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Solving the road congestion problem is one of the most pressing issues in modern cities since it causes time wasting, pollution, higher industrial costs and huge road maintenance costs. Advances in ITS technologies and the advent of autonomous vehicles are changing mobility dramatically. They enable the implementation of a coordination mechanism, called coordinated traffic assignment, among the sat-nav devices aiming at assigning paths to drivers to eliminate congestion and to reduce the total travel time in traffic networks. Among possible congestion avoidance methods, coordinated traffic assignment is a valuable choice since it does not involve huge investments to expand the road network. Traffic assignments are traditionally devoted to two main perspectives on which the well-known Wardropian principles are inspired: the user equilibrium and the system optimum. User equilibrium is a user-driven traffic assignment in which each user chooses the most convenient path selfishly. It guarantees that fairness among users is respected since, when the equilibrium is reached, all users sharing the same origin and destination will experience the same travel time. The main drawback in a user equilibrium is that the system total travel time is not minimized and, hence, the so-called Price of Anarchy is paid. On the other hand, the system optimum is an efficient system-wide traffic assignment in which drivers are routed on the network in such a way the total travel time is minimized, but users might experience travel times that are higher than the other users travelling from the same origin to the same destination, affecting the compliance. Thus, drawbacks in implementing one of the two assignments can be overcome by hybridizing the two approaches, aiming at bridging users’ fairness to system-wide efficiency. In the last decades, a significant number of attempts have been done to bridge fairness among users and system efficiency in traffic assignments. The survey reviews the state-of-the-art of these trade-off approaches.

Frozen shoulder is a common and self-limiting condition affecting the soft tissues of the shoulders, characterized by severe pain, impaired range of motion (ROM) and limitation of daily activities. Its prevalence is 5% and it occurs most commonly in the fifth and sixth decades of life; women are more affected [DePalma in Clin Orthop Relat Res 466:552–560, 2008]. It can be idiopathic or associated with other conditions such as metabolic disorders, diabetes, thyroid diseases, prolonged immobilization, trauma [DePalma in Clin Orthop Relat Res 466:552–560, 2008], or complications after vaccine administration known as SIRVA (Shoulder injury related to vaccine administration). SIRVA is not caused by the vaccine itself but by inappropriate vaccination techniques [Martín Arias et al. in Vaccine 35:4870–4876, 2017]. The natural history of the frozen shoulder is a progression through three stages based on clinical and arthroscopic presentations: freezing, frozen and thawing [DePalma in Clin Orthop Relat Res 466:552–560, 2008; Do et al. in Orthop J Sport Med 9:232596712110036, 2021]. The onset is characterized by disabling pain, that worsens at night; it is induced by inflammation and hypervascularity and lasts from 10 to 36 weeks [Do et al. in Orthop J Sport Med 9:232596712110036, 2021]. The second stage is predominated by stiffness and severe reduction of ROM. This phase typically lasts from 9 to 12 months [Do et al. in Orthop J Sport Med 9:232596712110036, 2021]. Eventually, a recovery phase occurs, with a gradual recovery of the ROM that can last between 12 and 42 months. Ultrasound is an emerging diagnostic tool that contributes to differential diagnosis and treatment [Zappia et al. in Insights Imaging 7:365–371, 2016; Ricci et al. in J Ultrasound Med 39:633–635, 2020]: signs of adhesive capsulitis consist of thickening of the inferior recess of the glenohumeral joint capsule, thickening of the coracohumeral ligament and soft tissue structures in the rotator cuff interval, with hypervascularity. An unspecific sign is increased fluid in the tendon sheath of the long head of the biceps [Martín Arias et al. in Vaccine 35:4870–4876, 2017; Tandon et al. in J Ultrasound 20:227–236, 2017].

