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Supplemented Feed for Broiler Chickens: The Influence of Red Grape Pomace and Grape Seed Flours on Meat Characteristics
No full textIntensive broiler chicken farming is one of the most important livestock sectors globally. However, intensive production systems raise concerns about farm sustainability, as well as ensuring animal welfare and product quality. For this reason, identifying novel, highvalue-added feed ingredients is crucial. Winery by-products (WBPs) are a valuable source of bioactive compounds and can be utilized as functional feed ingredients. This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with grape seed meal and grape pomace meal in diets for broilers up to 42 days of age. Three dietary treatments were formulated— grape seed meal (3% and 6%), grape pomace meal (3% and 6%), and a combination (3% seed
meal + 3% pomace meal)—along with a standard diet (control). The proximal composition (moisture, protein, fatty acid profile, fats, ash), antioxidant parameters (ROS, GSH, NO, POV), free radical scavenging activity (DPPH and ABTS•+), and total phenolic content of the meat and physical characteristics (color) were assessed. While proximal composition of meat was not significantly influenced by the dietary treatment, some parameters, such as total phenolic content, PUFA levels, and antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity,
were improved. These results demonstrate enhanced favorable traits improving chicken meat quality and confirm the potential of WBPs as functional feed ingredients, promoting a more sustainable production model aligned with the principles of the circular economy
Critical analysis of strain measurement approaches in tensile testing of nitinol
No full textNitinol superelasticity is a crucial property for collapsible/expandable cardiovascular implants. The high class of risk associated with these devices requires an accurate mechanical characterisation as starting point for a reliable design methodology. Actual standards (ASTM-F2516) are based on standard metal testing and recommend the use of extensometers for the measurement of average nominal strains during tensile tests. However, measurement provided by classic extensometers may not be adequate to capture the strain evolution during the material phase transformation. These limitations can be overcome by full-field optical techniques such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC). This work presents a comprehensive comparison of various techniques for measuring strain on nitinol specimens. These include crosshead position, single and averaging (applied on both sides of the specimen) measurements using physical extensometers, virtual extensometer, and 1D and 2D DIC. Results are compared on the basis of the values determined for the upper/lower plateau stress, as defined by ASTM-F2516. Results show that the use of extensometers on nitinol strips subjected to tensile testing is inaccurate during phase transformation. Physical extensometers also introduce spurious local concentrated pressures at the knives contact region, which may alter the material stress plateaus values. DIC resulted more adequate to provide an accurate evaluation of strain localisation
Relevance of Management Science in the One Health Paradigm
No full textThe One Health paradigm recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, calling for collaborative and cross-sectoral responses to increasingly complex health threats. However, operationalising this vision requires more than biomedical or ecological knowledge. It requires systems thinking, structured decision-making, performance evaluation, and governance mechanisms. Management science—including decision analysis, operations research, systems modelling, and digital innovation—can play a pivotal role in transforming the One Health framework from aspirational policy to effective practice. We build upon recent interdisciplinary literature to demonstrate how Management Science is inherently transversal to One Health research fields. Drawing from examples involving artificial intelligence, data governance, and collaborative networks, we propose a revised roadmap for embedding Management Science capacity across One Health platforms, underlining the need for a human-centred, ethically grounded, and digitally enabled ecosystem for action
GdPO4:Eu nanoparticle formation during in situ hydrothermal synthesis in wood
No full textThis study investigates the formation and characterization of europium- doped gadolinium phosphate (GdPO4:Eu) nanoparticles produced during the in-situ hydrothermal synthesis of ceramic–wood composites. The research focuses on understanding the conditions under which these particles form within a solution enriched with wood components, examining their structural characteristics. In detail, the interaction between wood degradation products, including lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose derivatives, and the aqueous precursor solution containing NH4H2PO4, [Figure presented] and [Figure presented], is analyzed to elucidate the role of organic compounds in particle nucleation and growth. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to assess the crystalline structure, chemical composition, and morphology of the synthesized particles. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the solution composition, highlighting the influence of paramagnetic gadolinium ions on organic transformations and spectral broadening
Il Traitement moral (XVIII-XIX secc.) e lo specchio dell’antipsichiatria italiana
No full textThe essay initially considers the rise and decline of a specific practice in the history of psychiatry known as moral treatment (18th-19th centuries) and then critically addresses its role in late-twentieth-century anti-psychiatry, which sought to establish itself—especially in Basaglia and his team—with a renewed historical perspective and an autonomous relationship with respect to the events of "classical" psychiatry. The experience of moral treatment, in fact, recurs several times in the discussions born within the "Democratic Psychiatry" movement, whose phenomenological imprint, as is well known, aimed to profoundly renew the discourse on madness by separating it from any psychiatric vision still anchored in positivist schemes and the very biomedical roots of medicine. The essay, therefore, clarifies the framework of the transformations linked to the reading of moral treatment and allows us to understand the hermeneutic matrices through which this therapeutic approach to madness was observed in the twentieth century, in an argument that evaluates, beyond the theoretical framework, also the developments of the most recent historiography
Metabolic and pathophysiological characterization of constitutional thinness
No full textPurpose Constitutional thinness (CT) is characterized by a persistently low body weight in the absence of eating disorders
or overt disease. Distinguishing CT from anorexia nervosa (AN) is often challenging, and the metabolic and cardiovascular
features of CT remain incompletely defined. The present study investigated nutritional, metabolic, and cardiovascular
parameters in women with CT and compared them with those of women with AN and normal-weight healthy controls.
