historic buildings, without (HIS) and with water elements (HIS-W).ResultsThe findings of the experimental sessions showed that when working in close contact (visual and auditory) with historical or water elements, where life flows slowly, workers perceived a higher sense of restoration while job performance was unchanged.DiscussionImplementing smart working policies in small villages that encourage the use of energy-efficient prefabricated movable buildings and that offer a high level of visual and acoustic interaction with the surrounding environment may represent a promising strategy to foster the development of the local economy and contrast the depopulation of small villages, improving the worker well-being and the reducing the impact of their activities of the environment.

In the last decades, Italy has been affected by new migratory waves which enriched its varied sociolinguistic landscape. If on one hand Italy has been dealing with the integration of new immigrants in the society, on the other foreign immigrants need to cope with the extreme sociolinguistic complexity which defines the Italian linguistic reality. The present study aims to examine how foreign speakers perceive regional linguistic variation of Italy. A perceptive experiment was conducted on 44 foreign respondents to test their linguistic perception of six regional Italian varieties. Results showed that Italian’s explicit learning helps linguistic comprehension, but it is not enough to grasp differences between regional varieties of Italian, and this could cause comprehension difficulties for the unrepresented varieties in Italian language programs. We suggest that the enhancement of Italian regional varieties’ representation could foster new immigrants’ integration in the welcome society.

The common hazel plant (Corylus avellana L., Betulaceae) is one of the most popular tree nuts widespread in Europe and Asia. In Italy, there are different cultivars among which the cultivar affording the valuable hazelnut “Tonda Gentile Trilobata,” also known as “Tonda Gentile delle Langhe,” covered by the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) label “Nocciola Piemonte” (NP), known for its sweetness, cooked-bread aroma, and the low intensity of the burnt aroma. In order to obtain a detailed and in-depth characterization of the polar fraction of fresh (NPF) and roasted (NPR) kernels of NP the analysis of the n-butanol extracts by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization and high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-ESI/HRMS) was carried out. Moreover, to evaluate the quantitative distribution of the most representative polar lipids in NPF and NPR, the analysis by liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was performed. To unambiguously identify the phenolic compounds highlighted by the LC-ESI/HRMS profiles, they were isolated from the n-butanol extract and characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments. Finally, the ability of the isolated compounds to exert radical scavenging activity and to inhibit the lipid peroxidation induced by H2O2 or H2O2/Fe2+ was tested by Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assays, respectively. The LC-ESI/HRMS allowed to ascertain the presence of phenolic compounds and multiple classes of polar lipids including phospholipids, glycolipids, sphingolipids, and oxylipins. The quantitative analysis highlighted in NPR fraction a lipid content three times higher than in NPF, evidencing lyso-phospholipids and phospholipids as the most represented lipid classes in both NPF and NPR, together accounting for 94 and 97% of the considered lipids, respectively. Furthermore, phytochemical analysis permitted to identify flavonoid and diarylheptanoid derivatives. In particular, quercetin 3-O-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside and myricetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside showed the highest antioxidant activity, exhibiting TEAC values similar to that of quercetin, used as reference compound (2.00 ± 0.03 and 2.06 ± 0.03 mM vs 2.03 ± 0.03 mM, respectively). Moreover, most of the tested compounds were found to reduce lipid peroxidation induced by H2O2 and H2O2/Fe2+ more than curcumin used as positive control, with myricetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside determining 44.4 % and 34.1 % inhibition percentage, respectively.

Introduction: Since the beginning of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic an important tool for patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been the computed tomography (CT) scan, but not always available in some settings The aim was to find a cut-off that can predict worsening in patients with COVID-19 assessed with a computed tomography (CT) scan and to find laboratory, clinical or demographic parameters that may correlate with a higher CT score. Methods: We performed a multi-center, observational, retrospective study involving seventeen COVID-19 Units in southern Italy, including all 321 adult patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19 who underwent at admission a CT evaluated using Pan score. Results: Considering the clinical outcome and Pan score, the best cut-off point to discriminate a severe outcome was 12.5. High lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) serum value and low PaO2/FiO2 ratio (P/F) resulted independently associated with a high CT score. The Area Under Curve (AUC) analysis showed that the best cut-off point for LDH was 367.5 U/L and for P/F 164.5. Moreover, the patients with LDH> 367.5 U/L and P/F 164.5, 83.4%, vs 20%, respectively. Conclusions: A direct correlation was observed between CT score value and outcome of COVID-19, such as CT score and high LDH levels and low P/F ratio at admission. Clinical or laboratory tools that predict the outcome at admission to hospital are useful to avoiding the overload of hospital facilities.

Linguistic stereotypes emerged both in relation to biological and social factors. Different studies have offered different methodologies to ascertain their emergence in children or even babies. In this paper, we present a survey on six Italian regional varieties tested on 79 children aged from 6 to 10 years old. The survey took place in two elementary schools and used a paper questionnaire in which emojis were used to express different values to be associated with different accents. Our results show that this method was reliable for studying linguistic stereotypes, even in children with a low level of literacy due to their age.