Resume Les protheses de hanche a couple de frottement metal-metal contenant du cobalt peuvent etre a l’origine d’une toxicite systemique provoquee par le relargage d’ions cobalt dans la circulation sanguine. Des taux eleves de cobalt dans le sang peuvent provoquer diverses manifestations cliniques imitant d’autres maladies, notamment auto-immunes, hematologiques et infectieuses. Nous rapportons un cas d’intoxication au cobalt a partir d’une prothese de hanche , imitant une maladie auto-immune avec des signes d’inflammation systemique, des douleurs articulaires et musculaires sans synovite et la positivite de plusieurs auto-anticorps. Une femme de 69 ans presentait depuis un an une douleur de hanche droite, une fievre recurrente, des arthralgies et myalgies, des adenopathies mediastinale et iliaque droite. Elle avait une prothese de hanche depuis sept ans. L’examen physique etait normal, a l’exception d' une douleur de la hanche droite. Les analyses biologiques ont revele une nette elevation des marqueurs de l’inflammation et tous les tests microbiologiques etaient negatifs. Une ponction articulaire guidee par echographie de la hanche droite a permis de prelever un liquide limpide dont la mise en culture s’est averee negative. Des taux eleves de cobalt dans le plasma et les urines indiquaient la presence d’une intoxication a ce metal. L’imagerie par resonance magnetique en sequence de reduction des artefacts metalliques (MARS) a confirme la presence d’une masse periprothetique caracteristique d’une reaction a des debris metalliques. Les manifestations cliniques et les taux de cobalt se sont normalises apres le remplacement de la prothese.

We report the case of a 69-year-old woman, a never-smoker, with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene-5 (MDA5) antibody-positive amyopathic dermatomyositis (ADM) and autoimmune thrombocytop...

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), traditionally known as Churg–Strauss syndrome, is a form of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), a group of...

Is the gender gap still a topic in the academic world and in particular in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)? What difficulties did women who pursue a career in academia have to overcome? What are the differences among countries and what has changed compared to the past? As women and members of a community of young researchers in Operations Research (OR), we have tried to find answers to these questions by interviewing a group of prominent female professors and affirmed researchers in STEM belonging to different generations, with dissimilar careers and experiences. We have discussed with them about awareness, leaky pipelines, mobility, mentoring, society, role of education, and more. Their motivating stories and opinions contained in this article have allowed us to extrapolate a portrait of what barriers women encountered in STEM in the past, but also what challenges and stereotypes are still to be overcome, striving to close the gap.

Sustainability 13(8), 4362 (2021). doi:10.3390/su13084362 special issue: "Special Issue "Sustainability in Synchromodal Logistics and Transportation" / Special Issue Editors : Dr. Daniele Manerba, Guest Editor; Prof. Dr. An Caris, Guest Editor", Published by MDPI, Basel

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) encompasses a wide range of parenchymal lung pathologies with different clinical, histological, radiological, and serological features. Follow-up, treatment, and prognosis are strongly influenced by the underlying pathogenesis. Considering that an ILD may complicate the course of any connective tissue disease (CTD) and that CTD's signs are not always easily identifiable, it could be useful to screen every ILD patient for a possible CTD. The recent definition of interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune features is a further confirmation of the close relationship between CTD and ILD. In this context, the multidisciplinary approach is assuming a growing and accepted role in the correct diagnosis and follow-up, to as early as possible define the best therapeutic strategy. However, despite clinical advantages, until now, the pathways of the multidisciplinary approach in ILD patients are largely heterogeneous across different centers and the best strategy to apply is still to be established and validated. Aims of this article are to describe the organization of our multidisciplinary group for ILD, which is mainly focused on the early identification and management of CTD in patients with ILD and to show our results in a 1 year period of observation. We found that 15% of patients referred for ILD had an underlying CTD, 33% had interstitial pneumonia with autoimmune feature, and 52% had ILD without detectable CTD. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the adoption of a standardized strategy consisting of a screening questionnaire, specific laboratory tests, and nailfold videocapillaroscopy in all incident ILD proved useful in making the right diagnosis.