Methods Data from 7 women with CT were compared with those from 6 women with AN and 6 normal-weight healthy
women serving as controls. The resting metabolic rate (RMR) and endothelial function, assessed by flow-mediated dilatation
(FMD), were measured.
Results Body weight, body mass index, fat mass and fat-free mass (FFM) were comparable between the CT and AN groups
and significantly lower than those of the control group. Absolute and FFM-normalized RMR values were significantly higher
in the CT group (median [IQR]: 1263 [247] kcal/24 h and 29.2 [3.1] kcal/FFM-kg/24 h) than in the AN group (1046 [272]
kcal/24 h and 25.4 [2.7] kcal/FFM-kg/24 h; P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively), and did not differ from those observed in
controls (1317 [221] kcal/24 h and 29.5 [1.2] kcal/FFM-kg/24 h). Flow-mediated dilatation was significantly lower in both
the CT (7.2 [2.7] %) and AN (7.6 [6.2] %) groups compared with controls group (14.0 [9.0]%; P < 0.05).
Conclusion These findings indicate that RMR differs between CT and AN, with women with CT exhibiting a metabolic
profile distinct from that of AN and similar to that of normal-weight controls. Endothelial dysfunction was observed in both
CT and AN, suggesting a potential cardiovascular alteration that warrants further investigation
Analyzing National Health Financing Reform Strategies and Health System Governance Challenges in Singapore: A Modelling Study
No full textHealth systems worldwide are under increasing pressure to reconcile rising healthcare costs, population ageing, and prevalent chronic diseases while maintaining universal access and high-quality care. In response, Singapore has recently launched the Healthier SG (HSG) initiative that shifts the emphasis away from reactive and treatment-oriented care toward preventive and population-based care. A cornerstone of HSG is the transition from fee-for-service (FFS) to capitation (CAP) funding mechanism. As such, this thesis aims to investigate the implications of CAP payment reform for both health financing and system governance under HSG. Grounded in systems thinking and complexity theory, the study seeks to understand how payment reform reshapes financial incentive, resource allocation, service delivery, and population health. It addresses four central research questions: (1) what roles stakeholders play in Singapore’s health system governance; (2) how different payment models influence physicians’ provision behavior; (3) what unintended consequences might emerge from the transition to a capitated system; and (4) how governing policies can be designed to support the long-term viability of CAP payment reform.Methodologically, the study adopts an instrumental case study approach that integrates qualitative and quantitative modelling methods. Qualitative frameworks, including Viable System Model (VSM) and Dynamic Performance Governance (DPG), are employed to examine institutional structures, governance arrangements, and stakeholder roles within Singapore’s health system. These frameworks are further complemented by simulation models, including Generative Agent-Based Model (GABM) to explore individual physicians’ provision behavior and System Dynamics (SD) model to capture population-level impacts on health outcomes, service utilization, and public expenditures. Collectively, these models form a coherent analytical architecture that enables experimentation with alternative health financing policies and informs an integrated health system governance design.The findings highlight that while CAP payment reform can strengthen incentives for population health promotion, chronic disease management, and medical cost control, its effectiveness is highly contingent on other factors, such as HSG enrollment progress, financial risk management, provider service capacity, and collaborative governance efforts. Poorly calibrated CAP funding model may expose providers to disproportionate risks, elicit policy resistance, or even cause system failure. Conversely, CAP reimbursement method holds the potential to mitigate all levels of waste, improve population health outcomes, and enhance the sustainability of health systems when supported by robust health financing and governance arrangements.To conclude, this research contributes to the literature by offering a holistic, dynamic, and context-specific analysis of payment reform that moves beyond static or siloed evaluations. By integrating multiple modelling paradigms, the thesis advances methodological innovation in the study of complex health systems. Practically, it provides policy-relevant insights for Singapore and other health systems undergoing similar transitions toward CAP payment and accountable care. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that payment reform is not merely a technical adjustment of reimbursement method. Rather, it indicates complex health financing and system governance challenges that necessitate coordinated institutional design, adaptive policy management, and long-term strategic oversight
Neo-comunità: Rigenerazione ibrida contro lo spopolamento nelle aree marginali
