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Can an active lifestyle maintain cognitive efficiency in older adults? A pilot study of the relationship between physical activity and graphic fluency
Get PDFBackground: Physical activity (PA) significantly impacts brain function and counteracts age-related changes in cognitive and motor abilities. Methods: This pilot study delved into exploring the cognitive benefits of PA in older adults, focusing on their fluency abilities. We assessed verbal and graphic fluency in 45 older participants (mean age = 68.11 ± 3.34 years) using the Fluency Test (FAS) and modified Five-Points Test (m-FPT). They were divided into Active and Sedentary based on International Physical Activity Questionnaire cut-off scores. Results: The results revealed significant findings regarding the relationship between PA level and executive functions. Generalized linear model analyses indicated that sedentary individuals exhibited poorer performance in the number of unique drawings, drawings performed with a cognitive strategy, and strategy index (ISs). Regarding gender differences, we found a significant positive prediction of verbal fluency abilities in males compared to females. However, no significant effects of gender were observed for the m-FPT. Conclusions: These preliminary findings strengthen existing evidence highlighting PA’s beneficial impact on cognitive function in older adults. This study highlights a distinctive support for graphic abilities over verbal fluency due to PA, emphasizing a specific connection to cognitive efficacy. It also prompts consideration of graphic fluency as a possible marker for successful ageing
Using a Hybrid Collaborative Crisis Management Framework to Foster Long‐Term Growth in Post‐Disaster Reconstruction: Findings From the Chinese Paired Assistance Policy
No full textThis study applies the causal loop analysis grounded in the system dynamics methodology to examine the underlying drivers of the Paired Assistance Policy (PAP) in post-disaster reconstruction after the Chinese Wenchuan earthquake. The findings reveal that the PAP fosters coordination among diverse stakeholders operating at multiple governmental tiers and across various sectors. This coordination promotes immediate recovery and introduces an innovative mechanism that supports the long-term development of both the assisting and assisted entities. The study also identifies the potential risks associated with the competitive performance system among the assisting parties. Furthermore, this study also examines the conditions necessary for the effective implementation of the PAP in non-centralized governance contexts. By exploring capacity building of local authorities, public–private partnerships and adaptation to cultural and social contexts, the findings contribute to a broader understanding of how the PAP can be adapted across different institutional and policy environments worldwide
Fostering the energy transition in a neighbourhood perspective: towards Positive Energy Districts’ application for a university case study
Get PDFThe European SET Plan Action 3.2 promotes the deployment and replication of 100 Positive Energy Neighbourhoods
by 2025, disclosing the urgent need for adopting an integrated approach able to implement consistent
actions aimed at sustainability. The aim of the paper is to investigate, in this framework, a mediterranean nonresidential
urban district: it analyses whether it could reach Positive Energy District (PED) targets by promoting
energy efficiency actions, enhancing its environmental performances. This considering the environmental impact
for a system of renovation actions and the goal of providing a benchmarking criterion for PED performances
evaluation. Energy models were performed and simulated in non-steady state conditions for assessing their
current energy performances; the validation process was followed by the assessment of selected retrofit scenarios
and the implementation of Life Cycle Assessment studies. This to evaluate the feasibility of achieving PED level
for a redesigned scenario. Results include the validation of the modelled district and an assessment of its
renovation potentialities: they reveal that post-renovation configurations for on-site energy generation could
provide up to 80 % of district’s annual energy demand. Notwithstanding, the reduction in annual energy demand
for the renovated configuration (assessed in the 40 %), is not sufficient to reach PED standards. The LCA
approach highlighted that holistic solutions for PED design are required, even stressing that climate neutrality
definition does not always imply energy neutrality (or positive energy) and vice versa: the renovated district
allowed for a reduction of 63 % life cycle energy compared to only 34 % reduction of global warming potential
Attraverso l'esistente
No full textIl contributo presenta la proposta progettuale elaborata nell’ambito della Call for Project ProArch “Studium 2030. La città degli studenti” per l’area della Conca di Perugia. Il progetto si imposta – attivando percorsi (interni e urbani) e recuperando spazi residuali – su una rete di “linee” che vanno da una parte all’altra della città, attraverso (in ogni caso) condizioni e dati esistenti: direzioni trasversali, oblique, poste di traverso e per traverso, che passano in mezzo (a traverso, appunto). Il progetto agisce secondo una “poetica” di ascolto dei luoghi, tentando di coglierne i caratteri distintivi per ricomporli con azioni misurate che mirano a svelare nell’esistente un nuovo orizzonte di bellezza
Projection-based reduced order modelling for unsteady parametrized optimal control problems in 3D cardiovascular flows
Get PDFBackground and Objective:
Accurately defining outflow boundary conditions in patient-specific models poses significant challenges due to complex vascular morphologies, physiological conditions, and high computational demands. These challenges hinder the computation of realistic and reliable cardiovascular (CV) haemodynamics by incorporating clinical data such as 4D magnetic resonance imaging. The objective is to control the outflow boundary conditions to optimize CV haemodynamics and minimize the discrepancy between target and computed flow velocity profiles. This paper presents a projection-based reduced order modelling (ROM) framework for unsteady parametrized optimal control problems (OCP
s) arising from CV applications.