Background: Clinical evolution and optimal management of IPAF are still undefined and need prospective assessment. Objectives: to define the characteristics and evolution of IPAF patients in a multidisciplinary setting. Methods: IPAF pts referring to multidisciplinary Rheumatology/Pneumology outpatient clinic. We excluded patients with diagnosis of Anti-synthetase Sd. Data were retrospectively collected. Results: we analyzed the first 25 pts (19 F, 76%, 6 M, 24%), with a median onset age of 67 years (IQR, 59-74) and follow-up of 32 months (IQR 22-69). ANA test was positive in 23 (92%) cases (cytoplasmic+ in 17:68%). Anti-ENA screen was + in 9: 36% pts. One pt was + for anti-PM-Scl, one for for anti-Mi2 and one for anti-Ku Ab. Pts had mainly a NSIP pattern (19, 76%, cases; with concomitant OP, in 3). Three patients had UIP-like and 3 OP pattern. The majority of patients (15, 60%) satysfied only the morphological and serological domains. Clinical domains satisfied were: arthritis (4) Raynaud’s ph. (5) palmar teleangectasias (2) mechanic’s hands (1) and Hikers feet (1). Clinical spectrum time course was variable in 5 pts: 3 pts developed arthritis after ILD, and 2 developed ILD respectively after arthritis and inflammatory miopathy. Three pts were admitted in ICU for Rapidly Progressive (RP) ILD and 2 died. All pts received low dose steroids in combination mainly with Azathioprine, Mycophenolate, Cyclosporin, Hydroxychloroquine. 92% of patients were alive at FU. Conclusions: A multidisciplinary approach is useful in the diagnosis and the management of IPAF. RP-ILD was common, prognosis of IPAF was highly variable.

Background Interstitial Pneumonia with Autoimmune feature (IPAF) is a recently defined disease that includes Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) patients with features of autoimmunity, not satisfying any of the established classification criteria for connective tissue diseases (CTD). Even if IPAF pateints share clinical and serological findings with CTD, we are unaware about the clinical evolution of IPAF pateints. Objectives To define the characteristics and evolution of IPAF patients in a multidisciplinary setting. Methods We selected patients with a diagnosis of IPAF referring to a multidisciplinary Rheumatology/Pneumology/Radiology team at our hospital. We excluded from the analysis patients positive for antisynthetase antibodies, as diagnosed with antisynthetase syndrome. Data were retrospectively collected from our hospital medical records. Results We analyzed 25 patients (19 females, 76%, 6 males, 24%), with a median onset age of 67 years (interquartile range, IQR, 59-74) and a follow-up of 32 months (IQR 22-69). ANA test was positive in 23 (92%) cases (fig 1), whereas cytoplasmic positivity was observed in 17 (68%). Anti-ENA screen was positive in 9 patients (36%) (7 [28%] anti-Ro52 and 2 [8%] anti-RNP). One patient (4%) was positive for anti-PM-Scl, 1 (4%) for anti-Mi2 and 1 (4%) for anti-Ku antibodies. These 2 latter antibodies are not included in the serological domain of IPAF. Patients had mainly a Non Specific Interstitial Pneumonia (NSIP) pattern (19 [76%]; fibrosing in 7 [28%], and with concomitant organizing pneumonia (OP) in 3 [12%]). Three (12%) patients had Usual Interstitial Pneumonia-like and 3 (12%) an OP pattern. The majority of patients (15 [60%]) satisfied only the morphological and serological domains. Clinical domains satisfied were: arthritis (4 [16%]), Raynaud’s phenomenon (5 [20%]), palmar telangiectasias (2 [8%]), mechanic’s hands (1 [4%]) and hiker’s feet (1 [4%]). We observed other findings not included in IPAF criteria but suggestive for CTDs, both clinical (inflammatory myopathy 3 [12%]; dry eye1 [4%]; sclerodactyly 1 [4%]), and instrumental (scleroderma pattern at naifold capillaroscopy 1 [4%]; dilated esophagus at barium X-rays 2 [8%]). Clinical spectrum time course was variable in 5 (20%) cases: 3 (12%) patients developed arthritis after ILD, and 2 (8%) developed ILD respectively after arthritis and inflammatory myopathy onset. Three (12%) patients were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for Rapidly Progressive (RP) ILD and 2 died (respectively 2 months and 54 months after ILD onset), whereas the alive patient had 2 ICU admission for RP-ILD. Five (20%) patients, including the only 1 dismissed from ICU, needed home O2 therapy. Ongoing and previous therapies are reported in figure 2. Conclusion We showed that the prognosis of IPAF is highly variable, with patients experiencing RP ILD, other slow progressive worsening of respiratory functions and other a substantially stable disease. Furthermore, we showed other findings, laboratory, clinical and instrumental, that could help clinicians in a better identification and stratification of IPAF patients. As a matter of fact, at present, IPAF appears as a generic term including very different conditions that can be further differentiated according to clinical and serological data. References [1] Fischer A, et al. Eur Respir J 2015 [2] Scire CA, et al. Resp Med 2017 [3] Sambataro G, et al. Eur Resp Rev2018 [4] Cavagna L, et al. Eur Resp Rev2018 Disclosure of Interests Emiliano Marasco: None declared, Federica Meloni: None declared, Giovanni Zanframundo: None declared, Adele Valentini: None declared, Valentina Morandi: None declared, Veronica Codullo: None declared, Lorenzo Volpiano: None declared, Claudia La Carruba: None declared, Francesca Motta: None declared, Carlomaurizio Montecucco Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Sanofi, Genzyme, Lilly, MSD, Pfizer, UCB, Lorenzo Cavagna: None declared