No full textLa tesi affronta il tema della rigenerazione delle aree marginali italiane a partire dall’interazione tra crisi demografica, dinamiche migratorie e governance territoriale, proponendo una lettura integrata capace di superare l’approccio emergenziale all’immigrazione. In particolare, la ricerca indaga il ruolo delle comunità di cittadini stranieri economicamente attivi come potenziale leva strutturale per il neopopolamento e la riattivazione socio-economica dei territori marginalizzati, con un focus sul contesto siciliano.Il quadro teorico si fonda sull’intersezione di tre dimensioni trainanti: le aree marginali, intese come spazi caratterizzati da fragilità multidimensionali ma dotati di risorse latenti; i processi migratori, analizzati come fattore demografico, economico e sociale; la governance locale e multilivello, considerata come architettura abilitante per l’integrazione delle politiche e degli attori territoriali. Attraverso un approccio mixed-methods, la ricerca combina analisi di politiche pubbliche, studio di progettualità nazionali ed europee, osservazione diretta e analisi territoriale.Il caso studio delle Terre Sicane, nell’entroterra siciliano, costituisce il laboratorio di sperimentazione del framework proposto. In questo contesto, la tesi elabora il Protocollo Neo-Comunità, un dispositivo operativo finalizzato a connettere capitale umano migrante, infrastrutture sociali, politiche place-based e sistemi di governance integrata. Il protocollo si articola in quattro pilastri strategici – valorizzazione del capitale umano migrante, infrastruttura sociale e piattaforme ibride, sincronizzazione delle policy, ecosistemi circolari di risorse – ed è accompagnato da un modello incrementale di attivazione, monitoraggio e valutazione.I risultati mostrano come i processi di rigenerazione territoriale nelle aree marginali non dipendano da interventi settoriali, ma dalla capacità di integrare progettualità, risorse e politiche in una visione sistemica e adattiva. La tesi contribuisce al dibattito scientifico proponendo un modello replicabile di governance generativa, in cui la costruzione di neo-comunità ibride rappresenta una strategia concreta per trasformare la marginalità in opportunità di sviluppo sostenibile e inclusivo.This PhD thesis investigates the regeneration of Italian marginal areas by examining the relationship between demographic decline, migration dynamics, and territorial governance, with the aim of moving beyond an emergency-based approach to migration. The research explores the role of economically active migrant communities as a potential structural driver for repopulation and socio-economic revitalization in marginal territories, with a specific focus on the Sicilian context.The theoretical framework is built around the interaction of three key dimensions: marginal areas, understood as territories affected by multidimensional fragilities yet endowed with latent resources; migration processes, analysed as demographic, economic, and social factors; and local and multi-level governance, considered as an enabling architecture for the integration of policies and territorial actors. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the research combines policy analysis, the study of national and European projects, field observation, and territorial analysis.The Terre Sicane area, located in the inland region of Sicily, serves as the case study and experimental ground for the proposed framework. Within this context, the thesis develops the Neo-Community Protocol, an operational device designed to connect migrant human capital, social infrastructures, place-based policies, and integrated governance systems. The protocol is structured around four strategic pillars: the valorisation of migrant human capital; social infrastructure and hybrid governance platforms; policy synchronisation; and circular resource ecosystems. It is supported by an incremental activation, monitoring, and evaluation model.The findings demonstrate that regeneration processes in marginal areas do not depend on isolated sectoral interventions, but rather on the capacity to integrate projects, resources, and policies within a coherent, adaptive, and systemic vision. The thesis contributes to the academic debate by proposing a replicable model of generative governance, in which the construction of hybrid neo-communities represents a concrete strategy for transforming marginality into an opportunity for sustainable and inclusive development
Experiments and simulations of direct and reverse electrodialysis: power generation, fouling prediction and optimization routes
No full textThis PhD thesis focused on the investigation and advancement of two ion-exchange membrane-based technologies, namely Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) and Electrodialysis (ED). Within the framework of circular economy approaches, these technologies offer valuable alternatives for energy generation through reverse electrodialysis (RED), as well as for desalination and resources recovery applications (ED).In the first research area, RED technology was extensively studied at laboratory and pilot scale. Within this framework, an upscaled RED unit (10 × 80 cm2) was experimentally investigated to assess the feasibility of salinity gradient energy recovery at industrial scale and to analyse the influence of electrode segmentation. Several electrode configurations and operating conditions were explored, including the use of hypersaline solutions (up to 5.0 mol/L NaCl) to reproduce real brine and industrial effluents concentration. This study contributed to filling a gap in the RED literature, where industrial scale channel lengths and electrode segmentation have so far received limited attention. A key outcome was the successful implementation of electrode segmentation, which enabled up to a 21% increase in power output compared to undivided electrodes. The