Methods:
Numerical solutions of OCP
s require substantial computational resources, highlighting the need for robust and efficient ROMs to perform real-time and many-query simulations. We investigate the performance of a projection-based reduction technique that relies on the offline-online paradigm, enabling significant computational cost savings. In this study, the fluid flow is governed by unsteady Navier–Stokes equations with physical parametric dependence, i.e. the Reynolds number. The Galerkin finite element method is used to compute the high-fidelity solutions in the offline phase. We implemented a nested-proper orthogonal decomposition (nested-POD) for fast simulation of OCP
s that encompasses two stages: temporal compression for reducing dimensionality in time, followed by parametric-space compression on the precomputed POD modes.
Results:
We tested the efficacy of the proposed methodology on vascular models, namely an idealized bifurcation geometry and a patient-specific coronary artery bypass graft, incorporating stress control at the outflow boundary and observing consistent speed-up with respect to high-fidelity strategies. We observed the inter-dependency between the state, adjoint, and control solutions and presented detailed flow field characteristics, providing valuable insights into factors such as atherosclerosis risk.
Conclusion:
The projection-based ROM framework provides an efficient and accurate approach for simulating parametrized CV flows. By enabling real-time, patient-specific modelling, this advancement supports personalized medical interventions and improves the predictions of disease progression in vascular regions
Valorization of Sicilian grape seed oils in the control of glucose uptake and consumption in vitro
No full textSignificati e ruoli dei ‘centri minori’: uno sguardo dalla Sicilia centro-occidentale
No full textThe aim of the paper is to describe some cases of ‘minor settlements’, whose role could have been very significant from a political and economic point of view. The case studies regard three districts (Himera, Halaesa, Cignana) of central-western Sicily, where intensive and systematic archaeological surveys have been carried out. Sometimes these ‘minor settlements’ belong to networks of settlements, both of Greek and Roman periods. Their location, morphological characteristics and typology of the finds, allow us to hypothesize a key role in the territory, and sometimes they reveal strong elements of continuity over time (the ‘longue durée’)
Absence of Viral Replication Is Associated With Improved Outcome in Anti-HCV-Positive Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Get PDFBackground and Aims: Presence of active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may influence the outcome of patients treated for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), although this issue has never been adequately assessed in a large series of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of active HCV affects the survival of patients treated for HCC. Methods: This study assessed the outcome of 3123 anti-HCV-positive patients with HCC, subdivided according to the presence of active HCV infection or previous sustained virological response (SVR). Comparisons were also carried out after propensity score matching (PSM) considering demographic, clinical and oncological characteristics. Results: The median overall survival from HCC treatment was longer in patients with SVR than in those with active HCV infection both before (n = 2118: 61.0 months [95% confidence internal (CI): 56.5–65.5] vs. n = 1005: 51.0 months [95% CI: 43.4–58.6]; p = 0.003) and after PSM (n = 1285: 60.0 months [95% CI: 55.3–64.7] vs. n = 926: 54.0 months [95% CI: 46.7–61.3]; p = 0.030). Active HCV infection was associated with a greater risk of mortality (hazard ratio: 1.22–1.27, p = 0.001) independently of liver- and tumour-related variables, and modality of HCC treatment. Death due to liver failure was more common in patients with active HCV infection (24.5% vs. 17.1%; p = 0.001), while non-liver-related causes of death were more common in patients with SVR (25.0% vs. 17.0%; p = 0.001). Conclusions: SVR is associated with a better outcome in patients undergoing HCC treatment, thus suggesting that these patients may benefit from antiviral therapy for HCV independently of cure of HCC
Can culture save us? Rethinking culture-led touristification from Palermo (Italy)
Get PDFIn recent years, the historic centers of many South European cities have undergone profound transformations in
which creative production and tourist flows have played a leading role, converting entire neighborhoods into
enclaves where touristification processes, sometimes associated with gentrification, have upheaved social
composition, housing dynamics, and commercial fabric.
In this article, we try to rearticulate the nexus between culture-led regeneration and touristification by
considering events that have occurred in Palermo (Italy), a Southern European urban context that has recently
experienced an unprecedented wave of tourism pressure. The article offers a critical overview of the material and
discursive changes undergone by the Kalsa neighborhood between 1993 and 2023, with reference to processes of
what we call “culture-led touristification” and its controversial implications. Our analysis, employing an
assemblage of qualitative and quantitative methods, offers some remarks on our case study and how it could
provide a basis for reflecting on the concept of culture-led touristification in Southern European cities by taking
the viewpoint of an under-explored and not-(yet)-overtouristified urban context