In this paper, we present an explorative analysis related to the involvement of low-cost carriers (LCCs) in codesharing agreements. Our goals are to evaluate the diffusion of the phenomenon across countries, and to identify the determining features of companies with regards to the codesharing propensity of LCCs. We analyzed the worldwide scheduling of LCCs in 2011, revealing that one-third of LCCs were involved in codesharing arrangements in 2011. Yet, only 25% of LCCs are involved in codesharing with carriers to whom they are not hierarchically linked. The spread of this phenomenon varied by geographical area, with LCCs in Europe, Australia–New Zealand, Asia, and North America being most likely to codeshare. The airline size, the hybridization of the carrier's business model and an airline network concentration affect the likelihood to codeshare.

We report on the optical and photo-physical properties of a fluorinated poly(p-phenylenevinylene) derivative, namely poly(2-methoxy-5-[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]-1,4-phenylenedifluorovinylene) (MEH-PPDFV) and we compare them with those of the well-known non fluorinated reference system, poly(2-methoxy-5-[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]-1,4-phenylenevinylene) (MEH-PPV) synthesized with the same procedure. Remarkable blue-shifts of absorption and emission spectra of MEH-PPDFV with respect to MEH-PPV are observed, due to the larger distortion from planarity of the fluorinated species. In addition, the blue-shift for optical transitions in absorption spectra is more pronounced than in emission ones, since the molecule conformation in the excited states is more planar than in the ground one. Microsecond photo-induced absorption spectra of MEH-PPDFV reveal three bands possessing spectral properties and/or kinetics different from those observed for MEH-PPV. The assignment of these transitions is provided in terms of free and trapped polarons as well of triplet excitons. Free-polarons have an intrinsic decay constant of 3 μs, while the trapping dynamics has a longer kinetics of 40 μs. The triplet exciton, instead, shows a monoexponetial decay behavior of constant about 10 μs.