RED unit achieved energy yield values of 0.5 kWh/m3, exceeding values typically reported in the literature, and its adoption demonstrated the advantages of upscaled units. Long-term continuous operation (7 days) and the use of real process feedwaters confirmed stable performance and positive net power output. RED experimental activities also demonstrated the potential benefits of the integration of RED technology into circular processes for sustainable energy recovery and critical raw material valorisation.The second research area addressed fouling phenomena in ED systems, particularly focusing on colloidal fouling mechanisms. A hybrid modelling simulation platform, combining Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and a fouling growth model, was developed to simulate flow and concentration fields within spacer-filled channels of ED units subject to fouling. This work represented the first CFD model for fouling prediction in IEM-based processes. Data-driven models based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms, including Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN), Ensemble Decision Tree methods, Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN), and Temporal Fusion Transformer (TFT), were also used to predict fouling occurring in more complex conditions, closer to real applications. Within these activities, two wide experimental investigations were conducted, examining also dynamic operating conditions in ED, to evaluate fouling magnitude under a vast range of operating variables.The two datasets coming from the experimental activities were lately employed to train and validate the developed machine learning/deep learning models. Both phenomenon-driven and data-driven approaches accurately predicted fouling behaviour and offered complementary insights into its temporal evolution and effects, thereby addressing the existing gap in modelling tools for fouling prediction in electrodialysis.Overall, the results of this PhD thesis demonstrated the scalability of RED for salinity gradient energy harvesting and enhanced the modelling tools availability for predicting and understanding fouling in ED processes
La logica della pace, la logica della guerra. Che cos’è lo sport?
No full textLo sport, nell'antichità (ma anche oggi), si svolge al confine di una logica di pace (mette in scena, infatti, dei conflitti che prevedono il rispetto di regole ben definite) e di una logica di guerra (infatti, i giochi da esso previsti sono sempre "a somma zero", con una parte che deve vincere e l'altra che deve perdere). Nel mondo greco antico le gare funzionano da addestramento alla pratica bellica e il professionismo sportivo fine a se stesso viene per lo più criticato, ma la problematicità del "pensiero competitivo" è pienamente percepita, come prova anche il modo di parlare del pareggio. Quanto all'idea dei giochi olimpici come un’istituzione di pace, come comportarsi con chi fa una guerra e al contempo vuole partecipare agli agoni? Presso i greci, la tentazione di escluderlo e anzi di attaccarlo, benché si sia presentata, è stata allontanata, perché avrebbe significato di fatto una violazione della "tregua olimpica". Oggi forse si potrebbe sì continuare ad ammettere tutti alle competizionima istituire per regolamento l'obbligo, per tutti gli atleti, di indossare una fascia con la scritta "chiunque non attui il 'cessate il fuoco' e non si sieda al tavolo dei negoziati, anche nel caso in cui partecipi ai giochi olimpici, offende il loro spirito pacifico": essa funzionerebbe così da autodenuncia di ogni Paese in guerra e potrebbe spingere a ricercare soluzioni diplomatiche. Più in generale, la logica a somma zero dello sport potrebbe essere contrastata, assegnando premi a tutti i concorrenti e, nei giochi di squadra, facendo cambiare maglia ad alcuni giocatori di parte opposta, in modo da rendere in ogni caso mista la squadra vincitrice.In antiquity (and even today), sport took place on the borderline between a logic of peace (in fact, it staged conflicts that required compliance with well-defined rules of behaviour) and a logic of war (in fact, the games it involved were always “zero-sum”, with one side having to win and the other having to lose). In the ancient Greek world, competitions served as training for warfare, and professional sport for its own sake was mostly criticised, but the problematic nature of “competitive thinking” was fully understood, as evidenced by the way people talked about draws. As for the idea of the Olympic Games as an institution of peace, how should one deal with those who wage war and simultaneously wish to participate in the contests? Among the Greeks, the temptation to exclude and even attack them, though it did arise, was rejected, because it would have effectively constituted a violation of the "Olympic Truce". Today, perhaps we could continue to admit everyone to the competitions but establish a rule requiring all athletes to wear a band with the words, e.g., “anyone who does not implement the ceasefire and does not sit down at the negotiating table, even if they participate in the Olympic Games, offends their peaceful spirit". This would function as a public self-denunciation by every country at war and could encourage the search for diplomatic solutions. More generally, the zero-sum logic of sport could be countered by awarding prizes to all competitors and, in team games, by changing the jerseys of some players from the opposing side, so that the winning team is mixed in any case