This study contributes to the debate about the role of industrial policies for innovation and internationalization on local economic performance. A panel data analysis on Italian regions examines the interrelationships between public grants, level of innovation and internationalization and economic performance. The main findings are that (1) the impact of pro-innovation policies on economic performance is higher in internationalized regions and (2) the level of local R&D expenditures does not contribute to the effectiveness of subsidies for internationalization.

We propose a proactive route guidance approach that integrates a system perspective: minimizing congestion, and a user perspective: minimizing travel inconvenience. The approach assigns paths to users so as to minimize congestion while not increasing their travel inconvenience too much. A maximum level of travel inconvenience is ensured and a certain level of fairness is maintained by limiting the set of considered paths for each Origin-Destination pair to those whose relative difference with respect to the shortest (least-duration) path, called travel inconvenience, is below a given threshold. The approach hierarchically minimizes the maximum arc utilization and the weighted average experienced travel inconvenience. Minimizing the maximum arc utilization in the network, i.e., the ratio of the number of vehicles entering an arc per time unit and the maximum number of vehicles per time unit at which vehicles can enter the arc and experience no slowdown due to congestion effects, is a system-oriented objective, while minimizing the weighted average experienced travel inconvenience, i.e., the average travel inconvenience over all eligible paths weighted by the number of vehicles per time unit that traverse the path, is a user-oriented objective. By design, to ensure computational efficiency, the approach only solves linear programming models. In a computational study using benchmark instances reflecting a road infrastructure encountered in many cities, we analyze, for different levels of maximum travel inconvenience and, the minimum maximum arc utilization and the weighted average experienced travel inconvenience. We find that accepting relatively small levels of maximum travel inconvenience can result in a significant reduction, or avoiding, of congestion.

Benefits derived from industry–university joint research projects (e.g., competitive advantages for firms, opportunities for field experimentation, the funding of academics’ activities and knowledge and technology transfer among partners) are strongly affected by the management system exploited to combine partners’ resources and tasks. Nevertheless, scholars have not paid great attention to management practices of collaborative research, leaving the best practices undefined. Aiming to fill this literature gap, this paper is a first attempt to open the black box of the management of the implementation stage of research and development (R&D) cooperation. The investigation, based on case studies, focuses on how participants of R&D cooperation coordinate and control their activities and what drives the selection of integrating mechanisms. The comparison of coordination and control systems implemented in six industry–university joint research projects highlights that planning and mutual adjustment practices are combined in different ways to manage R&D cooperation. Project and relationship characteristics affect the configuration of the management system. Task uncertainty leads to the decentralization of coordination and control practices, equivocality provides incentives for group coordination mode and reduces the need of informal ongoing monitoring and reciprocal interdependence among partners requires the exploitation of up-to-date project plans.

This paper contributes to the debate on the participation of SMEs in voluntary business networks by framing the relationship between the different types of network-based learning. Learning about networking, which concerns the capability to set, manage, and terminate a strategic alliance, is opposed to learning by networking, which involves the sharing and the joint creation of technical knowledge. The proposed framework is tested in the case of a network of Italian SMEs in the ICT sector. Empirical evidence confirms that learning about networking enables learning by networking and helps to balance those tensions and conflicts that inevitably mark the existence of inter-firm networks. Learning about alliance management provides networked IT entrepreneurs with the capabilities to compete against larger competitors. As learning paths also drive the evolution of inter-firm alliances, networked entrepreneurs would benefit from choosing collective goals in line with their alliance management capabilities.

This paper provides new empirical evidence on the determinants of R&D cooperation by investigating the drivers of cooperation with different types of partners. Using data collected by the Third Italian Community Innovation Survey, this study estimates the influence of perceived obstacles to innovation, technological regime and market extension, a firm's absorptive capacity, appropriability conditions, partner selection capabilities, and management skills on the propensity to cooperate. The results of the multivariate analysis suggest a relatively stable set of R&D cooperation determinants, as well as some differences across cooperation types. Keywords: R&D cooperation, innovating manufacturing firms, Italian CIS-3 Parole chiave: collaborazione in R&S, imprese manifatturiere innovative, CIS 3 italiana JEL Classification: O310, O320

Ring the changes: Experimental Raman spectra of fluorinated and non-fluorinated polyphenylenevinylenes are assigned according to quantum chemical calculations for oligomer model systems [picture: see text]. Characteristic differences in the spectra can be traced back to strong inter-ring distortion of the fluorinated compounds.The Raman spectrum of poly{2-methoxy-5-[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]-1,4-phenylenedifluorovinylene} (MEH-PPDFV) is reported and compared with that of a well-known non-fluorinated reference polymer, namely poly{2-methoxy-5-[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]-1,4-phenylenevinylene} (MEH-PPV). The Raman spectra of both polymers are assigned on the basis of density functional theory calculations of the corresponding oligomers. The main differences between vinylene fluorinated and non-fluorinated structures deal with the intensity, frequency shift and broadening of C--C vinylene stretching. Additional differences concern the relative intensities of C-C phenylene and vinylene stretching as well as the deformation modes in the range 1250-1350 cm(-1). It is shown that these effects are due to the larger distortion from planarity of the fluorinated polymer, compared with the non-fluorinated counterpart, induced by repulsive interactions between the fluorine atoms on the vinylene units and the oxygen atoms of the alkoxy groups on the aromatic rings.

This article presents analysis of air service levels and competition dynamics in the transatlantic market before and after the EU-US Open Skies Agreement (OSA) signed in 2008. By comparing direct and connecting flights in a typical off-peak week, we investigate whether the EU-US OSA has led to more choices for transatlantic travelers. We examine the impact of the EU-US OSA on competition between carriers, alliances, and hub airports. The results show that the number of direct transatlantic connections and served airport pairs decreased and only indirect competition increased.

Este artículo sintetiza los fundamentos teóricos y metodológicos así como los resultados y conclusionesobtenidos en el proyecto de investigación denominado “El rol del bibliotecólogo en los medios de comunicación de Montevideo”, que fue elaborado para la obtención del título de Licenciado en Bibliotecología.

This paper contributes to the debate on the participation of SMEs in voluntary business networks by framing the relationship between the different types of network-based learning. Learning about networking, which concerns the capability to set, manage, and terminate a strategic alliance, is opposed to learning by networking, which involves the sharing and the joint creation of technical knowledge. The proposed framework is tested in the case of a network of Italian SMEs in the ICT sector. Empirical evidence confirms that learning about networking enables learning by networking and helps to balance those tensions and conflicts that inevitably mark the existence of inter-firm networks. Learning about alliance management provides networked IT entrepreneurs with the capabilities to compete against larger competitors. As learning paths also drive the evolution of inter-firm alliances, networked entrepreneurs would benefit from choosing collective goals in line with their alliance management capabilities.

Mariasole Banno and Valentina Morandi analyse the Interactions between innovation and internationalisation policy at a regional level, and suggest that policymakers need to be more co-ordinated.

The aim of the paper is to evaluate the effects of the EU-U.S. open skies agreement on the Italy U.S. air transportation market. The EU-U.S. open skies agreement, which came into force in March 2008, is an important example of the liberalization of the air transport industry the goal of which is to improve consumer welfare. Enabling any European carrier and any U.S. airline to fly between EU and U.S. destinations without restrictions on frequencies and fares is the first step in creating an EU-U.S. open aviation area. This agreement harmonizes the fragmented and diversified regulation on transatlantic market access in EU countries. The study focuses on passenger traffic in terms of both direct flights and one-stop flights from Italy to the U.S. to analyze the changes in competition and service quality induced by the EU-U.S. open skies agreement. A pre- and post deregulation comparison of the transatlantic market highlights that the number of flights and destinations decreased, while the service coverage in Italy improved. Moreover, although the number of carriers offering transatlantic services decreased, fewer routes are monopolized by only one carrier.